Breakthrough

Jay couldn't tell how many times he had experienced the memory. Each day repeated endlessly, starting and ending at the same points, like a broken record trapped in a nightmarish loop. 

He had to endure his younger self's traumas over and over again until they became a dull ache, a background noise to his suffering. He had long realized it was the final ability the Doppelganger had used on him that caused this ceaseless torture.

No matter what he did, he was rendered helpless, stuck in an unending cycle of recurring memories. Even accessing the system didn't work, leaving him isolated and powerless. 

The only refuge he had was his Spirit Space, where his Innate Talent resided amidst a constellation of looted Innate Talents that orbited around it like distant stars.

Trapped in this relentless cycle, Jay had nothing to do but explore every corner of his Spirit Space. Yet, despite his efforts, he found nothing that could break the loop. 

Among the myriad Innate Talents and countless skills he possessed, not a single one had any effect on his situation. The only thing that stood out was the enigmatic silver orb at the center of his Spirit Space—his Innate Talent, <LOOT >.

Desperate, he tried approaching the orb countless times, but each attempt ended the same way: he was pushed back by an invisible force. It was as if an impenetrable barrier surrounded the orb, keeping him at bay. Though the barrier grew weaker with his relentless efforts, it was still too strong for him to overcome.

However, it was still too weak for Jay to come in contact with it. Desperation mounting, Jay devised one final, risky plan—a gamble to escape his hell. 

He temporarily removed every mental defense he had and exposed his Spirit Space entirely, aiming to align it with the end of the memory, effectively confronting the strange power that kept him trapped in the recurring memories.

He was barely able to hold his Spirit Space open for a split second—anything more was beyond his capacity. Thus, he had to time it perfectly, right at the moment the memory restarted. He began with cautious hope, but finding the precise moment proved harder than he had anticipated.

It took him more than a hundred tries to get it right. When he finally did, his Innate Talent reacted directly to the strange force from the Abyss Frame. The silver orb let out an ominous hum, followed by a shockwave of Origin Energy.

The shockwave of Origin Energy passed the bounds of his Spirit Space and, in a single, powerful sweep, shattered the recurring memory loop like pieces of glass, freeing Jay from his trap.

The surroundings came into focus for Jay, revealing a black energy infused with subtle chartreuse wisps that had engulfed everything. The shockwave of Origin Energy continued to clash with the bounds of the unknown space, quaking it violently.

Relief washed over Jay as he realized his gamble had saved him, and he dared to hope he could escape this place. He believed the outburst of Origin Energy would resolve his predicament. 

However, just as the space seemed about to crumble under the relentless assault of the Origin Energy shockwave, a massive projection of the Doppelganger's upper half emerged from the ocean of Abyss Energy. With a wave of its hand, it dispersed the all-powerful Origin Energy effortlessly.

Jay couldn't comprehend what he had just witnessed. It was inconceivable that an entity as invincible as his Innate Talent had failed to save him. Little did he know, his actions had awakened something from its slumber and forced it to intervene.

As he processed the scene, Jay noticed something unusual—a silhouette of a smile on the Doppelganger's face, a stark contrast to its typically expressionless visage.

Jay's suspicions were confirmed as the colossal projection opened its mouth and spoke.

"Here I was wondering who could have forced me to awaken. So the 3rd ORIGIN CRUX finally chose a new Host. You have my greetings, ORPHEUS Successor."

From the very first word, Jay immediately recognized the voice. It was the same one he had heard before being thrust into the Trial World—a voice that sounded neither male nor female, the enigmatic voice of the System.

Stunned by this revelation, Jay watched as the Doppelganger, embodying the System, seemed momentarily distracted. It mumbled to itself, "Nothing much has changed in these past 3 billion years. Oh, a Unique Talent user reached Tier-10 in this law-fragmented universe? A miracle, to say the least. No wonder the Fiends have the upper hand now. Oh, the Universe Embryo chose a new Child of Fate? A never ending cycle indeed. Hmm....what is this? Three Omega Chosen from a single planet. Two of them weren't even in the Alpha Program?"

Then, the System turned its attention to Jay, its gaze piercing and knowing. "It must be your doing, ORPHEUS Successor. You must have put those ORIGIN SIGILS of yours to good use. Be careful not to create more Omega Chosen just yet. You might prematurely end the Trial Program before the participants can grow strong enough to protect their home planets."

Jay stood frozen, his mind reeling from the information overload. The weight of the System's words pressed down on him with many appearing foreign to him. 

He got himself together and asked the ones that kept bugging him.

"Why do you keep calling me ORPHEUS Successor? Is he the predecessor of my Innate Talent?"

System responded with a slight chuckle, "Innate Talent? Referring to an Origin Crux as an Innate Talent is quite an understatement. These Cruxes exist on a level far beyond even the most extraordinary Talents. Out of the 33 that exist, each has such stringent requirements for a host that, in the vast expanse of OMNOS, only 8 have ever been chosen—the PRIMORDIALS, transcendent beings who stood unrivaled at the absolute pinnacle of all existence."

It paused momentarily, allowing the weight of the moment to settle. When it spoke again, its tone was imbued with profound seriousness and reverence. "Among them is the INDOMITABLE PRIMORDIAL, ORPHEUS, the one who remains eternally undefeated, beyond the grasp of any adversary."

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Author Note:

I'm thrilled to share that I'm taking a big leap forward! Alongside Earth's Alpha Prime, I've launched the first sub-book for EAP.

ALTER REALITY: Online

The book is now available, and I'll be releasing new chapters at a rate of 3 per week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday). Do check it out!

Chapter Release Rate: 3 Chs/Week.

<<<< Tue, Thu, Sun >>>>

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The first ten to comment for new chapter releases will get '1 ADVANCED CHAPTER' for free on Earth Alpha Prime's Discord server.

In the discord server, I opened a private channel for those Top 10 candidates, where I posted the respective Advanced Chapter.

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Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :

https://discord.gg/maQC7xDBYZ

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