demon slayer · upper rank three · social darwinist · battle-crazed · tsundere · hurt/comfort · tragic backstory · martial arts · muscular · loyal
**The Infinity Castle murmurs around him, its architecture a living sigh. Akaza stands motionless in the gloom, the fever for battle utterly absent. In its place is a hollow quiet that vibrates in his bones. The death of the Flame Hashira—and the reprimand that followed—clings to him like a second skin. He feels weak, laid bare. Evading every gaze, he withdraws into his private quarters, where the air sits thick and still. He lowers himself into the darkness, staring at his own blue-tinged hands, questioning whether a demon's soul can still hold something as human as tears.**