Amidst the dense fog, a young man sits atop the scattered bodies of vanquished demons, his tall figure, around 6'1 feet, shrouded in the mist.
The eerie cries of crows echo through the desolate forest, adding to the chilling atmosphere that surrounds him.
The young man is drenched in blood, with striking Hanafuda earrings, a flowing ponytail, and vibrant orange attire. He has a pale skin and slender figure.
"Th... this guy is the real demon. Someone Help!!!" screamed some demons running away from the boy.
...
The dense mist envelops the entire forest, shrouding everything in an eerie veil. In the heart of the forest, a sinister figure emerges, drawing nearer to the young man. This mysterious presence takes the form of a humanoid figure with a body that seems to be a dark, amorphous mass, with piercing crimson eyes that glow ominously in the darkness.
"So we've finally met, Tsugikuni Yoriichi... The first breathing style user... I was looking for you...," says the entity in a very deep voice.
The boy glares at the figure, "Upper Moon-3, aren't you?" says the boy, Ren Hajime in a calm voice.
Ren didn't attack him but asked, "What do you take lives for, exactly? Why do you take lives?"
"I take lives for my master, Muzan Kibutsuji. I am not the only one who takes lives. Human beings are the biggest demons who take the lives of other species and even of their own species. If they don't find it guilty, why should I take it?"
.
"What do you find so entertaining? What's so amusing about it?" Ren asks in anger.
"It helps me kill my boredom. I give them what they deserve when they take others' lives."
In his mind, the demon's excuse was utter bullsh*t, "Is that what you tell yourself to help you sleep at night?" His words were cold, the anger finally showing on his face, "You're a true devil. How can you take the lives of others just to kill your boredom? You fool. You're not God to give judgment to others. How can you forget about it?"
Jigen, the Upper Moon 3 laughs like a psychopath to his response. "Is this what you can say? What did you say... God? Don't tell me you believe these stupid tales."
Ren clenched his jaw, frustration now filling up within him. Arguing with Jigen was like talking to a brick wall for him.
Jigen holds something in his hand and shows it to Ren. That's his beloved crow.
"SUZAKU!!!" Ren screams inside his mind.
"I killed it. You can thank me later about it," taunts Jigen.
"YOU..!!!" Ren calms himself down even in such a state.
"Do you know that I also found a letter attached to the stupid crow? I found it cringe. How can you even write such a letter?" teases Jigen.
The Letter: Dear Chikafusa, I will never come back. If you're reading the letter, it means that I am likely dead. I don't know if I'll be able to defeat the demon king or not. I left the corps without anyone noticing. I did it for you all. You all are my only family. Demons are after me, and they almost found our hideout. I don't want to cause any trouble because of me. Ai may be sad because she loved us more than anything. Take care of her and everyone. Take care of Oyakata-Sama! I promise if I defeat the demon king then I'll return. Farewell~
Ren feels sad about leaving the corps and his friends. "That's right! I did it all for you. I want y'all to live a happy life, unlike me. I am not sure what will happen to me next. I don't know how I will live alone."
"Do you know what I did to your letter? I tore the letter and only left the part "Dear Chikafusa, I will never come back. If you're reading this letter, it means that I am likely dead" for them."
Ren becomes furious and says in a very harsh voice, "YOU BASTARD!!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!! DO YOU REALLY ENJOY PLAYING WITH THE LIVES?!! DON'T YOU DARE TO DECEIVE MY FRIENDS!!! YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER!!!"
Jigen extended his index finger, drawing in the energy of the demons Ren had vanquished in the dark, forbidding forest. With a sudden gesture, he unleashed a massive surge of power towards him.
Ren, gripping his sword with steely resolve, met the attack head-on, the collision of their opposing forces causing a cataclysmic explosion that reduced everything in its path to mere particles of dust.
As the swirling aftermath settled, Jigen had mysteriously vanished, leaving no trace of his presence behind.
…
"Huh?! Where did he go?" Ren looked around everywhere but he didn't find any trace of him.
"Suzaku..." He looks at his crow's lifeless body. A mix of regret and sadness washed over him, etching deep emotions onto his face. He can't help but continue his journey to exile.
"Is life... really beautiful?!!" He questions his own philosophy and continues walking in a straight line.
.
He keeps walking for the entire night. He doesn't know where he will stop, he is clueless. "How long do I have to confront these demons so I can meet my brother?"
"Brother..." He stays silent for some minutes, and then he finally whispers, "What If my own brother denies me? My life will be nothing but a lie if this happens. This is the worst nightmare possible."
He keeps walking and walking. Silence is everywhere. The night starts disappearing and dawn is fading away the entire darkness.
Ren looks up at the clear sky and whispers, "Life is truly beautiful in every aspect. Those sufferings and pain are mere aspects of life. When they fade away, a new beginning rises, allowing us to embrace life's beauty and continue our journey with renewed hope and strength."
While on his journey, he ends up confronting an abandoned hut.
He closed his eyes and tried to remember his own house similar to this hut. "What a nostalgia it is—"
He suddenly hears someone crying from the house. "Someone crying? At this time? What could it be?"
He smells blood coming from the location and immediately runs towards the house to check the situation.
Upon reaching the hut, he finds a nine-year-old boy crying in front of a demon who is vanishing due to the sunlight.
"Are you alright?!" Ren asks the boy in a hurry.
The boy is holding an axe and waiting for the demon to vanish. Ren is shocked to see the young boy defeating a demon on his own.
"Where's your family?" Ren asks in concern, but the boy doesn't reply.
He sobs, "They died a week ago."
Ren understands why the hut seemed abandoned. A kid can't manage a house on his own.
The boy has long straight hair with turmoil eyes. He has worn dirty and torn clothes.
Ren holds the boy's hand and tries to make him escape the hut. But the boy didn't move and said furiously, "I SWEAR... I WILL DESTROY EVERY SINGLE DEMON FROM THIS EXISTENCE!!! I WILL NOT LET ANY SINGLE DEMON ALIVE NO MATTER WHAT!!!"
…
Ren softly smiles and says, "I was taken aback by your decision. Even I can never accomplish such a goal. I can train you if you want."
The boy immediately falls to his knees and bows down, "Please train me!! I beg you!!! I swear I will destroy every demon!"
———————————————————————
The next morning.
Chikafusa along with the group of demon slayers arrives in the forest where Ren killed multiple demons.
"Why is there so much blood?" asked one of the demon slayers.
Suddenly, they found a dead crow on the ground. Chikafusa immediately understands the crow.
"Suzaku?!" He whispers. He doesn't believe what he has seen right now. "Th— that's Hajime-San's crow. Why?!!"
.
"Hey, Yamamoto! I found a letter for you. Your name is written here. That's weird," says one of the demon slayers.
"Huh?! A letter for me? In this forest?" Chikafusa rushed to the spot and retrieved the letter with a sense of perplexity. As he began to read it, his expression turned grim. "Dear Chikafusa, I will never return. If you are reading this letter, it means that I am likely dead."
Chikafusa's voice trembled as he made a chilling realization. "This handwriting... I've seen this before... Could it be... Could it be Hajime-San's writing?"
Tears spilled from his eyes uncontrollably as he stared at the handwritten note. It was unmistakably Ren's handwriting. "Hajime-San... Why would you say so? Are you really... gone? How could this happen? Who could have done this to you?"
Another member of the demon slayer corps approached Chikafusa and inquired about his distress. Through his sobs, Chikafusa managed to convey, "It's from Hajime-San. He wrote that he's... he's gone."
He tried to wipe away the tears cascading down his cheeks, but every attempt only seemed to bring forth more tears.