- Y/n Tsugikuni -

Chapter 0 - A Quiet Burn -

The day started normal. If anything, a little too quiet.

Twelve-year-old Y/n wasn't the type to notice stuff like that-he was used to noise. Brothers yelling. Wind hitting the sliding doors. The clatter of dishes from the kitchen.

But today... silence.

He stepped out into the yard, brushing dirt from his sleeves. The sky was overcast, the air still. He looked around, waiting for someone to pop out and scare him like they always tried to.

No one did.

He walked toward the house again.

Then he noticed the smell.

It wasn't strong. Not yet. Just.. wrong.

"Mom?" he called. "I think something's-"

His words stopped when he noticed the blood on the wooden steps.

didn't freeze. didn't scream.

He just stood there. Breathing.

Something inside knew that what he'd find wouldn't make sense. And he wasn't wrong.

The house was torn apart. Not dramatically. No fire, no carnage. Just... broken things. Fallen walls. Shadows stretched too long where the light should've been.

A figure crouched near the back wall. Thin and sharp-looking. Like it didn't belong here.

It was nibbling on something. Fingers.

His brother's fingers.

The demon looked up. "Ah... still one left."

Y/n didn't move.

His heart pounded in his ears, but he wasn't scared. Not the kind of fear that makes you run, anyway. It felt colder. Focused.

His hands curled into fists.

The demon lunged. Y/n didn't think-he moved, just like that. His body knew before he did. A blur, a twist, a fist-then the thing's arm bent the wrong way.

It shrieked.

Y/n stood over it, confused more than anything. His own arm throbbed from the impact, but something deeper stirred. Like the heat of a sun trying to wake up inside his blood.

And then-he felt it.

A presence. Behind the house.

He turned his head slightly. Nothing was there. But something was watching. It wasn't that demon. It wasn't human. It didn't feel evil, exactly-but it wasn't right.

It reminded him of something he never understood. A gap in his memory. A face he used to remember, but couldn't place anymore.

Where's his mother?

The presence vanished before he could focus on it. He looked back. The demon was gone-crawled off, or maybe finished off by something else.
He didn't chase it.

Outside, One other someone had been watching all along.

Kyojuro Rengoku's arms were crossed, the usual energy replaced into a frown carved into his face. The boy wasn't just a survivor. He had moved like someone who was born to fight. No training, no stance-just instinct.

But what bothered Kyojuro wasn't the boy's strength.

It was the way the air around him felt heavy. Like history had already chosen him for something.

Rengoku stepped forward, calling out calmly. Not wanting to scare the boy even more
"Hey. Are you alright?"

Y/n blinked, finally noticing the man. "Who are you?"

"My name is Kyojuro Rengoku. The Flame Hashira."

There was a pause. Neither spoke for a few seconds.

.

"I didn't mean to do that," Y/n finally muttered. "I just... moved."

Rengoku studied the boy's eyes.

No hatred. No panic. Just confusion.

That scared him more than rage ever could.

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The prologue is lacking you say? Oh ho, worry not, our protagonist will have alot to motivate from soon 😛