This “traveling through time and space” is taking much longer than anticipated. I figured I would jump into the portal, my vision would blur for a few seconds then I would be there. Instead, I have been shuttling through an oppressive void for what seems like years.

…

Since my recent stunt took out a lot out of me, I might as well take this opportunity and hibernate to recuperate.

…

My body trembles slightly as I stir from my slumber. After taking a brief moment to gather my thoughts I start evaluating the situation. Evidently I have safely arrived on a new land, as I am currently buried somewhere underground instead of floating in the void. My body is no longer a giant eyeball but rather a very average-size eye, which I must admit is exceedingly disorienting. I no longer have my demonic flame and must go back to micromanaging my spiritual force, but I am otherwise unhurt. My current state can basically be compared to a weak newborn demon, which isn’t ideal. On the other hand, my main body is an interdimensional rift, so I am basically an immortal with my avatar being a disposable incarnation. After all, you win some you lose some.

Since I have achieved my goal, I have to consider what I should do now. The priority is to gather information, and use that information to decide my next step. To do this, I start digging myself out of the ground and examining the surrounding. As my avatar is barely three centimeters tall, it could naturally not accommodate all the high grade modifications I had made to my main body. As such, I was forced to discard everything but the most basic energy sensor. Using it, I could detect just about any form of energy, from electricity to life force and spiritual force, with a very respectable precision. This had one major drawback of not sensing anything more than two meters away from me. This did not mean I was blind to anything beyond that threshold, as I could read the energy radiation of distant objects, but even this was limited to blurry outlines.

It is enough, however, to do a quick survey of the environment. I seem to be in a beautiful forest of towering green trees lit by a benevolent moon sitting high up in a vast starry sky. (I know I literally just said I could not see all this clearly, but use your imagination, okay? What kind of story isn’t embellished a tiny bit?) With a pleasant stream preaching peace, powerful trees promising protection, a dancing breeze urging for freedom and the infinite sky hinting at marvelous mysteries, how could this idyllic scenery be broken?

By a giant apocalyptic crater tens of meters in diameter, blazing with raging demon fire, complemented by a jarring crack in reality that was glowing an ominous purple and spewing out corruptive power, that’s how. The closest trees had already started morphing from a tall and elegant brown trunk reaching for the sky to a black and red hunky behemoth with a penchant for violence.

I would like to take this moment to profess my innocence here. It is obviously a coincidence that this slightly worrying scene appeared at the exact spot I teleported from a demonic world using an unrelated portal. Besides, getting in contact with your neighbors is just good manners, and whoever made this portal should be praised for creating such an opportunity to share cultures and ideas. You agree with me, right?

…

Once again, silence will be taken as agreement. After all, I just know you are not stupid enough to call a demon who recently became immortal a liar! This is how to preserve peace and avoid argument in a society. When I say something, you either agree or you get eaten. Simple, right?

…

Since we have established that this is none of our business, we have nothing keeping us here anymore, so let us hurry up and explore this land. Making my body float a few centimeters from the ground, I choose a random direction and head into the unknown.

I did not realize this when my senses were still overloaded by a huge energy spewing portal, but this world is truly different. The energies circulating in this world lack the tyranny I am accustomed to, which seem to have translated into a much weaker but more varied ecosystem.

During the few moments of flight alone I spotted dozens of different species of plants and insects. They were all pathetically weak, but that is already more than the grand total of 13 species my world holds.

In my world, we have earth, water, fire and air, all of which contain a very high corrosive attribute. The ecosystem is limited to the thirteen primordial demons and their spawns, totaling to a few millions demons in total. Because our world energy is so meddlesome, it reacts to every demon differently and causes every demon to be unique. The closest things we have to plants are demons with forms unfit to travel, like for example a limbless eye. That’s about it. No animals, no metal, no gas, just an ever burning monotony of violence. Happy thoughts.

…

Are you asking how I know about metal and gas? That’s easy, I learned it from you. Just because you never said anything does not mean I cannot learn from you. Do you think we call our world the demon world? No, we just call it “the world” and I added “demon” to facilitate our communication. Communication is a two way street, so it is only fair that while I recount my adventures, you provide me with information in return. Unfortunately, although your brain is full of fascinating concepts, you know a lot of things exist but have no idea how this works. This has made the whole mind-reading venture a huge waste of time. I believe you owe me compensation.

…

I was sure I would get a reaction out of that. Oh well, I’d better get back to finding a safe place to make a home for myself.