🏰 Inside the Mind Palace – Cracks in the Crown
The Mind Palace had always felt infinite—limitless rooms, ever-shifting architecture formed by Kaen's intent, imagination, and insight. But now… something was wrong.
The walls shivered. Thrones that had once glowed with loyal Nen flickered like dying stars.
Kaen stood alone in the Hall of Reflection—a chamber designed to mirror the innermost thoughts of those who entered. Usually, it obeyed him.
Tonight, it reflected doubt.
He saw himself on the throne, not as a king—but as a child, wearing a crown too large for his head.
And behind that image…
Luzurus, smiling.
His corpse. That damn crown-shaped scar on his brow.
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🧠 False Thrones – Pariston's Weapon
The corrupted thrones were spreading.
Disguised as psychic beacons, they carried a Nen virus—mimetic code designed to echo the Mind Palace's structures. Once a prince or court member accepted its influence, the false throne would overwrite their mental constructs.
They'd become hollow monarchs—puppets whose free will was replaced by a corrupted dream of power.
And the virus had a host already.
"Mora!" Orien shouted, eyes wide. "Your aura—it's… bleeding memory!"
Mora staggered.
Her Crown of Reconciliation flickered—then twisted, shifting into a warped spire of thorns.
"I—I didn't notice. I was trying to stabilize Luzurus's echo—he was reaching for something—"
Kaen stepped forward.
"Do not resist."
He summoned the Crown of Clarity.
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👑 The Crown of Clarity – A Sword of Truth
Forged within the Palace's deepest library, the Crown of Clarity wasn't a crown at all.
It was a halo.
A burning ring of clear, white Nen that floated above Kaen's head. It pulsed with one ability:
"Truth cannot be hidden. Illusions cannot survive."
But it came with a cost: anything it revealed would remain, permanently altering the structure of the Mind Palace.
He placed it above Mora's head.
Mora screamed.
The thorns writhed. Her memory spasmed. Images of Luzurus, Pariston, and even Kaen flashed—Kaen as a tyrant, Kaen as a monster.
Kaen gritted his teeth.
"This is what Pariston is planting—false memories of me. He's turning us into caricatures."
Orien turned pale.
"We need to purge them."
"No," Kaen said. "We need to hunt them."
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🦊 Ging's Advice – The Hunter's Code
Ging stood atop a floating spiral in the Mind Palace library, flipping through one of Kaen's "memory-books."
"This palace… it's clever," he said aloud. "But it's reactive. You're not shaping the world anymore. The world is shaping you."
Kaen appeared behind him, silent.
"You want my advice?" Ging asked.
"No. I want your challenge."
"Same thing," Ging grinned. "You want to win? Then stop building like a king. Start hunting like a Fox."
"You mean—"
"Think like your enemies. Track the virus back. Set bait. Don't defend your throne—lure the throne-eaters into your court and devour them yourself."
Kaen's eyes narrowed.
"Then let's set the first trap."
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🪤 The Hunt Begins – Tracking the False Crown
Using the Crown of Clarity and Kurapika's chain-memory anchors, Kaen traced the Nen virus's signature to Tier 2.
Specifically—to Prince Marayam's ship.
A child prince.
Too innocent to resist.
Too tempting a vessel for Pariston's false crown.
Kaen, Orien, and Kurapika moved immediately.
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🧬 Real World – The Infiltration
Disguised under Renzu's illusion Nen, Kaen walked through the Tier 2 corridors like a ghost.
The crew didn't even know he was there.
He felt it—a ripple in aura.
A throne trying to form inside the mind of a child.
Kurapika whispered:
"I see it. It's attached to his toy. A spinning top—engraved with Nen script."
Kaen stepped forward.
And with his will, he entered the dream forming inside Marayam's mind.
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🌌 Inside Marayam's Dream
It was a child's world—stars made of candy, dragons made of cloud-smoke.
And in the center: a massive throne made of LEGOs, shaped like a monster with a smiling face.
"Hello!" the throne said. "I'm your best friend now!"
Kaen's Crown of Clarity pulsed.
The dream twisted.
The friendly monster turned black, sprouting teeth and shadow.
Kaen summoned a dream-blade shaped like a chess piece and split it in half.
The corrupted throne screamed.
And when Kaen opened his eyes again—
The toy had melted.
And Marayam slept peacefully.
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☠️ But Pariston Smiles
Elsewhere, Pariston reviewed the failed attempt with a grin.
"So the king is learning to hunt, is he?"
He turned to a tall, quiet figure behind him. A man with eyes like wet glass, and aura so subtle it barely registered.
"Ready to meet the Dream King?"
The man bowed.
"Let's see what the Kingkiller can do."
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👣 Epilogue – Gon Moves
Gon Freecss stood before a black stairway in a pocket chamber of the Black Whale.
He looked at the Crown fragment in his hand—one that pulsed not with ambition… but with curiosity.
"Is Kaen really building a world… or just losing himself in it?"
He stepped onto the first stair.
And the Palace… shivered in anticipation.
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🔥 Next Chapter: Chapter 54 – The One Who Devours Kings