"𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐦 𝐈? 𝐀𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞."
-𝐿𝑒𝑤𝑖𝑠 𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑙, 𝐴𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑊𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑
Being the Arisu's little sister had never really been a blessing. Stuck after the pride and t...
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The ground vibrates beneath your back. The air is heavy of smoke.
You open your eyes to a red sky you don't recognize. Your memories are a jumble of blinding images with no head or tail. Your leg hurts.
A familiar little song rises a few meters from you. You let out a groan, covering your eyes in the hope of returning to the real world.
Not again...
The song is cut short by a mocking laugh. The same laugh that spreads icy shivers through your body.
You straighten up painfully with the help of your forearms to get a better view of your surroundings. Alice is crouching beside you, a demented smile on her lips. You glare at her as you back away from her reach.
"You again."
"Hmm." She nods enthusiastically.
You glance briefly to identify where you are. Empty seats are lined up on either side, shaken by the vibrations of the ground. The roof has disappeared, replaced by a sky of red clouds. You are lying in the middle of the central row, on a train with an unknown destination.
It's in your head, you understand that well.
Here you can move, you can hear, and you can speak. It's only the fruit of your imagination and perhaps your nascent madness.
"What do you want from me?"
Hearing your voice so clearly is a sensation that you are still having trouble getting used to. Nevertheless, your tone is firm. You are tired of being at the mercy of this part of your mind.
Alice tilts her head to the side, her eyes wide with a false innocence.
"Me? But I don't want anything at all. I don't even exist. What could I possibly want?"
Her face splits into a chilling smile that makes you pinch your lips in frustration. You have the unpleasant impression of looking in a mirror without recognizing yourself.
"So what are you? Why do you keep tormenting me? You're just a character in a book."
Alice sighs and shrugs her shoulders.
"A character in a book? No, not really. I'm a function, an incarnation. I have no face, no name. You're the one who shaped me like that."
She lies down on one of the seats, which immediately turns into a red mushroom. Your blood runs cold: she controls the space around you. The power you thought you had over her is tinged with doubt. She's more powerful than you, she could hurt you more.
Breathless, you try to swallow the anxiety that grips your throat.
"Where is this train going?"
Alice shrugs, looking up at the sky.
"No idea. Those aren't my memories after all."
You reject her insinuation by shaking your head vigorously.
