I am the first to take the step into the new dimension through the rift. Immediately, I can tell something is wrong. Usually when I enter a new dimension, the vis has been arranged into some sort of network to allow spellcasting. The only exception was the third excursion, which had a completely raw vis field. This is like that. That’s not the only thing amiss: as far as I can see, there is no visible life. Not even plant life.
"What the hell?” Ican says as he steps through the rift. "Where’s the grass? Where are the clouds? I don’t even feel a breeze."
"Something is wrong." The praetors and recruits look around nervously. "Let’s look around."
After about an hour of searching, one of the recruits spots something in the barren wasteland and calls us all over. I am surprised to see it is the corpse of a human. I inspect it, and after a thorough analysis, come to a very concerning conclusion.
"This woman seems to have been dead for about 50 years."
"How is that possible?" Asks Winter. "Her body is in perfect condition!"
"Whatever happened here was so devastating that it even killed all the bacteria that would normally cause the decay of a corpse." Everyone, including myself, becomes anxious at this revelation. What the hell could have done this?
----------------------------------------
As we nervously explore the dead dimension, we stumble upon what looks like a ghost town. The streets are littered with bodies. The architecture appears to be American suburban from a period around the Cold War era. "Explore the buildings for possible clues," I say. I pick a random building and enter. In the living room sits a dead family in front of their TV. There’s a husband, wife, and two children. Oh my God. Having enough of the unnerving scene, I explore the rest of the house and leave when I realize there’s nothing else noteworthy inside.
"Well, we don’t have much to go off of. Anyone find anything of note?" One of the praetors speaks up.
"Aye. I found this man sitting inside of a bar. He’s still alive." I can see he’s restraining a human male covered head to toe in what looks like a hazmat suit. I can sense various types of Essentia emanating from it.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
"Well hello, sir. Praetor, release him." The praetor lets go of his arms. He stands dazed a moment before looking around, presumably for an escape route. Seeing he is surrounded, he resigns himself to facing me. "What happened here?"
----------------------------------------
"A few years ago, countries around the world started to brandish nuclear weapons. I assume you’re familiar with the U.S. and the Soviet Union? Well, each of the two countries had various gods backing them. One day, the gods backing the Soviet Union decided to enhance one of their nukes with divine power. All ten of them gathered to perform a ritual that would increase the bomb’s destructive power tenfold. However, something went wrong, and the ritual detonated the nuke. Everything on this planet was killed instantly. I was only spared because I was aboard a space station at the time. When I lost contact with home base, I decided to make a manual landing, and I came back to this. I’ve been to scared to remove my hazard suit this whole time, but I’m so glad that I’m not the only one who survived the blast."
----------------------------------------
I see. Another mirror of my home dimension with the only differences seeming to be that this one had gods and was obliterated before the Cold War could end. Why must the gods desecrate nature like this?
"Your assessment is only partially correct. Are you, by chance, from another world? I’m sorry if that question doesn’t make a lot of sense." Behind the man’s plastic face-window through his suit, his eyes widen in shock.
"Yes, but… how did you know? I was an astronaut back in my original world, but on one of my takeoffs, my ship was suddenly angled downwards towards the ocean without explanation! When I emerged, I found myself in another world!"
"Out of curiosity, when were you born?"
"1949, but I don’t see how that’s relevant." That complicates things. He looks like he’s still 35 years old! Could this dimension have a time-dilation affect?
"We must return to the tower at once! I will explain everything when we get back!" I open a flux rift and run to get through. Sensing the urgency of the situation, everyone else follows suit, including the man in yellow.
Back in the Emptiness, I find out from Leviticus that a full 24 hours has passed despite being away for about 3. I explain to the man in yellow (whose name turns out to be Gustavo) the nature of our reality and my mission. He seems eager to join my cause, but has no notable abilities besides his above-average intelligence.
----------------------------------------
Back in my study, I mull over our recent lack of progress in the acquisition of noble souls. I look over at the dragon brain on my desk. Using the pearl inside that brain as a spell focus would provide a sufficiently potent means to cast Nefarium again. A dimension with many gods would be absurdly easy to profit from. But at what cost? Septillions of innocents murdered? How could I even have such a thought? I suppose I will simply have to continue using the Deity Hammer. As I contemplate our situation, Victor bursts into the study.
"Sir!" He shouts. "There are multiple men standing at the edge of the warding stones requesting to speak with you!" Not again…