Noah Arora, a 19-year-old Mechanical Engineering undergraduate at Caltech, had a bright future ahead of him. His passion for Metal and Machines was unmatched, and his days were filled with dreams of creating groundbreaking technology and making a name for himself in the tech industry. But life had other plans.
It was a late evening, and Noah was heading home after a long day of classes and coding sessions. The air was crisp, and the stars shone brightly in the clear sky. Noah hummed a tune as he walked down the quiet street, his mind wandering to the latest project he was working on. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the speeding truck until it was too late. In an instant, his life was cut short, and darkness enveloped him.
When Noah opened his eyes again, he felt an unfamiliar warmth and a dull ache throughout his body. He tried to move but found his limbs weak and unresponsive. Panic set in as he realized he was in an entirely different space. He was lying on a straw mat in a small, dimly lit but cozy room. As his senses slowly returned, memories flooded his mind—memories that were not his own.
He was Tekeo Kamado, the 12-year-old third child of the Kamado family and the younger brother of Tanjiro and Nezuko.
The memories of his past life as Noah were still vivid, but now they were interwoven with the life of Tekeo. It took him a whole day to recover from the physical pain and the shock of his new reality and only one thing was on this mind "The kamado family will all die after 2 days" he sat in disbelief. He didnt know how that one thought came to his mind but he wasnt going to ignore his gut feeling.
On the second day, Tekeo woke up early to set his plans into action, his mind racing with thoughts and plans. He knew he had to act quickly. He found a piece of paper and a brush, and in English, he began to write down everything he could remember—special events, enemies, the way to beat them, the past and any related info that could be of help to him and the fate that awaited his family.
As he wrote, he decided on a plan to change the course of history, he then folded the paper and hid it under his mat. He spent the rest of the day helping his older brother, Tanjiro, create a large quantity of charcoal. As the old Tekeo already knew how to make Charcoal he immediately started chopping lots of wood which to his surprise was a lot easier than he expected.
Tekeo knew that convincing Tanjiro to let him accompany him to sell the charcoal was crucial. As the day came to an end, Tekeo went to bed, mentally preparing for what was to come even though he was from the future he didn't want the future to change anymore than it might so he made a decision.
The next morning, Tekeo woke up with a sense of determination. It was 11 am when Tanjiro, dressed in his outside clothes and a thick shawl, and was ready to leave. Tekeo donned his best clothing and a black Haori that had once belonged to their father. The two siblings set out with two large baskets filled to the brim with charcoal and the top tied with a cloth, ready to help others prepare for the upcoming winter.
They reached the town around 2 pm and spent the entire day selling charcoal. As the sun began to set, Tanjiro wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Tekeo, suggesting they head back home. But Tekeo insisted they stay longer, convincing Tanjiro that it would be too cold tonight based on the weather and they should sell more charcoal. Reluctantly, Tanjiro agreed, and they continued selling until it was 10 pm.
A kind-looking lady, noticing their late hour, offered them shelter for the night, warning them about the demons that roamed the night. Tanjiro listened to her words like a fairytale and soon went to bed. But Tekeo remained awake he knew how real these stories are, his mind filled with the horrors he knew awaited his family tonight. He had made a decision not to change the story any further, choosing instead to not mess with Tanjiro's trigger and stay safe while allowing Muzan to slaughter his family.
As Tekeo sat alone in the quiet house, he judged his cold-hearted actions, blaming himself for their inevitable deaths. He cried softly, mourning the loss of his family and questioning his humanity. Growing up in California had made him humble and empathetic, but his actions now seemed to go against his morals. Deep inside, Tekeo struggled with his choices, torn between his new love for his family and his desire to change the course of fate.
As the clock ticked closer to midnight, Tekeo sat alone, the weight of his choices pressing down on him. The silence of the night was punctuated only by the rhythmic ticking of the clock. His eyelids grew heavy, and soon, he drifted into a deep sleep. When he awoke, he found himself in a surreal space, a white room with no edges or corners, standing before a familiar face—his father from his past life. Tears welled up in Noah's eyes as he looked at his father.
The figure smiled gently. "Noah, I am God," he said, his voice calm and reassuring. "This form I have taken is nothing more than the reflection of the person you loved dearly." He continued, " What you did was exactly what I wanted you to do." Noah, confused and overwhelmed, asked, "Why did you bring me here?" God replied, "You died before your time, so I am just fulfilling my duty by giving you a second chance, after all the reason you died is also due to my interference" Noah's mind raced with questions. "What do you mean by that? What happened to my family? Why did you bring me here of all places?"
God smiled and snapped a screen, the screen showed how his parents conducted his funeral and are adjusting to their new life. "Your parents are adjusting well, They have come to terms with gods will and I'll make sure they can spend the rest of their lives peacefully" with another flick of his finger the screen changed showing the speeding truck "The drunk driver was speeding his way towards a bus full of children (he paused), just then the angels looking after the human world prayed for me to change the outcome. Reluctantly I had no choice but to change the direction of the truck to the only spot with the least casualty" god looked at him, "You".
Noah looked at god in disbelief, thinking he was god and yet he couldn't just just stop the truck from moving or set it back on track- God interrupted saying, "Yes, I am god however I wont break the rules I have set, Every world has a set of rules which define how the world works and evolves." he looked above and showed a view of a galaxy. "These rules were set to maintain the world itself, any changes made inside the world can only be done within the boundaries of the rules. Which is why the only option I had is what lead us to this moment."
Before Noah could say something God smiled softly and snapped his fingers. Three blue screens appeared before Noah. "These are your choices for your new life" God explained. "I cannot tell you why I brought you to this world specifically however I will give you a chance to pick your talents. Look at them carefully and choose the one that you believe is the best. Once you decide which one you want, your journey will truly begin."
Noah examined the screens:
1. Hard Work and Body Never Betray
Pros: The more time and effort you spend studying and perfecting something, the better you get at it. You have the potential to grow infinitely stronger in anything you want to. Your body recovers slightly faster than normal people.
Cons: Although you have the potential to be the best, you need to spend a lot of time and effort improving.
2. Descendant of the Sun
Pros: The slayer mark manifests whenever your life is in danger, you deal more serious damage to demons and possess knowledge of the original breath of the sun.
Cons: You possess the mark and thus will die naturally around the age of 23.
3. Eyes that Perceive the Abyss
Pros: You have special eyes that allow you to see deep inside the human body and react faster than anyone else. Your techniques become lethal to demons.
Cons: You eat a lot, heal slower than most people, and are more prone to sickness.
Noah pondered his options carefully. He could be a genius swordsman prone to sickness, a powerful slayer doomed to die young, or someone who worked tirelessly to achieve greatness. After much deliberation, he chose the first option, valuing the steady growth and lack of severe drawbacks.
God nodded approvingly. "A wise choice," as soon as god removed the screens. Noah spoke "Is it possible to make a request?" God gave him a curious look, "As long as its within the rules of the world of demon slayer". Noah looked at God "I want a system, something that helps me keep track of my progress, something that helps me get strong fast", God wondered for a moment and nodded "Granted" however it will only activate once you officially reach Mizunoto before Noah could open his mouth- With a gentle push, he sent Noah out of the clouds. "Good luck o child of chaos"
Tekeo jolted awake to the sound of Tanjiro's voice. "Tekeo! Wake up! We've slept too long!" It was 2 pm, The exhaustion from yesterdays work and the cold must have made them exhausted, and they needed to head back home quickly. As they walked, Tekeo couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom. He voiced his concerns to Tanjiro, but his brother brushed them off, attributing it to nerves.
The journey back to their mountain home was uneventful the weather was cloudy almost stormy, as if the sun didn't want its presence to be known and Tekeo's sense of foreboding grew stronger, he knew what was supposed to happen. As they approached their house, an eerie silence greeted them. They called out, but no one answered. Tanjiro opened the door, and the sight that met their eyes was beyond comprehension. The bodies of their family members ripped, blood everywhere, watching the gore Tekeo tripped he ran back and vomited while tanjiro looked in horror.
Their family lay massacred, blood covering everything. The bodies of their mother and siblings were scattered around the house. Tanjiro fell to his knees, his breaths visible in the cold air, tears streaming down his faces. Amid the horror, Tekeo returned and noticed a faint breath from Nezuko."Tanjiro, she's still alive!" Tekeo exclaimed.
Tanjiro, broken but finding a glimmer of hope, rushed to Nezuko. He gently removed "their baby brother" from her arms and carefully placed him down and then ran outside carrying Nezuko in his arms, heading towards the nearest doctor. Tekeo followed, knowing that this was the moment Tanjiro's first journey would begin—a journey that would lead them to the water Hashira.