Page 83 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
Through our bonds, I felt their collective belief—not blind faith, but calculated confidence based on what they'd observed of my capabilities. The pattern beneath my skin responded to their certainty with steady, harmonious pulses that seemed almost eager for the challenge. I just hoped everything would work out like we were planning…I didn’t want to lose anyone.
Chapter
Thirty-Three
ALICE
Ibreathed heavily as I tried to do as Vee and Dee had instructed me to do.
"Focus, Alice," Vee urged, his silver eyes intense as he monitored the pattern fluctuations. "The key is separation without isolation—each magical working must be distinct yet connected through your consciousness."
I gritted my teeth, struggling to maintain the three separate workings simultaneously. A shield of silver light hovered before me, pulsing with protective energy. To my right, a sphere of offensive magic gathered, golden sparks dancing across its surface. Between them, a third working—a disruptive pattern designed to unravel blood magic—flickered with unstable energy.
"The disruptive pattern is faltering," Dee observed, his temporal devices humming with warning tones. "Heart, Chi—channel more stability through the bonds."
I felt the immediate response through our connections—Heart's golden warmth flowing like molten sunlight, Chi's silver energy cool and precise as moonlight. Their magicpoured through our bonds, steadying the fluctuating pattern as I struggled to maintain control over all three workings simultaneously.
"Better," Vee nodded, silver eyes tracking the magical signatures with clinical precision. "Now try weaving them together without losing the distinct structures."
Sweat beaded on my forehead as I concentrated on the impossible task. The shield, the offensive sphere, and the disruptive pattern each required completely different mental approaches—defensive stability, aggressive intent, and subtle unraveling. Keeping them separate yet connected was like trying to solve three complex puzzles while juggling flaming torches.
"I can't—" I gasped, feeling the disruptive pattern begin to unravel again despite Heart and Chi's support.
"You can," Heart's voice came from behind me, his hands settling on my shoulders as his golden energy flowed more directly into my system. "Don't try to control each working separately. Let them flow together like parts of the same river."
Chi moved to my other side, his silver patterns blazing as he channeled energy through our bond. "Think of it as a dance," he added, his voice soothing despite the strain evident in his posture. "Each movement distinct, but part of the same choreography."
I closed my eyes, trying to shift my perspective. Instead of three separate magical constructs fighting for my attention, I imagined them as facets of a single, complex working. The shield wasn't just defense—it was the foundation that allowed the offensive sphere to build safely. The disruptive pattern wasn't isolated—it was the thread that connected attack and defense, allowing them to adapt to whatever the Queen might throw at us.
Slowly, incredibly, the three workings began to harmonize. The silver shield pulsed in rhythm with the golden attacksphere, while the disruptive pattern wove between them like a connecting thread, binding them into a cohesive whole.
"Excellent!" Vee's voice carried genuine excitement as he watched the magical signatures stabilize. "The resonance patterns are achieving unprecedented coherence."
Through the bonds with Heart and Chi, I felt their amazement at what we were accomplishing together. The drain on my magical reserves was significant but manageable—their energy providing the foundation while my consciousness guided the complex working.
"Now the real test," Dee announced, adjusting his temporal devices. "Maintain the triple working while I simulate the Queen's blood magic interference."
Before I could protest, waves of corrupted energy washed over my magical constructs. The alien magic felt wrong in every way—cold where it should be warm, consuming where it should create, twisting my own power back against me with malevolent intelligence.
My shield flickered as the corruption tried to turn its protective energy into a prison. The offensive sphere began to distort, golden sparks turning crimson as the blood magic attempted to corrupt its purpose. The disruptive pattern, designed to unravel such corruption, became the primary target—the Queen's simulated magic focusing on neutralizing this threat first.
"Hold steady," Heart urged, his golden energy surging through our bond to reinforce the wavering constructs. "Don't fight the corruption directly—let the disruptive pattern do its work."
Chi's silver energy flowed like cool water through our connection, soothing the places where the corruption burned hottest. "Remember the pattern underneath," he murmured. "It remains pure no matter what illusions the blood magic creates."
The disruptive working began to pulse with renewed purpose, sending tendrils of silver-gold light through the simulated blood magic like antibodies fighting infection. Each touch unraveled the corruption's hold, restoring my shield's protective nature and purifying the offensive sphere until it blazed with clean, golden fire.
"Remarkable," Vee breathed, his silver eyes wide with amazement. "The disruptive pattern is adapting in real-time, learning the corruption's structure and developing countermeasures."
The simulated blood magic intensified, pressing harder against my defenses. I felt the strain building—not just in my magical reserves, but in the bonds with Heart and Chi as they poured more energy into maintaining the working. Through our connections, I sensed their determination mixed with growing concern.
"That's enough," Heart said sharply as he felt my exhaustion through our bond. "She's reaching her limit."
The simulation abruptly ceased, leaving my triple-layered working intact but flickering with the aftereffects of strain. I released the magic gradually, letting each component dissolve in controlled succession rather than simply dropping everything at once. As the last golden sparks faded, my knees buckled.
Heart caught me before I hit the ground, his golden patterns pulsing with concern as he lowered me gently to sit on the silver grass. Chi was immediately at my other side, his tail wrapping around my wrist as he monitored my condition through our bond.
"You did it," Vee said, his analytical tone unable to mask his excitement. "Full integration of triple-layered pattern manipulation with corruption resistance. The theoretical models suggested it would take at least three more attempts."
