MEMELAND

Alice leaned back in her chair with a grin so smug it should have been illegal.

"Told you it'd work."

Kai stared at her.

"You literally brought me to your office."

"Secretly."

"You sat me down."

"Strategically."

"You told me your name."

"Part of the plan."

"You have giant magical billboards with your face all over the city."

Alice pointed at him.

"And yet you still didn't figure it out."

Kai opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Unfortunately, she had a point.

Alice immediately stood from her chair.

"Raj!"

The cat girl looked up from a nearby couch.

"What?"

"Since you helped me earlier, you can have anything you want from the vending machines."

Raj narrowed her eyes.

"You mean it?"

"Of course."

"You aren't taking it back?"

"Nope."

Raj immediately stood.

The suspicion vanished the moment she spotted her favorite snack behind the glass.

A few moments later she was standing before the machine like it was a sacred relic.

"No taking back words now."

Alice waved her away.

"Go wild."

Raj vanished from the conversation entirely.

The sound of buttons being pressed echoed across the room.

Alice turned back toward Kai.

"Now then."

She held out a hand.

"The letter."

Kai blinked.

Right.

The entire reason he was here.

He reached into his bag and handed it over.

Alice examined the seal.

The insignia of Yggdrasil remained intact.

No forgery.

No tampering.

No tricks.

The smile disappeared from her face.

She broke the seal.

And read.

The room became quiet.

Kai watched.

Alice's expression never changed.

No surprise.

No anger.

No fear.

Nothing.

Stone-faced.

The only indication she was reading at all was the movement of her eyes.

Several minutes passed.

Then she folded the letter.

Placed it on the desk.

And sighed.

"I see."

That was all she said.

Kai waited.

Alice stared out the window.

The neon lights of Asphyxia glowed below.

Finally she turned back toward him.

"So."

"What now?"

Kai tilted his head.

"What?"

"You delivered the letter."

Alice shrugged.

"Mission accomplished."

"I guess."

"So what are you going to do now?"

Kai thought for a moment.

"Probably find Andre."

A pause.

"Then maybe head back to Yggdrasil."

Then—

Pain.

A sharp spike exploded inside his skull.

Kai froze.

His vision blurred.

The room twisted.

"Agh—!"

His knees slammed into the floor.

The pain worsened.

Something cracked inside his mind.

And memories flooded in.

Not complete memories.

Fragments.

Broken pieces.

Scattered shards.

Faces.

Voices.

Places.

None of them made sense.

A woman.

Crying.

A battlefield.

A city burning.

Hands covered in blood.

His hands.

Not his hands.

Both.

Neither.

A voice echoed.

"No..."

Another.

"Alice!"

A third.

"This is for the best, Kai."

The world shattered.

For a brief moment he saw Alice standing before him.

Then dead.

Then alive.

Then dead again.

Then alive.

Reality and memory overlapped.

His stomach turned.

He couldn't breathe.

The voices grew louder.

Help us.

Save us.

Murderer.

Hero.

Kai.

Kai.

Kai.

KAI.

The world went black.

There was no ground.

No sky.

No sound.

Just darkness.

Strangely peaceful.

Strangely terrifying.

His thoughts felt calm.

Yet chaotic.

Like a storm trapped beneath still water.

Eventually the falling stopped.

Kai opened his eyes.

And found himself standing.

Before him stretched an endless void.

Then—

A figure.

Far away.

A woman.

White wings.

Watching.

Waiting.

Kai didn't recognized her.

The woman before felt familiar.

At the same time unfamiliar.

He took a step forward.

"Who are you?"

No answer.

Another step.

"What did you do to me?"

Silence.

"Why am I here?"

The woman lowered her gaze.

For the first time—

She looked sad.

A long silence followed.

Then she spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Two words.

Nothing more.

Yet they felt genuine.

Not forced.

Not manipulative.

Regret.

Pure regret.

The voices returned.

Louder.

Help us.

Save us.

Murderer.

Hero.

Kai.

The darkness swallowed everything.

"ALICE!"

Raj nearly dropped an entire box of snacks.

Alice stumbled backward.

"What the hell?!"

Kai's chest rose and fell rapidly.

His breathing was uneven.

Sweat covered his face.

For several seconds he couldn't tell what was real.

The office.

The city.

Alice.

Raj.

Reality slowly returned.

Alice crossed her arms.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

Kai remained silent.

"What happened to you?"

Alice frowned.

"One minute you're standing there."

"The next you're screaming like somebody set you on fire."

"If I had a frying pan I'd smack you."

Kai stared at her.

The image from the memory still lingered.

Dead.

Alive.

Dead.

Alive.

It felt real.

Too real.

Alice snapped her fingers.

"Planet Kai."

Nothing.

"Planet Kai."

Still nothing.

Alice reached behind her desk.

Then produced something.

"If you don't respond, I'll shove this dildo up your ass."

Kai immediately focused.

His eyes locked onto the object.

Concern filled his soul.

"I'm fine."

Silence.

Alice stared at him.

Kai stared back.

Several seconds passed.

"If you say so."

Alice shrugged.

"But if you start screaming again, I'm throwing you out the window."

"Aight."

Raj raised a hand.

"Don't forget I'm still here."

Neither of them responded.

Raj slowly lowered her hand.

Walked toward the corner.

And began eating snacks sadly.

"I have feelings too..."

Nobody listened.

Alice returned to her desk.

Kai sat across from her.

The atmosphere finally calmed.

After a moment Kai spoke.

"So."

"About earlier."

Alice looked up.

"I'm going to find Andre."

"Good luck."

Kai ignored the sarcasm.

"Do you have maps of the sewers?"

"Nope."

"Anyone that knows them?"

Alice tapped her chin.

Thinking.

Several seconds passed.

Then her eyes widened.

"Aha!"

Kai already feared the answer.

"I know someone."

"That's usually how bad ideas start."

"This one is slightly less bad."

Alice pointed dramatically.

"The architect."

"The engineer."

"The designer."

"The genius responsible for most of Asphyxia's infrastructure, Eric!"

Kai blinked.

"That sounds useful."

"It is."

"Where do I find him?"

Alice immediately looked away.

"..."

"...Alice."

"..."

"You don't know."

"I don't know."

Kai sighed.

"Then how does that help?"

"Because he's somewhere in the city."

"That's not a location."

"It's better than nothing."

Kai hated that she was technically correct.

Eventually he stood.

"Well."

"Guess I'll start looking."

Alice nodded.

"Aight."

Raj continued eating snacks in the corner.

Still depressed.

Kai turned toward the exit.

Then something flew through the air.

He caught it instinctively.

A small metal plaque.

He looked down.

And immediately regretted it.

It was Alice.

Giving the middle finger.

"Seriously?"

Alice grinned.

"Show that to guards."

"Show that to officials."

"Show that to anyone important."

"They'll let you through."

Kai stared at the plaque.

Then at Alice.

Then back at the plaque.

"Your face is on government-issued identification."

"As it should be."

Kai wasn't even surprised anymore.

He slipped it into his pocket.

"Thanks."

Alice waved him off.

"Try not to die."

"No promises."

With that, Kai left the Queen's chamber.

Behind him, Raj continued eating snacks.

Alice spun around in her chair.

And somewhere beneath the city—

Andre was still having what was probably the worst day of his life.