Chapter 37: A Premonition of the Abyss

Black tea was poured into the teacups. The three women settled around the tea table, commencing their tea party.

“What exactly happened just now?” Alice asked, holding her teacup.

“What do you mean?” the Duchess inquired.

“Queen Isola appeared in my illusion just now,” Alice replied.

“Oh? You dreamt of Her Majesty? Was it… a proper dream?” The Duchess chuckled teasingly.

Alice’s hand trembled, nearly spilling her tea.

“She’s likely asking about my assistance in extracting her from the illusion,” Queen Isola interjected, deftly steering the conversation back on track to prevent further teasing from the Duchess.

“That was a witch’s ability too, wasn’t it?” Alice immediately picked up the thread.

Within the illusion created by the potion, Queen Isola had suddenly appeared, guiding her out of the dream. The moment Alice awoke, Queen Isola happened to be holding her hand. Logically, it seemed Queen Isola must have used some method to give her a push.

“I merely used the ‘Dream Weaver’ ability to infiltrate your dream,” Queen Isola answered.

“Dream Weaver?”

“It’s the ability of a Sixth-Order ‘Succubus,'” the Duchess explained to her student. “You must have heard the church’s legends about succubi infiltrating mortal dreams to drain vital essence, haven’t you? This is its origin.”

“Witches of the Sixth-Order and above can delve into the depths of another’s consciousness. This differs from the ‘Bishop’ path’s mental control; ‘Dream Weaver’ cannot be effective if the target is awake.”

“It must be used when their conscious mind is blurred. If they are awake, hypnosis must be employed first. Only then can we interfere with their dreams. This is a common form of mental attack used by mid-to-high-order witches.”

“Such an ability exists!” Alice couldn’t help but exclaim, then realized something. “Wait a moment, I recall you are also a Sixth-Order witch. If you both possess this ability, couldn’t either of you have safely extracted me from the illusion?”

“Actually, it wouldn’t have mattered if we hadn’t used it. Before arranging your advancement ritual, I specifically performed a divination for you, and the results showed no problems whatsoever,” the Duchess said with a smile. “However, Her Majesty was still uneasy. She felt the divination results might have been predicated on her assistance, so she preemptively used her ability on you.”

Alice was momentarily stunned. “With such a safeguard, then my advancement was completely without risk?”

“Of course! It’s only advancing to the Eighth-Order; how much trouble could there be when you have two Great Witches escorting you?” The Duchess burst into laughter.

“Then why didn’t you say so sooner? I’ve been on edge this whole time,” Alice sighed in relief.

“The results of a divination for others, if one wishes them not to change, should not be disclosed to those connected to the outcome. Once someone knows a part of the future in advance, even an unconscious alteration in their behavior could rewrite the ending.”

The Duchess replied with a serious expression. “As for not telling you about the safeguard, there were two main reasons. First, to keep you vigilant. The more relaxed your mental state, the more susceptible you are to illusions or mental attacks. Trying to break free from the illusion yourself is also excellent training for you.”

“And the other reason?” Alice continued to ask.

“I wanted to test you slightly,” the Duchess said, raising her teacup.

Alice froze. “Test me on what?”

“To test your willpower,” the Duchess stated. “This is the most crucial trait for a spy. Your mission is paramount, and you possess far too many secrets. If you couldn’t withstand coercion or temptation and betrayed us, it would be a devastating blow.”

“I wouldn’t,” Alice said earnestly.

“I’m not doubting your intentions, but you must understand that blessed ones of the ‘Bishop’ pathway are highly skilled in mental interference, and ‘Bishop’ Inquisitors excel at extracting secrets from others. If your mental strength were weak, you would be unsuitable for this perilous mission.”

“Fortunately, you performed quite well,” the Duchess smiled. “While the illusions brought on by an Eighth-Order potion aren’t overly complex, they can be quite dangerous for those with insufficient willpower.”

“Not complex?” Alice recalled. “The illusion I experienced was a series of dreams, a dream within a dream. The first dream was incredibly bizarre, and when I reached the second dream, I actually thought I had woken up.”

“A series of dreams? I’ve never heard of such a case.” The Duchess frowned upon hearing this, turning to look at Queen Isola.

Queen Isola shook her head, equally bewildered. “I used ‘Dream Weaver’ on you from the moment you lost consciousness and peered into the illusions you experienced. I saw no series of dreams.”

“How could that be?” Alice’s eyes widened, but then she noticed something. “Did you not see the abyss gate that appeared in my illusion? Or those three monsters?”

“Alice.” The Duchess’s expression grew serious. “Please describe the illusion you experienced to us, from beginning to end, in meticulous detail.”

Alice thought for a moment, organizing her memories, then meticulously recounted her dream, from seeing the Mad Hatter to directly facing the opened Abyss Gate.

After listening, the Duchess and Queen Isola exchanged glances, their expressions tinged with shock.

“Is there something wrong with this illusion?” The pair’s silence made Alice somewhat uneasy.

After a long moment, the Duchess finally broke the silence.

“Her Majesty is a Third-Order witch; with her abilities, it’s impossible for her not to have perceived your fractured dream. I believe there’s only one possibility…” The Duchess paused, then continued, “What you experienced was not an illusion at all, but a premonition.”

“A premonition?” Alice was startled.

“During the process of advancement, witches have a certain probability of experiencing passive premonitions that transcend their own Order. A witch’s premonition, if not voluntarily revealed by her, cannot be observed by others using their abilities,” the Duchess explained.

“But such a bizarre dream…”

“Information obtained through premonitions isn’t always orderly. Especially premonitory dreams; they can sometimes be chaotic, but they invariably contain information relevant to the future.”

“Then what kind of information do you think this premonition carries?” Alice asked.

“I believe this premonition might signify that you will have the opportunity to come into contact with the powers of another pathway. And this pathway is undoubtedly connected to the man who called himself the ‘Mad Hatter,’ whom you met in the dungeon,” the Duchess answered, looking at Alice.

Alice fell into thought upon hearing this. Did this mean she would have further interactions with the Mad Hatter in the future?

“If that’s the case, once you return to Maplewood City, perhaps you could investigate that man’s whereabouts,” the Duchess suggested, forming a plan. “From your interaction with him, his attitude seemed rather friendly. You could try to uncover the forces and organization behind him; if the opportunity arises, they might become an asset to us.”

“Then when do we return to Maplewood City?” Alice asked.

“Anytime,” the Duchess smiled. “I’ve already secured your transfer spot back to the academy; you simply need to pack your bags and enroll. Now that you’ve successfully advanced, our plan should proceed to the next stage.”