Emotion Hunter: System Awakening.

[Riven's POV]

The alarm blared at 0500.

Riven's eyes snapped open to the same rust stain on the bunk above him, the one shaped like a bird in mid-flight. Except this morning, it didn't look like freedom. It looked like a.....warning.

He rolled out of bed, joints stiff, body aching from yesterday's labor.

The dorm was already alive with movement.....the provisionals were stumbling into boots, pulling on jackets, some were even muttering curses under their breath.

The air smelled of sweat.

Ugh, reminds of my school's locker room.

Lisa was already dressed, her badge clipped neatly to her chest. She looked like she hadn't slept at all.

"You ready?" she turned to Riven with a cocked eye brow.

"No," Riven kept rubbing his face. "But apparently that doesn't matter."

Riven quickly got dressed with Lisa staring tiredly at him.

They joined the stream of residents heading toward the training yard.

The settlement looked different at dawn....it was quieter....colder, the Scar Zone beyond the walls painted in bruised shades of purple and gray.

Guards patrolled the perimeter with rifles slung across their shoulders.

The convoy trucks were lined up near the gates: they were hulking, armored beasts with reinforced plating and mounted turrets.

Just looking at them made Riven's stomach twist. Those trucks weren't built for comfort. They were built for survival.

Commander Vale stood at the center of the yard, clipboard in hand, silver hair catching the weak morning light. She didn't need to shout to command attention.....her presence was enough.

"Orientation begins now," her voice carrying across the yard. "If you're here, you've been accepted. That means you're either capable, desperate, or both. My job is to figure out which one before we leave."

Her amber eyes swept over the group. Riven felt the weight of her gaze like a physical pressure.

"Convoy duty is not a game. It's a four days journey through the Scar Zone.....there will be mutant beasts, raiders....even Guild scouts. If you freeze, you die. If you panic, you get others killed. If you run, I'll shoot you myself before the monsters get the chance."

A ripple of nervous laughter ran through the group. But...

Vale didn't smile.

"First, equipment."

Crates were opened, and soldiers began handing out gear: rifles, sidearms, combat knives, ration packs, and battered sets of body armor.

The armor smelled awful to be honest...like blood....but still Riven strapped his on, the weight felt unfamiliar, the plates digging into his shoulders.

The rifle felt heavy in his hands. He'd never fired one before.

Lisa noticed his hesitation. "You'll get used to it."

"Or I'll shoot myself in the foot."

"Try not to."

Vale moved among them, correcting stances, adjusting straps, barking orders. When she reached Riven, she studied the way he held the rifle.

"You've never fired one?"

"No, ma'am."

"Good. Bad habits are harder to break than ignorance. You'll learn."

She adjusted his grip on the rifle "Keep your elbows in. Don't fight the recoil....control it instead. And don't point it at your allies unless you want to make enemies fast."

Riven nodded, he felt his throat dry.

Next came formation drills. They practiced loading into the trucks, dismounting, covering each other's flanks.

The soldiers moved with mechanical precision; the provisionals stumbled, tripped, and cursed.

Claire was eager, throwing herself into every drill with reckless energy. Jack lagged behind, sweat pouring down his face, his hands shaking as he tried to reload his rifle.

Fortunately...Vale noticed everything.

"Claire....slow down. Enthusiasm without discipline gets people killed."

"Yes ma'am."

"Jack...focus. If you can't reload under pressure, you're a liability."

Jack's face flushed red. He fumbled again, dropping the magazine.

Riven's instincts kicked in. He crouched, scooped it up, and slapped it into place before Jack could panic further.

"Thanks," Jack muttered, feeling even more embarrassed.

"Don't thank me," Riven slightly smile. "Just don't drop it when it matters bud."

Vale's neutral gaze flicked toward him. She said nothing, but Riven had the uneasy sense she was filing the moment away.

By the time the sun cleared the horizon, sweat soaked through Riven's shirt.

His arms ached from the drills, his shoulders burned from the weight of the rifle. But beneath the exhaustion, something else stirred...

Fear.

The system flickered at the edge of his vision.

---

[Emotion Detected: Fear (Self)]

[Convert to Reflex Surge? Y/N]

---

Not now, he thought. Not yet.

Vale called them to attention.

"You've had a taste of what's expected. Out there, it won't be drills. It'll be chaos. Monsters don't wait for you to get your stance right. Raiders don't care if you're tired. The Scar Zone doesn't forgive mistakes...."

She let the silence stretch.

"Convoy departs at 0800. Eat, hydrate, and get your heads straight. Once we leave these walls, you're soldiers. Act like it."

The group dispersed, some heading toward the mess hall, others lingering by the trucks. Riven sat on a crate, rifle across his knees, staring at the gates.

Beyond them lay four days of hell.

Lisa sat beside him, pulling her hair into a tight braid. "Still think this was a mistake?"

"Definitely."

"And yet here we are."

"Yeah," Riven forced a smile. "Here we are."

The gates loomed ahead, silent and waiting.

And for the first time, Riven wondered if he'd ever see them open again from the other side.

The mess hall was as loud as usual. But... Not with laughter or chatter....but with the clatter of metal trays.

Riven sat across from Lisa, poking at a ration cube that looked like it had been compressed from cardboard.

"You're not eating," she couldn't help but ask.

"I'm trying," Riven sighed. "It's just... resisting."

Lisa gave a tired smile. "You'll need the energy. Where we're going doesn't care about us not having energy, you know"

He forced himself to chew. The taste was bland. But every bite was a reminder: this was real.

Across the hall, Claire was animatedly talking to a group of provisionals, her hands were moving fast. While Jack sat alone, staring at his tray like it might attack him.

Commander Vale entered without ceremony. The room fell silent.

"Convoy rolls out in ten. Final checks. If your gear's not ready, you're not coming."

Riven stood, heart thudding. He slung his rifle over his shoulder, adjusted the straps on his armor, and followed the others out.

The trucks rumbled to life, the engines were growling like beasts waking from slumber.

Vale stood at the lead vehicle, clipboard in hand. "Assignments are posted. Truck 3—Riven, Lisa, Jack, Claire. You're with me."

Riven blinked. "We're riding with you?"

Vale didn't look up. "You're the ones I need to watch."

They climbed into the truck. The interior was cramped, lined with benches and gear racks. The walls were reinforced steel, the windows narrow slits.

Lisa sat beside Riven, her fingers tapping a nervous rhythm on her knee. Jack fumbled with his seat harness. Claire looked like she was trying to hold in her excitement...which she's doing a terrible job of it.

Vale entered last, securing the door behind her. She sat across from them, rifle resting against her leg.

"Listen carefully," she said. "Once we're outside, you follow orders. No heroics. No freelancing. If I say jump, you jump. If I say shoot, you shoot. If you run—"

"You shoot us yourself," Riven muttered.

Vale's eyes flicked to him. "Exactly."

The truck lurched forward.

Outside, the gates groaned open. Sunlight spilled across the cracked earth beyond the settlement walls.

The Scar Zone stretched out like a wound....it was dry, jagged, and an endless wasteland.

Riven felt the shift immediately. The air was even different. It felt thinner.

The system pulsed again.

---

[Emotion Detected: Anticipation (Self)]

[Convert to Focus Surge? Y/N]

---

He ignored it. Not yet.

The convoy rolled forward, dust kicking up behind the tires.

For the first hour, nothing happened. Just the hum of engines and the occasional crackle of radio chatter.

Vale watched the horizon like it owed her answers.

"Eyes up," she called out the other without looking at them. "This is where things usually go wrong."

Riven scanned the landscape. Jagged rocks. Twisted trees. A distant shape that might've been a broken billboard.

Then the truck slowed.

Vale stood, peering through the slit window. "Movement. South ridge."

Riven's pulse spiked. He leaned forward, trying to see.

Lisa whispered, "Do you think it's—"

The truck jerked to a halt.

Vale opened the side hatch. "Out Now. Get into formation."

They spilled out into the dust. The other trucks had stopped too. Soldiers were already taking positions.

Riven gripped his rifle, heart hammering.

Then he saw it.

A figure, limping across the ridge. Cloaked. Alone.

Vale raised her hand. "Hold fire."

The figure collapsed.

Riven stepped forward instinctively.

"Stop," Vale snapped. "Let me think."

The system flared.

---

[Emotion Detected: Compassion (Self)]

[Convert to Shield Boost? Y/N]

---

Riven hesitated. Then: Yes.

A soft shimmer pulsed across his armor.

Vale noticed. "System activation?"

Riven nodded. " It's a <<Shield boost>> ma'am."

She didn't comment. Just turned to the others. "Cover me."

She approached the figure slowly, rifle raised.

Riven watched, breath held.

The figure stirred. Lifted its head.

It wasn't a raider.

Wasn't a beast either.

A child.

He's Eyes were wide open. His Clothes were torn.

Vale lowered her weapon. "Medic!"

Riven exhaled.

But something still felt wrong.

Very wrong...

The system pulsed again.

---

[Emotion Detected: Unease (Self)]

[Convert to Threat Scan? Y/N]

---

He hesitated. Then: Yes.

A faint overlay flickered across his vision.

Red dots.

Behind the rocks.

"Ambush!" Riven shouted. "The South ridge has multiple heat signatures!"

Vale spun. "Positions! Now!"

The child screamed.

The rocks behind the child exploded.