Demon Slayer : The Cursed One.

[Present]

Kai walked through the snow, his mind strangely blank. 

He wasn't grieving, not in the way most people would expect. 

Nor did he feel relief, even though he was now free from his position as Lisa's lab-rat. 

Instead, there was a hollow feeling that gnawed at the edges of his thoughts.

It felt strange. 

The wind howled as he neared the edge of the settlement, where the scattered houses stood like fragile sentinels against the winter's cruelty. 

Shadows moved between the buildings and people appeared in his sight, watching him as he walked.

By the time he reached the first row of houses, the whispers had already started.

"There he is," a woman muttered from behind a half-closed door. Her voice carried venom loud enough for Kai to hear. "Creepy little bastard. See, there is not even a hint of remorse on his still face."

"Look at him," another voice chimed in, a man leaning against a doorway with a sneer on his face. "Still got that dead fish face, like the doesn't feel a damn thing. Makes my skin crawl."

"Wonder what he did to her," a younger man added, loud enough to draw attention. He stepped out from the shadows, his arms crossed as he stared Kai down. "Bet he's the reason she's dead. Skinny little leech probably sucked her dry, then tossed her out like trash."

Kai kept walking, his expression blank, his footsteps steady.

"She brought it on herself," a woman's voice said from another direction. She sneered. "What kind of decent person takes in a kid like him? Probably her boy toy, or worse, her bastard son. Everyone knows the bitch had no shame."

That drew scattered jeers from the group, cruel and cutting.

"That whore was always weird," the gravel-voiced man from before added, stepping forward with a smug grin. "Always thought she was better than the rest of us. Like she had any right, living in that hovel and playing with her stupid glass bottles. Should've thrown her out years ago."

Kai stopped. His pale eyes moved toward the man, locking onto him with an unsettling stillness.

The man faltered briefly under Kai's gaze, but he recovered quickly, puffing out his chest. "...What? Got something to say, freak? Or are you just gonna stare at me with that creepy dead face of yours? Now even that bitch is also not here to protect you."

The others laughed, emboldened by the man's bravado.

"Probably doesn't even know how to talk," one of them joked. "Bet she kept him around for more… physical reasons."

Another laugh rippled through the group, and the gravel-voiced man grinned wider. "That's right, isn't it? Little boy toy, doing whatever she told you to. Or maybe you're her whoreson? Makes sense, doesn't it?"

Kai's fingers twitched slightly at his sides, but his expression didn't change.

The man took a step closer, towering over the boy. "What's the matter, huh? Got nothing to say? Just like always."

When Kai remained silent, the man shoved him hard in the chest. Kai stumbled backward but caught himself, his boots skidding slightly in the snow.

"Go on," the man said, his voice rising. "Get out of here. Nobody wants you here. Nobody ever did. Go work somewhere in the brothels, boy toy. Bet with your cute face you will be popular among coughers."

When Kai didn't move, the man shoved him again, harder this time. Kai fell, his hands hitting the snow as laughter erupted around him.

"Look at him," one of them jeered. "Doesn't even fight back. Pathetic."

The gravel-voiced man stepped forward, raising his foot. "Stay down, you little freak—"

Kai moved.

His body shifted slightly as he dodged the kick with minimal movement. He stood back slowly, his pale eyes locking onto the man with eerie calmness.

The jeers died instantly, the crowd faltering under the unsettling stillness of Kai's gaze. But before anyone could react, the faint whistle of something cutting through the air drew everyone's attention.

A steel pipe came swinging from behind Kai, aimed directly at his head.

Kai ducked, and the pipe sailed harmlessly over him, its momentum carrying it straight into the gravel-voiced man's face.

The impact was brutal. A sickening crunch echoed in the cold air as the pipe smashed into his mouth, knocking out several teeth. 

Blood sprayed across the snow as he stumbled backward, his hands clutching his face, a muffled cry of pain escaping his lips.

The man collapsed to his knees, blood dripping between his fingers as he groaned in agony. The crimson stains spread quickly across the white snow, stark and vivid under the dim light of the settlement.

The man who wielded the pipe, a wiry figure with a twisted sneer, froze for a moment, staring at the mess he'd caused. Then, as if snapping out of a trance, he pointed the pipe at Kai. "This little shit dodged! He planned it! He's trying to kill us!"

The crowd erupted in murmurs, their unease twisting into something more hostile.

"See? Creepy bastard's dangerous!" someone shouted.

"He's not normal! He's gonna kill us all!" another voice added, their tone frantic.

Kai straightened, brushing some stray snow off his coat. His pale eyes shifted to the man with the pipe.

The wiry man sneered, lifting the pipe again. "You think you're tough, huh? Let's see how tough you really are!"

He lunged at Kai, raising the pipe for another swing. At the same time, a few others in the crowd began to close in, their anger emboldened by the chaos.

Kai's hand moved swiftly, pulling out a small, battered revolver from beneath his oversized coat.

The sound of the gunshot cut through the night like a crack of thunder.

The pipe fell from the wiry man's grasp as he clutched his hand, a scream of pure agony tearing from his throat. 

Blood poured from the wound, dripping down his arm and pooling in the snow. His fingers spasmed uncontrollably as he stumbled backward, collapsing to his knees beside the gravel-voiced man.

The crowd froze, their faces pale with shock and fear. The earlier bravado had vanished, replaced by tense silence as their eyes darted between the writhing man and the revolver in Kai's frail hand.

He shifted his gaze, slowly looking at each person in the group, his pale eyes unreadable. 

The wind howled through the narrow alleys of the settlement, carrying with it the uneasy silence that had fallen over the crowd.

Finally, Kai's voice broke the tense silence, calm and almost conversational. "...Had fun?"

The question caught the crowd off guard. A few exchanged uneasy glances, unsure how to respond.

The wiry man screeched, clutching his wounded hand, his voice rising in a panicked crescendo. "You shot me! You bastard—he's gonna kill us all! Somebody stop him!"

Kai shifted his gaze toward him, his tone steady and emotionless. "One more word, and your earlier prediction might just come true."

The wiry man whimpered like a beaten dog, his bravado dissolving in an instant.

Kai's pale eyes didn't leave him as he continued speaking. "I've been trying to understand something. Why are you all here? Why does her death suddenly have all of you so riled up?"

The crowd, once brimming with hostility, now stood awkwardly silent, their earlier jeers fading into an uncomfortable stillness.

Kai tilted his head slightly, his expression as unreadable. "Lisa and I never troubled any of you. We didn't interfere, we didn't ask for help. So why the sudden interest in her death?"

His words hung in the icy air.

After a brief pause, his voice carried a faint edge of derision. "You're a group of adults, supposedly strong, ganging up on someone like me—a frail boy. What's the goal here? Are you trying to scare me? Convince yourselves I'm a threat?"

The crowd shifted uneasily, some glancing at one another as Kai's words pressed deeper.

"You've all seen me," Kai said. "I can barely stand without coughing up. I stumble through the snow because my body isn't built for this cold. And yet here you are, acting like I'm some kind of menace. A boy who can barely keep himself upright."

His gaze swept over the crowd, his presence unnervingly composed. "Do you even hear yourselves? You're terrified of someone weaker than you. Maybe that's the problem—maybe you hate me because I remind you of how weak you really are."

Kai's focus settled on the gravel-voiced man, still clutching his broken jaw. His voice remained calm, but each word carried a sharpness that cut deeper than any blade.

"None of you came to the pyre. But now, here you are. Lurking. Whispering. Watching. Like insects scuttling out from under a rock."

The man opened his mouth as if to respond, but no sound came out. Kai's gaze remained fixed, unflinching.

"I wonder…" Kai murmured, his tone thoughtful yet distant. "Is it because you want something? Is it the tools she left behind? The medicine? All those things you could scavenge and sell for a nice price?"

The gravel-voiced man stiffened, his posture growing tense.

Kai's eyes flicked to a woman in the group, who flinched and looked away. "Or maybe it's guilt," he said, his voice unwavering. "Some of you tried to rob her, didn't you? Some of you tried to hurt her, even when she was sick. Yet somehow, she spared you."

The woman's face paled, her gaze dropping to the snow.

"She didn't tell me much," Kai continued, his tone steady, devoid of judgment. "But I remember things. Like the man she knocked out when he tried to steal from her. Or the others she sent running when they came looking for more than supplies."

His gaze shifted again, landing on another man in the back. The man averted his eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"And then there's the rest of you," Kai said. "The ones who begged her for help. Who groveled when your children were sick, when you couldn't stand on your own? She saved you, and now you're here to pick her corpse clean."

The group shifted uncomfortably, their shame palpable in the frigid air.

Kai tilted his head, his pale eyes narrowing slightly. "Why didn't any of you come to the pyre? Was it because you didn't care? Or was it because now that she's gone, it's easier to pretend you're better than her?"

A ripple of unease spread through the crowd, their guilt and anger simmering beneath the surface.

Kai lowered his gaze slightly, as though lost in thought. "It's strange. People like you…" His voice softened. "You remind me of parasites. Leeches, maybe. Always taking, draining, until there's nothing left. And when someone like Lisa appears, someone who stands apart, you hate her for it."

The crowd bristled, though none dared to respond.

Kai's expression remained blank, his tone quiet but biting. "You hated her because she made you feel small. Because she didn't bow to you, didn't stoop to your level. And now that she's gone, you're circling her remains like vultures over a carcass."

The gravel-voiced man snarled, his bloodied face contorted in rage. "Shut up, you little freak! You don't know anything!"

Kai turned his gaze to the man. "I know enough. I know you're all talk when you're in a crowd, but the moment someone stronger shows up, you're groveling. You act tough in front of the weak because it's the only way you can feel powerful. But you're nothing. Just scavengers living off scraps."

The man opened his mouth, then closed it again, his fury wilting under Kai's relentless stare.

Kai didn't wait for a response. He turned away, the revolver still in his hand, and began walking back toward the metallic house.

As he walked, his voice carried softly over his shoulder. "Lisa was right. Trash like you isn't worth the trouble."

Behind him, the crowd stood in tense silence. The wind howled through the settlement, and Kai's footsteps faded into the night.

—--

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