It shouldn't have been warm—Darwin lay in a frozen cave where even fire struggled to survive—but the sensation spreading across his skin felt gentle, familiar, almost nostalgic.
The snowstorm outside had grown quiet.
The fire he had lit was reduced to faint orange embers.
Darwin's eyelids grew heavy.
Then—
The cold cave vanished.
He stood in sunlight.
A grassy field stretched around him, wind brushing against his skin. The fragrance of the Elkevis mansion's backyard—tea, pine, freshly sharpened steel—filled the air.
Darwin blinked.
He was small again. Barely ten.
His left hand was tiny. His right shoulder still the same empty space.
And sitting before him, under the old pine tree—
**Damisk Elkevis**
Hero of Zenatia.
Sword God.
The only person Darwin ever loved.
He held an old, beautiful sword across his knees. The blade shimmered faintly, like moonlight trapped inside metal.
"Darwin," Damisk said, smiling softly. "Do you know why humans won the war with the Malives?"
Darwin shook his head.
Damisk lifted the sword with reverence.
"It was because of this sword. My partner for a very long time."
He paused. Then he looked directly at Darwin.
"And now… I am giving it to you."
Darwin felt his heart thump.
"M–Me? But I'm… I'm not fit for a sword."
Damisk laughed, shaking his head.
"It is not my decision to make. The sword has chosen you."
Darwin's breath hitched. "Chosen… me?"
"Yes." Damisk touched the hilt.
The sword dissolved—turning into tiny glowing particles that rose into the air. They gathered, swirling like fireflies, condensing into a small blue gem that fell gently into Damisk's hand.
The gem shimmered, then turned into a pendant—transparent, glowing faintly with a mysterious energy.
"When the right time comes," Damisk said, tying the pendant around Darwin's neck,
"This pendant will shine with *your* will and take the shape of your heart's essence."
Darwin's tiny fingers brushed the gem.
Before he could speak, the world began dissolving again—like mist caught in wind. Damisk faded, the garden blurred, and warmth turned cold.
The memory ended.
---
Darwin's eyes snapped open.
He lay on the cave floor, sweat clinging to his forehead. The fire had nearly died out. His breath came in shivering gasps.
The pendant sat on his chest—silent, cold, transparent.
He grabbed it tightly.
"That memory… why did I suddenly remember it?"
His fingers shook.
"And why… why don't I remember *anything else* from that day?"
No answer came.
Only the cold silence of the cave.
Darwin gritted his teeth.
His parents never told him anything.
They never cared enough to notice the pendant.
His chest tightened.
Anger simmered quietly beneath his skin—not loud, not explosive, but sharp and cold, like the valley itself.
"…Why did he choose me?" he whispered to the darkness.
He didn't know.
But he knew one thing—
He would survive long enough to find out.
He stood slowly, wincing at the pain in his back.
The snowstorm outside had calmed.
Darwin tightened his cloak and stepped out.
The world was still cold.
And so was he