The first thing Yozaro noticed every morning wasn’t the warmth of his blanket.
It was the dreams.
A dark cave.
Seven towering stone pillars.
Seven ancient books.
A voice that echoed through endless darkness.
“Desire is not your enemy…”
“Master it…”
Then everything would disappear.
A gentle hand brushed through his black hair.
“Yozaro.”
His mother smiled warmly.
“You’re awake already?”
The two-year-old slowly opened his crimson eyes.
For a moment, he stared at the wooden ceiling.
“…Another dream.”
His mother laughed.
“What are you mumbling about?”
He blinked.
Although his body belonged to a toddler, his mind remembered another life.
Not everything.
Only pieces.
A mountain.
Rain.
An ancient cave.
Books.
A collapsing ceiling.
Death.
And then…
Rebirth.
Outside, the village bustled with life.
Children chased chickens across dirt roads while blacksmiths hammered glowing steel.
His father, Gareth, lifted him onto his shoulders.
“Come on, little warrior.”
“We’ve got work today.”
Yozaro giggled despite himself.
His father wasn’t a hero.
He wasn’t a noble.
He was simply the village blacksmith.
Yet his smile felt stronger than any king’s.
Inside the forge…
Clang!
Clang!
Sparks danced through the air.
“Every sword,” Gareth said, “has a purpose.”
“Not every sword is made to kill.”
Yozaro watched carefully.
Every movement.
Every swing.
Every breath.
He remembered them all.
His father suddenly stopped.
“…You’re watching too closely.”
His mother laughed.
“I think our son is smarter than either of us.”
That afternoon…
Yozaro wandered toward the forest beside the village.
A tiny blue butterfly landed on his finger.
Without knowing why…
He could see faint streams of light flowing through it.
Mana.
It drifted through the butterfly like tiny rivers.
His eyes widened.
“So…”
“It’s real.”
The butterfly suddenly glowed brighter.
Leaves began swirling around him.
The wind answered his thoughts.
Then—
BOOM!
A tiny burst of air scattered leaves across the clearing.
Yozaro stumbled backward.
“…I did that?”
Hidden behind a tree…
An old man watched everything.
The village elder.
His eyes narrowed.
“A child…”
“…who awakened mana at two years old?”
He quietly disappeared without saying a word.
That night…
The elder visited Yozaro’s parents.
“I’ve lived for eighty years.”
“I’ve never seen talent like this.”
His mother looked worried.
“Is that… dangerous?”
The elder remained silent.
“Talent attracts attention.”
“And attention attracts monsters.”
Later…
Unable to sleep…
Yozaro walked outside.
Above him…
Two moons illuminated the night sky.
They had never existed on Earth.
He clenched his tiny fists.
“I don’t know why I was brought here.”
“I don’t know what those books truly were.”
“But this time…”
“I’ll become strong enough that I never lose my family again.”
The breeze suddenly stopped.
The stars shimmered unnaturally.
Far beyond the heavens…
Something ancient opened its eyes.
“The Child of Desire…”
“…has awakened.”
Yozaro looked up.
For a brief instant…
He thought one of the stars was staring back at him.
Then it vanished.