Jay looked toward Rownak and said calmly, "There's one more. The man who planted the bomb under the Quadnite Chairman's orders."
He opened the next door, revealing a small, cozy hall. Inside, a man and a young boy, no older than ten, were laughing as they played with toy cars on the floor.
The father looked up, and the color drained from his face the instant he saw Jay. The warmth in his expression faded, replaced by a quiet heaviness. He knew exactly what this visit meant.
He softly called out to his wife.
A woman stepped out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Dinner's almost ready," she said with a faint smile, until she saw the look on her husband's face.
She then followed his gaze to Jay and Rownak, and realization struck. Her eyes welled with tears, her hands trembling as she reached for the table beside to steady herself.
She understood what this meant to his husband without a word being spoken.
The child, however, remained blissfully unaware. He ran up to Jay and Rownak with innocent excitement, holding out a few candies.
"Are you Mr. Baby Santa's friends? Are you here to play with us?" he asked brightly, his round eyes filled with curiosity.
Rownak froze, his throat tightening. The innocence in the boy's eyes made his chest ache. He looked from the boy to his parents. The mother, quietly crying; the father, shoulders slumped, waiting for what he thought was his end.
Jay's voice echoed in Rownak's mind. 'This man, Vikram, was the one who planted the bomb. He followed the Chairman's orders… all for money. His son had cancer, and he did everything out of desperation. I've already cured the boy's illness and gave him this time with his family as his final wish. Now, the decision is yours; whether he lives or dies.'
Rownak's fingers curled into fists as he watched the small family. Anger clashed with pity. He remembered his father, his mother's tears, and the hole his death had left. But when his eyes fell on the boy, all he saw was innocence and his younger self.
Vikram walked up to them, eyes downcast, "I know what I've done," he said quietly. "I won't beg for forgiveness. Just… let me say goodbye."
He sank to his knees before his son, his voice shaking. "Buddy, I have to go somewhere, okay?"
The boy frowned, confused. "Where are you going, Papa? You promised you'd help me finish the model ship tonight."
Vikram's mouth opened, but no words came. His eyes welled up, his throat tight.
Before he could speak, Rownak placed a hand on the boy's head and said softly, "Your Papa's not going anywhere. He's staying right here with you."
The boy smiled brightly, not understanding the weight behind the words, "Really?"
Rownak nodded. "Really."
He then turned away, walking out of the room before the weight in his chest could crush him.
Jay gave Vikram a long, silent look, one filled with meaning, before turning away and following Rownak out.
Vikram stood frozen, tears spilling freely. When he finally understood what had just happened, he turned and pulled his wife and son into his arms, holding them tightly, grateful for the life he had been allowed to keep.
.....
Their footsteps echoed softly along the long corridor as Jay and Rownak walked side by side in silence.
For a while, neither spoke. Then Rownak finally broke the quiet.
"Jay… do you think I did the right thing?"
Jay didn't stop walking as he replied in a calm voice.
"Whatever it is, that's the choice you made. Because of it, that kid will have a better life. And as for Vikram, he won't just walk away free. After the BETA PROGRAM begins, I'll make him a Sigil Holder and assign him to guard your family. He'll spend the rest of his life repenting for what he's done."
Rownak let out a slow breath, his shoulders loosened a little, but his expression remained distant.
Jay noticed. He reached over and patted Rownak's shoulder before wrapping an arm around him.
"Come on," he said with a faint smile. "Let's move on to awakening your talent. Aren't you curious to find out what it is?"
Rownak didn't react the way he once might have. The spark of excitement in his eyes was gone. After everything that had happened, it was hard to feel the same.
They continued walking until the corridor opened into a wide, circular hall. The space was bright and clean, furnished like a waiting area.
Someone was already there, pacing around, firing one question after another at MJ, who hovered nearby, answering patiently.
"MJ, you said the Trial World operates under different timeflow, right? So technically if… "
Before he could finish, he noticed them and stopped mid-sentence. His face lit up instantly.
"Guys! You're finally here!"
Rownak blinked, startled, then recognized him. It was Udhay, dressed sharply in one of his usual flashy suits.
Udhay rushed forward, nearly tripping over himself.
"Sensei! MJ's been telling me everything about the Trial World and all these crazy powers! I can't wait to find out what mine is!"
He turned to Rownak next. "And you, Rownak! Man, how are you doing? Everyone's hyped for your next movie already. Feeds are full of promos!"
Rownak managed a polite nod and faint smile. "Thanks, Udhay. It's been… a while."
Udhay didn't notice the weight in his tone and kept grinning.
Jay turned to Udhay. "Alright, enough chatter. Now that MJ's brought you up to speed, let's begin the awakening."
He then lifted both his hands and tapped the spot between their eyebrows, first Rownak's, then Udhay's.
A thin pulse of silver light rippled outward from each touch, forming intricate sigils that glowed briefly before sinking beneath their skin.
Inside his Spirit Space, Jay observed as the Origin Sigils began their work, pulling in the innate talents pre-allotted to both of them.
Udhay's was a Grade-4 Martial Category Talent, while Rownak's belonged to the Variant Category, at Grade-5. But since Jay had granted them Major Origin Sigils, both their talents immediately advanced to Grade-9.
The process was smooth and brief. As the glow faded, MJ appeared beside them, projecting two holographic screens that displayed their respective talents.
Udhay leaned so close to his that his nose nearly touched the projection. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he scrolled through the details, trying to take in every line at once.
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║HOWLING SKY MARTIAL SCRIPTURE║
⧼Grade-9 ⧽ ⧼Martial Category ⧽
A Martial Scripture that fuses Wind and Sound, granting the Host mastery of the skies. Through flight, the Host channels the resonance of the atmosphere into Howling Sky Martial Aura, and that intensifies the longer the Host remains airborne.
Each second of sustained flight amplifies the Host's speed, reflexes, and perception by 0.5%, stacking up to a maximum of 500%. The accumulated aura can be released in bursts or focused attacks that distort air and sound alike.
Innate Exclusive Skills: Yet to awaken
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"Cool! So I can actually fly now?" Udhay blurted out, his eyes lighting up like a kid handed his first toy.
Before Jay could even respond, Udhay took a step back, bent his knees, and leapt dramatically into the air, only to land with a dull thud that echoed across the hall.
Undeterred, he tried again, this time stretching both arms wide like wings. "How about now? No? Wait, maybe it needs a pose!"
He crouched low, one hand forward, another raised behind him, muttering, "Okay… up, up, and away!"
Nothing. Not even a breeze.
Jay simply shook his head with a faint smile. "You first need to increase your mastery and unlock the Howling Sky Martial Aura before you can fly."
Udhay's shoulders slumped. "So, no flight today?"
"Not yet," Jay said calmly. "I'll raise your mastery later so you can synchronize and use it properly."
The moment the words left Jay's mouth, Udhay energetically bounced right back. He raised both fists in excitement.
"Alright! Then when you do, I'm flying straight to the stratosphere!"
Jay rolled his eyes. "Baby steps, Udhay. First learn to levitate properly. It takes a bit of accustoming to, unless you plan on face-planting into obstacles mid-flight."
Udhay grinned, completely unfazed. "Come on, I'm a natural. Give me some time, and even the birds will envy me."
Jay sighed and decided not to bother with the overconfident guy anymore. Instead, he reflected on what this meant for him.
With this talent, he could now fly without having to rely on telekinesis or the limited flight duration of his armor's second form, STARBORNE HORIZON.
As for how fast he could actually fly, that was still unknown, but first, he needed to raise the Talent's Mastery. That could wait for later.
For now, his focus was on the other talent.
Jay turned to Rownak, who was still studying the details of his own Innate Talent. Jay's gaze shifted to the hovering screen projection beside him, displaying the talent's information.
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Due to ongoing piracy concerns, the final 22 chapters of Volume 3 (Ch.351 to 372) are not posted publicly. They are exclusively available through:
📘 Amazon Kindle – Volume 3 eBook & PATRE0N
👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRQNP1ZS
🌟 Join the Free Patreon Tier to access one free advanced chapter and view exclusive artwork for public chapters! 🌟
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Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.
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Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :
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