Chapter 2 - A Demon's Blade

The journey home was rather uneventful to say the least. My demon blood allowed me to walk through most nights, only stopping occasionally when my human fatigue caught up to me. In order to save on rations during the day, I fed on my blood more often than usual. The only thing of note to take place was a rather weak demon I ran into that was chased out by a nearby town. I reacted on instinct and killed it before I even knew why it was fleeing. The mob that was chasing it thanked me and offered to let me stay the night in their village, but I declined the offer. I avoided most of the towns on the way as they presented an unnecessary risk were I to stay a night at one. My hood had deteriorated quite a bit during final selection, so I didn't want to risk anyone seeing my smoke. Finally after a month of travel, I arrived back at my mountain home.

It had been almost a year since I'd last been here so it was no surprise at how run down it was. The wood was decaying with moss growing up the side of the exterior. The clothes line had snapped and the door fell off one of the hinges. I removed my hood, a faint trail of smoke began to flow off of me, and stepped inside. Immediately roaches fled for the cracks and crevices that had become abundant. A few mice scurried freely around. All the furniture remained right where it was when I left. An overturned table, a few broken chairs, scattered bowels that had been raided by insects. I was ashamed of the disarray that I had left this place in. In the heat of that moment I ran and dishonored the place my mother spent decades caring for. I continued to wonder until my eyes landed on the shattered mirror, the emotions flooded back. I had lost everything I cared about and the only thing that remained was a demon's face staring back at me. I picked up one of the broken shards and examined the one who stared back at me. Their pale skin, rust colored hair, and emerald eyes, every feature was the product of my parents and I was a fool to be ashamed of it. The image flashed, revealing my other half or rather my perception of it. In my time away I realized I wasn't the monster I believed myself to be. I smiled as the image faded and I dropped the glass to the floor.

I walked up to the far window and gazed outside. More than a hundred graves lined the field behind the house, the stone mounds on many had fallen over and with leaves scattered across the rest. I exited the back door and walked back and forth down the rows, taking a minute to fix every grave I passed. I kneeled down at the final grave, my father's, laying there alone. I couldn't believe I never even made her a grave. I took a look around and gathered some stones for the grave, erecting the pile to the right of my father's.

"I'm sorry it took a while. While you died apart, at least you can rest together now." I couldn't stop the tears from falling. I had my closure, but releasing everything I had locked away was exhausting to say the least, and I knew this was only the beginning. "Dad, I promise no matter how long it takes, even if it's just one, I'll save them, like you saved mom."

The day began to draw to a close and I went back inside. I had a good bit of work to do while waiting for my sword to be delivered. I righted the table and picked up the bowls to prepare a small meal with the supplies I had. After eating I resigned myself to the small dust covered bed in the other room. Though the sleep was not needed, I wanted a brief moment to relive my old life before moving on to the next chapter. I closed my eyes and succumbed to the night.

I can recall the dream I had that night very vividly. It was the day my father showed me his breathing techniques. His style was unique compared to all the others, it mimicked the movements of demons and was designed more for incapacitating a target rather than killing it. There were four forms to the style:

Form one was named Ravenous Maul. It consisted of four erratic slashes aimed to sever limbs and leave the target immobilized. Form two, Feeding Frenzy, was a rapid flurry of piercing strikes targeting large blood vessels in order to overtax regeneration and slow movement. Demonic Vortex was the third form. A violent twisting slash designed to parry the attacks of multiple targets. The vacuum it created could suck in weaker or disoriented targets. The final form was titled Freedom in Death and was the only killing technique. It was a swift and precise slash covering a wide area ahead of the user. It would leave its victim with a warm and comforting feeling, granting a painless death.

The forms were viscous but elegant; I was in awe witnessing them for the first time. I was nine when my father showcased his abilities for me and from that day forward he trained me in them. I learned a lot during those 5 years, what kind of person my father was and why he believed what he did. When he died, his sword was the only thing his crow returned to us. Ownership of it fell to me and as I carried the blade with me, I carried his will with it.

When morning came, I got to work. Assuming the time to forge the sword and my head start, I had at least a week to renovate the area before they arrived. I rummaged through some old rusted tools and started work on the interior, repairing the furniture and replacing any warped wood on the floor and walls. I had cut a few surrounding trees for the materials. I did the same outside, removing the moss and pulling out the decayed planks; I also resurfaced the stone path leading up the building. Work efficiency was improved at night as the extra strength sped things up. At night I let my demonic aura fill the inside. The blanket it created drove most of the pests out and I was able to chase out the few that remained. I took care to replace the old training dummies that my father had made as well. The last day of work is spent mending my robe After four days of non-stop work day and night, the property wasn't just returned to its former state, but was greatly improved; A condition my parents would be proud of. For the remaining days, I trained, practicing some new techniques I'd been developing; My estimate was a bit off, but on the eighth day, the forger arrived.

The man who arrived was quite strange, the design of his clothes was quite eccentric and he donned a goblin mask, far from what I'd expect from a master craftsman. I guided him inside and offered him a seat at the table as he prepared the weapon.

"Your sword was a rather unique design, only the Hashiras tend to deviate from the standard, so it was my first time doing serrations." He unsheathed the blade on the table and allowed me to examine it. Two features drew my attention, the aforementioned serrations and the hand guard. Comparing it to my father's sword, the serrations were clean, precise, evenly distributed along the back side of the blade as opposed to the crooked and jagged ones I added to father's. As for the hand guard, it was that of a red and white demon kabuki mask, rather fitting.

"It's perfect. Thank you for your work."

"It's my pleasure. I can't wait to see you wield it. Normally you can guess what color the blade will be by the breathing style of the user but I didn't know what style you used."

"A unique style, my father was the only other user."

"Well what color was his blade."

"Brown" I said as I pulled the sword out to show the smith.

"It's an uncommon color, I don't believe I've ever seen it in person." He handed the sword back to me and I picked up the new one. The blade began to morph from the tip down, first brown, then a sickly green. The color continued to alternate as it traveled down the length and ended with a marbled swirl of the two. "I've never seen or even heard of anything like this. Possessing a mix of two colors makes me very curious what kind or future you have in store for you." I thanked the man for his time and saw him out, returning my new weapon. I noticed the ever so slight movement of the colors in its metal; It looked almost alive in its flowing movement. It was a weapon perfect for me, a true demon's blade. The next day, my crow informed me of my first missio, I would be assisting a slayer in Asakusa.