Exposition
The Path Less Traveled, also known as the Winding Way, Level 797, and several other names, is rumored to connect the vast majority of the levels of the Backrooms. It was first documented by The Lost, who attributed their creation to a liminal deity- a superior being presiding over thresholds, gates, or doorways; "a crosser of boundaries". The Lost Legion in particular claim this mysterious place to be the the work of the god of doorways, Janus. After all, he was the most well known of the various Roman liminal deities. However, Janus denies having created such a place, something I can confirm as fact.
Thus, the origin of this place remains shrouded in myth and legend. Information on it is scarce, as very few people have treaded this path. The few descriptions of it that do exist seem to match each other, however. They all speak of a forest path, paved with gravel and dirt, carved around rocky formations containing several caves. These caves vary in depth, with some of them several meters deep, while others have barely enough room for a single human. These caves lead into other Levels of the Backrooms, and the select few who mastered the art of accessing this place have used this notable trait of the Path to traverse the Backrooms with unrivaled ease.
However… there are tales of those who found their way into places that ended up being their grave. There is no discernable order or pattern to the caves of Level 797, and some of the caves have been reported to lead to different places on different occasions. While the Path itself may be free of peril, be it hostile conditions or entities, traversing it requires some expertise, as to avoid these dead ends…
One peculiar tale, however, speaks of an exit unlike all others. Hidden in the water, just off the bay at the very end of the Path Less Traveled, the first man to walk the path found a strange blue glow on the sea floor. The man, who became known as the first Wanderer, claims to have dropped a rock on the odd rift emanating this light, and upon seeing it had disappeared without a trace, decided to not test his luck chasing after it.
It isn't known where this exit leads to… and with so little information on it, I'm left with nothing but speculation. It is a mere theory, but I feel as though the place it leads to is outside the rules of this realm.
Your mind circles back to these words, hidden away in a page of your trusty journal, as you feel your grip on reality return, little by little. Your memory feels hazy. You think you saw colossal gears and pistons, clockwork angels made of filigree, and a strange robed figure in white, but you can't be sure.