Girik struggled to open his eyes, unsure how much time had passed. His head felt heavy, and a searing headache throbbed relentlessly, the worst he'd ever experienced. His entire body ached unbearably, far worse than when he had first awakened.
Overwhelmed by the agony, his body succumbed to the strain, and he slipped back into unconsciousness.
After another period of unknown time passed, Girik regained consciousness. The headache and pain were lower now, but not completely gone. He tried once more to open his eyes, and when he did, he was stunned for a moment.
He realized he was floating. When he tried to look around, pain coursed through his body with every slight movement. It was excruciating but bearable enough to push through.
After surveying his surroundings, Girik finally realized where he was. Somehow, he was in space, or something that resembled space. He could see stars, or something that looked like stars, in the distance.
Then, a question hit him: How was he still alive? How was it possible that he could breathe in space? Or was he even breathing?
One thing was certain, this wasn't a dream. The pain was far too real. And despite the impossibility of surviving in space, he was undeniably alive.
A wild thought suddenly came to his mind that maybe he had turned into an undead.
But Girik quickly dismissed that thought because, if he were undead, he wouldn't feel pain.
He tried to take deep breaths. Though it was a little painful, he was still able to breathe. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that he was in space and still able to breathe, where there was no oxygen.
But then, he found his answer.
As Girik looked around, he noticed a slight distortion in the air. It was then that he realized he was in some sort of bubble. Only because of this bubble was he able to survive in space and breathe.
He finally remembered how the bubble had come to be.
It was a protection charm he had found as a monster drop in the dimension rift he had entered after awakening.
Flashes of memory surfaced.
Girik recalled the aftermath of his first two consecutive battles in the Rift, the group he was with taking a break, and him preparing to distribute his stats. Then, darkness had consumed him. Just before everything faded, he'd heard someone shouting furiously:
'What the fuck? This is the third time where the bait's quality isn't up to standard!'
Dimension Rifts were inherently dangerous, a gateway to unknown and perilous realms. These mysterious gateways began to appear around two years after mana awakened on Earth, marking the planet's integration with the mysterious "System."
While their origins remained shrouded in mystery, their role quickly became indispensable for training newly awakened individuals and those without prior combat experience.
The wilds, with their dangerous creatures and zombie-infested areas where a single scratch spelt certain death, were too perilous for rookies. For many, entering a Dimension Rift became a critical stepping stone, offering a controlled yet challenging environment for honing their skills.
Over the past 40 years, these rifts evolved into an essential part of the first on-field training programs for new awakeners, providing a relatively safer alternative to the unforgiving wilds.
However, safety was relative. No one could guarantee survival within a Dimension Rift. Each expedition was a roll of the dice, with the unpredictable environments and vicious creatures inside often proving fatal. The rifts were categorized into Tiers, with difficulty and danger scaling sharply with each higher Tier.
The stakes rose with the rewards. Higher Tier Rifts offered unparalleled resources and treasures but demanded an equally steep price. The highest cleared Rift to date, a Tier 4, had a staggering mortality rate of 80%.
Despite the danger, these rifts remained a cornerstone of survival in a world reshaped by mana and the System, where the choice was often between risking death or remaining powerless.
The mortality rate was around 20% for newly awakened individuals in Tier 0 dimension rifts if they were in a bigger group of around 20, or were close to nil if they were accompanied by a few high-level Tier 1 awakened.
The group Girik had been with was formed by a local guild that provided training services for newly awakened individuals and was accompanied by 3 high-leveled Tier 1 Warrior types and a peak Tier 1 Mage class. But for some reason, this group of newly awakened ones were used as some sort of bait.
Girik felt anger bubbling inside him, but being angry in his current situation was of no use. He tried to calm his mind because right now his top priority was survival. He didn't know for how long this bubble would last. And what would happen after that, that was something he was not eager to find out.
But what could he do in his current situation?
Girik frantically tried to think of a way to survive, but nothing came to mind. Desperation clouded his thoughts as he racked his brain, his gaze darting around the vast expanse of space. He wasn't even sure what he was looking for, maybe some kind of miracle, perhaps?
In his growing despair, he tried to scream, but the sound was swallowed by the void, a futile effort in the vacuum of space.
Slowly, he began to notice that breathing was becoming harder. The oxygen in the bubble that had protected him so far was starting to deplete.
No matter how much Girik wanted to deny it, the truth was clear: he would not survive this.
His mind spiralled into anger and grief. He cursed the people who had done this to him. Why had he ended up in this situation? And if death was inevitable, why did he have to wake up, only to endure this torment before the end?
His vision blurred as his eyes filled with tears. Shaking hands reached into his pocket, searching for his most treasured possession: a picture of his family. He wanted to see them one last time, to hold on to something familiar in his final moments.
When he found it, the dam broke. Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably as he stared at the photo. His family's smiling faces stared back at him, a bittersweet reminder of what he was about to lose. Girik clutched the picture tightly, his chest heaving as he struggled for breath.
He knew, deep down, that this was the end.
Slowly, the light in his eyes dimmed. His breathing grew shallower, each breath was more laboured than the last, until finally, it stopped altogether.
*****
A glowing ball of light streaked across the galaxy while a few streaks, five to be exact, tried to follow it but were slowly and surely falling behind. Suddenly the streak in the lead took a hard 90 degrees left turn and vanished.
All the five steaks suddenly came to a halt. Among the five were 2 humans, a male and a female, 1 of them had curved horns and wings on its back like that of a bat, 1 of them was thrice the size of the rest of them with bulging muscles and a long tail with a sharp edge, while the last was somewhat ethereal as it's form shifted between humanoid to something amorphous.
A streak of light blazed across the galaxy, cutting through the void like a comet. Behind it, five other streaks chased relentlessly, though they were falling further and further behind.
Suddenly, the leading streak took a sharp, impossibly fast 90-degree turn to the left and vanished from sight, leaving no trace as if it had entered a separate dimension.
The five pursuers came to an abrupt halt, hovering motionless in the vast emptiness.
Among them were two humans, a male and a female, their expressions a mixture of confusion and bewilderment as they hovered in the void. Their furrowed brows and tense postures betrayed a shared uncertainty about what had just transpired.
One of the figures stood apart, its imposing presence impossible to ignore. It had curved horns protruding from its head and leathery wings resembling those of a bat, lending it an air of dark menace.
Another was an immense, hulking creature with a wolf's head atop a humanoid body, towering over the rest at nearly thrice their size. Its bulging muscles rippled with latent power, and a long, sharp-edged tail swayed behind it like a deadly scythe, as if ready to strike at a moment's notice.
The last figure was the most bizarre, a shimmering, ethereal form that constantly shifted between a humanoid shape and something amorphous as if its very existence defied the laws of physics.
The five figures exchanged silent, tense glances before the ethereal one spoke directly into their minds in an inquisitive tone:
"Did any of you get a good look at what it was?"
The one with the horns and wings shook his head, his raspy voice breaking the silence.
"I didn't get any look at it, not even a glimpse."
The others followed suit, shaking their heads to confirm they, too, had no idea what the streak was.
The massive, wolf-headed creature let out a low, rumbling growl before speaking in a booming voice.
"Whatever it was, it had to be extraordinary. If I hadn't seen the streak myself, I wouldn't even know something passed by. And not to mention, it left Tier 9s like us in the dust."
His words lingered in the air, a stark reminder of this unusual phenomenon. The group exchanged glances once more, unease rippling through them.
Suddenly, the woman broke the silence with the question on everyone's mind.
"So, should we report this or not?"
The man smirked faintly, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
"Even if it turns out to be something absurdly ridiculous, we have to report it to the Sovereign. Besides, aren't we, in a sense, ridiculous beings ourselves?"
His lighthearted remark did little to ease the tension. After a moment, he spoke again.
"So, who's volunteering for this?"
The wolf-headed creature shook his massive head, his voice firm.
"None of us wants to face the Sovereign right now. I suggest we all go together. That way, the risk of being lashed out at for 'bothering' her is minimized."
The others exchanged reluctant looks, each knowing that this was likely the best course of action. With heavy sighs and grudging nods of agreement, the group collectively consented to his plan.
Moments later, they all vanished, leaving the vast emptiness silent once more.
Yet, unknown to them, subtle changes had already begun to unfold. The fragile peace and balance of power that had reigned for so long would soon be disrupted.
The last time a cataclysmic shift of this magnitude occurred was three trillion years ago, heralding the rise of the 7th and most recent Sovereign.
***********
Author's Note:
Welcome, dear readers, to a new beginning! I'm excited to share this journey with you, and I hope you enjoy the story as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
If you like what you read, please consider giving me power stones to support the story. Your feedback and suggestions are always welcome and can help me improve my writing.
Thank you for being part of this adventure!