Hey all, PickleToast here! I have a couple of things to talk about:

First, I am still continuing Rewind One More Time. For those who are on the watch for the next chapter, the current status is that I have an idea of how I want the chapter to go, and I know what I want to happen in the chapter…but I am having trouble figuring out a way to piece it together. I will have the chapter out by the end of the summer, I promise.

Second, another reason for my late update on ROMT is that I am practicing a new writing style. I want to be able to write something with a more serious tone to it, as I feel my other stories, while I love them to bits and would never change them, have a more light hearted and comedic style to them.

Third, for that reason, I am posting this! I was re-watching and re-reading Pandora Hearts and I had a great idea for a fanfiction. So I decided to write this fanfiction in the new style I'm trying to learn and grow into.

For now I am considering this a "test" chapter, to see how it turns out. Please let me know your thoughts about it, i.e. if you notice grammar issues, if you thing something doesn't sound right, something should be added/deleted/moved, whatever. I am trying to keep the concepts and facts as close to the manga as possible, with a few differences. Also, please give me your thoughts and ideas of what you might like to see, should I continue this story.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pandora Hearts, nor its characters.

Note: I am well aware that the characters are OOC, I do not care. I am more concerned with the writing style at the moment. Thank you. Also, this story begins right after the Opera House scene with Duke Barma.

It was raining hard that night, and the halls of the Rainsworth mansion were as silent as death itself. However, it was not long before that silence was broken by the sound of soft footsteps wandering seemingly without purpose. They made their way down halls, up halls, down stairs, up stairs, opening and closing doors. For all intents and purpose, the footsteps were pacing.

The owner of the footsteps was a lithe man with short white hair that framed his face and was brushed over the left side of his face. His single, wine-red eye was gleaming from underneath long eyelashes. The man was Xerxes Break, servant of the Rainsworth household and current personal valet to Sharon Rainsworth. He was currently in his pajamas, which at the moment consisted of a pale lavender nightshirt and a pair of grey pants that ended at his knees. He was wearing pair of brown slippers as well. He had recently bathed, so his white hair was still slightly damp, but Xerxes paid no mind to it.

After so many years of hiding it, making a new identity for himself, his secret had been dragged out, forcibly, and made to lay bare before everyone at the Opera House. Xerxes could have cared less about Oz, Alice, or Gilbert knowing. It was Reim he hadn't wanted to know. But he knew now, and he had found out in the worst way possible too.

If it wasn't for Oz interfering, he was positive that he would be in one of Pandora's many cells in the dungeon right now instead of back at the mansion; Alice too. Xerxes supposed he now owed Oz for that. How he hated owing people favors…

"Damn Barma…idiot Duke…damn it!" he cursed quietly, hitting his fist against the wall. He couldn't sleep; retelling his story had caused nothing but memories and random thoughts to fill his head, leaving him no rest. He focused his thoughts on that girl. The Will of the Abyss. The one that called herself Alice.

I don't want to be the Will of the Abyss anymore!

He could not keep that phrase out of his mind. Why? Why did she not want to be the Will anymore? Did that mean that she wasn't to begin with? If so, then how did she become the Will? If she did become the Will, then did that mean that there was something controlling the Abyss prior to her appearance? She seemed to be fairly comfortable and happy where she was. So why…?

Jack said he was coming for tea!

Could it be…? Xerxes gasped as he came to a stop, eye wide. Was she…lonely? Did she not want to be the Will because she was alone? Did she want to experience life up here like everyone else? Like her sister at present is? Alice wanted to be like Alice…?

"How confusing…troublesome. Why do they have to have the same name? It's quite obvious that they are two completely different people. Shouldn't they have different names? Hmm…" Alice, the brown haired one, was already using that name up here. If her sister, the white haired one, came up to join her, she couldn't go by Alice, as her sister had already laid claim to that name here. Alice…Abyss…Will….Alice of the Abyss…Alice of Abyss…Al..yss…?

Xerxes had to stop and laugh as he finished that thought. Alyss! What a perfect name! If anyone asked, or was suspicious, she could just say it was a nickname for 'Alyssa' to make her name sound like her twin sister's. Alice and Alyss. Perfect!

That didn't really solve anything though. At least, it didn't solve anything important. If Alyss was lonely and didn't want to be the Will because of it the questions still stand as to 'how' and 'why' she became the Will in the first place. Also, 'what' was it that made her the Will? If he could just figure those out, then maybe…

"I could help grant that wish of yours…" Xerxes, as he had told Gil before, did not hate Alyss. It was not her fault. It was his and his alone. He still had to atone, and he fully believed that granting her wish was the way to do so, and thinking now that Alyss was just a lonely girl…it made his heart hurt. He hated seeing anyone cry, and he knew what it was like to be alone. To be ostracized. He was a Child of Misfortune. His red eyes meant that he had no one to play with when he was growing up. No one wanted to be seen with him. He was grateful that his parents had been trying so long for a child that they didn't get rid of him, and he was grateful to the Sinclair family for not kicking him out either.

That said, he knew that terrible feeling of loneliness. No one should have to suffer that. No one. Not even Alyss. Especially Alyss. It seemed as though she had no choice in being the Will. So that meant that she was a victim, and how could Xerxes blame the victim? He couldn't, he wouldn't. He was going to help her. Somehow…

"Tch! What am I supposed to do now?! It's obvious I'm not going to get anything from Barma, and any documents from the time prior to the Tragedy are gone! I can't help if I don't have the answers, and I can't get the answers without the proper information! Damn it!" he slammed his fist on the wall again, and sat down on the stairs he had been going down. Placing his elbows on his knees, he rested his head in his hands. "I just don't know what to do! I…I wish I had something to help clarify everything!"

He felt like he was encased in darkness. He thought it was despair rising up again, but perhaps it was madness? Xerxes had long since lost the ability to distinguish the two. 'Help…help…I need help…' he muttered in his mind over and over. Then, he felt something strange. It was like his very soul was being tugged at by something and his ears were beginning to ring. Gasping, Xerxes removed his hands from his head and covered his ears, bringing himself back to reality. He calmed down after the ringing stopped.

'What on Earth was that?' he thought. He waited to see if it would happen again, but it didn't. 'Sigh… well; I suppose I should go back to my room. At least pretend to get some sleep.' He stood and turned around to begin walking upstairs and head toward his room, but then he stepped on something. Looking down, he saw a book. 'That…wasn't there before…' he picked it up, looking it over, There was no title, no author. It was leather bound and had silver trimmings. 'What the hell? What is this?' Curiosity peaked; Xerxes tucked the book under his arm and made his way back to his room.

Once safely inside, he locked his door and turned on the lamp by his bed. After getting comfortable, he opened the book and began to read. By the time he had finished, he was so confused. It made little to no sense whatsoever. It was all over the place, like it was some sort of nonsensical writing. The only thing he truly got out of it was the term 'Core,' which seemed to be synonymous with 'Abyss.' Wait…Core? Abyss? Core of the Abyss? He had heard that before, though he couldn't quite recall where.

'Okay…let's hypothesize for a minute.' Xerxes closed his eyes in thought. 'I know that the term 'Core of the Abyss' predates 'Will of the Abyss' if that is anything to consider. In that case, if I assume that the Core is actually the center of the Abyss, and its creator, then that would make the Will more like a means with which the Core can express itself through. The Core is using the Will to do its intentions, its "will" hence the name. So that would mean that the Core is using Alyss. Like a puppet? Or….more like a….host?'

Taking a sharp breath, Xerxes laid down fully, looking up at the canopy top of his bed. 'But if that is true, wouldn't that mean that the only way for her to cease being the Will would be to convince the Core to let her go? Okay, that doesn't sound so hard, but…she did not appear to really know that the Core was there, or existed. So assuming she can't talk to the Core herself, I would have to. But how?'

Huffing in frustration, Xerxes opened the book again, only to find the contents had changed. "Wh-what?" the book now was talking about Children of Misfortune. Sitting up hurriedly, he read through the book again as fast as he could. When he had finished, he was shocked.

Children of Misfortune, while being horribly disliked by society, were actually loved and preferred by the Abyss, as the Core was the one that created them. A 'child' of its own that it can use to see the world it makes, and draw inspiration from. As such, each Child is born with innate powers involving the Abyss. Most importantly, a Child of Misfortune had the ability to actually see and communicate with the Core from wherever they were.

Xerxes' heart was thumping widely and loudly in his chest. He was a Child of Misfortune…did that… did that mean that he could do that too? He stood, taking the book with him, and practically ran out of his room and down the many flights of stairs. His only thought was to get to the Rainsworth gate in the basement. While the book said he could potentially do so from anywhere, he had no clue how to go about it, so he figured that being by the gate might help.

In record time he made it to the gate. It was just as he remembered it. Tall, imposing, elegant, majestic. Really, it was quite an impressive sight. Xerxes stood there, staring at the gate for a while, not sure what to do. Eventually, he set the book down on the floor and walked up to the gate. Since the gate key was not there, the doors thankfully stayed shut. He hesitantly placed his hands flushed against the doors before closing his eye and placing his forehead against the door as well.

He made himself go into a sort of trance, clearing his mind and taking deep, slow breaths. Once he had succeeded in that, he began the think of one thing, and one thing only.

I wish to visit the Core.

Xerxes was unsure if this would do anything, but he kept it up. At first, he was certain that it wasn't working. He never even noticed his own eye start to glow. Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly fell, as if he had lost his footing. Xerxes was expecting to feel the hard tiled floor, and was incredibly shocked when he felt himself falling through water instead. It was as if he was drifting further and further down in an endless sea. He was so certain that he wouldn't be able to breathe, and yet it was as if he was truly breathing for the first time. It felt so strange, but so nice. He could get lost in the feeling. It was warm.

After what seemed like hours he finally stopped falling. Now he was floating. It was still so comfortingly warm. He sighed contentedly. He didn't want to open his eyes.

Heeheeh. My, aren't you a silly one, my Child?

"?!" Xerxes jerked, opening his eye. He was floating in a dark space, and could barely see in front of him. "What…? Who said that?"

Over here, my Child.

Xerxes turned around, and came face to face with a glowing white…blob of sorts. Its glow spread out around it like a halo, illuminating and warm. But it wasn't blinding. Xerxes could only look on in awe, his jaw dropped slightly.

Heeheeh~ My dear, sweet Child, do close your mouth. You are not a fish. Ah, but it makes me so happy that you came here! You are the second one of my many Children to have done so. Happy, so happy…

Closing his mouth as fast as he could, Xerxes listened on in shock. "H-huh? Wait, wait a minute…does that mean that I'm…that you're…?"

Yes, my Child. I am the Core. I am the one that created this land you call the Abyss. It was I that created the world you live in, and…it was I who created you, my sweet Child.

The Core moved, a long arm-like projection coming out of it. The arm moved toward Xerxes and caressed his cheek. In that instant, Xerxes felt like sleeping. His eye got heavy and he got an overwhelming feeling of safety that he couldn't comprehend. He was so caught up in the feeling that he didn't notice the Core pulling him in and start cradling him lovingly.

Why, what happened to your eye, my Child? It's…missing? Has someone up there hurt you for your beautiful eyes? I will punish them greatly! I refuse to have any more of my Children harmed due to misconceived notions. So many I have seen before me, wrapped in those horrid black chains by him, only to be torn apart piece by piece until nothing is left. I could not do anything to stop it. I had entrusted my Children to him under the notion that he would take care of them…he never did. All he ever did was murder them! I couldn't stand it! So…I decided to make another Child that was not related to that blasted, horrid man! My Child would be safe then! No harm could come to them…they wouldn't be killed…and…here you are, my Child. I remember you well. I remember every part of your soul, your being. I remember making you. I am so…proud. You have lived longer than any of my previous Children…I'm so happy…and now, you came to visit. I am happy, so very happy…I could cry…

Xerxes stayed quiet, listening to the Core and letting himself be cradled and rocked. He fought to keep his eye opened and pay attention. He was confused by who the Core meant by 'he,' but Xerxes supposed he could figure that out later. "No one actually harmed me in the upper world…" he began to answer, slurring. "All things considered, I think I was treated fairly well. Ignored and left alone for the most part, but never abused. I lost my eye here in the Abyss…I was speaking with Aly- I mean, the Will. She said she liked my eyes and plucked one out to give to her cat, Cheshire. But it's fine now. I'm not mad. Well…not angry, I don't know if I can honestly say I'm not mad, considering…" The Core laughed, hugging him closer.

I see. In that case, I suppose I shall not smite anyone today! As for my Will, I apologize for her behavior. I do so love her, but she can be a bit out of line. I am certain she had meant no harm. She just didn't know any better. I am glad that you do not hold it against her. Now then, I believe you came here because you wanted to ask me something?

"Ah, yes! Yes I did." Xerxes paused a moment, wondering how he was going to phrase it. The Core…seemed to be just as lonely, if not more so, as Alyss was. He didn't want to phrase his questions in a way that would upset the Core. "I actually have two questions. First, how did she come to be your Will? It seemed like she's been here a while."

Ah, curious are you? That's good, you should always be curious. Remember how I said you were the second of my Children to come visit me? The first was a daughter of mine, who was murdered a little over a hundred years ago. When she died, she was pregnant with twins. Neither were truly my Children, as they didn't have those lovely red eyes, but I loved my daughter so much. I couldn't let her children die with her. So, I kept one twin and sent the other out. They could easily switch who was who, and take turns seeing the world their mother lived in. I…could have sent both back up, but I admittedly was lonely and they looked so much like their mother, my Child that I adored. I had to keep one with me. Not only did I gain a companion, someone I could nurture, I was also able to keep a fragment…a memory of my dearly departed daughter.

Well…that answered a lot of questions. Unfortunately, that also told Xerxes that the Core would not willingly give Alyss up. Hooooo boy… how was he going to ask that? "I see. That's interesting. I'm…glad you found someone to keep you company down here, and…I'm…sorry about your daughter. I suppose that would make her my sister…? Oh nevermind! That's a bit too hard to wrap my head around." The Core laughed happily at him. "Ah! I almost forgot my last question! When I met with the Will, she asked me something. In short, she would like to come, ah…visit the upper world." Okay, that wasn't exactly what she said, but her wish would mean that she would be visiting the upper world so….

…She wishes to…visit…the upper world?

Uh oh… "Um…yes. I couldn't tell if she was just curious about it, wanted to see her sister face to face, or if she just wanted a…change of pace? She looked a little down when I saw her, and dare I say…she also looked a bit…lonely?" The Core was silent, as if thinking over the idea. However, the Core had also stopped moving, a bad sign in Xerxes' eye. He swallowed. "Um…if it would make you feel better…" where was he going with this? "Ah… I… I can stay here with you while she goes to visit. That way, she gets to see the upper world and her sister, and you wouldn't be alone. I don't mind…" Why, oh why did he say that? He didn't really want to stay here. He had Sharon and Reim and everyone else that would be worried about him. Yet, he did promise Alyss. He had to fulfill that wish…and if this was the only way to do so, then so be it. The Core finally moved.

Ah…that would make it better. I suppose I am being rather mean in not letting her sate her curiosity, and I suppose she would want to actually see and feel her sister, not just speak with her through their minds. Very well. If she wishes to visit the upper world, I will let her. Under the conditions that she return and that you stay here during that time. Sadly, I am unable to speak with her myself. Could I trouble you into talking to her for me, my Child?

"Certainly. I will gladly talk to her for you. Although…I am not quite sure how to go about that…"

That is fine. I will guide you to her room. However, let us do so another day. This is your first time using your powers, and I am afraid I may have kept you too long. Go back and get some proper sleep. I will be here for you when you are ready. I shall return you to your body in the upper world. Sleep well my sweet Child.

Before he could comprehend what was going on, Xerxes suddenly felt himself being shot upwards. He tried to scream, but his voice was missing, it would not work. There was painful flash of light, and he closed his eye and blocked it out with his arms. When he opened his eye next, he was back in front of the Rainsworth gate, collapsed on the floor. Gasping, he shakily pushed himself up. He took a few minutes to collect himself, making sure he was really there in one piece.

Finally finding the energy to stand, he pick up the book and slowly made his way out of the gate room back towards his own. Looking at a nearby clock, Xerxes was shocked to see that the time had not changed at all. What shocked him more was his reflection that he could see through the glass. His eye was glowing. "So that…wasn't a dream…?" he wondered aloud, gently touching his eye. No. It wasn't. The event was burned into his brain. He could actually go into the Abyss and back out without harm. He could see the very being that all of Pandora, all of the Baskervilles had wanted to see for so long! Take that Rufus Barma! What was better, he could grant Alyss' wish, if albeit, only slightly. He felt giddy, he felt like laughing. His chain was already doing that for him, laughing madly in the back of his mind. Xerxes smiled to match. Ah, but everything would have to wait, wouldn't it?

"I'm exhausted." He said, continuing his way. By the time he was back in his room he was dragging his feet, his eye drooping. He had almost fallen asleep a couple times on the way up. He dropped the book on his nightstand and collapsed onto the bed. He was out before he even hit the pillow. The light from his lamp casted a golden haze on him. He smiled as he slept, dead to the world.