ECHOES BEYOND THE DOOR || Hisoka X OC

009 || Into the Wilds

(A/N) - the king and queen above🙇‍♀️^^hope you can see the picture cause I've been having trouble uploading images😀

The rest of their journey to the next phase passed in silence, the thick, humid air of the wetlands surrounding them. Quasar's eyes occasionally looked over at Hisoka, inspecting him and the unconscious Leorio on his shoulder. Hisoka seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as well, his steps light and his face blank.

Eventually, they emerged from the dense fog and shadows of the wetlands to find a gathering of applicants standing before a tall brick wall with a large wooden gate, a stark contrast against the wild, murky swamp behind them. Satotz stood at the entrance, his gaze calm and steady as he scanned the growing crowd of applicants who had survived the first phase.

Hisoka moved ahead and, with a quick movement, set Leorio down against the trunk of a nearby tree, propping him up carefully. For a moment, he glanced down at the unconscious man, almost as if he were contemplating something. Then he straightened, turning his gaze to Quasar with that same unsettling glint in his eyes.

He watched her, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as if savoring her image. Without a word, he looked at her one last time, his smirk widening just slightly, before he turned and sauntered off toward the crowd of other applicants, disappearing into the throng as though he'd never been there at all.

Quasar exhaled, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She glanced at Leorio, still out cold but breathing steadily, and then looked around at the other applicants, each seeming to carry their own wariness and exhaustion from the first phase. But her thoughts lingered on Hisoka, his final look seared into her mind, leaving her with a mix of discomfort and curiosity she couldn't shake.

Quasar crouched beside Leorio, shaking his shoulder gently. "Hey," she said, her voice low but firm, hoping to rouse him. After a moment, he stirred, his face twisting into a grimace as his eyes blinked open, dazed and disoriented.

Just then, two familiar figures hurried over, Gon and the blonde-haired applicant she'd noticed in the swamp before. Gon's expression was filled with relief, while the blonde, who she noticed was watching her closely, approached with a more guarded look, his sharp gaze flicking from Leorio to Quasar as though assessing her presence.

"Leorio!" Gon called out, dropping a checkered briefcase beside him—that presumably belonged to Leorio.

Leorio groaned, bringing a hand to his face, rubbing it carefully as if testing for injuries. "Man, that stings... Why am I all beat up?"

Quasar exchanged a bewildered look with Gon and the blonde-haired guy, an unspoken "Huh?" passing between them as they took in Leorio's confused state.

Leorio squinted, confusion etching lines across his face. "My memory's kinda hazy," he muttered, as if trying to piece together a half-remembered dream.

The blonde-haired guy leaned in, covering his mouth as he whispered to Gon, "We probably shouldn't tell him what happened."

Gon nodded, giving a quick, knowing glance to Quasar. "Yeah..."

Before they could say anything further, a voice rang out from nearby.

"Gon."

Quasar turned, noticing a white-haired boy striding confidently toward them, carrying a skateboard under one arm. He moved with an easy, almost cocky air, as if he was just taking a stroll through the exam.

"Killua!" Gon's face lit up at the sight of his companion.

Killua glanced around, his expression shifting to mild surprise as he noticed the gathering, his gaze landing briefly on Quasar before moving back to Gon. "Can't believe you actually got here... I thought you were done for."