X No Sekai

o4; Forest of Unknown

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It was about time when Oz finally opened his eyes. And saw him propped up under a very big trunk of a tree. He glanced up. He was still in the world of he doesn’t know. Also called as “Xland”. He stood up on his wobbly legs, and still dizzy, he held out his one hand out front in case he’d fall back and his other hand on his forehead. Oz glanced up. And saw black and wilting forest from another. Dozens. Millions. Billions of them. The only color in the world he stands is he and the dark red road.

“Where…am I?” he choked out of his mouth. His voice sounded so shrill and tiny.

He glanced everywhere. Forest to forest. Trees to trees. Shrubs to shrubs. Vines to vines. Everything was grasses. The forest – was not any normal forest Oz usually sees in Xland. It’s like it’s something…more from it. He started to feel frightened again.

“ALICE!” he called out. But there were no response from the 1st and even the 2nd ALICEs. It’s like…they didn’t even existed. He looked frantically everywhere and started to jog. Then his jog turned into a fast pace. Then he quickly ran, searching frantically for the other ALICEs as well as searching a way to get out of the creepy forest.

But then he stopped to catch his breath. Oz glanced up. He still looks like he’d gone into the same path again and again. A never-ending path of a creepy and strange forest. Oz kneeled down from exhaustion. Still panting and catching his breath heavily, he heard footsteps. Nearby footsteps.

Before he can do anything, he felt something grab his hair and pull it backwards, making him face upward and to the black sky. He saw a boy. A boy with brown hair that almost covers his one eye and very bright red and luminous eyes. He looks like he haven’t smile for years already, for he had a very straight face.

Still panting, Oz managed to say it clearly, “Who…are you?”

Then, like an answer, a violet tarot card appeared in front of Oz. Still holding Oz’s head, the tarot card turned into red and it gleamed. Then out came a hideous-looking creature. It had red and black cloak, a scythe and left-luminous glowing red eyes. Then it laughed as the bone jaws bobbed up and down.

Oz’s eyes turned big and then screamed at the top of his lungs for the very first time. He closed his eyes and waited for something to happen to him. But much to his surprise, when he peeked, the creature was still floating above him looking down at him. The boy who held his head was also looking back.

Then Oz heard a voice, “Master, let him go. He is only a traveler that seeks a quest.” He felt that his head was being freed already. He quickly pushed it forward and scrambled on his knees to get up. Then he noticed a boy with white hair that was pushed back the way old times are fashionable, he had a weird but crooked grey eyes and he was smiling. His left eye was covered with a black patch that has violet star-sign on it. He wore a tuxedo and a red-necktie. Other than that, he looks like how the old time dresses.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I…I was unconscious and then the 1st and 2nd ALICE bought me here…and then they were nowhere in sight and…” Oz said. He was panting and at the same time, shaking. The hideous creature was still there, grinning beside the boy that had luminous red eyes.

“Before I’ll ask, I’m the assistant of Death Slayer,” he said and bowed. Then he motioned the boy beside him with the hideous creature. “And he is my Master, the Death Slayer. And this is his pet, Adlet.”

Oz looked at them both. “Death…Slayer…”

“As you have been saying, you were unconscious and the moment you opened your eyes, you were here, saying that those ALICEs brought you?” he asked. Oz nodded briskly. “Hm. That is trouble. So the ALICEs have gone wild now.”

“No, they aren’t. I’m on a quest, like you said earlier. I need to gather all 6 ALICEs and then I can go and find the way out.” Oz said, but then he lowered his eyes on the ground sadly and sighed. “That is, if I ever get to find the 1st and 2nd ALICE where they run off to. I don’t know where they are right now.”

“We can take you to them,” he said. Then he smiled making Oz feel uncomfortable. “You should give us that chain.” He pointed at the silver cross chain. Then he clutched it.

“N-no way! It’s a gift from the 1st ALICE and Mr. Rabbit told me that there is something the 1st ALICE would give me and I should need this for my further travel,” Oz muttered, holding the silver cross as well as the solid, black chains.

“Fine then,” he said and reached out at Oz’s cheek. Oz felt a quick and hot sudden pain. Then he rubbed it. It was warm. “What did you do?!”

“I just marked you,” he said and handled him a mirror. “In case you’ll change your mind when you will exchange that cross at us. Master will be very pleased, if you would know. And your life wouldn’t be in trouble.”

Oz glanced at the mirror and saw that there was a black X on his left cheek. He gasped. He tried rubbing it off. “That won’t come off,” the Death Slayer’s assistant said. “Because that thing will be there – till you grow up.” Then with a whip of the wind, they disappeared, leaving the weird cackling of Adlet.

He felt dizzy again. Then when he walked through the steps, he saw something shiny out ahead. Curious, he ran towards it, but much to his surprise when something pulled him from the woods and dragged him away. He felt like they were floating. And he also thought that he felt that before.

“ALICE, is that you?” he called out.

They stopped briefly. He looked behind. And he was right. It was the 2nd ALICE dragging him. Oz couldn’t hide the happiness that he found them. It was somewhat strange. “ALICE! Where’s the other ALICE?”

The 2nd ALICE pointed straight ahead and Oz looked after his hand. Sure enough, there was the 1st ALICE, standing with her back facing them. Oz scrambled towards the 1st ALICE. He heard the 2nd ALICE running after him as well. But much to his surprise when he saw the 1st ALICE.

She was talking to the 3rd ALICE.

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