The World Is in Tatters, and the Little Cat Mends It

(The title isn't settled yet, so I'm using this one for now. The premise won't change.)

1.

The knight Redilian was the sharpest sword in the hands of High Priest Searaphiel.

He wielded his sword to cut through the darkness for the High Priest. He swore to offer his honor and life to his priest, believing he would fight for him forever, until he died before the High Priest in the final battle.

The world twisted into darkness, then returned to stillness. But Redilian's vow did not end. By the mercy of the gods, he was reincarnated...

As a little cat.

Redilian: ?

2.

Even after becoming a little tabby, Redilian had no intention of abandoning his vow.

He did everything he could, and finally found the reincarnated High Priest on the day he became a young adult cat.

Redilian decided that to keep his master safe, he first needed to get into his master's home!

So he competed with the neighborhood cats for the job. Every day, he resolutely flopped down along his master's route and wiggled from side to side, exposing his belly. He studied the essential cat skill of making an adorable meow, and even followed the High Priest home on a rainy night, sitting drenched outside his door and meowing softly in a high-pitched voice.

At last, he caught the High Priest's attention. That rainy night, the High Priest hesitantly reached out, stroked his head, and held him in his arms.

Redilian's plan had succeeded, and his eyes grew a little misty...

Then the High Priest suddenly lifted Redilian by one leg.

Redilian: ??

The High Priest: $#%&Y4#%~

Redilian: ????

Wait, what is Lord Searaphiel saying?!

He can't understand the humans of this age!

Is Lord Searaphiel going to take him to that white slaughterhouse, hand him over to the white executioner, and subject him to the cruel blade of severed affection the cats talk about?!

No! Even if he stays loyal to Lord Searaphiel for the rest of his life, he absolutely cannot allow that!!!

3.

After successfully getting into the High Priest's home, Redilian once again became his master's guardian cat.

He scratched his head and painfully studied human language and writing, trying to understand every word the High Priest said to him. He investigated the strange new technology of the modern world. Even when he watched the High Priest share his life with a strange round object and a glowing screen, he stood ready to protect him, warily watching the strange words flashing across the screen, though he couldn't read them.

"LOL, when did the streamer get a kitten? So cute, come here and let ee give you a kiss!"

"I'm going to smother this kitten with kisses! Long-haired tabbies are my dream cats!"

"Ahhh, that big fluffy tail! What a gorgeous little mop of a cat! What's the kitty's name?"

Of course, he couldn't understand the words the High Priest typed with his long, slender fingers, either.

He's a stray kitten I found.

His name is Redilian.

--He's my one and only knight.

-

Redilian.

You may only have ten years in this life.

Your body is frail, and your strength is small. Your soft paws cannot knock a weapon from an enemy's hand, and your tiny teeth cannot pierce their armor.

You're just a little cat who ought to spend a happy life in the afternoon sun, on a soft cushion, drinking fragrant milk and eating all the dried fish you could want.

Let go.

You're not his knight anymore.

-

But I swore an oath to him.

I am the sword in his hand. I will cut through the brambles for him and break through the darkness. I promised never to leave his side, even if the fog of death blocked my path, even if the world changed, even if...

I am no longer myself.

-

--I will cross time and space to find the light that entered my life.

[Guide to Enjoying This Story]

1. Before reincarnation: High Priest x guardian temple knight. Later: a retired High Priest who has taken up streaming as a hobby (not reincarnated) x a tabby kitten knight who remains a guardian (and can turn into a human).

2. The worldbuilding and plot are all made up, and everything serves the silly, adorable cat content. Other little animals will appear too. The title isn't settled yet, so I'm using this one for now. The premise won't change.

Theme: Never give up