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“…”
“…Taeyou…! Taeyou, wake up!”
Taeyou opens his eyes to a burning grove around him, and a panicked Yuna calling his name. By instinct, he quickly reaches for the spear.
“Wait! I’m the real Yuna!”
“…How am I supposed to know that?”
“Here, pinch my cheek. I’ll pinch yours.”
The two of them pull each other’s cheeks as hard as they can.
“Owowowowowowoww! See? I’m the real person. No disguises here.”
“…Alright. I’ll trust you.” He looks at the grove again, now that his vision is clearer. None of what he's seeing makes sense. “But… where are we?”
Those surrounding them don’t look like trees at all – rather massively overgrown mushrooms and ferns. And the fire that burns doesn’t even look normal – rather, inverted flames that drops embers into the sky above.
“I don’t know either. We might be in some kind of… Wonderland.”
______________________________________
The further they walk, the stranger the world around them becomes.
Pathways seemingly change behind and in front of them with every step. Patches of the red sky fall down and shatter like glass, sometimes landing just a few inches in front of them.
The forest is still burning around them in a range of colors, but they feel anything but hot.
All the animals have seemingly fled. Nothing but the crackling fire can be heard or seen for miles.
“This definitely was the work of Tenebria… But how did she managed to create such a huge and detailed world, even as an illusion?” Yuna mumbled, her eyes still taking in as much of the scenery around her as possible.
“Tenebria… Is that the name of the girl in black?”
“Yeah. She’s one of the Acolytes of the Archdemon, who specializes in illusions. This was far from the first time she attacked Reingar.”
“The Acolytes of the Archdemon… Whoever they are, they must be very powerful beings.” Taeyou ponders only for a moment, then sets his eyes forward again. “Maybe you can tell me more about them later. But right now let’s just focus on getting out of this place.”
“I know, I’m trying. But even my drone up there can’t locate a way out. It’s giving me a completely different map every time I scan. I can’t even trace the signal of -”
Yuna suddenly stops. Something big, wide and white appears out of thin air, right in front of her eyes.
A smile. A big, wide and white smile. A cat slithers out of the shadows, smiling as friendly and helpful as ever.
“My, what do we have here? A couple of lost kids in Wonderland? You picked the wrong time to have a picnic in this forest, I’m afraid.”
“K… Krau!? Is that you!?” Yuna shouted. There’s no mistaking that golden hair of his, but the cat’s expression barely changes.
“Krau? A great name that would be, but I’m no Krau. Here, I’m known as the Cheshire Cat. But Mr. Cat will do just fine.”
“Yuna, you know him?”
“Of course I know him! He’s one of my –” Said “friend” of her had already vanished and reappeared right next to her while she was turning around. “Kyaaa!?”
“You’re so quick to call a stranger your friend, you know. Do you call strangers your family also, just because they look familiar? It’s not good to be so naïve all the time, you know.” The cat circles around Yuna, so quickly as if he could bend himself around her like liquid.
“Can I ask you something, Mr. Cat?”
“Hmm? Go ahead, young boy. I’m a very helpful cat. I can answer anything.”
“Do you know how we can leave this world? We have to return there before a woman called Tenebria destroys everything.”
“Hmm… Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That’s my answer. I told you I can answer anything.” The cat snickers, much to Yuna’s disappointment. Seems like in this world or in her world, Krau can be unserious all the same.
“Come on Taeyou. Let’s go find someone who can help us.”
“Hmmhmm. You’re much more quick-witted than the last bunch of lost adults. I like you already. But, if I may ask, who exactly do you want to ask here? Do you hope to find someone by just bumbling and stumbling through the kingdom and say you’re familiar with them?”
“Well, that’s…”
“Wait, by “kingdom”… You mean there’s a king ruling this place?”
“Well, a queen would be precise. Your Majesty, Queen of Hearts Angelica, would be a good place to start. She did help the last group of lost visitors return to their world, so maybe if you ask nicely –”
“Why didn’t you say that to us from the beginning!?”
“Because you didn’t ask.” Krau laughs to himself, much to Yuna’s increased annoyance. “Here’s something that you might find helpful though: You might want to hurry up.”
“…Why? Is she leaving soon?”
“Hmm… Let’s just say, the Queen has been very busy ever since Alice almost ruined the whole kingdom. Who knows when she will show herself to the public after this.”
“Alice? Do you mean –”
“Tenebria.” Yuna clenches her fist. “It makes sense now. If she had been here before… then this entire world wasn’t created by her, but just an alternate universe where she had already visited and caused chaos. It makes sense now.”
“So her plan is to trap both of us here while she destroys Reingar.”
“…No. I was supposed to be her main target. It’s because I’m an Heir who have thwarted her plans multiple times before. Only I can destroy her.” She remembers the light that sucked her into this world, and the figure that tried to shield her just moments before she lost consciousness. “My Guardian… I don’t know if he’s still back in our world, or he got transported here as well… Where can I find him if he’s here, then…?”
“Yuna.” Taeyou places his hands firmly on Yuna’s shoulders. “Focus on getting out of here, remember?”
“…Taeyou…”
“If your guardian is still in our world, then that’s great. If they got taken in here as well, we’ll find them. Wherever they are, we have to focus on finding a way out first before worrying about the rest. Okay?”
“…”
“…”
Yuna exhales, steadying her breath. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. Mr. Cat, you said that the Queen is coming out of her castle soon?”
The cat nods his head with a wide smile. “Correct! Her soldiers were parading the streets just yesterday, handing out invitations to everyone living in the kingdom. But what exactly does the Queen have in store…”
“…You don’t know, or maybe you do.”
“Kehehe. You catch on quick.”
“How do we get in? Are there still invitations that hasn’t been taken?”
“Hehe… Well, I think you’ll have to fight for it.”
Before the two could ask any more questions, the cat has already slipped into the shadows, having answered all that he is willing to.
“Hey! Come back here! Ugh, are we really going to fight ordinary civilians for a ticket?”
Just then –
“Watch out!”
A missile of warped energy grazes Yuna’s hair. It would’ve went for her head had Taeyou not push her away.
She immediately turns around to where the shot came from. Of course, she thought. Wherever Tenebria goes, there’s always –
“Unknowns.”
Twisted monsters that crawls out of Chaos Gates, a chaotic otherworldly energy running in their bodies that erodes the lands around them into barren wastelands.
“There’s so many of them… How long have they been here?”
“Taeyou, look.” Yuna points to the farthest one from them, holding a slip of paper in its hands. “You think that could be an invitation?”
“Whatever it is…”
Taeyou takes a combat stance. His spear glows with the red of fire.
“We can’t let them wreak havoc.”
“You’re right. Tuna!” Yuna follows, signaling her drone towards the enemy. “Ten percent!”
__________________________________
Carrying an unconscious Adin in her hands, Karin desperately runs to find somewhere safe for them to hide – but insane students are still everywhere, thrashing and screaming.
It’s complete madness everywhere. Students are fighting each other in a nonstop blind rage. Sounds of screaming and blasts of destruction are deafening. A burning, even bloody red is scattered on the walls.
But she must force herself to bare her eyes to all of this to find a way out. There is no time for hesitation. If she stops for even a second… then the chaos will consume her and Adin whole.
“Lieutenant Karin? Where is she running to? Why isn’t she helping us?”
“I knew it! She’s abandoning us like a coward!”
“Who are you looking at? That’s clearly that Acolyte Tenebria! We should run!”
“Hah!? That’s clearly just a lowly thief trying to take the opportunity! After them!”
The more she runs, the more attention she gathers, the more students come after her, giving her more reason to run.
Every room is occupied and destroyed.
Every path is becoming overrun.
All the more reason for her to run.
Even when her head is screaming.
Even when her heart is crying.
Even when her legs are giving up.
She has to run forward, no matter what happens.
She has to run…
…because it’s the only thing she can do.
.
.
.
.
.
…
When she is aware of herself again, she doesn’t know how long she had been running… or even where she is right now.
She could barely move an inch. Her limbs are a moment’s notice from crumbling.
But… at least there’s no more destruction. At least there’s no more bloodshed. At least this room, right next to her, is empty.
At least, for now, they are safe.
...
...
…
…No.
No, this can’t be it.
This can’t be a safe place.
Nowhere is a safe place for them.
The entire school has already plunged into chaos.
Her eyes must be tricking her. Even her hands must be misguiding her.
She must be hallucinating. If so, then she must wake up.
She must wake up.
She must –
“…Karin…Karin…!”
A faint voice calls out to her. It’s Zerato.
But before she could reach out, a frozen chill runs through her body. She jolts up violently, and gasps for air.
“Calm down! You two are okay now!”
She frantically looks around. Walls of ice blocks out all but one path, trapping strands of dark green vine inside, and Destina herself, darkness still radiates from her core and through the thick layers of ice.
“*sigh* Thank the Goddess I was nearby when you two were attacked… Or else you two would’ve been dried out.”
“Adin… Where’s Adin? Where is she!?”
Her delirious eyes finally settles on the girl lying not far away.
Pale, and shivering in cold. The light in her only remains in embers.
“Adin! No, no, no, no, no… Wake up, Adin! Talk to me!”
“Karin, it’s okay! She’s still breathing! I made sure to avoid her with my ice! She just needs to warm up a little!”
But Zerato’s words could not reach Karin. Everything she saw, everything she heard on the way here, the destruction, the madness, the fighting, the bloodshed…
…It’s all coming back to her at once.
“Aaaa… Aaaaaaaaaa…”
Her hands clutches the skin of her face. The nails almost tear it off.
It hurts. It hurts so much.
It’s not an illusion anymore.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
“We need to leave now! The ice is breaking!”
Indeed, the vines behind her starts to slither forward again, and the cursed murmurs leaks out of the cracks in the ice.
But Karin can’t move. She’s too tired from running.
She doesn’t want to run anymore.
____________________________________
“Graaaaahhhhh…!”
Staggered by Yuna’s laser beam, the Unknown monster stops its claw at the last second, allowing Taeyou to approach it.
“Take – this!”
A straight slash upward cuts a line that pierces through the towering monster. When the barrage of lasers and fire settled, every last Unknown have been reduced to ash.
“That should be the last of them.”
“…Taeyou, do you feel anything strange?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been feeling kind of dizzy. Is it because of the Unknown leaking corrupted energy…?”
“Hmm… I don’t feel anything strange…”
At that moment, Yuna collapses to the ground.
“Yuna! What’s wrong!?”
“I… don’t know… I just felt light-headed all of a sudden…”
Ding-dong! Your time is running out, better make it quick! Hehehe!
The voice ringing inside her head hits her every nerve, and she jolts from the ground, aiming wildly at the area behind her. It was Tenebria’s voice, no mistaking.
“Where are you hiding!? I should’ve expected that you’d still linger around here!”
“Yuna, calm down!”
“Taeyou, you could hear Tenebria’s voice just now, right!? I’m not just hearing things –”
“There’s no one else around here!”
“…”
Yuna turns around quickly, back and forth. There really is no one here but the two of them.
“…Really? It was just an illusion? I was sure it was her though…”
“What did she say to you?”
“She said that my time is running out. She didn’t say how much time I had, just that my time is running out. Typical of her.”
“Sounds like… a curse was placed on you. Wait, would she place the same curse on me?”
“I don’t know. But we’re about to get out of here anyway, right?” Yuna points to the floating card. “Taeyou, take that invitation for me. I still can’t move my legs just yet…”
Taeyou snatches the card floating just above the ground. It hums in his hand with a strange, crimson aura. Almost… sinister.
“Congratulations~~~~~~ It looks like our last contestant has finally showed themselves~~”
Both of them snapped around at the voice’s direction. An entire army of soldiers several hundred strong, clad in red armor checkered with hearts, materialized seemingly out of thin air. On their shoulders is a carriage, similarly decorated with red hearts, and though neither of them could see the person behind the veil, Yuna is certain from her drowsy tone that that’s –
“Queen Angelica!”
“Oh my! A stranger like you knew my name already? I didn’t expect my name to spread so far outside of this kingdom! But, I’m afraid I don’t know yours…”
“We’re Yuna and Taeyou! There’s this girl named Alice that trapped us here so she can destroy our world! Do you know how can we return as quickly as possible before she does so?”
“Hmmmmm… Alice…?” The Queen scratches her head, before snapping her fingers. “Oh, I know Alice! That girl turned my whole kingdom upside down the last time she came here! It was sooooo tiresome getting my kingdom back together after that…”
“Yeah, it’s that girl! We need your help –”
“That’s why I came up with a brilliant idea! To find the strongest person in the entireeeee kingdom that will stand up and help me protect it should she ever come back here again!”
She then turns toward the invitation in Taeyou’s hands. “And it looks like you will be participating, young boy. Guards, take him away~”
With another snap of fingers, a pair of guards hold Taeyou up by his arms and drag him away.
“Wait! We don’t have time for this! We have to return to our world –”
“Yes, yes, I heard you the first time~ You can tell me about it again when you win the tournament, okay? I can be forgetful sometimes~” Queen Angelica brushes Taeyou’s protests aside. “I hope that you’ll put your all into this…”
“Because you’ll be executed if you quit or lose. Understoooooood?”
The sudden distortion in the Queen’s voice sends shivers down Yuna’s spine – but aside from her and Taeyou, none of the guards even react to the shift.
“W-Wait, why are you – Hey! Put me down!” Yuna could barely get the words out before she’s seized, her words similarly ignored.
“Your Majesty! What about the girl here?”
“Hmm… She seems like a good friend of the boy here… Let’s let her have a good view of the show. We should still have plenty of seats left, right?”
“Of course, Your Majesty!”
“Then that’s settled! Let’s all return to the Arena! The opening ceremony is about to start!”
And so, the Queen and her guards return towards the kingdom, carrying with them their last unwilling attendees to the tournament.
A tournament that they will enter with their lives at stake.
“Don’t worry, I won’t waste your precious time~ Just make sure to survive until the end, okay?”