The sun rose from the west, illuminating the forest trees.
Inside the cave, sunlight rays shone over james face. He groaned softly raising his hand to shield his eyes as the light woke him up.
For a moment, he lay still then looking around, he realized everything that was happening wasn't a dream—he was no longer on Earth.
Turning, his gaze fell on the large fur laid across the ground.Emily still there sleeping peacefully. But Jake and Rachel were not there.
He snapped to look where Van had slept, but he wasn't there either.
He shot up to his feet rushing outside. The sudden sunlight blinded his eyes for a second before they adjusted.
He immediately spotted them.Jake and Rachel were talking with Viper, while Iron stood farther away, resting against a tree.
The sunlight shining through the trees made it easier to see the towering trees and the clear blue sky.
Noticing him coming out of the cave, Jake broke away and walked toward him—He seemed worried.
"We have a problem," he said as he reached James.
James frowned slightly. Scanning the area, he didn't see Van.
"Where is the boy with the glasses?" James asked a hint of urgency in his voice, thinking Van was missing or possibly dead.
"He's fine." Jake replied quickly. Pointing towards a nearby trees
"He's over there with the large guy,"
Following his gaze, James saw Van relieving himself. Looking closer, Iron's stood near by—he seemed clearly annoyed.
"Then what's the problem?" James questioned, staring at Jake closely.
Jake hesitated. He took a deep breath.
"It's Emily."
Before he could finish , James turned, already rushing back inside the cave—But Jake grabbed his hand.
"Wait. Listen."
James turned to him his expression tight.
"She's fine, but she's not waking up anytime soon."
He paused glanced toward the cave before continuing ,
"Viper said it has something to do with the energy in this world."
James' gaze turned to Viper. She seemed to be explaining something to Rachel, her expression calm like nothing was wrong.
He walked toward her, Jake following closely behind.
"What's happening to her?"
His voice cut in, firm and impatient, his eyes fixed intently on Viper.
Viper turned and stared at him for a moment before a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."
James didn't move, just kept staring at her—his gaze hard, demanding an answer.
The smile on her face slowly faded.
Viper sighed softly.
"She's fine."
She paused briefly, then continued,
"She's awakening… and it's normal. She won't wake up now because her body is adjusting…..adapting to the mana entering it."
"Awakening?" James asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"Alright, I'll explain."
She turned slightly. Glancing at the trees
"Van—hurry up."
Van quickly rushed toward them, still holding the gauntlets, his expression filled with curiosity.
"Good," Viper nodded.
She crossed her arms lightly.
"First of all, this world is different from Earth, as you can already see."
She paused, her eyes moving across their faces.
"But it's not just the monsters or the environment… even the air itself is different."
The group stayed silent, listening.
"There's an energy flowing within it," she continued. "Something you can't see, but your body can feel."
"We call it aether."
She let the word settle before continuing.
"This aether allows us hunters to awaken… To gain abilities beyond what you knew as human."
James' expression tightened slightly, but he said nothing.
Viper's gaze shifted toward the cave.
"Your friend is going through that process right now."
She paused again.
"For people like her ,we call it a natural awakening."
"Something must have triggered it—fear, stress… something pushed her body to react. It varies."
Her expression turned serious.
"Right now, her body is forming an ability of its own ."
A brief silence followed.
"It usually takes time…"
She looked directly at James.
"…but most of the time, they don't survive it."
"Why didn't you mention that earlier?" Rachel shouted, turning sharply toward Viper.
Viper didn't seem bothered.
"She'll be fine. She isn't showing any signs of failure yet," she replied calmly.
"And if she does, we have a way to help her. We just need to reach the city quickly."
She paused slightly.
"If she awakens her ability, there's a chance it could be strong."
"Do we all get to awaken one too?" Van asked from the side, curiosity clear in his voice.
"Yes… but it depends on the individual," Viper explained.
"Most people don't awaken naturally. That's where forced awakening comes in."
She glanced at them.
"In the central city, there are methods to forcibly awaken abilities. If you don't show signs of awakening on your own, we can attempt it… but it isn't guaranteed that all of you will succeed."
The group fell silent, absorbing her words.
"For now, we need to reach the city as fast as possible. We'll help your friend there, and we'll also submit our mission report," Viper added, turning toward the cave.
Jake followed her immediately.
James stayed back with Rachel for a moment.
"We should have faith in Emily. She'll be fine," Rachel said softly, though concern still lingered in her voice.
"Yeah," Van added quietly.
James nodded but said nothing.
A few minutes later, Viper and Jake returned from the cave.
Jake carried Emily on his back.
"Alright, let's move," Viper said.
"We're heading north. It's a two-day walk, so we need to start now."
They all moved out, with Iron at the front.
Jake followed, carrying Emily, with Rachel and Van in the middle. Slightly behind them was James, and Viper brought up the rear.
As they walked, James glanced back toward the cave.
He noticed that the beasts Viper had killed the night before were gone—only bloodstains remained on the ground.