I slowly opened my eyes. I had no idea how much time had passed—since it's illuminated inside the tree, I had no sense of time. I stood up, holding my head, the pain still lingering.
'Those memories.'
My mind had been flooded with years and years of history—the history of an elf… Frieren. 'Frieren, I know her.'
I used to watch anime in my free time. I started back in the '90s and kept watching until 2025, the year that accident happened. I remember a recently released anime where the main character's name is Frieren.
'And I look exactly the same.'
I had received memories from the moment of my birth.
I remember falling from a great height, crashing toward the ground. My body, that of a 12 or 13-year-old girl, landed on a pile of large, soft leaves—the same leaves that were inside that coffin.
I looked toward the staircase.
I remembered the years that passed, remembered living alone for almost three hundred years.
I remembered elves being born from the leaves of a great tree—the same tree I saw before. 'And I'm probably inside that very same tree.'
I remembered how the elves treated me like a queen, and how a village was built around the Great Tree. I personally helped most of them build their homes. A massive civilization grew over the course of more than two hundred years.
And during those 200 years, many elves died—and I suffered greatly. I felt each and every death.
A wave of anguish filled my chest as I recalled every fallen elf, whether by monsters or by humans.
Tears began to roll down my face.
"Each one... I remember every single one of them. Their names, their faces, everything."
And not just the fallen elves—I also remembered the evolution of the world in detail. I watched cities rise, each and every one.
I witnessed all the wars—and even took part in some of them, leading the elves.
I was always on the front lines. Known as the most powerful mage in the world—even by the gods themselves.
Yes, gods.
I remembered the day the gods descended, during the so-called "Era of the Gods." I remembered the founding of Orario, and also the creation of the Dungeon.
I remembered how the world expanded madly.
I remembered the mountains becoming a temporary home for some elves—and I personally took care of that.
But in the end, the village was destroyed.
And years after that happened, I was finally recognized as the Queen of the Elves.
The elves had already consider me their queen, but it wasn't until much later that the gods themselves acknowledged me as such.
And after being named Queen of the Elves, something happened.
Suddenly, I was poisoned by someone unknown.
Days of suffering followed.
Many claimed a god had poisoned me. Or perhaps a god cast some kind of curse upon me.
No one knows the reason behind it.
My body began to deteriorate rapidly. Within days, my mana started to vanish and my body grew thin and weak.
I remember my body being carried by two elf to the tree—the World Tree.
When I was brought into the tree's trunk, cradled in the arms of one of the warriors, I felt my body slowly begin to recover. But it wasn't enough to keep me conscious.
I have fragments of memories—faces full of sorrow and desperation. A man and a woman.
Kraft and Serie.
"I know them."
I know who they truly are. They're two elves of the story "Sousou no Frieren"... And I am Frieren. "What kind of madness is this? What kind of story is this?"
I looked down and noticed my body was clothed in a spotless white robe.
Then, I moved the robe aside to look at my body.
"..." There were breasts there. Small, but unmistakably feminine.
And I couldn't feel my penis.
I ran my hand through my long silver hair and over my face.
My skin was so soft to the touch.
"What the hell is happening here?" I said as I walked toward the door that led outside the tree. But just as I thought about leaving, I remembered what had happened before I fell into that deep sleep.
All the despair and commotion among the elves.
How much they loved and revered me.
If I suddenly appeared out there, they might get overly excited. And I'm not exactly fond of "celebrations."
Damn it, isn't this weird?
I'm in Frieren's body—in the world of DanMachi.
Yes, I've watched DanMachi too. I remember the gods, I remember Orario, and the Dungeon. I recall a few characters—but only a few. The world is completely different.
There's no World Tree in DanMachi, and elves don't live for thousands of years.
There is a queen of the elves—but she's never even shown. At least I don't remember her. 'But I'm certain it's not Frieren.'
I sat on one of the steps and began biting my delicate fingernails. Those past memories kept pounding in my head, making me anxious.
I need to check on the elves. They're my people.
"No, what am I thinking? My name is Isaac. I'm human." I slapped my face a few times. "I'm not Frieren. This isn't my place. I shouldn't be this worried about these people."
I stood up and began pacing around, then suddenly shouted:
"God! Why are you doing this!?"
"Why did I end up in this world? And why is Frieren part of it—and why am I in her body!?"
Of course, there was no answer.
But I realized that shouting might attract attention from outside.
Yet, minutes passed—and no one came.
My anxiety surged, and my heart started pounding. My fingers began to bleed from all the nail-biting. 'I have to leave. I have to leave. I have to leave.'
I kept repeating it in my mind over and over.
Step by step, I walked toward the exit.
I could see rays of light—it was daytime outside.
Nervous, I slowly touched the wood in front of me. As I did, a pale light glowed, and I felt my body grow warm.
[ You have absorbed 'Primordial Element' from the World Tree ]
[ Primordial Element +1 ]
"..."
The pale-white message vanished, and the wooden door in front of me slowly opened. It didn't creak. Not a sound. I held my breath as the door gradually gave way.
When it finally opened, I was blinded for a few seconds.
A strong wind hit my face, blowing my hair back. A cold wind.
Slowly, my vision adjusted to the brightness.
And what I saw before me—threw me into a panic.