Inside the gray wasteland, the same black humanoid entity was lying on the ground.
Looking up, there was only static fog. No sounds. Only an oppressive silence.
Where am I?
It tried to refresh its memories.
Hmm.. I remember that I was drinking with Aldric and Bren.
This entity was Jack.
My memories got all fuzzy and distorted after that point.. I think I went to Bren's place and began to sleep.
Let's just get up for now.
In an instant he went from lying on the ground to standing straight on his feet.
What did I just do?
He looked around and found that he could see everything surrounding him in a full 360 degrees. There was nothing around him, only the gray ground and some rocks. The rest of the place was obscured by fog.
He locked in on one of the rocks. Instantly he was crouching beside it, his hand touching the surface.
This is just a rock. It doesn't have anything special to it.
At that thought the rock seemed to lose its uniqueness. It became smoother, its details fading.
Jack quickly remembered the moment at the notice board near the Clock Tower Market, where the words "Sea Dragon" had turned into the name Mardrago.
He moved back to his original position and began to think.
.. This could be the magic that the girl who posted on the notice board was talking about.
Hmm.. But what is magic exactly? From my observations here and back at the notice board, magic seems to be a way to assert your will onto the world.
But then what is the Mana Rank that woman wrote about? Is it the amount of times you can use magic?
The area around Jack began to change. The space filled with many different things tied to his train of thought, symbols of magic. Wands, books, chemistry sets.
There was also a pointed hat with a monocle under it!
No, this definitely isn't magic.
The way she wrote about it, magic definitely has hard rules to it. This is just making your thoughts reality. Just like a dream..
Wait! Is this a dream?
I don't feel anything. There is no sound. And just earlier today I woke up in a medieval town that apparently has magic. There is no way this is not a dream!
Around him many different faces appeared, people laughing and happy, each one unique with exaggerated expressions. Slowly their smiles faded back to neutral, and then they disappeared entirely.
It's better to just keep calm. Dreams get shaped by emotions and I don't want a lucid nightmare.
Let's attempt something while I have the chance.
Jack attempted to speak rather than think.
"yfl o-t tanw I"
In that moment of speaking he instantly moved high up into the sky, or into the fog that made up the sky.
What was that? I understood the words but they got warped? I just said I want to fly.
He stood there in the fog. Then something came to mind. He remembered that when he tried to understand what the name of the Church of Salvation really meant, he had gotten a sharp headache.
A bunch of gears and cogs began to appear around him before he thought of the word.
Salvation.
The word appeared in front of him.
Ok. Here goes nothing.
What is the real name of Salvation?
Finishing the thought, it felt as if the world turned upside down and warped. Then a static spread from inside him outward, stabilizing everything around him. It was the same static he had fallen into after his encounter with the spider.
What remained of the word Salvation was: "P%ril"
P%ril? It seems almost finished.. Could the word be Peril? As in the Church of Salvation worships Peril?
It's quite fitting. The word is a fancy way to say being in danger. So Peril puts you in danger but also gives you salvation?
It could also be another name like Piril or Paril, but I think Peril fits best.
But why is this one specifically so hard to find the meaning of? This isn't lack of ability. Something is constantly trying to stop me from learning the name.
Also why is it that I can think so smoothly here? I can easily recall yesterday's events without much trouble. Well, apart from the drinking.
Out of nowhere the static that had stabilized him began to act up again.
What is this? What is happening?
Slowly the static spread from the center of his stomach outward, dissolving his entire body.
. . .
Next morning, at Bren's place.
Inside a room with white plaster walls and fully exposed wooden beams, Jack lay on a sleeping cushion staring up at the ceiling.
I see.. I still woke up in this world.