Part 34: Peek X At The X Future

NARRATION

"I'm really sorry for your daughter and wife, Sir Rasvin." The doctor told me with pity. "I want to help but... it was just that I couldn't do this kind of research. I'll help you find a researcher if you want."

"Thank you, doctor." I smiled at him. "But it's fine now."

"And her face..."

"Hm?" I heard his mutters.

He sighed in front of me, looking troubled because of what I said. "It was nothing. Just call me if you need me. Even though we're strangers until now, I'm still a doctor. Don't keep your problems to yourself."

"I won't," I replied.

Then, all of a sudden, one of the nurses ran towards us in a hurry.

"Doctor, there's a problem!" she shouted while catching her breath. "Patient 1104 is... she's gone!"

"What?!" I stood up from my chair in shock. No way. No way.

"H-How did that happen?" The doctor stuttered in his words, didn't expect the outcome.

"She wasn't in bed and I saw the window opened. She escaped!"

"C-Call the security! Make them check the backyard!" The doctor ordered and the nurse ran as fast as she can to the lobby.

"Avia, no..." Tears started to fall on my cheeks, as I went back to the chair.

***

"Here we are."

Michael woke up, not because of Archi's whispering voice, but the irritating noise of metal wheels of the train attached to the rails. The train stopped smoking as the people are getting out of it, but the dark smoke it produced earlier is still there.

After a long journey through canyons and hills by the train, they made it towards their destination at last. It was in the far countryside of Yorknew City, which took them enough days to go.

"Are you ready, sir?" Archi spoke as he grabbed his backpack and walked out of his seat.

"Y-Yes!" Michael replied in a hurry and grabbed all of the things he took out while spending hours on the train. After he finished, they walked out of the train to go to their target place.

"We'll be going there with a bus through that mountain, so it's still a long way towards that place," Archi explained as they started walking towards the bus station.

At last, they made it to the station, and a bus stopped right after they sat down the waiting shed.

They immediately took the ride and sat on the available seats. Michael started to complain in his mind because of how long their journey is.

"Sirs?" The conductor approached their chairs, holding a small pad of paper in her hand. "Can you please tell us your destinations?"

"It's at... Philene Village."

***

SECCO RASVIN

"40 years?!" Gon and I exclaimed at the same time, couldn't believe what we just heard. Then that means...

"You're old!" Killua added with an offensive voice. Because of his insult, Biscuit hit him, ending him up in the air.

"Listen, starting from now, you'll have to do everything I'll say." Biscuit said like a general in the army.

"No way. We're not desperate enough to beg a total stranger to train us!" Killua defended, with a calm voice but a hint of irritation and looked on both Gon and I, "Guys, say something."

"We have Master Wing." He said in his everyday face: a pure smile and wider eyes.

"And I have Master Java!~" I said cheerfully with a raising hand and a very wide smile like Gon's. Well, it's true. I'm proud of my master for taking care of me with my untrusting presence.

"Yeah. We already have our own masters!" Killua said with a hint of pride in his voice. I don't know why he won't totally agree on training with this girl. At least she's no harm, I'm fine.

"Wing, huh. Is he the one who always forgot to tuck his polo shirt?" Biscuit asked.

"Eh? Do you know about him?" Gon asked with a sense of curiosity. I didn't know much about their teacher, and all that I know is that they met him at Heaven's Arena.

"Well, yes, of course. He's one of my students, after all."

"What?!" Gon and Killua exclaimed at the same time in surprise.

I just said 'wow' in an expressionless face since I'm really out of place about their topic. What really amazed me is Biscuit really knows everyone because of her age. Then maybe...

...

...no, not yet.

I couldn't let myself ruin this meeting with me asking for it. I should let Gon and Killua enjoy this game for a while and I will do my business... alone. Remember, I mustn't be a burden anymore.

"And that Java. She might be that stubborn and reckless brat back then." Biscuit informed me about my master. "She is the Weapon Hunter I met during my expeditions, but she's still a veteran. And she just always hunts for weapons to stick on her trident, you know, to get it stronger."

"I see," I replied with a grievous feeling. I realized that I didn't know anything about my master, and even Archi. I was proud to be their student, but I never got interested in their backstories.

"Well, what I was saying is that you can't survive in this game alone. You must—"

"Wha—"

"Shh."

Our conversation suddenly ended after Biscuit became alert and aware of her surroundings. Like her, we also started to sense the environment around us for anything strange. I didn't move an inch in my position. Maybe that guy might know that we know he was already here.

"Okay. Let's pretend that we're chatting so that he wouldn't notice." Biscuit instructed us, which we didn't have a choice but to follow since her face is as serious as ever. At this time, she was the oldest among us so it's natural.

"Are we going to fight him?" I asked as I can sense his presence but it was faint that I couldn't even locate him.

"Not too early, missy. That's not what we're gonna do. Aim for that pillar." Biscuit instructed as she leaned back to see the pillar in a distance.

"Once you get there, use Zetsu then rush back immediately!"

Gon and I both nodded simultaneously, understanding the plan.

"Okay, stalk the stalker–"

Killua didn't even finish off his sentence when all of a sudden, Biscuit slapped him right in the face. At first, the three of us were surprised.

"You're an idiot!" Biscuit suddenly shouted out of the blue at Killua and left us.

"Yeah, get lost! We don't want you around!" Killua responded and that's the time I realized that they were acting so that the stalker won't notice our plan. "Come on, you two! Let's go."

After that, all three of us started walking in the opposite way and towards the pillar on sight as Biscuit told us to.

Once we reached the pillar, we looked back at the direction Biscuit went and use Zetsu. We started to run towards her direction and saw something interesting.

One of Biscuit's ponytailed hair got cut off but she didn't even react to that, and the stalker on the opposite side of the area, removing Biscuit's hair from his mouth while holding a pair of scissors and ready to start the battle. He might realize how dangerous his opponent is.

But how? Is it because of the hair?

He stroke towards Biscuit but she dodged his attack at the same time, turned him around until he ended up lying on the ground, knocked out.

As I saw the one-sided battle, I started to feel amazed by how Biscuit fights off. After all, she's an experienced Hunter. If I can fight like that, I might protect Gon and Killua someday.

After the fight, all three of us ran towards her.

"Biscuit, that was amazing!" Gon yelled in excitement. I guess he's amazed as I am.

"Bisky is fine. If you would like to, call me Bisky-chama!" She said, but it's more like she's begging us to call her that.

"I can call you Hag." Killua responded and again, got a punch in the face from her. Why he wouldn't get that she is much stronger than him and keep annoying her?

We all started to chat about our purpose in playing the game. Bisky told them about her finding a rare gem in the game called Blue Planet and wanted to take it home with her. Gon begged for Bisky to become our trainer while inside the Greed Island and we will help her in finding the Blue Planet.

Bisky decided to use the stalker whose name was Binolt, to started training us.

We must defeat him before a week will end in order to pass the stage, and he must avoid all of our attacks or else, he will get killed.

As the match started with three is to one, Bisky caught my shoulders before letting me enter the arena.

"You're looking for a person, right?" Bisky asked me and I nodded. I told her my purpose earlier about finding Grenno but it looks like she didn't have any idea who he is.

"Why don't you ask him about that?" She pointed out Binolt, who were just getting ready to battle, "He has this Nen ability that if he will eat someone's hair, he will know anything about it, even the ones you didn't know."

As I heard that, I was triggered, like someone inside me to do something. Wait! Then that means... he will know about my arm and then... I'll know about my arm. That's much faster than looking for someone.

Now I was determined to pass the test. All three of us started to attack him one by one but his scissors are really a threat to us. Killua tried to approach the enemy but then, the scissors wounded him like a sharp blade on the cheek.

At first, I was worried about him, but I know that won't be necessary right now. I must focus on the enemy in front of me. In order to stop this arm, I must be trained well.

Gon started to approach the enemy, but this time, he threw big rocks in his surroundings to keep Binolt busy and couldn't get enough rest.

I followed his example and started throwing out rocks at him while he dodged them. We waited for him to become exhausted until a day was finished.

Gon threw a small rock to keep him alert, but then, Killua went behind him and about to attack him when all of a sudden, Gon stopped Killua in his actions.

"Gon, why did you stop me?" Killua asked.

"We have plenty of time. Let's continue until we're both can take him alone." Gon said. Killua listened to this and smiled warmly to him.

As midnight comes in, we started to rest ourselves for tommorow. We keep a portion of our mind alerted in case Binolt will escape or take a sneak attack on us.

This continued until the week ended and we slowly noticed that our stamina and endurance are getting improved. I became faster than before and can dodge his attacks. At the end of the last day, Binolt became exhausted and started to fall on his knees as the ray of the sunset hit him.

" There's no way I couldn't defeat you three. Kill me now." He said in an hopeless tone. For some reason, I pity him. Who knows what struggle he had undergone before he became a murderer.

"Why? We won't kill you, don't worry." Gon smiled at him, telling everything will be alright. Nobody might notice, but I took a glance of Binolt smiling in relief and thankful for Gon.

I couldn't help but to be happy of how this training ended. Yesterday's enemy is now a friend, as they say. Binolt decided to leave his weapons behind and walked out.

"Binolt, wait!"

I reached out for him before he went off. He stopped to see me as I tried to catch my breath after all the running. He looked at me with a questioning look.

"I want you to eat my hair, and tell me everything that you know!" I told him and tear off a small bunch of my hair and lend it to him.

Binolt was surprised of my sudden command.

"Please. I want to know something."

He accepted my hair and started to eat it. At first, it was gross to eat hair, but then, I realized that his ability was amazing. With that, he will know everything.

After eating it and using his Nen, a hint of shocked, nervoused, and surprised expressions mixed in his face. I was more determined to know what he saw.

"Is there something about my arm?" I asked him, guessing that he probably knows about my cursed arm. The fear on his face became more obvious than before.

"I-I..." he stuttered. "Philene Village. You'll know everything once you go to the Philene Village." That's all that he said to me, not a word about my arm and where it came from.

"But what–"

"You're looking for Grenno, right?" Binolt told me, cutting and ignoring my sentence. He probably doesn't want to talk about it.

"Go to Dorias. You can see him there."

Those were his last words and left without telling me what he knew. Was it that really complex to know about it? I want to know desperately about my arm, but maybe if I know about them in a single blow, my mind wouldn't be able to absorb it. Binolt might be thinking about that.

***

Her heart was stained, but it's still pure. What happened if the stain wrapped around it and took over her? Will she still be the same person... or a monster?