The air inside the cafe was thick with lavender and the smell of freshly brewed tea.
Jake, Valentina, Quincy, and I stood by the chairs closest to the window. I, in particular, sat next to the window and stared out of it as the blind lady went behind the counter to get something.
'I don't like this place.' It wasn't the design I had a problem with, but the faint smell lingering in it, the smell of rain.
Not only did rain smell like death to me, but when it came down, fireworks couldn't be seen in the sky.
'At least the weather is clear.' I shifted my gaze from the window to everyone seated at the table.
Val was currently on her phone, while Quincy stared blankly at nothing, and Jake was helping the Aoki lady set up the table.
Aoki's gaze suddenly turned toward me, and she offered a gentle smile that made a warm feeling course through my heart.
It was like I was looking at someone I loved deeply, or my mother, even though I never had one in either of my two lives.
After setting up the table, Jake pulled out a chair for Aoki to sit on, and she joined us at the table.
"Miss Aoki, I didn't tell you about them, but this is Allen and Quincy. Allen is Val's friend, and Quincy is Allen's friend."
Aoki nodded knowingly. "I understand."
She glanced around, and for a brief moment, it seemed as if her hazy white pupils locked onto me.
Aoki was a beautiful woman, but not in the natural sense. Her long hair was unnaturally black, and her white eyes made her seem more like a doll than a woman.
Honestly, she could pass off as Jake's younger sister if she wore the right clothes.
Aoki placed her hands together as if saying a prayer. "To the great goddess, Syr'Nathira."
It was after some research that I found out that in this world, humans worship one of four goddesses.
The most popular goddess is Syr'Nathira, worshipped by the Holy Empire. The second most popular is Amelia, followed by the goddess Sylvia, then Cassie, though some people serve a fifth, unpopular goddess, Anna.
And each goddess gives their followers one of their blessings before they enter the rift world.
Both I and the rest clasped our hands and said, "To the great goddess, Syr'Nathira."
Aoki let out an exhale as soon as we were done. "It is a good thing that you came today, Jake."
I leaned forward slightly as her voice turned serious.
"Just as you thought, the government is trying their best to shut the awakening gate."
The eyes of Quincy and Valentina widened at her words. Quincy held the hem of her skirt, her eyes turning sharp.
"As you may already know, the great hunter Asura has finally reached level seventy-five, which is just one away from that of the Abyss Queen."
Aoki took a long pause, her breathing turning shallow for a moment before it stabilized. "Since, in the eyes of the government, the Abyss Queen and demons are going to be killed soon, their hostility has turned toward hunters, though they aren't showing it publicly yet."
"But," Quincy began, her sharpened gaze locking onto Aoki, "even if they want to close the gate, shouldn't it be impossible? It's not like they can get their old asses up from their seats to do it themselves."
Aoki chuckled softly. "You're right. Those old bastards, no matter which continent they hail from or whether they are noble or democratic, won't do it themselves. But you seem to be forgetting something, young lady."
"What?"
Jake answered before Aoki did. "The rift world where we get stronger is still a rift. If someone clears it, the gate will cease to exist."
"Shouldn't it be impossible?" Quincy shot back quickly.
Aoki shook her head. "It isn't. The problem is, it was never made known to the public since they needed the gate. That's also the reason why the newly awakened who enter are only given the mission to get stronger and survive. Since they only have basic knowledge and skills when entering, they won't think about unnecessary things like clearing it."
I swallowed hard at her explanation.
It wasn't like I had never thought about this kind of outcome. In fact, this happened in the story, but that was around the point where I stopped reading.
The greatest hunter, Asura, the One-Eyed Queen, would build an army to kill the Abyss Queen, and the journey was meant to last at least five to ten years.
However, during this time, the government didn't sit still. Why would they?
To them, there was no reason for the awakened to exist if demons didn't. What would happen if those with powers got bored and went after the powerless?
What would happen if they overturned the world so it would be ruled by the awakened, and ordinary humans like them would become bottom feeders?
That fear wasn't just felt by them, but by mundane humans around the world, so they tried to seal the gate but failed. Since the first plan didn't work, they began the anti-awakened campaign.
It was a way to oppress the awakened to make sure they didn't think of crossing humans, while forming a special organization for rogue hunters to create a fracture between hunters.
When I later looked up spoilers, I found out that the raid to kill the Abyss Queen had failed, and many had died, including Asura. At that point, the human world was in shambles, and the unity they once had with awakened hunters had disappeared.
And since humans had treated hunters like crap throughout that time, they refused to save humanity.
But the spoilers also said Jake and the main cast were inside a rift world when all this happened.
'Why is it happening so early then?'
My eyes lifted and met Jake's. He had a worried look on his face before suddenly bowing his head. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Al."
My voice caught in my throat for a moment. "No, it isn't your fault."
Jake's face brightened with a smile before Aoki continued. "I don't know what exactly their plan is, but if I were to take a guess, they would push the academy forward and give you one month of training and orientation before you enter that world."
Aoki stood up from her chair. "If this is indeed their plan, that means they have found a way to awaken your generation without directly entering the gate. And after your two months of training, you will all be given the mission to clear the rift."
"If that's the case, then they don't want to stop awakening. They just want to control who awakens and when," I muttered under my breath, though it was loud enough to be heard in the quiet cafe.
Aoki nodded. "You are correct. If they can control that, then no one will be able to question their rule. And if they send your generation to join the fight with Asura after your time in that world, then there will be a higher chance of winning."
'So if I want to change this, I just need to stop everyone from clearing the gate… but was that really the right thing to do?'
Looking at the faces of everyone at the table, I knew they were thinking the same.
The term awakened had destroyed many people's lives and families. Even the original Allen had died because he couldn't awaken.
Many fell into depression. Some were mocked. Others committed suicide.
However, things weren't so bad because there was a villain everyone needed to kill. Even inborn psychos would join the cause so they could torture demons.
But if that central evil disappeared, the world would fall into chaos, and the mundane loved ones of the awakened would be put in danger.
It would be strange if no one hesitated over this.
But I was different. I was Allen Park. I wasn't a saint who cared about others. All I wanted was to understand rune logic and how closely it resembled programming.
Besides, if there was one thing I had learned about biology, it was that people evolve, and some things are embedded in genes.
So even if there was a little peace now, by the time the next generation was born, no one knew whether they would have powers at birth and be discriminated against by society.
No one was sure if another greater evil would appear.
"Miss Aoki, so what's your take on this?"
"Nothing, young master," she replied to Jake. "All I do is gather information, not try to find deeper meaning in it."
"However…" she continued, "if I were to make a choice, it would be to leave the awakened alone. These powers were gifts from the goddesses. Who are we to decide whether to throw them away or not? We could even anger them by doing this, and they might send creatures to end us without any hope in sight."
Aoki left for the inner part of the store, and the table remained completely quiet.