The Ability to Shift Anything is Convenient, Even in Another World!

Hearing the news, Silas looked visibly shaken, his expression lined with worry. Soru noticed him from a distance and immediately stood up, interpreting the old man’s tense demeanor as a sign of trouble.

As Soru approached, Silas hurried to meet him, his voice trembling slightly.

"Your friend, Reika. She seems to be in trouble," he said, his concern evident in his tone.

"Where is she?" Soru asked him.

"She's in the forest now," Sylva answered, pointing toward the forest's edge, her voice tinged with unease.

Soru heard the villagers murmuring amongst themselves, while some directed questions at Sylva, their voices a mix of concern and curiosity.

"@#$&*@?"

"@#&$*@..."

Though their words were incomprehensible to him, Soru dismissed them. He didn’t have time to linger or entertain their gossip. Without a word, he turned and headed toward the entrance.

Silas, noticing his intent, quickly stepped in to stop him.

"I know what you're thinking... Let me come with you," Silas said firmly before calling out, "Guard!"

The guard, who had been sitting idly beneath the tree, immediately stood at attention upon hearing the old man’s command. Silas walked over to him, leaving Soru momentarily behind.

Soru’s gaze drifted toward the forest's edge, its darkness stretching endlessly, as if silently beckoning him to step in.

While everyone was preoccupied, Soru quietly vanished from where he had been standing. By the time Silas returned to meet up with him, Soru was nowhere to be found.

Startled by his sudden absence, Silas glanced around, searching for any sign of him. Spotting Sylva talking with some villagers, he quickly approached her.

"Where’s Soru?" he asked, his voice tinged with worry.

Sylva, equally perplexed, glanced around. "He... he was there just a moment ago! I don’t see him anywhere now..."

Silas exhaled heavily, the weight of Soru’s impulsive departure adding to his concerns.

"Looks like he went ahead on his own. Sylva, lead the way for us!"

Without hesitation, Sylva nodded and fell in step with Silas, guiding him toward the forest. Neither spoke, their minds focused on the urgency of the situation.

Meanwhile, Soru arrived at the forest's edge. Ahead, he noticed a group of men standing near the dragon's remains. Without hesitation, he casually approached them.

One of the men spotted Soru and quickly ran to meet him. Recognizing the guest as someone acquainted with the young woman who had accompanied Sylva, the man tried to speak.

"@#&$—"

The villager paused mid-sentence, realizing the language barrier. Instead, he pointed toward the forest, gesturing deeper into the shadows.

Understanding the gesture, Soru gave a small nod and continued toward the depths of the forest. The men watched as his figure gradually disappeared into the darkness, swallowed by the trees.

Following a narrow path now overgrown with grass, Soru moved forward in search of Reika. The forest was dimly lit, with only slivers of moonlight piercing through the canopy. Despite the eerie stillness of the surroundings, Soru pressed on.

Suddenly, Soru heard a blood-curdling scream echo from deep within the forest.

"AGGGGHHHHHH!!"

His sharp senses quickly pinpointed the direction of the cry. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward it, weaving through the trees with precision. Soon, he spotted a faint light up ahead, hinting at an open space beyond the dense woods.

Pushing forward, Soru emerged into a clearing. The wide area stretched before him, illuminated by the moon’s silvery glow. In the distance, a towering mountain loomed, its base obscured by thick clusters of trees.

Under the moonlight, he spotted Reika sprawled on the ground. She was clutching her chest tightly, her screams of agony piercing through the still night. 

This pain... It feels like I’m being pierced by a thousand blades...! Reika thought as her nails dug into the fabric of her clothing.

The torment grew unbearable, and before long, Reika’s body gave out. Her screams ceased as she collapsed, unconscious, onto the cold earth.

...

Moments passed before Reika stirred, her consciousness slowly returning. She gasped softly as her eyes fluttered open, desperate to make sense of her surroundings.

What lay before her was nothing but an endless void. The forest was gone. Instead, she found herself enveloped in vast, suffocating darkness. No light, no trees, no voices—just an expanse of emptiness stretching endlessly in all directions.

“Where... am I?” she murmured, her voice echoing faintly into the void.

She tried to rise to her feet, but a sharp, pulsating pain erupted in her chest, forcing her to clutch it tightly. As her hands pressed against her body, she froze, noticing something strange. Her hands were glowing, a faint yet otherworldly light emanating from them.

Her breath quickened as she glanced down, realizing the glow wasn’t limited to her hands—her entire body radiated with the same unearthly luminescence.

Why is my body glowing? W-What’s happening...?!

Reika noticed that she was completely naked. "Eek! Where's my clothes?!" she exclaimed, feeling a rush of embarrassment and confusion. She instinctively covered herself, but her mind was too preoccupied with the strange situation to focus on modesty.

As she looked over her body, she saw tiny cracks appeared on her body. The cracks seemed to glow faintly, pulsing with an energy she couldn’t understand.

"You're a little more resilient than I thought, huh..."

Reika's head snapped around at the sound of the familiar voice. Floating just behind her was a glowing orb, its soft, rhythmic pulsations illuminating the surrounding darkness. She could feel its unsettling presence.

"Encountering me while being this weak, your luck must be terrible," the orb's voice echoed, its tone mocking. "With a soul like yours, it's a miracle it managed to withstand even this much. Perhaps your will to live is stronger than I thought?"

Reika, still confused and overwhelmed, gathered the strength to ask, "What... What are you going to do to me?"

The orb floated closer, its glow intensifying. "I will take over your soul and body. Blame yourself for allowing me to exploit your weakness!"

Reika stumbled back, but defiance sparked in her eyes. She stood, shaking, and backed away slowly. "No!... I refuse!"

In an instant, several purple chains materialized from the darkness, lashing out toward her. Before she could react, they coiled around her hands and legs, binding her in place.

"Mortal, you're in no position to refuse," the orb’s voice boomed, cold and final. "In your own subconscious space, your fate is already sealed—to be my vessel!"

Reika struggled, her body fighting against the unyielding chains. She tugged at them with all her might, but it was futile. The chains held fast, leaving her no room to escape.

Reika noticed that the orb began to glow even brighter, the light intensifying as something else slowly formed above it—a new, strange glow.

"Fufufu~ With this ability and your soul weakened, I can safely transfer my memories to you in no time..." the orb purred, its voice dripping with satisfaction.

Reika, despite the hopelessness of her situation, refused to give in. She tugged desperately at the chains, her body straining against the restraints. There’s no way I’ll die here...!

The orb, sensing her resistance, tightened its grip on the chains. Reika gasped in pain as the pressure increased, the metal seems to dig into her limbs.

"GYAAAAGHHH!!"

The orb hovered next to her, its voice now a whisper in her ear. "Don't worry; I'll take care of your body. You may rest in peace for eternity..."

With no strength left to resist, Reika closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable. She had hoped for a miracle, but even she knew it was unlikely.

"..."

Time seemed to stretch on as the space around her grew quiet. The noise from before had vanished. Reika kept her eyes tightly shut, waiting for the orb to make its move, but... nothing happened.

Reika shifted cautiously, surprised to feel no resistance. The crushing pressure of the chains that had held her earlier was completely gone.

Huh...? What's going on?

Her heart pounded as she opened her eyes. Just as she suspected, the chains had vanished entirely. She flexed her arms and legs, relieved to regain her freedom. Yet the relief was short-lived as she surveyed her surroundings.

Everything was still the same—an endless expanse of darkness, silent and unchanging. Reika’s gaze darted around, searching for the orb that had tried to seize her body. But it was nowhere to be found.

"Where did that orb go?" she muttered to herself. "I thought it had taken control of me?"

As she scanned the area, something caught her eye: a small, pulsating orb floating not far from her chest. It shimmered faintly in the darkness.

Is this... the orb from before?

Reika spoke to the orb, her voice filled with uncertainty. "Are you alright?"

"..."

She waited for any reaction, any sign of movement, but the orb remained motionless.

Hm... That's odd...

Suddenly, the orb began to pulsate, emitting a faint rhythm like a heartbeat. Its form shifted erratically: from a sphere to a tetrahedron, then a cube, and finally a tesseract. The transformations repeated in steady intervals, the shapes morphing seamlessly into one another.

Reika’s gaze locked on the object. Her attention remained fixed on the bizarre, shifting object before her.

"What the hell is this thing?" she muttered, her voice trembling with a mix of unease and intrigue.

Driven by curiosity, she hesitated only a moment before reaching out. Both hands extended cautiously toward the object.

"I've never seen anything like this before..."

Before her fingertips could brush its surface, the object suddenly shot forward, slamming into her chest with a blinding speed.

"What...?!"

Reika staggered back, clutching her chest as a searing pain shot through her. Her head throbbed violently, as if it were on the verge of splitting open.

"GUUHHH!" she groaned, doubling over as the agony intensified.

Massive streams of information surged into her mind, flooding her consciousness with a chaotic torrent of knowledge. It was overwhelming, as though her brain were being forcibly overloaded with unfamiliar data.

"What... What is this...? GAAAAHHH!!" she screamed, gripping her head in desperation.

Then, as if emerging from the storm of pain and confusion, a single word appeared clearly before her eyes.

<Contract>

Upon reading the text, Reika froze in place.

Con...tract?

Her heart raced as she shut her eyes tightly, hoping the word would disappear. But even with her eyes closed, the word remained vivid, burning in her mind like an afterimage.

"Hwuhh!?"

She jolted upright, panic rising in her chest. Opening her eyes again, she found the word still there, hovering in her vision, immovable and unshakable.

"What is this supposed to mean?" she muttered, her voice trembling.

Suddenly, more words began to appear, scattering across her vision like ink spreading on paper. Reika gasped and frantically rubbed her eyes, hoping to erase the strange phenomena.

"What are these words?! Gah!"

Her frantic attempts were futile; the words didn’t budge. Frustrated, she paused and noticed the symbols weren’t random. They seemed deliberate, almost as if trying to communicate something.

Realizing this, she forced herself to stop panicking. She closed her eyes once more and took a deep breath, steadying her erratic thoughts. Slowly, she focused her mind, trying to decipher the message before her.

Now that she had calmed down, Reika began to carefully read the strange words floating in her vision, trying to make sense of what they were conveying.

"Sub... Abilities...?"

Reika muttered the words under her breath, her confusion growing as she read the next lines.

<Chains of Imprisonment> - Summons several chains that could bind physical and spiritual objects. Once attached, the target has a low chance of escaping.

<Subjective Control> - The user seizes control over the target by dominating them. The target must submit the entirety of its being to the user by its own volition, and the contract is set. Once done, the user can freely control the fate of the contracted subject.

This sub-ability also grants the user the ability to see into the metaphysical world, revealing what lies beyond the physical realm.

<Subjective Link> - The user can tap into the abilities of contracted subjects and use them. While some abilities may have restrictions or requirements, it might not always be possible to use them.

"Chains of Imprisonment... Subjective Control... and Subjective Link...?"

Reika repeated the names aloud, her voice tinged with disbelief. Her mind raced as she tried to piece together the meaning of these so-called abilities.

"What is this...?"

Baffled, she couldn't help but wonder about the strange words and their purpose.

"Okay, okay, let's assess the current situation..."

Reika muttered to herself, pacing back and forth in the seemingly endless void.

When that strange object entered my glowing body through my chest, it brought that unbearable pain... It coursed through me like I was being ripped apart. It didn’t last long, but still... how did I even get through it?

Her thoughts lingered on the events that had unfolded, her confusion deepening.

And then, those words popped up right after...

She stopped mid-step, her eyes widening as a realization struck her.

"Wait... is this what that strange orb was talking about? The 'greater power' it mentioned earlier?"

Before she could process her own words, the text in her vision disappeared without warning.

"Huh...? Where did it go?"

Reika blinked in surprise, her gaze darting around in search of the words. But they were gone. Yet, strangely, the details of what she had read remained vivid in her mind, as if the knowledge had been burned into her being. She somehow knew exactly what those abilities were and how they worked, even without the words guiding her anymore.

"This is simply bizarre..."

Feeling helpless, Reika began walking in circles inside the empty, endless space. With the strange words gone and nothing to distract her, frustration bubbled within.

"Now that I'm stuck here, what else should I do? There's nothing here... just me!"

Her voice echoed faintly, amplifying her loneliness. Desperation creeping in, she glanced around, scanning the void in every direction.

"Doors, cracks, holes, windows... Where is it?"

She squinted, as if focusing harder might reveal an exit, but the oppressive emptiness was unyielding.

Suddenly, a thought sparked in her mind.

"Wait...! That power I obtained earlier!"

A glimmer of hope ignited in her chest. She raised her hands into the air, adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Maybe I can use it to get out of here!

Reika swung her hand forcefully in the opposite direction, shouting with everything she had.

"<Chains of Imprisonment!>"

Her voice resonated across the void, brimming with determination. She held her breath, waiting for something—anything—to happen.

"..."

"Eh...?"

Her hopeful expression faltered as the emptiness remained unchanged. The chains she had summoned in her mind did not appear.

The chains… Why won’t they come out?

Determined, she tried another approach.

“<Subjective Control!>”

Silence. Not even a flicker of response. She frowned, her voice rising as she tried again.

“S-Subjective Link! Chains of Imprisonment! Hyaaah!”

Reika trembled, lowering her hand slowly. Her confidence wavered as doubt crept in.

“Is everything just a bluff…? Why won’t anything come out at all?!”

She covered her face, embarrassment and dismay washing over her.

“Guh... I was scammed by that shitty orb! Not only did it ditch me in this empty space, but it also gave me false hope!”

Her voice echoed pitifully in the vast void, amplifying her frustration. Just then, Reika noticed a sensation on her cheek.

Ghk... What was that...?

Slowly, the sensation became stronger with each passing moment. Annoyed, Reika stood up.

"Hey! What are you doing? Knock it off—"

Reika froze mid-sentence. She quickly realized that she was no longer in the strange, empty space. She was sitting on the ground, surrounded by trees, with the light of both moons casting a soft glow over the area.

I finally came out...?

"You're awake, Reika."