Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Echoes of the Monolith

The Queen's Castle fades behind us, its newly restored radiance casting long shadows as we make our way across the ashen landscape.

The air is charged, the lingering remnants of the Shadow's retreat still crackling in the atmosphere.

The Mad Hatter, now walking with a noticeable spring in his step, twirls his hat absently. "Well, that was exhilarating! First, an all-powerful entity of darkness tries to consume us, and now we're off to face an ancient, ominous forest that thrives on whispers and paranoia. I simply love our itinerary."

The rabbit, hopping alongside him, snorts. "You love it until something starts whispering your worst fears in your ear."

The Hatter grins. "Ah, but jokes on them! My worst fears are already in my head all the time. It'll be like having a lovely little chat with myself!"

I ignore their banter, my focus drawn toward the obsidian monolith that rises ahead—a silent, looming relic standing at the crossroads between the Queen's domain and the Whispering Woods.

The dragon, still in her humanoid form, walks quietly beside me. Her presence is calm, watchful.

The closer we get, the more I feel it—a pulse beneath the earth, a resonance deep within my bones.

This monolith is not just a marker.

It is alive.

And so, without hesitation, I place my hand upon its surface.

---

The Monolith's Secrets

The moment I touch the monolith, the world shifts.

I am somewhere else.

Not the castle. Not the Whispering Woods.

But an in-between place—a vast, endless expanse of twisting mist and shifting shapes.

A voice echoes through the void.

"You reach for knowledge, Defaulger Trice… but knowledge has a cost."

I do not answer immediately.

Instead, I observe.

The mist swirls, forming faint silhouettes—the Queen's castle, the Whispering Woods, the monolith itself, all flickering like reflections on broken glass.

And then—

I see it.

A tear in reality, small but growing, spreading like a fractured web.

It does not belong to the Shadow.

It is something else entirely.

Something that even the Shadow fears.

I turn toward the voice, my expression unreadable.

"Tell me what it is."

A pause.

And then—

"You already know."

The vision fades.

I am back at the monolith, my hand still pressed against its surface. The air crackles around me, and the others stiffen, sensing the shift.

The Mad Hatter frowns. "Oh, that did not look fun. Did you see something unsettling? Because your face looks like someone who just realized they left the stove on before going to war."

The rabbit twitches. "Did it… speak to you?"

The dragon watches me closely. "You found something."

I lower my hand, the monolith's hum fading, and glance toward the Whispering Woods, the tangled branches shifting in the distance, waiting.

"There's something else at play here," I say simply.

The Queen watches carefully, her renewed strength allowing her to read between my words.

She knows I am not telling them everything.

Not yet.

---

The Decision

"We leave now."

The Hatter groans. "Oh, immediately? No monologue about what you saw? Just straight into certain doom?"

The rabbit huffs. "He doesn't monologue."

The dragon raises a brow.

The Queen steps forward, her expression unwavering. "Be wary, Defaulger Trice. The woods will test you. Not just your power, but your mind."

I nod. "I am aware."

And then—

We continue

The Whispering Woods await.