The Doctor whimpered in panic and scowled at his cowardice. His head shot around in all four directions and his vocal chords only struck the words "River!" Nothing but the deafening silence returned his call and a look of worry flashed his face. He brought two fingers towards his neck and loosened his bowtie. Breathing slowly to show no panic, he scanned the red barren desert. He brought his hands towards his mouth. "River!" He shouted even louder. The Doctor stumbled and looked at the blue book innocently lying on the ground. He frowned at it as if it personally insulted him and plucked it from the ground. He stared longingly at the book and blinked. The future, his future laid there, vulnerable and almost exposed in the palms of his hands. He gripped the book tightly and scrunched his face in deep concentration, but curiosity got the better of him. The Doctor opened the book and flicked through the first few pages, skimming through the adventures he'd already had with his wife: his wedding, his so-called "death" at Lake Silencio, the Silence, the Pandorica, the crash of the Byzantium… His eyes widened after that. Where were the rest of the pages? Surely, there were more… He frantically flicked through the diary and muttered under his breath. The remaining of the pages was blank - The rest of his future was blank. Does that mean…?

No.

He caught something at the corner of his eye. Words that were once written in the diary were disappearing. The Doctor gaped at this miraculous apparition. The black ink was gradually fading away revealing nothing but a blank page. The potential future River wrote about was fading… Immediately, the Doctor's head shot up and he saw the glass dome that encased the Citadel of his home. All he could do was run towards the city. After all, where can he go?

An enormous structure loomed up ahead, a tall building. Dozens of smaller buildings surrounded the largest one as they were all encased under a giant transparent dome. The Doctor looked around. What was once his home planet, his beautiful red home, the 'Shining world of the Seven Systems' on the Continent of Wild Endeavour in the Mountains of Solace and Solitude was nothing more than a mere pile of rubble and blood. The place was deserted and not even a single rodent stirred in the eerie silence. Even plant life here on Gallifrey was extinguished. The Doctor perched on the ground, grabbed a handful of red dust and let the dust blow in the chilly breeze. He scrunched his eyes, but it wasn't enough to remove himself from the horrors of the Time War. At once, he bounced back up and straightened his bowtie. He blinked as a wave of nostalgia hit him seeing an all too familiar scenery with a tree bearing a wooden swing from its branch surrounded by the fields of red grass. Memories of his academy days poured into his mind; the obnoxious laugh of the Rani, the constant yawns of Drax, the refreshing smell of fruit wafting in the classroom ten minutes before class dismissal and the many pieces of the academy memories puzzle made the Time Lord smile a little. He turned around and instantly recognized the next building. He gaped at the academy building itself. Portions of the building were destroyed, but the majority remained in tact. The Doctor glanced inside a circular window and smiled again seeing one of his classrooms. The memory of the annoyed sigh of his favourite teacher Azmael after catching the Doctor make a tiny dent in 1972 Earth flashed in his mind and he silently chuckled. The Doctor walked around the building, edging around fallen rocks and debris. If he still wasn't mistaken…

Yes.

The Doctor lifted a wooden plank from a wall to reveal a secret hideout he used to congregate in with the Master if they got into trouble. The Master… He sighed at the painful memories. In the distance, he noticed the fourth building from the left of the church.

That's right.

It was his home, the very building he lived, ate, played, breathed and it aged with red dust piled upon its roof. He hesitated, but dared not to precede any further. A portion of his life remained on this planet and the Doctor, no matter how hard he found it, tried to lock those memories behind metaphorical doors in his mind for seven hundred excruciating years of his life. Instead, he continued towards the largest building of them all – the Capitol. He grew wary with every step he took. The more silent it became, the more imaginary sounds the Doctor heard, so he fiddled his bowtie to get his mind off the growing paranoia.

He approached the grand hall and gazed at the familiar surroundings. All of a sudden, a booming sound of cheering was heard from within the depths of the building, halting the Doctor's train of thought. Already, his mind jumped to countless dreadful conclusions and there was no doubt one of them was correct. The Doctor sprinted into a corridor, panting from the physical and mental strain. He winced as he suddenly experienced a tingly sensation followed by the feeling of the weight of a thousand universes and time streams squeezing his head. He fought off the pain as from corridor to corridor; the sound was leading towards that dreaded room. The Doctor burst into the two majestic doors and staggered into the enormous room. He leaned on the doorframe and clutched his aching head. He looked up, glaring all the way across the long table of shocked Time Lords who sat by the side. His glower landed on none other than the President himself.

"Rassilon."