"The axe swung down once more.
Ripping open a colourful display of warm blood and gore."

There was a world made out of gold, a vast forest of swirling pine trees. He was supposed to bring the purple gemstone to the top of a turret while racing with the princess in a horseless cart-

Please wake up...

Trick was tugged out of the golden pool of dreams by a gentle voice. He reluctantly threw away any hopes of falling back to sleep.

His head hurt too badly anyway.

The young apprentice found himself suspended in the air, caught in a tangle of pink ribbons. He saw glimpses of yellowed wallpaper and dark green carpet between them.

"Wha- What's going on?! Where am I?!"

I took you away to somewhere safe, silly!
It was your own fault for fainting!

"Who are you?" He was full of suspicion that it was dangerous, despite the voice's mellow tone that suggested otherwise.

I don't know.
He might.

Trick squirmed in the web of ribbons and sincerely hoped that there were no pincushion spiders lurking about.

Even if they were covered in ridiculous bows - he still didn't want to become dinner.

"Who's he?"

Hehehe~
You're asking a lot of questions, aren't ya?

"L-Lemme down from here!" Trick spluttered, begining to feel vertigo. Being stuck in a downward, sideways angle didn't assist the situation at all.

Hmmm...
Okay.

And all of a sudden, the ribbons receded. They twirled into the walls, sucked into the rippling surfaces, leaving Trick to plummet towards the foresty carpet all too fast.

His tiny body hit the floor with a muffled thump. Only, it wasn't the floor. It was a large pillow that began pouring out fluffed-up feathers upon impact.

"Ooof!"

He glared around the room, trying to deduce where the voice came from. If I had a robotic eye... He shook that thought out of his head quickly, convenient as it may have seemed.

To Trick's suprise, he'd landed in a place that looked a lot like a child's bedroom.

Faded murals of ancient fairytale characters had been painted over the walls.

There was a large four-poster bed, covered by the tattered white drapes. A wooden chest was lying on its side, spilling old-fashioned toys all over the dusty floor.

Trick slid off the odd pillow in awe. His feet landed on a soothing rug - sewn from the softest material he'd ever felt.

Do you like it here?
This is my room.

He spotted a hint of movement out of the corner of his eye. The bed's drapes parted slightly as a rabbit popped its head out, whiskers twitching thoughtfully.

"H-Hello?" An uncertain call.

Hi!

The white rabbit leapt down and bounded across the carpet with carefree hops.

Its red eyes were kinda creepy - but for Trick - they were full of sorrow.

Why did the rabbit look so sad?

How was it talking without opening its mouth?

"I-I- Um- My name is Trick," he said, at a loss for words.

-And your brother is called Coryn, right?

"Y-Yeah... Wait! How did you-"

He told me to watch him, so I did.
His eyes are funny.
And his hair is really long.

"Well, that's definitely him..." Trick mumbled under his breath, taking note of how fondly the voice referred to "he."

The white rabbit slowed down and padded over the carpet towards him. It sat in front of him, looking straight into his eyes with an unnervingly human gaze.

All of a sudden, the warm lights flickered.

The whole room shook violently, as if it was being shaken around inside a jar.

Trick tumbled head-over-heels and slammed his palms on the floor to stop himself from doing a full rotation across the room. "Yikes!"

Oh my...
The battle is going well, I think.

This time, the little rabbit's voice was deep and meaningful. Trick found himself staring at it in surprise. "Battle? What battle? Why don't I know anything that's going on anymore?"

Don't you know...?
They're fighting upstairs.
I don't like hearing him scream in pain.

"S-Screaming..." Trick trailed off as a godawful screetch shook the room once more.

When it finally settled down, he was in a daze.

The rabbit nudged his arm, pricking him with its sharp whiskers.

It didn't look happy anymore.

Its eyes were darkening.

Your brother is cruel.
He's hurting my friend.
Make him stop.

"I don't even know what you're talking about! Please, just tell me who you are and why your friend is fighting with Coryn!" Trick begged, pulling himself back into a sitting position.

It was hard to steady himself with so many tremors rattling the place up.

Toys were strewn all over the floor now. Building blocks, a wooden train set, a broken pocket watch and so many other things and trinkets.

The little boy could only watch and wait as the white rabbit paused, as if considering to let him in on a big secret.

I'm not supposed to talk to strangers.
...
But you seem okay.

[Are you still here? If so, thank you. We're almost finished, dearest reader - only a few more chapters left to go! With love, from Phantom.]