The blue sky parted, allowing the sun to cast its glow on the landscape. I stepped onto the outer walls and stared at the land, swallowing quietly.
“…I wonder how long it will take for the land to fully recover.”
While the sky was blue, the damage the land had sustained over the years was quite substantial. It was going to take at least a few years for the land to fully recover.
From the charred, withered trees to the cracked and shattered earth…
The land outside the walls was a no man’s land
Thud.
Jumping down the walls, I walked forward without a care.
The meeting had ended a few hours ago and in the end, some sort of competition was agreed. I barely paid any attention to the situation before excusing myself.
Everyone was allowed a bit of time to rest and roam freely in the meantime. The competition was set to be in two days so I had time.
With permission from the Head Elder, I decided to venture out of the walls of the city.
It was only when I was far enough from the city that I heard a familiar squelching sound coming from beneath me.
Squelch~
A root emerged shortly after, gradually taking shape as a small owl that perched beside my shoulder.
“You’re here, human.”
The reason why I had decided to move out of the city walls was because Owl-Mighty had called for me.
“What exactly did you call me for?”
“….There’s something that I noticed not far from here.”
“Oh?”
What exactly did it notice?
‘Should I check it out?’
I did have quite a bit of time. In all honesty, it wouldn’t hurt to check it out. It was just going to be myself so I wasn’t worried about anything happening to me. Especially since Owl-Mighty was with me.
We were talking about a Destroyer Ranked creature…
Fwap—
Jumping away from my shoulder, Owl-Mighty’s figure unfurled into a gigantic tree that stood tall over the surroundings.
The process took no longer than a few seconds, starting from several thick roots manifesting from the ground beneath and shooting up towards the sky as blood-red leaves manifested shortly after, rustling in the air.
I stood in a daze for a brief moment before asking,
“Why did you turn into your true form?”
“….It will be faster this way.”
So it said but I found it hard to believe that a tree could be fast.
Nonetheless, I didn’t question Owl-Mighty and just let one of its roots clamp my body and bring me toward its inner body.
Squelch~
As darkness clouded my vision, I saw Owl-Mighty’s figure shrink, and soon an eerie silence enveloped my surroundings.
Breaking the silence was a strange sound that made me frown.
It felt similar to a shoveling sound…
‘Wait, are we traveling underground?’
That’s when it hit me.
“Ah…”
So that’s why Owl-Mighty chose to use its real body.
This indeed seemed like an efficient means of transportation. No longer questioning the situation, I looked around the darkness that surrounded me and decided to close my eyes.
“Hey, Owl-Mighty…”
“Yes?”
“…Wake me up when we’re there.”
“Okay.”
It had been a while since I had gotten a good night’s sleep.
Following everything that had happened to me recently, the moment I closed my eyes, I fell into a peaceful slumber.
*
“Wake up—!” Owl-Mighty’s voice boomed in my ears, startling me awake instantly.
“Uh?!”
My eyes snapped open, and I found myself lying on the ground. The sky above was no longer the same shade of blue as before; it had turned gray, with a familiar white sun hovering in the distance. Tall, jagged peaks pierced the horizon, the pale light from the sun casting a faint glow over them.
An oppressive, dry air entered my lungs as I took a deep breath and realization dawned on me rather quickly.
“Wait, is this the Mirror Dimension?!”
I snapped my eyes towards my right shoulder when Owl-Mighty stood in its owl form.
“….Why would you bring me here?!”
Shooting up, I hurriedly patted my clothes clean and grew alert.
Every pore on my body seemed to have closed down from the harsh environment around me.
“Don’t worry, I’m here. There will be no monster nearby.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about…”
In fact, the monsters were the last thing I was worried about.
“No, before any of that, why did you bring me here? What do you want to show me?”
“It’s close by.”
“Where?”
I looked around me. All I saw were the faraway peaks and the scorched land. There was nothing worth looking at.
“It’s in front of you.”
“In front of me…?”
I found myself looking at Owl-Mighty weirdly.
‘Did Owl-Mighty lose its mind while it wasn’t with me?’
Now that I thought about it, most strong people I knew had a few screws loose.
Unfazed by my reaction, Owl-Mighty nudged its head forward.
“Touch the space in front of you.”
“Hm?”
Though I was confused, I did as Owl-Mighty asked and pressed my hand forward.
“?!”
It was then that I sensed it—a faint disturbance as an invisible ripple formed in the air before me. The ripple expanded outward, spreading across every corner of my vision until it traced the outline of an immense dome. The dome seemed to be massive, with no end in sight and as I wondered exactly what was happening, my right arm started to glow.
“Uh?”
Before I could process the situation, my hand fell forward and an invisible power sucked me into the dome.
Swoosh—
I didn’t even have the time to scream before my vision shifted and my vision turned white.
Thump!
I fell face-first to the ground and hastily rubbed my face before propping myself back up. As I opened my eyes, a blinding light pierced through my vision, forcing me to squint as I quickly glanced around.
It took me a few minutes to fully adjust to the light and when I did, I finally managed to focus on my surroundings.
‘Where is this…?’
All I saw was white.
No, I could also see the corners and edges of what appeared to be a small room.
Room?
Clank—
The space before me seemed to shift, and a section of the white wall slid apart, revealing the outline of a door. Moments later, a figure stepped through.
“My, my…”
I found myself dazed at the appearance of the man in front of me as I quickly looked at him up and down before holding my breath.
He was dressed in tall, slender brown pants, a white T-shirt, and a long jacket that nearly reached the top of his legs. His circular-framed glasses perched on his nose, and his brown hair was neatly combed.
With a thin smile, he looked me up and down before settling his gaze on my arm which was still glowing.
“Inverted Sky?”
He pinched his chin, and his next words made me understand my situation.
“It’s been a while since we got someone coming from that far. Well, judging from your face, you also don’t seem to have come here in the past but since you were allowed in, it must mean that you’re more than qualified to enter.”
The man held the door for me.
“Well, it doesn’t matter to me. If you would…
His instructions were clear, and while I was still utterly confused about what was happening, I managed to remain composed and stood up. After which, under the gaze of the strange man that I just met, I made my way for the door.
Clank!
As soon as I stepped through the door, a long white corridor stretched out before me. Looking up, I saw lights above that seemed strangely familiar. They were long and narrow, producing a bright white light.
That…
My heart pressed at my throat.
“You seem rather calm despite coming here for the first time. Usually when we have new people enter they all look extremely surprised by everything.”
“…I am surprised.”
I really was.
“Hm, why doesn’t it seem like you are?”
“My face tends to be rather stoic.”
Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire
“I see.”
With a simple smile, the man led me forward.
Tak, tak—
Our steps echoed loudly within the corridor as we both kept quiet. It was good this way since my mind was going on overdrive as I tried to understand my current situation. I already had a pretty good idea given the few hints and clues that I received.
‘…I must be in some sort of base? One where those from the four organizations within each Empire reside.’
Or something of the sort.
The fact that my leaf glowed and granted me access right after was the most significant clue
The man’s following words were also enough of a hint and my heart started to speed up further.
Taking short, yet unnoticeable breaths, I forced my mind to calm down further.
I wanted to silently curse Owl-Mighty for suddenly bringing me here without any preparations, but given that it wasn’t present with me, it was clear that only those with the emblem could enter.
“We’re almost here.”
Lost in thought, I didn’t even realize that we had reached the end of the corridor, and when I looked up, I saw the man from before lift his glasses with his finger.
He smiled faintly the moment our eyes met.
Pressing his hand against the white door behind me, he started to speak.
“There’s not a lot of rules in this place, but there are a few that you must follow as… the environment here is quite different from what you’re used to.”
Different? As in…?
“You must always walk on the pedestrian street. Only cross the road when you see white stripes on the road or when the light is green. Please don’t use your powers within this place or you will be immediately detained.”
My breathing unknowingly grew faster upon hearing his words.
“If you do get detained, depending on the crime, things might get quite troubling for you. Especially since the since governor Dreamist is quite strict with his judgment.”
He went on with the rules.
“No killing, no drinking in public, no vandalizing, no…”
He went on and on about the rules, but by then, I had already stopped focusing on his words.
I thought back to the familiar lights and things I picked up on the way, and an idea formed in my mind. An idea that I almost refused to believe.
This…
It couldn’t be that…
Clank—
As the door by the end of the hall opened, the man’s soft voice reached my ears.
“Welcome to the Citadel.”
“The land of the true inhabitants of this world.”