He and Sunless had parted ways — after all, they both had to prepare for the Solstice. Rock would take all the Sleepers to see the Hollow in the medical facility in a few minutes, before they once more entered the grasp of the Nightmare Spell.
He had texted all the Sleepers whom he'd seen value in — not for them, but for their Aspect abilities. He highly doubted any of them would check those abilities before entering the Dream Realm, so his betrayal would go unnoticed.
As Chrollo entered his room, he was greeted by a group of Sleepers. All were from backgrounds of negligible importance. Their role in this story would end soon anyway — so why not maximize their impact on it instead?
In his room sat .
Jason Barnes – Tall, with short black hair and a scar across his eyebrow. Always in a hoodie and jeans.
Lily Morgan – Medium height, long brown hair in a messy ponytail, pale skin, usually in oversized sweaters.
Ethan Cole – Short, spiky blonde hair with green eyes. Wears a lot of graphic tees and sneakers.
Sophie Lee – Petite with long black hair and glasses, always in casual dresses.
Max Carter – Broad-shouldered, with a buzz cut and light stubble, often in a leather jacket.
All gathered for a final farewell, believing they were surrounded by like-minded friends. However, Chrollo's true aim was to claim their Aspect abilities. Jason, with his Berserker Aspect, Lily's Heavenly Eye, Ethan's Black Flame, Sophie's Danger Sense, and Max's Self-Regeneration—these were all incredibly potent aspects, yet held by users not competent enough to fully harness them.
Chrollo, having summoned his Bandit's Secret beforehand, slowly manipulated each of these sleepers. One by one, he convinced them to reveal their Aspect abilities and demonstrate them. Each of them also touched the palm symbol on his conjured book, a deceptive ruse to forge a bond and build trust. The promise of unity and a future meeting after finding a citadel, along with the notion of forming a cohort, all served to obscure his true intentions.
"What fools. Their lives are all hanging by a thin thread, yet they don't even spare it a glance."
"I did the right thing… No, I did the only logical thing. I couldn't let them waste these Aspect abilities. No, I couldn't."
Chrollo's voice filled the empty room, its reverberations carrying a resolute tone.
After a quick glance at his rune chrollo had confirmed the acquisition of these aspect abilities.
Name: Chrollo Lucilfer
True Name: Seraph of the Silent Abyss.
Rank: Dreamer
Soul Core: Dormant
Soul Fragments: [??/1000]
Memories: [Vowbound Ring] [Dirge of the Hollow Choir] [Ever-Dying Lantern] [Shroud of the Vanishing Star][The Hollow Satchel] [Fang of the Severed Oath] [ Fangpiercer ] [ Mawtouched Carapace]
Echoes: [The Eclipsing Shade Seraphine Vale]
Attributes: [Mark of the Forgotten King] [Fated] [Phantom Heart]
Aspect: [Born of Nen ]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Aspect Ability: [Bandit's Secret ] [Black Flame][Heavenly Eye][Danger Sense][Berserker][Self-Regeneration]
Flaw: [Soulless]
After a few heartfelt goodbyes, each one headed towards the meeting place designated by Rock for all the sleepers. However, Chrollo stayed behind to finish his preparations, slowly placing his belongings into [The Hollow Satchel], a small bag that contained an impossible space within. He packed a few notes on the dream realm's geology, geography, and other relevant archived texts, along with a spare pair of clothes and the few items he had to his name when he first arrived in this world. His green forehead band, along with a pair of bulbous earrings—now replaced by [Dirge of the Hollow Choir], a delicate pair of silver, cross-shaped earrings, each bearing a small black gemstone.
Finally, he tucked in Ben's Knife, one of the famous knives forged during Delon's central period. The weapon had a black hilt with a curved knuckle guard, resembling a D guard. Near the guard, the blade branched into two segments: the central one, the longest, tapering to a sharp arrow-like point, and the second, curved to form the knife's edge, almost meeting the central segment. A third segment made up the back of the blade, connected by two horizontal bars. Renowned for its exceptional sharpness, it had allowed Chrollo to cut through Silva's skin, a feat that earned the weapon the assassin's respect. Silva had also recognized that the blade was coated with a toxin so potent that 0.1 mg Chrollo concealed the knife in a curved scabbard under his clothes, its presence a reminder of the dangerous potential he carried with him.
Along with it, he placed two items Lucilferhad gained from his troupe member, Shalnark. The first was Shalnark's Hatsu product, Black Voice—a small, cellphone-shaped device that resembled a bat. In tandem with its antennae, it allowed the user to manipulate a person via a voice command .
However, since Chrollo had only borrowed it and not fully claimed it as his own, it could only affect mundane humans or non-Nen users. It was not among his Aspect abilities, and though it still retained a lingering Nen presence, Chrollo couldn't fully test it. This was due to Lucilfer's fight with Silva, which had broken the antennae. To fully integrate it into his memory and repair its functionality, he would need Sunny's help to restore it to its original form in his soul sea.
After that, he rummaged through a few boxes in his room, a small favor he had called in from Kaelen. It was rations—synthetic paste, a few energy bars, and several water bottles, each filled with electrolytes. One of the boxes contained stacks of minerals and vitamins, while another held more synpaste, the cheapest and most effective ration food in this world. Though he had to reveal his memory to Kaelen to acquire these, it wasn't a significant issue; he had deemed Kaelen a useful ally, after all.
Once he finished packing, he activated his Hatsu once more, summoning Bandit's Secret. The leather cover rested in his palm as he opened it and began reading through all the Hatsu he had acquired.
The book had a page on each of the nen users: the five sleepers and one more, a nen user from Hunter x Hunter, Kortopi, a member of the Phantom Troupe. His hatsu not being in Chrollo's aspect abilities perplexed him. However, he theorized that because Chrollo Ashwin never used or interacted with the hatsu Gallery Fake, his soul had not taken hold of it. Another perplexing fact was the existence of Gallery Fake. It should have disappeared after Kortopi's death during the Yorknew City arc, unless the body he inhabited came from a time before Kortopi's death, directly after chrollo's fight with the assassins, Silva and Zeno.
His hatsu's are listed in the following order:
Self-Regeneration
Nen Type: Transmutation
This ability enhances the user's physical regeneration by channeling Nen into the body to speed up natural healing processes. Through Enhancement, the user strengthens their body's ability to recover from wounds, injuries, or fatigue. The Nen is directed toward cellular regeneration, allowing for rapid recovery and heightened survivability.
Nen Restrictions: The user can only use this hatsu on themselves. If they attempt to use it on another person for healing, they will immediately face death.
Danger Sense
Nen Type: Enhancement
Danger Sense is a passive ability that heightens the user's perception of their surroundings by enhancing their sixth sense. Using Enhancement, the user strengthens their instinctive awareness of nearby threats, enemies, or hostile intent. This ability is not based on traditional senses (sight, hearing, etc.) but rather enhances the user's Nen-awareness, allowing them to sense danger even when it's not immediately visible.
Nen Restrictions: N/A
Berserker
Nen Type: Enhancement, Specialization
Berserker boosts the user's physical abilities and combat potential. Enhancement is the primary Nen type, augmenting the user's strength, speed, and durability. The ability grows stronger with each kill, tapping into the Nen of fallen foes, which is then absorbed to enhance the user's abilities. Specialization plays a role here, as the user feeds on the enemies' Nen or life force, making the enhancement unique to the user's experiences.
Nen Restrictions: With each kill, the user's bloodlust grows, both literally and figuratively. The user becomes more delirious and violent. Furthermore, when in Berserker mode and out of it, the user experiences a thirst that cannot be satisfied by food or water but only by blood—specifically blood from someone of intimate relation.
Black Flame
Nen Type: Transmutation, Enhancement, Emission, Manipulation
Black Flame primarily involves Transmutation, as the user transmutates their Nen into destructive black flames. This flame can be projected through Emission to launch attacks or controlled and manipulated to create constructs or effects (e.g., barriers or smelting items) via Manipulation. Enhancement amplifies the power of the flame, especially as the user masters the technique, making it increasingly destructive.
Nen Restrictions: When used in combat, the user must have a higher understanding of Nen principles. In both non-combative and combative situations, the user feels intense burning pain throughout their body. Though it does no real damage, it is as intense as placing skin in searing flames.
Heavenly Eye
Nen Type: Specialization
Heavenly Eye enhances the user's perception by manipulating Nen to see beyond normal sight, such as revealing hidden or disguised entities. This ability uses Specialization because it is a unique enhancement of the senses, not tied to other physical senses or metaphysical ones. This hatsu uses the user's consciousness as a sensory receptor, eliminating the purpose of one eye and allowing them to see through their mind. The user's Nen aura creates a sensory "field" around them, allowing them to track movement and detect entities with hostile intent or invisibility.
Nen Restrictions: The user must channel Nen into a physical wound for the first usage of the hatsu. This injury must be on the user's forehead to open the Heavenly Eye, allowing their perception to expand.
Gallery Fake
Nen Type: Conjuration
Gallery Fake involves Conjuration, allowing the user to create copies of objects by manifesting them from nothing using Nen. The user can replicate inanimate objects by touching them with their left hand, but they are unable to replicate the effects of the original items. The copies are not real and vanish after 24 hours. The user can track these copies using their En.
Nen Restrictions: The user cannot reproduce living entities; any attempts would result in a hollow being. All conjured items are photorealistic but lack inherent uniqueness. If the user conjures a Nen-infused object, only the object is produced, without any Nen effects.
Chrollo had assumed his hatsu descriptions would differ from those of the nightmare spell's runes. The runes outlined how to use the ability, but they did not include any Nen restrictions. In extreme conditions, such as those used by Kurapika and now him and his self-regeneration, any deviation from the expressed usage and rules could lead to death—something Chrollo had no desire to experience.
****
After that, there wasn't much to do.
The sun was sinking lower in the sky, casting long, cold shadows across the snow-covered parks surrounding the Sleeper Center. Chrollo walked alongside the others, the muffled crunch of their footsteps lost in the biting wind. They moved in silence, each step drawing them closer to their destination — the medical center.
Instructor Rock led the way without a word, his face as impassive as always. Chrollo wasn't surprised; he knew what to expect. After all, he'd read about this moment in the novel. The warnings, the solemnity, the expectation that the Sleepers would understand the stakes. The only thing that had changed was the visceral presence of it. The fear that clung to his throat like smoke.
As they reached the medical center, Chrollo looked up at its pristine white exterior, now bathed in the dying light of day. The building loomed before them like an eerie monument to the unknown. Its design was a blend of cold, clinical efficiency and something almost religious. Inside, it housed the Academy's most advanced technology, alongside the most skilled Healers among the Awakened. For the duration of their journey into the Dream Realm, their bodies would be kept alive by a complex web of magic and machinery.
But whether or not they would wake up, well, that was a matter for the Dream Realm to decide.
The others seemed more nervous as they entered, but Chrollo felt no surprise. He had read about the medical center, about the Sleepers who had failed before them. He knew the risks. He knew the price of failure.
Still, as they walked deeper into the center, something about the place felt different. The cold, sterile air gnawed at him in a way he couldn't quite explain. There was a heaviness here, something both distant and intimate at once. It was as though the walls themselves held the memories of every person who had walked through them, every soul lost to the Dream Realm.
Instructor Rock guided them through a maze of halls, leading them to a quiet floor that was more abandoned than the rest. Chrollo barely glanced at Sunny, who walked beside him. The younger boy had his usual dry look on his face, but there was a strange tension in his shoulders — a quiet unease he couldn't hide. Kaelen, always the one to observe, had fallen back slightly, his eyes darting between the others as though gauging their reactions.
Then, Rock opened a set of large doors, revealing a spacious gallery bathed in the soft, crimson light of the setting sun. It was strangely beautiful, and yet the sight that greeted them made Chrollo's heart stutter in a way he couldn't quite understand.
Rows and rows of wheelchairs, each occupied by a person with a blank, peaceful expression on their face. The air in the room felt suffocating, thick with an unspoken sadness. There was a serene emptiness about them — the kind of stillness that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
Sunny stopped, his eyes wide for a moment before he quickly masked his expression with a forced indifference. But Chrollo saw it — the flicker of fear, the sudden awareness of just how fragile they all were.
Instructor Rock didn't move as he spoke, his voice heavy with the weight of the moment. "These," he began, "are called Hollow."
Chrollo had known. He'd read it all. The Hollow. The souls lost in the Dream Realm. The ones who had failed to return. He wasn't shocked. Not really. But there was something, something biting at him — a strange feeling that was hard to pinpoint. It was warm, cold, loving, and malevolent all at once. A twisted sense of attachment, like being on the edge of something beautiful and terrifying, something so final it almost felt… intimate.
"There is a reason I brought you here," Rock continued, his tone almost reverent. "Look well and remember. Some of you may know who these people are… for those of you who don't, they were once like you. Sleepers. Or Awakened. Some were weak, some were strong. Some were even incredibly powerful." He paused, eyes hardening. "But all of them… perished in the Dream Realm."
Chrollo's gaze flicked to Sunny, who now stood frozen, staring at the bodies in the chairs with a mixture of disbelief and dread. He could see the inner struggle playing out on Sunny's face, the conflict between the hardened facade he wore and the horror creeping through the cracks. Sunny's jaw tightened, and Chrollo could see that the younger boy's mind was already racing, trying to process what they were seeing.
Don't die out there, Chrollo thought, his own mind echoing Rock's words, though they didn't hold the same weight for him. He wasn't shocked. He wasn't afraid. He couldn't afford to be. But there was something sharp inside him, something that felt like it was pressing against his chest.
His eyes shifted to Kaelen, who was watching the scene with an intensity that bordered on obsession. The boy's fingers twitched, and Chrollo felt a strange, almost protective pull in his gut. Not that he would admit it. Not that he wanted to. But it was there. A pull to watch over them, to make sure they didn't become like this.
Sunny looked away then, the unease evident on his face. He blinked rapidly, clearing his throat as if he were trying to shake off something far too heavy.
"Don't… don't worry. We won't become like them," Kaelen muttered under his breath, though Chrollo knew it was as much for himself as it was for anyone else.
Chrollo's lips quirked slightly, but there was no smile behind it. Instead, the strange warmth he'd been feeling deepened. He couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that the Dream Realm was calling to them, beckoning them toward some unknown fate, where the lines between strength and weakness blurred, where survival was never guaranteed.
But I won't let them die, Chrollo thought, his gaze hardening as he looked at Sunny and Kaelen. Not yet. Not if I can help it.
Instructor Rock turned his back on the Hollow, addressing them all again, but Chrollo was already lost in the swirling thoughts that had taken root in his mind. The strange warmth was still there, but it was fading into something colder, something sharper. A realization gnawed at him: if they weren't careful, they could all end up like these Hollow.
And he wouldn't let that happen.
****
Half an hour later, the Sleepers were guided to their personal rooms, each preparing to enter the pods that would soon connect them to the Dream Realm.
In the next room, Caster, the proud Legacy, was staring blankly at the floor. His eyes were unfocused, his body shaking slightly. His lips were moving in a whisper, repeating the same strange phrase over and over again. But the tremor in his voice betrayed the uncertainty inside, and despite the bravado he once held, it seemed his mind had fractured under the weight of his own expectations. The man was trembling, trying to force himself into a state of readiness he wasn't sure he could attain.
Elsewhere, Changing Star Nephis, the last daughter of the Immortal Flame clan,was looking down at her hands. Underneath her skin, soft white radiance was slowly growing brighter and brighter. Her face was contorted in a grimace of harrowing agony.
In another room, Kaelen stood by the pod, his fingers running along the cold surface of the machine. He hadn't spoken much, but the tension was palpable. His usually sharp, calculating eyes were unfocused now, staring at nothing in particular, his mind elsewhere. He had never been one to show weakness, but the sense of impending danger weighed on him. Was he truly ready for this? That question gnawed at him, and his lips barely parted as he whispered, "No turning back now." With one last look, Kaelen stepped into the pod.
And finally, there was the room where Shadow Slave Sunless, Lost from Light, stood alone, gazing at his own shadow. It stretched long across the floor, a shape that seemed to live of its own accord. His gaze was unfaltering as he observed it, a quiet acknowledgment passing between them. "Well? Are you ready?" he asked softly. But the shadow, as always, gave no reply. It just... was.
"Yeah, me too," Sunny muttered, his voice laden with resignation. He could almost feel the shadow's silent agreement, the way it seemed to move with him, to reflect the parts of him he could not express. Without another word, he climbed into the pod, sinking into the confines of its soft, cold interior.
In the quiet solitude of his room, Chrollo stood before the pod, his fingers lightly brushing against its cold surface. The machine, sleek and imposing, seemed both foreign and strangely familiar. The low hum it emitted, the sterile atmosphere of the room—everything felt eerily like the kind of place one would expect to end up in after a long, unwelcome journey.
The images of the Hollow-filled gallery still lingered in his mind. The vacant, silent faces, their once vibrant eyes now dulled, their lives reduced to nothing. The feeling that had washed over him then was still with him now, a strange undercurrent threading through his thoughts. It wasn't a feeling of fear or dread, though. It was... familiar. Almost comforting, like an old memory he couldn't quite place.
It was a paradox. A warm, unsettling sense of recognition. He had read about the Hollow before—he knew their fate well—but there was something in their stillness that struck a chord deep inside him. The sight of them hadn't scared him, at least not in the way it was meant to. Instead, it was as though he'd known that kind of stillness, that sense of emptiness, in another life, another time. It wasn't something he wished to experience first-hand, of course. But for a fleeting moment, there was a part of him that wondered if it would be... so terrible.
Chrollo pushed the thought aside quickly. No. That wasn't his fate. He would reject it, just as he would reject any weakness. He wasn't going to end up like them—lost, abandoned, hollow. He knew better.
The words that had come to his mind before, during his fleeting contemplation of the Hollow, echoed faintly in his mind now. We reject no one. So take nothing from us.
His lips twitched, just slightly, as he muttered the words to himself. It was a reminder—a mantra of sorts. He had made his own path, he had chosen who he was, and he would reject anything that threatened to take that from him. The Hollows had lost themselves to the Dream Realm; they had been consumed by the dangers, by the uncertainty, by the very thing that he was about to face. He wouldn't let that happen to him.
Chrollo's gaze drifted over the pod again, and for the briefest of moments, he allowed himself to feel that strange warmth in his chest—a reassurance, as if to tell him that, in this vast unknown, there was something out there that felt like home. But he quickly extinguished the feeling, steeling himself once more.
He could not afford to be lost.
With that final thought, Chrollo took a step forward, his gaze hardening. He wasn't here to become another hollowed-out shell. His purpose was his own.
****
In the vast, echoing darkness, a voice reverberated:
[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Chrollo!]