Isty Thirk nearly remembered everything since birth.

Some memories were unclear in meaning, like his first glimpse of Scott Thirk, his brother, who had eyes clenched shut, face deathly pale. That scene haunted his dreams for a long time, waking him trembling with indescribable fear, crying out in the only language he knew, summoning the one person who could soothe him to sleep.

By the time he could articulate his long-standing nightmare to his brother, he saw an unfamiliar panic in those similarly blue eyes. Despite being immediately embraced and clumsily assured of the dream's absurdity, Isty never wished to see such a look again.

He stopped sharing everything with Scott.

He also learned not to ask where their parents were or why he couldn't leave the castle.

Perched atop a windy cliff, Thirk Castle was an overly spacious home for Isty. The ancient stone fortress, dilapidated with many inaccessible areas, was still a vast labyrinth to the little Isty. Few people resided within: an ancient, somewhat senile butler who died when Isty was three, Scott's maid-cum-cook, Lida, two guards—one the butler's son, the other Lida's husband—and a deaf coachman, whom Scott's deceased parents had brought back from a journey.

Scott Thirk was not always home. As a paladin of the water goddess Nea, he frequently embarked on various missions, sometimes with his order, other times with his adventurer friends.

Isty had never seen another paladin in the castle besides Scott, but the adventurers occasionally visited Thirk Castle, bringing rare, laughter-filled liveliness.

Lydia Bell once used magic to lift him high into the sky to overlook the snow-covered lands. Though brief, the joy it filled his little heart was boundless. Even after Scott and Elen Carvo strictly forbade it as "too dangerous," Lydia still found ways to let him fly, and for that, he adored her, not to mention her striking green eyes and lush black hair.

He also liked Nyar. The slight thief knew many secrets of the castle, even Isty didn't know. Their little adventures always took place at night, and to his slight surprise, Nyar could see clearly in the dark, just like him. Nyar said it was their secret, so he told no one else. But after they were once lost in the castle's underground labyrinth for a whole day, and Scott's furious roar made Nyar lose his laughter, Isty's adventures ceased.

"It's not fair! Scott, you go to so many places, do so many fun things, and I can't even crawl through tunnels in my own home!" Isty wailed in protest, not deterred by Scott's head buried in a pillow or his stern face buried in paperwork. He relentlessly sought any chance to climb onto his brother, kneel on him, and shout all his grievances into his ears, refusing to listen to any explanations.

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After two days of relentless screaming, Scott lost his patience and locked the five-year-old in the tower room for an afternoon.

Surrounded by the cold walls of injustice, loneliness, fear, and a chill he had never felt before, the boy looked around, not understanding why he was treated this way. He wanted to cry out, but he knew no one in the castle would hear him unless they stood outside the door.

"Scott," he called softly, knocking, "brother."

No answer came, no sound. He stood by the door, calling softly, repeatedly, unwilling to admit he was truly left alone.

Before nightfall, it was Elen Carvo who opened the room. He was surprised to see the quiet boy standing by the door, looking up with a dazed expression, calling him "Scott."

His eyes were pure gold.

"I'm taking him away."

Elen carried the boy into Scott's study, spoke only that sentence, and immediately turned to leave. By the time the stunned young man caught up, Elen was entering the castle's great hall.

"Where are you taking him? We're about to have dinner," Lydia asked as she rose, noticing the boy slumped on Elen's shoulder, seemingly asleep, but sensing something amiss in the warrior's uneasy demeanor.

"Elen!" Scott burst into the hall, "What in the world are you doing?"

He tried to approach Carvo to take Isty back, but the warrior stepped back, warning him with a look.

"He can't stay here anymore, it's not safe."

"Alright, I shouldn't have locked him up alone," Scott said, agitatedly ruffling his hair, "but I would never hurt him!"

"You locked him up alone?!" Nyar shouted, "How could you do that!"

"Shut up!" Scott lost his usual temper. The boy hadn't woken up yet, which was abnormal.

Elen shook his head, "You're not understanding. I'm saying, he might hurt you."

Scott fell silent, then firmly extended his hand to the warrior, "I don't know what you've found, but that can't happen."

"So, you've always known, and you chose to keep it from all of us?" Elen didn't budge, glaring sternly.

"Oh, hell, lads, what's going on? This kind of pre-dinner activity will ruin my appetite!" Logan complained, his belly growing ever larger, stepping between the two men, "Is anyone going to explain clearly?"

"The child's eyes turned gold, and there are scales behind his ears," Elen still fixed his gaze on Scott, "and I think this isn't the first time."

"It happens occasionally when he's overly emotional, but it never caused any harm. I don't see it as a big problem!" Scott argued, trying to get past the dwarf.

"And what is a big problem? When he fully turns into a dragon? A five-year-old dragon could snap your neck!"

"So what do you propose!" Scott roared, "That I kill him? After raising him as my brother for five years?!"

"It's my fault, maybe we shouldn't have kept him, but it's not too late..."

Scott bellowed and charged, toppling Elen to the ground. The boy fell heavily between their arms, still unawakened.

The unarmored paladin, swifter than Elen knew, quickly scooped up the boy and rolled to the side, half-kneeling in a defensive stance against the rising warrior.

In the next moment, the dwarf's axe handle landed solidly on the back of his head, sending him tumbling forward in a dizzying fall, while Nyar easily snatched the boy from his arms.

"You stepped on my foot!" the dwarf bellowed, "And you! Elen Carvo, you let him step on my foot!" He pointed the axe at the warrior, "Now, before I chop something off you, sit down and eat!"