I Crossed Over Again!

I Crossed Over Again!

"Crackle... crackle!"

Inside the dim cave, a bonfire burned brightly, occasionally letting out soft pops. Its flickering light illuminated the cave.

In one corner of the cave, a boy around twelve or thirteen years old lay curled beside the fire. He was wrapped in a massive black beast hide, and through the firelight, untrimmed animal fat could still be seen on its inner side.

It was a hide blanket, crudely made and even carrying a faint fishy stench.

The boy had smooth, pale skin and delicate features, with a handsome face. His long red hair was fluffy and soft. Yet on the left side of his forehead, this handsome young boy bore a large flame-shaped birthmark that stretched to the corner of his eye and across his cheek. The red flame-like mark added an air of mystery to him.

At that moment, his eyes were tightly shut, his body curled up and trembling faintly, as though he were enduring immense pain.

After a long while, the boy opened his eyes and looked blankly around at his surroundings. A flicker of dusk passed through his bright eyes, replaced by surprise, shock, and... disbelief.

"How... how is this possible?!" A low murmur shattered the cave's silence, his voice brimming with shock. Seemingly unable to believe what was before him, he extended his hands from beneath the hide blanket and rubbed his eyes.

He closed them again, then opened them once more, rubbing hard before slapping himself across the face. Feeling the pain in his cheek, the boy finally seemed to recognize the situation he was in.

Before long, the shock and bewilderment in his eyes faded, replaced by intense curiosity. A low murmur echoed through the cave.

I seem to have crossed over again.

My name is Taichi.

An old blind fortune-teller in the village gave me that name. According to him, my fate was noble, so I needed a name that matched my status. As a young, chuunibyou kid, I believed him completely!

When I was little, I thought I was a child chosen by fate. One day, Digimon from another world would surely need my help.

But as I grew older, I discovered that I was a child toyed with by fate.

At only twenty-four, my life had come to an end. I had only just passed the civil service exam!

I suspected that my own name had gotten me killed...

I thought my life was a tragedy.

Until I lived a second life.

My second name was... Tsugikuni Yoriichi.

It was a world where humans and demons coexisted. From the moment I was born, I knew my mission.

In just over twenty years, I cut my way from one end of the coast to the other.

At last, after completing my mission, I retired into the mountains and lived the peaceful life I had always dreamed of.

Years later, in my twilight years, I closed my eyes. But when I opened them again... I found that I was alive once more!

I think I really might be... someone chosen by fate! Though there are no Digimon around me...

Inside the dim cave, Tsugikuni Yoriichi, draped in a thick beast hide, slowly rose to his feet and carefully surveyed his surroundings.

Yoriichi had always been alone, and he had no regrets in his old age. He quickly accepted his current circumstances.

Clearly, the most urgent matter was figuring out the situation he was in.

The cave was roughly seven square meters in size. It was probably winter, and the temperature felt extremely low. Even with a brightly burning bonfire before him and a thick beast hide around his body, the chill still seeped into him, making him shudder.

"Is this... primitive society?"

Yoriichi swept his gaze across the cave and found no modern tools. Beside the bonfire lay a wooden knife and fork, crudely made and clearly not machine-produced. Next to them sat a poor-quality wooden bowl filled with more than half a bowl of yellow paste.

It should be food. Is it curry?

Yoriichi shifted his gaze away and examined his surroundings.

In one corner of the cave was a stack of dry firewood about two meters long and half a meter high. Besides the strong smell of firewood, the air also carried a faint salty tang.

This is... the smell of the sea? Yoriichi sniffed, thinking to himself. Soon, his attention was drawn to a black longsword by his feet.

"A sword?!"

Yoriichi quickly crouched down, picked up the longsword, and examined it closely. It was a two-handed sword roughly two meters long. Judging by its shape, it should be a straight sword. Delicate wave patterns were carved into its black scabbard, while the hilt was about forty centimeters long. Even with Yoriichi's hand gripping it, he could not fully wrap his palm around the hilt.

He drew the sword. There was none of the cold gleam Yoriichi had expected; all he saw was black.

"A black blade? Even the edge is black? Matte?"

Yoriichi pulled the sword out farther and found that not only were the scabbard and hilt black, but even the blade and its edge were black, giving off an inexplicably solemn air.

The blade was around five centimeters wide, and its spine was over one centimeter thick. Normally, given those dimensions and the sword's overall length, it should have been quite heavy.

Yet what puzzled Yoriichi was that it felt effortless in his hand, as if he could not feel its weight at all.

Near the base of the blade was the character "Exterminate." Judging from its style, it looked very much like a weapon produced by the Forging Village in his previous world.

Yoriichi gripped the hilt with one hand and drew the sword from its scabbard. For some reason, once it was fully drawn, he instinctively held it with both hands and lightly made a slashing motion.

The sword tip silently passed across the cave ceiling, leaving behind a deep gash.

"Crash!" As the longsword swept through, tiny stones fell from the cave ceiling, striking the ground and shattering apart.

"Hm?" Yoriichi instinctively shielded his eyes. After a long while, when no more stones fell, he looked up and saw a long slash across the ceiling.

"Not a bad sword!"

"With this kind of craftsmanship... the civilization of a world capable of making such a sword shouldn't be low. Or did I bring this sword with me in the first place?!"

"And my strength..."

Yoriichi withdrew his gaze and carefully examined the longsword in his hand. Unable to resist, he reached out and stroked the blade. After sitting quietly for a long time, he carried the sword to the cave entrance and looked outside from within.

All he could see was pitch-black darkness. A biting cold wind howled past, forcing Yoriichi to retreat back into the cave.

"It's too cold. Since it's the middle of the night, I'd better get some proper rest first. I'll check out the surroundings tomorrow."

After retreating into the cave, Yoriichi hurried back to the bonfire. He added several pieces of firewood, then curled up to keep warm. Before he knew how much time had passed, a heavy exhaustion washed over him, and he unconsciously closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

That night, Yoriichi had a dream.

The sea, sunlight, a beach, and a small seaside town. The townsfolk were simple and kind, living self-sufficient, uncomplicated lives. They were not immensely wealthy, but their lives were peaceful and tranquil.

And Yoriichi became one of the townspeople, living in peace and tranquility.

That world in his dream was heaven!

When the sky began to brighten and the light of dawn spilled across the land, Yoriichi woke from his sleep.

"I really... crossed over again!"

Yoriichi slowly sat up from the stone bed. Watching wisps of green smoke rise from the dying embers of the bonfire, he looked slightly dazed and remained lost in thought for a long while.

(End of Chapter)