Omega Ascension System[BL]

Chapter 323: _Embrace Yourself

Elian’s POV

*****

[Wipe those tears and lock in, fruitcake.]

Elian blinked, stunned by the system’s voice. "You’re... You’re here?"

What’s the use of hiding their conversation when the only witness was a fucking reflection of his twisted soul?

The silver projection still stood a couple of feet in front of him, mirroring every movement with deadly precision. Lips curved in a spine-chilling smile that made Elian more anxious.

[Of course, I’m here. You ain’t getting rid of me that easily. This is a different dimension—your soul or consciousness wasn’t sucked away.]

His eyes widened. "So that means each time I lost contact with you—"

[You were unconscious, yes, ground-breaking. Now let’s address the shiny you shaped elephant in the room... You were right in your deduction. This dimension has traces of illusion magic. Forcing your deepest fears to life.]

Fears...

Elian squinted at the projection of himself. He sniffed, wiping the tears off his face with his right arm.

It was merely an illusion.

With a snarl, he punched forward, rage and desperation burning away his reasoning.

[Wait, don’t—]

BOOM!

The force of the punch upon contact sent a mini shockwave, blowing strands of Elian’s hair over his face. But his fist didn’t connect with the reflection’s face as he’d hoped.

It caught the punch, curling fingers tight on his knuckles until bones snapped. Elian gasped, nearly stumbling from the pain.

[That can’t be good.]

A simple arm twist was all it took to fling Elian backwards, spinning him through the air like a rag doll. He landed on the floor, the white expanse carrying the pain in his groans.

[Next time, let’s try not to attack a projection of your divine soul.]

’I thought you said it was just an illusion?’

[Yes—one cast by a transcendent-level witch with access to a wide array of energies. So don’t be surprised when it packs a punch.]

Gritting his teeth, Elian got himself off the floor. The strength from that swing would’ve been enough to break bones if the reflection hit him.

"Why so pressed, Elian?" The reflection spoke again, its voice distorted and heavy. "Don’t like what you see? Oh, wait..." It paused, lips curling into a wider grin. "The name Elian isn’t even yours. You stole it. Just like everything else about you."

His intermediate-level core flared, magic crackling between his fingers. With a roar, he swiped his right hand forward, sending a blast of purple mana at it.

But it was futile, the reflection scattering into thousands of silver specks before the blast hit. It reappeared a few meters to his left, that stupid grin ever present.

[Girl, let’s be real. It’s clear Amara—are you seriously preparing another attack?]

Elian yelled, waving his hands forward repeatedly. Blast after blast, fireballs, even small bolts of purple lightning... All dodged expertly by the reflection.

It was almost like a battle of life or death for him. But to the reflection, it was a game. One he was losing woefully.

[Think Elian. You don’t fight your fears by punching and breaking like you’ve got a Deus ex machina backing you.]

He could barely focus on the system’s voice, eyes following the fluid movements of his soul reflection.

"You think what you have now is power?" The reflection sniggered. "You have an untapped well of divinity... Waiting to be unleashed. You’re connected to the most powerful force on this continent."

Each word uttered made Elian’s breath shudder. Why—Why did it sound so right? So certain?

[Because it’s what Amara wants. To break you. Make you question yourself through your fears.]

Curling his fists, Elian asked mentally. ’Then... Then how do I fight my fears?’

[By facing them. Your biggest fear is yourself. As crazy as that is. You’re afraid of what you are. Of what you did—]

"I... I killed Elian." His voice cracked. "I don’t deserve to live. I stole his life... His future. Even his family weren’t spared."

[You SURVIVED, Elian. That’s your only crime. And yes, that’s your name. You don’t need me or anyone else as a reminder—for eighteen years you’ve worn that name.]

"Aww," the reflection took slow, predatory steps forward, arms spread out. "Crying now, are we? Look at how weak you’ve let yourself become. Thousands of years of divine excellence... Reduced to an Omega."

That last word struck something in Elian. It was sharp. Instant.

Omega.

Lowering his head, memories flashed through his mind. Every slap. Every push, kick and jagged words thrown at him. All because he was a wolfless Omega.

Unaware of his true nature.

"I’m... I’m not meant to fear what I am." He mumbled, raising his head again. For the first time, the reflection’s features twisted with a frown.

Its silver eyes dimmed, squinting as if spoken in an unknown language.

Elian didn’t stop, placing his arms beside himself. "I’m meant to embrace every part of myself. The unknown. The scary parts. The instincts that pushed me to steal a child’s body for survival..."

As he spoke, he took a step toward the reflection. Then another.

One thought pulsed in his mind. A thought that even the system might not be able to predict.

[Uhm... Huh?]

"You think flowery words are going to save you from your destiny?" The reflection cackled. "It’s inevitable. You’re inevitable. And as long as you’re here I’m going to keep on being a reminder—"

"Who said I needed saving from destiny?" Elian grinned, spreading out his arms. But no magic gathered. Just a freeing feeling that overshadowed all others. "Since I found out my true origins, I’ve run away from that part of myself. I tried distracting myself like it wasn’t still there."

He wasn’t saying all these words for the delight of the reflection.

No—it was all for himself.

"I have no fear for you anymore," he said firmly. "For what I truly am. You’re merely an illusion, and neither you nor Amara can make me fall into those murky waters again."

Without warning, he ran. When he got in front of the reflection, he didn’t punch, kick or blast. Instead, he wrapped his arms around it, pulling it into an embrace.

[Oh? Oh... Oh my days, that’s the most beautiful metaphor ever. Embracing yourself.]

The reflection stiffened, sizzling heat from its energy body cooling drastically. Meanwhile, all around them, the white void showed cracks.

Elian smirked, pushing the reflection away from himself. "Nice try, Amara. But thanks for the lesson on self-love. I promise to do more of that moving forward."

As the reflection blinked back at him with confusion, the system projected a screen in front of him.

[Spatial distortion detected. Pocket dimension pulling the host back to the main reality.]

Hell, yeah!

White light swallowed Elian. The fear didn’t vanish. It simply stopped owning him.

And with it came an odd feeling of hope.

Wherever Lucian and Kyren were he was certain they could handle their trials as well as he did.