__________ POV Ashton__________
For some dastardly reason, I simply can not understand why the King even hesitated in attacking me.
Did he feel grateful that he only survived because I implanted my Nen into him?
I highly doubt that the King of ants felt grateful for that...
But still, his hesitant response is what allowed me to use 'Decadence Of Man' on him. It left him open for a split second.
So I shouldn't complain much. I only had doubts about this move because he could've interrupted my escape and I would've died right alongside him.
But my worry was for nothing it seems. The King was too surprised by my En to react properly.
Now I need to stay in this world for quite a while. The explosions in the outside world are probably self-sustaining by now.
Even if the king had some resistance to explosions due to consuming my Nen, he won't be surviving this.
Youpi and Pouf are without the slightest of doubt dead.
And going out right now would kill me. I could also choose to use this opportunity to recover some of my Aura.
I can stay in this world for around three hours. That should be more than enough to regain some strength and heal my injuries.
Holding my breath isn't a problem. But this place always makes me feel strange...
I always feel like I'm out of place in this strange world. Exploring it also seemed quite useless as it is seemingly empty.
But the strange darkness that surrounds my white, glowing body, is extremely calming. It still unnerves me, but it also feels strangely homely.
I've never been in a place that made me feel both at home and that I didn't belong there.
The only exception being the Dark Continent after the expeditions started.
My teacher never talked much about this place either. Only calling it 'A place where our laws don't apply' and leaving it at that.
I can't remember if he ever mentioned anything about the eyes that have started surrounding me right now.
Bloodshot eyes peered at me through the darkness. Easily distinguishable from the black and white esthetic of the 'Up-Side-Down World'.
Some were filled with curiosity, others unimaginable malice and hatred. There was no kindness to be found in this place.
This was the first time I have felt truly vulnerable in an extremely long time. They stared right through me. Almost as if they were judging me.
Some were close and some were far. More and more kept appearing around me, both large and small.
As the previously severe darkness was completely occupied by horrifying eyes and blood-red symbols.
And it all culminated when I looked at the 'ground'. I was standing on the centre of a gigantic purple eye. Its gaze was one of pure hatred.
My mind was slowly being filled with hushed whispers. They were speaking of strange conspiracy and rambling endlessly.
Urging me to commit many barbaric acts. Trying to influence and skew my thinking.
Their echoing voices banged on the walls of my mind and tried to wreak havoc on my psyche.
Any lesser man would be driven mad by this, but it was mostly an annoyance to me... At least for now, I don't know how long I'll be able to resist them.
It feels like these voices wish to dominate my mind, but I can barely muster any aura to protect myself.
__________ POV Narration__________
After a minute of that, the scientist started growing more and more tired. As the voices tormenting his mind were only increasing in number and volume.
He had enough of that. His frustration was evident in his eyes. He was growling like a beast as his headache worsened more and more.
The old scientist completely despised the idea that anyone or anything held power over him, that he was somehow being toyed with.
Pouf had always been intelligent. And he was completely right in regards to Ashton's pride.
His ego was larger than anything else in that world, greatly overshadowing his curiosity too.
And his pride led him to have complete confidence in everything he did.
Therefore, he calmed down, took a deep breath. And his eyes turned completely red, bloodshot. Matching the things harassing his mind.
There was no light in them at all what remained of his aura immediately turned black.
His usual white glow in this reality turned completely black. As he blended into the void. Or the abyss, if you will.
After all, Gon wasn't the only one determined enough to pull a stunt like this.
Without making a single sound, his aura seemed to spike to inhuman proportions, twice as much as his usual, near inexhaustible reserve.
He started growing older physically. The scientist decided to turn a large portion of his vitality into Nen.
Now he looked to be in his forties, his body remained the same in build, but he grew a rough beard and his hair ended up reaching his knees.
No other changes could be noticed due to him blending in too well in his surroundings.
The abrupt rise in aura seemed to scare off whatever those 'things' were. The eyes retreated into the darkness, closing and seemingly disappearing from the world.
Even the large one from underneath him disappeared. The blood-red symbols were gone with the disappearance of the largest eye.
The only thing left in that Abyss was the bloodshot eyes of the scientist. He took a glimpse of an entirely new world. Hiding right under his nose this entire time.
Right in the 'empty' 'Up-Side-Down World'. But Ashton decided to formally change its name, as he now realized that this pocket of reality wasn't anything simple.
Calling it, "The Abyss" was a lot more fitting. Ashton's teacher had inadvertently created a gateway into an extremely frightful place.
The scientist didn't look affected by his loss of vitality. He was already making plans on how to get stronger.
His encounter with the king left him feeling helpless for the first time in centuries.
So he stood still and pondered whilst waiting for the explosions in the outside world to be over before finally leaving.
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Hope u liked the chapter!
The world of Hxh is really large and unexplored, so I can take a lot of creative liberty with it.
(This won't really follow any of the original plots, in case you didn't notice that.)
I figured a bit of eldritch abominations wouldn't hurt anybody.
As for what those things were, that's going to be explained later.
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