Despite her developed personality, Driya's knowledge resembled that of an eight or ten-year-old child. The knowledge passed to her by the spirit lacked common human concepts—yet she could crossbreed two completely different plants in seconds, something even a powerful waterbender would struggle with…
Driya wasn't one to hide her feelings about anything. If she liked something, she'd say it right away. If she didn't, well…
"Don't look at me like that! Auntie Lan says people like you only pay for love!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, rudely pointing her delicate finger at an obese aristocrat.
At this turn of events, the man turned bright red. After giving Driya one last lecherous glance, he quickly retreated to his carriage. He'd have tried something if not for that, huh. Too low on the totem pole to mess with Roku himself!
This guy had been following us around the market for an hour now, unable to take his eyes off my nymph's figure. A spirit's senses go beyond those of humans, and even in a passive state, a higher spirit's perception can detect the tiniest speck of dust within a hundred-meter radius. Honestly, I hadn't expected such patience from Driya, but enduring an hour under that greasy gaze—that's something. Even I was tired of waiting for her reaction, thinking I'd have to chase this "immortal" off myself.
Episodes like this happened in every settlement or city, not always negative, but we certainly drew attention. Driya's appearance alone sparked curiosity, and when she opened her mouth to say something outlandish, it was enough to make anyone's jaw drop.
And I think I've figured out why. Driya's situation is like that of a growing child, where the foundation of their personality is unconsciously laid. Something particularly vivid and memorable stays with them forever. The first books Driya read, she took as absolute truth. No one ever told her they could lie or omit things. Spirits express their emotions too simply—why withhold or deceive when strength decides everything anyway?
Why am I so important to her? I've asked myself this question many times, and the only somewhat logical answer I've come up with is this: our second meeting, when she first gained her new powers, was fateful. Her consciousness latched onto the only rational being she'd ever known, someone who didn't threaten her life but, in fact, was genuinely happy to see her. You could call it a kind of imprinting. It's complicated, so it's best to hold off on final conclusions for now.
Spirits, starting from the higher levels, can alter their bodies—not drastically, but there's room for change. And as far as I know, they only do it in rare cases. Why bother when nature has already given you a good body?
All Driya had to do was adjust her skin tone to something more human-like and create something more modest from her leaves, resembling local clothing. We chose the most nondescript colors and styles, but a diamond shines even in the mud. Now people are guessing who's influential enough to hire Roku to escort and protect their daughter disguised as a commoner. And there are more down-to-earth folks who simply don't understand but are genuinely happy to see me.
"A rare guest! Come visit us, Roku," called out a smiling old man who'd been skillfully wielding a shovel in the field. "My old lady will bake your favorite… uh, what are they called again?" He scratched his bald head, embarrassed. "Pancakes, right? My mind's slipping."
"Who are you calling an old lady? You've lost all fear now?!" shouted a pleasant-looking woman from the doorstep. Auntie Rin's hearing was exceptional, and her scolding was on point. Uncle Wan quickly resumed working silently. "Oh, Roku, you've gotten so thin, poor thing. Come inside. We heard from traders just days ago that you were heading this way, so we've been preparing. Come, come, or everything will get cold," she urged, pushing Driya and me into the house, ignoring my feeble attempts to decline.
In every province, there are two or three villages where a grandmother has adopted me as the grandson-who-needs-to-be-fed-well. I don't complain much; their food is always delicious, and with my metabolism, I can't talk about the harms of overeating. But I have a lingering fear from my past life, when I didn't have today's abilities, and I didn't want to disappoint the grandmas… Hello, my white friend, we're together again.
And every time they see me alone, they want to match me with village girls. Sometimes, Shizuka, who travels with me, saves the situation. Now, Driya plays the role of my shield.
"Oh, you've finally decided to start a family," she began as she set the table. "That's good, that's right." Then she leaned closer to my ear. "This one's pretty too, but the one with the fans was much better. Look at this one," she whispered. Oh, Driya still wasn't used to tableware, so she dug into the communal dish with her hands and was now munching away. Embarrassing—my mistake. I completely forgot about it.
"She lived in a tribe where they don't use utensils, but her heart is kind," I tried to explain her behavior.
"Come on, do I judge?" she waved her hand. "I know what you men look at first," she winked at the end.
I protected one village from raiders, helped build houses in another, and gradually became an honored guest in many homes across different social strata—whether simple farmers or the city's governor.
My return to the North Pole with Driya was unforgettable.
"Mom, Dad! I'm so glad to finally meet you!" Driya rushed to hug my bewildered parents, who automatically hugged her back, glancing at me for clarification. They didn't have a second daughter, did they…
"Ahem, this is Driya! She's a kind spirit who wanted to explore our world," I explained to everyone gathered.
"Yes! It's so great here! Delicious food, no nasty or evil spirits," she immediately started overwhelming them. "And there's Yuki! He'll be my Master in the future!" It seems Auntie Lan's books have irreversibly changed something in her mind. I asked her to present it less categorically… Or maybe she understands everything perfectly and is just pretending to laugh at people's reactions?
"We're probably very happy about that, right, Arnuk?" Mom didn't know what to say, subtly asking Dad for help.
"If that's your wish, of course! I know our son is a catch!" Dad started getting carried away. "I'd be happy to have an addition to the family."
I realized no one wanted to upset the beaming girl who was so joyfully meeting near-strangers. That evening, I had a separate conversation with Kaya, who simply didn't see Driya as any threat. And my fuller explanation of her nature made it clear she was still growing, but there was nothing against the girl herself as a candidate for our family.
Driya easily and seamlessly blended into our large family. Many of her quirks were attributed to her nature, but her main weapon of mass charm was her big green eyes—always looking at you with childlike innocence and sincerity. Those eyes could be forgiven for anything!
We had to urgently expand the underground greenhouses. Thanks to Driya, we managed to develop plants that didn't need sunlight. People were ready to kiss her hands as soon as various berries, fruits, and vegetables appeared on the tables. It felt like if Arnuk didn't have such great authority, they would've definitely nominated Driya as leader. Of course, I'm exaggerating, but she definitely became the tribe's favorite.
*
**Spirit Realm. Two months later. Solstice.**
"I knew today would be a great day!" I declared cheerfully, appearing with my companion at the site of my first sleep in the Spirit Realm. "Vong, why are you scratching your back so fiercely? Are spirits infested with fleas?" I laughed at the absurd sight of Vong furiously rubbing his back against a tree.
"Friend! It's been so long since we've seen each other!" Vong immediately recognized me.
It's great to meet old friends. There wasn't much time, but we wanted to share news and just chat—we don't meet every day. Only after talking enough did I remember the main purpose of my visit. The hours spent were worth it; a monkey spirit joined us, knowing the approximate habitats of higher spirits.
Target one: a water spirit in the form of a whale and jellyfish! Take back what I said—human world fauna is far more reasonable than the spirit world's. I've never seen such a monstrosity! What a perfect day—the spirit is digesting its recent catch, so the element of surprise is on our side.
I don't know why I always called Vong a monkey spirit when his element is earth, but I'm even happier about it. Driya and Vong began preparing the territory, subtly moving earth and rocks that would soon entangle the dark spirit.
"Let's begin," I transmitted mentally.
In that instant, the spirit began to be enveloped by what seemed like an endless stream of various shades of brown and gray—essentially earth and rocks—that tightly bound its body, giving me precious time.
"Give up your energy!" I managed to shout before creating a water whip around myself and launching myself into the spirit's body. I needed to be as close as possible at the moment of its death.
"Damn, it's a tough one," I thought as my body pierced the spirit, tearing through what passed for its flesh. After a few seconds, tremors began. The enemy freed itself from the binds, but it was unlikely to help now. I vividly remembered my first encounter with that higher earth spirit. There are only two paths to victory: overwhelming power, numerical superiority, or damaging the spirit's core—analogous to a human's heart. There it is!
A small, glowing blue gemstone—the concentration of all a higher spirit's power. Let's add some water energy!
"Aaaah," the spirit let out an unpleasant sound just before its end. The stone, already covered in tiny cracks, finally exploded, releasing part of its energy to me. From the energy received, every cell in my body rejoiced. I hadn't absorbed such a powerful spirit before.
"How's it going?" Vong asked curiously.
"Just a droplet short of leveling up," I shook my head in disappointment, knowing this droplet could take years.
"There's another one nearby. I think we'll make it," he encouraged me.
Two hours later.
"Let's get out of here!" I shouted, sensing big trouble.
In just two seconds, we covered a hundred meters. Another two seconds were spent erecting defenses—both water and earthbending. At that moment, a powerful explosion occurred, completely destroying the stone wall and severely damaging the water shield.
"That was close," Vong muttered. "Let's call it a day, okay? Please," he said in a pleading tone.
"That was fun! We should hunt higher spirits more often," Driya said, full of enthusiasm, unlike the earthbending spirit.
"Time's almost up," I checked my internal clock.
The second spirit was stronger than the first, but it didn't help much against two full-fledged higher spirits and a waterbender wielding three elements. The battle resembled a one-sided beating, heading toward the expected outcome. All that was left was to find its "heart."
As soon as we found it, the spirit itself realized what was coming. Knowing it couldn't escape, it decided to take us with it. We didn't immediately notice its core destabilizing. Only Vong had any experience fighting higher spirits, but even he didn't know everything. We sensed something was wrong just before the big boom! We barely got out…
Now we'll know what to expect from a desperate higher spirit. That final blow could've sent all of us into the cycle of rebirth.
We managed to spend a little more time with Vong before it was time to leave. The day was super productive. I'm hoping intense waterbending training will help gather the last bits needed for a rank upgrade.