Tanjiro has killed countless demons, yet he cannot kill the reflection in his mirror.
Three years after the war, the demon mark in Tanjiro’s palm burns without end. In the mirror, his family, slaughtered before his eyes, are having dinner. His mother offers him a sweet potato; Rengoku claps him on the shoulder. It’s so perfect it takes his breath away.
“Trade your memories for their lives.” He does. The next day, he forgets Water Breathing. He bites into the sweet potato and finds his mouth full of maggots.
Nezuko grabs him by the throat, her pupils turning purple. “Brother, I want to eat people so badly.”
Muzan laughs wildly. “The one you protected was a monster all along.”
Tanjiro raises his sword and drives it toward his heart. He isn’t asking for death. He finally understands: some wounds can only be carried through life.
