In the dawn.
After their fight with Jigen and something ancient, Ren sat together with Kasumi and Miyuki beneath the grey sky.
Their faces were filled with sorrow.
The blood on Ren's shoulders and arms had already dried. Kasumi's bones were still broken, and his wounds were still clearly visible. Although their wounds were now wrapped with bandages, none of them looked like they had truly recovered.
Miyuki looked at their gloomy faces. Her own face was filled with quiet sadness and worry.
Long silence.
The wind continued moving through the grey world.
Finally, Miyuki murmured softly.
"Hajime-Sama. Matsunaga-Kun... It's okay. You still saved the world. You didn't fail."
Kasumi looked ahead.
"It's not about saving the world, Miyuki-San..."
His voice was low and distant.
"...Just look at Hajime-San."
Ren remained silent. His mind was filled with thoughts.
I've stopped that thing for now… But that thing...
…It's even beyond my powers.
He thought about the Hollow King.
It gets stronger and stronger every second… There is no way to kill it. Next time we all fight...
…we will be killed.
Miyuki slowly leaned her shoulder toward him. Then, she rested her head on Ren's shoulder.
"I've never seen you so worried, Hajime-Sama."
Her one frost-silvery eye was half-lidded, while her other eye remained hidden beneath the black eyepatch.
"You have saved the world. You can never be weak... not in any way."
Miyuki's words were bittersweet to Ren.
He knew she was trying to comfort him. But deep inside… He couldn't accept those words anymore.
Kasumi looked into the sky.
"By the world... I wonder who changed this world?"
His eyes remained distant.
"It was most likely destroyed, but now... it's healed as if nothing happened."
Kasumi already knew the answer.
Only one person could do such a miracle.
Eliza.
His chest tightened. Yet his face remained lifeless.
"I-I've never been so scared… Not like this..."
He lowered his head.
"Our enemies are not just demons anymore. They're... they're god-level entities."
He thought about the top four current Upper Moons.
Muzan Kibutsuji.
Kokushibo.
And the Hollow King.
All of them were monsters that Kasumi could hardly understand.
But amidst his despair… He suddenly remembered him.
"Wait...!"
Kasumi's eyes widened.
The old man from his flashback suddenly appeared in his mind.
"H-How...?"
His breathing became unsteady.
"How did that old man know about Jigen? How did he know about me?"
His recent fight with Jigen flashed before his eyes. His eyes trembled.
"And… I could see the future."
He remembered it clearly.
"I had foresight during my fight with him. I wasn't even moving my own body."
He looked down at his hands.
"But... I can't access it anymore… It's as if that ability never existed."
Kasumi looked toward Ren.
"I will ask Hajime-San about this."
But even his voice had little strength left. His body was broken. He couldn't even move properly. And now, even his willpower was beginning to disappear.
"Hajime-San… Miyuki-San…"
Kasumi's voice was filled with sorrow.
They both slowly looked at him.
"Why are we even continuing it?"
Neither of them answered.
Kasumi continued.
"Those guys are impossible… I am merely a burden on you, Hajime-San."
His eyes were filled with unshed tears.
Miyuki's expression softened, but even her hands were trembling.
Ren looked at Kasumi. For a moment, he remained silent. Then, he spoke. His voice was calm.
"You're not a burden..."
Kasumi slowly looked at him. Ren's eyes became distant.
"You two are my strength, my reason to continue this journey. When I abandoned everything... you and Miyuki-Chan stayed with me at my worst."
His voice remained calm.
"If I can't do it for myself… If I can't do it for anyone else..."
Ren looked at both of them.
"I'll do it for you two."
A drop of tear spilled down Miyuki's cheek.
Silence.
The wind continued to blow. For a moment, none of them spoke.
Then, Kasumi asked quietly.
"Hajime-San... tell me."
Ren looked toward him.
"What are the chances that we will win in this war?"
Ren looked down. His expression was calm, but his eyes carried something that neither of them had seen before.
"...We might die."
Long silence.
Kasumi froze.
Miyuki's voice was low and soft.
"Hajime-Sama... please don't say this. Then why are we even continuing this journey?"
Ren remained composed. But his heart sank.
"Because... it's our destination."
Kasumi suddenly snapped. His voice remained low, hollow.
"I apologize, Hajime-San. But I don't agree with you this time."
Kasumi continued.
"I want to leave all of this..."
His hands slowly clenched.
"I don't want to continue this journey anymore. It's useless. Hajime-San, your goal is to protect others. To protect your friends..."
His voice became quieter.
"...But you can't save everyone."
He looked down at his broken body.
"Even I will die in a few years because of this curse."
His eyes became filled with sorrow.
"I can't accept what you've just said..."
Miyuki looked at him. Her voice was weak.
"Matsunaga-Kun, please… It's not a good time. Neither of us are in good condition."
Kasumi's fists clenched.
"I'm sorry, Miyuki-San. But we're walking towards the gate of death. We all know that we'll die. We can't achieve our goals… Then why does Hajime-San still want to continue if he can't save others?"
Ren remained silent for a few seconds.
Then, he spoke in a pure and warm voice.
"...Even if I can save at least one person… I will continue."
Kasumi's eyes widened. His expression slowly softened. Ren's words struck him like lightning.
Ren continued in the same calm voice.
"...Even if I can save only a few people."
The wind moved through his hair.
"Even if I die..."
Ren looked toward the grey sky.
"...I will continue."
He paused.
"This journey is the path we have chosen, and that's what makes us different."
Ren looked at Kasumi. His eyes were strangely calm.
"If your path is right… Then never regret the path you've chosen."
Long silence.
Even though the path they were walking was almost impossible… Ren still accepted it.
Kasumi's face remained gloomy.
He lowered his head. His eyes trembled.
I can never surpass him. Especially not after I saw that thing...
Miyuki's face was hanging downward. Her expression was almost lifeless.
I just wanted to be useful… I didn't want to become a burden on them.
She remembered how she had passed out during the battle.
But I passed out while doing nothing… Why am I a burden on Hajime-Sama? On Matsunaga-Kun?
She lowered her head further.
It hurts so much… that I should die.
Finally, Kasumi spoke again.
"Hajime-San… I... I don't have enough willpower."
He looked away.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what to do."
His voice was filled with sorrow.
"It might be the best I can do. I don't want to fight in a battle where we're bound to die."
Ren looked at him calmly. His presence was strangely peaceful, almost like someone who had already accepted his own death.
"You will still die in four years. So... why don't you do something much more valuable when you die?"
Kasumi's eyes widened.
Ren continued.
"...But that's not what I want you to tell me."
Kasumi looked confused.
Ren continued. "Do you know about Shinsaku, the first Demon Slayer?"
Kasumi's eyes widened. "Y-Yes..."
He remembered Ren's previous words.
"You said that you'd tell me about him when the time came."
Ren smiled faintly. "That time has come."
Miyuki looked at Ren.
"Yes, Hajime-Sama. You said that you're not the one who discovered the breathing styles."
Kasumi remained silent. Does she even know about Hajime-San's past life?
Ren nodded.
"It's true. I brought the breathing styles into existence. But it was not my original idea… It was Shinsaku's idea."
The wind continued to move around them.
"He is the forgotten legend who joined the Demon Slayer Corps during the Heian Era."
The three of them remained beneath the grey sky.
———————————————————————
A thousand years ago.
In the Heian Era.
Many corpses were being carried by other people. They were dressed in white uniforms, their clothes stained with blood and dirt.
The bodies were being taken across an open area.
Around them were small, old-fashioned wooden houses and ancient shrines. The wooden buildings looked quiet beneath the grey sky.
Several people holding katanas were standing nearby. Their faces were tilted downward.
No one spoke. The atmosphere was heavy.
Another group of people carried another corpse past them.
Then—
An old woman suddenly ran toward them.
"Sukehira!"
Her voice was filled with panic.
"Are you here?! Sukehira!"
She looked around desperately. But there was no answer.
Then—
A tall figure appeared behind her.
"Excuse me." The voice was calm. "Are you Sukehira Tachibana's mother?"
The old woman immediately turned around. "Y-Yes..."
She recognized him.
"Oh... it's you, Shinsaku-kun."
Her expression suddenly filled with hope.
"He was with you."
She grabbed his clothes.
"Tell me... where is Sukehira?"
Shinsaku didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached into his clothes. Then he took out a small bag.
He placed it in the woman's hands.
It was filled with golden coins.
The old woman froze.
The Demon Slayers standing nearby also became shocked.
Golden coins. There were far more than enough to support an ordinary family. But Shinsaku only looked at her.
"Sukehira-kun told me to help you."
His voice was calm. Then… His eyes lowered slightly.
"I'm sorry… But he is no more."
The bag slipped from the woman's hands. It fell onto the ground. The golden coins scattered across the dirt.
The woman's eyes widened.
For a moment, she couldn't breathe. Then her expression changed.
She grabbed Shinsaku by the collar.
"You bastard! You promised that you'd take care of him!"
Tears immediately began flowing down her face. Her voice echoed through the quiet area.
"My only son died because of you!"
She shook his clothes.
"And now you're giving me these worthless coins?!"
The woman's voice was rough, filled with pure agony.
Several Demon Slayers immediately moved forward.
"Shinsaku-San!"
"Please, step away from him!"
But Shinsaku didn't move. He didn't defend himself. He simply stood there. Silent.
The woman eventually lost her strength. She fell onto her knees. Her crying became louder.
"Sukehira..."
She covered her face.
"My son..."
Shinsaku continued to stand there. He didn't look away.
After a few moments, he finally spoke. His voice remained calm.
"Oka-san… It's true that he died because of me."
The Demon Slayers became silent.
"So many people have died because of me. I will never forgive myself for that."
The old woman continued crying.
"But..."
Shinsaku turned around. His warm gaze fell upon her. His long ponytail moved gently with the wind.
"They were the ones who put their lives on the line… I told them that they had a chance to leave. But they chose to fight until their deaths."
The old woman slowly looked up at him.
Shinsaku looked back at her. His expression became slightly sorrowful.
"I can never feel the pain you're feeling. I don't think anyone can. But I promise you...
…I will avenge your son."
The old woman's trembling stopped.
"From that demon… Muzan Kibutsuji."
The grey clouds slowly moved across the sky. A pale ray of sunlight fell upon Shinsaku.
His pale skin softly reflected the weak light. He looked strangely calm despite the corpses surrounding him.
—————————————
Shinsaku Minamoto
Age — 25
The First Demon Slayer
—————————————
Then, he smiled faintly, warmly.
"Please... live. Sukehira-kun wanted you to live."