Primna scoured her surroundings, the adrenaline and rush in her veins inciting an excitement that she hadn't allowed herself to feel in quite a while. Despite her frayed mind, she knew that she shouldn't succumb completely to it. To her bloodlust. But it was like a drug. Bloodlust was a drug that she had withdrawn from, and she had gotten over the temptation of going back to those bloody days. Primna knew she shouldn't, but she found her lips going back to that same drug before she knew it. Now she was hooked on it, just like she was as a little girl, all over again.
A little girl... that brings memories.
She remembered when she played with the other children. Her father had always warned her not to get too excited, not to get too happy. Primna had always wondered why.
Why did he always say that? Was I supposed to not be happy? Supposed to not feel excited? Did he want me to continue to feel dead and broken inside? He loved my pain. My suffering. But back then... all those warnings... for once he was sincere. Those few moments made me wonder if he actually did care about me in his own way.
She had gotten too happy. Too excited. And it always ended with blood on her hands. Primna always believed it was normal. It always happened, and she honestly was never told otherwise. Until the blood on her hands wasn't from the usual animal she picked up. The first time she had another human's blood on her hands, she would never forget that moment. Primna was too happy, too excited, and it ended up with a child's death. From then on, the other children weren't allowed to play with her.
Now it makes sense, though. Killing people isn't 'normal'. Or, at least to the world it isn't. But what really defines normal? The majority? What about Hunters? They could kill and hunt down people but they don't get into trouble. So what made them so different from me? All I'm doing is hunting too...
Primna grabbed the man's neck and squeezed. She heard the man's choking, his silent pleas of mercy, but there was not a drop of mercy in her. The drug called bloodlust had completely taken over her body. Primna was a puppet controlled by Bloodlust's strings. The man went silent, his lips blue from the lack of oxygen. She threw him away like he was a bothersome insect, his body meeting the ground with a harsh thud. Primna licked her lips, savoring the spilt blood on them.
All I want is someone to accept me. No, no, I want much more than that. Loving acceptance. Yes, that's it. Father accepted me for who I was, but with apathy. He knew that I would have the same issues with bloodlust like he did. He knew that I would come to revel in the blood spilt from my enemies, and innocents. But he also knew, that I wouldn't have a psychopathic heart. Yes, my soul craves to spill blood, but my heart weeps in sorrow every time I do so. He always said I had my mother's heart. And this heart... it craves to be loved. It also craves to love. But how can I when I hack down everything around me?
Primna's eyes, a dark emerald, looked up at the sky. It was dark now, but it was also raining. Her body shivered, but she didn't feel cold. The temperature drop simply wasn't registering. Her mind, the only real thing she had control of right now, was elsewhere. It was trapped deep within herself.
I wonder what's happening. How much time has passed? How many days has it been? Will I snap out of this haze before time runs out? Will I ever snap out of this?
That thought terrified Primna.
What if I never stop? What if I run into Gon? Killua? Quino? Kurapika? God forbid Leorio. I need to wake up. I need to go back. Back? What would I go back to? If Leorio can't even accept me... then who could? Maybe I misjudged him. Maybe he isn't as accepting as I thought he would be. Or maybe I was just assuming. Assuming anyone but my father could accept me.
There it was again, that depression that caused Primna to spiral back into her bloodlust. She couldn't help it though. The depression dampened the hurt in her heart.
I should've listened to father. He warned me about people. He warned me not to jump to conclusions, to not assume someone was something when they didn't even say they were. But what did I do? The exact opposite. Now, I was back to being vulnerable to my own bloodlust. It took me a while to have some sort of restraint over it, nevermind full control. All that progress, gone...
Primna's lip parted ever so slightly, and let out a sigh. She leaned on one of the many trees surrounding her and allowed her body to slide down. Even though she felt her shirt ride up, felt the splinters digging themselves into her flesh, she ignored the sensations. She closed her eyes, and rested. However, her mind was still active.
I'm getting bored, being trapped inside here. If I struggled enough, would I break free? I'll probably just go back to my homeland. To the Dark Continent. I would go back to being used as a tool to protect the village I grew up in. At least they would rejoice that they were completely and utterly safe again. I'd never once failed to save one of the villagers. Though I suppose my father accomplished the same thing.
This brought a certain thought to mind, a question really. If she ever saw her father, she would want to ask many questions, but there was one question in particular that she absolutely wanted answered.
Why did you go? What is there outside of the Dark Continent that intrigued you so much? It's so relaxed and calm here. There's nothing exhilarating about this place. Everything here is so weak. All of these applicants, even the examiners themselves. I'm at least on the same level as the examiners. That's only being kind. I'm probably above them. They all lived such peaceful, calm lives. Well, maybe not too peaceful and calm but compared to all the chaos and danger the Dark Continent holds...
She was getting off-topic.
What was so much more intriguing here than in the Dark Continent? What was more important than...
Tears leaked down Primna's darkened eyes, making her look completely broken.
"What was so much more important than me, Father?"
The rain pelted the ground, though the tree Primna laid on was shading her from most of the onslaught. Her mind didn't know that her body shared the same sentiment. Primna didn't know she was sobbing.
XXX
He turned the page, the book he was currently reading anticipating its end. He looked out the window and saw the downpour outside. He frowned. Rain was never a welcomed sight to him.
I wonder how she's doing, he thought out of nowhere, as his eyes landed on the word 'wait'. She liked the rain. I wonder if she still does.
"Hmm, what are you reading there?"
He looked up from his book to look at the man that intrigued him the most: Chairman Netero.
"Oh, it's just a pastime read. Though I must say, I'm surprised to see you here," he bubbly commented, giving out his trademark smile. He loved how a simple smile could get on people's nerves.
"I came to see what my vice chairman was up to," Chairman Netero stated, ending it with a laugh.
"Well, I'm being a good boy, now aren't I?"
Chairman Netero narrowed his eyes and muttered, "Too good," under his breath. Despite the quiet off-handed remark, he still heard the Chairman's words. "Well, I have things to do now. Enjoy your book."
He watched the Chairman's back and narrowed his eyes. He didn't like being treated like a child.
A child... I do wonder how she's doing, he thought as his mind was brought back to his musings. Much shouldn't have changed. She always was an obedient child, and very desperate. Well, the Dark Continent should be in good hands for a while.
He inserted the bookmark in his left hand into the book he had grown bored of reading, a rare sigh leaving his lips. He closed the book and placed it on the end table, letting it rest there until he felt like putting it back. His eyes looked out the window again.
I really don't like the rain.
XXX
Primna opened her eyes, and her body began to shiver once again. Despite the tree's coverage, her clothes were drenched. Her dark eyes scanned her surroundings, ignoring the onslaught of nature's sounds. When she saw nobody, her body got up and her feet began to move her forward.
She remembered a time that felt so long ago, the time when she first had to defend the village. Her father was gone. He had disappeared well into the night, and he had told her that he wouldn't be back for some time. By this point, she was used to his disappearances. But she hadn't anticipated that the next day monsters that her father had always succeeded in fending off would attack them. At first, she wasn't confident that she could defend the village like her father could. There was a reason that only her father would step up and eradicate them. The others just didn't stand a chance against such vicious and powerful monstrosities. And if adults couldn't handle them, how could a seven year old handle them?
I was scared. I thought I was going to die. It wasn't like the villagers forced it upon me, but I stepped up myself. Just like my father, I decided that I would handle it. But I had never realized just how dangerous the creatures of the Dark Continent really were. In all honesty, Father made it look so easy. In reality, he really was just that strong. Fortunately, all the training Father had put me through gave me a winning chance. I did manage to succeed in eradicating them, but barely. I remember the villagers had helped me recover after I had collapsed from the exertion of that first fight.
Primna wondered if he had known. She wondered if he had prepared her to take over his role as the village's protector. It was then she felt guilt. She was guilty for leaving behind the village with practically nothing to defend them. Primna had decided, two years before she had left, that she would teach the other children to defend themselves in the hopes that they could take over her role as a collective group when she left. She hoped they were doing okay.
Am I selfish? I had left my village for the sake of what? Becoming a Hunter? What would I do after that? I wanted it so that way Father couldn't outright kill me. That possibility had always been in the forefront of my mind. I just can't dismiss the possibility. He was and is, by all rights, a psychopath. Yes, I love him. I love him so much that it hurts to think that he wouldn't hesitate to destroy me if I get too close to him. But what would I do with a hunter license? What would I do with it? Will I go back to my home, the Dark Continent? I should. There's people there, people who need me. Maybe I could make a call on the private line.
Primna's eyes had set on a target. She had finally found someone. She waited, watching her prey with predatory eyes. Everything in her was screaming to go and kill him. But the little vestiges of patience that had somehow bled through the haze of her bloodlust had kept her anchored there. She will wait. Wait until the right moment. She was a huntress, and the person in the distance her prey.
However, something made her body involuntarily shudder. Her eyes did not leave her prey, but she had noticed that something was off. Something whizzed past her, grazing her cheek just enough to draw blood. Primna's eyes dislodged from her prey and glanced at the alien object. It looked like a card that belonged to a deck of playing cards, the card displaying a black joker.
"My, my, you feel off today."
Primna's head twisted to look behind her, her dark eyes wide and hungry. While her mind was busy with its own thoughts, Primna's body shuddered again. It knew who was before her. The hunt just got a lot more interesting.
I wonder if I should approach the group again. This isn't the last phase of the Hunter Exam. Maybe I could hang out with the group during the last phase, then leave to the Dark Continent, with or without a hunter's license. That would be for the best, right? I think... I think I'll give them a chance. But if I'm unwelcomed, then I guess I'll go back to the Dark Continent. Then again, it's probably best if I go back there anyway. Not before giving a call though.
Primna stepped back from the next card coming at her, the object wedging itself into the ground. She lunged at her attacker, only for him to swipe a card at her. She dodged, but the card managed to nick her in the shoulder.
"You're quite skilled at dodging," he said, throwing yet another card at her. She sidestepped out of the way, the card flying into a bush. "It makes me wonder what else you're good at."
It was at this moment that Primna's mind had an inkling of what was happening in reality. She started to struggle, but her efforts were met with much resistance. Her bloodlust was making things difficult.
Something tells me that I need to wake up right now. Damn it! Why is my bloodlust fighting against me so much? Is this what it was like back then?
Primna punched her attacker but he narrowly dodged it. She sent a kick his way, which caught him off guard and made him unsteady for a split second. Of course, Primna used this split second to send a punch to the man's face. Surprisingly, it made its mark on his right cheek. He gave out a small chuckle, his eyes narrowing dangerously at her.
"Feisty today, are we?"
Grr, this is so annoying! Just let me out of here already! Haven't you spilled enough blood by now? My bloodlust is so insatiable! I have to see what's going on because I know that something big is happening right now. But how can I if I'm still so caught up in bloodlust? There's just got to be a way. Would it matter if I make a bunch of noise? Maybe it'll be like, "Alright, fine, geez." Except bloodlust doesn't have a conscious like that, let alone can be communicated with like an actual person. I think I'm starting to lose it.
"Do you recognize me in that state?" he asked as he dodged another punch from Primna's eager knuckles. He was met with no answer. "Rude."
She rushed at him but he sidestepped out of the way, causing her to run past him. Unfortunately for her, just behind him was a tree. Her body collided with the tree's strong and rough bark, eliciting a grunt of pain from her. She turned around slowly, the collision doing more damage to her than he thought it would. Still, he knew that she wouldn't give up that easy. He was experienced with the effects of bloodlust in a person.
"You really should watch where you're going," he commented.
Primna gritted her teeth and glared venomously at him, his comment irking her. She charged at him again, and he caught the fist aiming for his gut.
Nothing is freaking working. I've tried being loud as possible, obnoxious as possible, begging, bribing, even freaking singing, but nothing is working! Though there was one thing she hadn't tried...
He put her in a headlock, smirking at the way she was struggling. He had fun sparring with her, but it was starting to come to an end. Plus, he was a bit bored. Although he had fun, she wasn't as nearly entertaining as he thought she would be. He wondered if it was because of the bloodlust. Maybe she couldn't think straight? Who knows. All he knew was that he was growing tired of the same tactics that she would try to use to overpower him. It made him think if she thought he was stupid. That thought bothered him. Hisoka the Magician was not an idiot.
Primna bit into his arm, bringing him back to the situation at hand. He let her go, but not without a devastating kick to her gut. She gasped from the impact. Her body curled into itself, the pain that had erupted too painful to get back up from.
"Hmm, what a pity. Guess I'll see you next time," Hisoka said as he walked away from her vulnerable form.
Inside, Primna had stopped trying to break free from her bloodlust.
Hey everybody!
I'm back! Yay! So I accidentally wrote myself into a writer's block (ehehe, oopsie) and I feel a bit bad for taking so long to figure out how to get myself out of the writer's block. Therefore, I decided to work myself to the bone for you guys and crank out four 3K chapters. And as you may (or may not) have guessed, each chapter will feature one of the OCs during the Fourth Phase. By the way, all four of these chapters take place in the middle of the week.
Hope you enjoyed this (really) long chapter and I'll hopefully have the other three chapters posted tomorrow.
I want to thank all of the lovely viewers out there who are taking the time to read this fanfic. I know I haven't been posting like I said I would (and I really do hope I'll be able to post every Wednesday like I said I would) I just want you to know that I appreciate your patience. And yes, I do realize that you might not even feel impatient to read more of this (I know that there's plenty more to life than this fanfiction lol) but I do hope these four chapters will make up for my inactivity as of late.
Well, with all that said, read and review to your heart's content! I'll see you in the next chapter!