Page 49 of Knot My Wonderland

The Tweedles moved in perfect synchrony, examining the room with their contrasting approaches—Vee measuring and calculating with precise movements, Dee flowing through the space like water finding its level.

"Fascinating integration," Vee noted, producing a small silver instrument that hummed when pointed at the walls. "The ward's consciousness has merged with the house's latent awareness."

"Two dreams becoming one," Dee murmured, trailing their fingers along the wall where silver light followed their touch. "Like rivers joining."

I sank into one of the chairs, suddenly feeling the weight of everything that had happened. "Would someone please explain what's going on? What's this about the First Queen and resonances and prophecies?"

Varik and Chi exchanged a look loaded with centuries of shared history. The Tweedles drifted to their seats, moving in that uncanny unison that made them seem like two aspects of a single being rather than separate individuals.

"Wonderland was not always divided," Varik began, his voice taking on the cadence of a storyteller. "In the beginning, there was only one ruler—the First Queen. Not of Hearts or Clubs or any suit, but simply of Wonderland itself."

"She was magic made flesh," Dee whispered, their opalescent robes shimmering with inner light.

"Power given purpose," Vee added, adjusting his silver monocle.

Chi sat legs crossed, his usual playfulness replaced by ancient memory. "She wasn't born to rule—Wonderland chose her. A dreamer who came from your world but formed such a profound connection with this realm that the boundary between them dissolved."

"The stories say she could reshape reality with a thought," Varik continued, his wild green eyes distant with remembrance. "Not through force or command, but through communion with Wonderland itself. The magic responded to her as if it were an extension of her own body."

I shifted uncomfortably, too aware of the silver light pulsing beneath my skin. "That sounds nothing like me. I can barely control these abilities I'm developing."

"That's where you're wrong," Chi said, leaning forward, his teal eyes intent. "What you call 'barely controlling' is actually unprecedented progress. The ward you created shouldn't be possible for someone who's been in Wonderland less than a week."

"The pattern recognizes itself," Vee stated, those starlight eyes fixed on me.

"The music remembers its melody," Dee added dreamily.

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. "Can someone please speak plainly? What exactly are you suggesting?"

Varik sighed, the sound heavy with centuries of knowledge. "There's a prophecy—or perhaps more accurately, a pattern that has repeated throughout Wonderland's history. When the realm becomes too fractured, too divided against itself, a dreamer arrives who can potentially restore balance."

"The First Queen was one such dreamer," Chi added, his voice softer than usual. "She unified Wonderland when it was still young, still forming its identity."

"And after her?" I asked, a knot forming in my stomach.

"Others came," Varik said, his fingers tapping a restless rhythm against his leg. "Not all succeeded. Some were corrupted by power. Others were destroyed by those who feared change."

The Tweedles nodded in perfect synchrony.

"Seven dreamers," Vee stated precisely.

"Seven chances," Dee whispered.

"And what happened to them?" I asked, though I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

Chi's form flickered slightly, transparency spreading from his edges like watercolor bleeding on paper. "The successful ones became part of Wonderland itself—their consciousness mergingwith the realm until there was no separation. The unsuccessful ones..."

"Were consumed," Vee finished, voice clinical and detached.

"Consumed in what way?" I asked, my mouth suddenly dry.

"Their essence scattered across Wonderland," Chi explained, his usual playful demeanor entirely absent. "Neither fully dead nor truly alive—fragments of consciousness trapped between states of being."

A shiver ran down my spine. "And you think I'm the eighth?" The room fell silent, the only sound the gentle crackling of the fire that seemed to burn without consuming its wood.

"We think you could be," Varik said finally, his voice careful. "Your connection to Wonderland, the way the magic responds to you—it follows the pattern."

"But I never asked for this," I protested, rising from my chair in agitation. "I was dragged here against my will, and now you're telling me I'm supposed to fulfill some ancient prophecy?"

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