Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game
Chapter 155: Ch153. [World Quest] (13) - She is like me...

Chapter 155: Ch153. [World Quest] (13) - She is like me...

Miles opened his eyes, and the feeling that the world around him gave off made him immediately realize what had happened.

He was back in the plaza during the dreadful night of New Year’s Eve.

Only, he was not himself.

’Cheshire, you son of a-’ Before he could finish the thought, the people counting down reached zero, and everything became silent.

He knew exactly what was going to happen by then, but why was he so confused, lost, and disoriented?

’I’m seeing things through her perspective, and she was insanely strong back then, so... Why?’

It took a while for him to understand, but when he did, it was hard not to feel the blazing humiliation burning in the back of his mind, as soon as Sarissa pressed [Yes] on the floating window before her.

[Congratulations! You have now become a player.]

[Your avatar’s data has been successfully converted.]

[You have received a Classpect: Wonderland’s Treasure]

’What in the actual fuck...?’

If Miles was in control of his limbs, he would immediately have facepalmed himself, disbelieving of what his eyes – Sarissa’s eyes – were seeing. ’That damned arrogant girl... She is related to Wonderland after all...’

[Classpect status: Dormant]

[Player level: 01]

[Your avatar’s previous data allows you to unlock a skill]

[Do you wish to unlock skill?]

Without even blinking, Miles saw his – her – finger moving towards the tab that said [Yes], and pressed it.

[Skill unlocked: Regression – Level 01]

[Good luck, player]

Miles frowned inwardly, but he felt Sarissa’s frown grow along his own, unable to understand what was going on.

And all the confusion was making Miles feel dizzy, disoriented.

She was so strong...

So insanely strong...

But then, a hulking beast of shadow and bone had slammed its claws through her chest, pinning her to the rubble like an insect.

And it was then that Miles understood what [Regression] truly meant.

Life and death, in dizzying succession.

Life.

Death.

Rebirth.

No... Regression.

Life, death, regression.

Every turn was a cacophony of screams, blood, and death. Hers and others, and even then, it was hard to understand how, why it was happening like that.

It almost felt like the game had engineered that particular nightmare of skill just for her, with the sole intention of making her spirit break, of forcing a seed of madness to sprout in her mind.

And even then...

Even when she finally learned that she was not able to save her parents... She only stood even taller.

However, it did not change the fact that...

’She’s... Like me...’ Miles’ heart felt tight in his chest, despite Sarissa’s own feeling heavy but steady.

Different, though, but Miles felt the pain of the loss of her parents.

Only, it was multiplied many times over... Countless times, actually, because of her skill, and Miles felt surprised to see her not breaking down like he did.

On the other hand, what happened to her felt worse because the numbness that overtook her after the umpteenth time was almost unbearable to feel. Miles couldn’t imagine how he would be able to go on if he got to that point. And yet...

’She’s... Brave.’ He gave it to her. ’But I get it now... She wasn’t strong. She became it. Like... Me.’

After so many regressions, Miles was not even shocked to see Sarissa encountering a version of him.

He was even glad to see that he was stronger than her for once.

However, the pop-up window that appeared in front of her after they met for the first time – after the countless times she saved him, but chose to remain in the shadows – truly frightened him.

[You have received a quest.]

[Sands of Time]

[Quest Information: The player Miles has the fragment of an item that can enhance your Regression skill. Kill him and take possession of the item to deepen your powers.]

... Because after that, came the most astonishing fight he had witnessed in his entire life, after the one he had just ended.

Shinji, the betrayal of someone she thought to be a friend, or at least an ally.

But he never imagined how gruesome and horribly wrong his powers were, back then, until he saw himself killing the leader of the Sakura Guild in such a nonchalant manner.

’That could’ve happened... To me...’ He thought, his jaw dropping as he saw his body deforming, and giving way to a version of the Mad Hatter he could never imagine, even in his most feverish dreams.

In the end, she killed him, after he himself repented and sought for the end. And after that, it all became clear...

As much as he hated her arrogance and idolized her strength... It was kind of his fault that she turned out this way.

No, not his.

The Hatter’s.

It was the Mad Hatter’s fault that Sarissa had become so cold, calculating, and arrogant.

But the Hatter was gone now, leaving only Miles to bear the weight of turning against her.

’I... I get it, now.’ He thought.

"Good." Cheshire purred inside his mind. "Then, I guess my job is well done, for now. I’m just... Sorry that you can’t come back from this..."

There was lament and anguish in the cat’s voice, emotions that Miles never thought he would witness, but there they were.

"What do you mean?" He frowned. "I thought you felt it when you gave me the idea..."

Miles was still unsure of how he was able to speak with his own mouth again, but the conflicting feelings that stormed his heart mattered more than the immediate confusion of feeling... Dead?

"I did feel something, my boy, but... What is it?" Cheshire’s tail became an imaginary question mark in Miles’ mind.

And then, with a grin curling Miles’ lips upwards, Sarissa’s worldview shattered like glass.

***

Diego slammed his fists at the invisible barrier that separated him from the inside of the arena as he screamed.

"NO! BIG BRO?! SARISSA, WHY!?" His breaths came in sobs, his knuckles bruised and bloody against the unmovable, invisible wall.

But the Archivist simply smiled up from the balcony, her voice reaching Diego even from up there.

"The duel is not over yet, child."

Diego stopped slamming his fists against the barrier, and as if it was a cue, Sarissa staggered, her knees buckling as she fell on them, her blade finally leaving Miles’s chest, gripped tight in her hands.

Miles’ however, kept unmoving, but only for a fraction of a second.

Inside his mind’s world, everything was still dark and shapeless, with only a single light flickering before him.

It was a system’s pop-up window.

[Your Attribute – Shadow of the End – is ready to evolve]