Alice scrutinized the statues, noticing that each one's gaze was directed towards a different direction, as if watching something, yet also serving as a kind of warning. She furrowed her brow and approached the nearest statue, discovering faint inscriptions on its base. She recalled seeing these characters in the ancient books of the White Queen's library. As she pondered, Tarant touched the characters on another statue, revealing that each statue had them inscribed at the bottom. He was just about to call her, but suddenly, a low sound emanated from the base of the statue, resembling distant bells echoing. This sound caused the surrounding air to vibrate slightly, and the statues' gazes seemed even more lifelike, as if following their every move.
They retreated towards each other, backs to back. The statues' gazes began to converge slowly, as if an invisible force was manipulating their direction. "I remember seeing these characters in the White Queen's library. They are an ancient symbol, associated with time or illusion," Alice recalled the legends about the intersection of time and space mentioned in those ancient books, but before she could further analyze, the statues' gazes converged in one direction, coalescing into a intense beam of light. The surroundings flashed white, forcing them to close their eyes immediately. Alice and Tarant were separated, and fog enveloped the surroundings, instantly erasing their sight of each other.
Alice opened her eyes wide, scanning the surroundings in an attempt to find Tarant's figure, but the maze within the fog seemed to have widened the distance between them. She could hear Tarant's voice calling her name from nearby: "Alice! Where are you?"
She anxiously ran, her heart pounding, until the fog ahead suddenly dispersed, revealing Tarant's figure. He stood beneath their crooked tree, his iconic hat obscuring his face.
"Tarant?" Alice called uncertainly, stepping forward.
Tarant lifted his head, his gaze revealing an unfamiliar cold light, an expression she had never seen before. He frowned and said, "Why did you come back? Why not continue living in your world? Wonderland doesn't need you."
Alice's heart sank. Tarant's words were ruthless, unlike the gentle, eccentric, and passionate Tarant she knew. She exploring tentatively ask "Why do you say so? You have never spoken to me like this before."
Tarant's eyelids turned gray, and a hint of sarcasm appeared on his face. "I'm telling the truth, Alice. You always thought you were a hero in Wonderland, but you were just a passerby. You have no understanding of this world and should not even be involved in it."
These words pierced Alice's heart like a sword. She stepped back, her brow furrowed, feeling a sense of inexplicable unease and doubt. But his pupils, which did not change color with his eyelids, made her realize that this Tarant was not right—he was not the Mad Hatter.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Suddenly, she remembered the potion the Red Queen had given her. The potion was specifically designed to counter illusions and fog. The Red Queen had told her that it could reveal reality.
Alice immediately realized that she was trapped in the illusion created by the statues. She quickly pulled the potion from her waist and poured it on the ground. The blue transparent liquid quickly spread, forming a barrier. The light intensified as the liquid dispersed. In an instant, the illusion began to shaked, and everything in front of her gradually blurred.
Tarant's figure began to distort, and his indifferent expression turned into smoke. As the barrier expanded, the fog dispersed into a heart shape, and the walls of the maze garden slowly returned. Alice sighed with relief, finally stepping out of the illusion.
She immediately looked around for the real Tarant. Her heart was still tight with fear that he might also be trapped in the same predicament. She quickly moved through the dissipating fog and finally saw Tarant on the other side of the maze. He was distressed by a statue, whose eyes stared at him, seemingly casting some ancient illusion magic.
Tarant looked confused and painful, his hands tightly clutching his head, as if resisting some powerful mental oppression. He murmured, "Alice... please..."
Without hesitation, Alice rushed forward and held Tarant's hand. "Tarant, I'm here! You have to wake up, this is an illusion!"
Tarant's gaze flickered momentarily, and Alice quickly pulled the potion from his satchel and poured it on the ground. As he awoke from the dream, the fog that had grayed his pupils gradually dispersed.He looked at Alice, and his gaze gradually regained its clarity and the familiar warmth.
"Alice…" His voice carried a hint of exhaustion but was also filled with gratitude, "I almost lost myself."
Alice tightened her grip on his hand: "We cannot let the maze control us. Wonderland needs us, and we also need each other."
Tarant nodded, clutching her hand and not daring to let go. He didn't say what he had seen.
Together, they looked around at the maze. As they were liberated, the surrounding stone statues also resumed their still state, and the power of the illusion had been broken. Subsequently, the earth began to tremble again, and the statue group that had just released the illusion exploded simultaneously, turning into mist. The oppressive heat instantly decreased, and the air here began to resemble that of the outside world.
The White Queen was elegantly strolling in the royal garden. She gently touched her skirt, feeling the softness of each step on the grass. Suddenly, a breeze blew, and the roses in the garden quietly awakened.
"Goodnight, your majesty," the roses whispered softly, their voices as light as a song.
The White Queen smiled, stopped, and nodded in return to the roses. She suddenly turned around, realizing that the air around her was filled with a refreshing aroma. The power of the maze garden was gradually weakening, and the vitality of Wonderland was slowly returning to her territory.
"It seems that they are about to succeed," said the White Queen with a smile, her voice tinged with relief. She looked up towards the direction of the maze in the distance, her heart filled with gratitude and hope.
Meanwhile, the Red Queen also sensed this change in the palace. She left her throne and gazed out at the maze garden from the terrace. The lawn of the Red Queen's castle was regaining its vitality. Her brow furrowed slightly, but her eyes brightened. She murmured to herself, "The power of the maze is diminishing."