Ohritro

Eli Turner had perfected the art of coasting through life, gaming, lounging, and vibing with no grand ambitions beyond the next high. But his laid-back existence is upended when his laptop inexplicably transforms into a gateway to another world. What starts as a surreal escape becomes a perilous journey as Eli finds himself wielding a mysterious system that allows him to level up, fight monsters, and gain abilities beyond his wildest dreams.  

At first, the portal world feels like a haven, offering purpose and adventure Eli never knew he craved. Guided, or manipulated, by Azrael, a mischievous god orchestrating the game, Eli rises as one of the system's chosen players. But as the quests grow more dangerous and Azrael’s true intentions begin to surface, Eli struggles to balance the fantasy world with his life back home. His girlfriend, Sara, and his friends are left grappling with a version of Eli they hardly recognize, as the lines between his two lives blur.  

When the system expands to players worldwide, Eli crosses paths with others drawn into Azrael’s cosmic experiment: Yumi Tanaka, a fiercely disciplined Japanese student with a perfectionist streak, and Arjun Mehta, a charming Indian playboy with secrets of his own. Each carries their own burdens and ambitions, but all three must face the harsh truth: Azrael’s game is far more than it seems.  

As alliances are forged, rivalries ignite, and the stakes escalate, Eli must confront not only the dangers of the portal world but the growing rift between the person he is and the hero he’s becoming. In a game where every move is a test and every choice ripples across both worlds, the question remains: can Eli, Yumi, and Arjun uncover the truth before the system consumes them all?

I Got a Notification on my Laptop and Got Legendary Powers

Yumi's heartbeat pounded in her ears as she struggled to process what she had just seen. The vision still flickered in her mind—Azrael, standing at the center of everything, as if he had always been there. As if he was the Echo itself.

Eli broke the silence first. "Okay. Not gonna lie. That was way more cryptic than I wanted."

Arjun exhaled sharply, helping Yumi to her feet. "It makes sense now," he said. "Azrael wasn't created to contain the Echo. He was created to become it."

Yumi steadied herself, her thoughts racing. "If he's already a part of it… then what happens if he completes the process?"

The obelisk flickered again, its light dimming. The whispers returned, a low chorus of fragmented voices. One phrase cut through the noise:

"The cycle must not complete."

Yumi turned to Arjun. "This system—everything we know—it's built around the Echo, isn't it?"

Arjun nodded. "The Echo isn't just data. It's the foundation of the entire construct. The Nexus, the enforcers, the very rules that govern reality here—they all stem from it."

Eli clenched his fists. "And Azrael wants to rewrite those rules. Make himself the only thing that matters."

The obelisk pulsed again, but its glow was growing unstable. Cracks rippled across its surface, and Yumi had the unsettling feeling that their presence here had disturbed something fragile—something that wasn't meant to be touched.

"We need to move," Arjun said urgently. "If this place collapses, we lose our chance to stop him."

But before they could react, a cold, familiar voice filled the chamber.

"Oh, but you're already too late."

The air froze. Yumi felt a chill run down her spine.

A figure stepped through the dissolving data streams at the far end of the chamber. His dark silhouette was unmistakable.

His piercing gaze swept over them, his expression unreadable. "You finally understand, don't you?" he said, almost amused. "The Echo was never something to be broken. It was always becoming."

Eli drew his sword, his stance tense. "And you just happened to be the one it was waiting for?"

Azrael chuckled. "I was designed for this. The failsafe. The convergence point. You were all so busy fighting against the system, but you never stopped to ask—what happens when the system ends?"

The chamber trembled. The obelisk flared wildly, its structure beginning to destabilize.

Arjun took a step forward. "You merge with the Echo, and what then? You reshape reality in your image?"

Azrael tilted his head slightly, as if considering the question. "No, Arjun. I become reality."

A violent pulse of energy erupted outward, knocking Yumi, Eli, and Arjun off their feet. The chamber warped, twisting in on itself. The data streams fractured, turning into chaotic, blinding light.

Yumi hit the ground hard, her vision swimming. She could barely make out Azrael's form, standing amidst the destruction, his figure dissolving into the energy, merging with it.

"No—!" she gasped, reaching out.

Azrael turned his gaze toward her, his eyes burning with something otherworldly.

"The cycle ends here."

Everything collapsed.

The Path Unraveling