Chapter-42

Chapter: The First Chain Broken

The air is alive with power.

The dragon stretches for the first time in millennia, its obsidian wings unfurling with a slow, deliberate grace. A deep, resonant hum pulses through the cavern as the monolith shifts, no longer rigid and unyielding. The magic once binding the beast—the very chains woven into the fabric of Wonderland itself—has unraveled.

Its enormous form casts shifting shadows across the jewel-strewn floor, but it no longer appears burdened. No longer caged.

For the first time in centuries, the guardian of Wonderland is free.

It exhales a slow breath, a plume of smoke curling into the air, carrying the scent of ozone and old magic. Its obsidian eyes meet mine, and for a moment—just a moment—I see something there.

Hope.

"You… you have done what millennia of others could not," the dragon rumbles, its voice deep enough to shake the stone beneath my feet. "The chains are broken… but the Shadow remains."

The Mad Hatter, who has been frozen in a mixture of awe and absolute terror, finally inhales again.

"Well!" he blurts out, clapping his hands together. "That was… unexpected! Rather efficient, wasn't it? You just—poof!—freed an ancient dragon without even breaking a sweat! And let's all agree that's deeply unsettling, yes? I'm unsettled. The rabbit looks unsettled. The dragon looks unsettled!"

The rabbit, who does not look unsettled in the slightest, twitches its nose.

I ignore the Hatter and take a step closer to the monolith, placing my hand against its cool surface. The magic still thrums beneath my fingertips, steady, waiting. Aware.

"My name is Defaulger Trice," I say, my voice calm, controlled. "And I am here to restore balance to this land, to free you, and to end the Shadow's reign."

I allow a smirk to tug at the corner of my lips.

"It was rather easier than anticipated."

The Mad Hatter chokes.

"EASIER?!—Oh, yes, of course! Just a casual unraveling of ancient reality-bound chains, a dash of cosmic meddling, and—oh, let's not forget—the part where you freed a dragon like you were opening a jar of jam! EASY! SO EASY! I COULD SCREAM!"

He inhales sharply.

And then he does, in fact, scream.

It is not a particularly dignified scream.

The rabbit closes its eyes as if it, too, is tired.

The dragon exhales another plume of smoke, entirely unimpressed.

"Your confidence is… remarkable," it observes. "But do not mistake the first broken chain for the final battle won."

My smirk fades slightly.

"I never do."

---

The Weight of Freedom

The dragon folds its wings once more, settling its massive body into a more composed stance. The cavern around us feels different now. Lighter. Less… strained.

But not at peace.

"I am free from the monolith's hold," the dragon says, "but I remain bound to Wonderland. Just as the Shadow cannot leave this land, neither can I. We are two sides of the same whole—creation and destruction, life and entropy. You claim you wish to restore balance… but do you truly understand what that means?"

I hold its gaze.

"Balance is not preservation," I say evenly. "It is evolution."

A slow, measured silence follows.

Then, the dragon tilts its head slightly.

"Interesting."

The Mad Hatter makes a strangled noise.

"Oh no," he says, eyes darting between me and the dragon. "No, no, no—this is where things become morally complicated! I like balance! Love balance! Big fan! But usually, balance means restoring what was! Not—oh, dear lord, we're going to break Wonderland even further, aren't we?!"

The rabbit lets out a small, approving chirp.

The Hatter gasps dramatically at it. "DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM!"

I roll my eyes. "I'm not breaking it. I'm fixing it properly."

The Hatter flails. "Ah! Yes! That's what every mad king says before they—"

I hold up a hand.

He immediately stops talking.

"You have an idea, don't you?" he accuses.

I smile.

"Of course I do."

---

The Forgotten Passage

I turn back to the monolith. The magic here is still alive, even if the chains have been severed.

"There's more," I murmur.

The dragon nods. "There is always more."

The Hatter groans. "Ah, see, that is an ominous thing to say! Could you say something less ominous? Something like, 'Hooray, the worst is over!' or, 'Oh, what a wonderful, safe conclusion to this adventure!'"

The dragon blinks slowly at him.

"No."

The Hatter lets out a defeated whimper.

But I barely hear them. My attention is focused on the monolith—on the way the magic pulses. There's something beneath it, deeper.

Something waiting.

"There's another lock," I say.

The rabbit's ears twitch.

The dragon's gaze darkens slightly.

"Yes," it rumbles.

I glance at the Hatter. "You said something about an old rhyme before."

He blinks. "Oh! Right! Yes! Where was that?!"

He begins rifling through his coat, pulling out various nonsense—a half-eaten playing card, a pocket watch that is melting, a spoon that appears very offended—before finally producing a crumpled parchment.

"Ah-ha!" He clears his throat dramatically.

"Through whispered halls and fractured time,

Where echoes laugh and shadows climb,

A door unopened, locked in rhyme,

Shall break the chains that twist and bind."

He lowers the parchment slowly.

"…Oh, that's definitely ominous."

I step closer to the monolith, pressing my palm flat against it.

The cavern shudders.

Magic surges through me—wild, untamed, acknowledging my presence. The runes shift, glowing brighter. And then—

A door.

A real door, forming from the air itself.

It is ancient. Sealed. Heavy with magic.

Chains coil around it, flickering in and out of existence.

The Hatter takes several steps back.

"Ohhhhhhh no."

The rabbit's nose twitches.

The dragon watches closely, its great body tensed.

I place a hand on the chains.

They melt away beneath my touch.

The door swings open.

And whatever is waiting beyond it—

Is watching.