"Here I am." A tall and slender man announced in front of the entire group of participants. "The time for registration is over."
"The exam will commence now. Let's begin, shall we?" He turned around and started walking deeper into the tunnel. Everybody followed suit. "Well, I'll begin to explain very briefly about the Hunters Exam."
Yada yada yada.
The girl did not bother listening a single word to whoever is talking, she just followed the mouthless man's pace and easily caught up with him without effort. Indeed her pace with the man are the same, even Hisoka. She ran alongside the man she just met who owns the number she desires. However, that is just the minor reason. The main reason is she favours the man because of his bloodlust, though she is very sure that she and he are very different indeed.
"You're not bad~♢" He hummed and gave her a creepy look, much to his dismay, it did not faze her. At all.
"Want to race?" She grinned while ignoring his look of disappointment.
"You go ahead." He shook his head.
"You're no fun!" She huffed and ran off to bump into Gon and his gang.
"Oh! Hey, Raven!" Gon beamed.
"Hi Gon. Who's the kid?" She asked while using her chin to point to the kid white silver white hair and electric blue eyes.
His eyes... She wondered.
"He's Killua! Killua, this is Raven. She came here with us."
"Yo." He greeted.
"Nice to meet you too!" She grinned. "Ne, want to have a race?"
"Sure."
"Of course!" Gon exclaimed happily.
"You better don't. We won't know if there are any traps here or where were are heading to. One wrong move might cause death." Kurapika warned.
"That sounds fun!" She clapped her hands and jumped in joy.
"Don't even think about it. We won't know how long we have to run. It is wise to conserve your energy." He continued.
"You're no fun too.." She pouted.
+++
It has been hours since the first phase started and the raven haired girl was definitely bored. She secretly wished to cause some scenes and shed some blood to quench her thirst. Jogging with the small group she met earlier certainly did not entertain her other than silently fuming of their silliness. With one last sigh, she increased her speed and ran towards the examiner which she did not bother to know the name of. Finally, she ran by the side of the tall man which stared at her with both his eyes slightly widened. Her legs were a lot shorter compared to his, but she matched her pace with his flawlessly without effort. This, surely, caught his interest.
"Examiner-san."
Her face was void of any emotion, completely different from the expression she had when she was around Gon and the others.
"My name is Satotsu."
"Whatever. Why is the first phase so boring?" She groaned lightly.
"Boring?"
She's an interesting one... He thought.
"Yeah. I thought there will be a lot of fighting and killing in the Hunters exam, but I'm truly disappointed the moment the first phase started."
"Don't worry, the first phase won't end so soon."
Soon, a trail of staircase appeared at the front of the crowd. Endless grunts and complaints were heard from the hundreds of participants present.
"The finish line is at the top of this staircase?" She asked with mask of boredom covering her face.
"Indeed. May I know your name?"
"There's no reason for you to know that." She sent him a ghost of a smile before accelerating to where the stairs end which she found out is the end of the tunnel when she reached.
Her eyes cautiously scanned the area and sensed a fair amount of bloodlust leaking from all over the place.
Interesting.. She thought to herself with a hint excitement.
She heard a footsteps moments later, followed by the soft gasps of two certain kids.
"Ehh?? Raven?! You're here earlier than Satotsu-san!" A familiar kid in green gasped in shock and awe.
Satotsu immediately noticed the change in her expressions. Her once dull mood with a face vacant of emotions was instantly masked with a bright cheeky smile. In all honesty, her facade was perfect, way too perfect. He almost thought he imagined her dark expression earlier.
"I got bored running at such a slow speed, so I rushed off after confirming with Satotsu-san if this was the finish line."
"The first half of phase 1 is done. After the time given has reached, we will immediately proceed with the other half of phase 1." Satotsu explained after sensing the excitement and relief from the participants which has reached so far.
More groans were heard as each participants slump on the ground with a loud, continuous thud. Some participants immediately crashed their faces into the dirt once they have stepped out of the tunnel. Finally, the exit is slowly closing with someone left behind. That participant pathetically crawled towards the exit while shouting to wait for him.
The girl wore a smirk on her face when she watched the shameless man with the face of pure misery.
"W-Wait..! I'm a-al-almost.....t-there..!" He panted and pleaded as if his life depended on it.
So near yet so far... She chuckled with a wicked grin.
"Wa-"
His wails were muffled by the gate of the exit.
Hmph. I hoped at least half of your body went through, then you'll be crushed into bits and pieces... A soft sinister laugh escaped her pale lips as she imagined the gruesome scene with his crushed intestines escaping from his bursted stomach, blood splattered all over ground with pieces of fractured bones around his limp body. I will not go into detail as it is not the time..
...Yet..
Just a few minutes afterwards, the examiner caught the participants' attention, except a certain raven haired girl of course.
"The living organisms in the marsh are going to do all they can to make a good lunch. The predators who find a prey rushes at it and that is the end for them. That is why this place is called 'The Crooks' Nest'." He then continued, taking the advantage of the silence when most of the participants take in the informations. "Please take care of yourselves and do your best to follow me."
Suddenly, a sharp scream pierced through the area. Everybody's heads snapped towards the source of voice to find a beaten up man limping away from the wall of the tunnel to reveal himself.
"THAT'S FALSE! HE'S LYING TO ALL OF YOU! HE'S AN IMPOSTER! HE'S NOT AN EXAMINER AT ALL!" The unnamed man pointed accusingly at Satotsu, then ended his speech. "BECAUSE THE REAL EXAMINER IS ME!!!"
Gasps were heard around the area, but sighs were heard as well. All the time, the girl was silently leaning on a tree bark with her facade taken off. The shadow of the tree hid half of the girl's body. Her black hair and dark hoodie assisting the shadow's property. Only her bloody red eyes shown brightly beneath the shadow. It was as if her very existence was slowly dissolving into the shadows itself. However, she did not go forgotten by a certain young man because he was carefully watching her. The scene of the monkey man gone completely ignored.
As soon as she moved out of her place of comfort, the young man snapped out of his daze and caught up with his new found friends. Thankfully, she did not rush to the front, so he could keep an eye on her..
...to admire her mysterious dark beauty.
The girl ran with the crowd as she watched the surroundings. The marsh was filled with thick mist, but she successfully missed the traps swiftly. Her feet tapped on the ground silently as if she weight nothing. Her breathing was slow and steady. Her long raven black hair bounced behind her back with flawless grace.
Suddenly, a wave of intense bloodlust shot throughout the marsh where it is occupied by participants of the Hunters exam. A jolt of shiver sent through her spine as she spun around to face where the bloodlust came from. Her eyes blinked bright red uncontrollably, the corner of her lips twitching to smile an eerie grin. She crashed into trees and unusual plants to find herself led into a fairly wide field. Standing in the middle is a man with bright fuchsia gravity defying hair. Scattered around him are participants with a terrified expression; however, what brought a surge of pleasure rushing through her veins are the dead bodies on the now bloody red field.
"How rude of you to not include me in the fun."
She spoke with a deep voice which sent shivers down everybody's spine, except Hisoka. He was filled with excitement to fight her, but now was not the time. Deep down, he knew that she would not reveal her true powers that even he could not defeat.
I must become stronger.. Stronger to fight with her.. His wet, slippery tongue licked his pale lips and a groan of anticipation escaped his now moist lips.
+++
Dedicated to kira-itami for interacting with me in the comments section!
I know it hasn't reached 20 votes in the last chapter, but I'd like to publish this as a thank you for voting for this story in the HxHWattyAwards and presented me the first place. :)
Once again, thank you! :D
Reach 20 votes for the next chapter! ;)
PS: The horror will come at the right time, so please be patient... ;)
~Jojo
Published: January 2016