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Orion's Rise: From Zero to Hero in Two Worlds Chapter 11
Emily's POV --- I hate myself. My eyes flutter open, but the thought is already there, waiting. It never leaves, not since that moment when everything changed. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. The alarm shatters the silence, and my fist finds it in the dark. Dawn's still hours.. or minutes, away, but sleep has already abandoned me. I can't escape into dreams anymore. They're worse than being awake. Mom's voice carries up the stairs. "Emily? You'll be late for school!" I don't answer. I lie motionless, tracking the slow dance of light and shade overhead while my ribs strain against an invisible weight. Like I can't get enough air. THUD. That's my feet hitting the floor. Everything feels mechanical now. Get dressed. Brush teeth. Brush hair. Don't look too long in the mirror - I hate the person staring back at me these days. The cereal makes my stomach turn. Tap tap tap goes my spoon against the bowl, pushing the flakes around until they're soggy and gross. Just like me. "Honey?" Mom's watchi
Orion's Rise: From Zero to Hero in Two Worlds Chapter 12
Orion's POV --- I couldn't stop shaking. Not the obvious kind. The deep-down kind that lives in your bones. The kind you get when your body knows you should be dead, but somehow you're not. The ground felt wrong against my back. Cold. Humming. Like lying on top of a giant machine. My mouth tasted like pennies and fear. Ben hadn't said anything for a while. Just breathing next to me. Heavy. Uneven. Alive. I wanted to ask if he was okay, but the words wouldn't come. Nothing felt real enough for words yet. The sky above us twisted in ways that made my head hurt. Or maybe my head just hurt. Hard to tell anymore. "I can't feel my legs," Ben finally said. His voice cracked. My heart stuttered. "What?" "No, wait." A weak laugh. "There they are. Just... pins and needles." "God, Ben." The relief made me dizzy. Or maybe I was already dizzy. "Don't do that." "Sorry." He wasn't though. I could hear it in his voice. That edge of hysteria we were both fighting. Interface numbers scatter
Orion's Rise: From Zero to Hero in Two Worlds Chapter 13
“You’re holding it wrong.”Seraphina’s voice cut through the stillness of the clearing.Sharp. Direct.I looked down at the energy ball that was whirling around my hands; it was glowing. My fingers trembling slightly.“I’m holding it exactly how you told me.” I said. Trying not to let the frustration show.***Weeks had gone by.I know you must've been wondering.Where was Ben?Well, we teleported back home that day together.He was tired out. Well. More like shocked to silence.He was numb.But he made it home safe.In case you were wondering.Anyways...***She sighed. Stepping closer.
Orion's Rise: From Zero to Hero in Two Worlds Chapter 14
“You’re asking too many questions.”Seraphina’s voice was sharp.It parted the forest's stillness.She said it without even looking at me. Her eyes were fixed on the horizon.She was scanning for something I couldn’t see.“Well, excuse me for trying to understand the place that’s constantly trying to kill me.” I shot back. Crossing my arms.“Maybe if you’d explain things without me having to drag it out of you.""I wouldn’t have to ask so many.”She looked at me.One eyebrow raised.Like she was amused by my frustration.“You think this is me *not* explaining things?”I threw my hands up. “You’ve told me. Like.
Orion's Rise: From Zero to Hero in Two Worlds Chapter 15
“You hear that?” I asked.Only a whisper could be heard above me.Seraphina didn’t respond right away.Her head was tilted to the side.She squinted around. Focusing on the trees.The forest had gone quiet.*Too* quiet.Even the hum of energy that I had grown accustomed to was no longer as strong.The world itself was holding its breath.“Yeah.” She said finally. Her voice low.“We’re not alone.”I swallowed hard. Oh dear.“More system beasts?”“No." She said. Her voice trailed off."Something else.”That sounded worse than it should have.“Define ‘some
Orion's Rise: From Zero to Hero in Two Worlds Chapter 16
Pain shot through my leg as consciousness crept back. The world spun into focus one pixel at a time, like an old computer struggling to load."Stop moving," Seraphina's voice cut through the haze. "You'll tear the stitches."I blinked several times. We were in some kind of cabin. Wooden walls. A single window. Dust particles danced in the sunbeam that cut across my bed."How long was I out?""Six hours." She pressed a cold cloth to my forehead. "You were muttering about system updates in your sleep."That got my attention. The memory of the fight rushed back – the glowing sword, the explosion of power, the mysterious upgrade."Where'd you find this place?""Safe house. One of many." She sat on a rickety chair beside the bed. "Now tell me what happened back there."I tried to sit up. Bad idea. "Help me first?"
Orion's Rise: From Zero to Hero in Two Worlds Chapter 17
I counted the people following me through Brno's cobblestone streets. Three of them. No, four.Amateur hour.I ducked into a small café, ordering coffee I didn't want.The place was empty. Except for an old man reading a newspaper."Rough morning?" the barista asked in Czech."You could say that." I smiled, replying in the same language.My followers scattered outside, trying to look casual. They were good. But not good enough.I sat by the window, watching their reflections in the glass. Two pretending to window shop. One checking his phone. The fourth—"Mind if I join you?"I nearly jumped. Marcus stood beside my table, coffee in hand."Those are your people outside?" I asked.He sat down without waiting for an invitation. "Insurance. Nothing personal.""Four seems excessive.""Six, actually." He smiled. "You missed two."I took a sip of coffee to hide my surprise. "What do you want, Marcus?""Direct. I like that." He leaned back, studying me. "How's the leg healing?"My hand tighte
Orion's Rise: From Zero to Hero in Two Worlds Chapter 18
The first seizure hit at 3 AM. My power went haywire, reality fracturing into a thousand different moments all at once.I saw myself die seventeen different ways in the span of a second.When it passed, I found myself curled up on the bathroom floor of my cheap hotel room. Blood dripped from my nose. The percentage in my vision read *52%*.My hands shook as I dialed Marcus's number."That was faster than I expected," he answered on the first ring."It's getting worse.""Where are you?""Hotel Avion. Room 412.""Stay there." He paused. "And Orion? Don't use your power. Not even a little."He hung up. I dragged myself to the bed, fighting another wave of nausea.Fifteen minutes later, someone knocked. Not the door – the window.I opened it to find Marcus perched on the ledge like some demented gargoyle."Fourth floor," I said. "Really?""Fewer cameras this way." He climbed in gracefully. "Let me see your eyes."He shined a penlight at me before I could protest. "Hemorrhaging. Neural stre
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Chapter 34
You know that moment when you realize you've been played? Yeah, that feeling was creeping up on me like a bad sunburn.The jungle around us was alive with sound, but all I could hear was my own heartbeat matching the rhythm of the energy pulsing through my fingers. Bzzt. Bzzt. Each spark felt stronger than the last.Njusa stood there, watching me with those eyes that seemed to see right through you. "Tell me about Orion," he said, like he was asking about the weather."Nothing to tell." I tried to focus on maintaining the energy field around my hand. It flickered like a bad TV signal."No?" His voice had this way of getting under your skin. "The way I hear it, he must quite remarkable. He must have mastered advanced techniques in days. Natural talent."The energy spiked. A nearby branch crackled and burst into blue flames."That's nice," I muttered, but my throat felt tight. Like someone was squeezing it."Nice?" Njusa l
Chapter 33
My face was buried so deep in the sand, I could probably taste yesterday's beach party. Getting out was like trying to unstick your hand from a jar of peanut butter - technically possible, but way more effort than it should be.Something tapped against my skull.Tap. Tap."Ow!" I jerked upward, spraying sand everywhere. A seagull hopped back, tilting its head like I was the weirdest thing it had seen all day. "Really? You had to peck me?"The bird just stared, probably wondering if I was edible."Shoo!" I waved my arms, which only made it take two casual steps backward. "What? What are you looking at?"Every muscle screamed as I tried to stand. Note to self: hitting sand at terminal velocity? Not recommended. My right arm was definitely not supposed to bend that way, and I'm pretty sure I had about six new joints in places joints shouldn't be.I brushed sand from my clothes, which was kind of pointless since they were basically rags now. "Where am I?"The seagull - my new best friend,
Chapter 32
Wind whistled past Jared's ears as he plummeted through cloud after cloud, each one soaking him with icy moisture. His stomach had left him somewhere around ten thousand feet ago, and his throat was raw from screaming.Where was Njusa? The mysterious warrior had simply... vanished.Oh god, is this because I mentally made fun of his name? Did he read my mind? Is this how I die - because I couldn't keep my thoughts to myself about somebody's weird name?The clouds broke beneath him, exposing a vast expanse of ocean that sparkled like broken glass in the sunlight.It would have been beautiful if it wasn't about to become his final resting place.Voooom!Something dark cut through the air beside him, trailing ribbons of pure energy. The figure moved like a missile, cutting through the sky at an impossible angle.Jared's eyes widened as he caught glimpses of Njusa through the vapor trail. The warrior's dark skin gleamed with sweat, muscles tensed as he manipulated the energy around him lik
Chapter 31
The hallways felt different after lunch period. Emptier, somehow. The air had gotten thinner. Jared's footsteps echoed wrong, each tap-tap-tap bouncing back at odd angles.Something was off.The energy under his skin noticed it too, humming like a tuning fork struck against glass. He flexed his fingers, trying to shake off the sensation.A shadow moved at the corner of his vision."Aunt Moira?" The words slipped out before he could stop them. But no - she wouldn't play games like this. Would she?The fluorescent lights overhead flickered. Once. Quick enough that anyone else might have missed it.But Jared wasn't exactly anyone else. Not anymore.I should go to class, he thought. But his feet carried him toward the shadow instead. Down the science wing, past rows of locked classroom doors with their little windows dark.Something brushed against his consciousness. Like fingers trailing through water, leaving ripples in their wake."Okay, this is getting weird." His voice sounded a bit
Chapter 30
Water trickled from the fountain's spout, each drop catching sunlight before joining the pool below. Jared stared at his reflection, distorted by the ripples.The same face that had watched Orion's sketchbook sink beneath these waters, pages bleeding ink like dying butterflies.Why did I do that?The question echoed in his head, bouncing off memories he'd rather forget. The look on Orion's face. The way his hands had trembled as he fished out the ruined pages. All that talent, all those careful lines, destroyed because... because what? Because Jared could?"You wanted to see me?""Jesus-" He spun around, nearly losing his balance. Emily stood there, still wearing that oversized sweater despite the warm afternoon.Pull it together. Bad guy. Remember?He straightened up, forcing his face into its familiar smirk. "It's like eighty degrees out. What's with the sweater?""What do you want, Jared?""Take it off."Her eyes widened."The sweater," he clarified, already hating how the words ca
Chapter 29
The microwave hummed. Jared watched the plate spin, somehow finding the monotonous motion calming after everything that had happened.His mind wandered back to his Aunt. Orion. That name kept echoing in his head, like a song he couldn't shake off.Of all the people in the world, why did out Orion? Why did just thinking about him make reality feel... thinner?The pizza rotated another quarter turn when it happened. Just a stray thought, really - wondering if Orion could see him right now - and suddenly the microwave wasn't just heating his food.The display flickered, showing symbols he'd never seen before. The hum changed pitch, rising to a whine that made his teeth itch."No, no, no-" Jared reached for the stop button, but his fingers never made it.Energy. Pure, raw energy erupted from the microwave door. Not heat or radiation - something else. Something that shouldn't exist in his mom's kitchen on a Tuesday afternoon.And Jared... caught it.The energy felt alive in his hands, like
Chapter 28
Jared spent three days waiting for the world to break again. It didn't.The numbers stayed quiet, mostly. Sometimes they'd flicker at the edge of his vision, calculating odds he never asked for. Like the 73.4% chance that the cafeteria would serve mystery meat, or the 12.8% chance that Martin would try to talk to him today.He didn't.People whispered, of course. The guy who used to rule the school through fear now spent lunch periods alone, scribbling in a notebook filled with equations he didn't understand but couldn't stop writing."What happened to Jared?""Heard he had a breakdown.""Maybe he's finally on meds."Tap. Tap. Tap.His pencil kept perfect time with the universe. Each small sound echoed through probability space, creating ripples he could almost see."Mr. Jared," Ms. Henderson called out. "The answer to number seven?"He blinked. The math problem on the board twisted into something else entirely - not the simple algebra she'd written, but a fragment of code that descri
Chapter 27
"Varian val'Soren."The name tasted like lightning. As soon as it left his lips, the world... shattered.Not literally - the field was still there, the tree still stood, but everything seemed to splinter into a thousand possible versions of itself. Jared saw each blade of grass existing in multiple states at once, growing and dying and never existing at all.His head filled with numbers.[Probability Engine Initializing: 0.001%]The ground beneath him rippled like water. He scrambled to his feet, but gravity seemed optional now. Each step he took left momentary footprints of light that faded into strings of code.[System Integration: 2.47%][Neural Pathway Reconstruction: 5.89%][Power Limitation Protocols: Disengaging]"Stop," he whispered, but his voice came out in harmonics, each word echoing through different possibilities. The tree behind him was suddenly both ancient and a sapling, its leaves falling upward into a sky that kept changing color.[12.56%]A flock of birds passed ov
Chapter 26
The strange sparks had faded by the time the final bell rang, but Jared's hands still tingled like they'd fallen asleep."Hey," Tomáš called out across the parking lot. "We're heading to the mall. Some middle schoolers have been acting tough lately. Want to help put them in their place?"A month ago, Jared would have been right there with them. Now the idea made his stomach turn. "Pass. Got stuff to do.""Since when do you have stuff to do?" Martin chimed in. "Come on, man.""I said no."Jared turned away before he could see their reactions. The walk home took him past the park, where fallen leaves skittered across the path like they were trying to spell something.That's when he saw it.A letter, hovering at eye level, completely still despite the autumn breeze. Its envelope was a deep purple that seemed to swallow light, marked with a seal he'd never seen before but somehow recognized: a twisted tree wrapped around a sword.He reached for it, half expecting his hand to pass through
