A Moment for a Solo [Ipos - The Midway]

For all those who had touched the gate, they would find themselves overwashed with the same feeling as when they had entered the dungeon. Everything would feel like it happened quickly and yet eternally all at the same time. Though in reality, it would have happened as quickly as the gate had made them vanish. However, there would be one major difference this time as they would find their nausea dissipating quickly as they would come to terms with their surroundings and that they were all alone.

As each of them would take time to wake up they would find that not a single one of them were together, all of them had been separated into a different place in the dungeon. Would they find each other, or do they even have the time to consider such things?

---

The Old man known as Silva would find that after his moment of nausea had passed that he had been transported to a very strange place. It looked like he had been transported to a classroom of sorts. He was the only person in there and there was no door nor were there any windows. Behind him was a chalkboard with a few pieces of slightly used chalk. In front of him were a few benches where it looked like students would sit.

It was quiet and it was likely very eerie as there seemed to be no clear way to leave the room and inside this abandoned classroom there was no one to teach or anything to teach as there was no books, scrolls, tablets, or anything else that might indicate some form curriculum.  It seemed that there were no real obvious choices here, so it was solely up for Silva to choose what to do in this room as nothing would engage him. If he chose to just sit there and do nothing he would find that nothing was happening except that he would lose track of time.

---

The young fanalis had come in with no real form of ally and had once again found herself relying on herself only. As she came to and got bearings of her surroundings Menat would find a room quite different than the one she was in before. In opposition to the cave she had come from she was now in a grand hall. It was an auditorium of sorts as she would look around and see benches that all turned and faced towards the stage that she had found herself waking upon.

The ceiling was dark and neverending if she looked up at it, but the ground below her was a finely polished marble as was the rest around her as she would see that the walls were made of different stones carved and placed with one another to create an ornate pattern that looked like flower petals.

If she looked around her and out into the distance she would find herself utterly alone as there was nothing but empty seats and a stage she stood on. It was all odd especially with no clear exit in sight and nothing but the time she had to find a way to occupy.

---

Khalik might not have known his companion in the dungeon very well, but he for sure would know that he had been separated from him in some form. Whether or not he was eager to meet back up with him was private knowledge to Khalik, but so was his current circumstances as he found himself waking to an unusual sight.

The room he regained consciousness in was rather small, rather plain, and yet nonetheless intriguing beyond belief. Surrounded by polished walls with gold and laced silk decorating it giving it a prestigious feel. Beyond this, there was nothing on the walls, no windows, and exits. The only thing that was inside this room was Khalik, and the pedestal that stood before him at the center of the small room.

On a simple ivory pillar there was a plush red pillow with laces of what looked like leopard fur, and atop of it sat what looked like an incredibly expensive instrument. It was an ornate lyre made from solid gold with strings as fine as spider silk, but shimmering just as the gold body. It was carved and inlaid with silver that made its images of singing goats stand out from the rest. It was beautiful and looked liked it had been well taken care of with nary a blemish on it. With nothing indicating a path forward all he could do is decide what to do while he was alone with the Lyre.

---

Tenma had come with Zub and while he was not here as a contender he still found himself within the machinations of the dungeon around him as a result of being an accessory to her adventure. Now that he was separated from her he would have to think what was the most important thing to do first.

However, this would almost seem like an inherent mockery as he would wake up and gain bearing of where he had been transported to. It was an odd room if one could even call it that as at first he woke and might stare at the ground he would find no flooring and instead only his reflection. As he might take notice of the area around him he would find that the entire room he was inside was like this.

The floor, walls, and ceiling were all made of reflective material and he would be filled with nothing but the sight of himself soon enough, at least he had he, himself, and I to figure out what kind of scenario he was in now.

---

For Noir she had just had the time to look at some wonderfully beautiful architecture in the form of the gate in the room before, but now she was waking up to find herself alone but surrounded by something magnificent once again. She was now in another room that would likely cause her to stop in awe.

At first, it would seem like there was one bookcase in front of her, but then after turning around she would find another, and another and shelf beyond shelf that were filled with tomes and scrolls. It was a library of sorts with what looked like endless knowledge as it soared into a sky that she couldn't see as the room seemed too tall to see the top. It was likely an odd sight as she soon saw what might be considered a normal one.

She had been in an alley of the books and as she would look she would find something that would catch her eyes. There was simply a door made of woof at the end of the hall. There were no locks and there was a handle, with nothing blocking her way it seemed she could leave as she wished, and all she had to choose when and what to do with her time till she would.

---

Although Zub was given plenty to talk about with her friends and to entice her curiosity she would find her opportunity to discuss ripped away from her as she would start to gain consciousness and aware of the scene she had now found herself in.

Rather than waking up in a simple room, Zub would find herself waking up in pleasant or unpleasant circumstances depending on how one looked at it. The first thing of note would be the feeling of warm water around her, the second would be the steam in the air, and the third would be the grand architecture of where she resided as her sight returned to her along with her sense of balance.

It was a large room with a visible ceiling, but nothing but walls, benches, and cubbies in walls where it looked like people would store stuff except there was nothing inside of it. Then there was the bath, where Zub found herself now, 50 meters on all sides it was a massive pool of water, and besides that and the dancer in the water, there was nothing else to be found as she was left with a bath and the space to think to herself.

---

It must've been nauseating for Hyperion so far in this dungeon, not only with the first entrance to the dungeon but the constant sound, becoming trapped near death and then finally being rushed towards the gate and that had only been the first room. Though his trip through a gate this time was still nauseating he would find that his senses came back to him quicker this time. However, this might've been hard for him to notice at first.

There had been nothing but darkness, and it would give off the impression that he hadn't gained his sight back fully or might not have even been awake. Then as he would regain his balance and the rest of himself he would likely notice that it was indeed dark and that he could not move very much.

He was horizontal, that was for sure, but was he inside of something? If he were to push against the walls nothing would happen, but he would be able to tell that he had enough air and it didn't seem like he was going to run out of air. Had he been trapped again, was this in his head, or was he just being given the time to think about his actions like the voice had suggested to him before.

It was all an odd experience, but without his friends or his beast by his side, Hyperion would be left to wonder what might've happened to them. However, at the moment he had to consider what to do with his time as it seemed like nothing was rushing him towards anything.

Hyperion experienced his nth bout with Nausea but he got back on his feet, figuratively, faster than ever. Perhaps, the fact that he was lying down was what had aided in his recovery. Hyperion instictively would want to escape from his coffin, but the words just spoken to him were still fresh in his ears. He would "take a moment to discern where it is" that he needed to be.

However, he was unable to process any visual information in his predicament. Knowing he was alone, he sought to reunite with his allies. He wouldn't be able to contact his beast, but using his origami caller, he would contact Shousui first, then Diana with a "Hello. Are you okay?" Then staying absolutely silent and listening for anything to come out.

He would then focus on Noir and call out to her. "Where are you?" Perhaps this bit of patience would suit him better.

Silva would stand up once the wave of nausea passes to find himself in an empty classroom with no clear way out. He would walk up to the front of the class looking at the chalkboard and wishing that he had an apple. He would notice that everyone was gone and would grin. He would then move his hands onto the top of the chalk board and drag his fingernails down it to create a loud screeching sound that he would not hear to his ears being clogged with sausage. He would wait a few moments and if nothing happens he would grab some chalk and begin to write his name in large letters before facing the empty desks, "Good day class. I am your teacher for today, Silva Kaida or Mr. Kaida"

A soothing bath. Oh, how she had longed for a steaming bath, soothing skin and soul. She had not forgotten her sudden appearance in this bathhouse, not at all. But, if you are given a bath, why not relax in it?

Yet her clothes were wet, and she could feel them clinging tight. Climbing out from that massive pool, she stripped her clothes off and placed them within a cubicle. Bare but not naked, pride covering her body, she strode around the place and gazed at its architecture. Well, there was no one there, right? She had finally gotten the opportunity to flaunt herself without fear of sour looks.

As soon as the one eyed man gained consciousness, he would slowly sit up as he swallowed the nausea that he was feeling after he touched the gate. It felt the same like when he first got transported at the entrance of the dungeon, wondering what kind of magic fueled this strange structure. Tenma would feel amused that the nausea wasn't as bad as before, in fact he could stand up right after. But something was different, he was alone, there was no one there, not even his companion, Zubaidah, or even Rui Li...and most importantly, Noir.

Well, now was not the time to be worried about someone else to be honest...and he knew that very well as soon as he saw his reflection all around the room. There was nothing else there, he was inside a single room, with reflective material surrounding him, reflecting his own figure. Not even a single area was made from another materials it seemed.

Judging from the puzzle from the last area, it seemed that he shouldn't really think too deep to solve something because the answer came from a very simple thing. So instead of wasting time to just stand still and think, the man would walk closer to the wall, touching the material to examine it. "Hello?" He would say to his own reflection, wondering if anything would happen if he did that. But he would then try to walk around the room, wanting to see if he could find something that would help him escape the place.

As Khalik's consciousness was regained, his vision blurred between dizzy spells and his pretentious golden cage. No one in sight, save for his diluted reflection bathed in royal minerals that he cared little for. It was a fact which weighed little on his mind for either confidence in his companion or his extraordinary capacity to roll with the punches. Either way, he'd recall on Zub's first few words and begin to scheme his way out of confinement. After all, he had pension to break what was imposed him.

For now, though, he'd play along, his eyes quick to hone in on the harp, but still restless. Crimson orbs bounce from wall to wall as he spoke haphazardly, "So this must be your game then... disembodied voice which probably can't hear me," the latter half was mumbled to himself out of his own self-awareness. Light steps carried him to the lofty pedestal where his hands cautiously reached for the lyre.

If by chance he secured the instrument, he'd turn his nose skyward at the invisible puppeteer. "So did you put everyone in their own gilded cages, or just this little songbird," he quipped in jest. A few delicate plucks of the string would get him slowly acquainted with the instrument, and process any further causality of his actions.

"Heaven?" The magician would murmur to herself, her eyes widened in disbelief as she was awaken between countless bookcases, one so high she couldn't even tell how tall it was. Strange... she was alone now, not even Haku or Shousui were there... Before she started to examine the books stored there, Noir would find the place to be a strange one although she couldn't hide the sparkle on her golden eyes. Tomes and scrolls were placed within the shelves, she wondered how long would it take for her to read all of them... but she was inside a dungeon, a place full of wonders but also tricks, she had to resist the urge to satiate her curiosity for now.

At the end of the hall, Noir would notice a wooden door... it seemed that it was not locked and she might be able to leave the area. But she wouldn't leave yet, she would look around and take around 2 or 3 scrolls and tomes, wanting to know if she could find out about the dungeon itself, especially about the civilization that used to live before it got destroyed and perhaps some secrets from Alma Torran itself.

But then she would had something crossed her mind, since this place looked like a library, there must be a librarian... well, she was not sure, but she would try to find the librarian if there was any. "Excuse me." She would say to no one, "I would like to borrow some scrolls."

Menat was beginning to get really sick of this whole "ripped from her body" sensation she kept having to experience whenever she touched one of the doors inside the dungeon. At least this time around it was only metaphorically and not another case of her doubling over to hurl the bile from her stomach like the last time. It'd have been a real shame to have painted such a magnificent stage as the one she had just awoke on with her bodily fluids. Getting to her feet the first thing she noticed was how she was utterly alone. While she had entered the dungeon without any assistance, clearly unlike the other participants she had met, she had still been around the other contestants of the dungeon. In a way this felt like the first time she had actually been alone since entering.

Taking stock of her new surroundings she found the room to be totally devoid of any living being aside from herself. Rows and rows of curved benches lead up, all of them facing down toward the stage so should anyone take a seat within the amphitheater would be looking right down at her. "This is weird." Menat said to herself. The young Princess found that there seemed to be no clear exits to the room nor any clear indication of what action she would need to take next.

Nature's Scorn:

Ghost the last one to touch the gate and make it to the midway would of course go through the same motions as those before him. As he would be washed over with nausea and the mind-boggling experience of the transport. Along with that, he would also find himself in a similar situation to the others in the fact that he would find himself unconscious briefly only to wake up in bizarre circumstances.

As he would start to come to Ghost would first notice that he was in a dimly lit room, and second, he would see feet almost immediately. However, as he were to take further notice of his surroundings he would see that the feet were not real and was instead attached to a naked mannequin Though that wasn't the strangest thing as in every few meters in the room was another mannequin that was just as plain but posed differently nonetheless. With this added in the walls were just barely lit by the lanterns from the ceiling and most corners of the room were dimly lit giving it the appearance that the walls dissolved into nothingness.

Left alone in a dark room filled with mannequins and parts of the room hard to see it looked like someone had led the man into a horror scene. Without anyone else there though he would have to figure out where to go from there.

---

The eerie silence of the classroom was torn apart as the elderly teacher chose to scratch the chalkboard before ever writing his name upon it. This would normally be when students would say hello to their new professor, but for the empty classroom, there was no such response. In fact, for a good moment, nothing had happened after Silva had chosen to do what he had done.

Luckily something happened soon enough to spare the man from the thought of senility, but it might've come in an unexpected way. First, one of the benches pushed back and fell over as if someone had gotten up from it quickly and violently.

However, this wasn't the oddest thing to happen as soon enough there was what sounded like a loud mumbling sound, or at least that's what it would sound like to Silva. It seemed to come from the walls, but it would be hard for Silva to discern anything with his meat-based earplugs. After all how could a teacher teach without properly communicating with his class?

---

It must've been a shock for the young fanalis to be in such a large place that seemed to be like some sort of odd prison, even if it was a beautiful one. There was a great deal of silence in the room, but as Menat would even move around slightly she would notice that any and all noise was echoed. As she spoke to herself even her words carried through echoing as if it was traveling into the endless amphitheater for the eternal audience to hear.

However, after Menat would hear her voice finally drip into nothingness she would soon hear another noise from somewhere up in the seats. It was the sudden sound of a firm clap., but were Menat to look towards its location all she would find is an empty seat. This would happen again louder and once again were she to look she wouldn't find anyone there.

It would stop for a moment as a silence set in, but the atmosphere of the room hadn't changed as a feeling of unease began to set in. It would give Menat some time to get more comfortable and once she might have thought that it was finally over, there would be a sudden thunderous clap right behind her had, but once again were she to turn around and check she would find nothing or no one that could be responsible.

---

When Khalik would speak into the sky there would be no response, of course, his voice filling the luxurious room he was in making the scene appear like that of a pampered prisoner stuck in solitary. The room seemed not to be all that special, even as Khalik would start to play with the fanciful instrument. He truly did look like a songbird that was stuck in a gilded cage as his performance rang out to an audience of himself.

If he were to listen closely as he plucked the strings he would notice that his sounds would not be the only ones ringing out into the room he found himself in. In fact, it sounded like there was a soft accompaniment to the music he made.

It would be odd, but if he were to start playing it at all again he would hear the same music start play softly in the background. However, it would be also easy to notice that the music followed the same pattern regardless of how he played. Rather than something, someone was intentionally doing it would look like it was something automated that happened as a reaction to his own actions. With this, he would still have to figure out where to go from there with very little to go on.

---

For Tenma, it must've been worrisome to be separated from his partner and Noir and instead placed within a room with nothing but images of one's own self. It would follow him like some sort of ghost as if Tenma were to look around all he would find is himself repeating his own actions in his reflection, This would be harmless to him, but somewhat headache-inducing at the least.

However, things would start to take an odd turn as after a few minutes of waiting Tenma would finally get some reaction out of something other than himself. Instead he of his own image he would be greeted by what sounded like something hitting against the wall behind him. When Tenma might've looked to see if the wall behind him was fine all he would find is the mirror wall just as it had been before.

This being far from the end though as Tenma would turn around he would hear another noise behind him. If he were to turn around it would happen to him again, anytime he might've turned around to examine more around him he would just be surprised with another loud wall thud off in a direction he wasn't looking at. It might've even been seen as some sort of taunting as it would go silent for a moment just to start doing it again soon after. It even followed the space Tenma might've moved at, if he were to try and rapidly turn around all he would be met with rapid thudding that was just as disembodied and odd as the rest.

---

While in the magician's eyes she had been granted a gift from the site of these books she would find her wishes for a librarian go unanswered as her voice drifted into the endless ceiling of the infinite shelves. With no response, it seemed that there was only her, the door, and the endless scrolls and tomes for one to indulge themselves in. It was a veritable paradise from an introvert with its nature.

If she were to take a moment to look at some of the scrolls she or tomes she would see that around here there seemed to be nothing more than material on stuff like simple recipes, home remedies, or tips and tricks to help with work around the home. It was somewhat charming how there seemed to be nothing but endless material towards helping even the minor details of life.

There might've been material on other stuff further up or down the bookcases, but it seemed like these ones were popular enough to fly off the shelves. It seemed that the library had taken this too literally though as Noir would find her peace and silence with the books suddenly interrupted as a few tomes and scrolls were sent flying off the shelves and onto the floor behind her with a loud crash. It only happened once, however, and if she were to turn and look it would look as if they had simply fallen off.

---

For Zub with her surroundings so pleasant it didn't even appear that she was trapped in someplace and instead it appeared as if she was just sent somewhere to rest. With her taking that cue and not wasting any time to get more comfortable the room seemed to take that cue. The water of the bath would start to heat up ever so slightly just to bubble and get as warm as a hot spring. It would feel soothing and relaxing to the body, and the bubbles would just gently massage along any submerged part.

Though as she bathed without the worry of any peekers the room was instead replaced with just an eerie silence that held over the large bath. With such a large room all sound carried through the room and so did the quiet as it would feel like the room was deafend whenever she didn't make noise. It was odd nonetheless and was the only thing that appeared to happen.

---

The first thing Hyperion would be greeted with when he attempted to communicate with his allies was likely something he hadn't hoped for, instead of the response of comrades he would be greeted with nothing but the same silence he had found when he had awoken within this odd, dark, and confined space.

He was taking his time to think about what to do, and seemingly he had all the time but none of the space as he was left in what could only be assumed as a coffin. However, even as more time passed he would notice that he didn't need to worry about oxygen as somehow there seemed to be more coming in despite there being no signs of any form of airflow. In fact, if he were to feel around he would notice that there were no cracks or crevices in his space at all and it all felt perfectly smooth.

This all must've felt very odd for him, first, there was what felt like a prison made of force that still kept him alive, the endless darkness around him that seemed to only give way to more darkness as it seemed more like an endless abyss than a simple wall. Then there was the silence, the deafening silence as it would get so quiet Hyperion would begin to hear a small high pitched whine that went on from all directions until, THUD, a loud bang crashed against the roof right in front of his face, and nothing happened other than the sound of it reverberating through space and hard enough that it would feel like someone had just shaken his box. Then it all went silent again as if it had never even happened.

Hyperion had taken his time in processing the auditory information in the room but all he could hear was a shrill whine followed by a rumbling thud. Next he would do his best to restore his sense of sight. He would pull out Ember, an obsidian dagger embellished in gold trim with a draconic handle. He would use this magic weapon and infuse magoi into it to light edge up. The crimson glow of his blade would give him a small light. However, it wouldn't be enough to he would use his ten foot pool as a torch by igniting the tip. He would grow the flame and then place it against the ceiling, with little care since there still seemed to be air coming into this area. Hyperion would make his best attempt to see if there was any more information in this darkness.

Magoi: 305
(Forgot origami caller last post and 10 magoi for ember this post.)

Noir would be amused to read the content of the tomes and scrolls, she would flip every pages and unroll the scrolls while scanning her golden eyes to read all the daily life tips and tricks. What made the magician to put down one tomes or scrolls and continued to the other was because of the inside, all of them was about daily activities. Well, she wouldn't be able to tell if all the books within the library had the same kind of theme after all, but it would take too much of her time to try and read all the tomes and scrolls at the moment. While it the information that she was reading for her was useful and would be applicable in her daily life, it was not something she was looking for at the moment.

She couldn't waste time here, she had to find out what she had to do. It would seem that leaving through that door would be easier for her, but for some reason, the magician thought there might be something hidden within the library...

Her deep thinking session would be interrupted by a loud crash coming from her behind, she would then put the tomes she was holding on the floor before she went to check the source of the loud noise. It was several tomes and scrolls, laying on the floor and that loud crash might be the sound of those things falling from the shelves. With a sigh, Noir would kneel down and pick up one of the tomes as she flipped through the pages, trying to find something inside. Well, since it fell down so suddenly, it was as if the tomes and scrolls wanted Noir to find them right? So the magician would give some of her time to check them thoroughly.

There was nothing Tenma could find as he walk in the circle around the room, well, he guessed there was something new that he gotten here, a company made by his own reflection, following him around and copying his every movement. With a sigh, accompanied by the sighing gesture that was made by his reflections, Tenma would stop himself, trying to think of how to get out from the room. There was nothing that could help him to escape at the moment...well, he had yet trying to utilize his items but would try soon.

The one eyed man would hear a noise behind him, it sounded like something was hitting the wall. But he was not that focused enough to see it through the mirror and when he turned around on reflex, there was nothing there. As he turned around, he would hear similar noise again and he would even try to turn around in 360' to test it, only to receive rapid thudding on the wall. So the thud would appear when Tenma turn around it seemed, now to see what was causing the noise. The swordsman would focus his eye to the mirror in front of him, while he slowly turn around to see his behind through the mirror that was reflecting anything. He would try it at least two times, before deciding to untie his eyepatch, revealing a red colored eye hidden behind the fabric, at least to give him a better sightings. He would then try the same thing again as he focused both of his eyes, wanting to see the source of the sound.

If there was nothing still, the swordsman would try 2 other things. The first thing he would do was to turn around to let the noise appear then he would knock on the mirror to make a sound as if he was mimicking the noise. The other thing he would do would be related to his knowledge of sound code, something he learned from his father a long time ago. Because the thud had the same length, that he wouldn't be able to use it to perform the sound code. So he would use his knuckles to knock on the mirror, well, at this point he had to try every way possible wasn't it?

First he would knock fast 3 times on the mirror before giving a second interval before he gave a slow knock, 3 times as well. After another second of pause, he would knock 3 times in a faster pace, just like the first set of knocks. This would imply, S.O.S, and after that, he would wait for anything to happen before he decided to try other things.

As he came to he was in the next area. But as he stood up he was a bit sad. As he thought he was going to see the dungeon master or whatever you called it. As he finally got himself together he would look around and see that it was barely light. But to say the least he could see but not that far out. But looking on he would see a person in front of him. As he said nothing he would come to realize that it was only a dresser doll. Looking on he would slowly walk towards it. As he walk towards it he would see yet another one. But the thing was it was in a different pose. Ghost would soon walk towards the next one only to see yet another one. He would look on and give a smile. " So this is a test huh ok I get it. But the thing is the way these dresser dolls are set up. I bet I need to copy thier dance moves. Seeing as they are posing no dancing and as my grandmother use to say. A dance can light up the dark. But is they dancing to music or no? I best find out I am on a timer here."

Soon he would go to the very first one and copy it's pose. As he did that he would soon go to the next one and do the same. He would move repeatedly to each of them. Hopefully seeing as this is a tower of power. To which music is the main theme. Then dancing have to be a part of it as well.

He would turn hearing the bench fall and glare at the bench. "You there stop rough housing and pick up the chair and sit back down or you will be sent to the corner" he would say towards the fallen bench. It would seem like he was loosing it but he felt like he knew what he was doing. He would then hear a sound coming from the walls but it was just barely audible to the old man who remembered his ears were full of sausage. He would take the ear plugs out and speak once again. "Who said that? I am old so speak up children!"

Walking in her birth-clothes could only be so enjoyable, lovely as the architecture was. As such, Zubaidah decided she would return to that pool, bubbling away with merry abandon. Indeed, the waters were moving more vigorous than before, and she did not put that to chance - rather, she knew something was afoot.

But soaking in that heated water, feeling it hug every inch of skin so gently, breathing in the subtle aroma? It was her heaven, that she might find relaxation somewhere under Anu’s sky. Well, not that she knew where the Dungeon was, or even Alma Torran itself. But left alone to her thoughts, she realised that the room felt too quiet, her ears deafened by its silence. So she began to hum a familiar tune, one from the room they had passed through. She hummed to herself - no audience here, nor patron - and relaxed in this brief moment of respite.

The young Princess found herself genuinely unnerved for the first time in her life. Her current situation was beyond bizarre. The dead silence of the performance hall, for lack of a better title, caused every minor sound she made to echo into the endless rows of seats. She didn't move much but it didn't stop her feet from making light tapping sounds as she had to readjust her stance when she twisted and swiveled while taking stock of her surroundings. It was after she had spoken to herself, her comment about how weird everything was currently, that things really turned creepy for her. The echo of her voice had finally faded away only to be replaced with a sharp clap of approval from somewhere among the stands.

With the faint hope that someone else had arrived in the location her head shot around to zero in on the location of where the sound had come from. Yet the seats of the entire area was just the same as the rest of them. Completely empty. The sound would occur once again, this time louder than the first, but when Menat made an attempt to find out where the sound had come from all she saw was empty rows. Silence once again fell across the hall as Menat silently panicked, doing her best to hide her shaken emotions behind the best bravado she could muster. Whatever had made the clapping sounds seemed to have left as the young Fanalis felt the breath she had been holding gently release from her lungs.

At least until one more thunderous clap rebounded from immediately behind her head. All of the girl's nerves fired at the same time and caused her to spin around to deliver a fist to whoever had pulled the prank on her. Yet her fist passed through empty air. Nothing stood behind her just the same as nothing sat among the spectator sections. "If someone's there then show yourself!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing like a storm itself.

A disappointed hum fills the in-between of his dawdling notes in meticulous rumination. Empirical wisdom said to sing along in harmony to the autonomous backing, but his unconventional instincts chided answers elsewhere.

Well, there was no harm in it he supposed. Besides, his alternative was to sit in isolation and drown in silence for the perceivable eternity. A minute would pass, his fingers still quick to tug the string in a bombastic improvisation of his own fancy. Even the lyrics he graced an empty audience with was but smorgasbord of idled rhymes.

Given another minute of his prattling vocals, he'd turn his words off-beat to jab at his... instrument? In hopes to coerce a new response in his environment, Khalik used a quick flick of his wrist to strike upon the gold base of the lyre. A faux percussion rung into solitude. Once over. Twice over.

How many times must he plucks these strings? Until his finger's bleed? Until his voice grew hoarse and raw?

For Ghost, this must've seemed like a fun game as he posed around the room with the other figures. It seemed like the further he went in the mannequins started to take more specific posing. There was one that was sitting upon a stone bench with its fist underneath its chin looking towards the sky deep in thought. Then there was another that sat across from them sitting on the ground with their face buried deep into the palms of their hands.

It could be seen as eerie or comical depending on how one saw things as Ghost would notice that there were a few of them who looked like they were caught in a moment of expression emotion, from joyous laughter to anguish, to raging out and everything in between. With the mannequins going from performative to expressive it could be seen as some sort of mania, but whether any of this was important or not was yet to be discovered. Though there were more confusing clues as if he stuck around the emotional dolls he would start to hear soft songs playing around them that matched their emotions.

---

While at first, the noises hadn't been clear as Silva had removed the blockage from his ear it would soon become clear enough. It was the sound of someone trying to slide open a locked door, the jam, and the bang as it failed to open. If Silva were to follow the noise he would locate it to the wall on his left. Though it was obvious that it was coming from the supposed other side it was unclear where exactly it originated from at first.

However, after just a moment it would get clearer as on the wall it seemed there was a handle on the far side of the wall, but then if he looked closer there was a handle on the side closest to him as well. It seemed there were two doors on the same side of the wall but only one of them was the source of the sound it seemed.

The door at the far end of the room had started to rattle before Silva had time to wonder which one was the source of the sound. It would shake around violently as if someone was still having trouble with the door but refused to give up. It only begged the question, why didn't they use the door closer to Silva, and why did they want to get in there so badly? The purpose of the doors would seem confusing enough, but around the room, Silva would notice that there were a few more benches turned over. It had only been made odder by the fact that there had been no obvious sound or indicator when they had been tipped over.

---

It was indeed eerie as the clapping had happened somewhat at random intervals with no rhyme or pattern to the order they were going in. They were reacting to something that was being played out but at the moment it could be anything that was drawing the attention of the phantom clapping.

However, as Menat put on a face and yelled towards her audience there was a brief pause that held the room hostage until it was finally broken with a thunderous clap. After that more claps started to join, but they were filled with laughter as they slowly trickled in. As Menat demanded that they show themselves to her she was only met with a few more claps and the sound of laughter that seemed to be amused with something.

No one would make themselves known, but it would start to make one wonder what's real and what wasn't as the laughing phantoms only got louder. Their voices kept rising until they finally died down with a few more claps, but with nothing changing it seemed all they were waiting for her to continue. For the poor girl it must've been somewhat stressful to be thrown into a room alone only to be met with taunting voices in the form of disembodied voices that were vague and could be construed as support or mocking.

---

As Khalik continued to play things would go along smoothly and nothing seemed to be out of order as he continued on. It was somewhat serene, even as he decided to break it with his percussion it still continued along smoothly. However, slowly the background music would begin to fade and everything seemed to be falling into placidness.

It was likely a very frustrating circumstance for the man who was trying to prod some sort of reaction only to be met with nothing but peace. The room would get quiet and after a moment Khalik might have noticed that it was getting too quiet. There were no sounds even if he would try to make them whether it be with his own body or the room around him. Then almost quickly as it had happened the silence was snapped as from behind him a noise suddenly drifted onto his ear.

"What, you don't want to play a game?" An echoing youthful voice that sounded so loud it seemed to originate from inside his ear.

---

The sound of knocking would soon fill the mirror room as the phantom knocking had mixed with Tenma's own knocking of prodding. Though there seemed to be no reaction from the room as nothing had happened immediately after his own testing. In fact, it felt like time was starting to flow slower as if it was dragging out this moment for Tenma.

Then suddenly there would be a huge shift in the room as time would resume with a crash as the wall in front of Tenma would start to shift, but so would the one behind him. The one that was behind him would be the first to reveal what was behind it as a simple door made of wood had suddenly appeared.

However, the other side was a bit slower and at first, it seemed like you couldn't quite tell what it was at first but then a vague image would start to appear. It looked like it was still glass, but there was an image on the other side. It was still blurry at fading in, but would Tenma stay to view, or would he examine the door instead?

---

The book that Noir had picked up was a book on traps, whether it was irony or fate it would be an interesting read. It seemed to mostly talk about simple things, tripwire darts, pitfalls, and the likes. What was more interesting was their claims on protecting treasures important to their owners.

However, as Noir would have this book to look at and a few others on random topics there was something more likely to catch her attention. There were a few more books that fell from the case if she went to look at where the books had fallen she would be met with quite the sight, glowing golden eyes that would quickly dart away as quickly as they would've been peered into. It moved away quickly and furiously. With it suddenly moving away more books started to fall, moving to follow whatever was on the other side, especially as it got closer to a corner.

With Noir surrounded by books, a door on one side and a mysterious stranger on the other side she would have to decide which of the three was more interesting to her.

---

With the deafening silence taking over everything it might've been hard to notice when there were any changes in the world around Zubaidah. In fact, there had been one major one within the time she had been bathing. Though if she had noticed it or not something would soon bring her attention to it. The water would surprisingly shoot up like a geyser and begin raining down upon the bathing dancer.

Through the water in front of her there was a door at the large room, it wasn't more than a quick jog away, though the rain from the geyser seemed to keep the warm relaxing rain drizzling down upon her. With the door appearing there was something likely more grave that would take Zub's notice the moment she might look upon it. At the back of the room where the cubbies had been, there was nothing more than stools with buckets of water next to them. Now not only was the cubbies gone, but so were her clothes that she had put into them.

---

As Hyperion would decide to light the darkness around him he would soon find himself face to face with more of the same mind games the dungeon had played with him before. The darkness had completely vanished as so did his apparent prison as he would fall down from the air. It wouldn't be obvious to him what had happened, but what would be is that he was in a seemingly much different area than he thought he had been.

He was standing in front of an altar with pews that were facing towards them and at the other end of the hall, there was a large ornate door that was decorated with wreaths of flowers. There was mournful music in the air, but there was no apparent source of it whatsoever. Was this another mystery, or had he figured out the secret to where he had been trapped? The easiest way to figure out would be through the room he found himself in now. Would the door lead him out of here, or would he be met with more trickery at the whims of the dungeon?

Hyperion was released from his coffin as he lit his pole, smothering the burnt tip against the ground. The mood and setting seemed to make it seem as if he were released from a coffin to his funeral. The wreathed door being an obvious target for the motivated Hyperion to travel and continue forward.

He would move forward, putting his dagger and pole away. He would look down the aisles a couple at a time on each side. Hyperion made no effort to discern the location of the tragic music. However as soon as he stood at the threshold, he became acutely aware of his error with patience. Hyperion would turn around, looking to see if he was missing anything.

The one eyed man would observe his surroundings once more, his knocking was being copied but it seemed there was nothing else happening after that. “Hm…” He put a hand on his waist as he relaxed himself, wanting to spend some more time thinking on what he should do next. But a sudden change made Tenma stand straight, he became more cautious as he watched the shift in the room. He would be able to see that the mirror behind him revealed a wooden door, while the one in front of him was still blurry.

The swordsman would step back, trying to place himself in the middle of the room, at this point if there was another bang on the mirror while he turned around, then he would be used to it and he would ignore it calmly. He would turn his body now, facing the door which could be his only way out but for some reason, he was more interested to wait for what that slowly fading glass would show. He could see an image, but it was hard to tell what kind of image it was showing because it was still blurry. “Better wait for a little bit more for that one while I'm here…” He would murmur to himself as he turned around towards the slowly fading mirror. The swordsman would bring his arms together, crossing them as he waited for what would happen next.

After she memorized the content of the book, she would place it on the floor for now, thinking she might go back here again to help put the book to its original shelf. That book was also interesting to be honest, and very useful much to her surprise although it was talking about traps. Noir, who was already very cautious after the last crash sound,, would be quick to see towards the source of another crash sound. She would notice more books falling for some reason and she would go to take a look, still thinking that perhaps the fallen book could be a clue for something. But surprisingly, she would notice a pair of glowing golden eyes nearby and whatever that was, it quickly darted away as if it wanted to run away from the magician.

The magician was going to chase the owner of the golden eyes, but more books would fall from the case, making Noir’s little heart pain a little bit, worried that the fall might damage the book. But she had to make a tough decision, she had to chase whatever that was. Funnily enough, as she chased that certain something with her exceptional speed, she would call it, thinking it was the librarian. “Excuse me, are you the librarian? How can you let the book fall and not even take care of them first!” She would say with a rather strong tone towards whatever she was chasing, a rather rare sight to see the usually stoic magician getting a little bit worked up like that. The magician would keep following the stranger until she cornered it at the other side, although she would be careful, she didn’t want to hurt or scare anyone.

Trait:

The old man would turn as he heard a door being jostled in an attempt to open it. The thing trying to open the door was not being so gentle at it either, they seem determined to get through the door. He would notice as well that more of the benches had been knocked over while he was observing the door. This really did not settle well for the substitute teacher, it was almost as if some unseen attacker was trying to attack the classroom. Since there was no one else from his group he would begin to swell up in size, his body rippling as his frail body begins to become a larger muscular figure. He would position himself in front of the door where the noise came from. He would slam his right fist straight through the door hoping to hit whatever was on the other side.

Frustration was beginning to simmer underneath, but neither peep nor whine gave air to such egregious offenses. Luckily, the subtle draw of all sound from the very plane was just the esoteric touch he need to pack in the rage.

From his throat rumbled a contemplative hum, one which would, at the very least, attempt to depart his closed lips before casting few words to his ethereal playmate, "That's rather presumptuous of you." However, he remained still like the silk strings that now relaxed in their luxurious, golden frame. The very same frame he'd look upon thoughtfully as he attempted to spot the speaker within its diluted reflection. A canny ploy, but easily rendered obsolete. "Pray tell your rules, and maybe I'll indulge you."

Within the vast pool, Zubaidah could feel herself truly relax. As the waters enveloped her body, her mind became free to wander. How long could she stay here? Would she ever find somewhere as peaceful? Did she truly want to leave?

    But she knew this was not meant to be. Whatever this was, whether challenge or reward, she had to continue along her given path. Indeed, she saw the waters rise in agreement, revealing a new door. She looked towards where she had placed her clothes, and sighed when she noticed there were not there. This was truly not somewhere she could stay, was it? It was time she leave, and return upon her chosen path. Prepared for whatever she might meet, she opened the door and entered in.

Rattled was one way to describe Menat as she stood center-stage, the formless clapping bouncing around from spot to spot all around her. Yet if she had to pick a label for herself it'd be panicked. The moment she shouted at the invisible entity, her roaring voice echoing like every other sound as it carried off into the void, another clap was her only reward. Followed by yet another. Multiple claps that had evolved into a round of applause which was soon joined in by laughter. Laughter directed at her as far as she felt. The embarrassment and humiliation the young Princess felt as she was laughed at by a crowd that had yet to make itself visible was deep enough she could likely drown in it.

She wanted to react, to shout at the faceless sounds once more and demand they stop making a fool out of her. But a thought had crossed her mind. The laughter had started after she first yelled which she had only done after she had been provoked by the sudden clap behind her head. It was obvious that getting mad wasn't going to do her any good and would more than likely just fuel the laughter. Withdrawing her spear from her back the eldest of the Meridian royal children did her best to take a calming breath before simply taking a seat in the middle of the stage. Despite her best attempts at calming herself down she still felt her face completely red with the embarrassment of being mocked. She focused heavily on her own breathing, feeling as if doing nothing would eventually provoke those who had been provoking her to act. As she sat silent and motionless she would keep her ears open, as the saying goes, and pay attention to the rows of seats all around her. Perhaps she'd be able to pinpoint a source with her superior senses if she just focused hard enough.