There was no tunnel of light, or really anything Justin had come to expect from the various media of his world.

He literally just stepped out of the waygate, right onto the other side.

[You have gained 250 experience points. Your experience stands 10,677/10,000. Level-up available!]

Justin dismissed the notification and took a slow look around, expecting some kind of open cavern.

Instead, he stood in a massive, dark chamber—far larger than he had anticipated. But that wasn’t even the most shocking part.

Arranged in a wide circle before them stood nearly two dozen other gates, identical to the one they had just used.

Eldrin and Lila stepped beside him, each of them taking in their surroundings. Justin let the Star sit on his chest, and it did a good enough job of lighting up the massive, domed chamber.

He now understood exactly what Emberlyn had meant when she said the gate wouldn’t take them where they expected. Lila and Eldrin were just as stunned, their gazes darting from one portal to the next.

One of them led to Drakendir, sure. But there were at least twenty other options to choose from. Twenty-three, to be exact. And who knew which one was the right one?

“These could lead anywhere,” Lila murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Justin turned to see the waygate behind them flicker as its blue, shifting plane dissipated. Within seconds, the portal was gone, leaving behind a lifeless stone frame. He suddenly had the paranoid delusion that the Sapphire Star wouldn’t work anymore, even if he had no reason to believe that. From the surface, this chamber looked isolated, with no way out but the gates themselves.

He just had to hope the Star would work on the other gates too, as advertised.

Eldrin took a few steps forward, scanning their surroundings. “Seems like these gates are the only way out. This chamber is completely enclosed.”

Lila shook her head. “It can’t be fully sealed. This place would run out of air eventually. There’s got to be some kind of ventilation or an exit somewhere.”

"Ventilation, yes," Eldrin said. "But the gates themselves are built right against the perimeter. There's no other way out unless there's something above us."

The light of the Star didn't reveal that, however. Justin suspected Eldrin was right.

Justin frowned. “What is this place, anyway? I thought waygates were supposed to be rare. But here we are, standing in a room with twenty-four of them. What’s the point of it all?”

Eldrin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “The configuration makes sense if you think about it. Maybe this place was meant to be a nexus of sorts.”

Justin raised an eyebrow. “A nexus?”

Eldrin nodded. “Think about it. Waygates are supposed to connect to one other place, right? But if you link multiple gates to a single location, then any one of these could be a starting point for travel across…well, who knows how many places? This was probably designed as a central transit point.”

It did make sense. It was a lot more efficient than having scattered waygates that only led to fixed locations. Whatever the case, it was the discovery of a lifetime.

“So this is basically a transit station,” Justin said. “Like an airport.”

Lila arched an eyebrow. “An airport? What’s that? Did your world have skyships or something?”

“Sort of,” Justin said. He’d tell her about airplanes some other time. “So, Eldrin, is there anything in the literature about this?”

Eldrin gave him a dry look. “The literature? Justin, I’m a Ranger, not a Scholar.”

“Yeah,” Justin said. “But you know things.”

“Not everything, unfortunately,” Eldrin said with a sigh.

“So, what’s the next move?” Lila asked. “Do we just guess at random until we find the one that leads to Drakendir?”

“We might not even have to go to Drakendir,” Justin said.

His mind was already racing with possibilities. They had options here, and this place—this “Nexus,” if it could be so called—could be visited in the future as a way to travel quickly across Eyrth. “There are a lot of options to choose from.”

“Yeah, but it would be nice to know that it’s not dangerous to cross first," Lila said.

“Good point,” Justin said.

Eldrin pulled the Wayfinder’s Compass from around his neck and held it up. The golden needle spun for a moment before locking in place, pointing toward a gate across the chamber—directly opposite him and two to the right.

Justin let out a low whistle. “Damn, this thing is like a cheat code.”

“Assuming it’s leading us somewhere we need to go,” Lila countered. She folded her arms, eyeing the compass with skepticism. “It’s helped us avoid enemies so far, and it got us to the first waygate. But the description says it leads to hidden treasures and secrets. We’re not looking for treasure. We just want to escape and figure out our next move.”

She had a point. The compass’s goal and theirs weren’t necessarily the same. What if it was leading them somewhere because it thought they wanted secrets rather than an escape? Worse, what if it had its own agenda? He had already considered the possibility that it was trying to build their trust, only to lead them into some kind of fatal mistake.

But that was just paranoia. Wasn’t it?

Justin stared at the gate the compass had chosen. “Well…unless we want to pick a random portal, I say we trust the compass.”

Lila hesitated, then nodded. “It hasn’t failed us yet.”

“Then let’s hope it stays that way.”

Lila cleared her throat. “I know it would be awkward, but would the Sapphire Star let us go back if we need to? I mean, sure, we just betrayed those Fyrspawn, but the Gentleman’s Agreement means they can’t attack us, and we can’t attack them.”

“Yes,” Eldrin agreed. “But at the same time, they could rally Fyrspawn that happened to be more than a mile away from where we made the agreement. They wouldn’t be bound by it. So, it might work temporarily, but we’d still need to watch our backs.”

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

“Or,” Lila suggested, “we just need to clear the Vault and apologize. Would that work?”

Eldrin shook his head. “I won’t lie, a full set of gold-tier gear is tempting. But a level 28 Vault? Even if they gave us every soldier they had, someone would definitely die. Nothing is worth our lives. If we get stronger, we could come back later. Various Adventurer Guilds and Vault-Running Companies would kill to know this location.”

"Maybe some already do," Justin said. "As long as they have a gate key, they can use these. Same as us. We know those Fyrspawn had one. Who else has one?"

Justin didn't like the other's silence as they considered this possibility.

"Well," Eldrin said, "we can't worry about that now. It's something we can't control."

“So, that leaves the question,” Justin said. “Do we trust the compass?”

“I mean, we don’t have much choice,” Lila said. “Remember what Ryak said? Some gates were built on floating cities back in the day—cities over the ocean. If we pick the wrong one, we might find ourselves at the bottom of the sea.”

“I have Sapphire Aegis,” Justin said. “I’d hate to waste it since I only get one a day, but I could cast it before stepping through the gate. That would give me a few seconds of invulnerability. Enough time to retreat if the other side is too dangerous.”

“Now that’s not a bad idea,” Lila said, perking up. “Would that work underwater, though?"

“Well,” Justin said, “it says it prevents all damage, so I would assume that means it would shield me from that. Enough to get back in time. Of course, the downside is we’d have to wait a full day before it refreshes. But it’s probably the safest way to go about it.”

It would be slow. And with twenty-four gates, only one of which was known, that meant twenty-three days to check out every gate. Justin didn’t have that kind of time; at least, not now. But that wasn’t to say he wouldn’t have that kind of time in the future.

“How much food do we have?” Lila asked. “And water, for that matter? That’s the only real limit, I suppose.”

“Food is fine,” Eldrin said. “Water’s a bit trickier. I’d say we can do this for about a week. That means we have seven tries to find somewhere that works.”

Justin looked at the gate the compass was pointing to. “Then let’s hope the first one is a winner.”

“All right, Justin,” Lila said. “Are you ready?”

Justin nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

They approached the gate, double-checking that the compass’s golden needle was still pointing to the right one. It was.

“So, I guess I’ll cast Sapphire Aegis,” Justin said. "It feels like a shame to use it.”

“It’s either that or gamble with your life,” Eldrin said. “So, how is this going to work? How will we know it’s safe to follow?”

“That’s simple,” Justin said. “If it’s not safe, I’ll come back within ten seconds. If I stay longer than that, you guys can follow.”

“Sure,” Lila said. “So we just count to ten after you go through?”

“Exactly,” Justin confirmed. “But it’s better to make it fifteen seconds just to be sure.”

They stood in silence for a moment, turning over every possible scenario, trying to find some other way to defend themselves from whatever dangers lay beyond. But Justin couldn’t think of anything else.

“Well,” he said, exhaling, “if no one has anything else to add, I say we get this party started.”

“Good luck,” Eldrin said. “We’ll be right behind you—assuming it’s safe.”

Justin nodded, adjusting the brim of his top hat. He did a couple of quick jumps to psych himself up, telling himself it was going to be fine. But the longer he stood there thinking about it, the worse his nerves got.

He just had to do it. He also had Gentleman’s Sidestep if things got dicey and he needed a few extra seconds to escape.

“All right, here we go,” he said, taking a deep breath.

He stepped through the gate, activating Sapphire Aegis as he stepped through the gate.

The transition was instantaneous. One moment, he was in the dim, enclosed chamber. The next, he was tumbling forward, landing hard on dry, sunbaked ground.

The brightness hit him like a slap. After the dimness of the chamber, the sheer intensity of the light was overwhelming. He raised a hand to shield his eyes, barely able to make out his surroundings.

The air was hot—stifling, dry, and carrying with it a wind that whipped sand and dust into the air. Justin gritted his teeth, lowering his hat to protect his face. Despite the Sapphire Aegis, it seemed the dust was allowed to go through—probably because it wasn't damaging in any way. His coat, far too heavy for this climate, already felt suffocating.

He couldn’t get a good read on things. Should he just go back before it was too late?

That was when Sapphire Aegis winked out. Justin waited.

No immediate danger. No instant death. Breathable air.

So far, so good.

His vision finally adjusted enough for him to take in the landscape. He stood atop a massive mesa, a towering plateau of stone and sand. Behind him, above the gate still powered on, ancient ruins stretched toward the sky—half-buried pillars, broken archways, and the remnants of what might have once been a fortress or temple. Ahead, an endless sea of dunes rolled in every direction, the golden sand shifting under the relentless sun.

“Oh my,” Justin muttered, blinking in awe. “This is…quite far.”

A gust of wind whipped against his coat as the gate behind him hummed. A second later, Lila and Eldrin stepped through, appearing beside him. Like him, they squinted against the brightness of the sun.

“We’re in some sort of desert,” Justin said. “Just give your eyes time to adjust.”

After a moment, Lila opened her green eyes and let out a low whistle. “By the Nether…that’s a change in scenery.”

Eldrin didn’t speak right away. He took a slow look around, his Ranger instincts already assessing the situation. “I hope you like sand."

Justin turned in a slow circle, taking in the dunes, the wind, and the distant ruins.

“So, what’s the verdict?” he asked. “Should we stay, or should we try again?”

Eldrin glanced back at the ruins, his brow furrowed in thought. “Hard to say exactly where we are. But a desert like this… ruins like these…we’re definitely not in Serenthel anymore.”

Lila crossed her arms, nodding. “Yeah. There are a few dry spots in Serenthel, but nothing like this. If I had to guess? We’re somewhere on the southern continent.” Her voice lowered. “If not, another planet entirely.”

Justin frowned. He didn’t want to think about another planet. Not right now. And if Eldrin’s theory about the chamber being a nexus of sorts was correct, that meant the other gates must be waygates too, all leading to different places on the planet.

But it also meant that this particular gate was tied to these strange, abandoned ruins out in the middle of a wasteland. At one time, it was obviously an incredibly important site.

Justin glanced between his companions and the ruins. “Should we explore a bit? I mean, this might be doable, but it seems pretty isolated. It’s hard to imagine much living out here."

Eldrin grunted. “Nothing we’d want to run into, anyway. Let’s at least scope things out for an hour or so. Without straying too far from the gate. Maybe we can find some clues about where we are. And if this place doesn’t work out, we still have twenty-two other gates to choose from.”

“Sensible,” Lila agreed.

Eldrin took out his compass, studying the golden needle as it pointed directly toward the ruins. “That’s where it’s leading.”

“Definitely faithful to the ‘leading to potential treasures’ part of the description,” Lila said.

“And secrets,” Justin added. He turned to Eldrin. “Say, I know you’re not a historian or anything, but if we’re on the southern continent, is there any famous desert we might be in?”

Eldrin nodded thoughtfully. “Well, Eyrth’s most famous deserts are below the Barrier Range on Atelinar. There are dozens of them, but all are part of a greater desert called the Sunken Expanse.”

“The Sunken Expanse?” Justin asked. “That sounds dangerous.”

“Well, I can’t be too sure that's where we are. But this would fit the bill. The Sunken Expanse stretches for thousands of miles, cutting the continent in half. Some say it was once a great inland sea, dried up by cataclysm or the wrath of the gods during the Ethereal Era. Now, it’s nothing but endless dunes, salt flats, and ruins swallowed by time.” He nodded toward the broken structures ahead. “It would explain why this is here. Could be this was once an island.”

“Wow,” Justin said. “We have a place like this on my home planet. The Sahara. It’s massive, and it wasn’t always a wasteland either. Maybe this place is the same way—something changed.”

Eldrin’s expression darkened. “If we’re really in the Sunken Expanse, it’s not somewhere we want to be. There’s no clear path back to civilization, and no guarantee of survival if we stay. North would lead to the Barrier Range, the largest mountains in all Eyrth, infamous for how difficult they are to overcome. South will eventually get us to the coast, but it may be a thousand miles or more. East and west will just be more of the same. Lands with varying degrees of dryness, unless we just so happen to already be at the extreme eastern or western portions.”

“I’m not ready to call this off just yet,” Justin said. “Even if we decide to try another gate, we have a few hours to explore. Safely, of course.”

“I want to see where that compass is leading us first,” Lila said, adjusting her pack. “Then we can make our decision.”

Justin took one last look at the dunes before nodding. “All right. Let’s go see what’s waiting for us.”

"Stay close," Eldrin said. "And let's try not to get ourselves cut off from the gate. It's our lifeline."

Justin nodded. He also wouldn't have Sapphire Aegis until tomorrow.

They would have to tread very carefully, but going straight back into the gate without at least trying to learn more seemed like a wasted opportunity.

As a unit, the trio moved toward the ruins, the infernal sun baking them from above.