• Chapter One- Becoming Mad Hatter

    Break's POV

    As I watched Alyss and Cheshire dance in the rain of blood, my heart jolted. With a strangled gasp, I clutched uselessly at my chest. What's happening...?

    "You feel it, don't you?" My gaze flitted to one of the many possessed dolls in the warped room, "The Abyss, changing you."

    I let out another choking sound as the pain doubled at the doll's words, "Changing… me?" I croaked, trying to keep a steady gaze on the thing.

    It giggled, "This is where it's strongest, at it's core." It swept across the floor, beginning a dance of it's own, "The power of the Abyss. You can feel it soaking into you as we speak, can't you?"

    The pain began to blossom not only from my heart, but from my head too in a grating headache. I tried to form another sentence, but I could only parrot what I heard the chain say, "Soaking into me…"

    Alyss broke off from Cheshire, the crimson rain having settled. She circled around me, bemused smile on her face, "Oh yes," she giggled, "Soon you'll be a wonderful chain, just like the rest of us. My doll."

    Whatever haze that had held me before broke as fear pierced through, "Humans into chains- that's impossible… impossible!" I scrambled to my feet, gritting my teeth against the persistent ache through my body.

    Watching me, she laughed, "Aw, so cute. The human is trying to run away." The dolls laughed in agreement, sending a shiver through me as I frantically backpedaled away from the Will of the Abyss.

    But her cold eyes locked mine in their gaze, trapping me, "There's nowhere to run, and besides, you should consider it an honor-" She briskly walked up to me, closing the space and grabbing the collar of my cloak in no time, "Any other human I would have thrown to the trump cards. You're my special exception."

    I fumbled for words, "No… I have to… no…"

    She gave me a cruel smiled, "Have to what? It's not like you have anyone else to protect anymore, now human?" She leaned up on her toes, pulling me down so our faces where just inches apart, "It'd be a shame to see such a noble knight go to waste, dear Kevin."

    I could do nothing but stare. She was right; I had nothing to go back to. I had failed my master… I had let them all die. Another wave of pain rocked through me, twisting my stomach in a bout of nausa as images of that day I came back to the household, when I arrived too late, finding everyone dead. I should have been there... I should have gone with them...

    Alyss pulled away, satisfied to see my submission. She held a finger to her lips, as if pondering something as she kept her gaze locked with mine. She reached forward, "But before I forget… or, before you turn, for that matter-"

    It happened so fast, it took me several seconds to realize what she had done. One moment, I was in gaze dead-lock with Alyss, the next, I stared at something bloody in her hand and-

    That's when the pain hit.

    I could barely hear her laughing over my scream. I fell to my knees as my hands clawed uselessly at the bloody socket where my left eye used to be. Blood streamed down my face, seeping into my mouth with taste of iron and clouding up my right eye with a red haze. Still sputtering and cursing, I glared up at Alyss, who was now taking it to Cheshire.

    She tossed a look back at me, "I'm sorry, but your red eyes would fit Cheshire perfectly." She handed it to him, waving off his rushing stream of, 'Thank you, Miss Alyss's and 'Your so kind's.

    She walked back to me, standing there, studying my slumped form. She knelt down, and took me by the shoulders, coaxing me to stand. At first I struggled against her burning touch, but eventually I gave up, letting her herd me into a bed of cushions in one of the small room's corners. The pain that had been resonating through my body before had shifted into weariness, edging me to close my eyes- no, eye, -for one last time and sleep forever.

    But I still poured as much fire as I could into my gaze as she looked down at me, smiling like an artist looking down at her latest masterpiece. She sat down in front of me, reaching out and running a hand down the 'good' side of my face, "You hate me, just like everybody else. Except him…" She trailed off, eyes distant, "But I'll make it so you don't hate me. You'll realize how thankful you are that I spared you." There was a resolve in her voice, hard and cold as stone.

    The last thing I saw was her icy eyes. I could hardly feel it this time, pain numbed by fatigue. I could hear her walking away, and another wave of Cheshire's thank-yous. I lifted my head up slightly, straining to hear her footsteps as she came back and plopped back beside me.

    I felt her hand on my face again, and I leaned into it. The energy from her touch that had once burned me now felt like a necessity, like air I needed to breath. "You're a lot more cooperative blind. I'm glad." She mused, her other hand tracing over where my eyes used to be. Suddenly I was pulled deeper into the haze, and slowly things started to disappear.

    Alyss sighed, "What's your name, Human?"

    I struggled for enough breath to speak, "K-Kevin. Kevin Regnard."

    She brushed her fingers over my lips, "How about now?"

    I opened my mouth to answer when- suddenly, it was gone. I stuttered, "I… don't know."

    "Good," she purred, smile obvious in her voice, "Now, who do you serve?"

    "I'm the knight of the noble family... Sinclair." My voice faltered at the end, even through the drugged haze regret was still raw.

    I could feel her hand slip down and hover over my chest, where the seal was, "Who?"

    "I'm the knight of…" I trailed. There it was again, "I… don't… know…"

    "Excellent." Alyss now had both hands over my seal, "Do you remember anything more?"

    "I..." My words where caught in my mouth, vanishing from both my mind and lips before they had a chance to escape. "No," I breathed, "I don't."

    "Again, so cooperative." Alyss mused, "What are you?"

    By now, everything had gone, "I don't know."

    "Do you want me to tell you?" Alyss leaned over me, whispering in my ear, "What your name is, who you serve, what you are?"

    I was so deep in the fog, begining to get the feeling of being boxed in, "Yes."

    "Very well then," Alyss giggled, "You're my Mad Hatter, and you serve me, as my shadow, my knight, my chain."

    With that, she dissappeared, along with a cusions beneath me and the room around me- it was all shut away in one instant, like a lid of a casket being swung shut. Darkness swirled around me, dancing across my skin. Here I could see, watching wearily as shapes dodged in and out of the fog- shadows, red eyes, monsters prowling just under the mist. Here I felt no pain, just cold, nestled between the shadows. Here I was alone, with her words ingraining themselves in my mind...

    Her shadow…

    Her knight…

    Her Chain…

    My Alyss…