
Overview
Catalog
Chapter 1
Blessing Day
The time was 5 o'clock, and the date was the 24th of the month of Sol, the first month of spring. Above, dark clouds obscured the sun, casting a tumultuous storm of shadows on the ground below. A fierce storm was forming, and figures darted around in preparation for the deluge about to unfold.
Cale deftly navigated through the surging crowd of vendors and patrons. The market was packed, and moving felt like trudging through a muddy swamp, one so thick it bogged movement unrelentingly like the desperate grasps of damned souls, yet Cale managed to squeeze through eventually managing to exit at the bustling market gate. Before leaving, Cale took one last glance behind him at the teeming market, where people surged forward like they were escaping the gaping maws of a slumbering beast. Cale wasn't the only one. Behind him, a sea of bodies surged forward like a flood, all young men and women in their primes teeming with uncontrollable vigor and excitement. Like a pack of field mice sighting food, these youths charge through the market—a marching army of destruction causing severe losses in property damage as they hurried toward the square on the other end of the market. Traders and buyers alike followed the crowd with old men of ailing health who wielded canes for support wrestling exuberantly with the youth, their means of support serving as handy weapons against the unruly youth all so to inch a little forward through the crowd. One such old timer—a granny with a basket of fruits and vegetables in hand seemingly shopping for dinner—wielded the basket like a mobile armory, the vegetables serving as ordinances which she chucked wildly at the heads of those in front of her stunning them after which she would deliver a swift kick to the back, felling them and stepping over their bodies. This granny, ruthless in her actions headed towards Cale giving him a severe fright and prompting him to focus ahead, redoubling his efforts to get ahead. The reason for all this madness was simple… spring was coming and for today in particular, a day for which the parched earth would receive its long-awaited drink to quench its thirst, transformations were abound. At the first sign of spring rain, all understood what was to come. Most abandoned their tasks and rushed to join the throng, not just in the market, but throughout the entire fortress. Such was the significance of Blessing Day to the humans of the cerulean realm. However, not everyone was in a frenzy; many chose to finish their work properly before heading out to witness the arrival of Blessing Day. Facing forward again, Cale continued on his way. After the market, a wide stretch of road led directly to the central square. Once he crossed this road, he would reach his destination. With renewed vigor, Cale sprinted forward, the sound of his heart pounding like a drum in his ears. But without the sea of bodies in his way, he found himself falling behind the rest of the crowd. “Move it, worm!” A voice came from behind Cale as a shadow zipped past him with blinding speed scaring Cale immensely. For a moment there, he had thought the granny had caught up to him. Compelled by that thought to check, Cale narrowly avoided a large watermelon aiming for his head. Thinking of what could’ve been his outcome should it have struck and remembering the devious glint in the assailant's eyes as she stared daggers at him through spectacled eyes, Cale wisely deviated from his current course hoping to avoid disaster. Yet, his worries were far from over as with the open road laying before him, the advantage of the crowded market was lost and Cake, sticking out like a sore thumb was unremorsefully pushed and shoved and left behind. “Get out of the way.” “Don't block the path.” “You’re so slow… beat it, slowpoke!” Watching one person after another pass him by accompanied by the frequent painful jab from them, Cale felt a surge of frustration. He refused to accept that he couldn't accomplish this simple task, so he pushed himself even harder—his goal ever in sight—to overcome his weakness. Finally, just when it felt like his heart was about to give out, Cale reached his destination. Breathing rapidly, Cale collapsed at the edge of the central square, an ungraceful picture of exhaustion. Yet, he wore the victorious smile of someone who had overcome an arduous challenge. Even as others passed by, with looks of sympathy directed at him, and some of scorn, Cale's smile remained undiminished. To him, he had conquered his limitations, proving that he could break past the confines of his fate. That realization was enough, so even though there was space available in the middle of the square, Cale chose instead to find a slightly hidden corner at the edge, a fair distance from the center. Once settled, Cale observed everything around him. The storm continued to brew overhead, thick waves of cumulus clouds accumulating above the fortress, their bellies heavy with spring rain and the promise of blessings to come. Meanwhile, more people trudged into the square, filling every available inch of the area. The central square was expansive, able to accommodate more than five thousand people. Behind it stretched a long road, two kilometers in length and five hundred meters wide, connecting the largest market—several kilometers in size—to the central square. Many branching paths led from the market to this road, making it the only official route to the central square. Right in front of the square stood the Coccyx—the central governing body of the entire fortress—overseeing the laws, affairs, and operations of the fortress and its people. This was the true reason everyone had gathered here, including Cale. Blessing Day, also known as Awakening Day, was the day when people's fates were determined, heralded by the first spring shower that happened every five years. On this day, a singular event awaited the chosen—awakening! Awakening Day was significant because it was when individuals could awaken various incredible and mysterious powers, igniting a frenzy among many. This pursuit was regarded as the most fervent aspiration for most. The concept of awakening was both mysterious and straightforward. Few understood why awakening occurred, but most recognized it as a fundamental principle governing the universe, similar to gravity and electromagnetism. As such, not many questioned the reason for awakening but instead focused on how to better utilize it. Consequently, numerous understandings of the awakening process have developed. First and foremost, awakening cannot be pursued but is instead left to chance. There is no discernible pattern that determines who will awaken, nor any way to predict the powers one might gain. A world-renowned athlete could awaken a scholarly power, just as a dwarf might gain the ability to transform into a giant. Awakening is not governed by logic. Thus, it is not absolute that awakenings happen only on Blessing Day. The one certainty about awakening is that Blessing Day is the day with the highest likelihood of awakening. However, to awaken, one need not take any specific action. Being outside or exposed to the spring rain is not a prerequisite. One could remain indoors, completely dry, and still experience awakening. Therefore, the only reason people gathered en masse at the central square in front of the Coccyx was simply for the joy of creating a spectacle by awakening in front of everybody. Amidst the bustle of activity below, a slim figure navigated through narrow alleys and shadowy corners, leaving a fleeting impression in one’s mind. Like a bat, the small figure was nimble and quick, concealing a frail frame beneath an otherwise appealing exterior. Cale paused in the corner of an open alleyway to rest, his chest heaving slightly as he took deep, steady breaths to calm his racing heart. His eyes, a glowing light shade of amber, observed the bustling crowd around him. In this scene, which could only be described as wildly chaotic, there was a sense of order that stemmed from proper control and management. However, as the storm loomed overhead, this order began to dissolve into madness. Like Cale, countless shadows of energetic youths stood out visibly in the crowd, their faces were steeped in a mix of excitement and frenzy as they filled the square. These youths, with fit and solid bodies capable of displaying feats of astonishing athleticism like jumping over obstacles and scaling walls and rooftops in a remarkable show of superb parkour skills while weaving in and out of tightly knit crowds, causing far less chaos than one would expect were the subjects of Cale’s envy. At 19, Cale possessed a tall frame that was deceptively slim and skinny beneath the layer of baggy clothes he wore. His overall appearance was appealing enough to command a second glance from any passerby, despite the messy mop of hair that obscured his beautiful amber eyes and the general aura of untidiness and timidity that accompanied him. Yet, despite his acceptable outward appearance, Cale's physique was weak and sickly due to a bad heart that prevented him from even the simplest forms of exercise. A light jog would leave him wheezing for breath, and a full-on sprint would send his heart racing as if a herd of bison were stampeding across his chest, causing severe pains to wrack him and leaving him in a serious coughing fit. This left Cale envious of his more athletic peers, who could jump and sprint without fear. However, Cale was not one to wallow in jealousy or accept the fate destiny had drawn for him. Within his breast, a flame of determination blazes brightly and Cale muttered to himself, reassurances to keep the fire stoked. “Don’t worry, just you all wait. Today is the day I shed this weak coil and step on top of all your heads.” Cale was determined to change his fate and pursue the life he believed was rightfully owed to him through sheer strength of will and effort. All of this was set to begin today, on this day of blessings. After a brief rest, Cale picked himself up from the wall he had been leaning against and began moving once again. Slipping out of the alley, he joined the other rushing youths, his goal mirroring theirs. To avoid being crushed by the crowd and also to stand out from among them, Cale needed a place that was clear from the crowd. A place where he would be easily noticed once his awakening began, and Cale knew just the place.Expand
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Latest Chapter
Breaking The Simulation Reasons 1
The researchers exchanged glances with each other, the suspicion evident in their eyes about Krasin’s sudden request. Not only that but his conversation with Cale was also unexpected for it wasn't part of any plans they had made, sparking some curiosity about what Krasin wanted to achieve. But nobody said anything as they all filed out of the room, leaving only Krasin and Cale together alone. Finally, when it was only the two of them, Krasin locked the room from inside to ensure nobody would interrupt them. After that, Krasin activated his personal terminal and accessed the security feed of the room before disabling that too, leaving just the two of them in complete isolation. During all this, Cale watched Krasin with an increasingly amused expression on his face. He watched as the old man after finishing his preparations walked up to him to sit by his bedside just within arm's reach of Cale making Cale’s expression become even more peculiar. Krasin was so close… as long as Cale s
Last Updated : 2025-06-22
Breaking The Simulation Reasons
“Why am I laughing? Hehe, I’m not sure, maybe I’ve gone mad from all the torture you put me through.” Despite Cale’s words, there was no sign of madness in his demeanor at all. His speech was steady and his eyes piercing as he stared at Krasin. Seeing that his power was not affecting Cale, Krasin hesitated a little before he begrudgingly stopped using his power under Cale’s piercing gaze. While Krasin’s power could indeed affect others and was useful for combat, Krasin u fortunately wasn’t a fighter so his use of the power on others was very limited, serving mainly as a means of intimidation more than anything else. Huff! After stopping his power, Krasin took several deep breaths to calm himself down before looking at Cale, his eyes level and calm. It was all feigned but Krasin refused to show weakness in front of so many people. “What do you mean by that?” Krasin asked Cale. “I don’t know why you would feel like you are being tortured by must believe me that isn’t wha
Last Updated : 2025-06-21
Breaking The Simulation Control
Hahaha! Cale continued laughing, seemingly unaffected by Krasin’s powers. Focus perspective being a spiritual/psychic level ability was affected by one’s will. Meaning that the stronger the will of a person being affected by focus perspective, the easier it was to resist. This phenomenon is actually quite scientific. Focus perspective worked by basically hijacking the senses of another person, just like stealing the parts of a machine for your own use. But people weren’t machines that would become dysfunctional once one of their parts are missing. When people lose one sense usually another strengthens to replace it but it was mostly dependent on the strength of the person’s will this naturally with a stronger will it becomes easier to ignore the effects of focus perspective. And that is why Cale could still laugh despite Krasin using his powers against him… his will was strong but it wasn’t naturally so. Cale’s second power—which he hadn’t gotten around to naming yet—had sev
Last Updated : 2025-06-20
Breaking The Simulation Focus Perspective
Cale and Selene really didn’t have a lot of time. There were a lot of things that needed to be said which they couldn’t get into so after addressing a few issues, the two of them left the rest for later and Selene quickly notified the rest about Cale regaining consciousness after disabling the means she had used to affect surveillance. A few minutes later, a crowd of researchers led by Krasin arrived at Cale’s ward and began examining him. Cale simply watched everything unfold passively, his eyes watching the busyness while refraining from making any unnecessary moves like trying to use his powers to control them. Cale didn’t bother pretending like he was just waking up, not caring if it would raise any suspicions. For him now the priority was going over what he had just learned. Having not learned much, Cale was still certain about one thing and that was who his captors were. They were the Coccyx—the very government that was meant to protect and serve people like him—they we
Last Updated : 2025-06-19
Breaking The Simulation Mastermind
“Yes master, I understand,” Selene responded. But before she began explaining, she cautioned. “Before I start i have to remind you, master, that we don’t have much time. Due to how important you are you are always under surveillance at all times and normally, as soon as you woke up there should’ve been a full line up of staff coming to check up on you. But I played a trick so nobody has noticed you’re awake right now.” “But we can’t do this for much longer. Somebody might decide to check up on you randomly and if they see you are awake they’ll know something is wrong and helping you escape will become a lot harder.” Hearing this, Cale finally breathed in realization. Naturally, he had noticed something was off mostly because it was only Selene around and nobody else had arrived since he woke up. Knowing that it was because of Selene’s arrangement, Cale felt more relieved and also curious about how she managed it. “What did you do? How did you manage to keep people from noticin
Last Updated : 2025-06-18
Breaking The Simulation A Most Fearsome Power
When Cale discovered his powers, he realized that it wasn’t just one ability he possessed, that is the ability to open a rift in the void leading to the other world. There was also another power, a second ability that was simply special and very fearsome at the same time. This was the power to command other people’s loyalty. Similar to mind control, Cale’s power could seize the psyche of anyone and forcefully command them to do his bidding. But it was more intricate than that. Mind control forces people to act against their will with most not being conscious of their actions and simply acting like puppets at the behest of their controllers. There was a limitation to this though being that people with powerful wills and psyches were naturally resistant to mind control and could break it given enough stimulation. Another limitation is that most times people under mind control could not perform extremely delicate and precise tasks like engineering, only being able to carry out simple
Last Updated : 2025-06-17
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