🌩️ The Storm Walks
Kaen stood still as Sirena Vell's words echoed through the crystal-blue atrium of his Mind Palace.
"Something is trying to walk through you."
A tremor rippled through his dream-crafted world.
Even the walls of memory responded—flickering.
Gon, Kurapika, and Melody stood on edge, tense.
Sirena's aura was dense—compact and ancient. Her every movement bent the air around her, as if she were fighting to remain anchored in reality.
"You've seen echoes," she continued.
"But now the real thing stirs. The Calamities know your name."
Kaen stepped forward.
"Then let them come. I'll copy them, too."
Sirena's expression didn't change. But her eyes—silver and grave—narrowed.
"That would be the final mistake of your reign."
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🧬 The Lineage of Cataclysm
Sirena unfolded a scroll—thin as mist but strong as steel.
It floated midair, glowing with runes written in Pre-Kakinian script.
"This is the Calamity Lineage," she said.
"It tracks every living being touched by the Gate of Calamity."
She traced down a long list of names—blurred, foreign, terrifying.
Then stopped.
"Right here. Kaen of Whale Island. Marked as dream-seared."
"What does that mean?" Melody asked quietly.
Sirena's voice hardened.
"It means he was seen by something. A beast beyond comprehension."
"And rather than destroy him… it watched. It nested."
A silence fell. Then Kaen spoke.
"I saw it when I was a kid."
Everyone turned.
"Before Nen, before anything. A shadow in the ocean. I thought it was just a nightmare."
Sirena nodded slowly.
"That nightmare now waits at the edge of the world. It knows you. It wants you to become its vessel."
Kaen clenched his jaw.
"Then I'll face it."
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👑 The First Law of Kingship
Sirena turned and walked through the palace until she reached Kaen's Crownforge Chamber, where the psychic symbol of his Mind Palace's throne glimmered.
She raised her spear and struck the air beside it—revealing a hidden glyph behind the illusion.
"Every true king must learn the First Law," she said.
"It's not about ruling. It's about responsibility."
The glyph pulsed with ancient Nen.
It read:
"The King is the Shield."
"A King does not rise to dominate. He rises to protect."
"When the storm comes, he stands first. When allies fall, he lifts them. When evil laughs, he does not flinch."
Kaen stared at the glyph.
For the first time since unlocking the Mind Palace, he bowed his head.
"I understand."
"No," Sirena said, voice softening.
"You begin to understand."
She tapped his forehead with her spear.
"You will soon be tested. The Calamity Crown will seek to make you its King."
"You must refuse it. Even if it gives you power enough to rival the heavens."
Kaen's eyes blazed gold.
"I won't trade my people for power."
"Then maybe," she said, stepping back into the shadows,
"you truly are worthy of the throne."
She vanished.
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📜 A Letter from Nowhere
Later that night, as Gon and Kaen stood at the ship's deck—wind howling around them—they found a sealed envelope nailed to the railing by a single blade of Nen.
Kaen opened it. The ink was chaotic—blotched, unhinged—but unmistakable.
Ging Freecss.
Kaen—
By now you've probably felt it breathing down your neck. You've touched things you weren't supposed to. That's fine.
That's how we grow.
But I'll be honest with you—what's coming? Even I wouldn't face it unprepared.
If you're still curious about power, come find me. We have work to do.
—Ging
Gon blinked.
"He wrote you? I've never seen him write a letter in my life."
Kaen tucked the note away.
"I think… he's afraid."
"And he wants me to know what he never told you."
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🕷️ Meanwhile: Webs Are Spun
In a forgotten deck below the ship's hull, the Phantom Troupe moved in shadow.
Chrollo watched as Corone stood in a ritual circle, surrounded by sigils of reversed memory.
"You're sure this will reach him?" he asked.
"Not him," she replied.
"His subconscious."
From her fingers, she drew forth a memory orb—a false one—crafted from Kaen's own forgotten dreams, twisted and inverted.
"I'm planting a dream in his Palace," Corone whispered.
"A crown that does not obey him. A throne that wants more than loyalty."
Hisoka, half watching, grinned from a shadow.
"Ooooh~ a King with cursed dreams? This show's getting better by the second."
"Let's see how he dances… when his own Palace betrays him."
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🌪️ Coming Next: Chapter 63 – The Dream-Eater and the Crown of Thorns