"Splash~"
The boundless Sea of Cognition surged with waves,
Several portals stood in a row on the sea's horizon, some fully formed, others incomplete, and a few merely a dim glow, stretching to the line where sky and water meet....
Roy rolled up his pants, letting the waves wash over his feet as he slowly walked to the Demon Slayer Gate, turning his back to the already closed Hokage Gate. He looked up at the jet-black Gate of the Dark Continent, a gateway to a distant world, harboring his foes and the answers he needed to explore to continue surviving.
"Drip~"
The [Curse] on the back of his left hand remained stubbornly counting down his life,
The nightmare where his great-grandfather sacrificed his country felt like it was just yesterday. Taking a deep breath, the young man extended a hand, gently caressing the intricate patterns on the gate until... his heart suddenly trembled, interrupted by two calls that broke his train of thought.
Roy traced the source of the tremor with his gaze; it was the dream portal leading to reality.
[Hint: Your humble and devout "potential follower" Vanessa Siren, grateful for your "gift of melodies," respectfully prays for your approval....]
[Hint: Your humble and devout "potential follower" Keller Spencer, grateful for your "gift of wisdom," respectfully prays for your approval....]
In his mind, the images of a "Snake-man" and a "Kobold" were automatically drawn, feeling as though he had not seen them for a long time, seemingly separated by a few years.
The young man took another deep breath, not stepping into the dream portal to the real world as he usually would. Instead, after calming his fluctuating emotions, he summoned the [Broad Dream Gate] obtained from [Nightmare] and integrated into his own Nen ability, stepping forward... a portal emerged from the void, and he entered it....
A temple rose, clouds formed, he stood in the clouds, with the sun at the top, pointing at the vast and boundless bed of clouds in front of him, gently extending two fingers....
The dream vortex opened, releasing Roy's solemn and commanding voice.....
On the eastern shores of the Dark Continent, in the land of hot springs known as Valentia, on No. 7 Water Orchid Street in an unassuming bathhouse, and...in the northern frontier, the howling Moon Wolf King's territory, the Kobold settlement, in the ancient town of Broken Bone City, within an unassuming and remote small village.....
A female Snake...an old Kobold suddenly shuddered, and in an instant, they heard...
"Tomorrow night at ten, you are allowed to meet."
Vanessa and Old Keller returned to their senses, placed their right hand over their chest, and bowed, saying in unison, "Praise the sun."
As they bowed, they were filled with excitement and anticipation.....
"Buzz...." The dream vortex opened and closed again, reflecting Vanessa's and Old Keller's familiar yet unfamiliar faces.....
Roy sat in the sunlight, observing the two of them: one was free of "poison", the other was "healthy and robust" no longer looking old, as he contemplated and waved away the [Broad Dream Gate]. Then... he stepped into the familiar dream portal again and opened his eyes.....
He returned to the Hunter World, leaving the [Hokage World] and the [Sea of Cognition], finding himself on the familiar soft bed of the Zoldyck family's ancient castle,
"Ding...." At four in the morning, the wooden clock in the corner struck the hour of the morning run.
Roy turned over, rose from bed, put on his vest, laced up his sneakers, tied them tightly, and set out running as he always did...
In the snoring of a certain chubby brother who was already developing into the "fat pig form" of the original work....
And in the actions of another expressionless brother, grooming himself in front of the mirror, countless times remaking his appearance to resemble Nissan....
The young man closed the door softly, rounded the corner, walked through the mottled corridors of the ancient castle, passed by a dimly lit small room, nodded a silent greeting before stepping out, and, feeling the fresh early summer breeze, exited the castle's main gate and dove into Kukuroo Mountain....
The saying "slow is fast" and "fast is slow" applied, as his [Constitution] stat approached close to the [1000] threshold, if Roy wished, he could ascend and descend the mountain in under five minutes.
But, the young man did not do that.
He maintained his usual "breathing" rhythm, his pace unhurried, both for the exercise and the scenery, but more importantly... for the dawn just beginning to break....
It is the sun... the sun that bestows warmth upon people... "Child, are you ready to be the sun in someone's heart?"
His great-grandfather's deep question lingered in his ears,
as verdant trees rapidly flashed by beside him.....
Roy emerged from the mountain top, reached the mountain path, quickly arriving at the mid-mountain area; here, the caretaker's villa was brightly lit, with caretakers busy, chefs already preparing meals, and trainee caretakers training... it was a lively and bustling scene....
With a smile on his face, Roy resumed his steps, looked up, now at the mountain path entrance he saw someone: a person with clean, neat blonde hair and... the mountain-guarding staff she held in her hand.
It was Kurajing.
"Young Master." The girl with her blonde hair tied in a ponytail bowed in respect.
She straightened up, feeling the wind brush past her shoulders, and called out to Roy's departing figure, "Young Master, I've opened my 'Nen'... I'm now officially a 'Nen user'...."
Roy paused in his steps; then, his smile broadened even more as he continued....
"Congratulations," he said.
"Thank you." She replied.
The girl held onto the staff and gazed into the distance... as the young man advanced unwaveringly toward the mountain gate, the dawn broke, covering his figure in a cloak of dawn's glow, simultaneously stretching his shadow long and far....
Until a gentle breeze arose, blowing a leaf that separated the master and servant into two worlds,
In Kurajing's view, Roy recalled the Kurta Race's tragic group fate, as these "scarlet eyes" were both a misfortune and a fortune... Misfortune in being coveted, fortune in "scarlet eyes enabling mastery of all six types," they should have produced many more powerful "Nen users," yet tragically... they were exterminated, with only "Kurapika" and "Pairo" emerging,