A small glimpse into the Void.

Enjoy.

If I had to describe what I've inherited, I would say "nothing." The Void is not something that can be described, it's not something that I can arbitrarily assign meaning or purpose to. So, what is the Void? I think I only truly came to understand it after learning my last blade. Master always told me to wait and see, giving me a confident smile.

Master… She really is kind, I swear. Around others, she tends to act too politely or puts on an air of superiority. Maybe I'm the only one who gets to see the real her, but I definitely see a completely different side of her. When it's just the two of us, she laughs. Not a forced laugh, but a genuine one, one where she smiles widely and tears up sometimes she's laughing so hard. Instead of a knowing smile, she shows me a kind, considerate smile.

I love my Master and respect her a lot. Most people might be led to believe that because she is stuck in a wheelchair, she can't perform at the same level of other demon slayers. Far from it. Despite being restricted, she can still take on any master of their generation. It's incredible. When I see her strike, when I see her command the Void against her opponents, it makes my chest tighten. "I want to be like that." That's what I thought the first time she showed me.

The Void is… special, both the actual Void and Void style. I have observed duels between master and heir before of other styles and it is a back and forth, the master always overpowering their heir or the heir pulling some small trick to disarm the master. But it includes a lot of movement, both sprinting around and pulling their blades against each other.

When I duel with my master however… I guess I can't say what it looks like from an outside perspective, but I can take a good guess based on my vast experience dueling with her. After all, we duel quite often. I'm always eager to show her my progress, to show her that I'm worthy of inheriting the Void.

"You wanted this, right, Yoshiko? Then, come at me." Erena sat smugly in her wheelchair, a katana resting in its sheath on her lap, neither of her hands touching it. She stared across the way at her heir who held her Demonbrand at her side, taking a few steps forward.

This was how all of their duels went. Silence ensuing before the first strike which would inevitably not reach her target. But Yoshiko would try her damn best anyways. "Void style, 5th blade." A smirk from her master. "Closed chapter." Metal clashed, ground was destroyed, but her master simply sat still, her hand never reaching for the sword on her lap. The exchange only lasted a second at most. Yoshiko frowned, knowing that that she hadn't reached her master.

"I suppose it's my turn then." Erena smirked at her heir. "Void style, 3rd blade." Yoshiko tightened her grip on her katana, waiting for the blade. If she used any other style she might not be able to keep up with her master. But they both used the Void and she wouldn't let the Void strike her. "Void style, 3rd blade." Challenging her master's blade head on was an entirely different thing though. If she couldn't follow through, she would be reprimanded for her arrogance, but she had full faith in the Void. It would not fail her here.

""Last Words.""

Another instant of blades striking against each other, Yoshiko successfully countering her master's blade with her own. This was definitely nothing like other battles between master and heir, Yoshiko thought. To outsiders it would almost look as if nothing was happening. Neither would move most of the time. The only indications that anything was happening would be the sounds of metal clashing and the occasional cut in the ground from a deflected strike on either side.

Instead of being stressful, Yoshiko found these duels to be calming. Fighting a powerful opponent felt good. No matter how many times she dueled her Master, it never got old. But it was about time for the duel to speed up.

"Void style, 9th blade." Yoshiko tensed up. Using that blade at least meant that her Master was taking this duel seriously. She quickly ran through all of her options, going head to head with the same blade would probably be impossible for this particular blade. But defending it head on with something else… "Void style, 1st blade." This blade was by no means defensive, but Yoshiko refused to stay strictly on defense. She would blast that blade and go straight through it. This was a chance for her to prove herself. "Oblivion cometh." "Null."

Realistically, it's impossible, Yoshiko thought. Defeating her master felt so far from her grasp. If she could ever defeat her, it would simply be because using the Void weakened her Master enough. But even so… I want to defeat her. No heir doesn't dream of defeating their master in a duel. It's something like a rite of passage. How can her Master pass away peacefully if she doesn't prove that all of her Master's work didn't go towards nothing? Of course, Erena didn't think like that at all and Yoshiko knew it deep down. Erena has the utmost faith in her heir as a successor. If anything, she acknowledged Yoshiko long ago.

But Yoshiko would never give up her mission, her duty. She spent every waking moment she could practicing. She would practice and practice until Erena insisted that she go out and relax. Yoshiko had no desire for anything else than to pursue her duty as a demon slayer. Therefore practice came first and everything else second. Even after she began to take jobs slaying demons, her jobs felt few and far between. HQ acknowledged the power of the Void and assigned them nothing less than A rank demons, considering the rest to be a waste of Void's time. And, even then, nothing short of A+++ rank demons gave the heir to Void any trouble. She would often kill things with a single blade, spending more time getting to the demon than fighting it.

Yoshiko felt the blade instead of seeing it. A blade that destroys targets from the inside out, a scary thought to say the least. The worst part about it when going against it is that it doesn't even have to truly "hit" the target to win. It's easily the hardest blade to counter in their style. But Yoshiko, who had long since mastered that blade as well, had confidence. For anybody else, it would be a death sentence. The calm look on her Master's face showed hope but she was serious about this duel.

Yoshiko moved in, finally taking a step for the first time that duel. She knew where the blade was coming from and knew the blade itself through and through. A nimble dodge from an unseen strike. She let her blade carry her through, moving with purpose, moving directly towards her goal. But Null had only a single purpose: to get her near her goal. She finally struck out, hitting the blade of her Master, making sure to space the strike correctly to avoid a fatal mistake. "Void style, 2nd blade." She changed her grip on her sword but continued forward.

"Void style, 2nd blade." Yoshiko smiled despite her situation, despite likely being completely outmatched. Her Master was going to challenge her blade straight on. She couldn't ask for a better opportunity to prove herself. After defending herself from Void's 9th blade, she knew she was just one step away. But this was the most crucial step. A slipup here would be humiliating, something she would never live down. Luckily, Yoshiko had no intention of failing now that her goal was in sight.

Erena's hand moved to the hilt of her Demonbrand as her heir closed in. Both had their blades prepared but only one would come out on top. Yoshiko willed the Void forward, pushing the limits of what she believed she could do. She already knew this exchange would only last a split second. Yoshiko felt the Void wrapping around her, urging her forward. That's right. This duel wasn't just to prove herself to her Master but to prove to the Void itself that she was worthy of becoming its master one day.

Four steps away. Three steps. Two steps. Both could feel the other's blade coming but neither would back down. Neither would change their blades to counter. This was a battle of willpower.

I truly believe… that you saved me, Master. I imagine it's the same for all demon slayers, but I was lost, broken, an empty husk. Dying does that to a person. Hope became a foreign concept and I spent my days in misery. I only practiced my swordsmanship to distract myself from the pain of losing my former life, my friends, my family. Swinging my Demonbrand until my hands could no longer grasp it numbed me. I was weak. I poured myself into the blade to run away from my past.

But then you came. You showed me a new way to live, a way to accept my new life while not forgetting the one I left behind. You brought the Void to me and allowed me to embrace it. I was sure the nothingness of the Void would feel cold, but it was the opposite. It was a comforting warmth that enveloped me every time I used a blade. Instead of begrudgingly swinging my sword every day, I happily practiced the Void's blades, your blades, Master.

I was weak. The Void provided me with comfort, with hope. And so did you, Master. Those nights I cried, those nights I curled into a ball wishing that the world would just go away, you never left me. You embraced me and assured me that everything was alright. If it wasn't for you, I would have fallen apart long ago. But you accepted this weak girl and helped to make me stronger. You helped build up the Yoshiko that I thought was long dead. I owe you everything, Master. I'll always be by your side, fighting alongside you.

And that's why I can't let you win this duel. No matter what, I have to win. To stay by your side, to grow as a person, as an heir. I'm no longer the weak girl who cried so many nights, who was afraid of the future and the past. I'll never back down, especially not in front of you, Master. So, please accept this blade! I, Tsushima Yoshiko, will put everything I have into this one blade! All for the sake of defeating you, Master!

""To nothing.""

Yoshiko felt at peace in that moment. Everything felt right. The Void was with her and she knew she had struck the best she could. This would not be a time where she could say, "I was feeling unwell," or "I could have done better." No, this strike was the best she could do. This was the result of all of her training, all of those endless hours of practice. On that day, Yoshiko proved something to herself, assuring herself deep down.

Steel slammed against steel. It was brief just as she knew it would be, followed by a silence that only broke when a blade hit the dirt, a brief clang that felt to both as if it echoed to hours. Yoshiko wasn't quite sure how long she stood there, staring at her Master who wore the same calm smile as before she struck. Yoshiko's ears rang as her heartbeat finally settled. She took a step back and took a deep breath, letting all of the tension out with it.

"Hahaha, you never cease to surprise me, Yoshiko." Instead of summoning her katana back to her, Erena wheeled herself over to the fallen blade and stared at it. "Yoshiko. Can you pick this up for me?"

"Eh? A-Ah, yes, Master." Yoshiko sheathed her own blade and ran over, picking up the sword and handing it to her Master. Erena gratefully took the sword with a nod but grabbed the girl's hand before she could pull it away. "Master?"

"Do me a favour and kneel down?" This was the side of her Master that nobody else saw, she knew. A calm soothing voice filled with warmth. Yoshiko got down on one knee without questioning her Master.

"Master, what…?"

Her voice halted when she felt two arms wrap around her head and pull her forward into her Master's chest. A hand gently stroked her hair, slowly moving down before returning to the top and repeating. Yoshiko had to admit, it was one of the best feelings she had ever experienced. Her heart rested easy and she let herself relax into her Master's embrace.

"Good job, Yoshiko. I'm proud of you. You'll make a wonderful master one day."

"Mm. Thank you, Master."

I hope you enjoyed.

Till next time. Be seeing you.