Jumping away from the hand that touched him, Sean stumbled into Illinois. Illinois grabbed his shoulders to keep him calm, their eyes darting to Wander. Wander groaned, slowly sitting up on his horse as he asked groggily. "Where am I? Why am I not at the temple?" Illinois narrowed his eyes on Wander, asking perplexed. "Temple?" Sean inched back up to Wander, asking him lightly. "Wander? What happened to you?" Wander blinked like he didn't understand before telling them. "I'm saving Wonderland. What are you doing?" Sean glanced back at Illinois who shrugged and mumbled out. "Don't look at me. That's news to me..." Looking back to Wander, Sean blurted out. "How are you saving Wonderland? I thought that was my job." Wander glanced between them with a look that was just as confused, before questioning coolly. "Who are you...?" Sean couldn't believe he didn't recognize him, until he realized that his long dirty blonde hair was hanging down his shoulder. Rolling his eyes, he pulled a black ribbon from his pocket and pulled his long hair up into a ponytail as he answered dryly. "I'm Sean. King Sean of the Dawn Knights... I'm... in disguise. Kind of." Illinois snickered, prompting a soft glare from Sean.

Wander narrowed his pale eyes on him, before chuckling out. "Oh... I see it now. Damn... I could have sworn... Nevermind." Wander blushed a little, looking away with a smirk. Illinois tried hard not to smile, but when Sean finished tying his hair up to lock eyes with him, Illinois cracked and grinned. Walking up to him, Sean smacked his arm, causing Illinois to flinch and say sweetly. "You make a cute girl. Just own it." Sean snorted, pointing for Illinois to start leading the way as he growled out. "Get me out of here." Illinois tipped his hat to him, teasing out. "As you wish, your majesty." Sean playfully kicked him in the ass when he turned, then hung back to stand with Wander. He explained some of the details to why they were here, then let Wander inform them in return. "Interesting... A white rabbit led me to the temple grounds. Although... a disembodied voice told me to... seek the Colossi." Sean thought about it, before stating aloud. "And you just... obeyed? Without question? Wander-?" Wander cut him off, straightening up on his horse when he told him firmly without looking at him. "I have my reasons. Let's just leave it at that." Sean didn't like his prideful answer but tried to coax a specific answer from him. "You want to at least explain what that temple is doing to you?"

Wander sighed, avoiding his eyes as he told him defensively. "It's fine. I can handle it. I'm almost done. Then I'll get what I was promised." Sean grabbed the reins of Wander's horse to stop him, asking with blunt concern. "Wander, what did you do? Whatever deal you've made, it can't be worth the price you're paying for it." Wander finally met Sean's eyes, glaring down at him with an almost unfeeling look as he spat back sternly. "Maybe from where you're standing, Highness. But I didn't ask for your opinion. Nor anyone else's. The burden is mine and mine alone. I will handle it. You don't need to concern yourself with it." From farther ahead, Illinois let out a loud sigh as he dusted off his hands and cut in. "And when this burden overcomes you, and it becomes OUR problem. Then what?" Wander lifted his chin, stubbornly retorting. "It won't come to that. I am fine. I have it under control." Illinois straightened himself up, replying seriously. "Ya. I've heard that before. Wander, there are many magical things in this world that people always believe they have the strength or willpower to overcome. And I assure you, a lot more people fail to do just that. You see. The problem with these relics. They aren't powerful by themselves. YOU supply them. A puppy is harmless and easily overcome. Keep feeding it. Training it. It gets bigger and harder to control."

Illinois shrugged, continuing bluntly. "Evil can't create. It can only copy and eliminate the weakness of the original to destroy it. By the time you realize that... It will be too late to stop it." Sean felt Illinois's words like a bullet to the chest. Even if Illinois hadn't directed the words at him. It got him thinking about Anti and the way he behaved. The nightmares created by the black pearls were copies of them. All trying to overpower and ultimately destroy the originals. Swallowing down his nerves, Sean felt like talking to Anti might be a lot more trouble than he anticipated. Trying to keep himself together, he brushed it off. While Wander told Illinois confidently. "I won't be counted among them. That I promise you." Illinois scoffed, muttering out under his breath. "Don't make promises you can't keep, kid." Moving farther along the tunnel, Illinois started to run his hand along the wall where darkly painted symbols and images stood out. Sean tried to figure them out as Illinois held the lighter to them, but he didn't recognize them. These symbols were like nothing that he'd ever seen. Touching the paint, Sean told Illinois uneasily. "I've never seen this here before... Who put this here? Why would they do this?"

Illinois stopped as he looked at something that was hidden around the corner. Shaking his head, Illinois uttered out grimly. "It's evidence of the darkness spreading throughout Wonderland. Tainting the dreams of the world... into a land of nightmares." Illinois stayed where he was, beckoning him closer to look. Walking up beside him, Sean looked to the wall around the corner and took a step back with disgust. There was a human hanging by his ankles from the ceiling. His throat was slit, and his blood was dripping down his face and into a bucket. In the bucket was a paint brush and on the large smooth wall was a mural of a chess board sitting on a picnic blanket of green plaid... with a half-painted tentacle looking creature overlooking it all. Written in blood across the entity's dark chest were the words; 'Fear the old blood that runs like rivers through Wonderland. For divine insight is seen through eyes that look on the inside. Ascend and know the true Great Ones." Covering his mouth a little to distract himself from the strong smell of blood and decay, he strained out to Illinois. "What the fuck? I don't get it. Is it code for something?" Wander rode up and slid off his horse to join them.

Taking one look at the mural, he told Sean coolly. "It's referring to the Eldritch Horrors." Sean looked between Illinois and Wander, stating out flatly. "That's ridiculous. They are a myth. Something a group of crazy people in Wonderland made up as a deity. Like the spaghetti god a few years ago. Or that Fizzy Soda Pop cult that thought soda could cure everything. Although, at least those made sense and didn't hurt anybody. But this... It's sick." Wander briefly looked at the mural, before asking Illinois coolly. "Are you going to tell him? Or should I?" Sean tensed, mumbling out in sudden panic. "Say what now?" Illinois shifted uncomfortably, informing him reluctantly. "There was a small discovery that Eldritch Horrors might have existed in Wonderland or even created it... I didn't get a lot of time to look into it myself with all the stuff going on with Mark. However... Recently, I did hear a few rumors about Mark's... 'Daughter.' Yandereplier being able to... communicate with what is believed to be an Eldritch Horror. And a... the umbilical cord that I found... Might be linked to them, but I never confirmed that. For all I know-"

Wander cut him off to add in swiftly. "It's not a rumor anymore, March-Hare. It's become historical fact. Wonderland exists outside time and space. And so do the Eldritch Horrors. We are the dreamers to their nightmares. Two sides kept apart by a fading silver line created from shadow & light... but the Kings broke that line by creating the Vorpal Blades and the Looking Glass! Allowing them to bridge over and reach through to not just our side, but the worlds interlinked with ours." Sean felt like his legs were going to buckle, when he mumbled out. "It really is our fault..." Wander wavered on his feet a bit, grabbing the wall to stay upright, before shaking off his fatigue to tell them gruffly. "I don't know how many came through... but they have been seeking out what remains of their vessels here. Like the Colossi, or those born with even a drop of pure Eldritch blood in their veins from the remnants of cults that once worshipped them." Sean looked to Wander, then reached out grab his arm without asking. Upon seeing a strange rune that pulsed with an eerie turquoise color on the inside of his greying arm, Sean sighed heavily with disappointment.

Wander was one of them. A child descended from a lost civilization whos people were wiped out from placing their trust in something they could not control and believed to be working with them. As much as he wanted to deny it... it was hard to deny the connection. Wander yanked his arm back, sternly telling him. "I find it ironic that you and Blood Hunter fought about this very thing. Yet, here we are. Will you admit that he was right? Now that the evidence is at your feet? Or does it scare you more that they might favor him, because he predicted their return and speaks their truth?" Sean inhaled slowly, puffing up his chest when he told Wander firmly. "Don't tell me that you believe his ravings about becoming one of them." Wander shrugged, retorting confidently. "I don't know what I believe. All I know for sure is that they answer. They know life isn't fair and in their own weird way... they're trying to help." Sean got a little defensive, when he snapped back. "Ya? And have you heard about what happens to those they help? They rob you of free will. They promise you the world and then enslave you to it! It's a cult like any other. They want you to believe they have the answer to everything. Some grand fix-all... but all they'll give you is isolation and psychological damage, Wander!"

Wander rolled his eyes, stating out unyieldingly. "You don't know that. You've never talked to them. You don't even believe they're real!" Sean pointed to the body hanging in the corner, yelling out darkly. "You see THAT?! You want to trust a being that does THAT to people?! I don't have to talk to them or see them to know that the people that worship them are insane! That could just as easily be YOU!" Wander opened his mouth, but Illinois stepped in to quickly cover his mouth and pushed them apart. Staring them both down, Illinois shouted out. "ALRIGHT! That's enough! You're NEVER going to convince the other to side with your case. So, let's drop it before I knock you both out to spare myself a headache!" Illinois exhaled loudly, then pointed to Sean to growl out. "I've said it before. And I'll say it again. NEVER talk politics or religion with family! Not just for your sanity... but for EVERYONE'S SANITY! GOT IT?!" Sean reluctantly nodded, then Illinois turned to Wander to yell out. "YOU GOT IT?!" Wander stepped back from him, nodding just as reluctantly. Illinois inhaled as deeply as he could, before rubbing his temples and exhaling out under his breath. "Fuck... If you two can't even get alone. How are you going to confront Anti?"

Wander snorted, crossing his arms over his chest as he stated out coolly. "Easy. We'll fight it out." Illinois shook his head, grabbing Sean's arm as he told them uneasily. "Not if I can help it. Let's keep moving and get some fresh air." Without resisting, Sean let Illinois lead him away with Wander following at a distance. Before long they came to a split in the cave. One led out into a misty daylight. The other led farther into the dark depths of the cave. It was a no brain decision on Sean's part. Rushing outside, Sean took a moment to breath in the fresh air and savor the cool breeze on his skin. He never wanted to go exploring in a cave ever again. From behind him though, Illinois grimly told him. "We can take a minute to take this in, but we have to keep going, Sean." Sean groaned, before gasping with excitement as the breeze cleared up the mist enough to reveal a wooden rope bridge. Pointing to it, Sean excitedly to them. "Look! We can cross! No more cave exploring!" Illinois let out a nervous chuckle, stating sarcastically. "Sean... That's not a bridge. That's an ancient relic that by a miracle is still standing at this altitude." Sean blinked with a blank look, asking shakily. "What do you mean at this altitude?"

Illinois walked up to him, turning him around slowly before pointing down off the side of the cliff. Sean nearly swallowed his tongue, when he jumped back. They were so far from the ground that the large river and villages below looked tiny. The place looked like a giant bowl with a massive gothic looking city and place on the other side of the bridge. While the rocky pillar it was set on seemed to have stairways and doors that led down to the villages far below. Pulling from Illinois, Sean pressed his back to the cave entrance, his voice quivering as he said aloud to himself. "Oh, fuck me... Leave it to Anti to use this against me... Fuck. This is NOT how I remember the Clover Palace!" Just inside the cave, Wander peeked out. Seeing the height, Wander shrugged and calmly stated. "Eh... I've been higher. It's not so bad. When you fall just make sure that you go feet first when you hit the water." Sean slowly turned his head to look Wander in the eyes. When their eyes met, Sean blurted out emotionlessly. "When I fall? Not IF I fall... You arsehole." Wander chuckled, shrugging as he walked out fearlessly. "If you always tell yourself that you are going to fall, then you will. The trick is not to think about the background and what could happen... but to focus on the task and goal set before you."

Wander pointed to the city, telling him firmly. "You want to get there faster? Suck it up and go there. Take your time if you must but focus on the destination and keep moving. Don't linger too long in one place or you'll never go anywhere." Sean shook his head, mumbling out. "You're crazy." Wander rolled his eyes, shrugging out. "Ya? Well, this crazy person is going to meet you on the other side. Ya, chicken." Taking the reins of his horse, Wander slowly but fearlessly started walking to the bridge. Illinois started to reach out to stop him but lowered his hand to let him go. Wander tapped a foot on the first wooden board, then stepped on it. When it held his weight, he kept going. Ignoring how the bridge swayed in the breeze and creaked as the ropes strained under the weight of the horse. Turning slightly, Sean shakily uttered out. "Oh, I can't watch..." The rope bridge was so long that Sean didn't think he could just look away for as long as it would take for Wander to cross. So, he peeked back at him, feeling anxious as all hell. To Be Continued...