A crack, like thunder, before the flash of lightning.That’s what Alice remembered.
The Queen of Hearts. Her mythical blade. A clash of vorpal steel.That’s what Carroll remembered.
The Queen of Diamonds, run through, and shot down once more.That’s what they remembered.
The rest, a hazy memory; fractured and scattered, in disparate parts. Fingers reached out, clawing at the glittering shards; cutting flesh with regret to bone, and releasing them all to the pain of loss...
Losing a fight.
Losing a war.
Losing a kingdom.
Losing... self.
Losing...
the right to lose.She took even that, the capricious she-devil... daughter of the Demon Lord.
Truly, the Queen of Hearts.
"
GEH!!!" Alice awoke with a start, her eyes scanned the area, as her hands reached for her living blade. Eyes barely adjusted, but she knew the light streaming in was indicative of society - caves didn’t shore up their entrances with sliding doors, after all. Finding her blade, she rose to her feet, and looked around the shrine -
Humans. A better hand than could have been... - before the door sudden slid to the side. A man stood with the simplest of greetings, and the boldest of claims:
"Hey there! I am Lord Takeshi Oja and welcome to Shizuyama.
Are you sent here by this Lady Kyouko to join the taskforce? Because if so, then you're in luck! You've been successfully teleported to their headquarters.
You know, you look a lot like someone I know."
He
knew her?
"
Carroll..." Alice drew the blade, "
Nozarashi"
"
Right, right... no rest for the wicked..." groused the Sword Devil, as she was drawn from her shikomizue scabbard in the form of a massive hatchet.
"
Tempo...." Alice set her feet, and both hands on the handle, “"
Allegro!"
Lunatea soon arrived afterwards. Just like Takeshi, she didn't quite recognize the girl she was looking at either.
"Yes, have I seen you before?" She crunched her eyebrows. "You look familiar…"
"Well, whoever you are, welcome to the Taskforce. I am Lunatea vern Farnsworth." She walked up to her and offered her hand.
Alice narrowed her eyes, as she winced -
Why... this pain... - before recovering, and drawing back her arms in a massive, overhead cleave. "
Hatc-hit!" she shouted, slamming Carroll into the floor; ending Luna's approach in an instant, and coated the air with dust like a smokescreen. '
Prowl...'
Suddenly, Alice's Demonic Energy vanished, replaced by her Spirit Energy, and fading into the dust. Luna was forced onto her heels out of the blue, and had to rely on her ears to pull movement out of the dust.
However, the Mana that had shifted from Demonic to Human was eerily familiar...
...as was this reaction to her.
"What the—" The wererabbit jumped back when the newcomer swung her sword. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?!"
The room was now filled with dust, blinding the wererabbit from her surroundings. Kneeling down on her heels, she could only rely on her sharp ears to figure out any movements obscured from her.
That, and the sudden and abrupt shift in the mana permeating through the room.
What's this? Her demonic mana is gone? And now I'm feeling a human's spirit energy instead…
Wait, I remember this sensation!She stood up, gazing straight towards the newcomer. "You're Alice, aren't you?"
Suddenly, the dust cleared, and revealed the cutting edge of the demonic hatchet was inches from Luna's face. "
How do you know my name..."
Luna gulped, sweat trailing down her face as her gaze was locked at the sharp edge of the hatchet.
"Y-your Spirit Energy… it feels just like hers!"
What is going on here?!"
ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Alice shouted, inching the blade edge forward with a sharp jerk, almost cutting into Luna's cute nose.
"
Oi, oi. Not the nose, now." Carroll groused.
"You were here before!" Luna answered. "Or at least, someone else that has the exact same Spirit Energy like you! She introduced herself as Alice but she looked different from you!"
Impossible... I was... I was just in Wonderland..." Alice says, lowering her blade.
What did she do to me... That bitch..."
Alice looked at Luna,
You are no March Hare. Where the hell am I..."
The wererabbit glanced at Takeshi, hoping for his support in answering her question.
"You're on the Island of Shizuyama, inside the teleportation pagoda. You should've come from the mainland."
"
I came from Wonderland..." Alice says.
I was fighting The Queen of Hearts... then... she stabbed me, and everything went blank... I can't remember anything..."
Takeshi’s heart skipped a beat when Lunatea identified the newcomer as Alice, the same one that apparently went renegade. His mind searched for possible answers, even as he evaded Alice’s attacks alongside the Wererabbit.
When the dusty smokescreen cleared and Alice had her hatchet near Lunatea’s face, Takeshi appeared behind the newcomer and was about to draw his tanto near her neck to make her stop when he noticed something peculiar looking at her back. “Huh?”
A small piece of paper was attached to Alice’s back with a light adhesive. Takeshi, curious, took the note which Alice would undoubtedly feel. “It’s… a letter?” The young lord showed the piece of paper to the girls and the latter saw a huge, single ‘I’ letter written on it. “Oh, there’s a message behind it.”
Hey there, taskforce! Mysterious benefactor here! You might be wondering why Alice and Carroll are acting this way and let me tell you: I have no idea! Alice and Carroll contacted me to return to Wonderland since they’re fed up with Shizuyama and I obliged them. However, something weird happened when they tried to enter Wonderland and they were quickly… spat out, so to say. I have a feeling that came with side effects. Watch out for memory loss or bodily deformities. Maybe just memory loss, though.
P.S. Takeshi is ugly and Shizuka is way more handsome.Takeshi raised an eyebrow at the last line but decided not to dwell on it. “Alice, the last thing you remember is back in Wonderland, right?” He asked the newcomer. “You don’t remember me, or Lunatea, or this place? At all? Lady Kyouko and the taskforce don’t ring any bells?”
"
The last thing I remember is... the final battle of the Kingdom Gerrenson, in the snowy shadow of the Miroe Mountains..." Alice says, "
...everything burning down... melting away... Her sword, Heartbeat...Carroll snarled, as she glowed, and transformed into a
woman that looked better suited to a school than battle.
The only sword to equal me and my sisters..." she crossed her arms.
Not of those names ring bells, plain and simple. Clearly, you know us, but I surely do not know you."
"
...just who are we to you, boy?" Alice turned, and crossed her arms to Takeshi, allowing him to take in
her full body as the light bathed over her.
Takeshi was sullen when it was apparent that Alice and Carroll truly did not know him. A part of him wondered if these two were really the Alice and Carroll he knew but when he looked at this new Alice, the resemblance was there. And her weapon transformed into a person, very much like Carroll. It took a moment for the young lord to answer.
“I… was a friend to you. Same with Lunatea.” Takeshi decided not to tell the whole story of their… complicated relationship. “You were part of a taskforce assembled by Lady Kyouko to help this island, Shizuyama.” He continued to explain. “Your relationship with the taskforce was… strained, but you were with them.”
“But I suppose right now, you know nothing of them. Or me or, anything else really.” Takeshi then sighed before turning to. “Lunatea, what do you think we should do? Alice and Carroll, the original ones, may have come here on their own volition, but these ones haven’t. I don’t want to involve outsiders into a battle they are not aware of, much less have stakes in unless they voluntarily join.”
"
I don't believe you in the slightest..." Alice says, as she fluffed her coat. "
I am the esteemed Queen of Diamonds, I don't do friends," she says, before looking away bitterly, "
Friends die..."
Carroll sniffed the air, and hummed. "
Alice... I think... the Human isn't lying... at least, in full..." she smirked, "
His Mana has been spiking since he realized you and whoever you are to him are one and the same. Specifically..." Carroll raised her hand to her mouth, before making a jerking motion, while pushing her tongue against her cheek. "
Hehehe...~"
"
The lies you tell! Damnable sword! Crude bitch!" Alice snapped, before storming over to Takeshi to sniff him.
At the revelations that were occuring in front of her, Lunatea could only stand there speechless. So, they're technically the same people? But not really? The workings of Wonderland are beyond most monsters, including her. Who knows what could happen in that place?
"You're right," she replied to Takeshi. "It's not right to make them fight if they never really agreed to do so in the first place. Unfortunately, unless we can send them back to the mainland, it will be really difficult to have them not be dragged into combat."
She turned to face Alice and her sword, the latter now having transformed into a humanoid form. "We're here to fight against the Varjans and save the people of this island. If you don't share our goal, then we won't force you to fight. Unfortunately, the Varjans will most likely force you into akfight anyway, thinking you're on our side."
Alice's storming stride paused midstep, and pivoted on her grounded heel, "
Varjans? Force me? Perhaps, you did not hear me..." she says, "
I am the esteemed Queen of Diamonds! There is no force that can subjugate me!" Alice boasted, "
From the sound of it, you need someone capable of subjugation in their own right. Fortunately, for you, I am benevolent to Humans and Mamono alike."
Carroll grunted, "
So, we're raising our swords for another pathetic lot?"
"
Pathetic," Alice smiled, and laughed, "
No, no. It is the same as always," she held out her hand to Carroll, "
I raise my blade against tyranny; destroy the Heart and silence the Heartbeat."
"
Such is the goal..." Carroll says, taking the extended hand in her own. "
It's your lucky day, little Human. You've gained royal aid."
Lunatea didn't expect they would end up agreeing to assist them in the end. She glanced back at Takeshi, waiting for his reaction.
Well, they do look like they can handle themselves in a fight… and we do need all the hands we can get…Still, she would keep an eye on them. Just in case.
Takeshi was blushing, since Carroll managed to identify Alice’s scent on him. Fortunately, Lunatea managed to shift the topic where Alice agreed to help Shizuyama. “Well, I’m glad you’ve decided to fight against Varjan tyranny but…” The young lord scratched the back of his head. “This isn’t going to be a normal liberation, alright? The people of this island and Varjo are once united against… well, you and your kind: The yokai. It’s only recently that this invasion started, so the people here will still be suspicious of you.” He explained.
“All I’m saying is: Don’t expect much gratitude or reverence if you help out.” Takeshi finished. “If you want to back out, that’s all fine with me. And I believe this teleportation circle goes two ways. All we need is a spellcaster to send anyone back to… wherever Lady Kyouko is.”
"
Under my banner I have wed the hearts and loins of Human and Mamono. People follow strength, and the example of, thus why I shine as brightly as a diamond," Alice says, smirking, "
If you need to bring the hearts and mind of your people and ours, I suggest knocking up the bunny. People are suckers for babies, and there ain't cuter babies than bunlets."
Takeshi had to plant his palm onto his face at the reply. “...That would just make the people of my island hate us even more.” He remarked with a sigh. “But at least you’re confident and optimistic. If you’re really sure about staying, then welcome to Shizuyama, Ladies Alice and Carroll. Again, I suppose.”
"I bid you welcome as well." Lunatea bowed.
Inside her mind, however, she was just as worried as Takeshi that the two might just end up worsening the relationship between monsters like her and the humans that lived on this island.
Alice grinned broadly, while Carroll smirked, before they looked at each other, and high fived.
"
TEA PARTY!"
Surging forward, Alice and Carroll would snatch Takeshi and Lunatea, respectively, for a glorious tea party. They had a Dormouse and March Hare, after all, even if it was just a lord as threatening as a one and an inferior stand-in.
However, after a massive battle, the loss of life and livelihood, maybe... a party as grand as only a Mad Hatter could think, and manage, to throw.
