Page 18 of Knot My Wonderland, Part Two (Fairytale Omegaverse #2)

Chapter

Eleven

ALICE

I looked around, Seth having just left me with Dee and Vee who were watching my movements. I glanced at the two after taking a deep breath, and looked down at my arms, which still had the tint of red along my regular silver and gold markings.

"Is this normal?" I asked, my voice unsteady as I traced a finger along the crimson tinge that lingered beneath my skin. The pattern's silver and gold light pulsed stronger with each passing minute, but the red traces remained, like blood diffusing through water.

"Not entirely," Vee admitted, his devices humming as he scanned the air around me. "The Queen's corruption runs deeper than we anticipated."

"But it's not permanent," Dee added quickly, seeing my expression. "The pattern is fighting it. See how the gold and silver brightens each time it pulses?"

I nodded, watching as another wave of light swept beneath my skin, pushing the crimson tinge further back. Each pulse brought clarity, washing away the lingering fog from the Queen's tonics. With that clarity came worry—sharp and immediate.

“Is there a way to get rid of them?” I didn’t want anything that reminded me of the Queen, and these marks definitely reminded me of her.

Vee and Dee looked to one another, before Vee spoke, “There is a way, but it will tire you out… and also it may not be something you want yet.”

I tilted my head to the side, taking in his words before a flash of understanding went through me, “A bond…” My eyes flickered between the two, “With one of you? or both?” I knew they were an option for bonds, water and earth, but we had only had one conversation about that possibility.

Dee spoke next, a ghost of a smile coming to his lips, “Yes. Bonding with us could set the bond anew and wash away any residue…but that is your choice. Neither of us want something like this pushed on you unless you are sure of it.”

I considered his words, looking down at the crimson lines that marred the silver and gold of my pattern. Each pulse of light pushed the red back, but not enough—it lingered like a stain. A permanent reminder of what the Queen had done to me.

"How would it work?" I asked, my voice steadier than I expected. "The bonding process, I mean."

The twins exchanged another of their silent communications, a conversation held entirely through microscopic facial expressions and subtle shifts in posture.

"It would be similar to your bonds with Heart and Chi," Vee explained, his devices quieting as he focused on me. "But with certain differences. Our connection to time means the bond would exist partially outside linear progression."

"Which means it could reach backward as well as forward," Dee continued seamlessly. "Potentially erasing the Queen's influence by rewriting your pattern's recent history."

I blinked, trying to process what they were saying. "You can... change what happened to me?"

"Not exactly," Vee clarified, his expression unusually serious. "We can't erase memories or experiences. But we can alter how the pattern itself records magical influences."

"Think of it like a book with water damage," Dee added, gesturing to the crimson lines beneath my skin. "We can't make the book forget it got wet, but we can dry the pages and restore the text."

I closed my eyes, feeling the pattern pulse beneath my skin.

The Queen's corruption wasn't just physical—it went deeper, leaving shadows in my mind that the collar's removal hadn't erased.

Memories of her voice whispering that I belonged to her, that I was meant to be her daughter.

The sensation of crimson fog clouding my thoughts, making me doubt myself and everyone I cared about.

"Would it hurt?" I asked, opening my eyes as I unconsciously rubbed my arms where the red lines were most visible. The twins exchanged another look.

"Not, physically," Vee answered carefully, "But emotionally?" Dee finished, his expression gentling. "The bonding process requires complete vulnerability. All barriers down, all defenses lowered. After what you've endured with the Queen..."

I understood what he meant. The thought of opening myself completely to anyone right now, even the Tweedles whom I trusted implicitly, sent a chill through me. The Queen had violated my mind and magic so thoroughly that the idea of voluntary connection felt terrifying.

"There's no rush," Vee added softly, noting my hesitation. "The pattern is already fighting the corruption naturally. It will take longer, but the crimson traces will fade on their own eventually."

"How long?" I asked, though I suspected I already knew the answer.

"Months," Dee admitted. "Perhaps longer. And during that time, you'll be vulnerable to the Queen's influence if she finds a way to reactivate and manipulate things…which she is very good at doing.”

“And if I do the bond…what would the side effects be?” I wanted to know all angles before I made the choice.

“Bonding with time manipulators can be... overwhelming. You'll experience moments of temporal displacement while the connection establishes itself." Vee spoke, eyes flashing with something before going back to his mask.

"And there's another consideration," Dee added, his expression growing grave. "Once bonded with us, you'll exist partially outside linear time. That means you might occasionally glimpse at potential futures or even remember past events that you never experienced."

I absorbed this information, weighing the benefits against the complications.

The crimson corruption beneath my skin pulsed with each heartbeat, a constant reminder of the Queen's violation.

Through our restored bonds, I could feel Heart and Chi's situation growing more desperate—whatever trap they'd walked into was tightening around them.

"How long would it take?" I asked, the decision crystallizing as another wave of the Queen's influence tried to cloud my thoughts.

"The initial bonding process? Approximately seven minutes," Vee replied, shifting to step closer to me as his eyes flickered to meet his brother's for silent confirmation. "But the full integration will unfold over several days."

"And the timing?" I pressed, feeling a strange urgency building within me. Something was happening with Heart and Chi—I could feel their determination, but also growing danger.

"Now would be optimal," Dee said, his hands already moving to adjust the temporal devices strapped to his forearms. "The Queen's influence is weakest immediately after the collar's removal."

I took a deep breath, my decision was made. "Let's do it."

“Are you sure?” Vee’s silver eyes seemed to look into me, trying to find something.

He stepped forward, coming to stand right before me as he brought a hand to my cheek, his touch soft, “This bond will be forever.” He spoke softly.

“Yes, you have other options besides us… and we do know we aren’t the easiest to get close to. ”

"I'm sure," I said, leaning slightly into his touch. "You've both been there for me from the beginning. Different, yes,” I smiled up at him. “but no less important."

A rare, genuine smile touched Vee's lips as his silver eyes softened. "Then we begin."

The twins moved with perfect synchronization, positioning themselves on either side of me. Their temporal devices hummed to life, creating a bubble of stabilized reality around us that shimmered with opalescent light.

"Close your eyes," Dee instructed gently. "And try to relax. The pattern will recognize our intentions."

I did as he asked, feeling their hands take mine—Vee on my right, Dee on my left.

The moment our skin connected, I felt something shift in the air around us, as if reality itself held its breath.

The pattern beneath my skin responded immediately, silver and gold light pulsing with increasing intensity as it recognized the potential for new connection.

"Breathe with us," Vee whispered, his voice seeming to come from multiple moments at once. "In... and out... let time flow through you rather than around you."

I synchronized my breathing with theirs, feeling the temporal energy building between us like gathering storm clouds. The crimson corruption beneath my skin recoiled from their touch, the red lines flickering as if trying to escape the purifying influence of their magic.

"Now," Dee said softly, "open yourself to us. Let us see who you truly are."

The moment I lowered my mental barriers, the world exploded into fragments of possibility.

I saw myself through their eyes—not just the present moment, but echoes of who I had been and glimpses of who I might become.

The twins' consciousness touched mine with infinite gentleness, their combined essence felt like standing in a river of liquid starlight that flowed both forward and backward through time itself.

The bonding process began with a sensation of falling upward through crystalline water, this process much more different than the other two bonds I had formed.

Their minds touched mine—Vee's quicksilver thoughts dancing through temporal calculations while Dee's deeper currents anchored us to stable reality.

Together they created a harmony that made my soul resonate like a struck bell.

We see you, their voices whispered in perfect unison, not through sound but directly into my consciousness. Alice who chose courage over safety, connection over isolation, love over fear.

The pattern beneath my skin erupted in response, silver and gold light blazing as it welcomed the new connection.

But instead of the gradual warmth I'd experienced with Heart and Chi, this bond formed with the intensity of lightning—sudden, complete, transformative.

Time seemed to fracture around us, showing me glimpses of moments that had been, were, and might yet be.