Tanjiro and Nezuko

Snowy ground.

A bloodstained boy ran desperately through the forest, carrying a girl with several wounds and blood all over her body on his back, gasping violently with every breath.

"Hold on, Nezuko..."

Tanjiro clenched his teeth tightly.

He had climbed all the way up the mountain from its base, exhausting his legs until they were weak and sore. Now, carrying his sister back down, every step made the muscles throughout his body ache, yet he still gritted his teeth and persevered.

Just last night, something had happened. His mother and younger siblings had all been killed. When he returned home, all he saw was a scene of devastation. Only Nezuko's body still retained a trace of warmth and a heartbeat.

He had lost his entire family. Nezuko was all he had left.

He could not lose Nezuko too. No matter what, he had to carry her to the town at the foot of the mountain and find a doctor.

However.

As he carried Nezuko along the edge of a steep cliff, Nezuko suddenly moved on his back. A chilling "huh, huh" sound came from her throat, and then she began to struggle fiercely.

Caught off guard, Tanjiro lost his footing and fell straight off the cliff, slamming heavily into the ground below.

Fortunately, the cliff was not very high, only a few meters, and the ground below was covered in thick snow. Combined with Tanjiro's naturally sturdy bones, the fall only left him aching rather than seriously injured.

When he struggled into a sitting position, his first thought was of Nezuko, whom he had been carrying.

He hurriedly turned around to look.

But Nezuko was nowhere behind him.

He looked farther off to the side and finally caught sight of her. Yet Nezuko now looked completely different from usual.