Morning sunlight filtered through the wooden window as birds with sapphire-colored feathers sang outside.
Yozaro slowly opened his eyes.
Another dream.
No…
This one felt different.
He had seen the cave again.
But this time, the seven ancient books had names.
Pride.
Greed.
Wrath.
Envy.
Lust.
Gluttony.
Sloth.
A mysterious figure cloaked in darkness stood before them.
Its face couldn’t be seen.
Only its voice echoed through the cave.
“These are not curses…”
“They are the desires that shaped humanity.”
“Control them…”
“…or be consumed by them.”
Yozaro reached toward the books.
The moment his fingertips touched one…
Everything shattered into darkness.
He woke up breathing heavily.
“…Again.”
His mother entered the room carrying breakfast.
“Another nightmare?”
Yozaro forced a smile.
“No… just a strange dream.”
She gently patted his head.
“Dreams can’t hurt you.”
He wanted to tell her they felt more real than reality itself.
But he remained silent.
Three years old.
Most children still struggled to speak clearly.
Yozaro was already reading simple books.
His parents often caught him staring at maps, history scrolls, and old legends instead of playing with toys.
One afternoon, Gareth returned home carrying an old chest.
“I found this while repairing Elder Rowan’s attic.”
Inside were several dusty books.
One immediately caught Yozaro’s attention.
『The Lost Empire of Asteria』
The book described an ancient civilization that vanished nearly five thousand years ago.
Its people were said to possess magic far beyond modern understanding.
What surprised Yozaro wasn’t the story.
It was the illustrations.
His heart nearly stopped.
The walls in the drawings…
Contained the exact same symbols he had seen inside the mysterious cave from his previous life.
“…Impossible.”
His tiny hands trembled.
That evening…
Unable to control his curiosity, Yozaro walked alone toward the nearby forest.
The setting sun painted the sky crimson.
He searched among moss-covered rocks and ancient trees.
Then…
He froze.
A large stone stood half-buried beneath twisting roots.
Its surface carried a single engraved symbol.
The same symbol from his dream.
Without thinking…
He reached out.
The instant his fingers touched it—
A faint golden light spread across the carving.
A whisper entered his mind.
“One has remembered.”
Yozaro stumbled backward.
The light vanished.
“…What was that?”
Hidden high above in the trees…
A pair of golden eyes watched him.
Not human.
Not beast.
Something else.
The creature quietly disappeared before Yozaro noticed.
That night…
The dreams returned.
This time, the cave was brighter.
One of the books slowly floated toward him.
Its title glowed.
Greed.
The book opened on its own.
Instead of words…
It showed countless people chasing gold, power, and fame.
Then the images changed.
A starving mother stealing bread for her child.
A knight risking his life to become stronger.
A scholar spending decades searching for truth.
The mysterious voice returned.
“Greed…”
“…is the desire to obtain.”
“Without desire…”
“…no one moves forward.”
“Without restraint…”
“…everyone falls.”
When Yozaro reached for the pages…
He suddenly woke.
The next morning…
His father smiled.
“You’re always reading.”
“Come.”
“I’ll teach you something more useful.”
Together they walked into the forest.
Gareth handed him a small wooden sword.
“It isn’t about winning.”
“It isn’t about being stronger than others.”
He raised his own practice sword.
“It’s about protecting what matters.”
Yozaro nodded.
“Yes, Father.”
Their wooden swords met.
Tap.
Again.
Tap.
Hour after hour.
Though only three years old, Yozaro copied every stance perfectly.
Gareth’s smile slowly faded.
“…You’re learning too fast.”
As they returned home…
A scream echoed through the village.
“Wolves!”
“Monster wolves!”
Several gray wolves burst from the forest, chasing frightened villagers.
One wolf leaped toward a little girl frozen in fear.
Everyone shouted.
“No!”
Yozaro’s body moved before his mind could think.
He grabbed a burning stick from a nearby forge.
The wolf lunged.
At the last second—
He thrust the flaming branch into its face.
The beast yelped and retreated.
Moments later, Gareth and the village guards drove the pack away.
The little girl burst into tears.
“Thank you…”
Yozaro simply smiled.
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
From a distance, Elder Rowan watched everything.
“He has courage…”
“But something about that child…”
“…feels ancient.”
Late that night…
As Yozaro stood beneath the twin moons…
A strange mark briefly appeared on the back of his right hand.
It looked exactly like the symbol of Greed.
It glowed for only a second…
Before disappearing.
Far away, beneath the ruins of a forgotten temple…
Seven stone statues opened their eyes.
One of them whispered,
“The first seal has begun to awaken.”