𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐙𝐄 | ʰˣʰ

chapter ix.

hint!
manga reference
check out the wiki page for Five Threats!

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Jan 9.
7:53 pm, Saturday.

ABOUT THIRTY-SEVEN hours remain by the time you and Gittarackur make it to the end of the Tower, a round, empty room where there are more sliding doors comprising the circle than there is wall.

The voice that first explained the rules of the Path of Luck to you when you first started the phase speaks again, "Fourteenth to pass the Third Phase—333, Doctor. Time elapsed: Thirty-four hours, twenty-three minutes."

When Girtarackur follows behind you, the automated lady blares, "Fifteenth to pass the Third Phase—301, Gittarackur. Time elapsed: Thirty-four hours, twenty-four minutes."

The bald guy in black and red is someone you recall seeing before, the one with meticulously styled brows. He sits on one side of the room. A set of three brothers (or something. They look similar enough) lounge not far from him.

A green-haired girl wears a yellow hat resemblant of a jellybean and stands away from the others, quietly whispering to a ginger with a quiver of arrows strapped to his back. The duo's gaze lands on you, and then brushes over to rest on Gittarackur. They've judged you're no threat at all.

Gittarackur goes to sit by Hisoka, movements broken by abrupt clicks, and you take your own seat not too far to their left.

Through the corner of your eye, your gaze snags on the ripped, bloodstained cloth on Hisoka's shoulder, like a knife has cut through it. You'd have thought the difficulty level of battle stages in Trick Tower were low enough for a nen fighter to not come out bleeding.

Over one and a half days remain to spend in this room—You'll have to ask someone who's been here longer than you about the bathroom arrangements. In the meanwhile, though, you are plagued with a familiar ghost: boredom.

Hisoka is shuffling his deck of cards and occasionally throwing two out at a time: One for him, one for Gittarackur. Most of the others have someone to speak to.

What do you have? A cell phone you don't even use towards leisure, and... literally nothing else.

There are the files vrchill sent you a couple days ago, but, you're loathe to even look at the set when one is file missing, the one he refused to send. Still, you might as well get the rest done. There's nothing else to do anyway.

Your back slumps further back against the wall, and your finger moves to the Files app icon on your phone's dark home screen—

There is a shift in the air.

Gittarackur's nen reveals his intentions just a second before the action.

It is because you know he is a Zoldyck, this much you can tell.

"Put the needles away," you say mildly, raising your voice enough for only him (and Hisoka) to hear. You do not not turn once to actually look at him, but your nen spikes in warning. "No one here has reason to care about real names, nor the ability or desire to do anything about it."

"He makes a good point ♡," Hisoka butts in appreciatively.

Both you and Gittarackur give Hisoka a look, and in return he shuts his mouth in a close-eyed smile.

Gittarackur's lightning-quick movement is so fast you can't catch it with your naked eye. One moment his needles are poised to strike between his fingers and the next his hands are empty, resting on his crossed legs.