The sound of soft sniffles echoed from the corner of the room. Tanjiro sat with his head buried in his hands, his shoulders shaking slightly. The usually determined and upbeat boy was now visibly broken, his tears falling quietly.

“I—I’m sorry…” His voice cracked, muffled by his hands. “I just… I can’t help them. So many have died, and I couldn’t save them…”

He looked up slowly, eyes red and filled with guilt, as though the weight of every loss was suffocating him.

“Why can’t I do more?”

He whispered, his voice full of sadness and frustration, his usual determination lost in the moment.