As soon as Alice stepped off the Bandersnatch, she felt a dizzying sensation and her body swayed uncontrollably before she could even stabilize herself. Realizing she was losing her balance, the world around her began to blur. Just as she was about to collapse, Tarrant rushed forward and caught her steadily in his arms.

"Alice!" Tarrant's voice was filled with anxiety and fear as he held her tightly, feeling her body cold and weak, with the wound on her arm appearing darker. Without wasting a moment, he picked her up and ran towards the palace gates. The Bandersnatch beside them let out a low, anxious growl, as if also feeling uneasy about Alice's condition.

Tarrant sprinted through the palace hall, where the White Queen was already waiting for their return at the doorway. Seeing Alice fainted in Tarrant's arms, the White Queen immediately looked worried but remained calm, softly instructing, "Tarrant, quickly send her back to her room. I will call the Red Queen to check on her later."

Tarrant nodded silently, carrying Alice swiftly through the corridors and gently laying her on her bed. He couldn't bear to leave her side, his hands trembling as he stroked her face, whispering, "Alice, please hold on."

Shortly after, the Red Queen arrived in the room, looking tired but still vibrant. Seeing Alice lying on the bed with her brows furrowed, she immediately took out the medication she had prepared and gathered Tarrant and the White Queen nearby to explain in detail.

In a serious and calm tone, the Red Queen began, "Since the emergence of the Maze Garden, I have been studying it and have discovered a very important clue. Now that the maze garden has awakened, I have recently found an incredible connection between it and Alice. The toxins in the vines are actually a reaction to Alice's own antibodies. The Wonderland and her body echo each other, and the maze garden is like a part of her body's antibodies. She came to Wonderland and touched the life of the maze garden, so these antibodies produced strange reactions to some extent, causing the toxin to harm her."

Tarrant asked anxiously, "What should we do then? Can she still wake up?"

The Red Queen nodded, "I have prepared a guiding medication for her that can help her get through this dangerous stage. The medication can not only suppress the toxins but also guide her mental strength and help her recover from a coma. During this period, she needs to complete self-repair through inner struggle and awakening."

"This means she will struggle with herself in her dreams," the White Queen softly added.""Thisstruggleisaboutherlife.Ifsuccessful,shewillliveforever.Iffailed,itmayendangerherlife."Tarrant's heart sank, and he gazed at the window of Alice's room, filled with worry.

In her dream, Alice found herself in a familiar yet strange place—her former real life. She walked along the corridors of the mansion, her footsteps echoing in the empty space. Suddenly, Tarrant appeared before her—but this Tarrant was completely different from the one in Wonderland, cold and distant. There was no warmth in his gaze, only a hint of underlying anger.

"We'll see," he said faintly, his tone laden with impatience and detachment. It was a phrase she often heard in her real-life dreams whenever she tried to approach him, to talk to him. He always used it to fend off her closeness.

"Tarrant?" Alice called softly, trying to move closer to him.

However, as she took a step forward, Tarrant shouted loudly, "Don't come over here!" His expression twisted, and anger flared in his eyes, yet his eyelids remained unchanged in color.

Alice immediately realized that this was not the real Tarrant; it was an illusion. To wake up and escape from this fantasy, she must confront this Tarrant.

She stopped and began to ponder how to break this confrontation. Suddenly, she remembered the riddles she had heard from Tarrant in the past, those little tests of wisdom that had once puzzled her. So, she decided to use riddles to confront this illusionary Tarrant.

"Okay, Dark Tarrant," Alice smiled faintly, her tone challenging, "If you can answer my riddle, I will obey you. If you can't answer, then you have to listen to me."

The illusionary Tarrant raised an eyebrow, seemingly angered by her proposal, but he still nodded in agreement.

Alice began, "What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs at night?"

Tarrant fell silent for a moment, a hint of confusion flashing across his eyes. He muttered under his breath, "Four legs? Two legs? Three legs?"

"That's human. Crawling on all fours as a baby, standing and walking as an adult, and needing crutches in old age," he replied.

Alice felt uneasy, knowing she had to delve deeper to find the true core of this illusion. She forced herself to calm down and continued in a steady tone, "It seems that you are very smart, but the puzzle between us is not that simple."

The illusionary Tarrant smiled, his smile tinged with a hint of coldness and provocation, "Of course it's not easy, Alice. Do you think you can easily escape?"

Alice's heart sank. She realized that things were far more complicated than she had imagined.