encounter ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

page three

"you'll have to give it a try, mom," gon said, attempting to cheer you up. you had admitted you couldn't cook, but the four boys weren't much better off. at least they knew the basics-something you lacked entirely.

if they actually let you cook, you were certain it'd result in poison rather than anything edible. how did you know? past experiences. the last thing you wanted was to accidentally unalive the examiners with your disastrous cooking.

"every time i cook, it turns out horribly," you confessed. the five of you had made your way into the preserve, now on the hunt for a pig to prepare.

as the group moved deeper into the preserve, the tension grew thicker with each step. the dense forest loomed around you, its shadows curling like whispers of warning. killua, as sharp-eyed as ever, led the way, scanning for tracks.

"you're really that bad at cooking, huh?" killua asked, glancing back at you with a smirk.

"let's just say... i've burned water before," you muttered nonchalantly, remembering the time you made a kitchen explode just by cooking a soup.

"burned water? that's a talent, honestly." leorio snorted. kurapika gave you a reassuring look.

"don't worry. we'll handle the cooking. you just help us with the hunting."

“hah! this shouldn’t be too tough for the likes of us!” leorio grinned, his confidence lighting up the group. the five of you, along with the rest of the examinees, were deep inside the preserve, tasked with finding pigs. 

“catch and roast a pig... seems simple enough,” gon muttered, his eyes scanning the dense foliage. 

“we should definitely split up. it increases the probability of finding pigs,” you suggested, your voice steady and logical. the group exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. 

“let’s call out to each other if any of us find one,” killua added, his tone sharp but practical. 

with a quick nod, you stepped back and vanished into thin air. the sudden disappearance left them momentarily stunned. 

“she’s fast!” they all thought, impressed by your agility and speed. killua was the next to break away from the group, while gon, kurapika, and leorio decided to stick together.

on your side, you ran to east side, there isn't many examinee on this part. the forest was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves. you moved carefully, your senses sharp and alert. as you stepped past a thick cluster of trees, a strange sensation prickled at the back of your neck—someone was watching you.

you stopped in your tracks, calm but your guard up. you could feel a presence, though it wasn’t as if the owner was trying to hide it. soon enough, a figure emerged from behind a tree, revealing a tall man dressed in a mix of green and white clothes, with the most noticeable feature being the pins on his face. 

his face was strange—funny looking yet completely emotionless. he jittered and rattled like a puppet, moving smoothly but unnaturally. he appeared calm and composed, as though he didn’t see you as a threat. well, most likely, since your target was a pig, not him. 

“there’s no pig in this area,” he spoke, stopping a few steps away from you. how considerate of him to inform you. with that knowledge, you turned your back and began walking away to avoid wasting time. 

“there isn’t any pig in that direction either,” you heard him said, raising a brow as you stopped walking, facing the strange man once again. he continued to jitter and rattle, his movements unnerving. 

if you were any other normal examinee in this exam, you would’ve dashed away from him. everything about him was creepy and unnatural.

"what's your name?" you asked, concluding that he might need something from you. based on his demeanor alone, he didn’t seem like someone doing something out of charity. in your thousand years of existence, you’ve met plenty of people like him—calculating, detached, and with something more sinister beneath the surface. 

“gittarackur, and what’s yours?” he replied, his tone steady. there was no malicious aura coming from him, but you couldn’t quite figure out what he was truly after. you knew, though, that he was one of those people who could be dangerous—just not to you. 

his calm demeanor unsettled you, yet you remained composed. whatever his intentions were, you were prepared to handle it.

albeit being a warrior and a god at the same time, it wasn’t in your vocabulary to let loose and let your guard down. you knew your capabilities, but you weren’t boastful. 

“y/n. well then, what is it that you need?” you crossed your arms over your chest, waiting for his answer. 

“hm? i don’t remember saying that i need something,” he replied, picking a pin from his ear and playing with it. it was clear his ability was connected to those pins—your assumption was only strengthened by how easily he could pluck one out. 

“is that so? i’ll take my leave then.” you didn’t wait for his response and vanished into thin air. gittarackur was left standing in the spot where you once were, jittering and rattling. 

minutes passed as you made your way back, carrying the pig you’d captured. it had been easy—you quickly identified its weakness, much like the great snowboar king in dragonspine from the stories. the head was the weak spot, just as it had been in Teyvat’s boar. 

but how did you know about the great snowboar king residing in dragonspine, which is place ruled by the anemo god, barbatos? 

simply because the traveler had told you. it was one of the many stories from her adventures she had shared with you. 

seeing how effortlessly you handled the pigs, you had no doubt that gon and killua were doing just fine. you smiled at the thought of them—gon’s carefree nature and killua’s sharp focus. 

“well, it isn’t that bad to have a child, huh...” you murmured, a rare, soft smile playing on your lips.

“oh? y/n’s here!” gon and killua’s faces lit up when they heard leorio announce that. they quickly turned toward the gate, watching as you walked gracefully, even though you were carrying a pig far bigger than you. 

as you reached them, your eyes unconsciously roamed over gon and killua’s state, searching for any injuries. when you found none, you smiled at them. 

“sorry, did i take too long?” the four of them shook their heads. gon immediately started talking, his words tumbling over each other as he explained how they had tried to call you, but you weren’t answering. you simply apologized, telling them you had been on the far side of the preserve. 

from the corner of your eyes, you saw him arrive—silent and steady. for now, you chose not to tell them about your encounter with the strange man. not that he had harmed you or anything—not that he could. 

the sun hung low in the sky, the forest quiet, save for the distant calls of wildlife. you let the moment settle, watching as your friends recounted their part of the hunt. it was easy to brush off the encounter, at least for now. there were more important things to focus on—like how you'll cook this pig because you cannot cook.

the examinees are not complete yet, and the cooking won’t start until everyone’s back. you frowned, glaring at the deceased pig you hunted, thinking carefully about how you’ll cook it. the examiner said that it should be roasted, but you don't trust yourself not to burn it to the point that it'll turn black and inedible.

“mom, you’re staring at the pig like you want it double dead,” you snapped out of your thoughts when gon spoke beside you. he was looking up at you with his bright, innocent smile. you sweat-dropped and smiled shyly, having been caught like that. 

“i’m just thinking of ways how i’ll cook it, knowing well that i can’t cook. you can’t help me either—you might get disqualified, and we wouldn’t want that.” although you were speaking only to gon, the other three heard you. killua displayed no reaction, his expression unreadable as always. leorio sighed and looked down, while kurapika stared at you with concern. 

“but they didn’t state that we can’t help each other in terms of cooking, right?” you looked at gon, his bright eyes full of curiosity. he was such a pure, lovely kid. 

“gon, mama just doesn’t want you to get eliminated because of her, so we’re taking safety measures.” gon nodded solemnly, understanding your concern. but you could see the disappointment in his eyes, despite his cheerful demeanor. this wasn’t what he had hoped for—a simple moment of camaraderie. 

the air was still, except for the distant hum of the preserve. the other examinees quietly watched, waiting for the moment they could resume. you took a deep breath, determined to get through this, even if it meant navigating through a task you weren’t confident— and labeled as the worst in.

you didn’t care about that damn hunter’s license. all you wanted now was to finish this hunter exam with your children, along with kurapika, and leorio. you threw the deceased pig another glare, your determination unwavering. this distinct-looking boar wouldn’t hold you back from passing this phase. 

“it has come to this huh.” you whispered, hand balling into a fist. could it be the battle of century?

the electro god of eternity versus a deceased pig.

    ┌ ╌ ╌ ╌ ╌  ㅤ °ㅤㅤ 𝒪𝒪.   .ㅤ     ╭◜

      *       ㅤ            ㅤ                              ╎
ㅤ         ㅤ           to be continuedㅤ       ❀