Chapter LXII
Behind her, the elevator opens and closes. More applicants are streaming in, dark-faced men joining the equally intense space. It feels like hours, trapped in this dark place, but really, it's only been less than thirty minutes since she and Illumi—Gittarackur, rather—joined the crowd as applicants #300 and #301.
She could pinpoint Hisoka now, standing taller than most, his bright red hair with the purple highlights would forever be unmistakable. She skips ahead, murmuring her quiet excuses, earning one or two sneers her way. She ignores them, hellbent on reaching the magician.
Then, someone suddenly steps back. She gasps, attempting to sidestep him, but the damage is already done and his weight throws her off her balance.
His hand darts out, catching her good wrist. "Oh! I'm sorry!" he exclaims.
She manages to find her footing and sighs in relief. "It's alright, sir," she reassures him. "No harm done."
"I am at fault," he continues, bowing at the waist. When he straightens himself, his youthful face is filled with distress. "I am a ninja at birth, trained to polish my skills, but I have failed you today, my lady."
"I should have been more careful," she says, smiling to ease him. Really, the people in this tunnel need to get out and breathe some fresh air. They may have been here for hours. "I thank you for your kindness."
"What brings you to the Hunter Exam?" Then he blinks and laughs at himself. "I definitely forgot—but my name is Hanzo! I'm a ninja looking for a very exclusive Ultimate Ninja Scroll." He flinches and presses an index finger to his lips. "But shh! Don't tell anyone!"
"Ultimate Ninja Scroll?" she echoes, and he nods vigorously. She smacks a fist to her open palm when she recalls. "Oh, do you mean the Hermit's Scroll?"
"Yes!" He gasps, amazed, and the people around them shoot them glares. He scoots closer and puts a hand up to whisper even lower. "How do you know about the super secret scroll?"
"I worked at a museum once," she whispers back. She decides that she likes this young man, no matter how strange he might be for a ninja. "We came upon a fake version of the scroll."
He draws back, gasping even louder. The other applicants are starting to get annoyed. It is either he is too ignorant of his surroundings, or he is overconfident that he could take on these sneering muscular men. Valtiel is sure she is not looking forward to a brawl.
Hanzo frowns. "A fake scroll? How impudent!"
She nods, matching his huff. "I thought so, too. We ended up throwing it—we had no need for fakes."
Now, his face clears and he beams at her. So endearing. "What's your name?"
"I'm Valtiel," she beams back, shaking hands with him. "It's very nice to meet you, Hanzo-san."
"I pray that you fare well during the exam, Valtiel-san," he returns, bowing again.
Off he goes, blending well in the shadows with his all-black suit. His bright red scarf gives him away, but one squeeze from the previous handshake and she could tell that the young man is more than just bright smiles and idle conversations.
With that done, one friend made in this sea of strangers, she beelines to Hisoka.
As though sensing her approach, the magician turns around, his face strangely aloof.
She is about to jump into his arms, but then notices his serious countenance. She stops before she could launch her hundred-pound self to a magician that would not catch her.
"Oh, my sweet love," Hisoka purrs in his usual lilting tone. "What are you doing here?"
"I brought entertainment," Gittarackur interposes, rattling as he walks to them.
"So I see," Hisoka hums, amber eyes gleaming down at her. He observes her appearance and lingers on the swollen left wrist hidden by her flowing lavender sleeves. "I thought you said you're not coming."
"Machi-san said I should go." She shrugs, rolling one shoulder. "So I'm here."
"Forgive me if I don't kiss you. Some of these people remember me from last year. I have a reputation to uphold."
Now that he mentions it, he seems like an entirely different person to her. In this gloomy place, filled with menacing fighters, Hisoka looks like he really does belong here. His sharp and piercing eyes catch the dim lighting in the room, narrowing at anyone who dares to come close. His claws seem longer, sharper, and a card dangles between his long fingers. His smiles, often cheerful and friendly when directed at her, are now quirked in amusement, hiding his bloodthirst.
If she doesn't know better, she would certainly stay away from his path.
The others glance at their strange group—a magician, a small girl, and whatever Illumi is supposed to be.
Somewhere in the tunnel, the elevator dings again, delivering more people.
"I'm surprised you let Machi change your mind," Hisoka hums, arms crossed, the muscles of his biceps bulging and straining against his short sleeves. "Did she threaten you?"
"Almost." Valtiel holds up a hand to muffle her giggle. "She would have dragged me here herself."
"Now that you're here, would you take your scarf?" He gestures to his hips.
"You can keep it." She smiles tenderly, fixing the yellow scarf a little. "Looks better on you."
"And how did you find your way here?" Hisoka grins at Gittarackur. The assassin is like some sort of Frankenstein's monster with those needles in his face. "And how are you two together?"
"She found me." Gittarackur's voice rattles as well as his head, like a car's bobblehead toy. "She once again benefitted from my efforts. I must say, Hisoka, your acquaintance is a parasite."
"We had a deal." She shoots him the smallest smirk. "Remember?"
"I do remember." He raises a purple claw and hovers the needlepoint tip mere centimeters above her golden iris. She doesn't balk. His lips twitch. "I remember everything but your name."
"My name?" Somehow, this feels like a familiar song. She frowns and turns to Hisoka for help. This lunatic is his friend—acquaintance. He must know what he means.
"Illumi is bad at names," Hisoka answers unhelpfully. "Or he doesn't care enough to remember."
"Exactly so," Gittarackur agrees.
She draws herself to her tallest height—up to his chest. "My name is Valtiel Eleison."
His red eyes bore through her. She is a fiery little thing, he grants her that. A small thing that he and Hisoka could kill easily. Harmless as a lamb, surrounded by wolves. Yet, as powerful as they are, they could not touch her. Is it the Phantom Troupe holding them back? How could something so delicate command such a presence from a band of thieves and murderers?
He is curious to find out. Moreover, he is curious to infuriate her.
Gittarackur tilts his head to the side. "I'll call you Lamb—it's so much easier to remember."
Between them, Hisoka covers his mouth as he suppresses a laugh.
"Why you—" Valtiel bristles, glaring back and forth between a snorting Hisoka and a chuckling Gittarackur. She scoffs at the disguised assassin, her frown making her annoyance known. Usually, Phinks and Uvogin would flinch at this, but not these two. She has to remind herself that she is not handling Spiders.
"I'm surrounded by idiots." She turns around to leave them—
And bumps into someone else for the second time that day.
This time, instead of the other person catching her before she falls, the stranger merely breezes past her without so much as an acknowledgement. He is a large man wearing armor, his solid shoulder pads coming in contact with Valtiel's nose. Her head violently jerks backwards from the impact.
Gittarackur steps forward to cushion her fall, Valtiel landing against his chest, as he glares at the other man. She grunts a soft "Owie" as she wobbles, caressing her nose as she does an experimental wiggle, making sure her nose is still there and not bleeding. Danchou's going to scold her even more for sure.
Hisoka's amusement melts instantly.
She sighs and lets the man go, but when she checks at the magician, the intent to kill is evident in his face. She freezes, and then realizes that the bloodthirst is not directed at her. Gittarackur seems intrigued, a low, crackling hum reverberating from the back of his throat.
"Hisoka-san," Valtiel murmurs, voice dropped very low. "It's okay."
"Oh, no," Hisoka snarls. "Not on my watch."
"You have to stop him," she hisses to Gittarackur.
"Why should I?" His voice is Gittarackur, but the smugness is Illumi Zoldyck.
Hisoka steps into the small cleared space, eyes dark with contempt trained at the prey. In this crowd, no one notices him move. No one notices how he gestures with his two clawed hands. No one seems to notice but Valtiel and Illumi.
The prey collapses to his knees with a harrowed scream. Suddenly, everyone notices, everyone turns and cranes their necks to see the man with his eyes bulging from their sockets, screaming at the top of his lungs as he holds out his arms—dismembered up to the shoulders, the blood spurting in thin mists like grotesque sea spray.
"My, oh my." Hisoka's voice rises, earning everyone's attention. "His arms disappeared into thin air, how could that be so?" He smirks and spreads his arms. "There are no tricks, ladies and gentlemen."
The man whimpers and falls to the ground. Lifeless.
Hisoka smiles at him. "Take care who you hit," he advises. "And don't forget to apologize."
The audience mutters under their breaths, shudders at the display, and then goes back to their previous businesses. They all tiptoe a little farther from their crew. No one seems to be enthusiastic to go against the magician, not when he returns to his strange little group with his equally strange companions.
He returns to Valtiel's side with a smirk.
"That was unnecessary," she scolds him in an undertone. "You shouldn't have."
"Why ever not?" he asks innocently. "He hit you."
"He bumped into me," she corrects, eyes flashing at him. "It was an accident."
"Well, in any case, he won't be bumping into you a second time."
"And you should have done something," she scolds Gittarackur next.
"Me?" He blinks, matching Hisoka's pretend innocence. "I didn't have anything else to dismember…"
"That's not my point!"
Gittarackur looks at Hisoka. "We could have dismembered one arm each."
Hisoka pauses at the realization, tapping his chin. "Perhaps next time."
Valtiel glowers at one man to the other. She has known Hisoka for years—she can handle him. But to add Illumi in the mix? The assassin, now that she has spent the past two hours with him, Valtiel notices that he matches Hisoka's mischief, a mixture of cheerful voice yet bland facial expression. The two match each other's penchant for needless killing, and then some.
The front wall in the tunnel rumbles and opens upwards. The ground shakes as the wall keeps rising. The three of them look up ahead, along with the rest of the applicants, as a tall and lanky individual stands on the other side. A shrill ringing noise comes from his timer, echoing and bouncing off the tunnel.
"Good day," the man says. "I apologize for the delay. I appreciate your patience."
Valtiel stands a bit straighter, still craning her neck to see the gentleman.
He wears a suit with a red tie. What catches her attention most is his curling lilac hair and thin mustache.
"My name is Satotz. The entry period for Hunter applicants is officially closed," he announces. "With no further ado, let us begin the Hunter Exam."
Everyone in the tunnel murmurs in anticipation. Valtiel looks around her and catches Hisoka's wink. She supposes that this is it, the world's most dangerous exam.
"A final warning—" the gentleman says. "It is an exam where you could end up seriously injured, or even die. These are things that cannot be avoided during the exam. If you accept these terms, then please follow me. If not, you are free to leave through the elevator behind you."
Silence hangs in the air. No one moves a muscle.
The gentleman nods and turns around, towards the long stretch of dark tunnel ahead. "Well then, all 404 applicants of the First Phase follow me."
Off he goes, comically taking long and even steps, arms taut and straight as they sway by his sides. The front row starts walking. After a few moments, the tide reaches their crew. They walk together, Valtiel sandwiched between the two men, effectively shielding her from the rest of the crowd's curious attention.
Thirty minutes later, they are still walking. Valtiel makes a face.
"What's this?" Hisoka singsongs. "Is Val displeased? Oh my, what to do now?"
"Was your exam last year like this?" she asks, keeping in pace with them.
"Mm, no. The First Phase last year, we had to swim across a tropical labyrinth."
"Aw." She pouts. "That sounds much more fun." She sighs and looks around the crowd, where everyone is relaxed and talking with their companions as well. Something needs to happen to keep her interest up, otherwise she could have been back in Meteor City handling concerns and taking over Niles's classes.
She remembers the students. The teachers would often come up with something interesting to keep their attention in their studies. The bulb in her head dings and she whirls back to Hisoka with a knowing grin.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Let's have a game." Hisoka grins, catching her train of thoughts. "We'll have a set of rules throughout the entire exam. Deal?"
She laughs and raises an index finger. "First—absolutely no Nen!"
He snickers, licking his lips. His amber eyes gleam. "Second—no one helps the other from this group. Every man is for himself," he specifies. "If you get hurt, that's on you."
Although deep down, Hisoka knows he cannot have that second rule applying to Valtiel. He merely mentioned it because he knows that's what she wants to hear. Chrollo has already noted his constant absences during missions. What more if his precious little lady goes home with a bruise or two? His only wish now is that her swollen wrist would be healed by the time the exam is over. Thanks, Illumi.
Valtiel considers the last rule, humming. Then her face brightens. "Third—no bloodstain on your clothes. Whether it be yours or someone else's, there must be no bloodstain!"
Hisoka actually laughs. Of course she wouldn't want him needlessly killing, and hides it behind the pretense of a game. You never changed, Val.
"Agreed," he says aloud, shaking hands with her.
"Agreed," she chirps, then turns for the assassin. "Do you wanna play?"
Gittarackur levels his two companions with his red-eyed stare. Eavesdropping in their conversation, and deep down, the Illumi in him is intrigued. Surely, even he acknowledges that walking is no fun at all. Hisoka is bored, the little lamb is bored. Their childish game with the set of rules sounds interesting, to say the least.
He offers a handshake. "Agreed," he cackles in Gittarackur's shuddering voice.
When the examiner picks up the pace, they start running.
It has been two hours and forty minutes, and they are still running.
Valtiel could feel the early signs of exhaustions in her legs. She is not one for endurance tests, but she should be able to keep up for hours at least. Now she understands why Machi and Kortopi would send her here—I am extremely out of practice.
Another hour later and more examinees behind them have given up. Even Valtiel starts to pant.
"What?" Gittarackur's robotic voice wakes her up. "Little Lamb getting tired already?"
"I may or may not have stretched before running this long," she counters.
"It's been barely sixty kilometers," he points out. "How are you tired already?"
"Hisoka-san," she whines with a pout. "Carry me."
"Second rule—no one helps the other, remember?" Hisoka giggles.
She blows at her bangs. "That's fair," she sighs with another whine. "But m'tired…"
"I'll help you," Gittarackur chirps. "But I'll have to drag you by the ankles all the way to the end."
"That's so mean," Valtiel sniffs, voice wobbly.
Gittarackur slows his pace to match hers. "This seems to be an endurance test as well as a mental test."
His two companions blink at him. He sighs. "As it stands, we have run for four hours and approximately sixty kilometers," he explains. "Without knowing how far we have to run and for how much longer, it takes a mental toll on the applicants. Those thoughts in their head would eventually chip away at their resolve, not to mention the physical strain. Like our little lamb here."
She lets out another whine and decides, rather childishly, to ignore her much-capable companions. Machi would slice her in the neck when the Spider finds out Valtiel found the first phase daunting.
To entertain herself, she searches through the crowd of intriguing examinees. Towards the front, she spies Tonpa in his bright blue shirt. Then, towards the far right, she spots a young man with a familiar blond hair and brown eyes.
Gasping in delight, she tears herself away from the group for the first time, and runs to him.
"Kieran?!"
The last time she saw him, he was still a photography student in the quaint town of Horologia. His family was a neighbor to her and Chrollo, while she had been first training with Nen and pretending to be wife to the Danchou. The young man remains as tall as he had been, though his hair is now thicker and his dark eyes sharper. A black camera jostles against his chest as he jogs.
Kieran blinks as she approaches, letting his gaze look at her up and down, up and down. The dawn of realization is immediate in his boyish features.
"Miss Eleison!" he gushes back, cheeks growing rosy. "It's been so long!"
"How have you been?" She reaches around his waist and squeezes him affectionately. "Almost five years gone—my goodness, where'd the time go?!"
"You still look as beautiful as back then," he compliments with a laugh. "But I've been well. My parents, too! How are you, and where's Mr. Eleison?" He looks around the vicinity, not seeing the handsome dark-haired husband, but he does notice the magician glaring in their direction.
"Oh, he's out traveling, as always," she says, running in pace with him. "What brings you here in the Hunter Exam? Have you finally finished school?"
"Yes!" He gives her a charming, excited grin. It's almost cute. "I have two degrees in digital photography. When I pass the Hunter Exam and get my license, I'd like to be a Ruins Hunter!"
"That's wonderful!"
"What about you, Miss Eleison?" Brown eyes regard her thoughtfully. "Why'd you take the exam?"
"Oh. Um." She flushes in embarrassment. She doesn't share his noble reason for taking the exam. In fact, she has not even thought of the benefits of the license. "I guess you could say that I'm only here because my friends are here."
And by friends, she means Hisoka, and Illumi, who is more of an acquaintance, really.
Kieran glances over her head, meeting the magician's sharp gaze. "He's your friend?"
She smiles."Unfortunately."
His voice lowers. "He killed that one examinee earlier. Are you sure it's safe to be around him?"
"As long as you keep out of his line of sight," she advises with a wink.
"I will definitely make sure of that." He laughs.
Suddenly, a pair of children run past them. The first one has spiky black hair and is wearing an all-green outfit. The second one—Valtiel turns over her shoulder and raises her eyebrow at Gittarackur—is none other than Killua Zoldyck. He should be twelve years old now, and his stark silver hair is trimmed shorter, azure eyes still as bright as she remembers. Killua doesn't notice her presence, and she watches in silence as he and his new friend rush further ahead.
Kieran snickers at the sight. "Ah, yes, children. Always so energetic."
Valtiel smiles, eyes trained on Killua's retreating form. It is so warming to see the young boy with a friend of his same age. "Yes, they're wonderful."
Not long after, the tunnel stretches into a long and winding staircase. At the very top, at long last, bright light blazes. A collection of relieved gasps and thankful prayers come from the exhausted examinees. Even Valtiel whimpers—her legs are killing her right now. She would love to sit down and take a breather. Or have Illumi drag her all the way upstairs. It has been almost six hours worth of running.
It takes more energy to run up the stairs. Kieran is panting beside her, sweating bullets, his black and shiny camera held in one hand. A few yards behind, Hisoka and Gittarackur remain running alongside each other.
They emerge on top of the staircase. The light is warm and almost blinding. It takes a few more blinks to let her eyes adjust to the sunlight. Her heart is racing wildly in her chest.
A thick fog hangs across the area. Valtiel narrows her eyes and studies the vague dark shapes silhouetted against the fog. Kieran keeps panting, running a sleeve under his chin to wipe the sweat. Everyone else who emerges from the tunnel doubles over in a desperate attempt to catch their breaths.
Slowly, the fog lifts. A large group of crows take flight. Her fingers twitch, an instinct now, her Nen pulsing down to her very fingertips.
"Welcome to Milsy Wetlands," Satotz announces. He stands at the front of the exhausted examinees. "It is also known as the Swindler's Swamp. In order to get to the site of the Second Phase, we must cross through here."
Small chittering noises echo somewhere in the forest. Satotz nods. "The wetlands are home to various bizarre and dangerous animals, some of them deceiving and preying on humans."
The tunnel rumbles behind them. A steel wall starts descending. An unfortunate young man crawls faster towards the end, but the wall closes in his face with a metallic clang.
"Pity," Kieran murmurs under his breath.
"These wetland creatures are extremely crafty and devious," Satotz continues, as if he hasn't seen the desperate man crawling like a dog towards the light. "Never underestimate them, and keep close watch on your surroundings. This is an ecosystem that evolved in the art of deception, hence the name Swinder's Swamp."
Valtiel listens in rapt fascination. She has never heard of this place before, but it does sound amazing. She is curious to find which creatures would use which deception, too deep in her thoughts that she doesn't realize something is amiss.
"Don't fall for it!" someone yells from the back.
"What the hell," someone else mutters.
Everyone's combined attention goes towards the corner of the tunnel. A wounded stranger peeks from the corner, scratches and abrasions all over his face and neck. He points an accusatory finger towards Satotz.
"He is lying to you," he shrieks, confusing the applicants.
"What's going on?" Valtiel grumbles, noticing Hisoka and Gittarackur walk towards her.
Kieran promptly backs away from the magician's dangerous ambiance. Valtiel would have asked him to stay—but Hisoka puts a somewhat overprotective hand on the small of her back while Gittarackur stands on her other side. Just like that, Kieran disappears into the crowd of examinees.
Too exhausted to say anything, Valtiel just lets him go and leans against the assassin's arm.
"He's an impostor!" the man continues shouting. "A complete fraud! I'm the real examiner!"
"Wait, honestly?" She recognizes Hanzo's voice somewhere in the crowd. "Then who's this?!"
The stranger grunts as he pulls something from the sidelines. Valtiel has to tiptoe to see over everyone's shoulders. The man produces a lanky creature with the same face as their current examiner. Gasps and shouts echo in the field as the stranger grins victoriously.
"This is a man-faced ape," the stranger explains. "It's common here in the wetlands, and it uses its natural ability to copy a human's face to deceive them! They feast on human flesh, but they're thin and weak individually, so they'll draw us out to the forest and ambush us!"
"Oh," Valtiel murmurs, quite taken at the new information. She wonders if there's a book at all about the creatures in Milsy Wetlands, and if Danchou has ever read one.
The atmosphere turns dense as the others turn to Satotz with murder in their eyes.
Still barely paying attention, she flinches when a series of cards fly past her and towards Satotz first, and then to the wounded stranger. Satotz catches the cards between his fingers, but the stranger is caught right in the chest. Everyone watches, dumbfounded, as the stranger collapses backwards with a crack of his skull on the pavement.
Hisoka flutters his deck of cards, smiling complacently. "I see," he says with a chuckle. "That settles it, then. You're the real one."
Satotz remains quiet, letting the cards fall to the ground. There is a collective gasp in the crowd. The creature with Satotz's face chitters and scrambles away on all fours, disappearing back into the fog.
"Examiners are Hunters," Hisoka says. "Anyone who bears the title which we ourselves are contending for should be able to deflect such a meager attack."
"I'll take this as a compliment," Satotz finally speaks. "However, take this as your final warning. If you attack me again for whatever reason, you shall be disqualified. Is that clear?"
"Of course," Hisoka hums.
"There will be more deceptions on a regular basis." Satotz starts walking through the crowd. He pauses in front of Valtiel, regarding her with a thoughtful gaze. "You must not, for a moment, let your guard down, for deceptions might cost you your life."
He turns for the rest of the applicants. "Now, remember this. Once we enter the wetlands, there is a great chance that you will lose sight of me. Be very careful. Otherwise, you will have no chance of reaching the Second Phase of the Exam. Let's begin. Please follow me."
The front row starts running again. Kieran runs ahead, following the tide of the crowd. Valtiel is about to follow him, until she feels a familiar shoulder bumping against hers. She looks up and sees Hisoka's lazy smile. She quirks an eyebrow.
"Stay close to me, would you, love?" Hisoka purrs.
"No wonder you got disqualified last year," she says instead.
"It was getting rather tedious."
"Are we ready?" Gittarackur prompts, hovering like a shadow behind Valtiel.
"Alrighty." Hisoka sets the pace of the group. "Let's go."
The fog seems to be even thicker as they enter the wetlands. Valtiel lifts her nose and gives a little sniff. The area smells like a combination of damp earth and leaves. Her boots sink into the mud. It takes more energy to run, her pants mingling with the others.
The further they run, the thicker the fog. The very creatures Satotz warned them about are now chittering and hissing, sending the quiet forest afire. At a distance, there are growls. She presses her lips into a thin line and nestles between Hisoka and Illumi. She feels safer with them both.
Skies blot out the sunlight, throwing a massive shadow over the already dense fields. The ground seems wetter and softer now, exhausting them more while their nonchalant examiner continues ahead. It grows colder even, the winds carrying the scent of forest and decay.
Valtiel is barely paying attention, more entranced with her surroundings—and trusting her two companions to keep her safe—until her skin tingles from Hisoka's unconcealed bloodlust. She shudders and decides to press closer to Gittarackur. Right now, she would take her chances with the quiet, impassive Zoldyck assassin than a bloodthirsty Hisoka.
Far behind them, a small group of applicants whisper amongst themselves.
"Here's our chance," one of them says. "Let's take advantage of the fog and get rid of him."
"You're right," another agrees. "He's far too dangerous to be kept alive."
"Let's wait until he's alone," a third one cautions. "Until the girl and the weirdo are away from him."
Gittarackur and Hisoka share a knowing glance over Valtiel's head.
"Keep up with me, Lamb," says the assassin, his feet pounding faster.
She scoffs up at him. "Will you stop calling me that?"
"Not until you beat me in a fair fight."
"Are you actually trying to pick a fight with me now?"
"The fog is thick. No one will see your corpse after I'm done with it."
"Come on then." She bares her teeth at him. "One on one."
"Hmm." His robotic voice shudders. "On second thoughts, I can't. Hisoka says the Phantom Troupe will kill him, and like it or not, Hisoka still has his uses."
"You're always using the Troupe as an excuse. For all I know, you're just afraid that I'll beat you in a fight."
There is a high chance that these bold words would be her last.
This time, his offended scoff is definitely Illumi Zoldyck. "In your dreams," he counters. "I have no qualms twisting your neck at any given time, but I don't get paid for your death. So, as it stands, your death will not make me any richer. In other words—" Red eyes gleam down on her—"dead or alive, you're utterly useless to me."
Valtiel scrunches her nose as she snarls like a cornered beast. Gittarackur grins at that. Then, for the first time since the argument, she notices something is amiss. The fog is even thicker, the winds colder. She could only see Gittarackur and a handful of other applicants.
"Oh, how strange."
"Hm?"
"Hisoka-san is gone."
"More reason to keep up." Gittarackur leads her like a shepherd in a field. "Come along, Lamb."
Author's Notes: GON? KILLUA? WE WERE THIS CLOSE, FOLKS!
First and foremost, I want to say a massive "THANK YOU!" to everyone who is patiently waiting for this story. I reread the comments from the previous chapter and I am overwhelmed by all of your genuine kindness and belief in me! My apologies if it took this long for an update: I relocated to Europe and adjusting to the culture, language, and just the everyday life has taken so much of my time and energy. Then, I saw yesterday that Togashi-sensei has returned to writing the manga, and he inspired me to return to my own work! Like I mentioned before, I will never abandon this story, just like how Togashi-sensei will never abandon HXH.
So, thank you believing in me! Thank you for believing in Togashi-sensei!
I am so glad to give you this update. The HisoIlluVal trio continues! I've been reading the previous comments and almost everyone is excited (but not emotionally ready) for the Kurapika and Valtiel reunion (if there ever will be 👀).
Let's find out! (I can imagine Chrollo and maybe Feitan lurking menacingly in the background as I say this.)