Hermit Wizard

Chapter 11

The Upside-Down World (2)

The words spoken by the gray-eyed race were recorded in the reporters’ microphones. The viewers who heard the voice didn’t understand the meaning, like the reporters and squad members at the scene. But there was someone in my living room who could interpret the contents after hearing it. I laughed bitterly when I heard what Parvache had interpreted.

“Of course, they thought we had been observing their dimensions even before the Channel was opened, so they told them their dimensional coordinates…but there is only one human in this world who can understand that.”

It was a situation that the common sense of the other race couldn’t understand. At first glance, Hong Kong’s urban landscape has achieved a considerable level of civilization. It must have been astonished that there was no language to properly translate their words because humans here had no basic knowledge of other dimensions.

***

On the other hand, not all of the civilized races of the Channel’s dimension wanted to exchange and communicate like the gray-eyed race. Although not hostile, there were also citizens of the dimensions who never wanted two-dimensional passage through the Channel. At around 11 p.m. local time, a Channel opened on the lawn in front of the National Constitution Center’s main gate in Philadelphia, U.S.

According to the security guard who witnessed the moment when the Channel was created, as soon as a long blue light appeared in front of his eyes, it immediately turned into a circle. The entity walked out at a rapid pace, ‘as if it had been waiting.’ A human-shaped golden aura formed in front of the Philadelphia Channel, about 10 feet tall, constantly releasing sparks from its whole body and holding a spear-shaped weapon longer than its own height in one hand.

According to the security guard’s testimony, as soon as it came out of the Channel, it put the spear in its hand into the ground and stood in front of the Channel as if guarding it. And since that time, all of the American media has been sending out news under the title of The Wonders of Philadelphia.

-We don’t want you.-

At that moment, all citizens within a mile radius of the Constitution Center heard voices in their heads. Many people were already asleep because it was late at night, but they woke up when they heard that voice. And at that moment, the security guard, who was the only person who was witnessing the golden entity, said that he knew that the sound source in his head must be the existence in front of him. And while all the citizens were confused and bewildered, the voice in their heads spoke one more time.

-We don’t want you.-

It was a repetition of the same words. However, unlike the first time the citizens heard it, they felt that their minds were beginning to be filled with anxiety. It was abnormal – nervousness and anxiety that couldn’t be understood by reason.

-We don’t want you.-

When the third voice came in, most of the citizens who heard the sound were trembling with fear. They found themselves restless with extreme panic and a fear of the unknown. Infants and toddlers who couldn’t speak burst into tears, and even adults, who didn’t know what to do, collapsed into their seats or, on the contrary, began to wander around the house like crazy. Then, a decisive word followed.

-Do not approach.-

As soon as the voice was heard, those who were crouching down and trembling in terror, and those who were walking around without knowing what to do, all began to move as if possessed. According to an interview with the citizens that took place later, they just moved with the thought that they should do that.

Citizens within a mile radius of the Constitution Center, who heard the voice, began to move slowly away from the Constitution Center. They didn’t move alone. After checking each other’s family members in the house, they left the house. Those with elderly parents with limited mobility walked with them. In contrast, parents with infants held their children in their arms and walked. Of those who heard this voice, very few, less than ten people felt that they should move away from there as other people felt when they heard the words “Do not approach,” but that didn’t mean that their bodies moved on their own.

However, even those few people ended up voluntarily choosing to follow their family or neighbors. It was because they were afraid to remain there alone in that weird situation. As people moved a mile from the Constitutional Center, they didn’t think they had to walk anymore, and they couldn’t hear the voice anymore. They naturally stopped walking. So there were no residents left within a mile of the Channel.

Residents who stopped walking felt anxiety or fear but somehow felt that they shouldn’t go back. Hence no citizens walked back to their house. Among the reporters who gathered that night, one reacted similarly to the few citizens who didn’t unconditionally obey the voice. Mia Keaton, a reporter for The Philadelphia Evening Post, stepped inside the boundaries where everyone else was turning. She felt the voice coming into her head without exception and was horrified.

She thought she had to take a quick turn and move away. But right after that, she realized that something was different. Although she felt uncomfortable, she was able to continue standing there. She didn’t turn back and walk outside the border like everyone else. Mia Keaton resisted the voice in her head. She began to move toward the Constitutional Center, the epicenter of the incident. And after a long walk, she confronted the being.

The existence told her.

-We don’t want you.-

‘…You are… no, because you said, “we”…who are you, people?’

Then, the golden existence told Mia Keaton what it had not repeated so far. It was the first time since that existence appeared. Mia Keaton later recalled in an article that she felt as if six people were simultaneously talking to her.

-That information is not meant for you.-

-We don’t want your attention.-

-We don’t care about you.-

-We don’t want your awareness.-

-Don’t access this Channel.-

-We don’t want you.-

These six sentences resounded in her mind in a short moment that felt like an instant. Mia Keaton barely persevered and asked questions, even though she felt a tingling headache scattering inside her head.

“What’s the Channel? And why…don’t you want us? Do you mean… all human beings?”

The existence remained silent for a moment, and the answer returned only after some time had passed. Still, six sentences flew into her head at the same time.

-…The level of civilization is too low. I can’t find a reason to continue the communication.-

-We do not want the attention of all the races that breathe in your world.-

-We don’t care about your dimension.-

-Don’t wonder about us.-

-…Do not approach the blue door guarded by the doorkeeper in front of you.-

-We don’t want you.-

The sentence’s length was longer than the first, followed by intense pain like her brain was on fire. Meanwhile, Mia Keaton speculated. The golden entity in front of her eyes looked like one. Still, she had a strong feeling that six independent individuals were talking to her from somewhere behind it.

“Just a little bit…please give me a little more details!”

-You couldn’t understand our intentions in the first place. Any further communication is meaningless and will damage your nerves. Back off.-

-Human, tell all your races on this earth, all the races that rule you, and all the races you lead to back off.-

-We do not care about the existence of other dimensions. Back off.-

-You don’t know anyway. Back off.-

-If you dare to cross the Channel, the gatekeeper will punish you. Back off.-

-Do not approach.-

At the moment when the words ‘back off’ overlapped five times and dug into her head, Mia Keaton realized that she could no longer withstand it. Her body turned on its own and began walking with her back on the Constitution Center, just like other citizens were doing. After moving far away, Mia Keaton heard a faint and small voice different from the voices she and the citizens had heard. The sound felt distant in quality, as if a chatter’s voice was caught in the next room with the microphone on. And the voice lacked the power to intervene in her will, unlike the ones before.

The following information she heard was recorded in her article, which was uploaded to The Philadelphia Evening Post’s website a few hours later, and international interest in its authenticity exploded.

-…Ah, it’s not really difficult. It’s a civilization that doesn’t even know what we’re warning about after all. Seniors, you worked hard today. Please bear with it for a while. It’s about the shift time… Oh, I’m sorry for a second.

Hello? Terry##h#s? Dad is going home soon. Bye! …What? Of course not if you don’t take De###scap for a walk without a leash again, you will be in big trouble when I get home! I’m hanging up!

…Hmmmm, sorry. Oh, De##scap? No, it’s the pet dragon I bought for my son a while ago. Haha, isn’t it too girly for a home-grown dragon? Everyone thinks it’s a female when they hear its name, but it is actually a male. After about six ##s, I think we can cross-breed it. Now, when it spread all of its wings, it was similar to my 11th tentacle length. Yes, they grow really fast, the dragons.

Anyway, I say too much, but the natives of this dimension seemed to not know what the Channel is. Oh, sorry! This time the extension phone…

Yes, this is Captain Lu##Caus from The Office of Outer Dimensions Psychological Operations III… Yes. Yes. Ah! Is that so? I will take action. Yes, salute!

Hey, there Corporal Re##To! Go outside and get a communications officer. What? Is he eating ###? That crazy bastard’s out there, and all the seniors are waiting for him, and he’s eating alone! Tell him to jump quickly together with #####! Ah…all the things that were commissioned to that joke are all messed up.

Oh, the call just now? The command and control office monitored today’s operation, and they said they heard the noise because the mental interference factor was too strong on the radio frequency… Now that we’re done removing the natives around the Channel, I’ll tell the communication officer to reduce the radio volume.

By the way, the golem sent to that dimension is an S-class that has been supplied only ##, but its performance is not very good. It’s common for individuals to have unusually strong mental barriers. Still, out of 3,862 natives in the area, eight of them are not forcibly controlled by recording. Isn’t it too poor for an S-class to have a 0.2% probability of failure? Oh, it’s an extension phone call…sorry.

Yes, External Dimension Review… Yes? …No, it can’t be… #### is on? Ugh! It can’t be…all five #### used by the five psychological propaganda officers, including me, were clearly turned off, except for the transmission of recorded broadcasts…yes? I beg your pardon?! Seniors! I got another call from the command and control room right now, but one of the ####s that were sending out our voices is currently on…oh damn, you’re fucked! Senior, turn that off. Now!-

Finally, the harsh voice that was heard by Mia Keaton disappeared, and only the sound that had been heard from the beginning began to resonate repeatedly.

-We don’t want you.-

-We don’t want you.-

-We don’t want you.-

-Do not approach.-

-We don’t…-