Side Story: Mist Walker

Several Months Later, on a Mid-summer Night

"The nights are beautiful, this world can still show some beauty in these dark nights." A man said as he made through the night mists towards his destination.

He was covered in a traditional black Yukata matching black hakama pants with none of his skin exposed as it was all hidden under black clothes that stuck to his skin, it was skintight and breathable with only a slit in the fabric where his eyes could view through but were completely unseen to anyone who looked at him, no matter how close you approached.

He tipped his bamboo Kasa hat up, "No time to watch the stars, I sense great misfortune ahead, I must be close." He muttered to himself as he kept going to the source of Misfortune.

"At least Master let me borrow these to do my job, what a strange man he is." He muttered as a blackish smoke came out from the open visor in his face as he moved further and further in.

*****

Elsewhere, in a small, old, lumberjacks Hut.

"Brother, why do you keep turning away that lady? Going with her would be more interesting than living out here in these woods with just the two of us now." After all it had only been a few months since their parents passing and they have been living off what they have hunted along with the charity the received from the woman, Amane Ubayashiki, Kagaya's Wife, who gives them a few days worth of food to convince them to join the so called Demon Slayers.

The younger of the Twin Brothers, Muichiro wants to join but his older twin Yuichiro does not and they both don't want to leave each other so they both haven't left as a result.

"…. Like I have said I have my reasons…" Yuichiro send with a cold demeanor only to irritate his kind younger brother in return.

"'Like I said I have my reasons' that's always your response when I ask you! When the hell aren't you going to come out and tell me the truth already huh?!" Muichiro finally snapped at his brother for never saying why he's so adamant about not wanting to go and he's gotten sick of keeping up a cheerful demeanor about it all the time.

"Alright fine! You wanna know why?! The only reason we are in this situation is because mom and dad died because of how Hardworking and Selfless they were, they never asked for anything and all their hard work meant nothing in the end because even the people of the village weren't willing to take either of us in thinking they owed nothing to our parents who were the ones who helped them build their houses with the wood our father gathered and they didn't even have the decency to have a doctor check up on our mother to tell us what was wrong or what we could have done to save her! And then our father died trying to save her and nobody helped us so why should I trust some lady who came to give us food if she and whoever these demon slayers are just want to use us since we have potential huh?!" Yuichiro said as he pushed his brother back who was in his face as they stared each other down.

*crack*

Suddly they heard the sound of a twig snapping nearby which made them turn towards the front entrance of their home.

"Oyaoya? What was this I just heard? Someone is trying to recruit some brats into the Demon Slayers?!" They heard the sound of an unfamiliar man's voice before the front door of their home was kicked in as a hulking brut of a man walked in.

But he looked different, deathly pale skin, with red eyes, teeth were sharp fangs, fingers were like claws and horns growing from his head as he stared at the two kids with a blood thirsty look in his eyes.

"You know, I was out here only hoping to get myself some good food until I heard you mention being personally recruited by the demon slayers, now I'm not only will I eat you for food, now I have to kill you both, after all two less future demon slayers is better for all of us demons!" He shouted out before lunging forward to the two brothers.

"Muichiro! Move!" Yuichiro called out before pushing his brother out of the way of that sudden attack but-

*SLASH!*

"UGGGGHHHHAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" Yuichiro screamed out in agony as his left arm got cut in half from the elbow as his now lost arm flew off and tumbled before stopping a few feet away as he fell to his knees and clutched at the stump that was his arm.

"Yuichiro!" Muichiro cried out as he knelt at his brothers side not knowing what to do while a boiling rage was building up in him.

Kyahahaha! How stupid can you be! Some demon slayer candidates you turned out to be, both of you are nothing but pathetic children in the end, maybe I really didn't have anything to worry about in the first place, cause you worthless brats are about to die by me anyway! Kyahahaha!" He laughed at their pain not realizing there was someone already standing right behind him.

*Shing*

"... Huh?" Before the demon even realized it he was bisected vertically as both parts fell apart in separate directions before falling to the ground with a thud.

"Really now, bullying children even though your a grown man, do you have even the slightest bit of shame?" The kids looked up in surprise at the faceless swordsman who effortlessly grabbed half the demons body before tossing it outside.

"Wha-wha-what are you doing?! Who the hell are you?!" He asked with a sudden deep feeling of fear as he didn't even sense the man appearing behind him.

"Oh me? Nobody really, let's just say I'm the guy who goes around cleaning up trash like you is all." He said before swinging his sword and cutting this half of his face of his bisected body before lifting up by his hair as he stepped on his headless side of his body from moving.

"You know Demon Slayers frown on needlessly torturing demons, it's because we'd be no different then your kind if we tortured you like this, but torturing the kids my master told me to come save is a different story altogether." The man said putting true fear into the demon before dismembering his arm and legs from his body.

"Now this is unusually cruel, but I'm going to nail your body parts to a tree and let the morning sun finish you off, oh and we can't have any screaming now can we, but I should do this not in front of children." He said looking at the kids who seemed scared but the brother is more worried about his other brother who was losing blood.

So the man brought out the body parts outside before fully dismantling the demon in a rather gruesome way and nailing his body parts on separate trees, all in less than a minute at that before heading back inside.

When he did Muichiro stood in the way to protect his brother.

"Haaa, look kid I'll be quick about this, if your brother doesn't get help soon he's going to slowly bleed to death, I can fix his arm and even reattach it, saving his life, but you got to let me help him to do that." The man said to which he looked at his brother who was still bleeding everywhere as he breathed heavily while sweating hard trying to keep calm and ignore the pain.

Not seeing any other options and even if this man seemed cruel he did save his life and his brothers, so he turned back and nodded before bowing his head, "Please! Save my brothers life!"

"That's what I wanted to hear." The man said before going over and grabbing the brothers severed arm and returning to Yuichiro who was gritting his teeth in pain as he looked at this mysterious man.

"Give me your arm, I have a way of reattaching your arm." Is all he said, and while Yuichiro was skeptical he let go of his arm which let the blood flow unrestricted as he could see his bone and veins pumping blood out.

Grabbing his stump the man aligned his bones and veins up properly between his stump and severed arm before a glowing green light appeared between his hands as befor his eyes his bones, nerves, muscle tissue, veins and skin began to reconnect at a rapid pace before after only one minute, his arm was completely healed before Yuichiro slumped over into the man's chest.

"Brother!" Muichiro shouted out as he knelt by his brothers side to check on him.

"Don't worry, he will be fine, he will need to rest for awhile, I had to use his bodies energy to help rapidly heal his arm, but it's not safe for you two to stay here anymore." The man said before lifting Yuichiro up and onto his shoulder.

"You have been getting invites to the Demon Slayers right? Well my master is the one who told them of you and your brothers potential as Demon Slayers, and he's the one who told me of the danger you both were in so it only seems fair that you would come along and join us, you both have great potential to save this country from its danger, and even after that to help beyond the borders too." He said mysteriously at the end as he turned and headed for the door, leaving Muichiro a bit confused but followed along.

Outside he grimaced slightly at the gruesome sight of the dismembered demon who had no power to free himself as they both moved on and away from their old home.

"…. Sir, you never told me your name." Muichiro asked as he wanted to know the name of the person who had saved his and his brothers life.

"…. I have many names and titles, some call me a Trickster, Others a Prankster, Some a Deciever and my enemies a Faceless Horror." He says as he stops and turns his head to look down at the child before him.

"But you? You can call me…." He says before pulling down his mask only to reveal a empty black void where his face should be.

"The Changeling."