They had resolved everyone's scoring problems, but the mood in the group had not grown any lighter.
Leorio had only just recovered from his serious illness, and his face still held a sickly pallor;
after forcing his Scarlet Eyes to activate, Kurapika was clearly still on the brink of mental exhaustion;
and Gon's eyes, usually so bright, were now filled with anxiety.
"Let's hurry!" Gon urged, quickening his steps again. He did not want to wait even one more second.
Lin Yan nodded without another word and led them toward the presence he sensed.
Rather than running straight there, he kept changing direction through the woods, his steps light and silent.
He knew Killua was in an extremely sensitive state. Any sudden, purposeful approach might set him off.
"Lin Yan, are you sure it's this way?" Leorio panted behind him. The dense jungle surrounding them had robbed him of all sense of direction.
"Yes."
Lin Yan's voice came from ahead, firm and steady. "His aura is just up ahead, like a lamp about to go out. Very faint, but unmistakable."
At those words, Kurapika's heart inexplicably tightened. He silently clenched his fists and quickened his pace again.
They passed through a damp patch of ferns, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.
It was a small clearing in the woods, with an enormous, long-dead ancient tree standing at its center.
Its thick trunk was riddled with holes and cracks worn into it by time, like a silent giant.
And beneath its enormous roots, a small, silver-haired figure lay curled up.
It was Killua.
He hugged his knees, burying his face deep in his arms and curling himself into a tiny ball, as though he could shut out the entire world that way.
Most alarming of all was his right hand.