Page 63 of Knot My Wonderland, Part Two (Fairytale Omegaverse #2)

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

ALICE

T he moment Seth and I entered Varik's workshop, I felt every pair of eyes in the room focus on us with knowing intensity.

Heart's golden patterns pulsed with warm approval, while Chi's tail swished with barely contained amusement.

The Tweedles looked up from their calculations with clinical interest, as if we'd just provided them with fascinating new data points.

"Well," Chi drawled, his teal eyes dancing with mischief as he took in my flushed appearance and Seth's satisfied expression, "that explains the rather... intense magical resonance we felt through the bond network."

My cheeks burned with embarrassment, but Seth's hand tightened around mine in silent support. Through our newly completed void bond, I felt his dark amusement at their reactions mixed with fierce protectiveness.

“How are Varik and Martha doing?” I asked, changing the subject. I didn’t see them here so I had a feeling they were still resting.

“Still needing more rest. They need until morning atleast to be back to normal.” Heart spoke up, giving me a small smile.

"We'll let them rest as long as they need," Heart continued, his ruby eyes assessing the newly completed bond between Seth and me with thoughtful interest. "The dream you shared changes our priorities significantly."

Vee looked up from his calculations, silver eyes gleaming with scientific fascination. "The probability matrices have shifted dramatically with this new information. The Heart of Hearts as a physical nexus point rather than metaphorical concept changes everything."

"And with the void bond now complete," Dee added, adjusting one of his temporal devices, "That will help Alice be fully stabilized in her magic.”

Seth's shadows rippled around our joined hands, "The network is at full capacity now," he said, his voice carrying undertones of shadow that made the others' patterns respond with answering resonance. "All five connections anchored and stable.”

I felt the truth of his words through the completed bonds. Where before there had been gaps and potential, now silver, gold, and void magic flowed through me in perfect harmony. The pattern beneath my skin pulsed with unprecedented brightness, each thread of connection strengthening the others.

"Can you feel it?" Chi asked, his tail curling with curiosity as he studied the magical auras now visible around us. "The way the bonds are amplifying each other?"

I nodded, marveling at the sensation. Heart's golden warmth felt richer with Seth's darkness to define it.

Chi's playful silver energy danced more freely with the void's infinite depth as counterpoint.

And Seth's shadows no longer felt consuming but grounding, anchoring all our connections in a foundation as solid as bedrock.

"It's remarkable," Dee murmured, his open eyes flilled with appreciative wonder. "I've never seen a bond network achieve such perfect balance before."

"The theoretical models didn't account for this level of integration," Vee added, his silver eyes tracking the invisible patterns only he could perceive. "The void bond has created a resonance effect that's amplifying everything exponentially."

I moved toward the central table where maps and plans were spread out, Seth's shadows reluctantly loosening their hold on me but never completely releasing contact.

His darkness remained connected to me through tendrils of void magic that seemed unwilling to break physical connection so soon after bonding.

"So what's our next step?" I asked, focusing on the task ahead despite the lingering sensations from my encounter with Seth. "The public declaration at the Central Market?"

"The Market remains our best option," Heart confirmed, his golden patterns pulsing with strategic calculation. "But with what Wonderland told you about the Heart of Hearts, we need to be prepared for the possibility that the Queen will force a direct confrontation rather than play her usual games."

Chi's tail flicked thoughtfully as he studied the maps spread across the table. "If it's truly beneath her palace, we'll need more than a public declaration. We'll need a way inside."

"My network has been mapping the palace's lower levels for months," Seth said, his shadows darkening as they spread across the map to indicate known passages. "There are old tunnels that predate the current structure—remnants from when the first Queen built her seat of power."

Through our void bond, I felt his centuries of patient planning, the careful cultivation of resources that had led to this moment. “Do we need to plan for the purification right now? Or just put everything to taking the Queen down first?”

"The Queen must be defeated first," Vee said definitively, looking up from his calculations. "The corruption ritual she's performing draws power directly from her life force. As long as she lives, any attempt to purify the Heart of Hearts will be fighting against active resistance."

Dee nodded, his temporal devices humming with urgent energy. "The probability matrices show attempting purification while she maintains the corruption would likely result in magical backlash severe enough to destroy the entire network."

Seth's shadows coiled more tightly around my wrist, his protective instincts flaring through our bond. "Which means we need to reach her before she completes enough nexus points to make the corruption irreversible," he said grimly.

"How many more does she need?" Heart asked, his golden patterns dimming with concern as he studied the shadow-marked locations on Seth's map.

“Three," Seth replied, his blue eyes reflecting the darkness that writhed beneath his skin. "My sources report she's been moving between nexus points with increasing urgency. If she maintains her current pace, she'll complete the ritual within forty-eight hours."

The weight of that timeline settled over the room like a suffocating blanket. Through our bonds, I felt the others' complex emotions—determination mixed with fear, strategic calculation warring with protective instincts.

"Then we don't have time for subtlety," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "The public declaration at the Central Market needs to happen tomorrow morning. Early enough to draw maximum attention before she can complete another corruption site."

Chi's ears flattened against his head, his tail lashing with agitation. "That's cutting it dangerously close. If something goes wrong..."

"We need Varik and Martha to recover before we can do anything…

and If we wait longer, there won't be a Wonderland to save.” I muttered quietly, the weight of Wonderland's voice still echoing in my memory.

Through our bonds, I felt their reluctant acceptance of the timeline, even as protective instincts warred against the necessity of speed.

"Alice is right," Heart said finally, his golden patterns pulsing with grim determination. "My mother's madness has accelerated beyond anything we anticipated. We can't afford to give her more time."

Seth's shadows writhed restlessly around the map, darkness pooling at the locations of corrupted nexus points. "The resistance cells are already positioned throughout the Central Market district. We can have them spread word of your appearance within hours of the declaration."

“Do we make the market the place to take down the Queen…or do we plan something else?” I asked trying to figure out how things would play out.

"That depends on how she responds to the declaration," Seth said, his blue eyes calculating as shadows danced across the map. "If she takes the bait and comes to the market herself, we fight her there. If she retreats to the palace to accelerate the ritual..."

"Then we go to her," Heart finished, his golden patterns blazing with resolve. "Either way, this ends tomorrow."

Vee looked up from his calculations, silver eyes gleaming. "The probability matrices actually favor a palace confrontation. The Central Market has too many civilians who could be caught in magical crossfire."

"But a public declaration first establishes legitimacy," Chi added, his tail swishing thoughtfully. "Shows Wonderland that you chose your bonds freely, that you're not the victim she's painted you as."

I nodded, feeling the strategic wisdom in their words.

Through the completed bond network, I sensed their unified purpose "We make the declaration, draw her out, then lead her away from civilians," I decided, the pattern beneath my skin pulsing with resolute determination.

"Use the market as a stage, but fight her somewhere that won't endanger innocents. "

Seth's shadows rippled with approval. "The old ruins beyond the market district. It's been abandoned since the corruption began spreading, but the ground there is magically neutral—perfect for a confrontation without environmental interference."

"And if she refuses to follow?" Dee asked, his temporal devices humming as he calculated potential outcomes.

"Then we've at least shown Wonderland the truth before we storm her palace," Heart said grimly. "Either way, the people will know you weren't taken against your will."

Through our bonds, I felt their collective resolve crystallizing around this plan.

The void connection with Seth pulsed with dark anticipation, while Heart's golden energy and Chi's silver light flowed with protective determination.

The pattern beneath my skin responded to their emotions, silver-gold-void energy intertwining in perfect harmony.

"So it's decided," I said, my voice steadier than I expected. "Tomorrow at dawn, we appear at the Central Market. I show Wonderland that I've chosen my bonds freely, that the Queen's story about me being kidnapped and corrupted is a lie."

"And we reveal her true plan," Seth added, his shadows dancing across the map with renewed purpose. "Let the realm know she's been corrupting the pattern itself, poisoning Wonderland at its source."

Heart nodded, his ruby eyes reflecting centuries of grief for what his mother had become. "The people deserve to know what they're truly facing. Not just a mad queen, but the destruction of everything that makes Wonderland what it is."

"What about the purification?” I asked, knowing it would need to be done sooner or later…but I knew taking down the Queen would come first.

“Once the Queen is dead then we can figure out finding and accessing that.” Heat spoke, red eyes dark and trying to keep his emotions in check.

"One challenge at a time," Vee cautioned, his silver eyes serious as he looked up from his calculations. "The probability matrices suggest focusing solely on defeating the Queen first. Attempting to plan too far ahead introduces too many variables."

"I agree," Chi said, his tail swishing thoughtfully. "We need to remain adaptable. The Queen's madness makes her unpredictable—we can't script every step beyond the initial declaration."

Seth's shadows coiled protectively around my wrist, the void bond between us pulsing with dark determination. "My network will continue gathering intelligence on the Heart of Hearts location. By the time we defeat her, we'll have a clearer path forward for the purification."

"What about the actual declaration?" I asked, focusing on the immediate challenge. "What exactly do I say? How do I convince people who've been fed the Queen's lies?"

Seth gave a hum, “I’ll help you figure out something. I have had my fair share of having to speak to people…I am still a King.”

Chi's tail flicked with amusement. "A king who prefers to lurk in shadows rather than address his subjects."

Seth's lips quirked in a rare smile, though his eyes remained serious. "Different circumstances call for different approaches. But I do know how to command attention when necessary."

Heart nodded thoughtfully, his golden patterns brightening. "The declaration must be simple but powerful. Show your bonds, explain the Queen's true plan, and offer a vision of Wonderland uncorrupted."

"We should practice," I said, suddenly feeling the weight of responsibility. Tomorrow, I'd be speaking not just to a marketplace of people, but essentially to all of Wonderland. "I've never given a speech before, let alone one that might determine the fate of an entire realm."

"You won't be alone," Heart assured me, his hand finding mine across the table. "We'll be right there with you.”

Chi nodded, his tail wrapping reassuringly around my wrist. "The bonds will help steady you. You'll feel our support through the connections."

"And the network itself will amplify your words," Seth added, his shadows dancing across the maps with renewed purpose. "The completed bonds create a magical resonance that makes your truth impossible to dismiss."

The Tweedles exchanged one of their silent communications before Vee spoke. "The probability of successful persuasion has increased to ninety-four percent with the void bond's completion. Your magical signature now carries the authority of balanced pattern magic."

"Which the Queen lacks entirely," Dee confirmed, his temporal devices humming softly. "Her blood magic is visibly corrupted. When people see the difference between her power and yours, many will recognize the truth instinctively."

I took a deep breath, drawing strength from the bond that now flowed through me in perfect harmony. "Then we have our plan. Would it be better to be late morning so there is more traffic in the market?”

"I think mid-morning would be optimal," Seth agreed, his shadows rippling as he considered the timing. "The market reaches peak activity around then—traders from all territories converge, maximum witnesses for both the declaration and whatever follows."

Heart's golden patterns pulsed with strategic calculation. "That gives us time for final preparations and allows people to spread word of your appearance throughout the afternoon. By evening, all of Wonderland will know the truth."

"Assuming the Queen doesn't move to complete another nexus point before then," Chi said, his tail flicking with nervous energy. "She's been accelerating her timeline."

Through our void bond, I felt Seth's dark certainty. "She won't risk missing the opportunity to reclaim you publicly. Her madness demands an audience for her triumph—she'll come to the market rather than hide in her palace."

I nodded, feeling the truth of that through our connections. The Queen's obsession with me had always carried a theatrical quality—she wouldn't be satisfied with a private victory when she could stage a public spectacle of reclaiming her "stolen daughter."

I just hoped everything went okay. I didn’t want anyone to die…but the feeling of dread was in my stomach but I kept it to myself. I was just nervous. I had to believe this would work. I just had too…or I may end up going crazy with worry.