Destructive Memories

Special Thanks to: Ink n' Echo, EarthRiddle, Pasty Face, FantasticalFantasy, RunnyBabbit44, and
JUSTaPettyPuzzle to reviews and all that awesome stuff!

2. The 10 Year War

The room was in absolute shreds, the walls scratched and the carpets torn, curtains hanging in pieces from the walls.

The fireplace warmed the somber room, lighting the small area around it. Alice strode over to it, shaking as she went. Next to the fireplace was the desk. The desk she had sat at so many nights watching him rebuild the shredded clocks. Making coffee and sitting it on the desk where he always sat.

Where was he?

Walking to the fireplace, Alice sat down in a single chair directly in front of the hearth. The small flames warmed her cold hands, and slightly lifted her spirits from the dark, depressing room.

Nothing could make this any worse.

Sitting there, the dancing flames slowly lulled her to sleep. But it didn't last long.

CREEAAK!

The door slammed shut, and Alice almost jumped out of her skin. She picked her feet off the ground, clutching her knees to her chest.

Somebody's here. Alice whimpered to herself. Whoever was here didn't sound like they were very happy.
Alice squeezed her hands together, tensing her shoulders to the point of pain.

The footsteps were getting closer, as though the person was walking right over to her.
Alice closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. Just barely opening one eye, she immediately snapped it shut.

Someone was standing over her, their height overwhelming thanks to her sitting in a chair.
A few minutes passed, all Alice heard was the faint breathing of the other person.

Suddenly, a large hand placed itself on her head. It shook rapidly, almost like a seizure.
Alice heard a thump against the floor. She wanted to look, but that might have endangered her already shattered perspective.

" Alice. Alice Liddell. Can that really be you?" a deep voice questioned.

Slowly, Alice opened her eyes. Staring down at her was the man she had watched so many nights, the man who had opened his own home to a complete, total stranger.

"Julius...IT'S REALLY YOU!"

She jumped out of the chair and into the navy haired man's arms. She gripped his sides tightly, nuzzling her face into his dark cloak." You're safe! I was so worried! But you're here, you're really here!" Alice was so happy. Tears began to trickle from her eyes, running down her face in an emotional fit.

Reluctantly, two large arms wound their way around her.

"Honestly, the first time I see you in an entire decade and you burst out into tears."

At first Alice laughed, but then something hit her." Wait...a decade!"
She looked up at him, her eyes slightly pink from crying.

"You mean I've been gone for almost 10 years! But how, how could it.."
She looked closely at his face. It wasn't the laid back face she knew so well.

A jagged scar slit it's way through his left eye, it's soft pink colliding with his dark blue. The locks of hair that draped on his shoulders were dyed a shade lighter than his original color, and he wore a cloak with steel shoulder pads.

Alice stared at him. He almost seemed like a different person, but his clock earring still hung from his ear, and that was enough to keep her straightforward.

" Julius, what happened to you!"

He glanced at himself then back to her." War."

Alice let go of his shoulders and sank to the floor. Julius grabbed her wrists, steadying her fall.
She jerked back to him, tears flowing down her face." Is that why Wonderland is burning to the ground! A war!"

They sat at the desk, Alice listening intently while Julius explained.

So the triangular power struggle got so bad it turned into a war. That explains the nonstop fire and Julius's different look. Alice became lost in thought until a hand touched her shoulder.

"So do you understand now?"

Alice nodded her head, slinking down into the chair. So many thoughts were running through her head, questioning everything she had seen and heard.

"Hey, Julius, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

Alice straightened back up." What about the others? Where are Nightmare, Gray, and Ace? Are they alright!"

Julius glanced to the window, out to the burning forest." At the moment, I don't know where Ace is, Gray is out hunting for tourmaline, and Nightmare is above us, stacking the many boxes of gems we've obtained." Julius pointed to the ceiling, which meant Nightmare was here with them.

" I have to see him! Can you take me to him?" Alice sound desperate, and Julius shrugged." I suppose he might need some help with the cargo. Perhaps we should assist him." Julius walked to the door, his icy blue cloak swaying gracefully behind him. Alice followed him closely, always behind him, never far away. They climbed the towering, twisting stairways, turning left and right every few steps.

Julius stopped in his tracks and Alice almost bumped in to him. She peeked around his side and saw a door with a huge clover engraved in it. But instead of the neat fresh green that usually was there, three huge claw marks shredded through it, slashing the wood on the door.

Julius twisted the knob, pushed the door open and entered. Alice looked inside. It was exactly like Julius's office, tattered and shred to pieces, with a single chair in front of a lit fireplace. In the very back of the room, slamming could be heard against the floor. Alice entered the dim room, and glanced at the back. A closet door was opened and someone was standing behind it, stacking boxes that were sitting outside the door.

" Nightmare?" Alice said aloud.

A box was slammed against the floor. Slowly, a head peaked around the corner, flashing jagged tips of silver hair at her. He staggered out from behind the door, slightly limping as he went.

His uncovered eye brimmed with disbelief, a smile broke out over his face.
" Alice, you really came back," Nightmare whispered.

He jumped on the unsuspecting foreigner, barricading her with his tight grip around her waist." Your finally back! After all these years, you have finally come back to Wonderland."

Alice pulled back, shifting away to look at the Lord of Clover Tower. He was like Julius, his appearance changed ever so slightly. The tips of his hair were dyed a smoky coal color, and he wore a cloak similar to Julius's with steel shoulder pads in a pale silver color.

" You changed too," Alice said, dismay covering her voice. Of course, you can't expect somebody to stay the same for 10 years.

" Yes. I suppose I have. But it seems you haven't changed one bit in the time you left." Nightmare touched her cheek with the back of his palm.
" Now Julius, some Amethyst and Topaz has recently come into my hands and I could use some help putting it away, if you don't mind."

" Of course."

" Wait, there are gems in all those boxes? What for? Why would you need so many?"

Nightmare glanced at her before picking up a crate full of shiny green rocks and placing it in the closet.

"Well, you see Alice, gemstones these days are like a power source. They are what lights the fire, what makes shattered furniture stable for usage, and basically keeps life going," Nightmare paused," they give us protection against neighboring countries and territories, power our Neo-core weapons, and help heal any physical injuries and sustain life all together."

Alice had a hard time taking this in."So basically, these gems are what Wonderland revolves around?"

Julius stacked several boxes on top of each other." In a way, yes. But the down side is that some are more powerful than others and other territories and countries are constantly fighting for them, attacking and stealing from each other. So now, instead of just territory we're all fighting for these gems and land. It takes a toll, I'll give it that."

Alice scrunched her face." You just said we. I thought the Clock Tower was a neutral area."
Both Nightmare and Julius stopped moving.

"It was, until an enormous deposit of Fluorite and Tourmaline was uncovered by one of the spies for the Castle of Hearts," Julius crossed his arms over his chests," we had always known about it and had dug into it every once in a while, and we tried as hard as possible to keep it under wraps so nobody would ever know it was there, but in the end our efforts were futile. We fell into the depths of war and have been struggling to survive ever since. At this very moment, Gray, Nightmare, and myself are the only inhabitants in this area. All the workers and servants of the tower have been slaughtered by the war, but they were honored to do it."

Alice made her way over to the chair, gripping it's arm rest to keep her balance. She jerked towards Julius, her eyes wide." But you are the Mortician, can't you bring them back like you did before! What's stopping you from picking up a clock, taking it apart, and putting it back together again?"

Julius shifted his gaze to the floor. He didn't say anything.

Nightmare sighed." Alice dear, be mindful of what you say. Wonderland isn't the place you remember, and many things have changed since you left. Remember that." Nightmare walked over to her, but not before quickly whispering to Julius. Julius gave him a stern look and turned away from him." Very well, if you don't want to tell her I will."

Nightmare walked to her side, gripping her shoulder with his fingers." Alice, have you ever heard of the Jabberwocky?" Alice looked at him, puzzled and unsure." The what? What on earth is a Jabberwocky!" Alice shouted.

Nightmare knelt down, eye level with her." The Jabberwock is a foul, vicious beast in the form of a dragon. He is like a guardian of Wonderland, an enforcer if you will, and he makes sure that we are properly carrying out our roles as instructed. By hearing this you might think he's an understanding person to have such a job, but he is everything but that. He thought that if we were going into an all out war, we should play by the rules, and once what little armies and defenses we had were gone, we were on our own and could look to no one but ourselves and our fellow players for help. He took away what little power we had, and now Wonderland has burned down in flames because of his foolish decisions."

Alice listened quietly, taking in everything that Nightmare said." Some people had better gifts than others, and the Jabberwock deemed this unfair and called those people unworthy to have those kinds of talents, so he decided..to take them away."

Alice cringed." If he took them away, then that means that Julius can't..." Alice turned to the window. Julius's back was facing them, his gaze turned to the charred forest below. She jerked out of the chair and went to his side rushing, placing her hand on his shoulder. He turned around, stared at her.

" Julius, you can't..." Alice didn't know how to finish the sentence. She stared at him, sadness washing over her. He looked miserable and the coral pink scar across his eye didn't help any.

"You can't fix clocks anymore."

"...No, I can't. I can take them apart, renew them and put them back together, but nothing works."

Alice thought about crying then and there. To take away something that someone had been doing all their life in an instant. It was so.. inhuman.

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard on one of the lower floor, and soon after a knock came from the door.

" Is another territory here!"

Another knock came and this time it had a strange pattern to it. Nightmare smiled." It seems Gray has returned. Think he found anything worth value?"

Julius sighed warily and went to the door. He opened the clock shaped latch and pulled the door open, revealing a masked man in an off black cloak with steel shoulder pads that were coated in metal spikes. He entered the door with a bulging potato sack slung over his shoulder.

They were three of a kind. All had dyed their hair, all wore cloaks in a shade that resembled themselves, and all of them gave off a menacing aura that scared her beyond belief.

What happened to the Wonderland I knew?

Wonderland isn't like you thought is it Alice?

Many thanks to those you reviewed. And -VERY IMPORTANT- I need some help finding an appropriate appearance for each Roleholder, considering they changed in the 10 years. If you have a suggestion, please PM me and give your opinion. I love to hear new ideas so don't hesitate to tell me what you think.