In the dim cave, a campfire burned brightly, its flickering light illuminating the cave.
In one corner, a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old huddled beside the fire. He was wrapped in a large black animal hide, and through the firelight, one could see bits of animal fat still clinging to it.
It was a rough-made animal hide, even emitting a faint, fishy odor.
The boy had a face like jade, delicate features, and a handsome appearance. His long, flowing red hair was tousled and smooth. However, this handsome young man had a large, flame-shaped mark on his left forehead, spreading to the corner of his eye and down his cheek. The red flame-shaped mark added to the boy's mysterious aura.
At this moment, the boy's eyes were closed, his body curled up, trembling slightly, as if he were enduring immense pain.
After a long while, the boy opened his eyes, looking around in confusion. A fleeting shadow of twilight crossed his bright eyes, replaced by astonishment, bewilderment, and...disbelief.
"This...how is this possible?!" A low murmur broke the cave's silence, the boy's voice filled with shock. He seemed unable to believe what he was seeing, stretching his hands out from under the animal skin blanket and rubbing his eyes.
He closed them again, opened them again, rubbed them vigorously, then slapped himself, feeling the pain on his cheek. The boy seemed to finally understand his surroundings.
Soon, the astonishment in his eyes disappeared, replaced by intense curiosity. A low murmur echoed from the cave:
"I've probably...time-traveled again."
...
"My name is Taiyi."
"This name was given to me by a blind fortune teller in the village. He said my fate was noble, and I needed a name befitting my status. As a young, delusional teenager, I wholeheartedly believed it!"
"As a child, I thought I was a child chosen by fate, that one day, the Digimon from another world would need my help."
"But as I grew older, I realized I was a child cruelly mocked by fate."
"At only twenty-four, my life came to an end. I had just passed the civil service exam!"
"I suspect I was cursed by my own name..."
"I thought my life was a tragedy."
"Until... I lived a second life."
"My second name is... Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
"It's a world where humans and demons coexist. From the moment I was born, I knew my mission."
"In just over twenty years, I fought my way from one shore to the other."
"Finally, having fulfilled my mission, I secluded myself in the mountains, living the peaceful life I'd always dreamed of."
"Years later, in my twilight years, I closed my eyes, but when I opened them again... I found myself alive again!"
"I feel like... I really am a chosen one! Although, I have no Digimon by my side..."
...
In the dimly lit cave, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, draped in a thick animal hide, slowly stood up and carefully surveyed his surroundings.
Yoriichi, already alone and without regrets in his twilight years, quickly accepted his situation.
Clearly, the most important thing now was to understand his current predicament.
It was a cave of approximately seven square meters. It was winter, and the temperature felt very low. Even with a blazing campfire in front of him and despite the thick animal hide, the chill still seeped into his body, causing him to shiver.
"This...is this a primitive society?"
Yoriichi scanned the cave, noticing the lack of modern amenities. Beside the campfire lay a roughly made wooden knife and fork, clearly not machine-made. Next to this was a cheap wooden bowl, filled mostly with a yellowish paste.
"It should be food...is it curry?" Yoriichi thought to himself, then shifted his gaze to observe his surroundings.
In one corner of the cave, there was a pile of dry firewood, about two meters long and half a meter high. Besides the strong smell of burning firewood, there was also a faint fishy smell in the air.
"This is... the smell of the sea?" Yoriichi sniffed, thinking to himself. Soon, his gaze was drawn to a long black sword at his feet.
"A sword?!"
Yoriichi quickly crouched down, picked up the sword, and examined it closely. It was a two-handed sword, about two meters long, and judging from its design, it was a straight sword. The black scabbard was engraved with exquisite wave-like patterns, and the hilt was about 40cm long; even with Yoriichi's hand gripping the hilt, he couldn't fully grasp it.
Drawing the sword, there was no flash of cold light as Yoriichi had expected; all he saw was darkness.
"A black blade? Even the edge is black?
Yoriichi drew the longsword a short distance and discovered that not only were the scabbard and hilt black, but the blade and edge were also black, giving it an inexplicable solemnity.
The longsword was about 5cm wide and the back of the blade was over 1cm thick. Normally, such blade dimensions combined with the length of the sword should indicate considerable weight.
However, to Yoriichi's surprise, the sword felt incredibly light when he picked it up, as if he couldn't feel its weight.
At the base of the blade was the character "灭" (annihilation), and judging from the style, it resembled a weapon produced in the sword-forging village of the previous world.
Yoriichi gripped the hilt of the longsword with one hand and drew it from the scabbard. For some reason, as he drew the longsword, Yoriichi instinctively gripped it tightly with both hands and made a light slashing motion.
The tip of the blade silently sliced across the ceiling of the cave, leaving a deep gash.
"Vruum!" As the long sword sliced through the air, small pebbles fell from the cave ceiling, shattering on the ground.
"Hmm?" Yoriichi instinctively shielded his eyes. After a long while, when no more pebbles fell, he looked up and saw a long sword mark left on the cave ceiling.
"A fine sword!"
"This craftsmanship... a world that can make a sword like this must have a high level of civilization. Or perhaps, this sword was originally brought by me?!"
Yoriichi withdrew his gaze, carefully examining the long sword in his hand. He couldn't help but reach out and stroke the blade. After sitting quietly for a long time, Yoriichi carried the long sword to the cave entrance and looked out.
what greeted his eyes was pitch-black darkness, and a biting wind howled past, forcing Yoriichi to retreat back into the cave.
"It's too cold. I should rest well tonight. I'll see what's around me tomorrow."
Back in the cave, Yoriichi quickly returned to the campfire, added a few more pieces of dry firewood, and curled up to warm himself. After an unknown amount of time, a deep weariness enveloped him, causing Yoriichi to unconsciously close his eyes and drift into a deep sleep.
...
That night, Yoriichi had a dream.
The sea, sunshine, a beach, and a small seaside town. The townspeople were simple and kind, living a self-sufficient and peaceful life. They weren't wealthy, but they were tranquil and content.
Yoriichi, too, became a member of the town, enjoying peace and tranquility.
The world in his dream was paradise!
...
As the sky began to lighten and the morning light bathed the earth, Yoriichi awoke from his dream.
"It really is... I've transmigrated again!"
Yoriichi slowly sat up from the stone bed, staring blankly at the embers of the campfire, his expression slightly dazed, lost in thought for a long time.