Shenzhen Central Restoration Facility buzzed with activity the next morning. The walls, once pristine white, now shimmered with faint hexagonal sigils—magic runes, glowing in rhythm with the patient's vital signs.
Evon Wang sat upright in his recovery bed, arms crossed over his chest. His body still ached, but his mind… it raced.
The vision hadn't been a dream.
He had seen them.
Lyria. Naia. Sythara. Veyra. Yena.
Their cries still echoed in his mind, like a melody tugging at his very soul.
"They're still out there…"
A knock broke his trance.
Shen Wang entered the room, still in his B-rank Hunter armor—sleek, matte black with glowing gold trims. Behind him was Jessica Wang, in her long white Hunter coat with silver-threaded talismans lining the cuffs.
Jessica smiled. "Morning, sweetheart. You look… better."
Evon nodded slowly. "Better than I should, honestly."
Shen chuckled and walked to the bedside. "Well, a thousand-year nap will do that to you."
Evon raised an eyebrow. "You're not… surprised I'm healthy?"
Jessica exchanged a glance with her husband. Then she walked over to the monitor and pressed her palm against a magic sigil embedded in it.
A glowing blue screen projected above.
"Your mana density, Evon…" Shen said slowly. "It's off the charts. Higher than any SSS+ rank ever recorded."
Evon's heart skipped. "Mana?"
"You've awakened," Jessica said softly. "You're one of us now. A Hunter."
Evon's lips parted. "I… but I never trained. I was unconscious—"
"Doesn't matter," Shen interrupted. "Awakening is fate-bound. Some wake up after death, others after near-death. It's rare… but not impossible."
Jessica added, "You must've been chosen by something far greater than us."
Evon's hands trembled slightly. The sensation was faint but growing. **Power. Old. Raw. Familiar.**
"Wait—if I'm awakened," Evon asked, "what's my rank?"
Jessica paused. "…Undefined."
"Undefined?" he repeated.
Shen grunted. "We've never seen someone like you. The scanner maxed out. It labeled you with an empty crest—no rank, no limits. The last time that happened… was never."
Evon stared at the glowing runes on his wrist.
They pulsed to his heartbeat.
"Another thing," Jessica said. "Now that you've awakened, you're…"
She hesitated.
"…What?" Evon asked.
"Immortal."
His breath caught.
Jessica continued softly, "Anyone who awakens—regardless of rank, even F-rank failures—immediately stops aging. The moment you awaken, your lifespan becomes… unbound."
"W-what?" Evon sat back.
Shen nodded. "There are F-rank janitors alive for 800 years. SSS+ warriors who've lived a thousand. We don't die from time anymore."
Evon felt his world shift again.
Immortality.
Not just for the elite. Even the weakest awakened lived forever.
His mind spun.
"Why… why haven't I heard of this?" he muttered.
Jessica smiled faintly. "Because in 2025, magic didn't exist."
Evon leaned forward, gripping the blanket. "Tell me everything."
And so, they did.
It began in the year 2053, with the first Gate Emergence—a massive tear in the sky above Moscow. From it poured creatures never seen before: horned beasts, elemental fiends, shadow wraiths. No one knew what they were. Entire cities fell in hours.
Then came the Awakenings.
People began to manifest power—swords of flame, shields of light, wind-step abilities. A global alliance formed to combat the unknown.
The **Hunter Guilds** were established. Ranks were designated: F through S. Dungeons, portals, and monster outbreaks became part of daily life.
"And now," Shen finished, "we live in a world where peace is constantly hanging by a thread."
Jessica added, "There are over 11,000 rift gates worldwide, monitored 24/7. And if a gate isn't cleared in time, it results in a **Gate Break**."
"Which means," Shen said grimly, "monsters spill into our world and slaughter anything they see."
Evon looked down at his hands.
He had died in a plane crash.
He had lived a full life in another world.
And now he woke up… to a broken world of dungeons and immortals.
"But Mom… Dad…" he whispered, "I want to go back."
They both looked at him in silence.
Jessica finally said, "Back where?"
"To them," Evon replied, eyes fierce. "To my fated companions. They're still alive. I know it."
Shen sighed. "Evon… you've been asleep for 982 years. Whatever that world was… it might have been a mental illusion created by your soul in limbo."
"It wasn't!" Evon snapped. "They were *real*. I remember their voices, their powers. I even saw them yesterday—calling out to me."
Jessica bit her lip. "Then… maybe it wasn't just a coma. Maybe… it was a bridge."
Evon's eyes lit up. "A bridge?"
"Between worlds," she said slowly. "Magic now flows freely through this world. Who's to say yours was the only one affected? Maybe the gates didn't just open to monsters… maybe they connect to other realms too."
Evon's breath caught.
Yes. That made sense.
Eyes of Fate. Destiny Prison.
Those powers weren't Earth's. They were foreign. Divine.
Suddenly, the wall screen behind them beeped.
A red alert.
**\[ALERT: Rift Gate Detected - Tier A - Location: Baiyun Sector, Southern Shenzhen]**
Evon instinctively stood up.
"Don't," Shen said firmly. "You're not ready yet."
"But—"
"Listen to me," his father continued. "I've hunted for 700 years. Gates are unpredictable. You may be strong, but you have no combat training. No gear. No Hunter license."
"I don't care about licenses," Evon growled. "I can see fate. I can trap enemies in destiny. I've fought shadow beasts, orc kings, elite monsters."
Jessica blinked. "You've… what?"
Evon looked at them both. "I wasn't just dreaming. I *lived* in that world. And now that I'm back… I can still feel the power. It's not gone."
Shen frowned.
Jessica's eyes softened. "Then… let us help you."
Evon's shoulders dropped. "Help me?"
"If you're going back," she said, walking toward him, "then you need to be stronger than ever. You'll need to learn about this world. Its weapons. Its systems. And we'll be with you every step of the way."
Evon felt tears rise in his eyes.
"…Thank you," he whispered.
Jessica wrapped her arms around him again. "We lost you once. We're not losing you again. Even if you go through another gate, even if it's to another universe… we'll find a way."
Shen smirked. "Besides, what kind of father would I be if I let my son fight S-tier dragons without a proper sword?"
Evon let out a breathless laugh.
For the first time in a thousand years… he felt grounded. And yet, destiny tugged at him still.
His gaze turned to the red alert still flashing.
Baiyun Sector. A Tier-A Gate.
Somewhere behind that gate… maybe even beyond it… the path home awaited.
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