The Gate Traveler

The Frankfurt Gate was only thirty minutes from the city. The second I drove past, I felt it. A tingling awareness prickled at the edges of my senses. I didn't stop. Instead, I drove for two minutes, pulled into a gas station, and walked toward the Gate. The location wasn't much to look at. About seventy meters off the road, five boulders lay scattered in a cluster. Two of those stones were the Gate's anchors. Dense trees and a thick line of bushes blocked the field of vision from the road. Glancing around, I verified no one could see me and touched the Gate to view its information:

No tech level, interesting. Does it mean they're in the Stone Age or something?

While still touching the Gate, I opened the Archive to view the world's information. The first entry was from the same guy who wrote the entry I read about Earth. That should be good—I liked his grumblings.

The next one down was his previous entry.

Well, Earth definitely broke his monotony.

His sounded like heaven. A world filled with endless green landscapes, small towns where everyone knew each other by name, and life like something from an old movie. Right then, I made my final decision. Although I had already decided to travel, a small spark of uncertainty remained. Now it was gone. I would wrap up everything that tied me to Earth, convert my funds into jewelry, merchandise, or anything portable and valuable, and leave for Shimoor. A world with magic and untamed nature was calling my name, and returning to Earth seemed like a distant notion. If I ever came back, conjuring up some ID would be the last of my worries.

The first step was simple: a step through the Gate to see my new beginning. On the other side, I found myself in the heart of a ruin. The two anchors of the Gate loomed above me. The sharp, pointed rocks looked like they'd once been a single, colossal stone, cleaved perfectly down the center by an immense fire sword. When my hand brushed the sides facing each other, they felt as smooth and flawless as glass.

Around me lay the broken remains of a once-mighty structure, swallowed by green. Thick moss clung to every block of stone, vines draped over doorways and loose rocks, and towering trees covered the top, their lower branches serving as the roof, with trunks wide enough to need a few people holding hands to surround them. The building had clearly been massive in its day. They built it from enormous stones, now scattered on the forest floor, half-hidden by moss and wild plants. I stood near one stone, and it reached to my waist. Wandering through, I pieced together its layout. It was circular, with smaller rooms radiating outward. All the rooms eventually led to a vast central chamber where the Gate stood. Every detail spoke of a past civilization. They had known about the Gate, revered it, and built this sanctuary around it as if it were a temple. Centuries or even millennia buried their work in thick roots and creeping greenery. Even the air felt ancient, heavy with the smell of damp earth and stone. I explored the ruin for over an hour, until I was convinced there was nothing dangerous here. Only the faint sounds of birds and insects, hidden high above in the towering trees. It was quiet and secluded.

I felt lighter on this side, as if the ground's pull on me was weaker. Less gravity? Or was it the mana's influence? The difference wasn't drastic but noticeable enough, especially at the soles of my feet. Is there a way to measure gravity? I wondered.

I checked the Gate from this side.

The information was the same as the other Gate, and the number looked similar. I wrote it down to compare.

When I stepped back through the Gate, the familiar weight of Earth's gravity settled over me. Yep, there was definitely a small difference in gravity. It reminded me I had work to do. My time here was short now. I needed to tie up loose ends, gather supplies, liquidate my funds, and start my new reality. A journey awaited me, and I was excited.