Chapter 7: The Whisps of Determination

In the battle with Kuro, he had only taken a chunk from Seina-exhaustion and one thing-a resolution that would never dwindle. The rising sun shed its rays on the deserted village, with an unseen faint warmth reaching her bones to dispel the chill from them. She was ache-bruised all over her body, shallow breaths, her mind racing with thought. Kuro wasn't any demon other than. From his intelligence, strength, and aura that surrounded him, one could tell he was from Muzan's inner circle, and this was an escalation from what she expected.

She glanced over the village once more; the markings etched into the ground still pulsed faintly, as if alive. Determined to find out what they meant, Seina approached them warily, falling to a knee to examine the patterns. The etchings seemed to form a sigil-a complex, chaotic design that spoke of malevolence. Her fingers hovered above the lines, the air cold and heavy above them.

"This is no ordinary demon's work," she whispered. "What is this?"

Suddenly, a faint voice cut through the silence. "Help. me."

Seina spun around, her heart racing. The voice was barely audible, almost muffled by the whispering wind, but unmistakably human. She followed the voice through the abandoned streets until she reached its source-young boy huddled beneath a fallen shed, his face pale and his body trembling.

"Hey, it's okay," Seina said gently, lowering her sword as she crouched beside him. "I'm here to help."

The boy's wide, frightened eyes met hers. "Th-they came at night," he stammered. "They took everyone. I-I hid. but they're still here. Watching."

Seina's heart sank. The boy's terror was palpable, and his words confirmed her fears. This village was not safe—not yet.

"Stay here," she instructed. "I'll make sure they're gone."

He grasped at her sleeve, weak yet desperate. "Don't leave me," he begged in a hoarse voice.

Seina hesitated. She couldn't just leave him like that, yet neither did she want to bring him into a dangerous position for a demon to take.

"I will not go that far," she reassured. "I can still protect you.".

She carried the boy to a nearby cellar, which she felt safe in, hid him among the barrels of grain and sacks of rice, then whispered soft reassurances and sealed the entrance, her senses heightening as she made her way back to the surface.

The silence of the village was but an illusion. Seina had this feeling: she was not alone. She reached for her katana, its blade aglow in faint light at morning.

"Mist Breathing: First Form—Obscuring Clouds," she whispered, and immediately thick fog filled the area. This technique reduced the clarity of view to enable one to change position without being noticed. She crawled through the village, ears erect, trying to hear something unusual.

A faint rustling caught her attention. Turning swiftly, the mist parted with her blade to reveal a demon crouching atop a roof. Unlike Kuro, this was a feral monster, its eyes without cunning but full of primal hunger.

It launched itself at her, its claws aiming for her throat. With a smooth sidestep, Seina flowed forward in a quick counterattack. The demon roared in pain as her blade hit and lopped off one of its arms. It did not fall back but continued to snarl even louder, charging anew.

"Third Form: Scattering Haze," Seina shouted, and with a flicking swing, her sword cleaved in wild, unpredictable cuts in the air. The demon wavered, unable to catch the rhythm, until in a few seconds her blade hacked off its head.

The demon crumbled to ashes, but Seina didn't waste time. Further rustling sounded in the fog; she realized this wasn't an isolated attack. The feral demons were gathering, drawn by the sigil's dark energy.

As it cleared, Seina still had three more demons she needed to conquer. With every battle, it brought her a step closer to the edge because for every shift in her body, an agony her body decried was felt. Seina slumped against a crumbling wall and breathed laboriously as she mopped the sweat off her brow.

The sigil-it was calling, beckoning demons to the village. If she could destroy it, she may be able to cut whatever connection they have and stop the attacks.

Seina went back to the markings, katana at the ready. She raised the blade, and a voice cut through the air.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Her heart froze. Kuro emerged from the shadows, its expression one of mirth and disdain. It was lazy, confident-the battle earlier a mere warm-up.

"You again," Seina said, her grip tightening on her blade. "What is this sigil? What are you planning?"

Kuro chuckled, circling her like a predator toying with its prey. "Curious, aren't you? This sigil is a doorway, little Slayer—a link between our world and something far greater. Destroy it, and you'll disrupt something you can't begin to comprehend."

Seina's eyes narrowed. "I don't need to understand it. I just need to stop it."

Kuro smirked. "Brave words. But bravery alone won't save you."

Then Kuro really cut loose, moving faster than before, and Seina could barely block the attack, her arms numbing from the force of the impact. The battle restarted again: with every clash of the blades, reverberations echoed across the village.

She drew upon all of her Mist Breathing techniques-each one effortless and an extension of her will-but Kuro had already adapted to counter her movements with an efficiency that was terrifying. Evidently, the demon had been holding back against them in their initial encounter.

"You're strong," Kuro acknowledged, almost a hint of respect in his tone. "But strength alone won't save you from what's coming."

Seina was gnashing her teeth and didn't swallow the words of the demon. She watched her breathing and cleaned her mind to ready the next move.

"Seventh Form: Misty Mirage!" she exclaimed, making a number of fakes of herself so Kuro would lose sight of her. The demon fumbled; he fell, as all Seina's multiplex forms had confused him where the real one was and which one the phantom was.

Seina took the chance to strike, running her blade along the side of Kuro. Its playful demeanor aside, the snarling of a demon replaced it with furry.

"Enough games!" thundered Kuro, unleashing a blast of dark energy which caused the illusions to shatter; Seina had been thrown backward, hitting her body against the hard ground.

As she struggled to rise, Kuro loomed over her, its claws poised for a final strike. But before it could land the blow, a flash of light erupted between them, forcing Kuro to retreat.

When Seina's vision cleared, she saw a figure standing before her—a fellow Demon Slayer, their uniform battered but their presence commanding.

"You're not alone," the Slayer said, their voice steady. "Let's finish this together."

Seina nodded, and the faint flame of hope danced once again within her heart. Far from over it might be, yet she was no longer fighting a battle.