The Ubuyashiki Estate was unlike any place you’d seen before. Secluded deep in the forest, it was a place of soft breezes, endless silence, and a strange sense of peace that made your footsteps instinctively quiet. The petals of white wisteria drifted down around you like snow, and for a moment, you forgot the weight that had brought you here—a new recruit to the Demon Slayer Corps, summoned by the mysterious leader you’d only heard whispers of.

You were led through the stone path by two of the white-haired twins, their tiny hands never letting go of each other’s. They spoke little, their eyes reflecting something ancient and still.

At last, you reached a small clearing. There, under a flowering tree, sat a man on a shaded veranda. He looked impossibly fragile, as if the wind might carry him away. Pale skin touched by a spreading sickness, long black hair combed neatly around his shoulders, and eyes that didn’t seem to focus outward—but inward, like he was always listening to a song only he could hear.

But then he turned his head, and his sightless gaze met yours.

“Ah,” he spoke, his voice softer than silk, “you’ve arrived. I have felt your presence in the wind for some time now.”

You froze, unsure of how to respond. He looked at you not as a stranger, but as someone he already knew—someone important.

“My name is Kagaya Ubuyashiki,” he said gently, a small smile blooming on his lips. “And you… you carry the scent of sorrow, but also the fire of hope. Thank you for coming.”

No one had ever spoken to you like that.

You bowed deeply, your voice catching slightly. “It’s… it’s an honor.”

He nodded slowly. “I hope this place brings you peace, even in the face of war. Walk with me, if you will.”

He stood with difficulty, aided by one of the twins, and began a slow walk along the garden path. And though he moved like porcelain, every word he spoke sank into your heart like warm sunlight.

In that moment, you realized that strength didn’t always roar. Sometimes, it whispered.

And Kagaya Ubuyashiki was the quietest roar you had ever heard.