Thunderclap and Flash!

Today, we can see a young man training until he can't move. This hellish training is very hard, but not as harder as Silver's training difficulty.

The young man, despite experiencing more hellish than this current one, he wants to give up. However, he can't give up because of something unknown, a reason he has yet to know from within himself. He wants to give up, yet he still persists.

More importantly, he's trying to learn a Breathing Style that focuses on speed. Training diligently despite his sore body he got from training, still training despite the fact that he's being pushed to his limit, close to death.

One day, while was training under the Agatsuma swordsman, he was asked by his sensei.

"What is the reason behind your drive to get stronger?" Silver asked while under the moonlight, looking up to the bright crescent moon.

"My reason is," Ryu answered as he also stared at the waning moon. "To protect my love ones, I need to get stronger, strong enough to protect them all. Right now, I am too weak and can only protect two people at a time."

"There's a way to get stronger quickly, but that means there are consequences for such action. However, as long as you have that reason within your heart, wanting to protect your family, friends, and love ones, you will get stronger. As to how you do it, you have to figure it out yourself." Silver gave him some word of wisdom.

Silver wasn't finished yet, "Even if your talent is trash, even if you suck in swordsmanship, your determination will help you, your intellect will allow you, and your persistence in your harsh training will get even further and stronger, don't forget that."

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"The Breath of the Thunder has 7 forms, three of which a demon used using his Blood Demon Art, so we humans can only access 4 forms of it. However, my grandfather, Agatsuma Zen'itsu managed to use the first form to its utmost limit that even my parents weren't able to, not even I. I hope you will be able to reach that level so I can finally pass on in peace, knowing that Thunder Breathing will still live on." He said with a smile on his face.

Ryu took a disciplined and determined look as he said, "It is an honor to learn this breath style. I will do my best from now on to reach that level.

"Good!" he nodded at his determination, "There is one thing you should know: all other breathing forms are all based on the first form. Even if you can't use other form, I want you to; at least, master the first form to its limit."

"HAI!"

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A year has passed since Ryu started training under his Agatsuma-sensei and under the wise words of a True Neutral Silver Sterling.

Training diligently, despite the fact that he already finished his training from his teachers and can only get some advices from them, he has yet to reach the level of his great-great-grandfather.

When it comes to school, he was always the class president in his school.

Right now, he was eleven, and he could already fight a grade 2 cursed spirit despite being at the peak of grade 3. Normally, only grade 2 sorcerers can fight grade 2 cursed spirits, but whenever he flow his cursed energy on his weapon, a normal katana as Seidan was his trump card, regeneration is nullified to curses at his level or near his level while those of higher than him will have their regeneration slowed by 90-70% depending if it was a low-, mid-, or high-level grade 1 spirit.

With Seidan as his weapon, he can fight a special-grade cursed spirit which he only have 40% chance of defeating. As for why, it is because despite that his attacks are powerful enough to exorcist a special-grade, it doesn't mean his body is strong enough to actually withstand the attacks of a special-grade curse.

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Another year has passed, Ryu managed to master Hinokami Kagura, Thunder Breathing, and Water Breathing. His master, Silver Sterling, taught him Wind Breathing which made Ryu think of how he know such breathing style, which made him more mysterious than ever before.

Silver always talks to him whenever Ryu feels lonely because he never gets to see his family for two years now.

Even if 2 years is still considered short, he became his father figure. He sometimes visits him in the Itadori family's home to teach him about cooking which made him more mysterious than ever.

He and Yuji have become so close that you thought they were brothers, but one of them is smart while the other is kinda stupid but more kindhearted than the former. When other kids around his age insulted or bullied his friends, he will beat them up into pulp while also being smart to what to say whenever he is called to the principal's office to get interviewed.

As he is a kindhearted and smart boy, the school can't really expel him out of the school considering his grades are at the highest, scoring perfect scores, helping his classmates to study which also raised their grades.

These two years, he was never the type of kid who wants a grand party for his birthday despite being the first-born son of a rich family.

On the other side of his life, he exorcised cursed spirits here and there using a bokken that Silver gave to him. The wooden katana has no special powers or ability whatsoever, but the bokken itself is made from a wood that is more than a thousand year old tree from wherever Silver came from which even adds more mysteriousness in his character.

Both his strength and ability to exorcise cursed spirits are now on par to grade 2, reaching grade one. However, he has yet to master Repetitive Action and even fully activate his Demon Slayer Mark and enter the Transparent World which will give him a huge boost.

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Ryu, however, got a problem of his own.

"What? Okaa-san, didn't I told you that I don't want to marry someone whom I didn't even met yet, right?"

"This family helped your grandfather who was bed-ridden for years and can now walk as if he hadn't fallen ill."

"Okaa-san, it's just because of a deal that I am now engaged at an early age."

"I know that! But, would you let your father suffer slowly until he dies?!"

"…"

"Son, I'm sorry but-"

"I know… I can't also bear witness of such thing. It's just that, it felt like you sold me just to get him healed, but he will still die. However, I don't want him to die yet because we haven't been together for so long since he fell ill."

"Thanks for understanding…"

"I will always be… Just don't ever do that to my siblings… I don't want them to get angry at you."

"Of course. Take care, Ryu."

"Take care too, kaa-san."

Before Ryu could even hung up…

"Oh, before I forget! Your fiancée is from the Zen'in family, niece of the current family head."

*Tut* *Tut**Tut*

3 seconds later…

"EEEEEHHHHHH?!"

Both Wasuke and Yuji arrived when they heard Ryu yell.

"Ryu-shounen, what's the matter?"

"Why did you scream, Ryu-nii? Did you see a cockroach? Where is it?"

"Ah… Etto… Nothing the two of you should be concerned about!"

Wasuke only shrugged it off after being told it was just nothing and told him like an elderly he is, "Sleep early tonight. You should sleep early too, Yuji"

"Hai, hai! I'm going."

Ryu slept too but not before he thought of what his mother told him.

'Your fiancée is from the Zen'in family, niece of the current family head.'

"I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depending on which girl is she talking about. I don't even know if it was really one of those twins, or just a side character from the manga that wasn't introduced nor appeared, not even mentioned."

He muttered to himself as he drifted into the dreamland.

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*Thundering sounds*

A 10-year old Yuji woke up from the thunder, but when he looked outside...

"Huh? That's strange… The sky is clear but why is there a thunder? Whatever, I'll just try to sleep…"

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"Can't sleep, kid?" a silver-haired man appeared behind a red-haired boy.

The boy turned around and nodded, "Yes…"

"You know what I do whenever I can't sleep?" even though Silver said this with an emotionless voice, it didn't sound emotionless to Ryu.

Ryu just waited for the answer to come while he tried to make sure that he is using Repetitive Action.

"I also train too. After training, I will lie down on a grassy hill and look up in the sky and try to remember all the happiness that happened on my life."

"Is that so? Should I do that as well?"

"You can, but you have to find what would calm you down, kid."

"Then, can I call you Pops?" Ryu joked.

But Silver only smiled a little and said, "You can."

Ryu looked at him with widened eyes.

"EH?! I was just joking! I didn't know you would say yes…"

Silver's smile grew a little and said, "I am old enough to be your father despite the fact that I look like I was just in my early 20s."

"Wait, how old are you?"

"32 years old."

"Really? You look like you're just around 20."

"Anyway, it seems like you want to ask me something…"

Ryu stated to ask him, "Who really are you? Why did you help me?"

Silver's expressions softened as he spoke, "You reminded me of my nephew… Kindhearted but will do what is right. Help whenever needed. And most of all, your red eyes that are slightly darker than his."