PROLOGUE
Phantom of Despair
Underland; the realm of wonder. A world of fantasy and anomaly, living beneath the surface of reality. Where beasts may speak and clothe themselves in human garments. To those who embrace the world above the surface, would never have imagined one to dwell beneath, in the heart of imagination, and the mind of one child...
. . .
It has been two years since the events of the Frabjous Day; the day the world began a revolution between the houses of White and Red. For the passing days the land lived in serenity under the White Queen's reign. The world that was once corrupted by the forces of the Red Queen perished into the past. This victory could never have been achieved if it weren't for one person...
She did not wish to leave behind this world of hers, and so decided to dwell with them. She enjoyed the company of these abnormal characters, and explored the ongoing world of Underland; from the province of Mamoreal, to the edges of Witzend. She had never made friends who cared deeply for her, and not one who held great devotion...
They told her stories of the history and legends of this realm, from great battles to expeditions. Underland held many secrets, some of which were oblivious to her. It wasn't until that day, the Tribulous Day, as people named it after its occurances, when Alice found out the deepest, darkest secret Underland held within...
. . .
It was many centuries ago, to the founding of the province of Crims by the ancestors of Iracabeth, when a dark entity began to claw its way through the land with its heart of hatred. The locals attempted to fight it, but were torn down by an overwhelming avalanche of despair. The peoples of the province went mad; insisting they saw illusions that haunted them for the many passing days. It was a fate worse than death. Nobody could stop this phantom's reign of terror.
It was until the Marvel Day when one stood up to this chimera. The Red Knight; they called him, under the service of the Red Dynasty that began to florish to power. He was able to battle the hallucinations this creature created before him. And with the might of hope the creature was weakening before him, and so was banished deep underground, away from the presence of others.
It was not steel and brawns that gave this person victory; it was the force to overpower the despair. This entity drains its victim's strength by envoking sinister delusions into their mind. People suffered for days under that fate, and died even by the hytseria.
For punishment against the laws of Underland, criminals were sentanced to endure the despair in the phantom's lair. Nobody returned. Nobody dared to enter this creature's prison.
What scribes declare, for this creature's being, was the madness that Underland was endowed with. It was not the sanest place in the world, and the creature loved to feed on the mania. It chose this land as its home; to dwell and feed upon the tortured souls, and the negative emotions of people.
Legend says the entity still lingers in the depths of the known Labyrinth; the maze it created for its own amusement for its prey. But it has been centuries, and the legend turned to myth in the end. It was a lost story that was forsaken for generations. It was like a story to hear of before bedtime - a fairytale. Or a horror story to panic the inhabitants of the land.
The Phantom of Despair; was its known name, though it had many others, and its lair was called the Labyrinth of Memories; where your mind escapes into reality. Only the monarchs were informed of this story; the creatures were oblivious, until they fell into oblivion...
Something had disturbed its slumber, and now it has awoken to bring terror back to the world of Underland... the only question is, who will have the courage to stop it?
. . .
The Phantom of Despair lingers in its lair,
Where the bold dare not enter.
The Ghost of Memory loves its enemy,
And brings he to the centre.
The Spirit of Hate will do create,
The illusion of your mind.
The Shadow of Pain loves its game,
When you are then confined.
The Entity of Fear will have you tear,
When dread is in the air.
The Demon of Madness will bring you sadness,
Until you fall into despair.