Al in Wonderland: You've Gone Mad

Chapter 24: Liddell

"Aaaaaah!!" Al fell through the rabbit hole, though he knew this transition, had grown used to seeing it, it was different.

He didn't bounce off the bed like he would, he didn't see the piano, the scissors. Instead he saw strings, needles, and was nearly impaled by a thorn sticking out of an angled wall. Able to dodge it did him no justice as he turned himself over only to see many more thorns along the way.

Al pushed himself away from some and managed to escape others, however the last to appear was massive jutting out from the deepest part of the rabbit hole.

"Oh-no! No, no, NOO--?!" He tried to flail to turn away from it, but there was no saving him from the impact, "URGH?!" The thorn struck straight through his stomach piercing him like a skewer.

Blood spilled as the force of his fall made him move the thorn deeper into his body. The crimsin color dripped down the white thorn staining it with an unusually beautiful color.

"Uugh.." Al couldn't move. The pain held true, but for only a moment.

Hysteria overcame him, his strength doubled, an annoyance he couldn't care for as his anger fueled his actions. Al raised his leg and, in a swift kick, cracked the thorn breaking it like glass. He pulled it from his body throwing it aside aggravated, but calmed as the hysteria slowly withdrew healing the wound.

Looking down, Al touched his stomach. As good a new. No pain, no scar, he could feel himself normal then looked at the thorn. It was large, the rabbit hole was gone and he found himself in Wonderland again.

It was quite literally, a thorn in his side, but now that it was broken it didn't pose any harm, until the next victim fell through.

"Blasted-?!" The portal opened once more and out fell an unsuspecting Cheshire who crash landed right into the broken thorn fully destroying it. "Uh.. Stuck the landing..." he sat up slowly and looked at the broken pillar that was once a thorn. "Al?" He quickly noticed him and smiled, "I'm rather glad I could drop in-" even quicker, he noticed the blood on Al's clothes and immediately got up checking him, "What happened?!"

Al smiled, his conern was misleading, "I'm alright.. I was impaled by the thorn." He gestured to what remained of it.

"You were... paled?!" He almost shouted, "My god, Alan.."

"I'm alright." He laughed,

"You grow more reckless with each passing day."

"Do I?"

"Very much so."

"Is that a bad thing?" Al skimmed the land and saw the demon village he and Wolfram were heading to.

"Yes. I'll expire at this rate."

Al laughed again, Cheshire smiled happy he did so, but it was clear Al held no honesty for showing his feelings anymore. "I'll try to be careful. You should too, Wolfram and I were heading to the demons."

"Demons?"

"Daimah." He held up her card, "She's close. I need to return at least one card while I'm here."

"Right, then I'll see who else I can find."

"Thank you." Al smiled, just as Cheshire was to leave Al remembered, "Um!" He stopped and looked back at him, "Don't... take them to my domain... please. I know it's safe but.. with Wei Lee locked there.."

Cheshire stared a moment then smiled, hiding his frown, "Of course. I'll bring them here. The demons are mostly secluded and out of the way. They should be safe."

"Alright, see you soon."

"Don't forget," Cheshire grinned his crescent grin, "Wolfram can answer your questions. Don't be afraid to ask. Though you never were." With that Cheshire leaped off into the tall grass disappearing.