Staring at the young girl in front of him, Auren stops using Azure Restoration and flips on the light.
She asked if she was in heaven?
"I'm afraid not," Auren replies. "However, I'm sure you might not be able to spot the difference. I'm sure you'll be very happy with your future. Actually, I can guarantee it."
The girl raises her arm, shielding her eyes from the harsh, artificial light overhead.
"I'm sorry about that," Auren adds calmly. "The first thing you need to know is that you are completely safe. There is absolutely no danger for you. Please relax."
"Really?" Ella says hesitantly. "I'm so confused... I don't remember much... I was in the orphanage, but suddenly I lost consciousness..."
"I'll explain it all to you," Auren assures her. "But before that—eat a little, take a shower, put on some fresh clothes, and maybe talk a bit. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that a friend has been patiently waiting for you for a good month."
"What friend... and... who are you?" Ella asks, blinking slowly, her confusion obvious.
"I'm Auren," he answers. "As for your friend... you'll see. One thing you need to pay attention to. Whatever you see and hear on this airship..."
"Airship?" she echoes, glancing around uncertainly.
"Yes," Auren confirms. "We are on an airship. Whatever you hear and see here needs to be treated confidentially. You'll soon know why. Also, you were hallucinating—talking about weird colors. Forget all about it."
"Okay..." she murmurs, scratching her head, still clearly disoriented.
"No need to worry," Auren says, placing his arm on her shoulders. "I'm sure you'll be quite happy at the same time tomorrow."
"Okay..." she responds, smiling softly, still not sure what to think of the situation.
Auren steps out of her room and immediately spots Marsha, along with Killi, Mio, and Kai, all waiting nearby.
"You can talk to her," he says without slowing down. "I'll return later."
As Killi and the others rush inside, Auren hears the cries from the room behind him and can't help but smile.
I guess it feels great to do something good for once... but now... I have things to prepare.
He pulls out his phone and texts Pariston: "Can you ask the chairman if he has a spot open for me? I'd prefer something within one week."
"No problem ✨ I'm quite excited to see you going all out," Pariston replies instantly.
"Heh, as if," Auren mutters, then quickly follows up with: "No spectators!"
"How cold..." Pariston replies almost instantly—less than three seconds later.
This guy... he foresaw my reply and just pressed send. Fucking monster.
With his next step decided, Auren heads to the gym and starts training.
It takes several hours of focused, intense effort before he's satisfied. Once thoroughly exhausted, he returns to his cabin and activates Azure Restoration, his body quickly recovering to peak condition.
I can't get enough. After every session and subsequent use of Azure Restoration, I feel stronger. It's not just a feeling, I felt it in my spar with Pariston. What I lack is experience... and what better experience could I get than fighting the greatest Nen user alive?
Fully refreshed, he decides to check in on the girls again.
He briefly explains to Ella what happened with the Entity, careful to leave out the core details—no reason to overwhelm her now.
"What you need to remember is that the Entity is gone... forever. You are now free. Just forget about everything. You just need to focus on yourself," Auren tells her.
"Thank you! So will you return us to the orphanage?" Ella asks.
"No," Auren states. "You'll most likely be adopted by someone close to me. Even if that isn't the case, I'll make sure you'll be well taken care of. If you don't want to be adopted, that is fine as well, and I'll arrange school and a place to live for you. It all depends on you. The only thing that I need you to do is listen to me for a while and stay in my hometown."
Auren continues, trying not to sound too careful, "That doesn't mean you'll lose your freedom—but you'll need training, and some education. You probably haven't noticed it yet, but you are very different now."
"I realized!" Ella replies brightly. "I've never felt this good! When I woke up, it felt like I was reborn! Also, the tea and cake Miss Marsha gave me were super delicious."
As soon as she finishes the sentence, her stomach lets out a loud churn.
"Dinner is ready soon," Marsha says with a satisfied smile. "You can have more soon."
"You can eat in a moment," Auren adds. "What I meant by different... is this."
He raises his hand and concentrates his Aura into it, using Ko. A frightening amount of Aura gathers in his palm before he clenches his hand into a fist, letting the Aura explode outwards.
"You can not only feel it—you can see the Aura too, can't you?" he asks.
"What... what is that? Your hand is glowing!" Ella gasps, staring at his hand.
"You have the same ability," Auren says as he stands. "You'll learn to control it, but there's no need to be scared. Where we're going, you'll not only find a master, but a family if you are open-minded. You'll go to school. You'll have your own room, your own books, your own bed, pocket money, and many more things. Also, Killi will be with you the whole time."
As soon as she hears that, Ella starts to cry. "I'm so glad... I don't want to go back to Meteor City."
"Me neither..." Killi says quietly, visibly relieved.
"How about you teach her the basics?" Auren says to Killi. "Just Ten and Zetsu. Mio and Kai will catch up with you soon—you can train together. I've already spoken with Eren, and you'll probably join us," he says to them. "Since you're all the same age, you can attend school together and train side by side."
"They're really nice," Killi assures her with a nod.
Good... now that babysitting is over, I really need to focus on myself.
After eating a large portion of curry—cooked by Marsha herself, who refuses to hire cooks or order food, something Auren respects—he returns to his room.
Once he's settled on the bed, meditating, his phone buzzes.
Curious, Auren picks it up and reads Pariston's message:
"The chairman was a little confused as to why you wanted to fight so early—he expected you needed more time to recover from our spar. I didn't mention your little special ability... come to think of it, you haven't told me much about it yourself. I told you to visit me before you leave. I hope you won't forget that little promise. Someone as bright, honest, and honorable as you wouldn't do that to a friend, mentor, and big-brother figure, right? ✨ In any case, congratulations. The chairman invites you to the roof of the Hunter Association tomorrow at 10 PM."
"Big brother?" Auren mutters. "Is he insane?"
Probably the worst brother in the world... no. Not quite that bad. There are many people worse than Pariston. Pariston is merely selfish, manipulative, and frankly a little crazy.
In any case, I'd better rest up.
With Ella now on board, the atmosphere on the airship shifts slightly. Neffi, Eren, Vanessa, Konrad, and Goreinu accept her without question and eagerly introduce themselves. They help her train, answer her questions—not just about Nen and combat, but about all sorts of everyday things she never had access to before.
Jean offers to buy her clothes. While Joanne bombards her with books, even introducing her favorites to the little girl, who meekly replies: "I'm not that good at reading... but I'll try!"
Meanwhile, Marsha takes full charge of her daily needs, treating her gently but firmly, urging her to learn to take care of herself and her needs, slowly but surely.
Even Jolt gives her a full tour of the ship, proudly explaining the engine system in mind-numbing detail—nearly putting her to sleep in the process.
By the end of her first day onboard, Ella already looks extremely comfortable, smiling almost the entire time. She moves around with Killi, Mio, and Kai, as if they've all been friends for years.
At exactly 8 PM, Auren sits down in the gym, cross-legged, Eternity in his hand. He closes his eyes and begins to meditate, clearing his thoughts—everything else can wait until after the fight.
The moment he thinks of the fight ahead, a feeling of excitement runs through him, though he is also a little nervous and tense.
Finally, Neffi, Eren, Vanessa, Konrad, and Goreinu join him.
"You missed dinner," Neffi says, tilting her head. "That means... tonight's the fight, right?"
"Yes," Auren replies calmly. "Can't risk puking up my food later."
"You can't beat the chairman anyway," Goreinu says bluntly. "He used to be considered the strongest Nen user in the world. Even now, past his prime, he's still ranked in the top five. You should just go into the spar with a smile, ready to be humbled. Not like I could do better. Auren, you are still a kid. Why are you in such a rush and taking a spar that seriously?"
"You are right, however, I have goals... and these goals can't wait. I agree with him being the strongest Nen user in the world. I can't name someone stronger. I fought with Zeno Zoldyck some time ago, and he held back, yet he was able to crush me. The important thing is that I learned a lot during the fight. I hope I can repeat that."
"Really? Is the old man that strong?" Vanessa cuts in. "He looks like a damn pervert. I researched him."
"Looks can be deceiving," Eren replies flatly.
"No," Auren says, shaking his head. "I'd say she's spot on. He is a pervert—and also extremely childish. However, that doesn't mean he's not strong."
"Take care of yourself, okay?" Neffi says, sitting down beside him.
Auren wraps an arm around her shoulder for a moment and smiles at her. "It's just a spar, don't worry."
"Okay..." Neffi murmurs, a little shy, turning her head away.
"Hey, little girl!" Vanessa yells, arms crossed. "Didn't we say we don't do those kinds of things here?"
"That was about you," Neffi protests, flustered. "Since you're older!"
"You're two years older than Auren, too," Vanessa smirks. "Bad girl. Leave the poor boy alone."
"Stop being childish!" Konrad chimes in.
"Yes, stop it!" Eren says firmly. "He needs to focus. Let's go."
"It's fine," Auren says with a low chuckle. "That silliness and stupidity actually calmed me down. Thank you two for that."
He rises from the floor and stretches briefly before turning toward the door.
"I'll see you in a few hours... if you're still awake by then."
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