Cold air nipped at the back of Riley’s throat.
Forest dirt, damp with evening dew, clung to his boots.
Beneath him, the freshly slain mercenaries lay completely still, their lives snuffed out in a single, brutal second.
Rigid playing cards protruded from their skulls, their edges gleaming under the pale moonlight.
Wisps of newly copied Nen flickered around Riley’s fingers, casting a faint, pale glow over his hands.
It felt like static electricity, humming like a dead phone line beneath his skin.
Unnatural stillness settled over the clearing, broken only by the quiet dripping of blood onto the soil.
Blood pooled from the dead men, soaking into the dry dirt.
Riley raised his hand, staring at the faint, shimmering light enveloping his skin.
This was the power of this world, the mysterious energy known as Nen.
A normal person would take years of grueling training and meditation to unlock their aura nodes.
For Riley, it took only a single death.
His heart beat with a steady, rhythmic thud, completely unfazed by his recent execution.
Every cell in his body had reconstituted itself in an instant, mimicking the exact pathways of the Nen-user who had pierced his chest.
He squeezed his fist, testing the tension.
Pale, translucent glow clung tightly to his flesh.
It was clumsy and unrefined, lacking the polished control of a true master.
Rough edges frayed into the air, leaking small trails of energy.
But the potential was staggering.
With this basic manipulation, he could build a foundation.
Every Nen master in this world would eventually become a donor to his arsenal.
Leaves rustled high above the tree line.
A shadow detached itself from the canopy, dropping silently to the forest floor.
Graceful as a cat, the figure straightened up, revealing a tall, slender frame clad in a stylized suit.
Moonlight carved sharp lines across his face, illuminating the painted star on his right cheek and the teardrop on his left.
Hisoka Morow stood there, a pack of playing cards sliding effortlessly between his fingers in a rhythmic, clicking sequence.
"My, my," Hisoka purred, his voice a melodic, dangerous drawl that seemed to vibrate in the cool night air.
"What do we have here?"
His eyes, sharp as glass, swept over the corpses lying at Riley's feet.
They lingered on the cards buried deep in their skulls, acknowledging his own handiwork with a soft, satisfied hum.
Slowly, they drifted to Riley.
"A moment ago, you were completely empty," Hisoka murmured, taking a slow step forward.
"You had no presence. No spark. You were nothing but a blank slate."
He tilted his head, his golden eyes narrowing into razor-sharp slits as he studied the pale glow around Riley's hands.
"And yet, as soon as that spear pierced you, something changed. You died. I saw it. I felt your life force vanish completely."
"But then you stood back up, and now... you possess aura. How very strange."
Walking forward, Hisoka let his gaze roam over Riley's posture.
"It smells of nothing. No passion. No fear. Just... a vacuum."
Heavy, suffocating bloodlust began to leak from Hisoka’s pores, filling the clearing like a physical weight.
It pressed down on the grass, crushing the wild weeds, causing the forest insects to fall absolutely silent.
Any normal human would have been paralyzed by this sheer malice, their mind shattered by the primal urge to run.
Riley merely watched him.
His mind, cold and calculating, analyzed the pressure.
This man was a monster, a predator who hunted other predators for sport.
To steal the ultimate, wish-granting power of Nanika, Riley needed to navigate this bizarre world with absolute precision.
This magician before him, Hisoka, was an unpredictable variable, but variables could always be factored into an equation.
If Hisoka could lead him to the Hunter Exam, Riley would have a direct path to the world's most powerful Nen users. Every encounter was a calculated opportunity to grow his copied arsenal.
But to Riley, a predator was simply a tool waiting to be utilized.
"You find me interesting," Riley said, his voice flat, completely devoid of inflection.
Hisoka paused, his smile widening until it looked almost painful, stretching the paint on his cheeks.
"Fascinating is a better word," the magician hissed, his aura flaring into life.
Pink, gelatinous energy began to ripple around Hisoka’s shoulders, moving like thick, boiling syrup.
It was dense, suffocatingly heavy, and carried the distinct scent of blood and sweet sugar.
Riley watched the display, analyzing the flow of energy.
If this man killed him, Riley would copy that pink, sticky aura instantly.
Death was not a threat; it was a transaction.
"You are a jester," Riley observed quietly, his eyes locked on Hisoka's golden gaze.
"A killer who seeks entertainment above all else."
"An ideal tool that can be pointed at my enemies."
Hisoka chuckled, a low, vibrating sound that rumbled deep in his chest.
"A tool? My, what a bold little toy we have here."
He drew a single card from his deck, the edge catching the moonlight with a silver flash.
"Usually, people scream when I look at them like this. Why aren't you screaming?"
Sudden footsteps broke the tension, crashing through the dry brush behind Riley.
Hannah burst through the underbrush, her face pale, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath.
Behind her, Nannah lurked in the shadows, her chaotic eyes wide with manic glee as she watched the confrontation unfold.
In the dark brush, Nannah grinned, her eyes reflecting the pale moonlight with a manic, unstable light. She gripped a jagged branch, humming a low tune under her breath. She didn't step forward to help, preferring to watch the spectacle unfold like a spectator at a colosseum. Her presence was another wild card, a chaotic reflection of Hannah that Riley had to keep on a short leash.
Unlike Hannah, Nannah seemed thrilled by the danger, but she remained back, analyzing the playing cards with a twisted grin.
Shaking with fear, Hannah took one look at Hisoka and froze.
Heavy, suffocating pressure from Hisoka's aura pressed down on her like a physical weight, making it hard to breathe.
Trembling violently, she forced her legs to move.
She scrambled forward and threw herself directly in front of Riley, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"Get away from him!" she gasped, her voice cracking with terror as she stared at the painted magician.
She spread her arms wide, shielding her brother with her own body.
Her shoulders shook, but she didn't retreat.
Riley looked at the back of her head, his expression remaining entirely blank.
He didn't feel warmth.
No affection stirred in his chest.
Hannah's heart raced, her breath coming in ragged gasps that Riley analyzed without a shred of empathy. He could hear the rapid, chaotic fluttering of her pulse. In his eyes, she was a liability that had somehow managed to keep herself useful. Her loyalty was a tool, just like Hisoka's bloodlust. If she died here, it would be a minor inconvenience, but her body would serve its purpose.
Instead, his eyes tracked the exact angle of her spine.
If the magician threw a card at his throat, Riley could grab Hannah by the collar.
He could spin her, using her torso to absorb the impact of the card.
It would buy him the crucial microsecond needed to close the distance or observe the magician’s technique.
She was a shield.
A highly convenient, biological shield.
"Hannah," Riley said, his voice entirely calm.
"Step aside."
"No!" she cried, her eyes locked on Hisoka.
"He's a monster, Riley! I won't let him hurt you!"
Amused by the sibling display, Hisoka watched them, his eyes darting between the siblings with growing interest.
His painted face twisted into a mask of pure delight.
"Oh, family drama," Hisoka cooed, tapping his chin with the card.
"How utterly delicious."
"But so very, very boring."
In a flash of motion too fast for the human eye to follow, Hisoka vanished from his spot.
Hannah gasped, her hands grasping empty air as the pressure suddenly shifted.
Riley didn't turn his head, even as he felt the cold breath of the magician against his neck.
Hisoka had materialized directly behind him.
Faint scent of makeup and copper drifted into Riley's senses.
A slender, pale hand reached around Riley's shoulder, fingers lightly brushing his collarbone.
Hannah spun around, her eyes widening in horror, but she was too slow to react.
Hisoka licks his lips, leans in close, and whispers, 'You have no soul inside that shell, little toy... and that makes me want to break you even more,' before tossing a strange, iron Hunter Exam badge at Riley's feet.