The warmth did not disappear.
Even after the golden light faded, even after the words vanished from his sight, it remained.
Quiet.
Patient.
Alive.
The boy sat motionless amidst the ruins, his mother resting weakly in his arms, her breathing shallow but steady. The cold wind continued to move through the broken streets, carrying ash and silence with it.
But he no longer felt the cold the same way.
It still touched him.
Still surrounded him.
But it no longer reached inside him.
The warmth within his chest held it back.
Protected him.
His fingers trembled slightly as he raised his hand before his face.
Nothing looked different.
His skin was the same.
His body was the same.
Weak.
Thin.
Fragile.
And yet—
It was not the same.
He could feel it.
A faint pulse deep within his chest.
Slow.
Steady.
Like a second heartbeat.
He focused on it instinctively.
The moment his attention settled on that warmth—
The world changed.
---
**[System Interface Available]**
---
The words appeared clearly before his eyes.
Not distant.
Not fading.
Stable.
Waiting.
His breath caught.
He had not called it.
Had not spoken.
Yet it responded.
As if it understood him.
As if it had always been there.
Waiting for him to notice.
The symbols shifted, forming new lines.
---
**[Bearer of Divine Ember]**
**[Level: 1]**
**[Status: Stable]**
---
More words appeared.
---
**[Attributes Available]**
**[Skills Available]**
**[Class Authority Available]**
---
He did not understand most of it.
But instinct guided him.
His focus settled on the first line.
Attributes.
The moment he thought of it—
The interface obeyed.
---
**[Attributes]**
Strength: 4
Agility: 5
Endurance: 4
Mana: 3
Perception: 6
---
The numbers meant nothing to him.
Yet he understood their meaning.
This was his power.
His limits.
His weakness.
They were low.
Painfully low.
Lower than what he had hoped.
Lower than what he needed.
He was still weak.
Still fragile.
Still someone who could die.
His jaw tightened.
The warmth within his chest pulsed faintly.
Not in disagreement.
Not in comfort.
Simply acknowledging truth.
He shifted his focus again.
Skills.
The interface responded immediately.
---
**[Skills]**
None
---
The word lingered.
Cold.
Absolute.
He had power.
He had a class.
Yet he had no skills.
Nothing to protect himself.
Nothing to protect her.
His grip tightened unconsciously around his mother.
The warmth in his chest flickered.
Stronger this time.
As if reacting to his thoughts.
The interface shifted.
A new line appeared.
One that had not been there before.
---
**[Class Authority Detected]**
**[Divine Ember Authority: Dormant]**
**[Condition for Activation: Unknown]**
---
The warmth grew slightly.
Not enough to burn.
Not enough to hurt.
But enough to remind him.
It was there.
Waiting.
Watching.
He did not know how to use it.
Did not know how to awaken it.
But he knew one thing.
It was real.
A faint sound echoed in the distance.
He froze.
His head turned slowly.
The ruined streets remained silent.
But far beyond the broken buildings—
He heard movement.
Voices.
Faint.
Distant.
Survivors.
His heart began to pound.
Not from fear.
But from realization.
He was not alone.
The world had not ended completely.
Not yet.
He looked down at his mother.
She was still unconscious.
Still fragile.
Still depending on him.
The warmth in his chest pulsed again.
Steadier now.
No longer weak.
No longer fading.
He did not understand this power.
Did not understand this System.
Did not understand why he had survived.
But he understood what mattered.
He had been given something.
A chance.
Not to return to what he was.
But to become something else.
Something stronger.
Something that would never be helpless again.
Slowly, carefully, he stood.
His body trembled under the weight.
But he did not fall.
His arms held her firmly.
Protectively.
The ruined world stretched endlessly before him.
Broken.
Hostile.
Unforgiving.
But for the first time—
He did not feel completely powerless.
The interface remained.
Silent.
Waiting.
And deep within his chest—
The ember burned.