Rain had been falling since morning.
Not the heavy kind that screamed against the ground, but a soft, tired rain that soaked everything slowly. The sky was gray—so gray that it made the whole world feel quiet and small.
From the window of a cheap hospital room, Tian Yian watched the raindrops slide down the glass. One drop followed another, racing for no real reason.
He was eighteen years old.
And he was dying.
The room smelled strongly of medicine and disinfectant. Machines beside his bed made low beeping sounds, steady and uncaring. His body felt light, almost empty, like it no longer belonged to him. Every breath hurt. Each one felt weaker than the last.
Cancer.
That single word had changed his life two years ago.
There was no one waiting outside the room. No parents. No family is praying for him. Tian Yian had grown up in orphanages, moving from place to place. He learned early how to live alone.
At first, it hurt.
Later, he got used to it.
Or at least, he thought he did.
The only things that stayed with him were stories.
Novels. Anime. Other worlds are far away from reality. Worlds where people fought fate, where the weak could become strong, where life had meaning beyond pain and suffering.
As his body grew weaker, his mind traveled further.
He read whenever he could.
Cultivation novels. Fantasy stories. Heroes with impossible wills.
Sometimes, he laughed at how unrealistic they were.
Sometimes, he wished they were real.
A quiet cough escaped his lips. Pain spread through his chest, but he didn't complain. Complaining never changed anything. He had learned that long ago.
"So… this is it, huh," he whispered.
His voice was so weak that even he could barely hear it.
Outside, the rain continued to fall.
He didn't have many regrets.
But if he had to choose one, it would be this—
He never really lived.
No dreams chased.
No future planned.
Just surviving day after day, until his body finally gave up.
His eyelids felt heavy.
The beeping sound slowly faded.
Before darkness took him, Tian Yian thought of one last thing.
If other worlds really exist… I wish I could see one.
The machine beside his bed released a long, flat sound.
And everything stopped.
—
There was no pain.
No cold.
No darkness.
Instead, there was warmth.
A deep, gentle warmth, like being wrapped in something alive. Tian Yian felt confused. His thoughts were slow, as if he were waking from a very long sleep.
He tried to open his eyes.
He couldn't.
He tried to move his body.
Nothing happened.
Am I… dead?
Before he could think further, a calm voice echoed directly inside his mind.
"Life signal stabilized."
Tian Yian froze.
The voice wasn't loud, yet it felt clear and close, as if it belonged inside him.
"Soul compatibility confirmed."
"World transfer successful."
…What?
"Initializing AXIOM."
A system?
Before panic could rise, the voice continued calmly.
"Greetings, Host."
"You have been selected and transferred after death."
Transferred.
Not dreaming.
Not imagining things.
Tian Yian's thoughts began to race.
This… this is like those novels.
"Current condition: Soul consciousness active."
"Physical body: In development."
In development?
The answer came immediately.
"Current location: Maternal womb."
His mind went completely blank.
A womb?
That meant—
I… I reborn?
"Affirmative."
For the first time since hearing the voice, strong emotions surged within him.
Shock.
Fear.
And unbelievable excitement.
"Host has entered a new world."
"World classification: Low-to-mid fantasy."
"Primary threat level: High."
The system paused for a moment.
"World name: Demon Slayer."
His thoughts shook.
Demon Slayer?
The anime he had watched while lying weak on his hospital bed.
Demons.
Swords.
Breathing techniques.
Death everywhere.
So it's real…
"AXIOM is a world-traveling system."
The voice explained calmly.
"Primary functions are as follows."
"Function One: World Sign-In."
"Upon entering each world, Host may select one World Sign."
Faint images appeared in his mind—symbols, ideas, something powerful and vast.
"World Signs grant permanent traits or foundations."
"All effects remain across worlds."
Permanent.
Across worlds.
His heart raced.
"Function Two: Novice Gift."
"Each world grants one Perfect Novice Gift."
"This gift may only be claimed once per world."
Perfect.
Once only.
Just like the systems in the novels he loved.
"Function Three: Status Interface."
"Host may view personal status."
"Host may view the status of others."
"Visibility restriction: Host only."
It felt like invisible pages opened inside his mind.
"Note: All gains are retained after world transfer."
The voice fell silent.
For a long moment, Tian Yian didn't know what to think.
He had died.
Yet his life didn't end.
It continued.
Not as Tian Yian of Earth, the sick orphan who died quietly on a rainy day.
But as someone new.
He couldn't see.
He couldn't move.
But he felt alive.
More alive than ever before.
His body was small and fragile, still forming—but it was healthy. Warm. Full of possibility.
So this is my second life…
The rain from Earth felt distant now, like a fading dream.
A quiet feeling rose inside him.
Not happiness.
Not fear.
But determination.
If I've been given another chance, he thought, then I won't waste it.
Outside, in a world he couldn't yet see, demons existed. Swords would clash. Tragedy waited.
But inside a mother's womb, a new story had already begun.
And this time—
He would live.
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I am a new writter and my primary language is not English, although I know a little bit of english but not much.
So, I thought of writing it in my broken English.
THANK YOU!!