Here Jacob meets a girl named Aysha, and a boy called Toby, both of whom become his friends.

However, after a few nights, Jacob feels that he is losing sight of his goal, and leaves, followed by Aysha and Toby.

After Jacob struggles to the top of the ladder (momentarily contemplating giving up), and comes across a white palace in the desert.

It loosely resembles the Roman myth about Janus in the way it guards a gate back to the 'normal' world.

"[4] Kirkus Reviews wrote that the "adventure starts off strong but dwindles to didactic metaphor" which it called an "oversimplified Pilgrim's Progress".

[5] April Spisak, writing for The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, commended the "richly developed" setting of Locus as a place for Jacob to explore his "vulnerabilities and mortality", but criticized his ensuing journey for including "confusing villains, poorly described environments, and a few too many convenient escapes".

Spisak, however, concluded her review by saying, "Nevertheless, Keaney has captured an afterlife milieu that is memorable, a feat considering the recent spate of fantasies about various heavens, hells, and beyonds.