Tonight was like any other night. I was stuck out here in the Nevada desert patrolling the Data Center as usual. The loud hum of the swamp coolers was the only thing keeping me awake as I walked my perimeter route. My earpiece sounded off with a loud static before I heard the voice of my supervisor. "Foxtrot, you gotta copy?" His high-pitched, nasally voice prompted me to lower the walkie volume several times.

  "Go ahead for Foxtrot." I felt annoyed. I knew one of the jerks I worked with had likely called in at the last minute.

  "Foxtrot, you get the privilege of patrolling two separate sectors. Congratulations." He spoke in a mocking tone.

  I lost it. I unclipped the walkie from my right pocket, took off the earpiece, and tossed it over the nearest fence. I was tired of dealing with that stupid punk here every night. He never did much. Instead, he bossed everyone around while sitting at headquarters. He spent his time playing dumb mobile games. I was known to get a little too angry at times, but I was slowly managing it. I let out a big exhale... "Just a couple more days," I whispered to myself; a new game was coming out that I had been following for years. Veil Knight was a new RPG that was dropping and the only thing that kept me going. I stepped around the concrete building edge and headed straight for headquarters. That was until I shifted my gaze ahead and saw a small, stout figure running away. I broke into a sprint instantly.

  Chasing after the figure, I started noticing some odd things. For one, they were much shorter than I had originally thought. And their shoes? They were flashing, making it hard for me to keep up. The person was clearly faster than I was. I was a good seven seconds behind by the time they reached the corner of the building. When I finally arrived, there was no one in sight.

  I shone my light around, hoping to spot any clues the trespasser might have left behind. That's when I saw it, a shiny gold coin on the ground. I bent down to pick it up, but as soon as I reached for it, the coin started moving away from me. The closer I got, the faster it retreated, until it clinked against the side of the building. Then, things took a turn. The coin started to climb the concrete wall. It rose until it was at my eye level. It flew towards my face with a sudden movement. I raised my hand in a swift motion to shield myself. My palm burned, and then everything went dark.

  ........

  The first sensation I felt upon being woken up was freezing cold. Trying to fight the urge to shiver, I opened my eyes, finding myself completely in the dark.

  There was nothing for what seemed like a few minutes. No sound. No lights. Then, out of nowhere, a robotic-sounding voice flooded my ears.

  Panic started to swell in my chest. "Okay, really funny, guys." The group on my shift usually played practical jokes on each other every now and then. They must have found me unconscious and taken me back to HQ. HQ is a single-wide rent-a-trailer. The top-earning company in the world doesn't want to waste money on a permanent building for security contractors. Someone probably locked me in the storage closet. Now, they’re messing with me using the walkie-talkie.

  "What the hell is going on?" I muttered through chattering teeth. As I considered what might be happening, a voice interrupted me again.

  With my anxiety peaking, I yelled "Integrate!" As I did, the door to the storage closet flew open and all I could see was the bright, piercing light of the cafeteria LEDs. Heat rushed to my face, mixing embarrassment and anger. "You son of—" I started, but the light swallowed me. My stomach twisted, and then everything went dark again.

  ---- In the Outer Cosmos

  Nexa, the Goddess of Dimensional Weaving, floated calmly in the sparkling cosmos. Her form shone brightly, like a constellation come to life. She became a system-granted deity after centuries of hard work. For hundreds of years, she explored the mysteries of space and time. She also studied the fine threads that connect different universes. Through trial, study, and perilous journeys across countless planes, she had ascended to a station few even dared to dream of.

  Now, she wielded powers beyond comprehension. With a mere thought, she could summon a vision of any galaxy within the multiverse. Nebulae swirled and danced before her eyes, stars flaring and fading in a cosmic symphony only she could truly appreciate. She saw detailed data about each planet. This covered their climates, people, cultures, and the hidden patterns in their dimensional threads. Her job was to manage teleportation across realms. She ensured that the system's portals followed the rules of dimensional integrity.

  Back in her youth, she revered it as divine, the pinnacle of order in the chaotic multiverse. But ascension had brought clarity, and with clarity came disillusionment. The System was not a singular omniscience; it was one of many.

  Nexa discovered the truth: the multiverse is full of rival systems. They all fight for power, like kids arguing over the shiniest stones in a backyard. These systems, while immensely powerful, were neither infallible nor eternal. They were constructs, mechanisms born of something older and far more inscrutable. Nexa often pondered this truth, wondering what primordial force had birthed such entities, and what lay beyond even them.

  Her responsibilities were as endless as the dimensions she oversaw. Reality's fabric is delicate. It can tear or distort from careless teleportation or harmful interference. A rogue entity tried to disrupt a realm using unlicensed portals. Nexa stepped in and restored harmony by weaving space and time back together. She only recently began enveloping planets into the system's grasp that had awakened her to godhood.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Despite the weight of her duties, Nexa found moments of quiet joy in her role. She drifted across the vast creation. She marveled at the colorful universes. Each one showed the endless possibilities of existence. She smiled softly. She saw new civilizations discovering dimensional magic for the first time. Their awe reminded her of her own from long ago.

  Yet, deep in her divine heart, a seed of doubt lingered. How long could this delicate balance last? How long before the bickering systems escalated their war, dragging the multiverse into chaos? And when that moment came, would her weaving be enough to hold the threads of reality together?

  For now, Nexa chose to focus on the present. A new dimensional disturbance had appeared, faint yet persistent, rippling through the threads she was sworn to guard. With a graceful motion, she extended her hand, drawing the strands of the disturbance closer. As the patterns revealed themselves, her celestial eyes narrowed.

  "It seems another sapient has meddled where it shouldn't," she murmured, her voice carrying a calm authority. "Very well, let us see who dares to disrupt the balance."

  She vanished into the dimensional weave. Her presence faded like a star, leaving only a whisper of her cosmic power behind.

  ------

  Bram Geargrind was not your average gnome. At only 122 years old, he was barely a quarter through his life, but already a little rough around the edges. He stood at a dashing four feet tall, his fiery red hair sticking straight up, making him look closer to five feet tall. His fiery locks were often singed at the tips from his latest invention gone awry, but that didn't bother him. In fact, he liked the look. It gave him an air of unpredictability, and who needed tidy hair when they were a grand inventor, right? That was his boast, anyway. "Tinker? Please. I create wonders," he'd say with a wink and a grin, always ready to share a story of some grand (often exaggerated) achievement.

  Bram's workshop was a mix of amazing machines and failed projects. Gears, springs, wires, and strange devices cluttered the space. It looked chaotic, but there was a unique charm to it. To Bram, it was an organized mess, a perfect representation of the way his mind worked. His tools were neatly sorted in the drawers. Every wrench and bolt had its spot. Meanwhile, his projects spread across the workbench in messy chaos. He was a tinkerer by trade, though he never failed to describe himself as a "grand inventor" to anyone who would listen. His creations included complex timepieces and experimental devices. These were made to help him uncover the mysteries of the world.

  Even with his excitement, a tragic sadness lingered in his eyes. It was a sorrow that never fully went away. Bram's sharp tongue and playful exterior hid the painful memories of a gnome who had seen too much loss. He grew up in a village buzzing with innovation. His family was respected there. His father, a skilled inventor, taught him the secrets of gears and strange devices. They nurtured Bram's love for creation. His childhood was filled with laughter and joy.

  That was until the night the sneaklings came.

  The wicked greenskin creatures raided his village when Bram was just a child. They were ruthless, taking what they wanted and leaving destruction in their wake. Bram's parents died protecting their home. Their last moments are forever in his memory. His mother had hidden him in a small compartment in the basement. Later, he emerged to find everything he knew reduced to rubble.

  From that moment on, the world had lost much of its former joy for Bram. His uncle raised him to feel stable. Still, the sorrow of loss stayed with him. Bram became the gnome he is today. He is driven, resourceful, and fiercely independent. Yet, his heart seldom finds rest. He buried his pain in his inventions. Sometimes, he worked obsessively through the nights. He searched for ways to fix the broken parts of the world, which mirrored his own brokenness.

  Bram rarely talked about his past, but his goals were clear. He wanted to understand how the world worked. He was curious about how fate aligned and how he could fix the damage that had been done. His inventions were clever but had a dark hint of caution. It felt like he was trying to control something bigger than himself.

  In social settings, Bram was lively and sharp. He loved sharing jokes and stories about his latest inventions, even if they didn’t always go as planned. He loved being the center of attention. He enjoyed the laughter and fun with his friends, even if it was just a short break. He realized that no amount of jokes, inventions, or tinkering could fill the void left by the loss of his family.

  And so, his quest continued: to unlock the mysteries of the multiverse.

  ......

  After many tough years of trial and error, Bram perfected the teleportation coin. It let him jump between worlds, but he almost got caught. Just as he was about to leave his mark—his signature "Dwarves drool" tag—on the side of a stone building. He noticed a beam of light slicing through the darkness, heading straight in his direction. Intrigued, he decided to remain hidden, making himself small in the shadows. The sight of the human male approaching made him curse under his breath. Humans were never much fun, but the chase. That was always exhilarating.

  Bram grinned, feeling the thrill rise in his chest. His luminous speed soles would easily outpace this oversized insect, and soon enough, he'd be disappearing from this world, on to the next. He ran quickly by the building. His speed soles lit up the ground. Then, he reached into his pocket for a teleportation coin. Yet, in his haste, one of the coins slipped from his coat pocket and dropped to the ground. It wasn't the first time this had happened, and he knew to come prepared. With a quick curse, he grabbed the backup coin and vanished. Only the glow of his soles remained, leaving behind the mystery of his sudden disappearance.

  .......

  "WOOOHOOO!" Bram felt an overwhelming sense of excitement from the successful pursuit he had triumphed in against the human. He had returned to his people's hidden valley. Now, he was heading to the local gathering place. He was eager to boast to the local youth about his latest adventure. Naturally, he planned to order a mooncap mead to celebrate his narrow escape. He could almost taste the crisp drink. It made his mouth water. So, he quickened his pace to quench his growing thirst. As he got closer to the Bronze Barrel Tavern, he noticed that it was quiet for this time of night. Nonetheless, he raced toward the entrance, throwing open the door in the process.

  His wide, beaming smile faded gradually as he noticed the place was empty. He scanned the bar where Maggie was usually serving the good stuff, but no one was there. "Mags! You here?" he half-shouted as he walked across the room. After a few seconds of no response, he grabbed a mug from the rack behind the bar and headed toward the tapped keg. Turning the valve revealed that the barrel was hollow. "Torn bits and smashed gears. You've got a thirsty customer, Maggie! The keg here is dry and it's hardly mid-evening." Starting to worry, he headed toward the kitchen knowing that Maggie's bedroom was next to it. The cooktops were all cold to the touch and a layer of dust had settled on them. Fear welled up in the grand inventor. He didn’t even check Maggie's room as he hurried to the door.

  Outside revealed much of the same eerie silence. How did he miss it before? He was too proud of his adventure and daring escape to see that everyone was gone. Trying to shut out his wandering thoughts, going to the worst outcomes. Making his heightened anxiety and panic get even worse. He started sprinting, kicking on his soles in the process, heading straight home to check on his uncle. Barging through the door of his workshop led to another alarming issue. His worktables were empty. No gears, contraptions, or bearings in sight. Even his dearest mother's alchemy set was gone. Tearing through the drawers and cabinets showed much of the same. Nothing, every single one was empty... Heart slamming against his ribs trying to break free, he took a few calming breaths. Knowing deep down that either one of two scenarios had occurred. He either made a powerful enemy, risking his loved ones, or he crossed dimensions by mistake.

  Bram felt uneasy as he searched his village for useful items for his journey. Not knowing how perilous this dimension was or if it had any inhabitants at all. He knew either way that he had a long battle ahead of him. With no one in town, he suspected that it was a soulless dimension. Which would mean he would have to craft the teleportation coins on his own. Harvesting all the resources and mining celestium crystals alone would be tough. It was what he had to do to return home, so with the small amount of courage he could muster, he left his valley behind.