บท 2: C2 Riftwalker: Hope's Journey

As she blinked away the dizziness, a blue holographic screen lit up in front of her, filled with strange symbols and words. Her eyes widened in shock as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing.

The blue holographic screen displayed a series of messages:

Welcome, User. You have been chosen as the host for the Parallel Universe Travel System.

For a moment Hope stared absentmindedly at the floating blue text In front of her only to snap out from her daze In the next second.

"Parallel Universe Travel System? What is this? Am I finally losing it?"

She reached out to touch the screen, her hand passing through it like a ghost. The interface seemed to respond to her confusion, the text changing to a more detailed explanation.

System Activated. You now have the ability to travel between parallel universes. This system will guide and assist you In your journeys.

"Okay, this is insane. I must have hit my head really hard."

She muttered to herself not believing her eyes after these kinds of things only happened In those books that she liked to read.

The screen continued, unaffected by her disbelief.

Current Universe: U-999. Initializing user interface...

The screen flickered, then displayed a new set of options:

Main Menu:

Parallel Travel

Inventory

Skills and Abilities

System Settings

Hope stared at the options, her mind racing. Was this real? Could she actually travel to parallel universes? She hesitated, then decided to test it out.

"You know what, f*ck it. Let's see if this thing actually works."

She selected "Parallel Travel" from the menu. Another screen popped up, displaying a list of parallel universes but only one had a brief description while all others were grayed out.

Parallel Universe 998: A world where technology is decades ahead of Parallel Universe 999's E*rth. In this universe, humanity had colonized the entire solar system but in the end, they destroyed themselves. What is left is only a solar system full of radiation, toxins, mutated abominations, and relics of the past.

"What the hell? Radiation, mutated abominations? F*ck this, I'm not doing this!"

Hope cursed out as she climbed into her bed and fell asleep, thinking that all of this was just a bad dream from overworking.

The next morning, she woke up only to see the same blue interface in front of her. She blinked her eyes a couple of times, only to start jumping on her bed in joy, thanking her ancestors and the heavens for this opportunity.

After all, she was what one would consider a weeb, and a female at that which was a rare breed.

"F*ck I can't believe It! I got the golden finger aka the legendary system!"

Hope roared at the top of her lungs already Imagining herself swimming In a pool of money, propelling bad guys dozens of meters away with a flick of her finger, flying In the sky on a giant greatsword, and sunbathing on her personal pleasure yacht surrounded by athletic and handsome men only In thongs and frog neckties ready to fulfill her every order.

"Okay, Hope, slow down your horses..."

Hope muttered to herself as she wiped away her drool. The initial excitement of having a fantastical system granting her the ability to travel between parallel universes had her giddy with joy, but now, she needed to think clearly and logically.

The task at hand was daunting, and she couldn't afford to make mistakes.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing thoughts.

"Alright, let's break this down,"

She said aloud, pacing back and forth in her small apartment.

"The system mentioned radiation, toxins, and mutated abominations. I need to be prepared for all of that."

Hope walked over to her tiny kitchenette and opened a cupboard, rummaging through it for anything useful.

"Anti-radiation and toxin equipment... I don't have anything like that,"

She muttered, frustration creeping into her voice.

"Why would I? It's not like I ever planned on dealing with radiation or mutated creatures."

She found a bottle of iodine pills, which she knew could help with radiation poisoning.

"These will have to do for now,"

She sighed, tossing the bottle onto the counter.

"But what about weapons? I don't have a gun or anything remotely useful for fighting off mutated abominations."

Her eyes fell on the knife block by the sink.

"A kitchen knife is better than nothing, I suppose,"

She said, pulling out the largest and sturdiest one. She tested its weight in her hand, feeling a small measure of reassurance.

"It's not ideal, but it will have to do."

She grabbed her old backpack from the couch and started packing it with essentials. "Food... I'll need food,"

She said, heading to the fridge. She packed a few cans of soup, some granola bars, and a bottle of water.

"This isn't much, but it should keep me going for a bit."

Next, she pulled out her sleeping bag from the closet.

"If I'm going to be exploring, I need somewhere to sleep,"

She reasoned, stuffing the sleeping bag into her backpack. She took a moment to survey the contents, checking to see if she had everything she might need.

"Pills for radiation, kitchen knife, food, and sleeping bag,"

She listed off, trying to remember if she was forgetting anything.

"What else? What else?"

She looked around her apartment, searching for anything that could be of use.

"Flashlight!"

She exclaimed, spotting one on a shelf.

"If it gets dark I'll need this."

She added the flashlight to her pack and made sure she had extra batteries.

Hope zipped up her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. She took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her decision settling in.

"Alright, I think that's everything,"

She said, trying to convince herself that she was ready.

She walked back to the center of her apartment and called out to the system.

"System, I'm ready,"

She announced, her voice wavering slightly.

"To initiate travel, swipe your hand across the interface."

Hope took a deep breath and swiped her hand. Instantly, a rift in space and time appeared before her, swirling with ethereal light. She stared at it, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

"Oh my g*d... this is actually happening,"

She whispered, her voice trembling. She took a cautious step closer, the surreal sight captivating and terrifying all at once. The rift seemed to pulse with a life of its own, the edges shimmering and undulating like liquid light.

Curiosity and fear battled within her as she reached out a tentative hand. The moment her fingers touched the edge of the rift, she felt a strange, tingling sensation. She quickly pulled her hand back, staring at it as if expecting it to have changed somehow.

"What the hell...,"

She muttered, her heart racing. She flexed her fingers, feeling a lingering electric buzz. She looked back at the rift, her mind racing with questions and doubts.

"This Is something straight out of a sci-fi movie."

Despite her fear, her curiosity was too strong to resist. She took a deep breath and slowly extended her hand again, this time pushing it further into the rift.

The tingling sensation intensified, spreading up her arm. She half-expected it to hurt, but it didn't. Instead, it felt oddly welcoming, as if the rift was inviting her in.

She pulled her hand out again, inspecting it closely. Everything seemed normal, but she knew that stepping through the rift would be an entirely different experience.

The weight of her decision pressed down on her once more, but so did the thrill of the unknown.

"Alright, Hope. You can do this,"

She told herself, trying to muster the courage she needed.

"My personal pleasure yacht and hotties Int thongs here I come!"

Hope added while licking her lips.