The Hunter's Fantasia: A Never-ending Tale
By Kumatenshi
VOLUME II: THE BOOK OF TRAGEDIES ** Chapter II --- The Three Camellias**
"What do you think, Leorio?" Kurapika asked as he watched the to-be-doctor gathered his courage to approach the bodies of the soldiers. Leorio put on his gloves. His hands were still shaking but his sense of duty as a doctor forced him to complete the examination.
"No matter how you look at it, this cannot be the work of a human murderer," Leorio explained as he and Kurapika exit room 1003 to join the others in the lobby. "From the wounds at the joints, it seemed their limbs were torn off rather than cut off. It looked as if they were attacked by a huge monster and became its dinner. Two things though bothered me. First, the door was locked and bolted and the windows were carefully fastened from inside. There was no way a human could enter or leave, save a large beast that was strong enough to tear two strong, heavy soldiers apart."
"Unless the beast could pick locks and open bolted doors, like someone I know," Kurapika said satirically. Leorio lowered his head in embarrassment. He had just given away his secret abilities. To divert attention, Leorio quickly pointed out the second suspicious point --- the smell. "From the volume of blood shed, there is no way you can hide the terrible smell, not even if you pour tanks of perfumes but I did not smell a thing other than camellia".
"Camellia," Kurapika murmured to himself and sank into his thoughts. Leorio tried to engage Kurapika in further conversation but the latter simply ignored him. By now, the two had arrived at the lobby. When Zumi saw Kurapika, she wanted to talk to him but Leorio stopped her. "His old habit, once he entered into full mode thinking, he would not care if the world around him collapsed. I recommend you to leave him for the moment, would you care for a drink?" Zumi looked at Kurapika and called his name. Just as Leorio said, his mind seemed to have wandered off. There was no response. Zumi reluctantly turned and followed Leorio to the empty bar. There was no sign of the innkeeper, Saipher or Wyne. Leorio helped himself to a bottle of whiskey. He poured a small glass for Zumi and another glass for himself.
"It was lucky you did not see those bodies". Leorio said as he poured the whiskey down his throat. "They were awful, really awful". Zumi nodded as she stared at the glass of whiskey in front of her. She was still thinking about the creature with dark wings that attacked her earlier. Could it be responsible for the murder of the soldiers? Why could Kurapika so easily defeat a horrible creature like that? More important of all, why did Kurapika have the same red eyes as that creature? She wanted to ask Kurapika but this did not seem the right time. She took up the glass of whiskey and poured it down her throat, just like Leorio. "Could I have another glass please?" she asked. Leorio was taken aback as he refilled Zumi's glass. To himself, he could not help thinking, "Women certainly are sophisticated creatures!"
* * *
Killua went to the bathroom on the ground floor to wash his face. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get rid of what he just saw in room 1003 from his head. He had heard stories of gruesome murders before but the sight of those soldiers' corpses was something he could never have imagined. If whoever that killed those soldiers were behind the curse of eternal winter, could it mean he would have to battle such a monster to save Dentora? Could the fate of the whole country be rested in his hands? And if he failed, would that be the end of Dentora? Killua stared at his reflection in the mirror. It was the face of a lost and puzzled boy. A small object at the bottom corner of the reflection caught his eyes. He turned and saw a small camellia sitting at the window sill. "What is a camellia doing in such a place?" He went over to pick up the flower. At that instance, a strange feeling ran through his body. He suddenly felt very tired, and closed his eyes.
"If the future of Dentora were left in the hands of that coward, I am pretty sure it will never see spring again!" Killua moaned as he splashed water on his face. He then looked up at the mirror on the wall. The mirror itself did not change, but the face in the mirror did. The face that was filled with uncertainties was gone. In its place was a face screaming with confidence. "How pathetic, to see my body being controlled by a weakling all these years, who only knew how to run away. Yeah, weakling, sleep all you want! Curse you, Illumi, and that nasty Dr. Castor for sealing me away like this. Now that I, the real Killua-sama had awakened, it's payback time!" Killua smiled as he made his way to the door.
* * *
Guided by the bright light from the red moon overlooking the deserted land of Platora, Hisoka entered a secluded cave in the west. He removed a rock and placed his hand on a metallic plate. A systemic voice said, "Identity confirmed, Mr. Hisoka, welcome to the Camellia club". The wall suddenly vanished and Hisoka entered. He closed his eyes as he always did when traveling in the elevator to the lowest level because he did not want to see the leftovers of the once spectacular center of entertainment where he collected so many splendid memories. Did he make a wrong decision to cling onto life when he should have just died and rest in peace as the majority of his friends? Even after a hundred years, Hisoka could not tell but that did not matter anymore. Now that he had obtained eternal youth and immense power, he had no choice but to continue living until every creature in Platora and Dentora would be destroyed, just as he planned a century ago. The elevator stopped and the door opened to reveal a large hall completely sealed with ice. Here, nothing changed. The wine glasses remained half- filled, the crowded tables never became empty, and the jolly dancers continued smiling. The only difference was that time had stopped and every sign of motion and life had vanished. Except for Hisoka, nothing moved and nothing could move again. Swiftly, he passed through the grand hall into a small hallway. He went straight to the end and ascended a small flight of stairs that led to another room. Unlike the rest of the rooms, the entrance of this room indicated recent signs of activity. Again, he put his hand on a metallic plate and the wall vanished. He stepped into a dark but spacious room. He stared straight ahead, at the center of the room where a massive blue crystal stood. Inside the crystal was the body of a beautiful young girl, with light purple hair. She was wearing a white silk kimono with colorful butterfly patterns and smiling very peacefully. In her hand was a small camellia. Hisoka leaned his body against the crystal. It was very cold but he felt an inexplicable heat flowing down his veins into his heart. "You know, today is just great, that horrified expression on the face of Jin's son, it was so hilarious. Soon, he would follow the footsteps of his father and be banished from this world! So, wait just a little longer and my vengeance against those people who snatch you away from me would be complete. Then, I would come to join you and we will never be separated again".
* * *
"Is there still no news of Killua?" King Shiruba growled like a wild hound and smashed his wine glass against the wall. Weeks had now passed but there was still no sign of Killua. Thousands of people had reported seeing Prince Killua here and there but none of the story generated any concrete clues as to the whereabouts of the prince. Prince Illumi hid his smile as he sipped his glass of wine. For a man, he looked too beautiful, with flawless, white skin and long, straight hair that would rival any black pearl in color. For a woman, he was too cold, too emotionless. If he resembled anything at all, it would be a faceless demon that deceived humans by wearing masks. At the moment, he was wearing his mask of sorrow as he told the king how sorry he was that the royal guards had not yet found Killua and repeated his wish that Killua be found as soon as possible. In reality, of course, it was a delight to hear Killua had disappeared and it would double his pleasure if he could get rid of Killua permanently to secure his throne as ruler of all Dentora.
When Illumi returned to his tower in the East, his secretary, Kara, told him that his younger sister was waiting for him in the study. By the time he arrived, Karuto was already comfortably seated in the couch with a cup of tea in her hand. When she saw her eldest brother, she carefully rested the cup on the shiny silver tray, rose, and gave her brother a polite smile. Princess Karuto inherited the elegance and beauty of her mother. She had straight black hair that casually wrapped around her small, white face. Her eyes were dark and deep, reflecting levels of experience and intelligence far higher than her childlike appearance would suggest. Her personal bodyguard, Mike, also bowed deeply upon seeing prince Illumi. Unlike Karuto, Mike had curly, explosive hair, darker complexion, and less poise. She was dressed in a male guard uniform and had a face that spelled "loyalty".
Illumi sat in his huge chair and giggled maliciously, "Has my precious little sister become so afraid of me that she dares not be alone with me?"
Karuto smiled again, "Of course not, my dear brother, I just felt bored waiting alone so I asked Mike to keep me company in the meantime. Mike, you can leave now." Mike bowed again and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her while hiding the tears she had withheld for so long.
"So, have you decided?" Illumi eyed Karuto through his glass of wine. "Yes, I have. I shall grant you my power on one condition - that is under no circumstance can you kill or injure Killua. If you break the promise, I'll withdraw my power immediately." Karuto said with a small but authoritative voice. By now, Illumi had left his favorite chair and approached his tiny but strong-willed sister. He lowered his body to level his face with hers and gently grasped her cheek with his fingers. "If you do that, you will die," he said in his usual toneless voice. "I will, but you will too". She replied, without a sense of fear in her eyes. "Deal," Illumi said as he kissed Karuto on the lips to unleash her special power. Her soul departed from her body and entered into the silver pendant Illumi was wearing. Illumi then summon Mike and handed her Karuto's lifeless body. "I am afraid Princess Karuto is not feeling well. Could you please bring her back to her room? I shall send Dr. Castor over to her soon." Illumi said with an evil smile on his face. "Yes, Prince Illumi," Mike took over the body of Karuto and departed. Back at the tower of the North, she rested the princess' body on her bed and placed a camellia, Karuto's favorite flower, in her hand. She then threw her last glance at the painting on the wall - the paining of a smiling Prince Killua, Princess Karuto, and herself. She wondered if those happy days, though terribly brief, would ever return.
To be continued
VOLUME II: THE BOOK OF TRAGEDIES ** Chapter II --- The Three Camellias**
"What do you think, Leorio?" Kurapika asked as he watched the to-be-doctor gathered his courage to approach the bodies of the soldiers. Leorio put on his gloves. His hands were still shaking but his sense of duty as a doctor forced him to complete the examination.
"No matter how you look at it, this cannot be the work of a human murderer," Leorio explained as he and Kurapika exit room 1003 to join the others in the lobby. "From the wounds at the joints, it seemed their limbs were torn off rather than cut off. It looked as if they were attacked by a huge monster and became its dinner. Two things though bothered me. First, the door was locked and bolted and the windows were carefully fastened from inside. There was no way a human could enter or leave, save a large beast that was strong enough to tear two strong, heavy soldiers apart."
"Unless the beast could pick locks and open bolted doors, like someone I know," Kurapika said satirically. Leorio lowered his head in embarrassment. He had just given away his secret abilities. To divert attention, Leorio quickly pointed out the second suspicious point --- the smell. "From the volume of blood shed, there is no way you can hide the terrible smell, not even if you pour tanks of perfumes but I did not smell a thing other than camellia".
"Camellia," Kurapika murmured to himself and sank into his thoughts. Leorio tried to engage Kurapika in further conversation but the latter simply ignored him. By now, the two had arrived at the lobby. When Zumi saw Kurapika, she wanted to talk to him but Leorio stopped her. "His old habit, once he entered into full mode thinking, he would not care if the world around him collapsed. I recommend you to leave him for the moment, would you care for a drink?" Zumi looked at Kurapika and called his name. Just as Leorio said, his mind seemed to have wandered off. There was no response. Zumi reluctantly turned and followed Leorio to the empty bar. There was no sign of the innkeeper, Saipher or Wyne. Leorio helped himself to a bottle of whiskey. He poured a small glass for Zumi and another glass for himself.
"It was lucky you did not see those bodies". Leorio said as he poured the whiskey down his throat. "They were awful, really awful". Zumi nodded as she stared at the glass of whiskey in front of her. She was still thinking about the creature with dark wings that attacked her earlier. Could it be responsible for the murder of the soldiers? Why could Kurapika so easily defeat a horrible creature like that? More important of all, why did Kurapika have the same red eyes as that creature? She wanted to ask Kurapika but this did not seem the right time. She took up the glass of whiskey and poured it down her throat, just like Leorio. "Could I have another glass please?" she asked. Leorio was taken aback as he refilled Zumi's glass. To himself, he could not help thinking, "Women certainly are sophisticated creatures!"
* * *
Killua went to the bathroom on the ground floor to wash his face. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get rid of what he just saw in room 1003 from his head. He had heard stories of gruesome murders before but the sight of those soldiers' corpses was something he could never have imagined. If whoever that killed those soldiers were behind the curse of eternal winter, could it mean he would have to battle such a monster to save Dentora? Could the fate of the whole country be rested in his hands? And if he failed, would that be the end of Dentora? Killua stared at his reflection in the mirror. It was the face of a lost and puzzled boy. A small object at the bottom corner of the reflection caught his eyes. He turned and saw a small camellia sitting at the window sill. "What is a camellia doing in such a place?" He went over to pick up the flower. At that instance, a strange feeling ran through his body. He suddenly felt very tired, and closed his eyes.
"If the future of Dentora were left in the hands of that coward, I am pretty sure it will never see spring again!" Killua moaned as he splashed water on his face. He then looked up at the mirror on the wall. The mirror itself did not change, but the face in the mirror did. The face that was filled with uncertainties was gone. In its place was a face screaming with confidence. "How pathetic, to see my body being controlled by a weakling all these years, who only knew how to run away. Yeah, weakling, sleep all you want! Curse you, Illumi, and that nasty Dr. Castor for sealing me away like this. Now that I, the real Killua-sama had awakened, it's payback time!" Killua smiled as he made his way to the door.
* * *
Guided by the bright light from the red moon overlooking the deserted land of Platora, Hisoka entered a secluded cave in the west. He removed a rock and placed his hand on a metallic plate. A systemic voice said, "Identity confirmed, Mr. Hisoka, welcome to the Camellia club". The wall suddenly vanished and Hisoka entered. He closed his eyes as he always did when traveling in the elevator to the lowest level because he did not want to see the leftovers of the once spectacular center of entertainment where he collected so many splendid memories. Did he make a wrong decision to cling onto life when he should have just died and rest in peace as the majority of his friends? Even after a hundred years, Hisoka could not tell but that did not matter anymore. Now that he had obtained eternal youth and immense power, he had no choice but to continue living until every creature in Platora and Dentora would be destroyed, just as he planned a century ago. The elevator stopped and the door opened to reveal a large hall completely sealed with ice. Here, nothing changed. The wine glasses remained half- filled, the crowded tables never became empty, and the jolly dancers continued smiling. The only difference was that time had stopped and every sign of motion and life had vanished. Except for Hisoka, nothing moved and nothing could move again. Swiftly, he passed through the grand hall into a small hallway. He went straight to the end and ascended a small flight of stairs that led to another room. Unlike the rest of the rooms, the entrance of this room indicated recent signs of activity. Again, he put his hand on a metallic plate and the wall vanished. He stepped into a dark but spacious room. He stared straight ahead, at the center of the room where a massive blue crystal stood. Inside the crystal was the body of a beautiful young girl, with light purple hair. She was wearing a white silk kimono with colorful butterfly patterns and smiling very peacefully. In her hand was a small camellia. Hisoka leaned his body against the crystal. It was very cold but he felt an inexplicable heat flowing down his veins into his heart. "You know, today is just great, that horrified expression on the face of Jin's son, it was so hilarious. Soon, he would follow the footsteps of his father and be banished from this world! So, wait just a little longer and my vengeance against those people who snatch you away from me would be complete. Then, I would come to join you and we will never be separated again".
* * *
"Is there still no news of Killua?" King Shiruba growled like a wild hound and smashed his wine glass against the wall. Weeks had now passed but there was still no sign of Killua. Thousands of people had reported seeing Prince Killua here and there but none of the story generated any concrete clues as to the whereabouts of the prince. Prince Illumi hid his smile as he sipped his glass of wine. For a man, he looked too beautiful, with flawless, white skin and long, straight hair that would rival any black pearl in color. For a woman, he was too cold, too emotionless. If he resembled anything at all, it would be a faceless demon that deceived humans by wearing masks. At the moment, he was wearing his mask of sorrow as he told the king how sorry he was that the royal guards had not yet found Killua and repeated his wish that Killua be found as soon as possible. In reality, of course, it was a delight to hear Killua had disappeared and it would double his pleasure if he could get rid of Killua permanently to secure his throne as ruler of all Dentora.
When Illumi returned to his tower in the East, his secretary, Kara, told him that his younger sister was waiting for him in the study. By the time he arrived, Karuto was already comfortably seated in the couch with a cup of tea in her hand. When she saw her eldest brother, she carefully rested the cup on the shiny silver tray, rose, and gave her brother a polite smile. Princess Karuto inherited the elegance and beauty of her mother. She had straight black hair that casually wrapped around her small, white face. Her eyes were dark and deep, reflecting levels of experience and intelligence far higher than her childlike appearance would suggest. Her personal bodyguard, Mike, also bowed deeply upon seeing prince Illumi. Unlike Karuto, Mike had curly, explosive hair, darker complexion, and less poise. She was dressed in a male guard uniform and had a face that spelled "loyalty".
Illumi sat in his huge chair and giggled maliciously, "Has my precious little sister become so afraid of me that she dares not be alone with me?"
Karuto smiled again, "Of course not, my dear brother, I just felt bored waiting alone so I asked Mike to keep me company in the meantime. Mike, you can leave now." Mike bowed again and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her while hiding the tears she had withheld for so long.
"So, have you decided?" Illumi eyed Karuto through his glass of wine. "Yes, I have. I shall grant you my power on one condition - that is under no circumstance can you kill or injure Killua. If you break the promise, I'll withdraw my power immediately." Karuto said with a small but authoritative voice. By now, Illumi had left his favorite chair and approached his tiny but strong-willed sister. He lowered his body to level his face with hers and gently grasped her cheek with his fingers. "If you do that, you will die," he said in his usual toneless voice. "I will, but you will too". She replied, without a sense of fear in her eyes. "Deal," Illumi said as he kissed Karuto on the lips to unleash her special power. Her soul departed from her body and entered into the silver pendant Illumi was wearing. Illumi then summon Mike and handed her Karuto's lifeless body. "I am afraid Princess Karuto is not feeling well. Could you please bring her back to her room? I shall send Dr. Castor over to her soon." Illumi said with an evil smile on his face. "Yes, Prince Illumi," Mike took over the body of Karuto and departed. Back at the tower of the North, she rested the princess' body on her bed and placed a camellia, Karuto's favorite flower, in her hand. She then threw her last glance at the painting on the wall - the paining of a smiling Prince Killua, Princess Karuto, and herself. She wondered if those happy days, though terribly brief, would ever return.
To be continued
