Chapter 9:

[Draco: How are you, Cal? Doing good?]

[Cal:?]

[Draco: What?]

[Cal: I know you don't care whether I am well or not. Did something happen? I was attending to other employees and I didn't see what was happening on your end]

[Draco: Mhh, yeah, everything is fine so far, but a few questions popped out along the way. When you were talking about Mysthrals, I thought they were like one entity and emotionless. Like, you know, those robots? But, they actually seem to be even more emotional than me]

[Cal: I don't see a question, Draco]

[Draco: I was getting to it. I overheard them talking about Team Purple or something. Do they have some kind of hierarchy between them? I feel like that can be useful information?]

[Cal: Purple? Is your luck stat actually high? How the hell did you stumble upon a Purple one on your first mission?]

[Draco: How are they different?]

[Cal: Basically, at the forefront, there are white-ordinary Mysthrals. They generally tend to be on the weaker side since they don't have any skills. Then, after them, there are seven branches, and each branch has a field in which they excel - have skills associated with it. For instance, Purple is associated with seduction and manipulation of the mind. They are a nuisance, not going to lie]

[Draco: ....and why is it I am hearing this only now?]

[Cal: Because your luck turned its back on you. People don't meet any colored ones until like their 3 mission. You are just abnormal]

[Draco: So, wait, on top of having all the skills of the character they infected, they also can have their own skills that can make them even more strong?]

[Cal: Yeah, that's basically it. I will send you a file, depicting all the colored worms and in what area are their skills specialized. The Mysthrals operate like humans. They have emotions and will. Sometimes, there were even cases, where they attacked their own. However, they have one strong weakness, if the Queen of all Mysthrals dies, then they die along with her]

[Draco: Doesn't that mean we could just hunt her down and be done with all this multiversal travel?]

[Cal: Haha, you are funny. It's impossible. Literally]

Deciding not to question him further about this matter, Draco typed again.

[Draco: Alright, attach me the file. Now, another question, I heard them talking about some kind of points?]

[Cal: Oh, yeah, that's not really important, but my design of the system was built upon the information I knew about Mysthrals. I copied it and improved it. They have a similar thing like system, but they can only use points to upgrade their stats and skills. As far as I believe, the points are allocated based on what they accomplished during the missions, so oftentimes there is competition between them. They don't have such a thing as coins or stores, meaning that they can't acquire new skills, equipment, or summons. They only have the skills that they are born with, and most of them are born white - skilles]

[Draco: Wait, so, even if Myshtrals are of the same color, their skills can still be different?]

[Cal: Yeah, usually, they are different]

[Draco: Alright, I think... that's it. Thanks for answering]

[Cal: Good Luck!]

Draco turned off the screen, leaning back against the bed. So much new information. Mysthrals were like a hive? They had their own systems and some even had skills. Sighing, Draco tapped on the attached file:

-

Luminaries (Yellow): These Mysthrals have the unique ability to manipulate light. They can bend, intensify, or dim light sources, create illusions with light patterns, or even camouflage.

Umbralis (Dark): Contrary to Luminaries Mysthrals, Umbralis Mysthrals have command over shadows and darkness. They can blend into shadows, manipulate them to conceal themselves or others, and even solidify shadows to form tangible objects. They often excel in stealth and espionage.

Batonekinetics (Green): These Mysthrals have a deep connection to plants and nature. They possess the ability to manipulate and control plant life, enabling them to accelerate growth, communicate with plants, and even control their movements to a certain extent. 

Illusionists (Silver): These Mysthrals possess the rare and potent ability to manipulate perceptions and reality itself. They can create intricate illusions that are indistinguishable from reality, affecting all senses.

Psionists (Purple): Psionists have unparalleled mental abilities. They can influence thoughts, and emotions, and even manipulate memories to a certain extent. Some can communicate telepathically or create psychic barriers for protection.

Sirens (Translucent): Sirens possess the ability to control and manipulate sound waves. They can amplify, dampen, or alter sounds, creating powerful sonic attacks. Sirens are skilled in both combat and communication, often excelling in strategic espionage.

Nihilists (Brown): Nihilists possess the ability to negate or nullify the skills of their opponents. They can disrupt energy fields, nullify magical effects, and temporarily erase abilities. Similarly, Nihilists can enhance and boost the strength of both themselves and their teammates.

-

Damn, this was a huge list. The further down he read, the more distorted Draco's face became. He thought that, at the very least, their skills wouldn't be strong, but damn he was wrong.

'Seneca is a psionist and he is also a game maker?' Draco grabbed onto his head, feeling a headache. The person in control of the game could also control the actions of other people, to some extent. Wasn't he actually fucked?

"Alright, so what I am working with?" Draco sighed, removing all the desperation from his mind. "Seneca is infected and he may have certain skills that can influence the minds of others, meaning that he could basically do whatever he wants during the games. It would be best to kill that man before the games even start, but that seems wildly impossible."

"Then," Draco sighed again. "My only choice left is keeping Katniss alive during the entire Hunger Games, somehow winning alongside her, and killing Rue and Cato. Then, after magically surviving that, I have to kill Seneca?"

Alright, this did indeed seem fucked. Cal said that it was going to be hard, but he didn't mention it being impossible. There had to be a way. Leaning against the chair, Draco spent the entire night trying to come up with a plan.

Yet, once the morning sun showed up over the horizon, Draco was still as restless as before. Dark bags covered his eyes, yet no words were written in his textbook. He had to go into the Hunger Games with Seneca as the Gamemaker. There was no other way.

Perhaps there was a chance Draco could kill him before that, but what would happen afterward? He would be found out and murdered. Furthermore, Draco still knew too little about Seneca's powers.

"What if Rue and Cato also have skills?" That was another problem that popped into his head. Draco simply had no options. He was too weak and had no coins at all. All of it was fucked up.

Draco stood up, glancing at the clock, as he straightened his t-shirt. Then, he went down and took a seat around a table full of food. Katniss, Haymitch, and Effie were all staring at him. Draco made eye contact with each of them. "I am someone who likes to keep his secrets and privacy to himself, so would you mind?"

Haymitch turned to Katniss and then turned back to Draco. "I understand." Without saying any more, Haymitch began eating, lifting his gaze once again a while later. "By the way, your food will be triple-checked from now on, Katniss, so you don't have to worry about being poisoned again."

"Who poisoned me?" Katniss asked abruptly, halting Haymitch from his peaceful breakfast. Katniss stared at Draco. "Draco?" Her voice was low, threatening.

Draco dropped the fork in his hands, slowly tilting his head. "I don't know, Katniss." Then, he stared into her eyes. "I really don't know. I am sorry."

Hearing that, Katniss sprung to her feet, not even touching her food once. She flew up the stairs like a rocket, and Draco heard her food closing with a loud thud.

"Draco, you should learn how to look less suspicious when lying." Haymitch leaned back on his chair, pouring himself some water. "I will not question you just like you requested, but if you don't explain to her what actually happened, there will be no trust between you."

Haymitch glanced at a bottle of whisky on the table, reaching towards it. "Actually," Haymitch opened it, pouring it into his other glass. "Perhaps it doesn't matter, since both of you will be killing each other in the arena in a week."

Draco stood up, grabbed the glass of whisky from under Haymitch's hands, and drank it in one shot. Then, he placed it back on the table, beaming a helpless smile. "I will see what I can do." With that, he left, his thoughts following him.

What could he do? There was no way he could explain yesterday's incident without exposing at least something from his 'job'. And he didn't want to do that, he felt that it was wrong and would mess up the plot even more. Katniss could feel mad at him, whatever. Draco didn't care.

Yet, at the thought of that, there was a bit of tightness in his chest, which he ignored and closed himself in his room. Tired, Draco fell face-forth on the bed, instantly falling asleep.

-

The next week was a monotonous one. Draco would wake up, do his usual exercise routine, and eat together with Katniss, Haymitch, and Effie. The atmosphere had turned somewhat awkward since Katniss's last outburst, and it was understandable. 

Katniss continued going to the trainings, bringing some intel that District 11 and District 2 were spending a lot of time together, and all the other Districts were slowly joining into their alliance. Katniss was the only one left out.

Draco cursed at this information. During his free time, Draco began to plan out what he had to do next. He stopped thinking about killing Seneca before the games, deeming it impossible, instead concentrating on how to win the Hunger Games, with everyone being against you. However, out of all of that, Draco came to one conclusion: he was in dire need of sponsors.

All the other tributes would take hold of the center, and Draco would need supplies to survive. More than that, Draco was in a state of unknown. Gamemakers were usually the ones who set the stage for Hunger Games, meaning that the stage would be different from the one that was in the actual story.

A headache set in and Draco forced himself out of his thoughts, looking to the left, where Katniss was nervously shifting from left to right. "It's going to be alright."

Katniss looked at him, her eyes holding multiple emotions at once. "Yeah."

Draco sighed, looking around. They were currently waiting for their evaluation tests. The Gamemaker and his men would evaluate a tribute based on what they would show, and it would also be the time when Draco would meet Seneca face to face.

"Next." A woman came from around the corner, forcing Draco to stand up.

Draco beamed a helpless smile to Katniss and then walked to the gymnasium, a place he hadn't visited since assaulting Cato. He made his way to the center, where numerous weapons were present.

Lifting his eyes, Draco made eye contact with him. Standing with his hands behind his back, Seneca loomed over Draco. A ridiculous haircut and beard didn't dismiss the intense feeling excluded by his figure. Draco saw a strange glow, hidden deeply within Seneca's eyes.

There were others, as well, but Seneca didn't talk with them at all. He simply continued to stare down at Draco, as if this evaluation was extremely important to him. Perhaps the man was indeed evaluating...whether Draco was Mysthral Hunter or not.

However, Draco had no intention of disclosing anything about him. This was simply a waste of time. Whether Draco did good or not, he would still be evaluated as low. This man would do anything in his power to make the chances of District 12 surviving as little as possible.

Bowing, Draco proclaimed. "Draco Ahsvale, District 12." Then, he raised his eyes. "Thank you for your evaluation." Without giving another word, Draco made his way towards the exit, a shout of surprise and insults coming from above.

On his way back, Draco felt the Seneca's gaze basically burning through his back. This was not the place, where he would get sponsors. No, here, the only thing he could achieve was exposing himself, and he didn't want that.

-

"Seriously, what the hell is wrong with that kid?" Effie fumed, staring at Haymitch and Katniss who were sitting on the couch. "Is he going through puberty or something? We all know that he is capable, so why did he simply leave the evaluation without doing anything?"

Haymitch and Katniss both stayed quiet, for even they had no idea how to explain Draco's behavior now. They both knew that Draco understood the importance of sponsors, yet he went on and did something stupid like this.

"How did it go for you, Katniss?" Haymitch changed the topic, letting Effie take a breather in her hysteria. 

"It was fine, I guess." Katniss shrugged. "I missed my first shot, then hit two bullseyes. Then, I left."

Haymitch nodded. "You should get around 7 or 8 then. Not bad. We will get you some sponsors." Sighing, Haymitch grabbed a controller and turned on the TV. 

Right at that time, Draco walked down the stairs. His hair was wet from the shower he just took, as water dripped down on the floor. With a dark hoodie on him, Draco sat down on the couch, oblivious to Effie's burning gaze.

"Why did you do that?" Haymitch was the one to break the silence. The evaluation began, showing that both Marvel and Glimmer got 9. "Don't you know that this was your best shot at getting a sponsor? I told you that, didn't I?"

Draco stared at the screen, biting his lip once he saw Cato getting a score of 10. "I know, Haymitch, but this evaluation is rigged. It doesn't matter whether we did good or not, we are getting a low evaluation anyway."

Katniss raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"What I am saying..." Draco continued to stare at the screen, seeing that Rue from District 11 also got an evaluation of 10. Draco's face then popped up on the screen... and a number 1 appeared beneath it. "...this is not the place where we are going to earn sponsorships."

Katniss was also staring at the screen at this point, seeing her face appear...alongside an evaluation of 2. What? How could that be? Yes, she might have made a mistake at first, but she definitely knew her way around a bow better than any of the tributes.

It seemed like Haymitch and Effie were as starstruck as Katniss, as they all stared at the screen in utter silence. Grunting, Draco flexed his shoulder, no longer feeling the pain from Katniss's bite. Looking at everyone, Draco stated. "The place where we are going to earn sponsors will be during interviews. Katniss, make sure that you go all out, and prove to them that you don't deserve a score of 2."

-

The next day approached promptly. Draco stood in front of a window, dressed in a classical black suit, as per his order. He wanted to be classy and simple. However, the Capitol was a fucked place, so Draco had to also put some makeup on and black eyeliners that stretched out towards his ears.

His hair was slid back with gel, making his dark eyes seem more bottomless. Draco continued to stare at his own reflection until a woman standing in the corner of the mirror drew him away.

Katniss was dressed in a classy red dress that stretched out to her dark boots. She had interesting, glossy makeup and her hair looked fluffy. Overall, she looked striking enough to make people interested in sponsoring her. What came out of her mouth would also increase her chances of getting sponsors.

"You look...good," Katniss commented, slightly hesitating.

"Thanks. You look great as well." Draco returned the compliment, putting on a little smile. "It's going to be your turn soon, so prepare your speech in the head. And don't panic, stay calm."

Katniss nodded, then made a thin line of her lips. "Draco, who are you?"

Draco stopped smiling. "What do you mean?"

"You always seem to know everything that is going to happen ahead of time, you have things like that tube, you know how to fight really well and, most importantly, you always seem to be thinking twice before saying something. It's almost as if you have multiple masks and you switched in-between them." Katniss asked, her voice carrying a bit of concern. "Is that somehow connected to the thing you told me about your enemies being beyond my comprehension? Just who are those enemies? No, rather, who are you?"

Draco stared at her, listening to the words coming out of her mouth, yet not hearing them. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. Just at that moment, Katniss heard her name being called out. Turning around, she saw Cinna. 

"It's time to go, Katniss," Cinna said, feeling the tense atmosphere in the air. 

"Coming," Katniss mumbled, glancing one more at Draco. "We will finish this conversation later. Good luck." With that, Katniss was leaving and Draco was staring at her back, biting his lip slightly. Issues were coming one after another, and Draco simply couldn't get a second of rest.

He glanced at the big screen on the left, seeing Katniss engaging in conversation with Caeser Flickerman, the host of the Hunger Games.

Removing all the thoughts from his head, Draco prepared himself to go up the stage as well. There was a lot he needed to say. This was his last chance to get sponsors.

This was his time to shine.