Welcome to Wonderland.

The beginning was an abrupt one. Alice turned her dumbstruck eyes to the beautiful world unfolding in front of her. An endless blue sky. Green trees, a fine, clear stream. Butterflies of a kind she had never seen before fluttered around and birds chirped in the air.

"Where…is here…?" She muttered, stunned.

"Welcome to Wonderland."

Alice spun around as if she had been knocked off her feet by a voice behind her. Then she let out a small squeal and retreated.

A man in a shirt and jeans was standing a short distance away. She could tell it was a man due to his figure and voice.

His face, on the other hand, was obscured. To be precisely, his face was cloaked in a jagged, mosaic-like pattern that prevented her from viewing it. He extended his hands and said softly to the frightened Alice,

"I'm Raffi, your navigator. You can think of me as a kind of guide who will lead you through this labyrinth system." The man who introduced himself as Raffi tilted his head slightly. "What's the matter? Alice. You seem to be very frightened."

"Y-Your… face is…"

She murmured in a trembling voice, and Raffi nodded and scratched with his fingertips of what was supposed to be the bridge of his nose.

"Oh… this. You don't need to be afraid. I don't 'have a face' to begin with."

"…"

"I can be anything, and I can't be anything. Therefore, I am not given a face so that I can project the image of whoever you want me to be."

After saying something indistinct, Raffi slowly approached Alice. He reached out and patted her on the head.

"You have been through a rough time so far. The Labyrinth welcomes you. Come and rest here with me."

"Rest…? I can rest…?" Alice glanced up at Raffi's mosaic face and asked in astonishment. "I don't have to suffer anymore?"

"Yes. This is the wonderland you desire to maintain your mind at its optimum. It changes its shape as you see fit and heals your wounded and tattered heart. You will no longer be in pain or suffering."

Hearing Raffi's gentle voice, Alice looked around. Then she asked him in bewilderment. "Is this heaven…? Did I just die?"

Raffi offered a mild smile upon hearing this.

"No. This is the Labyrinth."

With that, he reached out his fingers and tapped Alice's chest who was dressed very neatly.

"This is the world you wish for."

◇

A strange object was stirring in the room. There were countless of them, their bodies bent and swaying like measuring worms.

They had arms, legs, and heads; they may look like humans, but they weren't. They were attached to its caterpillar-like body. On their heads was attached a silver helmet.

Several of them were sharpening the toenails and fingernails of a woman seated on a glittering throne. The measuring worm human behind her was gazing up at a large paper fan.

Sitting on the dark throne was a stunning woman with a slim figure. She was dressed in a white dress, and her hair, as white and silver as snow, hung long on the floor.

However, she lacked a face. Her face was smooth and flat, like a mannequin; she had no eyes, nose, mouth, or even ears.

The spooky woman opened the door and turned her face to the thing that had stepped in. From the face of nothingness, a quiet woman's voice flowed out.

"White Knight. What's going on?"

The White Knight, as he was called, was a thing clad entirely in armor. It was pure white, beautifully formed armor. Not even any part of the body can be viewed. A small amount of red light was leaking out from a gap in the eyelet of the helmet that covered its head. It knelt down to the white woman and answered in a strained male voice.

"White Queen, I have a report to deliver."

"Speak."

"I have sight of Humpty Dumpty."

"…"

The woman known as the White Queen directed her featureless face to her fingertips and swiped her pointy fingernails in front of her, waving them in the air to check the sensation before saying.

"Let him pass."

"Yes!"

Bowing his head, the White Knight rose and disappeared into the depths of the dark room. Soon after, an egg-shaped creature appeared, smoking a cigar. He fixed the tuxedo he was wearing with his fingertips and looked up at the faceless White Queen, her legs crossed on her throne.

"Long time no see, White."

"So it's you, egg… What happened that brings you to this place?"

Humpty replied to the White Queen, who questioned him calmly. "Well… you see. The Hatter was slain."

"Oh…" Returning a new reply as if it was of no significance, the White Queen drove the caterpillar human aside with her foot. "… So?"

"It was the new Alice that killed him. I engaged her a little while ago."

"You killed her, didn't you?"

Humpty pondered for a moment, then cast his googly eyes at her. "No, I'm keeping her alive because I have some thoughts."

"Oh, that's unusual… You've never shown mercy to an enemy."

"I'm not trying to be merciful. What's more, she's not the same Alice as before. She is clad in an unusually solid Bandersnatch. The Hatter was apparently slaughtered by surprise."

"Hm…" Perhaps slightly intrigued, the White Queen muttered softly and snapped her fingers. The White Knight emerged from the darkness and dropped to his knees.

"No matter how hard it is, you can slash through it, can't you, White Knight…?"

When asked, the White Knight lowered his head and spoke.

"As you wish. I will tear everything to pieces."

"Go check it out. Bring that peculiar Alice here if you can."

"Yes!"

The ground beneath the White Knight's feet instantly transformed into a swampy, soggy mess. He slowly sank into it and was soon gone with a topple sound.

"I can't offer much in the way of hospitality, but I suppose you should get some rest."

The White Queen took a tiny breath and regarded Humpty.

"You can drink some fresh blood while you… are at it."