CHAPTER 4
In the dim glow of the orphanage kitchen, Alison quietly fetched a glass and filled it with cool water.
Her bare feet padded softly against the creaking wooden floor as she ascended the stairs, carefully steadying the cup with each step, not wanting it to spill out of it.
Back in her room, she shut the door gently behind her and sat cross-legged on the soft mattress, with the cup placed firmly on the floor before her. A single leaf followed, set delicately on the surface of the water. With her small palms hovering above the glass, she inhaled deeply.
"To determine my Nen type, I need to undergo the Water Divination test," she thought, eyes narrowing in focus.
It is a test that requires the Nen user to put a leaf on top of a glass of water, and focus their Nen energy into their hands.
And depending on how the water reacts in the glass, the person can tell what is their nen affinity!
Concentrating , she channelled her aura into her hands with mild difficulty using "Ren" ( refining and enhancing energy ).
She began channeling her aura using Ren, her hands vibrating slightly with the force of her refined energy. It was subtle—but undeniably there. The leaf trembled, and the surface of the water shimmered unnaturally.
Her focus sharpened. The leaf , at first still have suddenly vanished out of sight . It didn't sink nor did it move. It was just gone.
And just a moment later, thin fragments began materializing at the bottom of the glass, as though it had been disassembled and reassembled wrongly.
Her brows furrowed.
"What the hell…?" she muttered, lifting the glass to inspect it. No taste change, no movement, no impurity. Something completely outside the textbook patterns.
Then a thought occurred in her mind
" ohh now I get it " she smirked , satisfied with her observation
If the Nen user changes the taste of the water in the glass during Water Divination, they are a Transmuter. If the amount of water increased it means that they're an enhancer just like Gon and the hunter association chairman.
If the color of the water inside of the glass changes , that means that they're an emitter.
If any kind of impurities appear in the glass it means that they're a conjurer , if the leaf floating on top of the water moves then they're a manipulator like illumi and last but not least, if a unique effect is created , that does not apply to any of the other categories , they are considered a Specialist!
And that's the exact case with Alison, as what happened in the water divination test doesn't belong to any category, except the bits of the leaf that appeared at the end ' that even confused me , but I'm to have a wild guess ' she calculated
Before she could spiral deeper into thought, the door creaked open revealing a very familiar person.
"Alison , my dear!" sang a falsely sweet voice.
Mary.
The same useless woman who spent her days barking orders instead of lifting a finger. Alison called her the parasite. A nickname that suited her too well.
"Want to come with me to town? I need help getting lunch ingredients," she said, unusually cheerful, her fake smile stretching wider than ever.
Alison raised an eyebrow. Suspicious. But something in her gut urged her to go. Curiosity kills, but so does ignorance.
"Sure. I'll be ready in five. Wait for me outside."
As Mary left, Alison's gaze hardened. She quickly crouched to tie her shoes, then slid a stolen fruit knife up her sleeve.
"Being cautious never hurts."
At the orphanage gate, Mary greeted her with a side glance. "Come on now, don't drag your feet. The other kids are starving."
Alison followed her, skipping between cobblestones, but her eyes never rested. The flowers along the path looked too exotic, too unfamiliar and so did the route.
Minutes turned to thirty, and the bustling village she expected was nowhere in sight.
"This isn't right…"
"Miss Mary," Alison said carefully, "Isn't the village the other way?"
"Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. This is just a shortcut."
Alison nodded, though her eyes told a different story. She wasn't buying it.
Soon the dirt trail narrowed, trees closing in, air growing still. Alison's senses screamed.
Then—rustle.
Burly men stepped out from the underbrush, blocking the path. Alison froze, heart pounding.
"Oh hell no…" she muttered, stepping back instinctively.
But before she could flee, a vice-like grip latched onto her arm.
She spun and it was Mary holding her .
"Of course."
"Long time no see, woman," one of the thugs said with a snicker. "That is the kid you brought?"
"Yup , the quiet type they're easy to bait," Mary replied without any shame displayed on her face .
"You were planning this all along?" Alison's voice was cold steel.she could practically feel the rage burning inside of her.
Mary grinned wickedly. " Haha yes , I was kinda caught off guard when you asked me about the direction earlier but I'm thankful that you hadn't pressed on the matter further , Lucky me."
Alison's hand twitched toward the blade in her sleeve ready to stab someone for the first time in her life, but another man was already behind her. Unfortunately She was too slow.
Rough arms pinned her down. She struggled to get out of his hold , kicked, tried to scream, but one blow to the back of her neck snuffed her consciousness like a candle flame.
As her vision dimmed, one final thought whispered in her head:
" Well I'm in deep shit ."
Then her eyes snapped shut