Chapter 2: The Revelation
The water and rice sit heavy in Arjun's stomach when the door opens again. This time, it's not the scarred man. It's someone younger maybe only a few years older than the body Arjun now inhabits. The kid has nervous energy written all over him, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt as he peers into the dim room.
"Boss says you're ready for questions," the kid says. His voice cracks slightly on the last word. "Come on."
Arjun's legs are still unsteady as he stands, but he manages it. The kid leads him through a narrow hallway that smells even worse than the room a mixture of mold, sweat, and something that might be industrial cleaner. They emerge into what appears to be the main hub of the hideout: a larger room with a concrete floor, a few folding tables, and several men lounging around. Some are cleaning weapons. Others are counting money or looking at maps spread across the tables.
This is bad. This is really bad.
The scarred man from before is sitting at the largest table, flanked by two other men who look even more dangerous. When he sees Arjun, he gestures for him to approach.
"Sit," the scarred man commands.
Arjun sits. His heart is hammering in his chest.
"Your name is Darius," the scarred man says, not asks. "You've been with us for three months. Got that scar in a fight over territory two weeks ago. You were lucky the other guy didn't survive." The man leans forward. "Do you remember any of that?"
Arjun's mouth is dry. This body Darius's body apparently has a history he doesn't know. He forces himself to think, to dig into the fragmented memories that aren't quite his own. There are flashes of violence, of pain, of running through narrow streets. Of learning to fight dirty because clean fighting gets you killed.
"Some of it," Arjun says carefully. His voice sounds wrong younger, rougher than he remembers his own voice being. "Things are fuzzy."
The scarred man nods as if this is expected. "The blow to your head did that. Doc said you'd be confused for a bit. You hit your skull pretty hard." He taps the table. "But you're one of us now. You've proven yourself. And that means you need to know what's really going on."
Arjun's stomach tightens. "What do you mean?"
The scarred man glances at one of the flanking men, who nods. Then he turns back to Arjun. "How much do you know about Hunters?"
The word hits Arjun like a physical blow. Hunters. As in the Hunter x Hunter world. As in Nen, the Hunter Association, the world system he'd only read about in web novels and manga. This can't be
"I..." Arjun starts, then stops. He needs to be careful here. If this body's previous owner didn't know about Hunters, he shouldn't suddenly pretend to be an expert. "Not much. I know they're rare. I know they can do things normal people can't."
The scarred man who Arjun is starting to think of as the boss leans back in his chair. "Smart answer. Most people don't understand what Hunters really are. Most people don't even know they exist, not really. But here, in this city, in this territory, we know. And what we know is that Hunters are the real power in this world."
One of the flanking men speaks up, his voice low and dangerous. "The Association controls everything. The economy, the resources, the information flow. Ordinary people like us? We're just trying to survive in the cracks they leave behind."
"But that's changing," the boss continues. He pulls out a small notebook and opens it. On the pages are sketches and notes. "There's something new happening. Something that changes everything. It started about six months ago. People started manifesting... abilities. At first, we thought it was just stories. Myths. But then we saw it with our own eyes."
Arjun leans forward, his mind racing. This is it. This is where the Nen system comes in. "What kind of abilities?"
"Impossible ones," the boss says. "A man who can make his fists harder than steel. A woman who can see in the dark like it's daylight. A kid who can move faster than should be possible." He taps the notebook. "The Association calls it 'Nen.' It's some kind of internal energy system that Hunters use. But here's the thing it's not just for Hunters anymore. Regular people are awakening it."
Arjun's hands are trembling. He forces them flat on the table. This is real. All of it is real. He's not just in the Hunter x Hunter world he's in a version where Nen is beginning to manifest in the general population. That's not how it works in the original timeline. That's not—
"Why are you telling me this?" Arjun asks, his voice steady despite the chaos in his mind.
The boss smiles, and it's not a kind smile. "Because you're showing signs of it too. That's why the other guy couldn't beat you. That's why you didn't die when you should have. Your body is awakening to Nen, and we want to know if you can learn to control it."
The room seems to spin.
"There's an old man," the boss continues, "lives a few blocks from here. He's not a Hunter, but he knows about Nen. He teaches people like us people who weren't born into the system, who weren't lucky enough to get recruited by the Association. If you want to survive in this new world, if you want to be more than just muscle for a gang, you need to learn."
"And if I don't?" Arjun asks.
"Then you're useless to us," the scarred man says simply. "And we don't keep useless people around."
The threat hangs in the air between them.
"When do I start?" Arjun hears himself say.
The boss nods approvingly. "Tonight. The old man meets his students after dark. Darius—" he pauses, studying Arjun's face, "—or whatever's going on in that head of yours now—you're going to learn. And you're going to become strong. And when you do, you're going to help us. Because that's how this works. That's the only way any of us survive what's coming."
"What's coming?" Arjun can't help but ask.
The boss stands, and the other men follow suit. "War," he says simply. "The Association is losing control. The power structure is breaking down. And when that happens, everyone has to choose a side. We're choosing ours."
He walks toward the back of the hideout, then pauses. "Clean yourself up. You look like death. We'll take you to the old man at sundown."
As the boss disappears through a doorway, Arjun is left sitting at the table with the two flanking men and the nervous kid. His mind is reeling. Nen. Hunters. A world breaking down. And him—a man from another life, trapped in a body that's apparently already beginning to awaken to abilities he doesn't understand.
"Don't worry," the nervous kid says, attempting what might be a reassuring smile. "The old man's training doesn't kill most people. You'll probably be fine."
*Probably* isn't particularly comforting.
As evening falls and Arjun washes himself with cold water from a bucket, he tries to piece together what he knows. He's in the Hunter x Hunter world. That much is confirmed. He has a body with latent Nen that's starting to awaken. He's part of a gang that's positioning itself for some kind of coming conflict. And he has almost no idea what he's doing.
But he has one advantage: he remembers things. Fragmented knowledge from another life. An understanding of how power systems work in stories and games. And most importantly, he's survived one impossible thing already waking up in a stranger's body.
If he can survive that, maybe he can survive this too.
As the sun sets and the old man's location is revealed to him, Arjun steps out into the streets of this new world with only one certainty:
Everything has changed. And he has no idea what comes next.
But he's going to find out.