Eating Souls In Another World

Chapter 02

[DIMENSIONAL RIFT DETECTED.]

[Scanning for the cause.]

[…]

[Failure to identify the cause.]

[Dimensional Rift closed.]

[Scanning for damage caused by Dimensional Rift  722 134 199 304 943.]

[…]

[No damage detected.]

[Scanning for casualties caused by Dimensional Rift 722 134 199 304 943.]

[…]

[Casualties detected: 01.]

[Identifying casualties.]

[Intelligent biological lifeform.

Specie: human.

Name: Drake Brand.

Sex: male.

Age: 17 years.]

[Victim status: alive.]

[Due to the immediate closure of dimensional rift 722 134 199 304 943 relocation of victim Drake Brand has been made impossible.]

[Beginning countermeasures.]

[Modifying molecular structure to ensure compatibility with new Dimension.]

[Modifying biological structure to ensure compatibility with new Dimension.]

[Title: “Dimension Traveler” has been generated.]

[Due to the impossibility of  relocating victim Drake Brand to the previous dimension, the title: “Dimension Traveler” is to be granted as compensation.]

[…]

[Title: “Dimension Traveler” has been implemented.]

[Due to the implementation of the title: “Dimension Traveler" System type 01 has been generated.]

[Countermeasures complete.]

~◇~

Dirt. Sand. Rocks. Pebbles.

Those were the first things Drake saw when he opened my eyes. It was strange that everything seemed rather large, but he soon realized it was because his head was resting on the ground.

“It’s not… it’s not a dream…”

The strange shadow, the cave, the black cloaks. All of it was real. Drake let out a bemused chuckle. 

He couldn’t believe he had been taken to who knows where just to get beaten unconscious by a bunch of cultists.

Shit! What is going on here!?

Panic kicked in as his mind finally booted up. He lifted himself and began taking his surroundings in trying to make sense of what was going on. It was dark. His eyes had gotten used to it, but even so, he could barely make out anything a few feet away. That was enough for him to learn of his current situation. The metallic bars at the front informed him that he was inside a cell of some kind. 

It would be more accurate to call it a hole in the wall as his head slammed into the ceiling the moment he tried to stand.

Shit!

Suppressing the urge to scream he took a deep breath to try and calm himself. When faced with uncertainty the worst thing one could do is lose his cool. 

Drake surmised that what he needed the most right now was to correctly understand what was happening and how to keep himself safe. Once that thought ran through his mind, he began to relax and assess his situation further. 

Now, let’s go back a few steps and rethink everything. Carefully this time.

Question: Where am I?

Answer: An unknown location.

Question: How did I get here?

Answer: Though unbelievable, it seems that I have been teleported to this location by coming into contact with the shadow.

Question: The people in black cloaks, are they responsible for what happened?

Answer: No. Though I didn’t understand what they said, the way they reacted made it clear that they weren’t expecting my visit.

Question: There were quite a lot of them. Some religious group? A cult? Terrorists? 

Answer: Doesn’t matter. They’ll probably kill me anyway. 

It didn’t seem like they understood each other’s language so communication is impossible. He would be unable to negotiate his safety and waiting for rescue is pointless since he doesn’t know if it’ll ever come.

I’m running out of time. I need to find a way to escape as soon as possible. 

“Hm?”

As he shifted in his place he felt something behind him.

“A… rope?”

His heart almost stopped at the thought of it being a snake, however it was just a simple rope. Not the usual vinyl type sold at utility stores, though. The texture felt different. There were a few scattered around, most only a few centimeters in length. As confusion slowly arose in his mind, he felt a slight itch on his wrists and understood what was happening.

Most likely his hands were tied not that long ago. Someone had cut the rope while he was out of it.

“Now that I think about it…”

The pain was gone. Drake recalled receiving quite the beating yet he couldn't feel the bruises that should have been left behind.

How long have I been asleep? 

Those injuries weren’t something that would heal so soon. Taking the low temperature and humidity into account, being unconscious in this environment for extended periods would have affected his health. Since that had yet to happen he concluded that he hadn't been there that long.

While I was out, someone came here and cut my restraints. If that’s true then…

Drake reached for the rusty iron bars a short distance away and tried to push them. The door came open without much resistance proving the conclusion he had arrived at seconds ago.