Introduction: And trees with the hearts of beasts shall march to war… When Finlay Rasband first passed through the portal to Ilaya, it was an accident. He resigned from his office job to work on a farm, not get thrown into another world. Despite receiving no gift from the gods or finding legendary weapons, he survived for twelve years through grit and willpower. But Ilaya’s days were numbered. Otherworldly invaders arrived to consume it. As Finlay died during the last battle of Ilaya, the World Tree sacrificed itself to return him to the past, hoping he could reverse the fated end.The second time Finlay entered the portal, he willingly did so, armed with the seed of a new World Tree and knowledge of the future. He’d soon find that taking care of a World Tree isn’t so simple, and he’s a long way from awakening trees and granting them the powers of beasts to make an army of defenders.Uniting the various races of Ilaya to face the incoming threat was another problem altogether. Awakened Trees, no matter how many, could not substitute diplomacy or even political maneuvering. And the enemy might be so endless that any defenses he’d construct would be overwhelmed.As he changed the present, so did the future he knew of. Eventually, he’d be in the dark of what was to come… and more darkness was coming.Finlay wouldn’t give up despite that. He chose to be a hero… and a hero he shall be....