In the gentle sunlight, as the rays fell softly and a light breeze blew, the grass swayed slightly. And I kept thinking—
My life isn't like that of a great warrior, nor am I some legendary magician, or someone who has shaken the entire world.
I'm just a normal person.
I was born in a world filled with magic, warriors, strange creatures, and many other bizarre things.
What nonsense am I even saying?
Anyway, let's begin the story.
An 11-year-old boy was sitting very peacefully under a tree. His face clearly showed that he was someone who thought a lot. Anyone could tell just by looking at him that he was one of those children who remain lost in their own world during childhood and don't concern themselves with others. His name was Lucas.
Just then, another boy came running and said,
"Lucas, hurry up! Grandpa's story is about to begin!"
Lucas gets up from his place and quickly starts walking with the boy. Lucas and the other boy stop at a spot under a big tree, where other children are also sitting in a circle. In the middle of them sits an old man with a long beard, whom all the children call grandpa.
He is the village's eldest head and a well-known storyteller. People also consider him the strongest person in the village. Among the children, he is very famous because every week he tells them new stories—about magic, demons, poets, and warriors who created this world.
Lucas sits with the other children, and grandpa,s story begins.
And Grandpa says,
"This is a story from long, long ago—back when there were no countries, and people lived in small settlements. Among them was a boy, playful at heart but incredibly brave. Just like all of you, he loved listening to stories in his childhood. And out of all the stories, he had one favorite—the story about the 'Tree of Everything.'
Then, suddenly, a child interrupts Grandpa and says, "Grandpa, what is the Tree of Everything?"
Grandpa, in his majestic voice, replies, "That's a good question! Let's answer it then."
He continues, "Back when the Earth was just a ball of water, an Omni-being came and threw down the 'Seed of Beginning' here. That seed grew and became the Tree of Everything, from which magic was born.
When magic came into existence, magical creatures, spells, and many wondrous things began to emerge. The being who placed the Seed of Beginning on Earth came to be known as "The Creator".
We return to that boy—he had heard a story that the Tree of Everything was the source of all magic, and that it had created more than half of all magical creatures and beasts. The boy was deeply fascinated by all of this. He had made it his goal to see the Tree of Everything at least once. He wanted to know what it looked like, what it was like, and what its purpose was.
It was said that the Tree of Everything held the key to everything. The boy spent half his life chasing this dream. After facing many difficulties, he finally found the path to the Tree of Everything.
And then he saw it—a massive tree, so huge that even one of its branches could easily crush a human being. The moment he saw it, a different kind of brilliance lit up in his eyes.
He was deeply affected by the peace and beauty of the place. He noticed that many leaves were falling around him, and the sound made him feel as if the whole world was sending him messages of peace. Just then, a glowing creature emerged from inside a tree and said to him, "You are the first human I have ever seen. Tell me, what do you wish for?"
Hearing the voice, the boy was extremely surprised. In his mind, he wondered, "Is this the one? Is this the one who created the 'Tree of Everything'?" As he kept thinking, he heard the voice again: "Tell me, what do you wish for?"
He thought for a while, but nothing came to his mind. Sometimes he thought he wanted money, but then he felt that money is greed, and he didn't want that. Sometimes he thought he wanted power, sometimes something else—but in the end, he settled on one pure and honest thought.
He told the glowing creature, "I don't want anything."
The glowing being was very pleased to hear this and said, "You did not fall into the trap of greed. I am very happy with you for that. So, I will gift you a new skill and a title from my side. The title is: The Monarch. When you leave this place, you will be able to become the king of this entire country."
Suddenly, the boy saw a strange blue light flash, and he found himself lying in a forest, far away from the Tree of Everything. When he returned to his city and told people about his experience, the people of that time declared him the Monarch—the King of the land—with absolute power.
And even today, it is his family that continues to rule the royal kingdom, passing down the legacy through generations.
Then a girl asks, "Grandpa, I have a question."
Grandpa replies, "Yes, go ahead."
She says, "When that boy had the chance to ask for anything, why didn't he ask for something?"
Grandpa smiles a little and replies, "When someone's dreams come true, they don't even think beyond that. That boy's only dream was to see the Tree of Everything, and that dream came true that very day. So, when the Creator asked him what he wanted, nothing came to his mind."
Just then, Lucas says, "I didn't understand that."
Grandpa chuckles a bit and says, "Kids, when you grow up, you'll understand what it truly means to have your dreams fulfilled."
Then Grandpa says, "Kids, today's story is over. You can all go to your homes now."
All the children happily leave for home, but Lucas is still thinking about why he refused the offer in the first place.
Evening was approaching, the sun had almost set. Before it got dark, a girl came to Lucas.
She was about the same age as him. Her long silver hair and her sparkling green eyes made her look like a princess from somewhere.
"It's getting late, let's go home. Mom is waiting for you," she said.
Lucas looked at her and, with a gentle smile, held her hand and walked away with her.
They both stopped in front of the house while walking, and Javed opened the door. From inside, they heard a woman's voice saying, "You both are very late, Luna. I had sent you to bring Lucas. Did you both start playing again?"
Defending Luna, Lucas said, "We weren't playing. We were just coming home."
Luna's mom replied, "Then come quickly, food is ready."
At that moment, Lucas thought to himself,
"Since childhood, I've never had parents. It's always been Luna's family who took care of me. Luna's family has her mom and dad. Her mom and Luna have always taken care of me, but her dad is a bit irritated with me for some reason. I don't know why — no one has ever told me."
They all sat down at the dining table. Whenever Luna's dad came, he would quietly take his seat. Lucas could never talk to him properly. He would just sit silently, eat in front of him, and then quietly leave.
But today, for some reason, her dad said to him, "I wish you were never born. We all could have lived happily without you. Who will bear your burden? You're an orphan. We even took your responsibility, but now you're growing up too."
This time, Lucas couldn't stay silent. With angry eyes and full of rage, he said, "Why do you always say such things to me? I never did anything to you. Did I ever ask you to raise me? If I was an orphan, you could've just left me to die."
Luna's dad replied, "You are nothing. You are just a disaster child."
Hearing this, Lucas stood up from the dining table, opened the door, and ran toward the forest. Luna and her mother quickly tried to stop him, but he slipped out of their grasp. Luna's mother cried a lot and asked,
"Why did you say that?"
Lucas, crying, kept running into the forest. "Since childhood, I never had parents. I don't even know what parental love feels like. The entire village never looked at me kindly. They just helped me, but never truly talked to me. Only Luna and her mom were the ones who treated me kindly. That's when I learned what love is. But now I understand that maybe I was never meant to belong… I'll just grow up slowly, being a burden…"
Thinking all this, Lucas kept walking deeper into the jungle. Suddenly, he realized that too much time had passed and he was lost.
Trying to hold back his tears, Lucas suddenly heard a sound. Wiping his tears, he slowly moved toward the sound. He saw a bluish light glowing ahead. Looking closely, he saw a blue bird sitting there, surrounded by that light. Its tail was very long. It looked like it wasn't even from this world — such a bird doesn't live in these mountains.
As he tried to move closer to it, the bird suddenly spoke, "You… you are the child of calamity."