"Lewis Caroll…"
The girl mumbled to herself the name of the author that gave her life, the author that gave her both a story and a purpose. Now that the story was over, however, what was her purpose? What did her fate have in store for her? There was no red string to guide her, yet she very well knew, upon waking up in the world, what it was she had to do.
"You live only to kill"
"Kill to see him again"
The girl, wearing a black dress that dropped just below her waist, looked down at her feet. A pair of puppets were hiding their mouths, as though resisting the urge to laugh. They were held up by strings that rose far above the clouds, not bound to the ground and, likely, not bound to the world either
"You want to see your author?"
"Do you care about the price?"
The puppets rose up in the air in front of the girl and swayed side to side, avoiding the flowing blue headband on the girl's head, reminiscent of a pair of blue, silky rabbit ears. Rather than continue their movement, the two simply backed away and stared blankly, awaiting a response
"I do"
"You do?"
"So you won't?"
"I do… but I have no choice"
"Hehehe," Parrah giggled hollowly, "she said she cares for the price"
"Kekeke," Noya cackled ominously, "she knows it's not her choice"
The two looked at one another once more and began to exchange laughter. Their wooden mouths could never form a smile, and their empty voices showed not a shred of emotion, but somehow, the girl could tell they were enjoying themselves
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...", the girl said softly. It was the name of her story, the one her author wrote in 1865, the story where she fell down a hole and into a world filled with wonder and magic. She knew it was a happy tale, and yet, the world she was in at the moment felt so far from happy it could make her sick
The sky was showing the morning sun rising, the moon slowly going back down along with the critters of the night. It was just like she remembered, except, the world felt, empty. The air was still, the atmosphere was heavy, and the forest was silent. Though Alice could neither see nor feel anything close by, her hands still held on to the sword beside her, nearing Alice's own height. There was a tension she could not describe, and a feeling she never felt. Deep within her mind, all she knew of this strange world were three simple words
"Kill them all," spoke the two puppets, as though reading what Alice was thinking, "Kill every last thing in this world. Bring back your author"
"Is that not your fate?" added Parrah, rolling her eyes with an expressionless face
"What even is your fate", asked Noya, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head
Alice took a look around her. Though the trees were beautiful, covered with moss and beautiful leaves growing out from the branched extending from their trunks, she could still make out the marks and scratches digging into the bark. Red stains blotched the grass on the floor, and led inside of the forest where the trails and puddles would surely become more frequent, more common, even… normal.
"I know," Alice said, "It's my fate, to bring him back"
"No matter the price?"
"Regardless of cost?"
"It's wrong, but still… it's my wish to see him again"
"She thinks that it's wrong?"
"She thinks it's her wish?"
"Shut it…" Alice mumbled, not waiting for a response, not even expecting to be heard. Had she said this the puppets, or to the doubts in her head? She didn't know, but she said it anyway, the reason coming from her heart.
"Don't you trust us?"
"We can bring him back"
"You don't look trustworthy"
"Fufufu"
"Kekeke"
"Get out"
"Kill them all, and we'll bring him back"
"Kill them all, we'll grant your wish"
"I said to leave"
"Don't have doubts now, it's already too late"
"The soles of your heels are dyed deep red"
"I'm leaving"
"You made the mess here, you already knew"
"You know your purpose, you've already begun"
Alice stormed off, pushing the two puppets out of her way and walked into the forest with heavy steps, moving forward without once looking back at the snickering puppets
"Bondage is it?"
"A pitiful sin"
"Tied down by her fate"
"What an endless nightmare"
"They won't ever run out"
"When one is struck, another is born"
"What of the rest"
"They too will never finish"
"A repeating cycle?"
"Only one will be happy"
"But weren't there more?"
"The other victims of fate?"
"Are they yet to be found?"
"We know of Langour, Brutality, Dependence, Masochism, Delusion, Depravity, Justice, and Bondage"
"Left are Sorrow, Inquisition, Parvenu, Gerontocracy, Aesthetics, Gluttony, and Purity"
"Such ugly sins they bear"
"All doomed to fight"
"All to revive their authors"
"Wil anyone succeed"
"Who will break"
"Who will waver"
"Who will fall"
"Kekekeke"
"Fufufufu"
"Hehehehe"
"Hahaha"
While holding their sides, Parrah and Noya began to laugh, both at their words and the sorry, sinful characters they were watching over. Every last one, all fifteen were tasked with killing every breathing nightmare, every living thing left in the world they were held prisoners too, unaware, or blissfully ignorant to the fact they would never end. The power they held would last for their lifetime, but their bodies and mind would last until they broke, all merely puppets to their desires; slaves to the unique sin each held in their heart.
