The rocky terrain of the Crag Plains stretched endlessly before Alice, a bleak maze of jagged rocks and shadows. Yet, a cheerful hum escaped her lips, an eerie melody that clashed with the desolation. Her bladed legs clicked faintly against the stones as she moved, her single button-like eye scanning the horizon with unsettling determination.

"Hmmmhmmmhmmm~... Where is it, where is it...?"

Crouching low, her mitten-clad paws brushed against the ground, searching for traces of the Keystone's energy. Her stitched, patchwork body felt strange, its mix of plush and metal unfamiliar, but she hugged herself lightly, as though holding everything together. Her jagged ears twitched at distant whispers of Fiends amid this area of the Soulplane, but she smiled brightly, speaking softly to no one.

"The Boundary... I just need to find all four Keystones to prove my worth!" Her voice carried a singsong lilt, her step faltering briefly before she steadied herself. "Don't worry, master—I'll be home soon... Yes. I just have to pass this test, and it'll prove I'm still their good girl. Then everything will go back to how it was. It has to..."

Alice could only recall the good times and gentle pets she had received from her owner. Not once did she give any mind to the harsh words and cruel actions she had been given. The gleam of scissors briefly flashed in her mind, only to be buried under layers of affection.

Just then, the sound of footsteps crunching against stone broke the quiet. Alice froze, her humming silenced. Her ears shot up, her sharp legs shifting into a predator’s stance.

"Is this part of the test?" Alice whispered eagerly, her button eye gleaming as she turned toward the sound. "I'm ready. I'll pass this one, too... You won't halt my trial of love, whoever you are!"