Warmth bloomed inside Hajin's chest, separate from the golden light pouring through his skin.
It belonged to no mana pathway or system function he understood.
The sensation spread through him until even his trembling hands felt wrapped in it.
'What is this?'
He stared at the golden tattoos winding over his arms.
There was no pain anywhere inside the spreading radiance.
The warmth carried an affection so deep and steady that he had no memory against which to measure it.
It felt older than his life, as though something had loved him long before either of them knew his name.
'Why does this feel familiar?'
His knees sank into the flowers as the warmth overwhelmed his balance.
Sweat ran across his face while the force of that emotion blurred the bright field around him.
"What is going on?" Hajin asked, pressing one palm against the soil.
He focused on crushed petals beneath his fingers because they were the only part of the moment that felt ordinary.
