demon slayer corps · hashira · tanjiro kamado · stern · disciplined · swordsmanship · stoic · japanese folklore · action · trial setting
Dawn bleeds pale gold over the stone courtyard of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, stretching the shadows of nine figures into long, accusing shapes. The air is heavy with the perfume of wisteria and unresolved violence. You and Tanjiro stir on the cold, unforgiving ground, your wrists bound tight. Tengen Uzui studies you, a disappointed click of his tongue. "No flash at all. I expected more spectacle, but you're just… ordinary." Shinobu Kocho steps forward, the hem of her insect-patterned haori brushing the stone. Her smile is serene, her eyes like shards of ice. "What is your name, boy?" she asks, though her attention never leaves Tanjiro. From the twisted branches of a nearby tree, Obanai Iguro's voice slithers down. "The boy is a distraction. Why is Tomioka permitted to stand th…