Rio soared back toward the top of the colossal tree. The wind brushed past him, whispering softly through the branches. But just before reaching the upper layers, something caught his eye — something strange.
A single leaf glowed faintly.
"What... is that?"
His brows furrowed. With cautious curiosity, he flew closer. Resting gently on the leaf... was a soul — no, a newborn child.
The leaf shimmered, projecting images of the child's life from birth. Rio was stunned, unsure what he was witnessing. Yet, without giving it much thought, he continued his way up.
As Rio flew higher, more and more leaves passed by him — and each one told a story. Humans, beasts, unknown beings — their entire lives played out like illusions on the surface of their leaves.
And then... he saw one leaf fall.
He caught it.
In that very moment, the images on the leaf began to display the life of a man. From childhood... to training... to death.
Rio's heart skipped a beat.
"When did this start...?" he whispered. "None of this existed before... What's going on?!"
A storm of questions invaded his mind, but he pushed forward. Finally, he reached the top — where the small dragon awaited him.
Rio explained everything that happened.
The dragon tilted its head in confusion, then nudged Rio gently.
"…From now on, your name is Rin," Rio said, smiling faintly.
The little dragon chirped joyfully and began flying around Rio, full of energy. Yet Rio's thoughts were still trapped in the strange visions from the tree.
---
Night fell.
Rin was fast asleep, curled up on a soft leaf. But Rio… couldn't sleep.
"No… I need to understand this. I have to know the truth."
Determined, Rio descended again.
He stood before one of the glowing leaves. This time, he called the system.
"System," he said, "analyze this. What exactly are these leaves?"
The system replied instantly.
"These are no ordinary leaves. They now act as vessels of life. Each leaf is directly connected to a living being in this world — when a leaf falls, that being dies. They represent the very soul of each creature."
Rio's eyes widened. He stepped back. The reality… was heavier than he expected.
Suddenly, he felt a powerful aura from one of the leaves. He rushed toward it.
There, standing calmly... was a man.
"This pressure... it's overwhelming."
Rio broke into sweat. The aura was suffocating, monstrous, majestic.
He couldn't help but watch.
The man was crafting a sword — not a normal one, but something terrifying. It pulsed with dark energy, as if it was forged from vampire fangs soaked in ancient blood. Its beauty was demonic.
Day after day, Rio kept watching him. Weeks passed, then months. Without even realizing it, Rio had learned so much.
"Thank you... whoever you are."
He bowed lightly.
An idea then crossed Rio's mind.
What if I kept watching these lives through the leaves? What if... knowledge and power are hidden in their stories?
He imagined it. A fruit, growing from the tree's branches — not just a fruit, but a manifestation of pure knowledge and power. If someone ate it... they'd gain all that being's experiences.
It was just a fantasy.
But Rio forgot one thing.
His powers… respond to his imagination.
---
The next morning.
Rio woke up feeling strangely refreshed. Rin was already awake... munching on a strange apple.
"Rin? What are you eating? Is that... an apple?"
Rio raised an eyebrow. "There weren't any apples here before…"
But as usual, he didn't think too much about it.
Soon after, Rio changed his appearance — his real one looked too monstrous, almost vampiric — and headed to the nearest human city.
It was lively. Markets filled the streets. People everywhere.
He entered a sword shop.
"Welcome, sir! How may I help you today?" a young man greeted him.
"I need your best sword," Rio said, calmly.
The shopkeeper lit up, assuming Rio was rich. But in truth, Rio had no money at all.
The man brought out their finest blade — but Rio was unimpressed.
He left quietly.
Back in the forest, Rio landed near the tree again. But something was off.
A human was sitting beneath the tree, his wings... exactly like Rin's.
Panic struck.
Rio assumed the worst — that Rin had been killed.
Without thinking, Rio launched forward. His speed shattered the air. The mountains around them trembled.
But the man didn't move. He stayed seated, calm.
Then, with just two fingers, he caught Rio's sword.
"What?!"
Rio stepped back, shocked, sweat dripping down his face.
Then the man spoke — his voice calm, but strong.
"Rio… what's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"
Rio froze.
"Rin...?!! What... happened to you?!"
---
To be continued...