The pain… It's… It's gone?
My eyelids flew open, blinking for a few seconds, only to be greeted by darkness. Literal darkness. The void.
I could feel my body, yet I could not see it. Everything felt cold. A shivering, marrow-deep cold that sought to freeze me whole.
I could not see anything. I needed—no, I required—light, or else I might lose my mind in this endless abyss.
My teeth clenched of their own accord as I struggled to rise, yet I failed miserably.
Then, the sound of an explosion came from above—no, from the sky. Normally, such a sound would have ruptured my eardrums and made them bleed.
"Ngh!" I grunted, covering my ears. At once, heat surged—flames, overwhelming and consuming, surged forth and burned everything in their path. The conflagration spread as though it wished to cover the entirety of the darkness and void.
I was uncertain… I could not be sure if it had truly engulfed the whole expanse, for I did not even know if this place possessed an end.
It was agonizing, each and every second more unbearable than the last. It far overshadowed the torment I had suffered earlier, even more so than the fight with the draconic beasts.
My throat released a scream, yet I could not hear it. The sensation was like innumerable blades stabbing me, unceasing, while my body was boiled and burnt alive.
At long last, the flames receded. The torment dulled, and with it, the pain.
The floor… There is a floor? My breath came heavy and ragged. Air? There is air as well? Then… had I been transported? No… no, it could not be. I—
My dulled eyes, blinded by agony, began to see again. My ears, deafened by the initial explosion, returned to hearing. My senses—every single one of them—returned to me, stronger and sharper than before.
How… is this possible?
The sound of birdsong reached me. Ringing vibrations echoed within my ears. My body—
I looked myself over in haste. Not a single mark, not a trace of the burns that should have reduced me to nothing but charred flesh. But I had felt it. I had seen it. This is impossible.
I rejected the thought outright; I could not allow myself to accept it. To embrace such an absurdity was illogical. And in a place such as this, bereft of all familiarity, logic was all I had left to cling to.
Wait. Did I just see my arms? My hands? My gaze darted back to my arms, then downward to my chest and legs.
How… how is this possible?!
"Ah…" My voice? Did I just hear my own voice? Yet only moments ago I had not even been able to hear my own screams.
And where—where in the world am I?!
I staggered upright, leaning against a tree for support. A tree? What business has a tree in such a place? A leaf fell down.
My eyes roamed, frantic. Roads. Unfamiliar roads painted with yellow and white stripes, it's unnatural smoothness sent shivers down my spine. Metal poles crowned with glowing circles of red, yellow, and green, shifting at intervals with mechanical flow. stood sentinel at the edges of the sidewalks.
My gaze climbed higher, to towering constructs of concrete and glass. Buildings, their windows reflecting ghostly light, each decorated in unfamiliar fashions. They rose so high that some seemed to pierce the very clouds above.
The very sky-piercing edifices of concrete dared to devour me with it's shadow like a hungry gnarling beast starved of attention. The light of the buildings hummed with attention, giving light to almost every bit of the city.
"Just… where am I?!"
•••
Time passed—minutes, perhaps, though I could not be sure. I wandered the city, straying further into its labyrinth of lifeless streets, until I stumbled upon a lush, verdant park.
Here, amidst tall and steadfast trees, with leaves the fell like stars. its descent so deliberate, so calm, as though mocking the chaos within me.. I sat upon a bench of iron and wood. A pond lay nearby, its waters rippling faintly, yet no breeze stirred the air. It's clear reflection unnerving. its waters rippling faintly, though no pebble disturbed it, no breath of wind caressed its surface.
"Just… where am I?" I muttered, staring down at the grey pavement beneath my feet.
My brows furrowed as my mind twisted in confusion. I could perceive what I beheld, yet comprehension eluded me. My thoughts, feeble in the face of such strangeness, faltered.
A hand rose to my temple, fingers pressing against my skull as though to force reason into place. My mouth opened to speak, then closed again, silence claiming me.
Birdsong again? But where? Not a single bird was in sight. This city, this colossal expanse, should have people. Someone to manage it. Someone to dwell within it. And where there are people, there are animals, as well. They belong here. This unnatural emptiness it has no place in a place with large constructs of concrete and glass.
"This… this is the same place as the domain from earlier." The words left me unbidden, the only conclusion my scattered mind could weave together.
A sound broke my thoughts. Footsteps upon grass. The snap of a branch. My head whipped around to face it.
From the trees emerged a man clad in a formal brown suit, a crisp white shirt beneath it, a black leather jacket draped over. A cross hung from his neck, glinting faintly. Scars marred his jaw. He stood around one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, with a black top hat upon his head, his visage stern and mature.
At last, his lips parted. "Another person here? Finally!"
His voice was tinged with relief. "I have been waiting for so long." His expression remained neutral, but something flickered beneath it. He seemed… familiar.
"Who… are you?" I asked, my tone sharpened with both caution and curiosity. Rising from the bench, I faced him squarely.
"My identity?" he echoed. "Ah. As expected of a transmigrator. Ever cautious." He smirked, a chuckle slipping through before he bowed.
Even before his name left his lips, there was weight to his presence, like the very ground acknowledged him. "Thy name is Reinlernt Von Augustus, third emperor Caesar of the United Empirical Reign."
My eyes widened at his words. "The third emperor?!"
So that was why he looked familiar. My brow furrowed still deeper, yet suspicion clung to me. "But… what is a transmigrator?"
Cold ran down my spine. My heart beat heavier in my chest, dread rising with anticipation of his answer.
His eyes widened, astonishment flashing across his face as though he had been utterly undone. "What? You are not a transmigrator, as I am?"
A sigh escaped him, heavy with disillusion. "That… makes sense. I suppose I have grown desensitized, having been alone for so long." His voice carried resignation, his hopes dashed.
"But… I shall answer your question, once you answer mine."
"Who are you?" Emperor Caesar asked. Curiosity lined his tone, yet beneath it lingered something deeper, something unsaid.
"Ca—" My tongue slipped. I nearly spoke Cassian's name. How had I grown so accustomed to it in only a few days? My jaw clenched before I forced myself to breathe, releasing the tension with a sigh.
"Vincent Pranlior Velkrist," I corrected quickly.
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-End of Chapter-
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