The light was real.
After what felt like centuries of darkness, hallucinations, tests, and beasts built from forgotten dreams—Kaen stepped into daylight.
A breeze hit him.
The scent of grilled meat. Sweat. Dust.
And laughter.
He blinked.
He was standing in the center of Heaven Arena.
The arena… had changed.
Now it was a sprawling festival ground. The crowd was full of Hunters—licensed, rogue, elite. Banners flew with the Zodiacs' symbols. Drones hovered. Nen displays sparkled in the air like fireworks.
Kaen turned behind him.
Kurapika. Killua. Kite.
All of them… looked different. Older. Worn.
And waiting for him was a familiar voice—
"Yo."
Kaen froze.
He looked up.
Gon Freecss stood before him.
Hands in pockets. Nen pulsing calmly around him like sunlight through leaves.
⸻
The Hunter Festival – Kaen Reenters the World
Gon grinned.
"Been a while."
Kaen was stunned. Gon had changed too—but his aura was sharp, no longer wild. It was… balanced. He had mastered something.
"Where—what year is it?"
Gon laughed.
"Not that long. Time flows weird in the Labyrinth. You were gone three months. But your reentry just ripped open some crazy Nen signals."
"Now every top-level Hunter wants to know: who the hell is Kaen of the Mind Palace?"
Leorio jogged up, waving like a maniac.
"You scared the Zodiacs into a full-blown emergency meeting!"
"Pariston wants you classified. Ging wants you studied. And Cheadle…"
"She wants to know if you're real."
Kaen exhaled slowly.
"I'm real."
"And I want to become a Hunter."
The entire festival ground froze.
A voice crackled through the loudspeakers.
"Then come prove it."
"We're re-opening the Hunter Exam."
"And you're all invited."
⸻
Zodiac Protocol: Emergency Hunter Reformation
Deep in the Hunter Association HQ, the Zodiacs convened.
Cheadle paced furiously, data scrolling across dozens of screens.
"Kaen has emerged with abilities the Association doesn't even have names for.
He merged with the Crafter's system.
He carries psychic blueprints of centuries of failed Nen experiments."
Ging Freecss leaned back in his chair, feet on the table.
"I say let the kid roll."
"The world's evolving. He's just ahead of it."
Pariston smirked.
"Or he's building it."
"Which makes him a threat."
"Either we recruit him…"
"Or erase him."
⸻
Ging's Proposal: The New Hunter Trial
Ging stood.
"Forget normal Exams."
"Let's invite every Nen genius, prodigy, rogue hunter, clan heir—every wildcard we can."
"Let them all fight, test, evolve."
"And let Kaen walk among them."
Cheadle clenched her fist.
"This isn't a game."
"We're dealing with someone who can copy and reshape Nen in real time."
Ging grinned.
"Exactly."
"Let's see what happens when the world meets him."
⸻
Kaen's Decision
That night, Kaen stood alone on a rooftop overlooking Heaven Arena. His Mind Palace flickered faintly in the sky behind him, invisible to most, but pulsing with unspent thought.
Killua joined him, quiet.
"You realize they're gonna test you like hell."
Kaen nodded.
"Good."
"I want to test them too."
"I'm not just going to become a Hunter…"
"I'm going to make the Hunter System itself evolve."
Killua smiled faintly.
"Then let's hope they're ready for the Palace Generation."
⸻
ANNOUNCEMENT: THE RECLAMATION EXAM
For the first time in history, the Hunter Association will hold a Reclamation Exam—an open, invite-only Hunter Trial that doubles as a reformation of the Association itself.
A chance to reimagine what it means to be a Hunter.
Kaen is the lightning rod.
And every faction—Zodiacs, Royal Guards, Meteor City, Shadow Families, even remnants of Gyro's movement—
Are watching.
⸻
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 27 – Blood & Belief: The Reclamation Begins