Page 50 of Knot My Wonderland

The silver light beneath my skin pulsed faster with my distress, casting shadows across the walls that seemed to move with a life of their own. The house responded to my emotions, the ceiling beams creaking as if under strain.

"Prophecy is perhaps the wrong word," Chi said, materializing beside me. "Think of it as... potential. A possibility, not a certainty."

"The pattern invites but does not command," Vee observed, making notations in a small silver book that hadn't been visible a moment before.

"The river suggests a course but water finds its own way," Dee added, their hands weaving patterns in the air that left faint luminous trails.

I paced the room, trying to process what they were telling me. "So what am I supposed to do with this information? How doesknowing I might be some, prophesied dreamer, help me survive the Queens and Kings who want to claim me?"

Varik leaned forward, his wild green eyes holding mine with unexpected intensity. "It means you have options beyond survival, Alice. Beyond merely choosing which monarch to align with."

"The dreamer who becomes the vessel," Vee stated, silver monocle catching the firelight.

"May reshape what has been broken," Dee finished, their opalescent robes rippling like disturbed water.

I stopped pacing, turning to face them all. "Reshape Wonderland? That's... that's impossible. I'm just a college student who was dragged into this world.”

Chi's laugh scattered like shards of glass across the room. "The First Queen was just a village girl who followed a strange light into the woods. Destiny doesn't announce itself with trumpets, Alice."

"I don't believe in destiny," I said firmly, crossing my arms. The silver light beneath my skin flared in response, as if Wonderland itself disagreed with my declaration.

"Belief is irrelevant," Vee stated, shutting their silver book with a snap. "Patterns exist regardless of faith."

"Like gravity," Dee murmured, "which holds you whether you believe in it or not."

I sank back into my chair, suddenly exhausted. "Even if this is true—even if I am somehow connected to this pattern—what does it mean practically? The Queens and Kings are still hunting me. I still need to learn to control these abilities."

Varik nodded, his expression softening. "You're right. The immediate concerns haven't changed." He glanced at the Tweedles. "Which is why we need allies who understand what might be at stake."

The twins inclined their heads in perfect unison.

"Information is our currency," Vee said.

"Knowledge our only loyalty," Dee finished.

"Then you'll help us?" I asked, looking between the ethereal twins.

"Help is a simplistic term," Vee replied, adjusting their monocle with precise movements.

"We align with patterns, not people," Dee added, their voice melodic yet somehow unsettling.

Chi materialized closer to me. "What the Tweedles mean, in their characteristically obtuse way, is that they'll assist because you represent a pattern they find... compelling." His tail flicked with subtle irritation. "Though a straightforward 'yes' would have sufficed."

The twins smiled identical enigmatic smiles that reminded me of Chi's own Cheshire grin.

"The eastern paths will remain open," Vee stated, producing a small silver key from within his midnight-blue robes.

"Safe passage guaranteed," Dee affirmed, producing an identical key that glowed with opalescent light.

"The Tweedles control the network of paths that connect the different territories of Wonderland," Varik explained, seeing my confusion. "Ancient routes that exist partially outside normal space. They're offering us access to those paths."

"Which is significantly more valuable than a simple 'yes,'" Chi added, his tail curling with satisfaction.

I accepted the keys, one cool silver from Vee, one warm and shifting from Dee. They felt strangely alive in my palm, humming with subtle energy.

"How do they work?" I asked, examining the intricate patterns etched into their surfaces.

"Intention guides them," Vee explained cryptically.

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