12. Secrets

James tried to rest his body and recover quickly before doing anything. In the meantime, his university friends came to visit him. Jessica mentioned she tried to call Sam, but his phone was out of reach.

James didn't say much, knowing Sam was probably out hunting some ghost or demon. He couldn't remember where Sam might be or what exactly he was doing, as his memories of the show's plot were blurry. He could only recall a few key details. James wished he could remember more to make better decisions, but his mind just wouldn't cooperate.

A few hours had passed since the terrible incident. When the visiting hours were over, James told his friends to go home and assured them he would be fine. Despite the pain and emotions that hit him after learning the truth, he controlled his feelings so his friends wouldn't worry about him. Once they left, James focused on the thing that had helped him fight the demon earlier.

'System. Status. Status panel,' he said in his mind, hoping the strange blue panel would appear in front of him. He had heard about systems in novels where people like him, who end up in a different world, are given special abilities or tools to survive. His system, however, had awakened far too late. It wasn't entirely the system's fault—as according to what happened earlier, he had needed to encounter a supernatural event to activate it.

In the world of Supernatural, these events weren't rare, but James's unusual luck had kept him away from them for years. Because of this, his system remained dormant, and he missed the chance to grow stronger over time. If the system had activated earlier, he could have trained and maybe saved his parents from the demon that night.

'It's all my fault,' James thought, clenching his fists in frustration. But he quickly took a deep breath to calm himself. He couldn't afford to let anger cloud his mind. Shaking off the unnecessary thoughts, he looked at the system panel, ready to understand its functions and plan his next steps.

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System Panel

Name: James Bennett

Constitution: 1.5

Principle: Essence Sovereignty Level 1 (/100)

The Essence Sovereignty principle grants James the potential to gain absolute control over Essence, a fundamental force that connects all energy, matter, and existence. Full control over Essence Sovereignty, including the ability to alter reality and transcend limits, will only be achievable in the future as James grows in mastery and balance, refining his connection to the essence that binds all things.

Essence Energy: 100/100

Essence Regeneration Rate: 5 per minute

Abilities

1. Essence Sense (Basic): Detects nearby beings and their emotional or spiritual states within a 5-meter radius.

2. Essence Shield (Basic): Protects against mental manipulation, psychic attacks, and spiritual interference passively.

3. Essence Strike (Basic): Releases a minor burst of essence energy to disrupt a target's essence, causing temporary disorientation and internal disruption.

4. Essence Absorption (Basic): Absorbs small amounts of essence to replenish energy and slightly enhance physical and soul endurance permanently.

Note: Absorbing essence contributes to leveling up the Essence Sovereignty principle.

5. Essence Flame (Basic): Ignites a small flame capable of burning both the physical body and the essence of a being.

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James remembered that the last ability listed was the one he had used against the demon—Essence Flame.

He thought back to the demon's reaction. It had screamed in pain and thrashed around violently. 'Why did the demon react like that?' he wondered. According to the system panel, Essence Flame was only at a Basic level. It shouldn't have been that powerful, especially against a demon, which was likely much stronger than a human. But then, the ability said it affected the physique.

'Could it be that the demon was in so much pain because the human body it was possessing couldn't handle it?' The human vessel might have been too weak to endure the pain, causing the demon to suffer.

James couldn't figure it out completely. There were still too many things he didn't understand. He knew he would need more time to test his abilities and figure out why things had happened the way they did.

Seeing that his Essence Energy had returned, James decided to try his Essence Sense ability. He focused, hoping to detect any ghosts or supernatural beings in the room. He looked around, trying to sense if anything was there, but unfortunately, he found nothing—just the quiet emptiness of his room.

Feeling disappointed, he quickly turned off the ability. The headache from earlier was getting worse, making it hard to concentrate. He closed his eyes, the exhaustion from everything weighing on him. His body hurt, and his mind was filled with confusion and frustration.

With a deep sigh, James finally gave in to the tiredness. His eyes closed, and before he knew it, he fell into a deep sleep.

Over the next two days, James stayed in the hospital, recovering as quickly as he could. His friends visited him every day during visiting hours, bringing some comfort and distraction. Jessica was the first to show up, talking about random things to lighten the mood. Derek made silly jokes to cheer him up, and Lisa, always calm and understanding, simply sat beside him in silent support.

Soon, the rest of his close friends—Sarah, Kevin, Mia, Ethan, and Nick—joined in. Sarah, always kind-hearted, brought him snacks and small gifts to cheer him up.

Each of them had their own way of showing support, and their presence made James feel less alone. However, despite their efforts, he still felt the heavy weight of what had happened to his family. It had been three days since the terrible night, and James was healing faster than expected. The doctors mentioned that he would be discharged in a few days.

James was desperate to leave and figure out what to do next. But Aunt Rachel, along with his friends, had strictly forbidden him from leaving until the doctors gave the all-clear. Rachel even went so far as to threaten to tie him to the bed if he tried to leave early. Frustrated but knowing they meant well, James reluctantly agreed to stay.

While stuck in bed, James decided to explore the strange powers his system had awakened. After a few experiments, he realized that practicing his abilities not only made them easier to control but also slightly stronger. With nothing else to do, he dedicated himself to training, hoping to become stronger and more prepared for whatever challenges lay ahead.

James started with Essence Flame, the ability he had used against the demon. Remembering how it had drained all his energy, he practiced carefully. He focused on creating a small flame in his palm, holding it for a few seconds before extinguishing it. At first, the effort left him exhausted, but after repeated attempts over the next two days, he noticed progress. The flame grew brighter, lasted longer, and used less energy.

Next, he worked on Essence Strike, though it was harder to train without a proper target. He aimed bursts of energy at the air or tapped his energy against the metal bedframe, testing its strength. While he couldn't gauge its full power, he found he could summon the ability faster and with less effort. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

James also practiced his other three abilities. Essence Sense, which allowed him to detect the emotions and spiritual states of people nearby, was easier to train when his friends were around. During their visits, he used the ability to sense their feelings. The practice helped him refine the ability, making it easier to activate and sustain without draining too much of his essence.

Essence Shield and Essence Absorption, on the other hand, were the only abilities he couldn't train at all.

By the end of the third day, James felt good about his progress. His Essence Flame was brighter and easier to summon, and his Essence Strike felt more controlled. Essence Sense had also become sharper and easier to use. He also found out that the essence sense ability barely used any essence energy. Even when kept the ability active for a few hours it barely consumed two essence energy units which were replinished in no time.

In James's opinion, this ability was quite passive-active. Once he activated this ability, he didn't need to actively control it to work, it could work on its own until he wanted to stop it.

Even though there was still a long way to go, he decided to stop training for the night. It was late, and he needed rest. Just as he was about to lie down, the door to his room opened.

Two men in doctor coats walked in, shutting the door quietly behind them. James sat up, a bit surprised, until he realized who they were. These weren't doctors—they were Sam and Dean Winchester.

James stared at them, blinking in surprise, before turning to Sam and muttering, "And when did you change your major?"

Sam grinned sheepishly and took off the coat. "Visiting hours are over, and they wouldn't let us in. I had to do this."

James shook his head, "You could have waited until tomorrow."

Sam's expression softened. "I couldn't, James. I heard about your parents... Jessica left me a voicemail, and I came as soon as I could. I'm so sorry." He placed a hand on James's shoulder. "How are you holding up?"

Dean, standing beside Sam, added in a serious tone, "Your mom... she was a kind lady. That night....uh....it was the most delicious dinner I have eaten in years."

James sighed at that. His mother's loss still hurt deeply, and hearing Dean talk about her only made it harder.

Sam's face turned serious. "Can you tell us what happened?" he asked gently.

James hesitated, unsure. Should he tell them the truth? They were hunters, after all. They understood how dangerous the supernatural world could be. But he wondered how much he should tell them. Still before telling them, James also wondered how much Sam trusted him to tell his own big secret of being a hunter.

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