My heart was filled with despair, but it seemed that the owner of this body had not yet given up.

I tightened my grip on the axe and loosened my stance.

I pushed my hips out, bent my knees slightly, and stood firmly with my feet rooted to the ground.

“….”

As the mother bear approached, my heart grew heavy with fear, desperate to run.

No exaggeration—this bear running on all fours must have been at least two, no, three meters tall.

That was its height on all fours, not standing.

At this point, it was no longer a bear but a monster.

In an instant, the mother bear charged up to me and raised its colossal body.

Even on all fours, it was enormous, but now, standing upright, it towered at least four, maybe even five meters.

The bear roared at me, standing on its hind legs.

“Guaaahhh!”

The immense roar shook the air, spreading in every direction and leaving my ears ringing.

If I were a dog, I’d have run off with my tail between my legs.

But I—or rather, this body—seemed to have no fear at all.

Facing the bear head-on, it shouted a strange cry, something like "Kraah!" before leaping forward, thrusting the axe upward.

It seemed to aim for the bear’s jaw.

But, of course, it was futile.

Though my body was big and solid, it was still just a child.

The mother bear was too large even if I were an adult.

Before I could reach even its chest, the bear countered.

It easily swatted the axe aside with its massive paw, then swiped its sharp claws across my body.

Like a leaf blown by the wind, my body was tossed into the air and crashed to the ground.

Blood poured from my mouth in a rush.

A chilling pain spread through me.

I must have broken some bones.

But I refused to give up.

I pressed my hand against the ground to try to stand.

No, please, just give up and die already.

I didn’t want to fight this terrifying bear anymore.

I didn’t want any more pain.

I just wanted to pass out now, to die without knowing anything beyond this moment.

But this body ignored my will and writhed as it struggled to stand again.

It was as if there was an unbreakable wall between my consciousness and that of this boy who owned the body, making it impossible for us to communicate.

All I could do was watch his actions like a spectator.

I forced my shaky legs to stand, and as I did, the bear approached and hooked its paw beneath my armpit.

It yanked me upward.

The bear's claws dug into my flesh.

It hurt.

At this rate, either my bones would snap, or my arm would be torn off—one or the other.

But it showed no mercy, lifting me higher into the air.

Dangling helplessly, I swung my legs, refusing to give up.

It seemed I was trying to kick the bear somehow, trying to hurt it.

Even though it was my own body, I couldn’t understand myself.

“….”

A bear like this could easily kill me with a single claw swipe, but it didn’t.

It must be keeping me alive on purpose.

‘Because I killed its cub.’

It would probably tear me apart limb by limb, chew me up, and give me every form of pain before finally ending it.

Every part of my body ached from the broken bones, the pain indescribable.

And now, the mother bear’s paw tightened its grip on me.

Was it going to crush me?

Or bite me?

Or maybe tear me limb from limb?

I could almost see the pain ahead of me, so vividly that I couldn't help but shiver.

But I was wrong in my prediction.

Instead, the mother bear began to shake me like a toy.

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I was tossed back and forth like a leaf in the wind.

My head, arms, and legs moved in all directions.

The pain overwhelmed me, and my mind started to fade.

I gritted my teeth and endured it for a while, but soon the pain became unbearable.

I let out a scream, an inarticulate, half-baked howl that echoed through the leaves.

Then, as if in response to my cry, I heard a roar from somewhere in the forest.

“Graaaahhhh!”

Oh no, is that the father bear now?

Please, spare me. Just end this already.

I thought I was already dead. I couldn't bear any more of this.

At that moment, the mother bear pulled me in closer, hugging me with one paw.

And using its whole body, it let out a roar towards the sound.

“Guooaaaahhhh!”

It was like it was claiming its prey, not wanting to let go.

Maybe it wasn't the father bear, but a rival vying for food.

Crushed between the bear’s thick paw and body, I struggled to breathe.

It was suffocating.

Between the bear's claws, I glimpsed something moving through the forest.

Not as large as the mother bear, but still big and muscular... a human?

Running straight through the forest, it was a person dressed in attire like something out of a Viking movie.

Thick muscles bulged from neck to shoulders, showing even beneath their clothing.

The weapon they carried shone, even in the dark, a beautiful gleaming tool.

As they drew closer, I mumbled in shock.

“…Mom…?”

It wasn’t a man.

That person was...

It was a face I had never seen before, but I knew who it was.

That person was undoubtedly my mother.

I didn’t know why I was so sure.

But I was.

It was my mother.

With eyes bloodshot with fury, she ran forward and swung a massive weapon.

It looked like a combination of a spear and an axe, cutting through the air towards the bear’s arm.

Slice.

The bear’s arm dropped, and I fell to the ground along with it.

Hearing the bear’s howl of pain, I instinctively closed my eyes.

But the impact I expected never came.

When I opened my eyes, I was in my mother’s arms.

She held me close, her feet pushing off the ground as she soared towards the bear.

She clashed with the bear several times.

But it was clear—she was overwhelmingly stronger.

The mother bear howled in frustration and began to flee.

Though it was twice my mother’s size, it knew it couldn’t win.

It seemed that my mother could have killed it in just one or two more blows.

But instead of chasing it, she put me down and began examining me.

She touched every bone in my body, checking the depth of my wounds.

She pulled something powdered from her waist and sprinkled it on the injuries.

It might have been some sort of disinfectant.

As the powder touched the wounds, an intense pain surged through me.

Along with the pain, memories flashed in my mind like lightning.

Ah… Yes, I was this woman’s son.

I was born in the forest with no memory of my previous life. I was given the name Rafa, and I lived as the son of Helga and my father, Ogen.

Nine years old this year.

A few days ago, I had received permission to go into the forest alone for the first time.

There was a boundary I was never supposed to cross, but I believed I was strong and wandered beyond the area my mother had set.

And that’s how I ended up like this.

Mom, I’m sorry.

But…

In my fading consciousness, I moved my lips.

“… Mom….”

“Rafa, don’t speak. You need to save your strength.”

I heard my mother’s voice from afar.

But I had to say this one thing.

I moved my lips again.

“… I killed it. The giant bear… that one’s mine….”

The bear’s teeth are the mark of a warrior.

Only those who have killed a bear themselves can make a necklace from its teeth and be recognized as a warrior.

That’s what my mother had told me when I was a child.

Only those who killed a bear alone could claim the title of warrior.

My mother had earned that title at the age of twelve and left home to wander.

It led her to meet my father and build a home here.

My mother looked into my face, meeting my gaze.

“Yes, that bear is yours, Rafa. My brave son. You are a fine warrior.”

My mother’s eyes glistened with tears.

Perhaps I was dying.

But I—no, Rafa—was content.

Born a warrior, and dying a warrior.

That was what my mother had taught me.

It was the life that Rafa had always dreamed of.

My consciousness faded, dropping into darkness like falling into a deep hole.

I had no idea how long I was in that place.

Every single finger and toe felt heavy.

It was as if I was buried in damp, invisible mud from head to toe.

Suddenly, I felt myself being lifted slightly.

Someone was holding my limp body.

“…Rafa… open your mouth… just a little more… that’s it… good….”

A soft voice spoke.

It was clearly a man's voice, yet gentle and soothing.

I recognized it.

That voice.

“… F… father….”

I mumbled, trying to lift my immobile eyelids.

Father.

Is he crying?

It sounded like it.

Unlike my mother, my father was weak.

He couldn’t catch a rabbit, let alone a bear.

But my father knew a lot.

He knew about the lands and cultures beyond the forest, the languages—he knew so much.

And he was incredibly beautiful.

Even though I saw him every day, I would sometimes catch myself staring at him in a daze, captivated.

It was my job, Rafa’s job, to protect that father.

Don’t cry… father… I’ll defeat anything scary or dangerous for you.

I wanted to say that, but my lips wouldn't move properly.

I heard my father's trembling voice near my ear.

“… Yes. It's father… don't open your eyes, Rafa. You’ve just regained consciousness. It’s still difficult. You were unconscious for ten days.”

“….”

“Your mother brought back a phoenix feather. Luckily, there was a phoenix living in this forest. If not for that, you wouldn’t have survived.”

“….”

A sturdy wooden spoon touched my lips again.

A thick, tasteless but sweet liquid flowed into my mouth.

Maybe there was some of the precious honey mixed in.

Honey was a rare treat in our mountain home.

Even if I didn’t want to, I had no choice but to swallow since it kept being fed to me.

“There… you’ve taken your medicine. Good. Now go back to sleep.”

“….”

And as if on cue, I fell into a deep sleep once more.

And so it continued.

Sometimes it was my father, sometimes my mother who fed me medicine.

I still couldn’t move, but I could tell that my body was slowly recovering.

The hands that once felt glued in place began to twitch.

While I lay in a daze, on the edge of life and death, my consciousness gradually merged with Rafa's.

Now, there was no need to differentiate between my consciousness and Rafa’s.

I felt like myself.

One day, when the time I spent awake grew a bit longer, after feeding me my medicine, my father looked at me sternly.

It seemed it was time for a scolding.

“Rafa, do you understand how dangerous what you did was?”

“… I’m sorry… father….”

With my mother, I could speak roughly.

But my father was strict about language and manners.

He didn’t raise his voice, but he looked at me quietly with his purple eyes.

It made me sit up straight and fall silent without realizing it.

I couldn't defy my father.

He was the weakest member of our family, but neither my mother nor I could go against him.

At that moment, my father’s eyes were colder and stricter than I had ever seen them.

His purple eyes seemed to burn red with anger.

His nearly white golden hair cascaded down, falling across my face.

“I was worried, Rafa. I thought I’d lose you… I was really worried.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know you admire your mother. Ever since you could toddle, you’ve wanted to become a warrior. But you have to be alive to achieve that. A warrior is only a warrior if they’re alive. If you die, you’re nothing more than a decaying corpse.”

“Yes… I’m sorry, father.”

My father looked at me for a moment.

It seemed like he was gauging whether I was truly repentant.

Then, he kissed my forehead lightly and whispered.

“Become strong, Rafa. Strong enough to surpass your mother, far stronger than your mother, who is called the greatest warrior. You can do it. You’ve inherited the wind magic that I don’t possess. Use it and become truly strong.”

Wind magic.

“….”

Since I was young, I had a power that my mother didn’t have.

A subtle breeze would rise from my fingertips, from some part of my skin.

It was like a layer of wind clung to my skin.

That was why I could swing an axe much larger and heavier than my body.

The wind helped me.

‘It’s because of father.’

He never told me.

So I hadn’t known.

I moved my still unresponsive fingers slightly.

My father noticed and held my hand.

I pressed my fingers lightly against his palm.

A faint breeze touched my father’s hand and scattered.

“Yes… Father. I will become a strong warrior.”

With the same purple eyes as my father's, I smiled silently.