A person dies twice in their life: the first time when they stop breathing, and the second time... when they are forgotten by the world.
But Maha won't forget, Zeno won't forget, Silva won't forget... Now it's Roy's turn...
In large families, the emphasis is on orderly legacy...
In the deep of night, after instructing Wutong to prepare the dishes, Roy finished showering, changed into his pajamas, lay on the bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling, carefully searching for memories of Grandpa Jager. The impression left was only one of him, Netero, and the Gourmet Hunter Linne first arriving on the Dark Continent, witnessing the towering Sand Worm piercing through the ground, stirring the skies — a shockingly vivid image.
In retrospect, it should be quite an exhilarating scene.
Merely imagining it makes one shiver with excitement.
"Shhh... Shhh..." The evening breeze lifted a corner of the curtain, revealing the deep night outside the window...
Roy actually understood in his heart that this world was like a giant matryoshka, with a river flowing from the Dark Continent forming the Mobius Lake, wrapping around the Six Continents, the Six Continents nurturing billions, among which only less than one in ten thousand were Nen users.
Thus, knowing there are worlds beyond worlds and heavens beyond heavens, if he were Jager, he too couldn't resist embarking on the path of adventure.
The young man remembered that dream, turned over, and closed his eyes.
He fell asleep very late that night,
"because something was weighing on his mind."
In the Snow Country, Roy, as usual, entered the world of Demon Slayer through dreaming.
Without needing Urokodaki Sakonji to intervene, he took down the basket himself, carried a basketful of stones, and went deep into the dense forest to practice his swordsmanship.
Today, he spread more stones than yesterday.
Sabito could clearly see that the young man was not focused, not concentrated, answering Makomo's question about why Eiichiro was not in form today...
"So, should he still practice?" Makomo asked again.
"Of course..."
"There's no fussing when it comes to sword practice; practice when you're in a good mood, and practice even more when you're not. Eventually, practicing will make your worries fade..."
Sabito glanced at Roy's back... not far under a birch tree, Urokodaki Sakonji, wearing the Celestial Dog Mask, quietly watched for a while, then turned back to the wooden house, picked up the carving knife,
Just as Sabito thought, he didn't call off Roy this time, didn't give him a day off, and continued carving masks on his own.
With one strike, three stones fell... with a hundred strikes, two stones fell... with a thousand strikes, one stone fell... with two thousand strikes, no stones fell... When the young man, sweating profusely, completed "Fake·Ten Thousand Basic Swings" three times, frost had already formed on his bangs.
[Hint: Swordsmanship +20]
[Sun Breathing: 83→87/100 (Entry Level)]
"Hoo~" Roy sheathed his sword, expelling a dragon breath from his nostrils.
The stones were picked up in the basket without missing a single one, and he returned along the path to the familiar wooden house.
Inside the house, an oil lamp was already lit, a hot pot sat on the brazier, and his master had sliced two platters of wild boar meat paired with some wild vegetables dug from the snow, simply arranged on a plate.
"Sit," he said.
He took half a plate of meat and tossed it into the pot...
Steam rose gently, soon filling the entire room with a rich aroma of meat...
Makomo squatted by the pot, eyeing it hungrily, swallowing her saliva involuntarily.
Roy placed the basket and Shallow Strike properly, sat cross-legged, enjoying the pleasure that delicious food brought, even easing his worries a bit.
"Are you going to fight with your father again?"
Before long, both plates of meat were almost finished, and almost all the wild vegetables were eaten. Urokodaki Sakonji ladled a bowl of soup and handed it over...
Roy sipped lightly, shaking his head: "No, I was thinking of my grandfather. I'm going to pay my respects tomorrow."
"Grandfather?"
"Great-grandfather."
"That counts as a long life."
Urokodaki Sakonji ladled himself a bowl of soup and drank: "Prepare some dishes that your grandfather liked, and if he liked to drink, bring a bottle of wine. It doesn't have to be too expensive, just what he usually liked to drink."
"I don't know what he liked to drink..."
"Haven't you met him?"
"He died before I was born."
Urokodaki Sakonji: "..."
A long silence, the topic of "life and death" seemed to mute all noise....
So heavy... Makomo sensed the shift in atmosphere, saying sorrowfully, "The master probably thought of us again and got sad..."
Sabito was silent, just staring at the beam, having many unfulfilled regrets that he couldn't voice...
Shinsuke and Fukuda were unusually quiet for a while, with shadows of souls swirling around them, each slowing down, finding a corner to huddle down.
Roy observed everything, finished his soup, quietly tidied up the dishes, and placed the leftover soup base outside to freeze. Upon returning, Urokodaki Sakonji stood by the window with hands clasped behind, gazing at the vast snowy landscape, reciting a list of names with his back turned: "Eiichiro, remember, Sabito, Makomo, Shinsuke, Fukuda, Watanabe, Shimizu..."
"Altogether thirteen people, also your thirteen senior brothers and sisters."
The old man turned around, sincerely said, "I never believed they really died, thinking they always live on in my heart."
"When the day comes, when the master 'gets old,' he will go down there to reunite with them."
"At that time, whether they resent me, blame me, scold me, or hit me... I will accept it all..."
Under the Celestial Dog Mask, the weathered old face wore a deeply kind smile...
Roy listened quietly while soft sobbing came from beside him, gradually growing louder, turning into wailing...
"Master, I miss you so much!" Shinsuke and Fukuda sobbed uncontrollably.
Makomo wiped her tears, the fox-faced boy's eyes turned red, looked up, closed his eyes... The young boy remained silently...
That night, he lay on the warmly bedded floor...
He silently thought: 'I saw everything, Master, they aren't blaming you...'
He turned and tossed, hearing the cold wind making the window papers rustle loudly, eventually cuddling up by the brazier and falling asleep.
The familiar feeling of falling swept over...
Exiting the dream world, returning once more to the familiar bedroom.
Roy listened to the minute hand of the clock in the corner ticking, heard a "dang" sound, dazedly remained in bed for a few more minutes, then washed up and went for a morning run.
Exiting the ancient castle, passing by the butler's villa, he reached the mountain gate and noticed Haseki Dorou consulting Zebro on power skill techniques. When Roy returned to his room, a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums was placed against the wall by the corridor next to the door.
"Chrysanthemums shouldn't enter the house, it's unlucky." Wutong said, pushing a cart.
Roy lightly responded, withdrew his gaze, eating breakfast while listening to Wutong report the day's training plan.
Absent-mindedly...
"The master said, now that you've mastered [Zetsu], you should learn [Ren]... He seems to know that at Heavens Arena, you were pressured by others using [Ren], and he's issued orders: you'll be evaluated soon, still with three whips."
"How soon is soon?"
"The master didn't say. It's just..."
Roy speared a piece of beef and tossed it into his mouth, glancing indifferently...
Wutong carefully chose his words: "He just mentioned to judge by his mood. If he's in a good mood, maybe he'll forget. If not..."
The young butler pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose cautiously, saying, "He may summon you any day now!"