Scarlet Eyes X Kurapika
A person's race, talent, and bloodline often manifest in the most direct way possible—their appearance.
The saying that only those with silver hair could inherit the Zoldyck family was no empty myth...
Maha noticed Roy's hair color. Zeno, Silva, and Illumi also simultaneously noticed the boy's current anomaly. It made Roy feel like he was the last to know as he reached up, twirling a strand of hair between his fingers to examine it.
The dazzling gold at the tips was just like the endless light and heat he had witnessed that night when his swordsmanship reached LV5, allowing him to delve into the sun and pierce through its photosphere. Deep in thought, he faintly realized something...
As he grew stronger and walked further down the path of [Faith], the "genetic limits" he would break—or was about to break—might become increasingly numerous.
Right now, it was just his hair color. In the future, it could be something else entirely.
Roy thought of the [Demon Eye] that had been modified when his grandfather Zigg possessed him, and he thought of [God]. He then glanced at the back of his hand. He didn't know if his eyes were playing tricks on him or if the intense light blooming from the solar halo had created an illusion.
The "pointer" on the back of his hand, which counted down his life like a clock, seemed to be turning a bit slower...
Jumping from "7 years, 9 months, 13 hours, 33 minutes, and 45 seconds" to "7 years, 9 months, 13 hours, 33 minutes, and 44 seconds" should have only taken one second, but it took a full two seconds to complete. Did this mean—
Was the unknown entity residing in the Dark Continent gradually losing its "gaze" or "influence" over him?
Roy's eyes flickered, and a faint smile graced his lips. He turned his head and smiled at Zeno and Illumi. "It's just hair color. Don't worry about it."
With a flash, he directly boarded the chariot. Then, before Zeno or Illumi could react, he grasped the red-gold glazed rope and said softly, "Xiao Jin, let's go."
"Caw—" The Golden Crow spread its wings and let out a sharp cry...
It flapped its wings fiercely against the ground, stirring up a gale that slowly lifted the Sun Chariot into the sky. In the blink of an eye, Xiao Jin soared toward the horizon, pulling Roy along like an arrow of light. Tearing through the darkness and enveloped in boundless, primordial mystery, they rapidly turned into a bright speck of light in the distant sky...
*Whoosh—* The lingering gusts of wind blew past, rustling Zeno's white hair and Illumi's black hair...
The two generations of Zoldycks looked up at the sky. For a moment, they remained silent, neither of them speaking a word.
After a long while, a shriveled figure with his hands behind his back slowly walked out of the old castle. Maha chuckled. "That brat ran off pretty fast. He didn't even offer this old man a ride."
Zeno and Illumi finally snapped back to reality. One looked thoughtful, while the other turned his head to glance at Maha. "Grandfather, has our family ever had blonde hair in its ancestry?"
Zeno's eyes burned with intense curiosity.
Illumi stared with his hollow eyes, also looking over...
The few stubborn strands of hair left on the old man's bald head swayed in the wind. He paused his steps and said faintly, "No."
"What about you in the past, Grandfather?"
"I have always had silver hair as well."
Zeno frowned. The words "A Kill A Day" and "Active Duty For Life" embroidered on his chest fluttered in the wind as he fell silent...
The Zoldyck family had only ever had silver and black hair. But now... there were signs of a transition to blonde.
Zeno looked back up at the sky as the speck of light gradually faded. The boy's casual excuse of "It's just hair color" was clearly... not that simple!
"He is special," Illumi suddenly spoke up.
The foolish brother's eyes were filled with the image of Roy boarding the chariot and riding off with the solar halo. He repeated in a trance, "I have always known he was special."
The young man turned his head to look at Zeno and Maha. "Neither of you can compare to him."
Maha looked at the sky. His weathered, wrinkled face remained expressionless and unresponsive, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Zeno's white hair swayed. He neither agreed nor disagreed, merely casting a sidelong glance at Illumi and saying leisurely, "Illumi, do not always focus so much on others. Sometimes, you need to pay attention to yourself."
Zeno meaningfully clasped his hands behind his back, just like Maha. He paused for a moment before suddenly adding, "Lest you actually end up unable to defeat Gotoh, making a fool of yourself."
"You eavesdropped on us?!" Illumi's cat-like eyes narrowed sharply. The smooth black hair draped over his back slightly puffed up, as if he were a startled cat.
However, Zeno turned his head away and simply said, "My ears are right here. If they decide to eavesdrop, what does that have to do with me?"
Illumi: "..."
He stared fixedly at Zeno for a moment before turning his head away. He gazed distantly at the butler's mansion halfway up the mountain and said calmly, "Don't worry, I won't lose."
"I will never, ever lose."
"Is that so?" Zeno abruptly glanced toward the second-floor bedroom of the old castle. He remembered that Silva had once said something similar to him. When it came to confidence, this father and son were cut from the same cloth... just like him and Silva in the past. But in the end...
He just didn't know if this was "confidence" or "arrogance"...
*Pitter-patter...* The sound of a trickling stream of water suddenly broke the immersive silence.
In the moments before the dawn broke, Maha had unzipped his pants and was fertilizing the lawn right then and there. Wisps of steam rose in the summer heat, accompanied by quite a few bubbles. Clearly... the old man's plumbing wasn't doing too well lately...
"Hehehe... What are you all looking at me for?" Having finished walking his bird under the moonlight, the old man shook himself, pulled up his pants, and turned around to give both Zeno and Illumi a sharp rap on the head. "Learn well. When you two can follow your hearts as freely as this old man does, I'll be able to close my eyes in peace even if I die."
*Thump! Thump!* Two muffled sounds rang out like drumsticks striking...
The strikes nearly sent Zeno and Illumi's skulls flying, but at the same time, it felt like a profound enlightenment, leaving them stunned on the spot.
The old man and the young man both clutched their heads, instinctively looking back at Maha...
Maha took a single step and vanished from the garden. All that remained was that steaming puddle of urine on the ground, leaving Zeno and Illumi staring at each other in the garden, completely speechless.
"Follow our hearts... follow our hearts. Who can truly manage to just follow their heart?"
*Dong—* At five o'clock in the morning, the grandfather clock chimed the hour...
A misty aura surfaced in the dim little room. Betty Zoldyck, wearing her hair in a ponytail and looking exactly as she did in her youth, emerged from Maha's body. She shot him a reproachful glare and said, "You are too strict with the children. Not everyone can do 'whatever they please,' except for you and Zigg."
"No, there is also... Roy." Maha lay back in his rocking chair, reaching out to pull Betty close and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Didn't you ask me what I noticed?"
"I just realized it. That child, Roy, might have undergone a rare 'spiritual transformation'... Perhaps it is related to the [Visualization Object] in his heart, or perhaps..." Maha narrowed his old eyes, his gaze profound. "It also has to do with who he met and what he encountered."
Betty Zoldyck asked in surprise, "He has been right here at home, right under our noses. Who could he possibly have met?"
Maha smiled without saying a word. He simply rocked in his chair and said, "What you think about during the day, you dream about at night. The magical thing about dreams is that you can never imagine what will happen..."
"Dreams?" Betty Zoldyck furrowed her brows, chewing over his words. Remembering that her first time meeting Roy was within a dream, she faintly grasped the deeper meaning behind Maha's statement.
She stared out the window into the night sky with her beautiful lake-blue eyes.
At five o'clock on a summer morning, a ray of morning light pierced the heavens at the horizon, followed closely by... a sweeping glow of dawn that painted the sky with a rosy blush... Slowly, one could seemingly make out a Sun Chariot turning a corner and leisurely driving back from the edge of the sky. It looked just like the morning sun, eager and ready to leap over the horizon at any moment!
"Caw—" The crow's cry drew closer and closer... In the sky, Roy sat in the Sun Chariot, having taken Xiao Jin for a simple spin to test out [Chariot Driving]... He hurried back after a round trip of dozens of kilometers that felt like it passed in an instant.
It was not only "fast" but also "stable." At the very least... it was much better than the airships he usually rode, as well as...
Tsubone, who transformed into various vehicles using her Yamato Nadeshiko Seven Transformations. It was far superior.
The only drawback was...
The consumption rate of his Nen was a bit too fast. Of course, this was also related to his current Nen capacity and the fact that Xiao Jin was still in its infancy and had not yet fully grown into a true Three-legged Golden Crow.
'Master, I'm tired.'
"Caw—" Another crow's cry rang out.
Xiao Jin panted heavily as it flapped its wings, visibly starting to sweat.
The Sun Chariot rumbled across a cloud, accompanied by the solar halo, its speed noticeably slowing down.
Roy shot it a helpless yet amused glare. He simply pulled the reins and began to descend... *Hum—* The hazy solar halo slowly expanded, radiating across the entirety of Kukuroo Mountain. The closer they got to the ground, the more one could feel the light and heat contained within this solar halo.
Closer. Three thousand meters. Two thousand meters. One thousand meters. Five hundred meters. Until, finally, touchdown. It came to a steady halt in front of the butler's mansion.
Roy let go of the reins, allowing the Sun Chariot to vanish into the void. With the shrunken Xiao Jin resting on his head, he slowly stepped down, landing in front of Tsubone, Kurajing, and the others.
"I'm going to check on Gotoh." The young man smiled and exhaled. His beautiful silver hair, gilded at the tips, showed no signs of disarray despite riding the Sun Chariot through the sky and moon; it simply draped lazily over his back.
Tsubone placed her right hand over her chest and immediately led Kurajing and the other butlers in bowing respectfully to him.
"Good morning, Young Master."
"I will show you the way."
"No need," Roy raised his hand in a lifting motion. [Wind Breathing] conjured several cool breezes that gently helped them all stand up. He then said warmly, "I know where he is. You all go about your own duties."
Tsubone slightly lowered her head and respectfully complied.
With another glance, she discreetly peeked at Xiao Jin, who was lying on top of Roy's head, nodding off from exhaustion and beginning to fall asleep. Her emotions fluctuated, complex and hard to describe, but...
She couldn't help but feel a sense of crisis, as if she had been "replaced"!
Now that the Young Master had his own means of transportation, would he still need her?
Tsubone let out a faint sigh. Straightening her back, she watched Kurajing—whose blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail—approach Roy and whisper something to him. For some reason, a wave of envy washed over her...
Fortunately, the Young Master was magnanimous and broad-minded. The unpleasantness from the past had long been erased by time, and it seemed he had no intention of pursuing it.
For her, this was undoubtedly a blessing.
"Young Master, may I ask a favor of you?" In the early morning, the radiant glow of dawn pierced through the night.
With Roy's appearance, Kurajing gathered her courage before heading off to guard the mountain and suddenly asked him.
Roy, who had just brushed past Tsubone's shoulder with one foot already inside the butler's mansion, turned his head and paused. Seeing the girl's anxious expression, and the Nen naturally escaping from the top of her head displaying a blue hue of "hesitation" and "uncertainty,"
In an instant, he thought of the Kurta Clan!
In the original story, the massacre of the Kurta Clan happened right around this point in time.
However, due to his interference, the Spiders hadn't completely gone down the path of darkness over Sarasa's death. Instead... the young ones, led by Chrollo, Uvogin, and Nobunaga, had all converted into his followers.
Right now, they were learning [Meditation] with Taiyi, attempting to guide their internal Nen to autonomously open their Aura Nodes and awaken as Nen users. Logically speaking, they absolutely would not choose to attack the Kurta Clan at this time.
But on second thought... as one of the "Seven Most Beautiful Colors in the World," the Scarlet Eyes were not only rare but also deeply loved and sought after by filthy human body collectors. Among them was the infamous Fourth Prince of the Kakin Empire, Tserriednich Hui Guo Rou...
As well as Guzman, whom he had seen last time in the palace of the First Prince of the Kakin Empire, Benjamin Hui Guo Rou...
The world changed because of him, and it moved because of him. It was only reasonable that some unexpected situations might occur ahead of schedule.
Roy's mind raced, and he looked at Kurajing warmly. "Don't be nervous. Just tell me what's on your mind."
Kurajing wrung her hands together and quickly replied, "Yes."
She looked at Roy shyly and said, "Young Master, my younger brother is coming... I haven't been home in a long time, and I'm worried he'll get bullied alone at home. So, I was thinking of bringing him over to live here, and I could show him around Kukuroo Mountain while I'm at it."
"Your brother?"
"Yes."
"What is his name?"
"Pika... his name is Kurapika." Kurajing smiled brightly at the thought of her brother.
Roy's eyes immediately flickered... Sure enough, it was that Kurapika. The [Chain User] who, aside from Greed Island, was practically present throughout the entire Hunter x Hunter story from beginning to end!
[Chain User]: One hand divided into "five chains"...
Thumb, also known as [Healing Thumb Chain]: By using the cross attached to the end of the thumb chain, the ability can be activated to place the cross on a wound, accelerating the healing process.
Index finger, also known as [Index Finger Plunder Chain]: The end of the index finger chain is attached to a syringe needle, with a dolphin motif embossed on the outside of the barrel. By piercing the opponent's body, it can temporarily extract and store their Nen ability. Continuously extracting "Nen" will also force the opponent into a state similar to [Zetsu].
Middle finger, also known as [Chain Jail]: The end of the middle finger chain is attached to a small hook claw. It is an ability born specifically to deal with the Phantom Troupe. Due to a Vow and Limitation, this ability can only be used on Troupe members. A restrained Troupe member will be forced into a state of [Zetsu] and unable to use Nen.
Ring finger: also known as [Ring Finger Soul-Tracking Chain]: The end of the ring finger chain is attached to a small ball. The ball naturally hangs about ten centimeters above a map. When the ability is activated, the direction the ball moves can be used to track a target.
Little finger: also known as [Judgment Little Finger Chain]: The end of the little finger chain is attached to a sharp blade. It pierces the opponent's heart, forcing them to obey a set rule, otherwise they will die. Kurapika's own heart also has this chain implanted. In actual combat, it is used in conjunction with the restraining chain.
Five fingers, equivalent to five Nen abilities. The key was...
There was also the enhancement of the "Scarlet Eyes."
An image of a young boy wearing traditional ethnic clothing with blonde bangs naturally surfaced in Roy's mind. He gave Kurajing a deep look and said, "Tsubone, when he arrives, arrange a place for him to stay."
Afterward, he gave a slight nod to the overjoyed Kurajing, turned around, and disappeared into the butler's mansion...