"ETHAN! WAKE UP! OH MY GOD- I JUST GOT IT!"
Nathan burst out of his room, his bare feet slapping against the floor as he ran down the hallway. He stumbled on the edge of the rug, caught himself on the wall and kept going.
His heart hammering so hard it felt like it was trying to escape his chest.
"I JUST GOT THE SYSTEM NOTIFICATION!"
A door flew open.
Ethan stepped out of his room looking half awake and completely unprepared, his hair sticking up in uneven directions and shirt wrinkled like he had pulled it on in a hurry.
"What?" He said. "What's wrong?"
Nathan barely stopped moving.
"I got it!" he yelled again, laughing at the same time. "The system! It finally showed up."
Ethan blinked once and then again.
"…What?"
"I heard the sound," Nathan said, hands waving uselessly in front of him. "There was a window. It said it was initiating."
For a moment, Ethan just stared at him, soon his eyes widened.
"What?" He said again, louder this time. "Are you serious?"
Nathan nodded hard. "I swear I'm not messing with you."
Ethan stared for half a second longer then quickly stepped forward and grabbed Nathan by his shoulders.
"You scared the hell out of me," Ethan said, half laughing, half breathless.
Ethan pulled him into a rough hug, slapping his back repeatedly. "You idiot."
They were still standing there when another door opened slowly.
"…Who died?"
Lena stood in her doorway, rubbing her eyes with one hand. Her hair was a mess, and her shirt was twisted like she just got done rolling in her sleep.
Ethan let go of Nathan and turned. "Go back to bed."
"No," Lena said immediately. "You're yelling. Explain."
Nathan turned toward her, unable to stop smiling. "I got the system."
She squinted at him. "…You what?"
"I got the notification," he said. "It finally came!"
She stared for a second longer, then her eyes widened.
"Wait. Really?"
"Yes."
Hearing his answer she rushed forward and hugged him, squeezing hard.
"You're serious?" she said. "You're not joking?"
"I'm not joking," Nathan said, laughing again.
"Finally," she said, pressing her face into his shirt. "I thought something was wrong with you."
"Hey..." Nathan protested weakly.
Ethan rubbed his face with one hand. "Alright. Enough, both of you."
Lena pulled back, looking between them. "So… does this mean he's a hunter now?"
"No," Ethan said immediately. "But it does mean that you should head back to bed."
"But-"
"Bed." Ethan repeated.
She pouted. "You're no fun."
Lena shuffled back toward her room. Reaching her doorway, she paused and looked back.
"Don't do anything stupid please." she said to Nathan.
Nathan smiled. "I won't."
Satisfied, she disappeared and shut the door.
The apartment settled again.
Ethan let out a long breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Alright," he said. "What does it say now."
Nathan focused.
The red window appeared faintly in front of him.
[System Synchronization — 12%]
"12 percent." Nathan said while looking at Ethan with a wide grin.
Ethan's eyes widened. "Already?"
Nathan nodded. "It says it has started synchronizing"
Ethan exhaled slowly. "Well, that's good news."
After a moment, Ethan glanced at the clock. "You want coffee?"
Nathan nodded immediately. "Yes."
Ethan went to the kitchen to go make coffee for the both of them.
Nathan stood there for a moment longer, then returned to his room. His computer was still on, screen dimmed but active. He sat down and immediately started typing.
"How long does system synchronization take?"
He hit search and forum posts instantly filled the screen. He clicked one after another searching for something useful.
He found a long message, pinned near the top.
'According to researchers and system scholars, the synchronization phase existed to establish a baseline of stats.'
Nathan leaned closer.
The post explained that once synchronization reached one hundred percent, the user would be able to access their status window. This status window wouldn't stay visible all the time and only appeared when the user focused on it.
'That makes a lot of sense.'
Below the post, someone had left unnecessary historical context.
'The system and the rifts appeared at the same time, although no one knew why or how, it is well documented that without it humanity would not have survived the first cataclysm.'
Nathan scrolled further down the forum thread.
His eyes were drawn to the comments beneath it as one comment stood out.
It talked about stats.
Nathan leaned forward, reading carefully.
'For a normal untrained adult, most stats ranged between four and six. People who didn't exercise much tended to sit at the lower end while people who stayed active sat closer to six.'
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
"What am I going to get?" he muttered.
Frowning about what stats would he potentially get, suddenly a shadow fell across his desk as Ethan had stepped into the room, holding two mugs.
"Here." Ethan said, handing one over.
Nathan took it. "Thanks."
Ethan glanced at the screen. "Still reading?"
"Yeah," Nathan said. "Trying to understand what's happening."
Ethan nodded. "Makes sense."
They stood there for a moment, neither speaking. Then Ethan gestured toward the balcony with his mug.
"Come on," he said. "Let's get some air."
Nathan followed him out.
The night was cool. The city stretched out before them, rows of buildings layered in dim light. It wasn't a spectacular view.
But it wasn't bad either.
Distant warning beacons glowed red near the edges of the safe zones. Traffic hummed far below and somewhere a siren wailed briefly and then faded.
They leaned against the railing.
Ethan took a sip of his coffee, then stared out at the city for a long moment before speaking.
"You know," he said, "I think I should come clean about something."
Nathan looked at him. "What?"
Ethan hesitated. "A part of me hoped you wouldn't awaken."
Nathan stiffened slightly.
Ethan noticed and raised a hand. "Not because I didn't want you to. But because I was scared."
Nathan stayed quiet.
"You always wanted to be a hunter," Ethan continued. "Ever since you were a kid, you would never shut up about it."
He exhaled slowly. "And I knew… if you got the system, you would chase it. No matter what."
Nathan looked down at his coffee.
"I didn't want to lose you," Ethan said quietly.
Nathan swallowed as he replied.
"I get that," He said. "But you've already done enough for us."
Ethan turned to him.
"You took everything upon yourself," Nathan continued. "After Mom and Dad. You didn't complain about anything and never stopped providing for us..."
He slowly shook his head. "You don't have to do that forever."
Ethan studied him for a moment, then looked away again.
"…Mom would've liked hearing that," he said.
Nathan's chest tightened hearing the mention of his mother.
"She adored you," Ethan went on.
He smiled faintly. "I wish she was here to see you now. Talking about responsibility like a grown up."
Ethan sighed and took another sip.
"Just promise me something," he said.
Nathan nodded. "What?"
"Be careful," Ethan said. "Don't rush into it, don't take necessary risks..."
He looked at Nathan seriously now. "And always remember that you've got siblings waiting for you at home."
Nathan slowly nodded. "I promise..."
They stood there in silence for a while longer, the city breathing around them.
Eventually, Nathan returned to his room.
The red window hovering quietly in his vision.
[System Synchronization — 90%]
His breath steadied.
'Almost there.'