Chapter 24: A Thousand Faces X Illumi's Gaze
Hiro Minamino finally fell silent. He let out a long, regretful sigh, and the lines on his face seemed to deepen.
Humans are emotional creatures. Who, in such a situation, could truly find peace? In his small, warm home, not only was his daughter waiting for him, but so were his wife, his mother, and a whole network of family and friends. Now... he was nothing more than a lost soul, a ghost clinging to the kindness of strangers.
"You are both fortunate and unfortunate," Roy said after a long silence. He reached out and helped the spirit to his feet. "I accept your request."
He then turned to his brother. "Tanjiro, give me your water flask."
"Okay." Tanjiro didn't know what his brother was planning, but he obeyed without question, ducking back into the shrine to retrieve it.
Roy held the spirit's hand, his Nen wrapping around the remnant soul in a protective shroud, and followed him inside. He stepped over the high threshold and closed the heavy wooden doors, shutting out the wind and snow. The shrine, now cleaned of its gruesome stains, felt almost welcoming. They broke apart some of the rotten floorboards for firewood, and soon a cheerful blaze warmed the small space.
Tanjiro returned with the flask. Roy unscrewed the cap, took out his own, and poured its contents into Tanjiro's, leaving his own empty. "Forgive the humble accommodations," he said to Minamino. "But for tonight, this will have to be your vessel. At dawn, we will take you to your family."
"Thank you, Master Eiichiro," the spirit said, bowing deeply. He dissolved into a wisp of light and, guided by Roy's Nen, flowed into the empty flask. With a soft pop, Roy sealed the cap.
"It's no trouble," Roy said to the flask. "We were heading to Sagiri Mountain anyway. This is on the way."
The flask vibrated slightly, as if in response. Tanjiro peered at it, his eyes wide with wonder. He had never seen a person—or a ghost—stored in a bottle before. "Bro, can you really put people in there?"
"Not people. Ghosts," Roy replied, gently pushing Tanjiro's curious hands away. He tucked the flask safely inside his gi, maintaining a thin, steady flow of Nen to sustain the spirit within. The question, however, did bring to mind one of the Twelve Kizuki from the story—Gyokko, the Upper Rank Five, who could shrink himself down to live inside a pot.
"Oh," Tanjiro said, visibly disappointed. "I thought maybe you could put me in there. Then I could be with you all the time."
Roy just rolled his eyes and tossed two rice balls at his brother's head. Does this idiot think it's some kind of magic gourd? That I can just call his name and suck him inside?
The night deepened, the blizzard outside showing no signs of stopping. The brothers ate their simple meal by the fire. Their blankets were the cloths Kie had used to line the charcoal baskets; a good shake was all it took to make them serviceable.
Tanjiro lay down beside Roy, staring into the dancing flames. "Hey, Bro... is the world... always this cruel?"
The woodcutter, the merchant... in the past two days, Tanjiro had seen more death than in his entire life. He couldn't sleep. He turned to look at Roy, his eyes wide and searching in the firelight.
Roy simply closed his own eyes, feigning sleep. The world has a thousand different faces. To some, it is hell. To Muzan and his demons, it was a paradise, a grand buffet of endless food. There was no single answer he could give.
Tanjiro huffed in annoyance at being ignored and rolled over, turning his back to his brother. Roy let him be, cleared his mind, and fell into the dream.
The familiar sensation of falling...
He opened his eyes to his bedroom in the Zoldyck estate. The night had been both long and short. The clock in the corner chimed four in the morning. Time for his run.
The air was thick and hot. Roy pulled on his running gear and set off, the lush, tropical scenery of Kukuroo Mountain a stark contrast to the snow-covered world he had just left. As he ran past the butlers' villa, he saw lights on, the smell of baking bread already in the air.
One kilometer, two... My pace is faster than usual.
Thanks to the Breathing Style and his improved Shadow Step, he could feel the difference. A quick glance at his system panel confirmed it.
[Physique: 10.05 -> 10.55]
It wasn't a massive leap, but it was progress. He had finally broken his plateau. A small, satisfied smile touched his lips.
He reached the security station at the base of the mountain. "Morning, Young Master," said Zebro. He was younger here, his hair still present, though his receding hairline was already plotting a course for baldness. He tipped his hat to Roy.
Roy smiled back. Just as he was about to turn and head back up the mountain, a thunderous BOOM echoed from the main gate.
The Testing Gate, the symbol of the Zoldyck family's absolute power. The first three of its seven doors had been pushed open. The first door alone weighed two tons, with each subsequent door doubling in weight. Pushing open three doors required a staggering fourteen tons of force.
"Welcome home, Young Master Illumi."
Zebro, who had just put his hat back on, quickly took it off again. He looked surprised to see both the young masters at the same time, at this hour.
BOOM! The massive gates swung shut.
Illumi walked through, ignoring Zebro completely. His black, empty eyes locked onto Roy.
"Just thought you should know," he said, his voice flat and emotionless. "I've had my Nen awakened, too."