Modern Japan, Sendai City

In the Tohoku region, northeast of Japan's Honshu Island, lies the city of Sendai, known for the Japanese zelkova trees lining its streets, earning it the title "City of Trees." Sendai had been vibrant and bustling, brimming with the spirit of modernity, but not anymore.

Kai stood leaning on his cane, his body wrapped in bandages, with scars marking his face. He could barely move, but curiosity—or perhaps the desire to understand—drove him to rise and leave his bed. Before him lay the city, but it was no longer the Sendai he knew. The sight was terrifying: destruction surrounded every side as if an invisible hand had crushed the entire city. The heavy scent of blood filled the air, while smoke rose from the crumbling buildings, forming a grim scene under the shadows of the setting sun.

Kai could barely remember what had happened, his mind foggy. All he knew was that he had woken up a week ago in this hospital, trapped between cold walls and the relentless hum of pain that never left him. The pain echoed in his head like the blows of an axe, sapping his strength each time he recalled something, forcing him to his knees in surrender.

As evening fell, the sun dipped below the horizon, and the dim light gave way to a cold, desolate night. Suddenly, the sounds of sirens blared from everywhere, and crowds hurried back toward the hospital. He saw people rushing, their faces painted with fear, as though something horrible was chasing them. Kai lifted his head and watched the hospital windows shut one by one, each one sealing off with a steel and glass panel, like a fortress shielding against something impending.

Kai moved with the crowd, feeling currents of anxiety running through him. He didn't understand what was happening or why everyone was so afraid. Countless questions swirled in his mind, but with no answers. He barely made it inside the hospital before the doors closed behind him, returning him to the dim lights that barely illuminated the main hall. The building was shrouded in near-darkness; the earthquake that struck Sendai had cut off power, leaving the hospital dependent on limited energy sources.

Kai stood for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts, trying to recall anything that might explain this devastation.

Among the terrified crowds rushing toward the hospital, Kai spotted a face that looked familiar amidst the tense expressions. It was an old man standing there, with sharp features and vigilant eyes, despite the bruises and wounds that covered his face and hands.

Kai couldn't help himself; a tired smile appeared on his face. That old man was his grandfather, who had only visited him once since he woke up in the hospital and had promised then to answer all his questions during the next visit. But he hadn't kept his promise yet.

Kai approached slowly, leaning on his cane, his heart pounding hard amidst his fear and curiosity. When the old man saw him, his tired expression softened into a warm smile, with signs of relief clear on his face.

The grandfather gently patted Kai's head, saying:

"I see you're doing well, Kai. You've grown strong enough to stand on your own."

Kai replied with a small smile, but in his eyes, many questions danced, so he said:

"Grandfather, you told me you would answer my questions... I can't wait anymore. What's going on here? Why is everyone so afraid?"

The grandfather took a deep breath, as if the words were heavy on him, and said in a low tone:

"Kai, there are things people can't easily understand. The city wasn't destroyed by the earthquake alone; there's something else... something bigger than just a natural disaster."

Kai looked around, then whispered tensely:

"You mean... something like the legends? Like the stories you used to tell me when I was young?"

The grandfather smiled and nodded slightly, then said in a soft, almost ominous voice:

"Sometimes, what we thought were legends become real when we stop seeing them with logical eyes. What's happening here is a confrontation between what we know and what we didn't dare believe."

Kai's gaze deepened, and he felt as if he were a child listening to fairy tales once again.

"But why am I here? Why do I feel like I'm part of this, even though I can't remember anything?"

The grandfather placed a hand on his shoulder, speaking with warmth and sincerity:

"Because, Kai, you carry a legacy you're not yet aware of. And what's happening here... will reveal much about who you are."

Kai stood silent for a moment before asking eagerly:

"My legacy? What do you mean? And is that why I have all these injuries?"

The grandfather laughed quietly, patted Kai's shoulder again, and answered with a confident tone:

"Everything will become clear, but in its own time. Be ready, my boy, because the questions you have today will lead you down a path you never imagined."

In the darkness, and under the weight of strange, frightening sounds echoing from outside the hospital, Kai felt a chill course through his entire body. He had heard these sounds throughout the nights he spent here, always after sunset for just a few moments, but tonight they were deep, heavy, like the wails of unseen creatures prowling outside. As the sounds intensified, people hurried to their rooms, filled with an unprecedented terror, until no one was left in the hall but Kai and his grandfather, both standing, facing the void, awaiting something unimaginable.

Kai looked at his grandfather anxiously and saw the old man slowly reach behind him to pull out a sword, pitch black. The sword seemed like a piece of darkness itself, adorned with faded engravings written in an ancient language, its faint glow reflecting a mysterious light. The grandfather carefully held the sword to his left side, and despite his stern features, he murmured in a soft, frightening voice: "So, they've come."

Kai felt waves of fear seep into him more deeply, whispering in a trembling voice: "Who… who's come? What's going on here?"

But the grandfather didn't turn, instead advancing cautiously toward the door, as if something was drawing him to stand before it. Kai couldn't hold back anymore, shouting, trying to break the mystery: "What's happening here, old man?"

Suddenly, the grandfather stopped in his tracks and turned sharply toward Kai, his eyes blazing with an anger Kai had never seen before. The old man shouted sternly: "I've told you time and time again to call me *Grandfather*! Grandfather, not old man, you fool!"

For a moment, silence reigned, and the grandfather's face returned to its calm expression, as though the storm of his anger had dissipated suddenly. Then he turned back to Kai, looking at him seriously, and said, "Kai, they're here for me. They can sense that I've awakened, that my powers are beginning to manifest. You're also part of this, but they won't target you yet... not until your power awakens."

Kai stood, stunned, unable to grasp what he was hearing. The grandfather continued, his voice filled with a gravity that took his breath away: "When you awaken that power, trust me, they won't leave you alone ever again. That power terrifies them, makes them tremble with fear. That's why I want you to watch what's happening here, but don't even think of crossing the hospital's outer door. I've always wanted you to find the answers on your own, to seek out your truth, because sometimes..." He paused for a moment, then added with wisdom, "the questions are what make us who we are, not the answers."

Kai didn't understand any of his grandfather's words; they sounded strange, like part of a dream, or perhaps madness. But the wild sounds echoing outside were enough to make him believe that this old man really was hiding something.

The grandfather turned again, and continued his steps firmly toward the hospital's front door, exiting quietly into the outer yard. Kai watched him, unable to look away as he walked until he reached the large iron gate outside, where the grandfather stopped. Kai observed in silent horror, wondering why those sounds couldn't penetrate the gate.

The old man lightly and swiftly passed through the outer gate, jumping in the air in a way that seemed to Kai to defy the laws of nature. Kai was drawn outside, following his grandfather's footsteps, and despite the warnings he had received, he couldn't contain his curiosity and his urge to understand what was happening. The beastly sounds grew sharper in the pitch darkness, but they weren't enough to clearly reveal their source.

Kai slowly approached until he reached the outer door of the hospital, hesitating for a moment before he gathered his courage, opened the door quietly, and looked outside. What he saw was a living nightmare, a scene beyond his wildest imagination. The battle had already begun between his grandfather and those strange creatures that he had always thought were fantasies and legends of the past.

In the middle of the darkness, Kai could see his grandfather's face clearly, but it was different—hardened with determination and focus. The grandfather stood ready, raising his sword, which now blazed with blue flames. It wasn't just an ordinary flame; it burned in a strange way, as if it was consuming the surrounding darkness. Kai remembered his grandfather's tales of "breathing techniques" used by the demon slayers' corps hundreds of years ago. It had always seemed like a far-fetched story, and he never imagined he would witness such proof before his eyes.

Kai froze in place as he cast his gaze forward and saw those creatures standing in opposition to his grandfather. They were terrifying beings, with disfigured human bodies and ugly faces distorted as if they had emerged from the depths of an ancient nightmare. Their eyes glowed in the dark, red like embers, moving slowly toward his grandfather, with their mouths agape, exposing long, sharp fangs dripping with a sticky substance that looked like a mixture of blood and venom. Their bodies were covered in thick, wrinkled skin, dark and almost black, and their long hands ended in sharp claws resembling twisted knives, reflecting the light from the glowing sword.

Kai stared in astonishment at his grandfather as he advanced toward them with courage, yet with eyes bearing the weight of years of battles and hidden secrets. The old man raised his sword fiercely and dashed toward the demons with lightning speed, delivering precise, experienced blows, each strike releasing sparks of flame, destroying the demons one by one. But those creatures kept increasing, emerging from the shadows as if they were an inseparable part of the night itself.

The battle unfolded before Kai, as if time had stopped, with his grandfather fighting with skill and strength that would astonish any witness. Despite the overwhelming number of demons, the old man seemed to have the upper hand over them all; his glowing sword lit up the darkness of the night as he struck left and right in a frenzied attack. His movements were swift and agile, far removed from the image of the old man Kai knew; he looked like a young man in his prime, full of resolve, fighting relentlessly.

Kai couldn't stop himself from thinking deeply about everything that had happened. His conviction grew that the demons were responsible for destroying the city and that the terrifying sounds he had heard on countless nights were not merely echoes of the past but a real battle his grandfather had been waging every night. Filled with awe and helplessness, he watched his grandfather fighting to protect everyone, preserving the safety of everyone in the hospital, standing alone against the forces of darkness to prevent them from reaching the innocent.

Kai trembled when he saw the blood dripping from his grandfather's wounds, yet the old man showed no sign of weakness; on the contrary, it seemed that each wound only made him more ferocious. Kai began to feel hot tears streaming down his face, a mixture of pride and sorrow. He had just realized that his grandfather bore a great burden, one he had never asked anyone to share, but had accepted willingly to protect those he loved.

With trembling hands, Kai placed them on his chest, closed his eyes, and began to pray in a soft, shaky voice: "Please, God, save my grandfather... He's all I have in this world. You see his bravery, how he fights with sincerity. I beg you, don't leave him alone in this battle..."

The words choked him, and his heart was drawn to the only man standing against all this darkness. He wished he had the strength to help his grandfather, wished he wasn't so weak and powerless, but he now understood that his grandfather hadn't left him out of the battle because he didn't want to put him in danger.

In a moment when Kai's breath froze and silence filled the air, the noise of the glowing sword faded as if the battle had drained all his grandfather's strength. Kai opened his eyes, his heartbeat pounding audibly. He saw his grandfather wavering for a moment in the air before collapsing toward the ground, where the demons rushed toward him in a terrifying rush, swarming around him like a dark storm.

The grandfather was surrounded, pinned to the ground, trying in vain to retrieve his sword, which lay glowing on the ground as if it were a piece of a fallen star. Kai, frozen in place behind the iron door, felt his helplessness suffocating him, his voice trapped in his throat as though fear gripped him from within, preventing him even from screaming. His knees gave out, and he fell hard, looking through the iron bars at the nightmare before him, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

Suddenly, from among the crowd, a different demon emerged. He was unlike the other demons surrounding his grandfather; he appeared much larger, his body encased in a black armor that gleamed ominously. His eyes glowed red with a sinister intelligence, and his lips bore a cold, merciless smile. He looked like the leader of the demons, the only one capable of filling the space with a dreadful aura that even made the other demons retreat slightly as he approached.

The demon leader stepped forward in calm strides, then stood over the grandfather, looking at him with disdain before shouting in a gruff, malicious voice, "A week! An entire week fighting this old insect and you still fail!" He gestured to the grandfather with his outstretched hand, as if his very existence were an insult.

Kai, seated behind the door, could only look with tear-filled eyes, trembling with fear as he watched his grandfather in this horrifying predicament. His heart raced wildly, torn between the urge to rush in and help his grandfather and the overwhelming fear that kept him rooted in place. He was the only child left, the only one who had seen his grandfather in all his greatness and courage, and now he was witnessing his weakness before this monster.

Kai felt something boiling within him, a mix of anger and sorrow, but he was trapped by fear. "Oh God, what do I do?" he whispered to himself in a voice barely audible, realizing bitterly that he was a fourteen-year-old boy with no power to save his grandfather.

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