A strange noise echoed in the dark void of my mind. It was akin to a metallic clank of a gear combined with the telltale sound of my TARDIS traveling through time. But that could not be possible, unless Ananta decided to well drive herself but even if that were possible, where would she go? The eerie sound was suddenly silenced as I drifted closer to consciousness…
I groaned as pain coursed through my head when I tried to get up. Slowly I leaned against a nearby table for support and ran a shaking hand through my hair. Wait, I have a hand? After a moment my brain finally caught up to the rest of me and I became aware of my now human form. A shattered mirror nearby only confirmed my new appearance, but how could this even happen? I did not regenerate, or if I had, it was the least painful regeneration I have experienced yet. Walking felt very awkward for a moment as I hobbled unsteadily around the room I was in looking for clues as to where I was and how I had gotten here. It appeared to be an old manor of some sort, and it was either abandoned or in despite need of repair judging from the less than productive ceilings job of preventing the rainfall from drenching everything inside. After finding my bearings in the near pitch black room, I slowly made my way out the doorway. A gust of wind swirled around me and a piece of faded parchment collided with my face. Despite its apparent age, I could still make out the message.
Dear Doctor,
You may be wondering how you came to this place and for what reason, and I assure you it is an important one. You see, though you will no doubt come to a decision as to what path you will take in due time, I am afraid that the universe does not have that time. And while yes you can manipulate much of time itself due to your Time lord heritage, circumstances have reached the point where your little respites in your TARDIS are no longer an option. And so I have taken the liberty of opening your mind to this place. While your body remains in the dimension you have left it, your mind now resides within the confines of a world founded upon the state of your sanity. Your task is to traverse these halls to the Inner Sanctum where I await you. I suppose you should know that you will be released from this world upon my death, though I hope it will not come to that. I warn you that while you have escaped the physical changes of your corruption, it is very real in this world and has taken the form of a dark shadow in the likeness of the one who corrupted you. Know that you cannot fight it here, at least not directly. As you make choices upon your morals and face a few challenges here and there, it is my hope that you will learn not only your identity but your chosen path in life as well. My finial piece of advice is this, pay close attention to the ones you trust, as they shall provide the strength that he never had. And that strength could very well be your saving grace in such a place as this.
I await our meeting in the Inner Sanctum,
Midnight Page
My hands shook from the realization that I was trapped here, in this strange world of my mind without my sonic screwdriver, without my TARDIS, I didn’t even have an assistant to share this burden. But perhaps this time I shouldn’t have anything to lean on, after all I am being forced to learn about who I truly am. Still the fear inside me heightened the creak of every step onto the aged wooden planks. I was not sure why, but had a strange feeling that I should head toward the source of the water. Eventually I came across a door labeled Archives. Finding no reason not to, I quickly opened the door and saw an unsettling image before me. A decaying corpse lay under piles of what seemed to be broken bottle of aged whiskey. Resisting the urge to gage, I moved on to the next room that held a lit furnace. Decaying books lay scattered around it and a part of me worried about a potential fire hazard. As I was moving the books (many of which fell apart in my grasp) a good distance away, I noticed a particular book on a small table near the furnace that was left open to a page describing various tools the writer deemed necessary for survival any ware. The section focused primarily on the usefulness of tinderboxes to light the way while exploring unknown locations. Figuring it was sound advice I helped myself to the small bundle of tinderboxes near the dead man’s side. Finding nothing else of interest, I decided to explore the next room. Within that room a candle was lit upon an old desk. What caught my eye however was the lantern that rested upon the edge of the desk. A note beside the afore mentioned lantern read,
“Your guiding light though darkest of times. Never waste its precious gift as it is the key to preserving not only your sanity in this world, but your heart as well. Think of the oil it requires as the emotions and morals within your heart. Should the darkness inside you spread beyond and corrupt what remains of your inner light, you will become nothing more than the shadow of the shadow that hunts you even now.”
Despite the cryptic notes warning, I immediately poured the abnormally bubbly oil into the lantern to check its functionality. With the golden glow of the lantern’s light brought clarity to the shifting room and I noticed an off lever on the far side of the adjacent wall to my left. After a brief struggle, I managed to pull it down and a concealed door slowly opened near me. I quickly snuffed out my lantern and entered the new room. But as soon as I passed the threshold of the doorway, the scream of young woman made me jump back in reflex. Before I could investigate the source of the scream however, a crushing void defeated my willpower and everything faded to black…
(Authors Note: A few things you should know before you go any further is a few events I have changed due to both my personal preferences as well as for the story itself. For now the most important one is that after Twilight’s suicide attempt, she was transported to an asylum (this will be explained later) that is secretly run by the Master. And so obviously the Doctor never came by to comfort her, though he is not aware of her current location, he only knows she is at a location in which she is being cared for. He chooses not to go and comfort her out of guilt of being a cause of her suicide attempt in the first place. Most of everything else that has happened in the cannon Doctor Whooves storyline has happened and I will try to mention any important changes I have made as the Doctor progresses.)