37

“This is insane! I can’t believe you guys got your own bunker!” Joshua exclaimed, darting through the atrium.

His words were immediately swallowed by the void, but Marith could tell he was excited by his movements and the look on his face.

“Well, it’s not some kind of clubhouse,” Juliette started.

“It’s a tomb,” Vanessa attempted to temper his exuberance.

“Really? His resting place was here?” An asked.

“Can we check out his block of marble?” Joshua pushed.

God, no, the Pupils from Sweet Lake thought. Several of them had been physically ill the last time they had stopped by that chamber.

Feeble sunlight penetrated the atrium. Marith stood next to the king size bed and looked up into Sweet Lake, the undulating water threw moving shapes over her face. She had learned not to be scared by the fact that they were walking under a lake, but her mind was still provoked by the thought of it.

There were eighteen of them that day, so they had used the garage of the lake house again to enter the Corridors. It wasn’t as if the Kid was using the garage anyway. The risk of getting caught, using the defect elevator in the Bellevue several times in a row, was too big.

Travelling down had been slightly more smooth than the last time, when Marith, Brad and Jonathan had been fleeing from the Birdman in Brad’s pickup. That incident seemed ages ago, although it had been a matter of weeks.

“Let’s not,” Keymaker told Joshua, opening the sliding door to the Conference Room. “Oracle and Anica are waiting for you guys.”

The group moved towards the dark opening.

“Mind your step,” he added when the first Pupils shuffled inside.

Keymaker’s presence up until that moment hadn’t been strictly necessary, since Brad had a ring of keys that would grant the Pupils access to the Corridors as well, but they had all agreed that if the bodies of all eighteen Pupils would be existing soulless in one place that would make them unreasonably vulnerable.

If those nymphs could disappear into and merge with water they could just do that again and emerge in the Corridors by means of the atrium. Having at least one person awake down there wasn’t an excessive luxury.

The lights flipped on as soon as the Pupils entered a large, dark room that resembled the vast majority of auditoriums Marith had ever seen. Except that there weren’t stairs leading down to the lowest point of the room, the floor just declined, or, better, twisted into the centre. There also weren’t any chairs around a speakers-area or a whiteboard mounted to a wall.

Actually, on closer inspection, it wasn’t an auditorium at all. The room looked more like water swirling into a drain. The floor was shaped like a slight vortex. A bunch of recliner chairs did await them in a railing situated in the centre of the grey floor. Additional chairs could be added and subtracted.

Marith noticed how the rails followed the shape of a nautilus, as in the Fibonacci sequence. Eighteen chairs were placed in the inner and lowest curl of the sequence. More seats, that they wouldn’t be using that day, were shoved to the outer and highest end of the twisting shape, on the other end of the chamber.

She guessed Keymaker was the one to arrange the chairs prior to their arrival, instructed by Watchmaker.

Behind them Keymaker locked the rolling door from the inside and the group heard how the safety pins shot back into place in the thick grey walls.

The Pupils walked and hopped downhill to the centre of the seashell and found themselves seats.

While nobody was watching Brad slipped Keymaker a handgun.

“It’s loaded,” he whispered.

Keymaker nodded and took it without trepidation. He swiftly made the firearm disappear into his elaborate work outfit.

Brad wasn’t sure bullets would work on the nymphs, if they would make an appearance, but Keymaker had little talents apart from making keys, as far as Brad could tell, so the gun felt necessary.

Marith took a seat in the semi-circle, leaned back and glanced up. The ceiling was as dark and grey as the rest of the Corridors, but Marith got the strange feeling that it wasn’t supposed to be that way, that the ceiling didn’t always look like that. Something was missing, she realised, although she had no way of knowing what exactly was missing.

She still wasn’t talking to Nate and he had hadn’t uttered a word to her either, since leaving the Drunken Den. She didn’t want him to be sitting next to her, but she was annoyed anyway when he took a seat on the other end of the circle.

Anton and Alexander sat next to each other and so did Lisa and William.

Even Amber had managed to snatch a chair next to Brad, who tried very hard not to give her too much attention. The least Nate could do was show her he was sorry by trying to get closer to her.

“Okay, Marith, Nate, how do we do this thing?” Jonathan wanted to know.

James gazed at Marith through his visors, chewing gum, from across the circle. There appeared to be a rack of test tubes, filled with an unknown substance, sitting in his lap. Marith briefly wondered where he got it and then figured Keymaker must have handed it to him at some point.

Marith and Nate sat opposite each other and stared at each other agitated. Nate was finding out that making up with Marith was going to need more than just kind smiles and opening doors.

Nate grabbed Lisa’s wrist on his right and extended his left arm to Brad, who placed his fingertips on his wrist. Suddenly hands and wrists were locked in one coordinated movement that didn’t need mentioning.

“Ready?” Nate mumbled, letting his eyes slide past Keymaker, who was now sitting on a stool by the door.

Some nodded, others just closed their eyes and leaned back. Marith and Nate exchanged one last, dirty look at each other from opposite positions within the circle, before they took the other sixteen Pupils to their world.

A falling sensation washed over each Pupil, pushing them deep into the slick recliners. It wasn’t as bad as the free fall during their Rebirth. This was a more reassuring one. After a firm yank behind their bellybuttons, a spinning sensation in their brains and a heavy feeling in their feet their minds floated away, drifting off to a secure world, that only very few knew about.

It had just stopped raining. The air smelled fresh, leaves were dripping, the grass was moist. It appeared to be a warm spring night. The musky air carried all sorts of promises about butterflies, lambs and meadows.

The Pupils were wearing the same embroidered toga’s Oracle and Anica did. Everybody appeared to be barefoot. James had carried the rack with the test tubes with him into this dimension.

The fellowship is expanded. Accept my eternal gratefulness, Oracle commented on the six additional Pupils, while Pedro hugged Anica. He had been there when she had travelled through the Mailbox and into the Clock in the Sky a few months prior. Of course, he hadn’t seen her since.

What is this? Vanessa wondered, looking around at the gardens, the duck pond and the forest of birch trees across the modest body of water.

Yeah, where are we? Jonathan inquired.

Nothing? At all? Marith wondered, looking at the tall, dark Mage.

What? Vanessa asked.

I brought you here when I saved your life. Remember?

Nope, Vanessa answered, looking around bewildered. It is pretty, though.

We were in that castle over there… Marith pointed in the general direction of the strange, stone structure with a question mark hanging over her head.

Vanessa simply shook hers.

This is a safe haven. A halfway station. A world that links other worlds together, Oracle took over the conversation, before it had even really started.

Marith pointed her ears to learn more about the dimension that Nate and herself appeared to be serving.

So like a world in between other worlds? Jonathan, who had seen snippets of the gardens before and was now looking around intrigued, wondered.

Does it have a name? An asked.

I vote for Inbetween, Jonathan burst out enthusiastically. We call the Empty the Empty, the Clock in the Sky the Clock in the Sky… and our Multiverse is compared to a giant tree. Apparently we like things simple, he added with a shrug, when his proposal was frowned at.

Anica smiled at him with a keen glimmer in her eyes. I like that name,

Jonathan, she encouraged him.

Thank you, he answered, proudly looking at the rest of the group.

Are you Anica? Theresa wondered.

This is my successor, Oracle confirmed. Apart from Marith, Jonathan, William and Pedro none of you have met her yet.

Hi, Anica, the Pupils said, all at the same time, as if they were a class in primary school, welcoming a new student.

Anica stood beside Oracle, while she spoke, her ethereal beauty on full display as she smiled meekly at the Pupils.

Nate has prepared a beautiful night sky to accompany us, while we perform the Ritual, Oracle spoke in a loud and clear voice. He will lead us to the designated location, she commanded.

Nate walked by her side as they guided the group alongside the pond, away from the gardens that led to the castle.

They skipped the bridge over the water that had brought Marith and Nate to the birch tree forest that would eventually lead its visitors to the Horsetail Falls. Marith had never been that far into the Inbetween, but she did know Nate had been working on that area, while she had imagined the castle, her own masterpiece.

Anica closed the ranks, inspecting the other safe haven, apart from the Clock in the Sky, while holding the phials that James had forced onto her. Jonathan walked beside her, proposing to carry the rack of glassware, an offer she declined.

Oracle, ma’am, can I please ask something? Marith asked, speed-walking to keep up with her.

Yes, of course, the tall apparition answered calmly without slowing down.

Nate and I think this world, the Inbetween, might be compromised… Marith’s voice died away as she realised she had no clue on how to continue.

She hoped Nate would jump in, but he kept silent, which irked her.

It is, Oracle said. The Travellers have made some minor altercations and they might use it at some point. You could consider this place the sap stream of the tree of the Multiverse. The Traveller’s might use it to hop from dimension to dimension. Would that be an inconvenience to you?

They had entered a small, but thick forest, crowded with bright green bushes, adorned with colourful flowers, massive boulders and humongous trees, that reminded Marith of the forests around Sweet Lake.

No, not at all, Marith answered hastily, clumsily trying to keep up with her. We were just curious. Now we know. Marith hesitated briefly, before she decided she just had to know. How, may I ask, did they enter this world?

They had been waiting and weren’t able to enter until you made your own contribution to this dimension. You let other species in when Nate let you imagine your own building, Oracle informed solemnly, taking big strides to wherever they were going.

Why?

Kindness. I am afraid helping others is in your nature. Nothing to be done about it, Oracle said. But I happen to think there is no shame to be found in that.

I see, Marith said.

You might come across some of them at some point. Don’t be startled. They are harmless to us.

They had abruptly stopped walking. Oracle turned around. The rest of the group joined them.

Marith peeked behind Oracle, where an incredibly beautiful set of stairs was carved out of a heap of boulders, that functioned as a stone wall. When she glanced up she saw the staircase disappear into a bank of mist.

Two by two the Pupils ascended the stairs. Nate walked by Oracle’s side. Marith found herself next to Amber. They felt the cold rocks under their feet and shivered. The cool mist, a fresh spray, dampened their hair and skin.

By the time they climbed out of the layer of mist and reached the top of the stairs their toga’s stuck to their bodies like bathing suits. Behind them the tree tops perforated the white blanket, a dark shade of blue, now that the sun had set completely, before them a rock plateau, Nate’s specialty, spread out into the chill, bright night.

A surreal heaven, filled with stars and moons and nebula’s, unfolded above their heads. It wasn’t nearly as dark as it would be on Earth, because of the multitude of stars visible.

Marith had never seen their creation at night before. That night sky must have taken Nate many lonely years, she imagined. One had to practically lose their soul to reach that level of perfection.

The group followed Oracle further onto the plateau. A sea of candles stretched out before them. The temperature up there was much milder and friendlier to the human body than the one in the shards of mist.

An?

An didn’t have to be asked twice. Marith and Nate knew that they could have lit the candles on fire just as well, since they controlled this dimension, but they let An have the limelight.

With a glimmer in his eyes and a slight nod of his head the wicks ignited. The Pupils followed Oracle into the round opening in the middle of the plane of flames. The candles, the flames and even the Pupils seemed tiny while enveloped inside the grandness of the Inbetween.

Marith saw two paths running over the rock they were standing on. The path they were following led to a circle in the centre of the plateau, the other one led away from it, to the edge of the cliff.

A familiar panic washed over Marith. She couldn’t imagine ever getting used to throwing herself over a ledge.

Amber had followed her gaze, while the rest of the group was still waiting on Anica and Jonathan to arrive at the top of the stairs.

Yeet, Amber whispered.

Marith, a young millenial, wasn’t as familiar with zoomer-speak as she should have been, but she had heard Lieke use it before and in this context the meaning wasn’t hard to guess.

Yeet indeed, Marith mumbled under her breath and took a phial from the little rack that was now passed around. Amber took the last one and shoved the rack back into James’s hands.

James tossed it over the edge of the cliff, back into the forest behind them, when nobody watched. He figured that Marith and Nate could clean up the trash later by simply imagining it being gone.

Marith inspected the contents of the glassware. An invisible force swirled through the phial. Held against the candlelight it appeared to be empty, but held firmly in her palm she could sense a movement, a presence.

Without uncorking the test tubes the Pupils followed Oracle and Anica onto the path, leading into the circular opening in the sea of flames.

The group formed a circle, with Anica and Oracle together on one side, so they could easily step away from it.

Before you take the Pacific Wind I will explain the rules that apply after the Chain is formed, Oracle spoke.

I cannot believe that’s what it’s called, Kyle hissed in Vanessa’s ear.

I did not come up with the name, James clarified, interrupting Oracle and immediately regretting doing so.

She paused and looked him straight in the eye, before continuing. Marith could see his shoulders tense up and his knees wobble.

Oblivion, Oracle began, speaking loud and clear. If a member is killed or goes missing those left behind get the Mountain Dew. You will become a distant memory from another life. Your name will not be mentioned any longer and your loss will hardly be mourned.

The group swallowed. A terrified, but unified, wave of discomfort came over them. As if this was the moment where things got real. Marith shivered again. Although the air was almost warm up there, her toga was still somewhat sticking to her skin.

Unity, Oracle continued. In unity lies strength. This world runs on individuals serving their own interest. The Chain cannot behave like that. The Chain cannot be broken for your personal quest to be successful.

Autonomy. The Chain knows best and ultimately decides on its own. The Kid, Watchmaker, Keymaker, the Elders, any human and even Anica or myself cannot decide for you.

Is that clear? She finally asked in her deep, stern voice.

Nobody spoke, but some nodded and that was enough for her.

Now you can take the Wind. James?

Yeah, James started crassly, the trick is to not swallow it but to inhale it. I’ll go first.

Marith knew that some of them were wondering if it was too late to get out from under this, to just go home and live their lives, until the Kid had taken over the world and then just end themselves. It would probably take him years to affect all the corners of the Earth. They had time to live their lives and be happy, to some extent.

That would have been the peaceful, the easy, the blissful thing to do, but also the ignorant, the wrong, the harmful thing. They knew that the right thing to do was to face reality and fight the good fight, but every nerve of their bodies just wanted to go to bed, sleep, wake up and attend high school or college, like regular people their age.

James removed the cork with his thumbnail, breathed out, put the glassware at his lips and inhaled, his ribcage expanding. He held his breath for a little while and then let go. He tossed the phial over his shoulder onto the blanket of flames, to signify that that was all there was to it.

Marith sighed a heavy sigh, knowing that everyone else could probably hear her, uncorked the tube between her fingers and threw the Wind into her throat, like people who were used to drinking alcohol would do with a shot. Then she inhaled with all her might, as if she was inhaling her asthma medication. She suddenly remembered she had packed her Ventolin Disc when she had still thought she would only be visiting her dad for a few weeks, after the train incident.

The rest followed with worried gleams in their eyes.

The Pacific Wind travelled through their lungs like a storm in the making, the beginning of something big. The wind swelled for a few seconds, filling their torso’s with restless vibrations, before laying down.

Marith breathed out and observed, a little relieved, that she felt no difference yet, mentally or physically.

Oracle and Anica gazed around the circle to make sure everybody had inhaled the Wind and it wasn’t before the last Pupil exhaled that Oracle spoke again.

Now, for the most formal part of the Ritual it is time for you to form a Chain and to speak after me.

Both Prophets took a step back and let the Pupils get closer to make a physical connection in the Inbetween as well. Hands and wrists interlocked and sentences were uttered and repeated.

I was designed by the Well with the wellbeing of the Web in mind.

Every atom of every molecule in every cell of my body is a reflection of the structure of the Web.

My mind stretches out far and wide through time and space.

My talent is my true purpose and my highest calling.

I have access to knowledge and power unknown to the majority of mankind.

I will solely use my position to serve and to protect the Web.

I will cherish every soul willing to help me in any quest or endeavour.

I will accept that my talent can serve every living creature, except myself.

My sensitivity is unique and of great importance.

I am a worthy and necessary addition to the Chain.

The Chain is both my ultimate saviour and highest responsibility.

I shall only answer to members of the Chain.

We will never break the Chain.

We will leave no man behind.

We will not die in vain.

When Oracle had started to speak, or to chant, Marith had felt a slight switch in her head, as if she was hit by the softest pillow in the world. Her subconscious was now operating, or vibrating, on another level entirely. By the time the spoken part of the Ritual came to an end she realized Anica had taken over. The last part was done by their new spiritual leader.

A detached feeling washed over Marith. Her brain felt scattered, while the Ritual made her rethink all of her life decisions. Then it, her life, and she, herself, were put back together, in place, so to speak, and everything made sense again. She remembered why she had made each decision ever and why, all of them combined, mattered. Then she felt Nate’s hand on the contact points in her wrist and she remembered that she mattered, just like he mattered and the rest of the Chain mattered.

The Chain will keep you together, Oracle said, but before it’s able to do that you’ll have to experience each other’s gifts.

Pedro took their senses away, one by one, and gave them back, one by one. He then opened the gates for every talent to be shared, to flow freely through the Chain.

Williams electricity sparked them all. An electric current, strong enough to notice, but too weak to cause harm, ran around the circle. The Flow, their inexplicable connection to the Web, was strengthened and anchored. The contact points in their wrists felt roasted and their hairdo’s travelled around their heads like halo’s. The eyes of every Pupil lit up when the wave of electricity hit each of them and blue light burst through the white Vitiligo spots on Marith’s skin, which looked like rays of sunshine peeking through the cracks in a cover of thick clouds. Then it died out.

Marith sensed everyone’s heartbeat. She synchronized the respective heartbeats of the Runners, the Prophets and the Mages. Brad shared his talent and they briefly felt their place in the Multiverse. A frightening experience.

Vanessa cast a protective dome over the entire gathering. Blue flashes of light travelled through the cupola, as bright and swift as fireworks. When Marith figured that would seal the deal it was An’s turn pass his talent on. With his help their minds formed a ring of fire, hovering above their heads. Then it turned into water, earth and finally air.

The Mages were surprised by their own powers. The Prophets shared shards of their predictive gifts and the Runners granted a part of their physical strength.

By becoming a member of this Chain you have lost an old part of yourself, Oracle continued. It depends on who you were and on who you’ve become whether or not this is a bad thing. I would say all of you have grown into your true self, after the Push.

By becoming a member of the Chain you have awakened a new part of yourself. Remember that when taking on the Kid the new side of you must win. How you deal with the Adversary defines you.

The group gradually let go of their physical hold on each other, but remained standing around in the circle they had formed.

William, your heroism has silenced us all and given us hope. Your talent is the last piece of the puzzle that can send our Adversary, the Child of Infelicity and Tribulation, back to his prison for at least three more cycles, I foresee. Etienne and Watchmaker are preparing his mental straitjacket, as we speak.

After another silence it appeared to many that Oracle was finished. A solemn quietness followed in which most Pupils stared at the Multiverse, exposing itself in the heavens.

What would, theoretically speaking, completely hypothetically, really, happen when we wouldn’t be able to beat Samuel, Master of Fuckery, Spreader of Emptiness, Destroyer of Dimensions? Jonathan, ever sceptical about their mission in the presence of Oracle, asked.

Keymaker must have informed you about how our Universe is the backbone, the foundation, the tree of life of the Multiverse we exist in? Anica asked.

A very wet tree, James mumbled, referring to the droplets in Keymaker’s metaphor.

Other worlds, other species are counting on your success, Anica went on, ignoring James. If you do not succeed you will have to deal with bigger issues, she paused, before continuing, such as a power vacuum.

This brought comfort to exactly none of the Pupils.

The fact that humanity was given this world is a privilege. One that can be taken away just as well. The main reason we were trusted with the tree is that humans are a calculating species and, together with the Travellers, the least prone to violence.

Not all species in the tree know about this or about us, but the ones that do pose a threat if you happen to fail. The Kid has been thinning the veil that keeps the dimensions separate. He is spreading rot through the entire tree. And to stop him, you know by now, his soul has to be scattered throughout the Web.

Oracle just stood there. Her eyes had glazed over and, if Marith wasn’t mistaken, she was slightly swaying on her legs.

Other species will come to seek power and control over the tree if you fail. Then more will come to fight the ones that came here to take over and so on and so on. That will not be a pretty sight, Anica illuminated, her hands folded patiently in front of her. The sweet sound of her voice and the message she was conveying didn’t match.

I predict a conflict of that magnitude will last many lifetimes. The only other intelligent species in our dimension, that we know about, are the Travellers. They will likely fight on our side, but that will be the proverbial ‘it’.

As a result of the victory of the Kid the only place you would be able to come to hide is here, a world in between many others. It’s purpose is powerful, but ambiguous. Hiding is not what you were given a Rebirth for. You are a Pupil, a member of this Chain, because you were born to fight for the Web.

When the wars will start they will come for you first, because you shine the brightest and because of that you also pose the greatest threat. That is why the Travellers are our ally.

To recapitulate, Anica spoke darkly, if Samuel wins the tree will be cut. It will happen slowly and gradually. The dimensions riding on us, the branches, the leaves of the tree and the droplets hanging from them, will slowly die. Only the roots, only hell, will persevere, Anica finished.

Time and space are married into moments. The Kid wants to control those moments, so that he controls humanity. He will be able to manipulate the past and with that the present and the future, Oracle informed with a voice softer than the Pupils were used to. If you fail to send him back to the Empty you will have lost the battle. Since his awakening the existence of existence itself is under attack.

His nymphs are currently tampering with reality. Samuel will be able to commit similar acts of violence to our fabric of reality during other moments than the present. He can make sure none of you are ever born, and even if you are, he will make sure you will die a tragic death as a helpless child, Anica picked up where Oracle left off.

He will end time? Meriyem asked confused.

In a way, Anica comfirmed.

Personally, Marith wanted to un-hear everything that was just said. Chills ran over her arms, neck and spine, despite the fact they were in a controlled environment. Weaker minds would have become unhinged.

Why did Jonathan always shave to be the sceptical one? Questions like that dug up answers that were best kept in the darkness, in a bunker, miles below sea-level.

And that was how the sixteen Pupils that met earlier to discuss Marith’s temper tantrums forgot all about Lisa’s dreams and Amber’s premonitions. The reminder of how their purpose, the reason for their existence, was essential, not only for their world, but for every other world that was currently there, sparked such a strong sense of both desperation and purpose that the occurrence of a few nightmares could be easily pushed to the background to be forgotten.

Don’t lose hope now, Oracle managed to say, with a voice that became weaker with every sentence that she uttered. Four of you have been given the insight to lead the Chain to success. Four of you have been given the strength to hold the Kid down. Four of you have been given the talents to send him away. You were given all that you need to secure the survival of the Web, nothing more and nothing less.

Working together you have to believe there are no limits to what you can imagine. When the boundaries of imagination have dissolved you can achieve anything. Oracle’s voice was almost gone now, travelling back to the dimension she shared with Anica, Watchmaker and Etienne.

You possess the energy that controls other energies. You are the epicentre of change. You are the light. Fight the darkness.

Their sensory systems had evolved to pick up information way past their external environment. The Pupils could feel her fade away before she actually disappeared. The Prophets saw Watchmaker and Etienne, seated next to a round opening in the centre of the smooth white floor of the Clock in the Sky, working on the internal engineering of their dimension to pull her back.

Somehow, deep down, Marith knew that it wasn’t the last time she had seen Oracle. It was a hunch, an ominous premonition, as if her predictive gifts had returned, now that the Pupils had merged their talents.

Anica left shortly after Oracle had been called back. Not because she was too feeble to stay, but because there was nothing more to say.

When she left the thousands of flames around them were extinguished.

This time was not like the last time they met Oracle on Earth. The Pupils stayed together as a group, as a Chain, even after Oracle and Anica had returned to the Clock in the Sky.

Marith and Nate had miracled some large pillows into existence. The Runners had found some dry wood at the bottom of the stone stairs they had climbed earlier and piled it up within a circle of rocks, that they had also carried upstairs. An sparked a campfire under the clear and warm night sky.

The group felt mellow and loose. Marith had managed to find some inner peace. She was happy Nate had made an effort to stand next to her during the Ritual. Now they were sitting side by side, their hands almost touching again.

The Pupils sat cross-legged on their pillows and looked up into the cosmos as if the Sistene Chapel unfolded above them. Nate hadn’t just given them a myriad of moons, a bunch of colourful nebula’s and bright stars, but also Northern light, a phenomenon that was uncommon for the inhabitants of the Cascade Mountains.

Marith could taste it now, the structure of the Web, like the fanciest, most complicated dish she had ever eaten. The taste and the texture were flowing over and even through her taste buds.

A firmament of electrical pathways formed above their heads, like the brain of the Web revealed itself to them.

As the light from the fire flickered over their faces the nebula’s, moons, stars and planets morphed with the Northern Light into a language only the Pupils understood.

The Pupils had swallowed a piece of the Universe and they had become the captains of it. They were empowered in ways they couldn’t put into words, but they could feel the Web flow, vibrate and surge through them with a new intensity.

Hey James, I’ve wondered something about you for a while now, Joshua started, completely ignoring the fact that every other Pupil was mesmerized by the night sky.

Sure, James answered, looking at him from across the circle, gazing through the flames.

Can you also make or catch like psychedelics?

What do you think you just inhaled?

Nice, Joshua answered, nodding like someone high on weed.

You know man, I am sorry I called you a pompous Brit, Brad felt the burning need to comment, when James and Joshua appeared to be done talking.

It’s alright. I am sorry I called you an idiot yank.

When did you say that?

I am saying it now and I am sorry for it, James declared.

Brad, Joshua and Alexander started to laugh uncontrollably. When they finally stopped it didn’t take long before the greater questions of life were asked.

Why is the world so horrible if we have all this power?

Well, first of all there aren’t that many of us, so our influence is limited. Second of all, we have in fact prevented horrific atrocities. What you learn in history class might by the least horrible turn of events, Kyle managed to bring out, slurring his words.

That’s something I really didn’t need or want to know, Meriyem murmured.

Just like the answers to the stupid questions Jonathan is always asking, Marith said.

More uncontrolled laughter instantly followed.

Yeah, Jonathan, why do that? James inquired.

Jonathan laid on his back staring at the heavens. When he turned his head to face the group Marith could tell he was as drugged out as the rest of them. He shrugged and raised his arms, to clarify he really didn’t know why he asked those questions either, and then dropped them again. They landed on the pillows. Marith wasn’t sure whether or not he fell asleep after that.

We should be doing something good, you know, something constructive when all this is over, Anton suggested.

I was thinking about outing myself to mankind and start a new religion, Theresa spoke dreamily. We must be angels and demi-gods in the eyes of ordinary humans, she explained.

Pedro nodded. That night he looked more like a hippy than ever, Marith thought. His long, dark, curly hair cascaded over his shoulders, his arms were covered in bracelets and tattoos and the toga hugged his skinny body tightly.

You’ve got one guaranteed convert already, Jonathan mumbled under his breath, referring to James doting over her, sitting by her side.

He hadn’t fallen asleep after all. Maybe that was a side effect of the Pacific Wind. Making them high and susceptible to their environment beyond what they were usually capable off, but not relaxed enough to lose consciousness.

We were actually thinking about taking a little break. I think we all deserve a holiday after we save the world, Alexander spoke on behalf of Anton and himself.

Where are you going to? Pedro inquired with interest.

We want to take a closer look at a certain sheep testing area, he said ominously, followed by chuckles and shaking heads.

What are they testing there? Meriyem wanted to know.

Well, probably not sheep, Kyle commented absentmindedly.

I don’t even think that’s a bad idea, Pedro brought in. Anton can run. I’ll handle the senses of any security guard.

Oh, in that case I’m in too! James enthused.

Juliette just laughed.

It wasn’t an open invitation, Anton started.

We will storm right in after Pedro did his thing and raid them, James continued triumphantly, ignoring Anton’s objections.

Yeah, I kinda want to go too now, Brad said teasingly. After our tour in the Corridors I am convinced there is much more between heaven and Earth we don’t know about. The government must be keeping interesting stuff all over the country. Hey, Will, does your dad know more about that?

William shook his head. You know as much as I do at this point.

Maybe I could create a thunderstorm, An mused. We move in and out unseen.

I bet there are a lot of technical barriers, Theresa said.

Brad’s sort of an expert in that terrain, Amber commented.

Brad nodded. And if they shoot at us there’s that neat little trick Vanessa can do.

Please leave me out of this, Vanessa answered.

And who knows what Will can do now, Lisa said encouragingly with a sweet smile, stroking his arm.

Marith was skipped and she felt that. Her talent wasn’t inherently useful for such operations. During bonding sessions like these she could often feel her soul freeze over, with a thin layer of snow on top.

She comforted herself imagining how she might be able to help the Chain defeat the Kid. There must be a use for her, otherwise she wouldn’t be there. Right?

Nate put an arm around her shoulders and she rested her head in his neck. She didn’t know whether he had noticed how down she suddenly felt, but his arm and his body warmth were very welcome.

She nestled herself into his side. There was no opportunity for them to talk and make up, but this would do for now.

Meanwhile the planning, and the bickering, went on.

Can’t we just ask those Travellers if they know more about those sheep? Or whatever it is they keep there? Meriyem said, not understanding the adventure the Runners wanted to have.

Sure. You give ‘em a call? Brad asked.

Dude, we don’t know when they will be stopping by again or if they will ever return, Alexander said. It’s up to us to dive into this.

All possible waveforms flowed through the group, until they collapsed into one outcome.

What about a holiday to skinwalker ranch? Kyle asked. I’ve watched videos about that area. That stuff can mess with your mind.

That area has been highly inactive in recent years. I doubt we can have an adventure there, Brad informed.

There must be some kind of Mailbox there… to get the skinwalkers to our dimension is what I mean, An said.

Anton and Alexander soon told related ghost stories and myths from Eastern Europe, occasionally corrected by Theresa. They started with Morena, the Slavic goddess associated with death, rebirths and nightmares. After that the Strigoi and the Rusalki were discussed and compared to Samuel’s nymphs until they became too tired to think or talk.

When there was nothing left to quabble about and the Pacific Wind – James preferred ‘American Thunder’, but nobody else adopted that name – started to wear off they jumped off the cliff to return to the Corridors.

Marith wasn’t sure if it had something to do with the Ritual or with the residue of James’s potion in her system, but she took great pleasure in the thrill of throwing herself off the rock plateau and landing back into the comfortable recliner.

Keymaker just woke up from a deep nap when the first Pupils returned.

Marith opened her eyes, felt a massive migraine growing behind her eyes, looked at the grey ceiling again and realised what had been missing before. A vital part of the formula that told the story of their fabric of reality vibrated above her, against the dull backdrop of the greenish plafond.