Another update! Hopefully, I will manage to finish chapter four before I take a short break... After taking so long to return here, I have to give some other stories some work before continuing.
I own notihng of this series, other than six manga volumes and a song. If I did own the games, I'd be very enthused...
Chapter Two: A Dream Come True
The man walked towards me, having complete attention from the others present. He bent down as he grasped my hand, kissing it softly. "My name is Blood Dupre, the owner of Hatter Mansion. And, you are…?"
I took in his appearance, which seemed quite different compared other Wonderlanders. Unlike most people I'd met, who wore either red, black, or blue, Blood wore a simple white suit. His giant hat threw me off a bit, but the shock from the earlier events led me to believe he was just as dangerous as the others.
"K… Kayla…" I barely choked out my name before I fled, leaving the guys far behind me. My only thought: to get away from them ASAP. Guns… axes… swords… This is not Wonderland!
By the time I stopped I had reached a lone tower, the sun setting in the distance. As the temperature began to drop, I decided to pay a visit to the residents of the facility. And, hopefully, it'll turn out much better than last time…
Taking a deep breath and gathering all my courage, I knocked on the front door. After knocking on it several times, a voice chimed from within. "Come in." it stated plainly, with a touch of annoyance.
I stepped into the building, only to collide with the voice's owner on the other side. He dropped a box of things, and I quickly apologized. "My bad… Let me help you, sir…"
He merely grunted as I lifted the heavy box onto a nearby table, using all my strength to do so. What's in this thing, dumbbells?
As I began to turn towards him, I felt him grab my wrist firmly, causing me to yelp in surprise. "Hey, I didn't mean to break your stuff! I swear, it was an accident!"
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The man seemed to be unfazed, more curious of why I'm here rather than me breaking his things.
"Kayla… I'm Kayla! I got kidnapped by this rabbit-guy named Peter, and he made me drink this freaky medicine… And I just got away from the Hatter place! Please, whatever you're going to do… do it quickly!"
I closed my eyes tightly, expecting him to pull out a gun and shoot me. Instead, he released me, and I opened my eyes to meet his startled expression. "You… you came from outside Wonderland?"
I nodded. "Yeah… And I don't know how to get back." Sighing, the man sat at his desk and allowed me to have a seat as well. He thought for a moment before he went on with his inquiry.
"So you're an Outsider… and having drank the Medicine of the Heart, you are trapped here. Unfortunate…" I began to panic, my thoughts racing all over the place. I'm trapped here? But mom, dad… everyone! Wait… Isn't this a dream?
Either way, I did not want to let this man see my sorrowful expression, so I quickly calmed down. Besides, this guy's been the most helpful, and sane, of all the weirdoes met thus far. Can't make him think I'm weak…
"Guess I'll need a place to stay, huh…" He nodded, then went to the hallway adjacent to the main chamber, opening the door and leading me to nearby room. "You can stay here, if you choose… Besides, you'll need to work off the damage you've done."
I thought he was serious, but the light in his eyes proved otherwise. I smiled slightly, happy to have found someone nice to be around. He's so nice to be letting me stay here… even though I did break some of his things…
"Of course I will! I must thank you for all your help…"
"Julius. Julius Monrey." He bowed slightly.
I smiled. "Kayla Dunn. Pleasure to meet you, Julius."
He left swiftly, probably to return to doing whatever he was doing. That, or fix what I broke. Man, does that sound familiar; klutzy I am.
I quickly changed into some proper night ware, dragging myself under the covers of the bed. I closed my eyes, thinking about today's events. Let's see, I got kidnapped by a rabbit-eared pervert, got lost with a Knight of Hearts, and ran away from a bullet frenzy at the Hatter place.
I smiled as my thoughts returned to Julius, the long-haired man the only good part of today. He was so kind… Why can't others be like him?
Suddenly, tears began to form in my eyes. Why am I crying? This is just a dream, right? But it feels so real… Mom… Dad… everyone! I've lost them for good! Why…!
I continued to sob silently, covering the bed sheets in a thin layer of tears. As I drifted to sleep, I could swear I saw something in the door crack… Watching me…
I woke up in a strange place, a mushroom-covered forest floor at my feet. I saw my reflection in a pool of water below, and panicked quite a bit. I've been miniaturized! This has to be a dream!
I paused for a moment, confused. Wait, so does that mean this is a dream within a dream? How odd…
"Is it all that odd, Kayla? A dream within a dream isn't that out of the ordinary…" I turned to find the owner of the voice, who happened to be a gray-haired man with an eye patch. He was currently floating above a mushroom, smoking a pipe all the while. Man, what weirdoes do I think about in my dreams…
"I'm not weird! You should be more respectful to your friends, my dear Kayla."
I looked at him, shocked. "You can... read my mind?" He nodded nonchalantly. "Of course I can. I am the incubus, Nightmare. For one such as I, it is not a strange thing to be able to do… Is it?"
Not wanting to disagree, I nodded. Besides, the nonsense of this world was getting to me… For all I knew, it was possible to read minds. I can't, that's for sure!
"Nightmare, can you tell me why I'm here? Wonderland… Peter… it doesn't make any sense!"
He shrugged, not too interested. "Why doesn't it? It's what you wished for. A dream that will make you happy once more…"
What I wished for? Does he mean…?
Nightmare smiled slyly, impressed. "Right on the nose, Kayla. Though, it wouldn't be hard for a smart cookie like you to figure it out so soon…"
He began to laugh arbitrarily, but I was left unamused. "You know something, don't you? Tell me, Nightmare… Please!"
I grabbed his free hand, hoping he would give me the answers I sought. Instead, he began to fade away into a thick fog, leaving me behind in the forest below. "Your charm has no effect on me as of yet, my dear Kayla… But the answers you seek will come… in due time."
"Wait, Nightmare! Don't leave me!"
I awoke with a start, jumping out of my bed in the process. After hitting my knee on the bedside table, I rubbed it vigorously as I pondered on my dream. So, Nightmare is dream demon? He must know what's happening here… I'll find out next time.
Quickly, I changed into my clothes and headed to the main chamber to find Julius in pretty much the same place as last night, trying to fix something. As I got closer, I noticed that it was a clock, the surface cracked in many places. So, Julius is a clockmaker? That's pretty cool…
"Good morning, Julius." He turned to me, nodding briefly before returning to his work. "Kayla."
I stood there awkwardly, waiting for him to say something. Finally, I blurted out something that had been on my mind for a while now. "Are you hungry? I am…"
Blushing, I saw him turn toward me once again, sighing. "Fine. I'll take a break to entertain you… If only to keep you quiet."
He pulled out some food, probably from thin air, and handed some to me. Toast with eggs on the side… my favorite! Well, excluding pancakes… chocolate chip!
We sat together at the table, silently munching on our meal. After devouring mine, I asked Julius what he could tell me about Wonderland. "Well, there are four territories here as of late… Hatter Mansion, Heart Castle, the Amusement Park, and Clock Tower, where we are now."
As I drank my juice he continued, intent on listening to him. "The Hatters are the mafia of Heartland, with Blood Dupre and his lackey Elliot March running the joint. The gatekeepers, Tweedles Dee and Dum, are just as dangerous as they are, so don't let their looks deceive you."
"Vivaldi runs Heart Castle as its Queen, with Peter White as her Prime Minister. The Knight of Hearts, Ace, may be more skilled than most here, but he can get lost in a paper bag. You know from experience…"
I nodded, trying to suppress my laughter/annoyance at such a predicament. "And finally, we have Gowland, who is the marquis of the Amusement Park. Boris Airay, the Cheshire cat, often accompanies him there."
"The three territories fight each other to gain more land, while we reside in the only neutral landscape… And I, Julius, am the clockmaker of Wonderland and, unfortunately, your host."
I smiled at him, appreciation in my gaze. "And I'm glad you are. This place is quite dangerous… I better be careful, so I don't get killed."
Julius nodded, almost relieved to have gotten that speech out of the way. He returned to his workstation, repairing clocks once again. "You may explore on your own, just be back in five time periods… Before I think you've been killed."
Time periods? What does he mean by that?
"Ok, I will…" I stepped out the front door, only to open it once more.
"Yes, Kayla..?"
"Julius, what are time periods?"
I've never played any of the games, so all of my knowledge lies in the manga and wiki pages. If someone seems OOC, let me know!
Either way, I'll be making this a culmination of the entire series, which means aspects from separate games will be present thoroughout it. Hopefully, my vague knowledge isn't too far off...
Also, Diamond no kuni is slated for release! I cannot wait until we get more news on this next entry in the series!
Ninja is out, peace!