Chapter 1: Cold Snow

"No, you can't kill him. He's my brother. I won't let you kill him."

A young girl in a white pleated skirt spread her arms wide, shielding a man behind her.

The man was enveloped in a thick black smoke, obscuring his form and features. Only his eyes were visible, glowing red like embers, giving him a ghostly, malevolent appearance.

Behind the girl, in the snow, lay a young boy, barely clinging to life.

The boy was covered in wounds, his long white robe soaked in blood. Scattered around were dismembered human limbs, blood mixing with the melting snow and freezing into ice.

The scene was gruesome, a veritable hellscape.

"Akiyama, that's enough. You've killed everyone in the village. Let him go. I'll do anything you ask if you let him go."

The man shrouded in black smoke slowly approached the girl.

She looked about eighteen or nineteen, her delicate face flushed from the cold, tears frozen into ice crystals on her cheeks. Snowflakes fell on her head, quickly turning her black hair white.

Facing the ghostly man, she did not flinch, her eyes resolute and fearless.

The man reached the girl, meeting her gaze. They stared at each other for a moment.

A ghostly hand extended from the smoke, a sharp claw gently touching the girl's forehead. Though it was just a touch, the claw was evidently very sharp, as a thin line of blood trickled down her nose.

The man retracted his hand, licking the blood from his claw.

"What good is letting him go? In his state, do you think he can survive? Better I turn him into a demon. That way, the three of us can be together forever. Yuki, don't you want to be with me forever?"

"Akiyama, let Hatsune go. If you do, I'll stay with you forever. As you said, he won't live long in this condition. Let him stay here. Whether he lives or dies is up to fate. I don't want him to disturb us."

The man was silent, his red eyes fixed on the girl, contemplating whether her words were sincere and whether he should kill the boy.

Seeing his hesitation, the girl continued, "I don't know what it's like to become a demon, but I imagine there's a difference between doing so willingly and being forced. Akiyama, Hatsune is my last request. If you kill him, I won't willingly become a demon. Of course, you can force me, but it might not go as you expect."

"Are you threatening me?" The man suddenly bent down, his smoke-covered face close to the girl's.

She did not blink or avert her gaze, seemingly seeing the man she once loved standing in the darkness behind the smoke.

The man before her was not him. This man was a devil.

"Think of it as you will. I said it was a request, and it is the truth."

On the eastern horizon, the first light of dawn appeared. The night was quickly retreating.

The snow was blindingly white.

"Let's go."

The man spared the boy, extending his hand to the girl.

"Wait."

She turned to the boy, gently lifting him and placing him against the trunk of a large tree.

Looking at his lifeless form, she couldn't hold back her tears, placing her pendant in his hand and gently wiping the blood from his face.

His deathly pale face revealed he wouldn't survive without immediate help.

"Hatsune, you must live. Don't come looking for me, and don't seek revenge. I just want you to live, for both of us."

She softly caressed his cold face, her tears flowing freely. She knew this was a final farewell. The next time they met, she feared she would be an unrecognizable monster.

The man came up behind her. "Yuki, the sun is rising. We must go. There's no need for such a tearful farewell. If he survives, you'll meet again. Though I hope he dies. If you meet again... hehe."

If you meet again, he might see you as a monster, and you might see him as prey.

Ignoring his manic laughter, she stood up, gave the boy one last look, and took the man's hand, stepping into the black smoke.

The smoke drifted towards the dark forest.

The boy, struggling, tried to reach for the fading figure, but it was futile.

He could only watch as his sister walked away, becoming one with the darkness.

His arm fell limply, and he felt himself sink into darkness, the silence like a cold, dark pit, his body growing colder and heavier.

Soon, sunlight drove away the darkness, but it brought no warmth.

He felt himself sinking, his consciousness fading.

Suddenly, he smelled a faint wisteria scent, like his sister's. He thought she had returned, his sinking body finally stilling.

"Si... sister."

He forced his head up, seeing a beautiful butterfly land before him.

As his vision cleared, he saw it wasn't a butterfly but a girl, a beautiful young girl.

Her smile was warm like spring, her purple eyes lovely, and she had the same scent as his sister.

"You're... not my sister. Who... who are you?" he muttered before losing consciousness.

"Ah, he's dead! Dead! He's dead!" A girl with butterfly hairpins and twin ponytails cried out in alarm behind the purple-eyed girl.

"Aoi, don't make such a fuss. He's only passed out. Poor child, get the medical team to take him back."

The girl with purple eyes was none other than Shinobu Kocho, one of the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. The girl she called Aoi was Kanzaki Aoi, a medic and one of the few demon slayers under her command.

Shinobu stood, surveying the small village. Blood and limbs scattered on the glaringly white snow.

A male demon slayer hurried to her side. "Miss Shinobu, we've searched everywhere. No survivors."

"What a tragedy."

Shinobu smiled as if discussing something trivial, but her purple eyes were filled with hatred as she turned to the boy on the stretcher.

"Everyone's dead, but you're still alive. Why did the demon spare you? Could it be your flesh isn't tasty? It seems you'll need some proper training."