Ch19. Dark garden

Miles moved through the twisting labyrinth, following the whisper of the breeze. The air had, once stagnated and heavy with moist, shifted, an unseen current seemingly pulling him forward, urging him deeper into the maze.

As he looked around, more feeling the breeze than paying attention to his sight, he noticed something that made his heart skip a beat.

The shadows that not long ago were trying to eat him alive, were now moving across the walls in the same direction Miles was going towards, and the oppressive silence had lifted, replaced by a subtle hum, almost like a call of something beyond the stone walls.

Even the walls felt different now, Miles' footsteps, once heavy and cautious, became lighter, quicker, drawn toward something just out of sight, but nearer and nearer with each and every turn.

He followed the pull, navigating the sharp twists and dead ends with ease. The maze, once a confusing puzzle, now seemed to shift and change in his favor with every step. The air grew fresher, the scent of damp earth and decay filling his lungs.

Miles's heart quickened as a faint noise began filling his ears.

And then, as though the walls themselves parted in reverence, he found himself standing at the edge of a forgotten place.

It was a greenhouse. Once, probably a sanctuary, now a decaying ruin. The structure was little more than a skeleton of broken glass and splintering wood.

The glass ceiling was cracked, and the vines that had once been carefully tended now ran rampant, twisted in wild, uncontrollable spirals. The few plants that had survived were no more than dead husks, their fragile bones reaching desperately for a light that would never come.

A faint breeze stirred the air, making the smell of moss and earth overwhelming, almost suffocating. Miles stepped forward, his boots crunching softly against the dust that had settled thick on the ground. The doors, once elegant and welcoming, now hung ajar, warped and crooked. He pushed them open carefully, his eyes scanning the gloom inside.

The greenhouse was eerily silent, the stillness broken only by the soft creak of the frame as the wind ruffled through the remains of the plants. It felt like a tomb, preserved in time, a place that should have been left forgotten.

Miles's eyes were drawn to something on the floor as he scanned his surroundings. His heart skipped a beat as he approached, his boots brushing aside debris, roots, dust, and shattered glass. There, nestled among the wreckage, lay an old tome.

The cover was cracked and worn, the edges tattered with age, but it was unmistakable. His hand trembled as he knelt down, brushing aside a few pieces of glass and dirt to reveal it fully.

The book felt ancient in his hands, its weight heavy with the past. He could feel the time within its pages, old and frail. He opened it slowly, careful not to tear the fragile pages. But before he could read what was written…

"I can't believe it…" Miles' heart thumped in his chest as he jumped backward, almost dropping the book.

"What the hell, Cheshire!?" Miles panted heavily, trembling. "Now? Of all times?"

"I'm sorry, my boy, but I couldn't speak to you back in the labyrinth." Cheshire purred, his voice sounding apologetic. "Its magic prevented me from reaching you, even from inside."

Miles frowned, regaining his composure.

"I can't say it doesn't make sense, coming from a place like that…" He shuddered. Just remembering it gave him chills. "What can't you believe, though?"

"Read the pages and you'll know it…" Cheshire's voice felt almost nostalgic in Miles' mind, and he looked at the book.

The first page was blank, but the second, scratched in a hurried, almost frantic hand, jumped out at him.

"The war rages on. The Queen's rule crumbles, but it is a victory bought with the blood of too many. Even now, as we march upon her stronghold, I hear whispers of what is to come. The heart of Wonderland beats its last, but in that death, I know that something new is being given birth…"

The words were jagged, scrawled with urgency, although as elegant as they came. There were no dates, but as Miles kept reading, it became clear that the book was a diary.

"I have ascended to a throne I never wanted, but one I must now occupy. The mantle of regent has been placed upon my shoulders, and though the Queen is now gone, the scars she left upon this land remain. This Wonderland, once bright with color, is fading. The revolution has taken everything, and now we must face what comes after. What remains of us? What remains of Wonderland after its heart stops beating?"

Miles felt a chill seep into his bones. The words echoed with a sense of deep sorrow, a resignation that clung to them like a shadow.

"These are Alice's words, aren't they?" Miles felt his heart tighten.

"Without a doubt, my boy." Cheshire spoke in his mind, his voice now devoid of any sign of languidness. Only the echo of nostalgia in his lament. "Her hand, her struggle, her claim to the throne… So heavy, so burdened…"

He turned the page, hoping to find more, noticing the passage of time by the way Alice's writing changed.

When she mentioned the war, her handwriting was urgent and hurried but, when she spoke of assuming the throne of Wonderland, it was more elegant and steadier, like she then had actual time to pour her thoughts on the paper.

Now, however, it carried a weight that made Miles' knees buckle for some reason.

"The Mad Hatter has changed. His mind, once a place of riddles and whimsy, is now a maelstrom of judgment and vengeance. He has taken up the scythe, a strange, otherworldly weapon, forged in a time that should never have existed. I cannot comprehend it, the darkness that surrounds him when he wields it. It has taken him. I fear it has taken all of my beloved Hatter…"

"He was once our friend, our ally. He stood with us against the Queen. But now, he stands apart. I believe the scythe has made him something else. A judge. A jury. An executioner. He has begun to hunt the remnants of the Queen's loyalists, cutting them down one by one. His hand, swift and merciless. I watched him take the life of a former ally today. No questions, no regrets. Just a final judgement…"

The words trembled at the end of page, a stark contrast to the cold certainty in which they were written. Miles swallowed, his heart heavy as he continued reading.

"The power of the scythe is beyond anything I have ever encountered. Its blade is not merely steel, it is something else, something ancient. It has consumed him, reshaped him into something far darker. I watched him raise it again today, and in that moment, he fully became something else. The air around him trembled, the very fabric of Wonderland quivered at his presence. His judgment is absolute, and I fear him now, although I know in my heart that he remains my everlasting ally."

"I cannot undo what has been done. I cannot take the scythe from him, it is as much a part of him as his soul. I fear that he has become something that cannot be stopped. His insanity is not like the Queen's, though hers was a madness of selfish power. His is a madness of duty, of righteousness. He believes, he truly believes that he is doing what is necessary. That he is bringing an end to the suffering of Wonderland, no matter the cost…"

"I cannot stop him. But I know I must try to. I must. I will seek out the remnants of the Queen's army, those who still live, and I will join them. If I cannot undo what he has become, I will at least fight for something worth saving."