Cheshire screamed at the door trying to open it but his words weren't heard.
Vaan and Bell ran to him, Bell grabbed Em who cried taking her to another room while Vaan helped Cheshire try to pry the door open.
The door shook and they let go throwing themselves to the sides as it crashed open.
They spoke but their words were silent.
It was as if everything was on mute.
They quickly and cautiously stood looking into the room.
It was all black, papers flew everywhere. They tried to walk in but the razor papers cut their skin deeply.
They started to form large orbits. Books flew with them and chaos grew.
In the center of the once massive library floated Al in dark space.
His hair still black, his skin and body normal. But his eyes were wide and a book was closed in front of him. Another book was retrieved from the massive three orbiting paper and books mix.
A blue covered book that read 'Al in Wonderland' and a light green colored book that read "Alice in Wonderland."
"He... has grown stronger." Vaan accepted this but Cheshire couldn't believe he distorted a place outside of his domain.
The papers changed colors and began forming the library again, wood floors and shelves, desks and chairs.
"He's remaking it?" Vaan looked at Cheshire who was stuck.
He didn't know what to do. Al's eyes were all white, no color or pupils.
The fading image of a crown stood over his head and four cards vanished from orbiting around in the inner layer.
His pupils shined gold and he smiled a Cheshire grin as hold cat ears popped out with a cat tail.
Cheshire's eyes widened even more, he saw the large library finish forming. The door changed into a larger one attaching to his domain by the dark force escaping Al.
The moment he closed again a quick glance was flashed their way.
"Cheshire?" Vaan looked at him, "What is wrong with master?" He asked and Cheshire looked at him.
"The darkness.." he said, "the books.." he said and looked back at the door.
He knew something was wrong, when the door opened again but this time on its owns.
A large black shadow hand crashed out grabbing Cheshire, "Ugh!" and dragged him inside.
"Master!" the door locked as it closed before Vaan could do anything.
Cheshire was dragged through until he opened his eyes seeing the dark shadow vines sway around the endless dark circle in the center too of the library.
"Al. Al!!" Cheshire tried to get free but couldn't, "Stop this!!" He screamed, "Al!!!" he was pulled in and the silence of the library returned.
He had his eyes closed feeling nothing, his ears down and his tail still. He peeked and looked around and saw a book pass by.
More books floated in the distorted place he floated in.
He saw Al sitting curled in the middle with the book in front of him.
"I'm..." he heard his voice echo. "A book...?"
Cheshire narrowed his eyes and floated closer to him. The distortion of the circle they were in made him slightly dizzy.
He touched Al's shoulder and turned him so that they faced each other.
"A book?" his sad voice echoed.
Cheshire held him in his arms. He couldn't say anything for the world they were in would not let him.
He looked at the book, "Al in Wonderland" and grabbed it.
He tried to speak, his mouth moved but no words came out. He tried to get his attention but he was so focused on the book.
"Book...?" He said, tears in his eyes, "book..."
He fell silent and soon Cheshire realized the book opened flipping to a page. He tried to change the page but couldn't.
It was stuck as if glued on that page. He read the small words that soon came right off the page.
"He saw Al sitting curled in the middle with the book in front of him." He read, as he read on it was everything that currently happened.
And with that, the pages turned to the left, bunches and bunches of blank pages.
He looked at Al as the book closed. He hugged him tighter, his tail swaying, his ears down.
He purred softly slowly, unnoticeable fading into a transparent soul.
Al felt the warmth leave. A glimpse of Adam and Elizabeth flashed through the distorted darkness.
Tears floated away from his eyes as he cried.
He saw the happy times and the sad. His head hurt. His heart ached. He felt a heaviness weigh him down.
The darkness began to cave in.
Yet as his world seemed to crumble, it was only in his head. A fragment of his imagination.
When he opened his eyes Cheshire held him.
He hummed a soft tune caressing him in his arms. His tail swayed and his ears where up.
He looked and instead saw Adam.
He saw Elizabeth bursting in through a door complaining about how her mother treated her just the same morning.
He was in a state of shock and wonder. He didn't know what to believe anymore.
He did know what to do or where to go. Say he sat there in Adam's arms leaning against him as Elizabeth jumped onto the bed angrily.
He saw a small soul, a small one with cat ears and a tail. It formed a cat, a large grin from ear to ear.
Adam and Elizabeth vanished.
"What is it that you desire when you do not desire it at all?" the riddling voice asked forming the Cheshire Cat's body.
"What I.."
"A desire for which you desire in the case that you do not desire it." He vanished and appeared behind him.
"Desire?"
"For where you go is but a way you go when you know no other way, yes?" He touched Al's hair.
"You are confusing me, Cheshire.."
"Oh, but my poor, Al." He vanished and appeared behind him, "You suffer yet you do not?"
"Suffer?"
"Yes, for I am not simply the Cheshire you know, I am the Cheshire Cat, a cat whom ability is confusion and the art of disappearance."
He floated in front of him.
"To cure you, I must hurt you, to bring you home, I must make you lost."
"D-destroy?"
"For I am the Cheshire Cat, not a simple cat, just a cat of confusion and illusions."
He vanished again this time for good. Al was honestly confused, his riddles were twisted and he was gone leaving him with that.
He saw Cassie next a woman of great strength and beauty, she smiled and laugh and in came Dinah to join the fun.
After came Vaan and Em, Bell and the statue of the goddess in his domain.
He opened his eyes floating in the space. Confusion filled him.
His felt arms around him, a lifeless body holding him.
When he looked it was Cheshire, his eyes were half open and half closed. His ears down and his tail completely still.
He didn't move, or breath or twitch. Al put his head to the still chest and heard no beating.
"To cure you, I must hurt you, to bring you home, I must make you lost."
He didn't move from Cheshire's cold grip. They floated in the heavy space only to fall into the library seconds later.
The books caught them. The papers held them.
They were placed on the comfort of a pile of pages. Al cried. He couldn't help it and just cried.
Cheshire's grip loosened and the closed door clicked open and Vaan stumbled in.
He saw Cheshire as pale as a ghost. His hair was shades lighter and his eyes were dim and glossy with tears from the pain.
His hands cold and his body limp. Al held him tightly crying.
The world shook, the sky above the ceiling cried rain. Thunder and lightning struck.
The shelves quivered and the books collapsed from the intense frustration of the room.
Vaan was, too, frozen in a state of shock.
"Vaan!-" Bell ran in and stopped.
She saw the sad sight.
From around the pages grew lime green grass and soon beautiful flowers. Butterflies flew around them leaving star dust behind as they flew.
A warm light heated them.
The pages formed small rose bushes and trees.
It was a distortion he controlled. Yet that was a situation he didn't and couldn't handle.