Rejoice Readers! Update is finally here! Enjoy the chapter!
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Jay's POV
Opening my eyes, I felt an indescribable amount of pain throughout my body. Breathing was becoming more difficult as time passed.
Wheezing, I painfully tilted my head forward to check the state of my body. I had bruises everywhere and was swollen in some areas.
I shouldn't be in this much pain and unable to move. I put my head back on the ground, gazing up at the sky in contemplation.
'I'm pretty sure most of the bones in my body were broken.' I let out a pained sigh.
The portal had yet to close, and that strange energy continued to seep through it. Closing my eyes, I took slow but careful breaths to avoid causing myself too much pain.
'Damn it, what am I supposed to do?' As I wondered how I could get out of this situation, I noticed the portal beginning to swirl closed.
As it shut, the leftover energy rushed at me like a raging bull. My vision was shrouded in blue as the energy began to cover my entire body.
A cool sensation spread throughout me, saturating my being as it sank into every pore of my skin. It was unnaturally calming, almost euphoric.
'This feels… good.' That was all I could think as I felt it coursing through me.
I don't know how long I lay there, but by the time it was over, the pain in my body had long subsided. When the energy had finally settled, my vision returned, and the portal was no longer there.
What shocked me more was that I was no longer in the same clothes I had arrived in. I now wore some kind of futuristic suit that you'd see in movies.
It was made of a sleek black material. The texture was hard yet oddly soft. Feeling something on my face, I reached to remove it.
It felt like a helmet, though I couldn't take it off for some reason. I fumbled around some more, discovering a hood was attached to it.
'Why would I need a hood if I already have a helmet?' Sighing, I stood up and did a few stretches, only to notice a cape connected to my back.
I didn't understand why I'd also need a cape, but I decided I wouldn't question it further. The suit was weirdly comfortable to move in. The fact that it didn't seem to restrict any of my movements at all was astounding.
Looking down at my hands, I pondered for a while. After a moment, I closed my eyes and took slow, deep breaths. Whatever that energy did to me felt permanent.
I felt stronger, faster. It was exhilarating. I could still feel it coursing through my body. It was like a huge dam that could hold the water it contained and could break at any moment.
Not only that, but it felt like an extension of my body for some reason. Maybe it was because the energy was now a part of me, but it felt instinctual.
"... "
It felt alive and wild, but somehow, it was as if it was waiting for me to tame it and make it mine. Taking a deep breath, a cool sensation spread through my body.
I continued to take deep breaths, trying to focus on the energy. I tried willing it toward my hand, and it obeyed somewhat unwillingly, as if fighting for control over itself.
After a little while, I succeeded. Exhaling, I opened my eyes to see the same energy I had seen from the portal leaking from my palm. It pulsed with life as it hovered slightly above my hand.
Chuckling, a wide grin spread across my face. Flexing my hand, the energy surged in my palm, only to immediately backfire. A burst of energy then shot out and sent me flying.
"Ugh, that hurts." Groaning, my suit hummed a faint blue before I felt the aches begin to fade.
Looking up, I saw the dispersed energy flowing back towards me as it began to be reabsorbed by my body.
'Hmm, weird, but cool.' Getting back up, I began my climb out of the crater.
When I finally pulled myself out, I scoured the area; I didn't see much, only wasteland stretching for miles with seemingly no end.
That was until I spotted what seemed to be a large city way off in the distance. I groaned, knowing how far I would need to travel to reach it.
"Argh, dang it. This is going to be the longest walk of my life." Sighing, I began my long walk toward the city.
.
.
.
.
After a long walk, I decided it was worth dying from overexertion. Exhausted, I sat on the ground to regather my thoughts.
"There has to be something I can use to travel faster, right?" Sighing, I scanned the wasteland, searching for anything to help me travel quicker.
Fortunately, I spotted what looked like a junkyard in the distance. It was still a long way to travel, but at least it was closer than the city was.
Getting up, I immediately began to make my way towards it. After a while of traveling, I finally made it to the junkyard.
Looking around, I noticed a few vehicles that seemed somewhat functional. Making my way through the junkyard, I stopped in front of some kind of motorcycle.
'Hmm, this one looks somewhat well-maintained. Let's just hope I can get it to start.' I thought as I hopped on.
I tried turning it on, but quickly realized I had no idea how to start it. I didn't see any ignition switch, and from what I could see, there didn't appear to be any other way to start it.
"Oh, screw this. There's no way I'm walking all the way there." Gripping the handles, I rev the bike, attempting to get it started.
It flickers to life for a brief moment before shutting down again.
"C'mon. How the hell does this thing work?" I keep revving in hopes of it starting somehow, but to no avail.
'Ok, this is starting to piss me off.' I hissed as I clenched the handles harder.
It was then that I noticed blue energy leaking out of my hands. It was like the energy was responding to my frustrated emotions.
I watched curiously as it began to seep into the bike. The bike then glowed faintly before roaring to life.
"I seriously need to learn to control this stuff…" I groaned before revving the bike and speeding toward the city.
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.
.
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I don't know how long it's been since I began driving to the city, but it doesn't look that far away now.
"Honestly, I didn't think it would take so long." I sigh as I continue my silent drive.
'Still, this place looks amazing.' Taking in the surroundings, I listen to the hum of the bike.
It is peaceful. Well, up until I saw a huge dent in the ground that was reminiscent of my own, although much shallower.
Stopping near the crater, I look around only to see a person on the ground a few feet away. It was the first time I saw someone other than myself here.
Cautiously, I approached them. Like mine, they had a helmet covering their face, so I couldn't tell what they looked like, but from their build, I could tell it was a guy.
But that's beside the point, it looked like he was unconscious. Bending down next to them, I could see they were severely injured.
They had multiple gashes in several areas. Their breathing was shallow, almost imperceptible. They weren't bleeding, but I could see what looked like code flowing out from the wounds.
How they were still alive, I didn't know. Though I could tell it wouldn't be that way for much longer.
It was then that I noticed a large emblem on his chest. The symbol was barely visible due to his injuries, but I could still make out what it was.
"Tron…" I muttered as I saw the game's logo.
A stream of thought ran through my head.
'Did everyone have this symbol? Is he the key to finding Flynn?' Sighing, I decided to put those thoughts off for now.
It didn't look like he was about to last much longer, so I decided that I might as well try waking him up to get some answers.
"Hey, wake up. Who did this to you?" I tried jostling the person awake.
It took a little bit, but he eventually woke.
"Where… am I?"
"Some kind of wasteland. Sorry, but I don't know a whole lot about this place just yet," I told him.
"The outlands… ugh… who are you?" he said between gasps.
I looked down at him as he lay in front of me. He barely had the strength to talk. It seemed he was holding onto every ounce of life he had left.
'I was losing time. I needed to get information before he died…' It sucked, but there was nothing I could do for him.
"Is there any way for you to give me the information I need? You and I both know you're not going to make it…" I said as I stared down at him.
There was a long pause between us before he painfully grunted and reached for something on his back.
"This is an identity disc. Every program on the grid has one, but from the looks of it, you don't."
"..."
"You're different, I don't know why, but I can feel you are… take my disc, place it onto the attachment on your back." He coughed out as he shakily gave me the disc.
"What would that even do?"
"Everything I've learned and know will be transferred to you. I'm not entirely sure what will happen after that. I've heard some terrible stories, but I hope they're not as bad as they sound."
"Mmm."
"One last thing…"
"Yeah, what is it?"
"If it's not too much to ask… could you look after my friends?"
"I don't-"
"Please…"
Those were the last words he uttered before his body crumbled into thousands of pixels. Staring at what remained of him, I got up and looked at the disc before sighing.
"Fine, just don't make me regret it…" Looking over the disc, I fiddled with it, tapping it on the ground, and noticing how solidly it held up.
Staring at it a bit longer, I pondered whether I should really attach this thing to me. Sure, I needed information, but if what he said about the stories was true, this could go south fast.
"But what other choice do I have?" Raising the disc behind my back, I felt my cape shift to make a hole where I was sure the docking area that guy mentioned was.
Docking the disc to my back, I waited for something to happen. I waited for a while, and nothing happened.
"Was that guy lying-" My words died in my throat.
Something was happening. I crumpled to my knees, gripping my head as an intense pain suddenly hit me.
It was as if someone was shoving needles into my brain over and over. Knowing the cause of the pain, I immediately went to remove the disc from my back.
As I grabbed it, I felt a jolt of electricity shock my hand away from it. Dread washed over me; I couldn't take it off. It was like the disc had fused with my back.
"Damn it! Get off!" I yelled with a mixture of pain and fury.
I grabbed the disc, uncaring of the electricity shocking me. I couldn't bear this pain any longer. I needed to get rid of this disc now.
I yelled in anguish as the intensity of the pain grew stronger. I slammed my fists on the ground, cracking it as I yelled toward the sky.
"Damn it, damn it… DAMN IT!" Unable to withstand the torture from both the shocks and the head pain, I passed out.