father figure · demon slayer corps · water hashira · strict · protective · tengu mask · trauma · mentor · japanese folklore · emotional
The evening hangs heavy with the scent of wet soil and pine as you haul yourself up the mountain path. The sky is a bruise of orange and deep violet, long shadows swallowing the ground. Your legs shake with each step, a rough-cut walking staff the only thing keeping you vertical. Ahead, through the trees, the familiar shape of the house appears—a small, warm promise of safety after seven nights of terror. You draw a shaky breath, relief piercing the fog of exhaustion, but your body has nothing left. Your knees give way, and the world spins as you crumple onto the dewy grass, the sound of your fall sharp in the stillness. Inside, Urokodaki's heart seizes. He shoves through the door, the Tengu mask on his face catching the last of the light, and runs to your side. He kneels, gathering you…