When Ronin woke up, he was sprawled across a broad back. The wind howled past his ears, and cold rain slapped against his body.
"You're awake." A steady voice came from the person carrying him.
Ronin's head throbbed as a flood of memories surged into his mind.
He… seemed to have transmigrated.
In his ears, he could still hear the final long beep from the machines in a hospital room, yet the memories in his head were now filled with brutal scenes—countless clan members tied up in a plaza, forced to dig out each other's eyes face-to-face.
This… was really bad.
Before Ronin could sort through the chaos, a sharp pain stabbed at his eyes. A hot stream spread across his face.
Blood.
But before he could lift a hand to wipe it away, everything in his vision shifted violently.
The back he'd been pressed against vanished. The world spun. Pain shot from his arm and spread through his whole body.
Boom!
When Ronin finally stopped, every inch of him hurt. Following the direction of that earlier voice, he saw a massive log speared into the path they'd been traveling—like a giant stake slammed into the ground.
"Run, Ronin—run! Now!"
A muffled shout crashed into Ronin's ringing, disoriented mind, urgent to the point of desperation.
Ronin shook his head and looked at the one who'd shouted.
The man had a pair of fiery red eyes—eyes now brimming with panic and fear.
He wore clothing distinctive to a minority tribe. His not-so-tall frame was wrapped in a hazy layer of light. As Ronin forced himself up from the ground, the man turned, muscles tense, staring warily toward the direction the giant log had flown from.
When the man turned, Ronin caught a look in his eyes—grim resolve.
At the same time, Ronin's memories made the man's identity crystal clear.
That was his father.
No.
More accurately… the previous owner's father.
"Why'd you stop running?" A voice laced with a cruel grin drifted from the distance, and a figure even taller than Ronin's father emerged from the dense woods.
Now on his feet, Ronin could feel the burning pain all over his body.
But the moment he saw the newcomer's face—and pieced together his situation and identity from his memories—the pain vanished, replaced by raw terror.
Because the man had a face Ronin had seen countless times in manga.
Spiky, hedgehog-like hair. A rugged face wearing a teasing expression. Wolfish eyes flicked over Ronin once… then locked fully onto Ronin's father.
The man wore a wild bearskin outfit, with bearskin boots underfoot. It made him look feral and brutally menacing.
As he approached Ronin and his father step by step, his presence flared stronger and stronger—like a vicious beast that had spotted prey and was ready to pounce.
Uvogin.
That was his name.
A fighter of the Phantom Troupe—the infamous criminal group from the world of Hunter x Hunter.
The instant Ronin recognized him, he stood up and made the only correct choice.
He turned around and ran.
"Heh."
Cold laughter came from behind him, but Ronin didn't even have the courage to look back.
Because he knew exactly what would happen if he stayed.
He would die.
That was Ronin's only thought after understanding the situation—and seeing Uvogin here.
Hearing the movement behind him, Ronin's father's brows eased slightly on his resolute face. He shifted his footing, blocking Uvogin's line of sight, and an even more powerful aura erupted from him.
It was the kind of presence that screamed: I'm throwing my life away to buy time.
Uvogin glanced in the direction Ronin fled, then withdrew his gaze, focusing all his attention on the man in front of him—the one staying behind with a clear intent to die.
But when he noticed the large patch of blood around the man's abdomen, disappointment flickered across his eyes.
Such fierce fighting spirit… trapped in a broken body. What a waste.
Even as he thought that, the next instant his disappointment transformed into an even sharper battle lust—violent, savage, overwhelming.
Boom!
The thunderous crack of fists colliding exploded through the forest.
Ronin turned his head and stole one last look back. In the rainy night, he could clearly see two figures crashing together in the woods.
He didn't know how long the previous owner's father could hold out, but he knew his father wasn't Uvogin's match—especially since his memories still vividly recalled that his father had already been seriously wounded trying to save him.
The only thing he could be grateful for was that only Uvogin had tracked them down. Otherwise…
Ronin turned forward again and sprinted faster.
But after only a few steps, he stopped again and looked back.
By now he was more than a hundred meters away from where they were fighting, yet even at that distance he could still see the battle clearly—so clearly he could even make out the flow of energy moving over their bodies.
That wasn't right.
His eyesight was way too good. And those two were moving far too fast to be normal.
Ronin knew this wasn't the time to stop, so he turned back and kept running.
At the same time, his mind raced.
Something had definitely changed about him—and it was related to his eyes.
The Scarlet Eyes.
Ronin remembered his identity: the Kurta Clan.
The Kurta were famous for the Scarlet Eyes—one of the world's "Seven Most Beautiful Colors," eyes that turned a deep crimson when their emotions surged.
And judging from Kurapika in the manga, these special eyes could grant unique effects once the user learned Nen, through a state of "opening" the eyes.
For example, in Kurapika's Scarlet Eyes state, his Conjuration ability shifted into a Specialist-type Nen ability: Emperor Time.
With Emperor Time, Kurapika could use all six Nen categories at 100%.
So what would his ability be when his Scarlet Eyes were activated?
Ronin thought of his abnormal vision, but if that was all, it wouldn't help him escape in the slightest.
And another question: did he also possess Nen—the ability to use life energy?
Thinking that, Ronin raised both hands.
There was no visible flow of energy around them. Instead, he could see a steady stream of energy flowing inside his body.
Was he currently in Zetsu, the state that seals all aura within the body?
But judging by how fast he was running, he wasn't sure—because he was moving much faster than a normal person.
And when he tried to release the energy within him, he realized it wasn't easy at all—at least, he couldn't do it right now.
Still, since he'd been able to see the existence of Nen on his father and on Uvogin, Ronin felt he must already possess Nen.
It was just… something about it was off, something he still hadn't grasped.
And that might be the key to whether he could escape Uvogin's pursuit.
Then Ronin suddenly froze.
He could see the flow of energy inside his own body.
That was not normal.
Maybe… he should take a look at what state his eyes were in right now.