Chapter 6 - New Start

Morning light filtered through the hospital blinds, painting stripes across my bed as I finished pulling on the clothes the Hunter Association had provided—plain jeans, a gray t-shirt, and a blue hoodie that was a size too large. My old clothes, apparently, had been too damaged to salvage.

A small duffel bag sat on the chair beside the bed, containing toiletries, a prepaid phone (my old phone was lost), and a folder of documents. 

Mr. Collins had dropped it off earlier, along with the news that I would be released into the Association's care this morning.

"Care" being a polite way of saying "supervision," I suspected.

I wore the hoodie and reached for the folder, flipping through its contents again. 

Temporary ID, emergency contact information (all Hunter Association numbers), a pamphlet about "Reintegration Services for Gate Victims," and a stack of forms I'd need to complete to reestablish my legal existence in a world where Ethan Parker had been presumed dead for years.

It was surreal. Less than 48 hours ago (by my perception), I'd been a normal business student chasing my underwear-stealing cat. Now I was a "Player" in what amounted to a real-life version of a manhwa I'd read during quarantine boredom.

I closed the folder and slipped it into the duffel bag just as a knock sounded at my door.

"Come in," I called, expecting Dr. Reynold for my final checkout.

Instead, a young woman entered—maybe mid-twenties, with short-cropped red hair, sharp green eyes, and a no-nonsense expression. She wore a practical black pantsuit with a silver pin on the lapel shaped like a shield.

"Ethan Parker?" she asked, though it wasn't really a question. "I'm Agent Ramirez. The Association assigned me to escort you today."

"Nice to meet you," I replied, slinging the duffel over my shoulder. "I'm guessing 'today' means to wherever they're keeping Loki, and then to whatever temporary housing they've arranged?"

She raised an eyebrow slightly. "Mr. Collins briefed you well. Yes, that's the plan." 

She stepped aside, gesturing toward the door. "The car's waiting downstairs. Dr. Reynold has already signed your release papers."

I followed her into the hallway, immediately noticing how different this hospital wing looked from any I'd seen before. 

Reinforced doors lined the corridor, some with security keypads beside them. Medical staff moved purposefully between rooms, many wearing what looked like body armor beneath their lab coats. 

Through one partially open door, I glimpsed a man whose arm appeared to be encased in ice, with medical personnel carefully chipping away at it while he grimaced in pain.

"Hunter injuries," Ramirez explained, noticing my stare. "That one tangled with a frost elemental in a C-rank gate yesterday."

I nodded. "Right. Of course."

We took an elevator down to a parking garage beneath the hospital. 

Ramirez led me to a black SUV with tinted windows and no visible markings. As we approached, the driver's window lowered to reveal a man built like a refrigerator, with a close-cropped military haircut and a scar running from temple to jaw.

"All clear, Jensen," Ramirez said. "Standard transport protocol."

Jensen nodded once and the window slid back up. Ramirez opened the rear door for me.

"Do I need to be blindfolded too?" I asked, only half-joking. "This all seems very... intense for someone who just woke up in a hospital."

A ghost of a smile touched her lips. "Standard procedure for all gate-related anomalies. And your cat definitely qualifies as an anomaly."

I climbed in, settling on the leather seat while Ramirez took the seat beside me. The interior was more luxurious than I'd expected, though I noted the privacy divider between us and the driver.

As we pulled out of the garage, I decided to use the drive to gather more information. "So, Agent Ramirez, how long have you been with the Association?"

"Five years," she replied, her attention on her tablet. "I'm on the Response and Containment division."

"That sounds important."

"It is." She looked up, studying me for a moment. "We respond to gate emergencies and contain any threats that emerge. Which is why I'm curious about your cat."

I tried to look innocent. "What about him?"

"In five years, I've never seen an animal respond to mana exposure the way yours did. Animals don't awaken as hunters. It's not possible." Her gaze was sharp, evaluating. "Yet yours did. More than that—it transformed into a beast class that doesn't match any known monster taxonomy."

I shrugged, maintaining my amnesia cover. "Like I told Mr. Collins, it was a shock to me too. Loki's just been a normal cat as long as I can remember."

"And how long is that, exactly?" she asked. "Since your memories are... patchy."

"I've had him for years," I said, sticking as close to the truth as possible. "He was a kitten when I got him."

Ramirez made a non-committal sound and returned to her tablet. "Well, you'll be reunited soon enough. The containment facility is about twenty minutes from here."

The rest of the drive passed in silence. I spent it alternating between watching the city through the tinted windows and checking my System status through mental commands.

Toronto looked both familiar and different. The skyline was recognizable, with the CN Tower dominating the view, but barriers surrounded certain areas, and patrol vehicles with "Hunter Association" emblazoned on their sides were frequent sights. 

Occasionally I'd spot what had to be hunters by their specialized equipment and the deference civilians showed them as they passed.

It was like watching a militarized version of my world, one where the threat of monster incursions had reshaped society at a fundamental level.

My System status remained unchanged from yesterday:

[Player: Ethan Parker]

[Level: 1]

[Class: Unassigned]

[Health: 100/100]

[Mana: 120/120]

[Skills: None]

[Titles: None]

[Quests: 1 Active]

[Quest: Reunite with Your Familiar]

[Status: In Progress]

At least my health had fully recovered. I wondered if the mana stat being above 100 was significant, given that awakened hunters in Solo Leveling had mana pools far beyond normal humans.

The SUV eventually turned into what looked like an industrial complex on the outskirts of the city. High fences topped with razor wire surrounded a collection of utilitarian buildings. Guards checked our vehicle at the gate before waving us through to a parking area near the central structure.

"We're here," Ramirez announced unnecessarily as the car stopped. "The containment facility houses monsters captured from gates for research purposes. Your cat is in the secure wing."

"He's not dangerous," I said as we exited the vehicle. "At least, not to me."

"He nearly took off Agent Chen's arm when we tried to separate you," she reminded me. "That qualifies as dangerous in my book."

I couldn't argue with that, so I followed her through a series of security checkpoints, each requiring her badge and, occasionally, retinal scans. The interior of the facility was stark and clinical—white walls, bright lights, the hum of advanced equipment from rooms we passed.

Finally, we reached a heavy door marked "Secure Containment - Level B." Ramirez placed her palm on a scanner beside it.

"A few ground rules," she said as the door unlocked with a hiss. "Stay close to me. Don't touch anything. If your cat shows any signs of aggression, we tranquilize it immediately. Understood?"

I nodded, though inwardly I doubted their tranquilizers would work on Loki in his transformed state. "Understood."

The secure wing was a long corridor with reinforced viewing windows into various containment cells. Most were empty, but a few housed creatures that made me pause—a floating orb of what looked like liquid fire, a plant-like entity whose vines constantly formed and reformed into humanoid shapes, something that resembled a wolf if wolves had six legs and were made of living stone.

"Gate monsters," Ramirez explained, following my gaze. "Captured for research into mana adaptation and magical evolution."

"They look... sad," I observed, watching the stone wolf pace its enclosure.

Ramirez gave me a strange look. "They're monsters, Parker. Not pets." She paused, then added, "Though in your case, the line seems blurry."

She led me to the end of the corridor, where a larger containment area took up the entire back wall. Unlike the other cells, this one had been modified to include what looked like a small jungle environment—trees, rocks, even a small stream running through it.

And lying atop the largest rock, tail twitching occasionally in clear annoyance, was Loki in his transformed state. 

The black panther form was just as impressive as I remembered—midnight fur with a slight iridescent quality, curved horns emerging from his forehead, and a build that suggested both power and agility.

"Loki!" I called, rushing to the viewing window.

His head snapped up, yellow eyes locking onto mine. In an instant, he was off the rock and at the glass, rising onto his hind legs to place massive paws against the barrier between us. His rumbling purr was audible even through the thick glass.

[Quest Update: Familiar Located]

[Progress: 1/2 Steps Complete]

The notification blinked in my vision briefly before fading.

"He recognizes you," Ramirez noted, sounding genuinely surprised. 

"Of course he does," I said, placing my hand against the glass opposite Loki's paw. "He's my cat. How do I get in there?"

"You don't," she replied firmly. "We observe from here first. Protocol."

I turned to her, not bothering to hide my frustration. "He's been locked up for a day, separated from me. He's probably terrified and confused. Please, I need to show him everything's okay."

Ramirez hesitated, studying the interaction between Loki and me. "He doesn't look terrified. He looks like an apex predator that could tear through a steel door if he wanted to."

"But he hasn't," I pointed out. "He's been cooperative, right? No escape attempts, no aggression unless provoked?"

She checked something on her tablet, frowning slightly. "Yes…That's accurate. The containment team reported unusually docile behavior once you were no longer perceived to be in danger." 

She looked up, her expression thoughtful. "That's not typical monster behavior. Even tamed gate monsters retain aggressive tendencies."

"Because he's not a monster," I insisted. "He's Loki. My cat. Just... enhanced."

After a moment of internal debate, Ramirez sighed. "Against my better judgment..." She tapped her comm device. "Control, this is Ramirez. Authorize containment access for subject 47-B. Civilian interaction protocol."

A tinny voice responded from her earpiece. I couldn't make out the words, but her expression hardened.

"Understood, but I'm logging my assessment that interaction poses minimal risk. Subject has shown clear recognition and non-aggressive response." She paused, listening again. "Yes, I accept full responsibility. Ramirez out."

She turned to me. "They're not happy about this, but it's approved. The airlock entry is this way."

She led me to a secure door beside the viewing window. "I'll be monitoring from the observation room. If anything—and I mean anything—seems off, we pull you out immediately. Clear?"

"Crystal," I agreed, barely able to contain my eagerness to reunite with Loki.

Ramirez swiped her badge and entered a code, then stepped back as the door slid open. "Good luck, Parker. Try not to get eaten."

I stepped into a small antechamber. The door closed behind me, and after a brief scanning sequence (checking for weapons or contraband, I assumed), the inner door opened to the containment habitat.

The moment I entered, Loki bounded across the enclosure, moving with the fluid grace of a natural predator. For a split second, I had the irrational thought that maybe Ramirez was right—he looked far more like a deadly beast than my pet cat.

Then he was upon me, and instead of teeth or claws, I got a face full of rough tongue as he enthusiastically greeted me in the same way he always had—just on a much larger scale.

"Ugh, Loki!" I laughed, pushing his massive head away. "Still gross, buddy."

He rumbled what could only be described as a laugh, then circled me, pressing his substantial weight against my legs in a familiar gesture of affection that nearly toppled me.

[Quest Update: Reunited with Your Familiar]

[Quest Complete!]

[Reward Received: Enhanced Bond with Familiar]

[Basic Skill Unlocked: Familiar Communication]

A golden glow briefly surrounded both Loki and me, visible only to my eyes. I felt a strange sensation, like a door opening in my mind that I hadn't known was there.

Finally! Do you have any idea how boring it's been in this fake jungle?

I froze, staring at Loki in shock. 

The voice had been in my head, but it wasn't my voice. It was... different. Young but mature, slightly raspy, with an undercurrent of perpetual amusement.

"Did you just... talk to me?" I whispered, mindful of the observation cameras.

Loki tilted his head, yellow eyes gleaming with intelligence. Of course I did. You're just now hearing me? I've been talking at you for days.

"But... how?" I glanced at the observation window, where I could see Ramirez watching our interaction intently. I needed to act normal, not like I was suddenly having a telepathic conversation with my cat.

The light thing, obviously, Loki replied, stretching casually as if we'd been mentally conversing our entire lives. 

When you accepted that floating message thing, it connected us properly. Before that, it was like shouting through a wall.

I crouched down, scratching behind his ears as a cover for our conversation. "Can you hear my thoughts, or only when I'm specifically talking to you?"

Just when you direct them at me, thankfully. He leaned into the scratch, purring loudly. 

I have zero interest in whatever weird human thoughts bounce around your head most of the time.

I couldn't help but laugh. Even as a telepathic magical beast, Loki was still... Loki. 

A menace to my emotional stability. 

"We need to get out of here," I thought directly to him. "They're treating you like a captured monster."

I noticed. The indignity of being studied by humans is not lost on me. Though the food has been excellent.

"Do you understand what's happened to us?" I asked, moving to sit on one of the rocks as Loki sprawled beside me, maintaining the appearance of a normal reunion for the observers.

Parts of it. I know we're not in our world anymore. This place smells wrong—too much magic in the air. And I'm... different. Stronger. Faster. More like what I was always meant to be.

That caught my attention. "What you were 'meant to be'? Did you know this would happen?"

Not consciously. Loki's tail swished thoughtfully. But there were always... dreams. Memories that didn't feel like mine. Like I was something else before being a housecat. This form feels right in a way I can't explain.

It was a lot to process. Not only was I dealing with being a "Player" in a parallel world, but now my cat was suggesting he might be some kind of reincarnated magical creature?

Don't overthink it, Loki advised, seeming to sense my mental spiral. What matters is getting out of here and figuring out our next move.

He was right. "The Association is setting me up with temporary housing. I'll insist you come with me. They seem willing to accept you're my pet, just an unusually enhanced one."

Pet. Loki sniffed disdainfully. I prefer the term 'partner' now that we can actually communicate. Or 'superior being who tolerates your presence.' Either works.

I snorted, scratching under his chin. 

Our reunion was interrupted by Ramirez's voice over the intercom. "Parker, time's up. Return to the airlock."

I stood reluctantly. "We're getting out of here soon," I promised Loki. "Just play nice for a little longer."

I'm always nice, he responded, the mental equivalent of an eye roll accompanying the words. It's not my fault humans are so easily intimidated by perfection.

With a final scratch behind his ears, I returned to the airlock. Loki followed me to the door, watching intently as it closed between us. His parting thought reached me just before the connection weakened with distance.

Be careful with these Hunter people. They smell like secrets and polished shoes.

Sound advice, coming from a cat.