Page 56 of Knot My Wonderland

The Caterpillar's expression grew somber, the iridescent colors beneath his skin shifting to darker hues. "The pattern seeks completion, Alice. It will continue to grow stronger within you whether you guide it or not." He gestured, and the smoke formed new images—myself standing in various scenarios, some triumphant, others terrifying. "Without conscious direction, that power will eventually express itself in ways you cannot control. The monarchs sense this—it's why they hunt you with such determination."

I watched the smoke images with growing dread. In some, I saw myself wreathed in silver light, bringing order to chaotic landscapes. In others, that same light had become a consuming fire, reducing everything to ash. "So I either learn to control it, or it destroys everything?"

"Or someone else seizes control of it," Chi added grimly, his tail lashing behind him. "The Queens have methods for binding unwilling magic users. Painful methods."

The Caterpillar nodded slowly. "The Red Queen's blood magic could theoretically force a connection with your power. The Queen of Clubs might achieve something similar through hermanipulation techniques." His golden eyes darkened. "Both would leave you as little more than a conduit—conscious but unable to direct your own power."

The smoke shifted, showing my form kneeling before the Red Queen, silver chains of blood-red magic binding my wrists while my power flowed upward into her grasping hands. Another image formed beside it—myself seated at the Queen of Clubs' table, eyes vacant while green tendrils of control magic wrapped around my throat like a collar.

I shuddered, wrapping my arms around myself. "And the Kings? What would they do with me?"

"The King of Diamonds would study you," the Caterpillar said, new images forming in the smoke—myself in a golden cage, surrounded by complex instruments and measuring devices. "He collects rarities, catalogues them, attempts to understand their fundamental nature."

"And the King of Spades?" I asked, remembering our midnight encounter.

The Caterpillar's expression grew thoughtful, the colors beneath his skin shifting to deep blues and purples. "His intentions are more... complex." The smoke swirled, forming images of myself standing beside the shadowy King, our hands joined as silver and shadow intertwined. "The King of Spades understands liminality better than any other monarch. He exists at the threshold between light and darkness, between what is and what might be."

"Is that why he compared me to the First Queen?" I asked, watching the smoke figures with fascination and unease. "Because he recognizes what I might become?"

"The King of Spades was once the First Queen's most trusted advisor," the Caterpillar revealed, his golden eyes distant with ancient memory. "Before the division, before the courts formedtheir separate territories, he stood at her right hand, helping her navigate the complexities of governing a realm made of dreams."

Chi's form flickered with surprise. "I didn’t know this," he murmured, tail stilling in shock. "I served in her court, but the King of Spades was already ruling his territory by then."

"History becomes malleable when those who write it live for centuries," the Caterpillar replied with a knowing smile. "The King prefers his earlier connections remain... obscured."

I leaned forward, fascinated despite myself. "So he knows what happened to her? How she merged with Wonderland?"

"He witnessed it," the Caterpillar confirmed, the smoke images shifting to show a younger version of the King, without his crown, watching as a silver-haired woman dissolved into pure light. "And has spent centuries ensuring no dreamer since could repeat the process."

"Why would he prevent that?" I asked. "If it would heal Wonderland—"

"Because the King of Spades believes unification should happen on his terms," the Caterpillar said, his voice dropping to a whisper that somehow filled the entire chamber. "When the First Queen merged with Wonderland, she didn't consult the court. Didn't negotiate terms. She simply... transcended, leaving those who served her to navigate the aftermath."

The smoke formed new images—chaos in a grand court, nobles arguing as the realm itself began to fracture without its unifying presence.

"The monarchies formed in the vacuum she left behind," the Caterpillar continued. "Each claiming a piece of her power, a fragment of what had once been whole."

"So the King doesn't want me to disappear the same way," I murmured, pieces falling into place. "He wants to control the process."

"Control, guide, influence," the Caterpillar agreed, "The King of Spades has learned patience over the centuries. He would prefer to shape your ascension rather than simply witness it." The smoke images shifted again, showing myself seated on a throne of shadows and silver, the King standing beside me as we gazed out over a unified but darkened Wonderland. "His vision of restoration differs significantly from what the First Queen achieved."

I studied the dark images with growing unease. "And what's your opinion? What should I do?"

The Caterpillar set down his hookah, the rainbow smoke dissipating as he gave me his full attention. "I am here to provide information, not direction. The choice must be yours alone, made with full understanding of the consequences." He gestured, and new smoke patterns formed—branching paths that led to different outcomes. "But I will say this: the pattern within you grows stronger each day. Soon, choice itself may become irrelevant.”

His words seemed to echo in my head as my vision blurred a bit before I felt my body sag and darkness claim me.

Chapter Twenty

Chi

Icaught Alice as she collapsed, her form going limp against my chest. The silver patterns beneath her skin flared once before dimming to barely visible threads.

"What happened?" I demanded, turning to the Caterpillar whose golden eyes had grown distant, unfocused.

"The pattern responded to proximity," he said, his voice carrying echoes of multiple timelines. "Being in my domain, surrounded by all possibilities at once—it accelerated the connection. She's experiencing temporal displacement."

I lifted Alice more securely, feeling her weight settle against me in a way that made my form instinctively solidify. "Is she in danger?"

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