("Sasori" POV)
Have you ever watched a movie in slow motion?
Being able to see the individual pixels moving across the screen, seeing the film rewind over and over again. The voice distorted and all of the sound just being wrong.
That is what I'm currently struggling with right now. The second I began talking about Muzan, something changed. Everything began to slow down as if the world had been placed at 0.25 times speed.
But that wasn't all… the way I was seeing things was changing as well. Not mentally—at least not yet—but physically. A couple of seconds ago, I was looking at a woman, but now I was looking at just pure red muscle.
It was like one of those posters in a doctor's office that showed the various muscular structures, but this one was way too real. With every single breath she took, I could see the individual movements of her blood, as well as the minute contractions and expansions of each of her muscles.
It kind of reminded me of that Man of Steel movie where Clark is struggling with his x-ray vision as a child. But as I moved my head around, I noticed that I couldn't exactly see through walls, but I could see everything else… and I do mean everything.
This lasted for a few moments as I looked down at my own hands. Unlike Kie, mine looked entirely different. While hers looked like a normal human's, mine were… odd. There was more muscle where there shouldn't be. My cardiovascular system had been overhauled, and in addition to that, I noticed a couple of new organs that definitely weren't there before.
The scientist in me wanted to immediately start studying, but then I realized I couldn't exactly start cutting myself open right in front of her. So, as I closed my eyes, I focused. I breathed. And as I felt the sensation of air moving in my lungs, it felt different…
I could feel my muscles expanding and contracting, but it was entirely different from a normal human's. I could feel excess oxygen making its way into my blood and then dispersing through the rest of my body, increasing my strength just by breathing.
Trying to focus my mind, I attempted to slow everything down, imagining moving the dial back to normal speed. And as I did so, the world gradually moved back into focus.
"Sasori… are you all right? You stopped talking and started staring at the wall." The woman looked at me with a lot more concern than I expected. It was odd.
I blinked a couple of times before nervously smiling. "My apologies. It seems like I zoned out for a moment… forgive me."
The woman just smiled, and for a slight moment, I felt jealous. No—I felt envy. But that was a thought for another time.
Grabbing the teacup and taking a slight sip, I continued, "Well, the story of the Demon King is one that begins like most others. He was born. But he was not like normal children. He was born dead… From the accounts I've heard, he could barely be distinguished from a corpse. His family had begun the funeral process for their lost child, but right before anything drastic was done, the child cried for the first time."
Again, in her eyes, I saw that same empathy.
"The child grew, but as he did, so did his sickness. It never left him. He constantly lived on the edge of life and death. His parents expended much in terms of their resources to find a cure for their son, and in doing so, they came upon a rather strange doctor with a rather strange treatment."
As I continued to tell the story, Kie listened with rapt attention, but I could tell she was wondering how the Dance of the Sun God fit into all of this…
"You know, I can understand… They didn't want their child to live a life like that. If anything happened to my own children, I might have done the same." The words came out with more compassion, but I had to swiftly put an end to that.
"Muzan was a vain and cruel boy. He writhed in envy, seeing all those passing by with their healthy bodies, living their normal lives. And when that doctor arrived with his supposed miracle cure, he jumped at the chance to finally live instead of just survive. The doctor gave him his cure… but seeing as the effects didn't seem to be all that noticeable at first, he had the doctor killed, believing him to be a con artist.
It's almost funny how wrong he was…"
I stood up and held my katana in my hands. It was still in its sheath, yet in the reflection of the wood, I could see the growing wariness in her eyes.
Slowly opening one of the windows, I checked outside for a few moments before closing the blind.
"The procedure had worked. He had gained the healthy body he had wanted, but at two terrible costs. In trying to go against nature, he was cursed. Once a human man, now a demon that could no longer exist under the sun and required the flesh and blood of living humans to survive. He has devoured hundreds, if not thousands. But that was not even the worst of it. He could spread his blood like a disease and infect others with his condition. No one he turned was out of the goodness of his heart. Everyone he turned into a demon had but one task to him—conquer the sun."
Placing the katana back at my side, I turned around and saw the woman beginning to put the pieces together.
"So the Demon King now existed in the world… and suffered for it, even if no one noticed. Hundreds of demons roam these lands, hidden from human sight. No one could challenge them—until the first Demon Slayer was born. Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the second son of a lord, was born, and it was through him that the Breath of the Sun was created. And from the Breath of the Sun came all of the other styles of breathing. Think of them like swordsmanship techniques that are effective against demons."
Drinking the last of the tea in the cup, I placed it back on the table.
"Your husband used the Dance of the Sun God to pass down knowledge of the Breath of the Sun. The reason he did so was to hide this knowledge from the Demon King. So here I am. I wish to learn… I will not force you to give me this knowledge, but all I ask is that you consider it."
Kie then looked to a small picture of her family before looking down at her feet.
I sat down next to her and waited. It was still daytime, even if it was snowing, but the intensity was getting worse. The wind howled against the windows, barely held together by string and rope.
As Kie sat in contemplation, I began checking my memories to see if anything was missing. Besides my original name—which I assumed was lost to the Evolution Machine—everything else seemed to be in place, except for pockets of data pertaining to something called Total Concentration Breathing as well as various swordsmanship techniques. No breathing techniques, but rather how to use a katana without cutting myself—and rather well, I might say.
It is truly a wonder how fast a mind like mine can process information. Compared to my old brain, it was like upgrading from a Macintosh to a quantum supercomputer. Everything seemed much more vivid—the sights, the smells. Every single thought roaming through my mind seemed all the more clear.
However, before I could ponder this new information further, Kie placed a hand on my shoulder, her own trembling slightly, most likely due to painful memories.
"My husband was a wonderful man. I couldn't have asked for anyone else. He told me to guard that knowledge, but he never told me to hoard it… I cannot show you the dance, as I am too frail. My son, however, can."
My eyes slightly widened at the acceptance of my request.
"I am surprised… I never thought that you would accept. I was willing to work—no, I was willing to do so much to learn. But why give me this knowledge so freely?"
Kie's sad expression brightened as she closed her eyes and smiled at me.
"The dance of the sun god is a thing of beauty. I watched my husband dance long into the night. He said that it was a way to ward off evil spirits… I can tell from your eyes—they look so lost. You remind me of some of my own children, other than the fact that you are positively ginormous. I truly believe that you would eat us out of house and home should we be unable to provide for you."
Okay, the last part was a bit hurtful, but I get it. In comparison to her own rather skinny state, I looked positively healthy.
I placed my hand on her own, but as I let go, I placed both of my hands on my legs and slightly bowed my head. "Thank you. I very much appreciate your open-mindedness… To be honest, if it were me, I would've said no."
Kie simply giggled. "Yes, you seem pretty possessive, to be honest. The first time I saw you, I thought you were some type of mountain oni. The only thing you're missing is the horns."
Wow. Instead of short jokes, I'm now getting attacked for being the opposite of vertically challenged.
However, even with that slight jab, I smirked. "I mean, I could be an oni. I may just be here to kidnap you when you least expect it."
I tried to put on a frightening visage, but all it did was make her smile contentedly at me.
"Now, now, Mr. Oni, I can't have you kidnapping me just yet. I still need to feed the kids lunch." She then proceeded to get up and head over to what I assumed was her children's rooms.
"Nezuko… I need you to wake up your siblings. It's time for lunch."
I heard some mumbling from the other room before I began to hear rapid footsteps.
"Hanako! Shigeru! Takeo! Rokuta! Get up, all of you! It's time for lunch. If you don't get up now, the mountain oni in the kitchen will eat all of it!"
Woman, I am right here. I can hear you.
The children then rushed into the kitchen, and as they saw me standing, their eyes widened as they craned their necks upward to look into my eyes.
For a few moments, we all just stared at each other. As I looked toward the young children, Hanako, one of the younger daughters, walked up to my leg, albeit tiredly, seemingly trying to wake herself up from her nap.
I sat back down, and as I did, she placed her head on my left leg. To be honest, I didn't exactly know what to do here. The other children seemed to be observing me like some kind of zoo animal.
After about a minute of this observation, Kie and Nezuko walked into the kitchen, and as they saw their daughter and sibling lying on my lap, they both smiled while I just tried to figure out what exactly to do next.
Before I could say anything, however, one of the younger boys walked up and then proceeded to try to climb onto my back. Apparently, I was now some type of climbing fixture.
"Shigeru, do not climb on our guest, even if it looks enticing."
Kie then grabbed the young boy and pulled him off of me, to which he grumbled about finally being taller than everyone else.
I then lightly picked up Hanako and placed her into the hands of her older sister, Nezuko, who gave me a small smile while mouthing, thank you.
"Well, I do admit, a much larger welcoming party than I thought. I am Sasori, a wannabe samurai and apparently the resident mountain oni. I am honored to be here."
Kie just sighed in an exasperated manner.
"What he means to say is that he is waiting for your brother to arrive so that he may learn the dance."
Nezuko looked genuinely surprised at this, while the children were mostly focused on eating their food.
Kie gave her oldest daughter an unknowing look before turning toward me and smiling. Nezuko followed her mother's gaze and looked me up and down before somehow coming to some type of consensus. The two then nodded to each other.
Kie then tried to corral her kids into eating like civilized people while I just stood near the corner of the kitchen, watching over them. I wasn't exactly doing nothing, as I was mentally going over the various swordsmanship techniques in my head. It was kind of like having various books one could view in their mind.
The kids then beckoned me to sit down, which I did, only to find out that they had only asked me to do so, so they could treat me like a jungle gym.
The things I do for knowledge. Truly, the God Machine has forsaken me.
Seeing her children so enthralled by my presence, Kie shook her head slightly in amusement while picking up the table. The wind continued to howl outside, and for the next couple of hours, everything seemed fine.
Yet as I sat down next to the exit door, a smell hit my nostrils. It almost sickened me—it smelled of decay and flesh.
As I stood up quickly, I gripped the katana at my side.
Opening the window slightly, I looked down the path that led to the house, and about a quarter mile away, I saw the demon king wannabe himself—Michael Jackson…I mean Muzan Kibutsuji.
Looking to Kie, she noticed my expression, and as she frowned, I placed a finger over my lips, beckoning her to stay quiet.
"Get the children and board up your room…"
Before she could ask any questions, I immediately answered.
"Muzan is here… The Demon King has arrived at your doorstep."
And I could physically see her beginning to pale as I opened the door and walked out onto the small porch, sitting down.
My eyes never left the path, and as I saw the wannabe demon king walking toward me, a small smirk made its way to my face… My own curiosity wondering if this would end before it even began.
(Another chapter down, and one step closer to the first confrontation… let's see how our main character stacks up to the final boss… feel free to let me know if I should continue some of my other snippets.)