After five days of training, Sunny gathers Jamal and Luna in the kitchen. "Alright, are y'all ready to head to Vegas?"
Jamal tilts his head with a slight grin. "Yeah, I think I'm ready."
Luna rapidly nods her head, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Alright then, y'all pack up!" Sunny instructs.
With that, Jamal and Luna rush off to prepare. Luna, quick as the wind, sprints to her room. She grabs her bags and begins packing in a whirlwind of motion. As she does, she takes a moment to glance around her room and realizes it could use some decoration. She makes a mental note to go shopping for decor later.
Racing back out with her bags in tow, she meets Sunny, who raises an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh, I see. Good job, partner, on packing so fast. But... did you actually pick out your clothes, or did you just throw everything in your bag?"
Luna rapidly nods her head, her enthusiasm undampened.
Sunny chuckles. "I see, partner. Well, go load your stuff up in the RV."
Before she can finish her sentence, Luna is already gone, moving like a blur. Sunny shakes her head, amused. "That girl is really excited. But I'm certain, deep down, she just wants to travel."
Sunny heads to her own room to pack up. By the time she finishes and steps outside, Jamal is already ready as well. They both head to the RV to load up their things. Luna is already there, practically bouncing with excitement.
Jamal watches her, a little taken aback by her energy. "You're really excited, huh?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Luna exclaims, nodding furiously. "I've never been to Las Vegas, and I've wanted to go for so long!"
Jamal slowly nods his head, amused. "Got it." He shakes his head with a grin and walks off to sit on the RV's couch.
As Sunny prepares to hit the road, Alter appears next to Luna. "Excited for Vegas, huh? But what you're really excited about is testing your skills on some monsters."
Luna blushes slightly, caught off guard. "Well... I mean, I would like to see my hard work pay off."
Alter smirks knowingly. "Atta girl. One step at a time, and I know you'll be the greatest hunter!"
With that, Alter fades away, leaving Luna fidgeting like an excited child on Christmas morning, barely able to contain herself.
As the drive begins, the group makes their way out of Colorado after a long haul, passing through Rifle, Grand Junction, and Loma. Eventually, they arrive in Thompson Springs.
As they pull into town, Luna and Jamal notice the eerie atmosphere—it's clearly a ghost town. Most of the buildings are dilapidated, and the houses look like they've been abandoned for decades. The only sign of activity is a small gas station near the edge of town.
Sunny pulls up to the station and parks. "Alright, you two can stay here or check the place out, but be mindful—there ain't much to do around here."
Luna and Jamal step out of the RV, taking in the surroundings. The silence of the town feels almost deafening, broken only by the occasional gust of wind kicking up dust. Luna's curiosity gets the better of her, and she begins wandering off to explore.
Jamal follows close behind, his eyes scanning the area warily. After the note they found during the hunter's test—warning them that people were after both him and Luna—he's not taking any chances.
As Luna wanders through the ghost town, she notices a small run-down house with a broken window and a busted door. Curiosity gets the better of her, and she walks over to open the door. However, as her hand reaches for the handle, a sudden wave of fear washes over her.
Pushing past the feeling, Luna slowly opens the creaking door. Inside, she sees a man lying on the floor. He has blonde hair, piercing purple eyes, and appears to be about six feet tall. His clothing immediately catches her attention—he's dressed in a World War I United States Army uniform, dirtied and worn from what looks like heavy use.
Concerned, Luna steps closer and reaches out to check if the man is alright. Before her hand touches him, he stirs, groaning as he slowly pushes himself to his feet. His movements are unsteady, and his voice is groggy as he mutters, "Where the hell am I?"
His eyes dart around the room, finally settling on Luna and Jamal, who had followed her inside. The man narrows his eyes. "Who the hell are you two?"
Jamal raises an eyebrow, taking in the man's outdated uniform. "Uh… interesting outfit. Were you at some kind of costume party or something?"
The man looks even more confused by the comment. "What are you talking about? There's a war going on! I was fighting in Flanders Fields. But then… I got lost. I—I don't know how, but I ended up facing something… bizarre. And now I'm here!"
"Uh, buddy, there's no war going on. Like, at all," Jamal says, staring at the man, waiting for a response. "And that uniform... do you even know what year it is?"
The man, standing with as much confidence as he can muster, replies, "It's September 1918."
Luna shakes her head. "No, it's January 7th, 2005. World War One ended eighty-seven years ago."
The man, now visibly shaken, nearly stumbles back. "The hell are you talking about!?"
Luna pulls out her flip phone and holds it up to him, showing the date on the screen. The man stares at the device in disbelief. "What the hell is that in your hand?"
Luna tilts her head, confused by the question. "A phone?"
As the man continues to question the strange device in Luna's hand, Sunny walks in. She stops abruptly, her eyes widening as she takes in the sight of the man. "Hey, why are you dressed like that?"
Her expression quickly shifts as she stares at him more intently. "What's your name?"
The man, still in shock, responds, "Jimmy Jeans, but everyone calls me JJ."
Sunny freezes for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she asks, "What are the odds that you knew a woman named Annabel Smith?"
Jimmy pauses, visibly caught off guard by the question. "I knew a woman with that name... I married her. But then I got drafted."
Sunny lets out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, Jimmy, follow me. Don't worry—I'll try my best to explain everything."
The man, baffled by everything, gets up and follows Sunny, with Luna and Jamal trailing behind. As they walk toward the RV, JJ looks around, taking in the ghost town surrounding him. Other than the gas station, the place seems utterly abandoned. The eerie atmosphere only deepens his sense of displacement.
When they reach the RV, JJ hesitates for a moment before stepping inside. As he enters, he's immediately struck by the sight of a fully functional living space inside a vehicle. His jaw drops. "This... this is a house? And it moves?" His voice trembles slightly.
Sunny gives him a small, understanding smile as she heads toward a storage box. "Yeah, it's a house. A lot has changed since 1918." She pulls out a large family album and motions for him to come closer. "Come here, JJ. I want to show you something."
JJ cautiously approaches as Sunny flips through the pages of the album. She stops at an old black-and-white photograph of a man standing next to a woman. Sunny points at the picture.
"Recognize this? That's you, standing next to Annabel," she says.
JJ's eyes widen as he stares at the photo, his legs giving out slightly as he collapses onto the couch in shock. "That's... that's definitely Annabel. And... that looks like me..."
Sunny raises an eyebrow. "What are the odds you had a Sanctum Hunter's license?"
JJ blinks, startled by the question, but slowly nods. "Yeah, I had one. Why?"
Sunny pulls out her own license and shows it to him. "We also have the same last name. JJ... you might just be my great-grandpa."
JJ stares at the license, then back at Sunny, utterly stunned. His mind races as he tries to process this new reality.
JJ pulls out his hunter's license and shows it to Sunny. "Yep, figured as much. Being a hunter is just a thing in our family line. However, I hate to break it to you, but you are in the future now, and I'm not sure we can send you back."
He sinks into the couch with a heavy sigh. "I see..."
Jamal waves his hand in greeting. "I'm Jamal, and the girl with the white hair is Luna."
Luna waves enthusiastically, a bright smile on her face. "Hello!"
JJ lets out a dry chuckle. "Well, uh, granddaughter? I guess I'm stuck here, so... what exactly are you all doing?"
Sunny tries not to laugh at his choice of words. "'Granddaughter' is weird coming from someone as young as you. Just call me Sunny, gramps." She snickers at her own remark. "Anyway, if you're staying, we're heading to Las Vegas for a hunt."
JJ shrugs. "Alright, sent into the future and straight into a hunt. Figures. What are we hunting?"
Sunny shrugs in return. "No clue. That's why we're heading there."
JJ sighs, leaning back. "Alright, mystery hunt. Got it. Well, I guess I'll get comfy in this... home?"
Jamal opens his mouth to correct him. "It's called an RV."
JJ nods absentmindedly, taking in the strange yet functional vehicle around him.
With that, the group continues their journey to Las Vegas, now with an unexpected new member in tow.