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PLEASE READ CHAPTER 6 BEFORE PROCEEDING

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Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter belongs to to wonderful and highly respected Yoshihiro Togashi. This is for fan purposes only.

I was in the middle of practicing my violin when there was a knock on my bedroom door. I paused my playing and gently nestled my instrument on the nearby bed. The knock had been hesitant and soft, so I knew that whoever it was, it was not my personal maid, Jakarran. She was plump and sassy, like a pampered cat. I had sent her to fetch me a midnight snack, and expected her to arrive any minute now. Considering she tucked me in every night, she wouldn't bother knocking.

I forced my usually expressive face to appear blank, straightened my white night gown, and opened my chamber's door.

The girl, who respectively stared at her feet before me, bowed her head immediately. Her golden tassels covered her brown eyes and thick lashes, but I still could remember their intensity. I saw them often enough. I smiled despite my efforts for a stone face.

"What's up, Diarra?" I asked casually. The girl avoided my face, but ceased her bowing. Her apprenticeship robes were much too large on her tiny frame, and the sleeves hid her hands. She would perhaps grow into them one day when she was an acolyte. Actually, she would probably graduate before then, since she was a prodigy.

"I suppose you mean, 'How am I feeling' yes? I am well," Diarra nodded, finally raising her eyes to my face. I grinned cheekily at her, since grammar corrections were a normal part of conversing with this girl. She was a good three years younger than I was, but she acted twice as mature. In a way, she looked out for me like I was her younger sibling. Perhaps that was why we were friends after all of these years, despite me being an apprentice of the High Priestess. She was only training to be an Acolyte, so that meant that I was her superior, and someone like Diarra took status very seriously. She hardly ever spoke to the other Priestess apprentices, save for what her job required her to.

As close as we were, her visit was unusual. It was approximately ten at at night and Diarra was usually asleep in her Acolyte quarters by nine. I had finished my studies at eight and had already taken my bath; the Temple was winding down for the night. I wondered what could have been so important.

Had I forgotten one of my duties? Most days they were simple, like reading the lessons aloud during worship or preparing for whatever event came after the next. Yesterday I had gotten to sit in and witness a War Council meeting, so therefore I got to skip my daily chores. Maybe they hadn't gotten another person to complete them and decided to ask me to do them anyway.

"The reason for which I am here," Diarra continued, all business-like once more, "is that I have been asked to escort you to the Council's Chapel."

I blinked at her in surprise. The Council ran the entire Temple and acted as the leaders. They were superior to everyone, even my master, the current High Priestess. Their leader, the Bishop, was more a spokesman, since everything thing they do or say is discussed between the twelve of them. So why did they want me? I was only thirteen, not old enough to make my Final Confession and enter adulthood. And I hadn't broken any rules - that I knew of.

"Just let me change," I said, moving to close the door for some privacy. Diarra shook her little blonde head.

"There is not time for that," she warned. Already turning to leave.

Presenting yourself to the Councilmen in anything less than your very best was absurd. Diarra especially, with her love for what was orderly, would have had a heartattack. It was the precise reason that she herself had told me not to change that convinced me to listen.

"Umm... Alright," I said dazedly, stepping out of my room and into the hall of the Priestess' quarters. I closed the door behind me and followed the tiny ten year old.

The Chapel was a separate building from the Temple, but was still considered to be a part of it. The Temple encased it, as it sat in the central gardens, probably the most sacred place of Templism. Frankly, no one besides the Councilmen and the High Priestess were allowed to enter it without permission, and an escort. The only others allowed in were the Acolytes - every building needed someone to maintain it, and the higher-ups were too preoccupied with running it. They knew the layout pretty well; they ran many errands for the higher ups. Servants were not favored enough by the Heavens to enter.

The courtyard was breathtakingly beautiful. The main attraction was a large fountain with sparkling coins strewn on its marble floor. Besides two Cherubs statues equally distances on either side of it, the only other landmarks were the shrubbery. Each bush was sculpted to perfection, and as green as emeralds.

Diarra led me up the white stairs and struggled to open the large, intricate, mahogany doors. I began to wonder why a little girl was sent as my escort, but only came to the conclusion that she was the only one available. That was still unlikely, but so were the chances of me being summoned.

I tried to memorize the twists and turns of the hallways, but I failed. As far as I could tell, the Chapel was a maze. But despite the difficulty of navigating, I believe Diarra did very well. In no time whatsoever the large, arching doors that led to the Council room were right in front of me.

I don't even remember when they opened, but the next thing I knew, I was kneeling in a bow on the floor. The marble was cold against my forehead, and I felt as if I was blind because its whiteness made my eyes sore.

"You may stand," a gruff voice announced. Obediently, I rose to my bare feet, realizing I had forgotten to put on my slippers. The rest of the room was as pristine and colorless as the floor. Twelve High towers rose all around me as if they were trees and I was in the center of a forest clearing. I saw glimpses of the Councilmen seated on top of them, clad in white robes and draping headdresses that resembled crowns. I couldn't look directly at them, for they were too high and too close. The Bishop was directly in front of me, assumed, opposite to the doorway I had just entered.

Three men and one woman stood stiffly at ground level, facing us, their arms folded behind their backs. I instantly recognized them as the four generals in the Temple Army's Defensive and Survival Corps. I felt respect and admiration, as well as fear. Rumors of the situations these people had been put through had been reaching my ears since I was hardly able to walk. Their job was to basically fight and protect the Temple and its causes with their lives.

Many miles away from the Temple are four buildings, each in the four cardinal directions. The Northern Army Temple, the Southern Army Temple, the Eastern, and the Western. The pupils who have a certain score on a physical fitness test are sent to the Army Temples, where they are trained by the experts. The Generals before me have trained thousands of warriors. Each have their specific set of skills needed for survival, although I'm not sure of whom to match them with. The four classes were Alchemy, which included mineral and herbal knowledge, Stealth, Combat skills, and Weaponry.

To my utter relief, and to my confusion, two of the other three Priestess apprentices were at my right. I took several steps to stand in a row with them. Each of us had our escorts silently standing behind us, staring straight ahead.

Tatiana was next to me, in the middle. She was four years older than me, even though she appeared much older due to her height and her long, swan-like neck. I barely spoken to her, mostly because she disliked me from the moment she saw me, and she did not hide her disdain.

Before I had received my room, when I first arrived as a little girl, she had requested to be as far away from me as possible. Her room was all of the way across from mine in the sleeping quarters. I never did bother to find out what I had done to anger her so.

Thankfully, Tatiana had also not had a chance to change out of her nightgown either, sparing me some embarrassment. Her hair, which was normally tied back in a waterfall braid combined with a bun, cascaded around her like curly black rivulets. The bags underneath her blue eyes made her appear tired, and even older. Her apparent escort, whom I was barely acquainted with, was the only escort not wearing the apprenticeship robes. His chestnut hair was partially covered by a hood, which meant he was a fully fledged Acolyte, despite his young age. I faintly recalled that his name was Keoni.

Next to her was Theron, clad in her black hunting gear.

She hardly ever went out, but when she did, that was what she wore. It was just her bad luck that she had been summoned in such 'indecent' clothing. It was even worse than nightgowns. Usually, she looked very delicate and precious in her robes, but in black pants and knee-high combat boots, she appeared ruthless and common. Her chocolate brown hair was braided to keep it out of the way, since it was against the rules to ever cut it (therefore we all had annoyingly long hair), and there was camouflage paint smeared on her cheeks.

I was the same age as her, and had quite a lot more in common with her than I did with Tatiana. We could be considered friends, I guessed. Our personalities were very similar, too, and we could relate to lots of things. Unfortunately, our conflicting schedules prevented us from becoming closer than we were. Her escort was one of Diara's friends, a little girl with grey pigtails.

It was several more minutes until the youngest of the Priestess Apprentice and her Acolyte arrived. Reut, age nine just as of that day, bounded into the room and collapsed onto her knees. I am sure she would have forgotten to bow entirely, if her escort, and old man with white hair, hadn't discreetly kicked her in the back of the knee, before kneeling behind her himself. He was Reut's godfather, if I remembered correctly.

It dawned on me that all of our escorts had been people whom we had publically shown fondness towards, assuming Tatiana was close to Keoni. He was her age, and handsome, so I was sure they were dating. It was allowed, as long as he was an Acolyte, and they remained abstinent until marriage.

Reut took her spot next to me, still running her fingers through her ratty red hair. Her bedtime was much earlier than the rest of ours, so I'm sure she had been asleep.

"As you must know," The Bishop began. He seemed old and frail, but his voice was booming and projected in such a way that I was nearly frightened. "Today is the 3,287th day of young Apprentice Reut's life. In 1,096 days, she will be eligible to take what is known commonly as the 'Hunter Examination', an honorable test for the superior beings of this world."

I felt my eyes grow large with shock, so I quickly cast my gaze downwards. It was impolite to show any kind of emotion besides repentance, acceptance, and joy.

I had heard of the Hunter Exam - practically everyone had - but why would it concern us? It was... dangerous. Throughout my entire life, I hadn't been allowed to even think about anything that could cause me harm. Now The Bishop had called upon us to talk about it. As the possibilities began to run through my mind I felt a rock settle into the bottom of my stomach. The generals... the Hunter Exam... I gritted my teeth, hoping I wasn't right.

"As tradition, our High Priestess must have a Hunter License, which is only attained by passing the Hunter Examination. Our current High Priestess only has five years left until her position is lost, and she must pass it on to one of her apprentices. Therefore, her successor must have a Hunter License. In three years, the four apprentices before me are required to participate in the Hunter Examination. Until then, they are granted the teachings of one, and only one, general. They are to be trained and taught to survive and pass the exam, and only then can they continue their apprenticeship."

From the shocked faces of all of the apprentices, even Tatiana's, I could tell I was not the only one who had never heard of such a requirement. We all forgot to be polite, and gaped at our superiors.

When had my master become a hunter? I figured she couldn't even hold a dagger properly, not that any of us could, save for Theron. The woman that I saw everyday had never mentioned such an important part of my future.

If I wasn't so confused, I would have asked many more questions, despite being in The Bishop's presence. I had forgone what was proper at this point.

I almost completely missed what the Bishop had said next.

"I'm sure each of you is wondering why only one general is allowed to train you. Simply put," the old man continued, his deep voice resonating completely through me and caused me to shiver. "We are trying to determine which skills are actually necessary and helpful." I saw the woman general and the youngest general share a bitter glance for a fraction of a second. Was the Bishop planning on cutting one of the classes to save time on training? That would certainly allow more trainees to be accepted into the program. So the classes that the victorious apprentices relied on were staying in the Army's training plan, and the classes that the losers had trained in... Well, Combat and Weaponry would continued no matter what, I supposed. It was only Stealth and Alchemy that were being evaluated. It went unsaid, but by the General's faces, I could tell it was true.

There was a lot of politics when it came to the high-ups.

"As for your escorts, you are allowed to take them with you to your training and to the exam, if you wish. Think of them as your tools, and please, put your own lives above theirs; we wouldn't want you to lose such important young women."

Having Diarra accompanying me came as relief. Perhaps I could use her knowledge and calmness. Of course, I'd never consider letting her lose her life for me. The Councilmen just preferred to do things with an old-fashioned flourish.

I had no survival experience whatsoever. I had trouble lifting more than one hymnal sometimes. My only chance of passing the Hunter Exam would be if I were the apprentice that was trained in weaponry. I had been playing the violin since I was five, so I figured I would be good with my fingers and hands. But how were your teachers determined?

Did I even want to become High Priestess? Was it worth dying for? I could easily switch to an Acolyte, since the first part of the training is similar.

But I wouldn't be suited for anything less than a pampered life.

Why was I an Apprentice in the first place? I've read book with normal children in them, and they seem just as happy as I was. What were my motivations?

I realized that I didn't have any. I didn't have hopes or dreams, or something to protect, or a burning desire to succeed. I just... I don't know.

Maybe I decided to take the Hunter Exam that day because I didn't know; I didn't know why I was there, I didn't know why I cared to make the apprenticeship part of my life, my future, my goal, and I didn't know why I lived at all.

But I wanted to know. I wanted to know why I was an apprentice and I wanted to know who I really was on the inside; what would I do if I were the main character of a book? What would I do if someone needed my help?

That was why, I suppose, I didn't say anything when The Bishop asked us if we wanted to decline. That was the only explanation I had. I felt just as confused as before, but I also had a strong sense of determination.

The Bishop repeated his question.

"Please be sure; does anyone decline?"

No one said a word.

"Since all four have accepted," The Bishop declared, "We will continue with the apprenticeship selections. I have decided that we will determine the classes the apprentices will train under by allowing the Generals to pick, oldest to youngest; seniority rules."

I closed my eyes. I probably wouldn't be picked last, but would I be picked for Weaponry?

Theron, her choice of clothing no longer unlucky, would be most desirable. As a hunter of wild animals, she obviously had experience with stealth and weaponry. The chances that she also had basic knowledge on wild plants and herbs were also high. Not that the Generals would know she was actually skilled, but she really looked her part. She looked truly strong and fierce. Reut was lucky as well; younger children learn the most quickly. Of course, if that were being considered, then perhaps Tatiana would be chosen last, because she was the oldest. She wouldn't get Weaponry, at least.

If I hadn't seen that look two of the Generals had shared, I would have assumed that their choices did not matter, and I would have just brushed off these little details. But they must have felt the same pressure we apprentices felt. Their choice was vital for their jobs. And they could only make their choice based off of appearance (I'm sure they knew our names, history, and anything else in our files, but I doubted something like Theron's nighttime hunting trips weren't mentioned in those).

How would the Weapon trainer know I'm good with my hands? I purposely turned my palms outward so that the many calluses I'd gained over the years of playing violin would be visible. Would that be enough? Would they even look at my hands?

It seemed like hours had passed before one General in his fifties, obviously the oldest by many years, stepped forward. He looked terrifying in his uniform. His muscles bugled underneath his sleeves and his nose was crooked from several healed breaks.

"I am General Barnabas from the Northern Army Temple. I teach Combat. My choice is the apprentice known as Theron."

Theron nodded, obviously relieved. I would have been as well, had I been picked first, But that had been very predictable, and I didn't know why she was nervous.

Now Theron could have knowledge in all four classes, though the depth varied. She was sure to pass the Hunter Exam.

But... more than one person could pass the Hunter Exam, I reminded myself.

Wait, what would happen if more than one of us passed? Or all four? I shook my head, since I needed to focus on what was directly in front of me. It was also possible that none of us would pass. We'd probably be allowed to continue our apprenticeship anyway. The best thing to do would be to pass.

The next oldest General appeared to be around thirty years old. His golden hair ran down his back in a ponytail, and on his cheek was a jagged scar. I had never seen something so hideous, and it contrasted with his appealing face.

"I am General Melanion from the Eastern Army Temple. I teach Weaponry," he began.

I almost crossed my fingers, but quickly remembered I needed him to see their callouses, so I flipped them and held still.Please, pick me. If Melanion didn't pick me, I'd be stuck with Alchemy or Stealth, and that was a sentence for failure. I'd lose for sure. Pick me!

"I choose the apprentice known as Reut."

I couldn't stop myself from sucking in my breath. Hopefully, Reut's sigh of relief had covered my mistake up, or I would have been considered rude. My heart was frozen.

The next General to step forward was the woman with short, spiky brown hair.

This whole thing suddenly seemed really tedious; each General stepping forward, repeating the same words, save for the name of their choice, like it had been scripted. It felt like a ceremony. I began to wish the Generals would stop being so formal and traditional and just tell everyone which class Tatiana and I had. It didn't matter anymore.

With one look at the older girl's face, all hope of succeeding diminished. But now it was too late to decline. Maybe one of the phases in the exam would require playing the violin? I almost scoffed at how naive I sounded.

"I am General Cleo from the Western Army Temple. I teach Alchemy."

This surprised me, since her lithe body seemed flexible and stealthy. I would have thought she excelled in Stealth.

I nearly jumped when a small hand secretly slipped into mine from behind. Luckily, I stopped myself from glancing behind my shoulder. I had completely forgotten Diarra was right behind me the entire time. She must have caught each and every one of my reactions and figured what each meant.

"Alchemy or Stealth will still be more helpful than nothing, yes?" She whispered, nearly inaudibly. Yes... They are better than nothing. I closed my eyes, wondering how Diarra knew exactly what to say. She hardly seemed to be a kid at all.

"I choose the apprentice known as Tatiana."

I made sure my face was completely blank before opening my eyes once more. Diarra's hand was still in mine, so I gave a little squeeze.

'That's right,' I thought. 'Diarra will be with me.'

I purposely stared the last General in the eyes as he stepped forward. He was obviously very young, maybe about twenty or twenty-one. His black hair matched his onyx eyes. He seemed very thin and tall under his decorative uniform, and I wondered just how stealthy he actually was. Out of all four Generals, he seemed the least intimidating. Perhaps it was because he was closer to my age, or maybe it was because he didn't look like he could tear me limb from limb with his bare hands, even though he probably could.

"I am General Zeno of the Southern Army Temple. I teach Stealth. And I guess I'm stuck with the apprentice known as Aris."

My mouth nearly dropped to the floor.

He just insulted me! He just did that in front of The Bishop! That- That-

From the annoyed look on Zeno's face, I could tell the next three years would be the longest of my life

AN: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Thank you for reading to the end!

By the time I actually get to the plot, Aris will no longer be thirteen. She'll be sixteen, and Diarra will be twelve.

My apologies for any mistakes, inconsistencies, or typos!

Again, thank you for reading!

~MaoIsSleepy