The forest was silent.
Too silent.
Raizen walked behind the swordsman, his grip tight on the katana given to him that morning. The blade felt heavier than expected, as if it carried a weight beyond steel.
"Stay close," the swordsman said.
"There's a demon nearby."
Raizen's eyes sharpened.
His heartbeat increased.
This was it.
His first hunt.
They moved deeper into the forest.
The trees grew denser.
The air colder.
Then—
A smell.
Rotten.
Thick.
Unnatural.
Raizen stopped.
"…I can smell it."
The swordsman glanced at him.
"Good. Your senses are adapting."
A faint sound echoed through the trees.
A whisper.
No—
A cry.
"Help… please…"
Raizen's body froze.
A human voice.
Without thinking, he ran toward it.
"Stop," the swordsman said.
But Raizen didn't listen.
He reached a clearing.
And saw—
A girl.
Crying.
Shaking.
Covered in dirt.
"Please… help me…"
Raizen stepped forward.
"It's okay. You're safe now."
The girl slowly looked up.
Her face hidden in shadows.
Then—
She smiled.
A twisted smile.
Her eyes glowed red.
Too late.
SLASH.
Raizen barely dodged.
Claws cut through the air where his neck had been.
He fell back.
Shock filled his eyes.
"You're… a demon…"
The girl laughed.
A broken, unnatural sound.
"Humans are so easy to fool."
She lunged again.
Faster this time.
Raizen blocked.
Barely.
The impact sent vibrations through his arms.
His breathing became unstable.
His thoughts chaotic.
"This is… different…"
This wasn't training.
This was real.
The demon attacked again.
Relentless.
Wild.
Raizen tried to counter.
But his movements were off.
Slow.
Predictable.
He was losing.
"Focus."
The swordsman's voice echoed from behind.
"Control your breathing."
Raizen clenched his teeth.
His grip tightened.
"Breathe…"
In.
Out.
The world slowed.
The sound of the wind became clear.
The movement of the demon—
Visible.
"Again," the swordsman said.
Raizen stepped forward.
This time—
He moved differently.
Calmer.
Sharper.
The demon lunged.
Raizen shifted his body.
Dodged.
For the first time—
Clean.
He raised his sword.
The darkness inside him stirred.
A faint shadow wrapped around the blade.
"Shadow…"
Raizen whispered.
The demon attacked again—
Raizen moved.
"Breathing…"
Everything aligned.
"First Form—"
A single step forward.
A single strike.
"Shadow Slash."
SHHKKK.
Silence.
The demon stopped.
Her body froze.
Then—
Her head fell.
The body collapsed.
Turning to ash.
Raizen stood still.
Breathing heavily.
His hands trembled.
"I… did it…"
His first kill.
He looked at the ground.
Where the demon once stood.
For a moment—
He remembered her face.
The fake cry.
The twisted smile.
"…She was human once."
The swordsman stepped forward.
"Yes."
Raizen didn't turn.
"Then… what are we?"
Silence.
After a moment, the swordsman answered—
"Hunters."
Final Scene
The wind blew softly through the forest.
Ash scattered into the night.
Raizen looked at his sword.
The faint shadow energy still lingering.
His eyes darkened.
"This is just the beginning."
Ending Line
To hunt demons—
You must first accept the darkness within yourself.