Tick. Tick. Tick.
A clock's ticking is constant, consistent, and calculated. 86400 ticks, each day, every day. From this large number, only a small number of ticks are ever recognised or acknowledged. For such a valuable and irreversible asset, time is always taken for granted and ignored. Yet, the ticks are only ever really appreciated once you realise that you don't have many left. How many more times will the clock go around til your inevitable death? Then suddenly, every tick is heard and counted, whether wanted or not.
Time's existence has sparked an immortal question.
Where did the time go?
Why does a year feel like a week once you've passed it? There were certainly the same amount of ticks every single day, yet, once you reach the end, the long arduous trek over the mountains suddenly seems like a step over an anthill.
Time waits for no one.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Eira's hand was tightly clasped around the hilt of her father's sword. Well, her sword now that she planned to use it til it broke. As she sat outside her home in the cold yet comforting snow, her eyes studied the blade. The meticulously crafted hilt, a white and icy blue that matched the blade, although it had signs of wear, it only added to its powerful appearance. The blade itself shone an icy blue next to the standard dark colour of the nichirin. A beautiful combination of colours that increased the integrity of the blade, complete with a faint snowflake-like pattern on the edge of the blade. Eira took a deep breath, her fingers slowly pressed and glided over the blunt side of the sword. Her eyes were saturated with admiration, glimpses of her father replayed in her mind.
As she studied the snowflake pattern on the blue side of the blade, she was reminded of his footprints in the snow the morning after her mother's death. The footsteps of a father who abandoned all responsibility and left. His blade partially sunk into the snow. The snowflakes attempted to cover the blade completely, white dots coloured the hilt and dark part of the blade. As the wind blew fiercely on her face, she rejected the snow's decision to bury the only fragment of her father left behind and pulled it out. At the time, it felt heavy in her small hands.
Now, it felt light. Heavy only with the memory of her father.
"Here," Cadell spoke, he tapped a cup full of water against Eira's head. Eira turned her head slowly, she smiled upon seeing her brother's face. She took the cup and pushed herself up onto her feet.
"I can't believe you're leaving already," Cadell's voice had an undertone of sadness, although it had only been two weeks, the time had passed too fast. It felt like just yesterday that Ali was inside his house beating him in chess, awaiting Eira. Now, his ears were filled with the metallic symphony of Eira sheathing her sword as she prepared to leave. He stared at his dear younger sister's face.
The scabs on Eira's face had faded, her exhaustion completely disappeared and her eyes had regained energy. He could still see the teary-eyed, trembling younger sister he had found hiding in the closet that night.
"When did you get so… big?" Cadell's heart burned with bittersweetness. It was truly emotional for an older sibling to realise their annoying baby sibling wasn't exactly a baby anymore.
"I am not going to cry this time," Eira drank the water and spoke with a confident ring in her voice. She handed him the cup.
Five minutes later, she was rubbing her eyes.
"I need to visit here more often, I'll miss the snow, you, the people and the…" Eira sniffed as she stared down at the snow-coated ground. The sunshine seemed to bless them for once, a beautiful white glow emanating from the village.
"And you weren't going to cry?" Cadell couldn't help but poke a joke at his sister one final time before she left, "After this mission… Come home ok? Even if it's just for a month. Well, stay safe out there."
Eira turned around swiftly, more tears had welled in her eyes and she did not want to further solidify her brother's joke. Her eyes remained fixated on the patches of clouds that hovered in the sky.
"Goodbye," Eira cleared her throat and glanced backwards, she began to walk away.
"See you next time," Cadell shouted out as Eira took quick steps. As Cadell's voice rang out, Eira halted in her tracks for a moment, then began walking again.
Cadell chuckled.
No matter how old she got, she still looked tiny.
Eira began her departure towards the Demon Slayer Corps base, the Ubuyashiki mansion. She was going to confirm her mission and 'collect' her newly formed force. At first, Ubuyashiki read the letter and looked upon the mission with shock and disbelief. There was a certain level of delusion that glazed the surface of the letter's main intention. An Upper Moon hadn't been defeated in over a hundred years, so to speak of killing one felt like a far-reach. Yet, the more he studied the letter, the more he could see the burning ambition in Eira's letters. Her delicate written letters spoke of a stern blaze of unwavering confidence in the plan. It was an ambitious plan, however, it held an undeniable appeal and charisma. Ubuyashiki knew of Eira's strength and had heard of her easy defeat of Lower Moon One Ali, with the only reason she hadn't killed him being due to his spontaneous ability to regenerate his head.
Eira's letter additionally showcased a strategic marvel. It would've been a different story if Eira only had asked for a team, however, the title was clear about Eira's auxiliary factor.
'The Ice Hashira's request for a personal force and to begin Wisteria poison extraction'
Eira's whole plan to defeat both Akaza and Ali revolved around the recent biotechnology Wisteria Poison. Lethal to demons, Wisteria poison would act as the main force of subduing these powerhouse demons. Each demon slayer in Eira's force would carry several injections of Wisteria poisons to stab the demons with. Eira would serve as the distraction, she would engage Akaza in combat, and have her team be hidden in various spots within the fighting ground. Once Akaza got close, they would stab Akaza, and once enough poison coursed through his veins his regeneration would slow and he would be rendered weak.
Ubuyashiki saw it as a gamble. Wisteria poison was only used by one Hashira, and it hadn't been tested on Upper Moons for its effect. Ubuyashiki was willing to take the gamble, if successful, it could prove immensely revolutionary in the grand war against demons, and more importantly the Demon King, Muzan. Therefore, after careful consideration and attention to Eira's scheme. Ubuyashiki was able to assign a total of twenty-five Corps Members under Eira's leadership, diverse in rank and breathing.
Eira's head was flooded with a constant relay of these thoughts and her ultimate plan to defeat Akaza. She walked towards her destination the entire day, her albino crow on her shoulder providing directions. The sun watched her journey til it too went to sleep, using the horizon as its blanket.
"Lower Moon One, Ali! I challenge you!" It hadn't even been five minutes since the sunset when a loud shout plagued the silence of the scenic mountain. The dojo was stagnant and quiet for once as a demon stood outside it.
"I am Kammu!" The moonlight highlighted the demon's pale grey skin, a single horn that protruded from the back of his head like a ponytail. Sharp eyes and a toned body. He wore two golden bands that wrapped tightly around his wrists.
In response to the demon, was an eerie creak as the door opened slowly. Akaza stood there, his eyes wide with annoyance and hatred. The very glare struck the demon's heart.
"You want to fight?" Akaza's fist clenched and he stepped forward. The demon immediately pounced backwards in fear. Before Akaza dashed and executed the demon, Ali stepped out behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Didn't you hear him? I'm the one he wants to fight," Ali turned to glance at Akaza and smiled mischievously.
Kammu seemed to be on edge as Akaza's glare continued to relentlessly pierce his soul. His heart raced quickly, but he quickly centred once more and stared at his target. Ali.
Ali took slow steps away from the dojo and towards the demon. The demon's eyes rang with anticipation and anxiety. As they got closer together, the demon erratically began to prepare his strongest attack.
"Blood Demon Art: Golden… Prison." The demon shouted enthusiastically as he slammed the golden bands on his wrists together. They burst with a bright spark and unwinded from his arms in a flash of light. They began to stretch in a cartoonish fashion and created a large circling ring around him and Ali, they hovered above the ground acting like ropes to a boxing ring.
The golden ring began to vibrate, intensely yet consistently, a loud buzz beginning to shake the air itself.
"Do you feel that? The vibrations that my bands give off weaken my enemy to the point they can't function. The soundwaves are at the perfect resonance that causes your body's enzymes and cells to denature, shutting down your body," Kammu erupted in a cruel snicker as he stared at Ali with murderous intent.
"No," Ali uttered a single, blunt word in response to the demon's question.
A patch of green shrubbery launched towards Akaza as Ali's feet thrust into the ground to rocket himself forward. Ali's entire body swirled in the air, in a fluid graceful movement, his shin met the side of the demon's head. Kammu's body spun like a ragdoll, as his head hit the ground, dirt jumped in the air from the very impact.
"Good kick," Akaza ducked under the grass projectile that Ali had inadvertently propelled.
The golden rings almost immediately lost all movement and fell to the ground, sluggishly snaking back to the wrists of the Kammu.
"Thanks," Ali wiped some blood off his pants before he turned back to Akaza.
The silent atmosphere had once returned to the mountain, only intruded by the Kammu's groans of agony and pain.
"You aren't going to absorb him?" Akaza crossed his arms and studied the pathetic demon with his head halfway buried in the soft dirt.
"I thought we agreed my next real battle that ends with absorption would be Upper Moon Six," Ali smiled and lightly punched Akaza's shoulder.
"You still need your energy. Weak demons like that have Blood Demon Arts, yet, you have nothing. I really thought you had unlocked it when you came back two weeks ago with glowing crescents," Akaza had a strong sentiment towards Ali's lack of a Blood Demon Art even in the presence of his immense strength.
Akaza pinched violently at Ali's crescent marks, which had returned to normal shortly after Ali came back to the dojo on the night of his incident with Eira. Much to Akaza's dissatisfaction, Ali had no intention in figuring out how to activate his Blood Demon Art.
"I'm strong enough without one," Ali rebutted and smiled, "Where are you off to now?"
"I have to search the entirety of the Aokigahara forest for the next five nights. Lord Muzan said the forest could host the flower he needs to conquer sunlight, the Blue Spiderlily," Akaza explained.
A shout interrupted the mountain's blissful blessing of silence once again, Ali and Akaza turned around in annoyance, yet they were met with a sight that would be embedded in their memories forever.
"What the hell?!" Kammu's voice burst with confusion as his hands patted all areas of his head, mostly due to the fact that… his head had been completely tilted to the right ninety degrees. Its neck was completely disfigured, bent to the side at a freakish angle.
To paint a picture, imagine a statue, or a person for that matter, detach their head, now you have a head and a body. Now tilt the head and only place it back on when the ears are in line with the neck. That's what the demon looks like. A head completely tilted 90 degrees. Had to make sure my vision was seen.
Ali and Akaza both laughed hysterically, Kammu's struggle and shouts made it even more funny.
"Oh… Look at his… head…" Ali gasped and spoke between hysterical laughter, his eyes filled with tears of amusement. Akaza, who rarely laughed, was close to suffocation with how much he was laughing.
"I…" The demon stuttered as he looked at the two, and in embarrassment, he turned around and sprinted down the mountain. His gold bands hadn't fully wrapped around his wrists, so they dragged dirt and leaves with them as they dragged on the ground following the demon.
"I… need to get going," Akaza took a deep breath as he calmed down. "Next week, after Lord Muzan's quest, I'll take you to the red light district to challenge Upper Six. Just… Don't turn out like that,"
They burst into laughter again.