When Reyn eyes fluttered open, he blinked up at a sterile white ceiling, lined with smooth, seamless panels that seemed to glow faintly. His sharp gray eyes darted around the room, taking in the sight of gleaming monitors, softly humming machines, and walls made of polished metal and glass. Everything was pristine, efficient, and so unfamiliar it left him stunned.
His heart pounded as he shot upright, the stiff sheets sliding off his chest. His head throbbed, and his thoughts raced to catch up. Where was he? How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was getting charged at by that rift born.
Reyn stared down at his own hands, faintly trembling as he flexed his fingers. They felt fine. No worse for wear. In fact, better than they should have, is whole body felt better, stronger.
'This must be an effect of me awakening and become a riftwalker'
after Reyn examined the room more he eventually put two in two together this was a hospital. A real one. The kind that didn't just patch you up with faded pills that never worked for the life of them and useless crushed herbs it was an actual hospital.
"How the heck did I end up here?" he muttered under his breath. The words felt strange in the quiet of the room.
"Me and my team brought you in," came a voice, deep and steady coming from the side of Reyn.
Reyn's head snapped to the side, his sharp gray eyes locking onto a figure he hadn't noticed before. The man was leaning against the far wall, arms crossed casually, but his posture carried a subtle tension. He stepped forward, his boots clicking softly against the polished floor.
The man was tall, with a broad, muscular frame and an air of quiet authority. His dark hair was streaked with silver at the temples, and a faint scar traced down the side of his jaw, adding to the impression of someone who had lived through more fights than he cared to admit. His silver eyes were sharp, calculating, and they locked onto Reyn with unnerving precision.
Reyn frowned, his muscles tensing as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Who the heck are you? And what do you mean you brought me in?"
The man held his gaze, unfazed by Reyn's sharp tone. "Name's Kade," he said simply. "And it's as I said me and my team found you in the slums and to be more specific you were unconscious, lying in the street in the slums. But that's not why we brought you in."
Reyn's breath hitched. "Then why?"
Kade stepped closer, his boots pressing softly against the polished floor. "It's what we felt when we found you. Nether. It was exuding from you, clear as day. That's not something you ignore."
Reyn clenched his fists, his gray eyes narrowing. "So you brought me here because of my awakening?"
Kade nodded, crossing his arms again. "Exactly. Protocol requires that anyone exuding energy like Nether be questioned and evaluated. You'll be asked about your abilities, and what happened during your confrontation with the Riftborn."
"Frick no!" Reyn blurted out, the words escaping before he could stop himself.
Kade froze mid-sentence, his green eyes narrowing slightly. The room fell into a heavy silence as the two of them stared at each other, neither speaking.
Reyn shifted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as he broke eye contact. "Uh… that just kinda slipped out," he laughed.
Kade raised an eyebrow, his scar pulling slightly as his expression turned faintly amused. "Right," he said slowly. "Well, like I said. Protocol."
Reyn looked at Kade with, his expression firm. "Well to put it nicely mister Kade I'm not telling you about my abilities," he said bluntly. "That's none of your business."
Kade let the words hang in the air for a moment, his silver eyes studying Reyn carefully. Then he sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Fair enough," he said, the slightest pause adding weight to his words. "Most people don't talk about that kind of stuff anyway. It's just part of the protocol."
Kade looked at Reyn sternly "Anyway, don't you have proper manners kid its only proper courtesy to say your name after someone introduces themselves first"
Reyn looked at the old man 'What is he my father'
"My name Reyn, Reyn Ashford'
Kade had a hint of surprise on his "Huh that's weird for someone from the slums to have a surname"
"Well, my mother said that it was my father's surname" Reyn had a hateful look on his face when he mentioned his father, but it disappeared as fast as it came.
Kade looked at Reyn curiously but after that he grabbed a chair and set it next to the hospital bed "ok tell me what happened during the incident at the rift"
Reyn leaned back slightly, crossing his arms and giving Kade a sly smirk. "Alright, fine. I'll tell you what happened," he said, his tone almost too casual. "But the story is a little bit crazy."
Kade raised an eyebrow but stayed silent, waiting for Reyn to continue.
"So, there I was," Reyn began, gesturing broadly for effect, "just minding my own business. relaxing in my home trying to get some sleep. I wasn't bothering anyone. And then out of nowhere this group of dirty thugs shows up. Big guys too."
"They looked like they were trying to pick a fight," Reyn continued, shaking his head as if the thought confused him. "And for no reason, too Can you believe that? I mean, what kind of person goes after an innocent guy like me?"
"Anyway," Reyn went on, "these guys started to insult me, talking all kinds of trash. It was clear they were looking for trouble. And me? Well, I tried to defuse the situation, obviously. I'm not the kind of guy who resorts to violence unless I have to."
"So, there I am, trying to be the bigger person, when I heard a crack an. A Rift opened up, right there in the middle of the street. Totally out of nowhere and after that happened A rift born came out and started to attack those thugs."
"Now, I could've run. Could've left those thugs to deal with the Riftborn on their own. But did I? No. Because I'm not that kind of guy. I stayed. I fought. And I tried to save them like the righteous guy I am."
Kade tilted his head, his silver eyes narrowing slightly. "So if you stayed and fought the Riftborn, how did you end up so far away from the rift?" he asked, his voice calm but pointed.
Reyn's smirk faltered, and his face stiffened. But before he could stop himself, and then words burst out of his mouth.
"Well that because I was making distance to make a better strategy to form a better and more successful pan of attack," Reyn blurted.
The room fell silent.
Kade sighed heavily, running a hand down his face. "Right," he said flatly. "Good to know."
Reyn shifted awkwardly, clearing his throat. "Look, can we just move past that? You wanted to know what happened, and I told you."
Kade raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. "That was a good story and all kid but I'm going to need a more in-depth explanation here"
Reyn cleared his throat and leaned forward slightly. "Look, that's really all I remember. I came out of my house and a rift opened and after that some riftborn came out and I managed to dodge some of the Riftborn's attacks effortlessly, I might add but after that… I just blacked out. Everything went dark. Next thing I know, I'm waking up here."
"Wait a second" Reyn face paled as his expression turned to one of horror. "My house what happened to my house" he exclaimed out loud
Kade had a sorry expression on his face "Oh well all the houses in the area were completely totaled when we got there"
Reyn face became deadpan, and he had a sad hint in his eyes
Kade narrowed his silver eyes, studying Reyn carefully. For a moment, the room hung in silence, the hum of the nearby machines the only sound.