The Cheshire Cat led the two down a stream where giant fish-mascots littered its clear waters. They were anchored to the bottom of the streams, with many being dragged along the sediment by a powerful, invisible undercurrent.

Alice had heard that one had to be wary of still rivers. The largest river that cut through western Grandis, beginning from the heights of Mount Saris was the Still Brook. Despite its unthreatening name and the maximum width of the river being no more than half a meter, it had claimed countless lives.

Looking further down into the river beside them, they could see various complex tunnels that littered the undercut. This meant that what they walked on wasn’t stable ground, but rather a deadly platform.

Stuffed toy-people wandered to the river for a drink. Where half was swallowed by the river, the other underwent a gruesome transformation. The cotton within burst from all orifices as Alice watched with wide eyes, all the while Revy held her mouth to stop herself from emptying her stomach.

“Does this have something to do with the river the White Rabbit was talking about earlier?” Revy croaked.

“I don’t personally know about it.” The Cheshire Cat said, walking dangerously close to the edge of the stream. “There are features of the Escape that are permanent. These rivers for example.”

She explained further that its existence was linked strongly with the White Rabbit’s personal memories. And despite the White Rabbit being the sole authority in this world, she also plays by the same rules. Her memories were also twisted and repainted in a way where the truth would be obscured.

The card that Revy carried could not completely dispel what the river truly was, because the White Rabbit herself according to the Cheshire Cat had never seen it herself. Yet she was knowledgeable in many things despite having virtually zero experience.

“The egg is the world.” The Cheshire Cat concluded. “Does the unhatched see the dark or do they see something else? When they escape, unready for the world beyond, they’ll seek to crawl back into the egg only to find it broken.”

“So they create an illusionary egg. That egg becomes their world.” Revy was in tune with the Cheshire Cat, whereas Alice could not follow a single word.

Suddenly, as Alice tried to figure out what she was trying to convey, a fuzzy hand fell onto her head.

“Don’t worry about it.” The Cheshire Cat comforted Alice. “We’re almost there. See that big tree?”

“The one that’s glowing…?” Alice pointed up at a beautiful, leafless oak tree that pierced the skies. It was like looking at a different form of the Nexus, save that this was rooted into the ground.

A white forest surrounded it. The trees were beautiful, their leaves sparkling with magic. They must have looked like stars from far away, and here it looked like a winter wonderland. The grass was also white, and a snow-like powder began to cover the ground.

They trudged forward, wondering what was ahead. As soon as they set foot into the mouth of the white forest, the White Rabbit spoke to them again.

“Have you heard of the tale of the White Forest?”

“It was separate from the Garden of Paradise. Both sprung to life from the presence of the ‘Captured Star’ – the First Miracle of Cognition. The progenitor of the Twelve that came thereafter.”

White-haired children emerged from behind the trees. Their eyes were golden and filled with innocence. Their faces were all the same, with the only physical variations being their size, skin color and hair.

They watched them venture deeper into the forest with cat-like curiosity. Words left their mouth, but it was from a language long lost to time. Ticking could be heard from deeper within. When the ticking became loud enough, the Angels shivered as they retreated, peering from treetops as others huddled together, their tiny tails digging tiny fox holes to hide in.

“A pillar that connected the The Source with the world rose that day. There, Angels were born from the White Forest unconditionally. Both in that Garden, and beyond the walls of our enclosed bastion of civilization.”

“We were allowed to live freely.”

“So long as we respected the Laws of the birdcage.”

“Who decided on those Laws…?”

The forest turned black. The skies disappeared, and the pale tree far above glowed with an ominous black. The Angels withered away as each ticking created a shockwave originating from the base of the tree. A figure could be seen stalking the forest, prompting the group to hurry.

Alice could have sworn she spotted a miserable version of Jury, her body demented as she wore blackened feathers.

“I dare not to speak her name.”

“Because even now, I’m afraid of being thrown back into that dark birdcage.”

There was one Angel that was spared. They were dragged by the hair from the demented Jury towards a black egg that was held by two dilapidated towers. That Angel that was being dragged had dark skin, much like the White Rabbit, Jury, and the Demented Jury.

The towers disappeared. No. More accurately, they had fallen.

Sitting atop the length of the fallen, overgrown structures were many beings conducting a tea party. In the center of them all was a woman who was obviously the leader of the group, judging by her many tails that wrapped their tea party up like a giant scarf.

“We’re here. This is one of the permanent places I was talking about. It looks like it’s been altered for yours truly.” The Cheshire Cat displayed utmost caution here, frightening Alice as Revy silently gulped.

They were noticed by all seventeen figures of the tea party, six of which were obviously Angels. Alice did not know how she knew they were Angels, or that the white-haired beings from the forest were as well. It was knowledge with no origin, implied by an incomprehensible power.

“Who are those people supposed to be?” Revy went to check their stats, but to her shock –

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