"How did Time make it all the way out here?" I asked. "Did you know about this place?"
"Well, it was on our list. At the very bottom. Hence why we didn't mention it earlier," Dream replied.
Every time we reached a new world in our search for Time, each carefully written down on a piece of paper by Dream, she and her twin would perform a series of what I could only assume were tracking spells, looking for traces of the Time Master. Every time, we'd come up empty.
"I do wish I had Soul's knack for finding energy signatures," Nightmare said. "I bet I would've found something by now."
"It doesn't really matter," Dream assured him. "If the tracks in one place have faded, it means he hasn't been there in a long time. We need to feel him. Really feel him."
"Do you feel him here?" I asked.
She shot me a cold stare. "Not yet. Don't rush me."
"We are running out of time!" I replied, overwhelmed by exasperation.
The last time we'd spoken to Seeley and Taeral, they were still scouring the oldest parts of the In-Between, looking for Death and the Spirit Bender. I had yet to think of a way in which a First Tenner like Spirit could've literally abducted Death, but I didn't exclude the possibility. The Soul Crusher had made a point of underlining that one of his kind could pull such a thing off with the right resources.
It made more sense than Death leaving smack in the middle of a war with the elements.
"I think we should make our way to that fortress," Nightmare suggested. "I've got a good feeling about this place."
Dream exhaled sharply. "You'd better. It's our last known location. We've reached the end of the list."
"Again, I ask, how did he make it all the way here?" I asked.
"Time was always an explorer," Dream explained. "He traveled across dimensions with zero restraint, always searching for the edge of the universe. He never found it, but he didn't stop looking. He found the Earthly Dimension, though, as your GASP friends call it. To his surprise, there weren't as many inhabited worlds as, say, in the Supernatural Dimension. So, when he found Astram, he was quite pleased. We all knew about Earth and a few other clusters, but this was a complete novelty for him."
"Mm-hm. I remember how pleased he was when he told us about it," Nightmare added, melancholy drawing a faint smile on his face.
We made our way across the land and entered the castle. To my surprise, there were human-like creatures living here. Their physical similarities were downright striking. The height, the general physiognomy, the way they moved… They spoke in a strange tongue which I didn't immediately recognize. Fortunately, my Reaper mechanism was quick to engage.
All Reapers were gifted with an ability to understand and speak any language in the universe. Every sound, every syllable and accent. Upon adjusting to these new sounds, I realized that the people's concerns here, in this particular structure, revolved around a rather simple way of life.
Their clothes were made of linen, leather, and furs—simple but comfortable, by the looks of them. We walked through the poorer areas of the fortress first, where fires blazed in pits and women were busy preparing cauldrons, filling them with water and all kinds of spices and vegetables.
The men went to war and made sure their people were safe, and the women looked after the place. They reminded me of tribespeople, and they seemed content, as if they'd reached a high point in their society and did not want or wish for more.
"Oh, man, imagine the bad dreams these people must have," Nightmare murmured as we moved through the crowd, unseen and unheard by the living.
"You're not munching on anyone's nightmares. We need to find Time, remember?" I replied. "Speaking of… Anything?"
He gave me a weary look. "Nope."
"Whoa. Yes," Dream said, glancing around with renewed interest. "It's ever the slightest trace, but he was here. More recently than in other places. Hold on."
She dashed across the market square and vanished. Moments later, she appeared at the top of the stairs, which led to the upper parts of the fortress. Nightmare and I followed. Up here, the richer folk dwelled. Their clothes looked better, with layers of velvet and finely crafted brocade. Gold pins adorned the men's chests, and gemstones were sprinkled around the women's necks.
"Up there," Dream said, pointing to the highest point of the fortress.
It looked like a temple of sorts, just above the throne room. In this place, the society was literally layered inside the fortress. At the top was the temple—for their god, I assumed. Right beneath it was the ruler, a king of sorts, perhaps. Upon reaching the throne rooms, I noticed they were open. I could see the regal seat from outside. People probably gathered here, requesting an audience whenever they had needs or concerns. The entire section was heavily guarded by armored swordsmen, but there was no monarch in sight.
Below, the nobility lived. The commoners had been left at the bottom, though none had struck me as miserable in any sense. They didn't know any better, either. They'd yet to emancipate themselves like many had done before them, on Earth.
This isn't Earth.
Still, this civilization's existence begged the question. How had they developed here, in the first place, and with such astonishing similarity? Unlike the Supernatural Dimension and the In-Between, the people of Earth had not gone around exploring. They didn't have the technology or the magic that had been made available through GASP to the supernaturals.
What if the people of Earth had been isolated from the rest of the dimension? Had someone put these creatures here, on Astram? What were the odds that such similar civilizations would grow, almost simultaneously, on different planets so far apart from one another?
I'd have to answer these questions later. The pinnacle of our journey was within our reach, as we made our way up the last steps and stopped in front of the temple's round, polished pillars.
"Oh, now I feel it," Nightmare said, giving his sister a surprised glance.
"What do you feel?" I asked, already on the edge of my seat. Had we finally found the Time Master?
"Our brother," Dream said. "He was here, beyond a shadow of a doubt."
The temple towered above us in shades of charcoal and limestone gray. It felt cold and empty, but I knew it wasn't. A Reaper had passed through here, not that long ago—I didn't sense it myself, but the looks on Dream’s and Nightmare's faces told me everything I needed to know.
We were getting closer to finding the Time Master.
Kelara
"I'm surprised there are other human-like creatures out here," I said.
The three of us stood before the temple's pillars, not enough courage between us to go inside. I couldn't understand why. We were three Reapers, two of us even among the oldest in existence. There was something inside that prevented us from moving right away, but we didn't have the courage to speak up.
"This dimension was once rife with them," Nightmare replied. "Some destroyed others in interstellar wars for dominance. Others destroyed themselves by ruining the ecosystems of their worlds. Earth, as you know it, is not the first instance of humans becoming the dominant species."
