Inside a damp, dark cave, a small boy crouched in a corner, staring at the crackling fire before him. Yet his eyes showed nothing but despair.
If someone asked him what it felt like to be reincarnated as a beast, Ash would probably say it felt exactly like this.
In this strange world existed a terrifying race. They shared no bond between parent and child. From the moment they were born, they were little more than wild animals… no, that wasn't quite right. Even wild beasts usually raise their young. But this race? They showed no instinct to care for their offspring at all.
Their growth patterns and social structure left them almost devoid of emotion or empathy. Only a rare few displayed cooperation or any semblance of social bonds. They didn't need to eat humans to survive, but every now and then, they killed them without reason. When weaker kin displeased them, they slaughtered them without hesitation. Their sense of racial identity was fragile, sustained only by the authority of the strongest.
They didn't feel hatred or disgust toward humans either… which made their tendency to kill them even stranger. It was as if "God" Himself had created a race of murderers.
To humanity, this race was nothing short of the most brutal and terrifying: demons.
And what made things even worse for Ash was that he himself was a demon. Worse still, a rare kind: one with hidden horns—a hornless demon. Being born into such a barbaric race with the greatest disadvantage made Ash understand from the very moment of his birth that weakness was the original sin.
If an adult demon disliked him, he could be killed on a whim. That's why, by the age of three, they had to be completely self-reliant.
That's right—they did.
"What's on your mind, Ash?"
A pink-haired girl with two small pairs of horns on her forehead leaned against him, hugging her thin knees. She snapped a twig in half and tossed it into the fire, frowning at his vacant stare.
"Today's your turn to cook, isn't it? Hurry up and get started."
"I'm not saying anything bad about you," murmured Ash, who had adopted a new name to better fit in and not stand out. He sighed deeply, rested his hand on her head, and said solemnly:
"Aura, you shouldn't call me by my name. You should call me 'brother,' right?"
"…Brother? What's that?" Aura looked up at him, eyes wide with wonder.
Too tired to argue, Ash just muttered, "Ha… forget it. Hurry up and cook."
"No, it's your turn!"
"Stop talking nonsense. I'm stronger now, so you should cook for me!"
"…Fine." Aura fell silent for a moment, then walked toward the jars and bottles at the edge of the cave, along with the half-eaten wolf they had left for dinner. She muttered to herself: "…Ash is so strange. He said he'd take care of me, but in the end, I'm still the one working for him."
Ash, who clearly heard her, chose to pretend he hadn't and closed his eyes to meditate and practice magic.
Yes… magic. Thanks to the inherited memories of the demon clan, he had understood written language since birth. Even the methods of practicing magic, and his own name, were etched into his mind like instinct.
That's why demons, even born without parents, could survive and act—though their childhood mortality was still extremely high.
Magic had to be learned, no matter the danger. It was the pride of demons, the foundation of their survival, and part of their very nature. For Ash, it was also a source of deep fascination. Whenever he had free time, he found himself studying magic almost unconsciously.
Just as other demons would dedicate themselves to a particular field, Ash had chosen his own path: gravity magic.
Though he had once lived like a primitive savage—gnawing raw meat and drinking blood for three long years as a child—he now had no choice but to accept those memories.
At least today, he'd managed to get a small spark of fire from a nearby forest that had accidentally caught fire, so for the first time, he didn't need to eat raw meat.
… … …
When night fell and silence settled over the mountains, they sat at the mouth of the cave, leaning against each other after dinner.
Before them stretched an endless starry sky. A meteor shower streaked across the heavens, leaving bright trails behind. It was so breathtaking that, for the first time, Ash felt grateful to have been born in the mountains.
"It's really beautiful," he murmured.
"Beautiful? Hm… I don't quite get it," replied Aura, still rubbing her hands with herbs, clearly unimpressed.
"Then you're still just a kid."
—"We're the same age, aren't we?"
"I meant up here," Ash said, tapping his temple.
"…Do you eat a lot?"
Ash sighed. "Why don't we change the subject?" He wasn't in the mood to argue, but Aura looked at him seriously:
"Perfect, Ash. Tomorrow I want beef. The ox head I bought last time was delicious!"
"Don't waste the wolf I dragged back the other day. And where am I supposed to find that for you?"
"I'm sure Ash will figure something out," she said, trying to cheer him up, though her voice was flat.
Ash gave a weary nod. "Yeah, yeah, I'll try my best. But for now, at least behave and let me enjoy the shooting stars."
"That wolf already stinks and tastes awful."
"Don't be picky with food."
"Ash, you're way too meticulous."
"That's my line."
While casually chatting with Aura, he glanced at the increasingly dense stream of meteors streaking across the starry sky. He vaguely remembered hearing that wishing on shooting stars was very effective, so—almost without realizing it—he made a wish upon the stars.
"…When I grow up, I never want to watch shooting stars with Aura again."
Just as he was silently cursing, a series of words suddenly appeared before his eyes. He didn't recognize the language, yet somehow understood every word:
[The chosen Demon King candidate, Ash, accepts the gift of the Ancient Demon God and becomes ruler of the Demon Clan. Sacrifice the world to ascend as the new God, slay the Goddess, and begin a new cycle on this planet!]
Ash froze, completely bewildered. According to his inherited memories, only the legendary Goddess of Creation should exist. When had a Demon God appeared? And not just any Demon God—one insane enough to want to sacrifice the entire world?