River opened his eyes slowly, the ceiling above him unfamiliar. A moment passed before the fog in his mind lifted—then the memory hit him like a crashing wave.
The tent. The crying. The light.
"Serian…" he muttered under his breath, voice rough with sleep. Pushing himself upright, River blinked a few more times, as if hoping clarity would settle in.
The dream hadn't been just a dream. It was a memory.
Shaking the grogginess away, he reached for his phone and glanced at the screen.
[02:11 AM]
He had only been asleep for two hours, but it felt like a day had passed within that dream.
He dragged himself to the table in the corner of the room, where his clothes were lazily folded from earlier. The worn-out motel lights flickered above him as he slipped into his shirt and pants, each motion mechanical. Then he grabbed the envelope on the table—the one containing his newly issued Hunter Card—and returned to the edge of the bed, sinking into the mattress as it creaked beneath him.
