Silenceâs volume had never been greater in a place than here. The Corridors were dark with inactivity. It had been this way since the Eldest escaped the Power Bracelet. Any members of TOPHAT that Kristen hadnât dropped into another dimension, had long since fled into the world outside the doors. But the emptiness was about to disappear. In the main hall, sound of a footsteps decimated the silence. A sliver of light appeared in the center of the room, and doors opened up, and Dawn, Manalive, and Ryan stepped through, onto the Green and orange rug. The doors closed behind them releasing them dark again. They moved forward, stirring up dust in the wake of their walk.
âManalive, how long has everyone been gone?â asked Manalive.
âLonger than think. We should figure out our next step.â Dawn replied while glowing blue.
They walked by her light to the meeting room. They came to it to find the glass doors shattered. Most likely from when Kristen was there last.
âWell, I think it would be âsharpâ of us to find somewhere else to plan.â Quipped Ryan.
âProbably so.â Agreed Dawn
Dawn and Ryan moved on, but Manalive lingered a moment before following. They eventually found a room to set up shop in, which was probably better anyways, since it was closer to the armory. They said little as they worked to clear what they could. They really only needed to work in a few rooms for now, so they made quick work of what needed to be done.
They finished their work and sat down at the table to discuss plans.
Manalive started. âWe need to rejoin with the others.â
âDefinitely.â Replied Dawn. âAnd we might also want to figure out who it was who separated us.â
âI didnât really get a look at him.â
âGuys, I really hate to put a damper on your plans, but how are we going to find your friends if we don’t even know what world they’re in?â Ryan asked.
They looked down for a moment, and let that question sink in.
Manalive broke the silence first. âDawn can use a locating spell –â
âI canât Manalive. Not without my Time Lord Essence. There a lot of spells I canât do anymore.â
âWe can leave this world though? Right?â Queried Ryan.
âWe can use something like Josiahâs Snowglobe, but it wouldnât be as portable as it is.â
âWait.â Ryan noted. âSnowglobe? I donât âsnowâ what you mean.â
âJosiah has a snowglobe that he uses for interdimensional hopping.â Manalive informed.
âOh. I see.â
âIâm not sure any of us are licensed to use one though.â
Dawn sighed. âWe can jump from world to world and look for them that way, but that would take a lot of time.
âWell, thereâs not much more we can do right now. Tomorrow weâll have a lot more work ahead of us, so weâd better rest.â
And they did just that. The next day, they scavenged for supplies around TOPHAT, and discussed their next course of action. They discovered that many of the records of worlds had been destroyed, which made their job a lot harder. The next day was quite similar, as were the days following. They cleaned out the armory, they gathered ingredients for casting spells without Time Lord essence, and of course they managed to get food.
Thatâs how it was for a while. Dawn looked at a portrait of those involved in TOPHAT. Josiah was there, along with Mason, Manalive, Kye, Brooke, and herself. An unfamiliar noise disturbed her study. She turned around to see what was causing it. A portal was opening up behind her.
âManalive, Ryan!â
They responded to her call in the room, just in time to see the portal finish opening. Dawn glowed purple a moment, but it quickly passed. They needed to be ready for whatever came through.
Brooke came out accompanied by Douglas.
Douglas came out mumbling. âI knew I should have charged it more, I should have âŚâ
âBROOKE!â Exclaimed Dawn.
