At the Ubuyashiki Estate, time seemed to flow differently. If not for the shishi-odoshi (鹿威し), whose bamboo arm struck the stone with a rhythmic clack, one might have believed that time itself had stopped.
Apart from that gentle sound, the estate was a world of stillness. Nothing ever seemed to change here, apart from the people who lived within it.
And in that world of stillness, while the rest of the world slept... Someone remained awake.
It was none other than Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
He sat in seiza upon the engawa, his eyes gently closed.
He was waiting. He was praying... He was hoping.
It was the hour before dawn, the darkest moment of the night, when the world seemed to hold its breath.
Then...
"CAW!"
The sharp cry of a crow pierced the silence, bringing life to the world of stillness.
Kagaya did not hurry.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and calmly waited for the messenger to arrive.
"CAW!"
The Kasugai Crow circled once overhead before landing gracefully upon the wooden fence.
Its feathers were ruffled from its hurried flight.
Without wasting a single moment, it cried out at the top of its lungs.
"CONFIRMED!!"
"SLAYER KAGEROU RENGOKU AND SLAYER KANAE KOCHO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY DEFEATED THE DEMON!!"
"KAGEROU RENGOKU AND KANAE KOCHO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY SLAIN LOWER MOON SIX OF THE TWELVE KIZUKI!!"
For the briefest moment...
The estate fell silent once more.
Then...
A quiet exhale escaped Kagaya's lips.
For a brief moment, a rush of pride swelled within his chest so intensely that he forgot how to breathe.
Soon after, the same serene smile returned to his face.
"...How are they both doing?" Kagaya asked softly.
The Kasugai Crow immediately answered.
"BOTH SLAYERS WERE INJURED!"
"FELL UNCONSCIOUS..."
"...BUT BOTH ARE STILL ALIVE!"
Relief washed over Kagaya's entire body.
He had been overjoyed to hear that Kagerou and Kanae had managed to defeat Lower Moon Six, but nothing compared to the news that both of them had survived.
That was what truly mattered.
"Good," Kagaya said gently.
He turned his head slightly.
Before he could say another word, several members of the Kakushi appeared before him, kneeling respectfully.
"Your orders, Oyakata-sama?" one of them asked.
"Follow the Kasugai Crow," Kagaya instructed. "Bring Rengoku-kun and Kocho-kun back safely"
"Understood"
The Kakushi bowed deeply before immediately following the Kasugai Crow into the fading night.
Once everyone had departed and Kagaya was left alone again, it wasn't long before the sliding door behind him quietly opened.
From within, Amane emerged.
She said nothing.
She simply walked toward him with graceful, silent steps before taking a seat beside her husband on the engawa.
For a brief moment, she studied his face.
Then she paused.
A gentle smile appeared on her lips before she turned her gaze away from him.
Instead, she followed his eyes toward the night sky.
The moon had already disappeared beyond the horizon, and even the stars had begun to lose their brilliance.
"...The night is at its darkest just before dawn," Kagaya said softly.
Amane remained silent, listening.
"But we must keep our eyes open"
His voice was calm.
"Because if you avert your eyes from the darkness, you'll be blinded by the light of a new day"
A gentle breeze stirred the wisteria branches surrounding the estate.
"So we must keep our eyes open... no matter how dark the night ahead may be"
(The source of this quote: Gintama)
Amane lowered her head and closed her eyes.
She remained silent for a long while, carefully reflecting on every word... and every meaning hidden within her husband's quiet voice.
As she continued to ponder his words...
The first ray of dawn quietly crept over the horizon.
A warm beam of sunlight slipped through the narrow gap between her lowered eyelids, gently brushing against her eyes.
Her eyelashes trembled.
Slowly...
She opened them.
The night had ended.
The eastern sky, once swallowed by darkness, was now painted in shades of gold and pale blue. The rising sun bathed the Ubuyashiki Estate in warm light, washing away the shadows that had lingered only moments before.
Instinctively, Amane turned her gaze away from the brilliance.
Then she looked back at Kagaya.
He hadn't moved.
His face remained tilted toward the morning sky, welcoming the first light of dawn without hesitation.
The sunlight illuminated his scarred features with a gentle warmth, and the serene smile upon his lips had never once faded.
It was the same smile.
Pure.
Hopeful.
... Almost childlike.
Only then did Amane finally understand what her husband had meant.
"If you avert your eyes from the darkness, you'll be blinded by the light of a new day..."
To witness the dawn...
One first had to endure the night.
And because Kagaya had never turned his eyes away from the darkness that surrounded humanity...
He could welcome the light without fear.
A faint smile appeared on Amane's lips.
"...I understand now," she whispered.
Kagaya's smile softened ever so slightly.
"...The sun has risen"
"Yes"
"The night was long..."
"...But dawn always comes"
The two of them remained seated in comfortable silence, neither needing to say another word.
As the morning sun climbed higher into the heavens, its light spread across the estate, carrying with it the promise of another day.
Another chance.
Another battle.
And perhaps...
One step closer to the dawn that every Demon Slayer had devoted their life to reaching.
------
Far away from the warmth of the rising sun...
Within a mansion where no light was permitted to linger... Silence reigned.
The corridors stretched endlessly, swallowed by darkness. Not a servant dared to breathe too loudly. Every step was measured. Every heartbeat seemed afraid to exist.
At the very center of that oppressive silence...
Muzan Kibutsuji sat alone.
His crimson eyes were half-lidded, his expression as composed as ever.
A porcelain teacup rested between his fingers.
Steam rose quietly from its surface.
Then...
*Crack*
A thin fracture spread across the cup.
Muzan's hand stopped.
The smile on his face disappeared.
"..."
The connection had vanished.
Not weakened.
Not obscured.
Gone.
A Lower Moon had ceased to exist.
His fingers tightened almost imperceptibly.
*Crack*
The porcelain shattered into countless pieces inside his hand.
Hot tea dripped onto the floor.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Even the air itself seemed to freeze.
"...Dead"
The single word echoed softly through the room.
There was no anger in his voice.
Only cold certainty.
His crimson eyes slowly drifted toward the window, where the first light of dawn was beginning to stain the horizon.
"Lower Moon Six..."
A faint sigh escaped him.
"What a disappointment"
For centuries, he had granted his blood only to those who showed promise.
Yet another had proven unworthy.
Weak.
Pathetic.
Disposable.
He slowly rose from his seat.
The fragments of porcelain fell from his hand one by one, clattering softly against the wooden floor.
"I expected nothing..."
He looked toward the east.
"...and still, you failed to meet my expectations"
His gaze narrowed slightly.
There was one detail that caught his interest.
The memories flowing back through his blood before Tsukikage's death.
A young man.
A colorless Nichirin.
Smoke drifting through darkness.
A crimson slash...
One that had split apart a Blood Demon Art Domain itself.
"..."
For the first time in several moments...
Muzan remained completely still.
"...A swordsman..."
The image replayed within his memories.
A colorless blade.
Smoke.
Crimson light.
"...Rengoku?"
The name lingered in the silence.
Not out of fear.
But recognition.
The Flame Hashira.
Shinjuro Rengoku.
"...His son?"
A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared.
"So... You've raised an interesting child"
The smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"Interesting..."
"...is not the same as dangerous"
His voice became cold once more.
"A talented human is still only a human"
He turned away from the window.
"Summon the remaining Lower Moons"
His command was calm.
Absolute.
"It is time to remind them..."
The room seemed to grow even colder.
"...what happens to those who disappoint me"
Beyond the mansion, dawn continued to spread across the sky.
A new day had begun for the Demon Slayer Corps.
And somewhere else...
Muzan Kibutsuji had begun moving his own pieces across the board.
---
#A/N: "FYI: A shishi-odoshi is a traditional Japanese bamboo device. It creates a rhythmic clacking sound. The noise originally scared away wild animals from damaging farm crops. Today, it is mostly used as an aesthetic, calming feature in Japanese-style gardens (Source: Wiki), and... Before anyone points it out, I know the sun doesn't rise that fast. I bent reality a little for the sake of dramatic impact. So please be a little understanding. Hehe~"