The familiar sensation of falling arrives late as always...
The young boy opens his eyes on the soft, large bed, as the familiar chime of the clock resonates in his ears.
Four in the morning, yet another day.
Roy turns over and gets up from the bed, as usual, heading out for a morning jog, returning while eating breakfast and listening to Wutong report on the day's training schedule.
"Still the same poison resistance training." Wutong pushes up the glasses on his nose and cautiously looks at Roy, saying, "Additionally, there's something else. The master has instructed that, tonight, he wants the young master to cook a meal."
Which master? There are many masters in the house: Silva, Zeno, Maha... Roy glances over,
The young butler, who has been growing his beard for a few months, finally has something resembling a goatee, adds, "It's Master Maha."
Probably craving something different to eat again... Roy thinks to himself, calmly saying, "Got it."
He lists two dishes for Wutong to take to the kitchen for preparation: "Chicken Stew with Mushrooms" and "Smashed Cucumber"...
Wutong pulls out pen and paper to note down the orders, cleans up the dishes, and pushes the dining cart downstairs,
Roy grabs Yubashiri from the knife rack, follows him out the door, heading towards the training room, enduring poison resistance, practicing Sun Breathing, once again arriving in the basement to hone Ren, this time only persisting for one minute and forty-three seconds, not much progress.
'Could it really be as Grandpa Jager said, that the rest can only be honed over time?'
The young boy leaves the vault, feeling heavy-hearted, the airtight door closing heavily behind him. He takes a deep breath of air, recalling the scenes of Gon and Killua training with Wing and Biscuit, stepping out of the corridor, not even hearing Scarface's greeting, wandering through the castle's corridors in a daze, at one moment, stopping his steps, seeing...
A dry, skinny figure, with hands behind his back, leaning against the window ledge, appreciating the night scene, suddenly recalling that the great-grandfather asked him to cook tonight.
"It's already eight, where's the old man's food?" Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao appears, Maha turns his head to look over,
Roy awkwardly smiles, immediately covering up: "I'll go cook right now."
"Forget it..." Maha waves his hand with disinterest, turning his head to look outside the window. The moon is at its peak, the night is just fine... feeding on the moonlight isn't bad either.
Seeing this, Roy quietly passes by him, about to brush past his shoulder when he is called out by him.
"The old man doesn't have food, and you're still thinking about eating?"
"Come over and stand with me as punishment!"
"Yes..." Roy silently draws his foot back, coming to Maha's side, accompanying him in watching the scene.
The old man points to the willow tree in the garden and asks, "What do you see?"
"A willow tree."
"And what else?"
"Willow branches."
Maha glances with wide eyes, "I'm asking you to look above."
This time, Roy focuses his strength, even using Gyo, seeing clearly: "It's a bird's nest."
"Oh, so you do know it's a bird's nest."
"I'm not dumb."
"You're a fool." Maha gives him a sidelong look with displeasure, "Even fledglings know to chirp and plead for the big bird to feed them."
"Why don't you know?"
Roy frowns,
The old man glares at him with disappointment, continuing, "Do you know what Silva hates most about you?"
"What?"
"Your self-righteousness, the naive belief that you can handle everything on your own!"
Roy remains silent,
"You're too strong-headed, Roy."
"And too arrogant."
Maha turns his head to look outside the window again, a large bird flies back, clutching a few insects, grasping the edge of the nest, among which the loudest chirping fledgling eats the most... The old man says deeply: "Because you're too strong-headed, thinking you can do everything on your own, never considering relying on anyone; this makes Silva feel unneeded."
"And when a father feels unneeded, anger arises..."
"Sss -" A cold wind blows, stirring the young boy's bangs and the willow branches together...
Roy listens blankly, memories swirling, retracing the past. From childhood to adulthood, because of the panel and the reborn status, he felt he could rely on himself to be independent and strong, whether learning or exercising, as long as he could do without others' help, he wouldn't seek it, asking Silva for help was few and far between. The recent instance seems only to be "unlocking Nen," which he had to go through Wutong, going in circles...
Now thinking about it, he indeed was too "independent," independence had become arrogance, gradually breaking away from control, evolving into "self-importance," leading to being "disregardful of others"!
In the end... Roy gazes forward, the sole fledgling in the bird's nest that didn't open its mouth to chirp was ostracized by other birds, "plop~" fell to the ground, yet to open its eyes to see this world, passed away directly.
"Do you understand?" After a while, Maha asks softly.
Roy takes a deep breath, bows: "Thank you, great-grandfather."
The old man turns his head away, indifferently humming: "Scram."
Roy rises once more, turns away from the bedroom's direction, heading towards the second floor.
"Step... Step..." The boy's silhouette under the lamp's glow has already taken on an adult form...
He rounds the corner, turns, and disappears.
In one dim corner, a shadow stirs, Zeno surfaces with his hands behind his back, sneaking a glance up towards the second floor, leisurely coming to a stop beside Maha: "Still, Grandpa has a way, just a few words and you've subdued that boy."
"If I hadn't stepped in, we wouldn't have this family to speak of." Maha snorts coldly: "Squat down!"
Zeno: "..."
This has nothing to do with me...
"Grandpa, we should be reasonable..."
"Squat down!"
"Yes..." Zeno crouches with his head down, enduring a flick to the head as the old man furiously scolds: "Because I say so!"
"Your grandson? My grandson? Don't you understand the principle of leading by example?"
"Killing, killing, can't take a dump until you kill someone in a day, is that it?"
"If you trouble me again, I'll hit you over the head with a stick!"
A crude "Enhancement" martial warrior... Zeno feels wronged inside, how could he have known he'd unwittingly give birth to a house full of stubborn types?
This one won't bow, that one won't bow, aside from bringing in the ancestor, what other way is there?
Fortunately, the effect is evident... Zeno silently endures Maha's verbal violence, waiting for him to calm down, helps him straighten his back, and soothingly smoothes his breath...
In the dim little room, the cartoons start playing again, the rocking chair rocks again, and the old man, enjoying Zeno's massage, hums a tune: "I'm hungry. When that kid comes back, tell him to prepare a meal."
"The old man is determined to taste something fresh today!"
Zeno: "..."
Just stubborn...
...
The night gradually deepens.
Walking up the stone stairs leading from the first floor to the second,
Roy had never thought that just climbing a floor, time would pass so slowly, as if climbing a ladder to heaven.
Lamps are lit on both sides of the wall, stretching his shadow long and thin, one step at a time he climbs up, finally, reaching the second floor, stopping to the side, arriving in front of a bedroom door that isn't grand but has a vintage air, standing firm.
Through the crack of the door, you can faintly see the room lit with light,
The boy raises his hand, holds it in mid-air, adjusting his breathing, no longer hesitating, nor lost, or escaping, directly knocking on it.
"Knock... Knock... Knock..."
"Creak—"
The door opens,
A tall figure obstructs the doorway, silver hair falling to the waist, looking down at Roy, straightforwardly blocking out the light that was being cast...
Silva looks on impassively: "What is it?"
Roy meets his gaze: "I have something."
"What do you have?"
"About learning."
"Why should I teach you?"
"Because you're my dad, you should teach me."
"Teach you what?"
"Teach me how to defeat you." Roy says seriously: "I think we can start with Ren."
Silva pauses in silence, staring at him for a while, suppressing his voice he laughs: "Heh heh heh... Hahaha..."
The laughter grows louder and madder, disturbing Killua on the bed, who looks over: "Who is it, Silva?"
The man takes a step out, standing shoulder to shoulder with the boy, reaches out a big hand, and grips his shoulder: "From today onwards, whatever you want to learn, I'll teach you that, I stand right here, not hiding or avoiding, waiting for you to come and take me down!"