Within the frozen range, the ethereal phantom of Jay's consciousness was suddenly able to move freely. He immediately noticed that he was restricted to the 10-meter radius around his past-self.
The colorless expanse beyond the radius remained inaccessible, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move beyond that invisible boundary.
Jay quickly realized that the Temporal Relapse allowed him to exist outside the flow of time within that limited range. His present self could move freely within the frozen moment of time, but wasn't able to interact with anything. However, there was one exception: the Origin Glaive.
The tattoo of the Origin Glaive on his past self's right arm seemed to call out to him, as if sensing his presence in this frozen reality. With a simple will, the weapon materialized into the suspended moment, moving freely within the 10-meter radius just as his consciousness could. It wasn't bound by time either, unaffected by the frozen scene around it.
As he moved the Glaive within the invisible boundary, Jay came to a profound realization. While he couldn't change the past directly, he could communicate with the Origin Glaive and manipulate it within that suspended time frame.
Jay's mind raced as he conjured a wild idea: 'What if I could command the Origin Glaive to pierce the Lightning Jackal's head while time was frozen, killing it in the past and thus in the future as well?'
It seemed like an irresistible plan—one that would bend the very laws of reality. If he could strike down the monster in frozen time, the battle would be over before it began.
But just as quickly as the thought formed, the sentient weapon rejected the idea, nudging Jay through their bond as if saying: 'That's not how it works.'
Jay felt the Glaive's gentle push of understanding, a silent communication that conveyed the limits of what could be done within frozen time. The Glaive, as if proving its point, began to move on its own, sliding effortlessly through the frozen moment. It positioned itself directly in front of his past self, the gleaming blade set perfectly to intercept the monster's Lightning imbued claws.
In that instant, Jay began to grasp the rules of Temporal Relapse. He couldn't change the past in the sense of delivering offensive strikes or killing enemies in the frozen time. The Glaive's power, at least in the frozen time, was purely defensive. It could only protect and prevent damage, not inflict it.
Although disappointed, Jay understood the balance. It would be far too broken, too overpowered, if he could simply kill anything with the Glaive while time was frozen.
The weapon's limitation made sense, shaping the ability to focus on defense rather than unchecked power. That restriction ensured that Temporal Relapse was more attuned to protecting him from injuries that had already occurred, giving him the ability to shield himself from attacks in the past.
That led Jay to wonder if that was all he could do and alter nothing else in the past. However, he quickly realized there was much more to it than that.
With the Origin Glaive firmly in position to block the Lightning Jackal's attack, the weapon hummed softly, signaling Jay. He wasn't entirely sure what the Glaive was telling him until he suddenly felt his consciousness sucked into his past self. The transition was seamless, and before he could even process what had happened, time resumed.
The Jackal's claws struck the blade of the Glaive with tremendous force, blue lightning sparking off the impact, but the weapon did not move—not even an inch. It was as if the Glaive had become a wall, immovable and unyielding.
The Lightning Jackal's powerful strike, which should have slashed across Jay's chest and sent him knocking back, was effortlessly deflected. The monster recoiled, visibly stunned. Its attack had been repelled by something it hadn't even seen before—a weapon that appeared out of nowhere and met its claws like an unbreakable shield.
The monster's confusion was evident in the way it backed up, its massive frame trembling slightly as it tried to comprehend what had just happened. Its once-furious growls were replaced by a low, uncertain rumble, as if it realized it was no longer in control of the battle.
The Jackal had been confident that its powerful attack would land, that Jay would be an easy target. But it found itself disoriented and uncertain, facing a force it didn't understand.
While the Jackal faltered, Jay found himself fully in control of his past self. He could move freely within the 10-meter radius, where time flowed normally. The world beyond, however, remained frozen—locked in monochrome, with every tree, every grain of sand, and every distant movement suspended in the same black-and-silver haze.
Outside that 10-meter radius, time had no meaning. It was as if the inside of the invisible boundary was separated from the rest of the world. Everything inside functioned as it should, while outside, the rest of the world seemed to be trapped in an eternal stillness.
Although he didn't fully understand what had just happened, Jay realized that he could make changes in the past, starting from the moment he was supposed to be injured. With time running out, he had mere seconds before the fragment of reality he was in would return to the present.
Without hesitation, he gripped the hovering Origin Glaive and swung it with precision at the Lightning Jackal's front legs. The blade sliced through the creature's limbs effortlessly, sending the massive beast flying backward.
The Jackal hurtled through the air, only to collide violently with an invisible barrier at the edge of the 10-meter radius that separated the colored, time-moving space from the frozen, monochrome world beyond.
Jay prepared to finish off the wounded creature, but something beyond the boundary caught his attention. He halted in his tracks and turned his focus to the world outside the 10-meter bubble.
Slowly, a skeletal silhouette with glowing red eyes emerged from the silver-black expanse, its form ghostly and wraith-like. The apparition hovered at the edge of the time-separation barrier, trying to breach the barrier.
The creature banged furiously against the invisible boundary, its form rippling with rage as it failed to enter. Moments later, more similar apparitions appeared from nowhere, each one more terrifying than the last. They varied in size and shape, but every one of them exuded an overwhelming presence—far more powerful than even Soren, the Tier-7 male Sentinel Jay had once clashed with.
Jay's heart pounded, but he remained rooted in place, breathing a small sigh of relief when he realized that the creatures couldn't penetrate the invisible boundary. He had a deep, unsettling feeling that if any of those ghostly apparitions managed to cross the threshold, his ending would be anything but good.
Just as the creatures continued their relentless assault on the barrier, the Origin Glaive in Jay's hand let out a sharp, aggressive hum. In an instant, the ghastly figures drew back, their movements frantic and fearful.
They backed away, no longer pounding on the boundary but instead watching cautiously from a distance. Their earlier aggression had vanished, replaced by a palpable sense of dread.
Jay glanced at the weapon in his hand, astonished at its ability to subdue such deadly creatures with ease. He had always known the Glaive was extraordinary, but witnessing it instill fear in beings of such power reaffirmed the weapon's true might. It was, after all, once wielded by his Predecessor. He had expected nothing less from a godly weapon.
Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the invisible barrier collapsed. The frozen world around Jay shifted back into motion, and color flooded back into the environment. The Lightning Jackal, still crippled from Jay's strike, lay on the ground in agony.
Jay could once again sense Seath's presence, and with it, the familiar buzz of his thoughts, which had been completely cut off while Jay had been inside the time-manipulated space.
The memory of the ghostly apparitions lingered in Jay's thoughts. He had no idea what they were or why they had appeared, but knowing he was safe from them thanks to the Origin Glaive, he let out a sigh of relief.
Determined to uncover answers, he approached Seath, hoping to learn more about what he had witnessed and to understand the deeper principles behind Temporal Relapse and how it truly functioned.
Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.
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 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' :
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