Once everyone arrived at Perlington Castle, the Queen, and Princess Murasakiiro greeted them in the halls. Guards zoomed all over the castle grounds, searching for ‘intruders’ that may have broken in. As much as they wanted to catch up, there was much to discuss, so they got straight to the point.

“It’s good to see you again.” The Queen started. “However, I’m afraid you caught us at a dire time.”

“Yeah, we’re aware.” Midoricha pointed out. “We know these ‘rogues’ snuck in here, but they might’ve checked the corridors.”

“That’s the last place we’ve checked. We normally save those for last resorts, but you may be right; they could be using our portal room without our permission.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Benjamin asked.

“You have a habit of saying the same things, do you?” Bridget said wryly.

“That’s not my intention though!”

Murasakiiro and her mother led the group toward the dimension portal room. Bridget never thought she’d be back here again, but for a different reason this time. Benjamin stared in awe at the possible ‌locations he could conquer, similar to the ones from the door dimension he stumbled across last year. Eris ushered for the rest to comb through one portal at a time and call out to them when someone found a lead for their missing familiars.

Many portals, including bubbles, surfaced from the cauldron. It took them many minutes to search high and low. Harry, Chi-Chi, and Scarlet could’ve been in any of the visionary worlds displayed in front of them.

As Bridget walked around the hollow area, one portal caught her attention. The vision showed a woman that looked similar to her. She was taller and had her dark-brown hair in a braid. Bridget couldn’t picture the face, but recognized the black and purple witch-like outfit from a distance.

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No, it can’t be... Bridget took a step back and nearly caught her breath. Her eyes darted around the room. Nobody paid attention to her at the moment, prompting her to sigh. Nothing to worry about. It must be–

“Hey, I found it!” Benjamin’s excitement snapped Bridget out of her thoughts as she turned to find him near a specific portal.

The rest of the group huddled around him, nearly blocking Benjamin’s view. There, Harry, Chi-Chi, and Scarlet floated on through a candy-colored forest. It was faint and blurry, but they could tell who it was. The color palettes contrasted with all the pink and purple surrounding them.

“Huh?” Midoricha tilted his head in confusion. “What’s that place supposed to be?”

“I have no idea,” Murasakiiro responded, lowering her head.

The Queen gasped, catching everyone’s attention as they turned to face her.

“That’s the Glistening Timberlands,” she replied. It may look harmless on the surface, but that place is dangerous.”

“What does it matter?” Benjamin retorted.

“Hey, watch your mouth!” Gurenji warned him. “You’re talking to the Queen, you know!”

“But I still need to get my familiars back!”

“Same here,” Eris added, pointing toward the portal. “I also need to get new materials.”

“It won’t be long now,” Bridget said, clasping her hands. “Soon, we can finally get back to classes.”

“Oh, you have your class, too,” Benjamin said. “If you want, you can stay behind so you don’t miss out on—”

“Whoa, hold up. Who said I was going to abandon you guys now?” Bridget asked, slack-jawed.

“It’s fine, this is my problem, and I have my teach—”

“But I came here ‘cause I wanted to help you out. We’re doing this together.”

“Thanks, Bridget.”

“When you guys are ready, head inside,” The Queen told them. When you have what you need, we can send you back afterward. Got it?”

“Got it,” Benjamin replied.

“Ok, now please be careful.”

“Don’t worry; we will.”

Benjamin, Bridget, and Eris thanked the Pilkons for their help before facing the portal. Fire in their eyes, they stepped forward without looking back.