"It took some time, but John eventually worked through his pain with Alice's unwavering support. As time passed, their journey proved arduous, punctuated by numerous fights and tribulations that Alice thoroughly enjoyed. Through these trials, their bond grew stronger. Her presence gradually filled the void in his heart, aiding his healing process. After a prolonged period of bloodshed and struggle, they finally unravelled the root cause of the transformed world.
A colossal monster, adorned with tentacles and an inexplicable fondness for Japanese adult content, stood as the orchestrator of the calamity. This creature thrived on the pleasures of the gods who reshaped the world and subsequently devoured the realms when these deities moved on. The battle against this monstrosity was gruelling and fierce, yet through the power of their unyielding friendship and fuc- I mean mana transfers, John and Alice emerged victorious. With the monster's reign of terror quelled, they seized the vacant throne and assumed dominion over all dimensions and realities, transcending even the divine hierarchy. They settled into their new roles as rulers with great ease, fostering their power as a formidable couple. Over time they established their own family to inherit their legacy, allowing them to retire from their godly responsibilities. These newfound positions bestowed immortality upon them, ensuring they'd never lack excitement as they reality-hopped in search of fresh adventures."
John's carving knife snagged, nearly pricking his finger, as a shadow fell across his workspace. He looked up to find Alice framed in the doorway, a wide grin stretching her lips as she extended a plate toward him. On it rested a peanut butter sandwich. John's expression remained blank and Alice's usually spirited tone faltered slightly.
"Come on, I made this from what I could find in your kitchen cupboards." She said trying to wave the plate around as if the sandwich was bait for prey. "Or is my storytelling what's bothering you?" she prodded, nudging him gently with the plate now. John accepted it without a word, placing the sandwich beside him before meticulously brushing wood shavings from his nearly finished carving, It soon joined four other completed pieces lined up neatly on the workbench.
"I'm not hungry and it's not you that's bothering me," he snapped, frustration tightening his jaw. "But what in the world were you blabbering about? A tentacle monster and us getting together? Is this really the time for such nonsense?"
Alice's response was a sharp slap across his cheek. "You've been brooding here for hours! Not eating a damn thing, lost in your own world well shedding tears and carving wood! It's time to snap out of it already! I told you to channel this energy and keep moving forward! Honestly, they probably wouldn't have been much help in this transformed world and would've hindered your progress anyway. So pull yourself together, wake up and go back to how I saw you be before coming here!"
Her words, however, only fuelled the fire in his gut as he exploded at her, grabbing Alice by the neck and hoisting her up roughly before slamming her against the wall, taking her by surpise as she let out a strangled 'eep' noise. "Shut up! That was my family you were talking about! My parents! Didn't I make my feelings clear about this already?" he roared, his grip loosening as he released her, letting her drop to the floor where she stared up at him with wide eyes practically burning with defiance and surprise.
Her hand went to her throat, seemingly unsure how to feel about what had just happened but her voice still spilled forward as she retorted, "There's nothing holding you back anymore. You're free to do whatever you want without any constraints now so what's the big deal? Why are you reacting so strongly to this? You even to the attacked me! That's not something I'll let slide again just so you know, well unless it's in a certain situation, because that made me feel something I can't even word hehe." She added the last part with a playful, yet chilling, glint in her eyes.
John didn't let her speak again. He seized her neck once more, pinning her against the wall as he turned red in anger. "You're completely heartless! Can't you muster even a hint of empathy? What if you walked in and found your own family like that!" His voice was raw, trembling with barely contained rage and pain.
Alice merely tilted her head, seemingly unperturbed, as if she were ready for the outburst this time. She instead seemed to have a shiver run through her as her eyes went half lidded before grabbing his wrist as a somewhat more serious look crossed her features, settling into an unnerving calm. "Well, let me share a bit of my own story then." Her calmness turning into a wide grin then into a rather unsettling smile. "My parents were overbearing achievers, always pushing and prodding. They had grand dreams for their little girl, moulding me into the next big star. They imposed their ideals on me, often being harsh, sometimes even worse when they weren't drunk. They forced me into activities I loathed all in this pursuit of their notion of a better future for me when it was more just for themselves.
"Then, one day during a forced performance of 'Alice in Wonderland,' everything changed. I was granted an opportunity to change my path. I chose the class 'cosplayer' so I could be whatever I wanted rather than whatever was forced onto me. The more I embody the characters, the stronger I can become, levelling up and improving with each transformation. At least, that's what the god-person told me. Upon returning something slightly changed though and I'm not sure what but I became Mad Alice as the world around me began to morph along with my own change. My parents tried to call me over and make me go with them, not sure what they had chosen though but I'd had enough with listening and doing whatever they wanted. I confronted them with a large knife instead before proving just how futile it was to try and control me from that point forward. From there I fought against other changed people and even those who tried to run, revelling in newfound freedom. I surrendered myself to madness and relished every moment. While many escaped or proved too powerful for me, causing me to avoid them, my new life took shape from there and I've been loving the freedom of it and full on embracing my madness and insanity, following along with whatever the whispers tell me." She finished, her eyes sparkling with a gleeful madness, clearly pleased with her tale.
"And you don't feel any remorse? No regrets for taking the lives of your own family and all those others who just wanted to try and get away?" John asked, his voice strained, the chill of her story digging into his bones.
Alice's cheerful response unsettled him further. "Not a shred! It was liberating and I'm thankful for what I did. Finally, I'm truly unshackled and not living in fear of what they might do to me, of if they will carry out their threat of selling me to someone. So quit letting this eat at you and move forward instead!" She practically vibrated with unbound excitement, her eyes reflecting the unsettling joy she found in her madness.
"You're nothing short of a psychopath!" John's voice as he let her go, as he instinctively edged away from her.
"Nope! I'm YOUR psycho, to be precise and I'm pretty sure the class changy thing had a part in it. But even so, as I said I'm Your little psycho for now, whether you're fond of the idea or not." She told him well playfully draped an arm around him after closing the gap between them, making sure to be uncomfortably close. "So shake off this funk, do what you must and then plan and strive to make those responsible for this world's changes pay for it. Or would you prefer I assist you in overcoming your distress? Helping me explore this strange feeling you seemed to awaken in me?" Her words took on a lower, huskier tone as a wicked grin formed on her lips. A cold shiver raced down his spine and he instinctively shook his head as he knew if they went down that path the chances of stopping where far too low and that the chance of becoming addicted to it and her as a means to cope were far too high.
"Listen, Alice, please stop. Don't push me like this. I'll find my own way to cope, but I'm asking you nicely to cease. I understand your relationship with your family was far from ideal, but mine was different. Unlike you, I don't have the luxury of embracing madness to carry me through or to not feel things, rather I feel the weight of everything and sorry for the whole grabbing thing…" he reasoned, hoping to pierce through her cheerful veneer well apologizing for his loss of self-restraint.
However, confusion replaced her predatory expression. "If you'd like, I could try to drive you mad like me. I'm not sure how, but I suppose anything's possible especially if I try hard enough in interesting ways." She said, her voice taking on a seductive tone before once more dipping into her overly excited tone. "Or we could seek someone to reanimate their bodies! Then they'd return, improved and better than ever, as puppets under your control!" she suggested, evidently pleased with her perverse ideas. John could only sigh.
"Are you any good at digging?" John's question cut through the charged air destroying the mood entirely but did earn a delighted grin and an eager nod from Alice.
"Absolutely! I can dig really deep holes. Well, not me per se, but I might have something in this dress that can do it. Glad to see you're willing to go mad by wanting to dig a secret underground base!" she exclaimed, nearly vibrating with anticipation as she followed him outside.
"Then, please, dig a deep hole here and another one over there," John instructed, indicating two spots beneath the bare, twisted branches of what was once a sturdy oak.
"Yes, sir! This will be a perfect tunnel entrance." Alice responded with a mock salute, withdrawing a peculiar, potted plant from the folds of her dress. The flower, with its vibrant, almost unnatural hues, pulsed. Its roots sprang into action as it begun burrowing deep into the ground, while the flower head expelled soil to the sides with surprising force. Rapidly, it created a substantial hole and piled earth beside it before repeating the process for the second spot.
Satisfied with the holes, John walked back inside and returned, carrying the bodies of his parents carefully wrapped up. He placed them carefully into each hole before adorning each with a carving he had crafted earlier: a smiling depiction of his father beside his mother's grave and vice versa. Slowly, he filled the holes with the soil, mounding the earth as best he could to create makeshift gravestones. A silent prayer followed, a whisper of grief in the desolate air.
He then retreated to the kitchen, grabbing a pen and paper as Alice lamented the loss of a perfectly good tunnel entrance. He had plans to craft, a burning need for purpose. While he still desired time to grieve and reconcile with the horror of his loss, he recognized that Alice was unlikely to allow him that luxury and would probably end up doing something extreme if he didn't at least appear to be moving forward. The truth of that thought was emphasized by Alice's animated presence as she bounced up behind him, humming a cheerful, tuneless melody well speaking about all the things they could be doing, both outside and inside.