Bang—
The sound of a single gunshot rang in the hall, crows croaked, and they flew away, fearing the noise.
Kaw— Kaw—
A cold droplet of sweat rolled down the forehead of the soundly sleeping Liu Mowen, his breathing hitched as he trembled in his sleep. The sound of the gunshot was too real; it wasn't like your common nightmare. There was nothing abnormal about it, yet it felt distant, yet at the same time so close by.
Then a jolt of pain shot through his chest, like the bullet from the gunshot was actually there. He rolled to his side, trying to get rid of the nightmare unfolding in small, cropped images.
Under the blanket, he twisted and turned, his hands slowly wrapping around his head in anguish, his fingers digging under his scalp, clenching the little skin between it and his skull.
Bang—
Another gunshot came.
The same jolt of pain.
"Agh—" He screamed in his bedroom with a croaky throat, It hurts so bad… Isn't this just a dream? What the fuck is happening?
Like a veil was pulled over his face, he couldn't see.
Even without vision, Liu Mowen felt himself fall; he hadn't moved, but he fell, not off his bed but from a place higher, further than he had ever reached before… Higher than the planes in the skies, higher than the moon glimmering in the depths of night.
As he fell, a few threads of red wrapped around his limbs, around his wrists and ankles, almost like they were stopping his fall. But soon his weight became too much, and they snapped.
Thump—
Dust blew away from where he landed.
Seemingly, he had landed on his back as the nerves behind him throbbed in pain… Ouch, ouch, ouch. Liu Mowen tried to turn around, but his body didn't budge one bit. He tried to lift his hand, no reaction. It was almost like he lost control of every muscle in his body but his face.
Must have broken something in my spine as I landed, Liu Mowen thought as he attempted to roll around with the little control over his body that he had.
This must be a dream, no way I could've rolled off my bed and broken my back just like that, and on top of that become permanently disabled. No way, there's just no way… Nightmares are really the worst things ever.
Finally, after a few more attempts, he succeeded. He was lying on his back now, gazing up at the high ceiling and architecture above him. It felt unfamiliar to him; the stony architecture had a circular skylight at the center made of coloured glass.
It felt Victorian or somewhat gothic, far from the modern churches and cathedrals you would see these days.
From outside, he heard it was raining, the tick tacks of each drop landing and splashing echoing like the occasional thunder that boomed, shaking his eardrums.
He blinked, and in that moment, a flash of blinding lightning zipped past his vision.
Why would I have felt a sudden jolt of pain in my chest when I was asleep, don't tell me I had a heart attack just then… No way, right? I was healthy and far from being overweight. Last time I checked, all my vital metrics were completely fine.
I have to be dreaming, but there isn't so much I can do to confirm that…
Well, there is one way, but it'd be risky if my body in real life did the same action.
Liu Mowen's tongue rolled around the insides of his lips as he prepared himself. He shut his eyes tight, his mind thinking of one thing, I hope I don't get a big ass canker when I snap out of this nightmare.
Chomp—
He bit into his tongue as he screamed in pain, blood pouring out from the sides of his mouth. Where the hell am I?
Then suddenly it all stopped, the blood which once exited entered through his mouth again, incredibly gruesome, yet it was a spectacle to observe from his perspective.
As if a cold needle pierced his veins, he slammed upright, sitting up. He blinked a few times. He had finally broken free of whatever nerve that held him in place. But even now, the throbbing pain in his chest never left. While he was distracted scanning the ceilings, he subconsciously forgot about it, but now it had all come back at once.
"Agh!" He yelled, his throat tearing. He clenched his teeth hard through the pain as he placed a hand over his chest.
There were two large openings there, one just at the very center between his ribcage and the other straight through his heart.
Bullet wounds!? His breathing hastened. No, no… I should calm down. If a wound like that hadn't killed me by now, that has to mean this dream body of mine is more durable than my actual one.
He looked up again. He was definitely in a cathedral, there was no doubt about it, but it was somewhat deserted; there were no signs of any life nearby, but the flapping of crows' wings from the outside.
Broken benches and torn carpets were displaced by a recent conflict. Liu Mowen was puzzled. This didn't at all seem like the type of place he would fall asleep in; there was no way in hell.
Could I have been pranked by my colleagues? No way, we are all far too old for games like this, and above that, how could they have orchestrated such an event? None of us has this much money to rent out a whole cathedral as a venue for our little joke.
Trembling under the shock and confusion, Liu Mowen pushed himself up, swaying side by side, unbalanced at first, but was able to gather himself with the help of the ionic pillar behind him.
He took a step forward, but accidentally kicked something on the ground. It rolled around with a metallic clank against the cold floor of the cathedral. Liu Mowen's eyes drew downwards to see what he had just kicked.
A pistol? Or a revolver? He was shaken by the sight, and completely blank… Out of all the things that could've been in front of him, it was a tool used for killing. It was completely alien to him.
Where am I?
The question went by his head once again, as he staggered back, tumbling into the pillar behind him and losing balance, collapsing on the floor.
He surveyed his surroundings again, there was no difference, yet he saw something alarming… His breathing quickened as he tried his best to compose himself.
Around the abandoned cathedral were bodies, six to be exact, ranging from young men to women, all dead, their corpses contorted and twisted into unnatural positions.
He was scared to look for any longer, twisting his head forcefully, he snapped to his side where something glinted under the cold red moonlight, a shimmering reflection of himself?
This isn't me…
He thought as his train of thought was snapped by another jolt of pain as the holes in his chest healed themselves. As the pain finally subsided a moment later, he finally got a better look at himself.
He didn't look like anything spectacular, an ordinare at best, wavy brown hair which looked almost permed, and a pair of dark red eyes that looked unnatural to Liu Mowen. His body was average as well; under his rather thick leather coat was a lean build without much bulging muscles, definitely not the bodybuilder type.
This really isn't me… But who is this?
His gaze swept through the halls once again, hoping for someone to answer his question, but no one did.
Then, bit by bit, his gaze drooped down, he saw the revolver again, but this time it was slightly different. Even though his mind protested against the action, his body made him pick up the gun on the floor.
He brushed a finger over the shiny metal surface, swiping the aged dust from the cylinder. When he picked it up, he felt like he had retrieved an old companion. However, the consciousness of Liu Mowen never left his body; his heart still thumped hard each second as he stashed the revolver under his belt.
He looked around the hall once more, this time finally not being distracted by other objects, he thought about his location.
Liu Mowen crouched down and touched the cold flooring as a few theories and guesses came to his mind.
That gun was definitely not from my world. And the moon in the sky was red, and according to the calendar, it would be too soon for a blood moon to appear. All of the hints matched up… It could only mean one thing.
I'm in another world… But it isn't Liu Mowen who came to this world, but just the essence of me?
Liu Mowen found it hard to believe his situation, even though all the points linked to this as the only possible outcome… Transmigration.
Like anybody who once read fantasy light novels or webnovels in general, Liu Mowen had once dreamed of leaving his old life as just another broke office worker behind and becoming the main character of some medieval fantasy plot.
Could I still be dreaming? He doubted himself again, even though it felt too real to be a dream; he still couldn't believe his adverse encounter.
Rolling his hand into a fist, he quickly punched himself in the gut hard.
"Blah—" He coughed as he winded himself, rather surprised by his strength.
Guess I really am in another world… He processed those words.
Dong— Dong— Dong— Dong—
The cathedral bells rang in the distance.
——————
Note: Liu Mowen = 刘墨文