Musse's consciousness returned like a TV flickering back on after a power surge.
He was standing. Nose pressed to a wall. At attention like a recruit being disciplined.
When did I—
Memory gap. Black hole where the last thirty seconds should be.
I'm being manipulated.
The kid. Had to be the kid. Except the kid should be dead or dying—Musse had shot him in the throat, watched blood spray, seen him collapse—
Unless he survived. Unless he pushed through the pain and activated his Hatsu anyway.
Musse's thoughts raced. He's five years old. How is that possible?
He tried to move. Couldn't. His body was a puppet with someone else pulling the strings.
Stay calm. Think. I touched him when he marked my face. I met my activation condition. If I get even one second of independent movement, I can attach a Secret Window to him—
Wait for him to slip up. Be patient.
Musse cleared his mind. Steadied his breathing.
A hoarse young voice spoke from behind him. "Come here."
Musse didn't understand the words. But his body did.
He pivoted right. Feet moving without permission. Walked toward the voice with the precision of a wind-up toy.
Lumos stood beside the kid like a bodyguard. One eye crusted with dried blood. The other fixed on Musse with predatory focus. The tiger's wound—where the bullet had blown through—was healed. Only blood remained.
How—
Musse stopped in front of Liam. Stood at attention. A puppet awaiting orders.
"A bit high?" Liam raised his hand. Measured something.
Musse's knees buckled. He dropped to the floor. THUD.
What kind of Manipulation ability is this?
His eyes caught the kid's neck. The bullet wound was gone. Completely healed. Just like the Tiger. Only blood stains remained, already wiped mostly clean.
He heals. The tiger heals. How—
SLAP.
The impact was light. Barely stung. A child's strength.
That's all he's got? He's actually just—
SLAP.
Nen-reinforced this time. Musse's head snapped sideways. His cheek split. Blood welled from the skin. His mouth filled with copper taste from burst gums.
Stars exploded across his vision.
"That's IT?" Liam switched to rapid-fire Mandarin. "I wake up in a corpse pile! Get chased by wolves! Nearly eaten by a tiger! And then some jackass SHOOTS ME IN THE NECK! Do you have ANY IDEA how my day's been going?!"
He kicked Musse. Then kicked him again. "There's NO justice! NO law! I'm a CHILD! I was minding my own business!"
More kicks. More slaps. Liam's small hands burned from the impacts but he didn't stop.
He grabbed Musse's suit. Tore it open. Searched pockets with all the gentleness of a TSA agent on a bad day.
Pistol—empty, useless. Liam tossed it.
Wallet—cash, coins, multiple IDs with different names but the same photo.
Liam looked up. Grinned at Musse's bloody face. "Can't tell from looking at you. Multiple identities? You're one of those guys."
Musse said nothing. Couldn't. His jaw wouldn't work.
Liam's fingers found something in the suit's inner pocket. He pulled out a card.
Heavy stock. Embossed logo.
Hunter License.
"Oh-HO!" Liam flicked the card. "Now THIS is a pleasant surprise! Door-to-door delivery service! I'll accept your generous donation, good sir."
He slapped Musse again. "Thank you for your patronage!"
Slap. Slap. Slap. Slap.
Liam worked through his trauma one hit at a time. His hands hurt. He switched to kicks. Took out his frustration on Musse's ribs, stomach, legs.
Nothing life-threatening. Partly because Liam's three-year-old body couldn't generate that much force. Partly because serious injuries would trigger the Star Mark's healing—and Liam didn't want to reveal that feature yet.
"I'm exhausted." Liam dropped to the floor. Waved at Lumos. "Big Blue, you're up."
He turned his attention to the Hunter License. Examined it in the moonlight.
Lumos padded forward. Blood crusted on half his face. The glowing blue markings on his fur pulsed in the darkness. Beautiful and terrible.
The tiger's jaws opened. Descended toward Musse's head.
Musse's throat went dry.
Not like this. Not before I complete the mission. Not without—
"The owner of this hunter's license is not you, right?"
The kid's voice. Except this time it was in World Common. The universal language.
Musse's eyes widened. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He looked up at the tiger's teeth hovering centimeters from his skull.
"How did you know?" He asked before he could stop himself.
Liam grabbed the phone. Chucked it at Musse's face.
"I ask questions. You answer. Not the other way around." Liam's voice was ice. His eyes older than his face.
He can speak World Common now. After controlling me. Does his Hatsu copy abilities? Or—
Language is physical. Muscle memory. Neural pathways. If he's puppeting my body, he has access to everything in my head that's hardwired.
Lumos retrieved the phone. Brought it back like a dog playing fetch.
That's a tiger. Acting like a golden retriever.
Liam took the phone. Popped the back cover. Removed battery, SIM card, memory card. Threw them out the cabin window one by one. They vanished into the black ocean.
Smart. Avoiding tracking. He's not just a kid. He thinks like—
"The license is mine. You can keep it." Musse knelt motionless. "Who are you? Where is the woman's son?"
"Looking at what you said, won't I take it if it's not yours?" Liam's face showed nothing. "Who is the woman? Who is the son?"
"That son is you."
Musse watched for a reaction. Got nothing. The kid's face remained blank.
Wrong guess?
Musse studied Liam's clothes. Pants too big, held up with rope. Sleeves rolled multiple times. Nothing fit.
Improvised outfit. Not his original clothes.
"I have a theory," Musse said slowly. "The woman died clutching empty swaddling. She was desperate. Terrified for her infant son. And when she died—"
He paused. Watched Liam's face.
"Post-mortem Nen. Her dying thoughts parasitized you. Made you grow faster. Aged you from newborn to what you are now."