The Three Kingdoms - Chapter 1.2 - Loose Canon (Chapter)

 ==Loose Canon==

"Alice Elizabeth Raymour. It's been a full year," said a female voice that was accompanied with the clinking of a key in a lock. Alice did not open her eyes but was nonetheless wide awake. The female took hold of her hand and brought her to her feet.

"Thank you, Komachi," stated another female voice, noticeably deeper. "Alice, you were the first person convicted under Gensokyo law, exactly one year ago, after touching The Hakurei Barrier. I, Shikieiki, was not officially appointed The Law at this time so I must uphold the sentence Reimu gave you which was one year in prison and permanent loss of sight in both eyes. If you ever cross the line again, you will answer to me. Do you understand?"

"Yes..." answered Alice, who was drowned in fear. Her touching of the Hakurei Barrier had been an accident as Reimu had been erecting the Barrier as Alice was attempting to cross the American-Canadian border. Spending a whole year in isolation meant she had no idea what had been going on in the outside world. Not to mention the impact of her loss of sight. Alice couldn't help tightening her grip on Komachi's hand.

"Cirno, it's all yours," ordered Shikieiki, directed at someone else.

"Yes," said a third female voice, this one sounding very young.

"Shiki-sama," corrected Shikieiki.

"Yes, Shiki-sama," growled Cirno.

"Freaking idiot," mumbled Shikieiki, which was clearly audible to everyone present. Cirno did not reply and Komachi let go of Alice's hand.

"Alice, get on my back," offered Cirno.

Alice had no idea what was going on, "Wha-" Cirno hoisted her up by the legs before Alice could formulate a sentence. Despite coming into physical contact with someone else, Alice suddenly felt very cold, even more so after placing her hands on Cirno's shoulders. Then she felt a flying sensation with air blowing into her.

After several minutes of only the passing air to listen to, Alice spoke up, "Umm... Cirno? What's happening?"

"I'm flying you to Toronto."

"Why?"

"Because I have to listen to my superiors." Alice could hear a hint of loathing.

"Sorry, but I meant why to Toronto specifically."

"Oh, there was this guy who claimed that he knew you since day one of your sentence. I forgot his name. It was something weird..."

"David Ælious Sun?"

"Yeah! Ælious was his name. You know him?"

Alice smiled, touching a ring on her left hand with her thumb, "He's my fiancée." Not long later, Cirno landed on the ground and let Alice down.

Almost immediately came the sound of a male voice, "Hey, Alice, how are you feeling?" Alice felt someone grab her wrist.

"Much better now," she grinned, tears forming at the sound of his voice. She wrapped her arms round Ælious' neck.

"Umm..." interrupted Cirno, "Can I have help with my homework, again?" she pleaded.

"Of course," answered Ælious, "KC's inside."

"Thanks!" cried Cirno with happiness, her footsteps fading away.

"Okay, Alice, there's a lot I need to talk to you about," said Ælious in a very serious voice. Alice knew that he had bad news. He led her inside what she assumed to be his house and sat her down at a table. Given the nearby discussion of elementary mathematics, Alice gathered that both Cirno and Kacy were at the same table.

"I'm glad to see you, Alice," greeted KC, whose voice Alice immediately recognised, holding Alice's hand, "I'd say more but what Ælious has to say is very important."

On the other side of the table, Ælious spoke, "First things first. Alice, we are not the Ælious and KC you used to know."

"...What do you mean?"

"I have reason to believe we come from different universes where we have counterparts in each other's dimension. For example, the Alice I knew has her skin melted over her left eye, she was twenty-three years old, married to me for for less than a year before divorcing and marrying her childhood friend Vincent Hughes. She was born, raised and resided in Barton Town, now called Barton City. How about you?"

"I was born, raised and resided in Arcania City. I am seventeen years old, never married but engaged to my Ælious. I do know a Vincent Hughes but I haven't considered marrying him. I had no injury before moving into this world," Alice explained, her heart sinking with every word.

"How about your Ælious? Could you describe him for us?"

"He was born, raised and resides in Arcania City. He's nineteen years old, not married, and works as a technician and is currently pursuing the dream of creating the world's most advanced artificial intelligence called KC, named after a friend of ours called Kacy Blanc."

"I was, like my Alice, born, raised and reside in Barton Town. I am twenty-five years old and married to Carnis Fells. I am a technician and am also pursuing the same dream but my AI is KC and not named after anyone. The KC here is an android with advanced intelligence. And this brings me to my theory on how things work around here. For each fictional character, only one version, or possibly a merger, ended up appearing in this world. We only have one version of Suzumiya Haruhi, for example, roaming the world. However, that would mean I am the only one of my kind and you of yours." Alice was close to tears. "... But yes, this is only a theory."

"So... why are you helping me?" stammered Alice, struggling to speak straight.

"Hey, what sort of person would I be not to help someone in trouble? Besides, I'd be annoyed at my counterpart if he didn't help my Alice." Alice couldn't help form a quick smile.

"Didn't you divorce?"

"We divorced for the future and left on good terms. We still see each other all the time and still love each other dearly." That took a lot of strain off Alice and she felt considerably better. "Anyway, Alice, I think it's a good idea to find a way to get your sight back."

"But it was a permanent punishment!"

"I leave the decision up to you but let us give you your options. Could you open your eyes for us?" Alice struggled to do so, her eyes having been closed for almost a year. Her vision remained pitch black. She heard a tongue click. "That's not good. You still have your eyeballs but don't have your pupils or even your lens. It's not something I can deal with myself. Okay, Alice, you have three options. First, to do nothing and try to live with it. Second, find a Dollmaster since they specialise in giving sight via magical means. Problem is I could only find one Dollmaster, Alice Margatroid, and she's a high ranking Gensokyo official. Third, which I recommend if you have the chance, leave Gensoyko but as far as I'm aware, The Hakurei Barrier is impenetrable."

The room went quiet. Alice had no idea what to choose. "Ci-Cirno, what would you recommend?" There was a sudden outbreak of crying. "Ci-Cirno?" gasped Alice, not sure what to do, "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"I recommend going to see Alice!" shouted Cirno, "She's kind compared to everyone else and she's generally indifferent to law and politics!"

"Heh, crying from happiness," sighed Ælious, "Had me scared."

"Then I'll trust Cirno's opinion," Alice firmly stated, quickly followed by another outcry from Cirno.

"Alright," interjected Ælious, "KC, could you give us an analysis of the situation?"

"Yes," began KC, "Alice Margatroid lives in the Forest of Magic which is in Côte d'Ivoire, Africa. However, this is only a stone's throw away from the Scarlet Devil Mansion, which houses arguably some of the bigger figures in the Touhou universe. None of them have any political involvement but there's the risk of them interfering. If you need assistance, both Barton City and an Arcania City are not too far away. I'm not sure if it's your Arcania City but it most likely is."

"So the big issue is how to get you there," continued Ælious, "KC and I have to stay here to gather information. American and African internet aren't connected."

"I'll take her!" called Cirno, "I know Alice and I can get her past the Scarlet Mansion, no problem."