Thank you for the reviews! I can't begin to voice how much they mean to me..
Anyhow, I meant to post this days ago, but it's been so hot... I didn't want to go up to my room to finish this thing... Long chapter, here we go!
Light and warmth danced across my skin. Bliss flowed through my veins and I floated on a calm sea of happiness. I smiled, and I knew what it meant to feel complete.
White. I opened my eyes to white, virginal and unending.
There was nothing to see in the vast whiteness, except two children. A boy and girl sat, relaxing in the white world; facing each other with their hands entwined. They shared a simple happiness. A gentle breeze sifted through their pink and blue hair. And I knew them like a beloved old photograph. I knew the boy with frizzy pink hair and the girl with long blue hair. Their happiness was my happiness, it was warm like honey, and I melted into it.
And then, the illusion cracked, and I felt that something was wrong. I wasn't sure why, but something told me the kids were in jeopardy, and I had to warn them..! But what was it..?
And as it grew, I realized what it was; a shadow. The shadow behind the girl with blue hair was out of place in this world of white. It stretched out behind her, and shifted unnaturally. It twitched and writhed and then, to my horror, a hand appeared; a mangled claw of darkness. It moved silently, unnoticed by the blissfully unaware children.
Desperate, I opened my mouth to call to them, but no sound came. I reached for them, but it was too late.
The hand closed around the girl's neck, and without a sound, without hesitation, it yanked her backwards. And she vanished into her own shadow. Leaving behind a black puddle. I was too shocked to react. It had taken her quick as a cobra.
The pink haired boy was silently startled. He leaned over, peering into the hole where she vanished. Finding nothing, he covered his eyes and shook silently. And his pain crippled me. Then the shadow twitched. And the blackness began moving, spreading, shifting. It was going to swallow him as well!
I have to save him!
I ran to him but stopped short. My heart halted.
I looked back in terror. A hand reached up from my blackness, closing its black fingers around my ankle. I lifted my other foot to run, but another hand latched around my other ankle. I fell forward onto my knees. Then the hands multiplied quicker, and quicker, swiftly sprouting and climbing their way up my legs. I cried out in silent terror, clawing at the ground, but the clean white offered no grip. The hands dragged me into my own shadow, pulling me into the black hole. I looked up at the pink haired child. He was alone and crying as the black crept around him.
I reached for him and screamed. But no sound came out.
Then I fell into the world of darkness. I reached hopelessly for light, but the hands latched onto my arms, binding them beside me and covered my eyes, consuming me entirely.
I couldn't move. The dark was thick and pressing in from all sides; it held me all over with covetous hands. I felt buried. Suffocated. But I struggled. I have to get away. My mind screamed. I didn't know how I knew, but something bad was coming.
There were footsteps. But there was no floor. And there was no click of heels on ground. But I knew something was coming. Coming to get me. Even if it came silently, I knew it was coming. Even if it moved noiselessly, I could feel its steps in my bones. Something in me was familiar with this unknown horror coming for me. This terror in the dark.
Suddenly, I could hear my breathing, and my breaths came loud, sharp and quick. Whatever it was came silently, steadily and deliberately. It knew where I was. It knew I was trapped. That I couldn't escape it.
I have to get away, I have to...! I HAVE TO RUN.
The waves of fear bounced around my head; echoing like ripples on water. I struggled wildly. The chaos crept down my spine. I was going insane.
Then it was silent. I panted loudly, but it was silent. I didn't trust the silence.
It was waiting for me to relax. So it could eat me. Piece by piece. I knew it. It was just playing with me.
But the silence stretched on, and on. I became acquainted to my heart's pounding, the knock in my chest that shook my bones, and made my clenched fingers throb. Minutes passed like hours, and eventually the terror faded. I still couldn't move, and I still needed to run, but the heat of terror cooled. I was tense.
Then I heard it. It was soft. My brows pinched together in concentration.
It was a distant keening. It confused me. What does it mean...?
And then the keening grew stronger. Through the thick, muffling black I strained to listen.
Then the noise became a flush, full scream; her scream. A scream of agony, like I'd opened a door and she stood before me shrieking. I froze in spine chilling terror. And then the scream was mine. And the agony crushed me instead.
What's happening?! I don't understand...!
The dark was stabbing me and I thrashed helplessly. Screaming. My throat stung. Pain, like a million, burning needles pierced me to the bone.
I HAVE TO GET AWAY.
And then the restraints vanished, and I hit the ground running. Everything was a uniform black, but I ran. It didn't matter where I ran I just had to run because something was going to hurt me if I didn't and even if I hurt myself in the dark it didn't matter. It didn't matter if I died running. Because getting caught would mean much worse. It would mean so much more pain.
The black had no end. I could have been running in place. It didn't matter.
But then, there was light, to my right. Bright, pure and blinding. A door to a world of white shone through the dark, and I remembered that peaceful place I was before. I ran to the light like a dehydrated child to an oasis. I relaxed as the light warmed me. Then a sudden, fierce pain resounded in my skull. I fell back.
Echoes of pain rolled around my head, and when I opened my eyes, it was to darkness again. But this time, someone was with me.
"Killua..!" I exclaimed. He radiated a faint light, and every inch of me was confused, but he left no room for questions. His face overflowed with terror. He scrambled to his feet and pulled me up with him.
"RUN!" He cried. My jaw was slack and my eyes were so wide it hurt. I was confused but his voice trembled with fear for his life. And nothing scared me more than to see him so scared.
I ran with all I had. My lungs ached, and my legs felt detached from my body.
Then, the darkness awoke.
It had eyes.
Thousands of blinking, soulless, black eyes, with white pupils. They watched as we ran, as we flew past them. No matter where we ran, they surrounded us, peering through the black, like a curious tunnel.
"W-what are these?!" I shouted in horror. Killua shook his head. His eyes were so wide, so hopeless, so terrified. I felt my eyes water up.
"Just RUN, it's COMING!" He cried, running desperately. My hope faltered. I was afraid to ask. But even more terrified of the answer. But I couldn't resist...
"W-what's coming...?"
Then the eyes around us blinked one final time, and closed permanently. The darkness closed in around us again. And Killua looked over his shoulder, and though I knew I shouldn't, I couldn't help but look as well, and I regretted that decision.
Eyes.
Just two of them.
But huge.
Empty and black.
They gaped out of the dark behind us.
They were larger than us, much, much larger.
They were size of mountains.
And we were ants.
And as I sprinted frantically, I felt the ground slipping with each step, pulled out from under me. And though I moved my legs faster than ever, I knew I was being sucked backwards, into the void. Into the emptiness of those two black holes.
I panicked and turned to Killua. He was staring at his legs with round eyes. The shadows were eating him; his feet were vanishing into the uniform black. And as he saw his legs slowly vanish, he was choking on terror, and it was consuming him, dragging him under even quicker. I reached for him and he reached for me with stricken eyes. I CAN SAVE HIM.
But as my fingers groped for his, they vanished and the black swallowed him whole.
I cried out.
And then the black reached up with groping, hungry hands, and held me in place as the wide, towering, open maw of the black eyes lurched forward to devour me.
"NO! LET ME GO! DON'T TOUCH ME!"
The hands stretched up and pulled on my shoulders, dragging me backwards into the black. I flailed as they clung to my wrists. I bucked and screamed and struggled.
"Clearian..." The darkness called. "Clearian, hold still..."
"NOOOOOO! PLEASE!"
"Clearian, stop struggling..."
"Don't touch me, please... I don't want to die..."
"Clearian, you're not dying- WAKE UP!"
A light burst into existence, and I gasped for air.
The dark dissolved, and the hands that bound me weren't sinister shadows, but gentle human hands. Soft yellow light dimly illuminated concerned expressions. My head spun. A vaguely familiar blond boy was holding me down. I struggled to understand that I was in a soft bed, not an ocean of groping hands.
"Clearian, it was just a dream..!" The boy said, looking deeply troubled. I winced up at him.
"... a... a dream..?" I said quietly. My throat felt scratchy, like I'd been screaming. Guilt was a cold rock in my stomach. "... what have I done...?"
Another boy appeared in the dim, soft light; his cheek was puffy and he looked upset.
"You punched me is what you did...!" He ranted, shaking an angry fist. I had a hard time expressing my regret; for some reason my face wouldn't form the expression I needed it to. I settled for looking down, unable to meet his accusing glare. "Kurapika had to hold you down to keep you from freaking out!"
"... Kurapika..." I tested the name. That's right, that was the name of the blond boy holding me down. His hands were firmly around my wrists, and he sat on my legs to keep me from flailing in my sleep. Maybe that was why the hands felt so real...
My memories came back to me in bits and pieces. The three of us were friends, and were sharing a room on a blimp. We were in the Hunter Exam and on our way to the third phase of it. My head spun as I reacquainted to reality. "Uhh... I'm sorry... I'm okay now..."
Kurapika looked uncertain, but released his hold on me, hovering in concern. "... are you sure you're alright, Clearian...?"
I touched a temple; my head hurt and my bones ached and seemed hollow. I felt empty, and like death was hiding in the rafters, even though I knew it was a dream... despite my unease, I forced a smile. "I'll be fine, thank you.."
Kurapika moved to sit on the side of the bed, and Leorio stood at the foot, making angry noises. I gave him a regretful look. "I uhh... I'm sorry for hitting you, Leorio... it wasn't personal... I just..."
I chewed over my thoughts.
This hasn't happened in a long time... not in years...
I shook my head clear and plastered a smile on my face. ".. had a really scary dream."
He looked unsatisfied, crossing his arms and making a disquieted noise. "Hmph... what was it about? You were shouting pretty loudly for it to be just a dream, even a 'really scary' one!"
I frowned, looking down at my hands. I really didn't want to think about it too much. In concept, it was pretty embarrassing, really... running away from eyes in the dark with Killua. And the part with the kids wouldn't make sense to them...
But still, I owed him of all people an explanation. His swollen cheek warranted one. I groped for the words to explain, closing my hands, as if trying to grasp how to say it. "I... it was..."
"You don't have to tell us, Clearian." Kurapika interrupted firmly. I looked at him in surprise. His expression went from stern to soft. Then he turned to Leorio. "Why don't you get us some breakfast, Leorio?"
"Huuuh?! I'm the one who got punched and now I have to get breakfast, too?!" He shouted furiously. I opened my mouth to agree with him, but Kurapika's glare silenced both of us.
"Yes. Getting breakfast might help you walk off your grievous injury." Kurapika said, turning up his nose. "Unless you're afraid you'll get lost along the way? Or do you think it might be too heavy for you to carry? I guess you're right, I can do it, Leorio."
"Huuuuuh?! No way! I can definitely do it; I'm not weak and I'm definitely no idiot!" He fumed, and just like that, he stormed out of the dim light and into the bright hallway. I smiled after him sadly.
"... poor guy. It's cruel of you to abuse him like that, Kurapika..." I chastised softly. He merely smiled with a shrug.
"It will make him feel useful. He's not very good with this sort of thing..." Kurapika said, making me shift nervously. I felt the weight of his concern weigh down on me.
Crap... I must have really freaked out, this time...
"Uhh... what... exactly did I do while I was asleep...?" I asked avoiding eye contact. Kurapika made a thoughtful noise.
"Well... you started off tossing in your sleep and breathing really loudly... then you got quiet, and I thought that was the end of it." He said quietly. I twiddled my thumbs, as he continued. ".. but then a few minutes later, you started making noises; sounds of distress. And that's when Leorio woke up. We didn't want to wake you, but when you started flailing, we worried you were going to break something. So Leorio tried to hold you down, and you punched him. So I restrained you and he turned on the light."
I stared at my hands in my lap as he explained. I sound insane... like I belong in an institution... I shook my head remorsefully. "I... this doesn't-"
"You don't have to explain to me, Clearian." He said earnestly, placing comforting a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him sullenly. "But if you want to talk about it, I'm here. I know Leorio isn't the best person to talk to, that's why he's the one getting breakfast... but we both want to help however we can."
I gave him a small glare then. My pride had taken a beating as of lately. Killua's scolding flashed in front of my eyes. Here I go again.. getting rescued.
"Look, I appreciate the help, but you don't have to force yourself to take care of me." I brushed his hand from my shoulder. "I can take care of myself; I'm just as much of a combatant in this exam as you two are; I need to be strong too!"
Kurapika's expression grew stern. "Clearian, it's not that we don't think you're strong enough to take care of yourself... we just want to help."
I fell into the sheets and rolled over. "Yeah well, I've had enough of getting helped and rescued in the past few days... a spooky dream is the least of my problems..."
I heard him sigh and hoped that was the end of it. I was bitter, to say the least, and part of me regretted what I said. The other part of me was too stubborn to admit it. But as the moments ticked by, Kurapika didn't move from his spot on my bed.
"Look, Clearian..." He started softly. I tensed; I really didn't want to have to hurt him to make him leave me alone, but if he forced me to... "It's just... when I saw you struggling, I remembered what it was like... after my clan..."
I froze. Guilt was a cold pit in my stomach.
"And I remember how hard it was to sleep at night..."
I wrestled with my shame for a moment. With a sigh, I surrendered and rolled back over. "Your clan... the Kurta Clan, right...?"
He nodded vaguely, lost in a memory. Then he shook his head and looked at me with a smile. "... I know we only just met, and we all like to keep secrets. But just know that Leorio and I will protect you and your secrets. You saved our lives, yesterday..! Talking to you and fetching breakfast is the least we can do..."
"... it's not like I did much..." I pouted, unable to meet his honest eyes. It wasn't very fair. I knew major secrets that they kept, but I'd only told them lies... the guilt in my stomach was a rapidly growing snowball. "Kurapika... you and Leorio had it much worse than I did growing up. I don't deserve your pity..."
Kurapika laughed then, and I raised my head and frowned. "Suffering isn't a contest, Clearian..! Haha, bad things happening in the world doesn't invalidate your struggling or pain... pain is pain." He wiped his eye with a sigh. "And anyways, I'm not pitying you, Clearian. I'm helping you. In the way that I wish I'd been helped... So smile! Even if it's just faking it for me."
I flinched as his hand pushed on my head, ruffling my already messy hair with his hand. I sulked, feeling like a child again, but allowed him a moment before batting his hand away. "You can brood over your tragic past when I'm not here to watch you."
I pouted, smoothing my hair pointlessly. "I don't even have a tragic past... it was just a freaky dream..." I muttered.
"That's fine." He said brightly, leaning back on his hands and smiling easily. "But everyone has trouble at some point. And I don't mind listening if it's you. So don't be shy!"
Then he jumped at me, pulling my head against his chest in a crushing hug. I flailed weakly, pulling at his arms trying to break free.
"HEY! Don't glomp me, you're suffocating me! Help!"
"Hahaha, I am helping you, Clearian! Accept my help!"
"ACK! I need help breathing! Kurapikachu, please!"
"... w... what did you call me?"
"Uh.."
Then the door opened, revealing a very confused teenager with a tray of food.
"Uhhhh. I got breakfast... are you guys done cuddling, now?"
"We- we aren't cuddling, Oreo!"
"Ehhh?! My name is LE-Oreo!"
"Just give us the breakfast, cookie boy."
"Eeeh?! What does THAT mean?! You don't DESERVE breakfast!"
"NO WAIT, come back please, Le-Oreo, I'm sorry!"
When the blimp landed, the sun was shining and harsh. When my eyes adjusted to the light, the first thing they registered was our altitude; we were so high! An amazing view stretched out around us in all directions. I gawked at lush green forests, smoothly sloping mountains and blue ribbons of river. Leorio, Kurapika and I had wandered off of after we listened to Netero explain the exam to us.
"Woah... is this the kind of thing that Hunters see often...?" I marveled quietly.
"Hunters are impressive people..." Kurapika said proudly, seeming to affirm his beliefs. Leorio on the other hand made a rude noise.
"Who cares about the view? What's important getting to the bottom of this dang tower!" Leorio said obnoxiously. I gave him a withering glower.
"... this view is a treasure, and you're a blind man, Leorio..." I muttered to myself as I approached the edge of the stone tower we stood on. "But I guess you're right about the tower..."
As I edged towards the precipice, my gut sank. My slip from yesterday flashed freshly in my mind, paralyzing me with fear. I paused, several feet from the edge, unable to move forwards or backwards. A hand patting my shoulder made me jump. Kurapika gave me a reassuring smile.
"You won't fall this time, Clearian." Leorio said seriously, holding my wrist firmly. He'd shed his annoying attitude, and I stared in surprise at his change in demeanor.
"Right. We've got you." Kurapika said, holding my other wrist. I swallowed hard and nodded once, hardening my resolve.
If I'm going to be a hunter, then heights are going to be the least of my problems.
We advanced towards the edge cautiously, until we were able to peer over the stones of the tower. What we saw made me gasp.
We were on top of an enormous tower of homogeneous stone, hundreds of feet tall. But more amazing was where the tower was built; it stood atop a natural tower of stone. A plateau, that stood hundreds of thousands of feet above the surrounding landscape.
"Woah..." I murmured. Then I gave Leorio a devilish grin. "Now you can't possibly say that isn't freaking amazing, Leorio."
His eyes were wide as he craned his neck to see over the edge. "Y-yeah... that's... kinda cool, I guess..."
"Hey!" A voice shouted, making us jump. At the sound, I was the first to back pedal, dragging the two of them back several feet, much to their alarm. They gave me irritable glares and I scratched my cheek sheepishly before turning to address the person who called to us. I already knew who it was, and the thought of facing him made my stomach churn.
"I thought you were the one who wanted to stick together, Clearian." Killua drawled irritably, hands in his pockets. I had a hard time keeping eye contact, settling instead on his shoes. Each time I looked at face, a different memory rose to the surface; his cold eyes scolding me, or the terrified look from last night's dream...
"I, uh. Yeah, you're right." I fidgeted. He made an unsatisfied sound. From his side, Gon ran to join the three of us by the edge.
"Leorio, Kurapika, Clearian! Good morning!" He said, brighter than the sun.
"Good morning, Gon." Kurapika said happily.
"What have you two been up to this whole time?" Leorio said reproachfully. "Did you even sleep last night?!"
Gon laughed bashfully, scratching his head. I remembered Killua saying he'd be up all night, trying to get that ball from old man Netero. I looked at him with concern, but he seemed awake enough to me.
"Uhh, I was playing a game! And yeah, I got a little sleep... hehe..."
"Tch. Kids are so full of energy... I envy you. I didn't get too much sleep last night because of someone!" Leorio rounded on me, baring his teeth. I ignored him, crossing my arms.
"Yeah, your snoring is pretty loud, Leorio. I'm not surprised you woke yourself up." Kurapika said with a shrug. I snickered as Leorio made an outraged noise. Then, a gentle elbow in my side made me jump. I looked at Gon in surprise as he leaned towards me, not-so-subtly shielding his mouth with his hand.
"Pssst, Clearian... I talked to Killua for you..! He should be nicer to you, now..!" He whispered with a confident wink. I gave him a sidelong look, unsure of how to feel.
"So how are we going to get to the bottom of this tower?" Killua asked in a bored voice. I pointedly didn't look at him, instead opting to survey the other examinees. In doing so, I realized that more than a few of them had vanished from sight. "We have 72 or so hours to get down there."
"Hmmm..." Gon said thoughtfully, craning his neck over the edge of the tower. "I don't think we can climb down it... it's pretty steep, and such a long way down! How would we get bathroom breaks?!"
I smiled ruefully. He had a point, I supposed.
"Gon... there's more flaws in that plan than bathroom breaks..." Kurapika said, touching his brow.
"Hmm... then how do we get down?" Gon wondered sadly.
"My guess is that we have to go inside the tower." I said, touching my chin. "A lot of applicants have already vanished, and it wasn't by going down the side."
I squatted and knocked on the ground. "So there has to be a way into the tower."
"Hmmm, not bad." Killua appraised dully. I ignored the compliment, shifting to knock on another stone. "So there are trap doors."
"Ehhh, I guess we can't take this part of the test together, can we?" Gon wailed. My gut twisted.
Damn it... just as we started working together, we got a solo exam... I glanced up at Killua, then away. He was staring at me, and his intense glare from yesterday rose to the front of my mind. I felt myself sweat. But after all that's happened.. I guess I really don't want to be around him anymore...
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you," Killua said, and to say I was startled would be an understatement, when he grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me up. "But Clearian and I are taking this exam together."
I was numb. And the shock on everyone's faces mirrored my own surprise.
"Uhh, that's nice Killua. But how are you going to take it together? It looks like only one person can fit in each trap door." Gon said thoughtfully, squatting to inspect the tiles. I felt Killua shrug.
"We'll find a way. If we don't, then that crazed clown is going to kill us."
I was uncomfortable with this development in Killua's attitude. Extremely uncomfortable. And to say that feeling an insane jester's aura call out to me was a welcome sensation might put my discomfort into perspective. I looked over my shoulder to where the familiar, wicked aura had come from, and Killua followed my gaze for a moment. Hisoka stood watching us from a distance, with his weird needle friend by his side. I tensed up feeling his eyes on us.
"... what do they want..." Killua muttered so only I could hear it. I swallowed hard. Even from a distance, I could tell the murderous magician wanted to speak to us. And the part of me that valued my life was obliged to give in.
"... not sure.." I glanced at Gon who was talking animatedly with Kurapika and Leorio. "... but we have to keep those two away from those three, got it?"
I felt him nod.
"So I guess we'll see you guys after this exam, right?" Killua said confidently for the three of them to hear. They paused in their conversation. "Because we're all going to pass, right?"
I saw determination glint in their eyes and smiled.
"Of course we're going to pass." Leorio said with a clenched fist.
"We'll see you at the bottom." Kurapika said with a nod.
"Hopefully we can work together on the next exam!" Gon said cheerfully.
"The last one to the bottom has to buy dinner." I laughed, feeling their confidence overflow into me. Then I smirked devilishly. "After we get our licenses, of course."
We all shared a bold nod. With that, Killua and I turned and approached the waiting magician.
I resisted the urge to latch onto Killua as my legs carried me towards the man who seeped danger. Luckily, his back was to us as we approached. I wouldn't have been able to handle his eyes on me, as they dissected my every move. Feeling like a meal, delivering itself to its own demise, as the predator counted the ways in which to devour me.
Even without his gaze, I felt tense, as if strolling down death row. Every instinct in me told me to turn around and run away, as we willingly put ourselves in the hands of two sinister men.
The sting of my nails in my palms helped me ignore the fear.
I was so anxious, I didn't realize I was talking, and I didn't know I felt it, until I spoke it. "I'm sorry I got you into this." I said, to my surprise. I pinched my traitorous lips together. The words had slipped out thoughtlessly. But Killua tossed his head and laughed.
"I'm not." He said despite a bitter smile. I gave him a startled glance for a moment, embarrassed that he acknowledged what I'd said. "We're already half way through the Hunter Exam, and I met some cool people. Enduring a little blackmail from a clown is a reasonable price. Besides, his demands are nothing we can't handle."
I made an unsure noise as we closed in on the aforementioned clown. "... your priorities are pretty warped aren't they, Killua?"
The moment Hisoka turned and laid eyes on us, we froze. Heels in the ground, we refused to move any further. Creepy, golden eyes narrowed in delight, and he turned to face us.
"Oh, nice to see such a happy couple..." He sighed happily. It was difficult to swallow under his scrutiny. "Nice of you to join us."
I glanced quickly at the needle guy to the right, he twitched and chattered noisily. I remembered his promise of helping me yesterday, and it made me more wary than assured.
"What do you want?" Killua snapped. Hisoka lifted his hands and shrugged smoothly.
"Just to see you two happy, of course." He replied casually. I glared and clenched my fists.
"I find that hard to believe." I said, quietly seething. He tilted his head in a catlike manner.
"Making the right friends is important." The needle man said, with his creepy warped voice. Seeing him twitch made me anxious, and something about the way he looked down on us made my stomach roll. "Useful allies are precious."
I scoffed. "Well if making us allies was the plan, then you've messed up. I didn't exactly prove my usefulness through your test."
"And we aren't friends." Killua said darkly. My breath stuck in my throat. "We can hardly stand each other."
"Oh?" Hisoka said cryptically, full of arch delight. I glared up at him sullenly. "Well then, this next exam will be a fine opportunity to prove your usefulness, and become great friends. You're going to spend 72 hours together, alone."
Killua tensed at that. "What?! This is a solo exam! How?!"
Hisoka grinned placidly. "Like this."
He pointed his finger at my chest, then Killuas and my eyes widened. I forced my aura to life with a fierce shove and concentrated it to my eyes.
Bungee Gum?! Hisoka's flamboyantly colored Hatsu connected our chests, and according to the jester's will, it pulled us together, as if we were magnetically attracted. I was too startled to react but Killua cried out in surprise.
"Now play nice, you two!" Hisoka chimed, pushing us backwards. And just like that - crying out in dismay, bound by a sticky, pink rope of fate - we fell through a trap door and into the third phase of the Hunter Exam.
