CHAPTER 242: Orientation (Part-2)
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Jay was utterly stunned. The power of the Thunder Miasma he possessed paled in comparison to the sheer might of the Abyssal Field.
The clash with his doppelganger was harrowing; every time the doppelganger struck, wisps of Abyss Energy invaded Jay’s being. He felt utterly defenseless against this sinister-looking energy.
His stats plummeted, forcing him to contend with debilitating weaknesses. Though the effects were temporary, they were devastatingly effective, reducing him to a fraction of his usual strength.
The only slim chance Jay had was when the doppelganger was still building up to unleash the Abyss Field. Once it was fully activated, Jay could only wait to be suppressed.
The desire to obtain the Abyss Frame grew within him. The
The two abilities displayed were more than enough to convince him, and he knew there were more to come.
As the announcement for the third Orientation Instance appeared, Jay’s guess was partially correct. There was indeed more to the Orientation, but he had been mistaken in expecting more; there was only one ability left.
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Unlike before, Jay was in a dire state. He hadn’t had time to recover; his stats were still brutally suppressed to just 25% of their normal values. His Spirit Energy and Stamina were almost depleted.
The doppelganger, strangely, ceased its assault and remained still as the third Instance began.
Puzzled, Jay wondered why it didn’t attack. His confusion quickly turned to horror when he felt himself being pulled into the Abyssal Field from beneath his feet.
Panic surged through him as he realized it wasn’t his body being dragged down, but his soul. He watched in disbelief as his physical form lay on the ground, motionless and enshrouded in writhing Abyss Energy.
His body convulsed violently, as though enduring unimaginable pain. The sight of his own body in such a desperate state was a bit too much to bear.
Jay struggled with the surreal reality of his soul being separated from his body, but no matter how hard he fought, he was inexorably drawn into the consuming darkness of the Abyssal Field.
In the next moment, as his consciousness began to clear after being pulled away from his body, he found himself outside an ICU room in the hospital, standing among his tearful siblings and distraught parents.
The harsh fluorescent lights flickered slightly, casting an eerie glow over the sterile white walls. The faint beeping of monitors and the distant hum of hospital machinery filled the air with a mechanical rhythm that was both reassuring and unsettling.
The room door opened, and a doctor in a surgeon's outfit stepped out. His surgical cap was still on, and his mask hung loosely around his neck, revealing a weary face lined with exhaustion.
Jay’s father and uncle stepped ahead, worry apparent on their faces. The doctor took a deep breath, his eyes betraying the gravity of the situation, and mentioned that their father, the Nav Yuga Enterprise chairman’s life, was out of danger. However, the disgruntled look on the surgeon’s face didn't give them any positive affirmation.
After a brief pause, the doctor said, “We have done everything we could, but your father has lapsed into a deep coma. At this point, we cannot predict when or if he will regain consciousness. Considering his age, the prognosis is unfortunately quite uncertain.”
His uncle, Umesh, the younger brother of his father, interrupted with intense anger and frustration, gripping the doctor’s collar. “Don’t you dare write him off! There must be something more you can do!”
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The surgeon remained composed, having encountered many instances of aggressive reactions born from grief. His eyes, though sympathetic, stayed calm.
Jay’s father, Ankith, gently pulled his brother back and embraced him tightly, both men weeping as he apologized to the surgeon. The doctor’s white coat, slightly wrinkled, bore witness to the long hours he had devoted to trying to save their father.
Jay watched the scene unfold, feeling the weight of the darkest day of his life pressing down on him. It was the day his life shifted upside down.
Through the small window of the ICU room, he could see his comatose grandfather, tubes and wires connected to various machines, the steady beep of the heart monitor providing a cruel reminder of the fragility of his life.
As Jay stared at his grandfather’s motionless form, the persistent beep of the heart monitor seemed to underscore the crushing weight of the moment. His phone vibrated violently in his pocket, the sudden jolt pulling him back to the harsh reality of the present.
Without even looking at the screen, Jay knew who was calling. The caller ID displayed ‘Sana.’ He wouldn't have answered it ordinarily, but he was not in control of his actions; it was his memory, not his present self, that was guiding him. He could only watch as his body reached into his pocket, retrieved the phone, and swiped to answer the call.
The first sound that reached his ears was the voice of someone he had once loved deeply, a voice that had held so much promise and warmth.
"Jay, I need to talk to you about something important," she began, her voice trembling slightly.
"I've been thinking a lot about us and where we're headed. You're an amazing person, and I've cherished every moment we've shared. But... I don't think we can be together anymore. It's not that I don't care about you; I do, deeply. But I've realized that our paths are diverging, and we both deserve to be with someone who fully aligns with our future aspirations. This decision is incredibly hard for me, and I hope you can understand. Please take care of yourself, Jay."
The words had hit him like a missile, shattering the fragile sense of stability he had clung to at 17.
The emotional impact had been as raw and devastating as it had been back then, even though his current self felt more mature and detached.
It was as if he had been forced to relive the agony and heartache of his younger self, the anguish of being abandoned precisely when he had needed her most.
The phone slipped from his hand, falling with a sickening thud onto the hard floor. It landed at an angle, and the screen cracked, mirroring the fracturing of his own heart.
He stood frozen, overwhelmed by a storm of emotions that raged within him. It took a moment of deep, painful effort before he could move, battling to suppress the turmoil that churned in his mind.
Just as he managed to regain some semblance of control, his phone vibrated again, signalling another call.
He glanced at the screen through the fractured glass and saw the caller ID read ‘Vikram,’ his closest friend after Rownak. Jay’s heart sank further, caught between the wreckage of past pain and the uncertainty of what this call might bring.
Taking a deep breath, Jay answered the call, bracing himself. On the other end, Vikram's voice came through, laced with concern but tinged with urgency. “Hey, man. Are you alright?”
Jay struggled to hold back his tears, afraid that his current emotional state might be evident. Vikram continued, his words spilling out rapidly. “Don’t be like that; we’re here for you. Shaswat, Divyanshu, Jaswinder, and I are at the hospital. We’re in the parking lot. Shaswat’s driver had to leave urgently, and we’ve got some bags with us. Divyanshu... well, Divyanshu got himself drunk and passed out. We could use a hand. Dealing with this oversized mess is something only the three of us can handle.”
As Vikram spoke, Jay fought to maintain his composure, finding a small measure of comfort in the fact that his friends were there for him.
He informed his mother with a voice that carried a determined edge, “Mom, my friends are here and they’re having some trouble in the parking lot. I’m going to assist them and bring them upstairs.”
His aunt, who stood beside his mother, spoke up with a note of concern. “If you see Lokesh, bring him too. He should have arrived by now. He isn’t picking up my calls—I’ve been trying him for the last half hour.”
Jay nodded in acknowledgment, his throat tight with unspoken emotion. Lokesh, his cousin and his uncle's kid, was someone Jay didn’t get along with.
Jay turned to leave, the memories of his past stirring within him. He knew precisely where Lokesh was and the trouble he had gotten himself into in the parking lot because of him.
Although he and Lokesh had barely talked until that day, Jay knew they wouldn't be so distant after what was about to happen.
He knew precisely what awaited him in the parking lot and felt a pang of anger at his younger self for seeking comfort from who don’t deserve to be called friends.
Despite his feelings, the situation was unfolding as it had before, and the bitterness of it all weighed heavily on him.
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