Past a Thousand Years (Second Update! Please Subscribe!)

The power of the origin...?

The child was still young and confused, and didn't quite understand what Giant Sang meant. But now, none of the people or things he knew were anywhere nearby, and the strange island filled him with dread. The Giant Sang before him, though it admitted to being a tree spirit, had at least spoken to him of its own accord and even given him food. He was afraid it might grow annoyed with him, and immediately stopped crying.

After waiting a little longer, Giant Sang still showed no sign of movement. The child stared blankly at the mulberries in his hands for a moment, then lowered his head and began eating them in small bites.

The two mulberries were as sweet as he'd imagined—no, they were even more delicious than he'd expected.

The child wolfed them down. At the same time, a warm current flowed through his entire body, and his previously indistinct form grew a little more solid.

Even his mind felt clear, as if he'd become much smarter.

"Tr... Tree Spirit Uncle?" After finishing the mulberries, the child looked up at Giant Sang and tentatively spoke.

Giant Sang remained unmoved.

The child tried asking a few more questions in a quiet voice, but received no response. He hesitated, afraid his persistence might anger Giant Sang, and fell silent.

He edged little by little toward Giant Sang's roots. Seeing that the great tree didn't stop him, he timidly leaned against its trunk and sat down, staring into space as he recalled what Giant Sang had said.

Wealth and status? Sacrifice? Fate?

The child suddenly remembered that, ever since he could remember, his family had doted on him.

It had even made his older brothers and sisters jealous.

But after his parents spoke privately with them,