“So, how do we do this?” I asked, running my fingers along the cool, uneven surface of the wall we found ourselves standing in front of. The air was heavy with that electric hum I’d grown accustomed to since entering the Haunt.

“First, we locate the lock,” Jinx said, her voice steady, though I could hear the underlying tension. “Then we just have to unlock it.”

“Sounds simple enough,” I said, tilting my head toward her. “And how do we do that exactly?”

She hesitated for a moment. “Just leave it to me,” she muttered, not sounding entirely confident. “First things first.”

I heard her shuffle along the wall, her fingers tracing patterns only she seemed to perceive. Every so often, she let out an annoyed grunt or a sharp huff of frustration. Whatever this lock was, it wasn’t making itself easy to find.

I stepped closer, leaning casually against the wall. “Any idea what the lock looks like? Maybe I can help.”

“You?” she asked, letting out a short laugh. “That’s cute.”

“Humor me.”

She sighed, finally relenting. “Okay, fine. Ever seen a Celtic knot?”

“Sure, one of those swirly thingies with no beginning and no end.”

“Right. Now imagine one of those, only a bit simpler -like a triangle made of a Möbius strip. It’s technically a Pentachoron -a 5-Cell- which is sort of like a tesseract. Only triangular.”

I blinked. “Uh, yeah, totally got it. Swirly triangle thingy. Makes perfect sense. They should have just named it the Tr-force.”

“True enough,” she said, shaking her head. “Once I find it, the lock responds to the essence of life. Blood.”

“Blood? Of course, it does. Let me guess: no blood, no entry?”

“Pretty much,” she said. “The Ways were created by those of the Veil. They require someone attuned to the Unseen -a part of the Veil- to open them. A few drops of blood is all it takes.”

“Oh okay, so you have to be initiated for it to work?” I asked.

“Exactly, which is why, once I find it, all I have to do is prick my finger, dab a bit of blood on it, and voila it should open and allow us access.” She said.

“Can’t you just spit in your palm and slap it on the wall? Yell ‘open sesame’ and call it a day?” I joked, putting action to words. I spat lightly into my hand, smacking it against the wall for comedic effect.

The results were anything but funny.

I was more surprised than she was that it had worked.

One minute the wall was a wall. The next it wasn’t even a jar.

The wall rippled beneath my hand, the solid surface dissolving into a shimmering, ghostly mirage. My hand slipped through the now-intangible barrier, and I stumbled forward with a startled yelp.

“Declan!” Jinx lunged, grabbing my arm before I could fall face-first into the void beyond.

I steadied myself, my pulse racing. “Uh… okay. That was unexpected.”

Jinx’s jaw dropped. “How the hell did you do that?”

“No idea,” I said, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. “Magic?” I wasn’t fooling either one of us as I pulled my hand back, watching as the wall reformed with a faint shimmer, as though daring me to try again.

A chime rang in my ears, followed by a familiar snarky voice:

System Alert:

You have activated a dormant Veil Lock.

Condition Met: Partial Blood Affinity Detected.

Access Unlocked: The Way.

+10 XP for accidental brilliance.

“Figures,” I muttered under my breath.

“What figures?” Jinx asked, still staring at the wall like it might start explaining itself.

“Nothing,” I said quickly. “So, what’s next?”

Before she could answer, the space beyond the wall flickered to life. A thousand threads of light spiraled outward, weaving themselves into an impossibly intricate tapestry. The Path stretched ahead of us, glowing faintly against a backdrop of endless black.

“Holy shit,” I breathed. My usually absent vision was alight with color and motion, patterns coalescing into shapes and symbols that pulsed with a strange, unearthly rhythm.

And here I’d just gotten used to being in the dark with nothing but my imagination filling the canvas that my eyes could no longer see. And now this.

“What do you see?” Jinx asked, her tone cautiously curious.

It was indescribable. You know those moments of pure magic, where words literally fail to do justice to the majesty and beauty of the experience? Like seeing fireworks for the first time on the fourth of July. Or meeting your personal hero in person. Or having your soulmate walk into your life. It was a stroke of lightning, blinding in its brilliance, leaving an impression to be remembered, and barely understood.

“Everything,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “It’s like… the patterns of the universe. Threads of light weaving the world together. And the Path -it looks like living crystal. Like beams of frozen starlight.”

“Uh-huh,” she said, clearly skeptical. “Well, to me, it’s just a boring old walkway surrounded by a whole lot of nothing. Stick to the Path, okay? Step off it, and you’re on your own.”

“Ableist. No pressure,” I muttered, following as she stepped onto the glowing Path. My hand rested lightly on her shoulder, but for the first time since I’d lost my sight, I didn’t actually need the guidance. The patterns lit our way, each step unfolding new threads of light beneath my feet.

Looking at Jinx, I was taken aback by the play of colors in her pattern. They swirled around an intricately woven wire frame in the shape of what I remembered her to look like. She was like living autumn, rich in greens, golds and blues. The way they radiated from her form, created a halo like incandescence, an aura that was purely hers.

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It was beautiful. She was beautiful. When I could tell that I was staring, I looked down, but I found that even as I looked away, the afterimage of her stayed with me. My mind refused to let it go.

The sight of her was so mesmerizing I nearly forgot to keep moving.

“Declan?” she said, glancing back. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I said quickly, tearing my gaze away. “Just dazzled. Lead on.”

I allowed myself to be lead forward, even though it was unnecessary. Well, maybe it was needed after all, because I found myself getting lost in the magic of the Way with every step we took. And the further we progressed, the stranger and more wondrous it became.

We walked in silence for a while, the only sounds the soft echo of our footsteps and the faint hum of the Path. The air grew heavier with each step, a tangible weight pressing against my chest.

The usual darkness of my vision was assaulted with the afterimage effects of strange ambient lighting. It didn’t originate from any obvious source that I could determine.

“What’s with the weird lights?” I asked, hoping to break the tension.

“What lights?” she replied, frowning. “There’s nothing here but a meandering Path and the random arches.”

I paused, glancing at the nearest archway. It glowed with a swirling pattern of energy, the threads of light forming intricate symbols that seemed to shift when I wasn’t looking.

“Are you sure?” I pressed. “Because I’m seeing a full-on Disney light show over here.”

Jinx shook her head. “Whatever you’re experiencing, it’s not normal.”

“That makes two of us,” I muttered. “Tell me, what do you see. And please, be specific.”

“There’s just the Space Between -an inky sea of darkness. And the portals.” She sounded confused. “Why, what do you see?”

“To me, each archway is a unique pattern that I feel compelled to pause and study. I want to memorize their patterns.” I left unsaid that I didn’t know if I’d ever get to experience such a sight again in my life. “The Space Between, huh?” I continued amused. “Not very original.”

“Hey, I’m not the one who came up with the name. Blame the first Walkers of the Way.”

New Perception unlocked: Veil Sight

You can now perceive the metaphysical threads of the Veil. This ability allows you to detect hidden paths, identify mystical anomalies, and sense disruptions in the Way.

“Great,” I said under my breath. “More weird powers I didn’t ask for.”

Jinx gave me a look but didn’t comment. “Come on,” she said. “We’ve got a long way to go.”

“So, what exactly is the Way? I mean, where are we? And what’s with all the strange lights?” I asked, my voice low, half out of awe and half from a deepening unease. The crystalline threads beneath our feet pulsed faintly, as if reacting to the vibrations of my voice. Above us, or maybe around us -space here was weird- swirling patterns of light twisted and folded into themselves, a kaleidoscope of motion that defied logic.

Jinx glanced back at me, her features illuminated by the faint glow of the Path. “I still don’t know what lights you’re talking about. To me, this is just the Path -a walkway suspended in nothingness.”

“And the rest of it? The inky black void? The eerie humming? That’s normal?”

“For the Way, yeah,” she said matter-of-factly. “We’re traversing the Space Between. Think of it as the connective tissue between realms, a shortcut through places that don’t technically exist. As long as we stay on the marked Path, we’re fine. But if we were to wander off…” She trailed off, her voice heavy with implication.

I groaned, rolling my head back. “Don’t do that. Don’t leave the creepy ominous sentence hanging. What happens if you step off the Path?”

She hesitated, then shrugged. “Nobody really knows. Because no one has been stupid enough to try it. The prevailing theory? You’d drift into the unseen abyss, cursed to spend the rest of eternity untethered and adrift.”

“Basically, you’re saying it’s a one-way ticket to oblivion?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “Great. Thanks for that comforting visual.”

“Look,” she said, clearly exasperated. “The Path is the only way forward. The Way keeps us safe -relatively speaking. Everything else out there?” She waved a hand vaguely at the surrounding void. “That’s the void. You don’t mess with the void.”

“Got it,” I said, nodding solemnly. “Stick to the glowy path, avoid the soul-eating darkness. No wandering into the existential nightmare zone. Sounds easy enough.” I bowed with a flourish. “Lead on, oh enigmatic one.”

She huffed, grabbing my hand and slapping it onto her shoulder. “Come on, Mr. Comedian. Let’s keep moving before you start testing theories.”

The Path stretched ahead of us, its crystalline surface shimmering with each step. The air grew heavier, charged with an almost electric hum that seemed to resonate in my bones. The swirling lights I’d noticed earlier grew more erratic, their movements less graceful and more frantic, like a time-lapse of storm clouds about to unleash their fury.

We hadn’t gone far before the strange got weirder.

The lights began to swim across my vision, blurring together in long, streaking trails like car headlights smeared across a rain-soaked windshield. My head swam, a wave of dizziness hitting me with the subtlety of a freight train. I stumbled, clutching Jinx’s shoulder for balance.

“Declan!” she gasped, wincing as my grip tightened. “Easy there, Tiger! You’re crushing me.”

“Sorry,” I muttered, my voice strained. The world around me refused to steady, the lights swirling faster, their patterns unraveling into chaotic spirals. The once-solid Path beneath my feet seemed to ripple, its crystalline threads flickering like a glitching hologram. “I think… I think something’s wrong.”

Jinx steadied herself, turning to look at me. Even in my disoriented state, I could see the concern etched into her expression. “Wrong how? What are you seeing?”

“Everything,” I said, my voice thick with effort. “The lights… they’re moving. Twisting. It’s like they’re alive.”

“Declan,” she said, her tone measured but urgent. “There are no lights. Whatever you’re seeing, it’s in your head.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head, though the motion only made the dizziness worse. “It’s not just in my head. It’s the Path -it’s shifting. Like it’s… reacting to something.”

Jinx’s shoulders tensed, and she reached out to steady me. “Okay. Deep breaths. Focus. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. But you have to keep it together.”

I tried to do as she said, inhaling deeply, but the air itself felt strange -too thin, too sharp, like breathing shards of glass. My enhanced senses, usually a gift, were now a curse, amplifying every disorienting detail to unbearable levels.

And then, for the briefest moment, I saw it -a flicker in the corner of my vision. A shadow darker than the void itself, coiling just beyond the edges of the Path. It was subtle, barely there, but its presence was undeniable, a cold, creeping dread that slithered up my spine.

“Did you see that?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“See what?” Jinx’s grip tightened on my arm.

“The shadow,” I said, my eyes darting toward where it had been. “It’s out there. Watching us.”

She followed my gaze, her movements slow and deliberate. “I don’t see anything,” she said, though her voice carried an edge of unease. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I said firmly. “It’s there. I don’t know what it is, but it’s out there, and it’s-” I broke off, the words catching in my throat as the shadow flickered again, this time closer.

The Path beneath us pulsed, its light dimming for a split second before flaring back to life. The hum in the air grew louder, more insistent, like the build-up to a breaking storm.

“We need to keep moving,” I said, my voice tight. “Now.”

“Okay,” Jinx said. My hand was still gripping her shoulder as she led the way forward. But even as we walked, the feeling of being watched didn’t fade. The shadow was still there, just beyond the edge of perception, its presence a constant weight pressing against my mind.

With every step, the Path seemed to grow more unstable, its once-solid threads unraveling into tangled knots of light. The dizziness returned, stronger this time, and I stumbled again, barely catching myself before falling.

“Declan!” Jinx turned, her eyes wide. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I lied, though my pulse was racing and my vision swam with streaks of light and shadow. “Just keep going. I’ll keep up.”

She hesitated, then nodded, pulling me along as the Path stretched endlessly ahead. The arches we passed seemed to pulse with an ominous energy, their patterns shifting like living things. The hum in the air grew louder still, a low, resonant vibration that seemed to sync with my heartbeat.

The shadow flickered again, this time directly ahead of us. I froze, my grip on Jinx tightening instinctively.

“What is it?” she asked, her voice barely audible over the growing hum.

“It’s here,” I said, my voice trembling despite my efforts to stay calm. “Right in front of us.”

Jinx took a cautious step forward, her body tense. “I still don’t see anything.”

“It’s there,” I insisted. “I can feel it.”