I woke up resting my head against Death's arm. I sat up and looked at him, and he was still out cold. On his chest was a wound unlike any other I've seen before. He wasn't bleeding, but the amulet was imbedded into his chest. I would've pulled out the glass if it didn't look so damned painful.

Gritting my teeth, I tried to wake him by shaking his arm. He refused to, which made me lightly punch the ground in frustration. I put my ear over his chest, making sure his heart was beating. It was, but when my cheek touched the souls, I saw a short vision of the Four annihilating the Nephillim. I flinched- partially because the shards of glass shocked me and because of the vision- and pulled away.

"What the hell?" I thought aloud. I didn't want to see it, but curiosity was getting the best of me. I rubbed my fingers together and was about to put my hand on the wound.

"I don't think you want to do that." I jumped yet again at the sound of the Cheshire cat's voice.

I was going to ask why, but I knew. I sighed and plopped my hand down. "You're right."

"I always am." My answer was an annoyed look. "There's a portal over there."

I looked over to where he gestured his paw. I nodded and stood up. Using my Voidwalker, I made two portals, one overlapping the first, and the other underneath Death. He fell through, and before the portal closed, I followed.

xxxxxxxxx

I landed on my feet in the grass. When I got through, I already felt warmer than I was before. A statue of a man stood right in front of me under a gazebo, the pillars just barely holding up the roof. After looking around for a while, I turned my attention to Death, who was still unconscious. I got to my knees and tried to wake him up.

"A Nephillim that's not one of the Four?" I looked up when I heard an old man speak. He was about three times my size, and looked far older than the Crowfather. His white hair was pulled back and his beard was braided.

"Depends on who's asking." I replied, my hand still around Death's.

"Eideard. A Maker. You have courage to confront one older then the Nephillim themselves." I didn't answer. I returned my eyes to Death. "And who am I speaking with?"

"My name's Alice. And I'm not a born Nephillim."

"What were you, then?"

"Human."

He chuckled. "Mankind is lost."

"I was the last."

"What are you doing accompanying a Horseman?"

I allowed myself a small smile. "We have a past together."

I heard a low rumble in Death's throat. I stood up and took a few steps back as Eideard walked up to him, examining the glass. His eyes snapped open- which gave me a wave of relief- as the Maker set one of his fingers over the souls.

"Be still, Horseman. You are wounded."

"Don't touch me." Death growled, quickly getting to his feet and fixating his fingers around it.

The Maker sighed. "Your arrival here is a bad Oman. Troubles me greatly..."

"Old one, there's more trouble up ahead if you don't start making sense. Where is the Tree of Life?"

"Life? Heh. This world is dying, lad. Choking on chaos and Corruption. We can do little to stop it. Soon the great Tree too shall perish, and with it, the last of my people. What brought you here with a child, Pale Rider?"

"She's not a child! She's..." He trailed off. "We seek the Tree... your 'chaos and corruption' doesn't concern us."

I heard something come up behind me. I quickly loaded my bow and shot at the construct. Holding the rocks together was a thick black paste with a green tint, and it looked like it was moving. When I shot the arrow, the stuff enveloped it.

"Well I'll be damned." I said, extending the chain and starting to swing it. The blade passed right through it, cutting it in two and killing it.

I spun back around and looked at the Maker, who had his eyes on Death. "You both fight well. But this Corruption can't be beaten with a blade. Seek you the Forge Sister. Ask her about the Fire of the Mountain. Help her, and she will help you reach the tree. As for me... I must return to my work."

Eideard started to walk off, and Death came up to me. He put his hand up to my cheek. "Hello, love."

I smiled and looked down. He wrapped an arm around me and we started to walk. "Are you alright?"

He tightened his grip around me. "I'm fine."

"Alright, just making sure. You've got some glass..." I pointed to his chest where the souls were. He chuckled and dropped his head. I almost tripped on a step, but Death caught me. Looking around, the place we walked into was absolutely amazing. I looked to my left, Death doing the same. The path in front of us led to two gazebos, one on each side of another doorway. The mountain in the back had two symbols imbedded into it; on the left a flame, and on the right a blue drop.

"Hey." Death was shaking my arm.

"Hmm?"

I could tell he was smiling under his mask. "Come."

Still looking around, we started walking on the path and up the stairs to the gazebo on the left. At the top were two more makers. The first one- who looked similar to Ulthane- wore an iron mask and was making a blade. The other, who was female, had dark red hair and was remarkably taller than us. She spun around to look at Death, and her eyes widened.

"Maker's beard, the rumors are true! A Horseman in the Forge Lands... name's Alya, and that's my brother-" she pointed to the other man. "-Valus. We're the keepers of this forge... though I reckon that means less now than once it did."

"This is a Maker's forge?" Death asked pushing me in front of him as he playfully wrapped his bulky arms around my neck.

"Nay. The Maker's Forge is lost to us. Silenced by the hands of Corruption. But, in its depths, we once crafted the DarkTowers of Hell, and the Cities of Heaven."

"Now you make... trinkets?"

Alya chuckled, occasionally looking down at me curiously. "And you- one of the Four- seek the aid of the Makers? I guess we've all fallen from high places."

"We have come seeking the tree... and your Elder speaks of Fire. What is it?"

"Ah. The Fire of the Mountain, the Stonefather's blood; it once flowed into the forge as did the tears. Both imbedded our craft with incredible power. The heart and soul of stone. But Corruption has taken them, and now our forge is silent."

"...why does this concern me?"

"The way to the Tree is lost, barred by Corruption. You can no more leave this place than we. Restore our forge, and the Tree can be reached."

"I don't follow your reasoning."

"We are Makers, not warriors, but we are not without our weapons. Before the forge was lost, we crafted a mighty creature of soul and stone. A colossus to fight this Corruption. But, to awaken him requires a Makers key; we need our forge to craft one. Will you help us?"

Death nodded, and we started down the steps. He kept his arm around me as we walked up the stairs opposing to the gazebos. At the top stood Eideard along with another of his race that I didn't recognize. Both of them were standing in front of a huge stone gate that I was sure Death wouldn't be able to open.

"Horseman," the new one spoke. "You'll find naught that way but trouble."

"Thane." Death acknowledged. "Do what you must for your kin, Old One. For mine, I ride to the Cauldron."

"If you fancy your Corruption waist deep, that's as good a place as any." I felt Death's fist tightly close behind me. "You know, there's a reason this gate is here. And, if you were friend, I wouldn't let you pass. But then, who..." The Maker curiously looked at me. "Who is friend to Death?"

I gave both of them a shy smile as they glared at me, but didn't make eye contact as Thane pushed the gate open. Death and I walked through, and after minutes of silence as I got lost in my thoughts, he put his hand out in front of me, "You need to pay attention." Death said softly.

"Hmm?"

He chuckled and wrapped both his arms around me. "What's troubling you, love?"

"Nothing," I replied, smiling and shrugging my shoulders.

"Are you positive? You almost fell."

I looked down and saw a thirty foot drop into a pool of water in front of me, a staircase leading out of the water on the opposite side. "Oh. I see." He just looked at me. "I'm fine. Just... thinking, I suppose."

"Well, I remember a beautiful woman tell me a long while ago to stop thinking!" He yelled, lightly shoving me enough so I fell off the ledge and into the pool. It took me a while to get back to the surface, but once I did, I could barely hear his quiet laughter.

"What was that for?" I asked happily, wiping the water from my eyes and barely keeping myself up.

"'Stop thinking.'" He quoted what I said in Wonderland. I took an arrow from my back, loaded the bow and shot it right underneath where he stood. Quickly stepping to the side didn't help him much, because the rock collapsed underneath him. He started to fall, and landed in the water next to me. I was still laughing as he went under, but when he didn't come back and I couldn't see him, I stopped.

"Death?" I was about to turn around when he pulled me under. I struggled for a moment because I wasn't expecting it, but he brought me back up with his arms teasingly wrapped around my neck.

"Stop thinking, love." He whispered in my ear, making me laugh. He let me go, and I swam over the stairs. I walked up, and once I was out of the water, I started to ring out my hair when Death came up behind me and spun me around. At one point he must have taken his mask off because as soon as I was facing him, his lips were immediately pressed to mine. I flinched in surprise, and he pulled away, but not by much.

"Why are you startled?" He hardly made it sound like a question.

I smiled. "I'm not."

"You jump every time I kiss you."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

No, I don't..."

He moved his mouth even closer to mine. "Yes... you do."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe because you're so damn unpredictable."

"I can say the same for you."

I heard Dust let out an ear piercing scream. We both looked in his direction, where the bird was perching on the sharp edge of a rock, his head cocked to the side as he looked at us. I slightly smiled and when I heard Death chuckle, I glared at him, who had his animated grin stuck to his face. I let out a long laugh, which made him look at me.

"What?" I laughed again, which made his grin wider. I paused for a second, but then lunged forward and wrapped my arms around his torso. Chuckling, he staggered back, but soon returned my hug. I rested my head on his chest, his chin atop my hairline.

"I'm still angry with you." He blankly stated, putting his hand on the back of my neck.

"For what?" I asked, but I knew.

"You convinced me to leave you."

"For seven years."

"Yes, thank you. That makes the situation much better."

I smiled and hugged him tighter. "It doesn't matter now."

"But it did."

"My god, you are as stubborn as War!" I looked at him, and we both laughed. "...maybe not,"

"Of course not, love." Death chuckled, and with his mask in hand, we started walking. He kept his arm around me as we turned around a corner and through another doorway. On the other side was an open space so indescribably large, it took forever to take it all in. Looking up, I saw the tree, and just like Alya said, the opening was closed off by the sticky black paste.

"You're staying here." Death finally said after minutes of silence.

"Pardon?"

"I don't want you getting injured." He shook his head, turning to face me as he did. "I don't know how lethal or dangerous this 'Corruption' is. Plus, you're still recovering. Until I know more, I believe it's best if you wait here."

Reluctantly, I nodded. He quickly kissed my forehead before setting his mask over his face. He mounted Despair, and once he was gone, I sat down against the wall with my knees tucked up.

"Do you think he's trying to get rid of you, Alice?" My head snapped up at the cat's voice; not because he startled me, but for what he said.

"I beg your pardon?"

"He left you to go speak with the Crowfather, knowing that you would die if you two were separated for too long."

"...he must have forgotten." I assured myself.

"And, he just left you." I didn't know how to reply. "Also, you must have noticed that he speaks differently."

That didn't confuse me at all, but I asked anyway. "What do you mean?"

The cat grinned slightly wider. "Think back to Wonderland."

"I don't-"

"Just think." That was the last thing he said. He disappeared, leaving me to feel incredibly nervous. I knew that he speaks more... proper than he did in Wonderland. At first, I figured it was because he got older, but I remember seeing memories of him before we met where he spoke the way he does now. I was sure it meant nothing- and frankly I felt stupid for noticing it- but something told me that there was a reason.

I stood up and dusted myself off. On the right side of the open space, I saw a gathering of bright yellow crystals. Out of curiosity, I mounted Delirium and we ran over to it. The objects were stuck to another gate were flickering and snapping, but I wasn't sure why. I got out of the saddle and walked over to a tree. Underneath was a small rock, about the size if my palm. I picked it up and ran my fingers over the surface. Delirium snorted once and returned to the ground. I threw the rock at the crystals, unsure of what would happen.

And I immediately regretted it. They started to spark faster and faster until they finally exploded. I was knocked down, my shoulder exposed and burnt. But that was nothing compared to the pain in my stomach. I didn't know how to describe it. My torso was arched up, my eyes squeezed shut. I forced myself to lie on my side, and when I looked down to my stomach, and saw the Corruption. The sticky black paste maneuvering in and out through my torso.

I held my breath and waited for the pain to fade. I let out an exasperated sigh when I didn't feel anything, and made myself sit on my knees. After taking a few minutes to compose myself, I reluctantly got to my feet and started through the hole I created in the gate. Where it led, I wasn't sure. But for some unknown reason I felt anxious to find out.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

After walking on a trail that felt endless, I finally approached a staircase. It was starting to get dark, which made the place look all he more innocent and beautiful with the sunlight glistening off wet rocks, rain lightly pattering against the stone walkway. I soon snapped back into reality when I felt a sharp pain in my back. As a reflex, my hand swing back and killed the creature that stung me. My vision blurred but I forced myself to stay standing. I looked at my hand and saw the lime green venom staining it, which also burned terribly. I started to walk again but it wasn't long before another shock of pain surged through my right shoulder blade. I squeezed my eyes shot and killed the abnormally large wasp, then out of frustration, started to run. Dozens more of the bugs started following me, and when I looked back, I fell into the pool of water in front of me that I didn't notice before, and doing so got the wasps away.

I let out a sigh in both relief and pain when the water hit the stings. I started climbing out of the pool, and once I was at the top, I started to look around. There was a huge U shape above the pool of water, but blocking the water flow was more of the crystals.

"Make haste. The Reaper won't be pleased when he sees that you've left." The cat said, getting my attention. I shook my head in frustration and grabbed my bow along with one arrow. I took aim, but because my vision was so messed up, I missed. I reached back again and realized that there were only two more arrows in the sheathe. Cursing under my breath, I drew back the bowstring with the hook.

The second time, it worked. I hit the crystals, but took a few steps back for the explosion. Once the smoke cleared, I saw that the water was flowing again. I turned to the left and shot the crystals on the left, completely filling the moat. Although what I didn't notice was that there was another lever on the opposite side.

"The Tears of the Mountain. I see…" I muttered to myself which made the cat appear next to me.

"To restore the Tears, that's where you need to go."

I chuckled, rubbing the top of his head with my wrist. "My god, cat, what on earth would I do without you?" I sarcastically asked.

He closed his eyes for a moment before replying with, "Alice, you know perfectly well that we're not on earth anymore."

I dropped my hand and sighed. "Never mind."

He evaporated, and I walked on the path around the room. There was a door blocking my way, and I didn't hesitate to break it open by swinging the chain a few times. When it finally swung out of my way, I saw a pile of rocks and plants clumped together in the arena. Not thinking much of it, I walked around it and was about to start up the small staircase leading to the lever.

That's when it moved. I spun back around to face it. The creature- once it was fully out of the ground- immediately reminded me of the Broodmother. It had rows of teeth, eyes were completely hidden, a horn right above its mouth. It charged towards me, but I quickly got out of the way. When it kept running and slammed into the east wall, I choked back a laugh. Before it could compose itself, I ran over to it and swiped the blade through three of its legs. After that, it just gave up and rolled into its side. I didn't think it would be able to stand, so I just went ahead and walked over to the lever. After pulling it, the pool of water that I fell in before filled up all the way until it was just touching the bottom of the moat.

I sighed and started out of the room. It was now pitch black, the only light coming from the moon. I mounted Delirium after just walking down the steps and he trotted on the path back to the open area. I was lost in my thoughts, but when the horse stopped, I knew I was here. I got out of the saddle and looked around, not seeing Death anywhere.

"Hmm. I guess he's not-"

"Hello, love." I tensed every muscle in my body so I wouldn't spin around and accidentally hit him. He wrapped his arms around my torso, pulling me closer so he could whisper in my ear, "You want to punch me. I can tell."

He turned me around so I could see him. "You startled me."

"I know." I started to smile, but then I collapsed on him. He kept me up as I let out a short cry in pain, grabbing my heart. He let me gently fall to the ground, and he rested my head on his thigh, like he always did. He leaned forward to grab the syringe, but what he said next made me feel as good as dead.

"It's not there."

Oh no...

"W-what?" I forced myself to say.

"It's not..." His eyes, filled with sorrow, met mine. "It's fine..." he assured himself. "We'll go to the Makers."

He picked me up and started to run. Now, after a minute or so, all I could manage were short breaths. Death looked down at me constantly, making sure I was still concious, which I was.

But the both of us knew not for long.

If that meant dying or just blacking out, I wasn't sure. Now all I could see was Death's masked face and nothing more. Everything else was a blur. I couldn't hear my heart beat any more, all was silent.

"Still a mess, no surprise." I flinched at the sound of a distant voice. Annoyingly high and raspy, definitely not Death's. "Her kin roasted like chestnuts right before her eyes. Doctor Bumby won't do better..."

It was Nurse Witless. Talking about me... I could hear my heartbeat again. Slowly and rhythmically, like Rabbit's watch.

"Still hauling out her questions..."

"Horseman!" Now I heard Alya's voice, but I couldn't make out where it was coming from. "Our forge is restored! The tears, the fire..."

"The fire. Her memory. I deserve consideration, don't I?!"

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the pain and the voices. But they wouldn't let me be.

"A hysterical woman," Now I heard Bumby. "Former lunatic, roaring outrageous accusations against a social architect and scientist. Psychotic, silly bitch. Your madness-"

"Alice..." I heard the White Rabbit whisper, his voice cruel and spiteful. I felt like I was falling. "What have you done..."

And everything went white.

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I'm working on three stories right now. Hope you like the chapter, leave a comment. :)