Slowly Shinazu sank deeper into endless darkness but just at the brink of death…
A voice spoke.
“You are mine.”
Shinazu’s fading consciousness stirred as he heard a very gentle and pleasing voice carried by an authority beyond comprehension.
“And your fate is mine to decide, Shinazu Tsukuyomi.”
His eyes opened slightly but everything was blurry.
Only the water around him shimmered with silver light approaching him.
The light grew brighter, closer, and warmer.
It was a woman but before he could realize anything he lost all consciousness due to blood loss.
She reached him effortlessly, as if the water itself parted before her and lifted him into her arms.
Her overwhelming beauty was hidden behind the glow surrounding her, an existence that seemed beyond the mortal understanding.
The woman carried him to a large stone besides the waterfall.
The wounds and cuts that had covered Shinazu were all healed up, even the sword wound vanished as though it had never existed.
The pain throughout his body disappeared and the cold he felt earlier had been replaced by comforted warmth.
There, she sat down carefully and gently, resting his head upon her lap.
The waterfall still roared around them, yet the space surrounding her remained perfectly peaceful and protected, and for the first time in his life, Shinazu felt so much comfort which was even visible on his unconscious face.
The woman brushed a few strands of wet hair from his face.
Her hand trembled slightly, as though she had been worried like she had almost lost something precious.
A soft sigh escaped her lips.
“Sorry…” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“I was a little late.”
The unconscious boy didn’t respond but his breathing had become steady, resting peacefully on her lap.
The woman looked down at him for a long moment, then gently smiled filled with affection and relief.
“…from now on, I will never leave you out of my sight.”
Slowly, she raised her index finger and silver light gathered around it, causing the surrounding darkness to retreat.
The world itself seemed to become still.
Her finger gracefully touched Shinazu’s forehead and a silver, radiant crescent moon appeared on it.
The beautiful symbol glowed softly before sinking into his skin, as if becoming a part of him.
The woman lovingly patted his head, gently and protectively.
The silver light around them brightened as if a star is glowing in the dark night.
The waterfall thundered endlessly, and beneath the moonlit night, fate quietly changed its course.
The boy whom the world had rejected…
had just been chosen by something far greater.
…
Darkness.
Then, moonlight.
A silver moon hung high in the sky, casting a soft, ethereal glow over everything.
A gentle warmth cradled his battered body, soothing the deep aches within.
“You are mine…”
A beautiful voice echoed through the darkness.
“And your fate is mine…”
The voice felt distant, yet strangely familiar, comforting, and protective.
He tried to open his eyes, straining to see who was speaking.
A silhouette stood beneath the moonlight, long silver hair swaying softly in the wind.
Just as he was about to see her face…
The world shattered.
Shinazu’s eyes snapped open.
He sat upright with a sharp gasp, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he fought for air.
For several moments, he simply stared at the unfamiliar wall in front of him.
It was a room, a normal room.
Not a river, not a waterfall and not death.
His breathing slowly calmed, the frantic pounding of his heart beginning to ease.
“I’m…
alive?”
The words escaped his lips before he even realized it.
Immediately, he began checking his body.
His hands moved frantically over his arms, chest, and every part of his body.
There was no sign of any pain, or cuts and scratches from the relentless chase.
Even the severe sword wound beneath his shoulder had completely disappeared as if they had never existed.
Shinazu froze.
But how?
What happened to me?
His memories returned piece by piece, striking him with sudden clarity.
The awakening ceremony, Kaizel, knights and mages chasing him, the roaring waterfall, the sword hit and The voice.
Then, nothing but a completely foreign room.
His hand instinctively moved toward his forehead and for some reason, it felt calmer as if a heavy burden had suddenly vanished from his mind.
Before he could investigate the feeling further, the door handle turned and opened.
Shinazu immediately became alert, every muscle in his body tensing like a coiled spring.
He saw a neatly dressed man entered the room carrying a tray.
The man looked to be in his thirties, with neat silver hair, round glasses, and a calm expression.
He had the kind of face people instinctively trusted, which only made Shinazu trust him even less.
The man noticed the boy’s sharp reaction and smiled gently.
“You seem quite energetic.
That’s a good sign.”
Who is he?
Shinazu’s mind raced.
If he knows I have dark magic, he will kill me, but…
He remained completely silent cause he didn’t know the situation he was in, though inside, he felt like a cornered animal preparing to fight or escape.
The man walked over, noting the boy’s anxious posture, he said, “I suppose introductions are in order.” He placed the tray on the bedtable and sat on a nearby stool.
“My name is Minato Takahashi.
What is yours?”
Shinazu carefully watched his every movement, refusing to let his guard down.
“Where am I?” Shinazu didn’t answer but asked.
“I found you unconscious on the beach, so I brought you here.”
Shinazu blinked in sheer confusion.
“Beach??”
How did I end up on a beach?
There was no beach anywhere near the small town of Herndon where I roamed.
The last thing I remember was falling into a giant, roaring waterfall chased by knights.
He looked outside the large glass window beside his bed and his breath caught.
Ships drifted peacefully across a massive harbor right outside.
He gasped, “Which place is this?”
Minato looked at his bewildered expression and said, “This is Hokuto Trade Port.”
“Hokuto Trade Port?”
Shinazu’s mind reeled.
How did I get hundreds of kilometers away from Herndon and end up at the Hokuto Trade Port at the very edge of the Hokuto Kingdom?
How could I have possibly ended up here?
How?!
Minato nodded.
“I found you unconscious on the beach yesterday morning.”
Shinazu’s thoughts immediately raced back.
The mysterious voice and the glowing light beneath the waterfall.
Something incredible had happened after he lost consciousness.
Something entirely impossible.
But he couldn’t explain it, not even to himself.
Minato studied the boy quietly.
The confusion on Shinazu’s face seemed too genuine.
“You don’t remember how you got here?” Minato asked his face calm.
Shinazu hesitated for a fraction of a second, then shook his head.
“No.” That wasn’t entirely a lie.
Minato hummed thoughtfully.
He had seen many strange things throughout his life, but it was the first time he was dealing with a child appearing unconscious on a beach in tattered clothes bearing marks that looked exactly like sword cuts, yet possessing no actual injuries at all.
Judging by the boy’s appearance and obvious weariness, Minato asked, “Where do you live and where are your parents?”
“Oh yeah, I remembered they must be worried about me, Thank you for all your care but I need to go.” Shinazu gave a stiff smile and quickly threw himself off the bed, hurrying to leave.
Minato gave a long look to the anxious boy and said.
“You are an orphan, aren’t you?”
The words caught Shinazu completely off guard and he froze mid-step.
“How would you know that?” his voice sounded steady enough, turning back with practiced innocence.
But beneath his ribs, his heart hammered against his ribs.
“Torn clothes, Wild hair, Stranded half-dead on a shoreline with no one looking for you,” Minato said calmly, counting the points without taking his eyes off him.
“Not a single missing notice in the city newspapers, no memory of how you washed up here, and an immediate, hostile guard the second you realized I look like a noble.”
Shinazu clenched his jaw behind tightly closed lips.
He didn’t just find me.
He investigated me.
This man is too perceptive and calculating.
I can’t stay a moment long here anymore Staying in this room was no longer just uncomfortable, it was actively suicidal.
Any moment the truth of his dark element would spill into the open.
“Either way, I’ve already caused you enough trouble,” Shinazu said, giving a quick, polite nod as he pivoted toward the door.
“I should take my leave.”
“Leave?” Minato’s voice followed him, dry and unimpressed.
“You’ve done more than enough.” He replied hastily.
“And where exactly will you go?”
Shinazu’s hand hovered an inch from the doorknob.
He parted his lips to shoot back a lie, but the sound died in his throat.
Back to the streets?
Back to sleeping outdoors in the freezing cold?
Back to surviving one agonizing day at a time?
He hated those options.
Yet, depending on complete strangers felt entirely worse.
“I…”
“I have a proposal,” Minato cut in, his posture loose, eyes gleaming as he watched the boy wrestle with reality.