My gosh, that has got to be the darkest start to any story I've ever done. It began to happy, Setsuna just living through another normal day in her life and then everything just spiraled out of control from there. Like..... I honestly feel like a horrible person. Just killing off her entire family right out the gate and then having her almost be killed by a demon and potentially by wild black bears. But, she made it out alive, just barely, and now she's in the hands of this unknown woman. What's gonna happen to Setsuna now? There's only one way to find out. Enjoy!

When I finally awoke I had no idea where I was. I laid in a bed within a home I've never been to before. I sat up and felt this roaring pain in my head. But it quickly faded away to my relief as I took a better look around the room. This place didn't seem to be very big at all, just your typical two room home. 

The door to the room I was in was wide open and in the other I could see the woman in the tiger mask from before hanging up my clothes I was wearing by a fireplace. It looked like she had cleaned the blood off of them which was a nice thing of her to do. And, while I slept she must've slipped me into some of her spare clothes as I wore some pieces I've never seen before.

"At last, you wake." I heard the woman say to me, even though she never turned to see me wake up at all. 

"Where am I?" I asked as the woman walked over and into the room I was in. 

"My home. You're incredibly lucky that I found you while hunting for bear." The woman said to me as she left the room for a brief moment to get something. When she returned, she handed me a cup of this gross looking green liquid. 

"Drink this." She told me as I took it and had a sip. I nearly threw up from it, it was so bitter. 

"What is this!?" I asked her. 

"A special remedy I make. It helps clear your senses and strengthens the muscles of your body. It's just a mix of some grass, eel skin and a piece of a deer's stomach." The woman explained to me as I nearly threw up again. 

"Anyways thank you for saving me. And, I guess I can thank you for cleaning my clothes now too." I said as the woman gave me a nod. 

"Can you tell me how all that blood got on you to begin with? I'm rather curious." The woman asked me as all the memories of what happened before came rushing back through my mind. My parents..... my little brother..... they're gone. 

"What day is it today?" I asked the woman. 

"It's Tuesday morning." She told me. 

"So, I've been out for two days then, I see. Well, it all began Sunday evening right after I went to bed. In the middle of my sleep, I heard some loud noises coming from another room in my home. I peeked into it to see what might've happened but I saw my mother and father on the ground dead. These two men... I don't think they were human. They killed them and one of them devoured my parents body parts. Me and my little brother attempted to flee but the man who ate the body parts caught up to me. He grabbed my hair but I was able to cut his left arm and free myself. But, somehow he was able to regrow it and then attacked my little brother and took him away. He killed him right in front of me. And then he came after me again. I used my knife to take off his head and he just turned to dust in front of me. And then, shortly after that, the bears found me and then you came along. That's all I remember." I told her as she gave me some nods, seemingly understanding me. 

"I see. I'm truly sorry for your loss. No one deserves to go through such loss and pain that you did." The woman said to me. 

"Those men. What were they?" I asked her as she sighed and then removed her tiger mask. Her face had several scars on it. One short one along her left cheek, another circular one on her right, and over her right eye was a large one, blinding it. Her other eye, her left had this crimson colour to it, like a roaring fire. 

"I believe they were both demons." The woman said to me. 

"Demons?" I questioned. 

"Yes. Though they've never reached this far before so I guess it makes sense as to why you've probably never heard of one before. They're supernatural beings that inhabit our world. Although, they can only move freely during the night. During the day, they must protect themselves from the light or they'll die." The woman explained to me. 

"What were they doing at my home? Why did they kill my family?" I asked her. 

"They were most likely looking for food. Demons feast on the flesh of people. And, if you're lucky to survive an encounter, if you even received so much as a scratch, you would turn into one of them. I was amazed to see you didn't have any on your body. As I said before, you're incredibly lucky." The woman said to me. 

"So, that oddly coloured blood that got on my clothes was from a demon. Is there any chance I could become one from touching that instead?" I asked the woman as she shook her head. 

"I haven't heard of anyone turning after being touched by the blood with their skin. Did you consume any though?" The woman asked me as I shook my head. 

"That's good to hear." She said as I became curious now. 

"How do you know so much about these demons?" I asked her as she sat down on the edge of the bed. 

"Because I used to slay them. I was a former member of the Demon Slaying Corps. Shu Torako, rank Hinoe, third highest level." The woman explained to me. 

"So, you hunt demons? How many did you slay?" I asked her. 

"I lost count. I was a beauty on the battlefield, or so my comrades would say. I wielded a fighting style unlike any other, and it brought me victory almost every time. Until.... one day me and a friend of mine came face to face with a demon more powerful than any we'd met before. He was the demon king." Torako explained to me as she lowered her head in shame. 

"What happened?" I asked her. 

"We fought him. But the demon king was far too powerful for us both. He killed my closest friend, but before he did, the demon king stole his blade and gave me this scar in particular. It haunts me every day I look at it." She said to me, pointing at the scar over her right eye. 

"I became afraid of the demons after that..... afraid to think that there are some just as powerful as that one. And so, I left the Corps. I went as far as I could and eventually found my way here. Somewhere quiet.... and peaceful. But now, that peace has been disturbed. If the demons really have made it here, then they're spreading father than they've ever gone before. If this keeps up, then they'll have spread all over the country soon." Torako said as I became worried. 

"What will happen if they spread across our country?" I asked her. 

"Either they'll turn every one of their victims into demons themselves, or they'll kill and eat everyone." Torako said. 

"That can't happen! You can't let that happen! You know how to slay these monsters, so please, you have to do something!" I begged her as she shook her head again. 

"Didn't you hear me? I tried to slay the strongest one of them all, and not alone. We failed. My friend died and I nearly met the same fate. I will never go back to slaying demons. That's the responsibility of today's Demon Slaying Corps." Torako said to me as I clenched my fists. 

"Then teach me how to slay them!" I pleaded to her as she looked at me with a surprised expression. 

"Have you not been listening to anything I've been saying!? You'll die if you try and face the demons!" Torako said to me but I refused to take no for an answer. 

"I don't care! I've lost everything to my name! My family, my home, even my god damn job! I've got nothing left to lose!! At this point, I don't care if I die!" I shouted to Torako as she looked even more shocked now. 

"If you choose this path, then know that my training cannot guarantee you will live in a fight against even the weakest of demons. I will break you. You'll wish you were dead each and every day until you finish. If you finish. Are you prepared to injure your body and push it past every limit it has and ever will?" Torako asked me as I gave her a confident nod as my response. 

"Jeez..... I don't know if you're brave or just stupid. God.... you'd better make this worth while! I don't wanna waste my time on you if you can't keep up!" Torako shouted to me as she stood up and then walked over to the door of the room. 

"I will not fail you. I'll learn all you can teach me. I will become your successor!" I said to her as she just sighed again. 

"Maybe stubbornness is the word that should describe you. Regardless, we start tomorrow morning. Be prepared for anything and everything. Because you'll be lucky to have a body when we're done." Torako said as she slid the door closed. 

"I will not give up. And even though you may break me.... I will repair and overcome. I'm going to be a demon slayer.... just like you were." I thought as I rested back down in my bed. 

-The Next Morning-

I was sound asleep in my bed, not a care in the world until I was suddenly woken up by having ice cold water dunked on me. I screamed and shot out of the bed as I shivered from the freezing cold, wet clothes I was now wearing. 

"It's time to begin." Torako said to me as I looked out a nearby window to see the sun wasn't even up yet. 

"How early is it!?" I asked her. 

"Early enough. Now, come with me." Torako said as I slowly made my way through her home and out the front door. About ten feet away from the house was a small tub filled with water and ice chunks. 

"My fighting style is known as "Chilling Breath." By harnessing the ability to feel the air temperature around you, you will be able to detect anything around you without even having to look. This style has twelve forms. And it's best to begin with form one: Misty Aura. Now, take off your clothes and get in the tub." Torako told me as I just looked at her, dumbfounded. 

"Wait..... what?" I questioned as she unsheathed her katana and pointed it at me. 

"Did I stutter?" Torako said as I quickly began taking off my clothes. 

"Sorry, ma'am!" I said with fear in my voice as I could feel the ice cold air on my bare naked skin. It was frigid out but thankfully, it wasn't snowing at the moment. I walked over to the tub she'd set up for me and I dipped one of my feet in. I near instantly took it out shortly after as I screeched from the burning cold water. 

"Do you want to learn how to slay demons or not?" Torako asked me as I held my shivering body. 

"Y....Y-Yes...... I d-do...." I said to her as she walked over and then stood behind me. She grabbed the sides of my arms and then hoisted me up and dropped me into the tub of freezing water. I screamed from the cold but Torako stood there and held me down so I wouldn't jump out. 

"We'll start with baby steps. You will sit in this tub outside for two hours. If you don't get frostbite, then it'll be some good progress for you." Torako said to me as I tried to fight her grip. But seeing as she was able to drag a several hundred pound black bear with one hand, there wasn't any chance in the world I was getting out. 

"Once the sun peaks over the mountain top to the East, your time will be up." Torako said to me as she reached down and picked up a lid to the wooden tub. There was a hole in it for my head to go through and she placed it over me. She then placed about half a dozen medium sized rocks on top of the lid so I couldn't lift it up or get out. 

"Isn't this.... a l-litt-tle o-o-overk-kill....?" I asked her as she shook her head. 

"Not at all. It's how I was trained so it's how i'm going to train you. See you in a couple hours." Torako said as she left me and went back into her home. 

"W-W-Wait!! C-Come back pl-lease!" I begged her but she was already gone.

"G-Great-t.... She's ins-sane.... i'm-m g-going t-to die out here..." I said to myself as I heard some sticks snapping nearby. I turned my head around as much as I could but I couldn't see anything nearby. But I was sure there were dozens, maybe even hundreds of creatures in the area looking right at me. 

"I-It's alright. There's n-nothing th-there..... j-just your imag-gination..." I said as something dead ahead of where I was looking moved. Besides the sound of my teeth chattering, everything went silent as a wolf came walking out of the darkness. 

"Oh n-no...." I said, frightened that it was going to attack me. And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, two more showed up. They didn't growl, they didn't bark, and they didn't bare show their teeth. The three of them just stared at me as they inched closer to the tub.

"G-Go away....." I said to them as their ears flicked up. But they still kept on coming closer to me. Pretty soon, they were about six feet from the tub. The one in the centre, the largest of the three sat down in front of me and kept eye contact the whole time, licking its lips a few times too. The other two wolves each walked around me and sat on either side of the tub, still staring at me like the first. 

The fear within my body was growing larger and larger with every second that passed by. At any moment, these wolves could move in and kill me. And I could do nothing because I was stuck in this damn tub.

*RUUUH!* The largest wolf barked at me as it then stood up again and got even closer. It brought its head right up to mine as it began sniffing my face. 

"Just go away, just go away, just go away!!" I thought as it then licked my face a few times before taking a step back. It began to growl and show its teeth as its blank stare turned into anger. 

"No, no, no!" I thought as all three wolves began to bark at me now. 

"Think, girl!! There's a way to escape your situation!!" I heard Torako shout to me from inside her home as the largest wolf moved in, opening its mouth wide, its teeth razor sharp and ready to bite down on me. 

"How do I escape from these things!?" I thought as the wolf lunged at me. 

Without even putting any thought into it, I ducked my head through the hole of the lid for the tub and fully submerged my body in the freezing water. 

"Now it begins...." Torako said to herself as she watched me from one of her windows. 

Everything went completely pitch black once I went under. I couldn't see anything, not even the hole for the lid. And, I could feel the wolves bumping the sides of the tub, trying to get me out of it. 

"What am I supposed to do!? If I go back up then they'll attack me when I raise my head up! But if I stay down here then i'll drown!" I thought as I began to panic. But then suddenly, the wolves stopped hitting the tub. I could hear one of them let out a howl outside. 

"Are they calling for more?" I thought as my body started to feel warm for some reason. And.... i'm not sure how to explain it but.... I started to see these strange orange lights appear through the sides of the tub I was in. 

"What's going on?" I questioned as I saw there were three lights and they were all moving. And, the longer I stayed submerged, the more these lights took shape. And, pretty soon they gave me the outlines of the three wolves. 

"How can I see them from inside here?" I thought as the wolves suddenly just left and headed back off into the forest. Their lights disappeared as they went further away and I didn't resurface until they were all gone. When they finally were, I went back up to breath, but not before hitting my head off the lid first. I eventually found the hole though and I gasped for air when my head shot out of the water. The air meeting my wet skin made me even colder than before as It felt like my hair was freezing already. 

"Could you feel them?" I heard Torako ask me as I turned my head to see her standing behind me now. 

"The wolves surrounding you. Could you feel them all? Could you see their movements?" She asked as I gave her a slow nod. 

"Very good. Do you understand now?" Torako asked as I thought about what had just happened. 

"I could.... feel.... yeah, I could sense the heat from their bodies. And I could tell where they were moving too." I said to her as she gave me a nod. 

"Anything else?" She asked. 

"My body.... a little after I submerged myself, my body didn't feel cold anymore. And the wolves.... why did they just leave when they knew I was inside this tub?" I asked as Torako gave me another nod. 

"You're starting to catch on already. Maybe this won't be a bust, after all." Torako said as she came over, took the rocks off the lid and then removed the lid itself from the tub. 

"Your time is up. You can get out now." Torako told me as I looked over to the nearby mountain and saw the sun was just now rising over its peek. 

"Already? How long was I submerged for!?" I questioned as I was honestly in awe at that just happened. 

"Let's get you warmed up before you ask some more questions. I prepared a meal for you as well." Torako told me as she lifted me out of the ice cold tub and carried me into her home. She wrapped me in a thick furry blanket and sat me down next to her fireplace so i'd warm up faster. 

"Here...." She said as she placed down a plate of bear meat and eggs in front of me. 

"Thank you...." I said as I devoured everything within just a few minutes. 

"Now then, show me your hands." Torako said as I held both of my arms straight out so she could inspect them. She took a long look at both of them and then came in close to inspect my face and then my feet. 

"No signs of frostbite or hypothermia. I'm genuinely impressed." Torako said as I thanked her. 

"Any chance you could tell me more about what you were trying to teach me?" I asked her as she sat down in front of me and crossed her legs. 

"The first of twelve forms in my fighting style, the Misty Aura. It's a special technique that allows its user to become one with the cold around them and sense the heat in the air of whatever is nearby. The technique was originally discovered by wolves, actually. By shrouding themselves in the cold, they're able to hide their true numbers, which is how an entire large pack of them can sneak up on unsuspecting victims." Torako began to explain as I began to catch on. 

"So they came to me because they sensed the heat of my body in the air surrounding them?" I asked as she gave me a nod. 

"Correct. And, by submerging yourself, you blocked off the remaining heat that was coming off from your head. You cooled your body and thus, the wolves could not find you. They didn't see you as either a meal or a threat to them so they simply left you. It took you a while to cool down though." Torako explained to me. 

"Then how was I able to use this technique? How could I see their heat from inside the tub?" I asked her. 

"In order the become the cold itself, you must first calm your body. In most situations, fully submerging yourself underwater does that as your body can feel free and weightless. You calmed your muscles and allowed the ice cold temperatures to penetrate you. It expanded within you, creating a special pocket of air around your entire body. And, within that air pocket, you can sense and see abnormal heat that is greater than your own. That is how you saw the wolves." Torako explained as I understood. 

"So by reducing my body temperature to match that of the ice water, it made it so I could actually see everything around me because they all had a higher body temperature. I see now...." I said as Torako gave me a nod. 

"And that is the first form of twelve of the Chilling Breath style. As I train you, you will become more fluent and precise with each technique, growing in your own confidence and determination. But, the remaining eleven forms will be even tougher to master than the first. All will test your body and mind. So, let me ask you this. After experiencing what comes with training for the first, do you still wish to continue?" Torako asked me as I didn't even think about what my answer would be. I simply gave her a nod.

"Perhaps that stubbornness I once thought you were full of was indeed courage. I've trained a few before but they all quit on me after their first attempt at the first form of twelve. But they were all weak men. And yet here you are, a girl, seemingly without fear, choosing to move on and learn all of the techniques. I can see much potential within you, but it will come at a heavy cost. Do you believe your body can handle the pressure and pain that will be brought upon it?" Torako asked me as I gave her yet another nod. 

"I will endure and overcome everything that you plan to teach me. Like I said before, I will become your successor." I said as she finally cracked a small smile. 

"Very well. For today, we'll put a hold on the first form. And, we shall move on to the second." Torako said to me as I became curious. 

"How does one learn the second form?" I asked her. 

"All twelve forms are broken into three sections, each one related to a specific sword style. The first four revolve around Mutoryu, the no sword style. You will learn to wield your hands as if they were made of sharpened steel. Like so...." Torako said as she reached over and picked up a small rock that she had near her front door. She brought it over and placed it on the floor in front of her. The rock was about 6 inches wide. 

"The second form, known as the "Chilling Snake Sting," involves specific hand movements. Watch me..." Torako said as she position all the fingers on her hands in star formations. She them moved her hands in a figure-8 formation until she brought one of her hands up to the side of her right cheek, leaving the other still pointing straight out. And then, within the blink of an eye, she swapped their positions, thrusting her first hand forward and striking the rock in front of her. She shattered it to pieces with ease. 

"Amazing..." I saw in awe as she reached over and grabbed a second rock. She placed it in front of me and I could already tell where this was going. 

"Now it is your turn. Do as you just witnessed and strike the rock." Torako told me as I positioned my fingers in the same way she did. I began to wave them around in that figure-8 formation and then I brought my left hand close to my left cheek. 

"Now, strike!" Torako shouted as I swapped the positions of my hands and struck the rock dead on with my left hand. I knew I failed immediately since I didn't shatter the rock and a massive surge of pain swelled up in my hand. I let out a quick scream as I brought my left hand back to grasp it.I was sure one of my fingers broke. I think it was my middle. 

"Your fingers were too close together. And your arm movements were far too slow and choppy. You must be agile and fluent with each and every movement. This fighting style and all its forms are known for its unpredictability. Clean, precise, and flowing movements grant that sense of unpredictability. That is what will give you the edge when you face a real demon. Clear your mind and loosen your muscles when moving your body. That's the easiest way to learn this technique." Torako explained to me as I gave her a nod. 

"Now, try again. With the same hand, as well." She said as I gave her a nod. I moved all my fingers into position once more, taking her advice into consideration as I spread my fingers apart just a tiny bit. I then took a deep breath as I began waving my arms in the figure-8 formation. I tried my best to loosen my entire body as I moved them, controlling my breathing the whole time. And, when I was ready, I brought my left hand close to my cheek once more. 

"Again! Strike the rock!" Torako shouted as I thrusted my left hand forward and made contact with the rock. It still hurt a lot as I brought my hand back nearly instantly to grasp where the pain was. But, as I looked closer, I saw there was a split in the rock. It didn't go all the way through, but I knew it wasn't there before. I did it.

"Hmm.... while you may not have shattered the rock, you made progress once more. Your fingers were in the correct positions and your arm movements were more on point. May I see your left hand though?" Torako asked as I held it out to her. She looked at my middle finger in particular and poked it a few times. 

"So this is the reason. This finger is fractured, most likely from your first attempt. This gave you far less striking power, and so that is why you could not fully shatter the stone before you." Torako said as she let go of my hand. 

"That will be all for today. After how much you impressed me, you deserve a little bit of rest. I'll heal your broken finger. Just stay there so you can warm up." Torako said to me as I let out a sigh of relief. She really wasn't kidding when she said she'd break me though. My body was freezing again and one of my fingers was broken. And this was just the first day. I'm not sure how long it'll take me to master all of this techniques forms, but I don't care. I'll master each and every one of them if it kills me. 

"Here. This will help you heal quicker." Torako said as she came back with another cup of that gross green liquid. 

"I think i'll pass...." I said to her as she gave me a death glare. I then shut up and took the cut and drank from it. Once again, I nearly threw up. 

"From this day onward, you will wake at the exact same time as you did earlier. You'll train your first and second forms until you've mastered them, then we move on to the next. I will decide when you've fully controlled the forms of my style." Torako said to me as she unsheathed her sword and then stuck it in the floor in front of me. 

"And when I say, we'll begin your swordsmanship."