Lewis continued along his path through the forest, the number of creatures had significantly decreased. It almost seemed like they were afraid to enter it.
But it had already been a while since he had been walking, he hadn't eaten or drunk anything for hours, his stomach was starting to complain.
The temptation to risk nibbling one of the red fruits on the trees was tempting, but all of them were intact. If they were edible there would definitely be some on the ground or bitten.
If you looked closely, they even resembled the apples of Eden... Maybe that meant something.
Dear Lewis swallowed dryly, and out of curiosity. Just curiosity and nothing more, he picked one of the fruits.
But the idea of eating it vanished the moment he squeezed it and the fruit was soft like a sponge.
— What the hell kind of fruit is this?
Better leave it for later...
A forest should at least be somewhat noisy, even if only with the sound of branches in the wind. But in this case not even that was present, the forest seemed to have silenced itself on purpose to scare Lewis.
And it was working, after all twilight was setting in, and everything had shades of yellow and red, it looked like everything was burning.
To his luck, he spotted two men in the distance.
Both were gathering fruits from the trees and throwing them into a large basket. The fruits, in turn, fell like water balloons.
— Finally, human beings...
A dark-haired young man was adjusting the basket of fruits, he noticed Lewis first.
— Hey Maikol, one of them is coming.
The other man looked older and had blond hair, but don't be fooled, he was tremendously ugly despite the rarity of his appearance.
Lewis approached.
— You two are human, right? — He gestured hurriedly. — I need help, I fell from a waterfall and—
Schilick! — The older man drew his sword and drove it into Lewis's chest.
— Great, another empty vessel.
Without hesitation he pulled the sword out, leaving a hole in his chest.
The coldness and normality those men showed was terrifying, it almost seemed like that was normal.
Lewis tried to speak, but his voice came out bubbling because of the blood.His eyes filled with tears, the pain was unbearable.
— This one takes a while to drop. — Said the dark-haired one.
His body was kicked, he collapsed onto the ground without strength to get up.
His consciousness was fading, as he watched those men walking away with the fruits.
He died... Again.
He didn't dream or feel anything when his consciousness faded, just a black void that seemed to last a few seconds.
When he opened his eyes again he got up in a hurry, a scream of agony burst into the air.
There was no scar on his chest, but his clothes were torn with a hole in the chest area, both front and back, just like when the sword went through.
His heart was beating, so he was alive.
Twilight was still there, it seemed like time hadn't passed, but strangely some fruits were gone. It seemed like more people had come to collect them.
— What the hell is this!?
He was alive, that was a fact. But his body was still trembling from the shock of waking up.
But that man's words still echoed in his mind:
"Another empty vessel"
What did he mean by that?
— I see you've finally woken up.
The voice came from every direction, but had no body.
— Who's there?
— Nothing.
— Nothing?
— That's right.
Lewis, still with trembling hands, forced himself to stand.
— Another monster?
— It's a bit rude to call me that.
The voice was male and somewhat deep.
— I see you're more lost than a needle in a haystack.
He remained silent, trying to find where that strange voice was coming from.
— It's useless to look for me, you'll only find me if I want you to.
— Then why are you talking to me? I already have enough problems, if you're going to... — He swallowed dryly. — kill me... just say it.
— What a brave fellow, doesn't even look like you're shaking all over without even knowing what I look like.
A small yellowish smoke floated through the air.
— Come on, aren't you a writer? Try to guess who I am.
A wide grin appeared for a second within the vapor.
— You seem pretty happy.
— And why wouldn't I be?
— Happy like a Cheshire Cat.
Another grin appeared.
— Correct.
A trumpet sound began echoing through the environment. It had a cheerful and playful tone, completely different from everything around them.
It even calmed Lewis's fear.
The figure revealed itself to be a cat, quite large by the way but still a cat. Its fur was yellow with spirals in other shades of yellow, they even looked like tattoos.
Lewis smiled, it really seemed like that was the Wonderland cat.
— Shouldn't you be purple?
— I don't like that color, it's too expensive, if you know what I mean.
The trembling stopped, at least for that moment he could relax and enjoy the music.
— Now you're the one who seems happy.
The wide grin, his main trait, was in full force. Lewis Lewin relaxed and sat on the ground, at least one thing from his beloved Wonderland was intact.
— You know I'm a writer, so you know where I came from?
— Of course, it's easier to ask what I don't know about you.
The cat evaporated and appeared on a branch above Lewis.
— I expected you'd have difficulties, but I didn't imagine your curiosity would be such a determining factor.
With his tail he sliced a fruit, making it fall on Lewis's head.
— How unfortunate, what a miserable fate. If you had gone through the rabbit door you wouldn't be in this situation.
Lewis picked up the fruit and lowered his head.
— But come on, not everything is lost, you can still move forward. London is two days of walking ahead, that is, at your child's pace.
Lewis took a deep breath.
— Can you take me back?
The cat remained silent with his grin.
— This wasn't the Wonderland I imagined, I don't... want to live in a world like this.
— That's a shame, you can't go back through the rabbit hole.
— What do you mean?
— From the moment you entered the rabbit's burrow, there was no turning back.
Lewis swallowed dryly.
— You wished for this, we should be more careful with what we wish for.
He stood up. — No! That's not what I wished for, this isn't how I imagined it!
— No? Then why did you come here?
— Because I was deceived!
— And how were you deceived by something you yourself asked for?
— No! I already said I didn't ask for this!!
The cat raised his paws.
— Well, the rabbit hole only appears to those who truly desire something, you know? — He touched his chest. — From the heart, not the mind.
Now that music seemed to be mocking Lewis, even though its tone had not changed at all.
The cat evaporated and appeared floating in front of him.
— There's no going back, so you should get used to your new life.
Lewis tried to touch the cat, but his hand simply passed through its body.
— At least you don't have to worry about death like humans do.
He remembered. — That guy who killed me, he said that—
— You are an empty vessel, yes that is correct.
He returned to the tree branch.
— Every time you die, it takes exactly 24 hours for your body to fully regenerate, no matter the damage.
A yellow mist began swallowing the place, but the trumpets kept playing.
— But if your body is completely destroyed, it will be reborn near where you died.
Grins appeared within the mist.
— Empty vessel, because your body is just an empty shell filled with your soul. But don't worry, you're not the only one after all.
Lewis clenched his teeth.
— You have the ability to modify my body and don't give me any gift or ability, what kind of sadists are you?
— Well, isn't the gift of immortality a good trait?
— That Succubus said I don't have mana!! — He raised his arms in indignation. — How do you bring me to a world of magic and not give me a single drop of mana!?
The cat disappeared into the yellow mist, his laughter echoed along with the trumpets.
— You come from a world where magic doesn't exist, so of course your body has no mana. After all ATP is very different from mana.
— So I'll never be able to use magic?
— I wouldn't be so pessimistic.
The mist opened in a fixed direction.
— Have you ever seen a soul? I can tell you they're quite tasty.
— What do you mean by that?
The mist picked another fruit and placed it in Lewis's hands.
— If you don't eat you'll get very weak, your journey to London will be quite long after all.
Lewis felt genuine disgust toward those fruits.
— Don't worry, they only harm blood-drinking monsters.
— People actually eat this?
The trumpets stopped, the cat said nothing more. Even when he insisted and asked again, no one answered anymore.
— Again... They always disappear when we need them.
At least the cat had left Lewis in the right direction, apparently. But that didn't matter much, since he didn't know where to go.
And as the cat himself said:
"For someone who doesn't know where to go, any path will do."
Too bad this one didn't say it, that certainly disappointed dear Lewis Lewin.
But even if the heart is wounded, it must keep going, he would have done so if night hadn't fallen.The Cheshire Cat, along with his trumpets, had stolen precious time from Lewis.
That night he learned, in the worst possible way, something very peculiar, almost a rule of this "Wonderland."By day one way, by night another.
There might not have been Succubus in that forest, but owls sang through the absolute darkness.
You couldn't even see your own nose, let alone a tree.
Lewis tried to move forward by feeling his way through, always trying to follow a straight line in the direction the cat had shown.
Some glowing eyes appeared in the darkness.
— Haa!!
A crow pecked one of the fruits, its juice ended up splashing onto Lewis.
And so he continued until dawn.
There were no monsters in the forest, just animals, birds and other small creatures feeding on the fruits.Even so, their growls made Lewis run in panic a few times.
When he saw the sun rising on the horizon he even dropped to his knees in relief. His clothes were filthy with dirt and sweat.
— Thank God!! — He raised his hands. — Let there be light!!!
Grooouuuu...
His happiness was cut short by hunger.
There was no other way, even with disgust he would have to eat those fruits. They looked like water-filled balloons... but it was what it was.
With hesitation he grabbed one with both hands.
— It can't be that bad...
He bit into it and...
Sweet!
The taste was sweet, very sweet, it felt like he was eating strawberry jam with way too much sugar.
He couldn't believe he had been so disgusted, it was actually really good despite the appearance.
— So that's why they were collecting them? — He took another bite. — Yeah, these must sell really well.
As he stuffed himself, another group of people appeared carrying baskets.
There were three of them, a blond man and two younger women, they seemed to be his sisters.
— That one over there...
— I'll take care of it.
The blond man drew a sword from his waist.
Lewis hadn't even noticed, he only realized when the man was already in front of him ready to strike.
As soon as he saw him raise the sword.
— Wait!
Crack!
The sword struck the tree he had been leaning against, he managed to escape by luck, but he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge a second time.
— I'm not a monster!
The man looked confused.
— An undead that talks?
— No no I'm a... — He remembered the Cheshire Cat. — A Vessel! You've heard of them, right?
The man still hesitated, unsure whether to attack again or ignore him.
— Man... I've never seen an undead that talks. — Said the black-haired woman.
— Yeah, and this one eats Sponge Apples too.
Lewis's mouth was completely smeared with the reddish juice.
— I'm not a monster, I swear.
The three exchanged glances for a moment, weighing what to do.
— Then why are you here? — Said the man.
— I—
— He's a man in Succubus territory, it's obvious what he was looking for. — The woman blushed.
— That's not wha—
— Pervert!
At least the accusation made the man laugh and put his sword away.
— Haha, now I get why you're all dirty.
Fair enough, that explanation was more believable than saying he fell through a hole for twenty minutes and then slipped into a river of blood.
— But hey, why are you without armor?
— I... got lost.
— Ah yeah! Those Succubi took everything, right?
— Yes...
The two women had already started gathering the Sponge Apples, the man stayed on watch guarding the surroundings.
The man was called Dom the Brave, the black-haired woman was Marie the Seamstress, and the shorter one, the youngest, was named Kalifen the Little Dom.
They were quite friendly, most likely because they came from a well-established merchant family in London.
Dom mentioned that at least twice a week they had to come collect the apples, it was harvest season after all, they had to make the most of that part of the forest before winter.
And by the way, the place they were in was called the Bloody Forest, since it was part of the red lands.
Not predictable at all, obviously.
— So you're going back to London when you finish?
— Yes, I just hope they finish before noon.
Lewis watched the two.
They used what seemed to be magic to collect the higher fruits, whispering something like "Aura," and right after that the branches shook as if someone had hit them.
— Can I get a ride with you to London?
— Maybe, but you know how it is.
Dom tilted his head toward the fruit-filled trees.
— One hand washes the other, right?
He understood.
However, the difference in speed between the girls and him was enormous.
While they didn't even need to jump to gather the fruits, Lewis had to climb like a monkey all the way to the top.
At one point Marie even felt a bit sorry for him.
— Do you have an affinity with fire? — Said Dom.
— And what would that be?
Dom scoffed indignantly.
— You know, like... it's way easier to gather apples using magic.
— Ah, right...
Kalifen interrupted from deeper in the trees.
— Leave him, maybe he doesn't want to use fire magic so he doesn't burn everything.
Lewis accepted the lie. — That's it...
Even with Lewis's help, the siblings barely reduced half an hour of work. And while everyone else was calm, he was the only one sweating like a pig.
But Dom kept his word, he let Lewis travel with them to the city of London.
It was a cart ride with boxes full of Sponge Apples.
Dom never took his eyes off the road, his hand always close to his sword while guiding the mule.
The scenery around them was beautiful, maybe it would be more admirable if he wasn't desperately trying to survive.
Dom said it was dangerous to send women into the red lands. Succubi in general tend to be gentle and even friendly around human men, but that's completely different when it comes to human women.
That is more favorable for Incubus, the male version of a Succubus.
But they went extinct after one of them slept with the wife of the Naked King.
— Naked King!?
— That's right. — Dom confirmed.
— He walks around naked thinking he's wearing fancy clothes, he's really stupid. — Commented Kalifen.
Marie scolded her. — Be quiet, if one of the King's soldiers hears you saying that you'll end up in the guillotine.
— But it's true! No one is forced to look at that "little thing" of his around the city.
Lewis turned back, gripping the wood tightly, his breathing fast and excited.
— He believes only fools can't see the clothes!?
The sisters were startled by Lewis's sudden excitement.
— Yeah... — Marie forced an awkward smile.
He grinned again. — Let me guess, the tailors who made the king's clothes are Diego, Pedro and Juan, right? Or maybe Guido and Luigi? Or even Warts and Hog? Or perhaps Pip and Pop?
Everyone looked confused at Lewis.
— Did I get it wrong?
Marie and Kalifen looked at each other.
There was an awkward silence as Lewis waited for an answer.
Until Kalifen broke it.
— No one made the King's clothes, it was Rumpelstiltskin who sold them to him, everyone knows that.
Lewis froze for a moment.
— Rumpel what!!!?