"Whoosh~"
From spring to summer, the days grew longer, the winds hotter....
The Gate of Trial suddenly opened wide, revealing the faint white light of dawn cutting through the darkness, scattering morning glows that painted half the sky red. At the same time, at the center of the gate... a young man who had shed his boyish naivete, now possessing a touch of youthful composure, was draped in a robe of morning glow.
'It opened... he really opened the gate before me.....' The mountain breeze blew, gently swaying Illumi's smooth black hair.
The young man stood behind Roy, watching him bathe in the morning glow, holding the gate like it was the sky, without pressure, seemingly relaxed and free-spirited... The imagined loss didn't appear...
Was the gap too large, leaving no room for a "competitive" spirit, or was it....?
That he was genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart for even the slightest progress and achievement of Nissan?
Illumi slightly lowered his eyes, feeling lost in confusion. He only knew that he wasn't like this before.
As the night faded, the edge of the round red sun finally appeared, and a dazed Illumi suddenly heard a voice saying, "Illumi, come to my side."
Subconsciously looking up, he saw Roy turning his head, smiling and waving gently at him.....
The young man walked over silently, standing beside his big brother in the wide-open gate, basking in the sunrise together. At some moment, his forehead felt warm, and Roy's big hand held his head, gently rubbing it,
"Brother, let's take a photo."
"Hmm....."
Illumi's voice was as faint as a mosquito's,
Roy smiled slightly, glanced at Zebro: "Zebro,"
"Coming... young master!" The bald uncle flipped like a sparrow, quickly stood up, took out his phone and aimed it at Roy and Illumi, "ka ka~" snapping away, after a moment, he handed it over: "Young master, take a look?"
"No need,"
"I know, the present moment is the best,"
As he spoke, he loosened his right hand,
The seven-section Gate of Trial, weighing 256 tons, thundered down, the ground seemed to leap with the impact, also sealing off the clamor from outside.....
"Whoosh~" rising dust and smoke scattered,
Then, with a wave of one arm, Roy summoned a "Wind Breathing" that blew it all away....
Clearing the square of darkness in front of him as well as the lingering shadows,
The young man winked at Illumi again, "Hungry, I'll go ahead."
With those words, his form turned into glimmers, merging into the morning glow, flowing with the light, strolling across Kukuroo Mountain like a dragon lying in the wild, floating leisurely toward the mountain peak....
In an instant, he disappeared without a trace,
leaving Illumi and Zebro in a daze, entranced by the afterglow....
"Hand it over," after a moment, with no trace of Roy's clothing, Illumi took a deep breath, seemingly reverting to the hollow-eyed expressionless state of the past, extending his right hand to Zebro with an undeniable command: "Hand it over."
"What?"
"The phone."
"The phone?" Zebro came to: "The young master meant the photos, don't worry, I'll develop them for you and send them over."
"I want the photos, and the phone too," Illumi said, leaving no room for argument, looking at Zebro: "It had us in it."
Zebro: "....."
His lips twitched unnoticeably, giving a sycophantic smile: "Young master, give me a minute, at least... let me delete my browsing history.... "
Unexpectedly, Illumi wouldn't give him even a second, passing by him like a ghost, brushing his shoulder, then....
Zebro felt his palm go cool, a look confirmed that his phone was already in Illumi's hand, as he took it and headed up the mountain toward the Zoldyck family castle.....
"Young master," Zebro's face fell, raising his hands, watching Illumi leave, finally sighed helplessly.....
Perhaps due to age, or from greeting and guiding so many tourists, the old gatekeeper forgot... for the Zoldyck's butler to the masters, there aren't supposed to be any secrets,
In any case, the dawn "drama" fell into the eyes of some skinny old man, and he found it unexpectedly refreshing,
"Creak~" Inside the dim little room on the first floor of the Zoldyck family castle, Maha rocked his chair on his own, sent Zeno away, squinting while listening to cartoons, only when Roy passed through did he open his eyes briefly,
Listening to the boy's footsteps gradually fading, the Nen around him surged, revealing a murky Nen field,
Inside the Nen field a woman with a few crow's feet at the eyes appeared, yet still charming, who was none other than Maha's beloved wife, the one Roy saw in the old man's Unconscious Domain... that great-grandmother... Betty Zoldyck....
"Maha, don't you think this child Roy is becoming more like Jager?"
Betty Zoldyck's long golden ponytail fell to her waist, as soon as she appeared, she clung to Maha, wrapped an arm around his neck, sitting on his lap, her gaze piercing through layers of walls, fell dimly on Roy who was walking toward the bedroom, emerald-like eyes flickering with light.....
"Like? In what way?" Maha gently cradled Betty's waist, his hand playfully trying to wander, only to be slapped away with a "slap~" sound by Betty reaching out,
The woman pouted: "In what way is he not?"
Betty Zoldyck counted on her fingers: "Both are in "Conjuration," both are rebellious, sometimes giving shocks and worries, and.... "
One by one,
Betty Zoldyck detailed Roy's actions and compared them with Jager's,