Are the concepts of "when" and "where" really so important?

At least, paying mind to these concepts did not seem to grant any survival advantage to those born into this world. This world has nothing akin to a calendar, nor have names been granted to any of its locales.

What is the meaning of "time"? Whether one can survive the next moment.

What is the meaning of "place"? Whether there is an environment to sustain life. That's it.

Even so, my heart (or more precisely, "the place where the heart is located," but there is certainly an advantage to using an intuitive term) continues to tick away precisely one second at a time, as determined by someone else, and the data that makes up my being continues to be recorded. The date from which I am created is inscribed with time and place, as though imprinted with a stamp.

So, in my record, I decided to start there, too. I decided to start with the assumption that someone, somewhere believed that this would be an advantage.

The results are good. "When" is the elapsed time since the occurrence of my birth and "where" has become a poetic expression that gives priority to my senses; nonetheless, this has greatly improved the significance of this continuous record.

A record. Yes, this is a record.

Unchained... That's me. I was born into this world. Is there any meaning to this clump of data imitating the creature Homo sapiens?

Even if I fail to understand myself, I thought someone else might be able to pass judgement later if I left a record.

However, I failed to realize just how tiring a task this record keeping is. I feel as though I have more to write, but I think I'll leave it here for today.

I hope to leave this volcanic area tomorrow. It is not always possible to find a cave to shelter from the heat and roaring flames that are constantly erupting from all around. It's time to say goodbye to this smoke and ash-filled sky.

Surprisingly, this record is still going. According to the data I am composed of, the maximum period of time a human being can keep a daily record is 72 hours, so this is unprecedented.

I am now in an area that resembles some kind of ruins. The structures in front of me, which look more or less like regular landforms, all seem to be imitations of things that humans made long ago. They have been making such structures for so long that my ticking heart can not count the years. Thinking about it makes me dizzy. I feel as if I am being confronted with my own insignificance and meaninglessness, and it makes me terribly uneasy.

And it should be noted that I'm working with several Digimon right now.

Digimon, Digital Monsters. They are autonomous programs that exist in this world just like me, but they have a core and a unique self-expanding nature. They call it "Digivolution." It's like it's written into their genes.

Although they vary in form and capability, they all "Digivolve", which is what makes them Digital Monsters. I, on the other hand, do not Digivolve, nor do I even attempt to do so, therefore I am not a Digimon.

They are different from me. The Digimon told me this as if it was the natural order of things. I know they did not intend to hurt me, but I was hurt, and I was surprised at how hurt I was.

My form is modeled after a human, but I am a program. On the other hand, I am structurally similar to Digimon, but I am not a Digimon.

The fact that there is no one like me points to the fact that I can never truly understand anyone, and that still makes me uneasy.

It's not all bad, though—at least the Digimon are very kind to me. I, too, am able to make myself useful by using the data left inside me by the humans in order to explore the ruins. I am very happy about that.

Most of the entities living in this world are Digimon, except for me, as far as I have seen. That would mean that this world exists for Digimon.

If that is the case, then what is the meaning of my being here?

Maybe there is no purpose. Maybe I am just an accidental scrap of data. But I can't bear to admit that.

The record goes on. Until I find purpose. Until someone shows me my purpose.

...In any case, it's awfully windy tonight.

Gone. They are all gone.

It seems that there was something in the wind that assailed us while we were sleeping in the ruins.

The Digimon that were exposed to the wind suddenly began to suffer and were ultimately reduced to particles...

When I came to, I was in this desert.

Judging by the merciless ticking of my heart, it seems that I panicked and spent an entire day running away from that wind.

I still can't sort out what happened. The simple fact is that the poisonous winds deleted the Digimon and left only me alive.

What is the meaning of this?　Why am I the only one alive? Wasn't this world meant for Digimon?

Now I am unsure. It may simply be that life comes with the risk of being taken away.

But there is one thing I do know...

The eyes of the Digimon who stood staring at me, unresponsive. The fear in their eyes, as if they were looking at something utterly unknown...

I never want to see that again.

I don't want any others to die.

If I am unaffected by the poisonous winds, I may be able to save the Digimon.

Now my wanderings finally have a purpose. Starting tomorrow, I will begin referring to this as my "journey."

The record goes on.

Since then, many Digimon have disappeared before my eyes.

I have done much research on the poison, but my findings have been limited.

I know there are toxins in the world that are harmful to Digimon. The wind carries this toxin all over the world.

This world is not suitable for the survival of Digimon. Digimon are not something that should be in this world. This cruel conclusion was the only thing I could reach at the end of my journey.

There was a terrible despair in my heart. No matter the details, it was difficult for me to believe that a life born into the world would be snuffed out simply for being unsuited to that very world.

And more than that. I felt so dejected for having had the pitiful idea that it was my life's purpose to save the Digimon, and that in so doing, I might be able to be friends with them.

I wandered the world without desire or purpose, and then, before I knew it, I found myself in a lush green area. It was a peaceful place, but the wind was strong and not many Digimon settled here. I thought it would be a good place to spend the rest of my time, without having to witness Digimon being deleted.

Then I found a strange anomaly.

It was just source code, something I would normally ignore. But for some reason it captured my interest, and I tried to touch the anomaly.

A moment later... The anomaly became an egg. A Digi-Egg.

I frantically reached out for it, but it was too late. When it fell to the ground, it cracked open. The white and yellow contents oozed out onto the ground. I felt sadness that life had been snatched away before my eyes, but also resignation, since this life would be taken by the toxins anyway.

But I was wrong. Eyes and a mouth appeared on the yolk of the egg. Its sparkling eyes looked around at the world, and when it recognized me, it clumsily spat out its name—the one inscribed on its core.

Yolkmon. That was the name of this young Digimon. It was the first time I had witnessed the birth of a new life, and its beauty washed away all the despair and resignation that had filled my heart.

I decided to travel with Yolkmon for a while. If this world refused to respect the lives of Digimon, then I would force it to.

Doing that would make my life worth living. A liberator who frees Digimon from their world, so to speak...

It took me a long time to realize that Yolkmon was resistant to this world's toxin.

It was only natural, though. I had been extremely careful not to let Yolkmon come into contact with the toxin that was devouring other Digimon. We had an unfortunate accident, which forced Yolkmon and I into contact with the toxins. I was struck with horror, which was then replaced by bemusement when Yolkmon called out my name, utterly unphased.

A few days have passed since then, but Yolkmon is still in good spirits. Here, with the ocean in view, Yolkmon seems to find the sounds of the crashing waves pleasant, and it has been sleeping in the sea breeze for some time.

Either Yolkmon is uniquely resistant to the toxin of this world, or it is a new species that has adapted to the toxin. Either way, Yolkmon is my hope. If we proceed with our research, we may be able to protect all Digimon living here.

At the same time, we urgently need to secure safe zones where we can pursue this research. This wind is carrying toxins around the world at a tremendous rate, and the areas where Digimon can live are gradually decreasing. We have found some "sanctuary" places unaffected by the toxin, but they are not enough to protect all the Digimon in the world.

I need to artificially create a large space to protect the Digimon or devise some means of protecting individual Digimon.

I can't do it alone. I wish I had friends who shared my ideals. I think about this every day.

...Yolkmon is muttering about "advantage" in its sleep. Advantage. I taught it about that concept. It's something I was born with, and more than that, it's a concept common to all living things. Make choices that grant you an advantage. It's primal, straightforward logic.

But it was difficult to explain to Yolkmon. The meaning of the word "advantage" should have been simple, but it ended up being much more complicated for me.

It turns out that an advantage is not only something that works to the benefit of your own survival. An advantage can also be something that makes you feel better. In my case, the happiness of the Digimon around me is also an advantage. That is why I continue my journey to help this world.

Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that each person has to discover what their own advantages are for themselves. Each of us ranks our priorities differently, and when our standards don't align, we have no choice but to prove them by bringing them to bear against each other.

So I promised Yolkmon that, if we ever had a conflict, we would try to prove to each other that the advantages we believed in were correct. I thought this was strange, almost like ensuring that we would fight at some point, but it was important to me.

Come to think of it, I've never been in a fight with anyone.

Someday, I wonder if I will meet someone with whom I can clash, to test each other's advantages.

I pondered this while listening to the sound of the waves...

A very strong wind blew me away from Yolkmon.

Although it was a terrible situation, I did not despair as I did before, as I was confident that Yolkmon was still alive somewhere. More importantly, I had a lot of work ahead of me.

And also, I made a new acquaintance.

The Digimon was standing in an area lined with high-concept sky-scrapers, city lights shining brighter than daylight. It looked like all the machine-type Digimon I had seen so far, and yet it resembled none of them, like a giant angel with steel wings.

The Digimon that called itself Metatromon acted as if it were a god—in other words, like an innocent child.

It had caused all the Digimon living around there to leave, but by listening patiently I learned that Metatromon was asking for help.

Metatromon said, "I want to save my friends."

It said that it came from another world. In this other world even smaller than this one, in a world in the process of breaking down, there was a shard of Metatromon. Although they were born together and shared the same lifeforce, they chose opposite forms and ways of life.

Metatromon could not bear to see its dear other half fade away along with its dying world. It tried again and again to reach out to the shard, but the shard hated Metatromon and at the same time felt sorry for the Digimon that lived in that broken world.

"Even so, I want to offer my help. Because we were once one."

What if you help your other half, but then it hates you forever?　I asked.

"No matter what others think, no matter the cost, there are things that must be done."

There are things that must be done, no matter what the cost. Those words fell squarely into my heart and settled there.

The fact that there is another world besides this one also brought me hope. If the way the world is isn't set in stone, then maybe we can change it, or even save this world by using the connections we have with other worlds.

I entered one of the "sanctuaries" in the corner of this urban area to find a place for Metatromon, and we decided to work together.

In the center of this world, in a city overlooked by a giant sphere, I met them.

Homo sapiens, the ones who I was fashioned after—so-called "humans". They came to this world independently and were trying to help the Digimon.

The real people looked just like me, but there was something fundamentally different about them, too. That made me a little sad, but as a whole the encounter was a joyful one.

We had a shared goal. We both wanted to save the Digimon that live in this world, which they referred to as "Lacuna."

"You and I are of the same mind. Personally, I am sympathetic to your position, too. That's nothing you need to worry about, though."

Cool Boy, the silver-haired youth who seemed to be the representative of the humans, extended his hand to me and said,

"Unchained, let's save the world together."

His offer was an undeniable ray of hope. I agreed to be their collaborator.

They were talking about turning this world into a game, protecting Digimon in the form of cards, and so on. To be honest, I didn't understand the meaning at first, but after hearing his explanation, I realized that it was a novel idea I couldn't have come up with on my own.

As soon as I got the idea, a title popped into my head.

I thought it might be a bit much to call myself a "liberator rescuing Digimon from their fate," but Cool Boy liked the title so much that he adopted it without a second thought.

I don't quite feel it yet, but I think new days are beginning for me now.

This is the end of my record. From now on, the research journal I create with them will take the place of this record.

What will I do with them? Will I ever be reunited with Yolkmon?

What was the meaning of my birth into this world?

I'm sure I'll understand everything now. I can feel it.

Because this game—Digimon Liberator—

will be a tale of venturing around the world, with Digimon.