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Chapter 5 - Power

Notice: Edited on June 29th, 2025

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The morning light shines brightly through the clear skies as I make my way to the street in front of our house. Looking around, I realize that it's probably still rather early, considering that there is still no one around.

So, I begin to stretch my arms and legs a little as a warmup. While doing so, I think about everything that has occurred. It's incredibly wild, to say the least. But hey, better adapt fast.

Once done with warming up, I consider what would be the best workout to start with. A few crossed my mind, but what stuck best was a jog. It would reveal a lot about the current state of my body - namely, my stamina and endurance.

With that in mind, I flick the front of my feet a few times to make sure my shoes are good enough for a jog before getting into position. The plan is to do a medium-paced jog for as long as I can endure.

I move, and the next thing I know, I'm dashing.

My brain is practically unable to process what my feet are up to as I find myself soar through the air briefly, followed by a rather ungraceful fall.

"What the...?" I voice out in a bewildered tone. I don't feel any pain as a result from the fall, oddly enough.

Curious and confused, I get back on my feet, checking out my surroundings to see if anyone is around to see what just happened.

Phew... still no one. Now, about the little incident from just now...

I'm sure I attempted to move at a medium pace. Nonetheless, I found myself dashing, and not just dashing, but dashing at an absurd speed. I was freaking airborne, even if it was a for a fleeting moment. Besides that, the lack of injuries is quite the oddity too.

Looking down, I notice that certain parts of my clothes are torn. Upon further inspection, the skin shown behind the torn areas is just fine. Not a single scratch to be seen.

This is interesting...

So, I prepare myself for another jog, this time wary of any complications that may occur. I move—no, I once again dash forward, this time somehow managing to stay on my feet, though with great difficulty.

Yeah, this is abnormal as hell.

I take a deep breath and look around me. I look toward the left, where the fields are. I focus on a tree in the middle of the field that's a good distance away. Suddenly, my vision blips, and I find myself staring at ants climbing a brown cliff(?). No, that's not it... I try to visualize something, and, the next moment, my vision 'shifts back' and as expected, it was the tree bark and not a cliff.

Yeah, this is definitely not normal. Both my vision and speed are well beyond what a human should be capable of. Now, is this it, or is there even more to it? How about if I run at full speed?

I get into position, marking the tree in the distance as my stopping point. I dash forward—no, I practically launch toward the tree, covering the vast distance between in what feels like less than a second.

'What-"! I voice internally as I find myself closing in on the tree.

I shut my eyes, bracing for a painful crash. Surprisingly, rather than pain, all I feel is something being easily pushed of the way as I continue to soar through the air. Well, along with a very loud cracking noise.

Opening my eyes, I notice that I'm about to hit the ground.

The moment I do, I feel no pain as I bounce and roll on the ground for a significant distance.

Unable to make sense of what just happened, I lay on the ground, staring at the scattered clouds in the sky.

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Having taken my sweet time to process everything that just occurred, I get back on my feet and look over at where the tree was.

"Rest in pieces," I mutter as I stare at the broken remains on the ground.

Shaking my head, I focus on another area where I want to be before dashing forth. In the blink of an eye, I find myself once again soaring through the air, going well beyond the area I had targeted.

Then, I crash into the ground again.

Goddamn it... Is this the sealed power that Janus spoke of?

I repeat what I just did several times, hoping to master it. This takes a while, but once I'm satisfied with the little mastery I've gained over dashing, I move on to sprinting.

This one (unsurprisingly) turns out to be much harder to master compared to dashing. Fall after fall, I end up completely ruining my clothes. Eventually, I finally find myself capable of running without bulldozing the ground with my face after a few steps.

Of course, I was well aware of the abnormality of the situation, so I frequently checked my surroundings for people while practicing. This, in turn, led to me understanding the basics of how my vision worked. Not only that, but I also feel like I have a little control over my... perception now. As in, feeling thins around me.

Willing for control over my senses, I focus on the movements of a cricket in the field that isn't visible to me. Upon further focusing my senses, I sense several ants approaching the cricket.

It seems like just about everything about my physical body has been enhanced to well beyond superhuman levels... It only serves to make me wonder just how much my strength and endurance have changed as well, if they have, that is.

First, let me see if jumping is any different.

Looking up at the bright sky, I notice a few birds fly by.

Then, I leap.

The next thing I know, I feel like my body is weightless.

I look down and immediately realize my situation. I'm very high in the sky. In fact, upon looking around, I notice that I've gone even beyond the clouds.

This continues for a moment before I feel the tug of gravity finally pulling me back down. I panic internally, as I sincerely hope my endurance is enough to handle this fall.

Strong winds blow into me, ripping off whatever was left of my shirt.

A short yet long while later, I crash down into the field, my arms and legs digging into the ground. I feel my toes shoot through the front of my shoes, which are now completely ruined.

Still, no pain.

"Fuck yes..." I voice excitedly, adrenaline coursing through my body.

A little while later, I notice some fabric falling from the sky some distance away.

Now that I think about it, how will I explain all this to Sora? Bet the poor girl's going to think I got hit by a truck or something...

Whatever. Future me can handle that. For now, let's what else I've got going for me.

Looking into the distance, I focus my vision on a building that is still under construction. Perfect target.

I dash and sprint toward it, covering the distance in almost no time at all.

With my newfound control, I barely manage to come to a stop in front of the building. I then proceed to check my surroundings through my enhanced senses and vision, making sure that no one is within the vicinity.

Once I'm sure that the coast's clear, I raise my arm and slowly approach one side of the incomplete building. I firmly fix my feet into the ground, my toes extending past where it was torn as I raise my right arm and pull it back. Then, with as much power as I can muster, I punch at the wall. I feel like I struck nothing as my hand easily passes through the wall, the force along with which it carried completely destroying not only the wall, but the road beyond it.

"Fuck me..." I mutter, ignoring the falling debris as more of building continues to collapse.

Amazing… Simply amazing... So much power and no injuries to on my hand whatsoever.

All of a sudden, I detect an abnormality through my perception. I focus and realize that several men are rushing toward where I am. Fuck... the sight of the building along with the noise must've attracted them over.

I cast one last glance at where the wall used to be, along with the ruined road behind it. Good thing there was no residence behind this wall.

And so, I immediately dash out of the area and break into a sprint toward the fields, practically blinking away from where I was.

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I should be good now.

There was no resident around me. Heck, not even a road. I made sure to go far.

"Okay... this is crazy," I voice as I look down at my hands. I'm not quite sure what the hell has happened to me, but I dig it.

This begs the question... "How am I supposed to get stronger than this?

[There are several ways.]

Ah! Forgot I had formed a spiritual connection with Juno.

"What are they?" I voice excitedly.

[The most efficient one would be leaving the Rift and venturing to a Platform, where you can obtain more power easily.]

The Rift again. She mentioned it earlier but has yet to explain what it is to me.

[The Rift is a crack in the macrocosm that appeared several millennia ago. It has now become the linchpin of all existing Platforms, with the Mete being what separates them all.]

[Platforms are what you would refer to as dimensions. The Mete is an infinite space - the same one in which you met me in my... spiritual form. In it you are only able to exist spiritually, otherwise your body would break down almost instantaneously. With that said, to get to a Platform, the Mete could grant you a body that is a copy of your original one at the Rift, with a strong connection between the two.]

[If you are to die in a Platform, your soul will return to its original body, albeit at a cost, depending on the conditions of your death.]

That's... insane. Dimensions? I'll be jumping to other worlds!?

"How do I access these 'Platforms'?" I quickly ask.

[Get to The Mete, from there, I will be able to send you off to a Platform.] She replies with a hint of fervor in her voice.

Juno said something about my body falling unconscious when I accessed the Mete... So, I suppose I should do this after lying down so that no one notices.

"Is there any Platform for me to access right now that will allow me to get considerably stronger within a short period?"

[There is one Platform that will let you attain power... rather, abilities at a tremendous speed depending on the actions you take.]

[However, keep in mind that your existence is marked by Janus' aura, which binds the flow of predestined events to you. You will inevitably affect everything the very moment you arrive at any Platform, even if you were to simply sit by and do nothing.]

[Now that we have all that cleared up, get to the Mete as soon as possible; you're going to be going to a Platform known as-] a little pause [Project Charlotte.]

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