Quasar's feet pounded against the floor of the tunnel, her breath coming in steady bursts as she ran, the dim red lights casting an eerie glow over the path ahead. Around her, other applicants surged forward in a chaotic sea of bodies, each one moving with their own rhythm, some sprinting with wild energy, others pacing themselves, wary of the unknown distance. The instructions had been simple, almost frustratingly so: "Follow me to the next phase." That was all Satotz had said, and no one knew how long they'd be running or what awaited them at the end.
As she ran, the tunnel seemed endless, the walls a blur of grime-streaked metal and rusted pipes. The metallic scent of the tunnel mixed with the sharp smell of sweat and the faint tang of rust. The sound of footsteps echoed, a steady rhythm that surged and shifted as candidates adjusted their speed.
She had no way of knowing how far they had run, only that each step took her deeper into this test, further from the safety of the waiting room behind them. She glanced around, catching glimpses of other applicants—some gritting their teeth, their faces drawn with determination, while others showed hints of doubt, their pace faltering as they realized they perhaps weren't up to the task.
She focused ahead, her gaze locked on Satotz, who ran with a smooth, effortless stride, as if he were gliding rather than running. His presence was both a reassurance and a taunt, a reminder that they were all following a man who seemed unaffected by the strain, as though he could continue on forever without tiring. His steady pace set an unspoken challenge, a relentless reminder that any weakness, any hesitation, would leave her behind.
Her thoughts drifted as she ran, memories slipping into her mind unbidden. She thought of the white space, the stillness she'd once felt, and how different this was—how raw, how tangible. Every beat of her heart, every ache in her muscles, felt like a confirmation of her existence, a reminder that she was here, real and alive, in a way she hadn't been in the still void between worlds. The calm she had once known felt distant now, replaced by a fierce determination, an instinct to push forward no matter the cost.
As the minutes stretched into what felt like hours, she began to lose herself in the repetitive rhythm of running. The tunnel seemed to stretch on endlessly, the distance unfathomable, each bend revealing yet another stretch of identical, dimly lit metal walls. She found herself wondering how much longer it would go on.
Occasionally, she would pass a runner who had slowed to a walk, their shoulders slumped, their breath ragged. Some had even stopped, leaning against the walls, defeated by the unending distance. Each one was a reminder that this exam was not for the faint-hearted, that each person who gave up was one step closer to elimination.
Time continued to pass and with that, the atmosphere of determination in the tunnel began to thin, replaced by a growing undercurrent of exhaustion and despair. Here and there, people had now collapsed along the sides of the tunnel, their faces pale and slick with sweat, their bodies curled in defeat. Some lay sprawled across the floor, clutching at their sides or gasping for breath, their strength drained, their ambition faltering under the unending pressure.
Surprisingly, Quasar found herself feeling less tired than she'd expected. A slight ache tinged her muscles, and her breaths were deep, but her endurance hadn't wavered. As her feet struck the stone floor in a steady rhythm, her stamina seemed to be outlasting many of the others around her. She couldn't remember any specific training or experience in running that would explain it, but somehow, it felt almost natural—something she could just... do.
But Quasar pressed on, her footsteps steady, her breaths controlled. The ache in her muscles was persistent but minor, her body feeling somehow adapted to the strain, built to endure.
Quasar found herself slipping a bit further back, her steady pace now placing her somewhere in the middle of the vast throng of applicants. Around her, the crush of bodies grew tighter, each runner locked in their own focus.
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ECHOES BEYOND THE DOOR || Hisoka X OC
Fiksi Penggemar|| MATURE CONTENT || "Careful now...A game's only fun when the pieces survive long enough to bleed." Caught between life and death, she awakens in a realm of endless doors, each one a path into the unknown. Drawn to one, she steps through and finds...
