Ikari was stunned by the old man's revelations about his family name. He hadn't expected there to be an ancient history behind it.
Although his father had mentioned that their family was not ordinary, Ikari didn't believe it since he saw nothing special about being a part of it. In fact, he had never even met any relatives from the same family. However, after hearing the old man's words, he began to believe what his father had said.
Ikari fixed his gaze on the old man standing before him, curiosity filling him. He quickly asked, "Why haven't I heard of this legend before? And what happened to the clan that I haven't met a single relative?"
Himiru didn't respond immediately. Instead, he returned Ikari's gaze, locking eyes with him and waiting for him to calm down.
After a moment, he said, "It's a legend, of course you've never heard of it before. This kind of legend is not widely known, and information about this ancient family clan is almost nonexistent. However, some details can be found in organizations like the Demon Slayer Corps."
"As for what happened to the clan, there are no records. I haven't seen a single member of this family besides you. Only the ancient family behind the Demon Slayer Corps might have some clues," Himiru said.
Ikari nodded at the old man's words, processing everything he had said. After a moment, he asked, "So, the Demon Slayer Corps must be an ancient organization. Why doesn't everyone know about it to fight the demons?"
Himiru contemplated for a moment before slowly saying, "Not everyone has the talent to become demon slayers. Spreading the word about an organization fighting demons isn't a good idea. It would cause panic among the weak, creating the chaos that demons desire."
"The existence of demons is ancient and symbolizes tragedy. Although their activities are restricted to the night, they remain the most dangerous beings that exist."
"Legends about demons are well-known to many people, but they remain just that—legends. Their existence is still questioned."
"Revealing the existence of an organization like the Demon Slayer Corps to everyone would confirm the credibility of demons, leading to widespread chaos."
"The purpose of the Demon Slayer Corps is to discreetly gather the world's talents without causing much disturbance and to further restrict the demons' activities at night. Making its existence widely known would be like providing the demons with a path to destroy the organization," Himiru said seriously in a deep voice, observing Ikari, who had closed his eyes.
Ikari closed his eyes and gradually took in everything the old man had said, processing it and embedding it deeply in his mind. After a moment, he opened his eyes with newfound clarity and nodded.
"I see now. I hadn't realized that revealing the existence of the organization would lead to such significant consequences. That was naive thinking," Ikari said.
"At least now you understand. So never do that," Himiru said sternly.
"Yes. I will." Ikari said seriously.
Hearing Ikari's response, Himiru nodded and turned toward the mansion, then slowly walked toward it.
Ikari could see where the old man is going and followed behind, keeping the same pace.
As they walked, Himiru glance at the deepest part of the mountainous region, where intense lightning with thunderous sounds continuously struck the mountains below, scorching them black.
"What do you think of those lightning strikes? Did you feel anything about them?" Himiru asked.
"What do you mean?" Ikari ask, glancing at the distance where lightnings continuously struck the mountains.
"Within you were blood of the Hakai clan flow. Seeing those lightnings, there's must be some strange reaction within you." Himiru said as he walked.
Understanding what the old man meant, Ikari examined his own body while observing the distant lightnings. After a moment, the strange sensation he had experienced before resurfaced from the depths of his blood.
"Seeing those lightning strikes made my blood boil," Ikari said after a moment of contemplation.
Himiru nodded in response. He then stopped walking and said, "Most people would feel oppressed by such a sight, and even I am no exception."
"There are a few records about the Hakai clan in the Demon Slayer Corps library. They state that people from the Hakai clan are natural-born Thunder users. Seeing you now, it seems to be true."
"What you're feeling right now is excitement; your body is telling you to wield thunder. It's completely natural for you," Himiru said in amazement. He then continued walking.
Ikari nodded and follow behind. A moment later, he asked, "Can you tell me more about the Hakai clan?"
Hearing this, Himiru searched his memory and said, "Hakai clan is where many strong individuals of thunder were born. Their style of fighting is full of destruction. Records even mention that demons feared their immense destructive power."
"However, all of this is record before Demon Slayer Corps were a thing. The fall of this ancient family clan is a mystery. It may even related to a legendary existence, the Progenitor of all Demons." Himiru said mysteriously.
"Progenitor of all demons?" Ikari suddenly felt uncomfortable upon hearing this phrase.
"Mhm. The very origin of all demons in this world," Himiru nodded and said. After that, he remained silent.
A while later, they arrived at the mansion's entrance. Without waiting for a moment, Himiru went inside and led Ikari in. Ikari just silently followed the old man behind.
Taking many turns inside the mansion, they soon arrived at one of its rooms with it's door closed.
Himiru slide the door open and get inside. He then turned at Ikari who had followed behind.
"Do you trust this old man?" Himiru suddenly asked in an intimidating manner, staring directly into Ikari's eyes.
Slightly surprised, Ikari bravely returned the old man's gaze, half expecting this moment.
"Before today, I had some lingering doubts. However, sharing me a valuable secrets without reservations, I believe my values in your old man's is immense. There's no need for doubt, I already trusted you." Ikari said, looking straight at the old man's eyes.
Himiru nodded and secretly admired, 'Perceptive. Young man, you might had a potential that are comparable with that man.'
After a moment of locking each other's eyes, Himiru withdrew his gaze and looked around the room. Moment later, he said, "This will be your room now."
He then approached Ikari and opened his palm, slowly putting it at the center of his chest.
Ikari was puzzled by the old man's actions and looked at the palm pressed against him. Then, a mysterious power coursed through him from his chest.
"Is this a pure energy?" Ikari said, feeling the comfortable energy coursing throughout his body.
"Mhm. I'm injecting my pure energy into yours to stimulate your body's natural self-healing ability. This will help you heal faster than usual," Himiru explained.
A while later, he withdrew his palm back and then looked at Ikari's tired face.
"Rest for now. It will likely take a few days for you to heal completely. In the meantime, we can begin your training," he said, then walked out of the room.
"Take a rest. It'll probably take days for you to heal completely. Until then, we can start your training," he said, then walked out of the room.
Ikari watched as the back of the old man disappeared from his sight. A moment later, he walked to the open door and slid it shut. He then turned and headed towards the bed in the room.
Reaching the side of the bed, Ikari immediately dropped onto it and quickly drifted off to sleep, not bothering to shift his body into a more comfortable position.
His body and mind are really exhausted after everything he had done in the past few days.
....
Within the mansion, there is a room filled with books. Inside, a small table is situated at the center, with a quill and papers on top.
The door of the room slid open, and a tall old man stepped inside. This figure was, of course, Himiru.
Himiru walked to the center of the room where the table sat. He then knelt down, facing the small table. He sat there for a while, eyes closed, doing nothing. A moment later, he opened his eyes, grabbed the quill with one hand and a blank paper with the other.
Himiru dipped the quill into the inkwell and began writing characters on the paper he had grabbed. He wrote slowly, his hand movements smooth and steady.
After a long time, he finished the final stroke on the paper with passion, fully immersed in the characters he had written. A moment later, he put down the quill and picked up the sheet of paper filled with characters.
Himiru brought the paper close to his face with both hands. He carefully examined it, reviewing his own writing.
After a while, he nodded, satisfied that there were no mistakes, and placed the paper back on the table. He then folded it carefully and steadily.
A few moments later, he finished folding the paper and placed a seal on it. He then infuse a bit of his mental power on the seal. If anything goes awry, this bit of mental power would shred the paper into pieces.
Himiru glanced at the folded paper with the seal and nodded. He then looked at the open window and whistled, calling for something.
Moments later, the sound of flapping wings was heard outside the room. A black bird then flew through the open window and landed on the edge of the table.
Seeing that the bird had landed, Himiru took the letter and attached it to the bird's leg. He then patted its back after tying the letter.
"Deliver this letter to Kagaya, the head of the Ubayashiki family. Tell him that there's no need to send a disciple for me. All the details are inside the letter. This is important, so I'm counting on you, Rushi," Himiru said seriously.
"Caww! Understood!" the crow responded in agreement. It then flapped its wings and flew out the window, disappearing into the distance.
Himiru watched the crow disappear into the distance. He then stood up and walked out of the room with a slight smile on his face.
"What a great day."
....
AN - I'll putting this fanfic on a hiatus. From what I could tell, this fanfic had a great potential, but you might not see it, I f*cking messed this up and lost track of my vision. In the future, I'll going to redo the fanfic if time allowed it...
You might check out the new fanfic I created LordMinato. Check it out, you will bot be disappointed.