[https://img.wattpad.com/story_parts/1363602206/images/1772c0689dc42322928652613699.png]
Sophie stepped into the Dimension Room and closed the door behind her.
She looked around for the others, but the whole place seemed to be empty. She felt the lantern move in her hand, slowly slipping from her grasp and floating up towards the center of the ceiling.
She turned around to look at door number one [https://img.wattpad.com/1a2669c3ccbbd2cf35a5bb9137e4c3e9a7eb14ad/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f545967357a35376f4b53565062673d3d2d313336333630323230362e313737326330343163323134663763633333353536383031363031322e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
She turned around to look at door number one. What should she do now? Should she go back through and try to find the others?
She looked around the room one extra time. There really wasn't anyone around. Would it be better to wait for the others to come back, or should she go looking for them? She paced around the Dimension Room, running through the options in her mind. She did know how she was supposed to get back now, so she could always go searching in the White Desert and then try something else if she couldn't find anyone there.
She walked over to the door and grabbed the door handle, but she couldn't turn it. Sophie tried with all her might, but for all the good it did, the handle might as well have been stuck directly onto a rock wall. It didn't budge an inch.
Odd, Sophie thought. It opened so easily last time.
She tried forcing it even harder. She even pushed her leg up against the wall to get leverage, but it didn't help. Puzzled, she lay down on the floor, resting her legs against the door. Why wouldn't it open?
"Door's locked," she concluded dejectedly. But why??
"Once the door's challenge has been completed, the same person can't reopen it. Each door has its own challenge." The talking book came floating down, hovering above Sophie's head.
"Is that why I can't get in?"
"Did the door open when you tried it?" the book asked back.
Oh right. She'd forgotten that she couldn't ask the book any questions. She'd have to say something she knew was true and which was related to the thing she wanted answers about.
"I was separated from my classmates when we walked through the first door."
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
"Each of the challenges has its own rules about how many people are allowed to attempt the challenge together. For the first door, the limit is one."
"So the first door separated us all so that we could all attempt the challenge on our own," Sophie concluded. But then why was she the only one who'd come back out?
Luckily she wouldn't need to wonder about that for long, since she'd just absentmindedly spoken a truth.
"Those who think creatively or display inventiveness are often those who finish the challenge first," the book said.
Sophie remembered what Loki had said: That humans were unusually creative compared to magical beings. Was that why she had been the first one to make it through? Had no one else been able to figure out the challenge yet? And how long would she need to wait for them? She did feel a bit proud of being the first one to figure out the solution, but apart from that, it wasn't really a great situation for her.
She turned her head to look towards the Dimension Door. On the other side, Nimum was probably still fighting that ice troll and the strange, hooded monsters. She couldn't just stay there and do nothing. Even if the book had implied that you might not need to enter the other doors alone, she had to move on.
Door number two was next. Painted on it was a bird seen in profile. The bird wasn't flying, but walking on its short legs with its wings tucked behind its back.
Sophie got up from the floor and was just about to take a step forward when door number one was flung open and hit her right in the face.
Sophie got up from the floor and was just about to take a step forward when door number one was flung open and hit her right in the face [https://img.wattpad.com/4a40d1062964760aed2e50ba6e89641a6fbb6b64/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f644877525f6a717a514c664144773d3d2d313336333630323230362e313737326330343865646433656362643739373139333030373937372e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"OW!" Sophie clutched her nose.
"Well, that's a dumb place to be standing, Soph."
She looked up and saw Trom staring at her. "Trom! You figured out the desert riddle!" Sophie exclaimed excitedly.
Trom just looked at her. "You mean the thing about the heavens showing the way and the light in the darkness and all that?"
She nodded.
"It wasn't that hard. And the lantern was pretty easy to recognize," Trom said. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, but then just stared confusedly at his hand like he was missing something. "Where'd the lantern go? And where's everybody else?"
Sophie said in a loud and clear voice: "Trom's lantern is missing." Luckily, the book wasn't far away, so it came back to give them their answer.
"The objects behind the doors can only be brought through once. So any copy of an object that has already been retrieved will disappear when the wielder steps through the door."
"I guess that explains it," Trom said, still looking at his hand with a look of disappointment. "But what happened with you, Soph?"
It took Sophie a few minutes to explain everything. She wanted to make sure she didn't leave out any details.
"So we're the only ones who've solved the first door's challenge?" Trom asked.
"Yeah. So I guess now we should move on to the next door and take on the second challenge together," Sophie explained.
Trom shrugged. "Great. So I guess it's all up to us then."
- Next chapter will be out on Monday the 24th of July [https://img.wattpad.com/6c7556dc3b561c18b80d6425666ebed3f2ce530a/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f5345462d4d3232757148446655513d3d2d313336333630323230362e313737326330346364393364623166373837343039363139393132392e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]