Page 37 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
The disorientation faded gradually, reality settling into its new configuration. I released my death grip on Heart's hand, my breathing steadying as I took in our surroundings.
"Welcome to the Chronos Pocket," Vee said, his form solidifying as the temporal manipulation stabilized around us. "A fold in reality where time flows at our discretion."
I took a tentative step forward, feeling the silver grass brush against my ankles. It felt real—not an illusion or dreamscape, but an actual place existing in its own pocket of reality. The pattern beneath my skin responded to the environment, silver and gold light pulsing in harmony with the opalescent energy that permeated everything around us.
"It's beautiful," I whispered, turning slowly to take in the full panorama. The meadow stretched toward distant mountains that shimmered like mirages, their peaks crowned with what looked like frozen lightning. A stream of liquid starlight wound through the silver grass, its surface reflecting impossibilities—places and times that existed elsewhere or when.
"The pocket adapts to the needs of its occupants," Dee explained, adjusting something on his temporal devices. "This configuration will provide optimal conditions for training and recovery."
Chi's form flickered as he tested the temporal boundaries, his reality-phasing abilities interacting strangely with the accelerated time flow. "The dimensional stability is remarkable," he observed, tail lashing with curiosity. "I can phase partially, but the pocket prevents full reality displacement."
"Intentional limitation," Vee confirmed, silver eyes tracking something invisible to the rest of us. "We can't have anyone accidentally phasing outside the temporal fold."
I knelt beside the stream of liquid starlight, my reflection wavering between present and possibility—sometimes showing my current self, sometimes glimpses of who I might become. The water felt warm against my fingertips, carrying whispers of other times and places.
"Three weeks," I murmured, the magnitude of it settling over me. "How much can really change in three weeks?"
Heart settled beside me, his ruby eyes reflecting the impossible sky above us. "More than you might think," he said softly. "Time moves differently here, but more importantly, you're finally free to explore what the pattern truly wants to teach you without fear of interruption."
Chi materialized on my other side, his tail creating gentle ripples in the starlight stream. "The Queen's influence held you back more than you realized. Now we can see what you're actually capable of."
I watched my reflection shift in the flowing starlight, catching glimpses of myself wielding magic with confidence I'd never possessed. "Where do we start?"
"With understanding," Vee said, approaching with something that looked like a crystalline flower in his palm. The bloom pulsed with the same opalescent light as the temporal pocket, its petals shifting through colors that didn't have names. "The pattern isn't just power, Alice. It's memory."
"Memory?" I stood, accepting the crystalline flower from Vee's outstretched hand. The moment my fingers touched the petals, visions flooded my consciousness—not the chaotic flashes I'd been experiencing, but clear, coherent images that felt like inherited memories.
I saw the First Queen standing in this very meadow, her hands weaving patterns of light that shaped reality itself. She wasn't commanding the magic—she was conversing with it, each gesture a word in a language older than Wonderland itself. The pattern responded to her intentions because she understood its purpose: connection, not control.
"The First Queen created the pattern as a bridge," Dee explained, watching my face as the visions continued. "Between realities, between minds, between what is and what could be."
The flower's petals shifted in my palm, showing me more: the pattern's original wielders working together to heal wounds in reality itself, mending tears between dimensions that threatened to destabilize existence. Their power wasn't domination but restoration—maintaining balance rather than imposing will.
"The Red Queen perverted that purpose," Heart said quietly, his ruby eyes darkening with old anger. "She saw connection as a means to control rather than communicate."
I closed my fingers gently around the crystalline flower, absorbing the knowledge it offered. "So the pattern isn't meant to be a weapon."
"It can be," Chi acknowledged, his form shifting as he paced around me. "Just as a bridge can become a barrier. But that's not its primary function."
"What the Red Queen never understood," Vee said, his silver eyes reflecting ancient knowledge, "is that the pattern's true power emerges through partnership, not possession. She tried to own it, to bend it to her will. That's why she needs you—a vessel she can control completely."
I looked down at the crystalline flower, its petals shifting with memories not my own yet, somehow familiar. "So instead of forcing the pattern to do what I want, I should... what? Ask it?"
"Listen to it," Dee corrected, stepping closer. "The pattern isn't just a tool—it's alive in its own way, a consciousness spread across realities."
Heart nodded, his ruby eyes warming. "When you first arrived in Wonderland, the pattern chose you, Alice. Not because you were powerful or special, but because you were willing to connect rather than control."
I closed my eyes, focusing inward on the silver and gold light that had become so familiar beneath my skin. Instead of directing it as I usually did, I simply acknowledged its presence—a silent greeting rather than a command. The response was immediate and startling—warmth spreading through my chest, followed by a sensation like quiet joy.
The pattern pulsed beneath my skin, no longer just responding to my will but communicating something fundamental—an ancient consciousness acknowledging my recognition. I gasped, opening my eyes to find the silver and gold light flowing differently, creating intricate designs that spiraled outward from my fingers like living calligraphy.
"It's... talking to me," I whispered, watching the patterns shift and flow with meaning I could almost grasp.
"Yes," Vee said, his silver eyes reflecting satisfaction. "This is how it was meant to be used—a dialogue rather than a dictatorship."
Heart moved closer, his own golden patterns responding to mine. "What is it saying?"
I tilted my head, trying to interpret the sensations flowing through me. "It's not exactly words... more like... impressions? Feelings?" I concentrated harder, letting the pattern's message wash through me. "It's... happy.”
