A Quiet Evening

The hum of the city outside the train window blurred into a comforting drone as Takumi Sato leaned back in his seat. His tired eyes wandered over the passing streets and familiar buildings, illuminated by the orange glow of the setting sun. It was the same view he saw every day on his commute home, yet it never failed to calm him.

The monotonous rhythm of his life was something he had grown to appreciate. Stability. Routine.Takumi glanced at his phone, pulling up the latest message from his wife, Aiko. The notification showed a picture of their daughter, Hina, smiling widely, holding up two fingers—almost five. His chest warmed as he remembered that her birthday was only a week away.

"Don't be late tonight! We need to talk about Hina's birthday plans!"

Aiko had written in her usual straightforward style.He smirked, his thumb hovering over the screen before typing out a quick response.

"I'll be there. Did you pick up the cake I ordered?"

He clicked send and tucked his phone back into his pocket. It was moments like this, thinking about the small joys of life, that made the long hours at work bearable. The birthday party was all Hina had been talking about for the past month, and Takumi had made sure everything was perfect. Her favorite strawberry shortcake from the local bakery, invitations for her school friends, and, of course, the new toy she had been eyeing—an extravagant robot that lit up with music.

As the train pulled into his stop, Takumi stood up, stretching the stiffness out of his shoulders. The office had been more draining than usual today, and all he could think about was the comfort of his small apartment and the sound of Hina's laughter echoing through the halls.

Takumi stepped out of the train station, his breath condensing in the cool evening air. The streets were quieter than usual, only a few people milling about, wrapped in their own worlds. He checked his watch—just enough time to grab Hina's favorite snack before heading home. His lips curved into a soft smile as he imagined her excited face.

As he crossed the street, the familiar sound of the city seemed to fade, replaced by a strange hum. A sudden, uncomfortable pressure filled his ears, and a sharp light blinded his vision. He squinted, stumbling forward, his heart pounding in his chest.

"What...?"

Takumi muttered, reaching up to shield his eyes.The world around him felt... wrong. The streets blurred and warped, as if reality itself was twisting and bending around him. Before he could make sense of it, the ground beneath his feet vanished, and his body plummeted into darkness.

Takumi's body slammed against cold, hard earth. He gasped for air, his limbs trembling as the shock of the fall settled in. His hands clawed at the ground beneath him, gripping at unfamiliar soil. Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking away the disorientation.

This wasn't the city.Above him, the sky was an endless expanse of stars, unlike anything he had ever seen. Strange trees with glowing leaves surrounded him, casting eerie shadows on the ground. The air was thick, and the scent of unfamiliar flowers and damp earth filled his nostrils. He scrambled to his feet, his breath hitching in panic.

"No... no, no, no!"

His voice broke through the silence as he looked around, desperate for a sign of home—a building, a street, anything. But nothing. It was all wrong.

"Aiko... Hina..."

He whispered their names, a sinking realization crashing over him like a wave.His heart raced as he reached into his pocket for his phone, but his hand came up empty. The panic surged. He frantically patted his pockets, searching for any sign of the life he had just left behind.

"This can't be real... this isn't real!"

His legs gave way, and Takumi collapsed to his knees, his chest tightening. The weight of his loss pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe. He slammed his fists into the ground, once, twice—over and over, until the pain in his knuckles matched the ache in his chest. Hot tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision.

"Aiko... Hina... please..."

His voice was a hoarse whisper, as if saying their names could somehow bring them back to him.Takumi's body trembled as he let out a strangled sob. The realization that he might never see them again ripped through him, leaving a hollow ache in its wake.

The life he had known, the family he had cherished, was gone—ripped away without warning, without explanation.The cold ground did nothing to comfort him. He sat there, his forehead pressed against the dirt, sobbing uncontrollably, as the enormity of his loss sank deeper and deeper.

Takumi' s breath caught in his throat as he slowly lifted his gaze from the ground. The stars above weren't the same familiar constellations he had once known. Instead, the sky was teeming with life. Towering above him, cutting through the dark sky like celestial phantoms, were colossal winged beasts. Their enormous wings, shimmering in the faint starlight, stirred the air with each powerful flap.

His eyes widened as he recognized them--creatures from legends, myths he had read about as a child.

"Is that... a Wyvern?"

He whispered, watching in awe as the great beast glided through the sky, its scaled body cutting through clouds like a knife. It was massive, with a serpentine tail that lashed behind it, and talons large enough to tear through the tallest trees.

Next to it, another behemoth soared-a Roc, a giant bird said to carry off elephants in its talons. Its wingspan stretched out for miles, each feather shimmering like molten gold as it circled the distant mountain range.

But these weren't the only creatures. Far in the distance, silhouetted against the pale moonlight, he saw the long necks of Hydras, their multiple heads darting in different directions as if searching for prey.

The air was thick with the roars, screeches, and howls of monsters too big to comprehend, turning the peaceful night into a cacophony of ancient, terrifying sounds.

Takumi stumbled back, his heart pounding in his chest. This world was unlike anything he could have imagined. These creaturesthese mythical beings--weren't just stories. They were real, and they ruled the skies, the mountains, and perhaps everything around him.

A cold dread crept up his spine as he heard something behind him, rustling in the thick undergrowth. Slowly, he turned his head, fear tightening his throat.

From the shadows emerged a group of grotesque monsters-hideous, deformed things that barely resembled any animal he knew. One was like a mutated boar, twice the size of a normal one, with jagged, mismatched teeth and blood-red eyes. Another was an armored creature that crawled on all fours, its body bristling with spikes and its long tongue flicking out as if tasting the air.

Takumi backed away slowly, his legs trembling. He had no magic, no blessings from gods, no enchanted weapons to defend himself.

He was just a MAN.

Suddenly, the boar-like creature lunged at him with terrifying speed.

Takumi's heart stopped as he tried to move, but his feet were frozen in place, trapped by fear. The monstrous beast slammed into him, sending him flying backward into the dirt. Pain shot through his entire body as he struggled to crawl away.But it was no use.

More creatures swarmed around him, their guttural growls filling his ears. Their twisted forms, mouths dripping with saliva, surrounded him from all sides. One of them grabbed hold of his leg with its sharp, jagged claws, dragging him toward the pack.

"No... n...!"

He screamed, thrashing helplessly as the monsters descended on him.

In a flash, the sharp teeth of the nearest creature tore into his flesh.

Takumi cried out, the searing pain blurring his vision. He reached out, desperately clawing at the earth, but there was no escape. His body was overwhelmed by the beasts, torn apart piece by piece, until all he could hear was the sound of his own screams echoing into the void.

Darkness overtook him.

As the darkness closed in, Takumi's thoughts drifted back to the only thing that truly mattered.

"Aiko… Hina…"

The pain of being torn apart was fading, replaced by a deep, suffocating numbness. His vision blurred, and the monstrous roars around him became distant echoes. In the last flickers of consciousness, his mind clung to the images of his wife and daughter.

"I'm sorry... I couldn't come Home..."

His fingers twitched, weakly reaching out to the memory of his little girl's smile, the sound of her laughter as they planned her upcoming birthday. The warmth of Aiko's arms around him, the comfort of home—everything was slipping away, like sand between his fingers. Tears mixed with the blood on his face as he whispered his final wish."I want to go back... please..."But the world around him grew darker, quieter, until there was nothing left. Just silence.

For a while, there was only the void. An infinite expanse of nothingness where Takumi's thoughts floated, untethered from reality.Then, faintly—like a distant whisper—he heard something. A sound, unfamiliar yet soothing, pulling him away from the darkness.Slowly, he tried to open his eyes, his heavy lids fighting against him. The world beyond his vision was hazy, but something was different. Gone were the howling monsters and the cold earth.

Instead, there was warmth, soft and comforting. He blinked again, his vision adjusting to the strange new surroundings.A wooden ceiling came into view, illuminated by the gentle flicker of candlelight. The air was filled with the faint smell of herbs and wood. Takumi frowned, confusion settling in. This wasn't home, and it wasn't the dark, violent world he had died in either.He tried to move, but his body felt oddly small and weak, like he had no control over his limbs.

His head turned, slowly, and his surroundings became clearer. He was inside what appeared to be a crib, the wooden bars surrounding him like a cage. He blinked again, trying to process what he was seeing.

"Where... am I?"

He thought, his mind struggling to keep up with the strange reality before him.Suddenly, a face appeared above him—an unfamiliar woman with gentle eyes and a warm smile. She was speaking, her words soft and soothing, but Takumi couldn't understand them. The language was foreign, a strange melody of sounds that felt both comforting and alien.He tried to speak, to ask where he was, but the only sound that came out was a weak, incoherent babble.

"What... what's happening?"

Panic surged through him as he struggled to make sense of what was going on. His body felt... different. Smaller. Weaker.Then it hit him. The truth, as impossible as it seemed, crashed down on him like a wave.

"I've been... reborn?"

The realization sent a shiver down his spine. He had died—torn apart by monsters—and yet here he was, in a new body, in a new world. The woman above him reached down and picked him up, cradling him in her arms. Her touch was gentle, and for a moment, Takumi's panic subsided, replaced by a strange sense of calm.

"This can't be real..."

He thought, his mind racing. But the warmth of her embrace, the soft sound of her voice, the steady beat of her heart against his tiny body—it all felt too real to be a dream.As the woman rocked him gently, Takumi's eyes grew heavy. Exhaustion, both physical and emotional, took hold, and despite his confusion, his body began to relax. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was the woman's kind smile and the faint glow of candlelight flickering across the wooden walls.

"So This is a second chance by the gods huh?If so then...I cannot waste this.I'll use this opportunity to meet with my family again"