Chapter-5

I let my eyes go wide, just the right amount of fear glistening in them. My hand trembles as I pull it back from the amulet, my movements slow, hesitant. Perfectly calculated.

"Forgive my boldness," I murmur, my voice barely more than a breath, laced with uncertainty. "I… I only sought to help. I am but a simple traveler, lost and unprepared for such… power."

The voice chuckles, dry and brittle, like wind through dead leaves. "A simple traveler, you say? And yet, you felled the shadow with a touch."

It's amused. Good. Amusement dulls suspicion.

"Tell me, simple traveler, what is your desire? What would you ask of me, the ancient guardian of this land?"

My heart beats steady, unshaken beneath the mask. The guardian is powerful, yes. But old. So old. Time and solitude have softened its edges, dulled its instincts. It doesn't suspect a thing.

I keep my head bowed, my voice hushed. "I… I only wish to restore balance to this land," I say, adding the tiniest tremor to my words. "To heal the wounds inflicted by the shadow."

The voice sighs, a long, weary exhale that stirs the leaves around me. "A noble goal. Then listen closely, for I will reveal the path. To restore Wonderland, you must seek the three lost Tears of the Moon. They are hidden within the three most corrupted realms of this fractured land: the Clockwork Labyrinth, the Whispering Woods, and the Crimson Mire. Find these tears, and the land will heal."

There's a pause, like the world itself is holding its breath. Then, the final warning:

"Fail, and Wonderland will crumble entirely."

The voice fades into the wind, dissolving into rustling leaves and the distant cry of an unseen bird.

Silence.

I exhale slowly, glancing down at the still-pulsing amulet. The Tears of the Moon… a key to Wonderland's healing, yes. But also something more. Something useful.

A means to an end.

A stepping stone.

The world will be mine, eventually. But first?

First, I play the game.