The Good Demon [KNY]

Part 79: The Origin (1/2)

"The ripple." Akai said.

"The... ripple?" Ubuyashiki raised his eyebrow. Akai had arranged his meeting with the master. 

"There's this golden energy I can channel with my breathing." Akai explained, taking a deep breath and letting the crackling energy flow through his hand.

"Intriguing." Ubuyashiki leaned forward and commented. "I assumed this was part of your demon art." He muttered.

"I think this is what preceded breathing arts." Akai explained. "I can just barely remember my dad showing me this. I think he wanted to train me in this art. But something went wrong, and he instead decided to raise me normally." Akai said.

"Elaborate. What do you mean by 'went wrong'?" Ubuyashiki asked.

"This." Akai lifted his other hand and heated it, letting it grow red-hot and begin to emit smoke.

"I believe this-" Akai looked to the hand covered in the golden ripple. "-and this-" Akai turned to the hand he had heated. "-use the same energy." Akai said.

"...I don't seem to grasp how these are related." Ubuyashiki rubbed his chin and pondered it.

"As you know, my mother was demon, and my father, a human." Akai began. "Which makes me the only hybrid demon out there." Akai's ego received a slight ego boost in realizing how unique he was. "I believe that I had both the cells of a demon and a human within me, even before Muzan infected me," Akai said. "When the energy is channeled into my demon cells, they heat up, with the only reason I don't die being their rate of regeneration. But when I channel it through my human cells, they manifest as this ripple." Akai said. "I believe the awakening of the ripple was caused by my father's axe. It most likely contained trace amounts of his power, and when it reacted with mine, finally have my cells access to its purified form."

"...You might be on to something here." Ubuyashiki muttered. "Do you have any idea how to manifest this in normal humans?" Ubuyashiki asked.

"Uh..." That was the part Akai was stuck on. "I know for sure that it had something to do with breathing?" He shrugged and chuckled.

"But... that's impossible..." Ubuyashiki paused. "The very concept of our art is based on our breathing. How could no one have manifested this?"

"I have an idea." Akai cut in and Ubuyashiki listened. "As you know, one of my demon arts allowed me to access people's memories." 

"...Go on..."

"And Nezuko can already channel my powers." Akai elaborated further.

"...This means..." Ubuyashiki muttered.

"If she uses it, she could access my repressed memories. And we might uncover the secret to this art." Akai finally proposed his solution.

"...Very well. Bring Nezuko here."

----------

Akai had grabbed Nezuko and taken her to the courtyard outside Ubuyashiki's home, where pillar meetings were held. The pillars were to oversee the event and step in if necessary. Tanjiro and others also came to watch.

"You want me to read your mind?" Nezuko asked.

"Yea, in a way. Do you remember the time I did it to you?" Akai asked.

"I had the brain capacity of a cat at the time, so not really." Nezuko chuckled and rubbed the back of her head.

"Okay, that settles things." Akai stretched and readied himself for the trip.