Chapter 8: The Mask Unveiled
Finally, the grand performance at the Gram Hotel a venue capable of holding one hundred thousand people began.
Led by Moritonio, the circus took to the stage they had Haze dreamed of.
"This performance is the greatest event in all of Gram Garance!"
"Success here means instant worldwide fame…"
"This is the stage every performer dreams of standing on!"
As the troupe members waited nervously, a manager approached, announcing proudly:
"Tonight's audience will include the supreme authority of Garance the head of the Gram Clan."
"His applause is the highest praise one can receive… equivalent to being recognized by the entire world."
The Gram Clan?
At that name, Haze's heart skipped a beat.
The mafia's influence spread across the Yubian continent this area, close to Youkexin City, was known for the operations of the Ten Dons. Considering the city's name, Gram, and its background, it was hard not to imagine that the clan's patriarch was also a crime boss.
"Go on, everyone,"
smiled Moritonio to his nervous troupe as the manager left.
"Today is your chance to become famous!"
Then, with the music swelling and the curtain rising, the show began.
One by one, the performers took the stage just as rehearsed.
The hall was packed the crowd roared.
From an artistic standpoint, the Moritonio Circus truly lived up to its reputation. Each act drew thunderous applause, the atmosphere growing hotter with every performance.
When Moritonio himself soared through the air, performing his signature aerial swimming act with elegance and grace, the audience was utterly captivated.
The performance was, without question, a complete success.
No mistakes. No missteps.
Backstage, everyone radiated joy. Soon, their fame and value would skyrocket at least in Gram they would become stars.
As for Moritonio, he was taken away by the administrator, supposedly to meet the head of the Gram Clan.
That night, a celebration erupted.
"You were amazing!"
"Drink all you can tonight we're not leaving until we're drunk!"
"Abaki, you're a girl stick to your juice!"
But as Abaki looked around, she realized Hisoka and Hazewere missing. Even the leader, who had returned earlier, was gone.
"Where are they?" she asked.
"Tch! Those two brats, forget them!" grumbled the fat man, Belice.
"I'm going to find them."
Abaki began to rise, but someone grabbed her arm to stop her.
"What for? Sit down! No offense, Abaki, but stay away from Hisoka and Hazeespecially Hisoka. Haze's changed since being with him. He's not as obedient as before!"
Inside the now-empty one-hundred-thousand-seat hall, Moritonio sat on the hotel steps, staring at the vacant auditorium.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
"Hello,"
came a familiar greeting.
"It's Hisoka… and Haze."
He didn't turn around.
These two youths so gifted, so dangerous were his prized discoveries.
"Earlier today, this place was roaring with people… and now it's silent. It always feels unreal," sighed Moritonio.
"After the show ends, there's this strange emptiness like a void."
"It's like magic: dazzling and enchanting while it lasts, but once it's gone… we're just ordinary mortals."
"That emptiness that's the curse of every magician."
He paused, exhaling softly.
"The show was a success… and I've been sitting here alone, thinking about the troupe's future."
"Hisoka… I want to entrust you with something important. Don't you think… this is a good opportunity to get to know each other better?"
His tone carried a strange tension, as though he already knew what was coming.
For one, Hisoka's origins had always been mysterious.
For another, both he and Hazehad skipped the celebration to find him.
"It's you, isn't it?"
"The serial killer."
Hisoka tilted his head with a smile.
Moritonio fell silent for a Haze moment then smiled faintly.
"What a terrifying boy."
"Come now, let's speak honestly. Haze, you too."
"Of course," Hisoka said, flicking a card between his fingers, "I'll tell you everything about me."
Moritonio stood.
"Sorry," he said, "but I don't like talking about the past."
Hisoka casually flipped his cards.
"I'm not interested in other people's stories," said Hazewith his hands in his pockets.
"Ah… by the way, how's your left eye? Feeling alright?"
Hisoka suddenly stopped moving. His tone turned sing-song, mocking.
"Stranger's skin…?"
Instinctively, Moritonio covered the left side of his face. His expression tightened.
"Careful," Hisoka teased, "if you move too much… that fake face might just fall off~~."
"That night you wanted to kill Abaki, didn't you?"
"You didn't plan to kill me or Haze, right?"
"Were we too dazzling for your fragile, self-loathing soul?"
Each word from Hisoka's mouth cut deeper than a blade.
Moritonio chuckled darkly.
"So easily exposed. Perhaps I'm getting old…"
With that, he tore away a piece of skin from his face, revealing scarred flesh beneath.
"You two… really are dangerous."
Hisoka's smile widened as the man's disguise came off he had Haze suspected the truth.
Ever since Abaki mentioned that each city they performed in had a wanted poster for a serial killer, Hisoka had known.
And he was certain Hazehad, too.
"I used to love seeing people surprised," Moritonio said softly.
"At first, I performed magic tricks for my family…"
"But ordinary applause stopped satisfying me."
"One day, seeking the ultimate 'expression,' I killed my own sister."
"Her terrified face that was the truest reaction I'd ever seen."
He smiled faintly.
"I thought I could channel it through performance, through art… but after every show, the emptiness returned."
"Only by killing seeing that face just before death could I feel alive again."
Haze's face stayed blank. Quietly, he stepped back leaving space for the two killers.
Moritonio met Hisoka's gaze.
"What are you planning to do?"
"Whether you're a killer or a conman doesn't matter to me," Hisoka said, blowing gently on his cards.
"I already have the cards I want."
He meant his Nen cards the manifestation of his power.
"Still, you did help me… So, as a thank-you let me give you what you desire."
"You crave surprise, don't you? That emptiness inside… Why not try to surprise me?"
Nen energy rippled around him, filling the air with a sharp, electric thrill.
Hisoka's grin widened, eyes glinting with wild excitement and bloodlust.
"You don't mind if I use… every trick I know?"
Moritonio wasn't surprised he had expected this outcome.
"Come then…"
"Let's have some fun."
"Either you kill me…" Hisoka's voice dropped, trembling with delight,
"…or I kill you."
With a whistle, a card shot forward Hisoka lunged, laughing like a madman, as the deadly duel began.
(End of Chapter)