Possible Rift Detected at 336.4 degrees and 233 meters of Beacon 26 and 45 degrees of Base.
Rael reached for their Mobile Lab Frame, which was currently in its belt format, and put it on.
Connecting… Success.
Body Transmutation Initiated…
Checking Movement Response… Synchronized.
Checking Battery… 98%.
Checking Visuals… Clear.
Checking Hearing… Clear.
Equilibrioception System… Calibrated.
Body Transmutation Completed.
Generation XC Heavytail Servant. Rael chose this body because it was the fattest and least likely to attract attention, due to its short stature of twenty five centimeters and its similarity to urban felines, even the ones in Realm One, which was ideal for reconnaissance missions. But beyond that, it was their favorite, something about being able to run so freely at one hundred kilometers per hour felt pleasant.
They checked the body's movement response again, flexing all joints, moving all limbs in every angle, as far as they could go, giving a short sprint in a circle and jumping once to test the balance. Everything was functioning properly.
They opened the door and crossed the damp, moldy, unlit narrow corridor and jumped up the window’s sill directly in front of their apartment. The uniquely cluttered architecture provided several platforms for them to jump further above.
Reaching the rooftop, they stood there for a few seconds, taking in the night city noises and lights, it had become a habit. When they disabled their vision, it reminded them of their original Realm, their Realm Zero. Rael didn’t have any attachments to the city itself, but it reminded them of their mother.
“I’ll complete the task, mom,” Rael said. It felt important to do it.
They quickly began jumping between buildings, running towards the coordinates marked by the beacon. Statistically, the probability of it being an unregistered Ruler using their Rule were higher, but Rael still had to check, in the off chance of it being a Rift.
Soon they reached the marked area, it was in the middle of the street, but the region didn’t seem to have much trafic, so it wouldn’t be a problem. Rael transmuted their body back to the humanoid format and jumped down the street.
Scanning for Foreign Energy… Two Foreign Energy Signatures Located.
Two shapes were highlighted on Rael’s visor, a growing spherical space two meters in front of them, and two humans standing eleven meters away from them, Rulers.
Foreign Energy Signature Registered… ManaTypeN1358.
Curious, Rael thought, one of the humans exhibited abnormal vitals and the other had none at all, rendering him dead by all measures. Something for them to inspect later, now they had to focus on the Rift.
Selecting Sigil String… Dome Foundation
Assigning Location… Dorsum
Sending Fool’s Stone.
The red liquid began to flow through Rael’s Frame and reached its back, settling on the newly carved string of sigils. The area began to glow red and eight devices flew out of the Frame, landing in a circle a few meters around them.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Rael then began manufacturing the central pole of the Dome, the metal rod began extending from the palm of the Frame’s hand.
“Pardon me, sir knight, could you provide me with some directions? I seem to have gotten lost,” the man said.
Knight? Rael thought.
“Where do you want to go?” Rael said, plunging the completed pole on the ground.
“Could you tell me how far we are from Dratain?” he asked.
Searching for “Dratain”... Not Found.
“I don’t have any data on the name ‘Dratain’,” Rael said, “is it in another Realm?”
“Do you mean kingdom? I believe so, I’m not familiar with this region… but I see, so you also haven’t heard of Dratain, that’s odd,” he said, pensive.
The man’s talk was confusing, Realm One’s history was full of holes, but if there had ever been any kingdoms, they were long gone and forgotten. Was he simply insane? Unless…
“Why?”
“Hm?”
“Why is it odd that I haven’t heard of Dratain?”
The man paused and stared with suspicion at Rael for a few seconds before answering.
“Well, forgive my bluntness but, being the most powerful kingdom in the world, I assumed even the poorest peasant of any backwater town on the other side of the world would have at least heard its name.”
That confirmed it, if he wasn’t insane, that man was not originally from Realm One, but no one could come to Realm One without that being bringing them here, and if that was true, he shouldn’t be able to remember. Could he be the same as Rael?
The Awakened believed their powers to have been granted by God, but that was simply because that being put something inside of them all that somehow filtered their memories and deleted anything related to their past, leaving only the knowledge of their powers in their Original Realm. Rael was the only one that seemed to remember their “Realm Zero”, until now.
“I sense that you don’t trust me, but I need you to answer me truthfully, it’ll benefit us both,” Rael said.
“I’m listening,” the man said, still suspicious.
“How did you get here?”
“... I’m not sure, I was about to die when something pulled me and I woke up here.”
“You remember,” Rael said, almost not believing it.
“Re—”
“Raeeeel!” a man shouted, he was accompanied by nine others.
Raising Dome…
Strings of light shot out from the central pole and connected to the devices on the ground in an arc, then an orange membrane quickly began to form between the strings, forming a barrier.
Completed.
“We warned you, Rael! This is our territory, we told you to not come back!”
Enhancing Sound Output… Completed.
“I don’t recognize your master's sovereignty and won’t comply with his rules,” Rael said.
“That just won’t do Rael, now I’ll have to kill you, or he’ll kill me!” he said, “I hope you understand, it’s nothing personal.”
That was a lie, every physical cue indicated that man indeed hated Rael.
“I understand,” Rael said, “I hope your successor can be reasoned with, after you get killed.”
“Shoot!” the man shouted.
A barrage of bullets hit the Dome, causing numerous small, round ripples to form on the orange barrier.
Dome Integrity Decreasing…
“How long will this thing hold up?” the pale man asked.
“At this rate, around ten minutes,” Rael said.
“That guy doesn’t seem willing to talk, so I’m guessing he’ll just kill me along with you.”
“Yes.”
“You really don’t know about Dratain, or the Goddess Samna?”
“No.”
“But you know something about how I ended up here.”
“Yes.”
He looked at the man outside the Dome and said, “Can you protect me?”
“Why?”
“If you manage to protect me, this guy can probably take them out, or at least but us some time,” he said
Rift Detected.
“That won’t be necessary,” Rael said. The men had vanished and the scene had changed, everything was white, covered in snow.
“What happened? Where are we?” the man said in shock, he and his partner had fallen in the Rift with Rael.
“Another Realm.”