Into the Void

The match flickered to life, bringing a sphere of light to the darkness that surrounded me. The slack rope rubbed against my leg, naively suggesting that I hadn’t travelled too far. Had I not developed the nexus myself, I may well have let myself be taken in by the false security. In the weak light I could barely make out my surroundings but what I could make out caused the breath to freeze in my throat. Around me I could distinguish no fewer than five tall gate-like structures including the one through which I had just passed. 1

Letting the quickly burning match drop to the ground I hastily searched my pockets in the claustrophobic darkness for a replacement. Locating the box in my breast pocket, I struck two matches, using the brief phosphorus burst to catch a quick glimpse of the area itself. Each gate to my discerning eye appeared to be made of a different material but each shared that familiar rippling of the air in its portal. To the left of the gate through which I emerged, which itself was made out of what appeared to be steel and still had my anchor rope protruding from its mouth, was a gate of ice. Beyond the frozen arch stood a stoic stone monolith and to its left a portico of wood stood, unflinching in the face of time. Completing the circle was a gateway that seemed to be formed out of the very walls themselves.2