Chapter 1

Reincarnation.

The anime and novels made it sound and look so awesome. Some divine entity, usually benevolent, but at times the opposite, would greet the dead, explain the situation, sometimes offer abilities that ranged from useful to absolutely broken. Perhaps a bit cliché these days, the genre having grown oversaturated as all do, but it was always cool to watch or read through a scenario like that.

Being given the chance to live through something like that first hand? He'd have said yes, no questions asked.

And maybe he had.

Athias fought back shivers, teeth chattering as he trudged through thick layers of snow, in a desperate bid to get down the massive mountain he had found himself on.

 「Alert: Dangerous weather conditions detected」

 「Advice: Seek shelter」

"No shit." Athias muttered to himself, once again ignoring the dark-blue window that continued to pop up since his awakening. As if he needed another constant reminder of the danger he was in; the other things on the HUD his eyes apparently offered made sure he didn't forget.

 [Health: 180/200] [Stamina: 230/250]

His health, a reflective red bar, sat at the top left of his vision, transparent enough to see what was behind it while remaining readable. His stamina, a significantly darker green bar that took some focus to see through, sat opposite to his health. The bold numbers nestled within the bars were steadily decreasing, a constant reminder of what would happen if he stayed out in these frigid winds too long.

Then, there was his saving grace.

Athias, slipped a hand out from the thick fur cloak draped around him and focused on the calm ocean of energy that sat within him. An golden orb appeared in his hand and that static energy began to morph, evolving into a soothing warmth that chased away the numbing cold that began to take root in his body.

His health bar began to rise, filling up to its maximum.

 [Magicka: 290/300]

At the same time, another bar -deep blue in color- appeared. Centered between the two others ones at the very top of his vision, it's numbers dropped far more quickly than his health rose.

It was far from efficient but the spell, magic, or whatever it was called in this world was keeping him alive. So long as he solved the problem of shelter before his stamina hit rock bottom, he'd be fine.

No pressure or anything. It's not like his life hung in balance. 

Or rather, his second life.

His memories were fragmented, borderline forgotten but he knew he asked to be brought in this world. Still, he couldn't help but wonder.

He had forgotten his name or at least the name he went by in his previous life. Family, friends, the way he died. So much escaped him and yet so many other things remained.

Eating snacks, playing video games, reading books. Brief glimpses of dull school classes. A reckless period of life during his college years. His boring but stable middle years. Anything that wasn't extremely personal remained in crystal clear detail as though they were all that mattered.

In a way, he supposed they did.

This was his second chance at life where he could use fucking magic to heal wounds that'd normally take weeks to fade away. Instead of becoming another cog in the workforce or just another number to some distant government, he could do whatever he wanted. Maybe he'd be slinging fireballs in a few weeks. 

That's assuming he survived this of course. 

Did he really want to dampen this experience with whatever regrets and second thoughts might've been rooted in his former life? No one lived a perfect life and he was certain he was no exception.

 「Alert: Skill advanced」

 「Restoration: 20 -> 21」

Wow. He'd been fighting the cold so long he actually improved a skill. Should he take that as a sign of good things to come or an omen about how bad his situation was?

Cutting off his magic and tugging his cloak back around him, he clenched his fists, pushing forward with renewed vigor.

His name was Athias Viria and he would survive this.

Whatever details surrounded his appearance here couldn't change that.

 ======================================

Taking a deep breath. Athias rubbed his hands together over a sizable campfire surrounded by an assortment of rocks. He'd made it down into a forest after desperately navigating the valleys between the mountain range he woke up on.

It wasn't much of a forest in his opinion. The tall trees were dead, their branches leafless and thin. That benefited him. It was far easier to break off the branches and throw together the hasty fire he sat at now.

Athias was a bit worried about the smoke drawing things to him but what choice did he have? Freeze and die?

He'd much rather take his chances in a fight.

Now that he was safe, and he used that word tentatively -the odd howl rode the icy winds- he could now take a moment to give his status window a proper review.

That's right, his status window.

As if, responding to his intentions, a dark blue window appeared over the flickering flames of his campfire.

 [Name: Athias Viria]

 [Title: N/A]

 [Age: 23]

 [Race: Imperial]

 [Sub-Race: Nord]

 [Sign: The Apprentice]

 「Health: 200/200 Stamina: 200/200 Magicka: 300/300」

Imperial? Nord? Sign? The terms were faintly familiar but he couldn't place them. Terms from a book or video game maybe? Unfortunately tapping on them brought up no explanation or insight. He'd have to rely on fragmented memories to put things together.

And why was his maximum stamina lowered?

He clicked a small box labeled traits beneath them.

[Birth sign: The Apprentice]

[Description: You were born into this world during Sun's Height beneath the Apprentice Sign. For better and for worse your body is more attuned to the energies that flow through all of Mundus]

[Effects: Magicka regeneration has been doubled. You take double damage from magic based attacks. Your spells are twice as effective. You are twice as susceptible to illusion spells while weakened.]

Shit.

Athias took another deep breath.

There was no need to see the trait as a bad thing; if anything it might be the reason he even had enough magicka to keep healing himself over and over on his way through the mountains. He just had to be extra careful around magic; no big deal.

[???]

[Description: ???]

[Effects: Increased health, magicka, and stamina]

And an unknown trait. At least the effects were only positive this time. Hopefully he'd be able to figure out whatever it was.

Athias backed out of the list of traits and clicked on a box labeled spells. It showed exactly what he expected. A spell labeled heal that converted magicka to health at a slow but stable rate so long as he remained focused.

It's not like he needed to check; back on the mountain he realized he was hurt and instinctively used the spell. He had a feeling that anything that appeared here would only do so after he took the time to learn them.

The last section, labeled status effects, listed one thing.

[Tired]

[Description: Excessive activity is beginning to take its toll on your body]

[Effects: Maximum stamina decreased by 20%]

That explained his change in stamina.

Athias nodded to himself and the window faded away, somehow aware that its use had been fulfilled.

So he was in an unknown world that, despite his fragmented memories, he was certain he asked to be reincarnated in. He had no supplies to speak of other than the thin cloth tunic and the heavy fur cloak he wore. He could fall back on a healing skill if things got tough and he was a little tired, that last fact reinforced by the slight sluggishness he felt.

....Things could be worse.

Now he just had to chose a direction and start moving. Escaping death by hypothermia wasn't the epic start most adventures had but he wasn't going to start complaining.

Onward and upward as it's said.

 「Alert: Quest Completed」

 「Quest: Awakening」

「 Description: You've awakened in a familiar land though its name escapes you. Gather your bearings and resolve yourself.」

 「Reward: Basic adventurer's kit」

And, through the power of optimism, things just got better.

In a flash of white light, a backpack made of black leather appeared in his lap, a sheathed sword sticking out of its tied flap, a basic axe and torch clipped to opposite sides by metal, and a camping kit fastened to its bottom. A lantern made of metal also hung off its bottom edge.

He untied it and quickly took stock of what it held.

The plain steel sword that had been sticking out of it, some black leather armor, and a bandolier lined with small glass vials who's contents varied in color. Beneath all that was a rolled up sheet of parchment.

There was some stale bread, apples, and a filled waterskin too.

Athias raised a vial -the one filled with red liquid- twisting it about.

 「Item: Minor Healing Potion」

「Description: This potion won't save you from an arrow to the brain or regrow a limb but it will heal basic injuries.」

A bit vague in his opinion. Where was the line drawn between basic and fatal injuries? The dark green and deep blue potions shared similar purposes, refilling stamina and magicka respectively.

The yellow and purple one caught his attention.

 「Item: Minor Strength Potion」

「Description: You won't be fist fighting a giant but wrestling wolves won't be out of the question.」

That'd be useful.

The purple one turned out to be a potion of night vision. It went without saying why something like that would come in handy.

Finally, he unfurled the parchment beneath it all.

 「Item: Enchanted Map」

「Description: Weaved together using magic beyond most mortals understanding and the blood of its owner, this map displays the owner's position at all times. Locations and regions the owner considers significant are added automatically, named according to available knowledge.」

The apparently magical map displayed a general outline of some land, once again familiar but unknown to him. A little spin showed that he was displayed towards the bottom left of the map among a mountain range as a twirling black arrow like shape. If he headed south he'd end up going off the map. The same went for the left. As for the right, going that way meant navigating more mountains.

North it was.

Clothing swapped out for the black leather armor, sword clipped to his hip, and the bandolier of potions wrapped around his torso, Athias felt ready to brave the wilds.

…..after that tired debuff went away at least.

 ======================================

Athias sliced away branches and bushes as he pushed forward.

Snow and mountains had finally given way to a proper forest. The trees were tall and, while not particularly thick, sported branches with healthy green leaves. Bushes, roots, and flowers thrived, the greenery growing more plentiful as he went deeper. Mushrooms grew here and there but he wasn't going to roll the dice and find out if they were edible.

There was a beauty to it all, he'd admit that much, but until he encountered some form of civilization and properly figured out where he was, Athias couldn't be bothered to stop and smell the flowers.

Alas, time was not on his side.

The sun was beginning to set, few rays of light left to illuminate his path. 

He should call it a day and camp out for the night.

Slicing through one last gathering of foliage, Athias stepped into a cozy clearing big enough to set up camp. A suitable place to wait out the night.

Until incessant buzzing filled the area.

Across from him, trees began to distort and twist, arms emerging from them. Followed by legs. And the rest of a body, made entirely of wood with an earthly green energy flowing throughout it.

A spriggan.

Realization hit Athias with all the force of a giant's club.

Imperial, nord, magicka, and now a spriggan? He had been pretty young when the game came out but he was certain he was now in Tamriel, and based on the map, Skyrim.

None of that mattered though.

Right now, he was the dumbass who wandered into a Spriggan's grove, countless plants crushed underfoot and more than a couple sliced trees left in his wake. A creature like that wouldn't let someone who harmed the vegetation it so staunchly protected walk away.

 [Angered Spriggan]

 [Level: 10]

The spriggan's information was colored a deep red to match its anger, a skull like symbol beside the number. There was more he could read, but Athias turned on his heel and took off in a mad sprint.

He played enough games in his previous life to know that a skull symbol meant he was completely outmatched.

Roots nearly tripped him, the growing darkness a problem. Thinking quickly, he snatched the purple potion from his bandoiler, uncorked it and downed its contents. Bitter and disgusting, the liquid didn't go down easy but its effects were immediate.

The world brightened, darkness banished in an instant.

The arms of half formed Spriggans shot out of nearby bark to seize him but he tossed himself aside, changing directions.

Howls joined the buzzing and he picked up the pace. Maybe he could outrun Spriggans and the swarms of buzzing insects that hovered close to them, but wolves and whatever other wild beasts these protectors of the forest lulled under their control would be far faster on their fours.

The buzzing began to fade but the barks and snarls grew louder, hot on his heels.

Did he stop and try to take them down? No that'd take too long and the spriggans would catch up. But it's not like he could outrun them either.

Wait. Maybe if he used the strength potion it wouldn't be so far fetched.

Popping open the yellow potion, Athias downed the potion. His body felt lighter, powered by a strength that didn't exist a moment ago.

He twisted around, skidding to a stop as he freed his sword from its sheath.

A wolf, with yellow eyes and black fur, leaped at him, maw snapping at his neck. He slashed. The wolf snapped its mouth closed around the blade. That should've stopped the attack in its tracks, but with his body strengthened the teeth shattered against the metal, the wolf's head split into a bloody mess.

Panicked as he was, Athias couldn't help but grin. Now this was how a fantasy adventure should be; standing his ground and slaying beasts. The way his heart drummed and every hair on his body stood up in full alert. It was far more exhilarating than anything he ever experienced.

Another, having circled around while the first distracted him, lunged forward and snapped its jaws closed around Athias' ankle. He grunted and with a swing of his leg sent the wolf crashing into a nearby tree, bark splintered apart as a loud snap came from its back.

He didn't have the chance to marvel at his exponential jump in strength, one of the approaching spriggan's rushing him with its wooden claws pulled back to skewer him.

Athias stepped back, but his bloodied ankle gave out on him and he instead fell, left completely defenseless.

The claws closed in on his neck.

Something sped past his cheek.

The spriggan staggered back. An arrow, made of bone, pierced its chest and ran through the heart-like core where all the green energy seemed to flow from.

"Follow me! I'll get you to safety!" Someone called out to him, glimpses of their reddish hair visible through the forest's vegetation.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Athias scrambled and took off in the small figure's direction, already downing his health potion. Luckily that bite on his ankle counted as a minor injury and began to heal, his pained hobble evolving into a sprint.

His mysterious savior released precise shots from their bow, dispatching spriggan and wildlife alike, not so much as grazing him. Whoever they were, they were skilled with a bow.

As soon as he reached them they took off into the brush and he followed. It was a struggle to keep up with their pace but he managed. The duo ducked and weaved through the greenery, following a small river. Said river came out to a cliff. The woman jumped and Athias followed without hesitation. 

Surely they wouldn't save him just to leave him to death.

Athias took a deep breath and held it.

They slashed into a wide pool. His savior adjusted far quicker than him, grabbing hold of his shoulders and stilling his movements as a faint buzz came to a stop over them.

They sunk to the bottom. Luckily the body of water wasn't too deep; a simple push off the dirt and stone beneath would see them to the surface.

Thanks to his enhanced eyes Athias had little trouble making out his savior even under these conditions. It was a woman, small and elven. She gave him a playful smile, and pressed a finger to her lips. Athias returned the gestured with a thumbs up. He recognized a kindred soul when he saw one; she would have to be a thrill seeker of some sort to find entertainment in a situation like this.

As the buzzing faded along with the howls she raised an eyebrow at him, mirth dancing behind those big green eyes of hers. He mirrored the action, floating out of her grasp. It was a challenge and the first to leave for a breath of air would be declared the loser. Childish perhaps but Athias never claimed to be mature.

They stared at one another still as statues. The only movement was their floating mix of black and red hair brushing against one another. 

Only now did he notice the wooden elk like antlers that curled over her head. Odd, he had heard of wood elves who sported such features in the lore of the game but never actually saw any according to his memories. In fact, he didn't recall ever seeing any character that looked like her.

Would things be different now that this was his reality rather than a game? That only made sense, the limitations of technology should have no bearings on this world.

Finally her lips began to twitch and Athias knew victory was at hand. If this was a fair match, that is. Before he could react one of her small hands shot for his face and squeezed.

 「Alert: Oxygen levels plummeting」

 「Advice: Seek Oxygen immediately」

In an instant the tables turned and he's rushing to the surface where a series of watery coughs forced their way out of him.

"Quiet now. You wouldn't want to bring the spriggans back. They're quite protective of their groves." The elf's emerged beside him, her voice soft and filled with just as much mirth as her eyes.

"That was a dirty move."

"Maybe." Her friendly tone shifted to an accusatory one. "But it doesn't compare to harming the forest."

Right, this was an elf he was talking to, a wood elf at that. If he recalled correctly, they took the whole nature thing very seriously. He hadn't exactly been careful about minimizing damage to his surroundings while fighting.

"It's not like I had a choice. I doubt the spriggans would've been interested in an apology."

"I suppose that is true. I wish there was a way we could speak with such beautiful creatures." With a sigh her hostility vanished. "Come with me." The freckled elf turned around and swam towards the shore. He followed, focused on the information over her head.

 [Name: ???]

 [Race: Wood Elf/Bosmer]

 [Level: 12]

Just as he thought, she was a wood elf. And apparently considered stronger than the spriggans she saved him from. Luckily her information was displayed in a green tinted white with no visible skull. Even if she hadn't saved him, going off of more game logic, that implied he wasn't in any danger with her.

As they pulled themselves out of the water and she led him deeper into the forest, Athias pulled his drenched cloak closer. Unlike him, the small elf didn't appear the least bit bothered, soaked furs sticking to her body.

If levels were a thing, did that mean he had his own?

 「Alert: Achievement Unlocked」

 「Achievement: It's a dog eat dog world」

 「Conditions: Kill another living being」

「Description: Mundus is as dangerous as it is beautiful. You won't make it far unless you bloody your hands.」

 「Rewards: Proficiency trees unlocked. Perk list unlocked. One perk point awarded.」

Proficiency trees?

Another window popped up in response to the thought. A bow, sword, helmet, and a bunch of other shapes were displayed in the form of constellations and, much like the game, each star represented a perk.

After reading several of the perks, Athias dropped the provided point into the bird shaped constellation labeled restoration.

[Perk: The Blessed One]

[Description: For reasons unknown, your restoration spells have become more effective against their targets.]

[Effects: Your restoration spells are 50% more effective]

Healing was the only spell he knew and the more effective it was, the more likely he was to come back from fatal wounds. Perhaps a rash decision, perhaps not. Only time would tell.

"So, how did you end up wandering into spriggan territory? Did the people of Falkreath not warn you of them?" The woman asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Falkreath must have been the main town in this area. The name didn't stir much from his memories aside from some faint thoughts of a werewolf? Hopefully they didn't encounter anything like that. Not yet at least.

"I didn't pass through any town on my way here." Athias admitted, trying to figure out what exactly he should say. "I came from the mountains to the south." 

"You crossed the border from Cyrodiil then? What brought you to Skyrim?"

Yep. This conversation was clearing up any lingering doubts about where he was.

"Adventure." He said after a moment's pause. It was actually quite the perfect cover story especially considering his equipment. To be honest, it might be less of a story and more of a bare bones version of the truth. 

Who would've asked to be reincarnated in the beautifully bloody world of The Elder Scrolls to go live out some quiet life in the countryside? Not him, that's for sure.

"I hear there are a number of abandoned ruins in this land." Athias added on, following closely behind her. He did his best to mimic the elf's steps. She was quite careful about where her feet landed, toeing around plant life and ducking beneath the odd branch, yet the meticulous steps didn't slow her down.

"I did come across one or two when I first came to this cold land. I'm sure you could find what you're looking for in this forest alone."

"Have you lived in these woods long?" He asked. Not to toot his own horn or anything but despite his uncertainty it felt as though he was doing a good job of fitting in.

Maybe he was an actor in his past life…or a run of the mill liar. That'd be depressing, but it's not like it mattered anymore.

"Only a month. Where I'm from the trees grow tall and wide and each one has their own soul. This forest reminded me of them even if the trees here are all stunted and soulless." Sadness? Longing? Nostalgia? Athias wasn't sure what it was that filled her voice. Perhaps it was all three?

"Valenwood, I assume?" He tried, putting his muddied knowledge to the test. That was the home territory of the wood elves wasn't it?

"Yes. I do miss my home but I make do here." As they finally emerged from the dense foliage and into another clearing Athias found himself speechless. He recalled plenty of the unique sights that the Elder Scrolls and its series offered. Ancient ruins, underwater tribes of argonians, even a unicorn as outlandish as it might sound. Not once had he seen the trees themselves meld together into the house like structure at the end of this clearing. It was as though the very roots came together of their own will to form the building. Everything from the doors and stairs leading up to them looked completely natural.

No matter how good technology had been before his reincarnation, it simply couldn't be compared to what he was seeing now.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

"Yeah." Athias agreed absent mindedly.

The red headed elf went ahead motioning for him to follow her. "Come along now. As long as you don't harm any of the plants, you're welcome to wait out the night."

He nodded and followed her up the stairs.

He'd gone from a desperate battle against frostbite to being in the company of an honest to god elf that saved his life.

This second life of his was shaping up to be one of thrills and frequent brushes with death. A scary prospect, but one that thoroughly excited him.