Kun was walking down the hallway, holding a stack of papers filled with strange magic scripts. He wasn't reading them—because he couldn't. The king had decided he'd start formal lessons soon, but Kun wasn't exactly excited about that.
With a sigh, he pushed open the door to the royal library.
Alice was sitting nearby, wearing reading glasses, surrounded by a fortress of books. His royal tutors were nowhere to be seen, which explained why he looked so relaxed.
Kun set the papers down on the desk. "What are you doing?" he asked, almost bored.
Alice glanced up, then grinned. "Oh, just something important."
Kun leaned over, taking a look.
It was a doodle.
A doodle of him.
With heart-shaped eyes.
Staring dreamily at another doodle of Alice.
Kun blinked. Then he blinked again.
"…Seriously?"
Alice held up the paper proudly. "Isn't it cute?"
Kun stared. "That's literally me."
"No, no! That's not you," Alice corrected, placing a dramatic hand on his cheek. "That's Kumi."
Kun's soul left his body.
"Why does 'Kumi' look exactly like me?"
"Coincidence!" Alice said, batting his lashes like an innocent maiden.
Kun sighed and shoved the script papers roughly into Alice's face. "Here. Your magic nonsense from those stingy tower mages."
Alice peeled the papers off his nose. "You didn't have to poke me."
Kun ignored him. "So? What do you even need these for?"
Alice grinned. "Obviously, I'm gonna test them."
Kun turned on his heel. "Ah. Alright then. Have fun."
He had barely taken a step when Alice yanked him back. "Where do you think you're going? Of course, you're part of it!"
Kun sighed. "I knew it."
—
"Lock the door," Alice ordered. "I don't want anyone interrupting our marvelous experiment."
Kun sighed—again—but did as he was told. Meanwhile, Alice was busy using a magical chalk to draw a glowing circle on the floor.
Kun watched him work, arms crossed.
"This goes here, and this goes there…" Alice mumbled, fully absorbed in his masterpiece.
Kun, against his better judgment, got curious. "What kind of spell are you trying?"
Alice smirked. "We're gonna see what we look like when we grow up."
Kun deadpanned. "You mean you want to peek into the future?"
"Exactly!" Alice nodded enthusiastically. "I heard those tower mages say that seeing the future is super easy if the Artes user is powerful enough. And, obviously, I am powerful enough."
Kun frowned. "This is a terrible idea."
Alice waved a hand dismissively. "Nonsense. Think of it as a fun little adventure! Besides, we won't remember anything when we come back, so it's totally fine!"
Kun did not like this logic.
Before he could argue, Alice clapped his hands together. "Alright! It's ready."
Kun sighed (again, for what felt like the hundredth time).
Alice beamed at him. "Come on, Kun! Take my hand and see what's waiting for us!"
Kun looked at the glowing magic circle.
Kun looked at Alice's too-excited face.
Kun looked at the ceiling, silently praying to every god he had never believed in.
And then, begrudgingly, he took Alice's hand.
- - -
Darkness. Cold, suffocating darkness.
Kun's eyes fluttered open, and the first thing he felt was restraint. Heavy chains bound his wrists and ankles, their cold bite sinking deep into his skin. His neck ached, weighed down by a muzzle inscribed with restraining Artes, pulsing with eerie magic.
His breathing was ragged, shallow—difficult.
Something felt wrong.
Kun's heart pounded as he slowly sat up. His body felt different—his limbs were longer, his fingers more slender, his hair unkempt and hanging messily over his face.
He wasn't a child anymore.
A ragged robe clung to his frame, torn at the edges, and upon his head sat a crown—a thorned crown.
Kun's stomach twisted. His mind raced.
Where is this?
His throat burned from the restraint, but his thoughts screamed louder than his body's pain.
Alice.
His eyes darted around the dimly lit dungeon. The stone walls were damp, the air thick with something suffocating. But Alice—where was Alice? Was he here too?
Then the dungeon door groaned open.
A group of palace guards stepped inside, their boots echoing against the stone floor.
"The king wants his plaything," one of them sneered.
Kun barely had time to react before they unchained him—roughly. His weakened body barely held itself upright before he was dragged out of the cell.
His mind screamed at him to fight back, but his body refused to listen.
The halls blurred past as they led him somewhere—somewhere far too bright compared to the dungeon's depths.
The royal bathhouse.
Kun was shoved inside, falling to his knees on the cold, marbled floor.
And then—
Alice.
Or at least… someone who looked like Alice.
Kun's breath caught in his throat.
Alice stood in the bath, water rippling around him, his once warm gaze now distant, sharp—cruel. His golden hair was longer, cascading down his back, and his form was different—broader, taller. The air around him hummed with power.
And then, Alice smirked.
"Come join me."
Kun didn't move.
So the knights shoved him forward. He hit the marble with a dull thud, hands pressing against the cold surface as he coughed weakly.
Alice giggled.
A soft, mocking laugh.
Then, barefoot steps approached, slow and deliberate.
Kun barely had time to react before a hand lifted his chin—firm but eerily gentle.
Alice's eyes gleamed with something unreadable as he examined him, tilting Kun's head slightly.
"You're bleeding." His voice was soft, almost teasing. "Is your muzzle giving you difficulty?"
Kun glared weakly.
Alice only smiled wider.
His fingers grazed the edges of the muzzle, then, with an almost tender touch—he unlatched it.
Kun gasped, finally able to breathe—but before he could say anything—
Alice leaned in.
Closer.
Too close.
And then—
His lips brushed against Kun's.
Kun froze.
His body stiffened as Alice's lips barely ghosted over his own, the touch so light it was almost teasing. His breath caught in his throat, but his mind screamed at him—this isn't right.
Alice pulled back slightly, tilting his head as if studying Kun's reaction. Then, his lips curled into a smirk.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Alice murmured, amusement lacing his voice. His fingers trailed down Kun's jawline, slow and deliberate.
Kun swallowed hard, his mind racing.
This wasn't Alice.
The Alice he knew was mischievous, annoying, stubborn—but he wasn't this.
Not cruel. Not cold. Not... twisted.
Kun's instincts screamed at him to move—to push Alice away, to run, to do something. But his body betrayed him, weak from whatever torment he had endured in this place.
Alice let out a soft hum, his fingers now trailing to Kun's throat where faint bruises had formed from the muzzle's restraint.
"It doesn't suit you, does it?" Alice mused, eyes half-lidded as if deep in thought. "But, then again…"
He leaned in once more, whispering against Kun's ear—
"Neither does freedom."
Kun's breath hitched.
Something deep within him twisted, burned.
What had happened to him in this future?
What had happened to Alice?
The knights remained still, silent—watching. As if this was all… normal.
Kun clenched his fists. His nails dug into his palms, the sting grounding him, reminding him that he was still here, still himself.
For now.
He needed to think. To find a way out of this.
But Alice wasn't finished yet.
With a flick of his wrist, Alice gestured to the knights. "Dress him properly," he ordered lazily, turning his back. "I can't have my favorite toy looking so unsightly."
The knights seized Kun without hesitation.
No—!
His body was dragged away as Alice stepped back into the bath, humming an eerie tune.
Kun struggled weakly, his voice hoarse from disuse, but the last thing he saw before the doors shut behind him—
Was Alice, lounging in the water, looking utterly satisfied.
Like a king admiring a possession.
Like a ruler who had already won.
And Kun?
Kun had never felt so trapped.