"Thanatos was it? Your name?" Leo inquired with a casual, if not cheerful smile, in absolute contradiction from the aura he and his own chain expelled. The name came naturally from old old memories locked within him.

"Meet my Jabberwock"

…

…

The night was eerily silent; nothing could be heard but the sound of hurried footsteps on pavement, dashing through the dark winding alleyways. In sight were four shadows illuminated solely by the moon.

The surrounding air was thick, disconcerting; something ominous clear within its oppressive atmosphere.

A strong indication that something wasn't quite right.

Darkness stretched out before them as the labyrinthine path continued, seemingly endless in the depth of the night, as if guiding them into the hands of death itself. But still the four continued onwards, dashing away without once looking back. Leading them was a silver haired girl hoping to find her Master unharmed. 'Or at least not dead' Echo thought silently.

With a sharp turn at a dead end, the four were met with an alarming sight. All around them, dark feathers rained as a monstrous black winged creature broke out of the shadows above.

"That's—" Gilbert started, unheard through the loud shrieks of the dark chain.

"Master" spoke Echo, her voice only little above a whisper, as she ran directly towards it, paying no heed to the cries behind her. Drawing her weapon, the katar hidden in her sleeve, she climbed atop the nearest wall and leaped forward.

"LITTLE ECHO!" Oz wailed after her, startled by the sudden urgency of the girl's movements.

"It's just Echo!" was the last the others heard of her as she disappeared behind the towering obstacle.

_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_oOo. Ivory and Ebony .oOo_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

Leo was livid. But at the same time he was void. Again had he let himself be deceived, and again had he paid the price.

He just didn't know what to think anymore.

Or rather… he couldn't think anymore. His consciousness was long gone, submerged within his rising insanity.

As he commanded his chain to attack, he was unaware of the laughter that exploded from him. Pure madness alight in his unnatural eyes, he could no longer feel the world around him, everything that was happening seemed distant to him. All he knew was the crevice within his heart, growing larger and larger at each tick of Thanatos' broken clock, the damage it brought claiming his broken mind.

The Jabberwock lunged at the land-dwelling chain, its own sharp talons ready to slash. But Thanatos is clever; through its intellectual madness does it survive, only feeling its amusement grow as it avoided all damage, manic grin permanently etched on it's demonic face.

And as if mocking the world did it dance, laughing as the winged chain let out an ear-splitting shriek when it's sharp teeth buried itself within the Jabberwock's neck. At the same moment, a sharp pain shot through Leo's being, suddenly bringing him to his knees. 'Ahh… am I really this weak?' he asked himself, demented smile unwavering as he witnessed the dark beasts' combat.

He was never any good with the Jabberwock, he recalled idiotically. He never had a chance to train, not with Vincent and Echo by his side. This was the first he actually bothered using the chain since the day he made the contract, and not a few worthless minutes he could already feel the strain of controlling its power. He could've laughed at his own worthlessness, and he was not surprised when he found out that he already was.

Leo felt himself in a daze; his mind foggy, his vision hazy, he could feel his strength draining out of him quickly.

The Jabberwock was failing, he realized, slightly making out Thanatos' form clawing through the winged beast, yet he couldn't seem to bring himself to care. It's pathetic, he thought, but this was the best he could do in his current state; he was told over and over by Vincent that his fragile emotional state was his greatest disadvantage.

In a desperate attempt, Jabberwock tried to peel the clawed chain from itself, using such force that it was finally able to throw Thanatos off with an ear splitting shriek, causing Leo to feel the breath being knocked out of him.

Thanatos, surprised by the sudden bout of power, crashed into the wall closest to where Leo was located, bringing it down faster than what was necessary. And the noirette looked up to find large debris falling swiftly his way, his incoherent mind yet unable to register the danger he was in.

"Huh?" he uttered stupidly, becoming slightly more conscious as he stared at the particularly large boulder that crashed just inches from where he was, and he looked behind him, unsurprised, to find his more likeable companion. "Echo" he greeted casually.

"Master Leo…" the silver haired girl began as she leaped them away from another concrete remain. "You are an idiot" she stated bluntly, slapping her Master's face a couple of times in attempt to wake him.

Leo smirked as he felt the continuous stinging in his cheeks. Yes. She definitely is his more likeable companion.

Echo took this albeit small reaction to be a good thing.

If it were anyone else, Echo wouldn't have dared do something like that. It was completely out of line, and she knew that she would get punished. But Master Leo was different, Master Leo was kind and he didn't mind Echo speaking her mind to him as long as Master Vincent wasn't around. And Master Leo has specifically given her this task. 'If ever I… lose it… again, you have to use any means necessary to bring me back'

"Did it happen again?" she asked him in her normal monotonous tone once they were a safe distance away, although still blocked by barriers on either side.

A bitter smile molded itself across Leo's face at the question. "Yes… It seems like it" he replied. "Did Vincent send you?" he asked, now more aware of his surroundings and the exhaustion that was overwhelming him.

Echo nodded, both understanding and affirming, and then she looked up at the now bloodied winged chain. "Maybe you should call off Jabberwocky" she suggested, aiding her master before he collapsed again.

Leo sighed. "I can't right now"

The noirette knew that the girl was opting for his well-being as well as his chain's, but calling off the Jabberwock would most likely put them both in even more danger. Thanatos was already back on it's feet looking maddeningly happy, and his Chain was the only defense they have at the moment. He sighed again, now reprimanding himself for getting in this situation, even if he had only half a conscious mind. 'All hail my stupidity' he glared at nothing in particular, fighting to keep conscious.

He looked at the silver haired girl beside him, only just noticing the flushed state of her cheeks. She looked exhausted now that he can see her clearly. Not a good sign.

But then something else at that moment stole his attention; Thanatos stood up, it's crazed attention now directed elsewhere, acting as if Leo and his chain never existed, the madness in it's eyes growing ever more delighted as it crouched low on four clawed limbs, like a cat intently eyeing its prey, waiting for the exact moment...

"B-Rabbit… It's B-Rabbit… she's near" it's ecstatic voice, low as it may be, rang sharply through the dim glow of the full moon; faint hurried footsteps could now be heard past the mouth of the alley, coming closer and closer.

And at once, the chain pounced.

"ALICE!"

The cry pierced through the air, and the noirette's eyes widened at the realization of just who was there.

"Oz…?"

_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_oOo. Ivory and Ebony .oOo_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

'I knew this smelled familiar' Alice thought as she quickly dashed past her companions, unheeding to their calls. Above, the black winged chain seemed almost stationary as it hovered in the air, droplets of blood accompanying its fallen feathers in an obscure rain of darkness. The other, the death like chain that they were most likely after, she thought with a growl, landed swiftly in front of her, tall as a building and just as wide, blocking her path completely.

The dark beast was eyeing her most intently, demented smile fixated on an equally demented face.

Oh she knew that look, and she knew this chain, and the whole thing is really starting to irritate her.

"B-Rabbit… B-Rabbit… B-RABBIT!" the chain cackled, even more maniacal than what she was used to. Oh how Alice wished to just shut the thing up and probably rip it to shreds.

'But I can't use my powers…' Alice cursed in her mind, glaring up at the offending creature with all the hate she could muster.

They were completely cornered now. There's no way she'd endanger Oz's life by having her powers released, and Raven, the chain and human, were doing their best to keep her contractor from doing so of his own accord. What's worse is that… she couldn't move freely right now. Not in it's presence. It was the bane of her existence and it was then she wished more than anything that looks could kill. The sight of this chain evaporating before her eyes would be so welcomed.

Sadly, that wasn't the case.

Thanatos's ability is hateful. It makes one see everything it wanted one to see, having his or her wildest dreams come alive only for it to end in absolute tragedy –that is, proven the chain doesn't kill you first- and Alice, over and over again, is forced to see things she just can't comprehend, but even so it always filled her with numerous unnamable emotions, rendering her completely paralyzed; now, even if the chain isn't using his ability, she still couldn't move as freely as she wants.

And even through all this, the damned beast never seems to want to kill her. Just laugh at her misfortune.

Oh yes, how she hates this monster so.

"The Will would be soooooo happy if I killed B-Rabbit" Thanatos spoke in that demented voice of it's, crouching down as low as he could to keep eye contact. "Shall I, I wonder. Should I kill you, little play thing? Ahh your eyes are still as beautiful as ever…" the chain stated, grin only getting wider and wider at the intensity of the female chain's glare.

With much effort, Alice forces a smirk on her mouth, succeeding only with a grimace. "I'd like to see you try" Ah yes, something that makes Alice hate this thing much much more; the humiliation. The realization that she has absolutely no way to resist.

Alice doesn't want to die, she'd never allow herself to die; she has much better things to do, like finding the pieces of her memories, helping Oz on his whateveritis, and of course more meat to eat. But… this chain just makes her feel so… so weak. And Alice hates being weak. "But seriously, what is wrong with you things wanting to make that witch happy?"

"DON'T CALL THE WILL A WITCH!" Thanatos screamed, towering over her again. An overwhelming force gripped Alice's being as she felt a huge wave of emotions and countless visions crash down upon her….

'It's starting' she thinks.

A Shadowed face…
-

A Kind Smile…
-

Jack
-
She was chasing that person again…
-

Down a lone white corridor, not a soul in sight…
-

Thanatos chuckled, it's blood red eyes twinkling in mad delight as it watched the show unfold, as the B-Rabbit's form started flowing with panic, confusion alighting within it's beau-tiful eyes.

A precious friend… orbs filled with nothingness; a feline body, limp in her arms…

"ALICE!" Oz cried, receiving no response. He wanted so much to run to her, seeing her unmoving form in front of the death-like chain, but Gil was in the way. The older male was pleading something frantically to him but he wasn't listening. Alice was in pain, Alice was in danger, and he needed to save her. He needed to protect her. He needed to do something. "GAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Mismatched eyes laughing into her own… Silver scissors piercing through her only companions, mangled dolls and cotton stuffing… blood staining a delicate form…

Alice felt her whole body quiver as fear gripped her heart, her hands shooting up to her ears, trying to block the ear splitting screams from her mind. "Stop!"A pleading voice cried, a voice that's so familiar it could've been her own. And somehow hot tears began trailing down her cheeks, unnoticed.

Golden eyes glaring straight at her, filled with nothing but anger and hate…

Alice's knees buckled underneath her, eyes widening at the vision. 'W-what is this… that… that wasn't…'

Everywhere covered in flames, screams resounding through the walls in an abysmal chorus…

"No!"

Thanatos was still surrounding her like a veil of shadows, overcoming her defenses and slowly, ever so slowly drowning her in despair and confusion. Silent maniacal laughter filling her ears, as well as the cries coming from somewhere deep within her, but not quite her own…

Chaos befalling the earth, darkness swallowing everything in sight…

"NO!"
-

These visions… they were frightening, and yet she knew that they were hers… her precious… memories… These were her memories. They are here… she needed to…

A pool of blood… her dress stained in red

She needed to…

"NO!"

Oz further struggled with his taller retainer, desperately wanting to go to her. His vision stained in nothing but red of her clothes… 'Alice. Alice. Alice!'

A glistening blade, lying inches from a cold and lifeless corpse…

The corpse that was he-

"ALICE!"

"OZ!"

"What?" Alice felt her consciousness return to her, once again taking witness to reality.

Oz was in front of her, an arm outstretched in a protective manner, the other wielding a scythe he shouldn't be wielding. And Alice suddenly felt herself collapse though she was already down on her knees. Gilbert's cries she could hear so clearly through the night, his hurried footsteps getting closer and closer.

"How dare you hurt Alice…" Oz's voice was barely heard.

Lightheadedness overwhelmed her being as she watched the scythe in her contractor's hands slice up towards the chain with ruthless vigor.

The monster barely growled as it swiped. Oz was out of the way in an instant, Alice still right behind him as he prepared to strike again—

"GRAAAH!" Thanatos screeched in pure agony; however the scythe never left the blond's hands. "IMPOSSIBLE! YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE!" it cried once more, words almost unheard as, from out of nowhere, a bright flash of light exploded before them, leaving a large gash in his monstrous face, black blood splattering the earth.

Oz stilled, dropping and dispersing B-Rabbit's scythe at the sight of a majestic pair of pure white wings, illuminating the surroundings with blinding radiance, blocking their view of the dark chain completely, a large feather visible within a humanoid hand thrusted downwards… He vaguely felt Gilbert's presence beside him, urging all of them back towards a safer distance as the hilt of the sword-like appendage clashed with the great beast's head.

Yet another flash of light invaded the surrounding darkness with blinding intensity, the people around it instinctively shielding their eyes. And when it faded, they found that nothing remained but the fallen plumes of black and white.

_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_oOo. Ivory and Ebony .oOo_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

From the top of a tall building just north of these events, Xerxes Break gazed at the scene before him with wide, awed eyes.

For a moment it seems, he could see it all; his vision crystal clear, his precious left eye back within its rightful socket... For a moment he could see the hovering Jabberwock, barely above the lifeless buildings, the horrendous chain that was Thanatos, grinning insanely as it eyed the little Miss Alice before it, the blood red scythe within Master Oz's hands as he stood protectively in front of his chain, Mister Gilbert desperately reaching towards them…

But what caught his attention the most was the unknown creature that had suddenly appeared. It seemed humanoid to his eyes, but the wings clearly specified that it most certainly is not human. The pure white radiance it brought with it didn't fail to amaze him as well, and his curiosity rose higher and higher. After all, he had never seen nor heard of such a creature, and he was quite sure that a Chain of Light does, and could, not exist.

Suddenly, with that blinding flash of light from what seemed to be a collision, everything disappeared. His vision back to the cloudy grey he had been used to, and the socket on the left side of his face became desolately empty once more, his hand reaching up to touch it, feeling the flow of a slick, metallic smelling substance from the crevice.

He could not help the mischievous smile molding itself upon his lips then, one worthy indeed of Mad Hatter, as he vowed to himself that he would investigate this, sight or no.

But right now was not the time as he caught two sets of feet rushing away from the scene, feet that he was sure belonged to the Jabberwock's odd contractor, and a certain sewer rat's faithful servant.

Wasting no time, he immediately set to follow, cane at hand and senses sharp for any unseen obstacle that may block his path. He supposes that Gilbert can take care of the kids while he's away. "Ufu~"

_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_oOo. Ivory and Ebony .oOo_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

Leo felt fatigue wash over him as the Jabberwock vanished. He would have fainted right then had it not been for Echo.

"What is that thing?" the silver haired girl asked aloud, staring at the spot where the source of light had disappeared along with the deathly chain. Leo actually wondered the same thing, but now was no time to linger as Oz had spotted them, not to mention the sudden appearance of one Xerxes Break from atop a high building.

Echo was already on the move, half-dragging-half-carrying him along as Leo's legs seemed to have fallen asleep; something his mind was just begging him to follow through. 'This is so unbecoming. Even for me…' he sighed.

The sound of hurried footsteps did not go unnoticed, not as every single sound seemed to reverberate around them as the thick silence returned once again. And Leo did his very best to make his legs move; even if it seemed Echo was doing very well on her own, she looked just as exhausted as he felt, almost to the point of collapsing it seems.

Xerxes Break was right behind them now getting closer and closer, and Leo could do no more about his yielding senses. They won't be able to lose him, he thought as the world began to darken around him.

'If we get caught by Pandora now…'

Suddenly, from out of nowhere it seems, a hand reached out and dragged the both of them inside a concealed crevice at the very back of the alley.

The last thing Leo saw was a figure enveloped in bright… luminescent gold, and then the world turned black.

Hello People, so so so sorry for the long wait TT~TT My only excuses are School, my sketchpad(s) and Massive Writers Block =_= oh, and the massive trolling in PH cannon oAo

But anyways, after a looong time I finally finished this chapter! XDD (Even if it's shorter... orz...)
I hope you liked this chap. I know I may be dragging this fic out too long, but I predict it'll go faster from next chap onwards :D

Anyhows, if it's not much of a bother I do hope you guys leave a review :3 I'd love to hear from you XDD Reviews charges my writing machine. XDD