Raizen slowly opened his eyes.
Everything felt heavy.
His body ached, as if every bone had been shattered and rebuilt again.
A wooden ceiling came into view.
Unfamiliar.
He suddenly sat up.
"Where… am I?"
"You're alive. That's what matters."
A calm voice echoed from the corner.
Raizen turned.
The same swordsman stood there.
Arms crossed.
Eyes sharp.
Watching him.
Memories rushed back—
Blood.
Screams.
His family.
That demon.
Raizen's expression hardened.
"Where is he?"
The swordsman replied without emotion.
"Gone."
Silence filled the room.
Raizen clenched his fists.
"I'll kill him."
His voice was low, but steady.
"I don't care what it takes. I'll kill every demon."
The swordsman stepped forward.
"You?"
A brief pause.
"You couldn't even protect your own family."
Those words cut deeper than any blade.
Raizen froze.
His breathing became uneven.
"Say that again."
The swordsman did not hesitate.
"If you remain weak, more people will die because of you."
Raizen charged forward in anger.
He threw a punch.
But before it could land—
He was slammed to the ground.
He didn't even see the movement.
"Too slow."
Raizen struggled to get up.
His body resisted.
"Why… am I so weak?"
The swordsman turned away.
"If you want revenge, earn it."
Raizen looked up.
His eyes burned with determination.
"…Teach me."
There was a long silence.
"Fine."
Training Begins
The next morning—
Raizen stood in an open field.
Cold wind brushed against his face.
A wooden sword rested in his hands.
"Rule one," the swordsman said.
"Survive."
Without warning—
A strike came.
Fast.
Precise.
Raizen was sent flying.
Pain spread across his body.
"Too slow."
Again.
And again.
And again.
He failed every time.
He couldn't block.
Couldn't react.
Couldn't understand.
Hours passed.
Raizen collapsed.
Bruised.
Exhausted.
Breathing heavily.
"I… can't…"
"Then die."
The words were cold.
Unforgiving.
Raizen's fingers tightened against the ground.
"No…"
His body trembled.
But he forced himself up.
"I won't die."
Something shifted.
A faint darkness began to emerge.
His left eye flickered.
The air around him changed.
The swordsman noticed.
Raizen moved again.
This time—
He blocked.
Steel met wood with a sharp sound.
Silence followed.
The swordsman's expression changed slightly.
"That power…"
Shadow-like energy wrapped around Raizen's arm.
Unstable.
Uncontrolled.
"What are you?" the swordsman asked.
Raizen looked at his hand.
"I don't know."
Final Scene
That night—
Raizen sat alone.
Looking at the sky.
"I'll kill him."
His voice was calm now.
"But first…"
He clenched his fist.
Dark energy flickered once more.
"I'll become stronger than any demon."
Ending Line
In the world of hunters—
Strength is not given.
It is taken.