"Rui-sama, there is a message from Lord Muzan," the demon messenger said, bowing as he approached Rui. His voice trembled, partly from the awe he felt toward Rui but mostly from the fear that lingered whenever he carried a message from the Demon King.
Rui, sitting on his webs high in the branches, gazed down at the demon, his red eyes narrowing. "Is it about my mother?" he asked.
Though his tone was calm, there was an edge to it. He, too, had felt it—a faint severing, like a thread snapping. His connection to his "mother" had disappeared, and it was unsettling, though he refused to admit it.
"Yes," the messenger replied, careful to keep his eyes down. "Lord Muzan has ordered you to investigate. He is… displeased."
Rui frowned, the words lingering in his mind. If Muzan was displeased, it wasn't a minor issue. Lord Muzan only felt annoyance when his creations failed him, but this was different. The words "displeased" and "investigate" told Rui everything he needed to know—Muzan's anger was serious.
Rui's gaze shifted to the depths of the forest, where he'd last sensed his mother. Her disappearance wasn't normal. She wasn't strong, but her fear of him kept her loyal. She never strayed, never dared defy him. If she was gone, it was because someone had interfered.
"Who could have severed my connection?" Rui muttered, clenching his fist. His strings—his carefully woven network of control—were everything to him. His mother was just another pawn, but she was essential to his dominance over his spider family. Losing her was a threat to his control, an insult to his authority.
"Rui-sama…" the messenger's voice broke through his thoughts, hesitant. "Lord Muzan expects an immediate report once you uncover the source."
Rui smirked, his confidence unshaken despite the disturbance. "I understand. Tell Lord Muzan that I will handle this. He doesn't need to concern himself with such minor issues." His voice was laced with arrogance, yet even he couldn't ignore the slight flicker of uncertainty in his mind. Whoever had the power to interfere with his web could be a threat.
"Yes, Rui-sama." The messenger bowed, retreating quickly into the shadows, leaving Rui alone in his web of thoughts.
Rui's gaze was locked on the distant forest, his thoughts consumed by the severed connection to his mother, when his sister's voice broke the silence.
"Is something the matter, Rui?" she asked, her voice soft but laced with a hesitation she could never hide around him.
He turned sharply, irritation already simmering in his eyes. His "sister" was watching him with her usual timid expression, but something had shifted. He noticed her skin—once the same pale white as his own—was gradually changing, taking on a more natural hue. Her once colorless features were beginning to return to a more human tone.
The sight made something inside Rui snap.
"Why…" he muttered under his breath, his tone darkening. His sister took a step back, her eyes widening in fear.
"R-Rui… I didn't mean to—" she stammered, but Rui's patience had already worn thin.
"How many times have I told you," he snarled, "not to come to me with that pathetic look?" In a flash, he lashed out, his fingers slicing across her face with a brutal swiftness. A thin line of blood appeared where he'd torn into her skin, the flesh splitting under the pressure of his claws.
She stumbled back, clutching her cheek in horror, the pain too much to suppress. But Rui showed no mercy. His eyes were cold, focused, as though he were studying an insect squirming in his web.
"Do you think this bond means nothing?" he sneered, watching her with disdain. "I made you part of my family, gave you strength, purpose. And this is how you repay me? By letting yourself revert to that worthless, weak form?"
She trembled under his gaze, her hand pressing harder against the wound on her cheek. "I'm… I'm sorry, Rui. I didn't mean to… to disappoint you," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Rui's fury only grew, his patience entirely worn. His mind raced back to his "mother," the loss of her connection lingering like a thorn. If even his sister was starting to defy him, then his family was crumbling. And Rui could not accept weakness.
"Sorry?" he hissed, leaning closer, his eyes narrowing. "If you're truly sorry, then prove it. Stop this pathetic display and act like the family I made you to be! And kill all the Demon Slayers."
She nodded desperately, trying to compose herself as her skin continued shifting back to pale. Rui watched, the slightest hint of satisfaction in his eyes as her appearance returned to the one he had forced upon her.
"That's better," he said coldly. "If you want to stay in this family, then remember what I expect. Absolute loyalty. No more weakness." His voice held a finality, a warning that left no room for defiance.
She nodded quickly, her voice trembling. "I understand, Rui... I won't fail you again."
"This isn't some show, you know," Rui said as he turned to one of the trees. From the shades, a figure emerged.
It was Tanjiro.
~~~
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