Time passed.
things died.
places were searched.
But still the secrets of this place were kept to itself...
Alice sat upon a large mushroom, wondering what to do. She had actually searched every place now, and there was nothing. no obvious artifact, not greater power, nothing. just a place of twisted dreams and old stories. With nothing better to do she decided to head back to the museum and see what was going on. With fresh stains and glance at the gate she left the horror once again to view the saner side of life.

Twelve hours later...

Another day had passed in the real world. Many Oneiros were not around so they could lead their regular daily lives. Hez spent the day sleeping in her half of the bedroom while Lin continued fiddling with her chalkboard monitor to observe the Oneiros who were present in Vivi-Dream. Remniche's outer borders were quiet; no signs of negative zones were present, and whatever zones were present didn't pose a particular threat. Lin was most interested in finding out why the previous night's dungeons had fused into one. Hez could tell her more from her experience with purifying the artifact, but Lin didn't want to disturb her much-needed rest.

It was slowly turning into another night in the real world. Lin had to abandon her research for now to prepare for another potentially active night of cleansing bad zones. Just as she was putting her chalk sticks and brush away, she heard the door from upstairs creak open. Loud footsteps echoed in the expansive hallways. Then Hez revealed herself from the upper floors and glanced down at Lin.

"Good evening, Hez. Did you sleep well?" Lin asked.

The mute girl nodded and rejoined her partner as she asked, "Was the purifying a little intense for you?"

Hez fiddled her fingers a little and 'replied' in silence. Lin frowned and said, "Sorry for all the stress that put on you. Do you feel any different than yesterday, or do you still feel like yourself?"

Hez 'said' that while she had some blurry vision and was feeling the exhausting aftereffects of an adrenaline rush, she still had her personality intact. Lin always asked this because the purification process was very risky. It directly exposed the healer's mind to someone else's, and mental cross-contamination could occur if they weren't careful. It all depended on the severity and intensity of the negative emotions they were purifying. Lin worried about Hez for the whole day because of this, but it looked like she had nothing to be concerned about anymore.

"Fantastic," Lin smiled. "Let's focus on non-violent zones for tonight just so you can recover. There's enough Oneiros to handle the more dangerous zones if needed."

After getting ready for another night of investigating, Lin and Hez were about to go down the museum's steps when they spotted Alice standing nearby.

"hey. wach'all up to?" alice asked as lin and hez popped out of the museums doors. "had some searching time and couldnt really find much so i figured id head back to town and see if anything interesting was going on."

"No, nothing much," Lin shook her head. "I was worried that Hez was going to be mentally ill after last night's purification, but she seems to be okay. We were just going to head out to a few harmless zones and make sure things are okay."

Hez tugged Lin's sleeve and 'asked' her something. Lin told Alice, "She wants to know what you were looking for."

"ah. as for what i was looking for, i was just trying to find my own artifact. as long as ive been here ive not seen my own. Its almost as if i don't have one." she shifted from one foot to the other, lost in thought as she ran through all the places she'd been and that mayhaps hers wasn't as hidden as she thought. maybe it was just in plain sight the hole time..

"A zone not having an artifact? That's impossible," Lin shook her head. "Every zone has an object that is important to their respective dreamer. Think of them as a binder keeping each person's identity intact, and then zones are subconsciously constructed around it. Since my monitors have shown me that you've been comatose for many years, I have no doubt that you've been struggling to find your artifact. There aren't too many negative emotions emanating from the Wonderful Horror, but it could either be that you live a satisfied life that wouldn't cause negative emotions, or your memories are suppressed from some kind of trauma. If the latter is true, it might actually be risky to look for your artifact."

The one-eyed girl scratched her head and chuckled. "Sorry for getting all science-y on you there. It's your zone, so it's up to you. If you're having trouble looking for your artifact, why haven't you come to us for help yet? I'm a seasoned pro at this, and Hez has impeccable searching skills - she's like a walking dowsing rod."

Lin glanced down at Hez, but then frowned. The silent girl looked more detached than usual, her grey eyes glassed over with vacant disinterest. It almost looked like her mind was somewhere else. Lin barked, "Hez! Have you been listening!?"

Hez snapped out of her vapid delirium and dumbly stared at her partner. She then jumped down the museum's stairs and just continued looking around. It was like the conversation didn't register in her mind.

"Geez... Anyway, Alice, do you want us to help you scour the Wonderful Horror? We might find clues that you've probably overlooked," Lin offered.

Alice thought about it for a moment, noticing hez;s reactions and.. vacant demeanor. "if you'd like, then your welcome to help. I still doubt that we'll find it... but, ah, i think Hez might need to stay here for now... i know that the horror is technically a safe zone and all, but its residents aren't exactly the happiest bunch." Alice glanced at Hez with a worried look. As long as Alice had been here in the dream, she'd noticed that whenever she saw Hez she seemed different. at first it was hard to tell, but eventually it seemed to be connected to purifying things. And now was different, but not just a little... "i don't want her to get hurt because of me. and she looks like she needs rest. as for why i haven't asked before... well im not the best at asking for help" she chuckled a moment, a sheepish grin on her face momentarily before regaining her seriousness.

"I guess that shouldn't surprise me - a lot of Oneiros try to be independent loners at first," Lin smirked. "Once the reality of their situation sinks in, they change their minds. It just took a lot longer for you."

"i don't want her to get hurt because of me. and she looks like she needs rest."

"You're right," Lin agreed, "but she wanted to come along. I told her she could accompany me as long as I handle any purifying tonight; she's to be nothing more than a scout. I certainly won't let her do any purifying after what happened last night. Hez is probably recovering from some mental cross-contamination, but she should be back to normal once we get moving."

She clutched her friend's hand and said to Alice, "It doesn't look like anyone else is around, so the three of us should be enough. Shall we get going then?"

Alice nodded, brightening a tad. "good, as long as she's good to go when we get there then she should be fine. first, ill need to give you something." Alice fished out some string and two small stone tablets from her pocket and fashioned them into necklaces. pulling out a small black charcoal, she drew a symbol on each. "here. you and hez should each wear one of these. I've an odd feeling that they may come in handy. Madness spreads easily in the horror. those will keep it from spreading it to you. i remember a creature that managed to get in once went insane just by being there. Better safe then sorry."

"Thanks," Lin said, putting her charm on. Hez was still so distant that Lin needed to put hers on for her. After getting ready, Lin said, "How about you lead the way? We haven't been in your zone before, so it'll be easy for us to get lost."

Alice nodded and headed off, making sure Lin and Hez followed. After leaving the city Alice followed what appeared to be a path of small broken stones. However after a few moments it became quite obvious that these were not stones, but bits and pieces of pottery and dishes. after about a minute of walking, the arrived at a gigantic iron gate. the was nothing around it. it simply stood at the end of the path. alone and foreboding.
"Ready yourselves. Ive not a clue who we may encounter, nor if they will decide to be friendly. Do, however, avoid speaking to anything that tries to speak to you. They can play word games occasionally or mess with your mind unknowingly." Alice turned and held out her blade, barely a speck compared to the gate, and tapped on the split of the door. Immediately it began to swing open without a sound, allowing them access to the world within.
as soon as they entered it was obvious Alice had become confused. they seemed to be in a canyon of sorts, gigantic tea cups scattered among the walls and a few even big enough to seem like small houses. "I.. Ive not seen this place before..." Alice's face seemed to brighten a bit as she thought that maybe she could finally find the artifact that had eluded her all this time...

"Really?" Lin wondered. "If it's a new location within your zone, it must mean there's been a shift in your thought processes. Zones always react to changes in a dreamer's mental patterns, although whether that's good or bad remains to be seen."

Hez continued walking ahead of the others, approaching an upside-down teacup that had a significant chip on its side. She was just small enough to squeeze through the chip like it was an entrance. Upon reaching inside, she created a small light to illuminate the dark space. To her surprise, the inside was lined with broken ceramic fragments, bloody handprints, and some deep red writing that eerily drooled below it. It was almost like this was the scene of a murder, but no bodies or weapons could be found. Hez stared at the writing with vapid fascination...

ICN

It was those three letters again. Just like the last fridge-dungeon, those symbols popped out at her. Did anyone else know about them? What were their significance? Could it be a clue to why certain people were able to reach Vivi-Dream and not others? Hez had neglected to say anything about the previous letters to Lin because of how frantic things were. This time, she wondered if it was worth mentioning it when they were busy trying to help Alice. She didn't want to stray her friends too far off from their objective, so she silently exited the teacup-murder scene and rejoined Lin.

"You were in there for quite a while," the one-eyed girl said as she finished examining a right-side-up cup that had nothing remarkable. "Did you find anything?"

Hez shook her head. She opted to keep quiet about her findings for now until their job was finished.

Alice almost freaked when she saw Hez come out of the teacup. "whoa! Be very careful just going into places like that... ive not been here before but i know those cups... Things do indeed live in them, and there none to nice. They call themselves the madcaps. They tend to have giant forks or spoons as weapons. and there quick. Very quick." Alice began leading them slowly down the canyon. it wasn't long until they suddenly heard banging, and suddenly madcaps began to appear from within some of the teacups. "ready yourselves.. do not attack first, wait until they do. they are quick but clumsy. hit them in the back. weakest point..."

Alice game the others some space as the first madcap appeared and waited patiently, the creature eying her as they circled one another. Suddenly it raised a giant fork and rushed her. Alice leaped sideways as the madcap missed, stumbling out of balance. A dash and a quick plunge or her vorpal blade made short work of the creature, renewing her stains once more. Slowly but surely a grin grew across her face and she began to recite a verse...

"Damn! Hez, find a hiding spot!" Lin exclaimed as she transformed into her living sword mode. Lin took Alice's advice and approached a pair of madcaps, remaining on guard until they attacked first. As expected, the one wielding an oversized spoon lunged at her and swung its cutlery weapon sideways. She parried it and further strikes, floating up and around to compensate for having a weapon as her body. With one blow, she finally managed to knock the spoon out of its hands, and she twirled in the air a few times while aiming at its back. Lin plunged clean through the madcap's spine, killing it instantly.

Unfortunately, the second monster caught sight of Hez as the mute child merely sat down on a nearby boulder and watched the battle as a spectator, rather than finding somewhere to hide like she usually would.

"Hez, you idiot!!" Lin screamed, streamlining at the madcap as it raised its fork and aimed it at Hez like a trident.

Something long and thin suddenly protruded out of it's head, piercing its skull and brain like a precise needle. Lin was surprised when the corpse collapsed, revealing the blank-faced Hez as she extracted the reverse end of her white carnation wand. It had been sharpened to a point which allowed her to kill the madcap without even getting up. Hez flicked some blood off the wand, then it glowed and transformed back into her mantle, clean and white as usual.

"W-What was that...?" Lin stammered. Never before in any of their adventures had Hez shown any capacity for killing monsters. Her mental state was deteriorating so badly that her capacity for fear was starting to become dulled. As much as Lin wanted to worry for her partner, she had to return her attention to the battle at hand as several more madcaps found the duo and approached them.

Alice payed no heed to what was happening around her as she dispatched another madcap with obvious ease. Twisted rhymes fell from her lips as she killed each madcap, until she caught herself and narrowly missed Liz with a piercing thrust. Alice immediately snapped back into reality, apologizing for the mishap. "i kind of lose control here sometimes... whats wrong with Hez... She seems different.." The canyon was silent, the other madcaps fleeing to fight another time.

"I don't know..." Lin murmured, transforming back into human mode now that the battle was over. "I thought she would recover by now, but she's still in this catatonic state. Let's hurry and investigate this place ASAP so we can get her back to the museum. I know we agreed to help you find your artifact, but I'm also worried about Hez's condition."

She took Hez's hand and guided her forward while asking Alice, "Let's approach this from another angle. Since this canyon is unfamiliar to you, is there anything here that has any significance to you in real life? The teacups, the canyon, the sky, the type of monsters, anything you can think of. Even if you think it's unimportant, the fact that it's showing up here should mean something. We don't know anything about you, so you need to search your memories for any clues."

**

Back at the museum in Remniche, an imposing figure stood in front of the doors to the empty facility. Even amongst the most bizarre Oneiros, this one practically dominated the otherwise calm atmosphere with his sinister presence. His light-colored hair swept up behind his head, almost matching his equally pale skin, his eyes deep and saggy, his expression unusually depressing compared to the vividly evil armor wrapping around every part of his body except his head and chest. The deep red-and-black armor, spiked with claws and blood vessels everywhere, pulsed with a life of its own as several extra arms protruded from his back. They only responded to his commands, but when they were in standby mode, the arms writhed around calmly.

The eerie yet sad young man reached his actual hand out, commanding one of the longer arms to break open the locked doors by force. He stepped inside and looked around at the hundreds upon hundreds of artifacts cluttering the place. Nothing seemed to catch his eye until he found Lin's chalkboard monitor humming away as it recorded constantly changing data within Vivi-Dream. The man frowned even harder than usual. He had staked this place out for a few weeks now, not having infiltrated until he found a chance when the owners were away. He couldn't go inside before because he would have to return to the real world just as the perfect opportunity arose.

This time, he went to sleep a lot earlier, and his persistence finally paid off. He stood before the monitor and sent his armored arms out to key in lots of numbers and codes. He wanted to find what he was looking for quickly. He didn't know if he'd get another chance like this, so he became desperate to hack into the museum's databank. The arms responded in turn, typing at blinding speed to match their owner's anxiety.

Alice shook her head. "no. nothing. But then again i know nothing of my actual self really. At least i haven't as many times as Ive tried... you should see to Hez.. ill take care of the rest for no-" Suddenly a loud crash sounded from behind them, sounding the arrival of a new enemy. Turning Alice saw that an Eyepot had landed not to far away. "Lin.. take Hez and hide... This is not an enemy you should fight." Without another word Alice lept towards the creature. It looked like a giant teapot with a large eye on the side, all balancing on a tripod of legs. Alice attacked it with quite some force, attempting to knock it over. The creature was fast and Alice was having a hard time dodging attacks. More then one Alice was struck, taking quite a bit of damage.
Alice Leaned against the canyon wall, panting. 'this ones tough... almost to tough...' Just as she finished her though she let loose a scream of pain as the eyepot slammed into her, pinning her to the wall. The scream ended as abruptly as it started, and was replaced by a low laughter that got louder and louder. Suddenly the canyon began to gray and darken, and Alice changed. Suddenly the eyepot went flying, slammed into the opposite wall and fell to the ground dazed. The creature was followed soon afterwards by Alice, who began plunging her blade into the creatures eye over and over. as she did she chanted a rhyme over and over, it was similar to one she had spoken before, but it had changed.

Speak roughly to your little girl!
And beat her when she sneezes!
She only does it to annoy!
Because she knows it teases!

DIE! DIE! DIE!

He speaks severely to his girl....
He beats me when I sneezes....
For he cares not for her life....
He laughs when it falls to pieces!

The creature had long since ceased to move, but she kept stabbing. Slowly the world began to recolor itself. As the last dregs of grey vanished chess appeared out of nowhere, walking over to Alice as she returned to normal, though her blows did not slow.

'Alice, stop.'
Alice's blade paused mid blow.
'you need not do this any longer. I know not why, but i believe this is yours... just remember that you have wanted this.
chess vanished, a small Locket landing on the ground with a small ping. Alice stared at it, unsure what to do...

Lin did as Alice implored, grabbing Hez's wrist and taking her to a hiding spot behind some large boulders. Hez remained silent and blank-faced, but Lin peeked around the corner to watch the ensuing battle. Her eyes widened with horror as the scenery changed into a nightmarishly distorted, monochrome version of itself. Alice also transformed into something unrecognizable and murderous. The hiding duo didn't change in appearance, but suddenly Lin felt out of place in this freakish world, which was responding to Alice's violent bloodlust.

During the chaos, Hez glanced around in response to the dramatic changes. Lin realized that the mute girl wasn't afraid. Normally, Hez would be hiding her face within her hood and clinging like a scared child to Lin. Now it seemed as though the reverse was happening. Lin hugged Hez, mostly to keep herself calm during the battle.

Finally, the nightmare stopped. Everything returned to normal. Lin stood up and saw Chess dropping something by Alice's feet. The two girls returned to their comrade, and Lin asked, "Is everything all right?"

Alice spoke, her voice rasping as if devoid of water. "yes... forgive my outburst, i know not why i did that.. Do me a favor however? let me purify my own artifact. i dont want whatever caused this.." she paused, waving her blade at their surroundings, "to cause her any harm. if my own mind can help create it then my own mind can contain it." Alice looked at the amulet on the ground, afraid to pick it up less it be a figment of her mind. Slowly she reached down and placed the tip of her blade against the locket, willing for it to be pure. she wasnt sure if it would work, but it was worth a shot. As soon as her blade touched it, it began to glow white as memories poured into her mind. they were all of herself, and her horrible life before she cam to live here. Of the horrible man she called her father that had put her in a coma and left her for dead. All of it happened instantly, but it felt like an eternity, living over every moment as she regained every memory. Suddenly everything went black as the final memory came, and she vanished. the locket itself had popped open, revealing a picture of a woman and burnt picture that was barely recognizable as a man. A few moments later the ground began to shake as the area began to collapse on itself. The gate near the entrance had fallen over revealing the way out, which oddly enough was closer then before.

Chess suddenly appeared. "hurry, you must leave before this place returns to nothing, do not worry of me, i exist outside of this area. as a part of Alice."
with those words he vanished, leaving the two to fend for themselves.