Emotion Hunter: System Awakening.

The first thing Riven felt wasn't fear, or fire, or the gnawing hunger of things too twisted to be called alive.

It was fabric.

The scratch of his cheap, government-issue bedsheets against his cheek.

Not the pulsing, alien ground of the Veil. Not the slick stone caves where goblins snarled in the dark. Just… his bed. His apartment.

The same worn-out bedsheet he'd been stuck with for two years.

His eyes snapped open. He bolted upright, lungs straining like he'd been drowning.

For a moment, the room didn't make sense.

His gaze shot to the corners, expecting shadows to peel themselves off the wall. But nothing moved. No howling air, no teeth glinting in the dark. Just silence.

The apartment was exactly as it had been.

The crooked clock still hung on the wall, frozen at that smug angle it had tilted into years ago.

The family photos sat on the makeshift altar by the TV....dusty frames, but untouched. His busted phone still lay on the floor, screen spiderwebbed from when that goblin's club had smacked it out of his hand.....surprisingly....it's also here.

Golden light spilled through his one narrow window, painting everything in warm tones that should've been comforting.

But they weren't.

Because he wasn't the same.

Riven stared at his hands.

The knuckles were raw, scabbed, the skin cracked where bone had connected with bone.

Dirt clung stubbornly beneath his nails, streaked with dried blood...ugly proof of a fight no one in this world would ever believe.

A breath shuddered out of him.

With a thought, the Rusted Goblin Dagger shimmered into his palm.

The weapon flickered faintly, its chipped blade catching the sunlight. Something so ugly, so cheap-looking… and yet so impossibly real.

His chest tightened.

"It was real," he whispered. His voice was hoarse, as if he'd screamed for hours. "It all happened."

And then, like some smug answer, green letters blinked into existence in front of him:

-----

[Welcome back, Host]

[Veil Exit Successful]

[Time Synchronization: 8 hours, 23 minutes elapsed in both dimensions]

------

Eight hours.

He'd been gone all night.

His stomach plummeted. Marcus would be here soon. Marcus always showed up around seven with coffee in one hand and a string of fresh complaints about classes in the other.

Same ritual. Every day. Ever since Riven's family…

Riven dragged a hand down his face. He couldn't let Marcus see him like this.

He stumbled into the bathroom.

His reflection looked worse than he felt. Skin pale, dark circles under his eyes, cuts mapping his arms, clothes stiff with blood. He looked like roadkill.

Or like someone who'd been mauled by goblins in another dimension.

"Motorcycle accident," he muttered at the mirror, testing the excuse. "i got in a situation of a Hit and run. And Woke up in an alley."

Thin, but maybe it'd pass.

He stripped off the ruined clothes, dropping them into the sink like they might bite him if he left them on the floor.

The shower knobs squealed, and steaming water blasted down, stinging every cut and scrape.

Red spirals got sucked into the drain.

For a second, Riven just stood there, head bowed, letting the heat scald him awake. It almost worked.

Almost.

But then the memories pushed in.

The goblins' shrieks. That wild, terrifying rush when the System had flooded his veins with rage.

The way he'd swung until his body gave out, and then collapsing into the dark, sure he'd never wake again.

A soft chime interrupted his thoughts.

------

[Unclaimed Rewards Available]

[Basic Veil Crate – Reward for completing 'Survive the First Night']

[Claim now?]

------

"Later," he hissed, swiping it away. The last thing he needed was Marcus walking in and catching him unboxing some glowing treasure chest in his living room.

When the water finally ran clear, Riven forced himself out. He pulled on clean clothes...long sleeves to hide most of the scratches. His split knuckles were harder to mask, but he didn't have time to care.

Because right then, the knock came.

Sharply, yet familiar.

"Riv! You alive? You Missed like three calls last night."

Marcus.

Riven swore under his breath, shoved his damp hair back, and opened the door.

There he was. Marcus Chen.

Nineteen year old..a year older than me,his blonde hair was a mess, holding two coffees like some tired saint.

He frowned with his gray Iris already scanning Riven like a parent catching their kid sneaking in past curfew.

The moment his eyes landed on Riven's hands, they widened.

"Jesus, man. What the hell happened to you?"

"Motorcycle accident," Riven said smoothly, snatching one of the coffees like claiming it made the lie more believable.

Marcus didn't move. His gaze tracked the bruises, the cuts and the exhaustion etched into every line of Riven's face.

Then he brushed past him into the apartment, already prowling like he expected to find the wreckage of a crash.

"When? Where? Did you go to the hospital? Did you at least call the cops?"

"Last night. Industrial district. And no. Paperwork's a pain in the ass." The words came easier than expected as he answered the questions. "I just wanted to sleep it off."

"Sleep it off? Riv, you look like ground beef." Marcus shoved the spare coffee into his hands. "We're going to the hospital. Now."

The System flickered at the edge of his vision again, another alert hovering just behind Marcus's head.

He shut it down instantly before Marcus noticed....he's not sure if he can even see it..since has never seen an hunter's system interface before.

"I'm fine," Riven said. "Just bruises."

Marcus folded his arms. "Your phone's smashed. You could have a concussion. You're not fine."

Riven swallowed. The worry in Marcus's voice cut deeper than any injury.

"Look, I'll hit the campus clinic later. Just… give me the morning."

Marcus squinted. "You're being weird. Weirder than usual."

"Getting hit by a motorcycle does that."

"On a motorcycle, or by a motorcycle?" Marcus deadpanned.

Riven froze. Shit.

"By. I borrowed one. From… a guy. In history class."

"You don't even like history class."

"Marcus, my head's killing me. Can we skip the interrogation?"

Silence. Then Marcus sighed, defeated. "Fine. But we're skipping class. And you're seeing a real doctor. Not 'Nurse Drink-Water-And-Rest.'"

He was already pulling his phone out to call an Uber.

Another ping flared in Riven's sight.

-----

[Emotional Signature Detected]

[Target: Marcus Chen]

[Emotion: Concern/Anxiety]

[Loot Available]

------

Riven's throat closed.

It wanted him to harvest Marcus's worry. His best friend's care, turned into fuel.

His hand trembled. He slammed the window shut.

No. He wasn't doing that.

"Hospital it is," Riven said quickly, forcing a smile. "Thanks, man. Seriously."

"Don't thank me yet. You're probably dying inside." Marcus shoved his jacket at him. "If you kicked it, who'd I complain to about Professor Logan droning on about medieval taxes?"

Despite everything...the lies, the bleeding, the System whispering in his ear...Riven laughed. And for a heartbeat, it almost felt normal.

Almost.

As he pulled the jacket on, his eyes caught the altar. The photos. His chest tightened like a fist was closing around his ribs.

Soon, he promised silently. I'll find you. I swear it.

And then the System struck again:

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[Warning: Prolonged system concealment may cause behavioral inconsistencies]

[Recommend finding trusted confidant within 72 hours]

------

The words hit like a punch. His vision swam, his knees buckling for half a second.

"You good?" Marcus asked, hand steadying his arm.

"Yeah. Just shaky." Another lie.

The Uber pulled up, horn beeping outside. Marcus ushered him toward it, still muttering curses under his breath.

Riven slid into the backseat, pressing his forehead against the cool glass as the city rolled past.

People walked their dogs. Kids shouted on their way to school. Cars honked. The world spun on, oblivious. Normal.

But under that normalcy, the Veil tugged at him. A whisper. A promise. Power. Answers. Revenge.

His family.

Riven clenched his fists.

For now, he had Marcus. For now, that had to be enough.