A few quiet minutes passed after the shadow appeared beside the lifeless child. As it slowly faded away, the shadow whispered, "Goodbye, little one… you're going to be saved now…"
Not long after, a strange group of people appeared, dressed in unfamiliar clothes. They seemed to belong to another tribe. Leading them was an old man holding a tall staff topped with a glowing crystal.
As they approached the child, the crystal began to emit a soft light. One of the men murmured, "It's glowing, Chief… looks like we've found the one chosen by the Demon-Spirit Insect Queen."
The chief nodded with certainty. "Yes… at last, after all these years… the staff is showing us the way."
The group began searching around for the chosen one. One of them suddenly called out, "Chief! There's a child's body here… it's disfigured."
The chief walked up to the body. As he got close, the crystal pulsed with a brilliant light, and the staff trembled in his hand.
"This is him!" the chief declared. "Take him—quickly! We're going back to the tribe."
One of the men gently lifted the boy, wrapping him in a clean cloth to stop the bleeding. Another, looking worried, said, "Chief, our village is all the way up the mountain, and sunrise is close!"
The chief chuckled softly. "We've waited too long for this. We're not about to waste the moment we've hoped for all these years. Give him to me. I'll go ahead. Step back."
He took the child in his arms, pulled out a strange, blue insect from his pocket, and placed it on the boy's leg. The insect instantly burrowed into his skin, and a flickering blue aura—like lightning—wrapped around the chief's foot. He slammed it against the ground and, in a flash, shot off toward the towering mountain peak at an inhuman speed.
Just minutes later, he arrived at his village, though he looked like he'd paid the price. His foot was blackened, as if burned. His body trembled, pale and soaked in sweat.
He struggled to keep walking. A young man nearby noticed him and ran up in alarm.
"Father! What happened?!"
The chief's voice was weak, almost a whisper. "Sharo… we go looking for the chosen one once every ten years. And now… he's finally here. Quick, take him to the Queen before sunrise."
Sharo nodded, gently lifting the boy with his left arm and offering a grateful smile to his father. He hoisted the child onto his back and took off running at full speed toward a massive, black tree standing tall at the heart of the village.
When he reached the tree, he laid his father down with care, then set the child at the base of the tree.
"Father… the child is dead," Sharo said quietly, unsure.
The chief gave a tired smile. "Don't worry, son. When the Queen receives the chosen one, she gives him new life. His body will be restored—his hand, his neck… But the marks from the blade, the scars… those will never fade. They'll always be there, a reminder of the cruelty he suffered."
As the two spoke, a strange insect emerged from the tree's trunk. Half of its body was as dark as a moonless night, cloaked in a shadowy aura, while the other half glowed a soft, pure white. It floated toward the boy's forehead and slowly burrowed inside. The moment it vanished, a burst of energy exploded from the body, shaking the ground beneath them.
Across the village, people watched the scene in stunned silence. As the light faded, the insect's mark appeared clearly on the boy's forehead. His tiny veins began to pulse, glowing faintly.
Then, before anyone could react, his severed hand and wounded neck began to heal right before their eyes. But the scars—deep and jagged—remained, carved into his small body like cruel memories.
Suddenly, the boy's eyes flew open, and he let out a piercing scream, shattering the silence.
Just then, the first golden rays of the sun crept over the horizon. The chief looked toward Sharo with great difficulty, his voice barely audible:
"Taliyo… my son… I used a forbidden power… Please, take care of the chosen one. Name him Zagard, after our very first ancestor."
Sharo's eyes lit up with fierce determination. "Don't worry, Father. Rest easy… The men of our tribe don't shed tears."
The chief closed his eyes slowly, a faint smile touching his lips, before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
And in that moment, Taliyo broke down. He fell to his knees, shoulders shaking as he sobbed uncontrollably.
"Don't leave me, Father! You were the only one protecting us from the Empire's attacks… Please don't go!"
The rest of the tribe joined him, mourning the loss of their beloved chief with cries that echoed through the village.
Once the moment passed, Sharo gently cradled Zagard in his arms and whispered,
"It looks like you've been given a powerful gift, little one… You have a mother now. You won't ever need food or milk again."