Dusk was falling, and outside the wind and snow had suddenly grown fierce. With the sky dimming, visibility dropped to nearly zero.

  At that moment, Tanjiro still hadn’t returned.

  Meanwhile, having finished selling his charcoal, Tanjiro was jogging back to his mountain home. But as the wind and snow intensified, he had no choice but to quicken his pace.

  “Tanjiro, it’s getting dark and the snowstorm’s only growing worse. Come rest at my place for the night; when the weather calms down, you can set off again tomorrow.”

  Tanjiro turned to see an old man he recognized—he’d delivered charcoal to his family so many times that they were well acquainted.

  “Grandpa Saburou, my family’s waiting for me. I can’t afford to linger here.”

  Grandpa Saburou, who often gave Tanjiro and Kawagishi shelter on nights when they couldn’t make it home, said in a firm tone, “Don’t worry about that. Your safety is most important. With weather like this, if anything were to happen, your family would be even more heartbroken.”

  “Besides, it’s nearly dark. At night, man-eating demons come out. It’s better to stay here until tomorrow.”

  Tanjiro hesitated; Saburou was right—continuing now would be dangerous.

  After a brief moment’s thought, Tanjiro decided to spend the night and head home the next day. Such delays had happened before, and his family would surely understand.

  “Grandpa Saburou, thank you. But these demons you speak of—do they really exist? I’ve never seen one.”

  Saburou paused, a look of distant sorrow crossing his face. His voice carried a weight of suppressed pain, and Tanjiro couldn’t help but detect a deep sadness in him.

  “Man-eating demons… it’s best to never encounter them in your life. Just listen to the stories, Tanjiro.”

  Tanjiro nodded, though inwardly he wondered, “That sorrow… could it be that such demons really exist?”

  ......

  The small cabin trembled subtly in the wind and snow, its timbers emitting soft creaks.

  Outside, darkness had completely settled.

  A single candle flickered at the center, where Kawagishi and Mother Kie sat cross-legged facing each other, while Nezuko and the others slept.

  Mother Kie whispered in a low tone, “I hope nothing’s happened to Tanjiro. He’s always been back by this time.”

  At the same moment, an increasing sense of foreboding churned within Kawagishi—could something have happened to Tanjiro?

  Forcing a slight smile, he reassured her, “Don’t worry. With the wind and snow this fierce, Tanjiro might have found a place to rest. I’ve been through this before—he’ll be fine, really.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  His words served both to comfort Mother Kie and to soothe his own anxious heart; his concern for Tanjiro might even have surpassed hers.

  Though Kie said no more, the deep worry in her furrowed brow spoke volumes, growing ever more intense.

  Kawagishi felt the same; his heart seemed to be squeezed by an unseen hand, a dull nausea rising within him.

  After a moment’s thought, he said to her, “Mother, perhaps I should head down the mountain to check on him. The storm is fierce, but the path is still passable.”

  Kie shook her head. She didn’t want Kawagishi risking his life—Tanjiro’s delay due to the storm was likely, but his danger was comparatively minor; her concern stemmed solely from a mother’s love.

  Yet sending Kawagishi out now would be truly perilous.

  “You, as the eldest, caring so deeply for Tanjiro and the others makes me proud,” she said softly. “Besides, Tanjiro isn’t a child anymore—he’s smart enough to handle this. Please, don’t put yourself in harm’s way.”

  Kawagishi offered a faint smile. “I care because you’re all my family.”

  “But I can’t rest until I know Tanjiro is safe,” he continued.

  Mother Kie paused, reflecting on her eldest son, who had always been obedient and sensible, never having let her down.

  “All right—if you truly believe it’s safe, then go.”

  Kawagishi rose to his feet, ready to set off in search of Tanjiro.

  However, at that very moment, a chilling sensation crept up his back, sending shivers down his spine.

  That sensation was like a defenseless herbivore encountering a vicious predator—heart pounding in terror and overwhelmed by dread.

  "Who's there!"

  Kawagishi spun around sharply, but there was no one in sight. Still, that chilling presence seemed to follow him like a shadow, lingering right behind.

  Wait—behind? Kie!

  A weak, distorted cry came from behind—it was Mother Kie’s voice, strained with pain but unmistakable. Kawagishi glanced down and saw his feet were slick with blood, his shoes and socks soaked in it. In disbelief, he turned back and was met with a scene he’d never forget in his life: Mother Kie, Nezuko, Hanako, Takeo, Shigeru, and Rokuta—all lying in a pool of blood. Nezuko and the others still wore the peaceful smiles of sleep, while Mother Kie struggled desperately, trying to fend off the dark figure behind her. But her frail body was no match; she was effortlessly hoisted by the neck.

  Before his eyes stood a terrifying creature—a demon—taller than him by a head. Its face vaguely resembled that of a young human, with a mass of disheveled black hair. Yet its entire body pulsed with bulging veins, and its bloodshot eyes burned with a savage fury. Its mouth did not contain ordinary, even teeth, but instead revealed jagged, serrated fangs. This was the demon of legend, a being that feasts on humans and sows chaos in the world. It was hard to believe, but the stories from his childhood were true—demons truly existed.

  Kawagishi’s heart pounded so fiercely it felt as if it would burst. In that instant, the horrifying scene triggered the nightmare he’d long tried to forget. He realized now that the ominous premonition was aimed not at Tanjiro, but at him and his family in the cabin.

  "Let her go!" he roared.

  As blood surged rapidly, fury blazed in his eyes. Facing this monstrous demon, he didn’t run. Instead, he grabbed the axe he used for chopping wood and swung it straight at the demon’s arm that held his mother. That strike was ferocious—the strongest blow he’d ever delivered with his axe. Having chopped wood since childhood, he had full confidence in his axe’s might; it had even driven off wolves and boars in the mountains before. Although the blade was worn, it still gleamed with a cold, sharp light.

  But the black-haired demon did not even flinch. It shook its head and sighed mockingly, "Too feeble—what, is this the clumsy strength and speed of a child’s play? Just as that elder said, demons are the superior form of life." With a violent stomp, it cracked the wooden floor beneath them, the fissures spreading like a spider’s web from the impact point.

  In a blur, Kawagishi found that his axe had been knocked from his hand. A searing pain stabbed his cheek as the demon, with one hand, gripped his head by the skull. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mother Kie thrown aside like a rag doll—her neck grotesquely twisted, her life extinguished.

  "Mother..." he managed to whisper, his voice strained as the demon’s five fingers tightened on his cheek. With a cruel press, its blade-like nails dug deep, shattering the bones in his face. The shattered bone sent shockwaves through his brain, and in that moment, Kawagishi lost all strength, his consciousness beginning to fade away

  ......