"Ungh… What the hell…" Miles grunted as he opened his eyes. Sunlight bathed the swamp with the uncomfortable wet heat that made him feeling like everything was sticking to him.
Only that there was nothing sticking to him this time…
Miles opened his eyes a bit more, fighting through the aching of his entire body, and a breeze caressed him on his lower quarters, sending soft goosebumps through his skin.
"Wait…" His eyes went wide, and he looked down slowly.
His eyes went even wider as he noticed his nakedness. Ignoring the pain, he got up with a jump and looked around.
There was no one around, and no sound came from his surroundings but the familiar sounds of the forest, bathed in daylight.
"I'm not… In the swamp, anymore?" Miles stuttered. "But… What happened?"
He thought for a moment, and only then he noticed a ceramic pot, steaming under its lid, just a few steps from him. By the pot's side, a set of folded clothes lay untouched, clean and pristine.
When Miles took a hesitant step towards the pot, he noticed a white cloth before his feet. He took it, and noticed that it was wet, cold.
"I'm clean…" Miles murmured, taking the pile of clothes and opening the ceramic lid of the pot. "My clothes are clean, looking new, and there's even food?"
The stew inside the pot smelled delicious, way better than the roasted serpent meat that he had eaten the day before. His clothes felt fresh, as though washed in peppermint tea, and left a caressing touch on his skin.
There was not a single open wound on him, too, and when he noticed it, Miles' eyes went wide one more time.
"Shit! The Rabbit!" He looked around, but the White Rabbit was nowhere to be found. "No… Did I lose it?"
Miles spent two hours looking for the Rabbit, but there was no sign of the furry figure anywhere near him, so he just went back to where he had left the pop with its lid on, his stomach grumbling and roaring like a famished beast, and started to eat ravenously.
After a few minutes, feeling full to the brim, Miles let out a sigh of relief, looking at the resplendent lake before him.
"Okay… I need to find that damn Rabbit, before…"
Before what?
The quest had not stated any penalty in case he did not meet the Rabbit, and as soon as Miles thought of that, the gears in his brain began turning. A few seconds later, his eyes went wide and he cursed himself in derision.
"Idiot! I know how to find the damn Rabbit!" He looked at the sky, and seeing that he still had plenty of time until nightfall, he opened the map that his hidden quest had granted him. "Knew it!"
Miles stared at the map that appeared before him, its edges glowing faintly with a golden light. The path traced on the system window where the map popped up seemed almost alive, shifting subtly as though urging him forward, but the blue dot that represented the White Rabbit – just as it did when Miles were led back to the cave – was static, as though waiting for him.
His heart raced with anticipation and a lingering sense of dread. If the White Rabbit was waiting for him, it meant only one thing. It was the end of this path, wherever that might lead.
"Alright, you've dragged me this far," Miles muttered to the wind, clenching his fists. "Let's see where it ends."
The journey toward the White Rabbit began with him navigating through the lush forest surrounding the lake. The air was thick with the scents of moss and blooming flowers, and sunlight filtered through the dense canopy above.
The map seemed to know exactly where he was, updating in real-time with every turn and twist of the path. At times, it even displayed glowing markers that pulsed gently, as if to guide him past certain dangers, which made Miles feel slightly uneasy, since it was the first time the forest presented dangers during daytime.
More than once, those markers saved him from tumbling into hidden pitfalls or wandering into a grove filled with venomous, spiked plants.
"This place is even more insane than I imagined," he wiped sweat from his brow. "But if that Rabbit can make it through here, so can I."
Hours passed, and the path became increasingly treacherous. Miles scaled steep hills, crossed narrow, slippery logs over rushing streams, and even outran a pack of feral creatures that looked like oversized foxes with glowing, ember-like eyes.
[Cheshire's Gleam] proved invaluable during those moments, its runes flaring brightly and driving the predators back long enough for him to escape, as if it sensed that Miles was in no shape for a fight.
Finally, as the sun dipped low on the horizon, painting the forest in hues of orange and gold, Miles found himself standing at the edge of a small clearing. The map pulsed brightly, signaling that he had arrived. At the center of the clearing stood the White Rabbit, its fur gleaming in the fading sunlight.
It stood upright, its waistcoat as immaculate as ever, and its beady eyes locked onto Miles with an almost expectant expression as he closed the pop-up window and stared back at the humanoid rabbit.
"You're late," the Rabbit said, its voice carrying an air of mild irritation. "I'm late, I'm late."
Miles approached cautiously, still catching his breath. "You've got some nerve dragging me all over this place. What's the deal, anyway? Why lead me here?"
The Rabbit didn't answer. Instead, it turned and pointed with a paw toward the far side of the clearing. There, hidden among a cluster of wildflowers and tangled vines, was a hole in the ground. It was larger than he expected, its edges smooth and lined with glowing blue runes. A soft hum emanated from it, sending shivers down Miles' spine.
"No way," Miles said, taking a step back. "You expect me to jump into that?"
The Rabbit smirked and shrugged, its whiskers twitching. "I'm late."
Miles hesitated, his mind racing. The hole pulsed with an almost magnetic energy, drawing him closer despite his better judgment. Every instinct screamed at him to turn back, but the quest's pull was stronger. He gripped [Cheshire's Gleam] tightly, steeling himself.
"Fine," he muttered, stepping toward the edge of the hole. "But if I die, I'm going to haunt you to the end of your days."
The Rabbit chuckled, already leaping into the hole with an effortless grace. Its voice echoed faintly as it disappeared into the glowing depths. "I'm late!"
Taking a deep breath, Miles braced himself and jumped.
The descent was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. The glowing runes along the tunnel walls seemed to come alive, their light twisting and spiraling around him. Gravity felt distorted, pulling him in multiple directions at once, yet he continued to fall, unimpeded. The air grew cooler, and a faint hum reverberated through his bones, like a forgotten song.
When Miles finally landed, after what felt like hours, it wasn't with the jarring impact he had braced himself for.
Instead, he touched down gently, the ground beneath him soft and cool. He opened his eyes and immediately froze, his breath catching in his throat.