| “ | Into the hole again, we hurried along our way, into a once-glorious garden now steeped in dark decay.
— Alice Liddell
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” |
Alice Liddell is the young, 18-year-old, main character of the video game series American McGee's Alice, based around the fictional character of a similar name created by Lewis Carroll. Unlike the fantasy theme of Carroll's original story, the video game series is a darker psychological tale where Alice is a traumatized young girl, and Wonderland is a macabre world created by her broken psyche.
Alice's story began in 1863, when a house fire killed her family and left her with serious burns and psychological damage. Left catatonic, she was placed inside the Rutledge Asylum to be treated. After many years, she would one day be called back to Wonderland in 1874. There, she saw the state of Wonderland, how the characters had become misshapen, and a war between the White Rabbit and the Queen of Hearts was brewing. Throughout her journey, Alice would go on to try and fix Wonderland, which in itself, symbolized her attempt to regain her sanity and move on from her tragic past.
Battle vs Omori (by Killermoves)[]
When God created man, man felt lonely. Even in the midst of great beasts and environmental beauty, a hole formed inside of man’s heart that ached and hurt. And so God made man a company; a new creation to fill the hole. Someone to make him complete. A reason for the world to have life.
Suffering through a similar fate, was a young little boy. His name was Omori, a hikikimori, and someone who lacked joy. His blank face carried no emotions; no signs to say he was alive. Only his black sando covered his torso, and black shorts and socks covered him below. He stood in the center of a town, appearing as a black stain on an otherwise clean patch.
No direction, no objective, not even a reason to exist. An insignificant little glitch that creation would not call its own. His feelings, thoughts, were hard to decipher and reach. Gloominess emanated around him, consuming every glow.
“What do we have here?” a voice spoke from behind Omori. The young boy turned and there, appeared a teenage girl wearing an archaic blue dress. She had a long skirt and white stockings, reminiscent to clothes from his fairy tail books. Her color and her radiance were stark contrasts to how Omori looked.
“Are you lost, little one? Where is your family?”
Family? Omori knew of the word. Many people he met spoke of it. But the meaning of the term was a mere stranger to him. Though it once held importance, his experience of it was now a mystery; its essence had eluded him.
“It’s okay if you do not want to talk. My name is Alice by the way. I am lost, you see. I remember being in Wonderland before a flash of light struck, taking me here.”
Omori recognized what the girl said. He also remembered a great flash of light, taking him from his headspace, away from those people who stuck around him like flies to a sticky trap. He… missed those individuals. They were his party whom he had many adventures with. Kel… Aubrey… Hero… B… Basil… M-M-Mary…
Omori shook his head. The more such memories invaded him, the more he was being pulled back to the past. And it was a very scary past, one that he would never want to be in again. Better to be an unfeeling… unsmiling… spectator and enigma. Someone who could not be hurt; immune to the sufferings of the world.
“Come little one,” Alice said as she grabbed Omori’s hand. “Let us find your family, if ever they are alive, unlike mine…”
Apples, peaches, oranges, and celeries. Bread, butter, rice, and poultry. Alice may have overextended her help and generosity. For a supposed little picnic, there was food to feed an army. But it’s good that there were many food, for a little child must eat plenty to grow. Although the boy still retained his deadpan look, he responded well to the banquet Alice prepared.
He munched on the fruits; he gave no quarters to the bread. Every vegetables there was, he eagerly ate. Alice was happy to have fed him well. Even though she ate none of her dishes, she felt satisfied nonetheless. They sat on a small grassy plot, the only of one its kind in this desolate town. Although empty and devoid of life, the stores were somehow packed with fresh groceries. Such a mystery about this town hung in Alice’s head. But right now, getting this kid fed was her first priority.
Suddenly, the whiff of the wind changed; its direction turned. Alice could feel something… or someone... watching them from afar. As the boy continued eating, not knowing of the danger, Alice prepared her vorpal blade, for a fight that might happen later. Her engraved knife shone brightly as sunlight made contact.
“You found me! Ha!” a man, who came out of the bushes, screamed. His face was molten and burned, and he wore a brown fedora on his head. He had a red and black sweater on him, as well as needles on his fingers that glistened brightly. His arms swayed violently as he ran.
Alice stood up and put her blade in front, asking to herself, “What in God’s name?”
“Here I come, bitches!” the man yelled and laughed. “Before I gut you both like a pig, you’ll tell me where I am and why you put me here!”
The moment he got close, he made a wild swipe at Alice with his bladed gloves. But Alice managed to jumped into the air, dodging his attack. Undeterred, the man tried to attack Omori next, but Alice quickly descended back to the ground with her inflatable dress, hacking the man’s hand clean off as she did.
“You bitch!” the bastard yelled, holding his new stump. Omori had finally noticed the man. After swallowing a big piece of watermelon he was munching, he cleaned himself and magically summoned a dull kitchen knife into his hand. He then stabbed the man through the chin. The pervert made one hellish scream before his body quickly burned to dust.
“What is this place?” Alice murmured in fear. She then hurriedly grabbed Omori’s hand and tried to yank him to somewhere safer. But this surprised the kid, making him resist Alice. The child seemed begging, as tears flowed heavily from from his eyes, for Alice to stop.
“Come on! We need to go!” Alice demanded. As Alice continued to drag the kid, something caught her in sudden dread. Omori’s blade slashed at her, barely missing her porcelain cheek. As the young boy attempted to slash at her again, Alice parried the attack, before jumping away from the kid.
Besides adrenaline, regret also filled Alice as she faced the boy, who was now wrecked with pain and anxiety. She must have done something wrong for him to end like this. She should have not been too rough. She should have left him alone.
“I’m sorry,” Alice said.
The once peaceful town, now filled with the clanging of steel, besieged by sparks from colliding knives. Omori stood his ground, his face in tears, still enraged from the pawing Alice tried. He charged and cried, swung and slashed, yet none landed their mark. Alice was just too fast, with that ridiculous dress of hers, as she jumped and floated around.
The young girl wished she could do something to end this peacefully. Though she tried to plead and beg for their fighting to stop, her efforts were for naught. None could placate the kid; no words that entered his ears remained to be absorbed. She could delay and pray, but it seemed the results would be the same. The mad boy only wanted this battle to end in one conclusion - bloodshed.
“Unless…” Alice thought. With a quick flick of her wrist, her vorpal blade flew towards the boy, hitting him in the leg. As Omori knelt and clutched his thigh in pain, Alice turned and made a run for it. If there was no way to negotiate, then it was better to escape.
Omori, however, saw what she was doing. He had made a pact to himself that whatever this place may be, no one in here would ever try to abduct or hurt him again. Better to end this threat now than make the arduous mission of tracking and finding her. Even as a burning sensation crippled his leg, he erected himself, and pulled out his book of poems.
A sonata here and a lyrical stanza there. A drizzle of Shakespeare and a pint of Henley. Alice heard the words that reverberated around the town. Depression then burdened her and slowed her down. It did not take long for her to finally halt, as the baggage of sadness became too much for her to carry.
Blinded by tears, her nose and throat blocked, Alice could feel the toll that attack had on her. She then summoned a crooked wooden staff, with the eye of a monster she once slew, and used it as a crutch. But getting up was a challenge, as her joints became heavy and they trembled terribly. Nonetheless, she managed to stand and aimed her staff at Omori. A powerful beam flew out of the staff and struck the young boy.
However, the attack only had minimal damage, as Omori had managed to use a magical skill to boost his defense. Not giving up, Alice switched to a different form of attack, and began to fire explosive balls of energy at Omori. This time, his skill failed him, and Omori was thrown away.
Enough! Enough! Enough! Enoooouuuuuughh!
As more orbs flew towards him, Omori finally unleashed another, more dangerous, skill. Gigantic red hands suddenly appeared all around him, surprising Alice. The young girl began to fire her staff at them in rapid progression, and while a few hands were vaporized, their number seemed to never decrease.
“That kid,” whisphered Alice to herself. “I can’t stop these accursed things! There’s too many for my willpower to handle. I have no choice. I have to take him out.”
Sensing that her speed had somewhat returned, Alice made a mad dash towards Omori. She dove and roll, dipped and side-stepped, trying her best to dodge every red hand. With her blade drawn, Alice made a gamble to fight the kid up close, hoping that her superior agility would help against her more stationary opponent. Alas, though, the red hands were just too much, and soon, she was trapped and surrounded.
Gritting her teeth, knowing the end is near, Alice grabbed her staff yet again. Although she failed to get closer, it seemed she got close enough that a beam from her staff would score a bullseye.
Sadly, fortune was far from her grasp, her attempt ending in spectacular failure. The hands this time, crossed themselves, blocking her beam better than before. With her energy drained, she knew her time in this world was over, and she would be meeting her family soon. As the hands opened, ready to strike at her from all directions like snakes, Alice closed her eyes and awaited the end. She was now deemed post-mortem, her adventures now put to a close. A long journey finally grounded by a meek and silent little boy.
A cool breeze hit Alice’s face, awakening her from a sore slumber. She opened her eyes and was greeted by a clear blue sky; her body also feeling the dew from fresh grass. Alice swore she heard the calls of her parents and siblings from the great beyond. Yet, now she was back to the land of the living, seemingly having survived her ordeal. As she sat back up, she was greeted with another familiar scene.
In front was Omori, who had gone back to the picnic, eating whatever snacks he missed. As he caught the movement of the lady from his peripheral vision, Omori wiped his mouth with his fingers, and stood up. He walked towards Alice while cleaning his hands with his shirt. He then extended his hand in front of the girl.
Alice was confused, yet relieved that, not only was she not in conflict with the boy anymore, but the latter himself had offered a truce. She was happy, for there have only been a few individuals since her family’s death, that gave her forgiveness. Omori himself decided that he did not want her to go. Besides making good food, she made him remember a special someone from his past; someone he did not want to lose anymore.
Alice gladly took Omori’s hand and the two walked back towards the picnic, now more tranquil, now more at peace. They would make sure to keep this calmness and friendship alive until they finally get out of this mysterious place.
Expert’s Opinion[]
While experts believed that Alice was faster and more agile, with some useful weapons of her own like the vorpal blade and skirt, Omori’s skills were just too much for her to handle. In the end, while her superior agility allowed Alice to prolong the inevitable, Omori’s red hands and stronger knife would catch her in the end.