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

The message on the screen pulsed in eerie silence.

REMNANT PROTOCOL: INITIALIZING.

Yumi stared at the flickering text from the balcony, her pulse hammering in her ears. Below, the neon-lit streets of Kairo's Rest carried on as if the world hadn't just shifted beneath her feet.

She turned sharply to Azrael. "What does it mean?"

Azrael exhaled slowly. "It means the Echo is not just trying to rebuild—it's adapting. Evolving." His gaze was distant, unreadable. "And we may not be able to stop it."

A cold weight settled in Yumi's chest.

"Then we should run," she said. "Get out before—"

Azrael shook his head. "There's nowhere left to run."

Back at the hideout, Eli was already pacing when Yumi returned, his frustration evident.

"Alright," he said, pointing at her as she stepped in. "I assume the grim expression means we're screwed again."

Yumi wasted no time. "The Remnant Protocol has started."

Arjun sat up from his workbench, eyes narrowing. "What do you mean 'started'?"

Yumi hesitated before speaking. "The Echo… it's not just remnants of a system anymore. It's trying to come back."

Eli dragged a hand down his face. "Fantastic. Because what we definitely needed was another nightmare AI trying to kill us."

Arjun leaned forward, deep in thought. "If it's rebuilding, it must have found a new data host. Something powerful enough to sustain the code fragments."

Yumi crossed her arms. "So we find it and shut it down."

Azrael, who had been listening quietly from the shadows, chuckled. "You assume it's that simple."

Eli shot him a glare. "Forgive us for not jumping at the chance to let the next digital god enslave humanity."

Azrael smirked. "You still think this is about control?"

Yumi clenched her fists. "Then what is it about?"

Azrael's expression darkened. "Survival."

Then, a sound—a faint pulse—echoed through the air.

Arjun's head snapped toward his data console as the screen flickered. "That's not possible…"

Eli took a cautious step closer. "What?"

Arjun's fingers flew across the keyboard. "I set up a dead zone around this place. No signals in or out."

Yumi's stomach twisted. "Then why is there a transmission?"

Arjun swallowed hard. "Because something is already inside."

The Echo's First Whisper

The room fell silent as a distorted voice crackled through the speakers.

"…you…left…me…"

The hair on Yumi's arms stood on end.

The voice was fractured, layered, like it had been rebuilt from broken pieces.

Eli took a step back. "Nope. No. We are not doing this. I know horror movies, and this is where things go to hell."

Arjun ignored him, his fingers racing across the keys. "It's not a transmission. It's a data loop."

Yumi's throat tightened. "Then what's playing it?"

The screen flickered, static warping the text into something new.

DO YOU REMEMBER ME?

It was a name—one she hadn't heard since the collapse of the Hollow Grid.

A name that should have been erased with the Echo's destruction.

Arjun's hands clenched. "That's impossible."

But the screen didn't lie. The Echo's fragments had found a host.

The Pulse of a Dying System