"There is a death in the family."
This brief statement from Illumi sent Milluki and Killua, who were on Greed Island, into immediate action, returning to Kukuroo Mountain.
Neither of them asked further questions, both assuming the deceased was their great-grandfather, Maha Zoldyck, their grandfather's grandfather. Maha was so old that his age was indiscernible, his hair and teeth all gone. He rarely interacted with his family, preferring quiet, much like an aging cat.
The passing of a centenarian was a "joyous funeral."
When they saw Maha standing perfectly well before them, they thought they were seeing ghosts.
It turned out the deceased was Alluka Zoldyck, their sister.
The cause of death was suicide.
The Zoldycks all knew Alluka had always been mentally unstable. Specifically, she had been so since birth. She exhibited self-harming behavior at a very young age (Chapter 5), so her committing suicide was perhaps not unusual.
Was it?
Was it really?
When Illumi, who was working abroad, received the family's contact, he was certain she had not committed suicide. At the very least, the "pre-nuptial contract" did not define Alluka's death as "suicide," and the subtle connection established by the contract between them had completely severed.
That's right; this cause of death was merely a deception for those who needed to be deceived.
The Zoldyck elders did not exclude Illumi, just as he was the sole member of the younger generation privy to the miniaturized bomb implanted in Alluka's heart as an "insurance measure" (Chapter 142). After all, he was the eldest son capable of handling Zoldyck affairs.
According to Silva's words at the time, the condition for activating the "insurance measure" was "if Alluka no longer belonged to the Zoldycks." Therefore... Alluka died in a successful assassination, an assassination that Alluka herself did not anticipate and could not escape.
The assassin was Kikyo. From subtle clues, she sensed Alluka's desire to permanently leave the Zoldycks. She used words to stall for time and seized the opportunity to activate the "insurance measure." Otherwise, things might have become somewhat troublesome.
To ensure the highest degree of stability and safety, the operational range of the "insurance measure" was extremely limited; it could not be activated beyond five meters. This meant that, in reality, the "insurance measure" was not a very strong restraint. If Kikyo had not noticed Alluka's intentions, she could have very well succeeded in reaching nGL, finding the Chimera Ant Queen, and being reborn as an ant, embarking on a new "ant life."
Alas, there are no "ifs."
After Alluka went mad, she spent so little time at home that whenever she was home, Kikyo paid her the utmost attention, making it difficult not to notice any suspicious signs. Moreover, Alluka herself was too grateful. Since childhood, she had vowed to repay the Zoldycks for raising her (Chapter 18). Before leaving the Zoldycks, she would definitely perform a farewell ritual.
"Personality determines destiny; details determine success or failure" is perhaps how it goes.
Although the Zoldycks did not know Alluka's plans after leaving them, based on their understanding of her, they believed Alluka would become a train without brakes, wreaking havoc on order. Alluka killed with almost no scruples. She even once turned an entire city into her playground (Chapter 203).
Order, yes. The Zoldycks cared about order. The Zoldycks were evil but lawful. The Zoldycks adhered to the order of being professional assassins, not indiscriminately killing innocents, focusing only on completing missions. The powerful Zoldycks were the sharpest blades in the world, sharp enough yet not easily harming others, sought after by the elite. Where there is demand, there is a market; where there is a market, there is profit; where there is profit, there is prospect for development. The Zoldycks were able to operate openly and prosper.
Alluka cared little for order but possessed power beyond the ordinary. Once she deviated from the path defined by the Zoldycks, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Knowing that she was mentally unstable, the Zoldycks did not choose to let her become useless but instead chose to nurture her, molding her into the monster she had become, and thus had to bear the responsibility of supervision.
If Alluka no longer belonged to the Zoldycks, she could only be killed or imprisoned.
Imprisoning her and performing brain surgery on her was something the Zoldycks had already tried. That process was not unlike a slow murder.
Considering Alluka's desire for death, it would be kinder to give her a quick end and grant her complete freedom.
They would also, according to Alluka's wishes before her death, not bury her in the family cemetery but cremate her body and scatter the ashes at sea (Chapter 187).
Alluka's body had no external injuries and did not require special makeup. Basic preservation treatment could be performed directly. By the time all family members returned from their travels, she would still appear lifelike.
Illumi looked at Alluka's body. One part of the preservation treatment was to drain all of Alluka's blood and replace it with preservative agents. At this moment, Alluka lay on the bed, covered by a white sheet from the neck down. Her silver-white hair was spread out, her face seemed paler than the sheet, and her lips were also pure white, resembling a plaster statue with closed eyes.
"..." Illumi inexplicably reached out his hand.
"Illumi," Silva stopped him.
So Illumi went to look at Alluka's gravestone. The epitaph had already been engraved:
【Amorsormors】
Alluka was not interested in the epitaph. Who decided on the epitaph? In any case, it was not Illumi.
Illumi then went to the crematorium, which was being cleaned to ensure that Alluka's ashes were entirely her own.
Kikyo was busy preparing the attire for Alluka's funeral. All affairs proceeded in an orderly fashion, with no involvement from Illumi. The only task for Illumi was to summon his younger brothers from Greed Island to attend the funeral.
Players who leave Greed Island return to the location of the game console they used to log in, or they can choose another city provided by the game system. Both options were a bit distant, so Killua returned to Kukuroo Mountain three days after Milluki.
By then, the funeral preparations were complete. Killua saw Alluka lying in the coffin, hands folded over her abdomen, dressed in a black wedding dress adorned with red Blood-Sucker Butterflies, the same color as Alluka's lips. Kikyo had applied blush and lipstick to Alluka, making her appear as if she were alive, as if in a dream.
The Zoldyck funeral ceremonies were always kept simple. The Zoldycks, in order of age, offered pure white flowers, observed three minutes of silence, and then proceeded to cremation.
"..." As Killua placed the flower by Alluka's temple, he unexpectedly reached out and wiped off the lipstick from her lips with his thumb.
"Little Kill!" Kikyo shrieked, as if her tail had been set ablaze.
"Sister never wore lipstick," Killua mumbled.
Illumi simply looked at Alluka's lips. The smudged lipstick color was as vibrant as freshly spilled blood, prompting Illumi to imagine.
The funeral was forcibly halted, not only because the deceased, Alluka, needed a touch-up, but also because of what Killua said when all the Zoldycks were present.
"I don't believe sister committed suicide."
This was also what Milluki thought, as Alluka had seemed to be in good spirits before her death. However, Milluki would not have actually asked, as the dead cannot be brought back to life, and no amount of questioning would be useful. It was clearly the family's decision.
Only the rebellious Killua would disregard everything and choose to speak the inappropriate words.
Killua's question involved a family decision, so the current head of the family, Silva, was responsible for answering him. "Do you truly know her?"
In the background, Kikyo was having a hysterical outburst, yelling at everyone to get out.
Thus, everyone temporarily left the funeral site. Kikyo's screams gradually subsided, and the chill in the autumn air settled in again. Milluki couldn't help but shiver.
"...Dad," Killua prompted Silva to continue.
"Alluka was already 13 years old when you were born."
"Aren't you also 12 years older than me?"
"Illumi has always taught you that you understand each other," Silva said as they walked. "Do you truly understand Alluka? Beyond the fact that she is your family and she doted on you?"
"..." Killua glanced at Illumi, finding that the latter was already staring at him. Feeling unlucky, Killua quickly averted his gaze and said, "There must be some evidence, right?"
"Of course," Silva said without stopping. "I just hope Alluka won't mind. You've never been to her room, have you?"
"...Mm," Killua only now realized this.
They walked to the door of Alluka's room. Silva knocked and said, "Alluka, excuse us for a moment," then opened the door.
The overwhelming scent of banknotes rushed out. Piles of banknotes seemed to have been used as bricks to build walls, reaching all the way to the ceiling. The original state of the room was unknown; in any case, all that remained before them was a narrow, winding passage.
Milluki, who instantly recalled Alluka's flood of text messages, turned pale and instinctively held his breath.
"Everything inside has been kept as it was," Silva said to Killua. "Go in and take a look. It should be fine, after all, she doted on you."
Killua nodded and cautiously stepped inside, navigating through the corridor built of banknotes.
The stacks of money inevitably accumulated dust. Killua suppressed the urge to sneeze, slowing his breathing to the utmost.
After turning two corners, they reached a table. Most conspicuous on it was a large bouquet of bluish-purple flowers, now withered.
Killua didn't recognize the type of flower and shifted his focus to other items on the table.
A whistle necklace, a dagger, and at the bottom, a notebook.
Opening the notebook, there were no special messages, only simple records of... culinary impressions during travels? The handwriting was all old, with no recent entries.
Returning the items to their original places, Killua looked around, but found nothing new.
...This was the end.
He completely did not understand.
Killua walked out of Alluka's room, confusion in his eyes, and looked up at Silva.
"Alluka made thorough preparations before she left. Those are the things she left for us," Silva explained. "The flowers and the necklace are for your mother. The dagger is for me. The notebook is for your grandfather. She returned everything to us, and made up for any deficiencies with cash."
...And the Greed Island game console.
Killua had met Milluki in the game and knew that Milluki's game console was a gift from Alluka.
Illumi also used that game console to log in and notify Killua and Milluki to return home for the funeral.
"Is that all?" Killua persisted.
"Nothing else," Silva closed the door. "I don't think she would have liked her private space to be casually visited. Besides that, the funeral strictly followed her personal wishes. She didn't want to be buried here; she wanted a sea burial. Any other questions?"
"Why? Why did she commit suicide?"
"I don't understand her."
"..." Killua froze for a moment. "Huh?"
"I don't understand her," Silva said more firmly on the second utterance. "I spent over twenty years trying, and I still cannot comprehend why she sought death. We did everything we could, and the result is what you see now. I don't understand her, so I cannot pass judgment on her reasons."
"Killua, do you understand her?" Silva asked Killua in return.
"..." Killua turned his head away.
As things stood, this was the end.
They returned to the funeral site. Kikyo had reapplied lipstick to Alluka, and the color seemed lighter than before, no longer like fresh blood.
Three minutes of silence.
The cremation of the body took longer than Killua expected. After burning, the remaining ashes resembled gray, coarse gravel. Some bones would remain, requiring them to be placed in an ash grinder to be pulverized into powder.
The empty coffin was buried in the family cemetery, beneath Alluka's gravestone.
The eldest son shoveled the first handful of earth, the butlers finished the rest, and finally, the soil was leveled. The funeral concluded.
Alluka's final journey was completed by her parents, who took her to the center of the sea to scatter her ashes.
In the following days, Alluka's belongings were dealt with.
Silva examined the dagger Alluka had returned to him. Although it was "returned," this dagger was clearly not the same one as before. The craftsman's "Nen" had been completely covered by Alluka's "Nen"—the result of Alluka enhancing the dagger many times using the "Enhancement" function of the game backpack.
Touching the blade with his finger, Silva did not apply much force, yet the pad of his finger was cut, and the exuding blood gradually formed a bead.
Silva wiped away the solidified blood bead. The bleeding had stopped, leaving only an arc.
"..."
Silva placed the dagger in the collection room and closed the door.
The lights flickered on.
This was some basement.
A man, unable to conceal his excitement, rubbed his hands together, awaiting the opening of a suitcase by another man with long black hair.
The man was skilled in embalming and was highly favored by body collectors.
The man also loved his work, firmly believing that "eternal beauty is art."
Inside the suitcase was a woman's body wrapped in a white sheet. The man with long black hair personally carried her to the operating table.
The corpse of the woman with silver-white hair was none other than Alluka Zoldyck, who had already been cremated before everyone.
"Sir, she is truly a beauty," the man praised.
"You may begin your work," the man with long black hair replied expressionlessly, clearly not wishing to engage in further conversation.
"Certainly." As per custom, the man explained what he was about to do before starting. "The internal organs contain a large amount of bacteria and decay very easily. I will first remove her internal organs and replace them with preservative filler."
"I know. You don't need to explain so much," the man with long black hair, or rather, Illumi Zoldyck, was already familiar with the embalming process.
Years ago, when he heard Alluka express her wish for a sea burial to her parents (Chapter 187), he had begun preparing. He had ample time to discreetly modify the structure of the crematorium and prepare another woman's body of similar age and build. After embalming it, it could be cremated at any time to replace Alluka.
A masterful deception.
But this was truly the worst-case scenario. If possible, Illumi wished he had received Alluka after she had completed their "pre-nuptial contract." The current Alluka could not be a partner, only his most secret collectible.
"Alright," the man closed his mouth. Holding a scalpel in one hand, he lifted the white sheet covering the body.
With a swift motion, the pale-as-paper skin was cut open, revealing the woman's intact internal organs.
A person's internal organs do not necessarily resemble textbook illustrations. Internal organs, like facial features, vary in appearance from person to person.
The man habitually observed the internal organs. Sensing a sudden shift in the atmosphere, he was forced to interrupt his thoughts and look up at Illumi, who stood opposite the operating table.
"Her heart is intact," Illumi said.
"...?" The man wisely remained silent.
"How can that be?" Illumi spoke as he reached out.
The man didn't see how Illumi did it, but Illumi had already grasped the intact heart hidden beneath the ribs.
Illumi held the heart and thought for a few minutes. Finally, he placed the heart on a nearby side table.
"The corpse is fake," Illumi stated.
As soon as he spoke, the corpse on the operating table changed, transforming into the body Illumi had prepared years ago.
"Ha," Illumi chuckled expressionlessly, turned, and went to rummage through the suitcase he had brought.
He took out a glass jar containing two eyeballs. These were likely the eyeballs Alluka had discarded when she changed to her Scarlet Eyes.
He rotated the glass jar to the side where the pupils were visible.
"As expected... I see now..." Illumi scratched his collarbone with his free hand. The fabric tore, revealing a cursive tattoo spelling "mors."
The man holding the scalpel curiously craned his neck to look, but he couldn't get a clear view of the pupils.
*Crack!*
The lights in the basement finally succumbed to the overload and plunged into darkness with a breaking sound.
"..."
Silva opened his eyes. He had been standing by the sea for some time.
On the horizon, a small black dot was gradually expanding. Silva recognized it as a hawk.
...It was New Orleans.
Silva raised his arm. New Orleans landed on his arm and then lowered its head to peck at the mini-letter pouch tied to its leg.
"Clever fellow."
Silva smiled, helped New Orleans remove the mini-letter pouch, and then stroked its little head. "Alright, now you are truly free."
New Orleans chirped softly and flapped its wings, flying up again.
Silva watched it fly away. He opened his fist, and the mini-letter pouch, now turned to dust, scattered from his palm, mixing with the sand at his feet.
The wind began to blow.
The gentle sea breeze brushed against the sand.
The sunlight was good, and the air was fresh.
The azure sea, just like her eyes.