Page 51 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
When we broke apart, both breathing heavily, I found Chi staring at me with an intensity that made my heart race. His pupils were dilated, teal eyes blazing with something primal that matched the fierce protectiveness I'd always sensed beneath his calm exterior.
"Alice," he whispered, my name carrying reverence and desire in equal measure.
"I'm choosing," I said softly, watching silver light dance beneath both our skins where we touched. "Not just the bonds or the destiny or what the pattern wants. I'm choosing you. All of you."
Chi's tail tightened around my waist, pulling me closer as his forehead rested against mine. Through our bond, I felt a wave of emotion so powerful it nearly took my breath away—joy, relief, and something deeper that words couldn't fully capture.
"I've waited centuries to hear those words," he murmured, his voice rough with feeling. "Not just from anyone, but from someone who truly understands what they mean."
The silver light beneath his skin pulsed in rhythm with mine, creating patterns that spoke of connection beyond mere magic. The pattern responded to our shared emotion, silver and gold threads weaving more tightly into the fabric of our bond.
"We should join the others," I said reluctantly, though I made no move to step away from his embrace.
Chi nodded, but before releasing me, he pressed another quick kiss to my lips. "This conversation isn't finished," he promised. I laughed knowing it wasn’t but I was looking forward to that…conversationin the future. By the way Chi was looking at me it was going to be a fun one indeed.
Chapter
Twenty
ALICE
Igrinned at Chi's promise, feeling heat bloom in my cheeks as we finally emerged from the crystal forest. Heart spotted us immediately, his ruby eyes brightening with relief before narrowing slightly as he took in our intertwined hands and the silver light still dancing beneath our skin.
"Everything alright?" he asked, though his tone suggested he'd already guessed at least part of what had transpired between Chi and me.
"Better than alright," I replied, allowing Chi to guide me back toward the center of the meadow where the Tweedles waited with their temporal devices. "I've made some decisions."
Vee looked up from his calculations, silver eyes gleaming with interest. "The Void bond?"
I nodded, feeling the incomplete connection pulse with anticipation at the acknowledgment. "When we return to normal time, I'll complete it with Seth. The pattern has made it clear that balance requires all five bonds."
"And you're comfortable with this decision?" Heart asked, his golden patterns pulsing with a mixture of concern and support. "The Void bond is... different from the others."
"I know," I said, remembering the vision-Seth's words about darkness and balance. "But necessary. The temporal mirror showed me that too clearly to ignore."
Dee's silver eyes met mine with quiet approval. "The pattern's wisdom exceeds even our understanding sometimes. It sees connections across realities that we cannot."
I took a deep breath, feeling the silver and gold light beneath my skin pulse with renewed purpose. "I want to focus on the creation techniques now. The ones I glimpsed in the temporal mirror. If we're going to face the Queen, I need more than just defensive capabilities."
The Tweedles exchanged a quick glance before Vee nodded, gesturing toward the center of the meadow where crystalline formations still glowed from their earlier experiments. "Creation magic requires deeper communion with the pattern than anything you've attempted so far. Are you prepared for that level of integration?"
I flexed my fingers, watching silver and gold light spiral beneath my skin in increasingly complex configurations. The pattern hummed with eager anticipation, showing me glimpses of the techniques I'd witnessed in the temporal mirror—not just shaping existing reality, but manifesting entirely new constructs from pure magical energy.
"I think so," I said, settling cross-legged on the silver grass. "The pattern has been... more communicative since my conversation in the forest."
Chi took position beside me, his tail curling protectively around my wrist. "What kind of creation are we attempting?"
"Start small," Heart suggested, his golden patterns pulsing with encouragement as he sat across from me. "Something simple but useful."
I closed my eyes, sinking into deeper communion with the pattern than I'd attempted since the initial bonding. The silver and gold light responded eagerly, flowing through my consciousness like liquid starlight. Unlike previous communions where I'd merely partnered with it, this time I surrendered completely, allowing the ancient consciousness to guide me through the intricate dance of creation magic.
"Show me," I whispered, not commanding but inviting. The pattern surged forward joyfully, memories of the First Queen's techniques unfolding within my mind in quick flashes.
I saw how creation wasn't about forcing reality to change, but about finding the spaces between what existed and what could be—the fertile void where possibility lived before manifestation. The First Queen hadn't commanded matter into being; she'd invited it, coaxing potential into reality through perfect partnership with the pattern.
My hands moved without conscious direction, fingers weaving complex geometries in the air as silver and gold light flowed from my fingertips in ribbons of pure energy. Unlike the defensive shields or simple manipulations I'd performed before, this magic felt fundamentally different—not reshaping what existed, but calling something new into being from the raw stuff of possibility.
"Beautiful," Heart whispered, his voice seeming distant through my deep communion with the pattern.
