Michael stood.
"A door to another world."
The voice in his head—clear as fuck, like someone whispering right into his skull—hadn't been his imagination.
[Title Unlocked: Awaken]
You have inherited an artifact of world-shifting power.
— Passive Effect: Dimensional Awareness (Lv 1)
[System Expansion Initialized…]
Welcome, Kael Lancaster.
You are now recognized as a Dimensional User.
— System Core: [Dimensional Interface V.1]
— Primary World: Earth
— Linked World: [?? Unknown Realm ??]
— System Sync: 12%... 27%... 45%...
[Warning]
You are now subject to Dimensional Interference.
Expect encounters with interworld phenomena.
You may be marked by forces unknown.
Michael clenched his jaw. Either he'd completely lost his damn mind, or his grandfather had left him something a hell of a lot weirder than money.
"What is this—sci-fi Skyrim? Or one of those isekai light novels?"
He waved a hand through the glowing text. No resistance. Just floating data his brain could somehow see.
"Okay. HUD. System interface. Jesus, this is straight-up RPG bullshit."
Still, it didn't vanish. It stayed burned into his vision.
He exhaled sharply. "Grandpa, what the hell did you do?"
He looked at the mirror again.
"Just one finger," he muttered. "See what happens."
Michael hesitated. He had two options now:
Option 1: Walk the fuck away. Tell someone. Sell the story. Become the guy who discovered interdimensional travel—instant fame, interviews, maybe a Netflix deal.
Problem: The second he opened his mouth, some shadowy government fucks would kick down his door, drag him to a black site, and turn this basement into a lab. And goodbye freedom.
Option 2: Keep it secret. Use it.
His grandfather had. The old bastard had built an empire with whatever he'd pulled from the other side. Gold? Technology? Something else?
Michael fingers twitched.
"Fuck it."
He pressed his palm flat against the panal.
Sudden. Violent.
Michael barely had time to gasp before the darkness yanked him forward.
The Other Side
Michael stumbled, knees hitting dirt.
Michael found himself in a forest. And surprisingly, it was now day on the other side.
He whipped around.
The the portal—was gone.
His stomach dropped.
No. No, no, no—
He spun, heart hammering against his ribs. Nothing but trees, moss, silence.
"Shit. Shit."
He was stranded. No way back. No—
Then, like a fucking nightmare blinking into existence, the black portal reappeared behind him, swirling like ink in water.
Michael exhaled hard.
"Okay. Okay. So it's not a one-way trip."
He reached out, fingers skimming the surface. The portal held.
He stepped through—
room
Dust. Rot. The familiar stench of mildew.
He turned back to the portal
He returns to the forest.
Back and forth. Testing.
The third time he crossed, he realized—
It's responding to me.
He just had to think about the portal, and it opened.
A grin split his face.
"Hell yeah."
He laughed—manic. "This is what I want."
He pressed his palm flat against the panal.
He again open the portal
Michael grin faded.
That old man really left me a goldmine. If he were still alive... I'd wash his feet with whiskey.
Far off, past the trees, a flicker of stone and light caught his eye.
A city.
It looked like a medieval city.
Michael put the two coins in his pocket. He decided to head towards the city.
It wasn't that far.
Huge walls. Gates guarded by statues—or were they golems? Michael couldn't tell if they breathed.
As he got closer, he saw figures moving. Hooded. Armed. Not immediately hostile, but watching.
Michael stopped at the edge of the treeline.
This was real.
No dream. No simulation.
A new world. Full of danger. Full of the unknown.