Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System

To make the process easier for him, Volcan created a 3D model of the tunnel they were in, and Dante used it to adjust the size of his selection beyond the limits of the tunnel. He was done before long, and after taking a deep breath, Dante steeled himself and activated the ability.

The air shimmered before him, then it returned to the way it was. As he stood there staring a the tunnel stretching in front of him, Dante began to worry.

'Did I…'

[Yes, the ability has been activated.] Volcan replied. [The pocket dimension has been created as well.]

'Then… where is it?' Dante asked. 'I… don't see anything…'

The energy counter in the bottom left corner of his OAM showed that 150/700 points had been consumed. He guessed that the cost depended on the size of the selected area, just like when creating the portals using portal creation. Still, 150 points for only a few meters? No matter how he looked at it, that was too much.

[That is to be expected. The pocket dimension you create is separate from this dimension, however small it might be in comparison.]

'That's… not what I meant.' Annoyed, Dante approached the spot where one end of the selection he made was. 'How do I access it?'

For a moment there, he expected his hand to land on an invisible wall or something, but there was nothing. He took a few steps in just in case, but still nothing.

Just then, something changed about the 3D model on his OAM. In one corner, a switch appeared in the corner. Dante stared at it for a moment then gave it a mental tap. The 3D model turned translucent, with only one part retaining its yellow color. Dante immediately realized it was the part he had previously selected.

[You can access the pocket dimension using the Rift Creation ability.] Volcan said. [Simply place the entrance in this dimension, and the exit inside the pocket dimension, as is shown on the model.]

'Right…'

The answer as so obvious that Dante felt a little ashamed to have asked. Most of the time, when he's creating a portal, Dante would rely on the 3D models created using Spatial Awareness to ensure he placed the exits at the right spot. That said, Dante still didn't understand how it works.

'The pocket dimension, it has borders, right?' He asked while creating an entrance, switching the 3D model back to his dimension first.

[Indeed.] Volcan replied.

'Then, where are they?'

[On the border of this dimension.]

Like a hammer striking to add pain to his headache.

'Volcan, you know I dropped out of school at fifteen, right?'

[You did mention it before, yes.]

'Then you should know my understanding of… physics is severely lacking.'

[I see…]

The with the entrance prepared, Dante switched the 3D model once more and prepared the exit. Activating Rift Creation caused the usual patch of darkness to appear in front of him. It looked no different from the usual portal, but knowing what was on the other side, he felt a little hesitant about stepping through.

'Here we go…'

Leading with his left arm seemed like the most sensible thing to do. Once it was clear that nothing dangerous was on the other side, he followed with his left leg and felt relieved when felt solid ground under his feet. Receiving a boost of courage, he followed with the rest of his body, but once he got to see what's on the other side, confusion suddenly flooded his mind.

'Huh?' He gave his surroundings one more look, but his confusion only grew. 'What's going on here?'

Coming out of the portal, Dante found himself in the same tunnel as before. The rusty pipes and the stains on the walls left no room for debate. It was undoubtedly the same spot he had been standing at a moment earlier, but one thing seemed different.

The tunnel didn't stretch on like before. Everything seemed to disappear at one point, and as he stared at it, trying to see beyond the wall of darkness, Dante realized that it started around the same point were he placed his selectin.

[I believe I now understand the meaning behind your previous question.] Volcan said, adding to his confusion. [Though pocket dimensions share borders with the original dimension, it is not possible to reach the connection point due to its size of the original dimension.]

'Oookay…'

[I believe a demonstration is in order. Please proceed to the border of the pocket dimension.]

Dante turned around and found another wall of darkness. He had already figured out that it represented the borders of his selection. Stepping toward it, he held a hand up and carefully stretched it forward. The fears in heard were alleviated when he touched something solid, and with nothing else to worry about, he began inspecting it more thoroughly.

[This is the border of the pocket dimension.] Volcan explained. [You are able to perceive it from this side due to the limited size of the pocket dimension. On the other side of the physical partition you are touching is the original dimension, but due to its immense size, it is very difficult t reach the border from the other side.]

'I… I think I understand now…'

No, he did not understand. The concept was way too difficult to grasp. If two sides were separated by a wall, how come you can touch a wall from one side and not from the other? Just thinking about it was starting to give him a headache, or so he thought. As the pain increased, Dante realized it was the strain of the Level 4 armor tearing him apart. He barely moved while wearing it and yet he was still suffering.

'Still, why does this place look exactly like the tunnel on the other side?'

[That is because Spatial Pocket creates a copy of the space selected for it.] Volcan answered right away. [It replicates everything from the matter to the physics effecting the original, creating an enclosed version of the same space.]