Just as the sun rose high in the sky—well, it wasn't exactly rising anymore, but you get the idea—it was afternoon already. I stepped out into the backyard, the air fresh with that weird in-between of the day, not too hot, not too cold. Perfect for testing out the whole Omni-State thing.
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I stretched my arms out and sighed. My head still felt foggy. Guess last night drained a lot of my Eon. That strange energy. That weird, twisted power that I didn't even know how to control. Whatever it was, it wasn't something I could just use like flipping a switch. So, I had to figure out how to make it work. Like now.
"Alright," I muttered to myself. "How do I even activate this... Omni-State thing?"
I'd heard about it. Felt it. But knowing how to actually bring it out? No clue.
Maybe I just say the name? Like a magic spell? Inject some Eons into the words? I don't know. Maybe that would work.
"Uhmm..." I hesitated. I wasn't sure if I was even doing it right. But I'd come this far. "Omni-State."
Nothing happened.
My shoulders slumped a little.
"Oh fuck, that was an embarrassing attempt..."
I rubbed my face, groaning. This wasn't like flicking a light switch. Magic didn't work like that. I was still figuring this shit out. So I did the only thing I could think of: I took a deep breath, filling my body with only Eon, focusing on it. Like, what else was I supposed to do? I didn't have a manual on how to use whatever the hell was inside me.
Please, just work.
Just maybe.
And then—
It hit me. Like a rush of heat, burning through me. My body was suddenly on fire, but not in the bad way. Like it was waking up from a long, deep sleep, all at once. I stared down at my hand, hoping to catch the sign, the mark. And there it was. A dragon mark—just like last night, the exact same one, glowing faintly beneath my skin.
My heart jumped. "Yes!" I couldn't help it. I clenched my fists, adrenaline coursing through me. This was it! It was working!
For a moment, I felt like I could take on anything.
But then, just as quick as it started, pain exploded in my head. A sharp, searing agony, like my brain was being torn apart.
Fuck! I managed to choke back a scream, but it wasn't enough. It was too much. The pain was familiar now, but that didn't make it any less unbearable.
I slapped my hands over my mouth to stifle the cry that wanted to escape. My body was trembling, every nerve screaming as the pain rippled through me. It was like I was being split in two.
It didn't last long. For a second, everything was still. Then the pain faded, and—just like that—poof, the Omni-State was gone.
Shit.
I was back to normal. My breath came in sharp, quick gasps. I looked around, half expecting to see someone watching me, but the backyard was still empty. Good. That was a close one.
I sank to my knees for a second, hands clutching my head, trying to shake the dizziness away. The transformation only lasted for a few seconds.
Not enough time.
I couldn't hold it yet. My body still wasn't strong enough for it. It felt like I'd been running a marathon and then tried to sprint at full speed. Yeah, no way.
Five seconds. That was all I managed.
I let out a frustrated sigh. Of course, it wasn't enough. Of course.
It wasn't that surprising, though. I mean, I was still in the body of a five-year-old, for Christ's sake. A five-year-old trying to use a power meant for something much stronger, much older. My body just couldn't handle it. Not yet.
"Fuck this," I muttered, pushing myself back to my feet. My muscles ached, but that didn't matter. I'd figure this out, somehow. I had to.
I didn't want to worry my parents, or Andrea for that matter. I couldn't let them see me like this—weak, out of control.
I needed to be stronger.
But for now, I'd have to settle for what I could do. I'd keep pushing myself, try again tomorrow. And the next day. Every afternoon. That's the plan. Get used to it. Little by little.
I walked to the edge of the backyard and stared at the horizon for a moment. Just long enough to catch my breath.
Just five seconds. That was all I managed. Five seconds. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
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When I walked back into the house, Andrea was there, just like usual, sweeping the floor. It was one of those things she always did without being asked. I should probably do more to help her, but... yeah, I don't think I'd be any good at it. Still, I couldn't just ignore her working herself to the bone.
"Oh?" She looked up, tilting her head when she saw me. "Where were you, Ryn?"
"I went out to get some fresh air," I replied quickly, forcing a smile, trying to look like I had it all together. Not that it mattered—Andrea probably knew I was full of shit.
She nodded, keeping her focus on the broom. "Oh, okay."
That was it? No questions, no awkward follow-up? I guess that's one thing I liked about Andrea—she didn't push when I didn't feel like talking. But that didn't mean I could just stand here and let her keep working while I did nothing. Hell, I felt bad for her. She didn't deserve all the chores.
So, without thinking, I grabbed the broom out of her hands. Her eyes shot up, confused, and she stopped mid-sweep. "Ryn? What're you doing?"
I gave it my best shot at being cute, even though I hated it. "I-I fweel bad fowr ywou..." I winced internally, already regretting the high-pitched voice I was using, but I pushed through. "Sho... I wanna hewlp."
There was a long silence, and for a second, I thought it wasn't working. But then, just when I was about to back off, I saw her cheeks turn pink. YES, SHE BLUSHED!
"O-okay..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper, and she couldn't even look me in the eye.
I swear, I could've sworn I felt my ego growing in that moment. Damn, I'm good.
Watch out, future girls—prepare yourselves for my manly face!
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Thirty minutes later, I was still at it. And I'm not gonna lie—I was tired. Like, seriously tired. Who knew sweeping could take this much out of you? I mean, sure, I'd been pampered back home, but that doesn't mean I couldn't handle some chores, right? I'd been in the military, for god's sake! I'd seen worse than this... probably. I think.
Military pride!
Still, my arms were sore, my legs were stiff, and the broom seemed to mock me with every sweep. I muttered under my breath, "But still... If only I was done cleaning..."
Then, suddenly, something weird happened. It was like—bam! One second, I was still sweating, pushing the broom back and forth, and the next, I was sitting at the dinner table, staring at a plate of food. I blinked a few times, confused, trying to make sense of what had just happened. How the hell did I go from cleaning to this?
I looked around, finding my parents and Andrea sitting at the table with me, all of them seemingly perfectly normal, as if nothing had happened. No one even seemed fazed by the fact that I was sitting here now, instead of... wherever the hell I had been a second ago.
Mom raised an eyebrow at me. "What's wrong, Rynan?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.
I scrambled for words, but all I could come up with was a lame, "O-oh, well... it's nothing..." My voice felt stiff, awkward. "Okay! Let's eat!" I practically shouted, desperate to change the subject.
I dove into my food, trying to act casual, but my brain was running a mile a minute. 'WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!?'
I looked down at my plate, but all I could focus on was that damn confusion in my head. Had I just... blacked out? Was I daydreaming? Hell, I didn't even know what to think anymore. Something was off, and I was starting to feel like I wasn't even in control of my own damn body.
And it was starting to freak me out. Bad.
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FYI: I changed the writing style, well... because it was better for the story. If ever you have complaints, and the old writing style was better, please comment.