In the dim light of early dawn, the sun that could dispel the darkness had yet to rise.
After saying goodbye to Old Man Saburo, Tanjiro hoisted his bamboo basket and broke into a light jog, heading up the mountain toward home.
For some reason, he felt an urgent need to return home.
Last night, he had dreamed of Kie and Hanako.
Kie wore her usual gentle expression, while Hanako and his three younger brothers all smiled cheerfully at Tanjiro.
The others remained silent, but Kie spoke to Tanjiro in a voice as soft as feathers, "Tanjiro. . . Tanjiro. . . Mother is taking Hanako and the others away from you, to a new world without sorrow or worries. "
"Don't be sad, Tanjiro, don't grieve. Your happiness is all we want to see. "
"Goodbye. . . Tanjiro. . . "
With those words, Kie turned and walked away with the other children, vanishing into an endless white light.
An inexplicable sadness washed over Tanjiro, bringing with it an overwhelming urge to cry.
"Don't go. . . "
He desperately ran after Kie, stretching out his arm as he went, trying to grasp the fluttering hem of her robe.
But no matter how hard Tanjiro tried, he couldn't catch up to Kie, even when he ran himself to exhaustion.
He could only watch helplessly as Kie and the others disappeared into the white light.
"Ah, don't go! "
Tanjiro jolted awake from his dream, and only after a moment did he feel relieved to realize it had just been a dream.
He truly couldn't imagine what life would be like without Kie and the others.
After shaking off the dream's sadness, Tanjiro noticed his cheeks were wet. He touched them curiously.
He found that, at some point, two streams of tears had rolled down his face.
Looking out the window, he saw that it was still dark outside, but the wind and snow had lessened enough for travel.
Tanjiro quietly scooped a handful of snow from the windowsill and used it to wipe his face, refreshing himself.
Then he deftly put on his coat, shouldered his bamboo basket, and prepared to leave.
Not wanting to disturb Old Man Saburo's sleep, Tanjiro planned to slip out quietly. He had left a note; the old man would see it when he woke.
However, as he tried to sneak the door open, the aged, poorly maintained wooden door let out a harsh, grating creak.
Tanjiro's heart sank. Old Man Saburo must have been awakened.
Sure enough, the old man stirred awake and saw Tanjiro standing by the door, belongings packed.
Old Man Saburo yawned and asked, "Heading home, Tanjiro? It's still dark out. Won't you wait for sunrise? "
"Before the sun rises, man eating demons roam about, you know. "
Tanjiro scratched his head sheepishly. "I don't know why, but I feel this emptiness inside, a worry for my family's safety. I want to hurry back. "
Old Man Saburo nodded understandingly. "I see. In that case, don't mind me, Tanjiro. Go on back quickly. "
"Many people don't believe it, but I'm certain there's a strange connection between family members. Even miles apart, sometimes you just get a feeling, a sudden premonition. "
Hearing this, Tanjiro grew even more worried. Could something really have happened to Kie and the others? Was that why he'd had such a dream?
At this point, Old Man Saburo seemed to remember something and suddenly sighed.
"Ah, when my son had his accident away from home, I had nightmares for several days beforehand. If only I'd realized sooner, perhaps I could have prevented it all. "
"Hurry along, Tanjiro. In life, only family truly matters. "
Tanjiro quickly acknowledged him. Though anxious, he still carefully and gently closed the door for Old Man Saburo after stepping outside.
Noticing Tanjiro's considerate action, the old man smiled faintly inside the house. "Such a gentle, kind child. Surely fate will be kind to him. "
But fate is not kind to the good.
On the contrary, fate often delights in pushing people to the brink, watching them struggle desperately in despair, never tiring of the spectacle.
A while later, Tanjiro had jogged to the mountainside, nearing his home.
However, Tanjiro's nose twitched slightly, catching a scent.
"This. . . it smells like blood? "
Suppressing the unease in his heart, Tanjiro quickened his pace, hoping his guess was wrong.
Through the swirling snow, a small figure emerged, battling against the wind and snow, stumbling frantically across the white ground as if running for its life.
Along the way, the scent of blood grew stronger, a tinge of腥气 (fishy odor) now lingering in his nostrils.
Tanjiro desperately didn't want to believe it, but past experience told him the blood scent was coming from the direction of his home.
"Nezuko, Hanako. . . Rokuta, please be safe. "
Clutching onto a sliver of hope, Tanjiro ran on in a panic.
Until he saw his home with his own eyes—the warm wooden house that sheltered them from the cold and wind, now with its door shattered into scattered splinters, blood faintly visible on the snow. . .
In his frantic rush, Tanjiro tripped over a rock and fell onto the snow.
Ignoring the pain, he scrambled up and dashed into the house.
But the bloody scene before his eyes was like a sharp blade, cleaving his entire world apart.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! "
"Mother! Nezuko! Hanako! Takeo! Shigeru! Rokuta! "
After forcing back tears to check each one, Tanjiro found all six before him lifeless.
He collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face in torrents. Under the immense weight of grief and pain, his heart felt like it was being crushed, making it hard to breathe.
Just as he was about to faint from anguish, he suddenly saw Nezuko's shoulder tremble slightly.
"Nezuko! "
Like seeing light in the darkness, like grasping a lifeline, Tanjiro hugged Nezuko tightly, ignoring her blood stained clothes.
"Nezuko, thank goodness! Big brother will save you, hang in there. "
There was no time. He'd almost thought Nezuko was gone. She must be critically injured, but there was still a chance she could survive.
"Mother. . . and my little brothers and sisters, I'm going to save Nezuko first. Wait for me to return. "
Pressed for time, Tanjiro planned to take Nezuko down the mountain to find a doctor, then return later to handle his family's remains.
At that moment, Tanjiro's peripheral vision caught a line of writing on the wall. The handwriting was rushed and messy, but Tanjiro could still recognize it—it was his older brother Yuu's writing.
"Tanjiro, do not despair. You must survive, survive and wait for me to find you. "
So, Brother Yuu was still alive? But why did he leave everyone behind?
Too worried about Nezuko's injuries, Tanjiro pushed these thoughts aside for now.
He only wanted to get Nezuko to a doctor quickly.
After one last, reluctant glance at the others, Tanjiro lifted Nezuko onto his back and rushed out the door.
Ignoring his own exhaustion, he ran desperately down the mountain.
But he didn't see that behind him, Nezuko's eyes remained tightly shut, yet her small face was gradually contorting, with blue veins bulging through her pale skin.
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