zevil island ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

page eight

“i made it.” another candidate stumbled out from one of the passages, but unlike the rest of you, he was completely beaten up—his clothes torn, his face swollen, and his body covered in bruises. his steps were unsteady, as if every movement took everything he had left. the moment he crossed the threshold, his legs gave out, and he collapsed face-first onto the cold, unforgiving floor. 

three candidates moved towards him, crouching down to check his pulse. a tense silence filled the air as they waited for confirmation. 

“he’s dead,” one of them finally announced, their voice devoid of shock or concern. but no one reacted—not with grief, not with fear. you, too, felt nothing. there was no space for sympathy here.

"how stupid. he could have lived and come back again next year," candidate number 199 remarked, shaking his head. 

"one minute left," lippo announced once more. you felt a flicker of worry for your companions, though you still believed they could make it. 

"it looks like only 20 of us made it." as if on cue, a passage opened, and from it emerged kurapika, killua, and gon. 

"twenty-first place, number 404, kurapika! twenty-second place, number 99, killua! twenty-third place, number 405, gon! they took 71 hours and 59 minutes." both kurapika and killua wore exhausted expressions, but gon, as usual, was still smiling. 

"my ass hurts! who would've thought the easier and shorter path was just a slide?" killua grumbled, stretching his back with a scowl.

"twenty-fourth place, number 403, leorio! twenty-fifth place, number 16, tonpa! they took 71 hours and 59 minutes." 

leorio stormed out of the passage, locked in a petty scuffle with the man identified as tonpa. they were shoving each other, their exhaustion doing nothing to dull their stubbornness. 

without hesitation, you stood up and made your way toward them. from the corner of your eye, you caught hisoka watching you, an amused smile tugging at his lips. 

"mom!/mama!" gon and killua called out in unison. your heart leaped, warmth spreading through your chest. you stopped in front of them, unable to fight the smile forming on your face.

"forgive me, i accidentally stepped on secret passage tiles earlier while looking for clues," you explained, your gaze scanning gon and killua for any injuries. their clothes were filthy, and bruises marked their skin. you frowned. what had they gotten themselves into? 

"don't think about it anymore, mom. the important thing is we all passed!" gon exclaimed, his grin as bright as ever, radiating that familiar warmth. 

"though we would have preferred it if you were with us rather than this bastard tonpa!" leorio fumed, jabbing a finger toward the unfamiliar man.

they all have blisters on their hands, and it's hard to imagine the challenges they've endured to earn each one of those blisters and bruises. a part of you regrets not being there with them, especially with your kids, sharing in the struggle.

finally, the moment arrives when it's time to leave the tower. as you step outside, a cool breeze greets you all, the air feeling like a reminder of the freedom ahead.

"congratulations on your escape from the trick tower," a short man with a violet mohawk greeted. you recognized the voice instantly—it had to be lippo.

"now, you only need to complete the fourth and final phase. the fourth phase will take place on zevil island over there. please cooperate," he said, pointing to the island behind him with a casual flick of his thumb before snapping his fingers.

a man appeared, pushing a table with a box resting on top.

"for this next phase, you'll be drawing lots," lippo continued.

"it'll determine who will be the hunter and who will be the hunted." a sudden, heavy silence filled the air as everyone tensed, the weight of his words sinking in. the excitement from escaping the tower seemed to vanish in an instant, replaced by a cold sense of unease.

“there are 25 number cards in this box. in other words, these numbers represent all the current candidates. now, i need you to come up and draw your number cards in the order you escaped from the tower. first place, please.” without hesitation, hisoka stepped forward to draw his card. it wasn’t a surprise to anyone, but the rest of the candidates couldn’t hide their shock when they realized he was in first place.

you followed right after, and your friends looked at you with wide eyes. they hadn’t known you came in second place, and you’d never mentioned it before.

“y/n’s really impressive, coming in second place,” they nodded a kurapika, agreeing.

you drew your card, but as you turned to walk back, your gaze collided with gittarackur's once again. a small, frustrated exhale escaped your lips. it seemed like every time you turned around, his eyes were there, lingering, watching. it was starting to feel less like coincidence and more like an unspoken tension building between you two.

after everyone had drawn their card numbers, lippo instructed everyone to peel the stickers off the cards.

you narrowed your eyes at your card, your gaze quickly flickering to the person whose number you had drawn.

"how fortunate," you mumbled under your breath, your voice empty.

"they are your targets," lippo declared, his tone serious. an uncomfortable silence spread as everyone quickly clutched their badges to their chests, desperately trying to shield their numbers from prying eyes. the tension in the air thickened, the hunt about to begin.

you didn’t bother to hide your badge—no matter what tricks they might pull, they would never get it from you, so there was no point in concealing it. 

lippo continued explaining the rules, making sure everyone understood. the number cards drawn from the box had all been recorded, and each person's target badge was worth three points—the same value as their own badge. any extra badges collected were worth only one point each. to pass this phase, you needed to gather at least six points. 

you glanced at gon and killua. while the white-haired boy remained neutral, showing no sign of concern, gon was the complete opposite. sweat beaded on his forehead, and his grip on his number card was tense. his eyes darted anxiously between the card and the ground. 

without hesitation, you walked toward him, though you didn’t bother to peek at his number. 

“everything's gonna be alright. i'll help you whenever i can,” you reassured him. comforting others wasn’t something you were used to—it had never been your strong suit—but the words left your lips naturally. as you tapped gon’s shoulder, you hoped to ease even a fraction of his worry. 

gon’s eyes widened slightly before softening.

“thank you, mom.” in that moment, it seemed as if the weight on his shoulders had lessened, even just a little. before you could react, he wrapped his arms around your waist, seeking comfort in your presence. 

you smiled and returned the embrace, a warmth spreading through you. a few steps away, killua silently observed the exchange. he didn’t move to join in, but a small, genuine smile tugged at his lips as he watched you and gon.

everyone boarded the ship bound for zevil island. among them, an enthusiastic girl tried to liven up the atmosphere, eagerly welcoming everyone with a bright smile and non-stop chatter. unfortunately for her, none of the candidates matched her energy. instead, they either ignored her or simply stared in disinterest. realizing the lack of response, she awkwardly walked away from the scene. 

“we have finally reached zevil island! now, starting with the candidate who took the least time to pass the third phase, please get off the boat in order,” the red-haired girl announced. she further explained that the next person in line had to wait two minutes before disembarking. 

“you’ll be staying here for a whole week. during this time, you must collect six points’ worth of number badges and return to this spot.” hisoka was the first to step off the ship. but before vanishing into the dense forest, he cast a playful smile in your direction. 

you raised a brow. you just hoped that none of your friends had noticed, because you had no intention of explaining those encounters that you had with the magician. 

soon, hisoka disappeared into the shadows of the trees. after two minutes, it was finally your turn. before stepping off, you glanced back at gon and killua, exchanging silent nods with them. 

as soon as you entered the forest, you leaped onto a sturdy tree branch—not to hide, but to wait. your target was next in line. two minutes, and he’d either show up or not. 

because your target was number 301—gittarackur.

    ┌ ╌ ╌ ╌ ╌  ㅤ °ㅤㅤ 𝒪𝒪.   .ㅤ     ╭◜
      *       ㅤ            ㅤ                              ╎
ㅤ         ㅤ           to be continuedㅤ       ❀