"That's some heavy-duty mana manipulation." Ash commented.

"Hence why WE'RE all staying behind." Vincent said.

"All right, then." Lindsay said, approaching the gateway.

"....guess we're going, then." he said further, looking at Vanessa.

"...." he was silent, and then looked at Syraene.

"Any warnings?" he asked.

"....right then." Lindsay responded.

"I'm as ready to go as I'll ever be." he said.

"Just as another warning, the trip through the gate maaaaaay be a tad uncomfortable." Leo commented.

"As in Jaden and Sydney's portals, uncomfortable?" Lindsay asked.

"As in 'feel like you're being compacted by tonnes of sand' uncomfortable." Leo clarified.

".................you ready to go?" Lindsay merely asked Vanessa, after a period of silence.

Lindsay followed shortly after, and sure enough, he immediately felt like his entire being was being compressed. He felt like the sand surrounding him would crush him into a tiny mess of a ball... before it suddenly lifted, and he found himself on the other side of the gateway.

"...ugh." he grunted.

"Feeling like your insides are being twisted is one thing, but THAT was uncomfortable." he growled.

"Right." he muttered.

"Onto... looking for Chronos." he said, checking to see where Vanessa was.

"I've... heard rumours." Lindsay replied.

"By that, I mean casual conversations with Leo." he clarified.

"There's supposed to be a doorway here. But it seems to open at random." he went on.

"Also, its location changes." he muttered.

"So we have very little info, but maybe enough to start looking."

Lindsay paused for a moment, his hands tightening into fists for a brief moment.

He gnashed his teeth as well for a few seconds, before he forcibly swallowed the anger he was feeling, exhaling in a long, drawn-out breath.

"Indeed." was all he responded with, before he started to walk.

"I suppose I would be." he then agreed.

"We're looking for any doorways with strange markings on them." he told her. "They're subtle, but if we find them, THAT'S the doorway that will lead to Chronos." he went on.

"...supposedly." he added.

"Very well." Lindsay replied.

As they walked, they saw the disarray that the Order was in.

People were arguing more violently than ever, some were even actually fighting physically. Some were holed up in corners, looking to be terrified, while others seemed unaffected... yet. They were merely confused and/or scared.

"....this is terrible." Lindsay said as they walked.

"I never thought the Order could fall into such... well... chaos." he commented.

"No wonder nobody or nothing is getting any rest or sleep."

The person she had grabbed was almost paralyzed with fear.

"I... I didn't mean to!" he exclaimed.

"Hey!" the one that shoved him suddenly said.

"This is OUR fight." they told Vanessa.

"Stay out of it!"

"Ah... ah..." Lindsay stammered.

"Maybe... maybe we should... should just... let things be." he suggested.

"We... we have things we need to do." he reasoned.

"And stay out of other people's-" the man started to say, before Lindsay grabbed his collar. It was tight, it was threatening, but it wasn't... harsh.

"You shoved him into her." Lindsay said calmly.

"You have no right to get indignant." he went on.

"Apologize, take your business elsewhere, and we'll all just move on." he offered, trying to remain cool, but inside he was scared of Vanessa right now.

The man was silent, and gulped audibly.

"....right." he responded quietly.

"Y-y-y-yes ma'am." he responded.

"And YOU will learn not to be rude to people that don't deserve it, yes?" Lindsay asked the one he was holding.

"...r-right." the male responded.

With that, Lindsay set him down, and the two of them scurried away, obviously shaken.

"....ngh." Lindsay grunted.

"I hate rude people."

Lindsay was silent, before sighing.

"Hm." he mumbled.

He then quickly followed, making his way down the hall as well, looking for what they could find.

'This place seems... off.' he thought.

'I can feel the darkness surrounding it.' he thought further.

"Let's hope we don't get into another altercation." he muttered.