Griffin stepped out of the GRMA building with a heavy heart. He glanced up and he noticed the sun beginning its descent casting a warm glow that painted the sky in hues of orange and pink.
"Better hurry back before nightfall," he muttered under his breath, quickening his pace. Moments later, he got into a bus. The air inside was thick with myriad scents of unwashed humanity.
Griffin settled into a seat at very back of the bus, where the smell of sweat mingled unpleasantly with the acrid tang of diesel fumes. Cutting through the air was the cloying sweetness of someone's cheap air freshener, a fake pine scent that fought a losing battle against the more organic aromas of warm bodies.
Each passenger was in their own bubble, a pocket of silence in the low, resonant hum of the engine. Griffin felt somewhat strange whenever he was on a bus, a moving capsule—a vessel of solitary souls breathing the same recycled air.
Through the window, the scene outside dissolved into blurry lines; skyscrapers blurred into streaks, their reflections dancing on the window glass as Griffin leaned his head against the seat, momentarily captivated by the scene outside.
"Can't believe it has already been more than half a year since I came to this world," he thought with a smile creeping onto his lips, as distant memories flickered in his mind.
Technically Griffin wasn't from this world,his soul just happened to take control of this body. His original world was modern Earth. Six months ago, he had awakened in this body, a jarring twist of fate that left him grappling with his new existence.
And coincidentally he shares the same name as this body. Though the surname of this body was different from his, he felt no sentimental pull to adopt it,his original surname wasn't that much of a use to him anyway. He had left bebind the mundane remnants of his past life on Earth.
Back on Earth, his life hadn't been remarkable, neither a shining success or utter failure,he lived somewhere in the middle. Like many others,he had led an ordinary life with an ordinary social circle. His parents hadn't been the greatest so when he moved out, they effectively forgot about him, each of them continuing their own lives.
His death was anything shocking at least in his opinion. All he remembered was a sudden,sharp pain in his chest before everything went black. When his consciousness returned, he found himself in this body, in an entirely new world.
This world was a stark contrast to Earth, a parallel realm, yet distinct.Two hundred years ago, an apocalypse descended on this world; spatial tears appeared all around the world, and these spatial tears vomited out hordes of monsters unlike anything before into this world, plunging it into total chaos.
These spatial tears were called Dimensional Rifts and the monsters Dimensional Monsters. The weapons that humanity was once proud of,nuclear bombs, missiles, tanks — all proved ineffective in front of these Dimensional Monsters.
Just when the world teetered on the brink of destruction, fortunately, because of the Dimensional Rifts, a strange energy emerged that allowed select members of the human race to awaken supernatural abilities.
These people, who awakened these supernatural abilities, were called Dimensional Walkers. With this newfound strength,humanity began to fight back, reclaiming their world from the clutches of chaos.
One of the crucial factors that allowed humans to fight back and achieved victory was the nature of the Dimensional Rifts; when they first appear monsters don't rush out immediately.
There is something called Dimensional Impact. When the Rifts appear, there was a seven day cooldown period,which the rifts lay dormant.
If the rift wasn't closed by the seventh day,a Dimensional Impact will occur, allowing the monsters to cross over. This offered humanity a slip chance to close them before the monsters burst forth.
And that's when the Dimensional Walkers come in, as they are the only who can enter and close the Dimensional Rifts.
Because of this crucial factor about the Dimensional Rifts, humanity was able to fight back; otherwise, with the strength of these Dimensional Monsters, humanity would have been extinct long ago.
With the advent of Dimensional Rifts, a new era then began, one in which everyone aspired to awaken as a Dimensional Walker.
Yet, the reality was harsh; awakening was a random event,accessible only to the fortunate few, with no rhyme or reason governing who would gain powers.
Griffin let out a sigh as he rubbed his nose with a bittersweet smile. Initially waking up in this completely different world, had filled him with panic, he felt lost and vulnerable, constantly reminded of the dangers lurking around every corner.
Just as people awakened their abilities randomly, Dimensional Rifts also appeared randomly; one can even appear in your bedroom.
Griffin was terrified at first because what if one appeared in his vicinity, and if unlucky, a high-level one at that? If these Dimensional Walkers don't close the Rift in time, then he is completely cooked, unless he moved far away from his location.
Whenever a Dimensional Impact occurs, it's the ordinary person that suffers the most, and Griffin's lack of awakened abilities heightened his anxiety, leaving him a perpetual state of dread.
But after half a year of living in fear, he finally awakened, only to be devastated by the Class he received. If hope hadn't flickered in the back of his mind,he might have banged his head the wall in frustration.
"How can I be this unlucky?" Griffin ran his hand through his hair, exasperation bubbling inside him. What he could possibly achieve with this Class.
Just then, the bus came to a stop, snapping him back to reality. He glanced outside,stood up and disembarked. The sun was fiery orb of orange, painting the sky with vibrant hues. Flocks of birds flew in perfect V-formation, gliding effortlessly across the horizon.
With his hands stuffed his pockets, Griffin made his way towards his neighborhood. He stopped by a convenience to grap some groceries. Moments later, he arrived at his modest apartment. Griffin lived in a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a six-story building, with four units on each floor.
The living conditions and environment could be described as modest — neither terrible nor particularly comfortable. This two-bedroom apartment was something that the original owner's parents left him, and this was one of the reasons why he was constantly in fear of a Dimensional Rift suddenly appearing here.
Because he didn't have to pay any rent. Although the Government compensates for any damages that occur when a Dimensional Impact occurs, the amount is meager compared to the true value of the damaged properties.
Griffin unlocked the door and stepped inside the apartment, flicking on the lights with a tired sigh. The apartment lit up in a soft, warm glow: modest, clean, and quiet.
A small living room opened up before him; a gray couch sat pushed against the left wall, facing a flat-screen TV mounted on a low wooden stand clustered with remotes and a single game controller.
To the right stood a simple desk with a single lamp and a stack of notebooks. A narrow bookshelf rested beside it, packed with manuals, old Rift Guides, and a few novels he never finished.
The kitchen connected directly to the living room, with no walls and no separation, holding a small fridge and two cabinets. Down the short hallway were two doors: his bedroom and another bedroom as well. The whole place felt compact but lived in.
With a blank expression, he made his way to the kitchen, unloading the groceries, before heading to the bathroom to freshen up.
Afterwards he prepared a simple dinner. Sitting at the dinner table, Griffin pondered back his current situation. The class he had awakened felt like a barrier; completely sealed off his path to becoming a powerful Dimensional Walker.