The cool breeze stroked lots of people walking on the stairs up to the 500-meter point of the World Tree. You could imagine yourself in the scene, perhaps you would be amazed or frightened by the view below. You could hear people chattering around you, and you could also hear the call of a certain orange-haired girl.

"Wait up, Gon!" She was running to catch up with the spiky dark-haired kid in front of her. He had a wide smile full of radiance and he was eager to meet up with his father on top of the World Tree. He was reminiscing all of the challenges he faced as a Hunter to find him as well as pleasant memories with his friends. All the nightmarish times and life-and-death situations. All the cute, romantic moments with the girl who loved him.

The two of them had grown much closer since they were saved from the hands of death coming to snatch them from this life. They overcame the toughest challenges together with their love and strength. Their last mission soured their relationship, but they were able to bury the hatchet and love each other again.

They had reached the 500-meter point, and they broke into a sprint to the station. They greeted the man with smiles, and he seemed surprised.

"You guys wanna climb the tree? No one under the age of 18 is allowed past this point." He stated before turning his head away and closing his eyes. "You need to have a special license or certification for that."

Just then, they held their Hunter Licenses in front of him. He opened one of his eyes to take a peek and gasped in shock.

"Eh? Pro Hunters? At your age?" He gave a small laugh. "Really sorry 'bout that. Go right ahead. Oh! But I need you guys to sign these documents first." He told them, handing out two sheets of paper on clipboards. "Even a president would have to. Don't worry. It's just stating you guys are prepared for whatever might happen on the climb, including your own deaths."

When Gon stood at the edge of the platform, he looked at the view in front of him with a smile of confidence. However, Lizzy looked frightened and concerned about their decision to climb the tree to the very top. She was not a very good climber, and she thought Gon didn't have the strength and endurance to climb a thousand meters up.

"A little word of advice though." The man spoke up, and they listened. "I wouldn't trust any of the handhelds or footholds left behind by other climbers. Those ones made it to the top by free-climbing it. That's how the guy who's up there did it."

They looked up, Lizzy feeling more frightened about having to climb this incredibly tall tree. She wondered why Ging would want to see his son at a place like this. And how he managed to keep his strength to reach the top.

"I get it. Thanks a lot!" Gon said, smiling at the man.

"Anyway, if you feel like you're in trouble, just press that button." He said, referring to the buttons on their wristbands that were given to them. They took a look at them, and Lizzy thought she could press hers now to get down from here.

"Our rescue team is quite skilled. If you can hold on for about ten minutes or so—" The man stopped midsentence to see Lizzy hopping on Gon's back and disappearing along with him.

"Crap! They fell!" He cried as he ran to the edge in a panic.

"Hey!" Gon called down to him. "Hey!"

The man looked up to see him with the orange-haired girl wrapped around him like a koala with its log. His eyes widened in shock.

"They're already up that high?!" He cried, unable to believe it.

"Wahhh! A-are you sure you can do this, Gon?!" Lizzy exclaimed, looking down at the platform they just got off. "This is scary, you know?!"

"Don't worry, Lizzy. We'll make it, I promise!" He assured her. Not a single trace of fear or regret laid in his hazel eyes. The girl had no choice but to believe in him.

The boy climbed a couple hundred meters and enjoyed the view as he went. Lizzy was hanging on tightly to his torso, fearing she would fall to her death at their current altitude. As he climbed higher and higher, she noticed how he was going faster than before. Gon really did have the ability to climb as good as a professional. His secret? He could feel the life flowing throughout the entire tree. He felt like the tree was whispering to him, like if he could listen to it, he would make it. That was another one of the things she lacked despite living in nature for most of her life, and she would be more jealous of him.

"Help!" They heard a man's cry for help, and Gon stopped climbing to see him lying on a huge leaf looking worn out. "Anyone, please help!"

"Should we?" Lizzy spoke, her voice a bit squeaky from the feeling of fear clinging on to her. The boy keeping her alive immediately nodded and went over to the exhausted man. He pressed the button on his wristband and waited for a while until a member of the rescue team came to get the stranded climber down. He went back to climbing the tree, waving goodbye to the man rescuing the climber below. Lizzy felt a warm feeling inside her. He was such a kind and sweet boy who would do anything for others, even if he had to risk his life for them.

Not long after that, they were almost to the top of the tree. Lizzy lifted her head from the back of Gon's neck to see something strange at the top, which made him stop climbing for a moment.

"What is that?" She muttered.

"I don't know. Let's see."

Gon began climbing the strange top and when he finally got to the very top of the tree, he and Lizzy were greeted by a meowing sound of a bizarre-looking bird. They stared at it as it continued meowing like a cat. They both jumped.

"UWAHHH! What the heck is that thing?!" Lizzy cried, pulling on Gon's body and panicking.

"Ahhh! Lizzy, stop! You're gonna make us fall! Whoa!" Gon accidentally let one hand go of the top, making the little girl shriek in terror and tremble against him. His expression became tense, and he quickly grabbed on to the top with his free hand and hauled himself and the girl up into the strange nest. Lizzy opened her eyes and freed herself from him.

"They're huge!" He exclaimed and sat down in front of them.

"That scared me." Lizzy replied, sitting next to the boy.

The meowing died down, and the birds shifted their attention to the two kids.

"Hi there!" The boy greeted them with a warm smile, and one of the birds pecked his cheek, causing him to laugh. Another one meowed softly at the girl and began pecking her cheek as well. She gave a small smile and stroked its feathers. It purred in pleasure.

"Hey." A male voice spoke, and they turned their heads to see a familiar man eating an apple. "I got tired of waiting."

The boy's hazel eyes sparkled like a diamond upon seeing his father again. "Ging."

His eyes landed on the orange-haired girl next to the boy. He was annoyed and confused, and then he scoffed at her.

"I knew it. I knew you would bring a lowly friend up here. This proved to me you are not as capable of finding me as I thought. It is indeed cowardly of you to do such a thing." He took another bite of his apple in contempt. Hearing what he said about Gon, Lizzy got pretty irritated and stood up to defend him.

"He is not a coward! I wanted to get to know you better, so he took me with him to see you. And do you know who you're talking to? I'm Gon's trusted friend and beloved girlfriend, Lizzy Azrelt! Don't you ever think I'm unworthy of being who I am to him!" She threw all those words at him, sparking a hint of realization in him.

He remembered the time when he proposed a plan to have Gon meet his closest friend's kids and pick whoever interested him the most. His eyes stared into hers, the emerald green color reminding him of his friend's eyes. He closed his eyes and looked down before swallowing his apple.

"Ging, I wanted you to see Lizzy and know that she is the one who I care about the most. I truly love her more than anything I love doing the most. She is everything to me and I owe her a lot. I'm going to do whatever it takes to make her happy, even if I have to risk it all." Gon explained with a determined and happy smile. His father seemed quite surprised, but mostly disappointed. He didn't want his son to bring his chosen one to see him, and he didn't know what he would do if she ever saw him. He was humiliated in the election, and he never wanted to be humiliated ever again.

He let out a sigh of regret. "Now that she's up here, there's no way she'll ever get down from here. Guess I'll have to let her hang around for a bit."

Gon's face was beaming with happiness. Ging focused his attention to the stunning view of the blue sky and ocean.

"So, how long did it take you to get here from the 500-meter point?" Ging asked.

"Uh...around 20 minutes?" Gon replied.

"Well, I guess that's not bad for your first time. Eat up." Ging tossed his apple to him, and Gon took a bite where he last ate it. He offered it to Lizzy, but she declined, saying she was not feeling hungry at the moment. The three of them looked at the view with awe.

"Nice view, huh? On overcast days, it's like a sea of clouds." Ging said.

"Wow!"

The birds in the nest were meowing in harmony, lightening up the mood. Lizzy didn't even feel an ounce of unease because of the view taking over that feeling.

"Hey, Ging?" Gon spoke up, and Ging hummed in response. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Don't count on an answer, though."

"What is it that you really want?"

Ging closed his eyes and lowered his head a bit. "I...wanted whatever I don't have, I guess?"

"Whatever you don't have?" Gon repeated.

Lizzy seemed curious about his answer. She had her ears open to hear his explanation.

"I wanted to be a Hunter because I..." The constant meowing of the birds ticked him off. "Shut up!"

Lizzy slightly flinched from his loud yell, and the birds stopped their meowing. Ging focused his attention back to the view.

"I wanted to become a Hunter because...at the time, it was the most realistic way I could get into a place I wanted to go. That place was being used as a certain royal family's burial ground. To enter, you had to belong to a trustworthy organization and agree never to speak of it. And you had to pay all expenses out of pocket. In other words, you couldn't explore it at all. You won't find anyone willing to spend the resources and receive nothing in return. But I still saw it as my chance. If I could just become a trusted Pro Hunter, getting money wouldn't be a problem."

"Oh..." Lizzy muttered.

"When I turned 15, I set up a special non-profit organization to explore and repair the tomb. Before that, right after getting my license, I'd spent two years studying all the archaeology websites and online blogs I could find. To set up the non-profit, I recruited certain personnel who didn't want money or fame, but who only wanted to know the truth and are trustworthy enough to keep secrets. I'm always going after everything I want. I'm so focused that I will stop caring about the object of my desire."

Both Gon and Lizzy were confused of what he was saying, and he grew quite annoyed with them. "Still don't get it? Then I guess I'll keep going."

He grunted and sat down. "I recruited people online and made lots of friends in meetings, but they were all older than me. They were office workers, graduate students, and job-hoppers. After I told them my background and plan, they helped with the various tasks to create the non-profit, and they even gave donations from what little money they had. When our dream was realized and we stepped inside for the first time, I couldn't hide how happy I was. But what made me happiest wasn't when I finally witnessed the truth behind the tomb. It was when I looked at my colleagues' faces and shook their hands."

The two kids looked at him with innocent eyes, and Lizzy understood why Ging was an amazing Hunter in his time.

"They still work for the non-profit to this day, providing me with viable information. The secret of the tomb was nothing compared to all the relationships I built. What was important came to me before what I wanted."

Images of Gon and Lizzy's friends displayed in their minds, the memories of their past adventures putting them in good spirits.

As Gon and his father talked with each other, the sun began to set, dressing up the sky as its yellow color.

"And now?" Gon spoke up.

"Hmm?"

"What are you gonna go after now?"

"Right now? I'll take some time explaining. Tell me, Gon, what is this tree we just climbed and you brought your friend to?"

"Huh? It's the World Tree."

"That's right. And how exactly did the people you met below describe the tree?"

"It's the world's tallest tree, at 1,784 meters tall."

"I said it is absolutely the most incredible thing I've ever seen in my life!" Lizzy added, her smile radiating cheerfulness.

"Well, technically, they aren't wrong but...the truth is this tree is a young sapling that's stopped growing." Ging said, surprising the kids.

"Really?" Lizzy said.

"It didn't get enough nutrients, and it wound up way shorter than it could have been."

"Way shorter? You mean...?" She widened her eyes as she looked down and realized what he was saying. She gasped in shock.

"The real World Tree takes in magma, grows out of a mountain, and is taller than anything you've ever seen. As a matter of fact, it reaches out of the atmosphere. In short, it's out of this world." Ging stated.

"'Outside of this world?'" Gon asked.

"The world map you're familiar with."

That inconceivable statement made Gon and Lizzy gasp in surprise. Ging smiled for a bit and continued elaborating.

"The Ants that you, your friend, and the chairman fought were a non-native species from outside this world. That's the truth they don't teach you in school. Adults with common sense choose not to open Pandora's box."

Lizzy was confused about 'the outside world,' and Gon seemed curious. Ging grew a smile and gave a light chuckle.

"In another way, the world we know is nothing but a small part of a much bigger world. There are records showing that a chosen few, from select times and places, were able to make it outside."

A brief silence fell upon them, and both kids seemed to understand his goals by much.

"Get it now? I still want the same thing I always have. Something I can't see in front of me."

Gon smiled the way his father was smiling right now, and Lizzy stared at the bright yellow sky in thought. They all sat in silence as they watched the sun go further down, turning the sky into a flaming orange.

"There are many requirements needed to get there. Only four of them are required before you can even start the journey. The means, permission, qualifications, and a contract. Hate to say it, but I don't have any of those yet. But I'm not in any rush. I'm just enjoying the journey. So if our paths happen to cross in the future...You should enjoy all the little detours. To the fullest. Becuase that's where you'll find the things more important than what you want."

Gon gave a small nod and admired the spectacular view. A couple of minutes later, the sky became dark and full of tiny little diamonds. Lizzy absolutely loved the view now. It brought back memories of home with her grandmother and sister. She wished Lynn was here to see the stars with her.

The birds were meowing loudly, and a different bird was seen flying toward the nest carrying a huge fish in its mouth. It began feeding the babies, and that put a smile on both Gon's and Lizzy's faces.

"Oh! Ging!" Gon exclaimed, reaching into his pocket.

"Hmm?"

"Here." He said, handing out a Double-Star Hunter License. "Kite gave this to me, and he said I should give it back to you."

"Oh, yeah. Right." Ging took the license and stared at it with such pride.

Their time together was spent talking about each other's adventures, and Lizzy enjoyed listening and joined in on some conversations. She got embarrassed when Gon told Ging about their first kiss and every single one of their romantic moments together. She was blushing furiously and her heart pounded a thousand beats per minute. Ging totally laughed at her tomato face as well as Gon. The little love-struck girl couldn't take the embarrassing compliments and whined for what felt like an hour.

Ging's last words to Gon had been stuck in his mind since they parted ways, and those words were words of motivation and regard.

"I want you to enjoy every single moment with the one you hold very dear, and never forget how much she feels about you. One day, she will be a part of our family."

As the two kids along with Kite and her group were watching thousands of Small-billed Swans fly into the sunrise with big smiles on their faces, they felt happier than ever to be in the scene. Such a beautiful sight to anyone in Spinner Clow's hometown.

Lizzy's emerald eyes were shining brightly as the sun and her beaming smile was enough to make you squeal with delight. The same went for her beloved, and together, they made the cutest, most truehearted couple anyone could ever wish for.

Their relationship, no matter what happened, would not be broken. They would live as trusty partners and devote themselves to each other. They would be known as the Freecss.