Running.
Fleeing.
No one knew how long he had been running. Only when Soma could no longer sense any dangerous presence behind him did he finally stop.
He gently put down Kanao, whose face had turned pale.
The moment the girl touched the ground, her body staggered, and she almost couldn't stand.
Soma reached out and gently supported her. Only then did Kanao manage to keep from falling.
The girl's body was still too frail. After running for so long, Soma himself didn't feel any fatigue at all—but Kanao, who had been carried on his back the entire time, was already struggling to endure it.
"Are you okay?"
Soma asked with concern as he looked at Kanao's pale face.
Although Kanao felt very uncomfortable, she still shook her head.
Seeing this, Soma found a relatively clean green stone and helped her sit down. Then he walked to a nearby tall tree and easily climbed to the top, looking into the distance.
The distance was completely dark.
There were no signs of their pursuers anymore.
In truth, after he had killed the Demon Slayer swordsman who practiced Wind Breathing, no one remained to slow him down. The Demon Slayers who arrived afterward chased for a while, but due to time limits they had to withdraw from their Breathing state.
Once they exited the Breathing state, they were basically just ordinary humans again. They could only watch helplessly as Soma ran farther and farther away from them until he completely escaped.
After confirming once more that he had shaken off the Demon Slayer swordsmen, Soma finally relaxed slightly.
He jumped down from the tree and returned to Kanao.
After resting for a short while, the girl's complexion had improved a little.
Soma reached out and gently rubbed the girl's head. Then he crouched down in front of her.
"Climb on. I'll carry you. We need to keep moving."
Kanao was very obedient. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lightly climbed onto his back.
This time, however, Soma did not run at full speed like before.
Instead, he deliberately walked steadily so Kanao wouldn't feel too much shaking.
As he carried her through the mountains and wilderness, he looked around constantly, searching for a place where they could hide when daytime arrived.
After all, there was still the risk that the Demon Slayers might catch up.
The hiding place had to block sunlight well.
Ideally, it would be a very deep cave. That way, even if Demon Slayer swordsmen found them during the day, they wouldn't easily be able to force him into sunlight. At the very least, he would still have the ability to fight.
Because he was walking steadily now and no longer running violently, Kanao gradually recovered some of her energy.
The girl lay quietly on the demon's back.
But in her mind, she clearly remembered the look in the eyes of the man her uncle had knocked down.
For some reason, her mood became a little gloomy.
For Kanao, her childhood experiences had caused her to close off her inner world very early.
But after her uncle appeared, she slowly began trying to reconnect with the world again—to feel its warmth, and to try listening to her own heart.
Perhaps because her heart had stayed in darkness for so long, every little bit of warmth from the outside world felt especially noticeable.
And every bit of warmth felt especially precious.
She could feel the faint warmth in the gaze of the man her uncle had knocked down.
But because of her, not only had that warmth disappeared…
even the flame of his life had gone out.
"Uncle…" the girl whispered, her face pressed against the demon's back.
"What is it?"
Soma asked while continuing to observe the surroundings for a suitable place to stay.
"Did the person you knocked down earlier… die?" Soma's footsteps paused slightly, then gradually resumed.
"Yes. He died." He answered calmly, though his emotions were not entirely calm.
"What happens… when someone dies?" Kanao asked softly.
"When someone dies, nothing happens afterward. Death is just death. From then on, there is nothing left. No matter how much beauty someone once had, it will all be lost. Even the traces they left in this world will slowly fade away… until not a single trace remains, until no one remembers them anymore…"
Kanao's beautiful pink-purple eyes dimmed slightly. "Did that person die because of Kanao?"
If it weren't for her, perhaps things wouldn't have ended this way. The flames on that person would not have gone out; they would still be burning brightly…
Soma slowed his steps, turned his head, and looked at Kanao resting on his shoulder. Then he shook his head, his voice gentle. "It wasn't because of Kanao."
"Then because of what?" The dimness in Kanao's eyes brightened a little.
"Because of me," he said flatly.
"Because of Uncle?"
"Yes, because of me."
"But why would someone die because of uncle? Uncle feels so warm, and that person also seemed a little warm. You both give off warmth, so why..." The girl trailed off, not knowing how to articulate her confusion.
"Because Uncle is a demon."
"What is a demon? Why would someone die just because Uncle is a demon?"
"A demon is something very, very bad. If Kanao ever sees a demon in the future, you must stay far away from it."
"But Uncle said he is a demon, too! Does that mean Kanao has to stay away from Uncle? I don't want that. I don't ever want to be away from Uncle." Kanao immediately began shaking her head.
Soma smiled. "Regardless, Kanao must stay away from demons in the future."
"Kanao won't stay away from Uncle."
"You're still young. When you grow up, you'll understand."
"Then wouldn't it be fine if I just never grow up?"
"Everyone grows up eventually." Soma looked up at the full moon hanging in the dark night sky.
"Just like the sun won't stay set forever—there will always be a time when it rises again."
Kanao tilted her head and looked at the round moon, blinking. "Uncle… what if the sun sets and… never rises again?"
Hearing this, Soma couldn't help but laugh. He patted the girl's head.
"That day will never come."
Kanao tilted her head and looked at him, not understanding why.
Looking at the girl's confused pink-purple eyes, Soma smiled and gently pinched her little nose. She was still too young to understand. The rising and setting of the sun was almost an eternal truth of this world—just like how people inevitably grow up and gradually become mature.
Right now, even though Kanao knew he was a demon, she didn't care. But when she grew up, that might not be the case.
As she matured and became more rational, the things she liked as a girl, the beliefs she once held firmly, might slowly change.
"Perhaps as Kanao understands more and grows more sensible, you'll drift apart from me. You might even grow to hate me. There's no telling." He shrugged as if he didn't care.
"That won't happen." Kanao clenched her fists, her eyes firm.
Looking at the determined child, Soma burst into laughter and tapped her little head.
"There's no guarantee of that."
"People… always change."
He said softly—just like himself.
He lowered his head and looked at his own hands.
It was as if crimson blood was flowing across them.
Once upon a time, would he ever have imagined that his hands would be stained with such blood?