She wants me to return to the treatment room? Why?With so much money at stake, maybe she wants to get rid of m— No. Buno and Bunu would never allow that. Also, with her contacts, money doesn't seem to be an issue.
Maybe it has something to do with her eyes? I offered to heal her when we first met. Could it be she underestimated me? Now that she's seen my capabilities with her own ey— personally, she might finally have the confidence to let me try.
"Auren?" Rakshala's voice suddenly comes through the phone, instantly pulling him out of his thoughts.
"I'm on my way," he replies, ending the call.
Auren slowly returns to the treatment room, fully conscious of the fact that Rakshala tracks every step he takes. Her En is powerful and precise enough not only to cover an extensive area but to sense every single detail within it.
Finally, he enters the room to see Rakshala sitting on the bed, her face turned toward him.
"First of all, congratulations. You did an excellent job," she says, smiling warmly.
"So you did underestimate me, after all," Auren remarks lightly.
"Not quite," Rakshala corrects, her tone gentle yet analytical. "I merely didn't realize exactly what you meant when we first met. Clearly, your ability is far deeper than I initially thought. You're not a doctor or a medical student who knows the complexities of the human body, yet you treated your patients' comatose state effortlessly."
"This leads me to the conclusion that your hatsu must be capable of far more than I initially assumed," she finally concludes.
Auren shrugs casually. "I have improved, just like I told you I would. The only real limitation I face now is my Aura reserves."
"So," he continues carefully, "have you changed your mind about your... eye injury?"
"You are a kind boy," Rakshala says with genuine warmth, "for not making me spell it out."
She then slowly removes her visor, revealing the severity of her condition. "This is no mere injury. My eyes… were forcefully taken. Stolen. When we first met, you commented that my name sounded 'tribal', didn't you?"
"Yes, I did," Auren replies honestly. "It wasn't meant as an insult. It's a nice name, though it indeed sounds rather unique."
"I was born into a small clan of nomadic people inhabiting the Lukso Province. It's on the northern stretches of the Yorbian continent, but not part of the United States of Saherta," she explains.
Wait a minute… So she's a Kurta? She had scarlet eyes?!
"My En is quite sensitive," Rakshala says calmly, noticing the subtle shift in his aura. "I can sense you've had some reaction to what I just said. You're perfectly calm outwardly, yet through your aura, I noticed you tensing up just slightly. I'm not quite sure why you'd react that way, but I'll continue anyway."
"My clan lived in isolation. The reason for that isolation is because certain clan members possess unique abilities. When agitated, their eyes turn scarlet. However, even within the clan, less than a third inherit this trait. And as for why they choose isolation… there are those who are fascinated by these eyes. If someone dies while agitated, the scarlet color remains permanently."
"I take it... yours were stolen for that reason. Body collectors are the lowest of the low—if I stumble across one, I'll make sure to kill them. Did you leave your clan voluntarily?" Auren asks cautiously.
Rakshala nods, a shadow passing over her face. "Despite our isolation, the clan had certain tests. Members who passed them were granted permission to explore the world."
"In my case, I simply never went back. Looking back now, I have nothing but contempt for that pathetic, incestuous clan. They hid like rats and lived meaningless lives, cowardly avoiding conflict at all costs. These eyes don't simply change color—with the color change comes tremendous power. Instead of using that power to carve out their own place in the world, they hid away, preferring peace and shunning conflict. Eventually, they were annihilated. Deservedly so, in my honest opinion. It was done by the Phantom Troupe. As someone from Meteor City, surely you're familiar with them."
Auren nods, "Indeed, I am…."
"I'm neither interested in revenge nor the details of that incident. In fact, I have more contempt for that rotten clan of cowards than I do for the Phantom Troupe. They conducted meaningless tests so members could suppress their emotions and blend into society. When I left, I naturally had no knowledge of Nen—the clan elders deliberately hid its existence from me. The reason I learned about Nen is this," Rakshala says, suddenly removing her robe and undressing down to her underwear.
So she doesn't care about her clan and isn't interested in revenge either… that's surprising. Her wound looks terrible.
Auren doesn't stare inappropriately at her body, but his eyes widen when he sees the massive scar across her stomach. It looks as though someone had literally stabbed a hole through her.
She survived something like that? Incredible… so she was initiated through force as well.
"I barely survived that incident. I was attacked, stabbed in the stomach, and as I lay dying, my attacker forcibly removed my eyes," Rakshala explains plainly.
"Who… did it? And your stomach injury—I didn't sense anything wrong. Did that wound fully recover, or are you still affected by it?" Auren asks curiously.
Rakshala shrugs, putting her robe back on. "I don't know who attacked me or stole my eyes. I don't even understand how they discovered me. My only guess is that some Nen ability exposed me by chance, and then my location was sold to the highest bidder. However… the feeling of that Aura, I'll never forget it. Once my En detects that aura again, it will vanish from the world forever, that much I'll swear. As for my injury, yes, it limits me, but only to a certain extent."
"Well, I'm certainly sorry about your tragic background," Auren replies quietly, reminded of his own painful experiences.
"Yours is unique as well," Rakshala acknowledges gently. "Forgive me, but although I didn't learn anything from your Masters, the Elders in Meteor City are quite corrupt. They informed me about Lidor and his experiments."
"Well, I guess no more handouts for that shithole trash town then," Auren mutters bitterly, clenching his fists.
I will kill these elders one day… with my own hands.
"Now, you might ask, why did I tell you all this?" Rakshala continues with a bitter smile. "The truth is, I want to reclaim my eyes. Not for sentimental reasons, nor even to restore my sight. When my eyes turned scarlet, I felt powerful. According to my research into the Kurta clan's demise, some elders were genuinely strong. I suspect the eyes hold quite a few secrets."
"I don't mind healing people," Auren responds carefully, "my main concern is others learning about my ability. Once I'm strong enough, I won't have to hide anymore. The answer is simple: of course I'll heal you."
"The same price as Battera?" she suggests casually.
"500 billion!?" Auren exclaims, clearly startled by the huge sum.
"It's quite a sum, but I can afford it without a problem," she replies calmly.
"No, I don't want to mix business with personal matters. I didn't charge Neffi or Buno either," Auren insists.
"Then would you prefer something else? You can request anything—even myself, within reason, naturally," she says calmly, her expression unwavering and entirely devoid of embarrassment.
"Do you have any idea how old I am?" Auren asks, staring at her in shock.
She shrugs dismissively. "Anything you desire."
"Forget it," Auren sighs. "I already said I wanted to join Hollow Blade seriously, so just let me do this for you. First, though, I need to see if it's even possible. You mentioned special abilities related to your eyes? That might pose a genuine challenge. If Nen is involved, I am guessing things will change significantly. There's a real possibility it might not work at all… yet," he adds thoughtfully. "Why don't we start with your other injury first?"
Rakshala nods appreciatively. "Gladly."
"Please lie down," Auren says.
Rakshala does as instructed, and just like before, Auren activates Azure Restoration. His azure-colored Aura playfully dances around his hands, ready for use.
"Beautiful…" she whispers. "I have never felt something so pure and radiant before."
Ignoring her remark, Auren carefully places his hands on her severely scarred and marred stomach.
His Aura seeps deep into her body, which instantly begins glowing softly in azure hues as well.
Her terrible wounds begin shrinking and fading at a visible rate.
The Aura drain is significant, but nothing like before.Looks like treating the stomach isn't as complicated as treating the brain. I suppose that much should've been obvious.
"Incredible," she murmurs softly before suddenly starting to moan in pleasure, shocking Auren.
He maintains the treatment for twenty more minutes, almost half of his Aura depleted, and her injuries nearly gone. During the entire treatment, Rakshala looks like she's in a state of pure bliss, not even attempting to hide her emotions.
Finally, after an additional fifteen minutes, Auren feels the drain on his Aura ease significantly, signaling that there's nothing left to 'restore' in that part of her body.
"We're done," he says, breathing heavily, sweat dripping onto the floor, his Aura reserves almost completely exhausted.
"I've never felt this comfortable before—all my injuries have vanished without a trace. I can clearly feel it. You've made a very smart decision to hide your hatsu, Auren. It's the most precious one I've ever encountered, and I've collected data on thousands of hatsus," Rakshala says, sitting up gracefully.
"Maybe I'm hoping my eyes take longer to recover… so I can enjoy your treatment a little longer," she adds playfully while putting her robe back on.
"You're taking this rather lightly," Auren remarks dryly.
She smiles, clearly pleased. "I'm simply impressed. There's actually a good chance you'll succeed. My mood has significantly improved. Besides, the deal with Battera went perfectly—another reason to celebrate. Lastly, I was curious why you spent so much time in your gym. Clearly, you're using your Hatsu to shorten your training time. It's a clever and unique application. For someone ambitious like you, it's the perfect ability."
"I changed my mind," Auren suddenly announces. "As payment, I want to know about your Hatsu… and Hollow Blade's… no… your real goal. The truth. I know you're hiding things. It's annoying that you know everything about me, yet I barely know anything about you."
"As you wish," Rakshala agrees calmly. "That would make you the second person who knows about my hatsu—the first being Grunah. And as for my ambition? You'd be the very first. Give me back one eye, and I'll tell you everything."
It's hypocritical! She uses her En and sources to uncover every secret, yet she doesn't reveal anything herself. Well, I suppose I'll find out soon enough!
"Let's wait until we're back home before we start the treatment," Auren suggests practically.
"Of course," Rakshala readily agrees. "Let's head home, then."
She gently takes hold of Auren's hand, lightly touching it before pulling him into a soft hug, stroking his head gently.
"What's this about?" he asks, clearly annoyed.
Rakshala stays silent for a couple of seconds before finally releasing him.
Ignoring his reaction, she pulls out her cellphone and swiftly calls Rosa, Mola, and then the local Don, issuing instructions one after another.
Ten minutes later, Auren, Rakshala, Rosa, and Mola sit comfortably inside another mafia-controlled limousine, heading toward the airport.
Sitting in the back of the car, right next to Rakshala, who hasn't left his side ever since her treatment. With a satisfied smile, Auren checks his bank balance on his phone. Thanks to Konrad—and now Battera—he earned a total of 93 billion Jenny, with the remaining 360 billion coming within the next four years. His account now boasts around 95 billion, officially making him an incredibly wealthy individual, especially for someone his age.
-------------------------------------
A/N: Always thankful for Power Stones, Comments, and Reviews. Thank you for reading!
If you are interested, then please support me at patreon.com/FRWriter
15+ Early chapters available
Bored? Complains? Demands? Check out the Discord: https://discord.gg/puVqWsf3y9
Thank you for supporting the story with Power Stones!