Demon Heart ~ Rebirth of a Slayer

A Broken Heart

Everywhere I look, the suffocating darkness of the abyss stretches endlessly. It's not just emptiness—it's alive, like it's wrapping around me, swallowing every trace of my existence. Time doesn't flow here. I can't feel it, can't grasp it. What happened? I struck that demon, struck him until he bled, until he crumbled beneath me. But in the end... I died. That cursed smile... What did he mean by "Reikizuna will kill me"? The words gnaw at my mind, sharp like daggers, but there's no time to unravel it. The screams of the hunters still echo in my ears. Their cries... endless. And the way Gorou was devoured by that black fire... I'll never forget his twisted, final smile as the flames consumed him.

Emiko... what happened to her? She has to know by now. But who left to say to her.

Then, it comes—a red dot, tearing through the suffocating dark. At first, it's barely visible, like the eye of some unseen predator watching from the abyss. But it grows, larger and larger, swallowing the black. Its light pierces everything. The abyss shudders in its presence. My body glows under its harsh red blaze, every scar and wound illuminated in sickening detail. The weight of it is unbearable—I try to open my eyes, but the light burns. Even with them closed, it sears through my eyelids, a red inferno that won't let me hide.

This mysterious red light stays for a long time, but suddenly it begins to dim. Bit by bit, the painful brightness fades away. As it dims, I start to feel a calming warmth beneath my skin. It reminds me of the time I first came to this world. A sense of weightlessness washes over me, as if I'm finally laying down. Wait... Am I really at Emiko's shop? Did the villagers come and rescue us? If they did, they might have already seen the bodies. I open my eyes, hoping to see Emiko sitting right beside me. My first vision is a blur, but gradually it begins to clear. I realize I'm under a TREE!

I feel the cold earth beneath me as I slowly regain some strength. My body feels heavier than it should. Pushing myself up, my back meets the rough bark of the tree. I breathe in, trying to calm myself, but something feels... wrong. There's this strange sensation on one side of me—like my own body isn't mine anymore. It's as if half of me is weighed down by something foreign.

I glance down.

My heart stops.

What... what the hell is this?

The right side of my body—it's twisted, blackened like charred flesh, but more than that. My arm... my hand—it's not human anymore. Thick, grotesque veins pulse through the darkened skin, twisting like black vines. My fingers end in sharp claws, glistening with an unnatural sheen. My skin—no, it's not even skin anymore. It's like... scales? Hardened, jagged armor, as if I've become part demon.

I can feel my heart racing in my chest. My breath comes in shallow gasps. Is this real? Am I still dreaming?

As I lift my hand—my hand? —I see the Blacksteel bracer embedded into my arm. It's not just strapped on; it's fused, its cold surface melding into my flesh, surrounded by those pulsing veins that seem to grip me, drawing strength from within. My eyes widen at the wolf gem embedded in the bracer. Its ordinary red color gleams back at me, a stark contrast to the dark corruption surrounding it. But how long will it stay that way?

I stare at my arm in horror, feeling everything—the sharpness of the claws, the rough texture of the scales—but it doesn't feel like me. This... this thing, it's part of me now.

What happened to me?

Memories flash in my mind—Gorou's last smile, the black fire that consumed him, the demon's voice whispering about "Reikizuna killing me." It all comes rushing back, hitting me like a storm. That fight... that damn demon.