Reincarnation

In another world.

In the far south region of the continent of Urania—where the majority of the humans reside—a land engulfed in darkness unreachable by the light, also known as the dark continent, is ruled by demons.

An era of war between demons against humans.

In just two years, half the continent had been diminished and had fallen at the hands of demons. It was a war against demons but in reality, it was nothing but utter annihilation with the demons’ forces advancing unabatedly. There was no fight to begin with. But just when people began to despair and all hope had been given up, a miracle came upon them or so they believed.

The birth of the hero was prophesied.

They thought God had abandoned them but years later, what stood before them was the prophesied hero fighting alongside them, pushing back the demon’s advance. It was then that they had regained hope and had induced their will to fight together with the man they had called the hero.

But now, that hero was nearing the end of his journey. The goal of the hero is to save the world from the demon’s malice. It was his purpose. Demons are known to be ruthless beings whose sole desire was to take and conquer. That doesn’t make them mindless beings however. Just like any army or nation, they too, move with the will of their leader. The strongest demon and the ruler of them all, the source of all evil, the demon lord.

“I lost...”

Crimson clouds permeated the skies. It’s as if it was dyed with blood. Although neither the sun nor the moon were anywhere to be seen, mysteriously enough, the surroundings were still visible despite the lack of natural light. The shade of red was the only possible light source. The water in the seas that remained constant, supposedly reflecting the sky, was dark. Coarse ligneous waste and fallen dead trees could be seen everywhere. It was a place that couldn’t possibly be inhabited by humans.

The dark continent. A land where demons and other monsters reside. Two people fought in this barren land. “Fought” by that, the battle ended moments ago. Laying on the ground seemingly lifeless, was the demon lord, Orias. Before Orias was the hero standing on his knees barely able to move.

It was a ferocious battle between the demon’s strongest against humanity's strongest. The traces of their fight were visible in their surroundings. Huge craters on the ground and traces of blood could be seen.

“You are as formidable as they say.” Despite being defeated, Orias has neither regret nor a hint of remorse. He simply stared at the lifeless sky. 

“I guess this is it.”

In reality, Orias’ lower half body was nowhere to be found. He had been sliced in half by the Hero’s sword. The same with his now missing arms. It was surprising that he could still talk despite missing a sizable portion of his body.

“Yeah... This is the end.”

The hero, who had been silently watching, finally lost his strength and fell to the ground. He felt the hole on his stomach with his hand and then saw that it was covered in blood. It was Orias who pierced him with his bare hands right before losing them. Both found themselves on the ground, barely keeping their senses. They could already smell the cold air of death.

It was hard to see who was the true victor here.

“Finally.” The hero spoke to no one in particular. 

Being the only one there to hear, Orias put on a little smile like he had the same thought.

The hero had reached the end of his journey. He had defeated the demon lord and the other demons that were left retreated, acknowledging their defeat. The job was done, and so was the demon lord.

“...I can finally rest.” The hero weakly muttered. 

Orias' upper body slowly dissipated into dust. He knew it was already time. Before completely disappearing, a self-satisfied expression passed across his face. The hero then closed his eyes as if he was just about to go to sleep.

Those were the final moments of the hero. This story spread throughout the land like a wildfire. It’s said that the hero successfully defeated the demon lord and disappeared along with the demons that were left. Many were struck with awe, some with admiration, and some with worry. Time had passed and the story of the hero continued to be passed on until it was considered a legend. A history of the world left behind and had forged a better future for all.

That was how that world ended, and started once more.

◇◇◇

Roughly 300 years into the future, in a remote place, in the northern east region of Urania, a humble house sits atop a hill surrounded by vast green lands. Living within that house was a couple. The two lived peacefully on this land and they had been blessed with a child.

The whining of a child echoed within the house. 

“He’s a healthy boy.” The father proudly said.

There was a warm smile on the mother’s mouth as she engulfed the newborn child with a hug. 

“I’m sure he’s gonna grow into a wonderful man...”

The father leaned into his wife together with their child. Then they both leaned in to kiss the newborn. 

“I’m sure he will. We’ll raise him that way.”

The mother kissed the father as they both hugged their precious little child. To them, it was the most special thing in the world. But the child was indeed special. Little did they know, the child consciously watched them. It’s as if the child had the mind of someone who had already gained experience. To the couple however, it was nothing more than their newborn child. In this world, the child will be raised full of love and warmth.

“What should we name it?” the father wondered.

“Let’s see...”

After a few seconds of thought, “Hiro.” The mother then smiled after coming up with a name.

“My precious little Hiro.”

◇◇◇

…I can finally rest.

Light vanished from around. As though I had been thrown into the sea, I was sinking. It felt as if I were a mere speck within a sea of nihility. I couldn’t do anything nor even move my body. With the last bit of my senses left, I let myself sink into the bottomless sea. In the end, everything eventually faded as my lifeless body sank incessantly into the depths.

But when I thought it was all over, something surged within my mind. Countless scenes played out compressed into a matter of seconds. My eyes shot open. Everything regains its light. It’s like I had been dreaming. Or was I really dreaming? As if I had just woken up, light blinded my eyes and I squinted in discomfort. Ringing sound pervaded my hearing. Just when I began to slowly process my thoughts...

—Where am I?

—Where am I?

Two voices echoed through my mind ...What? That shouldn’t be possible. Though my mind was still hazy, I couldn’t completely confirm the anomaly. I couldn’t move nor speak as though something was preventing me. The only things I could rely on were my eyes.

The first thing I saw was the sight of a woman smiling. It only struck me with more questions. Beside her was a man with a similar expression. The two leaned in to hug me. It was an unfamiliar sight yet somehow... feels pleasing.

This is... Wait, they're hugging me...? Oi, oi...

Something doesn’t feel right... rather, something is muddled with my memories. I felt a soft sensation on my back. I must be lying down on a bed. My hands entered my line of view. 

Child’s hands…? What is… this.

I could only move them as much, but I'm sure that I could move them at will, albeit weakly. Those were definitely my hands. A hand of a newborn. But this is… strange. Just what happened?

Didn’t I die? Or did I... I started recalling what happened before I found myself here. That was when I noticed the thing that had been bothering me.

Dead.

I should be. But what is this?

Didn’t I get stabbed? Then I recall losing my consciousness after that... I was sure that I died right there. Did I perhaps survive? No, no, no, what am I talking about, stabbed? Huh? I remember I was…

“Hiro.” That was when I heard the woman’s voice who had been holding me for a while.

In truth, I already have an idea, but I don’t have the will to confirm that just yet nor could I dismiss that idea.

Hiro…? The confusion in my memories left me with discomfort. I kicked my hazy mind back into gear.

◇◇◇

Hiro—that was his name. A child who had been borned just now. But for some reason he had memories of a past life and the moments of his death which, to him, feels like it happened mere seconds ago.

That's how it should’ve been but something is tangled to what Hiro is recalling. He is remembering two different sets of memories. Memories of how he died trying to save the world and memories of a person living in an entirely different world.

Broken scenes, too realistic to be written off as just his imagination, played throughout his mind.

Katou Yuuto. That was the name he remembered. According to his memories, he had been living peacefully as a university student and died at the age of 20 when he was trying to save a girl. That was how he recalled one of his deaths. On the other hand… he was a hero. The hero who had countless experiences of his life until he died after fulfilling his purpose.

Two different people from two different worlds. But why does he have the memories of people who should have died already? Memories of who he once was but which of those is he?

Katou Yuuto... The set of memories left Hiro more confused than he ever was when he woke up. He tried to talk but... nothing but the whining of a child came out in his mouth. It was all he could muster.

As though responding to his whining, the man, supposedly his father, picked him up from the mother’s embrace. He couldn’t fathom the thought of a man baby-carrying him.

That was when he realized the strange phenomenon. No, it was the only thing he probably could’ve thought of. As if he was forced to face the reality of the situation. Therefore, mustering up the will to finally accept that reality, he concluded:

Did I just get reincarnated?