Vivian slowly opened her eyes, she left the dark world of sleep to enter a pitch dark room. "Where am I?"

"We're inside the tree spirit you created." Isa replied. Her familiar and calm voice soothed Vivian's anxiety.

"Hm, I must have been really out of it." silence permeated the air as she rubbed the last remnants of sleep from her eyes. "Let in some light, please."

"You can say that again." Isa commented as the tree around them cracked and groaned. The various types of plants opened up a path to allow the sunlight to slowly illuminate this innermost chamber within the tree.

"I feel like I've been asleep for a few days." Vivian said as she observed the amply illuminated room she occupied. The tree was a tightly knit compilation of every tree she had ever seen, and still more she didn't recognize. Interspersed with the myriad of trees were various grasses, bushes and shrubs. It didn't end there, she recognized some of the leaves. "Dragon leaf? Wild raspberries too?"

"Coincidentally, you've been sleeping for nearly a full week." Isa stated calmly, while Vivian's eyes went wide.

"My baby?" Vivian asked.

"A healthy baby boy. Honestly, how you slept through the birthing process was amazing." Isa commented.

"I..." Vivian was at a loss for words, "How? Where is he?"

"Thanks to this tree spirit, everything went smoothly." Isa said as she gently rubbed her wing on one of the walls. Isa's face scrunched into a complicated expression, "And he's fine. Something inside Emily snapped when she saw him though."

"Huh?" Vivian was waiting very impatiently for Isa to finish.

"Well... she transistioned straight into 'big sister' mode and has been watching over him most of the time."

"She's six years old." Vivian rebuked.

"And already a protective big sister..." Isa said while having a hard time understanding her own statement. She sighed. "You'll see for yourself soon enough."

"I want to see my baby." Vivian stated as she rubbed her abdomen. That familiar action offered her no comfort today, nor would it ever again. She rose from the soft bed with a sigh, stretched her unused muscles and only walked out when the tree opened the door.

"Thank you for everything," Vivian addressed the tree by affectionately rubbing her hand slowly on the wall. The tree shuddered in response.

"No, you've done so much more than that, Anya." Vivian replied as she made her way outside. The tree trembled visibly in response. Isa sagely nodded in silence as she followed Vivian out.

"Matriarch!! Matriarch is awake!" Evan called out from where he was swinging a stick around. He ran towards Vivian to greet her, the stick abandoned on the ground behind him.

Vivian sighed, "There is no getting away from that title is there?"

"No chance at all." Isa chuckled, "You are the Matriarch after all."

"Please tell me you're joking." Vivian forced a smile as she watched Evan approach.

It is no joke. It's good to see you moving about again.

"Sasha!" Vivian had missed having that box appear in her vision.

I have recovered partial functionality, I hope to be of more use than before. Displaying updated status. Name Vivian Title(!) Matriarch of the Race Level 4(2) Health pool 20/20(7) Mana pool 8/8(4) Strength 6(3) Constitution 6(4) Dexterity 4 Agility 4 Wisdom 4(3) Intelligence 2 Willpower 10(6) Misc This host stands five feet(152 cm) tall and her tail is seven inches(17 cm) long. Complications during childbirth led to abnormal growth. Host has fully recovered due to prolonged rest. Traces of Dragon Leaf toxin detected. Skill List(!) Survive, Anya's Blessing. Sleep Resistance(weak).

"Complications during childbirth?" Vivian turned to Isa, ignoring everything else for now.

Isa scratched at the ground awkwardly, "That is to say... erm. Your baby was a bit bigger..."

"Mother...?" a little boy looking close to four years of age walked into the area, escorted by Emily.

System restriction overridden, displaying. Jadendajuda: Nameless The child of prophecy, born to the Matriarch four days ago. His advanced size nearly killed the Matriarch. If not for the skill [Anya's Blessing], the Matriarch would have perished during the birthing process.

H..he came out of me looking like that?! Vivian felt the blood drain from her face right before she fainted. Before anyone could act, Anya supported Vivian with vines that quickly sprouted from the ground and eased her into a hastily made vine chair.

"Don't make that face, child." Isa soothed the boy, "She just didn't expect you to be so... grown up. Trust me on this fact, when she wakes up, if she has her way she'll never be apart from you."

The child gave Isa a quick nod and then looked at his unconscious mother with anxiety. Anya's leaves rustled briefly as she widened the chair Vivian was sitting on.

He looked at Isa, she gave him a wink and a nod in encouragement. He looked up at Emily, she slowly nodded as she smiled. He slowly released Emily's hand that he had been squeezing since his mother lost consciousness. He approached the widened chair that she was seated on. He climbed up on the chair with Anya's assistance and leaned up against Vivian. As though she was dreaming, she wrapped her arms around him and muttered softly, "My little Jaden."

He snuggled up to her and eventually fell asleep in his mother's embrace.

"That could have... oh?" Vivian slowly opened her eyes and remembered blacking out when she saw her son for the first time. She looked down, and in her arms her son was nestled against her sleeping peacefully. She smiled lightly and just sat there holding him. The child of prophecy huh? He's no different from any child.

Behind Vivian, Anya's leaves rustled.

"Yes, I know. He has a heavy burden to bear. Just as I still do." Vivian stated, "As his mother, I'm going to make sure he's ready for it."

Sasha, let's talk for a bit. Vivian thought. My status is mostly the same, but there's some new things, congratulations on fixing yourself partially.

Thank you. You'd like to know about the skills?

Actually... First I want to know about my new title. Matriarch of the Race? What's that about?

Strictly speaking, you are the strongest member of your race; granted that's not difficult to achieve, but you simply stand on mountains looking down over the rest in comparison. Not to mention you bore the child of prophecy...

So what I'm understanding is this... because I was the chosen vessel I'm now the matriarch of my entire race. Vivian shook her head in disgust. I'd actually feel better about it if I had some legitimate qualifications... Fine. Whatever. I don't care anymore. Tell me about these skills and how they work.

Skill: [Survive] obtained through personal experience. Made up of the following lesser skills: Food prep, cooking, scouting, observation, high speed escape and evasion.

Passive Bonus: [Food prep] grants a slight bonus when skinning and deboning animals, increasing efficiency and reducing wasted meat.

[Cooking] grants a slight knowledge bonus when applying herbs to meat and reduces likelihood of food being under/overcooked enhancing flavor and overall nutrition.

[Scouting] grants a slight bonus to trail blazing and exploration while also reducing the likelihood you'll be discovered by hostile/neutral entities.

[Observation] grants a slight bonus to the five senses, you're slightly less likely to miss something of importance.

[High Speed Escape and Evasion] grants...

Based on the others, that one is self explanatory. But what's this about passive bonus, I assume that these benefits are always available to me? Does that mean they have an 'Active' mode? Vivian interrupted.

That is correct. You can turn all passive abilities of a skill into a more useful 'Active' state by channeling mana into the skill. The 'slight' bonus of the passive state will become 'moderate' or 'massive' with a relative increase in mana cost. Also, the passive bonus will improve over time, both from passive and active use, while the active use will boost progress. As for the other skills:

[Anya's Blessing] obtained via spell contract. Contains the following skill:

[Nature's Caretaker]: Your natural healing abilities are augmented, becoming slightly faster and more efficient, this is further increased when bathed in sunlight. As this is a part of Anya's blessing, she may spend her mana to further augment this ability, allowing near instant healing. The Caretaker must be within Anya's territory for this to be possible. Anya is able to add more skills to her blessing, but that will only happen when she deems the Caretaker worthy.

And [Sleep Resistance(weak)] is also self-explanatory. Obtained during childbirth when Anya injected your body with large amounts of Dragon Leaf toxin to keep you unconscious, both during and after.

Okay, so explain how I acquired Anya's blessing?

The way you worded the chant had an implied agreement.

From the sounds of it, my improvisation saved my life. Was I supposed to die giving birth?

Yes. Your role was fulfilled at that stage. Your will to live surpassed the grasp of death.

Well. Vivian released a shaky breath as she choked back a sob, a faint smile on her face. Thanks for being honest with me. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she hummed softly. She held her son in her arms and watched his curled form snuggle closer to her in his sleep. She regretted asking, but enjoyed knowing that she had beaten fate. Now, she looked forward to seeing her son grow strong and healthy while she smothered him in affection.

I am glad you survived.

Thanks Sasha. Her eyes never left the curled form of her son.

Vivian sat and watched Jaden sleep in her arms for little over an hour. A serene and gentle atmosphere surrounded the mother and son, a contented smile visible on Vivian's face the whole time. When Jaden finally stirred and opened his eyes, he found himself in his mother's embrace. He turned his face to look at his mother, his deep black eyes locked on hers and she lost herself for a moment.

"Are you hungry?" she softly asked. He nodded slowly in answer, taken off guard by how her voice seemed to carry more than just words. There was a special aura to it that he couldn't quite understand, but it left a deep impression on him regardless.

In the background, Anya's leaves rustled.

"Thank you Anya," Vivian rose from the chair carrying Jaden with her. She observed her map, and walked with relaxed, even strides into the center of the town, matching Jaden's pace.

"Mat..." Jaden started, but he quickly changed how he addressed her. A little box had appeared in his vision. "Mother?"

Jadendajuda: Vivian Jaden's mother. 22 years old. A gentle woman that had volunteered to be the vessel for the child of prophecy. She somehow managed to survive her body splitting apart while giving birth to a baby the size of a four year old. She hates being called Matriarch. She feels she wasn't chosen based on ability, but was thrown into a role she isn't qualified to fill. Only time will tell if she is capable of walking the path or not.

Her eyes initially showed sadness, but it quickly softened as he finished, "Yes Jaden?"

"I'm part of a prophecy?" his original question derailed by the sudden information. Vivian halted in her footsteps, looking at him carefully, as though she was searching for something.

"Who told you that?" Vivian sighed after a long pause, "While yes, it is true a series of specific predicted events led up to your birth, you are my son first and foremost. The path you walk is your own to choose, same as mine. We'll talk more about this when you're older. For now..."

Vivian squeezed him and kissed his forehead, "You are simply my son. And that is all you will be for as long as it's possible."

"Mother..." Jaden protested verbally, but internally her words and actions filled him with happiness. The pair continued on their way chatting about the couple weeks Vivian spent in the Ominous Forest, the original topic Jaden wanted to ask about. She left off some details in her story, mostly pertaining to her stat gains and what it meant for her body. He would find out about that soon enough.