Chapter 9

Absolem, Alice!

Where am I?

Who am I?

What am I doing here?

How did I get here?

Is this my home?

A flash of light brought Alice to a small area where a waterfall that glittered in the sun. Near the waterfall she saw a figure wearing a black hat with a black piece of fabric wrapped around it and falling down his back like Hatter's hat. Alice rushed towards him reaching a hand out hoping for him to reach out. His face was hidden but she could see silver hair rippling around his tail coat. An evil smile appeared on his face and he tipped his hat back to revel piercing green eyes and red lips curled and gleaming. He was holding gloves… Sebastian's gloves…

"Sorry dearie." The man said and also held up a silver colored orb. Alice let out a scream and the sky shattered above them and blood poured down the waterfall as Alice feel to the ground crying.

"They screamed mercy but I wouldn't be evil if I didn't spare them so their screams were only my entertainment."

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Alice screamed clutching Sebastian's gloves after the man tossed them in front of her.

"Why dearie… I took over Wonderland."

Alice woke with a start clutching the blankets around her. Looking at her in the doorway was Hatter, his face pale.

"… We heard you screaming… Bad dream?" Hatter asked.

"Yeah… What time is it?" Alice asked.

"Almost nine." Alice quickly got out of bed and threw on clothes and shoes before following Hatter downstairs for a bagel and orange juice.

"So what I just go home and spy on him is what you're saying?" Sebastian asked pointing his fork at Aaron who was busy reading a book.

"I don't think it'll be safe for Sebastian to return home… after all… I'm sure if Ragnarok is still there he probably has suspicions about you disappearing all of a sudden." Mary Beth said.

"I'll just say I went out looking for Alice."

"It wouldn't work! He'll see right through you." Mary Beth snapped at him.

"Why not? It's a good way of getting him killed and out of my sight." Aaron sighed setting the book aside.

"You just want be dead so you'll marry Alice. I'm not THAT stupid, you know."

"Morning Alice!" Mary Beth chirped over the bickering Princes. Alice yawned as hello and took a seat next to Aaron and stared at his book.

"What's that about?" Alice asked looking at the cover that had an unusual picture of a man getting eaten by a giant plant.

"Creatures in Wonderland. Many of them are hidden in the forest but I'm positive one of these things can help us." Aaron said.

"… Did you look for magical creatures?"

"All of them… It's about a day's journey to Lake Witonka where a bunch of fairy tribes might be able to help."

Alice looked through the colorful pages while eating a piece of toast. Pictures of rabid mice, rabbits and dogs were in the section of mindless while plants of all kinds were label cannibalisms. The thought of stepping across any of these creatures scared Alice. Just the thought of getting caught in the same path as hers would give her nightmares. She closed the book and gave it back to Aaron hoping her stomach could take in more food after seeing those horrifying pictures.

"I still think we should ask the Symphix for help." Sebastian said pushing his eggs from side of the plate to the other.

"Yeah she can… but you need to solve her riddle first and believe me the only man I know who ever solved it was Hatter himself." Aaron said. Everyone looked at Hatter who was busy with Cheshire fixing his hat that seemed to have had a missing button somewhere.

"What was the riddle, Hatter?" Alice asked. Hatter looked up.

"The Symphix's riddle… what is it?" Aaron asked.

"It can be seen by the naked eye, and yet it weighs literally absolutely nothing. It can be any shape or size, and if you put it in something.. whatever you put it in actually becomes lighter. What is it?"

The room was silent and waited for his response. "Well everyone don't shout at once but it's a hole."

"Can the Symphix help us defeat Ragnarok?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" Hatter shouted banging his fists onto the table causing everyone to jump. "Always wanted to do that but look it here… the Symphix is not a Symphix unless a riddle could be made thus creating a Symphix. No matter the riddle the Symphix cannot tell a lie but cannot tell the truth either. The Symohix is merely a illusion in your head and thus creating one person mad to create another Symphix."

"Now I know why you're called MAD Hatter." Sebastian said rubbing his head.

"Then hear me this, Sebastian. Why is a Raven like a Writing Desk?" Hatter asked.

"I haven't had the slightest idea." Sebastian moaned.

"Well then a Symphix will make a meal out of you." Hatter laughed.

"They… eat you if you get the riddle wrong?" Aaron asked.

"Well of course! They're in the same category as Venus Flytraps."

"This place is getting scarier each day." Alice muttered.

"Never fear. The man eating animals and plants never come out unless you go up far north where they live. They live near the desert." Hatter said placing his feet on the table as he fixed his pocket watch."

"What were you doing up in the desert when you meet the Symphix?" Sebastian asked curiously. Hatter kicked his feet off the table and stood up grabbing his hat.

"That I won't answer until you answer my riddle." Hatter said throwing his hat on and left the room.

"Well… do we know anyone else who can give advice?" Sebastian asked.

"What about that caterpillar I met the first time I was here…? He smokes all the time…" Alice suggested.

"Absolem?" Aaron shouted as Alice, Mary Beth and Sebastian trailed him as they walked through the forest.

"The map says he should be right here!" Sebastian said angrily looking at the map.

"Forget about the map!" Aaron screeched and ripped up the map Sebastian was holding.

"How rude."

"Stop fighting!" Mary Beth hissed and pulled apart two branches and waved over the three of them excitedly. They looked through and saw a small blue caterpillar wearing one eye glass on his right eye as he sat there blowing smoke rings.

"Absolem?" Aaron asked. The caterpillar never looked up at him as he twirled a ring around his tiny "finger"

"Whooooo areeee youuuu?" The caterpillar asked.

"I'm Aaron, The White Prince."

"No… whoooo areeee youuuu?" The caterpillar asked sharply. "I never said giveeee a nameee."

"I'm a sorcerer and was given the gift of light from the Goddesses. I'm cursed, lost and looking for advice."

"Muchhh betterrr, now whooo areee theyyy?"

"I'm Sebastian, the Red Prince. Uh… I'm a sorcerer as well, I was given the gift of bravery and beauty, I too am lost and cursed."

"My name is Mary Beth, I'm a palace guard at the Red Castle and…"

"Annnddd?" Absolem asked looking over at Mary Beth. "And… I feel alone in the world."

"You're Alice I presume hmmmm….?" Absolem asked.

"Why yes…"

"Can't be."

"ABSOLEM! Clearly she's Alice!"

"Not the one I know… The one I know is fearless and smart. You're clearly dumb and full of fear."

"How dare you say that about her!" Sebastian spat at her. Absolem puffed a smoke ring into his face and turned away from them.

"What you seek is Ragnarok's main source of powweeerrr. I cannot tell you what it is until you prove to me whooo youuuu areee." Absolem sighed puffing smoke into Alice's face causing her to choke. "Now go on home before the night creatures show up for sooommmmeeee dinner."

"Don't you have the prophecy with you?" Aaron asked. Absolem looked over at him and gave a small grin.

"Look at the mushroom…" Absolem replied coolly. Aaron peered at the mushroom Absolem was sitting on which was about half the size of Alice. She peered and notice the spots were small words or pictures.
"One is the key to defeat thee." Aaron read as he read left to right on one side.

"The sun and moon must agree on thee." Sebastian said looking at the other side.

"Full will be the moon and shine on thee." Mary Beth read.

"I will open the key in threes." Alice said and stood up.

"Four riddles…" Absolem said uninterested in his guests.

"None of them make sense… Defeat what and what key?" Sebastian groaned.

"The moon will be full in four days time. Spend too much time and you'll ruuunnn out of time. Spend too little and you'll looosssseeee." Absolem said before crawling down the mushroom and vanishing into the ground.

"He's right… We don't have much time and we still need to find Ragnarok's weakness." Aaron said.

"Alice needs to find herself or the one Absolem is looking for…" Mary Beth said. Sebastian put an arm around Alice.

"You're brave to me. You did poison me so you could escape." Sebastian whispered into Alice's ear.

"We better get back. The sun is setting and the creepy plants will show up soon." Aaron said and the group headed back to the castle.

Alice went to bed she looked out at Wonderland from her balcony. Hatter sneaked into her room and stood next to her.

"That dream was about Aaron and Sebastian losing." Alice said.

"You think it's a sign?" Hatter asked.

"Do you think the sky would shatter and waterfalls will spill blood?"

"With Ragnarok as ruler… anything could happen."

"Something about that hat of his… It looked like yours almost." Alice said. Hatter's hands froze on the railing as he heard this.

"What color was it?" Hatter asked.

"All black."

Hatter tipped his head back and sighed. "Let me guess… long silver hair and green eyes?" Alice nodded. "That's the guy I sold a hat to in the desert. I was up there delivering it to him. When he visit my shop many years ago he liked my hat and wanted one just like it except in pure black but with the same designs on here with black velvet. I couldn't say no since he paid me tons of money but I put all of my energy into making that hat and his smile sparkled when I gave it to him."

"Do you think…?"

"Oh yeah I know it."

"Ragnarok." The both of them said, the name being carried into the wind.