
Chapter 113: Arguable a Risky Plan
(“ What are you exactly thinking? ”)
What, you worried about something?
(“ Honestly, yes, I am worried you are planning on doing something incredibly stupid ”)
Aww, thanks, your support is greatly appreciated.
My time spent twiddling my thumbs was over.
The last month had certainly been a mixed bag of emotions.
I said goodbye to my family, Lila, and Nina. It was short as I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Though it felt like they knew I was leaving soon anyway, especially Tyell and Lila, as if they were afraid of it.
I do wish I spent more time with them during this break, even though the majority of my time was with them, it still didn’t feel like it was enough.
There was a lot on my mind during this time with them, but it was hard to escape the thought that I had to leave them again. That wouldn’t be so bad, but this time, I knew I was scraping the edge of the boundary.
Of course, I prepared everything I could. After extensive training, I could consume mana potions and crystals at a net positive, even if I was over my capacity. However, it got harder the more mana I had within my system. Accomplishing this even surprised Espr; I’m not even sure if their surprise was with how fast I was able to learn it or that fact I was able to do it at all.
I was in my full armour with a supply pack full of mana crystals and potions. It contained extra parts if I needed to repair my gear and a tiny amount of food. The most valuable item outside the mana recovery items was the tracker. To prevent another incident of being trapped in space for months.
I responded again to Espr’s earlier statement.
That all said, you should know what my plan is.
Espoiramissa didn’t immediately answer. It was hard to believe it didn’t know what I was planning.
(“ You haven’t said it, but I can come to a conclusion about it and I am not happy with your decision ”)
Oh?
That reaction wasn’t too surprising. True I didn’t say anything, but action speaks louder than words and all that crap.
Well, thanks for sharing your opinion.
I pulled out the blue marble. It was still an energetic ball of energy that was my ticket to the other side of existence.
My knowledge of what was on the other side was minimal.
It appeared to be a portal dungeon, but with Espr’s revelation, I knew it was something more.
From my theorising, I believed what was on the other side was the original form of a dungeon. Likely, what causes a portal and domain to appear as what they do had to be because of their ‘original’ appearance on the other side of existence. Now my theory had zero fact-checking involved. Unless I went over there was no one to prove anything, and figuring out that shit was for people more interested in the topic. I only cared about the basic principles. Because this portal leads to the other side of existence, the true dungeon core should be on that side and not the simple projections.
Now Espoiramissa had given me zero clues onto what was on the other side or even answered any of my recent prods for information. I figured it was Espr’s pride at work, they didn’t want to lie, but they also didn’t want to give me the information, so they simply didn’t answer my queries.
(“ This has the chance to doom you ”)
And so does everything. Nothing has changed.
So many times in the last six years, my life had nearly been stolen from me. Even after leaving Espoiramissa and being granted a so-called safety net with its protection, so many times what I valued was nearly taken.
My own pride meant I never believed I would die, as I wouldn’t. Even if I were reduced to blood and bones, I would do everything needed to survive.
(“ Does belonging to me repulse you that much? ”)
Espoiramissa’s question was a complicated one.
There were benefits to it. I would be alive, gain power, and likely not have to worry about my safety for a long time. I could see Espr challenging me with fights of its own making, but the result would still be on the lines of being a guardian for its planet's body.
The issue was that my freedom would be lost.
I can’t say I valued it more than my life, but that didn’t mean I wanted to lose it.
There was a lot I wished to see and do, and once all this was over, I didn’t want to be chained by anything. My revenge, or Espoiramissa.
Espr didn’t care for my family. They might help them out due to my relation to me, but any support would be done because I am interesting, and not for any reason on their part. This worried me. As if I landed into Espr’s clutches permanently, I wasn’t sure of what it would let me do.
I asked Espoiramissa a simple question.
Well, what would you allow me to do if that scenario happened?
(“ We would simply have to find out ”)
They returned a nothing answer. Which in this instance was as bad as the worst outcome. Maybe Espr was fucking with me and it would allow me some form of freedom for a few years to tie up loose ends, or maybe it wouldn’t at all.
I didn’t know if there were any dungeon lackey rules for proper Witches that had to be followed either. From my small conversation about the Witch she knew about, every action she knew he did was seemingly done on orders.
And that’s why I am not stopping, Espr.
I arrived at Nina’s establishment. We had discussed previously about today; however, I didn’t tell her everything.
“This way.” I was escorted by one of Nina's employees through the front entrance, and we moved into a deeper part of the building.
Nina welcomed me as I walked into a secure part of her facility. “Morning Ceella, I see you are well prepared.”
“Prepared as I can be.” I shrugged.
My Starlight and Mana were about as good as they were going to be. Recharging mana would be difficult, but Starlight would be easy, if not time-consuming.
“So, how were you going to begin your trip?” Nina asked.
“I’ll just show you.” I pulled out and activated the blue marble.
The portal opened up into a dark land, seemingly at night.
Nina’s eyes open wide in shock.
“Now, I need you to promise to never allow anyone to follow in,” I warned her. We had this talk before, but now with the portal in front, I had to reiterate. “It is a one-way trip, and far more dangerous than a normal dungeon.
“Then are you sure you should go in?” She asked.
“Yes, I’m positive.”
Nina sighed. “You want me to keep the marble safe while you are gone?”
“That would be preferable.”
She sighed again. “This is a lot more than I was expecting. Does it lead to the far reaches of the universe?”
“No. You will likely not be able to track me until I make my way back.” I answered.
She pinched her forehead. “You are really good at making complicated messes. Couldn’t you have explained a little bit more of this earlier?”
I shrugged, “You didn’t ask about secrets to how the universe operated.”
“I suppose I didn’t.”
We kept the pleasantries short.
I didn’t want to delay this further, and Nina had to deal with the extra mess I was dropping on her plate.
“Thank you for everything, Nina. Take care. See you soon.” I smiled towards her before turning back to the portal.
“...Stay safe, Ceella.”
I jumped through the portal and felt as the universe shifted over me, and I entered into a world of mana.
Thick. Not as thick as the mana in Espoiramissa’s underground, but denser than any portal dungeon I had entered before.
Unlike the portal dungeons, I didn’t see the border wall as the terrain around me stretched far outside of my vision.
A grassy patch grew around me, but it soon petered out into a sandy crust. That didn’t stop the trees; tall and thick with a bright brown bark, they grew all around and spread into the far reaches of the sand.
I looked into the sky.
Where no moon, sun, or stars lit up the night sky.
Huh neat. Time to wander another dimension I guess
Thanks for reading,

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Yep! Nothing bad should happen when wandering alternative dimensions
No stars above? That can’t be good can it. Tftc!


Thanks for reading!
Exactly! What a filthy world