Dimensional Shadow E-Book

Fabienne Gschwind

• Herausgeber: epubli
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 578

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Lucy and Mark, two scientists, are suddenly hurled through a dimensional gate to the gladiator planet Scadenweld. A megalomaniacal Great Queen rules there, controlling the empire with her cutting-edge technology and iron hand. With the empire on the brink of collapse and the dimensional rifts - the planet's energy source - closing, Lucy and Mark feverishly search for a solution. Amidst political intrigue and the looming threat of military attack, they fight not only for their place in this alien world, but also to save an entire planet. Only with their scientific creativity and determination can they decipher the dimensional theory and save the Earth from catastrophic destruction.

Leseprobe

Prologue

One thousand years before our time

The Minshowa, a virtually immortal and extremely powerful species, suffered from chronic boredom. In their millions of years of evolution, they had achieved almost everything: extremely long lives, freedom from disease and highly developed technologies such as space travel and dimensional travel. But despite all these achievements and their unprecedented standard of living, they were dissatisfied. Everything had been discovered before, everything had been done before - and they were trapped in an endless monotony.

In a desperate search for pleasure, they constantly created new forms of entertainment. As true connoisseurs of brutal gladiator fights, they decided to create a spectacle that would surpass everything that had gone before: the ultimate battle for survival between entire peoples.

An entire planet was reshaped and populated with the most dangerous creatures they could find. The Minshowa then gathered hundreds of different species from the far corners of the universe and settled them on this new gladiator planet.

But that was not enough. To ensure that the involuntary gladiators remained in a constant state of war, the Minshowa came up with a cruel but brilliant solution after a few experiments: they altered the brains of the inhabitants and made fear a vital feeling for survival. Creatures that did not regularly feel a dose of fear perished. From then on, they lived in a state of endless violence and an eternal struggle for survival.

It was the Minshowa's ultimate game, born of their insatiable desire for entertainment.

Part 1

In the early 2000s on Earth (there were no smartphones back then, and it was the beginning of the internet!)

"Careful, there's more mud here!" Mark carelessly pushed his already dirty backpack over the muddy patch and slipped behind it. Carefully turning around to avoid hitting his head on the cave ceiling. He looked over his shoulder at Lucy, who was wearing a yellow helmet with a bright lamp shining on it, blinding him. He crawled on and Lucy followed him when she suddenly spotted a mark: "Okay, here is the last sign from Etienne...from now on we are officially in unknown territory where no one has been before."

"Finally, I've been waiting for this moment, but we have to be ultra careful now," Mark replied. Lucy sighed and continued crawling. She felt as if she had been in the narrow, stuffy tunnel for hours. The thought that she was smaller than Mark and that her shoulders weren't constantly bumping into the walls comforted her a little. Suddenly she heard Mark grumbling up ahead, then a smacking sound. "So, more mud?" she asked casually. Mark swore softly and replied: "Not worth mentioning. Especially compared to our last cave expedition..."

Lucy giggled uncontrollably and Mark started to laugh too. Their laughter echoed through the tunnel and Lucy was glad that no one could hear them. Otherwise, they would have been mistaken for boisterous children and no one would have believed that they were two newly graduated scientists.

Lucy had completed her Master's degree in Chemistry only two weeks ago, while Mark had passed his final exams in Physics a week before her. Before starting their Ph.D. studies, they decided to take a few weeks off to pursue their mutual hobby of spelunking. They had explored many caves, especially the limestone caves in northwestern Switzerland, where they were from. But now they were in Auvergne, in the center of France.

Mark continued to crawl along the tunnel, which was now uphill, which didn't make things any easier. As he pushed forward, centimeter by centimeter, he thought of Lucy. They had known each other almost since birth and had spent many afternoons in the caves at the edge of the village where they lived. In the winter, when it was too cold to go into the caves, Lucy would turn her room into a cave by pulling down the shutters and acting out adventures with flashlights. She had a vivid imagination and could make up an adventure story for any object.

At some point during secondary school, Mark's family moved away, and the two lost touch. Life continued, and new friends came and went. Caving, being an expensive and complicated hobby, fell by the wayside for both Mark and Lucy. Yet, the eerie silence of the caves lingered in their minds, and they each resolved to start with it properly someday.

Lucy often wondered about Mark and what had become of him, just as Mark occasionally thought about his childhood friend. Despite these thoughts, neither of them made an effort to reconnect.

Until university.

It was Friday of the first week of school when Lucy went to the secretary's office in the physics building to pay for her physics notes. She hurried through the deserted corridors because the office closed at six. Mark, on the other hand, had just returned from the same office where he had signed up for the internship. He was also in a hurry because his train left only every hour. They bumped into each other at the corner of the hallway. Lucy took one look at the young student's face and mumbled a few words of apology; Mark barely looked at her either and mumbled something, too. He quickened his pace, trying to remember the exact time of the train's departure, but the deep blue eyes of the student he had bumped into haunted his thoughts.

Lucy, who had almost reached the secretary's office, thought of a thousand things, but not of the student from earlier, or so she thought. But her subconscious had recognized the man and was busy giving him a name. As she put her hand on the doorknob, she suddenly knew who it was. Mark.

Mark, who had already pushed open the exit door, realized who those eyes belonged to. Lucy. He turned on his heel and ran back. He heard her footsteps before he saw her.

The two of them met at the spot where they had collided.

"Mark?" she asked cautiously, looking at him. He was no longer the lanky boy she had known. He was taller than her, had a body that was neither athletic nor slim, all his limbs were proportioned just right. His face had become more angular, but the elegant curve of his forehead and nose had remained, and he wore his beautiful brown hair cut short. Mark looked at her too, his gaze unconsciously slipping to her pelvis, which was quite wide and strong, only accentuating her waist. Her body was generally more athletic than that of a woman of her height. But it was her face that struck him the most, she wasn't a beauty in the classical sense, but her features were incredibly attractive to him. She had tied her hair up, but a few strands had come loose due to the collision.

The train had long since left and the office was closed. And both had sat down in a café without many words and began to tell each other how they had been.

From that day on, they were inseparable. The "sandbox friendship" quickly turned into a solid, romantic, stable relationship. They had both moved in together to save money on their apartments. Living together was the most natural thing in the world, as if they had known each other forever.

And best of all, university sports offered caving-themed weekend excursions. They eagerly signed up for as many courses as they could, embarking on smaller expeditions whenever possible. Gradually, they absorbed all there was to know about the art of caving, honing their skills with each adventure. Over time, they transformed into seasoned cavers, confidently exploring cave systems on their own.

*

"Hey, I think we've made it," Mark called out.

"The tunnel's widening." Lucy really hoped he wasn't wrong. This time he was right. A large cave with bizarre rock formations opened up in front of them. Mark had already taken his second strong flashlight out of his rucksack and was bathing the cave in bright light. Lucy was overwhelmed by the beauty of the cave. And it was especially wonderful because they both knew that they were the first people to see this cave.

It was the first time they had been on their own in such a large cave system. However, they had prepared long and diligently, studying all the materials they could get their hands on and discussing with other speleologists. They would spend a full week in the cave, so they carried large backpacks filled with all the equipment needed for such an expedition.

Fortunately, one of the well-known explorers of this cave system, called Etienne, lived nearby. Before their big expedition, they had the chance to join him on several outings. With his expert guidance, they scouted the area and pinpointed the most promising spots for new passages. This wasn't just about caving—they were on a mission to push the boundaries, ready to uncover the secrets hidden deep underground. Their goal was clear: to map the uncharted depths and reveal the mysteries lurking in the shadows.

Mark and Lucy, now in a newly discovered section of the cave, began their meticulous documentation process. First, they ensured the stability of the area, checking for loose rocks and potential collapses. Mark set up reflective markers at the entrance to avoid getting lost.

They established a base point for reference and started sketching the layout, noting key features and any hazards. Using measuring tapes and a laser rangefinder, they measured distances between key points, while an inclinometer helped them record changes in elevation. Detailed photographs and notes captured the features of the new area.

Mark used an anemometer to measure airflow, suggesting possible connections to other parts of the cave. Observing the surroundings, they documented any signs of life, from insects to microbial colonies. Following strict guidelines to minimize their environmental impact, they made sure to leave no trace.

Finally they were ready and decided to try out a few more passages.

They carefully walked to the end of the cave, arriving at a steep wall where they discovered an alcove two meters up that looked like a connecting tunnel. Mark approached the wall and began to check the ascent.

"Shall we try it?" he asked Lucy, who was sitting down, drinking some water. She nodded eagerly, barely able to contain her excitement at the prospect of discovering what lay beyond. Mark placed his foot on a stone, grabbed a crevice, and gave it a shake. Everything seemed solid. He pushed off hard, reaching for a protruding stone when he suddenly vanished into the rock.

Lucy gasped in shock, staring at the spot where Mark had just disappeared!

Her mind raced, trying to make sense of what she'd seen. She suppressed the thought that Mark had been swallowed by the cave wall and instead worried that he might have fallen into a hidden crevice. She ran to the spot, kicked the wall, and stamped her foot, but everything felt like solid rock.

Then she noticed a second alcove next to the first. A wave of relief washed over her as she concocted a flimsy explanation. Her headlamp must have flickered when Mark pulled himself into the second alcove. He was probably sitting up there, trying not to laugh at her.

She chuckled at her own absurdity, thinking she had imagined Mark falling through the rock. She shouldered her own backpack and grabbed Mark's to hand it up to him. "Mark, you've really got me fooled this time." She stepped onto the same rock where Mark had stood and lifted the backpack, calling, "Mark, grab it. This thing is heavy..."

"Mark?" she called again, leaning against the rock wall with her shoulder, but there was nothing there.

Without support, she tumbled through the rock as if it were an illusion.

For a terrifying moment, she saw her arms and Mark's backpack disappear into the rock. Then she fell through completely, forcing herself to keep her eyes open. In a split second, she saw Mark's horrified face and collided with his chest. They both tumbled to the ground, backpacks scattering dust everywhere.

As soon as he managed to rise, Mark glanced at Lucy. "What the hell?" he exclaimed, while Lucy looked around in bewilderment. They found themselves in a carefully hewn passageway, three meters high and four meters wide. To their right, it extended straight for a long way before turning, and to their left, it made a sharp bend after ten meters. Strange stones glowed along the ceiling, bathing the tunnel in a gloomy yellow light. They were clearly no longer in a normal cave.

"Come on, this is creepy. Let's go back," Lucy said, her voice shaking. The two of them didn't even try to understand what had happened. It defied all logic. They both searched the wall frantically, looking for a crevice or any way out.

*

A few kilometers from Mark and Lucy, half a battalion of Stejarack'ayraknar warriors, known to all as „Steyer“ warriors, marched through the same tunnel. They had been quite successful in pushing back the attacking Merox during the morning hours. The Merox had unexpectedly launched a huge attack and tried to invade the Yolstal Empire in three places simultaneously. Now that the Merox had been quickly driven from the Chis fields, the commander had decided to help the troops who had fallen into difficulties at the Mastar Cauldron.

As a result, Gursch and his partner Gaspa had been walking at the front of the battalion for hours. Gursch was beginning to worry about his right shoulder, which ached with every step and was now slowly becoming stiff, despite the tissue regenerator he had taped to it. He took his halberd in his left hand and glanced sideways at Gaspa. The bleeding on her left thigh had been stopped by hemostatic agents, but no more tissue regenerator was free, and since it was only a "minor injury", Gaspa would have to wait.

To distract himself from the pain, Gursch reviewed the battle again.

The attack had come extremely quickly, and when the first villagers were attacked in the middle of the night and raised the alarm via the MindGrid - a kind of telepathic internet - it was too late. 17 villages along the border were simply overrun, the Merox killing everyone they could find without further ado. Thanks to the MindGrid, the forces of the Yolstal Empire formed up with incredible speed. All those who were ready to fight grabbed their old armor and weapons, which had been packed away somewhere in the cupboards as they had not been needed for the last five years.

So it was that Gursch and his wife Gaspa, who belonged to a police unit, were the first to set off. They had barely gathered near the Chis fields with thousands of others when the Merox attacked. They used a kind of artificially created smokescreen to conceal their forces. The Merox were not connected to the MindGrid, and there had been little contact with them for several years. Espionage attempts had failed, and no one knew what to expect. How many units were there? And with what weapons would they attack?

When the wind picked up in the early morning and the wall of mist dispersed, it became clear that the Merox had not expected to encounter resistance so quickly. The 20,000-strong army of the Yolstal Empire found itself facing an army of only a few thousand warriors. But that didn't mean much, and the MindGrid was full of anxious thoughts: had the Merox revamped their weapons factories in the last few decades since they had completely broken off contact with the other countries?

Many in the MindGrid shared the concern that the Merox might attack again with modern rifles and cannons. Perhaps they had dug up the good old Minshowa technology and were about to incinerate the thousands of Yolstal soldiers with laser beams?

The Yolstalians had done almost nothing in the area of war technology in the last five years and had used the time to bring their civilization back up to scratch instead of producing modern weapons again. Many were annoyed and were already scolding the Great Queen for not having strategically foreseen this.

But a sigh of relief quickly went through the ranks. Apart from a few simple pistols and cannons, the Merox only had a whole arsenal of various stone and arrow slingers with them. Fortunately, the Yolstalians had enough shields at their disposal, and they were able to retreat quickly into some underground passages.

Many of the old Minshowa tunnels were well maintained, as they were very practical for fast travel or the transportation of goods, especially in the snowy winter months.

However, the existence of many tunnels was no longer known. This was also the case here on the Chisfelds, as nobody lived here and the tunnels had never been properly maintained. Gursch used the MindGrid to follow as some cartographers and archivists hurriedly rummaged through the archives of the various cities and read out data crystals to tell the fighters on the Chis Fields where other old tunnels might be located. But there was hardly any time to use the tunnels as trenches, because the attack began. The Merox were literally shooting all guns.

For half an hour, the soldiers were bombarded with arrows, bolts and small stones. A few cannonballs also flew around. But fortunately the Merox didn't have modern warheads or anything... just big steel balls. Gursch and Gaspa had made it into the tunnels just in time. The Steyer were one of the largest and strongest species on the planet, so the battalion used their large shields to shore up the holey tunnel ceiling and block any more hurtling arrows.

Gursch found it terribly annoying to sit there and press his shield against a hole in the ceiling. He would rather fight. But then Gaspa drew his attention to two Ligustians. Thanks to their small size, they were able to move undisturbed between the many huddled soldiers. The Ligustians lived in the deep, dark cave lakes in the west of the kingdom. It was the first time that Gursch had seen these dainty, almost transparent creatures in real life. Gaspa was equally delighted, and the Ligustians were just as curious about the Steyer warriors. "The smallest and the largest species," laughed a Ligustian and started a conversation with Gaspa. They used words of the standard language "Almaish" and also exchanged images and visual impressions in their heads.

Despite their graceful appearance, the Ligustians were feared fighters. Their visual system had a very high resolution and they were incredibly fast. Even a quick sword stroke was slow for them. So they ran through the enemy ranks, stabbing with their needle-thin hollow daggers. Five years ago, when they had to fight weekly "fear battles", the Ligustians filled their daggers only with a strong, burning poison that left no lasting damage except for many hours of pain. But now the daggers were filled with the deadliest poison of the Scadenweld. The soldiers who were stabbed collapsed almost instantly, paralyzed. The poison only paralyzed the limbs, leaving the victims fully conscious as their skeletons disintegrated. "We are here to protect the Yolstal Empire. Let the Merox fear us," they explained to the other soldiers, who all nodded in agreement.

Yes, this was a very different situation than before.

Back then, about five years ago, when the Great Queen took power and managed to open a small dimensional rift...

Back then, so-called "Fear Battles" were fought for survival.

Strictly controlled battles so that everyone could get their dose of fear without being exposed to too much danger.

But today it was about the survival of the new, flourishing empire against a foreign power.

After a good hour, the Merox ran out of ammunition and began to flee. The warriors of Yolstal were all networked thanks to the MindGrid, and a single thought from the commander-in-chief was enough to send the vast army on the attack. And with a deafening roar, the 20,000-strong army launched a frontal assault. But halfway to the fleeing enemies, an old tunnel collapsed under the weight of the many bodies, sweeping away the right wing of the army. Gursh and Gaspa, who had been close by, also disappeared in the cloud of dust and sand. A soldier's sharp spear sliced through Gaspa's thigh, while Gursh was struck by a boulder.

Thanks to MindGrid, every member of the army knew immediately what had happened. Without stopping the attack, some of the soldiers had run to the site of the collapse to dig out their comrades, while the rest continued the attack. The Merox probably realized that they had no chance here and turned on their heels.

"Capture some... or at least try..." the voice of the supreme commander rang in the heads of the Yolstalian soldiers. The Merox have always been known for their extreme ideology and fanatical religion. They never allowed themselves to be captured. Suicide on the battlefield was seen by the Merox as a kind of free ticket to Merox paradise. The Merox could stop their hearts at will. The few Merox who were captured dropped dead instantly.

Eventually, everyone gathered again, helping the injured and digging out the last of the dead. Thanks to the Plastoled suits - a flexible, Kevlar-like protective armor - few had died or been seriously injured. And thanks to advanced medical technology, many injuries were treated quickly. During the break, everyone went to the MindGrid to see how things were going on the other two battlefields. There was still some fighting at the Settopass, but the Merox had been pushed back. They had probably misjudged the situation there as well, and had already begun a hasty retreat. The situation at the Mastar Cauldron, however, was quite different. Many more Merox warriors had gathered here, and as far as could be seen, they had some artillery and modern firearms with them.

There was a large crossroads with transport windows at the Mastar Cauldron. If the Merox were to advance there, they would quickly spread throughout the Yolstal Empire. It was possible to close the transport windows, but it would require obtaining one of the old Minshowa gate projectors and setting it up in front of the gate. This would take several days.

So the Cauldron had to be defended with all its might.

The Grand Queen, who was in the palace with the best strategists, had already rolled out Plan B. Hundreds of transporters were sent out with cement to concrete over the tunnels leading to the transport windows in case of emergency.

Gursch realized that he didn't really know how such a transport window worked. Anyway, the little that was known about transport windows, dimensional gates, and dimensional rifts came from the Minshowa, who were millions of years more advanced. It was a miracle that the local physicists could operate their technology at all.

The commander of the Steyer warriors divided his battalion into four parts and ordered each to get to the Mastar Cauldron as quickly as possible. The division would allow the warriors to move more quickly through the narrow tunnels.

Gursch emerged from his thoughts and took a drink of water. He knew from the minds of those who knew their way around here that it would be a while before they arrived. And his injured shoulder was hurting more and more. He quickly asked the people around him if anyone had any „painblocker“... or at least some pain relievers. But everyone said no. Since there was no longer a need to fight fear battles all the time, and there were far fewer wounded, the few chemical factories had cut back on the production of painkillers in order to produce other medicines. This was only really noticeable now.

The Yolstalian soldiers were unequivocally ill-prepared for war. They had no medicines, and there was barely any food or drink left. 

Fortunately, the situation was quickly remedied because everyone could see what was happening live. The battalion would pass near a village in about an hour, and the villagers had already dropped everything to provide food, medicine, and weapons.

To further distract himself, Gursch lost himself in his thoughts again.

There was nothing better than pondering the absurd situation in which Scadenweld—as the planet was called—found itself. He reviewed what he had learned at school and gathered more information from the MindGrid.

When the Minshowa brought his ancestors to the Scadenweld, they were thrust into a hellish situation they could not have imagined. But the Minshowa always wanted more. Each year, they expanded the gladiatorial games to keep themselves entertained. But at some point, the players refused to go into huge battles and lay down their lives there. No one was deterred by threats of death and torture. The many promises of a good and better life afterwards were nothing but empty promises. The Minshowa had to come up with something new to continue "the games" and force the fighters to fight. They came up with something very sadistic: they genetically modified them.

They were given empathic abilities and their brains were altered so that they had to feel the fear and pain of others in order to produce a vital hormone. If they didn't get their required dose of "other people's fear," they were gripped by an all-consuming pain that ultimately led irreversibly to death within a short time. This was a cruel, slowly creeping death.

Gursch knew the pain all too well, as did everyone else. It set in at puberty and forced every Scadenwelder to do the impossible to survive. Killing and torturing. They even faked executions. Playing Russian roulette with friends. Everything horrible you could think of.

The Minshowa loved it, and their "show" was undoubtedly a resounding success. They traveled with ease through their vast empire, which encompassed many hundreds of planets, and brought representatives from all species to fight each other. They no longer needed to rely on space travel, having mastered the art of traversing dimensions. The Minshowa focused on intelligent and evolved species, but they also brought in the most dangerous and deadly representatives of flora and fauna and genetically adapted them to live well on the Scadenweld. This meant the Scadenwelders were constantly at war and had to be on their guard against everything that lived here.

The Minshowa had taken it too far at a certain point. The Scadenwelders needed more and more fear. A duel or a mock execution was hardly enough. To gather enough fear, you had to be surrounded by literally hundreds of other people, all of whom also radiated fear of death. This was the only way to produce enough of the vital hormone to last at least a few weeks. They were forced to go into battle regularly if they did not want to die an agonizing death.

The situation for the Scadenwelders only got worse. It led to a downward spiral. The Scadenwelders became increasingly jaded, and they were forced to confront more significant challenges and engage in more frequent battles. Every dozen days, you had to put your life on the line to survive. The medical technology they learned from the Minshowa could easily heal even the severely injured, who could then go straight back into battle. It is inconceivable that one could grow food, build houses, or maintain a civilization in such a society. The Minshowa took care of that, and there were plenty of villages and towns for the people to live in.

Food was provided, as were clothing and weapons. Your sleeping arrangements and weaponry depended on the scenario you were playing. You could have medieval equipment at your disposal and live in castles and villages. Then you played modern battles, lived in cities, and used airplanes, submarines, or even spaceships. And now and then, you played in a post-apocalyptic scenario where you had to get food and weapons from the rubble heaps.

But even living in the villages and towns was dangerous, with poisonous plants and animals lurking everywhere. Even the transportation route to a battle was deadly, and huge birds of prey could tear half an army apart before it had even arrived.

The Minshowa were pleased to watch the various species slaughter each other. The Minshowa brought in new prey to fill the gap left by fighters who didn't have time to produce and raise children. They even picked up an entire planet's population and scattered them across the Scadenweld.

While the exact population of the Scadenweld is unknown, it is assumed that at its peak, there were a few billion involved in this gigantic gladiatorial game. The Minshowa spared no expense. They built entire tunnel systems where the tourists lived and could also travel safely. They used transportation windows to bridge large distances. These windows were based on dimensional technology but only between two points in the same dimension. And not between two different dimensions. Of course, some tourists came to see everything on site. It was also a live television program. And so they had flying cameras everywhere, recording everything the Scadenwelders did. The planet was a Minshowa Disneyland, no doubt about it. Tourists from the vast empire came to watch the battles live with their impenetrable personal shields or sit on flying tribunes and enjoy the spectacle. They also built secure tourist resorts all over the place, with all the luxury it required. Some daredevils booked private battles and fought against their own chosen warrior armies and species.

Over time, however, the "gladiator game" simply became boring, and something new was needed. The Minshowa decided to play a kind of "civilization" game. The Scadenwelders were divided into countries and given a few generations to work their way up from the Stone Age. They were not allowed to fight each other until a certain amount of time had passed, and every technological advance the society could develop would help them win the ultimate battle. So the different countries would literally have to race through stages of civilization.

To do this, it was necessary to feed the Scadenwelders with "fear" so that they would have time to build a society. The Minshowa had drugs that mimicked the fear-hormone, but it was too inconvenient to supply the entire population with pills, so the resourceful species found another way.

In the dimension next to the Scadenweld was Earth with a civilization called "Humans". Earth was a rarity, unlike most other planets that had a peaceful society where everyone worked together to help each other through the Industrial Revolution and into the Space Age, Earth had none of that.

The Minshowa had classified them as an "extremely irritable and aggressive" species. They would start a war over the smallest thing, or otherwise exploit and murder each other all the time. This fit perfectly, as there was a constant "stream of fear" coming from this planet. So the Minshowa tore dimensional rifts - the same as dimensional gates, but only a few micrometers in size - into the populated lands and spread the rifts across the Scadenweld so that there was enough fear for everyone. Some of the rifts were much larger than intended, and an entire village population was sucked into the Scadenweld. The Minshowa quickly made the gaps smaller. The stranded „aliens“ were welcomed, integrated into the community, and learned from them.

Time passed slightly differently in the two dimensions, and on Earth it was the 17th century. The stranded humans all came from what is now Southern Germany. But thanks to Minshowa's translation computers, it was not difficult to understand their Alemannic dialects and communicate with each other.

At last, everything was ready. The Minshowa gave the starting signal for the "new" game. The Scadenwelders had a rest for a few generations and worked their way up. A huge projection in the sky showed them how much time they still had until the Minshowa would close the fear rifts again and the fighting would begin anew.

Gursch knew all this so well because the Minshowa had never made a secret of what they wanted. The Minshowa had never pretended to be gods or anything else. They were adamant that the knowledge of the many species and the story of how they had come to the Scadenweld be passed on and that no one forget it. Minshowa also came by during that war-free time to see the progress. Entire Minshowa school classes were brought by, and they experienced "history in real time." The Scadenwelders had long since become accustomed to the tourists roaming around, and the visits were ignored. Time was literally running out, and all nations were working to gear up. With only a few months before the deadline, most noticed that no Minshowa had shown up for quite a while.

Then time was up!

But when everyone expected the Minshowa to close the rifts and send them back to war, nothing happened. The Minshowa never came back; they just disappeared. No one knew why. They were gone, leaving behind all their super-advanced machines and equipment.

The species that had known only war and violence for centuries were suddenly alone on the planet. And there was no immediate threat of forced war. The nations quickly made contact and discussed what to do. They all wanted the same thing: to build a civilization, a peaceful civilization where they could finally live in peace. Almost no one wanted to return to their home planets. Most of them had been here for many, many generations and had never known anything else. But there was one problem: the planet was full of the most dangerous and deadly animals and plants of all dimensions.

A planet-wide cleanup was needed, which got off to a quick start as the Minshowa resorts were looted for the best weapons and machinery. Unfortunately, many of the resorts were inaccessible or effectively camouflaged, but the Scadenwelders took what they could and set up some factories and automated farms. The cleansing and the establishment of a common civilization went well at first.

After a few years, however, everything slowed down, the technology failed because they didn't know how to maintain it properly, and another problem arose: mutual communication became increasingly difficult.

After all, they had never developed a common language. They had always needed the Minshowa translation machines, but they were beginning to break down, and no one knew how to keep them running. A language had to be found, and quickly. Really fast. Before they could not communicate at all.

Of course, there were arguments about preferring one language over another. They needed an external language. Nobody knew the Minshowa language. But what about the human language? There were only a few descendants of the original humans left, and they could safely be called "aliens". Their language, called Allemanic, had been programmed into the Minshowa's translation machines. It was the closest thing to an alien language. And so everyone agreed to this compromise, and the Allemanic language was adopted as the lingua franca. In a modified form, of course. A hype quickly developed around the new language, and everyone made an effort to learn it. In fact, everyone made as much effort as possible to help the young civilization flourish.

Even with the help of Minshowa technology, the first centuries were tough. Many tens of thousands died fighting predators or eradicating poisonous plants. However, these struggles forged a strong unity among the Scadenwelders. The different species lived together without any problems and utilized the strengths of each individual. Together, they planted crops, built villages, and expanded cities. Thanks to Minshowa technology and the combined knowledge of the various races, progress flourished.

This period, which lasted for a few centuries, was known as the "Time of Harmony". Finally, a very high level was reached. High-speed trains, airplanes, advanced technology, computers, the Internet, and so on.

Actually quite similar to the level of human technology at the end of the 20th century. But one major problem remained: the dimensional rifts were not firmly anchored in space-time, and they moved with every revolution of the planet; the same was true for the rifts on Earth. The rifts, which were getting smaller every year, were viewed with concern. There was not much time left, something had to be done.

Three possible solutions were pursued: First, create a synthetic hormone, second, reverse the genetic modification, and third, open new dimensional rifts.

The only problem with the synthesis was the Minshowa language, which was only rudimentarily understood. There seemed to be chemical formulas in the databases. But no one understood enough of the nomenclature or the language itself to really make a good product. The best the chemists could come up with was a semi-synthetic protein facsimile, but it had a half-life of only 35 seconds before it disintegrated into smaller components. So it was not a solution.

The gene modification was also too firmly anchored in the DNA. Perhaps in many centuries of research it could be reversed without danger, but not now.

And the dimensional researchers also failed. Although they had gained some knowledge about dimensions from the Minshowa, it was not nearly enough to create new rifts or gates. A technology that had to lie thousands of years in the future...

Disaster approached; the dimensional rifts would close within a few years, leaving the Scadenwelders once again to their scourge. Since none of the more elegant solutions had worked, they had to resort to the brutal: How to create the most fear with the least effort and risk to life and limb?

Plans were made for what to do if they had to go to war again. How to implement some sort of planetary rotation system so that civilization could continue, but everyone could get their dose of fear in time? And finally, you didn't want to hurt or kill your own relatives or friends. In a final show of strength, as most rifts were closing, new countries were formed and everyone had a brief chance to make sure they were with their family. The countries would confront each other in organized battles. There would be intense trade and mutual support, but it was strictly forbidden to have friends or family in the other country. Everyone was to go into battle without remorse, knowing that they would not kill anyone they knew.

And so the hell began anew.

Thanks to the ingenious rotation system, it was possible to collect just enough fear and work on the side. But after just one generation, a good third of the population had been killed or died of fear-related illnesses. A few generations later, the Scadenweld was a different story. Its infrastructure had completely collapsed. Only a few factories were still running, and only for the most essential goods. It was the same with the power plants. They still had the indestructible crystal technology of the Minshowa and running water, but that was it. The production of all luxury goods had ceased, and they had to limit themselves to the bare necessities: food, medical equipment, basic shelter, clothing, and protective gear for battle. Sophisticated weapon production had long since ceased, and people went into battle with weapons that were easy to make. That was enough to get the job done.

However, there was still dimensional research and many attempts to open new rifts.

One attempt went horribly wrong.

It was the Great Continental Peninsula, where Gursch lived. Instead of opening a rift to Earth, they hit the wrong planet. It was a planet probably made of molten lava. The huge dimensional rift literally cut the peninsula off from the rest of the continent. Fortunately, this rift, or rather this dimensional gate, was so poorly calibrated that only radiation and heat could pass through it, but no matter. This happened in the territory of the Merox, a species historically known for its rampant fanaticism. The Merox, who had occasionally shown up for the fear battles, had stopped coming. So it was quite possible that they had opened some rifts to Earth, somewhere deep in the Merox Empire. That would explain why they were no longer dependent on the Fear Battles. But even when the Merox were asked to let some scientists take a closer look at this rift, they refused to let them enter their realm. The dimensional scientists would probably never know if they had succeeded in opening some rifts to Earth. Well, the huge glowing rift to the lava planet was clearly visible...

Fortunately, the peninsula was very fertile, and they had never been dependent on food supplies from the rest of the continent. And so life went on, and people quickly got used to seeing a red glow in the north at any time of the day or night.

But it was slowly coming to an end; the will to live or suffer under these miserable circumstances meant that people were just vegetating. There were no solutions in sight. The average age was low. It was not measured in years, but in the number of battles survived. If you didn't die in battle, you died of fear sickness. Hardly any children were born, what was the point? There was no hope.

Until the queen came.

Well, she wasn't a queen then, but she was something of a scientist. She created a tiny dimensional rift to Earth. She had managed to cobble together a new dimensional projector from the remnants of old Minshowa projectors and Scadenweld technology. Even she had to admit that she was lucky; unfortunately, the machine burned out during the attempt.

Other dimensional researchers eagerly jumped on her ideas and her charred prototype, feverishly trying to construct something new. It was extremely complicated, however, and rumors circulated that the queen could partially understand the Minshowa language. It was believed that she had managed to find and translate a construction manual somewhere. But the Queen was very secretive about this, helping researchers by providing rudimentary drawings, detailed explanations, and half-baked ideas. Still, what little she did reveal showed a deep understanding of the subject, and together they tinkered with new projectors.

After all, the first tiny rift created enough fear to supply the small town where the university was located. A month later, the small town, which was located in the royal territory of Yolstal, became a place of pilgrimage. Even people from countries that were supposedly "enemies" were allowed to enter. After all, you only had to walk slowly through the streets to take advantage of the fear. The agreement was that everyone who passed through would do something for Yolstal: help build a house, spend an afternoon pulling weeds from the fields, help out in the hospital, or just bring some cakes... whatever. In no time at all, the crumbling kingdom was beautiful again and had a new Queen. The unknown scientist had taken the throne with the promise of creating more rifts.

Indeed, she and her team of scientists succeeded in creating a second small rift. And the people of Yolstal, including Gursch, literally went wild. At last they had a prospect for the future.

They would do whatever the Queen wanted or needed to create more dimensional rifts.

That was about five years ago.

Gursch remembered clearly how the Queen had ordered him and his troops to find more raw materials. An ore called ilmenite was in demand, and it was available in another country on the coast. However, the president of that other country was not willing to hand over her wealth; she wanted the knowledge of how to open a rift in exchange.

A few days later, the Queen of Yolstal had sent her soldiers, well fed with fear, to take the other land without further ado. But the new Queen - no one knew her name - had more in store.

By now, she seemed to know how to operate Minshowa computers. And she spent a lot of time in an old data archive or searching the old Minshowa infrastructure for working technology. After all, the Minshowa had turned almost the entire planet into a highly monitored playing field. Tunnels, transport windows and cameras were spread all over the planet. Many Minshowa had lived here to organize and monitor the games. Not to mention the thousands of tourists who passed through every day. Entire villages could still be found hidden in the labyrinths beneath the surface. Sophisticated rooms, spas, hospitals and everything the Minshowa needed to maintain their ultra-luxurious lifestyle.

But the problem was that no one could operate the Minshowa computers, and therefore no one could use the recorded knowledge... no one knew the Minshowa language and computer codes, and no one had yet managed to decipher them.

But the Queen seemed to be able to do it. She also seemed to understand dimensional rifts; the only problem was that she couldn't find a working Minshowa dimensional projector. For now, she was using old, cobbled-together Minshowa technology combined with Scadenweld technology, and had just opened a third small rift with it. Everyone who knew anything about research volunteered to help.

But it was too slow. And so the Queen suggested something new: Some species had a natural MindGrid; what if everyone had one? It would make work and research much more efficient and faster.

The MindGrid? Gursch and most of the species knew exactly what it was, but they couldn't access it. The MindGrid was a loose telepathic connection, very similar to the human Internet, only right inside people's heads. Some species that lived on Scadenweld and were telepathically inclined had it. But the vast majority did not. And everyone was jealous of the few species that did. For they served as messengers and maintained all communication on the Scadenweld. They knew everything, and nothing could be done without them. Everyone who had the MindGrid raved about it, saying it was like going blind if you didn't have it. So much so that everyone dreamed about it.

Best of all, the Queen seemed to have found a way to make it happen for everyone. Now she needed volunteers to test the new implants. The volunteers literally overran the palace. The Queen was popular and many wanted to have this infamous MindGrid. The rush of volunteers was huge and the success was even bigger. Gursch thought about how he had gotten it, and every time he connected with it, his awareness and knowledge suddenly became vast. The feeling was exhilarating. So intoxicating that he always stayed connected to it. And he reshaped his helmet to protect the small implant in his neck.

The next five years were very good. The dimensional explorers around the Queen opened a few more mini rifts, just enough to keep part of the peninsula well supplied.

And before you knew it, three-quarters of the peninsula was ruled by the Queen. The little Queen was not completely harmless. She subjugated other governments to get her way, and did not hesitate to throw the one or other king, queens or president from his or her seat of government. But the affected populations cared little, because in return they were given access to the Fear Rifts and never had to go into battle again. As a bonus, they got the MindGrid for free.

This made it possible to coordinate many people efficiently. Railroads were built that ran along near dimensional rifts and could transport many people in a very short time. So instead of risking their lives in battle, they went for an afternoon of fun on the railroad.

There was still one problem, however, and that was the kingdom of Merox. The Queen had also tried to subjugate them, but to no avail. The Merox lived in the mountains, between deep canyons and massive mountains. It was impossible to fight there. The three armies the queen sent out didn't even make it half a day's march before they were destroyed by Merox emerging from hidden tunnels. The Merox people and their ruler made it clear that they would never submit to the Queen. They would rather die and take everyone with them.

After two more battles in which the Scadenwelders were slaughtered, the Queen gave up on the idea. So the situation was left as it was, and the Merox disappeared back into the mountains. And, as in previous generations, the Merox were never heard from again.

The Queen now called herself the Great Queen, and all lands were renamed the Great Empire of Yolstal. The one or two dimensional micro-fissures were slowly and painstakingly opened, while the Great Empire slowly but surely flourished....

Until 24 hours ago, when the Merox attacked Yolstal.

They still didn't know what the Meroe wanted. But the Meroe probably just wanted to subjugate Yolstal Empire and cement their rule.  A divine war, after all.

A divine war... and hours later, they had already lost two battles.

The Yolstalians laughed about it in the MindGrid. The Merox must have thought far too highly of themselves and made a huge miscalculation.

*

Mark and Lucy tried to locate where they had come from, looking for a crack or hidden passageway. They were so engrossed in scanning the wall that they did not immediately notice the warriors approaching. It was only when the clanking of weapons and armor became loud that they realized something was approaching. Both looked to the bend in the tunnel where the sound of hundreds of feet could be heard. Hastily, they looked around for a place to hide. Lucy pointed to a ledge about 30 meters down the corridor, below the ceiling. Mark quickly climbed on it and held out his hand to Lucy. She grabbed the ledge and tried to swing her leg over it. Mark leaned over and realized that the ledge wasn't as stable as it looked because it was starting to crumble. Lucy noticed at the same moment as the stones crumbled to sand beneath her hands. The noise of the advancing army echoed through the corridor.

"Come on, give me your hand." But it was too late, the edge of the ledge crumbled and Lucy fell back down. Mark's first impulse was to jump down and check on Lucy as she disappeared into a cloud of dust.

But something even more terrifying caught his attention. Something alive had just come around the corner. Mark's blood froze. Wherever he and Lucy had ended up, it wasn't on Earth.

Gursch had just rounded a sharp corner in the tunnel when a cloud of dust descended a dozen meters in front of him. Reflexively, he slid the shield on his back over a special mechanism to his left arm and snapped the visor of his helmet shut with a jerk of his head. He quickly went to his knees while the soldier behind him held the shield over his head. Spellbound, he looked over the edge of his shield to the ceiling. Gaspa was also sure that the whole tunnel was about to collapse, in which case the otherwise safe tortoise formation would be of no use.

The only thought the whole group had was: "There's someone here without a MindGrid, it can only be a Merox spy". 

Everyone looked up at the ceiling in fear, it was probably a Merox trap. The order to retreat came quickly. And the rearmost soldiers turned and ran. It would be some time before the narrow tunnel was clear for Gursch and Gaspa. They looked anxiously at the ceiling. But nothing happened; no cracks formed on the ceiling, no ominous tremors could be felt. Instead, a wheezing cough came from the cloud of dust, which had a yellowish glow and did not sound threatening at all. A Keir gunner kneeling behind Gursch rested his Keir on his healthy shoulder and took aim through the narrow gap between the shields. Gaspa had connected to the MindGrid so that the soldiers behind her could hear what was going on. The figure in the dust continued to cough, and the coughing just didn't sound like a Merox. A Merox would surely have killed itself in this situation. But the figure didn't have a MindGrid, so it wasn't someone from the Yolstal? Or did you happen to come across someone who was MindGrid-deaf?

"Wait, it's not a Merox. Stop the retreat, surround it, let's clarify this quickly before we go any further." The commander's voice rang out in the heads of the Steyer warriors.

 Gursch, forgetting for a moment the pain in his shoulder, circled the cloud and pointed his halberd at the figure that slowly emerged from the dust cloud.

Mark lay frozen on his ledge. He had caught a brief glimpse of the creatures before they took on a kind of spiky tortoise shape that he recognized from the Asterix and Obelix comics. The creatures were much larger than humans and twice as wide. Their heads looked like a combination of baboon and frog, and curved tusks protruded from their lower jaws. Now the front ranks had risen and aimed their weapons at Lucy, who was barely visible in the dust.

The cloud of dust slowly settled, and Gursch could see that it was clearly not a Merox. The figure was small, wearing a yellow helmet with a lamp that emitted that light, and carrying a backpack unlike any Gursch had ever seen. The figure was on all fours and seemed to be coughing its lungs out. It looked like a U'Donk in the broadest sense. And he wasn't the only one with this opinion. “It's just a MindGrid mute U'Donk, let's move on,” he now heard the commander say silently.

But suddenly there was confusion in the MindGrid: "No, no U'Donk. This is a human... a human from Earth."

The Steyer soldier who said this was standing to the left of Gaspa, and you could see in his head that he had a second job as a historian in addition to his job with the police. At the time of the opening of the Fear Rifts, he had extensively studied all the documents about Earth and the humans he could find in order to help the physicist open the dimensional rifts. Everyone immediately picked up on the idea and tried to remember what they had learned about humans in school.

Of course, everyone knew the legend of the humans from Earth who were stranded on Scadenweld through a dimensional gate! After all, they had them to thank for the Lingua Franca.

They quickly agreed that there must be a tiny natural dimensional gate here somewhere and that the human - it looked like explorer - had slipped through.

But the voice of the commander urged them to continue their journey: "A human is exciting and interesting, but we don't have time for this. Another Merox army has invaded Berak. We must hurry. Some ethnologists can take care of the humans later. And the dimensional explorers can look for that natural gate. Go!"

And so Gursch and Gaspa had only caught a brief glimpse of the human and hurried forward.

*

Mark counted about 200 soldiers and watched them until the last one disappeared around the tunnel arch. Then he slid down as fast as he could to Lucy, who was trembling and leaning against the wall. When he reached her, he took her in his arms and quickly checked to see if she was hurt; fortunately, he couldn't see any blood. Still, she sat there, staring in complete bewilderment. Mark feared she might be bleeding internally. "Are you okay? Broken rib? Or something?" asked Mark, unable to think of anything better to say.

"No, nothing's broken, just a bit of panic...massive panic," Lucy stammered. "What's going on here? Where are we? How do we get out?“

Well, Mark didn't have an answer to that either, and so they held each other for minutes. But finally they pulled themselves together.

"Just to be sure... did you see those baboon creatures too? Or do I have a concussion?" Lucy said, touching her head.

Mark confirmed it and they told each other what they had seen. "I think I'm crazy." Lucy summed up.

Mark tried to cheer her up: "Oh, that's not so bad, you were already crazy before..." He forced a laugh. But his laugh was reflected by the walls and sounded hollow and strange. He stopped quickly.

Lucy, who preferred not to think about anything, began to scan the walls again. But to no avail. Finally, they decided to keep looking. They took the opposite direction of the warriors, since none of them wanted to follow the creatures. Neither Mark nor Lucy said a word about what had happened, it was just too inexplicable.

When the Steyer warriors finally entered the Mastar Cauldron, the situation was less dire than feared. There were roughly equal numbers of warriors on both sides. The troops present defended the back wall of the cauldron, where the entrances to the tunnels leading directly into the interior of the Yolstal Empire were located. The Merox had just made a sortie and retreated under a protective hail of arrows to regroup. They fought with their backs to the open end of the cauldron, which slowly parted like a valley to reveal the tundra beyond. Gursch also recognized some misshapen mounds scattered about. For a moment, he thought they looked a little suspicious, but he didn't have time to think about it because new orders were being given.

The other three sections of his battalion were already down in the cauldron, waiting. The voice of the local commander rang in his head. He told the soldiers the battle plan. After a few seconds, all the soldiers knew exactly what was expected of them. That was the advantage they had over the Merox.

By the time Gursch and his colleagues reached the bottom of the cauldron, the sound of trumpets could be heard from afar. The Merox, who didn't have the MindGrid, had to communicate by acoustic signals. This was strange, since Merox could normally use radios and Minshowa communicators. To Gursch, the trumpets looked more like a theatrical performance than anything else. Gursch checked his armor again and tugged at the new plastoled suit. Gaspa loaded her pistol and put it in her belt. The Steyer had such big hands that all the weapons were custom-made for them, they couldn't use the normal weapons that everyone else could use.

*

After a few hours, Lucy and Mark had left the tunnel and were walking across fields and meadows toward a small village. They had decided to try. It made no sense to stay in the tunnels forever. After all, they didn't know where they were or how to get back.

But as soon as they recovered from their initial shock, they began to speculate about what had happened. Mark speculated that they had entered a parallel universe. He explained that such a thing was actually possible and that some famous physicists had already postulated such parallel dimensions. Lucy liked this solution, she had no other explanation to offer anyway. She looked at the sky. The sun was a shade redder than on Earth.

Still, she felt relatively fit and wondered if the air had a higher oxygen content. It was like a game, a drug; the two of them observed their surroundings and made hypotheses. It helped them overcome the absurdity of the whole situation.

Lucy looked at the sky again. Maybe they weren't in another dimension. Maybe they had entered a wormhole and were here on another planet.

A village came into view and they approached it cautiously. It seemed to be market day. A whole row of market stalls had been set up on the outskirts of the village and merchants were offering their wares. Some of the stalls looked like they were from the Middle Ages, but others were much more "modern" and had what looked like refrigerated compartments or shelves. Others were set up in small trucks, just like on Earth. The juxtaposition of medieval technology and absolute high tech was visible and striking.

Now the humans sat hidden behind an old hay cart and watched the hustle and bustle of the marketplace. They no longer saw baboon-frog creatures, but a host of other species that would have delighted any science fiction writer. They wore everything from ancient, worn-out, roughly woven garments to state-of-the-art exoskeletons and highly functional materials.