A freezing night.
The burning sensation of icy air tearing into her lungs as she ran for her life made it feel like her chest was about to split open.
She could feel her heart slamming violently against her ribs, but the young woman couldn't afford to pay attention to such trivial details.
Kotoha Hashibira ran barefoot through the snow-covered mountain forest, dry branches snapping underfoot in the deep of night.
The soles of her feet were soaked in blood from her desperate flight, yet she felt no pain.
Her mind was entirely focused on one goal far more important than her immediate suffering…
But another thought occupied her just as much.
Fear.
It was like a giant hand clamped around her throat, forcing her to keep running without pause.
In her arms, Inosuke struggled to open his eyes. What met his gaze was only a blurry mess of dark, shifting tree shadows.
If Kotoha had looked down, she would have noticed the unusually sharp intelligence in her newborn's eyes.
'I've definitely transmigrated!' he thought, staring at the panicked woman.
Josh had inherited fragments of the baby's memories, which allowed him to piece together the situation almost immediately.
As for his apparent calm in the face of this grim scenario…
He didn't even know why yet.
The last thing he remembered was flaming an author who had dropped a Doma-centered fanfiction weeks earlier with no updates.
Then he received a message from the author's editor suggesting he try doing better — especially with the protagonist's situation and his cheats.
And now… he had transmigrated.
At the absolute worst possible moment.
'Damn it… was that author a robot or something?' he cursed himself for insulting a random stranger online.
As a transmigrator who knew the plot of his favorite manga inside out, Inosuke quickly understood exactly where — and when — he was.
Right now, this was precisely the night his mother died in the original story.
Kotoha had fled the Eternal Paradise Cult.
More importantly, she had seen something she was never meant to see.
The cult leader… Doma.
A man revered and adored by the sect members and the local villagers alike — in the middle of committing an inhuman act.
He was calmly devouring the corpse of a believer right in the main hall.
Kotoha Hashibira's faith shattered in that instant. The lie was laid bare before her eyes.
She was running from the ice demon who wore a human face — the same one who had shown her and her child exceptional gentleness.
She convinced herself that the cult leader's kindness had been nothing but a facade.
"Kotoha-chan~"
A soft, peaceful voice echoed through the darkness of the vast winter forest.
Yet Inosuke could feel an unpleasant nonchalance in that tone.
As if it were… hollow.
"Why are you running? We can talk things over happily, just like before, no~"
Kotoha's entire body stiffened as she realized the distance between her and the voice was closing far too quickly.
Her legs finally gave out.
Before the mother and son stood a sheer cliff; below, raging rapids.
There was no escape.
In desperation, Kotoha spun around, pressing her back against the cliff edge, shielding Inosuke with every ounce of strength she had left.
And then… he appeared.
Emerging calmly from the shadows of the frozen forest, Doma approached without hurry.
Every movement he made carried an exceptional grace.
The demon kept his usual compassionate expression, a golden iron fan swaying gently in his hand. The faint smile at the corner of his lips looked strangely captivating under the moonlight.
Yet to the mother and child, there was only a monster.
Not a beautiful man bathed in moonlight.
"I really liked you, you know."
Doma tilted his head slightly, a trace of confusion and puzzlement visible in his rainbow-colored eyes.
Anyone who didn't know his true nature would have believed the sincerity in his words.
A being born without emotions.
"Because Kotoha-chan sings so beautifully and is so pure, I originally planned to let you live until old age took you," he said, voice tinged with apparent sadness.
Inosuke almost believed Doma was genuinely sad.
Almost.
Because the young child knew the words were true.
In his first life, the mangaka himself had stated that Doma never intended to devour Kotoha and Inosuke.
He simply had no other choice given the circumstances.
For him, it was the most logical decision.
"But why did you have to see me while I was eating, hmm?"
Doma paused briefly, hiding half his face behind his fan.
"Even after seeing that, why did you look at me with eyes that saw a monster? Am I really a monster to you?"
No remorse colored his voice, but Doma seemed genuinely curious about the mother's answer.
Faced with her silence, he sighed. His fan snapped shut abruptly, revealing a flicker of displeasure.
He pointed it toward Kotoha, his tone slowly turning cold and merciless.
"Since you refuse to accept my salvation and stay by my side to take care of me, there's no other option."
He spoke as though he weren't pronouncing a death sentence, but merely continuing an ordinary conversation.
Kotoha's body trembled, tears spilling from her eyes.
As a mother, she wasn't afraid to die for her child.
But she refused to leave Inosuke behind… or to let him die.
Her gaze turned toward the bottomless cliff.
If she threw him into the river below, he might — just might — have a slim chance of survival.
If Doma captured her, there might truly be nothing left of either of them.
So… she decided to gamble.
Suddenly, she lifted Inosuke and held him out over the void.
At that sight, every danger alarm in Inosuke's mind screamed as he stared into the darkness beneath his tiny feet.
'Please! Don't drop me!' he begged internally, but only baby noises escaped his lips.
Kotoha's face filled with regret as she watched her child's desperate movements.
According to the original story, this fall would allow him to survive…
But he would be raised by a wild boar, and his mother would be devoured by Doma.
Except…
Nothing guaranteed he would actually land near that boar.
'I have to survive! I absolutely have to change her mind!' he thought frantically, urgency coloring every thought.
The infant's mind raced through every piece of information he had about Doma and Kotoha.
It felt like hours had passed…
But in reality, only seconds had elapsed.
Just as his mother opened her mouth to speak her final words, Inosuke reached his conclusion.
There was one way out.
One.
Single.
Way.
If he wanted to live.
Speak.
'Damn these vocal cords! Come on!'
Right as Kotoha was about to release him to his fate—
"D-Dady!!"