Night came quietly over Mount Kumotori. The sky was dark, and the wind was cold. Nezuko stood outside the temporary campsite with Muzan, her breath quiet, her eyes on the trees ahead.
"We're leaving?" she asked.
"Yes," Muzan said. "It's time to go."
He began walking. Nezuko followed.
They made their way down the slope. There were no lights around them. Just snow covered paths, quiet forests, and empty air.
After a while, Nezuko looked at Muzan again. "Where are we going?"
Muzan kept walking. "I want to learn more about souls."
"Souls?" she repeated. "Why?"
"There's something I need to do. But I can't do it unless I understand them."
Nezuko frowned. "Do souls really exist?"
"They do," Muzan answered without stopping. "I've never seen one myself. But there's a place where two souls still linger. They haven't left."
"Where is that?" Nezuko asked, curious.
"Mount Sagiri. At the top."
Nezuko nodded slowly and walked beside him.
They traveled through the woods and across quiet hills. The trees became thinner, and snow began to cover the ground. The path turned white. The wind was stronger now. It pushed against them as they walked.
Sometimes Nezuko stumbled, and when she did, Muzan reached out and picked her up. Once, she slipped on a patch of ice, and he took her hand to help her back up.
"Thanks," she said, brushing snow from her clothes.
"You're still getting used to your new body," Muzan said. "You'll grow stronger."
She looked at him but didn't reply. They kept walking.
By the time they reached the village under Mount Sagiri, the sky was pitch black.
Not a single house had lights inside. Doors were shut. Smoke no longer came from chimneys. The streets were empty.
"They're all asleep," Nezuko said.
"Yes," Muzan said. "We should keep moving."
They walked through the village and up the path beyond it. Soon the jungle became deeper, and trees started to close in again.
As they moved higher, Muzan spoke. "There's a demon that lives near the top. It stays in an abandoned shrine."
Nezuko stopped. "A demon? That's its territory?"
"Yes. It hunts from there."
Nezuko looked ahead. The trees were thicker now. It was darker. She could feel something strange in the air.
As they moved up the path, Nezuko suddenly saw two shapes ahead.
"A woman…" she said softly.
It was a woman and a child walking up the path, holding a lantern between them. The woman looked tired. The child held her hand tightly.
They noticed Nezuko and Muzan coming closer. The woman stepped back in surprise. The child hid behind her kimono.
Nezuko raised a hand gently. "We didn't expect to see anyone here. It's late. Where are you going?"
The woman looked nervous but answered. "There's a shrine up the mountain. My husband is sick. He has a fever. I'm going to pray for him."
Nezuko's eyes widened. "You're going to that shrine?"
"Yes… Is something wrong?"
Nezuko looked toward the top of the mountain. Then back at the woman.
"Don't go," she said firmly. "There's a demon in that shrine. If you go there, you'll die."
The woman's face turned pale. The child gripped her coat even harder.
"Mama, I don't want to go," the child whispered.
The woman bit her lip. "But my husband... I don't know what else to do…"
Nezuko paused, then reached into her coat. She pulled out a small cloth bundle, opened it, and took out a few herbs.
"These should help. Boil them in water. Give it to him. It'll break his fever."
The woman stared at the herbs, then at Nezuko.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," Nezuko said. "You don't have to go up there."
The woman took the herbs with both hands. She bowed deeply. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
The child looked at Nezuko with wide eyes. "Thank you, miss."
They turned and started down the path again, their lantern swinging slowly.
Nezuko watched them go.
Behind her, Muzan's voice was cold.
"You're a demon now, Nezuko," he said. "But you're still thinking like a human."
Nezuko didn't speak.
"You helped those people," Muzan said. "But humans won't thank you. They'll fear you. Or hate you. You don't belong with them anymore."
She looked at the snow-covered ground.
"I know," she said. "But I couldn't let them die. Not when I could help."
Muzan said nothing.
Then he turned and started walking again.
Nezuko quickly followed him.
Soon, they passed a broken torii gate and saw the abandoned shrine in the distance. The wood was dark and damp.
Half the shrine roof was missing, and the rest leaned to one side. As they got closer, Nezuko stopped.
She narrowed her eyes. Inside the shrine, crouched in the shadows near the altar, was a creature.
Its limbs were long. Its eyes were glowing slitlike. Its skin looked stretched and cracked.
It was chewing on something slowly.
"That's the one," Muzan said quietly. "This is his den."
Nezuko looked at the demon but said nothing. The demon didn't seem to have noticed them yet.
Muzan walked on. Nezuko turned her eyes away and followed.
The path curved higher. The trees became thin again. The ground was wider. Then, the forest opened.
They reached the top of Mount Sagiri.
There were no torches, bells, or people here. What stood there wasn't an abandoned house.
It was a small set of wooden houses. A thin trail of smoke came from one chimney. A gate stood open. Footprints were fresh on the ground.
Nezuko stepped forward and looked around.
"Someone lives here," she said.
"Yes," Muzan replied. "But we're not here for living people."
She looked at him.
"This is the location," Muzan said. "This place is haunted."
Nezuko looked around.
"Haunted?"
"Yes. The spirits of two children stay here. Even after death, they linger around here."
The cold wind picked up. It moved past her face and into her hair. She crossed her arms.
"I feel something," she said quietly.
"They're probably watching us," Muzan said. "They don't like demons."
Nezuko stepped closer to the gate. The wooden beams were covered in moss. The roof of the house was creaking in the wind.
She looked around slowly. Her eyes narrowed.
"There's something cold in the air," she said.
Muzan didn't reply. He stared at the training ground. His face was calm, but his eyes didn't blink.
The cold air kept blowing. And the mountain stayed quiet.