Chapter-44
Chapter: The Hollow Throne
The Queen of Hearts stares forward, unblinking.
Her throne, once a monument to her rule, now seems too large for her withered form. Shadows cling to her like a second skin, the weight of corruption pressing down on her, keeping her from remembering what she once was.
Beside me, the dragon—no longer a massive beast but a striking, raven-haired woman—watches in silence. Her emerald eyes are piercing, her dark robe flowing effortlessly as though woven from the very night itself.
The Mad Hatter, jittery as ever, shifts uncomfortably. His normally vibrant attire feels duller here, as if the air itself leeches color from everything.
The rabbit, ever alert, twitches its whiskers, sensing something just beyond our sight.
I take a step forward.
"Your Majesty," I say, my voice steady, commanding. "We have come to help."
For the first time, the Queen stirs.
Her vacant gaze flickers, the briefest spark of something—recognition? Fear?—crossing her expression.
The air shifts.
Something is wrong.
And then—
The shadows move.
---
The Intrusion
The walls convulse, as if Wonderland itself is trying to force something into existence.
The Queen gasps, her body jerking as if an unseen force is gripping her.
The Mad Hatter swears under his breath. "Ah! I knew it! I knew this was too easy! Why is it always shadows?! Can't we have a pleasant, reasonable conversation for once?!"
The rabbit lets out a shrill warning squeak, ears flattening.
The dragon tenses, her eyes narrowing.
And then—they emerge.
A dozen figures—blackened, twisted, half-formed nightmares—pour from the walls, coalescing into humanoid forms with elongated fingers and faces without features.
The air vibrates with their presence, as though reality itself is rejecting them, and yet, they continue to exist.
The Queen gasps, writhing on her throne, as though their very presence feeds off her despair.
"Guardians," the dragon murmurs, her voice quiet but lethal.
"Not hers," I say, eyes flicking across them. "The Shadow's."
They lunge.
And the fight begins.
---
The First Strike
The first shadow reaches me in seconds—a blur of darkness and malice, its clawed hand slicing toward my chest.
I step aside effortlessly, twisting as my palm crackles with power, and drive my fist into its core.
The creature lets out a shriek, its body splitting apart like mist before a storm—but before it can vanish completely, another takes its place.
The Mad Hatter ducks, barely avoiding a swipe aimed at his throat.
"Oh, terrible idea coming here, simply dreadful!" he exclaims, flipping backward and pulling an oversized tea kettle from his coat. He hurls it at one of the shadows—it explodes midair, releasing a shockwave of scalding steam.
The rabbit moves with surprising speed, darting between the figures, kicking one in the shin before retreating.
The dragon, however—
She unleashes hell.
---
The Dragon's Wrath
With a single step, she moves faster than sight, claws forming from her fingertips, slashing through the nearest shadow with a graceful, lethal swipe.
It doesn't even have time to scream before vanishing into dust.
Another lunges at her.
She catches it mid-air, her hand closing around its throat like a steel vice, and with an effortless flick, she crushes it out of existence.
The Queen cries out as more shadows swarm around her, drawn to her fractured soul like moths to flame.
"They're feeding on her!" the rabbit exclaims.
"Then we need to break their hold!" I snap.
---
Breaking the Shadow's Grip
I dash forward, dodging a shadow's strike with inhuman speed.
With a swift motion, I summon a pulse of raw power to my palm—not light, not fire, but something sharper. Purer.
I slam it into the ground.
A wave of force erupts outward, sending half the creatures flying into the castle walls.
The Queen shudders, her body flickering between reality and something else—something trapped, something wanting to return.
The Mad Hatter flips onto the throne, perching beside her, holding his pocket watch aloft like a weapon.
"Ohhh, I do hate being useful, but—"! he twists the watch—time distorts, and two shadows collapse in on themselves, frozen between moments, trapped in a single, endless second.
The rabbit snarls—a terrifyingly small, vicious sound—and bites one of the shadows straight in the ankle.
It screams.
"Did—did the rabbit just—"
"Less talking, more fighting!" I growl, spinning just in time to catch a shadow by the throat, energy crackling between my fingers.
I crush it, and it dissolves into smoke.
---
The Final Blow
The shadows are thinning, but the strongest remains—a tall, imposing figure, standing directly in front of the Queen, hands outstretched, its fingers woven into her essence like puppet strings.
The air darkens.
It is not like the others.
It is older.
It is stronger.
And it knows me.
"Defaulger Trice," it whispers, its voice a hundred overlapping tones. "You cannot unmake what Wonderland has already accepted."
I smile.
"Watch me."
And then I strike.
The force of my attack shatters the throne room itself, the energy ripping through the corruption like a storm, cutting through the Shadow's hold on the Queen like severing marionette strings.
The figure screams—a soundless, wordless agony—
And then it vanishes.
The Queen collapses.
And everything goes still.
---
The Hollow Queen Stirs
The castle is silent.
The shadows are gone.
The Queen of Hearts lies slumped in her throne, her crown tilted, broken, but her breathing—
Her breathing is steady.
The Mad Hatter finally sits down on the floor, groaning. "Well. That was horrible."
The rabbit twitches an ear, unbothered.
The dragon exhales, straightening her robes, untouched. "Expected."
I watch as the Queen's fingers twitch.
And then—
Her eyes open.
For the first time, they are not vacant.
They are aware.
I step forward, voice calm, certain.
"Your Majesty."
A long silence.
And then—
"Who… are you?"
I smile.
"The one who just saved you."