Ch34. Back in the game

Miles' eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat as the voice echoed through his mind. It was unmistakable – smooth and playful, yet laced with a sinister undertone that sent a chill down his spine.

"What's wrong?" Diego got down from the table, his voice laced with concern. He placed a hand on Miles' shoulder, but Miles didn't respond. His gaze remained fixed, distant, staring at something neither Diego nor anyone else could see.

"Did you really think that your bold words back in Wonderland were enough for you to get rid of me and conquer the scythe's power?" The Hatter's manic laughter echoed through Miles' mind. "Poor thing… I'm stronger than this, you know?"

The Hatter's voice slithered like a worm through Miles' mind, making him shiver inwardly. After a couple of seconds, though, he shook his head violently, trying to focus on what was going on outside.

"It's… nothing." He muttered, though his voice lacked conviction. "Cheshire. Tell him the story."

"Oh, so we're playing the ignoring game, now?" The Hatter smirked in Miles' mind, the feeling eerily similar to that of Cheshire's, when he was inside his inventory. But at the same time, heinous and disgusting. "No problem. I'll just leave you be, for now. But keep that in mind… You're not free of me." The wraith's laughter echoed through Miles' mind like it was an empty chamber, fading little by little.

"Are you sure you're okay, my boy?" Cheshire tilted its head.

"Just tell him the story, please." Miles sighed. "From when I found you in the cave, all the way to when the Rabbit was… Defeated."

"Oh, are we deflecting now, my boy? How quaint." Cheshire's ever-present grin took on a mischievous edge. "Well, that's fine by me."

Cheshire let out a soft chuckle, floating lazily through the air before curling itself around the back of the couch. Its glowing yellow eyes fixed on Diego, who looked back with a mix of skepticism, unease, and concern.

"Well, little one, since our dear boy here seems so insistent, I suppose it's story time." Cheshire purred, stretching luxuriously, its elongated body twisting in unnatural ways before settling. "Allow me to illuminate the tale of our adventure in Wonderland. But I warn you, it's not for the faint of heart."

"I'm listening." Diego crossed his arms, leaning back against the map table again.

Cheshire's grin widened as the room seemed to darken, the shadows creeping closer as its voice took on an almost hypnotic quality.

"It began, as all great stories do, with a choice," Cheshire began. "Miles found himself in a cave, drawn to an artifact that pulsed with otherworldly energy, a shard of Wonderland's fractured history – me. And when he touched it, I became able to protect him from the soul-eroding properties that a nasty fellow had cast on him."

"Soul-eroding? Like a curse?" Diego raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, not quite. Though I suppose it might feel that way," Cheshire said, its glowing eyes flicking toward Miles, who remained silent. "He fought the origin of the soul-corroding power and freed the White Rabbit, who had been trapped in that dangerous cave for decades. And from that point on, began the chase that let Miles to Wonderland."

Diego kept quiet, listening intently. Miles simply followed, rubbing his temples.

"Wonderland is a realm of chaos, and when he arrived, the whole place was already in shambles. A hollow, decaying shell of its once magnificent splendor, but there were shadows waiting for him in that place. Old and angry, just waiting for a way to get out, to recover their power, somehow."

"So you're saying, Miles… What? Absorbed one of these shadows' essence or something?" Diego's brow furrowed.

"Not absorbed, no," Cheshire said, its tone almost playful. "But a fragment of the Hatter's consciousness resided within what looked like Mile's final prize back in the Queen of Heart's ruined castle. And it now… Seems to reside within him, thanks not only to said final prize but also to the other artifacts he carries. The hat, the mantle, the mask. All are pieces of the Hatter's legacy, imbued with his essence and will throughout his years of slaughter. And now, through those items, he lies dormant but somewhat active."

"Is that true?" Diego turned to Miles, his expression shifting from disbelief to unease. "Was it just now… Him?"

Miles hesitated, his fingers twitching as he recalled the voice that had spoken to him moments ago.

"Yeah," he admitted. "It was like… A whisper in the back of my mind, but as soon as I forced myself to ignore it, he was gone. Although…"

"Not entirely," Cheshire finished for him, its grin returning. "He's watching, waiting. The Hatter was no ordinary man, you see. He was a master of Wonderland's chaos and became a wielder of its broken laws. Now, he became a fragment of that power that is tied to our dear Miles, here."

"That… that's insane." Diego let out a heavy sigh, sending his knives back into his inventory.

"Insanity is Wonderland's currency, little one," Cheshire said, its body coiling like a serpent.

Diego ran a hand through his hair, pacing back and forth.

"Okay, let me get this straight. You went to Wonderland, picked up a bunch of cursed gear, and now you've got some crazy ghost living in your head? And you didn't think to mention this sooner?"

"Would you have believed me if I told you as soon as you woke up from the thing with the [Fallen Puppets]?" Miles shrugged, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

"No," Diego admitted after a moment. "But still…"

"Look," Miles said, leaning forward. "That's not the point, right now. The point is that I need to find a way to not reset to level one every time I use the Hatter's gear, and I need to figure it out as soon as possible, or I won't be able to reach you any time soon…"

Diego hesitated, glancing at Cheshire, whose grin seemed to radiate amusement.

"Oh, but there's no way." Cheshire purred. "Not until you're strong enough to challenge the Mad Hatter for the supremacy over his legacy, that is."

"Hm…" Miles scratched his chin. "These things helped me boost my level two-fold while wearing them, so they're quite helpful."

"Yeah, but they're not helpful at all if every time you wear them off, they suck your experience points and get you back to the starting line…" Diego grumbled.

"You're definitely right." Miles retorted, after a few moments of silence, his lips a thin straight line. "I think I was starting to become arrogant and too depending on items that I know too little about… But Goddamnit, that's going to be tough."

"I got your back." Diego smiled, walking toward Miles. "And I'm sure Cheshire does, too… Right?" He looked suspiciously at the ethereal cat.

"I'm with you until our deal is done." Cheshire chuckled and nodded, purring as it stretched and clawed lazily at the couch.

"Well…" Miles sighed. "I guess I can still use the [Harbinger's Scythe], since I haven't lost the Mad Hatter's gear, though, but… Can I ask you to keep this all a secret, Dee?"

"Sure, but why?" Diego frowned.

"Something tells me that there's more to Wonderland and the Mad Hatter's issue than just this weird curse that is his voice in my head and him draining my experience points… So I want to level up a bit, grow stronger, and only then I'll decide what to do with whatever information I find out."

After a few seconds of consideration, Diego nodded.

"Deal. So, it means that you're back in the game, then?"

"Yeah, I'm back in the game…" Miles nodded, a grin twisting his lips upward as he looked into his inventory, [Wonderland's Key] glowing faintly. "We need to rest now. Tomorrow, we find a nice farming spot, and then we go for it."

"Nice farming spot?" Diego tapped his foot to the floor. "You know those were already monopolized by the guilds, right?"

"Oh, don't worry about it." Miles' grin widened. "I have a plan and a… A theory that I want to test out."

Before anyone of them could say anything else, though, Diego's frown deepened, and he reached for his pocket, taking a small smartphone from it.

"What the hell…?"

"What is it?" Miles tilted his head, his voice laced with concern and curiosity.

"I don't think we will have time to search for a farming spot." Diego's voice was filled with uncertainty. "The two guilds are summoning all the players in the city for a meeting tomorrow morning, downtown."