It had been two months since Johan killed his first demon.
Since then, no one in the village looked at him the same.
The children bowed when they passed him. Genzo, once a gruff old man, now called him "Seong-sama." Even the traveling merchants offered extra rice and supplies in silence, avoiding eye contact.
But Johan didn't care about any of that.
What haunted him was the power. The way it felt to kill. The surge in his blood after absorbing a demon's abilities. It wasn't rage. It wasn't survival.
It was hunger.
One morning, a crow appeared at Genzo's workshop. It landed on the roof, cawed three times, and spoke:
"Summoned by the Demon Slayer Corps! Final Selection—awaits!"
Genzo had gone pale.
"Boy," he said, voice tight. "You don't have to do this. You already did more than any of us."
Johan simply stood. Picked up the katana Genzo had reforged just for him.
"I wasn't meant to live a peaceful life," he said quietly. "Not anymore."
The Butterfly Estate — One Week Later
The Final Selection was brutal.
Johan passed it without so much as a scratch.
But to avoid suspicion, he let his uniform get torn, slowed down in the final hours, and walked out looking half-exhausted—just like the others.
Now, he found himself standing at the gates of a strange compound. The scent of herbs, flowers, and antiseptic hung in the air. The walls were clean, wooden, and warm to the eye.
It was the Butterfly Estate—a recovery and training facility run by the Kocho family.
He was here to rest. To train. And, unknowingly, to meet the people who would change his path forever.
Shinobu Kocho was the first to greet him.
She was small, sharp-eyed, and wore a faint smile that never quite reached her eyes.
"You're the one who finished Final Selection in under two hours, aren't you?" she asked as they walked.
Johan raised an eyebrow. "Word spreads fast."
"Among crows and girls with good ears," she replied, her tone light but not unfriendly. "You're hiding something. You don't move like a beginner."
"I had a good teacher," Johan lied.
"Mmhmm." Shinobu didn't press. But she watched him, studying him like a puzzle with missing pieces.
Later that evening, he met her older sister.
Kanae Kocho.
She had a presence that made the air feel still—like standing in the eye of a storm. Her hair was longer than Shinobu's, her smile gentler, but her eyes… they were sharp. Not with suspicion, but with understanding.
"Johan Seong," she said softly, standing by the veranda as the sun dipped into the trees. "You carry sorrow like a cloak. But also something heavier."
Johan didn't reply.
She didn't need him to.
"It's alright," she continued. "We all carry things we can't explain."
He looked at her then, really looked.
And for a moment, he forgot he wasn't supposed to get close to anyone in this world.
Over the next few days, Johan trained with other new recruits. Most struggled with basic sword forms. Johan held back just enough to look talented, but not prodigious. Still, it didn't go unnoticed.
Kanae began offering him private guidance—ostensibly to help improve his breathing control.
But really, it was her way of getting to know him.
"You don't smile much," she said once during practice.
"Nothing funny about killing demons," he replied.
"True," she said. "But if you don't smile at all, you'll forget how."
He didn't say it, but the words stuck with him longer than they should have.
That night, a quest appeared in his system.
[Quest Alert: Butterfly in Bloom]Objective: Strengthen bond with Kanae Kocho.Reward: Unknown.Bonus Objective: Learn about her fear.Time Limit: 14 days.
He stared at the screen in silence.
"A bond, huh…"
He closed the interface.
"I don't need rewards," he muttered. "But if I can keep her alive…"
He didn't finish the thought.
Because part of him already knew—this world wouldn't let him have peace for long.