The Space Between Worlds Novels & Stories

The boundaries between worlds seemed fragile, like thin ice ready to crack. Richard, now regaining some of his strength, stared at the portal in awe. "Is that... Are those other realms?" Selene nodded gravely. "Indeed. The Heartstone's activation, while saving this realm, has torn the fabric between worlds. If we don't act quickly, the chaos of intertwining realities will consume them all." A particularly haunting image from the portal caught my attention — a devastated version of the town square, with its people appearing gaunt and devoid of hope. The stark contrast to our current surroundings was a chilling reminder of the stakes.

Used to fighting just to remain oriented inside the world. But here, there was nothing to fight. I looked around slowly. The space I stood in wasn’t the forest. It wasn’t the Mirror realm. It wasn’t Bloodstone or anything I recognized. It was… absence shaped like presence. A place between states. Between outcomes. Between collapse and continuation. The air felt neither warm nor cold. The light was neither red nor silver. It simply was. I took a careful step forward. Nothing reacted. No distortion. No fracture. No ripple.

"There is one way. Dangerous. Possibly fatal. But one way." "Tell me." I turned to her. "Tell me now." "The Between." Solace's gold eyes were steady. "The space where the Old Court exists between dimensions. Time moves differently there. A journey of weeks can be compressed to minutes if you know the paths." "Then take me there." I started toward her.

Sage I had expected darkness. The darkness between worlds, whatever that looks like, crushing, probably, and cold, the kind of in-between space that is not meant for human bodies or human minds. I had braced for it the way you brace for impact: teeth together, breath held, every muscle tensed against something that hadn’t arrived yet. Instead, I stepped into a world. It did not ease me into itself. It simply existed, fully and completely and without apology, and I was suddenly inside it with no transition and no warning and no opportunity to prepare.

The pack that had been here before her and would be here after her and was here now, alive and continuous and specific. The space between the moons. Where they lived. Where they would keep living. Where everything that mattered happened. In the ordinary days. In the middle of the thing. Exactly here. End of Chapter Twenty-Nine.

The rain drums against the windows. "I've been thinking about the space between," Celeste says. "The space between what?" "Between who I was and who I'm becoming. Between harm and healing. Between grief and gratitude." "That's a lot of space." "It's the only space that matters." --- The waves crash. The stars shine. And somewhere inside the house, two women hold onto each other. Not because they're afraid. Because they've learned that the space between is where everything important happens. And they're finally ready to dwell there.

That silence alone felt bad. Very bad. I leaned back tiredly against the chair. “I’m guessing this is another secret everyone knows except me.” Lyra’s eyes softened slightly. “The barrier between worlds has weakened for years.” Trevor raised his hand immediately. “I have a question.” Nobody stopped him. “What exactly counts as another world?” Darius rubbed his forehead tiredly. “Trevor…” “No seriously. Because if demons suddenly exist too, I’m retiring.” For some reason, I laughed. A small laugh.