Suddenly, Goku woke up. But something was off. He had an axe in his right hand, and was in front of an house. "This is... my house?" he wondered. "No," said a voice. "But it looks like it."
Goku turned and remained shocked. In front of him, there was Yoriichi, his father. "O... Otosan..." he muttered. "Yeah, it's really me. This time it's not like on the Mugen Train," said Yoriichi. "I've always watched you, always. Hello, my son."
Goku's body began to shake. He didn't know if to hug his father or not, but he didn't have to make the decision. Yoriichi walked up to him and hugged his son. "I'm sorry, my son. Sorry if I've never played with you, or if I didn't raise you like a father should do. Unfortunately, I had to protect you. You were the most precious thing I had in the world. And look at you now: You're all grown up, you're almost as tall as me, and you also became as strong as your uncle!" he said, with a sad tone.
"Otosan, I..." muttered Goku. "I'm not able to defeat Muzan. I'm not as strong as you..." he said. "That's what you think. It's true, you're not as strong as me, but you can defeat Muzan," said Yoriichi, breaking the hug. "You have the mark, you have the demon form, you have the Transparent World, you have Sun Breathing, you have a Blood Demon Art. You have literally everything. And you're not alone, in addiction. I believe in your friends. And most importantly, I believe in you, my son."
"Maybe you don't know, but you name means 'the one who enlights the void', that's why I named you Goku. Because I was sure that one day, you'd be able to replace me and defeat Muzan. That day has arrived. Either you want to believe it or not, you're the strongest member of the Demon Slayer Corps right now. You even surpass Himejima."
"Otosan... How did you know all of this?" asked Goku. "Like I said, I've always watched you. Every fight you got through, every person you've met, every friend you made... I saw it. Because a good father never leaves his son alone, even when he dies."
"When someone's happy, I am too. You don't seem happy right now, my son. Let me tell you a story, and I hope it motivate you to fight."
"This world has a lot of beautiful things. Even being born is a miracle. My family was good. My mother always prayed for the wars to disappear. My older brother - your uncle, Michikatsu - cared a lot about me. I remember he gave me a flute. I kept it until the day I died. When I was in the temple, I got tired. I wanted to be free, so I escaped. There, I met a girl my age. That girl's name was Uta, your mother. We decided to live together. Years later, we had a son: You."
"One day, while I was away, I returned home and saw Uta dead. I don't know if it was a demon or something else. Fortunately, that day, I brought you with me on my mission. From that day on, I decided to protect you even with my life. There are people who don't hesitate to kill someone you care about more than your life. The rest of the story, you're already aware of it. After I almost killed Muzan, I asked Tamayo to keep you with her. That's why you always called her 'okasan'."
"You're able to use every Sun Breathing form, I see. Even the thirteenth. You named it 'Perpetual Light', right? It fits it. I thought I was born to defeat Muzan. But I was wrong. You're born for that purpose, so you better accomplish it, my son."
After the explanation, Goku was confused. He already knew the story, but explained by his father, it sounded totally different. In that moment, the boy realized. His father was counting on him, like everyone else, after all. This wasn't a memory, nor a dream. This was a vision, but the man he was talking about was really Yoriichi. It was as if he was seeing a spirit, a dead person. He knew what he had to do: Wake up and fight Muzan with everything he had. He had to activate all of them: Mark, Transparent World, Demon Form, Sun Breathing and Blood Demon Art. He also had two red Nichirin Swords. Somehow, this vision had motivated him. The boy felt a sense of lump in the throat. Right now, he was talking to his father, but even so, his desire to know him better intensified. He loved his father, more than anything else, even if he never saw him directly. Goku made a promise to himself: He will defeat Muzan, even if he were to lose every limb possible. Then, after a moment of silence where Goku made up his mind, the boy asked:
"Uncle Kokushibo said you were exactly like me. Strong, undefeatable and talented. Is it true?" asked Goku. "Yeah, it is. You know, they say 'like father, like son', right?" replied Yoriichi. "Otosan... Thank you," said Goku. "Thank you for showing up to me and motivate me. Even if this is probably just a vision, it's good to be able to talk with my father. Thank you for protecting me. You don't have to be sorry. I even started to use your sword, you know? You're right: My time has come. Every time you showed up to me, you were patrolling me. Your spirit has always walked beside me the whole time, and I didn't even notice..."
"That's not your fault. After all, you can't see spirits, right?" said Yoriichi. "And for the record, his name is Michikatsu, not Kokushibo."
"I know," said Goku. "I just get used to call him Kokushibo..." he added. "Thank you for this little chat, otosan. Now I know what I have to do."
"I'm ready to fight."