Chapter 512: Parasite Merge

Aether squinted, staring at the wanted posters... There were... new ones. Yet he had no idea if they belonged to someone who had managed to hide themselves, or worse, someone who had just been transported into the Wonderland.

He hoped it was the former, but really, it was hard to ignore, to think that someone would be able to hide for so long, while not even he, with two identities, was able to. It’s just too hard to believe.

Aether tapped Elise’s shoulder, pointing towards the new poster. "Do you remember this guy from the expedition?"

The girl took a step forward, examining the poster. "No, I don’t think he was... really, if my memory is correct, he looks like the one who worked in the flower shop in the Blue Rose..."

Aether sighed. "So then, his chances of surviving... what do you think they are?"

Elise chuckled. "Isn’t it obvious? His Affinity can’t do anything to protect him, and he has no idea how to fight. If someone doesn’t find him and protect him, he’s going to die one hundred percent."

The girl stopped for a second before looking at him. "You don’t mean to say you want to find him?"

Aether quickly shook his head. "And get him killed. It’s a miracle my curse hasn’t done anything to you yet; I don’t need another person."

She scoffed, punching his shoulder. "Your curse isn’t real."

Aether chuckled, rolling his eyes before walking away.

They had already wandered deep inside the Wonderland, deeper than he had previously been... There was no reason why, except trying to find an Ending... the Wonderland was infinite, he knew, or at least, that was what everyone knew. But this barrier, it could have been classified as the end of the normal Wonderland; who said that this one also didn’t have an Ending?

If he walked for eternity, then so be it; it wasn’t like there was any way out, so this was the best thing, the only thing that he could do, really. To wander around like a Lost, hoping to find an Ending.

’How ironic.’

He had to say, he didn’t know what he would have done without Elise... just wandering around for so long was exhausting... and being alone made him think even more about everything.

It was hard to hope while alone; he didn’t want to sound depressed, but it was the truth. He didn’t think he was going to reach that point any time soon, to let his emotions overwhelm him, but even now he felt them.

Was it hopeless to think that something like an Ending to something Infinite could really exist? Maybe. But wasn’t it even worse to believe there couldn’t be a way out?

He just wondered how much that fire was going to burn in him, for how long he was going to continue to believe, until it finally went out... how many deaths was he going to have to see?

He hoped that day never came.

But it seemed more and more possible... the Merge was happening... he really hoped it was not real, and that everything he knew about Frozen Crown was fake and couldn’t happen, because it made no sense. It still didn’t, but the Wonderland was merging with the real world again.

And this time, there wasn’t anyone to freeze time.

He had long since asked the question of whether the Queen had even been evil, but now it seemed even more likely that he e had been the villain in that story. Not the Queen. After all, if you looked at the world of Frozen Crown before the freeze and after it, they were far different, and only in one did humanity fight among themselves for eternity, while also having to face the Merge.

It made him think he had failed twice now, in the same event, even if they weren’t in the same time, but rather in the past and the present. Now, the person who was supposed to save the world by freezing it had no way of doing so, lacking the strength.

Even if he asked the Abyss for it, his body would never be able to handle that much power; he would die with it, maybe even before he could finish, dying for nothing. It was a hopeless plan...

But...

At the same time, he didn’t want to just let it go... There was... a small chance he might survive; it wasn’t the first time he had fought with half control and seen what it did to his body, so maybe he would survive, and really, if it came to the moment when the majority of humanity had fallen.

Then what was the harm, even if he died?

But again, that was a last resort.

He was sure there was a better way.

He was going to find it.

As he was in his own world, Elise suddenly nudged him, making him stagger slightly, before turning to her with a frown on his face... but seeing that she was pointing, he tilted his head, turning in the direction she was pointing.

There... he saw someone wandering through a forest near them... he was wearing work clothes, but... more importantly, there was a Blue Rose on the back of his jacket.

Seeing it, Aether started walking towards him, with Elise behind him. He didn’t run; if the boy heard them running towards him, he was going to get scared and run away, which was exactly what they didn’t want to happen, so they had to do the best they could to avoid that.

Sneaking around through the forest, Aether used the shadows to get closer, while Elise used her petals to get the boy’s attention before Aether jumped in front of him, making him stagger back and try to run.

Aether quickly grabbed his arm. "It’s alright! We’re Readers too. Look," he said, as he summoned a relic and then returned it to his core. Seeing this, the boy calmed down slightly, more because he saw Elise, as he probably recognized her.

She wasn’t that hard to recognize after all; at least to the Blue Rose eye, you can’t really miss such a rich and beautiful Celestial.

"Are you two from the expedition?" the boy said, still calming down from the scare Aether gave him.

Elise chuckled, walking over to Aether. "That’s right. I’m Elise, and this," she said, pointing towards Aether, "is our special Withered guest, Aether."

Clearing her throat, the girl leaned forward. "But that’s really just not important; we’ve got far more important matters: what’s happening outside, and how did you get here?" she said more seriously.

The boy took a deep breath, nodding. He understood that this wasn’t a joke, and if he wanted to survive, it was better to let them know what was happening outside the Wonderland; after all, they were the people who would protect him. "Well... for the most part, nothing happened, at least, from what I know, we didn’t hear any news of what was happening with you guys... the King kept it secret.

But then... someone strange appeared in the Blue Rose and many other Kingdoms, speaking of his hatred for Readers and how we were all going to die..."

He put a hand on his head. "I remember when I first heard of it, I was... frightened to say the least. After all, you don’t meet someone with such a bloodlust, and maybe if it had been just him that said it, I could have believed that he was crazy, but the same thing happened in the other Kingdoms... so really... it couldn’t be just madness."

He frowned. "I remember going to sleep in fear, and the next day, I woke up in a giant dark forest... I had no idea what had happened; my Codex wasn’t working, and I couldn’t do anything to get out.

It was one of the most... terrifying moments of my life."

He clenched his hands. "Then I met some people who were confused about what I was doing inside the forest. I told them I was lost, and they helped me out. I thought they were nice... I really did, and at first they were..., but then I asked what Class they were... and after that, they tried to kill me.

I barely escaped... and soon, I learned more about my situation... where I was, and... how things worked around this place. It’s why I was so scared; you probably guessed that, though."

’So then... the Merge hasn’t fully happened yet; rather, it is only preparing to happen. Testing the waters, seeing how things work. It is bringing people from the real world here, and vice versa... but while the amount might be small now...

How many are going to be in the next?

And then what about the other... the number will only continue to grow, and I doubt that more people would be pulled in; I feel like this was just a test, and to get everything right for the Merge.

The Wonderland gets nothing from just... getting more people inside this place; after all, it wants to bring everyone inside the real world to become one with it, not the reverse. Almost like a parasite trying to merge with its host.’

...

’And this is a pretty dangerous parasite.’