Chapter — Night Delivery
Along a deserted road rode a boy.
Seated on his delivery bike — a machine without wheels, floating a few centimeters above the ground — he sped forward, unfazed by the surrounding cold. He seemed like a teenager. A helmet covered his head, and dark glasses shielded his eyes. His courier uniform, marked with the letter Y, fluttered softly in the wind.
He reached his final destination: a multi-story inn.
Without lingering at the reception desk on the right — offering only a brief gesture of greeting — he entered and headed toward the double-helix staircase, standard in this type of establishment to keep traffic flowing.
He climbed quickly, almost hurriedly, up to the fifth floor, then followed the corridor to door No. 55.
Holding his spherical container, he knocked.
Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
Voices sounded from inside, and the door opened.
A white-haired girl around fifteen appeared.
— You took your time, Nice! Come in!
— Sorry, the courier replied as he stepped inside.
The door closed behind him.
He distributed the meals:
— Spicy meatballs for Aliss.
— Grilled fish for Tora — a boy with cat ears and tail, black hair with yellow highlights (9).
— Shrimp for Emma Red — a pale vampire of about sixteen, eyes bluer than the sky, red hair streaked with white (36).
— Nutritious soup for Skull, her brother, identical except for black hair with red highlights (63).
— Mashed food for Luó Xuán, a mysterious boy slumped in his corner, white hair striped with black, black eyes with white irises (3).
— And burgers for us, my brothers.
They were five boys of the same age:
Nice, still in his courier outfit;
Rudo, coat draped over his shoulders;
Rin, in basketball gear;
Frost, wearing a black leather coat;
Cod, white shirt buttoned up and black shorts.
The Five Fifth — 55.
Cod spoke:
— That was perfect. How?
Nice tossed him a black box. Cod caught it.
— We're just very precise.
Nice explained:
— They were tailing us after you asked them to send us.
— It was tight. Their vehicles were versatile — almost impossible to shake.
— But we remembered it wasn't your wish, Princess.
— They called me to sync the plan — a magic trick.
— I replaced a courier in the area, pretending to take a leak to blend in.
— In a tight turn, there's always a moment you slip out of sight.
— We had people covering every angle.
— They were redirected toward me; I took the route, then came back here.
— Then in the tunnel: flash grenades and EMP bursts.
— While they were stunned, we swapped places with life-sized dolls — they thought they were automatons.
— We nailed it, Princess.
— Yes, Aliss replied with satisfaction. You even exceeded my expectations.
She inspected the delivered contents.
— Thanks to this, we recovered "The Lady of the Lake" by Merlan Ers. Beautiful, isn't it, Mistress?
She examined the painting through an improvised monocle — a single lens emerging from her glasses — confirmed its authenticity, and made it vanish.
At that moment, Oz entered through the window.
— Are we celebrating or what?
Cod asked:
— Want food?
— No.
Aliss took the painting while Nice handed her the black box containing the treasures.
With Oz, she stepped into a rabbit-paw-shaped hole.
---
The Black Corridor
They emerged into a corridor with black walls and walked side by side.
Oz jumped onto Aliss's shoulder.
— Today I met your father. Well… a remote projection. Charming, but dark.
Aliss shivered.
— Really? The one they call the Lord of the Bottomless Black Abyss?
Oz laughed.
— No. The one I saw felt more like absolute emptiness. Who is he?
— His twin brother, Aliss replied with a sigh. The Abyss was born first.
Oz continued:
— He talked a lot about your mother. Almost obsessively.
— They're the same, both of them. And sometimes they feel each other's emotions… far too intensely.
---
The Altar
They entered a vast circular chamber.
At its center stood a perfectly smooth black altar, reachable by a suspended bridge. All around: emptiness.
Aliss placed the painting down, took out three small black boxes, while Oz bit into a cake that canceled reduction enchantments.
— They really overdo it with that "a wheelbarrow will do" spell, Aliss grumbled.
She broke the miniature display case and retrieved the first treasure: the Casa Blanca — a white cube she placed on the altar.
The altar — command center of the Rabbit Hat, domain of Wonderland — absorbed the object.
A blue screen appeared.
— Casa Blanca of Isabella Blanca…
Computer Assistance for Social Accuracy.
The technology that managed her vampiric clan. Excellent.
Oz sighed:
— Your mother's going to be mad we irritated the Blancas she protected.
— Whatever 🤪. She'll forgive us eventually. Even if we don't live together, draconic maternal love… she always knows I'm safe.
— When will she find out?
— Sooner or later. She's one of the greatest minds in the universe.
Aliss then activated the Scarlet Jewel and the Queen of Cards Diadem the same way.
Then she asked:
— Their request?
Oz replied:
— The Credibility Tournament.
They want to see the Fool's face 🤪.
Aliss's face turned pale.
— Impossible. Impossible. Impossible.
— Find any hope?
Her eyes filled with tears.
— I don't make calculation errors…
I always factor in minimum capabilities…
He's like me. A game master.
Tears streamed down.
— I know his cards… and the ones I don't have.
And we never win.
Oz's voice softened:
— How many times have you seen us die in your simulations?
— I stopped counting after one million three…
A maternal, unfamiliar yet soothing voice echoed in Aliss's mind:
— Rest. I'm asking too much of you.
Then Oz's familiar voice concluded:
— It's fine. They gave us three years.
So we'll be ready… before the beginning of the Fool's first act.
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