The Way stretched out endlessly before us, a shimmering ocean of light and shadow. The ground beneath my boots rippled faintly with each step, as though I were walking on a living thing made of light -a sensation both unnerving and oddly mesmerizing. Above, the sky -or whatever passed for a sky here- shifted with colors that had no business existing, hues that bent and twisted like oil on water. The air buzzed faintly, carrying a low hum just on the edge of hearing, like the whisper of some vast, invisible presence.

I’d heard of some trips that looked very similar to this. Maybe this is where the idea for the lava lamp came from.

“Do you ever think about what this place actually is?” I asked, my tone casual, though my curiosity was anything but.

I waited for her to answer, and as I did, I observed her as she walked. I hadn’t realized how much I missed being able to see her, even if only the wireframe light of her true self. She was mesmerizing.

Jinx didn’t break stride, her eyes scanning the horizon -or what I assumed was the horizon. “What, the Way? Pretty sure they covered that in Magic Pathways 101. It’s a bridge between worlds, remember? A road. A means to an end.”

“Uh-huh.” I tilted my head, letting Netty’s warmth seep into my skin. “So, it’s a cosmic sidewalk? That’s what they told you?”

“That’s what they told everyone,” she said, adjusting Nix on her shoulder as he let out a soft trill. “Why? You got a better theory?”

“Maybe.” I let the silence stretch for a moment, more for dramatic effect than anything else. “But calling this place a ‘road’ feels like calling the ocean a big puddle. Feels reductive, don’t you think?”

Jinx glanced at me, one eyebrow raised. “Reductive, huh? Someone’s been raiding the Word-of-the-Day calendar.”

“Don’t be jealous of my vocabulary. I’ll have you know, I can both read -and write,” I shot back, smirking. “But seriously, look around. Does this feel like a simple ‘bridge’ to you? The way it shifts, the way it… responds? It’s like it’s alive. Or at least aware.”

She frowned, her steps slowing slightly. “Aware? That’s a stretch, even for you. It’s just magic, Declan. Big, fancy, complicated magic, sure. But still magic.” I wasn’t sure, but I’m pretty sure I heard an undertone of exasperation in her reply.

“Maybe.” I crouched down, letting my fingers trail over the shimmering surface of the ground. It felt cool and smooth, but there was a subtle vibration beneath the surface, a faint rhythm that pulsed in time with… something. “But doesn’t it make you wonder? If the Way’s just a tool, then who -or what- built it? And why?”

Jinx hesitated, and for a moment, her usual sharp wit gave way to something quieter, more thoughtful. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “The professors always made it sound like the Way was just… there. Like it’s always been here, and we just figured out how to use it.”

“Convenient,” I said, standing and brushing my hands off. “No one asking too many questions about the magical byway that connects worlds. Sounds legit.”

She rolled her eyes. “Alright, Mr. Conspiracy Theorist. What’s your big idea, then? If the Way isn’t just a tool, what is it?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but the words caught in my throat. Because the truth was, I didn’t know. I could feel it, though -that faint, insistent pull at the edge of my mind, like an invisible thread guiding my steps. It wasn’t the first time I’d felt it, and it wasn’t something I could explain. But it was there, as real and undeniable as the Hunger gnawing at the edges of my thoughts.

Netty chirped softly, her small claws pressing gently against my shoulder. Her presence was a comfort, her warmth steady and grounding. I reached up to scratch behind her head, earning a pleased trill in response.

Then I had a flash of genius.

“Easy,” I left the word hanging until I was confident that she was about to attack me, then I finished with a dramatic flourish. “It is the answer to quantum physics.”

“Huh?” was her only response. I patted myself on the back for the brilliance.

“Oh, don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it,” I said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She didn’t say anything, so I carried on. “Have you heard theories of dark energy.”

“You mean, anti-matter?” She asked bemused.

I waved off her correction, “Whatever. But yes. Dark Energy. That stuff that’s between everything in existence.”

She turned thoughtful as she contemplated my assertion. “You may be right.”

“I knew it!” I snapped my fingers and raised my fist in triumph.

“Only…” she drifted off as we walked.

“Don’t leave me hanging. I hate that,” I grumbled, kicking an imaginary stone.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“The aethereal universe,” she gestured around us. “The old philosopher’s talked about it. How it permeates everything. And how it is an infinite source of energy that binds the universe together.”

“Voila! I rest my case, your honor.” I reached up to scratch Netty’s chin, and she warbled in response.

Jinx watched us out of the corner of her eye, her expression a mix of curiosity and concern. “You said you felt something, didn’t you?” she said, changing the topic. “A pull. One that keeps you moving, even when the rest of us are just guessing.”

I hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. I’ve felt that. My mom always said to pick a destination and don’t stop moving until you get there.”

“Is that a poor impression of Gump?” she asked only slightly amused.

“Of course not. I don’t even know of the sage individual of whom you speak. But whoever they are, they sound like someone who loves their momma,” I declared with mock affront.

She rolled her eyes, and I chuckled at my own bad joke. Hey, if you can’t laugh at yourself, are you even human?

“And?” she prompted, her tone sharper now. “What is it? Where does it lead?”

I shrugged, my smirk breaking into a full blown smile. “If I knew that, I’d probably be charging admission.”

She groaned, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“True,” I said, grinning. “But you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She muttered something under her breath, I pretended not to notice -it was definitely unflattering- but didn’t argue. Instead, she turned her attention back to the endless expanse of the Way, her brow furrowing as she scanned the ever-shifting horizon.

“Think we’re getting close?” I asked, more to fill the silence than anything else.

“Close to what?” she shot back. “There aren’t exactly mile markers out here.”

“Fair point.” I tapped my makeshift spear against the ground, watching as faint ripples spread out in concentric circles. “Still, you’ve got that map rattling around in your head, right? Any chance it’s telling you where we are?”

She hesitated, her fingers tracing invisible lines in the air as she tried to match our surroundings to her mental map. “Maybe. But this place… it doesn’t stay the same. The patterns shift. Landmarks appear and disappear. It’s like the Way doesn’t want to be mapped.”

“Great. A magical highway with commitment issues. Just what we needed.”

“Do you ever stop talking?” she asked, though there was a hint of a smile in her voice.

“Not if I can help it,” I said, grinning. “Keeps the existential dread at bay.”

Netty chirped in agreement, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Even Nix let out a soft trill, his fiery glow flickering faintly as if to chime in.

Despite the banter, a subtle tension hung in the air, a quiet unease that neither of us wanted to acknowledge. The Way was beautiful, yes -but it was also vast, alien, and unforgiving. The longer we wandered, the more it felt like we were intruding on something we didn’t fully understand.

“Hey, Jinx,” I said after a while, my tone quieter now. “What if we’re wrong?”

“About what?” she asked, though her steps faltered slightly.

“About all of it,” I said, gesturing around us. “The Way, the map, the Path… What if we’re just wandering in circles? What if there’s no way out?”

She stopped, turning to face me. For a moment, her usual bravado was gone, replaced by something raw and vulnerable. “Then we keep walking,” she said, her voice steady despite the flicker of doubt in her eyes. “Because stopping isn’t an option.”

I nodded, gripping the spear tighter. “Fair enough.”

Netty cooed softly, her presence a comforting weight on my shoulder.

Jinx paced ahead a few steps, then stopped, frowning as she looked around the endless expanse of the Way. Her eyes darted to me, then back to the swirling horizon, the faint tension in her posture betraying her usual confidence.

I arched an eyebrow. “Alright, navigator, what’s the plan? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unless you’ve got a secret Way-finding app installed, we’re just wandering aimlessly through magical purgatory.”

“Not aimlessly,” she corrected, her tone sharp as she tapped her temple with one finger. “I still have the map up here, thank you very much.”

“Oh, great. Because nothing screams ‘reliable navigation’ like a mental doodle of a place you’ve only ever seen from a completely different perspective.”

She shot me a glare but didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, she turned to face me fully, her expression thoughtful. “Actually, you’re more useful than you think.”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” I quipped. “But go on, tell me more about how amazing I am.”

She rolled her eyes, but there was a spark of amusement in them. “Your... thing. That pull you keep talking about? It’s like having a compass that points to wherever the Way wants you to go.”

“Or something is tugging at my noggin.” I shrugged as I considered the feeling. “I’ll admit though, whatever -or whoever- is giving me the custom navigator treatment, hasn’t lead me wrong so far. First it lead me to Father Ben-”

“-and then to me,” she completed.

I hesitated, then nodded. “So, yeah, I can feel it. But it doesn’t mean I totally trust it.”

“Well, I trust it.” She crossed her arms, tilting her head as she studied me. “And for now, we’re going to use you to make sure we’re headed in the right direction. Besides, didn’t you tell me your mom said to trust your instincts?”

“Great,” I muttered -unable to protest- as I gestured broadly at the surreal landscape. “So, just to clarify, we’re following the gut feelings of a hungry vampire and the half-remembered map in your head. What could possibly go wrong?”

“Oh, quit whining,” she said, already stepping closer. “We’re not as lost as you think.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” I shot back. “How exactly are we supposed to find something you’ve only ever seen from the Path? You know, the thing we’re not on?”

Jinx exhaled sharply, the way she did when she was about to deliver one of her “trust me, I know things” explanations. “There are multiple entrances to most places connected to the Way. It’s not like one road leads to one destination. The University, though… it’s different. Unique. It’s what you’d call a nexus.”

“A nexus?” I frowned. “What, like some kind of magical hotspot?”

“Sort of,” she said, tilting her head thoughtfully. “Think of it like... the center of a web. Or-”

“-like the spokes in a bicycle wheel?” I interrupted, grinning. “Because I’m betting that’s where this is going.”

Her lips quirked into a reluctant smile. “Yeah, pretty much. The University is a convergence point. Paths and portals from all over intersect there. It’s one of the things that makes it so special.”

“Special how?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “And don’t say ‘you’ll see’ unless you want me to start quoting every bad mystery movie ever made.”

She hesitated, her expression flickering between amusement and something more guarded. “Let’s just say it’s not like anywhere else and leave it at that.”

I groaned, throwing my head back dramatically. “Oh, come on. That’s such a cliché. Next thing you’ll tell me is that it’s got a dark secret, and we’ll need to solve the riddle of the ancient prophecy to survive.”

Her smirk widened. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”