Mist Hashira Seina Yūrei 幽霊 清名

Seina woke to the tenuous light of morning. Cold mist filtered in, casting a soft diffused glow on the forest floor. Chill and dampness filled the air, as the fire from last night had burned low, offering little warmth. She sat up slow, muscles aching from the long walk of yesterday, and emotionally bearing up under the weight of her decision. Her pale, lavender eyes took in the silent surroundings before locking onto Kiyoshi, who was already up at the entrance of the cave.

Kiyoshi did not seem to notice her as being the first up, standing and peering out into the mist with his arms crossed in a reflective expression. Hard was his profile, composed, strikingly opposed to the ethereal mist that danced around him like an ocean of uncertainty. And in that moment, Seina's breath would catch in her throat at the abrupt realization that this journey with him had just begun-and would take her so far, so far away from what was called life.

The first emotion, other than numbness, to skitter across Seina's features since the demons had taken all she had from her-a faint flicker of determination, almost buried beneath the layers of grief and loss. Nothing would ever bring her family back, but if Kiyoshi was right, if there was truly a way for her to fight back-to make sure others didn't suffer as she had-then she needed to see it through.

Kiyoshi had turned as she stood and gone to him. "You're awake," he said softly-the word almost part of the morning stillness. He nodded. "Good. We should go soon.

She nodded, not daring to trust her voice. She didn't know what words would work for the turmoil in her stomach. She crouched low to gather up the few things that were hers-most of them from Kiyoshi's makeshift gifts-and wordlessly prepared the road onward. Her hands moved mechanically, her mind long since sprinting off to what was beyond the mist, what waited for her at the Demon Slayer Corps.

It was to be a day like any other: long stretches of silent walking through thick forests, the mist thickened and thinned in rhythm as if this were the very breath of some sleeping giant. The path usually twisted and turned vaguely along contours, as if very nature was trying its utmost to keep outsiders away. Yet Kiyoshi went through without a problem, sure and confident in his steps. Seina kept close behind her eyes scanning the fog for any sign of danger.

For the first time, she found herself considering the training to come: What would it be like? She had no concept of what it really meant to be a Demon Slayer beyond what Kiyoshi had told her-and even that had been vague. He hadn't gone into great detail about the training, except to say it was both rigorous and dangerous-trained in a fashion to push every recruit to their limit. But that was all right. Seina wasn't afraid of hard work. As a matter of fact, she embraced it. Anything that kept her mind from dwelling on the memories of her family was a blessing.

It was hours of walking before a river came into sight. It was icy cold, its flow swift enough to pierce the fog like a silver sword. Kiyoshi halted at the bank's edge, his head turned to Seina with the faintest smile. "We will stop here for a moment."

Seina sat on a rock at the water's edge, staring far out across the swirl of its current. She had spoken little on their journey thus far, and in the silence now it weighed heavy and oppressive. One question swam ceaselessly in her mind: what would finally being a Demon Slayer mean to her? Was this a path that was for her to be able to walk, or was she grasping for it desperately with some inner purpose to fill the void inside her?

"Kiyoshi," she said finally, her voice small, but not trembling. "What was it like for you? When you joined the Demon Slayer Corps."

Kiyoshi turned to her and his face was introspective. For a long moment, he didn't speak, seeming to weigh his words with care. "It was hard," he finally admitted. "I didn't know in the beginning whether I was capable or not. You and I are different, yet alike-we both lost our family to demons. I was angry, lost, full of doubt. But once I reached the Corps, it clicked-the path wasn't just about revenge but protection for others. It gave me a purpose, something more important than myself."

Seina nodded again, her gaze taking her out across the river. "I'm not yet certain what my purpose is," she replied with a candor that seemed to have volumes behind it. "I just know I don't want to feel helpless again."

Kiyoshi's eyes softened. "For now, that will have to do. In time, you'll find your purpose when you grow stronger. Overnight, it doesn't quite happen that way to be a demon slayer. It is within the process through which that hardship is met head-on and one stands tall above it.".

She listened silently, her eyes locked on his as he spoke. She didn't quite get what exactly he meant by the words, but there was some ring of truth in them, touching a spot in her. And she didn't need to know everything as yet. It was enough that she had taken a step ahead for now.

Further, after brief rest they went. The landscape changed; tides of mist were thinning while they went down from the mountains to lower and lower altitudes, the trees grew sparse, and the dense fog accompanying them changed into a clearer sky and opened fields. Seina found herself missing the mist. Though that was that part of life, now it was a reassuring presence-something familiar in an unknown journey.

Several more days of travel passed this way, in stops only long enough to rest and eat before continuing onward. Kiyoshi was a silent travelling companion; his presence was steady, and Seina found herself growing more and more used to the silence between them. It gave her time to think-to reflect on everything that had happened and what might yet come.

On the fifth day of travel, they came to a bend. The road forked in two different ways, one into the thick forest and another curling down to a small village nestled at the foot of a hill. Kiyoshi stopped at the crossways and looked across at Seina.

"We'll stop at the village for supplies," he said. "It's not that far away."

Seina nodded and followed him onto the path down to the village. The closer they came, the more she was confronted by how very different it was from what she had become accustomed to: there was no mist. The air was clear here; the landscape more open, more exposed. Weird, she thought; the always-shrouding mist of her home seemed a memory of another life.

It was a small village, teeming nonetheless. People moved up and down the streets, performing their daily chores. Seina couldn't help but notice just how different all of it was from her own village: the people seeming almost more alive, their faces not motivated by quiet solemnity as had pervaded her misty home. Comforting and alien at once.

He led them through a small shop near the village centre, where food and clothes and tools were piled on the shelves. The shopkeeper nodded instantly to Kiyoshi, which marked him as a customer who came in often enough.

"We'll have to stock up for the rest of the journey," Kiyoshi said, turning to Seina. "Pick out what you need-food, water, anything that'll help you on the road ahead."

Seina wove her way through the shop, her fingers tracing items on the shelves as she went. She picked out a few things: dehydrated food, a water skin, and a bit of bandages. Returning to Kiyoshi's side soon after, the shopkeeper ran their purchases through and they were again on their way.

The more they went away from the village deeper into the forest, the more Seina's head was occupied with thoughts about people they had passed. It seemed that nobody knew about the dangers lurking in this world, about the demons hunting in the dark. Whether the word of the stories was ever heard or they lived well in unawareness.

"Hey, ever wonder how things would have turned out if you never became a demon slayer?" Seina asked as she walked.

Finally, Kiyoshi looked at her, his face expressionless. "Sometimes," he said, "but I do not dwell on it. The life of a Demon Slayer is not an easy one, but it is a necessary one. If people do not fight, if people are not brave, the demons will have free rein over the world. We are the thin thread of defense between humanity and the darkness.

Seina nodded, but even at his words, her wheels turned. All her life, she had lived in the mist-shut away from a world beyond her village. The more this came to be realized by her, the bigger it was-unsafereverywhere the demons looming, their danger so big it was more than she could ever have thought.

Day turned into more days, and with every breath, the grueling landscape went toward the destination of the Demon Slayer Corps. The longer the minutes moved, anticipation burned inside Seina. She really didn't know what to expect but was ready-to start her training, ready to show others she was meant to be doing what she had set off to do.

Finally, on the seventh day, they arrived. The headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps could be very far away in a dense forest, obscured from view. It was a big complex, sprawled out: wood buildings-big, stretching far into the distance-with open training grounds.

Kiyoshi guided Seina through the front gates, past a few uniformed Demon Slayers who stood smartly to attention, swords shiny at their sides. On cue, an apparent leader of the group came forward: a tall man commanding with eyes as sharp as tacks.

"Kiyoshi," he greeted him; the nod of his head followed. "I see you bring a new recruit with you."

Kiyoshi nodded reassuringly at them and laid a hand on Seina's shoulder. "This is Seina Yūrei. She's ready to begin training.".

It was as if the weight of the man's eyes, like some invisible millstone, weighed Seina down. His eyes were heavy as a mantle upon the pale lavender of her eyes, upon the determination taut in her features. "Welcome, Seina," he said in this calm but firm voice. "The road ahead shall not be smooth, but if thy will is strong, then we shall lead thee. The first step begins now."

Seina nodded, her heart racing on colossal proportions, for this was it-she chose it. Standing in front of her was the road of a Demon Slayer, from which she could never back away.

With that, one step into the world of the Demon Slayer Corps went down, and so did the waiting of training and her destiny.