Second Chances: A Love That's Bound

Chapter 4 - A Dance with the Devil

Giyu and Shinobu followed the leader of the village, Haruto, into the small, private office in the town hall. The space was dimly lit by a singular lantern hanging from the ceiling, casting long shadows on the wooden walls. Haruto gestured for the pair to sit; it was a simple table, old and rickety, but sturdy enough. On the table, maps and documents were scattered haphazardly.

"Thank you two for coming as quick as you did," Haruto began, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "The town has been living in constant terror," Haruto began pacing around the room. It was quite clear that he had been trying to wrap his head around ways to keep his town safe and methods on trying to capture the demon. Each document on the table described different plans of attack and detainment, and each map shows the last known location tracked by a victim. He truly cared for this town and its people; that showed; however, catching an animal was different from catching a demon.

"You have contacted us, so obviously you know about the existence of demons and us." Shinobu stated this to the man, trying to continue with the investigation.

"You're right, I followed it myself; it was about to get me but I ran away when it started to get light. I have done some research—nothing to prove it's real but enough to explain the things that have  happened." Haruto calmed himself, trying to continue, but he had to sit down to avoid causing a serious injury to what is a frail old man. "We've been scared; it attacks and leaves a wake of destruction in its path. We have looked for it but to no avail." He continued, trying his best with his shaky hands to clean the table.

"Let me," Giyu stated as he picked up the rainy papers and placed them neatly on the table.

Shinobu leaned forward, her expression sympathetic, but she remained focused on the task at hand. "Haruto-san, why don't you tell me about this demon? What does it do when it attacks? When do they usually happen? And who are the demons preferred targets?"

Haruto nodded, his hands trembling as he sifted through the papers and documents. "The attacks occur just after midnight, around one o'clock in the morning; they don't seem to target anybody, old or young, male or female; they have attacked all. It seems to know we rely on our livestock as well; when I was searching for it, it even slaughtered some of our sheep and cows."

Giyu, who was trying to formulate a plan of attack, narrowed his eyes. "Has anybody been up close and seen the demon and survived?" He questioned.

Haruto stalled for a moment, and with a big gulp, he swallowed hard. "Yes, only one, a young man, Akuto. He's big and strong, but since the attack, he's been traumatised. He can only speak of this demon, who has red eyes and claws like knives. I'm sure it was in the moment; I'm not sure how he got away, but we are lucky he has; he is the only one who has proper information on the beast."

Shinobu glanced at Giyu, then back at Haruto. "We should go speak to the people who have been involved with this demon, be it losing someone or, in Akuto's case, surviving themselves." She straightened herself, ready to leave and make haste on solving this mission fast and efficiently. "They could provide us with some crucial information."

Haruto nodded, his relief palpable. "Yes, of course I'll take you to them now," he started, his voice slightly calmer with the presence of the demon slayers here. "Most of them are too scared to leave their homes; I'm sure they will talk if they know you're here to help."

They each left the town hall, both Hashiras looking around for any signs of damage to the infrastructure or agriculture. Haruto led them through the narrow, winding streets of the town. The houses were modest, the windows shuttered, and the doors tightly locked. They both could sense how thick the air was filled with fear, and the few townsfolk that they did see quickly hurried back into their respective homes, giving wary glances towards them both.

Haruto led them to a small house on the east side of town, closest to the dense forest and furthest away from any help. Haruto knocked gently on the wooden door, and after a moment, an elderly woman opened the door ajar. Her eyes widened when she saw Haruto, glancing over towards Hashira. She quickly opened the door and let them inside.

Haruto had been promising protection and the extermination of said demon to the remaining residents. "Thank you for coming," the woman said, her voice trembling. "My name is Yumi.".

"Hello Yumi, I'm Kocho; this is Tomioka." Shinobu spoke up, first gesturing her hand towards Giyu when pronouncing his name. "We have reason to believe that a demon is terrorising your town; any information you have on its whereabouts and appearance would be very beneficial." Shinobu's spoke with a gentle and reassuring tone, hoping to calm the old women in front of them.

"This monster... this demon, it took my grandson," her voice slowly breaking with each word. Giyu glanced around the room as both Yumi and Shinobu talked, drawing what looked to have been done by somebody who must have been young. Photos hung around in a random pattern of Yumi and a little boy, presumably her grandson.

Shinobu placed a comforting hand on Yumi's shoulder, trying her best to help calm the elderly woman. She slowly begins to calm herself, and her breathing steadies once again. "We're here to help, Yumi-san. Can you tell me anymore about what happened?". Shinobu carried on with her conversation with her.

Yumi nodded, wiping the tears that began to well up in her eyes. "It was after the sun had set; we were such a peaceful town, it's not unusual for the children to play out later than normal. I saw something when I was watching them—glimmering eyes—in the woods; I thought it might be a bear." Yumi stopped for a moment, still grieving for her grandson. She wiped her tears again as Shinobu and Giyu both glanced at each other regarding that statement again. 'Glowning eyes', most definitely a demon lurking in the forest. "It moved so fast, I couldn't see it; by the time I realised it was stalking my grandson, it was too late; he was gone.".

Both of the Hashira listened intently, their expressions unreadable. "Before the attack, did you notice something unusual? Any signs of something wrong, smell, sights?" Giyu spoke up, breaking the silence.

Yumi shook her head. "No, one moment my grandson Kaito was playing and laughing, then the moment I see something, they are both gone, in the blink of an eye."

Shinobu offered her sympathy for Yumis grandson, but also for her bravery to retell the story again. As she got up from her seat, she reassured her that they would both do everything in their power to stop the attacks and slay the demon. As they left the house, Shinobu turned to Giyu. "The speed of the demon could be concerning if it's as fast as what Yumi-san says it is; it could be some kind of blood demon art of some sort.".

Giyu nodded, just so they could have quiet while walking towards the next house that Haruto wants to take them to. The demon could very well be fast, but it could also be exaggerated, and with a normal human eye, most unlikely it's using blood demon art; however, the Shinobu assumption could never be ruled out.

"Well, be fine; you're fast as well, smart, and strong." Giyu muttered these words to slightly lift the silence between all three of them. Shinobu blinks, momentarily caught off guard by Giyu's unexpected compliment. A soft smile curled at her lips as she tilted her head slightly downward, her eyes a mixture of surprise, amusement, and also a bit of pride, for Giyu believed that she was strong in her own right.

"Ara Ara~ Tomioka-san, I didn't expect you to ever give anyone a compliment." She teased him slightly, poking him in the shoulder, her voice carrying its usual playful lilt. "I really didn't see that coming, my my Tomioka-san, I'm honoured," the playful teasing helped ease her blush that slowly crept its way onto her face.

Their next stop was the home of a young man called Daichi, who himself narrowly escaped an attack. He was pale and gaunt, his eyes haunted with the memory of the encounter.

"It was late into the night; I can't remember what time, but almost everyone was asleep." His voice was shaky and trembly, barely audible; his voice was just louder than a whisper. "I was returning from the woods. I remember hearing strange noises. I thought someone was playing a prank because I swear I heard whispering.. but I couldn't make out any of the words," Daichi said, carrying on with the story of events, Giyu and Shinobu, listening intently for any information that could give them a lead.

"When I could hear the noises get closer, I saw it—its eyes." He began to shake with fear as the memory came rushing back.

"It's okay, Daichi-kun; you're safe now; please continue." Shinobu managed to ease the atmosphere and calm the man down.

"I ran as fast as I could; I thought it had a person with it, so I just ran away. I didn't even help! I'm a cowboy; what will everyone think of me now, the man who ran and saved himself?" Daichi was quickly hit in the back of the neck, safely knocking him out. Giyu picked up the now-sleeping tenant and placed him in his bed.

"He was growing hysterical; we need actual information. Sorry, Haruto," Giyu bowed and apologised to the town spokesman.

"No, it's quite alright. I don't want anybody to feel that way. I'll make sure that he isn't discriminated against for running away," Haruto promised to the two Hashira before putting out the candles and letting the man sleep.

"So it's fast and whispers? Very unusual; maybe that's the blood demon art instead, and it's just naturally  fast." Shinobu questioned herself and Giyu, who was making his own conclusions about what's been said before.

Giyu looked around as they moved through the streets, trying to grasp why he felt such an awkward aura around him. There was a demon terrorising this town daily, but now nothing is happening.

"Kocho" Giyu simply said to alert his partner. Pointing towards the inn in the centre of town. "We should rest now; it's easier to gain information through the day."

"I suppose we should; it is getting late." Just as Shinobu was finishing her sentence, she clocked on to what Giyu was insinuating. It was dark, but nothing was happening.

"We should be getting some rest, Haruto-san; thank you for all your help," and with that, they both left and got a room for the night.

"Are we sharing Tomioka-san? I don't think we have enough for two rooms," Shinobu teased as she continually poked at Giyus shoulder while he paid the innkeeper for a room.

They sat down at their table in the room, and with the documents that Haruto had kindly let them borrow, they both scanned through each report and noted down any differences from what they had so far. An older man described a pungent, metallic smell that accompanied the attacks, whereas a young woman spoke about seeing a tall, dark figure come out of the water with a fishy waste smell present before it attacked her family. They were all so different, there was nothing to conclude about what the blood demon art was.

As Giyu was about to speak, they both heard a knock on the door. After seeing it was Haruto, they let him in. He sat down and offered some tea that he had brought from downstairs.

"What have you learnt so far? Anything you can do to stop the  attacks." Haruto questioned me while pouring all three of them a cup. Shinobu drank from her tea as she spoke with him about all their findings and how unusual they are. Giyu, not wanting to rehash all the information over and over again, walked to the window to watch the small town. Slowly sipping the tea, he could see something unusual—just in the distance, a dark liquid on the floor.

Giyu quickly realised this, dashed towards the exit, and made his way there.

"Tomioka-san!" Shinobu was surprised by Giyus sudden burst of speed but quickly made her way, following the young man.

"Sorry, Haruto-san," could be heard in the distance as she ran to chase after Giyu. Haruto, still in the room, placed his tea down and rushed to the window. Seeing what Giyu did, he made his way to follow the two slayers and help where he could.

"Tomioka-san, slow down; what are you rushing for?" Shinobu is trying her hardest to keep up, only to see Giyu slowly getting smaller and smaller, since when was he this fast? She had always been in the upper echelon when it came to speed, but now she's struggling to keep up with Giyu.

As she was wondering how Giyu gained so much speed, she saw the large pool of blood on the floor and a slumped man leaning on the wall, unconscious.

As they both arrived, she quickly got out her medical supplies; it was a small bag, but she packed quite a few things in. Shinobu was a very well-respected doctor within the corps, performing what some could consider miracles; however, she could not revive the dead. She closed the deceased's eyes and snookered her head towards Giyu.

"We've missed it, haven't we?" Shinobu inwardly sighed to herself at the fact she had to spend another day investigating instead of catching it early.

"No," was a simple answer, but enough for Giyu to grab the attention of Shinobu, who noticed his sword drawn. She glanced over at Haruto, who was running towards them in a hurry. "What do you mean, no, Tomioka-san? An explanation would be nice.".

"He was dead before I got close, the bodies still here, a demon killing a person but leaving its body, despite the fact the reports and witness all state it takes a victim?" Giyu spoke to her but never let his eye off their surroundings. Demons are cunning and vicious, it could use people as a trap and attack from a blind spot.

"You're quite alert and aware aren't you, I suppose you ARE right though" Shinobu said drawing her own blade, mentally preparing herself for a conflict to soon arrive.

Haruto finally caught the two and dropped to his knees as he saw the dead body. "NO! Not again, how could this happen" his voice slowly breaking as he sobbed for the townsperson.

"This demon, its attacks are relentless! It's as if it knows where we are weakest and strikes then!" His voice slowly filling with rage and resentment, veins slowly becoming more visible in his arms and face. Giyu watched onwards, making sure to keep an eye on the area surrounding them.

Giyu didn't watch Haruto as closely as he liked, but decided it was time to investigate again. "You've never seen this demon, Haruto? Only its victims?" The question pondered in the air, Haruto seemingly hesitant to answer.

Hesitating to answer, Haruto took a large gulp before replying back. "No, I haven't. Only what it leaves behind. The ones that got away.. and.. and even the mutilated ones, the demon enjoys tormenting its victims, it's awful".

Giyu's eyes narrowed slightly, his instincts telling him something was off, he didn't know what it was, perhaps the way Haruto answered the questions, or how seemingly despite being involved in all cases he hasn't seen or heard the demon once. Giyu was an experienced demon slayer, with a lot of demons slain by his own nichirin blade, there was something about Haruto's manner that unsettled him. A demon attack wasn't just a murder by a knife, a demon eats people and mutilates the corpses, for anyone not used to that, can cause serious mental illness, but the town leader, he was too calm, too composed, he was too detached from the horrors that have happened and been spoken off, even now, with the body infront of him, his body language wasn't that of a scared leader worried for the people of the town. As they spoke and investigated the area around them, Giyu noticed a strange but subtle change to the air, it was faint but the sweet scent clung to the back of his throat.

"Kocho" Giyu said quietly, his voice barely over a whisper.

She glanced over at him, sensing his unease at the current situation. "Yes Tomioka-san".

"Do you smell that?" keeping their voices low, enough for each other to hear, but keeping it from the people around them.

Shinobu paused, inhaling the air softly. "Yes. It's faint and sweet, almost like the flowers back at the estate, but something seems off, almost wrong."

Haruto, who was now walking around ahead of the pair, stopped hearing the subtle whispers, turning his head in their direction, his face still obscured by the shadows of the night. "Is something the matter? Have you seen someone? Noticed anything?" His voice was unusually dark in comparison to his usual self.

Giyu stared at the man in front of them, slowly standing in front of Shinobu, with the weight of his suspicions pressing down on his shoulders. "This scent, it's not natural.".

Haruto's lips curled into a slow and sinister smile, and in that moment, Giyu finally caught on. He went to raise his sword, but the ground beneath his feet suddenly lurched. The world around him, distorted and twisted, bled into each other as if a watercolour painting had been left in the rain. His vision swam, and the cobblestones in front of him began to warp and twist as if they were alive.

"Giyu!" Shinobu, despite shouting at such close range, felt distant; it was as if she was trying to call him across a vast and open chasm.

Shinobu caught on to what was happening the moment she smelt the suspicious smell, managing to hold her breath and cover her face with a mask. To avoid any further complications, she needed to warn Giyu. "Don't breathe any more in," her warning cut through the thick layer of fog between them. Her voice was sharp and clear.

Giyu gritted his teeth, forcing himself to concentrate on stopping the hallucinogenic gas from being breathed in too much. He staggered backwards, his hands clenched over his nose and mouth, but was still trying to hold his blade up while he tried to block out the gas in the air. Trying to regain his composure, he turned to Shinobu. He could see her draw her blade; her movements were swift and precise; she lunged herself towards the demon in front of them—or what remained of him.

The town leader cackled, his laughter echoing unnaturally through the deserted streets. "So you've figured it out, have you? No matter, you're already caught in my gas! It's too late for you now."

Giyu looked for where the man was speaking, but nobody was seen. Haruto, now slowly twisting and distorting, began to shed what seemed to be a disguise, almost revealing his true self; a grotesque and twisted body remained. His skin seemed like it was melting away, with what seemed like gas bubbles dotted around his upper body. His eyes, which were blocked by his hair now revealed, glowed a sickly yellow hue, filled with malice and hunger. They looked towards the both of them, eyeing its next potential meal. The gaseous mist around them thickened and swirled around them both, almost like a living being, its tendrils of dark vapour reaching out, trying to grab and ensnare the two Hashiras.

Shinobu, looking in Giyu's direction, noticed that, despite his years of experience, he was still falling into the demon trap. "Tomioka-san! Focus!" Her voice was a light in the dark, a lifeline for him to pull himself out of the confusion and regain composure again.

He tightened his grip on his sword, feeling the familiar weight of the blade on the ground around him. He forced his kind to clear, to ignore the illusions and hallucinations that seemed to flock and cloud his vision. Giyu, with his composure now regained, slashed his nichirin blade through the fog and mist, his movements precise, fast, and fluid, like the flow of water he embodied, his movement reminiscent of the element. The sharp blade of his sword cut through the fog with ease and lethal precision.

Haruto shrieked, recoiling back into the darkness of the night as his mist and fog were temporarily dispersed. "You dare challenge me, prey, like you need to learn to just drop down and die!" The sound of the demon is now clear, roaring with frustration throughout the town.

Giyu's expression hardened, now with a clear determination to kill the demon in front of him. He prepared his blade for his next attack.

Haruto's form slowly solidified in the darkness, his gaseous body condensing into a humorous shape once again. 'He mustn't be able to attack in his gas form, but he can't be cut either' Giyu was analysing the demon in front of him and came to a quick conclusion: in terms of animals, this demon was an ambush predator, luring his prey in and quickly dispatching it before disappearing, avoiding conflict. 'This is why the big guys are probably able to fight back and escape'.

"You're a coward, aren't you?" The probation was obvious, but Giyu needed to find the real body of the demon, and it worked. The demon filled with rage at the statement he made before Giyu; his fingers elongated and his nails formed claws, dripping with what seemed like a venomous substance. The demons, who would smile, twisted and turned into snarls, and without warning, lunged towards Giyu.

Giyu, knowing that the attack was coming, was able to parry claws, sparks flying, and his own blade clashed with the claws of the demon. The force of the impact reverberated throughout his arms, but he held firm and strong, his gaze locked onto Haruto. The demon's movements were erratic; he was fast, and with the ability to change his form from solid to gas, it wasn't an easy time trying to target him. But Giyu also seemingly possessed, moving with such a speed that Shinobu, watching, couldn't follow his movements, every swing of his sword a blur as he struck again and again, each blow driving the demon back more and more.

Shinobu started to look for the demon instead; it was slower than Giyu and the real target. Quick and agile, Shinobu darted around, looking for an opening between the clashes of blades. She knew she couldn't match Giyu for his raw strength, and seeing his abilities now, she wasn't so sure she was faster either, but her precision and striking speed were greater than most, including Giyu. As Haruto focused on Giyu, currently the larger threat, she moved in from the side, her blade coated with a special concoction of multiple wisteria poisons, lethal for demons. She thrust her blade towards Haruto's arm, the toxin seeping into the wound.

Haruto howled in pain as the wisteria-based poison made its way through the demon, his body convulsing as the poison took effect. The mist around them thickened, swirling with great intensity and growing larger at a rapid rate as Haruto's rage grew. He lashed out wildly, his claws tearing through the air and leaving visible scratch marks within the fog, showing how thick it had become. With each bloodcurdling scream, Haruto slashed at each Giyu and Shinobu, causing both of them to go on the defence and evade his attacks.

Watching the demon slash and attack, Giyu noticed the level of the attacks, no longer changing into his gaseous form or using it at all. This was down to the poison Shinobu managed to inject. Stopping a demon's ability is powerful, and along with immense pain, it was almost a guaranteed win. Against any demon below the six upper moons, they may just die to that. This demon was strong, and Giyu was going to have to finish it himself.

"This ends now!" Giyu's voice was cold as he stepped forward, channelling all his strength into a singular, decisive strike.

Finding the perfect chance to strike, Giyu focused and found the demon's movement pattern. Memorising it, he found his time to strike. "Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!" Giyu charged towards Haruto, his blade readied and the form of a water dragon beside him. Haruto stood in awe at the spectacle in front of him, unable to move. Giyu slashed at him with a constant flow of slashes. Each strike connected with a brutal force, slashing and tearing through Haruto's defences with ease.

Haruto screamed, his body breaking and disintegrating under the relentless assault. The mist and fog began to dissipate, and the hallucinogenic gas began to lose its effectiveness and potency as the demons strength waned. Giyu, with one final strike, cleaved through Haruto's neck, severing his head from his body in a spray of blood and soaking the floor around him.

The demon's body crumpled to the floor, slowly dissolving into nothingness as his head hit the floor. His eyes, filled with intense fury but also disbelief, locked with Giyu's for the briefest of moments before finally turning to ash, and the light faded from them entirely.

Giyu stood over where Haruto had been slain, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. The night was silent once more, the oppressive fog lifting to reveal the clear, starry sky above. Shinobu approached him for a moment, unknown to most people close; her expression was unreadable as she sheathed her Nichirin Blade.

"Tomioka-san? Are you okay?" She asked softly.

He nodded, his gaze not leaving the spot where Haruto had fallen. "Yes, I'm fine.".

Shinobu gave him a small smile, one that spoke of admiration and relief towards him. He was safe; they both were, and neither of them suffered any major damage, although in Shinobu's mind, it could have been different had she not had Giyu to accompany her and quite frankly kill the demon himself. "You did well; his blood demon art was quite formidable, but you saw right through it. To tell you the truth, I couldn't even follow your movements." Her voice was filled with relief but also a hint of jealousy or an annoyance to herself. Giyu realised that he probably was a lot stronger than the other hashiras because of his many years of training in the previous timeline, keeping his abilities to boot.

Giyu finally turned to her, the small amount of tension in his shoulders dropping when he saw her smile. "We both did; if it wasn't for you poisoning him and limiting his ability to merge with the gas, I don't think I could have killed him." Giyu spoke with a high admiration for Shinobu. It wasn't true that he couldn't kill the demon on his own; he could use the other abilities, but because of her presence, he opted out, and while everything was happening, she still managed to follow the fight to make her conclusion on where to strike and ultimately end the fight there and then.

She nodded at his words, slightly taking them in, still wanting to increase her power, to be able to help her comrades around her, but more importantly, to get revenge on a certain individual. Though there was always a back-up in the shadows, She turned to look at the village around them, slowly coming to life with the sun's hue slowly beginning to start rising in the background, the townsfolk blissfully unaware of what happened the previous night.

"Thank you, Kocho-san."

Shinobu turned quick at whoever was thanking her; the voice sounded like Giyu, but was it really him thanking her? She stopped and stared for a moment. "Eh, what?" she said confusingly, not understanding why she was being thanked.

"Thank you for your help, Kocho; I really couldn't have won without your help."

Shinobu blinked, taken aback by his words. It wasn't everyday that Giyu expressed his feelings so openly, and hearing him thank her so sincerely caught her off guard. A faint blush crept up on her cheeks, to which she quickly averted her attention to her sword, hoping to hide her flustered expression.

"Oh, it was nothing," she said, her voice higher than normal. "We're partners; you did most of the work; I provided support.".

Giyu tilted his head slightly, noticing the small blush on her cheeks—a rare sight to behold—and Shinobu being flustered. A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "No seriously, your support was crucial; without it, I could have died. You kept me focused and took advantage of the small openings he was leaving. I mean it, I'm grateful.".

She could feel her heart start skipping beats, and her heart rate began to quicken at his words. The sincerity in his voice made her chest tighten in a way she'd never been used to. Shinobu prided herself on being composed, always the one to tease, and never being teased. But now, standing under the stars with Giyu, looking at her the way he did and the things he's saying, she felt a bit out of her depth.

"Well," she said, patting her haori down as she tried to regain her composure. "You're welcome, Tomioka-san. But don't think this means I'll go easy on you! I still have plenty of things that I can tease you about," she said, pointing her finger towards Giyu and smiling her signature smile.

Giyu, back to his expressionless face, looked onwards at her and then at the stars, saying, "I wouldn't expect anything less.".

There was a brief pause, both of them standing there, sharing a quiet moment that was somehow more intimate than the battle they had just fought together. Shinobus blush deepened at the scenario they're in, and she found herself looking away again, this time gazing up at the stars with Giyu.

"It's a beautiful night tonight, isn't it, Tomioka-san?" she mused, her voice softer now.

Giyu looked over at her and followed her gaze to the sky above, silently agreeing that the sky was beautiful tonight, though his thoughts were set on something—someone much closer, the person beside him.

Shinobu's heart was still racing; her thoughts were whirlwinds of emotions and feelings she wasn't entirely sure how to process. She knew one thing as she stole a glance at the water. Hashira, this side of Giyu, the gentle, caring, and sensitive side—one he rarely let out and showed—was something she found herself wanting to see more often.

"We should start heading back," she said, finally managing to calm her racing heart to an acceptable pace—enough to speak without stuttering. "We need to report to headquarters as soon as we can.".

Giyu nodded. "Yes, let's go.".

And with that, they both set off from the village, letting the townsfolk know that they should find a new'mayor' and a small detail as to why.

As they both walked, the previous night's events still fresh in each other's minds, they carried on silently and comfortably as they made their way back to the headquarters.

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5317 Words

So first off, wow, this story has hit 500 reads! Thanks so much for everyone who has taken the time to read and vote and comment, thank you all. Sorry for having this chapter so delayed, with family issues and personal stuff creeping up this month has been a real hard one to navigate and motivate myself.

I'm hoping that most of the negative stuff has passed for now so I can actually focus on this story more, I have so many ideas written down so I'm just mapping out where I want this story to go.

But again thank you for all your support, seeing the read count and vote count just go up is really so motivating that I just want to continue for you guys. And also to the people who are adding this to their reading lists, thank you too every bit really does help me stay focused on keeping this story alive.

Thank you ❤️