Greetings everyone! PickleToast is back again! Here's the next chapter, I hope you all like it! I already had this part done for some time and was tweaking it the last couple of days, so there should not be any grammar issues! :)

Anyway, so I've been thinking about the whole "how Mad Hatter formed" issue from two chapters ago, as myself and others were confused by it, so let me try to explain a bit more now:

After escaping from the Abyss, Kevin slowly began to lose his sanity. While his body was unaffected by the Abyss, it still left a heavy impact on his mind and soul. Being as he was now outside of the Abyss, the affects took a longer time to take hold and hence a slow decent into madness. Now, I have always headcannoned that the source of Hatter's powers is its own madness. After all, you'd have to be pretty mad in order to completely and utterly destroy your own kind, much less just outright deny their very existence. Thus, I see madness, from the perspective of the Abyss, to be very corrosive and destructive, spreading like a disease.

The madness growing in Kevin's mind was influenced by the Abyss and thus morphed into the corrosive Abyssal Madness instead of the normal madness that the humans think of. Kevin is human, and not a being from the Abyss, so the madness he was accumulating did not and could not affect him physically. So instead it 'attacked' the only thing it could: Kevin's memories.

The madness ate at them and destroyed quite a bit, causing Kevin to essentially lose who he was, becoming something close to a doll. However, as the madness ate at the memories it grew and eventually started to gain its own awareness. In its new awareness, it did not want to harm its host, its human any more than it already had. Therefore, it pulled itself together so that all the madness was located in only one part of Kevin's mind. It had hoped doing so will allow Kevin to heal. Unfortunately, there was too much damage for 'Kevin' to ever come back.

Feeling terrible for being the cause, the madness tried to fix things and bring its human back. It took whatever memories were left and tried to patch them together in a way that sort of made chronological sense, hoping that would be enough to bring its human back. While it didn't work exactly the way the madness wanted it too, 'Kevin' was able to move again, and speak and function. Over time, with the help of Shelly, Sharon, Reim, and Cheryl, new memories formed and over powered the stitched up memories of Kevin. From these new memories came a new person, that person was Xerxes Break.

When Xerxes went back into the Abyss, after joining Pandora, the Abyss took the accumulated madness in his mind and soul and gave it a more solid form, a more structured and sophisticated mind of its own, and thus Mad Hatter was formed.

Wow! That was a long winded explanation, but I felt it was necessary in order to avoid further confusion. I hoped this helped.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pandora Hearts or its characters. I only own this storyline and the concept of madness and the formation of Hatter, as seen above. Now please enjoy!

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Kevin began to wake up, feeling rather horrid. His whole body ached and he felt like his head was going to explode. What had happened? Last he remembered, he and Xerxes were with the Core, and then…

Wait, where was Xerxes? Kevin's eyes shot open when he couldn't feel the other. He was staring up at a dark green canopy. It took him a few minutes to realize he was in a bed, back in the Upper World. His heart continued to pound in his chest as he wondered briefly if everything had been a dream, but he knew that couldn't be true. He did not recognize this room, and the aching he was feeling was very much real.

He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, taking a moment to steady his breathing. He was still in the same clothes that he was wearing when he had gone into the Abyss, though his outer cloak was missing. With a sudden thought, he quickly undid the upper buttons of his shirt and looked down at his chest. The completed seal was still there, but…

"Why is it red? It was black last time I checked…" he murmured, staring. Indeed, the seal on his chest was a bloody red instead of a sinful black. But why was it…? A memory hit him like a steam engine.

He was standing in front of the graves of his master and the rest of the Sinclair family. He gazed at their headstones sadly. He felt terrible. He knew, logically, that their deaths were not his fault. His master's youngest daughter had wanted to go see the market place so badly that day, as there was to be some sort of play going on and his master had asked Kevin to go with her. There had been nothing that day to denote that something would happen to them, so Kevin had bowed and took the little miss to the market to see the play.

Even so, the image of the rest of the family laying there in a bloody mess was forever burned into his mind. If he had stayed, would he have made a difference? Or would he too be buried six feet under like his master? He didn't know. But, despite the overwhelming feeling of sorrow and guilt and the wishes that he could have done something, he knew that there wasn't anything he could have done. He still had a job to do though, the little miss still needed him, and she was still alive. That was enough for him.

He closed his eyes to whisper his final prayers and goodbyes, when a deep, almost grizzly voice spoke behind him. "Do you want to change the past?" He gasped, turning around, before his eyes grew wide. There was a large, white suit of armor with eerie glowing eyes and two large broad swords. It was floating.

"Wh-what?"

"Do you want to change the past? I can help you with that, but in return I want you to help me see the Will of the Abyss." It said, creeping closer. Kevin took a step back. Change the past? Will of the Abyss? He had no clue what this thing was talking about. He swallowed hard.

"Change the past…? There's no such thing. No such thing. It can't be done."

"Ah, but it can. I can tell you, show you. You can have your dear master back…you can save him…save them from this fate. All you have to do is make a contract with me." The thing was practically breathing down Kevin's neck. He had never felt so scared before in all his life.

"What are you…?" he asked, terrified. He could have sworn the thing in front of him was grinning wickedly.

"I am Albus the White Knight. I am a Chain that has come from the Abyss."

"The Abyss? I thought…I thought that was just a myth…"

"It's very real alright. So then, human, do we have a deal?"

"What?"

"Do we have a deal? You help me get to the Will of the Abyss, and I will help you change the past." Kevin had to admit, those honeyed words did sound awfully nice, convincing. However, he knew his luck, and knew better than to trust something like the…Chain before him.

"I-" he started, before stopping for a minute, the young miss flashed through his mind, crying over the coffins and begging him not to leave her alone. "I-uh…..No." he shook his head. "No. We do not." He said with more conviction. The Chain seemed incredibly confused, as if it hadn't expected to be rejected. "While it is a nice thought, changing the past so that my master would live, I do not wish to do so. It is best to leave well enough alone. Trying to change it would only result in more sorrow. So no, I do not wish to change the past. I am sorry; Albus the White Knight…but I cannot help you in your quest. You will have to find someone else. I'm certain that there are plenty of other people out there who could help you better than I." He said, somehow moving away. He started to leave, wanting nothing more than to just get away.

"Insolence." The Chain spoke, and suddenly Kevin found himself pinned to a nearby tree, the Chain holding him up by his neck. He gasped for breath and struggled to get free, but the Chain was too strong. "Fine then. I do not care what you want. But I will complete my quest to meet the Will, and to do that, I need a human. You will help me, whether you want to or not." The chain then sliced open its finger, drops of dark blood spilling forth. Kevin struggled more, but was helpless has Albus pried open his mouth and shoved its bleeding finger in.

The horrid taste of iron and soot filled his senses. He choked, trying not to swallow the rancid, thick liquid. The Chain was getting impatient, and shoved the bleeding appendage down his throat until he had no control over his swallowing. He was hyper aware of the blood dripping freely down his throat. It was only then that the Chain let him go. He crashed into the ground, coughing and spitting, trying to get the taste and the blood out of his mouth, out of his body.

A pain, worse than anything he had ever experienced, hit his heart. He screamed and grabbed his chest. He was well aware of himself squirming and flailing around on the ground in pain. Dark laughter filled the air as he blacked out. He would wake up later to find himself covered in blood not his own, and a bloody tattoo-like mark on his chest, the clock hand already moved by two ticks.

Kevin came out of memory lane, eyes huge and breathing frantic. Oh God…oh God! He… Kevin closed up his shirt and collapsed back onto the bed, staring up in horror. He had been nothing but a puppet…used by that Chain to perform horrid deeds. He was punished for sins that were not really his own. Albus had taken over his body… he briefly wondered if that counted as rape. Words flowed through his head, soft, feminine, and filled with sorrow and adoration.

A black seal indicates a willing contract. A red seal indicates a forced contract, a contract formed without the consent of the human contractor. Don't worry, Kevin. You are innocent, a victim of the actions of the Chain known as Albus the White Knight.

"Alyss…" he whispered, slowly calming down. It was then that everything else fitted its way into his memory. Alyss…talking about seeing events and people multiple times…the Core…Xerxes….

"Xerxes!" He shouted, shooting up in bed. How could he have forgotten his new twin? Looking around, Kevin could not see him. Where was he? He was about to climb out of the bed and go looking when the door to his room almost slammed open, making him jump. He turned and saw his new brother standing there. Kevin sighed in relief. "Xerxes! There you are. What ha-"

He was cut off as Xerxes practically body slammed him back into the bed. He felt his twin cling onto him in a similar manner that he had done to him back in Alyss' room. Only now, Kevin could tell that there was something wrong. Xerxes was crying, sobbing really, and laughing all at once. Kevin panicked. He wrapped his own arms around Xerxes and rolled them over so that they were on their sides. After placing his head on top of Xerxes, Kevin began to rub circles on his twin's back.

'Okay, Kevin, calm down.' He thought to himself. 'Xerxes is fine…physically. He's having a fit of hysteria I think. Most likely from what happened. It hurt for me, what I can remember of it; I can only imagine how it must have hurt him…considering he got a new body. Hold on, a new body?' Kevin took in a sharp breath as something crossed his mind. 'Wait, wait, wait. Hysteria? That's something like madness, isn't it? Prior to what just happened, in his original timeline, he was in a similar sort of state until Mad Hatter manifested. Albeit, he was more of a vegetable than outright expressing the signs. That madness is a part of Xerxes and was the cause of his issues back then…is he having the same issue now? If that is the case…he can't really 'calm down' unless Mad Hatter returns? He didn't originally until Hatter formed anyway, so I assume…' Xerxes seemed to have relaxed in his hold, and Kevin thought he might have actually started to fall asleep.

'If that truly is the case, it should be easy enough to fix. We just have to get Mad Hatter to come back. Just enough of a push and his madness should start to form Hatter all on its own, but…can that happen as Xerxes is now? Or does he need to be in or close to the Abyss again, since Hatter is technically a Chain?' Kevin started to play with Xerxes' hair as he thought. He still had no clue where he was, or when he was. He was fairly certain that Xerxes would not be much help in that regard, in his current state of mind. Wait…maybe he could….? It was worth a shot.

…Core…? Are you there…?

Kevin wasn't sure what to expect as he replicated what he remembered Xerxes doing. He hoped that the Core would hear him and hopefully answer some of his questions.

Yes, my Child. I am here. How are you feeling? Not too terrible I hope?

No, no…I'm fine. Just a headache…and possibly a fever. Nothing a couple days of rest can't fix. I was wondering if you could answer some questions?

Certainly, my Child. You are at the Rainsworth manor, just like Xerxes was the first time. I don't particularly like the inhabitants of the Upper World, as they have never treated my Children fairly. However, I do trust the Rainsworths. They have been the only family, the only people to have treated my Children, Xerxes in particular, as another human being, and not some cursed thing.

I see. Thank you. I have another question though, regarding Xerxes…

Ah, yes. His state of mind as of current. I had not expected that to happen, but I suppose it was to be expected. When I gave him his body, he already had Mad Hatter. When he got his new body, since Hatter is a part of his mind and soul, Hatter would still be there…but at this point in time Hatter did not have a form…so all of Hatter's madness is mixed with Xerxes' own. Causing the hysteria and madness fits.

Can it be fixed? I mean…can we get Mad Hatter back?

Of course. I can help with that, but to do so, I need you to bring him back to me. You can do so from anywhere. You do not need the Gate.

Alright. I will try to bring him as soon as possible. While it would be better to wait longer, so as not to gain suspicion…I don't want my new twin to continue to suffer like this.

Heeheeh~ What a wonderful big brother you are, my dear. I will wait for you two. Just remember that I am always here for you. My Will is here as well. But please, make sure that both of you are okay before you try anymore of your powers.

I understand. Thank you.

Kevin cut off his connection with the Core and focused on his twin. Xerxes was fast asleep, curled up next to him. Kevin continued to stroke his fluffy, white hair. The following minutes were so quiet that he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a loud squeal.

Turning his head to the door, wide eyed, Kevin saw a woman in a pink gown. The woman had long brown hair that was pulled into a ponytail and champagne pink eyes. She had one hand on the doorway and the other covering her mouth. Her eyes were sparkling. Kevin could have also sworn he saw sparkles around her. He had never seen this woman before, but yet he knew exactly who it was. It was Shelly Rainsworth, the one that had helped and healed Xerxes the first time.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I had no idea you two were having a moment! How undignified of me to barge in! I'll leave you two be." She hurried away, squealing more about twins and cuteness. Kevin couldn't help but shiver in a sudden feeling of dread. Good Lord, even with his twin's memories he had no idea how he had survived Shelly the first time. Kevin wasn't so sure if the both of them could survive her a second time.

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Okay, okay, I know it's a short chapter, but I felt it needed to be since I spent so long talking about how Hatter formed. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed. Let me know what your thoughts are on Hatter's existence, I'm curious~