Two: The Castle

"Wait, come back!" shouted Alice as she trailed after the hooded figure.

For the first time in her life she was glad to not have on her usual clothing on. It would make her run a lot more difficult, but, she realized, that her chase would be even easier if she was wearing shoes of any kind.

Alice followed the hooded figure up a hill. It was then that she realized the change in scenery. No longer was there rolling plains of grass, but instead sharp rocks and crags. She couldn't imagine walking endlessly in either direction off her path anymore because the path was all that there was.

"Watch out!" shouted but another voice, breaking her daze.

Alice looked down at her feet to see that she was on the teetering edge of the path and only a step away from falling into a dark abyss.

"Maybe that's what the voice was leading me to," she whispered as she took the fatal step forward.

"Tue wrath nigh high back!" shouted that annoying warning voice from before.

Alice had expected to be falling down, but instead she was levitating. She just wasn't sure how.

Behind her was a Digimon, of that she was sure, and he was waving a staff back and forth. It had a blue cloak that matched his hat that had a skull on adorned on it.

"Who are you?" asked Alice, as she was placed back on the path. "And am I in the Digital World?"

The Digimon shook his head, "Goodness no my dear, I am Wizardmon and I have no idea where we are."

"Well thank you Wizardmon, but I have to go follow that hooded figure," Alice sighed, pointing to the hill.

"So do I," he explained. "My associate and I were waiting at the castle when he showed up and–"

"Wait, wait you have an associate?"

Wizardmon averted his eyes, "Well sort of. The both of us woke up in front of the castle."

Alice made her way up the hill as Wizardmon tried to explain why he had show up and who his accomplice was. In all reality she still thought that she was hallucinating. Her broken sanity was because of Digimon, so why not have Digimon in her dream world?

Over the hill was a dark castle. Alice didn't think much of it other than how much it looked like a setting from some cheap video game.

"That your 'associate'?" Alice pointed with her chin at the Digimon waiting by the large doors.

It looked like an Agumon, but was black instead of orange. It also had a pair of red arm bands interlacing through its claws. The BlackAgumon glared at Alice, and if she had seen it on any other day she would have flinched, but today she was going crazy.

Fear would have to wait.

"Who's this Wizardmon?" BlackAgumon growled.

"Um…well... this is," Wizardmon stammered. Obviously he wasn't used to talking to those who relied on intimidation to get information from others

"I'm Alice," she said shoving her hands in her pockets.

"That's nice, now open the door," he grunted. Alice stared at the Digimon in wonder, confused as to why it thought she could open the door to a castle she had never seen before.

The confusion must have been plain on her face because Wizardmon immediately piped up, "the hooded figure said that once we found the third person we would be able to open the door."

"And you want to open the door because…?"

"Because it's the only way to get what we want!" fumed BlackAgumon. "So open the godamned door!"

Alice rolled her eyes and pushed on the doors.

***

Naminé ran through the halls of her new home with Kairi. Her discoveries with her sketchpad could not be ignored and she would have to get Sora and Riku together to fix the problem.

"Kairi? Sora? Riku?" she called.

Realizing that no one was inside she left and ran down to the beach. Maybe someone would be in the hidden cove. There would have to be someone who could do something about what she sensed was happening.

Down in the hidden cove were the keyblade bearers sparring. Sora, Riku, and Roxas were all charging on Kairi to teach her how to fend for herself against multiple enemies. They must have been on fighting five heartless at once since Sora and Roxas both were using two of their blades at once

"Guys," Naminé called, getting their attention. "We have a problem."