The girls had split up, scouring all of Chelsea's possible hideouts for any trace of Elara, when they stumbled across something strange: a hidden alley-basement, nestled discretely between two abandoned buildings.

  Chie led the way, her steps careful and measured as she moved forward to inspect the basement. The air felt…

  Odd. Like something stagnant and not quite right hung about the place. Chie felt it like a weight on her shoulders.

  Chie stepped closer, and her eyes widened. "Guys...!"

  Juniper and Alice quickly followed and came to a halt beside her, jaws dropping at the sight in front of them.

  The basement looked relatively innocuous at first, a few boxes and discarded junk scattered about, and a dim single lightbulb illuminating the space.

  But what caught their attention was an odd hum filling the air, like electricity buzzing through every molecule.

  Chie took another step forward… and stopped, her nose wrinkling. "Ugh," she whispered, "That scent…”

  Juniper wrinkled her nose, mirroring Chie's expression of disgust. "Ugh... it's like a mix of rotten fish and stale sweat."

  Alice, ever pragmatic, sniffed the air as well. "That's not all...I smell something…chemical?"

  Chie's eyes narrowed as she looked closer at the dim chamber, her antennae perked forward. "There...something's off about that corner. See the faint glimmer?"

  Alice frowned, her eyes focusing more intently on the area Chie was pointing. "Yeah...that's not just ordinary dust. It almost looks like...glitter?”

  Juniper squinted at the corner as well, her eyes widening once she caught the faint glimmer too. "Wait, you're right! It is glitter—but why would there be glitter in a filthy old basement?!" She asked, her confusion clear.

  Chie shrugged, stepping forward to examine the glimmer closer. Her eyes widened as she noticed something more. "Guys... look at the floor. There's a portal.”

  Alice and Juniper followed Chie's gaze, their eyes growing wide as they noticed the subtle rippling in the air at Chie's feet—a clear sign of a portal.

  "A portal...?" Juniper repeated quietly, her brows furrowing. "What would a portal be doing down here?"

  Chie knelt down, studying the swirling mists closely. "This… this kind of portal looks..." She paused, her expression darkening as she connected the dots. "It looks like a Void Gate.”

  The name made both girls stiffen in unison, their eyes darting to Chie with sudden urgency.

  "A Void Gate?" Juniper repeated, her voice a barely contained whisper. "You mean...those portals that lead right to the Void?!"

  Chie nodded grimly. "It's small, but it's definitely a Void Gate. And I have a feeling it wasn't created with ordinary Void Magic...but Null Void Magic…”

  Alice's breath hitched, her entire body tensing like a coiled spring. "Null Void Magic?" she repeated in a low, urgent tone, because they all knew what that meant.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Chie didn’t answer right away, just stared at the portal with an expression caught between disgust and dread before finally murmuring:

  "...Yeah." Her fingers curled into fists at her sides as realization fully set in.

  "What exactly is that?" Alice asked.

  "The quickest and simplest explanation I can give is this: it's a pain-in-the-ass to set up. The reason why is that Null Void Magic can only be used in the Void Realm. So you can't just jump up and learn that style of Void Magic directly then use it like the ordinary Void Magic categories you're familiar with; you have to…”

  Chie paused for a second, thinking of the right term to use:

  “...you have to like…mimic, or rather replicate the Void Realm itself using Emulation, so you need to learn Emulation Void Magic if you don't know it already, emulate the Void Realm itself, embed that replica of the Void Realm into this world, and then and only then can you be able to utilize Null-Type Void Magic.”

  Both Alice and Juniper nodded, absorbing Chie's explanation. The concept sounded intense, and incredibly rare.

  "So...Null Void Magic isn't something just anyone can learn?" Juniper asked, her expression one of disbelief.

  Chie shook her head. "No, it's not. It's incredibly rare, for good reason. Only the most skilled Void Mages manage to grasp that power, and it requires a level of focus, concentration, and control that most people can't even fathom. Plus, it's dangerous as all hell.”

  Alice took a moment to process the information, her expression hardening with renewed determination. "But if this is a Void Gate... that means someone who can use ‘Null Void Magic’ has been here."

  Chie let out a sharp exhale, her jaw clenching as her antennae flicked. "Yeah. Whoever set this up has access to Null Void Magic, and they're either a Cabal member already, or a sympathizer."

  "Or both," Juniper added grimly. "And either way, that explains how whoever has Elara is able to travel so quickly."

  Chie nodded grimly in agreement. "Yeah. Void Gate travel is the fastest method. They could be absolutely anywhere by now."

  The realization hung heavy in the air, the weight of their situation weighing on all three girls. But something still nagged at Chie...

  "One other thing," she said slowly.

  Juniper and Alice turned to her, their eyes questioning. "Yeah? What is it?”

  Chie’s eyes flicked back to the portal, her voice dropping to a near-whisper.

  "Null Void Gates don't just exist without a price." She took another step forward, studying the swirling mist with narrowed focus. "They need Void Energy—a lot of it—to stay open for any length of time."

  Alice stiffened slightly at that revelation, her mind racing ahead: "That would mean whoever is using this gate has been collecting Void Energy from somewhere..."

  "...We're jumping through," Chie announced.

  Both Juniper and Alice glanced at Chie, surprise written across both their faces. "We what?!" they echoed in near-perfect unison.

  Chie didn't look at them, eyes still fixated on the Void Gate. "You heard me."

  Juniper recovered quickly, always one to follow a bold lead. "You mean jump through the Void Gate?"

  "Yep," Chie affirmed, still watching the portal. "That's exactly what I mean.”

  Alice took a nervous step closer towards Chie, her expression uncertain. "Are you... sure that's a good idea? We don't even know where we'd end up on the other side."

  Chie finally looked at them, her eyes filled with something steely. "I'm sure it's a risk we'll have to take if we want to find Elara. And the chances of us running into the person who set that gate up are much higher if we go through.”

  The words hung in the air for a moment, the tension and weight of the situation sinking in. Juniper let out a nervous exhale, but nodded.

  "I'm with you," she said quietly, her voice filled with determination.

  Alice's expression was solemn but steady, and she gave Chie a curt nod as well. "Alright...if that's our best chance, then let's go. I just... hope we know what we're getting into.”

  Chie nodded, a silent understanding passing between the three girls.

  "Same. We'll have to move quickly and keep our eyes peeled for anything that can help us find Elara," she said, striding with purpose towards the Void Gate.

  Juniper and Alice followed, the faint hum of energy from the gate growing louder with every step. Chie stopped in front of the portal, reaching out a hand towards the swirling mist.

  "Ready?" she glanced back at both girls.

  Juniper and Alice nodded, their expressions set.

  "Ready as we'll ever be," Juniper answered firmly.

  "We have to be," Alice murmured, a hint of grim acceptance in her voice.

  Chie nodded, taking a final deep breath before turning her focus back to the gate. "Let's do this."

  With that, she stepped through the Void Gate without a second thought.