Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game
Chapter 220: Ch218. Parting ways

Chapter 220: Ch218. Parting ways

The interior of Mara’s Forge was quieter than usual.

The clang of metal, the hiss of steam, and the vibrant, hammer-born symphony that usually defined the space were all absent. Instead, the space was filled with a strained kind of silence, one that hung over them like the darkened sky beyond the city walls.

Miles stood near the workbench, Dee curled in the crook of his arm this time.

The little salamander was still sluggish, no longer glowing with its post-hatch brilliance, but still warm to the touch. Sarissa leaned against the far wall, arms crossed over her chest, silent but watchful.

Mara, for once not buried in half-finished schematics, holding a wrench in her teeth, or scheming with the guild masters for the nearing [Dungeon War], paced the length of the room with tightly clenched fists.

"The [Mouth of the Abyss] isn’t going anywhere." Sarissa said finally. "If Miles thinks the Professor has any answers, maybe that’s where we start. He helped me with my broken Stories, after all."

"He knows." Miles nodded. "Or at least, he suspects more than he’s been letting on. He never liked giving full answers, but now? We don’t have time for riddles."

"Cool, but where do we find this Professor of yours?" Mara asked, frowning. "And who is he, exactly?"

Miles gave Mara the brief explanation about how he met the enigmatic figure that liked to call himself the Professor, just like he did with Sarissa, and when he was done, Mara tilted her head.

"I don’t even know why I still feel surprised." She let out a low whistle, careful not to wake Dee up. "I mean, there’s only so much I can assimilate in this chaotic and already weird enough world of ours, you know? Wonderland? Okay. Demons and gods? Tough, but count me in. Dee having reincarnated into something even cuter than he was? Yeah, I can deal with it. Though... You don’t think you’re running out of mythical beings to pull out of your pockets, End-boy?"

Mara sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I hate this." She let out another sigh. "We’re scattered, The Shooting Star is still cleaning up bodies, we’re still losing people out there. And we haven’t even seen the worst yet."

A moment passed, then Sarissa pushed off the wall and spoke, her voice steady.

"Then we move fast and trust each other to handle our pieces."

Before Miles could respond, a familiar, grinning, floating cat burst into existence with a giggling twirl of its tail straight out from Sarissa’s inventory.

"Hello, darling!" Cheshire sang, drifting lazily in a spiral. "I hate to interrupt this lovely meeting of minds, but we have a tiny catastrophe on our paws."

"Cheshire? What do you-" Miles frowned.

But Sarissa had already stepped forward.

"What happened?"

Cheshire floated directly in front of her, serious now. Its fur bristled.

"There’s something wrong with Wonderland." It said simply. "Very wrong. The realm is... Unraveling. Or perhaps fraying at the edges, the boundaries between places are softening, leaking into each other. And you my dear Sarissa, are the only who can find its cause and bring Wonderland back to what it was."

"You’re saying Wonderland is unraveling? Okay, that’s enough for my head." Mara’s brow arched.

"Nothing has been quite as it should be lately," Cheshire said with a flick of its tail. "But yes. Wonderland is no longer safe. If it could ever be called safe. Not even for me. It feels like something has started to crawl in, and if you don’t come now, Sarissa, you may never be able to claim it. Or worse, you might lose it entirely."

"Then I have to go." Sarissa didn’t hesitate.

"But the Professor..." Miles looked between them, jaw clenched.

"You have to go to him." Sarissa said, reading his expression. "You and Mara. If he really has answers, we need them. You’re the only who truly can find him, and I trust you more than anyone to press him for the truth."

Miles’ eyes widened at her words.

"Good! Good. We all have our roles. Yours is to end things, Miles. Hers is to begin again, and Mara, you’re our war maiden." Cheshire gave a low, approving purr.

"No pressure." Mara muttered under her breath.

"How do you even get to Wonderland right now?" Miles asked. "I thought I was the only one with a key."

"I can still open a rift." Cheshire’s grin widened. "Just one. It needs to be anchored somewhere safe and stable, somewhere not touched by the corruption."

All eyes turned to Mara, whose face instantly soured.

"Oh, no. You are not opening a dimensional gate inside my shop."

"Would you prefer the street outside? I’m sure the players would love to see that." Cheshire blinked.

Mara growled and stomped over to the central workspace. She began moving tools and shoving crates aside.

"Fine. But you clean up after."

"Deal."

Cheshire floated to the center of the cleared space and began to shimmer with light. A strange, soft hum filled the air, like a lullaby sung in reverse. Threads of color unspooled from the cat’s tail, forming spirals and loops that shimmered in hues that defied naming.

The rift cracked open with a sound like shattering glass submerged in honey.

A circular portal formed, showing a warped forest of dead trees and shifting sickly green skies on the other side. The smell of blood, metal and decay wafted through.

Sarissa stepped up to the rift, her armor catching the unnatural light. She turned to Miles.

"If I don’t come back in time for the Event..."

"You will." He interrupted.

"Then I’ll see you on the other side." She smiled faintly.

With one last look, she stepped through the portal. Cheshire gave a wink, then dove in after her. The rift sealed behind them with a soft, final pop.

Silence returned.

"That better not have unhinged my glyph network." Mara rubbed her temples.

"Ready?" Miles placed Dee back on his shoulder, then stepped toward the door.

Mara didn’t answer right away, she walked beside him, flipping off the lights with a flick of her gauntlet. The door creaked open slowly, revealing a sky the color of oil and bruises, swirling with hints of violet lightning.

They both stopped just outside the threshold.

Miles looked up, exhaling.

"You know," he said quietly, "I haven’t really had a chance to actually look at the sky. And every time I did, it was never bright like it used to be before The Glitch."

Mara crossed her arms. Her voice was soft, but resolute.

"Then let’s do our best to bring it back."

And they stepped into the street.