𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫

Prologue: Into Hiding

     "The demons grow stronger." A masculine voice said. "Muzan has gained much power. What are we to do now?"

     He looked around, waiting for someone else to speak.

     "We can't just give up." Another voice spoke out.

     A young woman stepped out from the darkness, her sword clinking against her uniform. "Yes, Muzan is strong, and his forces grow everyday, but you have me, and him." She pointed into the shadows, where a silhouette of another man stood. "He has revolutionized the way we fight against them, and the information he has bestowed upon us has changed the organization entirely. I'm still standing, and I am more than willing to fight to my last breath."

     "Enough, Sayuri-san." The man in the shadows said. "There's nothing you can do to help. You're still injured from the last battle, and Muzan has prioritized the capture and demise of you. We have to keep you safe, even if that means I die."

     The woman bowed her head. She knew she was helpless to do anything in her state. "Don't risk your life for me. Leave me behind and flee for the mountains."

     "We aren't going to leave you." The man at the table said with contempt. "We can't just abandon one of our strongest members to die so that we can live."

     "Then think of me as your first line of defense." The woman snapped, striding towards the table and slamming her hand down on it. "I can buy time for you."

     "We aren't going to risk your death. You're already injured on top of that, and we can't lose one of our most powerful members."

     The earth trembled, and the three members looked up.

     "He's here." One of the men said. "Tsugikuni-san, if we're going to act, it needs to be now!"

     The man in the shadows stepped out of the shadows, walking towards the injured woman.

     "I need your sword." He looked at her. "You know what this means."
She sighed, her eyes filling with tears, although she knew there was no other way. "Is this really how it is going to end? You know if we do this.. I break my oath as a demon slayer."

     "I understand. But what you are to the organization, your style.. It's too precious to lose. You have yet to travel to find a suitable Tsugoku. I would rather you leave, and keep the knowledge from being lost forever." Tsugikuni said gently. "I need your sword, Sayuri."

     With shaking hands, she drew her sword from its sheath and placed the blade in his upturned palms. He took the weapon, grasping its hilt in both hands as the man began muttering something under his breath. Twelve symbols lit up one by one on the sword, each a unique shape and design.

     Around the woman, the same twelve symbols appeared on the table. Once the twelfth one had lit up, a white light emitted from the chest of the woman. She withdrew a pendant from within her uniform, the light blinding them all. A halo of pearly brightness surrounded her now. Beyond it, the figures of the men were almost blocked out by the glow. She heard the clatter of her sword as it was placed on the ground.

     "Forgive us..." Tsugikuni looked back at her as the earth shook harder. "This was the only way..."

     "I know." Sayuri whispered, a single tear dripping off her face. "There's only one goal in this war. And it is to survive."

     Tsugikuni turned away as the demon king emerged from the shadows, and drew his blade, prepared to fight until his last breath.

STATUS:

Edited on October 28th, 2023