Adam couldn't help but ask with a bewildered expression on his face that colored the emotions in his mind.
The woman who was facing him while sipping on a expensive brand of tea and smiling at him with a mischievous expression in her eyes…
She was the definition of white.
This was the only way he could describe her hair, her skin, her aura, and her presence.
Long beautiful white hair, and white eyebrows, wearing a white robe that covered her pale white skin, and sitting on a white chair and table.
White like the snow, Adam had the impression that she was blinding with the white aura she was giving off.
In a way, this was different from the silvery white clothes and hair he was used to but this did not change the impression he knew of her and without a single shred of doubt, the woman in front of him was—
"Eve?"
The woman who looked like the exact duplicate of Eve, chuckled lightly and shook her head while speaking, "I am the White Queen."
A mischievous light seemed to twinkle in her eyes but this was enough for him to get a slight understanding of what was happening here.
Eve was imprisoned in the Library of Akasha in normal times.
That almighty Library was her prison and her penance for her sins and there was no way for her to escape from it. At least in the usual sense…
But it seemed like she had managed to find a loophole to escape from that prison of hers. In the shapes of dreams and illusions.
"Then Ev… the White Queen…"
Adam stopped himself from speaking out her real name, not truly knowing what he should say to her at this moment.
The fact that Eve threw him into the Sea of Subconsciousness and how he ended up meeting the White Rabbit that even time could not chase and catch was not mere coincidence. He was sure about that.
Everything had been planned by this grandmother of his and the price she had to pay should have been very considerable.
'Was this why she suddenly became so old?'
It was a possible hypothesis. One that brought him immense guilt at the mere thought of it. But he wouldn't be able to advance too much on this hypothesis. He had a gut feeling regarding that.
"As a queen, I am always happy to welcome newcomers to my Kingdom."
She placed a hand over her face and a mask covered the entirety of her youthful and charming facials.
"So. Newcomer… Tell me. What is your goal in coming to my kingdom?"
Adam looked at Eve or rather the White Queen and thought to himself.
What was his goal in coming to this place?
Why did he follow the white rabbit and enter this twisted plane of fairy tales?
The answers to all of his questions were rather simple and equally absurd…
Just because he desired to come here…
But the deepest goal hidden behind his simple desire was ever simpler.
"I promised someone that I would become a King."
It was a promise made to a tombstone and a woman who would never be able to hear from him ever again.
This was also a promise he had made to himself. A goal he wished to attain so that he was never forced to helplessly watch as he lost more and more things that were near and dear to him and his heart.
"I wish to become stronger."
"That is indeed a worthy goal."
The Queen smiled and a chessboard appeared in front of her.
The pieces that were neatly arranged above the chessboard were all that anyone would be expecting from a normal chessboard.
If there was a difference, it was that the pieces were entirely made of transparent and colorless crystals.
The dainty hand of the queen hovered above the board before it landed on a piece and once she grabbed it, she immediately threw the piece in his direction.
Taking it as it flew close to him, Adam looked down at the piece that the queen threw his way,
"A pawn?"
"Indeed."
Though he could not see the expression of the white queen before him as he observed the chess piece, he could feel the mirth that was evident in her voice,
"The weakest piece which can also evolve to become the strongest with enough time and hardship. Everything will depend on you."
As she spoke, her body slowly started to become transparent, as if she was vanishing and being transported somewhere unknown.
"Walk the road, my dear. Let's see how far you can go and worry not for death will only be a setback for you. No, it will only be a stepping stone."
———
When the queen reappeared, she was standing above the wall of a white castle so pristine in its hue that it looked like something out of a literal dream.
"My queen, do you think he can succeed? A pawn can never become a King."
A man wearing a colorful tuxedo and a large hat above his head asked her in a quiet and subdued tone,
"Reaching the level of Queen is only a question of time. But this will not be enough for him."
She held another pawn piece in her hand.
"A pawn can certainly never become a King. That's just the rule of Chess. But… Making the impossible possible is what makes a King a true King."
She smiled and started to walk.
"Send a message to the Black Queen. Our conquest of the kingdom of Cards is nearly done. Only the stubborn Queen of Hearts is remaining."
"Of course my queen and… a little more tea?"
The White queen chuckled, "You are truly mad about tea, aren't you?"
"Obviously. Wouldn't it be madness if the Mad Hatter was anything but mad?"
"Hahaha…"
A bell-like laughter echoed out and escaped her lips as the queen gave one last look toward the horizon ahead before walking away.
This freedom was nothing but a dream for now.
But soon, she would make it into reality. A reality where she would be free to do as she wished with the knowledge she had accumulated over the eons of her boring imprisonment.
———
While this conversation was taking place, on the other end of the Mirror World, a woman entirely clad in Black was sitting seductively on a black throne.
She was wearing a long robe as black as moonless night that accentuated the seductive curves of her glamorous body.
Her black hair flowed like the unending darkness and her skin was of a beautiful tan that would make one salivate at her mere sight.
Smiling, she looked at the horizon while caressing a large and slightly fat cat that was sitting on her lap, happy to let himself be pampered by his mistress.
"So you decided to come. I thought you wanted nothing to do with me?"
The Black Queen chuckled as she looked down on the short young woman who was facing her.
Appearance-wise, the two of them couldn't look any more different but when one paid attention, it was possible to feel a certain air of familiarity between them.
"If I had a choice, I would not have come."
"You always have a choice. You were simply smart enough to push your personal feelings aside and choose the good choice for once."
She laughed and two chessboards appeared before her.
One was entirely black and the other was colorless and transparent.
"So now, once again. Make a choice."
She pointed at the blackboard of chess, "Come under me. Be mine and I will give you power directly. While the power inside the Dreamscape can only be used in Dreamscape alone, the advantages can never be overstated. If you choose this path, you will instantly become a Knight or a Bishop at least."
"What about the second option."
"Well, start as a pawn and go fight for Dreamforce to grow and advance until you reach your inherent limit."
The black queen leaned back against her throne and laughed out loud,
"Instant power but no chances of growth or possibly limitless growth but with no tangible insurance of success. Or perhaps neither of the two and you keep fighting in another part of Dreamscape or simply go back home and forget about this place. The choice to make is yours and yours alone and there is always a choice to make. No matter what. Remember, the decision to make no choices… is a choice itself…"
The young woman gritted her teeth in anger.
Truthfully, she wished for nothing more than to take the Black piece and instantly grow in strength.
But —
"I will take the pawn piece."
The large smile that bloomed on the face of the Black Queen irked her to no end. It was the kind of smile that said that she moved as the queen had expected of her.
"Very well, now dear pawn, may your odyssey be filled with beautiful adventures."
After giving her the piece, with a wave of her hand, the queen teleported the woman away.
Now alone, she patted the head of the cat,
"Cheshire go out and take a stroll."
"Heheh…"
A large unnerving grin appeared on the face of the cat as it slowly vanished into thin air, leaving the Queen alone.
Once she was sure that the Cheshire had left, she sighed and looked up in the skies.
She always knew that her rival and antithesis was a crazy woman.
But… She would have never imagined that she could be THAT crazy.
"This is a very bold plan."
One which upon failure might bring their very end.
But… That did not matter, in the end.
What was life without a little bit of excitement?
"I made my choice."
Everyone always had a choice. No matter what, no matter when.
They also always had to take responsibility for whatever the consequences of those choices were.
"Are you ready to walk the path to go from a Pawn to a King? Time will surely tell…"
A smile graced her lips. She would happily witness this tale.
(AN: In the Original Through the Looking Glass, the world is indeed a chessboard but rather than White and Black pieces we have White Queen and Red Queen. The Red Queen tells Alice that she needs to walk the board and become a Queen.
So we follow as Alice starts from Pawn position to become queen at the end. Though she wakes up once again at the end of the adventure.
Once again don't hesitate to give an opinion on the current arc. Writing every day make it hard to backtrack and edit but having constructive comment always help in anticipating and adjusting future chapters. )
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