[White Streak - Part 1]
For all his time as a Demon working under the hand of his… was it his former master? Yes, former master sounded right. Rui knew that if he had been given free will and had been allowed to do whatever he wanted, he would've pursued the idea of getting what he wanted for so, so long.
A family.
Sure, he had his Spider Family, but even he knew that wasn't what a family was. It was a façade that he had called a "Family" when, in reality, it was more or less a stress reliever.
So when he was summoned to speak to his former master and was, instead, abandoned by his former master and put into the care of a new one, he was angered. Angered by the fact that the only person he seemingly cared for disregarded him within the wave of a hand.
But this new master. He was… interesting.
When they had left the infinity castle, they showed up in a cave nearby a town. Wakuraba suggested that, by nightfall, they devour as many humans as possible, only to be met with, what Rui would have to say, the most brutal slap he had ever seen a person give to a Demon.
Their master liked the humans. A development that confused Makugo and Rokuro.
So, to alleviate confusion among them, their new master, Technoblade—a strange name for sure—made it abundantly clear that, so long as they were under his control, killing and eating humans was no longer a thing that they did as a pastime, but only as a necessity.
Enmu wasn't too fond of that idea, claiming that without human blood, they wouldn't get stronger. However, Technoblade simply shrugged him off and told him to find a new way.
Kamanue, The Lower Moon that Rui was just above in strength, was the only one who seemed unaffected by the new rule. Kamanue was the only one of them that believed humans could be equal to Demons and vice versa. It was a sentiment that nobody else believed in, but Technoblade seemed to agree with Lower Moon Six.
After the meeting, Technoblade gave them a mission, that mission being one that made no sense to them in the grand scheme of things. That mission being: Go to Kumitori mountain and find a human named Dream.
When Makugo voiced her concern about going into the sun, Technoblade merely stated that it wouldn't be of trouble to them, then left, leaving the Lower Moons to do as he asked them to.
Wakuraba was the first one to test out what their new master had said, so when he stepped into the sun and didn't instantly combust into dust and ash, the rest of them followed suit.
None of them began to burn up in the sun. The sun's warming rays beating down on them was a sensation that, to some of them, they missed dearly. It was almost as if, by accepting the blood of their new master, they had conquered the sun—something that their previous master had been trying to do for years. Wakuraba suggested they tell their prior master this knowledge, only for Rokuro to call him out.
The second lower moon reminded his inferior rank that if they did, they would all be devoured by their prior master, a sentiment that made them realize just how badly they dodged a bullet.
With that chilling thought running in the back of all their heads, they set off to do as Technoblade asked them to do, to find the human named Dream.
Technoblade had entrusted Rui with a map that tracked this so-called "Dream" person. There was a green speck on the map, and it had been dormant for at least an hour.
Currently, the Lower Moons had found themselves in a forest, an hour away from their destination, or at least they believed. The trip to Kumotori mountain wasn't all that long, seeing as they no longer needed to travel in the shadows.
As it turned out, humans were amazing with directions, even the younger ones. Along the way, they had asked some of the humans were to go. A majority of the humans believed they were actors for a stage play and agreed to help them out, though some of them knew who they were and immediately ran.
Those who ran were killed by Rokuro and eaten by Enmu, though each time Enmu seemed to get pain in his jaw when he did, and all of them received a whispering voice in their head to "Stop and do as they were told."
This proved to them that Technoblade had the same telepathic abilities as their prior master, something that annoyed them.
As they walked, Makugo, Lower Moon Four, came up beside Rui with a smile on her face. "Say, Rui-kun, how much further are we to this "Dream" guy?"
Makugo was a female Demon, and in Rui's opinion, a good candidate for a sister. However, she seemed to have more of a… attraction towards the younger Demon.
Ever since they started as Demons, Makugo had stuck around Rui, either watching in the darkness or helping him against any Demon Slayers that were after his head. The two became fast friends, constantly sharing information on their recent kills or other Demons they met.
They would share stories about what their lives were before they became Demons. For Rui, he lived a life of solitude with his family, not being able to walk, barely being able to speak, and barely being able to live a good life.
Then, his former master saved him…
As for Makugo, she had a chance encounter with the man, being as she was a wandering soul without a family or home. Makugo accepted the terms and conditions. Then she became a Demon. She made quick work of her whole village, devouring them all within one night.
The reason for this was because that town had been the very reason why her family had died. They all suspected them of being a part of a Yakuza because of her father's singular heart Tattoo on his chest, then murdered and raped her family before cascading her out to fend for herself.
So, of course, naturally, she got what she wanted. Revenge on her family's killers.
Then, there was Makugo herself.
Makugo had sickly, yellowish skin, two dark red stripes across her cheeks, and a pair of white horns protruding from either side of her forehead. Her eyes were gray with white rings around the sides and dark red sclera. She wore a red Kimono with a black-and-white fur-lined collar, tied up with a purple bow.
Her hair was white as snow, which, in reality, made her seem like an ancient person, though Rui couldn't talk, as he too had white hair.
Her voice was sickly sweet, almost child-like, though she had an air of maturity around her that made her a force of authority.
"Well, Makugo-sama, we're about an hour away from finding him," Rui answered plainly as Makugo smiled.
"Well, Rui-kun, how about we race there? Give the Map to Wakuraba-sama. Then we can dash ahead and check if the coast is clear? That, and I've been meaning to keep my score one above you in our races. So, whaddya say?" Makugo asked as Rui sighed, tapping Wakuraba on the shoulder.
"Wha—"
"Take the Map. Makugo and I are going to check if the coast is clear up ahead," Rui stated as Wakuraba rolled his eyes, taking the map. Rui and Makugo lined up beside one another as she winked. Then, the two took off, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.
The only reaction they got was from Enmu, who shook his head and muttered 'children' under his breath.
When they took off, Rui used his strings to propel himself forward, swinging from branch to branch while kicking off trees to continue his speeding momentum. He brushed past leaves and snow, keeping a decent lead ahead of Makugo.
As for the femme fatale, she jumped from place to place, rebounding off the trees as she swung like a monkey in the tree branches.
The pair eventually caught up to one another as Makugo smiled. "Oi, Rui-kun! Are you getting tired or something!?" Makugo shouted over the wind as Rui rolled his eyes, a genuine smile appearing on his face.
"Not at all, Makugo-sama," then Rui's smile shifted into a devilish smirk. "I'm just starting!" Then, with a carefully placed Thread Dash, Rui pulled himself ahead before spinning in the air, creating a massive web. "Try and pass through that, Makugo-Sama!"
Then, with a series of kicks and string pulls, he vanished out of sight, leaving Makugo in the dust.
Rui was in first place.
Makugo, for her part, sneered. Grabbing the tree closest to her, using her momentum to spin around it several times before flying off, cutting through the webbings, she caught up to and launched past the confused Rui. A wicked grin dressed the fourth Lower Moon as she jumped off the next tree before sticking the landing in front of a snowed-in shack.
"Ah-ha! I made it! I WIN AGAIN! SUCK IT, SPIDERMAN!" Makugo shouted, cheering for herself as Rui elegantly landed beside her.
"Damnit, why are you always winning against me!" Rui pouted as Makugo ruffled his spider-themed hair.
"Well, that's simple. I'm just more versed in dodging and dipping through things. My ancestry was, in fact, a clan of Ninja's, Rui-kun~." Makugo teased as Rui scoffed. Turning to face the roughly built shack, Makugo crossed her arms. "Huh, well, that's unfortunate…."
The shack had been buried in snow. The only thing remaining of the house was a sign and a piece of paper on a ruined door. Rui snagged the piece of paper off the door and began to read it out loud.
"Sorry, Techno, we had to move because of the blizzard. Go northeast, and you should find it. It's too big for you to miss. Signed: Dream." Rui said, glancing over to his left. "Welp, we should leave this here for the other Lower Moons to read," the spider demon said, putting the piece of paper back on the door as he turned to face the direction of the building. "First one there has to chop off a leg for a day!" Rui shouted, jumping ahead as Makugo gasped.
"RUI! DON'T MAKE BETS YOU CAN'T KEEP YOU SPIDER DOUCHE!"
~The Night prior~
"Perhaps I can help?" He spoke, his voice containing a slight amount of joy. Finally, other people! Ever since Dream had revived him, he wound up here, in a land that had nothing to do with the SMP. The island's nature was lush, filled with… things... that he had never seen before.
One of the many things that he had never seen before were… what was a good example? Perhaps one of those things called a "woodpecker?" It was a bird with a long, narrow beak that drilled holes into trees to eat tiny little critters like worms, ants or even termites!
The trees were tall, large and proud, easily reaching hundreds of feet into the air, unlike the ones from the SMP, and another thing, unlike the SMP, there were no such things such as Zombies, Skeletons, and massive spiders.
Instead, there was something, arguably, much worse.
Demons.
And he was one.
But how did this come to pass?
Simple. He was considered Dead, but he was living. Because of this, he had gained some… exciting abilities. Of course, he didn't just "have" these powers. He was given them by someone, someone who he couldn't name, lest he died, but that was neither here nor there.
So, instead of sitting around, moping that he could no longer bug Tommy or annoy Tubbo, or even see Technoblade again, he decided to make the best out of a debatably shitty situation. He lived within this very forest, alone, hermitted up in the trees. When the blizzard came, he needed to seek shelter, as his skin had become sensitive to weather.
However, when you live within a forest where only a few people lived, finding shelter wasn't exactly an easy solution. He spent a few hours trying to find a place to stay but ended up finding nothing. He almost caved and almost went to go find a town to… well, the better he hid his intentions the better, until he heard something… interesting up ahead.
It was a pair of voices of two locals, talking about a shelter up ahead. It echoed throughout the wind, with new information, he quickly followed after them.
He stalked the people to the mansion, entered, and overheard them about a problem relating to a state of death. Knowing full well just how torturous death could be, and with a bit of sadistic glee in his voice, he approached them and asked the question around if he could help.
Which led to now, his red eyes staring down at the two teens relatively the same age as Tommy. The boy gave him a guarded stare, as did the girl. Did they not trust him? Well, to be fair to them, why on earth would they trust a stranger they just met who offered to help their… friends? Were they siblings? Possibly.
Then, the question was asked.
"Who are you?" It was the boy who asked him, which hadn't been a surprise to him. The boy's voice was dry, hoarse, most likely from a lack of drinking or what-have-you. All Wilbur did was put his hands behind his back as his smile dropped, a frown replacing it as he fixed his glasses.
"Well, I don't think names matter in this situation, do they? I mean, think about it. You're family and or friends are in danger, so names shouldn't be a thing of importance, right?" Wilbur reasoned as the two didn't budge.
Figures.
The man laughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head, letting out a tired sigh as his shoulders slumped. "Seriously, my name means more than these children?" he said, his tone dry, still receiving a dry look from the pair. In response, the man facepalmed and groaned. "You two are hopeless. Fine, my name is Wilbur Soot. But most people call me Will." The man stated as the boy dropped his guard, though only slightly.
"My name is Kamado Tanjiro, and this is my sister Nezuko. You said you could help, right? Please, please do. But if you so much as hurt them, I'll hurt you. Do you understand?" Tanjiro said a glare in his eyes as Wilbur smirked.
This boy had NO idea who he was talking to, let alone WHAT he was talking to. One of his eyes gleamed, as he stepped out of the shadows a bit, his eyes fully exposed. His scleras were black, both his pupils were red, but one of them was strange, different than a normal person's pupil.
In it, it read as—Upper Moon six.
His face was covered in bright red scars, all shaped like thunderbolts as they surged with some sort of power that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, shouldn't have been there.
His face alone was enough to put the fear of God into anyone, including Tanjiro and Nezuko. Upon getting a proper look at the man, they felt as if they had made a grave mistake.
"You got balls, boy. I'll give you that. However, I may have to warn you, my way of "help" is a bit unconventional than most," Wilbur said, walking up to the bed as he straightened his hand out into an imitation of a spearhead. His grin turned wicked, and with a precise movement, his hand zoomed down on Hanako's unconscious body, his fingers stabbing through her chest as blood exploded throughout the room.
Nezuko went wide-eyed as Tanjiro screamed. "YOU MONSTER!" Tanjiro shouted, attempting to tackle Wilbur, only for Wilbur to swat him away like a fly. The boy hit the wall, a groan escaping the boy's lips as Wilbur sighed.
"Oh, calm down, will you. Everything is going to be fine. I didn't do anything to harm her. Jeez, learn to understand the process a bit, wouldn't you, I—"
A sword flung past his face, scratching his skin as Wilbur narrowed his eyes. A new person approached, entering the room as Wilbur's eyes changed from annoyed to excited. "Ah, Dream! It's so great to see you!" Wilbur said, his arms outstretched in a welcoming manner.
Dream stood stock still, his mask covering his face as a green gas-like light smoked out of his right eye. Shadows covered the top and the in-between of the eyes of the mask as he clutched his netherite sword with a tight grip.
Wilbur frowned. "Oh come on, Dream, you know just as well as I do, wherever you go, I follow! Hell, you're the reason I'm even alive as it is!" Wilbur taunted as Dream snarled.
"What is that in your eye, Wilbur?" the question was asked, and finally, the two children saw it.
"Upper Moon… six?" Nezuko murmured as Wilbur sighed.
"Really? You want to know about that? Ugh, well, how about this. I'll tell you, but only if you win against me in a fight, huh?" Wilbur asked, his sleeves falling down to reveal more scars, those scars flowing with the same red energy as his veins pulsed.
"As you can see, Dream, I've changed, drastically, but you know what, that's fine! It means I'm finally on par with you in strength, durability, and speed! I—" before Wilbur could finish, Dream rushed at Wilbur, trying to stab him, only for Wilbur to put a hand between him and his chest, the blade cutting through his hand and stabbing him through the heart.
The two stayed like that for a few seconds, Wilburs face remaining in shock as Dream smirked underneath his mask. "And just like that, you were proven wrong. Die, Wilbur, and don't come back." Dream spat as Wilburs face contorted into a grin.
Dream felt a flow of fear rush through his body as Wilbur pulled the sword out of his chest, blood trickling out of his wound as the man felt as if Wilbur had suddenly began to tower over him, an overwhelming presence coming from the British "man" as he smirked.
"You really think that's gonna kill me, Dream?" and with that taunt, Wilbur kicked Dream, though light enough so that none of the walls were damaged in the process. His wound completely healed over as Dreams eyes widened underneath his mask.
"What the hell happened to you, Wilbur Soot? What did you do?" Dream thought as Nezuko huddled closer to Tanjiro, trying to keep herself away from this Wilbur individual. Malice dripped off of the stranger as his smirk revealed sharp teeth.
"As I said, Dream, I've changed. Now, let's go outside, ya' know, before the sun rises? We got a few hours before that happens, so I'd love to settle some scores with you," Wilbur said, his voice filled to the brim with poison as Dream gripped his blade.
For the first time in all of his time being alive, and for the first time since he had slain the Ender King all those years ago, Dream was truly afraid.
To Be Continued
Yes, I know, this was the shortest chapter BY FAR, but I feel as if this is a reasonable cut-off point for this specific chapter.
This marks the end of Volume 1. Now, I also want to state that the reason why these chapters are split up into volumes is to allow me to make certain arcs more apparent.
For example, Volume 1 was the setup Arc, meaning I could set up the leading players in this story more easily. Volume 2 marks the first real high-stakes fight between two characters and the role Wilbur will be filling.
Speaking of Wilbur, yes, I know, many people will riot and shout at me—why is Wilbur Upper Moon six! Where is Ume and Daki?! Why aren't they Upper Moon six?!
Well, it's simple, Muzan only wants the strongest Demons to be Upper Moons and their convictions to be strong. Wilbur, in my opinion, outranks Ume and Daki pathetically. But that doesn't mean that Ume and Daki were never Upper Moons, to begin with. Wilburs backstory as to how he got here is the same as Technoblades and Dreams, though a bit earlier than the two of them, I'd say by two or so weeks, but since he was a Demon the moment he stepped foot in the world because of his undead status, Muzan was able to get to him quicker than anyone else and… well, I'll save that for a later chapter.
Outside of that, I now want to talk about the Lower Moons and their purpose in this story. They will be mentors as well, but to who, well, you'll see soon enough. They will also have more of a character aside from their backstories and their fights in the base series.
With that being said, I'll see you all in the next chapter. Peace out!
BUT WAIT!
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Okay, now with all of the said and done, thank you for reading, and I'll see you all in the next chapter, peace, for real this time.