Giyu and Tanjiro continued walking past the ruined wasteland, guided by the strange pull in Giyu's body. The blood Muzan forced into him acted like a compass, pointing toward the remaining Lower Moons. Tanjiro watched him closely as they moved deeper into an abandoned town.
Old shops stood silent with broken windows. Every step echoed like the world itself was holding its breath.
Tanjiro sniffed the air. "There is a faint demon scent. Not strong enough to be Upper Rank. Maybe another Lower Moon."
Giyu nodded. "Lower Moon Four is somewhere near this place."
"Do you know its name?"
"I never saw it. Only felt its presence in Muzan's blood."
Tanjiro placed his hand on the grip of his blade. "Then we are ready."
They walked down an empty street lined with faded posters and shattered vending machines. A cold wind blew, scattering paper. As they passed a small alley, Tanjiro stopped.
"Wait."
He bent slightly, sniffing the air again.
Something was wrong.
"I smell… sleep."
Giyu narrowed his eyes. "Sleep?"
"Yes. It is like a scent of dreams and nightmares mixed together. But there is no one here."
As Tanjiro took another step forward, the street suddenly rippled like water. The bright sky dimmed and turned deep violet. Buildings stretched unnaturally tall, and the shadows lengthened like they were alive.
Giyu grabbed Tanjiro's shoulder. "This is not reality."
"I know," Tanjiro said quietly. "We are inside someone's Blood Demon Art."
A soft voice floated through the darkened street.
"You walked straight into it. I knew you would."
Both of them turned.
A young demon boy sat on top of a lantern post. His hair was pale blue and reached his waist. His eyes were covered by a strip of cloth, yet he looked directly at them.
"I am Somnia," he said in a flat, emotionless tone. "Lower Moon Four. You fight so hard to stay awake in a world that wants to forget you."
Tanjiro furrowed his brows. "Take off this illusion. We did not come here to dream."
Somnia tilted his head. "Why not? Dreams are better than reality. Dreams do not break. Dreams do not hurt. Humans have suffered enough. I offer them sleep where they never have to feel anything again."
"That is not living," Tanjiro said.
"Living is pain," Somnia replied without emotion. "So sleep is peace."
Giyu lifted his sword. "Show yourself. This artificial world is meaningless."
"At least let them dream for a moment," Somnia whispered.
A wave of soothing warmth spread across the ground. The buildings melted into soft shapes, turning into floating lights. The air became thick and heavy.
Tanjiro blinked slowly. "Giyu… this feeling… it is pulling me."
Giyu felt it too. His eyelids grew heavy.
Somnia laughed softly. "It is pointless to resist. Muzan made me strong. Even if you cut me down, this world of sleep will tighten its grip."
Tanjiro clenched his teeth and hit his own cheek sharply.
"Stay awake, Giyu. Focus on something painful."
Giyu struck his own arm with the edge of his blade. The sharp sting cleared his mind for a moment.
Somnia sighed. "How troublesome."
The world around them shifted again. This time they fell through the ground like it was liquid.
Tanjiro regained his balance only to find himself standing in a long, endless hallway. Giyu appeared beside him.
There were hundreds of doors stretching in both directions.
Tanjiro stepped toward one and felt a chill pass through him.
"We are inside his art. A dream realm."
Giyu kept his sword ready. "Find him."
As they walked, whispers came from the doors.
"Tanjiro… save me…"
"You failed… you failed…"
"Everyone is gone…"
Giyu heard his own voice echoing from a door. "You lived while everyone died…"
"You should have disappeared long ago…"
Tanjiro frowned. "These are illusions. They twist our hearts."
Somnia's voice echoed through the corridor. "Dreams reveal truth. Nothing more."
A door behind them burst open. A nightmare creature crawled out, its body formed from shifting faces and reaching hands.
Tanjiro sliced through it instantly. The creature turned to dust.
"We cannot keep doing this," Giyu said. "He will drain our strength."
Tanjiro took a deep breath. "Giyu, follow my lead. His scent is faint but he is close. He must maintain this entire space. That means he is not far."
They sprinted down the hall. The doors shook violently, releasing nightmare beasts. Tanjiro cut them apart. Giyu slashed the ones that slipped past him.
Finally, at the end of the corridor, a single door glowed.
Tanjiro placed his hand on it. "His scent is behind this one."
Giyu nodded. "I will cut the moment he tries to escape."
Tanjiro slid the door open.
Somnia sat inside a small wooden room decorated like a peaceful child's bedroom. He hugged his knees.
"You should not have come this far," he whispered. "This place keeps me safe. No one hurts me here."
Tanjiro stepped forward slowly. "Your world is lonely. It is not saving anyone."
Somnia shook his head. "No. No pain. No loss. That is all I want."
Giyu's voice was cold. "You want a world that sleeps forever."
Somnia raised his hand, and the room dissolved into an endless white field. Wind swirled. His Blood Demon Art surged.
"You forced my hand," Somnia whispered. "Sleep."
Tanjiro moved instantly.
"Water Breathing. Seventh Form. Drop Ripple Thrust Curve."
His blade pierced through the illusion before it could cover him.
Somnia gasped as the dream world cracked around them like a mirror.
Giyu followed with precise timing.
"Water Breathing. Fourth Form. Striking Tide."
Somnia tried to form another illusion but their blades were faster.
The dream world collapsed completely. Reality snapped back.
They stood in the abandoned street again.
Somnia lay on the ground, fading into particles of dust.
"You two… never stopped moving forward," he whispered, voice trembling. "How do you keep walking? Even after losing everything?"
Tanjiro knelt beside him. "Because people are waiting to be saved."
Somnia's lips curled into a small, sad smile.
"I wanted someone to wake me up… a long time ago…"
He vanished in the air like drifting snow.
Tanjiro exhaled softly.
Giyu lowered his sword. "We must continue."
Tanjiro nodded. "There are three more."
They walked together, moving toward the next shadow waiting in the dead world.