For the first time in her life, she could see. Colors, shapes, light and shadow - all of it was new and overwhelming. Her pale fingers touched her face, tracing the strange blindfold that covered her eyes yet somehow allowed her to see everything clearly.
Tears began to flow down her cheeks. They started as quiet sobs but soon grew into full, body-shaking cries. She cried for all the things she had never been able to see, the color of the sky, the flowers in spring, the people around her. Now she could see the dusty apartment, the blood on the floor, even the strange six-eyed man standing in the doorway.
Kokushibo watched her without moving. His six golden eyes observed her emotional breakdown with clinical detachment. He waited patiently as her sobs gradually quieted.
After several minutes, the girl wiped her tears and slowly stood up. Her movements were unsteady, both from emotional exhaustion and from getting used to her new demon body. She walked toward Kokushibo, her white hair swaying with each step. When she reached him, she bowed deeply.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I don't know who you are or why you helped me, but thank you for giving me sight."
Kokushibo regarded her coldly. "I gave you my blood," he said in his deep, echoing voice. "That is why you can see now. My blood has changed you."
The girl looked up at him, her head tilted in confusion. "Your blood?"
"Yes," Kokushibo explained. "My blood contains power. It healed your wounds and gave you a sight. But there is a price."
He paused, watching her reaction carefully. "You are no longer human but a demon. Normal food will not sustain you. You must consume human flesh to survive."
The girl's eyes widened behind her blindfold. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Kokushibo continued. "So would you accept of what you are now?"
As he spoke these words, Kokushibo's mind was already calculating. If she refused, he would not let his blood go to waste. He would kill her and absorb her back into himself. It would be inefficient, but better than letting his power be wasted on someone unworthy.
The girl stood frozen, processing his words. Her mind flashed back through her life - all the pain, all the suffering. She remembered her mother's voice: "Why did I have to give birth to a blind child? It's so embarrassing." She remembered her brothers pretending she didn't exist, their laughter when she stumbled in the dark.
The loneliness that had been her constant companion. The bullying from other children who called her "blind freak" and "useless."
Tears welled in her eyes again, but this time they were not tears of joy. "Since I was born blind," she began softly, "I've always known I was different. As I grew older, I became more aware of how people saw me - as a burden, as something less than human."
She looked down at her pale hands. "I was bullied and treated like trash. Sometimes I would wish... I would pray to be normal. To be able to see like everyone else. But I knew it was impossible. Still, I never stopped hoping that maybe, one day, I would see the world."
Her voice grew quieter. "When that thing was biting me... when I felt my life fading away... I thought maybe being born was never a gift but a curse. And that death might be the most beautiful gift of all. I had accepted my death."
She lifted her head, looking directly at Kokushibo with her blindfolded eyes. "But you gave me more than just my life back. You gave me my greatest wish. You let me see." She sank to her knees, bowing her head before him. "I am forever grateful for this opportunity you have given me. So please, allow me - my name is Ariya - to serve you for eternity, my lord."
Kokushibo looked down at the kneeling girl. She had accepted her new nature. His blood would not go to waste after all.
"Very well, Ariya," he said. "You may serve me. But remember - you are a demon now. The rules of your old life no longer apply."
Ariya remained kneeling, her head still bowed. "Thank you, my lord. I will not disappoint you."
---
Kokushibo's pov.
Kokushibo looked at Ariya. He realized something. He could see what she saw now. His blood in her let him see through her eyes. Just like Muzan could do with his demons in the story. This was useful.
Now that he made a demon, he started thinking. He should make more demons. He should create ranks like Muzan did. Upper moons and lower moons. But he would call them Upper Ranks and Lower Ranks instead. That sounded better.
He looked at Ariya's eyes. Inside the white blindfold covering her eyes. On her left eye, it said "Upper Rank" and on the right eye it said "1". He decided she would be his first Upper Rank. His strongest demon.
"Ariya," he said. She looked at him. "I need to tell you about the world now."
He explained about the zombies. How the world ended. How most humans were dead or turned into zombies. How the cities were empty and broken.
Ariya listened carefully. She understood now why nobody came to help her in the hospital.
After he finished explaining, her stomach made a noise. She was hungry.
Kokushibo pointed to the hallway. "There are zombies nearby. Eat them. The taste won't be good. But it's better than nothing."
He looked serious. "But listen. You cannot eat innocent people. Only zombies. Or bad humans who deserve it."
Ariya nodded. "I understand, my lord."
He continued. "The more you eat, the stronger you get. You might even awaken a Blood Demon Art."
Ariya looked confused. "Blood Demon Art? What's that my lord? I thought being demon just meant healing fast, being strong, and seeing at night."
Kokushibo explained. "Blood Demon Art is special power. Each demon has different power. Some control tatami doors. Some control ice. Some have other powers. The more humans you eat, the more chance you get special power."
Ariya thought about this. "So if I eat more, I get stronger and might get special power?"
"Yes," Kokushibo said.
Ariya thought to herself. I hope there are many bad humans out there. She needed to eat bad people to get stronger.
She walked to the window. They were on the top floor of a tall building. She looked down at the city below. Even though the world was destroyed, it still looked beautiful to her. This was her first time seeing a city.
Her stomach growled again. She felt very hungry. She wondered how many zombies she would need to eat to feel full. She remembered what Kokushibo said. She would need to eat humans to really get full.
Kokushibo checked his system while she looked out the window.
[KOKUSHIBO TEMPLATE: 100% SYNCHRONIZATION]
[NEW TEMPLATE DOWNLOADING: 48.9%]
[MUZAN'S BLOOD: 5.0%]
His Muzan's Blood increased to 5%. Turning Ariya into demon made it go up. But he realized something. Not every demon he made would increase muzan's blood. Only demons with talent and potential would make his blood percentage go up.
Time passed. The sun went down. Evening came. It was safe to go outside now.
"Come," Kokushibo said. "We're leaving now."
They left the building and went outside. The night air felt cool.
As they walked, they saw zombies. Ariya killed them with her hands. She was new to fighting, but she learned fast. She quickly adapted to using her demon strength.
They started running through the city. Kokushibo had to slow down his speed. Ariya couldn't keep up with his full speed yet.
After few hours of running, Kokushibo saw something. A mutated zombie. It was bigger and faster than normal zombies.
He killed it easily with one swing of his sword.
Ariya remembered what he told her about mutated zombies. They became strong by eating many humans.
She wondered if it would taste better than normal zombies. It should taste better since it ate lots of humans.
She ate the mutated zombie. As she ate, she felt something. Her power increased a little. She felt stronger.
Kokushibo noticed this too. He saw her power grow after eating the mutated zombie.