Page 47 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
"Not most," Vee corrected, his silver eyes tracking invisible calculations. "The vision of herself alone with the pattern's full power—isolated, without bonds—that frightened her moredeeply. I felt her rejection of that timeline resonate through the temporal field."
Chi tilted his head, expression thoughtful. "She fears losing herself to power, but also fears not being powerful enough to protect those she cares about. The temporal mirror showed her both extremes."
I nodded, understanding the delicate psychological balance Alice was navigating. "The pattern responds to intention, but it also amplifies existing traits. Her compassion becomes deeper, her determination becomes stronger—but so do her fears and doubts."
"Which is why the mate bonds are crucial," Heart said, his golden patterns pulsing with renewed intensity. "They provide emotional anchors, preventing the isolation that leads to corruption."
"The First Queen's downfall came not from power, but from the severing of those connections," I added, consulting historical data stored within my temporal devices. "When her mates were killed in the plague, she couldn't maintain balance alone. The pattern began consuming her rather than partnering with her."
Vee's expression grew distant, his silver eyes reflecting memories that spanned centuries. "We witnessed her final days. The pattern's light turned inward, burning through her consciousness. It was because of that she started to give into the idea of giving her life for wonderland…becoming one with it….and the magic left from the pattern started to seek a new vessel.”
"Which it never found," Chi said softly, his form flickering with old sorrow. "Until now."
Heart began pacing the silver grass, his movements agitated despite his controlled expression. "Alice won't suffer the same fate. She has us—all of us. The bonds are already forming naturally."
"But they must be completed willingly," I reminded him, watching the temporal readings fluctuate as Heart's emotions created subtle disturbances in the pocket's fabric. "Especially the Void bond. That one requires absolute acceptance, not just of Seth, but of the shadows within herself."
"She'll get there," Chi said with unexpected certainty, his tail curling decisively. "I've felt her thoughts through our bond. She trusts Seth more than she admits, even to herself."
Vee nodded, his calculations shifting to accommodate this assessment. "The temporal probabilities favor completion within the next three days. The pattern is... insistent on this point."
Heart stopped pacing, his ruby eyes finding mine with sudden intensity. "The Queen's movements are accelerating outside the pocket, aren't they? That's why you're tracking temporal resonance patterns so closely."
I hesitated, then nodded. My devices had been monitoring ripples in the time-stream that extended beyond our protected enclave. “It has only been a day over there but the Queen is working quickly.”
Vee spoke up next, “She is making people sympathise with her but also she has used some new… concoctions she’s come up with to help control people…and added with her blood magic. It makes for a very dangerous mix.”
"The serum we glimpsed in Alice's scrying sphere," Heart breathed, his golden patterns darkening with concern. "She's actually deploying it already?"
"In targeted areas," I confirmed, adjusting my devices to show the spread pattern. "Small villages near the borders of neutral territories. Testing grounds before wider distribution."
Chi's form flickered with agitation, his tail lashing against the silver grass. "And the effects?"
"Compliance without resistance," Vee answered, his silver eyes reflecting calculations that spanned multiple probability tracks. "The victims retain personality and memory, but lose the ability to oppose her will. More sophisticated than her previous control methods."
"It's why the Void bond must be completed soon," I added, monitoring the temporal disturbances rippling outward from the Queen's activities. "All five courts united in opposition create a magical resonance that can counteract her blood magic."
"And Alice?" Heart asked, his voice tight with concern. "She's strong, but this level of responsibility... five mates, healing all of Wonderland, stopping the Queen before she poisons half the realm..."
"She'll rise to meet it," Chi said firmly, his teal eyes blazing with absolute conviction. "I've seen her face impossible odds already. Each time, she finds strength she didn't know she possessed."
I nodded, remembering Alice's transformation during the temporal bonding process. "The pattern wouldn't have chosen her if she couldn't handle what's required. It's not cruel—it's practical."
"But we must be ready to support her," Vee added, his temporal calculations shifting to accommodate new variables. "The final confrontation with the Queen will test all of us, not just Alice."
Heart's golden patterns pulsed with fierce protectiveness. "Whatever it takes. I won't lose her to my mother's madness. Not after finally finding her."
Through our temporal bond, I felt Vee's agreement resonate with quiet intensity. We had waited centuries for someone capable of wielding the pattern properly, someone who could restore the balance the Red Queen had shattered. Alice was more than we had dared hope for—not just powerful, butcompassionate. Not just determined, but willing to sacrifice for others.
"The pocket has plenty of time for her to still learn," I said, checking the chronometer embedded in my temporal device. "Enough time for Alice to master the creation techniques she glimpsed in the mirror, and to think of completing the Void bond if she chooses once we are back on the other side."
"She will," Chi said with absolute certainty, his form solidifying as his conviction strengthened. "I can feel it through our connection. The pattern is guiding her toward acceptance, showing her why all five bonds are necessary."
Heart's ruby eyes softened as he gazed toward the crystalline forest where Alice had disappeared. "She's stronger than any of us realized when she first stumbled into Wonderland. Not just magically, but here," he touched his chest, golden light pulsing beneath his fingertips. "Where it truly matters."
"The pattern recognized that strength immediately," I noted, adjusting my temporal devices as a subtle fluctuation rippled through the pocket. "Even before she understood what was happening to her."
Chi's tail curled thoughtfully as he solidified more completely beside us. "I was... skeptical at first. A human girl with no magical training, carrying the most powerful pattern in Wonderland's history? It seemed impossible."
