What is memory?
It is One of the most important things that shaped an individual's sentience.
In its simplest form, memory refers to the continued process of information retention over time. It is an integral part of human cognition, since it allows individuals to recall and draw upon past events to frame their understanding of and behavior within the present.
And now both Ryoma and Esdeath were experiencing the memories of their significant other's, the things that made them who they are.
...….
The Transmigrator, Ryoma Nagare saw and experienced directly how an innocent little girl who only wanted to hunt danger beasts turned into The Infamous Sociopathic Sadist General who was obsessed with strength and immensely disdained the weak.
It all started because of the little girl's father's continuous indoctrination of 'the weak can only be preyed on by the strong' idea into her.
His intention of doing that was good because he wanted to ensure his daughter's survival by implanting this mindset into her. Their tribe was one who makes their living by hunting danger beasts so she needed to become stronger to stay alive.
In a sense, he was successful because he could see that his daughter's strength progressed really fast. She could already hunt a danger beast a few times bigger than her by herself when she was merely 12 years old, something really impressive for her age.
But, his indoctrination changed her from the inside slowly for the worse....
Sometimes he could see that something seemed to be lacking from his daughter. He could vaguely predict what that thing was but he ignored it because he thought it would only do her good in her life as a warrior.
And one day, a tragedy that completely snapped the fragile humanity inside the little girl happened….
"Hehehe~ my stay in the mountains for a few days is worth it because I have caught this rare evil bird!" exclaimed the little girl happily as she carried a vicious looking bird that was way bigger than an adult on her shoulders.
She couldn't wait to show off her prey to her father, still oblivious to the fate that befell him and her clan when she went hunting outside.
A few hours later, Paltas Clan Campsite….
"Wh–what is this?!" asked the little girl in shock and bewilderment as she unconsciously dropped the bird's carcass she was carrying.
What she saw when she returned to her clan's home was something a kid like her shouldn't see.
From burning tents, smokes that covered the whole campsite, broken weapons strewn throughout the ground, and last but not least, the corpses of her clansmen lying all around the place. Men and women, young and old, none were spared.....
Her home, her place to return, was destroyed….
"Cough…"
"!!!!" The little girl was a little startled when she heard the sound and began to look around for the lucky survivor.
It was a middle aged man, he lied on the blood covered ground with spears impaled on his stomach and chest.
"Are you alright?!" asked the little girl with concern visible on her face as she approached the dying man.
When she took a closer look, she realized that the man didn't have much more time, judging from the wounds he had suffered and the amount of blood he had lost.
"Th–The Chief's… daughter? cough thank.. god… you are still alive and well…" said the man with labored breathing.
"What happened? Where's my father?!" the little girl asked the man with a hint of panic in her voice, ignoring the man's condition because she couldn't do anything to help him even if she tried to.
"The Northerners… cough.. they crossed the borders and attacked us… The Chief.. he was able to hold dozens of them at once but they eventually overpowered him…" answered the man weakly.
"Where is he?!" the little girl asked the dying man again and this time she was completely panicked.
"He is in the main tent… we brought him there… cough cough…" The man then began coughing up blood, his death was just a hairbreadth away. "Go….. he might still be alive…." and he spoke for the last time to the little girl before closing his eyes and accepting his demise for good.
"Thank you.." the little girl bowed to the man as a sign of respect and immediately ran to the center of the campsite to find her father.
.....
"Father! Father!" The little girl kept calling her father as she pushed forward through the scorching flames and the suffocating smokes towards where he was.
"Esdeath… is that you?...."
"Father?!" She immediately rushed into the main tent when she arrived in front of it and heard the faint voice of her father calling her. It brought her hope, maybe she could save him and escape from this ruined place.
"Cough… haha… it's really you, my daughter…"
"Fa…ther…"
But that hope was shattered as fast as it had bloomed.
Her father's condition was… even more tragic than the previous man.
He was lying powerlessly on a mattress that was soaked with his own blood.
Spears and swords stabbed in his body, one of his arms was severed, and a huge gash was visible on his chest. How he could survive this long was a miracle in and of itself.
"As you can see…. we were weaker so we lost…. that's how it is…" he said with a voice that kept weakening.
His body that was holding on for so long with his sheer willpower had fulfilled his wish to see his daughter for the last time. So, it was time for it to rest…
"So livestrong Esdeath! Not that i have to worry…about…it…" After taking one last breath and said his parting words, he closed his eyes and finally accepted the cold embrace of the reaper.
He hoped that she could live on and stay strong in this cruel world even without him. It was a pity that he couldn't see the family that her daughter will build in the future along with his grandchildren but it is what it is.
"..."
Little Esdeath could only watch her father die with her own eyes without being able to do anything as a storm of negative emotions rampaged inside her heart.
Sorrow, rage, regret, hopelessness, and many more all mixed into one, but she didn't even shed a tear as one idea that had been planted in her mind just got rooted even deeper and snapped something inside of her because of her father's last words.....
'That's right…. It was because they were weak....'
And this was the ultimate turning point, the day where the little huntress truly awakened her psychopathic side that would lead her to become The Empire's Strongest.
Meanwhile….
Ryoma, who was watching the tragedy unfold in the sidelines, could only clench his fists so tight that they would bleed if he wasn't in the world of memories.
He didn't experience her memories from Little Esdeath's point of view, he watched all of them from her side, but he could feel everything that she felt. Whether it was her joy, sorrow, and many more, he felt all of them. Therefore, he wanted to do many things for her after accompanying her in witnessing the tragedy, but weren't able to because this was only her memory like giving the girl a warm and comforting hug, slaughtering those who massacred her family, and so on....
He tried to, but his hand just phased through her so he had to be content as a watcher, well at least he was by her side.
After a while….
Little Esdeath, who had collected herself, stood up, took a sword that had the best condition among the strewn out weapons, and set forth without saying anything towards the wilderness in order to fulfill her quest to become stronger.
She kept hunting, fighting, and honing her strength relentlessly for a few years straight. Whether they were danger beasts or fellow human warriors, she challenged all of them and triumphed over their dead bodies without losing even once!
Then she traveled south into the well renowned empire to enlist in the army when the danger beasts in the north had become really scarce to the point that they were almost extinct because of her careless hunting and now, her main prey changed from beasts to humans.
Then a few years passed….
Together with her wit alongside her honed prowess she climbed the rank astonishingly fast, achieving the rank of General in record time, and she was even entrusted with The 'Demon's Extract' Teigu by the Corrupt Prime Minister Honest. She too had gathered many loyal followers who were even willing to jump into the gates of hell thanks to her immense charisma.
But emptiness and boredom began to cloud her mind when she reached the peak. She got no more stronger foes to fight! Even her fellow General, Budou had been surpassed by her!
She still loved to fight and slaughter warriors weaker than her though, as long as they fit the minimum strength threshold. But, it wasn't as exciting as battling stronger foes and conquering them.
Then she found a new hobby which made her well known for a certain moniker, an unhinged Sadist….
She didn't get it at first, where was the fun in tormenting weak and helpless people? Until she tried it herself.
The feeling of her blade and hands tearing into her helpless victim's flesh little by little as they sang melodious music into her ears which were their screams of pain and plea of mercy brought her a forbidden but addicting sense of joy.
It never crossed her mind that it would be this entertaining, it was almost as thrilling as a death battle against stronger foes!
And thus, she now began to regularly pick imprisoned criminals to torture for her own amusement. She even went as far as asking The Child Emperor for permission to personally take charge of The Empire's Torture Facility.
However, even with her new hobby, she felt that something was lacking. Fighting and torturing were indeed fun but she still felt incomplete. What did she miss? Power, riches, glory, she has them all! So what is it?
She figured it out when one day she had to attend The Child Emperor's birthday party. She saw that most of those noble ladies had brought their husbands with them while she, The General of The Empire, came alone.
She wasn't jealous or anything, she was only curious about what it would feel like to fall in love and have a husband of her own….
'So that's it!' as that thought crossed her mind, she realized what was missing from her life!
It was her significant other, a man to love and would love her back, and the one who would accompany her through thick and thin until the very end.
Then what kind of man would she want as a partner?
She thought for a few days and finally decided in her mind the criterias for the man she would want as a husband.
First, he has to be as strong as her or at least has the potential to reach her heights. If he is stronger than her, then that's even better!
Second, he has to be younger than her so she could easily groom him into the man she wants. If he is stronger than her, then she wouldn't mind if he is older but their age must not be too far apart.
And lastly, he needs to have an innocent smile that warms her heart.....
After she was quite satisfied with the criterias, she wrote them down in a small notebook. In a few days she would set off to quench the Northern Tribe rebellion and when she returned, she would ask The Emperor to find a man who fit with her requirements as her reward.
Who would've thought that she would meet her dream man there without even needing to try searching for him....
"Hm?"
But when the memories of their meeting from her perspective was going to be played out, golden coloured light once again enveloped Ryoma and moved him somewhere else.....