Emotion Hunter: System Awakening.

The Westfield Medical Center smelled like disinfectant and false hope.

That was the first thing that hit Riven when the sliding glass doors swallowed him inside.

The air was too clean, too sharp, stinging his nose like someone had bottled bleach and called it sterile.

But under it lingered something else....faint, sour, like sweat and grief rubbed into the walls.

This wasn't a place people came to get better. It was a place people came when they were desperate to pretend they still could.

The thought made him want to turn right back around and vanish into the night. If Marcus hadn't been trailing behind him like a stubborn shadow, Riven probably would've.

Now he was perched on a fragile examination table, hospital paper crinkling beneath him every time he shifted.

All wrapped up in bandages.

His arm stung where the bandages tugged at his skin, and his ribs ached when he breathed too deeply. Not nearly as bad as it should have hurt, though. Which was its own problem.

Dr. Sarah Martinez stood across from him, scrolling through his file like she'd already solved the mystery of his life.

She looked like she's in her Mid-thirties, streaks of gray in her hair, eyes with bags under them like bruises that never healed.

She didn't give off "family doctor" vibes...more like the weary general of some endless battle against injury and stupidity.

"So," she said without looking up, "motorcycle accident.....And that happened around ten PM last night?".

Her voice was flat, tired, but her eyes flicked up quick and sharp. She had the kind of stare that made people confess things they hadn't even done.

Riven forced a shrug. "It was a "Hit and run". The guy clipped me. And kept driving."

Marcus....who had insisted on following him in....shifted in his seat.

He said he didn't trust Riven....but he trust his best friend to lie, that's for sure, and judging by the way his arms were folded now, he was on full "lie detector mode."

"And you didn't think to come in right away because…?" Dr. Martinez asked.

Riven lifted his shoulders again, trying to play casual. "I was… shaken up.and wanted to go home.....and Process....what happened."

The lie stuck in his throat like old gum.

Marcus shot him a side-eye sharp enough to cut.

"Hm." Dr. Martinez stepped closer, fingers cold against his knuckles. She turned his hand, examining the cuts across his skin. "These don't look like they came from sliding on asphalt. More like defensive wounds."

Riven's pulse tripped over itself.

"I...uh...tried to break my fall," he said quickly. "and scraped them on the road."

Her brow lifted, unimpressed. "Sure you did." She pressed two fingers into his ribs, and Riven had to grit his teeth not to flinch. "are you in pain?"

"Just sore," he admitted. Which, annoyingly, was true. The system had smoothed over the worst of it. Pain that should've felt like shattered ribs was now little more than dull muscle fatigue.

"No sharp edges. Pupils reactive." She stepped back, scribbling notes onto her tablet. "Your healing's impressive, Mr. Duke. Unusually impressive."

Marcus perked up. "Is that… bad?"

"Not bad." She tilted her head. "Just not typical. These cuts should be red, inflamed. Instead, they look like they've been healing for days."

Her eyes locked back onto Riven, sharp as scalpels. "Are you sure nothing else happened last night? No one attacked you?"

He swallowed, throat suddenly dry.

"Doc," he said, keeping his voice steady, "I got hit by a car. That's it. Everything else is… still fuzzy."

For a second, he thought she'd call him out right there. Her gaze searched his like she was digging for fractures in his story. Then she nodded, slow, and clicked her pen.

"We have to get your X-rays scans, to be sure if there's anymore abnormalities we're missing," she said.

His stomach dropped.

"Is that really necessary?" He tried not to sound panicked.

"After a vehicular accident? Absolutely." She was already scribbling the order. "Better safe than sorry. Some injuries don't show up until it's too late."

Marcus gave him a look that said told you so.

---

Twenty minutes later, Riven was in a thin hospital gown that smelled faintly of bleach and misery.

The X-ray room was colder than it had any right to be, machines looming overhead like curious skeletons.

"Hold still," the tech guy said from behind the lead screen. "And hold your breath when I tell you."

The machine hummed, clicked, and Riven squeezed his eyes shut, praying the system hadn't left any weird marks.

Emotion Looting had pushed his body past human limits....what if it showed up in the bones? Extra density? Wrong healing patterns? A glowing neon sign that screamed not normal human here?

"All done," the tech guy said, cheerful like it was just another Tuesday. "Results in about thirty minutes."

Thirty minutes. Half an hour to figure out if he was about to become a medical mystery or a government lab rat.

---

Back in the exam room, Marcus was glued to his phone, scrolling. Riven sat on the edge of the table, fiddling with the hem of the gown, pretending he wasn't spiraling inside.

"Professor Chad canceled morning lecture," Marcus muttered without looking up. "Some kind of Veil incident near campus last night. Nothing major....it was a Gray Veil, they said it opened and closed quick."

Riven froze. "A… Veil?" His voice cracked more than he liked. "Near campus?"

"Yeah. Industrial district." Marcus finally glanced up, frowning. "Weird coincidence, huh? Same place you said you got hit."

Ice slid down Riven's spine.

"Veils open randomly all the time," he said too quickly. "It's not related."

"Probably," Marcus said. But the doubt in his tone was loud enough to drown out the hum of the fluorescent lights.

Before Riven could trip over another excuse, Dr. Martinez walked back in, tablet in hand. Her expression was more puzzled than panicked.....that's a good start.

"Well," she said, flipping the screen around, "good news: no broken bones, no internal bleeding. Nothing life-threatening."

Riven exhaled slowly. Relief, sharp and sweet.

"The strange news ...." she added, "is that some of these injuries are healing much faster than they should."

His stomach lurched again.

"Did you have any older injuries by any chance?" she continued. "Micro-fractures in your knuckles are already calcifying. These should take weeks, not hours. Are you on supplements? An unusual diet? Family history of accelerated healing?"

Family history. If only she knew.....

"Uh….the only supplements I take are ramen and energy drinks though," Riven said. "That's about it."

Dr. Martinez didn't laugh. "Keep an eye on those cuts. If they heal in less than three days, I want to know. That would be… medically interesting."

Marcus leaned forward. "Define 'too quick.'"

"Seven to ten days for wounds like these. If they vanish in two or three…" She shook her head. "That's not something I've ever documented....before....except of course, hunters"

Riven forced a smile. "I'll… keep watch."

She gave him a pamphlet on motorcycle safety and discharged him with pain meds he didn't need.

---

The walk to the hospital exit was quiet, too quiet for someone like Marcus.

"Spit it out," Riven said finally.

Marcus stopped in the middle of the hall, thumb still hovering over his phone. "It's just… a lot of coincidences, Riv. Veil opens near where you were. You vanish for a night. Show up with injuries that don't add up. And now you're healing like Wolverine."

Riven forced a laugh. "So I'm secretly a superhero now?"

"I'm serious." Marcus's tone was heavier than usual. "You've been… off. Ever since your family...." He stopped himself. "You've been carrying something. Acting like you've got a secret plan you won't tell anyone about."

Riven's chest tightened.

"Strange how?" he asked, voice lower than before.

"Like you think they're still alive." Marcus's eyes narrowed. "Like you think you could save them if you just found the right Veil."

Riven froze.

Marcus pressed on. "I've seen the forums you read. Conspiracies about Veil survivors. Posts about people developing abilities. Don't act like I don't notice what you've been doing."

His mouth went dry. He hadn't realized Marcus was watching that closely.

"Those are just…...things I use to cope ," Riven said weakly. "that's all just fantasy you know."

"Is it?" Marcus stepped closer. His voice dropped. "Because the way you're acting? The way you healed? The timing with the Veil? Feels like maybe fantasy became reality."

Riven almost broke then. Marcus was his best friend, his anchor. If anyone deserved the truth, it was him.

But the system's warning flashed in his mind. "Emotional suppression. Confidant protocol". 72 hours. Was it urging him to confide for his sake...or for its own?

"You've been watching too many movies," Riven forced out, plastering on a grin. "Next you'll say aliens are real."

Marcus didn't smile. "Just… don't do anything stupid, Riv. Don't go chasing ghosts. I can't lose you too."

The rawness in his voice cracked something inside Riven. Marcus cared. He really, honestly cared. And Riven was lying straight to his face.

"I'm not going anywhere," Riven said softly. "Promise."

"Good." Marcus pulled his phone out. "Because if you died, who would I drag to class with me?"

Riven huffed a laugh he didn't feel.

But then, at the edge of his vision, the system flickered.

---

[Emotional Signature Analysis: Complete]

[Target: Marcus Chen – 94% Compatibility with Confidant Protocol]

[Warning: Prolonged deception may damage relationship permanently]

[Timer: 52 hours remaining]

---

Riven's stomach twisted. Fifty-two hours. That was all the time he had to decide if he could trust Marcus with the truth...or risk losing him forever.

As the Uber pulled up...they got in.... the city lights smeared past the windows, one thought gnawed at him.

Was keeping Marcus in the dark really protecting him?

Or was it just protecting Riven from what came after the truth?

Either way, the clock was ticking.

---