Chapter-29

The forest tightens around us, the skeletal branches whispering secrets in the wind, their twisted forms shifting ever so slightly when I'm not looking. The air is thick with decay and something else—something watching.

The rabbit remains motionless on my shoulder, its soft breaths steady, its body warm against my skin. A curious thing. Just moments ago, it was trembling in fear. Now, it clings to me like I am the last solid thing in a world unraveling around it.

Perhaps I am.

The Mad Hatter moves with uncharacteristic restraint, his once-manic energy subdued, swallowed by the weight of what he has seen—what I have done. His usual rambling is absent, replaced by hesitant, half-spoken thoughts.

"The artifact," I prompt, my voice cutting through the rustling of unseen creatures. "What does the Queen know?"

The Hatter's head twitches, as if the question itself is a physical thing striking him. He swallows hard.

"She says it predates the Shadow," he murmurs. "Something older. Something hidden. She calls it… the Heart of Wonderland."

I pause mid-step.

The rabbit shifts slightly, as if it, too, feels the weight of those words.

"And what does it do?" I ask, my voice measured.

The Hatter lets out a brittle, nervous laugh. "No one knows. She says it remembers. That it holds the truth of what Wonderland was before the corruption. Before the Shadow. But she also says..." His voice drops, his fingers twitching. "That if the wrong hands claim it, it won't banish the Shadow. It will replace it."

Fascinating.

The trees seem to lean in closer, as if straining to hear the conversation. The very ground beneath my feet feels aware. This is knowledge that should not be spoken aloud.

And yet, it changes everything.

"Then we must find it," I say simply.

The Mad Hatter glances at me, something unreadable flickering in his darkened eyes. "You say that so easily."

I smirk, stepping forward into the deepening darkness. "That's because I already know how this ends."

The Shadow made a mistake in challenging me.

Now, I will show it why.