Ali laid on the roof of the Butterfly Mansion, gazing up at the moon. Thoughts of the reincarnators from Reincarnation Paradise weighed on his mind. 'I wonder when those reincarnators will reveal themselves. Should I just run when that happens? If they figure out that l'm like them but didn't come from that Paradise place, they might be hostile. No point in worrying about it now, anyway!'
Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. Shinobu appeared beside him, and he turned his head slightly to acknowledge her as she sat down, also looking up at the moon.
"I heard what you said to Tsuyuri," Shinobu said, breaking the silence.
Ali remained quiet, waiting for her to continue.
"My sister went through a lot," she added, her voice tinged with emotion.
"Listen, Shinobu, it's none of my business. I just said what came to mind at the time. I don't want to get involved in your family issues," Ali responded coldly, turning his head back to the sky.
Silence lingered between them for a while, until Shinobu finally spoke again, "You know, I never asked you what you did before joining the Corps."
"I was a lord who ruled over a small territory, but it got too boring. I decided to leave that place, boarded the first ship I could find, and I don't remember much after that. Next thing I know, I'm lost in a dark forest," Ali explained, his tone distant.
Shinobu was surprised to hear that Ali had once lived such a life. She had never imagined him as the ruling type. She stared at him with her usual smile, not saying a word.
Ali sighed, moving closer to Shinobu until their faces were mere inches apart. His midnight-black eyes locked onto hers as he spoke.
"You know, Shinobu, whenever it's just the two of us, drop that fake smile. I find it repulsive."
With that, Ali stood up and jumped off the roof, leaving a wide-eyed Shinobu alone, still processing his words.
Under the same moon, deep within a dark forest where small rays of moonlight seeped through the trees, a blue-haired man in his late thirties was running for his life. His legs screamed in pain from the strain, but he didn't care—adrenaline pumped through his veins like never before.
He ran and ran until he saw the light from a window in his home, where his wife and two children were. He was almost there, just a few more meters and he would be home.
"AAAAAAAARGH!" he screamed in agony as a ferocious dog bit into his leg, shredding the muscles in his right leg nearly to the bone.
The dog was medium-sized but had unnaturally long and sharp canines that dug into the man's flesh. Its eyes were crimson red, with red veins surrounding them.
Hearing her husband's scream, a woman in her early thirties put down her newborn baby and rushed outside, only to witness the horrifying sight of her husband being dragged into the forest by the monstrous dog. The man stretched his arm toward his wife, screaming in pain.
"NO0000000!" the woman screamed, her heart breaking. She wanted to run after her husband, but she saw her five-year-old son emerge from the house, frightened by the screams outside.
She dropped to the ground, tears streaming down her face, clutching her son tightly. She wanted to go after her husband, but how could she leave her two young children alone at night with that beast lurking nearby?
Deep in the forest, two crimson eyes observed the crying woman and child with a heinous smile.
The next day, Ali and Mitsuri arrived at the village where the demon attack had occurred.
On the way, Ali had asked Mitsuri about her past before becoming a Hashira. Mitsuri was pleased that Ali took an interest in her story, so she told him everything with a happy smile.
The village chief approached Mitsuri, his face lined with worry. "Demon Slayer, I am so glad you're here to rid us of that monster. It's been terrorising our village. Just yesterday, the woodcutter fell victim to its evil, right in front of his wife and child-what a tragedy."
Mitsuri calmed the old man down and had him recount the details. It turned out some sort of demonic dog had killed six people from the village, all of them in the surrounding forest.
Ali followed Mitsuri and the old man as they walked to a wooden house on the edge of the forest. The chief pointed out the direction where the woodcutter's wife had seen her husband dragged away by the beast.
While Mitsuri went inside the house to speak with the family, Ali approached the spot the chief had pointed out. He crouched down, scanning the area until he found a small rock with a hint of red on it. He brought it closer to his nose and sniffed. 'Blood', he thought.
He looked around to find a trail, and there it was—a faint bloodstain on the side of a tree.
"Mitsuri, I found something!" Ali called out, getting the attention of the Love Hashira, who quickly joined him.
"What did you find?" Mitsuri asked, her demeanour now serious and focused.
"A blood trail. It should lead us to the body. Follow me," Ali said as he began walking into the forest, his eyes trained on the ground. Mitsuri followed closely behind, her hand resting on her weapon's handle.
They walked for about two hundred meters before they finally came upon the remains of the woodcutter or what's left of him. Ali crouched beside the body, examining the injuries closely.
"Did they say a demonic dog was all they ever saw?" Ali asked, his voice calm despite the gruesome scene.
"Yes, that's what all the witnesses reported—a wild dog with crimson red eyes dragging people away," Mitsuri confirmed.
"Well, it seems the dog has an owner," Ali stated coldly, looking into Mitsuri's eyes.
"How did you come to that conclusion?" she asked, intrigued.
Ali motioned for her to join him closer to the body, and she did. He pointed to the remains and began to explain.
"Look here-the leg was roughly bitten off by the dog, likely eaten. But the right arm, left arm, and head were all cleanly severed by something sharp. The stomach, on the other hand, was ripped open violently, most likely by the dog as it started eating the organs inside. Now, here's the interesting part-when a wild animal eats, they rip into their prey ferociously at first, but as they get full, they slow down and eventually stop. But this dog didn't stop on its own-it was ordered to, and it obeyed."
Ali stood up and gazed deeper into the forest. "You're dealing with two demons— one is the dog, and the other is its master, a cunning demon who enjoys hunting slowly. With the speed and strength of that dog, it shouldn't have taken this long to catch the man. The demon wanted the victim's family to witness his death and live in fear, wondering when their turn would come."
Ali's explanation sent a chill down Mitsuri's spine. "Ali, how do you know all this?" she asked, disturbed by his insight.
"Let's just say l've seen these types of crimes before. Most of the time, the bodies tell stories about their killers," Ali replied, his voice laced with a cold detachment that made Mitsuri uneasy.
Deep within a dark cave hidden deep in the forest, a black-haired demon with blood-red eyes sat on the cold stone floor. The demon's most striking feature was the pair of very sharp, blade-like extensions that jutted from his elbows, gleaming ominously in the dim light. Beside him, a monstrous dog with crimson eyes growled softly, its hunger palpable in the confined space.
The demon gently stroked the dog's head, his touch strangely tender despite the creature's vicious nature. "Shhhhhh," the demon whispered, his voice a low, soothing murmur. "Now, now… don't worry. Tonight, we will hunt, and together, we will savour the sweet sweet flesh of those terrified humans."
A sinister smile crept across the demon's face as he imagined the fear in his victims' eyes, the dog beside him licking its chops in anticipation. The cave echoed with the soft sounds of the dog's growls, a prelude to the terror they had in my mind for their next victim.
Five extra chapter on patreon.com/Rondo312