“Not if it’s going to involve a Scooby-Doo montage,” I muttered, earning a snort of laughter from her.

“You’re impossible,” she said, shaking her head as she turned back to the horizon. “Now, let’s get moving. That pull of yours isn’t going to follow itself.”

I sighed but fell into step beside her, muttering under my breath. “Sure. I’ll just be over here, being your magical bloodsucking compass. No big deal.”

Jinx seemed to have fully regained her confidence in navigating the Way. She moved with a purpose now, her steps brisk and assured, her focus sharp. She must have absorbed a lot from studying the map in that chamber, which was a blessing considering how long we’d gone without anything resembling food or water. For me, that deprivation came with complications.

The Hunger was there, lurking just beneath the surface. It was subtle at first, a faint gnawing at the edges of my awareness, but it had grown louder with each passing hour. It wasn’t just thirst or hunger in the human sense; it was deeper, darker - a void opening within me, demanding to be filled.

Netty must have sensed my unease. Her small, warm body shifted on my shoulder, her claws digging lightly into my collarbone as she nuzzled my neck. A soothing chirp escaped her, low and melodic, like she was trying to lull the beast inside me back to sleep. Without her, I wasn’t sure how long I could’ve held out.

By the time we finally spotted the portal to the University, I was feeling downright predatory. My skin felt too tight, my muscles coiled and ready to spring. I didn’t need a mirror to know what I looked like - gaunt features, lips drawn back just enough to bare the fangs I couldn’t seem to keep hidden when the Hunger was this strong. It wasn’t exactly a look that screamed “approachable.”

“Hey,” Jinx called over her shoulder, her tone casual but edged with concern. “How’re you holding up?”

“Never better,” I lied, my voice rougher than I intended.

She glanced back at me, her sharp eyes narrowing. “Yeah, you look great. Real picture of health. Let’s pick up the pace, huh? I think we’re close.”

She didn’t wait for my response, which was just as well, because I wasn’t sure I had one. Instead, she quickened her steps, her focus shifting to the horizon ahead. Netty chirped softly, her warmth pressing into my neck like a silent reminder to keep it together.

Instead I focused on the strange pull in the back of my mind -the faint, almost imperceptible tug that seemed to guide my steps. It wasn’t the first time I’d felt it, and I was beginning to suspect it wouldn’t be the last.

“You ever wonder why you can do that?” Jinx asked, her voice thoughtful.

“Do what?”

“Feel things like that. The patterns, the pull… the Way itself. It’s not exactly normal, even for someone like you,” she said.

“What do you mean, like me? Speciesist much?” I joked. Then I shrugged, though the question gnawed at me. “I stopped trying to figure out what’s normal for me a long time ago. But if I had to guess? It’s probably got something to do with this whole undead thing. Perks of the package deal, I guess.”

She shook her head, her expression pensive. “Maybe. But that’s what I’m saying, it’s not normal. I think it’s something else. Something bigger.”

“Bigger than being a vampire?” I quipped. “That’s a tall order.”

She didn’t laugh, her gaze distant. “You joke, but… I don’t know, Declan. I’ve never heard of someone being connected to this place in the way that you are, except for the Walkers. Like it’s speaking to you.”

I raised an eyebrow, though she couldn’t see it. “Speaking to me? What, like it’s whispering sweet nothings in my ear?”

“Something like that,” she said softly. “Or maybe it’s more like a song. One only you can hear.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I didn’t. Instead, I focused on the path ahead -or what passed for a path in this place. The ground had shifted again, the once-smooth surface now jagged and uneven, as though the Way itself were testing us.

“Careful,” I warned as Jinx stumbled over a loose fragment of glowing rock.

“I’m fine,” she muttered, though her tone was sharp with frustration.

“Just saying,” I replied, keeping my voice light. “No need to bite my head off.”

“Trust me,” she shot back, “if I wanted to bite your head off, you’d know it.”

Netty chirped softly, and I could’ve sworn it sounded like laughter. I reached up to stroke her head, a small smile tugging at my lips despite the tension in the air.

“Glad someone’s enjoying this,” I muttered.

Jinx snorted, but her steps grew steadier, her levity returning. As we pressed on, the faint hum of the Way grew louder, a subtle vibration that seemed to resonate in my bones. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was… strange. Alien.

And yet, somehow, it felt familiar.

The Walkers, huh?

“Okay,” Jinx said after a few minutes, her voice breaking the tense silence. “It should be around here somewhere. Help me look, yeah?”

“And what exactly are we looking for?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light despite the edge of tension creeping into my voice. “Another one of those ring things?”

“Yeah,” she said, scanning the landscape with a practiced eye. “The three triangles in a circle - kind of a fancy Venn diagram. It represents the houses of the University.”

“Venn diagrams and triangles. Very mystical,” I said dryly. “Oh, you mean like that?” I pointed ahead, and there it was.

The portal stood out starkly against the surreal expanse of the Way, a strange contradiction of simplicity and complexity. To Jinx, it appeared as a stone and brick archway with a solid door of dark wood, the symbol she’d described etched into its surface.

But to me, it was something entirely different - a constellation of shifting lights, each point glowing with a pulsing energy that reminded me of atoms in motion. Protons, neutrons, and electrons swirled in a constant, intricate dance, their paths weaving together to form a shimmering web that stretched across the portal’s surface. The lights never stopped moving, never paused, their patterns as fluid and unknowable as the Way itself.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Uh, yeah, that looks… complicated,” I said, tilting my head as I studied the swirling lights. “So what’s the trick? Another blood sacrifice? Secret handshake? Magic word?”

Jinx snorted, rolling her eyes. “It’s simpler than that. You just have to be invited. Once you’re attuned, the portal recognizes you. All you have to do is approach.”

“Great. An exclusive club,” I muttered. “Do I need to sign a waiver?”

Ignoring me, Jinx strode confidently toward the portal. As she neared, the runes carved into the stone flared to life, their light growing brighter with each step she took. When she reached the threshold, the solid surface of the door shimmered, then dissolved, leaving behind an opening just wide enough for her to step through. She paused, glancing back at me with a smirk.

“Well? What are you waiting for, vampire boy? Let’s go.”

She shifted to the side, gesturing for me to enter first. I hesitated for half a heartbeat, the swirling lights of the portal drawing my gaze. Then I stepped through.

The change was immediate and breathtaking.

The oppressive strangeness of the Way fell away like a discarded cloak, replaced by a sense of calm so profound it was almost disorienting. The air here was different - crisp and cool, carrying the faint scent of blooming flowers and freshly turned earth. The ground beneath my boots was soft, like moss-covered stone, and the feeling of the light was golden, filtering through a canopy of towering trees that stretched into the sky. The branches intertwined above, their leaves shimmering with a soft, iridescent glow.

I took a slow, steadying breath, letting the tranquility of the place wash over me. It was the polar opposite of the storm world we’d escaped - idyllic and peaceful, almost unnaturally so. For the first time in what felt like days, the Hunger receded slightly, the gnawing void within me easing just enough to let me think clearly.

Jinx appeared beside me, stepping out of the lingering shadows as though she’d materialized from thin air. Her pattern flickered faintly in my vision, ghostly and indistinct compared to the vivid clarity I’d experienced in the Way. The shifting impression was enough to give me a headache, a dull throb settling at the base of my skull. I needed to get a handle on this sight -figure out the rules of it- because it was starting to feel like an unwelcome party trick.

Or maybe I was just tired. And hungry. Definitely hungry.

“Wow,” Jinx said softly. Her usual sarcasm was absent, her voice tinged with genuine awe. “This… this is incredible.”

“Not bad,” I agreed, though my tone was more guarded. “But don’t let the postcard vibes fool you. Places like this usually come with strings attached.”

“Can you not ruin the moment for once?” she shot back, though her smile took the sting out of her words.

Netty chirped softly, her glow dimming slightly as she nestled against my neck. Even Nix, perched on Jinx’s shoulder, seemed more relaxed, his fiery light steady and calm.

For a moment, the two of us just stood there, taking in the surreal beauty of our surroundings, each from our unique perspectives. The golden light danced across the ground, casting shifting patterns that seemed almost alive. Somewhere in the distance, a gentle breeze stirred the leaves, creating a soft, melodic rustling that blended seamlessly with the faint hum of the air.

“Alright,” Jinx said finally, breaking the silence. “Let’s not get too comfortable. We’ve got through one portal, sure, but we’ve still got a way to go to get to where we’re going.”

“Say that three times fast.” She stuck her tongue out at me, and I laughed. “Lead the way, fearless navigator,” I said with a mock bow before offering my arm for her to take.

She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue, grabbing my arm and setting off down the softly glowing path that stretched out before us. I kept up, my grip tightening slightly on the spear in my hand. As peaceful as this place seemed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched.

But then, in a world like this, wasn’t everything always watching?

As we walked, I could feel the warmth of the sun filtering through the canopy above, its rays falling in dappled patterns across my skin. The sensation was indirect, muted by the dense coverage of leaves. The air was rich with the earthy scent of oak and maple, carrying none of the sharp tang of pine or fir. It felt peaceful, serene - a stark contrast to the surreal vastness of the Way we’d just left behind.

“Are we there yet?” I asked, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye. “Because in case you haven’t noticed, I’m getting hungry. And trust me, you don’t want to see me when I’m hungry.”

She gave me a sidelong look, her lips quirking into a faint smile. “Not far to go. We’re almost there. And don’t worry, we’ll get you fed soon. No need to start chewing on the locals.”

“That’s reassuring,” I muttered, though my stomach -or the deeper, darker Hunger inside me- didn’t seem convinced. “How are they going to react to me being here? Am I about to be run out of town by an angry mob with pitchforks?”

“None at all,” Jinx said, her voice light but confident. “You’d be surprised. The University is a place for all sorts. Not just humans, but other races and species, too. It’s kind of its whole thing.”

I frowned, the corners of my mouth pulling down as I considered her words. “Other species? Like… what? Goblins? Fairies? Space aliens? Oh my.”

“You’ll see,” she said cryptically, her grin widening.

“That’s not ominous at all,” I replied, but I let it drop. I’d find out soon enough, and besides, I was too distracted by the increasingly sharp pangs of Hunger to press the issue. My thoughts drifted to the University itself, the place Jinx had been leading me to all this time. If it was anything like the Way, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Turned out, the University was unlike anything I could have imagined.

We walked beneath the canopy for a while longer, the forest around us alive with the soft rustle of leaves and the faint chirping of unseen birds. The air grew warmer as we approached a clearing, the sunlight ahead forming a bright halo at the edge of the tree line.

When we finally stepped into the open, the full heat of the sun hit me like a wave. It wasn’t unbearable, but it was close -like one of those scorching beach days where the sand feels hot enough to fry an egg, and the ocean is the only refuge.

I turned to look back at the forest, half-expecting to see the shimmer of the Way lingering at its edges. But there was nothing -just trees and shadows, utterly mundane. The pull I’d felt in the Way was gone, replaced by an odd sense of calm that felt almost unnatural.

When I turned back, my eyes caught on something in the distance -a faint, rippling curtain of energy stretching across the horizon. It was subtle, like the heatwaves that rise from asphalt on a summer day, visible only if you looked closely enough.

“This is it?” I asked, squinting at the barely perceptible shimmer. “Not too impressive.”

Jinx nodded, stepping forward with an air of casual confidence. “Yup, this is it. Well, sort of. We’re still on the outskirts. That’s the shield. Once we pass through, we’ll be on University grounds proper.”

I frowned, tilting my head as I studied the strange distortion. “Looks like a mirage. So, what, we just walk through it? No secret password or blood offering required?”

“Not exactly.” She stopped a few paces ahead, turning to face me. “What you see depends on whether or not you’ve been invited. For me, it’s a prairie -wide open, with a pond and some trees in the distance. For you…” Her gaze flicked to the shimmer, then back to me. “It’s just a curtain of energy, right? That means you’re not attuned yet.”

“That attunement thing you were talking about earlier?”

“Exactly. Being attuned lets you step onto University grounds. If you weren’t invited, you’d just end up wandering the prairie forever. The grounds exist both within and outside of the world. It’s… complicated.”

“Complicated,” I echoed, rolling the word around in my mouth. “You mean magic.”

“More or less.” She shrugged, her expression nonchalant. “It’s not that different from the portal. Just another layer of the Way’s rules.”

“Great. And how exactly do I get invited? Because something tells me the trick you pulled to get me through the portal isn’t going to cut it this time.”

“You’re probably right,” she admitted, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “I guess I could go ahead and ask someone to let you in, but that could take a while.”

I sighed, waving a hand dismissively. “It’s fine. Go ahead. I’ll wait here and guard the magical heat shimmer.”

“Sure you’ll be okay?” she asked, glancing at me with a hint of concern.

I gestured to Netty, who leapt from my shoulder with a chirp of excitement, her sleek body gliding effortlessly through the air. Nix joined her, the two of them weaving around each other in an intricate dance that reminded me of playful puppies -if puppies could fly and glow like tiny stars.

“Please. I’ve got excellent company.” Nix flashed a brilliant burst of light as if in agreement, earning a laugh from Jinx.

“Okay, if you’re sure,” she said, her smile lingering as she turned to face the curtain of energy. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“And bring food,” I called after her, my tone light but earnest. “Seriously. I’m about two minutes away from turning into Nosferatu over here.”

She laughed, shaking her head as she stepped forward. The shimmering curtain seemed to ripple around her as she passed through, her form disappearing into the light. I watched until the last trace of her was gone, then turned my attention back to the clearing.

Netty and Nix were still at it, darting through the air in a game of predator and prey. Their movements were so fluid, so instinctive, that I couldn’t help but smile despite the gnawing Hunger clawing at my insides.