Chapter 83: Transparent World X Eye of Revelation
A cup of hot tea warmed him against the chill.
Tanjuro set down his cup and began preparations to honor the Fire God. The children were left to their play; dressing in the ceremonial robes was a task for the eldest son, Roy. Tanjuro had already laid out the ritual garments on a soft cushion nearby. He hadn't put them on yet because he had been waiting for someone. Thankfully, his wait was over.
Wide sleeves, a twisted sacred rope (shimenawa) around his waist, and the fire-character mask concealing his face. Tanjuro, leaning on Roy for support, rose, descended the steps, and stood ready in the courtyard.
Roy leaned against a pillar, watching quietly.
The man took a deep breath, began the 'Dance', and moved with fluid grace.
His mother, Kie, came over just then, carrying a plate of tempura. The freshly fried shrimp emitted an irresistible aroma. The children, tired from playing, swarmed around, only to be shooed away by Kie with a gentle slap for each. "Let your big brother eat first!"
No one dared to cross their mother. Takeo and Shigeru reluctantly withdrew their hands, staring hopefully at Roy.
Roy smiled, took one piece symbolically, and put it in his mouth, his eyes still fixed on Tanjuro's dance. Around him buzzed the sounds of "Slow down, don't grab!" and "Leave some for your brother!"
Once, twice... Tanjuro danced, lost in the moment, like a flickering fire spirit. With a flourish of his sleeves, he scattered a drift of snow. Gradually, Roy narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't right... why did his father's movements possess even more rhythm than his own?
"Nisan, do you want more?" Tanjiro, chewing on half a shrimp, had managed to wrestle two more pieces away from Takeo and Shigeru and offered them over. But Roy didn't seem to notice, his gaze fixed intently on Tanjuro. He coated his eyes with Nen, his mind racing, until a single term surfaced: 'Transparent World'!
The highest state of being is to live with transparency. Unperturbed by worldly matters, wholly immersed in oneself, truly achieving a state of no-self, no-other, no-thought. Only then can one use the 'self' as the center point, amplifying perception, keenly grasping everything in the surroundings, and making the most rational reactions and judgments. For instance... slowing down an opponent's movements, perceiving their attack lines, seeing through to the weaknesses in their strikes.
In summary... there's nothing new under the sun, Roy murmured softly.
Tanjiro: "Nisan... what are you saying?"
"I said, there's nothing new under the sun."
[Notification: Hatsu: "Eye of Revelation" has been loaded (Note: Based on the contemplation of Ren "Sun", Host can see through falsehood and anticipate enemy movements for 0.1 seconds)]
Fwoosh~ Two bright divine flames ignited in Roy's pupils. Tanjiro's hand, offering the shrimp, froze. Meeting Nisan's gaze, he felt a sudden chill, as if his entire being had been seen through. Startled, he instinctively pulled his hand back, but Roy, anticipating the movement, grabbed it, plucked a piece of tempura, and popped it into his mouth.
Tanjiro blinked, rubbing his eyes. Did... did Nisan's eyes just glow?
Chew... chew...
After swallowing the tempura, Roy's gaze swept around before settling back on Tanjuro. Without turning his head, he said, "Nezuko, don't let Hanako suck her fingers."
In a corner by the hearth, Nezuko, who was cuddling Hanako, looked over doubtfully. Her little sister was clearly playing with the new bamboo dragonfly Nisan had bought; she wasn't sucking her fingers. But... the next instant, Hanako's little hand slipped off the dragonfly's tail and expertly popped into her mouth.
Nezuko: "..." She turned to look at Roy.
Big Brother Eiichiro sat quietly with his back to her. The "sun" in his eyes fwoosh-ed out, having lasted only 0.1 seconds.
Immediately after, Roy felt the world fade into lines before snapping back to normal.
Hatsu... the natural consequence of directing Ren. Like "Bungee Gum" and "Texture Surprise" for Hisoka, "Control" and "Possession" for Illumi, "Theft" and "Collection" for Chrollo, "Heart" and "Enlightenment" for Netero.
What am 'I'?
"I am the 'Sun'. I can patrol the heavens in place of the gods, dispelling darkness. I can also shine with infinite light, illuminating the world." Yoriichi Tsugikuni, you must have thought the same thing back then.
"Hinokami Kagura—Flame Dance!"
In the snowstorm, Tanjuro finished the last movement, coming to a stop barefooted. The wind lifted a corner of his fire-character mask. On the porch, Roy watched intently. In a hazy vision, it seemed he saw another person.
He had deep crimson hair, a flame-like mark on his temple. Gazing across the divide of life and death, his figure overlapped with his father's. He gave Roy a gentle smile.
"Eiichiro, help me remove the robes."
"Yes."
Roy snapped back to reality. His father had sat down beside him, revealing the knotted cord at his back. He stepped forward and untied the knot, simultaneously untangling a knot of fog in his own mind, glimpsing more of the sunlight beyond.
This is a perfect New Year's Eve, he thought.
That night, he ate the New Year's Eve dinner with his family, chatted idly, and then carried Takeo and Shigeru, one in each arm, leading Tanjiro back to the already warmed Kang bed in the west room, where they lay down together.
Unlike the towns, you couldn't hear fireworks out here in the mountains.
In the deep silence... Takeo and Shigeru, exhausted from playing all day, fell fast asleep. Tanjiro lay beside Roy, his eyes fluttering open and shut, seemingly still caught up in the festive joy, too excited to sleep.
"Hey, Nisan, are you asleep?" Tanjiro rolled over to face Roy. Big brother hasn't been gone that long, but he's so tall now... No, wait, he's grown a lot taller. Head to toe, he was now a full head taller than Tanjiro. Before he left, he'd only been half a head taller. The boy secretly compared himself and pouted in frustration.
Roy kept his eyes closed. "Asleep."
Tanjiro: "..." Never mind. He continued anyway, "Nisan, when are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow."
"Mm... huh? Tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Why so soon?" You haven't even warmed the bed properly.
"Because time is short." Roy calculated mentally. It was still two years until the youngest child, Rokuta, was born. And that was precisely when Muzan would appear and slaughter the Kamado family. Roy wasn't one to procrastinate. From the first day he became the eldest son of this family, he had resolved to eliminate that trash Muzan under the sun ahead of schedule, to make him understand the meaning of the 'Merciless Sun'!
Tanjiro fell silent. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask... Is it because of the demons? But seeing that Nisan didn't seem willing to say more, he gave up and pulled the blanket over his head.
The night deepened. The sound of rhythmic breathing echoed through the snowy night. My foolish, dear little brother fell asleep moments later.
Undisturbed now, Roy slipped out from under the covers, threw on a robe, and opened the door.
On the porch outside, a man sat by the hearth, warming a pot of tea. He quietly watched his increasingly tall eldest son and said, astonishingly, "Eiichiro, congratulations on awakening the Transparent World."
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