The thought refused to leave Tian Yian's mind.
Weak life force.
After hearing those words from AXIOM, he could no longer ignore them. Once he noticed it, everything became clearer.
The deeper voice he often heard—the one he knew belonged to his father—always sounded tired. Sometimes it was steady and calm, but many times it felt thin, as if it might fade at any moment.
That voice did not sound like someone healthy.
It sounded like someone holding himself together through will alone.
"AXIOM," Tian Yian asked quietly one day, "is there a way to fix my father's condition?"
The warmth around him stayed still.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then the system replied.
"In this world, there is no solution."
The words were calm.
Short.
Too short.
"No method?" Tian Yian asked. "No technique? No medicine?"
"No," AXIOM answered. "This world does not possess the means to repair a naturally weak life force."
Tian Yian did not reply.
He felt something heavy settle inside him. It was not fear. It was not anger.
It was helplessness.
In his previous life, he had seen doctors speak the same way. Calm faces. Clear voices. No false hope. Just a quiet truth.
So even here… some things still could not be changed.
Time continued to move forward.
Two months passed quietly.
During this time, Tian Yian continued to grow. His awareness became sharper. His body felt more solid. The warmth around him remained steady, as if it were protecting him.
Then one day, something incredible happened.
Without warning, the darkness before him began to thin.
It wasn't sudden.
It was slow.
Like fog lifting little by little.
Light seeped in.
Dim.
Blurry.
But real.
I can see…
For the first time, Tian Yian opened his eyes.
At first, the world looked strange. Everything was distorted, stretched, and unclear. Shapes floated around him, and shadows moved slowly. The space felt tight, pressing in from all sides.
He looked down.
Small hands.
Tiny fingers.
They moved awkwardly, as if responding late to his thoughts.
These are… mine?
He tried to move his legs. They responded weakly. Short. Soft. Still forming.
Everything around him floated gently in thick, warm liquid. It wasn't frightening. It felt natural, like this was exactly where he was supposed to be.
So this is what it means to be born, he thought.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
His vision slowly improved. Shapes became clearer. Light and darkness separated more clearly. The space around him felt tighter with each passing day. The warmth pressed closer.
And then, one day, he felt it.
Pressure.
Not from outside.
From within himself.
Something natural began pushing him forward. His body moved on its own, turning slowly, shifting downward.
It's time, Tian Yian realized.
He did not panic.
The pressure grew stronger, coming in waves. Each wave pushed him toward a narrow path. The warmth around him became unstable, changing with every movement.
Sounds reached him more clearly now.
Muffled voices.
Urgent voices.
A familiar, gentle voice cried out in pain.
His mother.
The pressure increased.
It was uncomfortable.
Overwhelming.
But not unbearable.
Then—
Light.
Blinding light.
The warmth disappeared suddenly, replaced by cold air. His body reacted on instinct, pulling something sharp and unfamiliar into his chest.
Air.
His chest burned.
Pain surged through him for the first time in this life.
He cried.
A raw, instinctive cry echoed through the room.
Tian Yian didn't know when his awareness fully shifted, but suddenly everything felt sharp and clear.
Hands held him.
Rough hands.
Warm hands.
He was wrapped in cloth, and the cold slowly faded.
Then he saw them.
A pale face leaned over him. The man's eyes were tired, but gentle. His hair was dark, his skin thin, and his posture weak, as if standing itself took effort.
His father.
Kamado Tanjuro.
Beside him was another face. Softer. Just as pale. Sweat covered her forehead, and exhaustion weighed heavily on her eyes.
His mother.
The room was small.
An old wooden house surrounded them. The walls were darkened by age. Sunlight filtered weakly through the cracks, lighting up dust floating in the air.
This wasn't a grand place.
But it felt real.
Tanjuro looked down at him for a long moment. His breathing was uneven, and his hand trembled slightly as he reached out.
"He's… alive," Tanjuro said softly.
It sounded like he didn't fully believe it.
Tears gathered in his eyes.
The man with the weak life force smiled gently.
His mother managed a tired smile, relief clear in her eyes despite her exhaustion.
Tanjuro held Tian Yian carefully, as if afraid he might break.
"This child…" he murmured. "He feels warm."
His gaze stayed on Tian Yian's small face.
The baby's face.
But inside, Tian Yian watched silently, his heart tight.
Tanjuro closed his eyes briefly, then spoke again.
"Taiyo," he said quietly.
The name lingered in the air.
"Taiyo Kamado."
Sun.
Warmth.
Life.
Something stirred deep inside Tian Yian.
A new name, he thought.
A new beginning.
He was placed gently beside his mother. Her breathing was weak but steady. The warmth returned, softer now.
His vision blurred.
Exhaustion washed over him, heavy and unavoidable.
The sounds around him softened.
The light dimmed.
Before sleep claimed him, one thought stayed clear in his mind.
I was born weak once.
I won't let that happen again.
And as Kamado Taiyo closed his eyes for the first time in this world, his breathing became steady, matching the quiet rhythm of the fragile family around him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First arc--The Birth Arc is complete after this chapter.
The new arc will begin from the very next chapter.