"Brother... where are we gonna stay tonight?" Hakari asks Kaito.
Kaito sees an abandoned house in the distance.
"Looks like a house, let's look around." Kaito holds up his sword as they enter the house, the door opening with a small creak. The rooms are all empty except for darkness.
"We can stay the night here before we reach the city," Kaito says.
Hakari sits down in one of the rooms together with Kaito while Kaito looks around to make sure there's no danger surrounding them.
"I've got a bad feeling..." Kaito thinks.
"Hakari, should we—" Kaito turns around to say something to Hakari, only to find out she's disappeared.
"Hakari!" Kaito pulls out his sword, worry on his face.
"Hakari, where are you!" Kaito starts running from one room to another, but Hakari is nowhere to be found.
Just then, Kaito sees Hakari standing in another room.
"Hakari, you made me worried for a second..."
As Kaito is about to enter the room, the whole house seems to flip, and in the next moment, the room changes and Kaito is standing on the ceiling.
"W-what just happened?" Kaito holds his sword tightly.
"Come out, whoever is doing this!"
A demon suddenly appears out of nowhere and jumps toward Kaito with its sharp nails. Kaito dodges, the claws barely grazing his long hair.
"So you're the one doing this! Where's my sister?!" Kaito shouts.
The demon taps his hands together, and the room changes again, shifting both himself and Kaito.
"Your sister, you say? I've already killed her."
Kaito's eyes widen as he takes in the demon's words.
"What did you just say...?"
The demon doesn't reply and rushes at Kaito, throwing a punch that Kaito blocks with his sword.
"Impossible... she can't be dead!" Kaito says.
"Fire... slash!"
Kaito moves his sword, coating it in fire, and severs the demon's arm.
The demon jumps back, and his arm slowly regrows, blood flying back to him.
"I need to hit his core in his chest, just like any other demon," Kaito thinks to himself.
He dashes toward the demon, aiming his sword at the demon's chest.
"Ahh!" Just when Kaito is about to slash through his chest, the demon smirks and taps his hands together again, changing the room's gravity.
"Ahh!" Kaito slams down on the ground from the ceiling, landing on his back.
"Haha!" The demon laughs before tapping his hands again and changes the room together with Kaito; the room now seems to have four other demons.
"More of them?!" Kaito gets worried.
"I have to find Hakari as soon as possible."
The demons dash toward Kaito from all directions. Kaito takes a deep breath before swiftly moving his sword toward all of them at high speed, cutting all of their chests at once.
"That should do the job."
All the demons fall and turn into ash.
The original demon stands alone now, observing from afar.
"Not bad at all, slayer."
Kaito looks confused.
"Slayer?"
The demon's smile vanishes slightly.
"You're not a slayer?"
Kaito ignores the question and dashes toward the demon with his sword.
"Where's my sister!"
The demon taps his hands together several times, changing the rooms and gravity, causing Kaito to lose his balance and slam into the ceiling and ground multiple times. Blood starts dripping from Kaito's mouth.
"Too fast... I can't get my balance like this!"
The demon dashes toward Kaito and kicks him in the stomach.
"Gah!" Kaito flies back toward the wall, breaking through it and falling to the floor, exhausted and slightly injured.
"Damn, that hurts... I've got to observe..."
Kaito slowly stands back up, eyes locked on the demon.
"I almost thought you were strong, but you're just another weak human," the demon says with a smirk before tapping his hands together again to change the gravity of the room.
But Kaito notices something.
"What was that just now... did he—"
The demon dashes toward Kaito, but Kaito punches the demon, sending him flying backward slightly.
"Not bad," the demon says before tapping his hands again and changing the room.
"There it was... again..." Kaito thinks before the demon dashes back at him again.
Kaito holds up his sword high and dashes toward the demon.
"There you are!" Kaito changes direction and slashes his sword into the wall to reveal a small demon.
"You're the one changing rooms and gravity!" Kaito slashes his sword into the demon's chest, killing it.
"No!" the other demon yells, dashing toward Kaito.
"Now it's one on one!" Kaito shouts, dashing toward the demon with his sword.
But suddenly his legs give out.
"Not now..."
Just as the demon is about to punch Kaito, Hakari breaks through the wall and kicks the demon so hard he's sent flying into the wall.
"Hakari..." Kaito looks up at Hakari and sees her eyes glowing pink.
"Your eyes... glowing like back then."
Hakari stands in front of Kaito to shield him from the demon.
"That hurts!" the demon says before running toward Hakari and punching her in the face, sending her flying through walls and outside the house.
"Ahh!" Hakari screams lightly before regaining her balance, her muscles growing bigger, her height increasing from some dark power as she grows even angrier.
The demon looks back toward Kaito lying on the ground, holding his stomach.
"I'll just finish you first."
Hakari runs toward the demon to protect Kaito, but she can't make it in time.
"Hakari..."
Just when the demon is about to stab his nails into Kaito, someone's sword slashes through the demon's chest from behind, killing him on the spot.
"Huh?" Kaito looks confused.
"Whose sword... Hakari doesn't use a sword, then?"
The demon falls to reveal a young guy standing behind, about the same height as Kaito.
"I hate demons," the guy says, looking brave.
"He seems strong... ally or foe?" Kaito thinks.
Just then, the guy falls to his knees, his expression turning scared.
"Demons are so scary! I thought he didn't die and would kill me!"
Kaito looks confused because the guy he thought was brave is actually a scared kitten.
"Uhm, mister... who are you?" Kaito asks.
"A-ah, my name's Noboru," Noboru says, slowly standing back up.
"Brother, are you alright?!" Hakari says, her body back to normal — smaller, eyes no longer glowing.
"Just some small injuries," Kaito says while lying on the ground.
"Oh, let me treat your wounds, Kaito-kun," Noboru says.
Hakari sits down, holding Kaito up, supporting him with her arm.
Noboru starts treating Kaito's wounds.
"Thanks for saving me, Noboru-san," Kaito says.
"I just happened to pass by and smelled something fishy going on, so I thought I should take a look. That demon was scary," Noboru says.
"He seems to fear demons, though he seems strong... and his majutsu feels strong but warm," Kaito thinks to himself.
"I'm trying to find a village where the Soul Slayers live," Noboru says.
Kaito looks confused.
"Soul Slayer?"
Noboru looks at Kaito.
"I thought you were a Soul Slayer, but then again, you wouldn't be this injured if you were. But you're strong, aren't you? So let's team up together! I'll keep you both safe until we find the village together," Noboru says.
Kaito thinks to himself,
"He's just scared of facing demons himself... hehe..."
Kaito thinks for a moment before saying,
"I guess me and my sister could use some help. We don't have anywhere to go or stay anyway."
Noboru smiles, stepping back slightly.
"All patched up. Your bleeding should stop now."
Kaito slowly stands up.
"Thanks again for saving us, Noboru-san."
Noboru looks at Hakari.
"Your sister is cute, hehe."
Kaito stands in front of Hakari, shielding her.
"Let's not go there."
Noboru smiles before turning back.
"Alright, our next stop is the Slayers' Village!"