Sarissa leaned back in her chair, exhaling slowly as she stared at the system window floating before her. The [World Quest] shimred at the top of her notifications, a reminder of the weight of the possibility on her shoulders. Below it, the [Sands of Ti] quest pulsed faintly, as if mocking her indecision.
"Tsk!" She clicked her tongue, closing the interface with a sharp flick of her fingers. Her eyes narrowed as she heard the sound of the War Room door creaking open. Shinji stepped inside, his usual unreadable expression giving nothing away.
"Soone’s here to see you." He said simply, stepping aside. "Says it’s about the [World Quest]."
Sarissa straightened, her fingers resting lightly on the table. She had no idea who to expect. Maybe another player, perhaps a faction leader or so self-important fool hoping to hitch a ride on her progress.
Anything, but she was not expecting this.
The door to the War Room creaked open wider, and Sarissa tensed. She had not been waiting for anyone to reach level 50 this soon, but sothing about the air that followed them into the room made her grip the edge of the table a little tighter than she wanted to give away.
A man stepped inside, his presence strange yet unnervingly ordinary. He was tall, lean, dressed in a fitted navy-blue coat with silver trim. His dark hair fell in tousled waves, partially covering sharp, cat-like eyes of a piercing shade of blue.
Sothing about him felt... Off.
Shinji remained by the door, his arms crossed, his gaze locked onto the stranger with a silent warning.
"You wanted to speak to ..." Sarissa broke the silence in a flat tone, watching the man carefully.
"Indeed, I did," he said, his voice smooth, almost amused. "And I appreciate you seeing on such short notice, guild leader." The stranger smiled, slow and deliberate.
"What’s this about?" Sarissa ignored the flattery.
"I’ll be right outside." Shinji exhaled sharply, clearly unimpressed by the man’s presence. He turned around, shooting one last glare at the visitor before stepping out and closing the door behind him.
The mont the latch clicked shut, the man’s grin widened.
Too wide.
"I thought that he would never leave..." The man rolled his eyes, his grin still etched on his face, unwavering. He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, the air seed to beco slightly thicker, his voice just a little bit muffled.
Sarissa raised an eyebrow, ready to summon her sword, [Aria of the Lost].
The man’s shoulders rolled unnaturally as he stretched his neck, and then, before Sarissa’s eyes, his entire body shimred, unraveling like ink dissolving into water.
What stood before her now was no man.
The navy-blue coat had turned into sleek, deep violet fur with faint swirling stripes. His dark hair receded, replaced by large, pointed ears that flicked playfully. His face remained humanoid but sharp, feline, his grin filled with pointed teeth that stretched a little too far for comfort. His piercing blue eyes remained, strangely knowledgeable, as if the cat in front of her knew many... Many things.
Sarissa moved before she even thought about it.
Her sword materialized in her grip in a flash of reddish sparks. She swung, aiming directly for the thing’s throat.
The cat-man chuckled. His body flickered, disappearing into thin air before her blade could connect. Sarissa felt a shift of air behind her, and she spun, her blade barely stopping an inch from his face.
"Now, now, let’s not be hasty," the cat purred, perched effortlessly on the table, his tail curling lazily. "I co in peace."
"Who are you?" Sarissa’s grip tightened.
"You may call Cheshire," he said, his grin unwavering. "And I an you no harm. I promise you."
Cheshire. The na settled into her mind with an eerie familiarity, but she could not put a finger on why.
Then, in a flash, sothing else surfaced, like a mory from gods knew how many lives ago.
Miles.
"Ah... So that’s what he ant when he said he wanted to co with ...Such a sha..."
"What do you an?"
"The Mad Hatter said I should kill him, because if not, soone from my world would steal my place as Heir of the End. And so, I did, Now... Cheshire is dead!"
He stood in the middle of the outskirts, his mask unreadable as he readied himself to attack her. Only she did not know this back then.
"Cheshire is dead."
Sarissa’s blood turned to ice. Her mind connected the dots instantly, and she felt a pang of anger flare inside her, along with... Guilt?
’Why...?’
She lowered her sword slightly but did not dismiss it. Her eyes burned with sudden intensity.
"You knew him, didn’t you?" she asked, her voice steady but sharp.
"Him?" Cheshire blinked. His grin didn’t falter, but sothing shifted in his expression.
"Miles." She took a step closer, watching for any reaction. "You knew him. I an... You’re the Cheshire cat, right? Wonderlnd’s... Cheshire, yes?"
The cat’s eyes glead with... Happiness?
"You know ?" Cheshire paused for a second. "Well, if you know Miles, then it’s quite possible that you know , but... I don’t think you’re friends with him, are you?"
"Are you... Friends with him?" Sarissa narrowed her eyes.
"I am, I think... At least I think I am, after out... Parting of ways..." He paused. Then, Cheshire exhaled slowly, his tail flicking behind him. "Yes, I do know him. And I’m friends with him. Why do you ask?"
"Then tell ," Sarissa felt sothing coil in her chest, her voice unwavering. "Tell everything you know about him."
"First, I need you to tell one thing." Cheshire’s tail flicked slowly, languidly.
Sarissa did not speak, and Cheshire took it as a signal to continue.
"Why are you not friends with him?" His tone was serious, even though his grin still remained.
Sarissa looked at the cat dead in the eye, asuring him and the weight of his words.
She did not feel like she knew the cat in front of her. There was no sense of familiarity, no feeling of closeness, no nothing. The cat was just... A talking cat, but a cat, nonetheless.
And yet... Why had she not stricken it down?
’Why am I even listening to it?"
"Why are you here?" Sarissa straightened herself even more. "You’re not here because of the [World Quest], are you?" And after a mont of silence, she added. "What did you do with the room?"
"Oh, this?" Cheshire’s tail flicked around, as if gesturing towards the War Room around them. "I just didn’t trust the guy behind the door, so I thought I’d keep him from... Eavesdropping, you know?"
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