Killua's Birth × The Curtain Rises

"Asthma..."

It was almost 4 a. m.

The wooden grandfather clock leaning against the corner of the wall chimed...

Roy opened his sleepy eyes, met Gotoh's anxious gaze, paused for two seconds, and then...

Looking out the window, the night was still deep and dark, but a ray of light was already rising from the darkness on the horizon. He twitched his nostrils, took a deep breath of the fresh air blowing from the top of Kukuroo Mountain, and sat up in bed.

Today is auspicious, suitable for childbirth, but inauspicious for funerals. It signifies the birth of a new life.

The Sun-Earring Boy looked away, Gotoh had already handed him the clothes she had prepared beforehand. Roy put them on, got out of bed, and quickly washed up. This time... he didn't go for his usual morning run.

The person then blurred into light, passed through the wall, and in one glance, under the stunned gaze of the young butler, stood in front of the door in a mottled corridor filled with the scent of time.

"I'm leaving," he said.

"Yes." Gotoh adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose, snapped out of her reverie, watched him leave, and went downstairs to prepare breakfast.

The master and servant strolled in the interplay of darkness and morning light, heading in two different directions. The maid hurried along, birds chirped softly, and they slowly made their way to the spacious master bedroom on the second floor.

"Treading... the road..." Along the way, a series of footsteps appeared beside me without my noticing.

"Qiliao is about to be born." Illumi, wearing a green vest and navy blue martial arts trousers with double-breasted buttons fastened like nails on his chest, hands in his pockets, his gaze still empty and lifeless, tilted his head and asked, "Do you hope he has black hair, or—" "Silver hair."

"Silver" is the main color scheme, representing the Zoldyck's heritage.

Some people claimed to be indifferent, but in reality, when the crucial moment arrived, their hearts were in turmoil; clearly, they were far from as calm as they appeared. Roy didn't look at Illumi; his eyes were only on the road ahead, and he casually said, "Either way is fine."

My thoughts drifted away on the wind, and I suddenly remembered what my great-grandfather had once told me, "Those who embark on the path of [Faith] must be clear about their future, not for their own families, but for... the nation composed of the countless families who believe in you, worship you, and follow you!"

Therefore, Bloodline inheritance is limited to the family, and is far from the path he should take now or in the future.

"You know, whether he has black hair or silver hair, I," Illumi began, but Roy clenched his fist before he could deliver a glare.

"You can shut up now."

"Don't say anything more."

Illumi: "Okay."

Roy sighed silently to himself.

As the saying goes, "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature." He didn't expect to be able to change the foolish little brother back now, so he simply let him be. However, when he rounded the corner, he called out to Milluki.

It was too early; Milluki had never gotten up this early before. Still groggy, he was lifted off the bed by Luca, who carried him on his back and walked ahead of him. Hearing a noise...

Luca stopped and turned to greet Roy and Illumi.

"Young Master, wake up, it's the Young Master and... Young Master Illumi..."

"Emmm..." Fatty was still half asleep when he heard Roy's name, unwilling to open his eyes, but as soon as he heard Illumi's name, he immediately snapped to attention, opened his eyes wide, and slid down from Luca's back.

"Big brother,"

"Illumi."

"What did you call me?" Illumi looked dangerously at Milluki, who had called him.

The chubby boy already showed signs of future wealth, but when he narrowed his eyes, a cold glint occasionally flashed beneath them. He stiffened his neck, raised his head, glared back at Illumi, and said nothing.

The atmosphere in the corridor instantly froze...

Luca lowered his head and wiped his sweat, not knowing whether he was exhausted by Milluki or felt "cold," and quietly retreated to the side.

Roy stood by with his hands behind his back, watching with amusement. Then... Illumi pulled his hand out of his pocket, unable to resist taking action. He grabbed Illumi and Milluki by the arm, like leading Shisui and Itachi, and walked forward gently. "No fighting."

"Hmph!" Milluki, being pulled by Roy, turned his head away in a huff, refusing to look at Illumi.

Illumi felt a warmth in his palm, and he was clearly stunned for a moment. He lowered his head and didn't speak, taking small steps to follow Roy's large strides, enjoying a rare moment of peace. "Road... road..." The three of them, along with Luca, crowded half of the corridor walkway.

Roy, holding Illumi and Milluki's hands on either side, passed by the dimly lit room. He led his brothers to bow inside. "Creak~" The door opened, and the sound of an animated film drifted out. Then... Maha and Zeno stepped out.

"Great-grandfather/Grandfather..."

"Hmm... we're all here. Let's go..." One person started, then three, then two more, until five... except for Silva, who was already waiting in the bedroom upstairs, who was guarding Kikyo.

Maha, Zeno, Roy, Illumi, Milluki... forming a line in front, middle, and back, silently ascended to the second floor. Upon entering, they saw Silva's tall figure, arms crossed, waiting at the door...

Maha, sporting a stubborn wisp of hair that refused to fall down at the center of his bald head, casually found a window and swayed his aching back. The rest of the group found their own spots and waited quietly...

"Whoosh~" A gust of wind swept away the chill of early spring and brought the heat of early summer. A wisp of summer heat rose, and the ray of light floating in the darkness on the horizon finally tore open a crack, revealing a sliver of dawn.

"It seems the weather will be quite nice today." Before the sun had even risen above the horizon, it had already burst forth with countless rays of red light that pierced the darkness. Zeno Youyou over to Roy's side and leaned against the window with him, watching the sunrise. In his sharp, eagle-like eyes, which were also somewhat cloudy, a hint of weariness from traveling all night was unmistakable.

"Grandfather,"

"Um,"

"How did the mission go?"

"Smooth sailing and not smooth sailing." Zeno, his white hair swaying wildly, looked at Roy and said, "Like you, I killed the person, but unfortunately... it wasn't the real target."

"Substitute Doll?" Roy frowned.

The "death" of Guzman from Meteor City was still fresh in everyone's mind. A few days ago, Wutong mentioned that the intelligence Hall had gathered had arrived, saying that... [the truth] the cult was spreading like wildfire across several continents, rapidly growing and attracting the attention of V5, Kakin, and the Hunter Association. Their brazen and disregardful behavior towards the continents... was truly arrogant. But... compared to Yang De Pariston's scheme against Netero, deliberately capturing "ants" and feeding them into NGL to raise them, who was more despicable! Roy's eyes flashed, and he suddenly remembered something he seemed to have forgotten. He turned to Zeno and asked, "Grandpa, who is the employer?" Many people wanted to know about Guzman's death, but those familiar with him and able to provide Zeno with information at any time... were few and far between.

Zeno narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "He's a very interesting lad."

"He told me to kill Guzman, to draw his fire, and create a one-on-one opportunity for him. Let me think... it seems like..." "Hisoka; Moro."

[Real] Bishop... Hisoka- sama... X,

[Perverted] One-on-One King... Hisoka Morow...√.

In the original work, joining the Phantom Troupe was solely to find an opportunity to fight Chrollo. And now, joining the [True God Cult] is solely to find an opportunity to become another archbishop... It seems there's no difference.

"It seems like something he'd do." Roy nodded.

Zeno looked at him in surprise. "You know him?"

"We met once, and I once pinned him against a wall."

"Hmm." Zeno patted Roy on the shoulder. "Knowing that kid as I do, you might be on his list too." Roy shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

His obsession with one-on-one duels led him to dare say, right in front of Netero on the Hunter Association's airship, that his purpose in taking the exam was solely to challenge Netero to a duel, and that it wasn't surprising he was on the list.

"Let him be," Roy said indifferently. "If he doesn't come, he lives; if he comes, he dies. It's that simple."

The Sun-Earring Boy casually glanced at the panel; the "evaluation" had long since grown from a "green apple seedling" to a "bearing apple tree." Who was the farmer, and who was the apple... remained to be seen.

A gust of wind stirred, causing Roy's black hair to sway slightly... The two spoke in hushed tones, unconcerned about being seen. Beside them...

Illumi leaned against the wall, rubbing a Wooden Nail, silently memorizing these words... "The True God Cult... Hisoka Morow..." Since they are hostile towards Nii-san, then...

"By me,"

Kill them all!

The Sun-Earring Boy's black hair was even longer Roy's, stretching down to his waist like ink. A faint light shimmered in his palms, the result of his recent study of [Nian] with Maha, and the [Jian] technique he had just mastered!

Perhaps it was fate... or perhaps it's that perverts always find common ground... or maybe it's the "law of the aggregation of extraordinary Evil Nen"... On this morning, before the sun has even risen, the rosy dawn has already torn through a corner of darkness...

Sensing the passageway outside the bedroom door, steeped in the scent of time, and the Bloodline Bond between his brothers— Roy, Illumi, Milluki, and others—his father, Silva, maintained a composed facade while inwardly burning with anxious anticipation.

And the hopes of Grandpa Zeno and Great-Grandpa Maha...

A baby's cry, followed by a hysterical groan from Kikyo... drifted through the crack in the door and through the window... Roy, Zeno, Illumi, Silva, Maha, and Milluki, who had just woken up, all looked up as he yawned in Milluki. "Squeak~"

The bedroom door opened.

As they came into view... two pink ponytails cradled a delicate baby as they emerged...

"Master, it's born! It's Silver Hair!" Tsubone carefully cradled Qiliao, revealing his pink and tender little head, with a few wet silver hairs on it, lying limply. He said with no small amount of excitement.

Silva stepped forward, took Killua from Tsubone's hands, and held her in his arms. Looking closely, he saw her head bowed, her eyes filled with tenderness. "You've worked hard." The man smiled, a rare occurrence for him.

He nodded slightly to Tsubone, then looked at Maha: "Grandpa,"

Maha swept past like a gust of wind, and before Silva could react, Killua was already in his arms. The old man didn't even glance at him, and said irritably, "Aren't you going to go inside and check on your wife?"

The man, faced with the strange dog, smiled broadly... the speed and abruptness of his change of expression were rarely seen in the world.

Roy and Zeno exchanged a glance, both looking at each other in bewilderment.

"I've never seen him this happy when I was born." The words "One Kill A Day, Current Status" on his chest swayed in the wind. Zeno shook his head and said to Roy, "Only you could compare to him back then... Killua."

Zeno spoke, before Roy could even react, he brushed past Roy's shoulder and surrounded him. The old man, with his hands behind his back, said quietly, "Everyone likes you—your father, your great-grandfather... even your two younger brothers like you."

Roy leaned against the windowpane, behind him beams of light breaking through the darkness. He reached out and caught a ray, smiling... Who can deny it? The mediocre me of the past was me, and the slightly more grown-up me of today is me. The tide of Padokea has come; only today do I realize who I am, nothing more...

A faint "thump" came from the tiny baby held in Maha's arms.

Roy gently touched his chest, hearing a muffled "thump" from his heart, like a Qiliao, the silent approach of Illumi beside him, and the curious crowd of Milluki... He silently experienced the wondrous feeling of "Bloodline ties," and then looked up. In a hazy vision, he seemed to see a picture.

The curtain of an "era" is slowly rising.

On the Yorbian, in the northeastern sea, Greed Island.

A man and a woman, each holding a baby in their arms, gaze at the sea, their expressions contrasting.

The man, his head covered by a hood, held a small baby, about two months old, wrapped up like a dumpling to protect him from the wind, only his eyes showing, his mouth sealed with a pacifier. His face was grim, as if pleading, "Can't you not go back?" His golden hair was disheveled, and he looked noticeably haggard since parting ways with Roy, whether from exhaustion or worry, it was hard to tell. He looked longingly at the woman before him. The woman, named Weiwei An, had an icy, indifferent face, but occasionally, when she looked at the Gon in Jin's arms, a rare tenderness would appear. She shook her head firmly and slowly. "I've repaid your kindness. We agreed... after Gon is born, I'll leave, and you can't stop me." Jin frowned. "Is the Dark Continent really that good?"

Vivian remained silent, her beautiful hair swaying in the sea breeze, strands falling across her face, slightly disheveled, her gaze fixed on the distant sea, towards the vast, unfathomable continent separated by Lake Mobius. She calmly said, "It's not good, but... that's my home."

"I came from there, and I should return there."

"What about Gon? What should we do with Gon?" Jin held Gon in one hand and grabbed Vivian's hand with the other. "You can wait. I'll personally take you home once I get the permit."

"You know I love adventure too. My ancestors set foot there, and sooner or later... I'll definitely go!"

"I believe you." The woman leaned down and kissed Gon's cheek, then straightened up again, reluctant yet resolute, forcefully pulling away from Jin's large hand... She dared not look at Gon again, nor at Jin, turning her head away, still gazing into the depths of the sea, and said, "I can't wait that long." As she spoke, she began to petrify from head to toe, until she turned into an ordinary stone...