The bookstore wasn't especially helpful. Perhaps if they'd been checking an inter-dimensional manga shop they might have found something on their quarry, but they weren't and didn't. after scrolling through the computer looking for hinting titles, they split up and each took a different wing.

"Ah, how wonderful is the stink of ink," murmured Zim, browsing through random graphic novels. He and Danny had both decided to search Sci-Fi and Fantasy.

"I agree."

"Eh?" Zim looked up. Someone in a long, blue cloak was leaning against the shelf, her face hidden by an open graphic novel with a pinkish Z? on it.

"Yess, yes it is." Zim glanced around uncertainly. He hadn't realized there was anyone with him.

"Master!" whined Gir-Computer suddenly, running up with a comic book. "This comic is making no sense!"

"You have to read the whole thing," replied the weird person. She lowered her book and revealed her hooded face, which was mostly hidden in darkness. "If artists explained everything in the first panel, there would be no point." She snapped the book shut. "So you're Zim?" She asked the alien. A wry grin twisted her thin mouth. "Good, I was expecting you. Where's Danny?"

"What?" Danny came around the corner.

"Excellent. You three follow me, I need to show you some things."

"Why should we follow you?" Demanded Zim. "Zim trusts no humans!"

The teenager shook her head. "We don't have time. If you want to find out about the heartless, you need to come now."

"But who are y-" Danny began.

"Just come on!"

Danny and Zim gasped and leaned back as a swirling black portal opened behind her. Gir squeed and smiled. The girl gestured with her hand and entered the darkness. Zim, Gir and Danny glanced at each other and followed.

Just then, Dib entered the aisle in time to see the black circle wink out. Dib's mouth opened in righteous shock.

"Why do I always get left behind?"

Zim and Danny walked, wide-eyed, out of the darkness and into the sun. The girl was already there, leaning against one of many beautiful trees. The grass was perfectly green and fresh, and there were blue pools all around the outside of the forest. Danny suddenly had the strange feeling that he'd always been there, and he felt a sort of stupefying peace come over him. He plopped down on the grass as Gir-Computer left the portal, unimpressed by the organic beauty. He IS a robot, ya know. Vaguely Danny was aware that a chubby guinea pig was wheeting nearby. The girl was staring patiently at one of the pools, as if waiting for something.

"What are you doing?" Zim asked Danny coldly.

"Oh, nothing… I've just always been here. I think…?"

"Nooooo, we just got here through a portal. You just got here."

Danny blinked. His eyes drifted to the girl, and focused. He jumped up. "Oh, yeah!" he looked around him. "What… just happened?"

The girl glanced back. "It's this place. Entering it for the first time does strange things to people. Of course, robots and inorganics would be immune, and I've been here many times before." She pulled her hood down. "Now I'm going to tell you stuff."

She turned away from the tree. "Alright, first of all, my name is Raven. I can move things with my mind and am from a separate universe than you two. People cannot linger in other universes for too long without going insane, so I brought you here. This place is called 'the Wood Between the Worlds.' Every pool you see leads to a different galaxy, so naturally there wouldn't be any problem with aliens from all universes coming here. We're going to be talking for a while, so it's important none of us go insane before we're done."

"Assuming, of course, that some of us aren't already insame," remarked Gir-Computer.