The Sound of Water at the End

⚠️ Warning: This is fanfiction featuring an original character. Ayame Nagi is entirely the author's creation, and the story contains many original elements and was written on a whim. Canon characters may be out of character. This is a labor of love, so please be gentle with your criticism and don't direct it at the characters or the author. Thank you for understanding.

His name is Ayame Nagi. From childhood, he was as cold and lifeless as stagnant water, with no hope of living and no way to find peace in death. Countless times, just as he was about to end his life with a blade, fate cruelly thrust him back into the world of the living. At first, people saw him as Tomioka Giyu's “shadow,” mocking him for his dark blue eyes and almost identical air of detachment. Yet amid the cold sound of rushing water, he once wondered if perhaps there was still someone in this world who would reach out and pull him from the abyss. His encounter with Tanjiro and the brief bonds he formed with his companions let him glimpse a light in the cracks of despair. He laughed, cried, and struggled, but never forgot that he was merely an outsider in the story of fate. Salvation came gently, but it was fragile. When his closest friend betrayed him and fell into the abyss of demonhood, all his struggles became meaningless. In the battle at the Infinity Castle, pierced through the heart by countless swords, he ended his absurd life with blood and a broken blade. Ayame Nagi was no hero, nor was he a blade destined to save the world. He was only an ordinary person, repeatedly cast into the abyss by the world, who still wanted to leave with a smile. If this is a story, then it is better described as his final struggle and a silent sigh.