Kami no gyakuten:The yamato hero-Chapter 23: A Name in the Deep

Darkness surrounded him.

He was sinking.

The water was cold, endless, and heavy, pressing against his body from all sides. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think—except for one thing.

"Daigo... Daigo... I am Daigo... I am—"

His thoughts blurred, his memories scattered like grains of sand in a storm. But he clung to that single word, repeating it over and over, as if saying his name would somehow keep him tethered to himself.

Yet, the deeper he sank, the more the ocean tried to erase him.

The weight of the water crushed his chest, and his vision darkened. It wasn't just his strength leaving him—it was his very identity. His past, his purpose—everything was fading.

Then, a spark ignited within him.

A strange warmth surged through his veins, fighting against the freezing depths. His Mutator power—a force he had never fully understood—was awakening in desperation.

His fingers brushed against something small—a golden fish.

In that instant, a ripple spread through the water.

The fish trembled in his grasp, its tiny body glowing with an ethereal light. Its form began to stretch, twist, and reshape in ways that defied nature. The tiny creature grew larger, its tail lengthening, its fins reforming into something more—something human.

Before Daigo lost consciousness, he caught a glimpse of the impossible—a mermaid.

With golden scales shimmering in the deep, she gazed at him with wide, knowing eyes. Then, without hesitation, she reached out and pulled him toward the surface.

The first thing he heard was the rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the shore.

Warmth.

For the first time since he had fallen into the river, warmth embraced him. The sun shone brightly above, drying his damp clothes as a gentle breeze carried the scent of salt and fresh air.

Daigo's eyes fluttered open.

He was lying on a small patch of golden sand, surrounded by a vast blue ocean. The island itself was tiny, barely more than a few scattered palm trees and jagged rocks.

His head ached, and his body felt like it had been through a war. But there was something worse.

His mind was empty.

Who was he?

Where was he?

Panic flared in his chest as he tried to recall anything—any memory, any moment from before he woke up. But there was nothing. A hollow void where his past should be.

He forced himself to think harder.

Nothing.

Not even his own name.

His breath quickened. He clenched his fists, pressing his fingers into the damp sand beneath him. This isn't right. This isn't—

"You're awake."

A soft, melodic voice cut through his frantic thoughts.

Daigo turned his head sharply.

A young woman stood before him, half-submerged in the shallow waters. Her long, flowing golden hair shimmered in the sunlight, and her deep blue eyes studied him with quiet concern.

But what struck him the most was her form.

Her upper body was human, but from the waist down, she had the long, sleek tail of a fish—covered in brilliant golden scales that gleamed like treasure beneath the ocean's surface.

She was the creature he had seen before he blacked out.

The mermaid.

She smiled softly. "Daigo."

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His breath hitched. The name sounded... familiar. It stirred something within him, like an echo from a distant dream.

He hesitated. "Daigo...?"

She nodded. "Yes. That's your name."

"How... do you know that?" he asked, his voice raspy.

Her gaze softened. "You kept saying it. When you were underwater... you kept whispering it over and over."

He looked down at his hands, trying to grasp onto the name, trying to make it feel like his.

It felt right. And yet, at the same time... it felt empty.

"I don't remember," he admitted quietly.

The mermaid didn't seem surprised. Instead, she simply said, "That's okay."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The ocean waves rolled in and out, filling the silence between them.

Daigo swallowed hard, frustration tightening in his chest. He had lost everything. His name was all he had left, and even that felt like a mere whisper of who he was supposed to be.

But this girl—this mysterious mermaid—had saved him.

And somehow, she knew his name when he couldn't even remember it himself.

Who was she?

And more importantly...

Who was he?