I won't be following the original danmachi story at all, be warned. I've also made changes to the world to try something new. The characters and the world remain practically the same, the biggest changes being the creation of the world tree and the change in the race of the elves.
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It was 2AM, and the restaurant was about to close.
"Isaac, are the last dishes ready?"
"Almost done. Blake, is the sauce ready?!" I shouted.
"Yes, Chef!" Blake replied.
Then, after a few more minutes of pressure in the kitchen, the shift was finally over. I took off my hat and apron, walked over to the kitchen sink, and washed my sweaty face.
"Good work, Chef."
"Good work, Blake."
"Good work, Chef."
"Good work, Nicole."
The cooks started saying their goodbyes, and the waiters began cleaning the tables. I looked at the mess in the kitchen, then at the clock. "I need to let Kate know I might not come home tonight…"
I grabbed my smartphone and called Kate.
"Baby?"
"Did I wake you?"
"No, no. I was putting Noah to sleep," Kate replied.
"I see…" I felt a pang of guilt for not being there with her.
"Are you sleeping at the restaurant again tonight?" she asked, sounding a little sad.
"Don't worry. I'm heading home in five minutes." I looked at the dirty dishes and the mess, then decided to leave it for tomorrow. Since the restaurant opens 1PM, it should be fine.
"Hurry home. I already miss you," Kate said. She sounded sleepy, so I said goodbye and hung up, letting her rest. Then, I stepped out and spoke to the waitstaff.
I told them I was heading out and left the keys with the manager to lock up.
I reached the parking lot and got into my car.
Then, I looked at the photo of my son. A beautiful blonde boy, just like his mother. I couldn't help but smile like a fool as I started the engine.
Just the thought of getting home, kissing my son, and lying next to my wife made all the fatigue fade away.
"Yaaawn~~" I let out a big yawn.
Then, I began the drive home.
The restaurant wasn't far—just a twenty-minute drive.
"Damn, I'm so sleepy," I muttered while searching for caffeine pills in one of the compartments. The streets were empty, so I didn't feel in danger.
But suddenly—
"Shit!"
I felt a violent impact at the front of the car.
The windshield shattered, smeared with blood. I didn't know if it was human or animal—but it was blood.
I lost control of the car. I gripped the steering wheel. I slammed the brakes as hard as I could and tried to keep the car on the road, but I failed. I held my breath as I saw the car heading toward a building by the roadside.
I didn't even have time to see what it was.
A house? A restaurant? Maybe a roadside motel?
Then, a brutal impact shook my entire body. A deafening sound, followed by excruciating pain. It all happened in seconds.
When the noise faded into a haunting silence, I opened my eyes. The pain was unbearable. I tried to move, but couldn't.
Then I looked down.
A metal rod had pierced through my torso. I grabbed it with trembling hands as my vision turned red.
Blood was pouring from my head, streaming down my face.
It mixed with tears as I saw the state of my hands.
I don't know how it happened, but I had lost almost all of my fingers. They had been chopped off. The blood was gushing out non-stop, and I started to feel dizzy.
"Noah... Noah..." I kept repeating my son's name, even though it hurt to speak.
I couldn't breathe. Every time I tried, I choked and coughed up blood. My vision blurred more and more. "Noah…" I whispered again, looking at the photo.
Even though my car was totaled, the photo was still there, intact. It was just a little dusty.
Tears continued streaming down my face as I heard voices outside.
The corner of my lips curled into a faint smile as I lifted one of my mangled fingers toward the photo and drew a heart.
As darkness crept in and I feel death approaching, I wished over and over in my mind that my family would be okay without me.
'I hope Noah grows up to be an incredible man.'
####
I felt like I was floating in water. Calm. It was a warm, comforting place—like I was being embraced by something magical.
Everything around me was dark. Even with my eyes open, I couldn't see anything.
And I couldn't move my body.
'Scary… but pleasant…' Thinking was all I could do.
'Noah… Kate… Noah… Kate…'
'Pleasant…'
'So pleasant…'
I didn't know how long had passed, but it felt like I would never wake up.
'So this is what happens after death?'
'There's nothing?'
'Just darkness?'
'Am I going to stay here forever?'
Just as I thought that, I saw something in the distance.
A small white dot—like a star. A single star in an empty sky. That tiny light gave me hope that I wasn't alone in this place.
I smiled—at least, I think I did. I couldn't feel if I had a mouth.
The little light in the distance began to grow closer.
The nearer it came, the warmer I felt, and the better it felt.
When it was just a few meters away, I began to see something.
'Leaves? A tree?'
I saw large green leaves falling. It was as if the glowing orb were a screen showing something.
'What is this?'
Then, the image of a massive tree appeared. A tree so tall, it reached the clouds. Its trunk was as wide as a village. Around it, I could see structures—buildings.
'What is this place?'
Though I didn't recognize it, it felt oddly familiar.
My body began to burn, and then the light engulfed me. As it did, the tree vanished, and everything around me turned blindingly bright. Then—darkness again.
But something was different this time.
I felt like I was lying on something soft, not floating.
And when I tried to open my mouth—I could.
"Hm?" A strange sound escaped, and slowly, my eyes opened.
Above me, I saw the inside of a tree trunk—stretching several meters high. "What is this?" I mumbled, struggling to sit up.
I looked around.
Everywhere I looked, I saw the inside of the trunk.
'Am I… inside a tree?' I stepped out of the wooden coffin and noticed I was high up, but there was a staircase leading downward.
It was incredible—a massive space inside the trunk of a tree.
'Am I dreaming?' I wondered as I descended the stairs.
At the bottom, in front of me, stood a door—massive, easily over five meters tall.
'This is insane.'
I looked back at the stairs leading to the wooden coffin. Inside, there were leaves—that's why it felt soft.
But besides the coffin, there was nothing else.
'Is this really inside a tree?' I asked myself as I wandered around.
As I walked, a sudden sharp pain hit my head.
Memories flooded into my mind.
Memories from thousands of years ago.
'Frieren? My name is Frieren?'
When all the memories had fully entered my mind, something appeared before my eyes:
Name: Frieren
Cultivation: 1st Magic Circle – First Layer
"… What the hell is this?"
The blinding headache became unbearable, and I lost consciousness.