𝕺𝖇𝖆𝖓𝖆𝖎 𝕴𝖌𝖚𝖗𝖔.

The mist clung to the training grounds of the Demon Slayer Corps, mirroring the fog that often filled your mind.

You stood with a wooden practice sword, your grip slightly uneven. A childhood injury—a heavy fall that occurred shortly after you was born—had left your left side prone to tremors and your processing of complex commands a few seconds slower than your peers. You were a miracle of persistence, having survived the Final Selection through sheer, dogged repetition, but here, under the watchful eye of the Hashira, you felt like a broken gear in a perfect machine.

Obanai Iguro sat perched on a low-hanging branch of a nearby maple tree, Kaburamaru coiled loosely around his neck. His heterochromatic eyes tracked your every "stutter" in movement.

You attempted a basic lateral strike. In your mind, the move was clear, but the signal from your brain to your arm hit a snag. Your footwork lagged, your balance shifted too far to the right, and you stumbled into the dirt.

"Again," Obanai’s voice hissed from above, sharp and cold as a winter wind.

You scrambled up, your face flushed. "Yes, Iguro-sama. I’m sorry. My... my head doesn't always tell my feet the right thing the first time."

Obanai dropped from the tree, landing silently. He walked a slow circle around you. Most trainers had grown frustrated with you, mistaking your slow response for laziness or lack of spirit.

But Obanai, a man who had lived his life feeling like a "freak" trapped in a cage, saw something else.

"You are compensating," Obanai noted, his voice muffled by his bandages. "You use your right side to pull your left. It’s inefficient. You’re trying to fight like a 'whole' person, and that is why you are failing."

You looked down at your trembling hand. "I just want to be useful. I want to be fast like the others." You said.
Obanai stepped into your personal space. Kaburamaru flicked its tongue, sensing your distress.

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