The night was still — too still. Moonlight draped the forest in silver, and the scent of blood lingered faintly in the air. Crickets dared not sing. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath. From above, a faint shimmer descended — like the first light of a falling star. Then, a voice broke through the silence.
"Star Breathing… Fourth Form: Comet Descent!!"
A blinding streak of silver-blue light tore through the sky as a boy named Sora Hoshinagi leapt from the cliffs above. His blade ignited the darkness, trailing a comet's tail as it crashed down with thunderous force. The ground exploded into a crater, shockwaves scattering leaves and dust like fragments of the cosmos.
The boy below — a Demon Slayer himself — barely rolled aside in time, the comet's radiance searing the earth where he had stood. He gasped, clutching the wooden box strapped to his back.
When the dust cleared, Sora stood at the impact's center, his indigo haori fluttering in the dying wind. His violet eyes glowed faintly, reflecting the stars above.
"Tell me…"
his voice echoed cold and unwavering,
"why should I let you live, knowing that you carry a demon — one that could awaken and devour a human at any moment?"
The boy staggered to his feet, panting.
"Please! Listen to me! She will never eat or harm anyone. I'll find a way to make her human again!"
Sora's gaze sharpened, unreadable.
"Then…"
In an instant, he vanished from sight — reappearing with a burst of wind. His kick struck the boy square in the chest, sending him crashing into a boulder. The box flew from his hands. Sora caught it mid-air with effortless grace.
Without hesitation, he drew his blade and made a shallow cut across his arm. Crimson droplets fell into the wooden box, glowing faintly under moonlight.
"If she doesn't get angry or lose control… then I'll believe you,"
Sora said softly, his tone no longer filled with rage, but with something almost sorrowful — as if testing fate itself.
The boy pushed himself up, pain etched across his face. His Nichirin blade trembled in his grip as he shouted,
"Don't—!"
Too late.
The box cracked open, light spilling through its seams. A demon girl emerged, her eyes wide and trembling.
"Nezuko!! Hold it in!!"
The forest shuddered. Moonlight fractured through swirling dust and blood — and amidst it all, Sora's eyes gleamed with both resolve and grief, like a lone star refusing to fade from the night.
A Few Months Before...
It's all begins with Sora preparing to leave for the Final Selection at Mount Fujikasane. Sora stands quietly in front of a small wooden mirror inside his room. His reflection reveals a boy of fifteen — calm yet carrying the weight of a lifetime in his eyes. mid-length navy blue hair with faint streaks of silver that shimmer under light, giving the illusion of stars in his hair, resembling strands of night scattered with starlight. His eyes, a deep violet hue with a faint silver ring around the pupils, seem to glow when light catches them — tranquil yet piercing.
He wears a dark indigo uniform with silver accents tailored in a minimalist style, his haori draped loosely over his shoulders — black on the outside, but with an inner lining patterned like a starfield fading into dawn. Around his neck, Sora wears a silver necklace that once belonged to his sister. Inside the small glass locket is a tiny picture of him and his sister, smiling beneath a starlit sky. He never removes it, believing it keeps her spirit close and guides his path through darkness. That was his sister's last keepsake and the source of his calm. His Steel blade rests at his side forged by his master with a black sheath covering it.
As he readies himself, he holds his silver necklace tightly against his chest, as it is the most precious thing to him and whispers,
"Watch me… and protect me, big sis."
The morning mist glows faintly under the first light of dawn as he reaches for his master's forged Steel blade, the one forged and passed down to him during his training days. With calm determination, he sets off toward his destination.
When he arrives at the base of the mountain, he sits apart from the other candidates — quiet and composed. While the others murmur nervously, Sora hums his sister's lullaby softly, sharpening his blade beneath the wisteria canopy. The glow of the wisteria petals blends with his calm breathing, and a faint breeze carries the rhythm of his breath — steady, balanced, serene, like the night sky itself. A single falling star streaks across the sky above, foreshadowing the trial that awaits him.
After a few moments, two identical girls suddenly appear — one with black hair, one with white — their voices soft yet eerily synchronized as they explain the rules. They speak of the demons trapped within the mountain, the goal of surviving seven days, and the few who ever make it back. When they finish explaining, the Final Selection has officially begins.
As Sora steps through the Wisteria gate, the mist thickens unnaturally. Even the other candidates instinctively move away from him, feeling a strange weight in the air — the calm yet overwhelming aura he emits. His controlled breathing subtly alters the air pressure around him; faint trails of starlight shimmer each time he exhales. The moment the gate closes, he vanishes into the forest like a wisp of light.
Within the dark woods of Mount Fujikasane, the hunt begins. Screams echo in the distance, and the scent of blood fills the air. But wherever Sora passes, silence follows. He moves unseen — his blade flashes once, and demons crumble to ash before they can react. In total, he slays forty-seven demons during the Final Selection. Most never even see him move. Each swing of his sword leaves behind a fading arc of silver light, as fleeting and beautiful as shooting stars vanishing into dawn.
Then, Sora senses it — a presence unlike the others. A crushing aura of hatred, sorrow, and rage all entwined together. Following the trail, he arrives at a broken clearing and finds the massive corpse of the Hand Demon already fading into ash. Standing there is a boy in a blue haori, his Steel blade dripping with dark blood. His breathing rhythm is pure and fluid like Water Breathing user.
"..."
Sora observes quietly from the shadows, his violet eyes reflecting both surprise and respect. With that, he turns away and disappears into the mist once more, leaving fate to play its part.
By the end of the trial, Sora has saved five candidates who were cornered by demons. None of them ever see his face clearly — only silver flashes and whispers carried by the wind. When dawn breaks, they speak of a figure who moved like a falling star, protecting them from the darkness. Thus, a new rumor spreads: The Star of Tranquility.
As the final sunrise paints the forest gold, Sora sits quietly on a nearby rock, wiping his blade beneath the fading starlight. His expression is unreadable, calm yet distant, as if his thoughts are far beyond the horizon. Soon, the twin girls appear again, their mirrored smiles soft as they congratulate the survivors.
"You've done well. We didn't expect so many of you to return alive," one of them says, tilting her head slightly.
After their words, the girls clap their hands, summoning Kasugai Crows that swoop down to perch on the shoulders of the successful candidates — all except for one nervous yellow-haired boy who instead getting a crow, he get a small sparrow which left him confused. They explain the crow's purpose it's for communication, orders, and guidance for every new Demon Slayer. Besides that, they also act as vital messengers to deliver missions, information about demons, and orders to their assigned demon slayers They are intelligent, can speak in full sentences, and have longer lifespans than average crows. Then they mention the demon slayer official uniform and the ranking marks that will soon be crafted after they measure our bodies.
Suddenly, chaos breaks the calm. A rude boy with a scar on his face grabs the white-haired twin by her hair, demanding his Nichirin blade immediately — shouting about how he deserves a his color-changing sword now after surviving that hellish place. Sora's hand grips his own hilt tightly, anger flickering in his usually calm eyes. Just as he's about to intervene, the blue-haired boy from before steps in, his hand clamping down on the rude one's wrist.
"Let go of her," the blue-haired boy warns coldly. "Or I'll crush your arm."
The rude boy scoffs — until pain twists his face as the boy's grip tightens with Water Breathing precision. With a sharp grunt, he releases the girl and stumbles back. The forest falls silent again.
The twin girls, unshaken, proceed with the next step: choosing the ore that will forge their Nichirin blades. One by one, the new slayers step forward. The boy in the blue haori chooses first, followed by the yellow-haired one, the rude one, a quiet girl with butterfly accessories, and several others. When Sora's turn comes, he selects a piece of ore that shimmers faintly — a pale blue with silver streaks, reminiscent of the night sky and his sister's eyes.
After the ceremony, Sora bows silently and returns home, waiting patiently for his own Nichirin blade to arrive — the one that would soon reflect the starlight within his soul.
**End of Chapter 1**