Chapter 1: A Soul Reborn
Elric Haines died on a rainy Tuesday in downtown Tokyo.
It wasn't a dramatic death—no explosions, no assassins, no curses. Just a simple act of instinct. A child wandered into the street, a delivery truck screeched too late, and Elric pushed the boy out of the way.
The pain was brief. The silence after, long.
Then, a voice—not in his ears, but his soul.
> "You died selflessly. A rare flame in a dying world. Your journey is not over."
Elric tried to open his eyes, but there were no eyes to open. Only light, warmth… and then cold.
Suddenly, he gasped—not as a man, but as a newborn.
Tiny lungs. Soft arms. Swaddling cloth and the rhythmic hum of a lullaby.
He had been reincarnated.
The ceiling above was wooden, the air smelled of herbs and jungle soil. Outside, he heard strange birds and distant roars. His tiny heart beat fast—not in fear, but awe.
> System Installation… Complete.
Bound System: Primal Call of the Forgotten Herd
Host Status: Infant – 1 Month Old
Class: Locked (Conditions unmet)
Memory Retention: Partial – 78%
Soul Type: Transmigrated / Kind-hearted
> "Grow strong, Shepherd. The wild awaits."
And then… nothing. Just the warm voice of his new mother and the light of a strange world.
---
His name was still Elric—but now, it was Elric Vale.
He was born into a small wooden house on the edge of the Furious Jungle, in a humble village called Brambleglen. His family wasn't rich—not even close—but they had love, laughter, and just enough food to keep the hunger away.
His mother, Arla, was a healer. Soft-spoken, gentle, with hands that smelled of mint and chamomile. She always hummed old jungle songs when rocking him to sleep.
His father, Halren, was a beast-leather crafter—strong, cheerful, with stories in his eyes and scars on his hands. Elric loved the way he'd lift all three kids at once just to hear them laugh.
His older brother, Joran, was ten years older and dreamed of being a knight. He trained with a wooden sword every morning, then practiced with a real one when no one was looking.
And then came the twins—Lila and Miri—born when Elric was just two. Loud, sticky, and adorable, they ruled the house with tiny fists and endless questions.
But the heart of the home—their anchor—was Grandfather Mael.
Old Mael wasn't related by blood. He'd once been a wandering beast-tamer, but settled in Brambleglen after losing his leg to a jungle wyrm. He walked with a limp and laughed like thunder. His stories were strange and dreamy, like they were half-truths or half-memories.
He was also the only one who looked into baby Elric's eyes and frowned.
"This one," Mael muttered to Arla one night, "this baby's got an old soul. Like he's seen too much."
Arla just smiled. "Maybe he's here to see something better."
---
By age two, Elric was already strange.
He walked early, talked earlier, and somehow knew where the snake traps were even before they were set. He'd sit by the jungle edge, watching creatures the other children were too afraid to name.
And sometimes, he'd mutter strange phrases no toddler should know.
"Mana feels heavy today," he'd say casually. Or, "That lizard's definitely venomous. Acid-type. Probably rank D."
Mael would just grunt. "Smart little devil. Too smart."
Then came his third birthday.
It rained that day, warm and heavy. The village was quiet, most people indoors. Elric sat by the open window, legs swinging, staring into the jungle with a faraway look.
That's when it happened.
> System Reactivating…
Host Age: 3 Years
Class Condition Met
Legendary Class Unlocked: Shepherd – Beastkind Sovereign
Unique Trait: Voice of Kin – Beasts sense kinship with the Shepherd
System Access: Level 1
New Quest: Form Your First Pact
Elric blinked.
His hands trembled. His heart didn't race—it soared.
"Finally," he whispered. "It's time."
He stood up and turned to the room behind him. His twin sisters were napping, drooling into shared pillows. Mael dozed in his rocking chair, one eye open.
And Halren—his father—was sharpening his old jungle knife at the table, humming a tune.
It would be the last time Elric ever saw him.
---
That night, his father left.
He said he was going deeper into the jungle, following a map that might lead to a lost ruin filled with beastblood gems—something that could change their family's fate.
He kissed his wife, ruffled Joran's hair, carried both twins at once one last time…
Then knelt in front of Elric.
"You're the odd one, aren't you?" Halren said softly, brushing back Elric's hair. "You've got that look. Like the jungle already knows your name."
Elric didn't speak. He felt the weight in the air.
Halren leaned closer. "If I don't come back… protect them. All of them."
Elric nodded, a serious gleam in his childish eyes.
Halren smiled and left.
He never returned.
---
Three years old. Legendary class awakened. A system no one else could see. A missing father. A jungle that whispered his name.
Elric looked out the window again, fists clenched.
This world had given him a second chance.
He would make it loud.