Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When you've lived in a world filled with man-eating demons, Yuu thought she couldn’t possibly be fazed with anything else by that point. Well, could you blame her? Discovering the orphanage you’ve lived in your whole life was actually a farm and that when her siblings are off to be “adopted”, they were actually sent to their deaths as food for the demons that eat them them is shocking enough. And yet, as her journey as an escapee with her siblings, and other things ensue in her life progress, things could only get more shocking. She thought by now it couldn’t get any more confusing, but the world once again proved her wrong by having her wake up alone, in a dark claustrophobic space.

Stay calm. She tried to assure herself, trying to stop her heart from beating too fast. Judging by how tight this space is, she thought, as she pressed her hand onto the ceiling. It didn’t budge. And also how low the ceiling is, I’m in a sealed coffin, or some sort of sealed container at least. she frowned. is this some sick joke?  She thought. If she were to die at the hands of demons, she’d surely be eaten by now.

“Fgyah! People are coming. Gotta get a uniform quick..” 

Who could that be? A demon!? She thought panickedly, bracing herself.

“This lid is heavy… Gah, If it comes to this, gotta use my last resort. HIYAA!” The voice screeched hurriedly.

Wha- but before she could even react, her little prison burst into radiant blue flames above her, as the supposed lid blew right off, revealing a little gray cat that had its ears lit with blue fire, and silver fur covering its chest. Seeing the supposed cat, Yuu’s mind immediately flashed to Lewis’ cat (or... was it a cat or a monkey?), and how it revealed their hiding spot back at Goldy pond. Remembering the vivid memory, she panicked.

“Myah! You’re not supposed to be awake!’” upon seeing her, the cat immediately jumped. Did he not expect her to be up?

“Where am I? Who are you?” She asked sternly. She realized that this one could speak, but she knew that from Norman’s explanation that the demons who could speak ate humans, and retained a human form. Why doesn't this one have a humanoid form if it can talk? Is it some special variant like the‘evil blooded girl’?  Her thoughts were curious yet frantic, she decided to pull out the sharp blade that she used in place of a hairpin. It can use fire too… no demon we’ve seen had powers like that.. Though I guess I'm glad this hairpin I decided to sharpen came to use. while she was lost in thought, the cat had started speaking.

“GAH!” the creature gasped. “H-Human! How dare you point a weapon at the Great lord Grim!”

“Okay Grim, where am I?” She continued, unfazed. Yuu couldn’t help but think the cat was rather cute to some degree. It would have been cuter if she didn't think it was a threat to her life.

“Nyah! I’m the one making demands here! Give me your uniform!” the creature said, his confidence growing in his voice. As Grim spoke, Yuu looked around the room. Floating coffins could be seen in the dark room and elegant windows that showed moonlight outside. Then she glanced at herself. She had changed from her white button up and black long skirt, along with brown leather boots, into a black robe of sorts, lined with gold and purple accents. She admits that it’s quite elegant, but in any case, she wasn’t giving the monster anything.

“No, I don't think so!” As soon as those words left her mouth, she immediately made a mad dash for the door.

She wasn’t going to deal with a talking cat demon right now. Her priority was finding a way out and then figuring out where she was and regrouping with her family. She dashed through the halls and looked out the window to see the moonlight shining down on the land, and entered a room that was a fair distance from the room of coffins. She hurriedly glanced around her surroundings. A hall that stretched far lined with wooden bookshelves with a second level, she could spot comfy chairs and lamps right by the shelves, and of course, she was met with more floating things, this time being books. Man, everyone would’ve loved to be here right now... And she would have too if she wasn’t totally lost in an unfamiliar building with no way to contact her family at the moment. But amidst her short daze, the door bursts open and the little feline with flaming ears appears once more.

“Nya! You have some nerve if you think you can escape the Great Lord Grim! Now hand me those uniforms, or else I'll roast ya!” The Feline threatens.

“No!" Yuu was pointing her hairpin at him again before someone else beat her to it when a string wrapped around the poor feline. 

“Myah! What’s this string!?” the feline exclaims. 

“It’s not a string! It’s a lash of love!” a loud voice says.

The man appears, seemingly from the shadows. His appearance was rather eccentric, to say the least. Concealed with a black half mask and a beak pointing out of it, he wore a glittering vest, and his entire outfit was weirdly glamorous, for lack of a better word. Golden accents and accessories, a very elaborate top hat, and sharp-looking talon-like claws. And you couldn't not notice his very large feathery black and indigo coat draped over his shoulders. He was fancy, too fancy to just be an escapee like Yuugo or Lucas.

He did wear a mask, but it didn’t seem like the ones the demons usually wore, nor did it seem like it would serve as any form of protection for his eyes. She couldn’t remember any demon with glowing eyes in the past either. So as of now, he was deemed trustworthy since he rescued her. If he were a demon, he would have tried to eat her too. Unless maybe he tried to keep Grim out of it so he could eat me himself later. Yuu instinctively covered the number markings on her neck, despite it being concealed by her hood.

“Aah, I finally found you. You’re this year’s new student, are you not? Goodness! You are quite impatient to open the gate yourself. And bringing in an untrained familiar! That is against school policy! How troublesome you are.” The man sighed.

“Myaah! Let me go! I’m not this guy’s familiar!” Grim protested, as the man scooped him up.

“Yes, Yes, That’s what all the rebellious ones always say,” The man said. “Really, it’s quite unheard of that a student opens the gate on their own like this. How impatient could you be? Come along now, the entrance ceremony has already started. The other students await in the mirror chamber,” The man sighed, and urged her to follow him. 

“Wait, sir, where are we? New student? Gates? Familiar? I don’t understand.” Yuu said confusedly. “Is this.. A shelter built by Minerva? Are you one of his remaining allies? Tell me, do you know Norman? Or whatever it is you call him? The current ‘William Minerva’? Or ‘Boss’?” She asked hopefully. If she managed to land herself in another shelter with Minerva’s remaining allies, she’d be the luckiest human in the demon world. There was a chance that one of Minerva’s allies was still out there. Who knows, he might know Norman. If he did, then maybe she could find her way back.

The man paused and gave her a look. “Shelter? Minerva? I am not acquainted with anyone known as him. Young man, are you perhaps dazed? Perhaps the Space transportation magic had fiddled with your memories. No matter! For I am so gracious, I shall explain while we’re on our way. This has happened before on multiple occasions after all,” The man simply said. She was simply at a loss for words. This wasn’t a shelter?  She thought. Then where am I?

Crowley cleared his throat, catching her attention.

“This is ‘Night Raven College’. It's a place where mages with exceptional talents gather, Twisted Wonderland’s most prestigious Arcane academy. And I am the headmaster supervising this academy under the board chairman, Dire Crowley” He explained.

“...I beg your pardon? Magic?” Yuu said in disbelief.

“Yes! Magic,” The headmaster seemed quite serious. 

“And the gates?” 

“You did wake up in a room full of gates, did you not?”

“You mean the coffins?”

“Gates. We designed it as such to express the idea of leaving behind our past selves and being reborn as someone new. Clever isn’t it?” Crowley said, smiling to himself, to which Yuu could only sigh.

Before she could press for more questions, or think about what she’d just heard deeper, they arrived at the supposed ‘Mirror chamber’, she presumed. 

“Here we are!” he exclaimed, as he creaked the doors open. “We are quite lucky that I found you nearby. Lest we arrive later,” he added.

As soon as the doors creaked open enough to peer in, she was amazed by the number of students in the room chattering and whispering to each other. It may have just been a peek, but she knew there were definitely more than a hundred students chattering away.

“Now, I suppose the opening ceremony, as well as the proceedings of division into dormitories, has ended,” a seemingly redhead, judging by the patch of hair that poked out, with a small stature commanded. He stepped forward, making himself more visible to a group of students. “Are you listening, newcomers? In the Heartslabyul dormitory that you have all just been admitted into, I am the law. Keep in mind that I will behead those who disobey me. Understood?”

The students, who were chattering about a moment before, immediately fell silent at the redhead’s words.

Dormitory? Looks like a boarding school. She flinched. What’s this about beheading people?! She thought. No.. Wait. There are kids here... A lot of them. A little old maybe. They don’t look like escapees. Am I… on another plantation!?  Yuu scared herself with her own thoughts. 

She heard a yawn and turned to the direction of another authority figure and looked towards a large man with a lazy posture, his thick dark brown hair flowing down his shoulders through his hood.  “…Fuaaah. The tiresome ceremony’s finally over with.” His dark skin glowed in the light as he took a step forward, waving his hand as if herding his group of ‘students’ “We’re heading back right now. Savanaclaw dorm, follow me.” he commented

As the man stepped into the light, Yuu was stunned to see lion ears poke out from under his hood. W-What is he!? She thought. Was he a demon? Was she on another plantation after all? Her panicked daze was interrupted by another voice.

“Everyone who has just been divided here, greetings,” He said politely, also soundly ignoring the other leaders beside him. “On this celebratory occasion, I would like to congratulate you on your enrollment in this prestigious establishment! So that you can all enjoy your school life here to the fullest, I will do my very best to support you all as the Dormitory Head of Octavinelle.” The man had silver locks peeking out from his hood, gleaming in the firelight as he stepped forward, his glasses shining in the light. Oh, Dorm heads. That’s what they’re called I suppose. She noted. 

The more she thought, she realized that she hadn't seen a girl in sight. Practically every person she’d laid eyes on are boys. Or at least she’d assume that way. That’s odd… she thought. They look about 16 or so, which means if I’m in a plantation… I’m probably in Grand Valley. No kid from Glory Bell lived past 15, and especially not Grace field. she thought solemnly. Although I don’t remember anyone from Grand Valley mentioning waking up in a coffin or some magic school.. But Theo did mention being raised by a ‘Teacher’ Her thoughts were interrupted once more by a cheerful voice. 

“Hmm.. I wonder where the headmaster went?” the fairly tan boy asked, his bangal earrings shaking. The other dorm heads commented on the thought. “Maybe he got a stomach ache?” 

“That is incorrect! The headmaster said, bursting into the mirror chamber, alerting everyone with his presence. “One of the new students was missing! That is all! And I was ever so gracious to lead them to the ceremony,” he said, complimenting himself. Crowley looked at Yuu, “Now, you’re the only one who hasn’t been sorted into a dorm yet. Come along now! I will hold onto this raccoon of yours,”

Yuu was ushered by The headmaster in front of a large mirror at the end of the hall. She was startled by the green flames that emerged from within it and the white, masked face that appeared in the mirror in place of a reflection. She knew demons could take the form of animals, like Lewis’ cat or Sonju’s horse, but she didn’t think a demon could possibly take the form of an inanimate object. This one spoke too, so it’s intelligent.  

“State thy name” the face in the mirror spoke.

“Yuu.” She said hesitantly, trying to keep her composure.

“Yuu..” the mirror trailed off.

There was an awkward silence.

“The nature of your soul is…” It trailed off again. “Unclear to me,” it finally said.

“What?” she heard the headmaster say, with genuine confusion in his voice. He definitely wasn’t expecting this.

“This one doesn't have a spark of magic in them. Shapeless, colorless, nothing.” It continued. “Therefore, they are suited for no dormitory!” it declared, and whispers erupted amongst the crowd of students.

“I don’t understand..” the headmaster uttered under his breath, but his words couldn’t escape Yuu’s sharp senses. “Never in my years as headmaster in Night Raven College has something like this ever happened! It is impossible to think that the dark mirror had selected a student that can’t use magic to be admitted into a prestigious magic school!”

Meanwhile, Yuu was trying to gather all the information that was dropped and process the situation. “I’m in a school. A Magic school. Everyone’s hooded but I can’t see a girl in sight. Not to mention the headmaster called me ‘Young man’? Everyone here looks to be in their teen years. Although Crowley is definitely an adult. This isn’t a shelter, the headmaster doesn't know Minerva, and magic exists…” she uttered to herself. “Sounds like the fantasy book I found in the shelter..” she commented. At that moment, Grim had escaped from Crowley's grasp.

“Myah! Let me take the puny human’s place! The Great Grim actually knows magic! Lemme show you my power!” Grim shouted. He huffed, and spat out blue, uncontrolled flames, causing panic to ensue throughout the chamber.

“GET DOWN!” The redhead dorm of Heartslabyul  warned, and blue flames spread uncontrollably across the chamber. “Ow my butt’s on fire! Someone help!” the tan boy who had questioned the headmaster’s absence previously shrieked. Meanwhile, Grim was running around, spitting blue fire left and right. “Someone stop that raccoon!” The headmaster helplessly yelled. Yuu watched as the fire continued to spread. 

“Why don’t you take him down? He looks like some puny prey a hunter like yourself could snack on,” The silver-haired glasses student commented, a snarky grin on his face. The lion-eared man beside him scoffed.

“Heh, Why should I? Too much trouble,” he said, huffing.

“Well, I suppose I shall take the task of keeping this helpless animal under control,” the boy said, adjusting his glasses with a grin.

The floating tablet nearby scoffs, Yuu had taken note of his appearance earlier, but didn’t have enough time to fully analyze the floating gadget. “Typical Azul-shi, racking up those credits like favorability points,” the tablet comments, in a deep, mechanical-ish voice. No face could be seen in its azure screen.

“Hello? Could someone please put this fire out!?” the boy with Bengals pleaded.

“Will anyone catch that raccoon!?” the headmaster pleaded in the same tone.

Yuu rushed to the boy with his rear on fire. “Um, sir, please stop panicking. You have magic, right? Can you use it to put your fire out?” she suggested. She guessed that since this was a magic school, the people in this chamber right now could probably use magic, and since Grim was spitting out blue fireballs, perhaps they could do elemental magic? 

“Ah! You’re right!” The boy pulled out a pen with a circular red-orange gemstone at the end of it and flicked it. Water appeared out of thin air and put out the fire on his rear with a hiss of steam, much to Yuu’s amazement.

“Are you okay?” Yuu asked, worriedly. As curious as she was about his magic, she wasn’t going to ask him at a time like this.

“Ah! Yes I am. Thank you!” he said cheerfully. “I can’t believe I forgot to use my magic!” he said, smacking his forehead.

“No, it’s normal to panic and forget about these things. I’m just glad I could remind you, even if that wasn’t much help.” she replied. 

“Are you kidding? If you didn’t tell me, my butt would still be on fire right now! Haha!” he cackled.

Yuu couldn’t help but smile. The sunny energy that this boy gave off reminded her so much of her little siblings. Right, other children were still.. She thought. we need to go back for them. I also miss Chris. Yuu thought to herself. But then she remembered. Chris…

“Ah! I’m Kalim Al-Asim by the way! Pleasure to meet you!” he said, shaking Yuu’s smaller hands, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Oh, my name is Yuu, it’s nice to meet you too,” she replied.

The sound of screaming interrupts their interaction as she remembers that the chamber is literally about to be set ablaze.

“Oh, um, Kalim-san, could you maybe use your magic to put out the rest of the fire?” she asked.

“Oh! Sure! Although my aim isn't that good,” he admits.

“That’s fine, I’ll direct you, if you’re fine with that,” Yuu replies.

“‘Kay! Go for it!” Kalim said confidently.

“Aim your water to your right!” she instructed. 

“Oasis maker!” Kalim chanted, and water burst right through his pen, to Yuu’s amazement. 

The fire was quickly put out, and Yuu instructed him further.

“Behind you!” “12 o'clock!” “To your left!” 

Eventually, they managed to aim for Grim, soaking him in water. “Myaah! My ears!” he shrieked. While he was soaked, the 2 Dorm heads that pursued him took this chance to catch him. 

“Off with your head! ”  the redhead chanted, and in seconds, sparks took form around Grim’s neck, and vanished, revealing a red and black heart shaped collar. So they have to say incantations in order to activate the magic?  She wondered. No, Kalim only flicked his pen without a word when he tried to put out his fire. So is it just to sound cool?  She objected to herself.

“Myaah!? What’s this? A collar!? Ugh, I’ll burn it right off!” Grim said, trying to spark fire, but nothing happened. “M-Myaah? My fire’s not working!?” 

“It’s no use. My unique magic, “Off with your head!” seals of those puny flames of yours.” The redhead explained. “The Queen of Hearts’ twenty-third law states: Do not bring cats into formal events. Therefore, cat, your presence is an unacceptable violation. I’ll have you removed right away!” The boy preached.

“Myaah!? I’m not a cat either!” Grim objected, but was shortly silenced again.

“Young man! Please do something about that familiar of yours! If he was so unruly you shouldn’t have brought him along!” The headmaster complained. “That is agai-”

But he was sharply cut off. “Like I’ve tried to mention before, I’ve never seen this flaming cat once,” she objected, rather sternly. “He’s not mine.”

“O-Oh, he isn’t? I apologize.” Crowley stuttered. “Well then, we’ll just have to throw him out.” 

Yuu looked at the man with surprise. “Wait what? Isn’t that a bit harsh? He could be eaten by wild demons,” she protested. He may have caused a racket, but subjecting him to the outside like that was crossing the line.

Crowley cocked a brow in surprise. “Demons? Child, what do you mean? There is no such thing that could be much of a danger out there,” Crowley responded, rather confused.

Yuu froze. “What?” she questioned. “There's.. No demons out there?” she said, seeking a confirmation.

Crowley only tilted his head. “No?”

Yuu was clearly addled for the first time in a while. Did.. did she get sent to the human world? Without her family?

Crowley quickly dismissed it as confusion however, and sent some students to throw Grim out. After the confusion was dealt with, the students left dorm by dorm, until it was only her and the headmaster in the room. 

“Headmaster?” she asked hesitantly. “Where am I exactly?” 

“Why, you’re in Night Raven college!” The headmaster replied. This response only made Yuu want to face palm.  “Now Yuu, unfortunately, I must send you back because I simply cannot allow a magicless student such as yourself to attend,” he declared, and ushered her towards the large mirror. 

“Now, picture your home,” Crowley instructed.

As shocked as she was, she started taking in her situation, but obliged. She was relieved that there was a way back. She decided to picture her family. Because her home was wherever her family was. Nat would laugh at how corny that line was. But it’s not like he’d disagree either. And also because if she learned anything from the shelter raid, it’s that a place could never be your forever home.

“O Mirror of Darkness! Return this one to their rightful place!” The headmaster chanted. 

Silence. A long pause. Which only made Yuu grow worried.

“Er- let’s try this again! O-”

“It is nowhere,” the mirror finally said.

“Eh?” The headmaster said questioningly, as if the mirror had only jested.

“The rightful place for this one does not exist,” the mirror continued. “I sense that I cannot send them back, nor can I find this one’s place in this entire world.”

Now it was the Headmaster’s turn to be surprised. Meanwhile, Yuu panicked. I can’t go back. She realized. I can’t see my family. But then she realized something. What did it mean when it said it couldn't send me back? Is something stopping it aside from the fact that it doesn't know where I’m from?

The headmaster was shocked, baffled, but nowhere near as scared as she was.

“Headmaster, where am I exactly ?”

“The Isle of Sages?” he tried.

She bit her lip. “No, I don't... I don't think I've ever heard of this place."

Chapter Text

“Child, where are you from?” Crowley asked.

“I-I can’t exactly tell either..” she said. She wasn’t lying. Most of the time, they just called it the demon world. They didn’t actually figure out the name of the world.

“What do you mean?” Crowley questioned.

“Tell me, headmaster. Do demons exist here? Have you heard of Grace field? Or Glory bell? Goodwill ridge? Grand valley?” she asked

“N-no..” the headmaster trailed off.

“Alright then… are you.. Part of the Ratri clan? Or work for it?” she asked. “Answer honestly. If you’ve been lying to me all this time, I can assure you you can drop it now. I know everything.” she added, her voice stern.

“What are you talking about!? I haven’t heard of this clan! I can assure you that I am the headmaster of this prestigious magic school!” Crowley said, going defensive.

“Alright then, one more question. Where am I? Am I in the human world?” she asked.

“Well, there are humans here, yes, but they aren’t the only species in this world!” the headmaster answered. Yuu thought back to the books she read back at Grace Field about the human world. None of them mentioned any other specific species that Crowley would probably mention.

“Ever heard of France? America?” she asked again.

“N-no! But we could still search the library p-perhaps?” Crowley proposed.

“Alright” she said in approval, and they headed towards the library.

When they made it, She immediately went searching in the large library. She marveled at the large selection of books the library offered, and grabbed a stack of books and got to it. She flipped through the pages skimming and gathering as much information as possible at an efficient speed that could only be found in a grace field child, much to the headmaster’s amazement. “Where did you learn to read through some information so fast!?” the headmaster questioned her. “..Eh, it’s what happens when you take tests everyday,” she responded nonchalantly. “Everyday!?” the headmaster responded, shocked. 

Amidst their little search, she asked, “Headmaster, what’s the name of this world?” she asked. Yuu figured asking for where she was wasn’t going to earn her a response, so she reworded her phrasing. 

“You are in Twisted Wonderland,” The crow man responded.

“Pardon?”

Yuu couldn’t find it in herself to press for more. She was too worried about her family to think at the moment. Yuu wanted to cry. She won’t be able to see her family for who knows how long. If she doesn’t hurry back, She won’t be able to help save all the other children still in the plantations. She won’t be able to live happily in the human world with Anna, or Phil, or Ray, or any of her family. 

She couldn’t see her family.

So she focused on finding a way back as soon as possible. 

Eventually, Crowley stopped, and confirmed it. “We can’t find these places you mention. Not one of them,” he declared. “You aren’t lying are you?” he asked suspiciously. Yuu then immediately glared at Crowley as hard as she could. “You think I’d lie when I can never see my family again? Please. This isn’t some joke to me, sir,” she responded coldly.

“Alright, Alright!” he responded. “Apologies, Young man,” 

She sighed. Right.. He still thinks I’m a guy. Yuu thought. Her appearance wasn’t exactly boyish, but not the most feminine either. Her hair that was already rather short was tied into a small bun, kept in place by her hairpin, which could also serve as a sharp weapon. The pale lilac locks shining in its full glory now that her hood was off, with some short locks framing her face. Her pitch black eyes gazed down at crowley. Her already pale skin glistens in the light, making her seem more pale. She didn’t plan on telling anyone she was a girl any time soon. After all, there was no telling what could happen. She might be thrown out, assuming she wasn’t about to be at this moment.

“I may not allow you to attend as a magicless individual in my school,” Crowley started. “However, as an educator, I simply cannot leave an otherworldly and confused individual such as yourself, I assume without a single madol to your name, wander the streets!” he declares. “But where should you stay…” he trails off. “Aha! There is an unused dormitory building by the campus! Yes, come along now!” he says, ushering Yuu out the library and leading her towards the place he had in mind. 

“It’s a bit run down, but it is quite charming,” he adds.

Yuu couldn’t help but get a bad feeling.

 —

Yuu was rather disappointed in herself for not seeing it coming, but here she was, in front of the supposed unused dormitory. “Too much charm, headmaster!” she exclaimed.

“Yes, yes, it may seem rundown, but at least you have a roof above your head as of now!” he cackled. “I shall be off for now. I shall arrive later with dinner. For the time being, make yourself at home. Goodbye!” Crowley says, and he was off. 

Yuu only sighed and entered the building. 

Saying it was rather messy is the understatement of the century. What century was it even in Twisted wonderland? The wallpaper was peeling off, the floorboards creaked loudly as she stepped on them, she was definitely sure that there were holes on the roof. The whole place was covered in multiple layers of dust, she discovered this when she tried to take a seat on the couch, and immediately started coughing from the smoke that moved from the couch. She doubted the water worked, nor the electricity. 

She groaned. This ever so gracious headmaster had thrown her into an abandoned building. Well, I can’t be too harsh on him. He could have kicked me out. Yuu thought. She decided to at least clear up the dust and fix the place up as much as possible, and also explore a bit. As she stepped through the halls of the second floor, examining the rooms, she started to recall her time with her family. Maybe it was because she missed them, or maybe because empty and hollow buildings were normal back in Goldy pond. And then she also remembered Yuugo. It was funny, really, when they discovered his name. She chuckled at the time when Lucas had called Yuugo ‘Yuu’ as a nickname once, only for both her and the black and white haired adult to show up. It was a running joke after that to just yell ‘YUU!’ if you need to call one of them, and the nearest ‘Yuu’ would come running.

She chucked. “Now that I think about it, my name’s kind of always been a running gag…” She said to herself. It was true. With a name like hers, it was like free pun material. Don would make a pun with her name sometimes to lighten the mood or cheer her up when she was upset. Yuu an do it! Yuu should really try taking a break. They were rather corny, but she could never help but chuckle. She remembered the time she introduced herself to the group at Goldy Pond. 

“I’m Yuu, it’s nice to meet you”

“You’re me?”

“No, no, I’m Yuu”

“That’s what I said-”

She chuckled again, before hearing the sound of rain. Water dripped inside the room, confirming her suspicions of the roof. She picked up the pace and managed to find some buckets lying around. When she rushed downstairs, she heard the door creak open, and immediately reached for her sharp hairpin.

“Myaah! Why is it raining so hard… my ears are gonna go out!” a familiar voice complained.

“Of course..” She groaned. She’d much rather not deal with this today. There it was, The great lord Grim himself in the flesh.

“Myah! You’re The human!” he yelled. “What are you doing here?”

“I should be the one asking you that,” she retorted. “Didn’t you get thrown out?”

Grim wore a smug look on his face. “Heh! Didja really think the great Grim couldn’t make it back to this magic school? I’m gonna be the greatest sorcerer ever yanno!” he puffed up his chest. 

“And here I was worried about you..” she shook her head. “At least grab me a bucket will you?” she asked.

“Myah? I’m not gonna! I’m just a humble beast passing by, just sheltering in here,” he declared.

Yuu scoffs. “Y’know, if you’re staying, it’s basic human decency to help out” she said. “Just grab a bucket? Please? Kinda busy here” she pleaded.

“Good thing I’m a monster!” he huffed.

Yuu sighed and scooped up some water from the almost-full bucket and splashed it at Grim.

“Fgyah! Watch the ears henchmen! Okay, okay! I’ll grab a bucket already!” Grim begrudgingly stepped off the couch and headed to the other room you pointed to. It was just the dripping of water after that. For a moment, just a moment, the room was tranquill, quiet, and peaceful, Yuu hummed in delight. 

Only for it to be cut off immediately by a scream.

“MYAAAAAAAh!!” Grim shrieked. Yuu got up and made a mad dash towards the hallway where the screaming came from.

“Grim! What ha-” she quickly shut herself down, taking in the sight before her. Grim was frozen in place, absolutely horrified. 3 translucent ghosts floated before them with a mischievous grin. They wore black tophats that tilted to the side with a blue ribbon wrapping around the bottom. The 3 also wore gray ragged capes that wrapped around their neck and shoulders. Though they were ghosts, Yuu wasn’t really scared. They were white cartoonish figures. One was plump like marshmallow, the other taller and slimmer, and the last of them were what she’d consider in between. Overall, they were floating marshmallows in tophats. 

“..Hello,” Yuu greeted hesitantly.

The ghosts’ mischievous expressions morphed into ones of surprise. “Oh? Aren’t you polite! Are you not scared? That was the reason everyone else left. They couldn’t handle us ghosts and ran! It’s been a while since we’ve had guests, you know!” The roundest said. “Why don’t you join us for eternity, huh?” the thinnest one offered, a mischievous grin plastered onto his gaunt face. Grim hissed but Yuu wasn’t phased.

“Are you the only tenants here now? I’m sorry for barging into your residence like this. But the headmaster kind of left me here..”  She apologized. Was this what happened to Ray and the others when they first got to the shelter? I hope nothing like what unfolded in that place happens. She thought to herself, recalling Emma’s story. She immediately went after Yuugo after that one.

“Oh! How polite. It seems that headmaster really did leave you here with us,” ‘In Between’ says. “Aren’t you scared? We’re ghosts you know?” the thinnest one asked. “..I’ve seen worse. No offense.” she replied. The thought of basically losing her family scared her on multiple occasions. Not to mention when Andrew and his squad raided the shelter, and the existence of demons in general, and seeing multiple people die right in front of her eyes. She won’t be scared of some floating marshmallows. “I see,” one of them replied. “In any case, I’m Charles, this is Sid, and that’s Greg” The plumpest ghost, now dubbed Charles, said, gesturing to his other ghost friends. “Well it’s definitely a different reaction compared to the little scaredy cat here,” Greg pointed to Grim, who was still glued to his spot, hissing. 

“Myaah!? I ain’t scared! And I’m no cat!” Grim said. It didn’t take a genius to figure out he was lying.

“Oh really?” the ghosts teased. “While we’ve been talking with the boy here, you’ve been shaking like a leaf and you haven’t moved an inch off your spot!” one of them teased. This must have been a trigger for Grim, because he looked like he was about to blow up.

“Scared huh? Myah! Take this! Fireball!” he chanted as he summoned a fireball that hurled in the ghosts direction. 

“Oh? A game huh? How fun! Let’s play!” Charles offered.

Grim decided to hurl more fire in their direction. She didn’t want her dorm to catch on fire, so she tried to interject. “Guys stop, please!” she pleaded, but they were having too much fun messing around. She sighed, and took a side. If they won’t stop, she’ll have to play along and beat them. 

“Grim! Try to minimize the flames please! The place will catch on fire, and it’ll be easier to aim that way too,” she suggested.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Grim yelled. 

“Call it helpful tips. To your left!” she instructed.

He seemed reluctant, but obliged, getting a clear hit at Sid. 

“Gyaa!” he yelped.

Another ghost appeared behind Grim, going for an ambush. “Grim! Behind you!” she called. Grim swiftly turned around and got in another shot, barely missing. 

“Yikes!” Greg shrieked.

“Myahahaha! You’re not bad henchman!” he cackled confidently. Just then, the averagest ghost snuck up from above and gave grim a scare. “Grim watchout from above!”

“Boo!” Charles yelled, startling Grim, and sending him stumbling. “GYAAA!” he yelped.

“Don’t flinch! He’s coming in again from you’re right!” Yuu instructed. 

“Take this!” Grim shrieked. One last fireball, and he won, getting a shot right through the ghost.

“Ow!” the ghost yelped, and he disappeared.

From the looks of it, they’d won the little game. “You did it Grim! You were great!” Yuu complimented, going up to grim and patting him on the head. “M-myah! It was nothing. I’m just that great you know!” he said confidently, puffing up his chest.

Chapter Text

“..And then Grim got rid of the ghosts with flames, as much as i would have liked to settle it peacefully,” she said, glaring at grim. When the headmaster had walked in on their little game, meaning to deliver dinner, he had demanded an explanation.

“Under your guidance?” the headmaster asked.

“Sort of. I only directed the way his flames went.” she responded.

“That’s still guiding him, Yuu-san,” the headmaster added.

And so the explanation concluded, as she ate the soup that Crowley delivered. although Grim did practically swallow most of it for her, so she just gave it up. To sum it all up, Later on, the headmaster wanted to see for himself the way in which She worked with Grim. It wasn’t much different than with the ghosts, except this time they had one target- the Headmaster. The headmaster deduced that Yuu may have talent as a beast tamer, and decided to let Grim stay.

“Of course, you won’t be staying here for free. Even my generosity has limits,” Crowley adds. 

Yuu however saw this coming. “What do you have in mind?” she asked.

“Do not worry! it's not too much, but I thought I’d have you two be handymen, work odd jobs for the school as payment,” he said.

“Alright, that’s fair.” she responded.

“Myaah!? But I want to wear a flashy uniform and do cool magic stuff like a student!” Grim wailed.

“Oya? If you’d rather not, I can arrange it for you to be thrown out,” he shot back

“Myah! Alright alright..” Grim said. “But I want my tuna cans!” he retaliated. The headmaster had promised tuna if they could beat him, to which they did. The headmaster seems to dismiss it and move on however, as he asked Yuu a question.

“Yuu-san, do you have a last name? You never mentioned it at the entrance ceremony,” the headmaster asked curiously.

Yuu froze. She never really thought of it, mostly because no cattle child has a last name. But also because she never had time to think about it. “I don’t have one,” she answered simply. “I.. was an orphan. I never really met my parents,” she added.

“Ah.. I apologize for asking,” the headmaster said, genuinely regretful of his question.

“It’s not really a touchy subject. There’s nothing to worry about,” she assured him.

Eventually, he left, and Yuu claimed the biggest bedroom in the dorm. It wasn’t like anyone would stop her. She plopped herself on the bed after dusting it and took out her bun that was messily tied together by her hairpin, and let her short hair flow down. It was originally long, but an attack from lewis had cut it. She was quite sad, really, she liked the long hair that her siblings loved to play with, but it wasn’t exactly a big deal. She sighed and lay on her bed, slowly dozing off to sleep, with Grim snuggling nearby, snoring.

—

When she opened her eyes, she seemed to be standing on water. It was clear, reflecting a clear night sky filled with shining stars. The sky above her was azure, white clouds filled it like sea foam in water.

It was beautiful.

"Is this the day and night..?"

The day and night was where Emma was going to forge the promise with him. Unless of course, she goes along with Norman’s plan.

A mystical one eyed dragon soared above her, and he appeared.

The king of demons was small, taking a child-like form. His mask had two horns that poked out on both sides, resembling those of a bull’s. One hole at the center of his face where his eye could be seen, shining with its giant pupils. A star imprinted above his eye on his mask. He wore a silky looking robe of sorts, whatever it was, it was definitely meant for royalty. The robe had a round cape, and was gold an white. And of course, he was floating in mid air in a sitting position, along with the one eyed dragon laying behind him, its yellow eye staring right back at her.

“Are you… the one Emma forged the promise with?” Yuu asked, breaking the silence. Although she wondered if Emma had even forged it yet.

“Oh? She hasn’t forged the promise with me just yet,”  he responds.

“I see. And I assume you know where I am? Are you the one who sent me here? Please send me back with my family,” she pleaded. She wasn’t going to waste any time. If anyone was going to send an unassuming child like herself to a different world, it’d be him.

“Oh? Quite the accusation you fired there. But yes, I am the one who sent you here, and I won’t send you back,”  he declined.

“Why? What do you want with me?,” she asks. The details of the promise said that all cattle needed to be sent to the human world once it was implemented, and there was no telling if he had already found out the details of the promise already.

“You are, compensation, so to say. I assume you already realized I know the details of the soon-to-be forged promise?” He says. However, Yuu started to panic. Was he going to send other kids to different worlds too? And what did he mean by compensation?

“Not to worry, everyone else is to be sent to the human world, as to-be promised,” he assured. “But you’re staying here for a while,”

“Why? Why only me?” I asked.

“Something will happen according to the details of the promise, but the cattle will retaliate and overturn what was promised. However, it won’t exactly be breaking the promise either. So, instead of going back on the promise, I decided to send you here instead as compensation. When the time comes, you’ll be with your family. But not now.” he explains.

“Why send me here anyway?” she asked. It didn’t exactly make sense.

“For my entertainment of course. It’d be quite amusing” he says.

“Unless of course, you’d rather never see Emma again…” he trails off. “Then I suppose I'll send you back,” he adds.

“What?!” Yuu gasps.

“You’ll figure it out soon enough..” he smirks under his mask.

“Fine, I’ll do it, I'll do it! On one condition!” she exclaims. If she was going to resign to her fate, she was going to get something out of it.

“Which is?” he questions.

“I’d like to stay in touch with my family somehow. I need to know what’s going on in the demon world and what’s happening to my family. Every night, or any time you wish. Please,” her voice cracked by the end of her request. “Everyone, including the kids from the other farms, all the grace field kids including the ones still stuck in the farm, and..” Yuu trailed off. “My ‘Mom’ too. please.”

“Alright,” He responded. “Do you wish to do so now?”

Yuu nodded.

The day and night faded out, and instead showed the paradise shelter, lively as it always was, filled with the laughter and joy of children. Yuu’s eyes widened, but she smiled. Everything seems fine. The little kids were playing, some older kids were working in their workshops, and it was lively as always. she saw Gillian passing by, and wanted to greet her. "Gillian!" No response. she just kept walking. come to think of it, no one said a word to her, waved, or anything really. heck, No one even looked in her direction.

"Gillian?" Still no response. She tried to tap her shoulder, only for her finger to completely go through her, like Gillian was a ghost. Or maybe, Yuu was the ghost. She sighed, as she realized that she won't be able to interact with her family. But technically she did get to see how her family was doing, and stay in touch. She regretted not being more specific. she explored the large shelter and checked in on everyone.

Then it flashed to Grace field, except, maybe it wasn’t the Grace field she grew up in anymore. Phil and the other little kids were probably sent off elsewhere, since, according to Ray, They had burnt the house down. Now they were in another building, a nice little house with a grassy field where kids were playing. But Yuu almost stopped breathing when she couldn’t pinpoint all the kids that were left behind. 

“Where are the others!?” she asked frantically. 

“Not to worry, they are at other plants,” He responded. The scene flashed to a different plantation, where Naila was playing in the sun with some new kids. Yuu felt herself breathe a sigh of relief as it flashed to the other kids. She smiled. They’ve all grown up. I’m so proud of them.

It flashed to all of her family members and what they were up to. Emma and the others were planning, Norman worked in the office, and everything seemed relatively normal. Everything seemed to be fine. Occasionally, she’d ask questions which were briefly answered. Although he didn’t show what her mom was up to, she couldn’t ask as everything went blinding white as she awoke.

–

“Wake up kiddo!” the thin ghost said. Her eyes snapped wie open. Right.. I’m still here.

“What got you smiling like that in your sleep? Good dream?” Sid said, grinning.

“Haha, yeah…” Yuu answered. It was pleasant seeing her family again, even if she couldn’t interact with them. The others don’t know I’m gone yet…

Eventually, she got ready, dressing herself in a white button up and black slacks, along with a nice outer coat she managed to find. Everything passed by like a blur. The headmaster dropped in to deliver some breakfast: a tuna sandwich that she shared with grim. Scratch that, she had a bite and left the rest for the flaming cat. The headmaster instructed them to sweep the main street and polish the statues as their first job. “Do keep an eye on Grim, Yuu-san,” the headmaster added, before flying out the window.

They headed over to main street. It was quite a marvel, really. A cobblestone path that leads to the castle-like school’s entrance. The street was lined with 7 statues that were unfamiliar to her. As they sweeped, Yuu could feel the students gazing down at her from behind her, but she couldn’t care less anymore. 

“Hey henchman! Who’s the scary looking lady?” he commented.

“Don’t be rude, Grim,” she responded. If they had large statues like these, they were most likely respected figures. They’d get in trouble if they insulted the equivalent of William Minerva in this world.

“But I don’t know either,” Yuu tilted her head. The golden plate read “The queen of hearts”. Looks like monarchies existed here.

“You guys don’t know about the Queen of hearts?” a voice asked.

“Who?” Grim asked as he whipped his head around.

Chapter Text

The voice belonged to a boy with orange-reddish hair with a red heart painted on his face. He wore the school uniform- a white buttoned shirt with a red vest and a black jacket that had gold linings, a striped black an white tie. His trousers are the same color as the jacket, and a black belt wrapped around his waist. He wore a sort of armband that had a gold crest attached to it. A pen with a red glowing gem was in his breast pocket.

“Emma..?” Yuu muttered in a low voice, but it didn’t escape the ginger’s hearing apparently. 

“Who?” he asked, giving her a strange look.

“A-ah, never mind,” She responded. The boy looked like Emma in a way, but he seemed more mischievous. An amused grin was plastered on his face.

“Who’s the ‘Queen of hearts’ anyway? And who are you?” Grim asked, tilting his head.

“Ace Trappola, a fresh first year. Nice to meetcha!” he says cheerfully.

Ace goes on to explain how the queen of hearts ruled over a land of crazy people, and how her strict rules had kept everyone in line and everything under control. “Ruling over a kingdom of insane people isn’t easy,” Ace said.

Eventually, Grim just kept asking questions and pointed to every statue in main street. Yuu listened carefully as she sweeped. There might be some useful clues that the boy could drop in the conversation, and she was curious herself too. All in all, the seven figures are known as the great seven; 

the Queen of hearts ruled over a kingdom of madness and kept them in line under strict rules.

The king of beasts climbed through the ranks in order to become king through cunning tactics (which sounds awfully sketchy to Yuu). 

The benevolent sea witch had offered help to any unfortunate soul she stumbled upon (For a price). 

The Vizier of the Scalding Sands who served a foolish sultan that almost let his daughter be tricked by a street rat who pretended to be a prince, and became a sultan himself.

the fairest queen who maintained her spot as the most beautiful, checking her ranking everyday in her magic mirror (she’s good at making poisons too). 

The ruler of the underworld who tamed many strong beasts and had them all under his thumb, like cerberus, hydras, and titans. 

And lastly, the thorn fairy, who was arguably the strongest of them all, could wield strong magic and could supposedly turn into a giant dragon. 

“Woah! They’re pretty cool!” Grim exclaimed in awe. 

“Yeah, unlike a certain raccoon,” Ace scoffs.

“”Eh?”” Grim and Yuu said in unison. 

“That’s it. I can’t hold it anymore!” Ace started to chuckle, before he bursted into full on laughter, almost falling to the floor.

“Th-The cat that caused a ruckus at the ceremony and got ki-kicked out, and-” he paused, trying to breathe from his laughing. “And the magicless guy that got summoned to a magic s-school got turned into j-janitors! Hahahah!” He laughed. “It took every ounce of strength not to lose it in the entrance ceremony- Hahaha!” he continued.

Yuu only rolled her eyes, glaring down at the teen. But grim wasn’t having it.

“Hey! What’d you say about me!? The Great Grim is just as cool!” Grim shouted furiously.

“Grim calm down-” but Yuu’s warning fell on deaf ears as Grim started to puff up his chest, and released a flaming ball of fire.

“Watch out Ace!” Yuu screamed.

Ace dodged out of the way just in time for the fire to hit the ground behind him. “Hey what’s your problem huh!?” Ace shouted, giving grim a surprised yet horrified look. In no time at all, a small crowd of students gathered around. What are they doing!? They might get hit by the flames if Grim decides to fire them again! Yuu thought frantically. 

“You wanna fight!? Great tempest!” He yelled, pointing his pen at grim. Just then, a gust of wind blew at Grim. The flaming cat stumbled backwards, but Yuu was on her feet, preparing for whatever was going to happen next.

“Myaah! How dare you! Taste the great grim’s wrath!” Grim puffed up his chest. Oh no . 

Yuu started moving on her own and grasped Grim and covered his mouth as he was about to fire in the direction of the queen of heart’s statue. She felt a burning sensation on her hands that started to spread. Oddly enough, it didn’t burn as bad as she thought it would. It felt like she just dipped her hand in very hot water. Not exactly scalding, but almost at that point. But that didn’t change the fact that it was excruciatingly painful She gasped loudly as a small tear fell from her eye. “Ow.. “ she whimpered, her voice cracking. But she didn’t let go of Grim. Immediately after that, the fire died down and she released her hold as her knees buckled. Yuu touched her hand and scrunched up her face at how much it hurted. She winced again.

“Oi! You okay?! What were you thinking!?” Ace frantically went up to Yuu, her small figure crouched down on the ground. “H-henchman! I’m sorry!” Grim apologized, panicking.

“I’m fine, it’s fine. I’m okay,” Yuu forced a smile. She really hated making other people worry about her.

“You certainly aren’t Yuu-san!” a recognizable voice bellowed.

Crowley broke through the crowd of students crouched down to where Yuu was. Even though Yuu didn’t want to look at her wound, Crowley took a look at her hand. “That looks like a serious burn!” Crowley exclaimed. He waved his cane in Yuu’s direction and uttered something Yuu didn’t pay attention to. In seconds, her hand immediately felt a cooling sensation as the pain lessened and Yuu’s hand barely shook anymore. “This should lessen the pain and relieve the burns a bit,” Crowley whipped his head towards Grim and Ace, who were awkwardly standing behind Yuu. 

“Both of you!” he bellowed. The two shrunk in their spot. From their interactions and how much Yuu knew about them, she’d have expected them to run away, but they didn’t move. Crowley faced Ace. “You, what’s your name and year?” he asked. “Ace Trappola, 1st year…” Ace said solemnly. 

“Trappola and Grim! You two have inflicted a wound on Yuu-san. Mainly Grim, but I’ve heard You have also played a part in the reason that is so,” Crowley glared at Ace. “And I have also heard you almost burned the Queen of hearts Statue! You two will clean 100 windows this afternoon after school. Understood?” Crowley said, drilling glares into both of them. 

“It’s fine really-” but Yuu was quickly cut off. “No it’s not! That’s a second degree burn! If grim hadn’t quickly retracted his flames, it could have been much more severe! And a fight on the first day of school!? Unacceptable!” Crowley had already made up his mind. Yuu could only sigh. She’s already suffered severe injuries herself, and Zack and Anna had taught her a thing or two about treating wounds. Though she isn’t one to get herself injured often. Is Emma rubbing off on me or something? She sarcastically thought to herself. 

“Yuu-san, you need to head to the infirmary. Can you stand?” Crowley asked.

“I’m fine headmaster, I burnt my hand, not my legs,” She replied.

Crowley sighed. “You speak as if this isn’t a big deal…”

—

Nonetheless, the headmaster gave her directions and she headed to the infirmary. Grim was stuck sweeping by his lonesome self, and Ace headed off to class. “This school’s giant…” she uttered under her breath. It was huge. Its wide corridors and stone walls really matched up with the castle theme. The halls were lit with green torch flames. As she observed the building and explored, she felt herself run into someone.

“Ah. I’m sor-” she paused to look at the figure that towered above her. His long raven hair that flowed onto his shoulders had a tint of blue to them. His skin was rather pale, not exactly a normal shade, and his ears were pointed. He wore the same uniform as Ace, but instead of a red vest, it was a vibrant green. Aside from his towering height, one thing caught her attention. Horns. This man had Horns. Is that.. A demon!? She gulped no no, it’s a different world. Crowley says he’s never heard of demons either. 

“Ah- Sorry for bumping into you,” she apologized. 

“Ah. not.. To worry,” he seemed confused, as if he had expected her to do something. Eventually, his gaze landed on her hand. “You are injured,” he says, concerned.

“Oh, this? Don’t worry, I’m heading to the infirmary,” she smiles. 

“I see,” he replies, returning her smile.

“WAKA-SAMA!” a loud shout was heard behind her.

Malleus exhales. “I must be on my way, do take care,” he says, as he dissipates into green sparkles.

Yuu blinked, astounded, but quickly set the thought aside and went on her way. She wasn’t going to stick around for whatever that shout came from.

–

When she entered the infirmary, a man in a black and white fur coat and black and white hair stood inside the room, as if expecting her, he turned around and took a good look at her. “Are you the pup Crowley sent?” He asked. Pup? 

“Yes?” she replied. He gestured for her to come to take a seat on the infirmary bed. She sat herself down and let him examine her burn. “You’re lucky, pup. if the crow hadn’t cast the spell, this would have left a scar,” he rubbed a salve that left a cooling sensation on her hand. As he wrapped her hand in a bandage, Yuu interrupted. “You know, It’d be a lot easier if you warped it like this instead,” She took the bandage and wrapped it around her hand the way Anna had taught her swiftly, like she usually does if she gets a cut, or if anyone else is injured.

The man’s eyes widened. “You seem quite used to this,” that’s because I am, was what she had wanted to say, but she knew that would raise questions. “My friend is.. A doctor. She taught me how to wrap bandages,” It wasn’t exactly a fib. Anna would probably be qualified enough for the job if she gave it a few more years, and Yuu was rather proud of her.

The man nodded. “I see,” he responded. “Just make sure you don’t injure your hand any further and it should heal up in about a week,” he said. “You’d best be off now, and don’t be a bad pup and injure yourself again”

Chapter Text

She rejoined Grim and continued sweeping Main street. And Grim kept apologizing over and over. The cat had been so prideful, Yuu never thought it’d even be possible for him to absolutely bombard her with apologies. But she only chuckled and said it was no big deal. Eventually, they finished early, and had time to drop by the library, much to Grim's dismay. She took a stack of books and started reading on the nearest bench. It was interesting, to say the least, to learn about a completely different world. Like when I read through every single book in the shelter the moment I came back with Emma's group. Yuu couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. While she was in her reading spree, Grim had fancied himself a nap.

When the bell rang, she was snapped right out of her trance in a book about the basics of magic. Instead of waking Grim up, she decided to just place him on her shoulder. Grim snuggled up by her blue scarf softly snoring while she went on her way.

When she arrived, the cafeteria was pretty huge. It had long wooden tables with candlesticks at the center of the tables along with a bowl of fruits. As she headed over to her seat, she could feel stares burn through her back from behind her. But again, she really couldn’t care less. The moment she was seated, Grim immediately got up at the smell of food. “Myah! Finally! Food!” he exclaimed excitedly.

“Sorry Grim, I don’t have any money on me right now, so you’re going to have to settle with these fruits for now,” she said. She hated to break his enthusiasm, but she didn’t bring anything with her at all.

“What!? Myaa..” Grim frowned, clearly upset.

“Sorry…” she patted his head. “But once we get back to ramshackle, I’ll find something to work with and cook us something,” 

How am I supposed to even get ingredients for cooking anyway? She thought. And there’s no guarantee that the Ingredients in Twisted wonderland were the same as what I’m used to. He frowned in thought. Just then, she felt someone tap her shoulder.

“Hey, I heard you don’t have anything on you,” a boy with hyena ears said to her. Another animal eared guy?

“Oh, uh, yeah..” she sighed.

“Here,” he pulled out a sandwich from his bag and gestured for her to take it. “Take it,”

“But it’s y-” 

“Take it,” Yuu was quickly cut off. She reached out to take the sandwich hesitantly.

“Thanks,” she smiled at the stranger. 

The stranger only looked away, and went on his way.

“Odd..” she said to herself, but gladly split the sandwich with Grim, much to his delight.

–

Ruggie didn’t know what came over him, really. The kid was just in trouble. But it wasn’t exactly in character for him to just give people food free of charge.

“Maybe it was ‘cause he looked sad or something..” he muttered to himself. “Yeah, I just felt bad..” but it wasn’t like him either to just do something out of the goodness in his heart.

Maybe it was because he reminded me of something… he thought. The guy’s face looked really upset. It reminded him of how the little kids in the slums looked sometimes when they were hungry.

“Gaah!” Ruggie ruffled his hair in frustration. “Now I've got to get another sandwich for Leona…”

—

Eventually, Lunch ended, and then the school day. Grim had to start washing the windows. Ace hadn’t gotten there yet, so she thought she’d do Grim a favor and help out a bit in the meantime. 

At first, they thought he must've been lost or something. It was his first day. But the minutes passed, and after about 20 minutes, they realized he must have played hooky. Grim stormed into Ace’s classroom and proceeded to yell for Ace, “No ones here, Grim,” Yuu said, sighing. “It’s after school, remember?”

Thanks to the helpful directions of a talking painting, which Yuu is still astonished by, they found Ace and caught him snickering to himself, mumbling something about how there’s no way he’d ever clean that many windows. Yuu and Grim caught him right in the act and proceeded to run after him. Yuu was pretty quick on her feet, even if Grim was on her. She supposes running from demons so much, and a number of other factors, did a number on her physical capabilities.

“Ha! Didja really think I’d clean 100 windows!? No way!” he sprinted towards a large room. The large room was round, with 7 giant mirrors with dorm crests above each mirror. “How are you so fast anyway!? You’re carrying a freaking cat on your shoulder!” Ace yelled. Just then, a bluenette with blue eyes and a spade painted on his face appeared out of a mirror as Ace dashed past him. 

“Hey! Please stop him! He’s avoiding punishment!” Yuu shouted. “Please!” 

“Eh?” he cocked a brow, but shook off his doubt, “O-okay!” he said reluctantly.

After doing a double take, he immediately flicked his pen, and a literal cauldron appeared mid-air and landed on Ace, stopping him in his tracks. That’s one way to stop him. Ace was on the ground, wincing, while Grim hopped off Yuu’s shoulder and proceeded to scold Ace for skipping. “Thank you,” Yuu faced the bluenette that had summoned the cauldron and smiled. The bluenette returned her smile. “No problem, what punishment did he plan on ditching anyway?” 

“Like heck I’ll clean a hundred windows!” Ace openly protested. 

“A HUNDRED WINDOWS!?” The bluenette’s eyes flew wide open. “What did you guys do!?”

“Well.. they sort of gave me a bad burn and almost burnt down a statue on main street,” Yuu raised her hand and pointed at it.

“That raccoon did!” Ace objected. 

“You were insulting us!” Grim added.

“What!? Are you okay!?” the bluenette immediately faced her.

“I’m fine. It’s fine,” she assured. But the bluenette wasn’t convinced. Yuu sighed. “Ah, where are my manners? I’m Yuu. It’s a pleasure.” Yuu says, smiling politely.

“Oi! Blueberry! Could you lift this off me!?” Ace pleaded.

“Ah, it’s nice to meet you,” he said, ignoring Ace for a moment. “And my name is Deuce by the way! Try to remember the name of the people in your dorm !” Deuce yelled at Ace as he paused. “Er…” 

“Talk about a hypocrite! It’s Ace, Juice! Now get this off of me!” Ace yelled.

Deuce rolled his eyes, and with a flick of the pen, the cauldron disappeared, much to Yuu’s amazement.

“You okay?” Yuu asked as she pulled him up.

“I think I broke something!” Ace said dramatically. 

“Yeah, sure,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Let’s get going, Mr. Dramatic” 

“Look, You really think I’ll clean those windows? As far as I can tell, you guys look like you’re doing fine,” Ace retorted, which was met with Yuu’s glare, which shut him up real quick.

“Alright Alright! I’ll do it“ Ace complied begrudgingly. “Wait, where’s the furball?” Yuu immediately became aware of the missing cat. 

Oh no.

“Myahaha!” Grim cackled in the distance. 

“That raccoon!” Ace gritted his teeth. But Yuu was already on her feet and running. “Come on!” she yelled. The duo tailed behind her. She was running pretty fast now that she isn’t carrying anything. Usually she’d be carrying a big backpack or a child, but this time, she didn’t have anything to hinder her speed.

Once she rounded the corner, she caught his small figure running back into the cafeteria. But by the time she entered, Grim was already perched on the giant chandelier. “Grim get down! That’s dangerous! Please!” she yelled. “Grim!”

“No! I already did my share of the work! Now it’s that guy’s turn!” Grim protested.

“Just please get down!” Yuu shouted again. The duo arrived inside just in time to see Grim up in the chandelier. 

“Listen here raccoon! If I’m going to clean a hundred windows, You’re suffering with me!” Ace yelled. 

“Not helping, Trappola!” Yuu called.

“No way!” Grim yelled. The chandelier was swaying dangerously. It’s gonna fall. It’s gonna fall. It’s gonna fall! Yuu thought frantically. But then she had an idea.

“Trappola, Spade,” she turned to the both of them. “Give me a boost,” 

“”What!?”” both of them said in unison. “You’re crazy!” Ace said “The boost won’t be strong enough anyway!”

“Just do it! Trust me okay?” she looked both boys in the eyes, pleading.

“F-fine! Just don’t fall! I don’t wanna get in trouble again” Ace budged reluctantly. Deuce hesitated too, but gave in. “And what’s with the formalities!? It’s weird,” Ace added. They got into position as Yuu backed up a few steps and  dashed as fast as she could and landed on Ace and Deuce’s cupped hands as she jumped. With her abilities and the duo’s help, she managed to jump high enough to reach the chandelier. She could hear both boy’s collective gasps as she grabbed Grim by the scruff and started to fall back down. The boys panicked, realizing that she never mentioned how she planned on getting down.

“W-what do we do!?” 

“I don’t know!”

The duo scrambled to catch her, hesitantly, shifting left and right. 

“Yuu! Are you okay!? That was a huge fall!” Deuce glanced at her worriedly.

“I’m fine,” she assured, dusting herself off.

“How!? Your legs should be broken! Are y-” Ace‘s sentence was immediately, she heard the chandelier sway dangerously as the screws came loose. She instinctively tackled both boys out the way.

“Wha-!” but Ace’s shocked protest was cut short as the chandelier came crashing down with a loud crash.

Yuu got up from the ground and frantically looked towards the chandelier. “Oh no.. this thing looks really expensive..” she said in a slightly low voice. How are we supposed to fix this?

“Indeed it is, Yuu-san!” a familiar voice bellows again, the second time today. “What is the meaning of this!?” The headmaster yelled.

Yuu pinched the bridges of her nose. She swears she’ll be getting a migraine. 

After explaining the situation, and blaming each other, Ace and deuce were sentenced to expulsion. Their pained faces of despair, especially Deuce’s, left a mark on her. She hated those faces. It’s my fault she thought to herself. I dragged them into this..

“Headmaster, Is it possible for them to perhaps replace the magestone?” Yuu asked, finally saying something. The headmaster had mentioned that the 10,000,000 madol chandelier, which she presumed was a lot of money, was powered by a priceless magestone. The duo widened their eyes at her words, light shining in their eyes as if her words had brought about one last ray of hope. 

“W-well, yes, there is a way…” the headmaster trailed off.

“Please! Headmaster! I’ll do anything to avoid expulsion!” Deuce pleaded. 

The headmaster thought for a brief moment considering the proposal. He nodded. “Very well, You have until sunrise to obtain a magestone from the mines,” the headmaster concluded. Deuce and Ace immediately sighed in relief, a familiar determination filled their eyes. She couldn’t help but smile at their expressions.

“I’ll tag along with them to make sure they stay out of trouble,” Yuu proposed.

“Are you sure your hand is alright? This might be dangerous-”

“I’ll be fine,” she immediately cut him off. “I dragged them in this mess anyway,”

The headmaster sighed and gave in. “Fine, but do be careful. I shall see you soon,” the headmaster said as he vanished.

This was going to be a long night, Yuu realized, as she and the duo headed to the mirror chamber.

Chapter Text

The group headed to the mirror chamber, silent as they walked. Even grim didn’t say a word, which was quite rare.

“Hey Yuu,” Deuce said, breaking the silence. “Thank you,” 

“Eh?” Yuu said confusedly.

“For pretty much helping us avoid expulsion,” Deuce said. “I don’t want to make my mom sad,” he added.

Yuu paused in her steps. “No problem,” she replied. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’m sure your mom will still love you even if you get expelled,” she responded to Deuce’s words.

Deuce’s eyes widened at her words, but Ace exhaled loudly and placed his hands behind his head “Haah! Same here. It’ll be real lame if I get expelled on my first day, y’know?” Ace said smugly. “Thanks for fishin’ us outta that!” 

“Anytime, you two,”

They arrived at the mirror chamber in its full evil glory. Just as dark as she remembered it. Deuce stepped forward, “O dark mirror! Bring us to the dwarf mines!” he said clearly. The dark mirror swirled into green flames and faded into a dark forest with a cave that was sealed off by wooden planks. “Come on!” Deuce stepped into the mirror, Ace and Yuu followed from behind.

Yuu felt a bit dizzy as she stepped through the mirror, probably a side effect of not being used to magic. The dark forest unsettled Yuu a bit, reminding her of the time they escaped Goldy pond and how many wild demons would suddenly appear from the shadows. She shuddered at the memory. Near the huge cave that was boarded up by wooden planks was a little cottage with a bridge that led to it. 

“You know, we couldn’t possibly dig out a magestone with our bare hands,” Yuu said as they walked towards the cave. “It’d be wise to find something,” Yuu added.

“Oh! What about the cottage there? This is the ‘dwarf’ mines, so maybe that cottage was where the dwarfs lived?” Deuce suggested.

“Good idea,” Yuu agreed.

They walked to the entrance of the cottage. Slowly, Yuu reached for the door, and it creaked open. The cottage was dark, as expected. It seemed empty, which was relieving because she wouldn’t want to break into someone’s house. Inside, everything was small. The chairs, the doors, even the long table. It almost made her think little kids had lived here. And what unsettled her was the fact that the place was in shambles. Furniture on the floor, crooked frames, and things that seemed knocked off the shelf. The place was abandoned, evident from the cobwebs that decorated corners of the ceiling and layers of dust that covered the floor and furniture. 

“This place hasn’t been touched in years…” Yuu concluded. She stepped inside, followed by the two other boys. Grim rested on her shoulder, sound asleep.

“Maybe the people who lived here just moved out because they got sick of mining magestones?” Ace wondered.

“Maybe,” Yuu shrugged.

“I’ll look upstairs with Grim, you two search downstairs. Scream if you find anything dangerous, otherwise, just call me over,” Yuu said, as she headed upstairs.

“What, you worried about us, Shorty?” Ace teased.

“Now where did that nickname come from?” Yuu snorted from upstairs.

“Guys, focus!” Deuce reminded them as he began searching.

Yuu explored the upstairs. A long hallway lined with 7 rooms and a stained glass window at the end of the hall. She wondered what could’ve happened for the residents to leave such a nice little cottage. She peeked inside each little room, which had equally small furniture like beds and wardrobes inside. She stopped at one particular room where a little journal could be found atop a desk. She picked it up, dusting off old cobwebs and dust that had gathered on the little book over the years. I hope the owner won’t mind… 

She opened the little book.

It wasn’t anything much, just a brief summary of their day written in blue ink in neat handwriting. 

Today, my brothers and I are going to the mines again, as usual. 

The breakfast Sleepy made this morning had some eggshells in it. It could use some more work, but it didn’t bother me that much.

Happy took up singing, which was interesting. It gets a bit annoying everyday listening to him going  ‘Lalalala’ every morning and ‘Do re mi fa so!’ while he’s mining, but he’s so happy that no one had the heart to tell him. Eventually I stepped up and let him down slowly. He was understanding enough to keep it to a minimum after that.

The girl that woke up in our cottage that one time came to visit us from the kingdom. Apparently she’s a queen now or something. Everyone was thrilled to see her, and I’ll admit, I guess I am too, but she’s still kind of annoying. But it’s kind of her character. She helped us clean up the place a bit, and gave us some flowers. Sneezy put it in a vase near the kitchen window sill. It smells nice, as much as i’d never want to admit it.

Yuu smiled at the entries. Little doodles of a dwarf singing and a flower vase on a window sill accompanied the entries, the sketches grew more detailed as the pages progressed, and he drew a little portrait of him and his whole family; 7 little dwarves almost shorter than phil. This guy really does care about his family. The writer seemed to speak fondly of his brothers and the particular ‘girl’ that would appear every now and then. Yuu started to miss her own family too, but quickly flipped through the pages to avoid the thought. The tone of the writing started to shift.

I’m so tired of working in the mines everyday. But we just have to y’know? We’re pretty lucky to find the mines near our house to be full of magestones. Apparently some mages need them to channel out some blot or something. It sells well enough to put food on the table and other things we might want. But lately, we’ve been running out of stones to mine, and we really don’t know what else we’ll do without the mines. But my brothers keep telling me ‘Don’t worry grumpy!’ or ‘It’ll be fine, Grumpy’. They can’t keep acting like everything’s gonna be fine.

So his name is Grumpy.. Yuu noted.

“Myaaah! Henchmen? Where are we?” Grim stretched, Awake from his nap.

Yuu closed the book and set it aside. “We’re in a cottage,” 

“Why?” Grim asked.

“We’re gonna need something to dig up those magestones to replace the chandelier. Not like we can dig it out with our bare hands,” Yuu explained.

“Oh, right, the chandelier,” Grim responded, recalling the events.

A moment after that, Ace’s voice echoed through the cottage.

“Oi! Yuu! We found some pickaxes! But they're kinda small,” Ace yelled. 

“Good enough!” Yuu yelled back. She walked towards the staircase. I think.. It’s better to set that book aside. She noted to herself. She stepped downstairs to find the duo standing there, with 3 pickaxes in hand. 

“Is there any more?” Yuu asked.

“Well, yeah, but we only need 3, for each. I doubt the raccoon could lift one,” Ace teased.

“It’s The Great Lord Grim to you!” Grim shot back.

“Guys, please don’t get in a fight, I’d rather not burn my hand again, thanks,” Yuu intervened before it could escalate. Ace and Grim went silent, 

“Right.. Sorry about.. That,” Ace pointed to Yuu’s bandaged hands. “Does it hurt?” Deuce asked, worriedly.

“Not really,” Yuu responded. “It aches once in while, but the pain isn’t too noticeable,” 

“Right,” Ace said. “Anyway, why do you ask about the pickaxes?”

“It’s small, right? I could carry another one, just in case,” Yuu answered.

Ace shot her a weird look that read ‘really? You?’, to which Yuu just roll her eyes. “I’m not as wimpy as I look y’know?”

“You look like you’re as strong as a girl,” Ace said.

“Ace!” Deuce scolded

“Considering the fact that a majority of the great seven are girls, I’ll take that as a compliment,” Yuu shot back, grinning. And also because I am a girl, and I know a lot of other brilliant girls that are strong in their own ways.

“Fair point,” Ace responded.

The gang picked up their pickaxes, which were a bit heavy despite their size. Yuu lifted two pickaxes with ease, much to Ace’s surprise. They headed to the entrance of the mines, and proceeded to tear down the boards that obstructed their path.

“So who’s going first?” Yuu asks.

““Not it!”” Ace and Deuce shout in unison.

Yuu sighs. “You two..” she pinches the bridges of her nose. “Fine. since Grim is basically a walking torch light-” Yuu picks up a stick from the ground. “I’ll need his fire,”

“Myah! Henchmen!?” Grim seems to object.

“Pretty please? Promise I won’t take too much from your ears,” Yuu pleaded.

“F-fine!” Grim reluctantly obliged, and Yuu lit the end of the stick with his electric blue flames.

“It’s pretty y’know?” Yuu compliments, observing the fire.

“It’s cool henchmen!” Grim corrected.

The group walk in, with Yuu in the lead and the trio trailing behind her. It was beautiful. The amethyst stone walls had little chunks of gems that shined, but not what they were looking for. They continued to wander inside the dark cave, only lit by the blue light of the torch and Grim’s ears, their steps echoing in the deafening silence. Come to think of it, why would Crowley let a bunch of inexperienced teenagers enter a dark mine in the middle of the night anyway?

“So this is the dwarf’s mine…” Deuce mumbled. “It used to be prosperous, but after the magestone shortage..” Deuce trailed off.

“Well, it’s pretty much abandoned,” Ace commented.

“Hey guys, am I the only one getting a bad feeling?” Yuu broke the silence. “And what’s this about a magestone shortage?” Grumpy had mentioned something about it in his journal.

“Eh? What do you mean? I’m getting a good feeling! We won’t be expelled!” Deuce enthusiastically replied. “I’ll go through any lengths to get that magestone!”

“Something wrong?” Ace asked, a bit concerned.

“No,” Yuu replied, but she couldn’t tell herself whether they were in the clear.

Chapter Text

The group continued to chat a bit as they traveled the eerily silent mines as their steps echoed throughout the cave. Yuu couldn’t help but get a bad feeling. Why would The headmaster let a bunch of kids go to the mines anyway? Yuu wondered.

Suddenly, faint giggles could be heard.

Yuu paused in her steps. “Who’s there?” she called.

“Yuu? I don’t hear any-” Deuce was quickly cut off by the sound of giggles that grew louder until-

“BOO!” 

“Gah!” Yuu yelped, startled.

But the other 3 behind her had a bigger reaction “AAAAAHHH! GHOST!” The 3 yelled. The three quickly scurried behind Yuu.

She turned to the ghosts. They looked quite similar to the ghosts at Ramshackle- what the other students called their dorm apparently- except these ones had their scarves a bit more torn up. “Uhh, sorry for intruding,” she bowed apologetically. 

The ghosts gave her weird looks.“Wait. Aren’t you scared of us or something?” one of them asked. “We’re ghosts,” 

“You did startle me, but I’ve dealt with ghosts already,” she said. “Do you happen to know Charles, Sid or Greg?”

“Ooh~ that’s rather interesting,” one of them said. “But we haven’t met anyone with that name,”

“Interesting! Most of the time, people just run away screaming,” one of them pouted. “It’s funny, but sometimes I kinda hope they’d stay,”

“Ah, is that so?” Yuu replied.

“Yep!” the ghost duo reply in unison.

“I see. By the way, you wouldn’t happen to know where a magestone might be? We’re looking for one,” Yuu asked.

The temperature suddenly dropped, and the ghosts had a grim look on their faces. “Well.. we do,” a ghost answered.

“Really!? Please tell us!” Deuce perked up, overcoming his fear. It was impressive how far he’d go to avoid expulsion.

“Kiddo, word of the wise, get outta here while you can,” a ghost said seriously. “Before he comes,”  

Suddenly, Yuu completely froze. She heard something. And it wasn’t friendly.

“G..et..o…t”  it seemed to say. “G..et..Ou..t” it got louder. 

“Guys,” Yuu said, tension in her voice. “We need to get out. Right. Now.” Yuu commanded. 

“But-” Deuce was swiftly cut off. 

“Now!” She growled. The voice became louder. “Give..Sto..ne!” 

“You hear that?” Ace said questioningly. 

“ Oh no! ” A ghost said frantically. “ He’s here !” 

The ghosts disappeared, and Yuu quickly grabbed Ace and deuce by the wrists and yanked gGim on her shoulder and dragged the trio into a run. But it was too late.

“ GIVE BACK STONE! INTRUDERS!” it yelled, its voice distorted. “ GET OUT!” 

Yuu already broke into a run, dragging both Ace and Deuce with her. The two were still caught off guard, but followed. “What is that thing!?” Ace yelled, looking back. Yuu followed his gaze, taking a peek behind her.

A giant figure that wielded an equally large pickaxe on one hand and a large lantern on the other that emitted an eerie red light was chasing them, swinging its pickaxe wildly after them. It didn’t have feet, instead below its body was a messy glob of inky substance that left a trail of black ink. It wore a ragged and torn red top with yellow buttons, with a brown leather belt. But perhaps the most eerie feature was the giant clear glass bottle that it had in place of a head, which was filled about more than halfway with the inky substance at its ‘feet’, complete with a little brown hat. The bottle of ink seemed to be damaged, with one large crack that spread across its surface, ink occasionally dripping out of it.

That monster looks like..! Yuu thought as she sped forward, catching the pair behind her off guard with the sudden change in pace. 

“ INTRUDERS! STAY AWAY FROM STONE!” it screeched. 

“Stone!? Wait! Maybe it’s talking about the one we’re looking for!” Deuce said, slowing down.

“Are you insane!?” Ace responded loudly.

“Yeah! What are you even thinking!?” Grim agreed.

“You three! Now is not the time! Deuce you’re lagging behind, I can’t keep dragging you both!” Yuu snapped.

“But-” 

“NO. Right now, we get out of here first, then we think of a plan. We’re not facing that thing without a plan unless you both want to end up dead!” Yuu quickly cut Deuce off.

She could see the entrance to the mines, the same one they entered from. She ran faster towards the exit, dragging everyone with her as she made it outside. She quickly ushered the group behind a large rock and crouched down, trying to keep out of the monster’s sight. 

She could hear a large amount of ink dripping as it got louder, her heart pounding against her chest. The sound of a pickaxe being dragged across the earth unnerved her, as she covered Grim’s mouth to assure that he didn’t say a word. The sound grew louder and louder as it came near their spot, and so did her heartbeat. It reminded her of her unpleasant experiences in Goldy pond. She’d rather not think of them, as she quickly brushed off her thoughts. Eventually, the sounds grew fainter and fainter as it soon faded out.

“Yuu, are you okay? You were breathing heavily. Not that I’m blaming you but-” Deuce continued. “You looked like you were terrified out of your mind.” 

“Don’t worry about it. I just remembered some things. That’s all,” Yuu quickly reassured.

“Guys, let’s just go back,” Ace proposed. “No way we’re dealing with that! We almost died! If shorty wasn’t fast as a hare, we probably wouldn’t have made it, I’d rather be expelled any day than lose my life”

“What!? No way! I have to become an honors student!” Deuce objected.

“Well sorry to burst your bubble Mr. Honors student, but I’m not dying today! No way!” Ace said. ”’Sides, no way we’re strong enough to beat that thing,”

“Well why not just combine your strengths?” Yuu suggested. It was common sense, wasn’t it?

“What!? No way!” Ace yelled. “I wouldn’t be caught dead working with Juice here!”

“It’s Deuce! Deu!” Deuce corrected. “And working with him is impossible!”

“Big talk coming from someone who’s magic is literally summoning cauldrons!”

“Haah!? Like your magic is any stronger! You picking a fight?” Deuce retaliated, suddenly switching gears.

“Woah! What happened there!? ‘Slike he’s a different person,” Grim commented.

“Agh! Shoot..” Deuce said under his breath. “Point is, I’m going in there and I’m getting that stone, dead or alive, alone, weather you come or not,”

“Really? You still on about tha-”

“WILL YOU GUYS STOP!?” Yuu snapped, quickly silencing the others. “I’ve had enough of your arguing! Can’t you two think for once!? Is it really that hard to just work together!?”

 Yuu turns to Ace. “You! You’ve been doing nothing but escalate the situation with your petty teasing and getting on everyone’s nerves! Stop initiating arguments and messing around for once!” Yuu snapped, Ace froze under Yuu’s Vicious glare, unable to say anything. “Just please stop getting yourself into trouble!”

“And you,” Yuu turns to Deuce. “Listen here, Spade, You’ve been talking about sacrificing yourself and throwing away yourself like it’s some heroically selfless act! Tell me, how do you think your family will feel when they find out you’ve hurt yourself, or worse, got yourself killed over getting some stupid magical stone!? And finding out you did it because you didn’t want to get expelled for their sake? How selfish are you to throw away your life like that when your family still needs you! How would they feel about that!?” Deuce froze, but guiltily looked down, realizing just how thoughtless his words were. 

Yuu sighed, and put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t sacrifice your life like that.. Please…” The words she spoke were straight from the heart. Deuce had reminded her a bit of Emma and how stupidly reckless she was. And especially Yuugo. Ever since the events after they went searching for the paradise shelter, Everyone’s moods have dropped since Lucas and Yuugo’s death, especially Emma’s. She got to witness it all first hand, and experience it herself how painful it felt. She couldn't imagine anyone else going through that.

“Yuu..” Deuce guiltily looked at Yuu. “I’m sorry about that..”

“Same here,” Ace agreed, looking in her direction, rubbing the back of his neck. “We were kinda jerks..”

“Kind of?” Yuu mused, but sighed. “And I’m sorry about the.. Outburst,” Yuu said guiltily. She admits that she may have probably gone a bit too far.

“Don’t be. I.. kind of needed that,” Deuce says.

“Right,” Yuu said. “Now, back to getting that magestone,” She continues. “I’ve got a plan, but you two are gonna have to be able to work together. Are you in?” 

“I don’t know, All this teamwork and ‘work together’ sounds a lot like RSA..” Ace sighs.

“You know what’s lamer? Being known as those students who won the record for fastest expulsion in Night Raven College. Surely, working together even for just one plan isn’t anywhere as lame as that,” Yuu says, smirking.

“Fine, you win, Shorty. What do you got?” Ace begrudgingly obliged.

“Glad to know we’re on the same page, But before I share the plan..”

Chapter Text

“Are you ready, Grim?” Yuu asks the little flame cat. 

“The great Grim isn’t scared!” Grim responded, but Yuu knew that he was still scared. He reminds me of how Lannion and Thoma could get sometimes when they face danger, like in the shelter raid. Not to mention Ray's own stories from the escape. Yuu couldn’t help but let a small smile form on her face.

“Right, let's get to it then. Hey! You!” Yuu yelled. Her ears picked up on the sound of a pickaxe being dragged across the stone floor. 

“ INTRUDERS!?” The monster bellowed.

“Y-yeah! That’s right! We’re gonna steal your stone!” Grim yelled, a bit shakily.

The sound of the pickaxe grew faster and louder, The sound of it’s distorted grunts growing.

“Over here, Grumpy!” Yuu called. That seemed to be the last straw as the monster suddenly paused, before breaking into a full on sprint as it came into view. Yuu quickly picked Grim up as she sprinted to where Ace and Deuce were. “Now!” she commanded. “ I summon thee, cauldron!” Deuce’s chant was followed by a cauldron ten times the size of the one that stopped Ace in his tracks that landed on the monster’s inky figure. It screeched in pain as it staggered backwards. “Don’t give him a chance to recover! Ace! Send it tumbling with your wind!” Yuu called. “You got it! Go, Giant tempest !” Ace screamed, and a huge wind blew from the jewel at the tip of his pen. 

The monster fell to the ground, struggling to push itself back up. “One more! Grim, Ace and Deuce, Finish it off with a combined attack! Grim, Blow out your fire! Ace, Fan it with the largest wind you can muster up! Deuce, Trample the monster with another cauldron to stun it!” Yuu commanded, followed by obliging responses from the magic trio. They followed her instructions. Grim conjured up a decently larged fire, but it grew the size of a giant wave when Ace’s tempest fanned it. Deuce summoned more cauldrons, stunning the monster in place, as the sea of blue flames consumed it, leaving the monster on the ground as it stopped moving. 

Yuu quickly rushed to a corner of the cave where she had caught sight of a certain glowing stone, which she guessed was probably the magstone. Picking up the glimmering stone, which was already loose enough that a good pull could hoist it out of the stone, she returned to the group, which she found were bickering and excitedly talking about what they just pulled off.

“We.. we did it?” Deuce questioned himself, as if not believing what he had just done.

“Heck yeah!” Ace yelled, launching his fist into the air.

“We actually did it! The great grim’s flames were massive!” Grim cut in.

“Yeah, only cuz I fanned it out!” Ace remarked.

“Did you guys see how my cauldrons actually damaged it!?” Deuce added.

“That was awesome! Shorty, your plan was actually pretty brilliant! You’re not so bad at playing the leader, you know?” Ace complimented. The group continued to bicker on about their skills, occasionally dropping in subtle compliments at each other, much to Yuu’s surprise, but She couldn’t help but get an inkling that something wasn’t right. She tensed up as soon as she heard a faint rustling. “Guys,” She said, catching everyone’s attention. “Let’s get out of here. Right now,” she said, trying to urge everyone out of the mines.

“What’s wrong, Yuu?” Deuce asked, rather concerned.

“Yeah, the monster’s de-'' just then, Ace immediately froze at the sound of distorted growling. Yuu reacted quickly and grabbed them both by the arm and launched Grim onto her shoulder- which she only now realized that she didn’t have her scarf on, but that was the least of her worries right now. The monster quickly rises to its feet, staggering as it did, slowly regaining its strength. 

Once they were far enough away that the monster couldn’t catch sight of them, they immediately hid behind a giant rock. 

She started massaging her temples, as if trying to squeeze out a plan, but if only it were that simple. “What do I do? What should I do? What do I do…” she muttered to herself, scrambling for a plan. Pickaxes.. Pickaxes! She turned to Ace, Deuce, and Grim, who were shaking in their spots, the duo with their magic pens in hand and Grim ready to spew out flames.

 “Do you guys have your pickaxes?” She asks. They turned to look at her, and she could hear Grim make a funny noise. 

“These little things? What are you planning on doing?” Deuce asks confusedly. 

“Just hand them to me! And on my signal, I want you guys to restrain the monster, okay? I’m getting us out of this, don't worry.” she explained. The boys gave her a look that had ‘I don’t know about this’ written all over it. “We’ve got some crazy luck on our side, and some strong magic. We’ve got this, just trust me on this. Are we ready?”

“Alright. But whatever stunt you pull, make sure you don’t hurt yourself,” Deuce agrees.

“Yeah! I might have to clean more windows,” Ace adds, which immediately earns a nudge from Deuce. Yuu couldn’t help but  giggle as the boys hand her their little pickaxes and prepare to strike. 

Grumpy arrives, dragging his own giant pickaxe through the floor as Yuu pulls out her own little pickaxe and takes aim. Where to aim.. Yuu took a moment to think. The head’s gushing with ink. Since the monster itself looks like it’s made of ink, so if I aim for the bottled head…

She took aim, and fired off the first little pickaxe, which spun around as it was launched, landing right on the glass bottle. Grumpy shrieked in pain, its inky hands trying to cover up the gush. Her guess was right on the money. She moved closer, away from her spot. Before The overblot monster could look in her direction, Ace and Deuce quickly fire off a cauldron powered by Ace’s wind magic. Another one! She fired off her next pickaxe, which landed on the inky head again, this time making the ink gush even more. 

Grumpy shrieked again, echoing through the mines. Grim took this chance to fire off a fireball in his direction to weaken it. Just one more hit..! She moves closer, taking aim. Her hand prepared to launch the final blow, only for the monster to make an unexpected move, causing her to miss. Shoot! Grumpy caught sight of Yuu, and swung his lantern in her way. She couldn’t react fast enough as she was immediately launched off the ground and into the wall with a crack. She winced, biting her lip. 

“”””YUU!””” three voices said in unison. No! Stop! The monster will hear! But it was too late, as she fell to the ground, the monster had already whipped his head towards the group, lifting his pickaxe for a death blow. Yuu has to act fast before her friends get decimated by a giant pickaxe. She gritted her teeth as she stood on her feet. She reached for the spare pickaxe she had brought and immediately fired it in the monster’s direction. It stopped in its tracks as it shrieked, stumbling back. “Guys! Hit it on the head and shatter the glass! Please!” she said, breathlessly, as she fell to the ground. Everything felt like a blur. She could hear her heart beating in her chest, the faint sounds of magic buzzing and whizzing in the air, and soon enough, the sound of shattering glass and leaks followed as everything faded out.

—

She opened her eyes to nothing but white, as a certain little dwarf stood before her. A smile bloomed in his grumpy face, as he breathes a sigh of relief

“Thank you,” He says, as he slowly fades out.

“I’m glad you’re at peace now, Grumpy. I’m sorry for reading your journal,” Grumpy chuckles quietly, and slowly disappears, leaving Yuu in the white abyss as she closes her eyes again.

—

“He’s waking up!” a familiar voice yelled

Yuu’s eyes fluttered open as she groaned. She was aching all over and her back hurted. A lot. She tried to move, only for it to send shocks of pain throughout her body as she winced.

 “Don’t move!” a familiar voice scolded. “How many fingers am I holding up?” 

“T-Three..” Yuu responded.

“What was the last thing you remember happening?” Ace asked.

“I..” Yuu trailed off as she tried to recall the events. “I threw a small pickaxe at a giant ink monster… and slammed into a wall and passed out,” she decided not to say anything about her encounter with Grumpy’s spirit, or whatever he was now.

“Exactly! That was seriously reckless henchmen!” Grim scolded. “Don’t ever try anything like that again!”

“Sorry..” she replied. “Where are we?” Yuu asked, still dazed, as she realized she was in a different room, and lying in a bed.

“You’re in the infirmary, Professor Crewel’s coming to check on you in about a minute. Don’t move.” Ace explains.

“D-did we win?” Yuu asks nervously. What if it turns out they got the wrong magestone? Or maybe it wasn’t the right size? Or it broke? Or what if-

“You bet!” Ace said, grinning.

“Thanks to your plan and your.. Scarily precise throws at the ink monster, The headmaster decided not to expel us after all!” Deuce exclaimed, smiling brightly.

“But get this! You were actually right on the money with that guess of yours. It’s insane!” Ace exclaims exasperatedly.

“My guess?” Yuu asks confusedly.

“Remember when you told us the crow probably didn’t think we’d actually go for the stone? He had the nerve to wait in the mirror room for us with signed papers!” Grim says, looking irritated.

“Signed papers?” Yuu asks aloud.

“ Expulsion papers,” Ace clarifies, scowling. “But seriously, your guess is literally right on the dot! How’d you do that?” 

“Well, I told you in the mines didn’t I?” Yuu reminded as she started her explanation. “If the headmaster really wanted to give us a chance to save ourselves, he wouldn’t send a bunch of inexperienced teens off to some abandoned mine wouldn’t he? Even if he isn’t worried about us, there’s still some charges that can be made against him if anyone were to get hurt on school grounds or under his watch,” Yuu continues. “So he probably expected us to give up when we couldn’t find magestones and come back empty handed, then you two would pack your stuff and it’ll all be over and done with,” Yuu concludes her explanation, which were met with wide eyed stares.

“Shorty’s real scary, huh?” Ace says.

“What?” Yuu objects, only for the infirmary door to swing open, not giving Ace a chance to clarify.

There, in his black and white fur coat, was Crewel himself, fabulous as ever, even in the dead of night. “Look like you’re awake, pup,” Crewel says.

“Hi, professor. It’s nice to see you again,” Yuu waves.

“Yes, I suppose so,” Crewel hands her a round glass bottle with a vibrant purple liquid visible inside it. “It’s a healing potion. Now, what did you get yourself into thi-” Crewel was quickly cut off by a certain flying headmaster who barged in right through the window. Which was closed. “Hello, headmaster,” Yuu waves, giving her a sense of deja vu. She didn’t have the strength to gape like everyone else in the room as the headmaster dusted himself off and approached the group.

“Hello Yuu-san! I see you have injured yourself, again,” The headmaster scowls. “Now, care to explain what exactly ensued in the dwarf mines? Trappola and spade here mentioned a ‘monster’.”

Yuu slowly sipped the potion, which healed her wounds little by little, as she began her explanation. “When we stepped into the mirror..”

—

The room was rather silent after Yuu’s explanation. It wasn’t much, just a quick rundown of the day’s events. Yuu expected this reaction. After all, It isn’t unusual for someone to go silent after hearing about a giant ink monster from a group of teens and a flaming cat. What she didn’t expect however, was a grown man, who was also the headmage of a prestigious magic school, might she add, dramatically sobbing on the floor.

“H-headmaster?” Yuu asks, concerned.

“Bursting into tears in public at his age!?” Grim says, rather shocked.

“Dire, I’d advise you to get yourself together,” Crewel pinched the bridges of his nose.

“HUU! The day has finally come when night raven college students join hands together to defeat a common foe!” The headmage exclaims, choked with dramatic sobs.

“Whoa! No! No way would I ever join hands with him!” Deuce objects, pointing to his ginger dorm mate.

“First of all, there was no ‘joining of hands’. Gross! Second of all, HOW OLD ARE YOU HEADMASTER!?” Ace exclaims.

“I am moved beyond words!” the headmaster turns to Yuu, who is now sitting up on the soft bed of the infirmary, watching the dramatic scene. “No doubt, you possess the talent to become a beastmaster!” The headmaster says cheerfully. Yuu only tilted her head, devoid of the energy to deal with anything at the moment. “The magic mirror selects students with exceptional talent and potential,” the headmaster continues. “But alas, great talents begets great pride and big egos. In fact, some are so self reliant and self centered that they never even consider cooperating with others!” The headmaster exclaims woefully.

“You make that sound like a bad thing,” Grim comments.

“But Yuu-san, you possess no magical talent whatsoever,” the headmage continues, ignoring Grim’s comment. “And perhaps despite that– or because of that– you were able to convince those with magic to work together towards a common goal!” Yuu could almost hear everyone in the room collectively sigh. “Your everyday, mundane-normalcy is exactly what Night Raven College needs!”

“He’s not saying anything good, is he?” Ace comments.

“Yuu.. I am convinced that people like you are necessary for the future of Night Raven College! My educator’s intuition tells me so!” The headmage says determinedly. 

“Right…” Yuu says dazedly. 

“Furthermore, Yuu-san..” Crowley put a hand on Yuu’s shoulder. “I grant you the qualifications to attend night raven college as a student!”

Everyone in the room collectively gasped.

Yuu snapped out of her daze as she stared at the headmaster. “Pardon?” 

“Of course, attending as a magicless student is unacceptable, for you won’t be able to pursue the curriculum,” The headmaster rambles on. “And so I have decided, Grim, you have shown today that you have sufficient talent as a mage! Therefore, You, and.. Yuu,” Yuu chuckles at the pun. “Will attend Night Raven College in one shared enrollment!”

“Myah!? I can finally attend as a student!? Not a janitor?” Grim says.

“I’m proud of you Grim!” Yuu says cheerfully, patting the cat’s head.

Grim was then given a magestone, in the form of a necklace, since it wasn’t like his little paws would have been able to write anything with a pen anyway. It warmed Yuu’s heart to see Grim smile so happily after wearing his necklace.

“And Yuu-san, I have something for you, too, For I am so gracious!” Crowley declares.

Yuu only tilts her head. “For me?” She repeats.

Crowley flicks his cane and instructs Yuu to hold out her hand. She tilted her head again and made a funny expression, but obliged. A square shaped item with a lens appears from thin air as it lands in her hands. “This is…” Yuu trails off. The item that Crowley had handed her seemed familiar. “Ah, that’s right. Ray said he had one of these. It’s a camera, right?” Yuu asks curiously.

“It’s no ordinary camera,” Crowley clarifies. “This item is called the ghost camera,” Crowley informs.

“Oh! My grandma told me about those! Those are like some super old magic cameras right?” Ace interjects.

“I wouldn’t call them old..” Crowley mutters, earning a small chuckle from Yuu. 

“However they were invented around your great great great grandparent’s time,” Crewel informs, and you could have sworn she caught him smirking.

“This camera is enchanted with magic to not only take a picture of the subject, but also a part of their physical soul. The interesting thing is, when the soulbond between the photographer and the subject deepens…” Crowley trails off. “The pictures come jumping out!”

“Jumping.. Out?” Yuu echoes confusedly.

“As they become closer, the picture grows animated, like a video. And sometimes, they might actually slip out the picture! Isn’t this what the youth would call “wicked cool”?” Crowley says.

“That sounds like ghost photography!” Deuce interjects.

“Hence the name!” Crowley responds. “This was created before the age of videos, so I suppose you could call it ‘a big deal’. And so, Yuu, I’d like you to use this camera to capture moments throughout your daily life. Most especially when the students ‘act up’, and create a record of your student life.”

“I see..” Yuu responds, inspecting the camera. 

“Please supervise Grim and make sure an incident such as today never happens again. Are We clear? And may I add that he is quite unfamiliar with human customs, being a monster and all. So I’d like you to also help him get accustomed to it. Understood?” 

“Understood,” Yuu responds.

“Supervising? Wouldn’t that make you a prefect?” Deuce comments. “Since you're the only student in your dorm with grim, and you’re tasked with supervising him..”

Ace burst out laughing. “This is plain unbelievable! A janitor was promoted to prefect in a day!” he continues to laugh, “And a magicless one too! Good luck magicless prefect!” Ace teases, which was only met with Yuu’s eye roll.

“Prefect… Yes! It definitely suits you!” Headmaster agrees.

“Now, head back to your dorms, pups. I won’t tolerate lateness!” Crewel interjects.

Before she leaves, she looks at the headmaster, smiling warmly. “Thank you headmaster. I appreciate it,” She smiles warmly.

The headmaster returned her smile with his own as he waves and disappears. Right, magic.

Eventually, Crewel checks up on Yuu one more time, making sure she didn’t break anything else. The healing potion seemed to have done the trick as she was quickly discharged. She bids her farewell to the boys as she makes it to her own dorm. After being greeted by the ghosts, she promptly plops herself on the bed and immediately passes out from exhaustion.

Chapter Text

“Hello,” The demon greeted as she opened her eyes. 

“What happened with my family?” Yuu asks. She had been gone for quite a while.

“Take a look yourself,”

As the scenery flashed, she tried to recall what happened around the time she was whisked off to twisted wonderland. That’s right.. She thought. Norman had announced his plan to exterminate the demons, and Emma had objected to it, I guess. She continued her train of thought as the scene flashed to The paradise shelter. And then she was about to go off with the promise that we thought up with Ray. She walked around, checking up on everyone in the paradise shelter. Eventually, she made it to Norman's office, or ‘flashed’ to it at least. She scanned the room. She’d much rather call the room a library with how many bookshelves there were. Norman was there, on his desk, reading a book. For someone so professional and mature, his desk was quite a mess. Stacks of paper written over with black ink, maps that were circled and pinned with thumbtacks, a messy chessboard, and stacks of books.

 “You’re really diligent, you know that?” Yuu sighed as she took a seat on a dark sofa in his office. “But you should take more breaks. We’re worried about y-” her eyes landed on a little bottle on the table in the middle of his office. “..No,” she breathed a gasp as she examined the little container. “Is this..?”  

The little bottle in question was the medicine that the Lambda kids used to keep their symptoms at bay and keep them alive for just a little longer. “Norman… But you said-” the door to the office bursted open, and Anna came in. “Anna? Is something wrong?”  Norman asks, closing his book. 

“Norman! Is Yuu here?” Anna asks urgently.

“No..” Norman replies. “Did something happen?”

“We can’t find her anywhere at all! No one’s seen where she is! Jemima was the last person with her, and she said that when she left to get something and came back, Yuu was gone. She’s crying now because she thinks it her fault,” Yuu felt guilty at the newfound information. “I’ve asked everyone! We can’t find her,”

“We’ll search the shelter again. I’ll make an announcement.” Norman got up and left the room with Anna. as the door closes, Yuu could only sigh. “Looks like they finally caught on..” Norman’s office started to blur again as she found herself in the Medical room, or infirmary.

Where Chris was.

Yuu’s eyes widened. “Chris…” Yuu sighed. “I-I’m sorry I couldn't protect you,” Yuu looked down. “I’m sorry I left, and that I couldn’t be here with you..” she stepped toward the little boy’s bed, facing him as she reached her hand out to pat his head. “I’m proud of you, you know? You led everyone through the secret passages at the shelter,” She continued on. “Wake up soon, okay? Everyone’s waiting for you, and they miss you,” she paused. “ I miss you,”

As she felt herself start to tear up, she opened her eyes to see herself in an unfamiliar room. Wherever this was, it wasn;’t the shelter. But why would she be here then-

“..So we’ll hack the system like this, and fool Ratri into thinking he has control over us,” A familiar voice spoke. She felt tears trek down her face. “Unless of course, my children already thought of hacking the system themselves, which is likely. However, we should still make preparation in case there’s a backup system,”

“Mom?” She called. No response. Of course there wasn’t. No one could hear her, or see her. 

The room had a giant glass window at the center, and a long table opposite of it. 5 women including Isabella sat, talking as they sipped tea and enjoyed their sweets. Judging by what they were talking about, they seemed to be planning something. Isabella, her mother, wore a long black dress that she was rather familiar with. Grandma Sarah’s dress… Did mom become grandma? The group of girls bickered on, discussing their plans. From the looks of it, they were planning to betray Peter Ratri, head of the Ratri clan. “But why…?” Yuu asks, watching the scene before her. “

Your mother still loves you,” He answers. “She knew you’d come back and made preparations,”.

Yuu froze. Even after everything? After they ruined everything? Ruined her chances at survival? Why? 

When she asked Him to let her see her mother, she wasn’t sure if she was even still alive. But she had a hunch. A feeling that she was still alive. And when he didn’t show her Isabella the night before, she thought she may have died after all. But she was glad to be wrong. 

She listened to the conversation as she explored the tea room. There, at the window sill, she caught sight of something. Something she never thought she’d see. Something she thought she lost forever.

Her hair clip.

It wasn’t anything too elaborate, or a priceless artifact, or even worth that much money. It was just a measly cat hair clip. Yuu was fond of cats as a child, they were cute and fun, often appearing in her books that she read through little illustrations.

She felt herself burst into tears. “Why? Why this of all things?” she asked herself. She didn’t get an answer as she felt the scene crumble before her as she was met with a blinding light.

—

Ace didn’t know how he got himself in this situation. What was he doing in front of Ramshackle prefect’s door? In the middle of the night? They were definitely going to hate him for this.

The door creaked open, revealing the prefect at the door. “What do you need, Trappola?” Yuu asks, in a small harsh tone.

“What’s with the sudden name change?” Ace mused, but the prefect clearly wasn’t having it. “From now on, I’m joining ramshackle. No way am I going back to ‘laybyul ever again!” 

The Prefect blinks as she registers everything. “Oi Yuu! Who’s at the door late at night?” A certain monster yelled. The Prefect shrugs. “See for yourself..” 

Eventually, the prefect took notice of the collar as they went inside. He seemed.. Irked by it. “What’s with the collar? A fashion statement?” They said, but Ace couldn’t tell if they were joking or not. “No way! You wouldn’t believe it! It’s from the Dormhead!” Ace responds, a bit offended. 

“Right… take a seat. I’m brewing us some tea. The headmaster sent me off with some sweets too, so that’s nice,” Yuu says in a monotone voice, smiling to themselves. As they went to brew some tea, Ace decided to ask a question.

“What’s with.. Those numbers on your neck?” he asks curiously. Since the Prefect wore a scarf all the time, he couldn’t see it, and he spent too much time wondering what it was. The Prefect paused, as if they didn’t expect them to ask that question, and covered his neck. “I’d rather not talk about it yet,”

“Right,” Ace says, realizing that was probably a touchy subject. What’s up with the Prefect anyway? They don’t know about the great 7, impressed by magic in a way that makes it seem like they’ve never even heard of it before, and he’s so.. Secretive.

“So, what happened? You can talk while I brew tea,” He says.

“Right, so...”

—

“So you ate a tart, and got collared?” Yuu concludes.

“Yeah! It’s totally crossing the line!” Ace says.

“Ha! Lame! But I’ll admit, that monster’s scary. He collared me too!” Grim agrees.

“Right? There were like, three whole tarts in there! Not like he was gonna eat ‘em all..” Ace adds. 

Yuu sighs. “And that’s exactly why he’d collar you,” Yuu says, sipping her tea. “If there’s that much tart, surely, it must’ve been for a party or something,”

“True, but either way, he didn’t need to seal off my magic!” Ace pouts.

“I dunno, grudges over food are scary..” Grim trails off. “That’s right! That headmaster still hasn’t given me those tuna cans!”

“Stop screaming you two,” Yuu scolds tiredly. “Listen Ace, Collaring people for eating some food is going too far,” Ace breathed a sigh of relief, they were on his side! The relief was short-lived as the prefect continued. “ But, that doesn't exactly mean you’re off the hook for stealing in the first place. Here’s the deal: I’ll let you stay for the night, on the condition that you stop by your dorm tomorrow morning before classes and apologize to your dorm head. Are we clear?” Yuu explains.

“Wha- I thought you were on my side!” the ginger replies. 

“Ace, I’m the mediator. I’m on no one’s side,” The Prefect responded. “You’re sleeping on the couch. I’ll go get you some pillows and dust off your bed or something,” 

Ace decided not to put up a fight this time. The prefect seemed irritated as is, and he wasn’t going to find out what they’d look like when they snap right here and now. Eventually, the prefect returns with a set of pillows and a blanket, dusted off the couch, and immediately headed back upstairs. What’s his deal? That excited for sleep? Ace wonders. 

The prefect was a bit unusual, to say the least, in more ways than one. They seemed crazy smart, can read and guess things in scary accuracy, really fast, and has a kind of girly physique like that guy he snuck out of the ceremony with. What was his name again? ‘Apple’ or something right? And his hair color was a bit unusual. It was silvery with a tint of lilac. But when it was under a light, it was like it reflected on a mirror, with a new hue, usually on the blue spectrum. He always had this cunning and calculating vibe about him, and is scarily calm in certain situations. Not to mention his crazy strength and speed! Ace could barely keep up with him. For a shorty, he was fast.

Ace put aside his thoughts as he drifted off to dreamland.

—

q

When Yuu went back to sleep, she continued checking up on everyone. Phil and the others seem to be doing well, and everyone else too. However, news of her disappearance had already spread, and now the shelter was in a bit of a frenzy looking for her. She chuckled, but felt guilty about making everyone worry. “Sorry guys,” she muttered. 

She expected it all to be over and done with, only to be met with another surprise. An odd vision of singing card soldiers who were painting roses. When asked why by a little girl in blue, they simply said that they planted the wrong roses, and that if they didn’t cover this up, the queen would behead them. It was an odd vision, and she didn’t know how to feel about it.

“What in the world was that?” she asked herself.

“Riddle,” He simply responded. “Solve it and you’ll find it useful,” before Yuu could press for more, she awoke.

—

She found herself downstairs, brewing some more tea. “What was that about..” she asked herself, but quickly shook the thought off as she decided to distract herself with some breakfast. The headmaster had been gracious enough to give her some groceries, and they were the same “Human” ingredients you’d usually find on the table back in Grace field. She cracked some eggs and cooked it on a fire. Apparently, by some miracle, Only the plumbing worked. The nights would only be lit with candlelight and electricity didn’t work either. But she just started her own fire and picked up a pan she found lying around and started cooking. 

She made it enough for about 4 people. She didn’t know why she cooked more than enough, probably out of habit since her siblings liked to ask for seconds. By the time Ace and Grim got up, courtesy of the ghosts, breakfast was served.

“Yo prefect! What didja make?” Ace said with a yawn.

“Breakfast,” Yuu jokes. 

“Har har,” Ace rolls his eyes. 

“Go sit down over there,” Yuu gestured to the little dining area near the kitchen. “I made Omurice,” 

Eventually, Ace and Grim were seated, and she handed them their paper plates. They both took a bite and lit up, immediately finishing up the rest of the food. “This is delicious!” Ace says, with food in his mouth. “The texture is absolutely divine. So soft, and the melty insides are warmer, but don’t burn my tongue! The ketchup compliments the eggy taste well. It’s so good!” Grim says, finishing up his food.

“Since when did you become a food connoisseur?” Yuu asks sarcastically.

“Since when did you become a five star chef!?” Ace fires back.

“Do you want seconds or something?” Yuu mused.

Just before Ace could respond, a knock on the door was heard. “Coming!” She yelled. When she opened the door, she was met with a certain bluenette. “Hey deuce. What brings you here?”

“Oh! Good morning prefect. Is Ace here?” Deuce asks, peering inside.

“Yeah. Come in,” Yuu invited Deuce inside.

“So you did get kicked out after stealing dormhead’s tart,” Deuce sighs. “And now you’re freeloading at the prefect’s dorm. You’re a real idiot,” 

Ace scoffs. “You’re on to talk! anyways.. Is he still mad?” 

“He’s just a bit ticked off, but not really. Some of our dormmates overslept, but only 3 people got your treatment,” Deuce states nonchalantly.

“Not really!? He sounds insane!” Ace objects.

Yuu bit her lip. If she wasn’t wrong, the dormhead of Hearslabyul would be the redheaded one at the ceremony. But mentions of taking people’s heads being taken awfully reminded her of something. The dream. She recalled the odd vision she had. “Riddle…” she muttered.

“Oh? How do you know the dorm head's name?” Deuce asked.

Yuu blinked. “What?” 

“Riddle Roseherts, the name of our dorm head?” Deuce responded. “I don’t remember him mentioning his name at the ceremony that much at all. Only at the beginning of it! You must have sharp ears, Yuu-san,” Deuce praised.

Yuu placed a finger on her chin, lost in thought. So that’s what ‘Riddle’ meant.. He mentioned solving it would be helpful. What does he mean? Yuu exhaled. She was going to have to meet the individual herself. “Deuce, have you had breakfast? I happen to make extra. You should have some.”

“Are you sure?” Deuce asked hesitantly. 

“I insist,” Yuu replies, smiling softly.

Eventually, Deuce agreed and had a bite of Yuu’s Omurice. Apparently, Omurice is his favorite food, and he was in absolute bliss while he was eating. Yuu chuckled at the expression and decided to take a picture of it with her ghost camera. It was a good opportunity to test it.

Snap!

The camera procured a picture that slid out of it, which portrayed Deuce’s blissful expression as he took a bite of his omurice, his eyes twinkling as the still picture moved his hands, having a spoonful of his omurice.. So it really can move.. Even if it’s only a little bit. Yuu chuckled softly, and slipped it in her pocket. It must’ve been unfortunate for Ray to have to break the camera for parts. 

At some point, the headmaster arrived through the door, without knocking might she add, and proudly announced his arrival. He did seem a bit bewildered at the sight of the freshman duo from the previous night, but didn’t seem to pay it much mind.

“Why are you here, Headmage?” Yuu asks.

“Why, I am here to graciously drop off your uniform! You are a student here after all,” He simply replies.

“Oh, right,” Yuu forgot that they needed uniforms, since this was a school after all. The headmaster handed her a neat box, fastened with a ribbon and a tag that had her name on it. Wait, when did they get her measurements anyway?

“Headmaster, how did you even tailor this?” Yuu asks curiously.

“Why, Professor Crewel was the one who fashioned it! Now, open the box child.” Crowley ushers. She was rather surprised to say the least, but it made sense. The man had always been a fashionable one, Yuu shrugs and opens the box.

A neatly folded uniform that looked much like everyone else’s was inside. Although, there was no crest nor vest, and there wasn’t an emblem embroidered into her uniform either. It came as no surprise. After all, her dorm wasn’t exactly a dorm. After she changed into it, she was surprised to find it fit her perfectly. “Headmaster, how did Professor Crewel get my measurements?” She asks.

“Crewel is quite an esteemed designer, and he can tell what size and exact dimensions someone’s clothes could be from a glance. Quite capable, no?” Crowley answers cheerfully.

“Absolutely,” Yuu responds, astonished.

“By the way, Yuu-san,” Crowley says. “What are those markings on your neck?” 

Yuu froze. Oh. right. She never explained it to Crowley. She could see Ace wince silently from the corner of her eye. But the headmaster didn’t seem to pay any mind as he stared at her expectantly waiting for an answer. 

“It’s quite an odd tattoo,” Crowley comments, examining the numbers. “Do you perhaps have a liking for numbers? ‘83194’? Are they a special number of sorts?” The headmage asks curiously.

Yuu looked away, wrapping around the blue scarf that came with the uniform Crewel gave her. “I’d rather not talk about it at the moment,” Yuu replies calmly, tying up her hair in a low ponytail with a black ribbon that Crewel also gave her. She was going to thank him later for this. 

Crowley shrugged and continued on. “Here is your schedule. You need to select an elective class. You and Grim may attend separate classes if you so wish. Truly, my kindness knows no bounds!” Crowley says, pulling out a piece of paper. “Here is a bag that you may use to carry your supplies. There are some ink and quills and some notebooks in the box that came with your uniform. Aren’t I gracious? Ohoho!” Crowley smiles cheerfully. “Your elective course is to be decided by tomorrow, just drop it off in my office. Best of luck, Yuu-san!” Crowley then departs, flapping his cape dramatically as he launches himself out the window, leaving no room for objections.

“Hey prefect,” Ace called, finishing his meal. “If you’re making me go back to ‘labyul to apologize, you’re coming with me,”

Yuu nods. This was exactly the opportunity she needed to get a clue. The best place to search for clues on a riddle including the queen of hearts would be the dormitory based on her, right? “Okay, but let me have a bite of my breakfast please?” 

Chapter Text

Yuu hadn’t seen such a fancy building in her life. At the mention of dormitories, she pictured individual towers, or a section of the campus, but most definitely not a whole new atmosphere. The lush green garden covered in rose bushes amazed her. “Myah!? What gives! Ramshackles a dump compared to this! ” Grim cried. 

“It’s a work in progress, Grim,“ Yuu sighed, but couldn’t help agreeing with the cat-monster. 

The dorm in question was a large red and heart patterned castle-like dorm building, with a cobblestone paved path that was lined with rose hedges trimmed into a heart shape that lead to its also heart-shaped gates. In Front of the large entrance was a white water fountain carved from marble, Yuu guessed. By each side of the pavement was a large rose maze.

“This place is really beautiful,” Yuu commented in awe. She wished her family could see this right now. “It’s hard to believe Ace would want to run away from a place like this,”

“Are you impressed, Prefect?” Deuce grinned pridefully. “Our dorm’s pretty cool. The dorm head’s just a little short-tempered.”

“ A little!?” Ace scoffs. “The little Tyrant sealed off my magic! What am I even supposed to do now!?”

“Oh, yeah. No magic. How can you possibly live on?” Yuu commented sarcastically. 

“You wouldn’t get it, Prefect,” Ace responded. “Being without my magic is basically the equivalent of being chained up!”

Before Yuu could respond with another teasing remark, she heard an urgent voice. “Shoot, Gotta paint these roses red quick! Before my head rolls!”

“Huh? What’s that noise?” The teen turned her head towards the source of the voice. Ah, the rose maze. She considered herself quite good at navigating unfamiliar and new areas, given how she managed to survive her first day at Goldy Pond alone until she met up with Lucas’ gang. 

“What’s wrong, Prefect?” Deuce asked, concerned.

“Nothing really. I just heard a voice over there,” Yuu pointed to the direction of the rose maze. “I’m gonna investigate. They sounded urgent.” And with that she took off, paying no mind to Ace and Deuce’s confused looks.

“Wait, Prefect!” Deuce reached out his hand as if she was within his grasp, but failed.

“Oi wait up!” Ace shouted back.

Grim sat on her shoulders, a firm grip on Yuu as she sprinted. “Slow down, henchmen! I’m gonna fall!”

—

Cater looked at the bunch in front of him. First was a boy who looked like they were 12 or something. Seriously, what happened to him? Does he not eat enough or is this some kid prodigy? Another thing was that they didn’t seem to have an armband or any type of indication of their dorm. Not even a vest. A gray cat with flaming blue ears clutched onto their shoulder for dear life. As they scolded the small boy for running too fast, 2 other Heartslabyul freshies appeared, breathless from running. Although the small kid didn’t break a sweat.

“Senpai, what are you doing?” The bluenette of the bunch asked, still a bit breathless. Cater admits he was sort of a bit far into the Rose maze, and by the look of it, they were a bit new to the place, glancing around like Alice would have in the old fairy tales. 

“Oh~? Isn’t it obvious? I’m painting the roses red!” Cater responded cheerfully. Maybe I could have them help out. 

The reddish-orange haired one scrunched up his nose. “Painting roses? Why would you do that? Who even are you anyways?”

Cater chuckled. They really are freshies~. Upon closer inspection though, The second-year recognized them as the infamous chandelier breakers. The rumor mill wasn’t the most reliable of sources, but it was definitely one way to gather info. “I’m Cater Diamond, second year. You guys can call me Cay-kun if you want,” the teen grinned. “And you’re the freshies who shattered the million-madol chandelier!”

The group slumped their shoulders as the dormless student exhaled exasperatedly. “We’re gonna hear about that ’till the day we graduate aren’t we?” Ace Trappola, Cater now recognized, groaned.

“Ah! And you’re the tart thief,” Ace’s expression grew even more sour. “I’m so lucky to meet the infamous freshies first thing in the morning! Hey, mind if I snap a pic for magicam?” Cater didn’t really wait for a response as he pulled out his cellphone and leaned into the group for a picture, and snapped a nice pic in one fluid motion. “Wow! This is totally cammable. Mind if I post this on Magicam?” Cater said as he started editing his post.

“What are your names? Let me tag you guys,” No one seemed to object so the teen took it as a green flag.

“Ace trappola”

“Deuce Spade”

“Yuu”

“The Great Lord Grim!”

“KK,” Cater sing-songed. “And sent!” he hummed cheerfully. “Oh, that’s right, You’re the prefect of that Ramshackle dorm right? I can’t believe you live in that place! Totally not photogenic! You have my condolences,” Cater says, upon recognizing the name of the short teen.

“Again, it’s a work in progress,” The prefect says exasperatedly.

“Ah! I can’t chat! Gotta paint these roses before the party tomorrow or it’s ‘off with my head’!” Cater quickly exclaimed. “Say, you kids want to help a senpai out?”

“Why are you painting the roses red in the first place?”

“Because red roses are totally photogenic!” 

“But why not just plant red roses in the first place? And wouldn’t paint kill the roses anyway?” Yuu asks again curiously, eyeing the spilled cans of red paint around the rose bushes.

“‘Cause it’s a dorm tradition! And don’t worry about the paint, it’s a special type of charmed paint that works on the roses,” Cater responds.

“That’s a weird tradition,” Ace comments. 

“Oh, and after this, I’ve gotta prepare for the croquet games! And that means painting all the flamingos! Haaa…” Cater sighed dramatically. Maybe I can drag these freshies into helping me.

Yuu raised a brow. “You guys have flamingos here? And what’s this about painting them colors?”

“And hedgehogs!” Cater cheerfully added. 

“Ah, it all makes sense now. Ace, the tart you stole was for the Dorm head’s birthday,” Deuce deduced. “That explains his reaction!”

“Eh? No, it’s not Riddle’s birthday,” Cater corrected.

“It’s not? Then who’s birthday is it?” Ace asks.

“No one’s. Tomorrow is our dorm's traditional unbirthday birthday,” Cater informs. “It’s a special tea party we throw when no one has a birthday– if the Dorm head feels like it,” 

“Why would you even do that!?” Ace exclaims confusedly.

“Again with the questions!” Cater says. “Listen, I need the roses red. Like, yesterday. Can’t you help out your poor senpai with magic or something?”

Ace points to his collar, while Deuce and Grim widened their eyes at the suggestion. “I don’t really have magic,” The Prefect of Ramshackle shrugs. “But i can try if you’d like,” 

“Painting roses with our magic? I don’t know senpai, I’ve never tried it,” Deuce says. Grim only shrugs in agreement.

Ah, so they’ll help out. “Relax! It’ll work! Just help me out before my head can roll. Thanks!” 

—

Cater didn’t really know what to think of the group by this point. Ace was doing relatively fine, but a bit slow. He couldn’t blame him since he was collared after all. 

On the other hand, Deuce wasn’t exactly the most precise with his magic, turning multiple roses blue. A pretty color, might Cater add, still totally photogenic, but not what they need. After some careful correction, Deuce made less and less blunders and started at a steady pace, but not exactly in the clear. 

Grim though, wasn’t doing so well. He kept burning the roses, much to the others’ dismay. After a bit of corrections, he was doing a little better, but still burning some roses or two.

Yuu, however, was doing really well. Almost better than himself. She painted the roses with scary precision, not a single trace of the once white rose. “Woah prefect! You painted a lot of roses!” Cater cheered “Is this not your first time?” the rest of the freshies gaped at the amount of roses that were already freshly painted. They were 10 minutes in.

“No, this is,” The perfect assured. “I had an older brother who was fond of painting.  So sometimes he might rant about it to me and I happen to listen,” The prefect smiled, but there was something about their smile that bugged Cater. Why did they have a look of longing?

“You’re brother must be some professional or something for you to be this fast” Ace comments.

“Prefect, you seem to really love your family,” Deuce adds. “I mean, back at the mines.. You talked like you had experience with a reckless sibling yourself,” 

Cater blinked. Mines? What did they mean? But he blinked again after he realized something. had?

Yuu only chuckles. “Right on,” 

The group continues to paint the roses. With the sound of the occasional spill of paint buckets and the swishing of brushes was soft and quiet humming from none other than the Prefect himself. It was a bit ambient and calm, followed by the occasional birds that sang in the morning and the dripping of morning dew.

Until a certain hedgehog decided to slip out of their den.

Chapter Text

Yuu, unfortunately, had never actually seen much of any animals. Sure, she may have seen some in the small illustrations within the books at Grace Field, but that was it. The demon creatures don’t count. She even recalled her 6th birthday, where she had once asked for a black cat that she read about in one of her books. But mom had declined the request and improvised with a plush instead. She remembered her small self, running around Grace Field carrying her kitten. Sure, she may have played with it less and less as the years went by, but she still treasured it. Even ‘till her very last day, on her 12th birthday when she specifically requested to keep the plush with her. A treasure that she wanted to have forever.

And yet there it was, before her very eyes, a real hedgehog. Which was green for some reason. She may have never seen an animal like that in real life, but she knew for a fact that they weren’t supposed to be green. “Did you guys paint this one?” Yuu asks, picking up the little hedgehog and petting it.

“Ack! Those little escape artists..” cater groaned. 

Yuu cocked a brow, “Artist s ?” She questioned, before more colored hedgehogs came marching their way. “Wha-” too late. The hedgehogs swarmed her feet like bees and attempted to climb her feet. She toppled and crouched down carefully, letting the army of maybe 6 other hedgehogs swallow her.

“Yuu!” Deuce called concernedly, but Yuu had already accepted her fate.

“Oi! Get up! You can’t stay down there! They might carry you away or something!” Ace comments as he tries to peel a hedgehog off her, but to no avail.

“Alright, alright,” she said, as she somehow successfully sat up, much to the other’s amazement. “Hey Cater-senpai, mind explaining why they’re painted?”

“Don’t worry, the paint is perfectly safe for them!” Cater assures. 

A little red hedgehog found its way under her arm and rested there, but Yuu carefully picked it up, examined it, and set it back under her hand. “What’s your name, little one?” she asked, looking down at the little creature with a soft expression.

“Oh! These are new hedgehogs. The headmaster brought them in last week. No one knows what to name them, though,” Cater says, rubbing his neck.

“Oh..” Yuu said thoughtfully. No names, huh. “Mind If I name them then?” She suggested, petting the hedgehogs.

Cater shrugs. “Go for it,”

Yuu looks at each hedgehog carefully. “I’ll name this red one… Elias,” she decided. “The yellow one Anna, The blue one.. Chris. The green one Gilda, The orange one Emma, and this pink one Gillian,” 

“Woah, that was fast. You have a knack for naming?” Cater replies, impressed. “The hedgehogs don’t seem to have a problem with it, so it’s uhh…”

“Here, I’ll write it down,” Yuu responds, pulling out a paper from her leather satchel and swiftly writing down the names. She didn’t exactly know why she named them after her family, but she didn’t think too much about it.

“Gah! We’re going off track! Senpai, Where’s the dorm head? I gotta talk to him” Ace says

“Oh? Did you bring a replacement tart?” Cater asks

“Eh? Uhh.. no. I came here first thing in the morning,” Ace admits. Yuu suddenly had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next.

“Ah! Now that’s gonna be a teensy problem,” Cater says. “Have you forgotten Rule 53? ‘Stolen items must be replaced.’ if you’re not in compliance, I can’t let you in,” 

“Seriously!?” Ace exclaims in disbelief.

“All dorm members must obey the rules! If I let you slide, It’ll be off with my head,” Cater reched into his breast pocket. “Sorry Ace, but I’m gonna need you to leave before Riddle spots you. Thanks for the help~” 

“Gah! Is this guys serious!? Guys, do something!” Ace exclaims panickedly.

“Us!? Why do we gotta do it?” Deuce argues back.

“I can’t use magic, remember?! Hurry! He’s about to- AHH!” Ace was again cut off by a barrage of leaves that almost hit him, but Yuu managed to pull him out of the way. 

“Alright, alright!” Yuu says, getting in between the boys. “We’ll leave on our own, Senpai,” 

Yuu quickly ushers the others out of the Rose maze. Ace resisted to some degree but a certain look pushed him to oblige.

Suddenly, a loud ringing of a bell sounded.

“Gah!” Deuce suddenly gasped. “We’re gonna be late! That’s the warning bell!”

“Fnyah!? Late on my first day? No way is that gonna happen!” Grim exclaimed as he started to rush ahead.

“Wait up!” Yuu called.

Eventually, the group ends up in class just in time for homeroom. Things were especially easier for Yuu, since she was new to the school, she was rather lucky that she was in the same class as the Heartslabyul duo.

Chapter Text

Divus walked into his homeroom classroom and examined each student. They all seemed like some fine mutts at the moment. Among the bunch were some particularly familiar students. Ace Trappola, Deuce Spade, and the magicless prefect of Ramshackle dorm, Yuu, along with his other half of a student, Grim.

Divus proceeded with the greetings and such. Introducing himself and what he expects from everyone in his homeroom class, and also mentioning his role as their alchemy teacher. Most of the students did seem rather intimidated by his crop, and some seemed fascinated by his fur coat. A normal bunch at the moment, The man deduced.

Eventually, he dismissed them to their next class, but a certain pup decided to talk to him.

“Ah, Crewel-sensei, I wanted to thank you for the scarf and hair tie, and also tailoring my uniform on such short notice,” The student thanked, smiling

“You’re welcome,” Divus replies, returning their smile. 

“By the way, you tailored this outfit, right?” 

“Indeed,”

“...Would you mind if I use whatever cloth and tools you might be able to spare?” 

Crewel immediately paused at the question. “And what would you do with those materials, may I ask?”

“I’d like to tailor myself some clothes,” they respond casually. “I’ll try to pay you back in whatever materials I use,”

“Pup, you can make clothes?”

“I can, but I'm no professional at it,” Yuu admits.

Divus thought for a moment. Can this pup really make something decent, though? “Alright, I’ll let you use some materials,” Yuu lit up with their response. “On the condition that I watch you as you work. I’d like to see for myself if you really can make yourself something,”

“Okay,” they agreed, and with that the pup was about to be sent off to their next class. “See me later in this class after school today,” Divus informed, which was returned with a nod as they headed off.

This year may be a lot more interesting after all, Divus notes.

—

History of magic wasn’t exactly everyone’s favorite class. Mozus Trein already knew this, mostly due to how many people fell asleep during his classes and how his daughters had commented on how monotone his voice is when he’s lecturing. 

However, Trein had rarely ever seen a student as focused as Yuu was in the lesson. Their hands moved with intense accuracy and precision over their paper as they jotted down notes. Neat ones might he add. The quill moved so fast that Lucius had started swiping at it, but the student didn’t even flinch as they continued writing with a stoic and focused expression. 

Eventually, Lucius settled on their lap once the cat had gotten bored of trying to swipe the rapidly moving feather of the quill. The Prefect barely reacted but had one of his arms pet the back of Lucius’ neck with a fonder expression on their face. 

Mozus was impressed at their level of focus and how fond Lucius was of them. The cat familiar wasn’t exactly very fond of people, usually either ignoring them or pestering them, with the exception of Mozus himself. But Lucius seemed to be openly fond of the newly appointed Ramshackle dorm prefect (he heard about it from Divus), which was definitely new.

If the man remembered correctly, Yuu was acquainted, or rather friends, with Ace Trappola, and Deuce Spade. Spade, for the most part, was focused on the lecture and trying his best to understand. However his confusion was already evident on his face as he repeatedly squinted in confusion as he tried to jot down notes as fast as possible. Trappola, on the other hand, had already dozed off like most of the other students. Yuu’s familiar and other half of a student had also fallen asleep.

After class, Yuu had seen him to ask some more questions on the topic that they learned about that day, much to Trein’s surprise.

“How exactly did the dwarf mines become unused?” Yuu asks.

“The mines may have an abundance of magestones, but not an unlimited supply. Eventually, as the years passed, the mines ran out of magestones. No one knows for sure what happened to the dwarves after that, since they mined the magestones for a living. Although it was most likely that they moved elsewhere and left the area to a new place and worked new jobs,” Mozus explains.

The student was rather lost in thought with a hand on their chin as they mutter unintelligible mumbled words with a knowing look on their face. As if his explanation was a sort of clue or gave clarity to whatever it was they were thinking about.

“Thank you, professor,” The student smiled. “I don’t want to take up your time, but do you happen to have any recommendations for the basic history for Twisted Wonderland?” 

Trein raised a brow. Were they genuinely interested in the subject? 

Nonetheless, the man nodded as he started listing some books he happened to read that he found were useful. “I suppose you could try The Great Seven’s stories by James and William Grisly, it gives you a certain level of understanding for the great seven. If you wish to deepen your knowledge, The Reign of The Queen of Hearts: Alice’s arrival by Llewelyn Clint is great if you'd like to learn about the queen of hearts. Oh, and The master of poisons by-'' Eventually, Trein continues to ramble on for a while as the prefect nods along silently.

“Ah, would you like me to write it down?” The teacher offers.

“Don’t worry about it. I remember them. Thank you professor! I should probably head off to class now,” Yuu waves as he heads off to his next class. Peeking out his door, he could see the student approach a duo of Heartslabyul students, and their flaming familiar. 

What an odd student, and yet Trein was rather impressed by their drive to learn.

—

“Alright bean sprouts! For today’s warm up, run 5 laps around the field! A strong magician needs an equally strong body! Get moving!”

Vargas commanded the bunch as usual. He heard multiple groans from the students as they stood and got to their feet. The Savanaclaw bunch seemed to be doing well, unsurprisingly. But some of the others seemed to be lacking behind, sweating and breathing heavily. Vargas spotted the newly enrolled cat-monster, Grim was it? Floating instead of walking.

 “Myah! Lemme float! The boss can't lack behind the henchmen!” The little monster protested as Vargas forced him to get on his feet.

“Henchmen?” Vargas says confusedly. 

“Yuu over there is almost done with his laps! And if I can’t get ahead of him, at least let me get ahead of Ace and Deuce!”

Vargas looked ahead to see a figure running. Pretty darn fast. He was rather impressed. Were they in a track club when they were in middle school? They barely broke a sweat as they stopped, seemingly finished with their laps, as they sat down on the grass.

Later on, they started on obstacle courses. Some students were excited, others not so much. But nonetheless, everyone had to participate. 

“Alright, complete this course and run a lap! Good luck!” he blew his whistle and the students got to it. Everyone went one at a time, jumping vaults, climbing ropes, balancing on beams, all of that. There were some who were particularly good at this activity, but there were also some who were falling behind and constantly tripping. Vargas kept an eye on the ones who weren’t doing well and made a mental note to make sure they get more exercise. Most of them were the Ignihyde students, unsurprisingly. Most of them were what most people call ‘shut-ins’ and as far as he's concerned, they certainly don’t get enough exercise or sunlight.

But then, something caught his attention. Amidst the relatively slow or normal pace of all the other students, one basically sped through the whole thing. Climbing ropes with an interesting technique, fearlessly jumping off the ledge (when they were supposed to use a rope ) when other students would hesitate for a few seconds, basically hopping over the vaults, and working through the course very, very fast. When this student finally finished, they immediately got to running laps.

Vargas was fascinated. Who knew there was a student this quick? After looking a little closer, Vargas discovered them to be none other than the newly enrolled student, Yuu. He wasn’t too surprised, considering what he witnessed earlier into the class, but he was still impressed. How did they manage to pull all of that off? They have an insane amount of stamina, and yet they have such a small body. That was what bugged Vargas. Why are they so small? Anyone could mistake them for a 12 year old from afar, but he was quite sure that they were the same age as most of the other students. 

And yet the man couldn’t help but wonder how well they’d do during Beans day this year.

—

As the other students walked in, they were again intimidated by Divus’ crop. As everyone sat down, Crewel didn’t waste any time as he immediately got to his lessons.

“As you all know, I’m Divus Crewel, your alchemy professor. Take a seat, and we’ll start with the basics,” The man paused to smirk ominously. “And by that, I mean beating the names and distinguishing characteristics of 100 herbs and poisons into your little brains. Fungi are another matter, but as of now, I hope you’ll be able to take a walk without putting anything poisonous into your mouths. And I assume you all know I won’t tolerate a single failing this class? Expect to be drilled accordingly,” 

The terrified faces of each mutt said it all, each muttering and bracing themselves for what’s to come. However what impressed him was the new transfer that he had come to know. The pup didn’t even flinch at the mention of it. If anything, they were confused by their classmate’s reactions.

“What’s wrong?” Yuu whispered over to the reddish ginger seated next to them, Ace trappola.

The boy turned over to Yuu with a baffled expression. “What do you mean ‘What’s wrong’!? We’re about to have some weird plant knowledge drilled into our brains!” Trappola exclaimed in an aggressive whisper.

Yuu raised a brow. “Oh? This isn’t normal?” 

The bluenette seated next to Trappola, Spade, if Divus remembered correctly, turned to Yuu with another confused look. “No?”

The Prefect only shrugged as they went back to facing forward. “I see. I guess it’s just normal where I’m from..” 

Divus grew rather curious. Had he been taught that way? Maybe I’ll ask him some time.

The class went on with the despair of the new students, trying to memorize as much as they could. Spade seemed to be having trouble, however Crewel appreciated that he was trying. Yuu lended some helpful tips for memorizing to his merry band of first years, supporting and helping them through the class, much to Divus’ delight.

“Oh, this one’s similar to the water plant from the demon world. I guess it’s safe to assume it works with the same biology? No, the ones from the demon world are about a few centimeters larger and can store more water.. But this plant is definitely similar to a vida.. I doubt it works on humans, but it seems to be used for..” Yuu muttered to himself quietly, but audible enough that Crewel could catch most of the words. Vida? What’s that? Crewel was aware that wherever the transfer was from, it was definitely different and rather foreign to Sage’s isle. Or any part of twisted wonderland really. But a demon world? What did they mean?

“Pup, what are you muttering about?” Crewel asks bluntly. If he was going to get answers, sometimes asking directly could get him somewhere.

“Ah!” the student jumped. “Sorry professor. I was just looking at the plants in this textbook. They reminded me of the one’s back where I’m from.” 

“I see..” Crewel nodded. “Would you mind explaining in what way?”

“Well, this plant here,” Yuu points to a picture of a bulb-like plant in their textbook. “is similar to a plant where I’m from. The plants I’ve come to know store some fresh drinkable water in them,” 

“That’s not too far off from what it’s like here. Here, this particular plant stores water, however they aren’t drinkable.” Crewel replies. Maybe it was a different variant? “And what about this ‘Vida’ plant you mentioned?”

The prefect’s face dropped subtly, as if the thought had startled him. “Oh,” they turned to a page in their textbook that depicted a red blossoming flower with rigid dark green leaves. “We have a plant that’s really similar to this one where I’m from,” the students continued. “It’s a sort of vampiric flower that’s used to expand on shelf life for.. Meat. it’s a vampiric plant that drains the blood of the animal and blooms red after absorbing the nutrients.”

There was a short silence.

“Henchmen, Why?” Grim, the cat familiar chimed in. “Why do you have that?”

The prefect didn’t respond as they continued reading their textbook. Crewel decided to move on  as well, carrying on with the class. Come to think of it, where was Yuu-san from? He never mentioned where he was from, and only ever says ‘where I’m from’. And they never refer to it as ‘Home’ either.

Chapter Text

Yuu walked through the halls, sighing. “How am I supposed to pay for the cafeteria food this time..?” She muttered. It was a lucky break that a certain beastman was kind enough to approach her and spare her a sandwich, but what now?

She brushed off the thought and carried on. She’d worry about that later. After all, she had enough resources to pack herself a lunch and last her a few more days. But if anything, she was going to need to find food. There’s a forest that surrounds Ramshackle right? No, NRC was private property, if anything, it was probably just a bunch of trees. Hunting’s off the table, but what about gathering? There may be some wild berries or other herbs that might be useful nearby. She’ll need to head to the library later to read some books about the flora and fauna in Twisted Wonderland. Maybe Professor Crewel might have some books he could recommend. Oh, and there were free fruit cups and other extra snacks in the cafeteria. And she might need to get a job somewhere. Maybe the staff might need extra help? She could charge for tutoring the students. And she’ll definitely need some extra money to satisfy Grim’s Tuna addic-

“Hey! Twisted wonderland to Yuu?” Ace’s waving hand in front of Yuu’s face disrupted her train of thoughts.

“A-Ace,” she stuttered. 

“You were spacing out. Are you okay?” Deuce asked with concern.

“I’m fine,” She responded.

“What? Were the classes frying your brain too?” Ace teasingly asked.

Yuu rolled her eyes playfully. “No, but thanks for worrying about me,”

As they kept walking, Yuu realized something. It was quiet. Too quiet. Even with Ace and Deuce’s bickering.

“Where’s Grim?” She asked, scanning her surroundings. Just in time to catch a blur of gray fur dash across the green grass down stairs through the window. “I just... Grim! Get back here!” and without warning, Yuu broke into a run toward the window.

“Oi Yuu! What are you doing! Stop-” Yuu had already climbed out the window by the time Ace sounded his warning
  

“Myahaha! No way is the great Grim putting up with more boring classes day in and day out!” The gray menace kept running, but Yuu had her eyes on him. She climbed down strategically down the wall, latching onto the cobblestone and ledges as she made her way down.

“Yuu-kun! What are you doing!?” Deuce shouted as he looked down at her from the window.

“Catching a gray menace,” She hissed.

“You’re insane! Get back up here!” Ace reached out his hand, but Yuu didn’t grab it as she finally made her way down onto the ground unscathed. 

“I, Grim the great, sorcerer supreme and magical prodigy, don’t need someone to teach me how to blow stuff up!”

Yuu had quietly snuck her way behind the flaming cat, but perhaps she was emitting an intimidating aura because Grim seemed to stiffen up and immediately turn around, just in time to see Yuu stare back at him with her terrifying gaze and her hands spread out to catch him.

“AHHHH!” He screamed, but Yuu immediately caught him in her grasp. “Henchmen I’m sorry okay I- Yowch!” Grim yelped. 

Yuu pulled firmly at his ear as she dragged him away back upstairs for lunch, while being lectured.

“What would your past self say right now, hm? Weren’t you so determined to get into this school that you blew the lid off my coffin and demanded I give you my uniform? Well?” Yuu lectured as they climbed the stairs. “Honestly, the headmaster would’ve been furious! Pull another stunt and I’ll ask the headmaster to take back the tuna he promised you. Got it?”

“Ow, Ow, ow! Okay henchmen okay! I won’t try it again!” Grim yelped as he was dragged off by the ear. 

Eventually, they found their way back to the Heartslabyul Duo, who were staring out the window frantically, but were relieved to see Yuu arrive back safely. Ace snickered at the sight of Grim being nagged by his ‘Henchmen’, but Grim was promptly released when they continued on their way to the cafeteria.

“Prefect, you're like his mom,” Ace teased.

Yuu paused. Most people would take it as a teasing joke and maybe laugh it off. But it had a much more significant meaning to Yuu. It reminded her a bit of how the little kids like Chris, Yvette, or Jemima would sometimes call her that by accident all too often. And the mention of the word mom in itself reminded her of Isabella. She knew, somewhere in her heart, that Isabella did genuinely love them, and the dream proved it. 

Yuu smiled softly. “Thanks,”

“Wha-?” Ace raised a brow confusedly. “You’re welcome?”

The group made their way into the cafeteria, and found themselves a nice table. Ace and Deuce got up to get lunch, like some of the other students. However, Grim got up along with them.

“Grim, I already brought food,” Yuu raised the lunchbox that they happened to get their hands on from the ghosts. She didn’t know where they got it, but decided not to question it.

“But I want the omelets and grilled chicken!” Grim protested.

“Grim, we’re broke. I basically don’t have a single madol on me,” Yuu explained.

“Oh?” a new voice said. Yuu jumped. “Are you perhaps the new 2-in-1 student that came from another world?” 

“Oh, the headmaster told you about that? Yes, that’s us,” Yuu replied. Turning to face the speaker, she found that it was a ghost dressed in a chef’s attire. The whole white tall hat and white buttoned outfit look.

The ghost chuckled. “No, I just happened to overhear him whining about how he had to deal with an anomaly from another world and a gray monster,”

“Whoa wait, another world!?” Ace cut in.

“Prefect, what does he mean?” Deuce adds.

“You don’t need to worry about costs. Since you’re technically under the school’s care, you get a free food pass here. Of course, it’s limited to 3 meals a day for both you and Grim, but that’s just about it. But today is a free day to welcome the new students, So help yourself to the buffet,” The ghostly chef explained.

The Duo’s confusion and questions fell on deaf ears as Yuu sighed in relief. Of course, she’ll still need a job for other necessities, and even if she did have free boarding, she’ll still need to figure out how to get the electricity up and running. Living in the dark with only candle light won’t be good for her or Grim’s sanity or health.

“I see. Thank you!” Yuu replied.

“So, can I get food?” Grim asked.

Yuu smiled. “Go for it,”

The cat excitedly got to the buffet with Ace and Deuce, and as much as they seemed to want to press her for questions, they were too hungry at the moment. 

Yuu decided she’d stick with her lunch. It wasn’t much, but she managed to whip up a sandwich with the ingredients Crowley gave her. It was simple: tomatoes, lettuce, and meat, which she assumed was beef, cut up into triangles. She may have never really tried to make one herself, or tasted one, but the books in the Shelter and Grace field told her a lot of the outside world. Plus, a cookbook she found Grace field once explained a lot of delicious recipes and how to make them. Although they discovered it was actually another of Minerva's books with hidden notes about the demon world, and how to prepare certain dishes from the ingredients in the demon world with a certain code too. She was grateful she told Ray to bring it with him once they go through with their escape.

“Thank you for the food,” She muttered as she was about to bite into her sandwich, only to be completely cut off by a yelp nearby.

“Ow, watch where you’re going!” a gruff voice exclaimed. “My carbonara.. You broke the yolk!” When Yuu turned to the scene, a tray of food was spilled onto the floor, and two angry students with red armbands– from Hertslabyul, Yuu realized– stood facing Grim, glaring daggers at him.

“Whoa, That’s messed up! Pokin’ the egg is the best part!” The redhead of the bunch said in a slightly mocking and sarcastic tone, before he started yelling. “You better make this right, pal!” 

The entire cafeteria turned to the yelling students. Time to step in .

As Yuu approached the group carefully, the student started yelling again. “As compensation, I’m gonna need that grilled chicken of yours!” the silver haired one explained. 

“Myah!? No way! Hand of my lunch, chumps! I need my protein because I am hungry,” Grim declined. Not a smart move, Grim.

“Haa? That’s no way to speak to you upperclassmen! Let me teach you some respect!” The red head growled. Ah, so they’re those types of guys. Yuu notes as she tries to think of a plan in her head to resolve the conflict before it could escalate any more. It reminded her of Luce and Andrew, who looked down on them for their status as cattle. Needles to say they had it coming when they met their ends.

“Um, Senpai, the student handbook says magic is forbidden for fighting on school grounds,” Deuce cuts in.

“He’s right, Senpais,” Yuu agrees. Her sudden arrival startled everyone a little.

“Eh? Who are you?” the silver said in an unfriendly tone. Yuu only smiles politely.

“I apologize for my student here. I’m his supervisor and prefect of Ramshackle dorm. Pleased to meet you,” Yuu smiled.

“Haa? You’re the prefect of that building?” The red head mocked. But Yuu didn’t flinch.

“Yes, I am. To make up for the spilled carbonara, you could have my sandwich,” she offered, gesturing to her lunch. Hopefully, maybe they’ll decide to take her offer. If not, she might have to offer them Grim’s roasted chicken, and the flaming cat did not appreciate having his food taken from him.

“Eh? What’s that?” The silver asked, his tone still remained gruff. 

“Sandwich. Meat, lettuce, tomatoes, that stuff.” She replied.

The upperclassmen examined the sandwich before shaking their heads. “Nah, we want the cat’s chicken!” The silver replied. Grim quickly held his tray closer, guarding it like his treasure. Yuu gave him a specific look that she’d give some of her siblings if they ever planned to do anything stupid, or get themselves in trouble. Grim faltered, but shook his head. Yuu gave him another look. A softer, more desperate look. Please. it read.

The cat looked at his tray, then at Yuu, then back at his tray. He sighed, as he relented. Yuu was a little surprised by this, but felt proud of the cat. She was totally going to buy him tuna later on when she got enough money and a job of sorts. 

Gim gave up his roasted chicken to a smug upperclassman as they went off. Yuu sighed, she wanted to retaliate, but it was better not to cause a scene on the first day. She patted the cat on his head with a soft smile. “You can have my sandwich. It’s good, I promise,” Yuu was relatively confident in her cooking skills. After all, she was on par with Ray, and was this close to surpassing the masterchef. 

“Prefect, what was that!?” Ace asked as they walked back to their table.

“What was what?” She asked, confused.

“What he meant was that the way you handled the situation was.. Kinda mature in a way,” Deuce clarified.

Yuu raised a brow. “And how so?”

“You actually managed to get this raccoon to give up his food! Honestly, they were kinda jerks, but It was kinda impressive that you managed to actually deal with it peacefully, ” Ace explains.

“Eh, I try to avoid conflict. It’s annoying to deal with, I guess,” She replied.

“Henchen, you owe me a tuna can,” Grim says.

“I know, Grim,”

The group headed to their table, and Grim had already started eating Yuu’s sandwich. His electric blue eyes immediately widened as he sunk his teeth into the meal.

“This is delicious! The meat is cooked so it’s at the perfect texture. This lettuce tastes fresh, with a mix of a sweet and bitter after taste, and the tomatoes also taste sweet and juicy, but also sour in a good way! The bread somehow doesn't taste as stale as it did when I ate a slice last night, and is actually yeasty and soft!” The cat monster was back with his descriptive food vocabulary, but Yuu smiled somewhere on the inside. She was glad she managed to grow as a great cook in the 1 and half years she spent with her family outside farms. Ray had definitely taught her well.

“Glad you like it,” She smiled.

“Those bullies were missing out when they didn’t take this!” Grim replied, making Yuu blush a little with embarrassment. 

“Is it really that good?” Ace asked curiously.

“Yeah!” Grim replied, eating his sandwich. “Y’know, I’ve seen you guys’ dorm, but what about the others?” Grim asked. That’s actually a good question. Yuu recalled the mirror room, where she managed to get a look at the 7 ‘portals’, which she presumed to be a gateway to the different dorms. What were their names again? Heartslabyul, Savannaclaw, Octavinelle, Scarabia, Pomefiore, Ignihyde, and Diasmonia, right?

“You’ve seen the statues of the Great Seven by Main Street, right?” a familiar voice said. 

Yuu turned her head towards the source of the voice, where Cater stood, waving, as he walked towards their table and took a seat. But someone else was with him. Someone all too familiar to Yuu.

“Gilda?”

Chapter Text

“Who?” Trey eyed the ramshackle prefect, Yuu, that Cater had told him about that morning on their way to Professor Trein’s class. Gilda? Who could that be? Maybe they just got the wrong person. And this was an all-boys school after all, so Gilda wouldn’t really be a name you’d hear about around here.

The Prefect blinked, as their eyes widened slightly before shaking his head quickly. “Never mind,”

Trey raised a brow. Sure doesn't sound like it. 

“Gah! You’re the guy who tricked us this morning!” Ace exclaimed, who Trey recognized as the ‘Tart thief’ that Riddle had collared the night before. 

“Myah! You’re right! He’s the guy who tricked us into painting some roses!” A cat monster pointed out.

“I didn’t trick you, you know~? It’s not like I wanted to do that either. I only did it ‘cause it’s the Dorm’s rules,” Cater defended.

“You looked happy about it though,” Deuce shot back, which Trey recognized as a freshman who didn’t get collared this morning. 

“Aw, there there Deucey! Rules don’t really matter outside dorms, so now I’m just your gentle senpai!” Cater replied.

“S-senpai! Please don’t call me that,” Deuce pleaded.

“Ahaha, that’s just how Cater shows his affection, you know?” Trey said.

“Oh, right, who are you?” Ace asked.

“Right, my bad! I’m Trey Clover, A Heartslabyul third year alongside Cater,” Trey explained. “And you’re from the Ramshackle— ahem, The new student who’s currently residing in the unused dorm, correct? I heard all about it from Cater. Sorry for the trouble our dormmates caused you yesterday.”

“Ah, no, it’s fine, no need to worry,” The Prefect assured.

“He’s just casually sitting right next to me..” Ace mumbled.

“Aww! Don’t be like that! We’re in the same school, so we should get along. Give me your number,” Cater playfully asked.

“Oh, uh, what number?” The Prefect asked dumbfoundedly.

“Your phone number?” Cater replied confusedly. 

“Oh. I don’t have one,”

Cater’s eyes widened in horror. “You don’t have a phone number?”

“I don’t have a phone,” The Prefect corrected casually.

Cater’s eyes widened even more as he dramatically gasped. “What!? You’re like an endangered species! How have you been living up until now?”

“Uh.. Safely?” the prefect replied. Trey honestly couldn’t tell if they were joking.

“No, that won’t do! We’re getting you a cell phone!” Cater replied determinedly. 

“Sure?” 

“Cater, the Transfer’s confused,” Trey warned.

“Ah, right, right. So you guys were talking about dorms right?”

And so the dorm conversation started. Trey and Cater patiently explained each dorm, what their colors are, which great seven members they were based on, the characteristics of each dorm, and all that jazz. It was amusing to see the prefect’s reactions among the others. They seemed fascinated, and even surprised at the idea of beastmen and merfolk. Had they never seen or heard of any before? Trey did hear of rural or remote areas where some human communities that aren’t very aware of the existence of merfolk or beastmen settle, isolated from the rest of the world.

“Then there’s.. Diasomething dorm, correct?” Deuce attempted.

“Pfft! It’s Diasomnia, Juice,” Ace teased.

“I-I just bit my tongue. And it’s Deuce!”

“Diasomnia..” Cater trailed off, scanning the large cafeteria. “Ah, there! The guy’s sitting by the exclusive tables,” Cater continued, pointing towards a group of students with vibrant green vests. “Their colors are light-green and black. They’re kinda– How do I put it? Super popular? They’ve got an aura that makes it hard for us commoners to approach them. Their Prefect is super difficult to grasp.”

“Oh, they’ve got a kid with them,” Ace pointed out.

Trey chuckled. “Grade skipping is allowed here, but he’s not a kid, he’s a third year like us, his name is–” 

“Lillia. Lillia Vanrouge,” 

Everyone at the table jumped. Some of the first years shrieked, but the ramshackle prefect barely made a peep as he stood up immediately, like he was ready to run.

“This- this guy teleported here!” Grim shrieked.

“Oh?, are you perhaps interested in our dorm? Fufu, it is true that I may have a cute and petite build, however, I assure you, as Clover has stated here, I am much older than I seem,” Lilia assures.

“Cute and petite..” Trey heard himself mutter in slight disbelief.

“Alas, why don’t you approach rather than simply watch from afar?” The others had recovered from the scare and Yuu had settled back into his seat, listening to Vanrouge’s words. “Are we not from the same school? We from Diasomnia will welcome you anytime.” 

The table focused their gaze at 2 Diasomnia students, a platinum silver and a mint green haired student. 

“Those two don’t seem like they’d want to be bothered, though,” Deuce remarked.

“Fufufu, pardon me for suddenly appearing above you as you dine. I will be taking my leave now.” The fae, Trey assumed, took his leave, teleporting back to his table, joining the mint green and silver.

“Our seat is practically 20 meters away from their table.. But you’re telling me he heard us loud and clear..!? Scary..” Ace whispered,

“Well, that’s how it is. Diasomnia has some pretty gifted students,” Trey explained. “Their Dorm head, Malleus Draconia, is said to be one of the greatest sorcerer in the world,”

“TBH, Malleus is like, the best of the best. Well, our Dorm head is kinda dangerous too-”

“You’re telling me! He puts a collar on someone just for eating his tart? He’s the worst, no doubt!” Ace cuts in. Unfortunately, he had been unaware of the person standing right behind him at the moment who was approaching their table, but Trey couldn’t warn him in time.

“Oh? I’m the worst?”

“Yeah. only a tyrant would make their whole dorm follow some pointless rules,” Ace added, unaware of who he replied to.

“Ace! Look behind you!” Deuce nudged.

Ace turned around, only to be met with the ‘Tyrant’ himself. “Gah! Dorm head!”

“Hey Riddle~! You’re looking cute today too!” Cater said, attempting to de-escalate the situation. 

“Hmph. Keep talking like that and I’ll take your head,” Riddle replied coldly. Sorry Cater .

“Aw~ please go easy on me,” Cater replied casually.

“Myah! He’s the guy who put me in that weird collar at the entrance ceremony!” Grim recalls.

“ You two are the ones who caused a ruckus yesterday, aren’t you?” Riddle says. “Would you refrain from referring to someone’s unique magic as ‘ weird collar ’ ? Good grief, the Headmaster is too soft. Letting someone off the hook for not following the rules once is preposterous. It will only break the foundation. Rules are meant to be followed after all,”

Yuu seemed to keep a calm visage as he listened to the redheaded dorm head. Barely faltering. Grim on the other hand seemed to sweat.

“Those who don’t follow the rules should just say goodbye to their heads,” Riddle sighed, as the people at the table started to tense up at his words.

“His words don’t match up with his cute face..” Ace commented in a whisper. Luckily, Riddle didn’t seem to hear him as he prattled on.

“The headmaster may have forgiven you, but the next time you break the rules I won’t let you off so easily,” Riddle warned.

“Um, Prefect?” Ace asked. “Is it possible for you to remove this collar?”

Trey was honestly impressed by the nerve of this freshman to ask that question right after Riddle’s lecture, no less.

“Well, I was thinking of taking it off once you’ve repented, however..” Riddle trailed off. “judging from what you said a while ago, it seems like you’ve yet to do so.”

Trey sighed. Did Ace really have to say that? It felt like bad timing.

“I’ll have you walk around with it for a while longer,” Riddle decided. 

“Won’t he need magic for his classes?” Yuu tried to reason, much to Trey’s surprise.

“No need to worry. The 1st year’s lessons are more focused on classroom learning rather than magic training.” Riddle turned to Ace. “If you can’t use magic, then something like yesterday’s ruckus should be impossible. Perfect, isn’t it?” Riddle explained. “Now, if you’re done, go to your next class. Rule #271 of the Queen of Hearts: ‘You must not spend more than 15 minutes sitting at the table after you’ve eaten.’ you know what happens when you break the rules don’t you?”

“Another weird rule..” Ace sighed.

“Answer me with ‘Yes Dorm head!’” Riddle corrected.

“Yes dorm head!” Ace and Deuce responded in unison.

“Good,”

Riddle eventually headed off to Sam’s to get more sugar cubes after the cafeteria ran out, right after he reminded Trey to make sure he’s doing his job as the Vice Dorm head of Heartslabyul. 

The minute Riddle was out of the cafeteria, the Heartslabyul students within the room sighed in relief as if a heavy load was off their chest. They started to complain about the rules they nearly broke. One student almost ate a hamburg steak on a Tuesday, violating rule #186, another was one of the bunch who had overslept this morning. Trey sighed at the complaints. If only they knew what Riddle had been through. If only someone understood his past. But they couldn’t have known, and that only makes things more difficult.

“The Dorm head had managed to become head a week after getting into school,” Trey explained. “He’s a little sharp tongued, but he has the dorm’s best intentions in mind, and he’s not really a bad guy,”

“People who think like that don’t just put people in collars,” Grim objects.

“Ahaha..” Cater and Trey laughed awkwardly.

“Ah, senpais, by the way. What are unique magics?” Yuu asked, which fortunately steered the conversation away from Riddle just a little bit.

Cater blinked. “You mean Riddle’s?” 

“Unique.. So it can only be used by one person?” Deuce guessed. 

Trey explained the basics for a unique magic to the first years. Unique magic was magic that could only be used by one person, aside from all other magic. A special skill, if you will.

“You’ll learn more about it in class,” Trey explained.

“Riddle’s unique magic seals off another person’s magic. It’s called..” Cater said. “Off with your head!”

“Even the name’s scary!” Grim shrieked.

“Since magicians having their magic sealed off is similar to having your head chopped off~ That’s why, as long as you’re in this dorm, it’s better not to go against Riddle,” Cater explains.

“As long as you follow the rules, he can be pretty gentle,” Trey adds.

“Oh, right. Am I gonna be chased off again if I don’t bring a slice of tart?” Ace sighs exasperatedly.

“Pretty much! That’s what rule #53 says after all. Oh, and since Riddle was looking for the first slice of the tart, he won’t forgive you if you do the same.” Cater advised.

“What!? But you said that we were supposed to get along!” Ace objected.

“This and that are two different things~!”

“Still, isn’t a whole tart a bit expensive?” Deuce asked. 

“And I don’t have that much money..” Ace admits.

“Then why not make some~? Those tarts were all made by Trey here, y’know~?” Cater informs. The whole table gasped in astonishment.

“Really?” Yuu asked

“You made all that Trey senpai!? That’s amazing! It tasted better than what’s sold here!” Ace remarked.

Trey felt a bit embarrassed at the compliments, but kept his composure. “Haha, thanks. I think I have most of the tools and ingredients here… But I won’t simply offer you my services.” the green haired said.

“You’re gonna charge us!?” Ace said in shock.

“Haha, No! I’m not gonna squeeze money out of a junior. The next tart Riddle wants to eat is going to require a lot of chestnuts. Would you mind gathering some?” 

Ace narrowed his eyes at the requirement, but shrugged. “Troublesome! Either way, how much do ya need?”

Trey put a finger on his chin. He was going to need a lot for the Unbirthday Party. “It’s going to be used for the Unbirthday Party, so about two to three hundred will do.” That was his estimate.

“ That much!?” Deuce and Grim shouted in unison.

“And I’ll have you help peel and roast them,”

“I’m going home,”

“Same here,”

“Traitors!” Ace said, betrayed. Trey couldn’t help but chuckle.

The collared ginger-redhead then looked at Yuu pleadingly with a look that read ‘Please’. But the prefect only chuckled. “Sorry Ace. I have to meet up with professor Crewel for something. But I think I’ll make it back for roasting and peeling the chestnuts,”

Ace lit up. “Good enough!”

“Why are you meeting up with Professor Crewel anyway?” Deuce asked.

“Oh, I wanted to borrow something from him is all,”

“Which is..?” Grim asked.

“To use some spare cloth and materials. I’ve gotta make myself something to wear other than my uniform and some old clothes in ramshackle y’know?” 

The group froze. Did he just casually say he’s going to make himself some clothes?

“Prefect, you can sew? You know how to make clothes?” Trey asked fascinatedly.

“I’m no expert at it, but yes, I can make clothes, but nothing too elaborate,” Yuu casually responded.

“That’s insane! How’d you learn?” Ace asked.

“I read a book on it. Eventually, It came in handy,” 

“You should really tell us if you know how to do things like these, Prefect,” Deuce said.

“Okay? Is it that impressive?” Yuu asked, a little dumbfounded.

“Is it!?” Cater echoed in disbelief.

Eventually, after some persuasion from Cater, Deuce and Grim agreed to help. Mostly because they wanted to eat some fresh tart. They agreed to meet up at the botanical garden afterschool to harvest chestnuts, and Yuu was to join when he was done with his business, which Trey would expect to take a while.

Chapter Text

Yuu went back to Crewel’s classroom when school ended. To be completely honest, the school’s curriculum wasn’t very effective. The students are bored and unengaged, and Yuu admitted that it was rather difficult to stay up during Trein’s lecture.

“Ah, hello, pup,” Crewel greeted. Yuu returned it with a smile. “Alright, let’s head to my office,”

She and Crewel headed over to his office, which wasn’t that much of a walk. It was on the same floor and only a few rooms away from the classroom. When they made it, Crewel opened the door and revealed a neat room. 

Mannequins stood at a corner of the room, some used with uniforms and other clothing on them, and some still vacant. Used cloth, fabric and other materials were scattered around. A neatly organized desk stood at the side of the room in front of a window. 

“Alright, you can.. Do what you like. I have plenty of materials,” Crewel informs.

“Okay,”

Yuu got to work. A few books from the shelter and grace field’s library taught her how to make clothes. The very basics at least. The 8 year olds managed to make Gillian an almost exact replica of her outfit in goldy pond, and she definitely wasn’t going to lose to them. She thought of an idea she might want to try for an outfit. What about what I wore at the shelter?

She usually wore a long black skirt and a white buttoned top with a ribbon on her collar, and on the occasion she’d go out to hunt food with the others, she’d wear black pants and a white coat. Wow. Yuu realized. She’s basically only ever worn white outfits with black occasionally. Now that she thought about it, moms, sisters, and grandmas only ever wear white or black. Even from outside of Grace field. Theo and the Goldy pond group described their Moms– or caretakers since they called them different things– as wearing a black dress and sometimes with a white cloth. If anything, the only time she's ever worn anything particularly colorful was when she was in Goldy pond. Surprisingly, they were supplied with a lot of colorful clothes or cloths to work with.

When Yuu made it to goldy pond for the first time, she was wearing a white shirt and matching pants with light colored cardigan with blue accents and the Lambda mark imprinted on the side of the shirt. She basically woke up in the middle of nowhere in an odd little village, then a bell rang and she had no idea what was happening until she followed some strangers who were looking for a place to hide. 

After surviving for a while, hiding in little spots she could squeeze through, and moving from place to place, she came across Gillian. After conversing for a while, she brought her to Lucas. Everyone was nice to her, and she got to know everyone. Goldy pond was a good place when the poachers wasn’t hunting them down. Eventually, she came across a nice purple beanie, similar to Gillian’s, a thin white blouse, a blue jacket that reached her thigh, black slacks, and brown leather boots. Gillian was excited that Yuu also wore a beanie similar to hers, and gave her some nice patches she made herself and embroidered it into her beanie. Yuu happened to really like the patches, and she still had the beanie with her and wore it when she went out. It’s too bad that she doesn’t have it with her in Twisted wonderland.

As Yuu got out of her daze, she decided to recreate what she wore in the shelter first. Although without the skirt for now, when Crewel wasn’t looking anyway. She got started, gathered some cloth and created a picture in her head of what it would look like. 

“Aren’t you going to use the sewing machine?” Crewel asked confusedly.

“Sewing machine?” Yuu echoed. Crewel pointed to a machine in the corner of the room.

“Oh. I’m not too familiar with it, so I’ll stick with what I usually do,” Yuu responded, politely declining the offer.

“You.. don’t use a sewing machine?”

“No,”

Crewel was silent, as if astonished, but didn’t say much. So Yuu got to work. The room was quiet, with the only sound being Yuu’s fast snipping, as her hands swiftly moved through the cloth as the needle sewed everything into place. Crewel told her she could use whatever she needed, so she took the liberty to use whatever materials she wanted and modified the outfit a bit to her liking. Blue buttons instead of white, a blue ribbon, and other adjustments. She hummed as she finished her first outfit: a white button up and black slacks. She was satisfied with her results and decided to stop for the day.

“Pup,” Crewel said, breaking the subtle silence. “Where did you learn to make clothes?”

“My mom taught me a thing or two about sewing, I learned the rest through a bit of practice and some reading,” Yuu responded casually.

Crewel didn’t make a sound, as if too shocked to respond. Was she really that good? She wasn’t exactly any expert, and only practiced fixing rips back at the house, and occasionally fixed rips here and there when someone ripped their shirt or if a hole was created. But there was that one time in Goldy Pond when she found the pile of spare cloth that Gillian mainly used to make crafts. The next thing she knew she started making dolls for the little kids and some clothes for them. But it was only shirts and some knitted cardigans!

“Years in fashion school..” Crewel sighed. “Pup, will you come back again?”

“Yes. if you wouldn’t mind. I still need some more clothes. I’d like to stay longer, but I need to go right now. I promised my friends I’d help them make a tart,” Yuu responded. Now that she thought about it, she was really running late.

“I see..” Crewel muttered. “Tell me, Yuu-san, how did you come up with this design?”

“It was something I used to wear.”

“Is that so? What’s this owl embroidery?” Crewel pointed to Minerva’s logo. A little detail she added.

“Oh, that’s an important crest where I’m from,” Yuu replied. She didn’t know why she decided to add it. Maybe she just wanted to make the outfit look less plain, or maybe she just wanted a little something to remember William Minerva, and how he was a ray of hope to the escapees.

“Any particular meaning to it?” 

“It’s the logo of a very important person with an alias, ‘William Minerva’,”

“What did this person do?”

“He’s an admired figure and an author. Especially admired by children,” It wasn’t a lie. He was an author, or at least implied to be, and all the children admired him, considering how much they loved Norman, thinking he was Minerva.

“You know, Yuu. you’re quite interesting. Not everyone can just whip up clothes themselves. And the quality.. It would be good enough to sell,”

Yuu blinked and noted that. This might be a good way to make money. But where would she sell it? Trey mentioned that Riddle was headed for ‘Sam’s’, is that a school store? She would need to find out more later. After thanking professor Crewel for letting her use his materials, she headed off to the school kitchen, where Trey told them to meet up after they finished picking chestnuts.

—

Yuu was excited, in a way. She’s never eaten a mont blanc tart before. Now that she thought about it, has she ever eaten any tarts before? She entered the kitchen and was greeted by the Heartslabyul group and Grim.

“Back already?” Trey asked.

“Mhm.” Yuu nodded happily.

“Well you’re just in time for Chestnut peeling,” Trey chuckled.

“Prefect, are you really that excited about this?” Ace asked, a bit exhaustedly.

“Yeah, I’ve never tasted tart before,” Yuu responded.

Trey blinked. “You haven’t?” Yuu shook her head.

“Well, I’m glad our tart will be the first one you’ll try,”

Eventually, they got to work, with Trey and Deuce peeling the chestnuts with magic, and Yuu and Deuce working with their hands manually. Ace struggled for a while, but after getting the gist of it, started working at a faster pace. Yuu struggled a little at first, but took no time at all to start peeling so fast that she outsped Trey. when you learn your way around a knife, peeling was a little easy. Grim just snacked on the chestnuts, and didn’t contribute much at all. 

Watch out Ray, when Yuu gets back, she’ll surpass him!

Yuu grinned happily as she swiftly peeled each chestnut until she started taking from everyone else’s pile.

“Prefect what in the world!? Slow down will ya?” Ace commented.

“What’s got you smiling so happily?” Deuce asked.

“Oh? Was I smiling?” Yuu asked.

“Yeah, like you just won some prize!”

“Haha, sorry, sorry,”

“Is this not your first time cooking? You’re pretty good at it so far,” Trey asked curiously.

“No. My sibling taught me.” Yuu chuckled. “He’s basically a master chef,”

“Prefect, your family sounds real talented,” Ace commented.

“Tell us more about your family,” Deuce requested.

“Are you sure? They’re kind of a handful,”

“That just makes us wanna know more!” Grim exclaimed.

And so, as they peeled and strained the chestnuts, Yuu told them all about her family without letting any specific details regarding their circumstances as cattle and escapees slip.

“My little sister Yvette is really good at drawing. She likes to carry around her sketchbook everywhere and draw in her free time.”

“My little brother Norman is probably the smartest person ever. No, really. He’s smarter than me and everyone else in my family. Although he is a bit frail, and isn’t the strongest physically. But he’s so kind,”  

“Nat is like a musical prodigy! He plays the piano really well. Although he is a bit snarky, he’s kind of funny. He makes a lot of puns with my name.”

“Lucas was probably the oldest out of all of us along with Yuugo. They both were really close with each other, and kind of acted like our dads. They taught us a lot of things.”

“Chris is my cute little brother! He’s really clever too,”

“Phil is also similar to Chris, but he’s a lot smarter in different fields. He’d have the highest score on tests. A young genius,”

“Ray is literally a master chef. He cooks the best food. But I’d say I’m definitely on par with him. He’s a genius too! A real strategist and is really good at chess,”

“My mom is kind. She’s an intelligent woman and cares about all of us. She’s probably the best at chess, she even beats Ray!”

“Emma is really ambitious and hopeful. But she’s idealistic, and really reckless. I worry about her all the time. She kind of looks like Ace when it comes to her hairstyle,”

“Gilda is kind of like a mom friend. She’s always there to make sure Emma doesn't do anything too reckless or hurt herself, and my little sibling call her ‘mom’ by accident sometimes,”

She kept going on and on, talking about each of her siblings, smiling happily. But somewhere inside, it ached. She missed everyone so much. She wanted to see them again. Of course, she could still see them when she dreams. But she wanted to talk to them. So much. She wanted to hug Jemima, talk to Gilda, play with the younger kids, cook with Ray, and talk to Norman about what really happened at Lambda. She couldn’t get the thought out of her head. Why? Why did he have it? Was he also drugged? Yuu couldn’t understand. Why wouldn’t he tell anyone? Why lie?

“Wow prefect,” Trey marveled. “Your siblings sound really special,”

“Not to mention you have like, 30 siblings!” Ace exclaimed

“They definitely are,” Yuu agreed. She decided not to elaborate on Ace’s statement. 

“Oh, and this ‘Gilda’ you mentioned, didn’t you accidentally call me that when we first met?” Trey recalled.

“Oh, right. Sorry. You just reminded me an awful lot of her. Mostly from appearances. You both have green hair, wear glasses, and it just made sense.” Yuu said embarrassedly. But deep down, she wished it really were Gilda, but Trey did remind Yuu of her.

“Are you implying that I act like a mom too?”

Trey looked at Yuu, expecting her to deny it. But Yuu paused, thinking. Actually, it made sense. Trey seems to look out for people in a way that a mom would. But honestly? Yuu thought of him as more of an older sibling than a mom.

“Ahh! We finally finished!” Ace exclaimed. Yuu didn;t realize they were done already. Her arms were a little sore, but she was still fine. Time flies when you’re having fun, she supposes.

“Oh, Great work!” Trey responded. “The base uses butter and sugar. And I also added oyster sauce as a secret ingredient,”

“Oyster sauce!?” Ace and Deuce said in unison.

“Trey!?” Yuu exclaimed. Whatever it was, Oyster sauce didn’t sound like something that went into a tart.

“Exactly. The savory flavor of the chestnuts gives the cream a rich flavor. And then, to make it better, I use this ‘Walrus-brand young oyster sauce.’” Trey explained. “There’s no famous pâtissière that doesn't use this in their tarts, y’know?”

 Yuu was familiar with a lot of liars, well, pretenders were a better word. For the 11 years that that Yuu knew Ray back at the house, she would have never suspected him to be aware of the farm’s secret. She was impressed in a way, but everything made more sense when she overheard Ray and Isabella’s conversation. The reason he seemed to try to convince her to study every so often, why he always seems gloomy whenever someone gets 'adopted', why he seemed to always be reading, the reason he seemed so close to mom. But Ray had pretended to be as oblivious as everyone else to the farm’s secret for years. She felt terrible. He endured all that for so long, alone. Since then, sniffing out liars was easier. She had an inkling that Trey might also be lying, but he seemed so casual about it. Like it’s a natural thing. It messed with Yuu for a bit. Maybe it’s just different in this world? The way food works?

“Really? Isn’t it kinda salty?” Deuce remarks.

“Maybe it’s like when they put chocolate in a curry? I think it makes sense..” Ace thinks.

Trey immediately burst out laughing. Everyone fixed their confused gazes at the laughing third year. “I was just joking! No way I’d put Oyster sauce in a dessert y’know?” 

“What!? Are you mocking us?” Ace said.

“Haha! It’s obviously a lie if you think about it~” Trey fired back. “The moral of the story is not to believe everything you’re told. Learn to doubt a bit, okay?” 

“How am I supposed to know to doubt my mom?” The prefect muttered under her breath. 

“What?” Trey questioned.

“N-nothing,” 

“This guys looks nice.. But he can tell lies no problem huh?’ Grim commented.

“Anyway, now for the fresh cream. Ah!” Trey exclaimed.

“What’s wrong?” deuce asked.

“I got carried away with the chestnuts you picked that I went overboard with making the mont blanc base.” Trey sighed. “We’re kind of short on fresh cream.”

“I can go buy some. Is it sold in the school store?” Deuce offered.

“The shop sells pretty much anything, so I’m sure they have it. Can I also ask you to buy some other things while you’re there?” Trey handed Deuce a paper written with a list of ingredients in it. “Two packs of milk, two cartons of eggs, silicon cups, and five canned fruits…” Trey listed as he trailed off.

“I don’t think I can carry all that on my own. Yuu, mind coming with me?” Deuce asked.

“Sure. It’s my first time, though,” Yuu responded. This was her opportunity to see for herself what the school store was like.

“I’m coming too! No way I’m mixing any more dough!” Grim exclaimed as he hopped on Yuu’s shoulder. 

—

The school store wasn’t too far from campus, but it was a bit of a walk. When they entered, the mysterious atmosphere intrigued Yuu. The walls were a sort of dull purple, and vibrant green hanging light illuminated the room. A blue piano was placed against the wall along with countless shelves and a grandfather clock. Random treasures and jewelry were scattered around the room on shelves and cases, and a treasure chest. Masks, books, cards, and things in jars were displayed on shelves or seen around the room.

“Pardon us! Woah, what an amazing shop..” Deuce examined the things on the counter and shelves and cases. “Crystal skulls.. Magic texts.. Wh-what animal do you think this is?” Deuce pointed to an animal skull on the counter. “I don’t know.. But judging by the shape of the skull, it might’ve been a sort of reptile. A type of lizard specifically..” Yuu herself isn’t familiar with what animals were in this world, but She could still make a guess.

“Can we really find some fresh cream here?” Grim wondered. Before Yuu could respond, a man in a purple suit and a top hat appeared. “Hey! Little lost lambs, what can I help you with?” the man asked. “Welcome to Mr. S’s Mystery Shop. What is it that you wish for today?” He asked cheerfully. So he’s the clerk. 

“Gah! You startled me!” Grim jumped causing Yuu to topple back slightly.

“Grim!” Yuu scolded.

“Well, what would you like today? A charm against cheating? An ancient king's mirror? Or maybe some cursed tarot cards?”

“Oh, um, we’d like the things on this list,” Deuce clarified as he handed him his list.

“And canned tuna!” grim added.

“No, no canned tuna. Sorry Grim, I’ve got nothing on me right now,” Yuu responded.

Mister S looked over the list muttering its contents, before nodding. “What a sweet lineup! I’ll bring them out now,” 

Deuce’s eyes widened. “He really has these?” To be fair, it was a tad bit hard to believe. Considering the odd things the clerk had offered earlier.

Eventually, Mr. S pops back out from the back of the shop with the ingredients. “Thank you for waiting. Are you sure you can carry all of this? It’s rather heavy. If you act now, I can throw in a special bag that could carry it all for you at 30% of its original price~!” the clerk offered.

“Ooh~ sounds interesting!” Grim said, intrigued.

But deuce was fast to shut him down. “W-we’ll have to decline! Come one Grim,” Deuce ushered.

“But why? I wanna play more!” Grim whined.

“Okay! I await your return, lost little lambs!” the clerk said cheerfully as he waved them out the door.

As they walked out, Yuu felt her head throb. She stopped in her tracks and pressed her temple. “Yuu? Are you okay?” Deuce asked.

“I’m fine, Deuce. Don’t worry,” Yuu responded.

“Are you sure? Let me at least let me carry those canned fruits. It looks heavy. There’s a trick to carrying these,”

Yuu knew that Deuce was worried about her, so she let him carry her bag. “You seem a bit used to this, Deuce,” She commented.

“My mom takes me with her to timed sales. She ends up buying a lot, so I end up helping her carry the stuff.” Deuce explains. “I’m the only man in the family, so I’m used to helping out with hard labor like carrying things and– Ah, I’m sorry, I keep talking about myself,”

Was this what a normal family was like? What a normal mother is like? What a mother that could love normally would have been like? “No, keep going if you want. I think you’re amazing for helping your family out like that. And you really care about your mom don’t you? I know what that’s like,”

“No, that's not true at all. I.. Mom was.. Ouch!” Deuce’s words were interrupted by his pained grunt.

“The eggs!”

Chapter Text

“Shoot! All the eggs in the carton broke! Now the plastic bags reeks egg guts..” Deuce hissed. 

“That hurt! Look where you’re going– wha-” The familiar student grunted. “You’re the guys who ruined my carbonara!” 

Lo and behold, the very same upperclassmen that Yuu had dealt with earlier in the cafeteria. She didn’t know if this was some crazy coincidence, or if he decided that apparently she wasn’t having enough trouble today. The silver haired boy stared down at Yuu and Deuce, then glared at Grim. The redhead did the same.

“You again. Ya better give us a break–”

“Aren’t you at fault for bumping into me? Even during lunch, that egg barely had anything on it, and Yuu even made Grim compensate for it, but you still chose to made a scene?” Deuce looked at the now squashed bag of eggs. “Our eggs are totally ruined, though..”

“Yeah!” Grim agreed.

The redhead frowned. “What? So now you’re saying it’s my fault?” 

“Yes. Please pay us back for the eggs. And please apologize to the chickens.” Yuu’s brows furrowed at Deuce’s words. Apologize to the chickens? What for?

“Haa~? Makin’ a ruckus over some eggs, are we?” The redhead mocked.

“Hah?”

“It didn’t hit the ground, so you can still eat it. Stop makin’ a fuss over a little thing,” the same upperclassman said. Yuu could feel her blood boil a little at their words.

“Ya better be thankful they broke inside the plastic bag! Haha!” The silver added mockingly as he laughed, joined by the redhead.

Yuu felt her head hurt and had her hand reach for her temple again. Strange. She doesn't usually get headaches when she gets upset. Deuce looked at her concernedly before facing the upperclassmen again. 

“I told you to stop laughing!” Deuce yelled. Yuu felt her headache worsen slightly at his sudden yell. “You ain’t got no choice but to apologize for something that’s your fault!” Deuce’s tone suddenly changed to be harsher, no trace of his usual polite and formal tone. “These eggs were supposed to be used to make a delicious tart in place of turning into chicks, but you ruined that!” again with the chicks. He does know that they aren’t fertilized, right? Unless– “Do ya understand me, huh!?”

“Wh-what’s with him all of a sudden!?” The upperclassmen questioned confusedly. 

Deuce rolled up his sleeves. “If I can’t get you to pay me back for those six eggs.. Then I’ll beat you for every egg you broke! Grit your teeth!” 

And so the new problem started. Deuce proceeded to beat the life out of both senpais, as he had promised. They tried to resist, but it was futile really. Yuu was a bit impressed by Deuce’s unexpected skills. He landed almost every punch and was good at dodging. One of them tried to land a jab at Yuu, but even though she's having a bit of a headache, she still dogged. They tried and tried to land a punch at her, but Yuu avoided every attempt. She even managed to land a jab at one of their jaws. The fight went on for a bit, with Deuce winning, until the very end when the bullies decided to flee, unable to continue.

“You’re a madman! That was more than 6 hits!” the redhead shrieked.

“Gah! Let’s run! I’m so sorry, Mr. Chicken!” The silver pleaded as they both turned tails and ran.

“Apologize a hundred times before stuffing your faces next time!” Deuce yelled aggressively.

Yuu’s head didn’t hurt as much anymore, so she took it as a green flag. “Calm down, Deuce,” She reminded him.

“A-ah! Oh no.. I did it again… I promised myself I’d be a model student this time for sure and yet..!” Deuce said with remorse.

“What happened to you!?” Grim asked.

“Deuce, what do you mean?” Yuu followed.

“I wanted to be different from who I was in middle school.. I used to skip classes, got into fights everyday,” Deuce said remorsefully, looking down. “I disrespected my teachers, and I hung out with seniors who were worse. I even bleached my hair,”

Yuu’s eyes widened at the information. She honestly couldn’t picture Deuce that way, but parts of his ‘Delinquent’ days slipped out every now and then, just like earlier. She honestly felt a little dense for not figuring it out sooner. “I fought with anyone I could, I even used magic on people who couldn’t use them. Looking back, I was overall terrible.”

“It’s not as obvious now..” Grim remarked.

“It slips out sometimes, honestly,” Yuu agreed.

Deuce sighed. “One night.. My mom didn’t see me, but I overheard my mom talking to my grandma on a phone call.. And..” Deuce trailed off. “I saw her crying,” Yuu nudged him to continue. “My mom asked her where she went wrong in raising me, and if she was a bad parent for how I turned out. But that’s not it at all! She’s not to blame,  it’s all my fault!”

“Deuce..” Yuu muttered sympathetically.

“That’s why, when the black carriage from the prestigious Night Raven College came to pick me up, She cried tears of joy and smiled. I swore that I would never take that smile away from my mother again.” Deuce said, as if recalling the very memory from the way he smiled. “I made up my mind to become an honor student that my mom could be proud of.. But.. Dang it!” Deuce swore.

“But yanno, is enduring all that really part of being an honor student?” Grim asked. Yuu blinked at the question. for a random cat, he could surprisingly be insightful sometimes. 

“Eh..?”

“If it were me, I would’ve punched them 10 more times! But ya beat me to it,”

“He’s right, Deuce. Model students can be angry too, y’know?” Yuu advised. “It’s not good to bottle things up. If you ever need to talk, I’m here.”

“You guys…” Deuce muttered in awe. “I see. Hehe, may those baby chicks rest in peace,”

Well, it’s confirmed. Deuce doesn't realize those eggs are unfertilized. She hates to be the one to burst his bubble like that, but it was for his own good, she supposes. “Um, Deuce? Those eggs aren’t fertilized, so they were never meant hatch into chicks in the first place,”

“Oh, okay,” Deuce responded absentmindedly, before immediately processing what Yuu just said. “EHHHHH???”

“Sorry, Deuce-kun,”

—

Walking into the room, Yuu felt a sharp pain on one side of her head and paused to rub her temple. What’s with these headaches today?

“There you guys are! What took ya so long?” Ace exclaimed, before looking at Deuce’s slumped figure. “What happened?” 

“Eggs,” Yuu vaguely replied.

“Right, let’s get this over with~!” Trey announced. “All that’s left is to mix the mont blanc cream into the tart!” 

“Let’s get this over with already! I wanna eat some sweet warm tart!” grim exclaimed excitedly. 

“Don’t lose focus now, got it?” Trey said.

“Yeah!” “You got it!” Ace and Grim said at the same time.

They started working again, adding in layers of cream onto the tart. Deuce slumped over, muttering about chicks. Looks like it really did come off as a shocker for the poor teen. They were doing well, except for when Ace accidentally spilled the cream on the floor. The clean up didn’t take that long, but still– It was kind of time consuming. Yuu was excited to eat tart for the first time. She’s never really had anything as sweet as that. Now that she thought about it, most of the things she’s eaten were just fruits, bread, and whatever meat they can find. And soup every so often. But nothing as sweet as a mont blanc, or even pancakes.

Unfortunately, her headache didn’t go away, as she swayed from side to side every so often, winced quietly, and pressed her temples. Terrible stabbing pains and throbbing were all she felt. One second it would flare up, then die down, before it flares up again. Trey quickly caught on, and expressed his concern.

“Are you okay, Transfer?” he asked.

“I’m fine,”

That however, was a lie. She dismissed it as nothing important at first, until it worsened more and more. It felt like sharp, stabbing pains on one side of her temples, then on both.

“Alright, we’re doing good so far, we should be done in–”

Thump!

Yuu collapsed onto the kitchen floor. She realized, amidst the terrible pain, exactly what was happening.

A Lambda Seizure.

How could she have forgotten? Maybe she just wanted to think it would be different here. That because it was a different word, it wouldn’t have taken effect.

How idealistic of her.

She was lying on the floor, curled up and trying her best to suppress sobs and whimpers. It hurted so much that she wanted to scream. But she knew better than to do that. Her head was splitting and the throbbing got worse by the second. Everything around her felt blurry as tears clouded her vision.

“Prefect!” Ace yelled, as the boys and Grim swarmed her collapsed form.

“P-paper.” She said between whimpers. “Please.”

“What!? Why!?”

“ Please!”

Trey immediately handed her a paper and pen, much to her relief. She gathered all her strength into scrawling down all the ingredients of the lambda medication. It was luckily displayed on the back of the container, and she memorized it in case she’d ever need to create one herself. Goldy pond was ‘kind’ enough to supply some for her, knowing that she’d die if she didn’t take it. And in the shelter, she took as much of a supply as she could from Goldy pond and managed to survive on it until they found the paradise shelter where Norman had plenty. She hoped that Twisted wonderland had the ingredients for it, and wrote down in the most detail she could manage how to make it, courtesy of Vincent teaching her.

“Please.. Give.. to.. Crewel..” and it all went dark as the ringing in her ear got louder and her blurry surroundings darkened. The kitchen wasn’t particularly bright, but her head hurted the longer she had it open. She didn’t have the strength to cover her ears to block out the distorted voices of her friends and the ringing as she blacked out, writhing in pain and curled on the cold kitchen floor.

—

“Hey, Ray,” The girl responded as a black haired boy walked into the room. She was packing up her suitcase after she finished dressing up. Riddle had to admit, the outfit was nice. A navy blue coat, white dress shirt, yellow vest and a red ribbon, paired with a dark brown skirt that reached a little below her knees. Her feet weren’t bare since she wore white long stockings. She also wore a black fedora with light accents. 

Riddle stood at the scene before him. Right, why was he here again? Who are these people?

“Hey..” The black haired boy– which Riddle dubbed ‘Ray’ from the way the girl addressed him.

“I know, Ray,” The girl responded. “I overheard you and mom a few days ago,”

The boy looked shocked at the news. “What?”

“I know what’s actually going to happen to me tonight.” 

The boy was silent, taking in her words. “I-I’m sorry..” 

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

“I-If only, maybe I could have made the machine faster–”

“Save whatever contraption you made for the escape you're planning,”

Ray gaped. “How did-”

The girl approached him, before engulfing him in an embrace. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner. I’m sorry you had to go through everything alone. I’m sorry the years you’ve spent here were nothing but constant torment.”

Ray only sobbed quietly. “Mom s-said she would recommend you to be a mama..”

“No way,” She declined. “I’m not putting myself through that.”

“But you could live,”

“At what cost?”

The boy was silent again. 

Eventually, the two walked downstairs in a peaceful silence, knowing that this would be the last time they’d share moments like these, Riddle figured as he watched silently. The other children teased Ray for crying and assured him that the girl would surely send postcards and visit sometime. The girl only chuckled, smiling. Before she left, she hugged 3 children, Ray, an orange haired girl, and a snowy white haired boy. They happily returned the embrace, exclaiming that they’ll miss her.

“I’m gonna miss you!” the orange haired girl said.

“Was that a pun?” The white haired boy snickered. 

The black haired boy was silent for a moment, until he finally said something again. “I’ll miss you.”

The girl’s eyes widened before smiling. “I’ll miss you too,” 

Before she left, she leaned in to whisper something into Ray’s ear. “Take care of everyone and escape. I love you,”

The girl turned to everyone, saying a few choice words. “Emma, promise you’ll be more careful with yourself, ‘kay? Norman, keep an eye on her,”

“Hey! I’m not that reckless!” ‘Emma’ replied, pouting.

‘Norman’ smiled. “You got it,”

“Don, take care of Conny. She seems to really be fond of you,” 

“You think?” The girl smiled in agreement.

“Lani and Thoma, don’t get into so much trouble! Tone down the pranks a bit,”

“Gilda, Don’t tell anyone, but you’re one of my favorite siblings. Shh!” a green haired girl, who resembled Trey a little too well, Riddle noted, giggled quietly.

This went on for a while until she got to every child in the house.

The girl waved everyone goodbye one last time with a soft smile on her face before departing with a woman in a black dress and white apron with raven hair tied into a bun. The children yelled goodbye as Ray went back upstairs before the vision dissipated and grew blurry.

And Riddle woke up on his desk, in his bedroom. “What was that?” he muttered to himself.

The girl was awfully familiar. Hadn’t Riddle met someone like her already? The girl seemed awfully familiar. No matter. Right now, he had to focus on his studies. Mother would be very disappointed if Riddle was slacking off. And he shouldn't be distracted by a ridiculous dream. The boy turned the page of his history textbook. How could he have fallen asleep? It was no good to be distracted from his studies. He decided to go wash his face to make sure it didn’t occur again.

On his walk, he spotted a student sipping tea in the lounge. Riddle cocked a brow. What type of tea is that? The Dorm head approached the student who was gazing out the window, unaware of his presence until he called their name.

“D-dorm head?” The student said, startled.

“What type of tea are you drinking?”

“R-Red Tea?” 

Riddle fumed. “Preposterous! Do you know what time it is?” 

“6:30 pm?”

“Percisely! The Queen Of Hearts’ Rules #153 states ‘The only tea you may drink in the evenings is herbal tea.’ You are directly violating this rule by drinking that tea this very evening!” he fumed.

The student was trembling, afraid of whatever consequences would come their way. “I’m sorry, Dorm head! I haven’t memorized that many rules! Please!” 

“Hmph. Pleading will do nothing,” Riddle lifted his staff and chanted, “Off with your head!” and with the sound of sparkles, a heart shaped collar formed around the students neck as they shrieked. “Write me a 10-page apology letter and memorize at least up to the 300th rule and I'll remove it.”

The student whimpered before running off, crying. Riddle sighed. Why can’t they just follow the rules? It’s for their own good. As he thought, he started to wonder where his vice Dorm head went. It’s nearing curfew and Riddle was having a headache over watching over the troublesome rule breakers.

—--

The room was dark, in a sense. Despite the fact that the room was all white and blinding, to the point that she felt like she’d gone mad from seeing it for so long. She staggered out of her bed and slipped on her white sweater,which she would have favored a lot more if only it didn’t have the dreaded mark of this blasted facility. The moment she saw a man in a lab coat appear at the gate instead of a horned abomination that she expected, she almost questioned whether she’d really die. Maybe it was an inside joke. A sick, sick inside joke between her sibling and mama. She thought maybe all her siblings wouldn’t die and did end up with great foster parents. Foster parents that were so great that they forgot to send postcards because they were so happy.

But she was wrong.

As Isabella hugged her one last time, she felt sick to her stomach.

The man led her away to this place. Lambda 7214. Where she would be continuously tortured everyday. She may not have been living in the conditions as bad as the other unfortunate children, but that didn’t mean she was safe either. She was guided by Jonah today to the testing room. The testing experience itself was like Grace Field's, except she was alone,the area was a little bigger, and also the tests harder. It was nothing a little studying couldn’t solve, but it was still difficult. She went back to her room, where she just slept in for a while. 

She wanted to leave. So, so much.

Children were suffering everywhere she looked. It was sickening, and she wanted them to stop. But what could she do? She was weak. They may have boosted her physical capabilities, but she wasn't strong enough. And she wasn’t smart enough to figure out a way out either. What would Norman do? He was smart, wasn’t he? What would he have done? 

The door of her white prison creaked open, and a tall figure dressed in all black and a long coat draped over his shoulders, topped with a black fedora and a small cat demon, she presumed, which sat on his shoulder. He stook out like a sore thumb in the blinding white room.

“83194, Yuu. correct?” The slender figure asked.

Yuu looked up, and stared at his face. She wasn’t afraid. She remained unfazed, but nodded.

The figure cocked a brow. “Are you not afraid?” he chuckles. “How amusing,”

Even if her face was as blank as a white canvas, she observed the demon before her. What did he want with her? If he was looking to eat, wouldn’t he get it from an actual farm like a normal demon? Why bother to see for himself.

“What do you want with me?” She said coldly.

“Tell me, do you play tag? I’m quite sure you must have played it once,”

“I have,”

“Are you good at running?”

“Yes,”

“..Would you fight back if someone were to attack you?”

“..Maybe,”

“What if they hurt someone you hold dear?”

“...Yes,”

The demon smiled mischievously before nodding to himself. Soon, he left the room. How strange. He didn’t hurt her in any way. They just had a conversation, and quite an odd one at that. But nonetheless, she was a little glad that an encounter with a demon didn’t involve them making remarks about how she would probably taste delicious as a grace field product.

But then one day, she woke up in a different place. A little town with fun buildings and more children. Children who still had hopes and dreams. Children who were still clueless to the true horrors of the demon world and the truth about the farms. And from there, she realized that it was going to be torture all over again. 

But this time, she wasn’t alone anymore.

–

Yuu’s eyes fluttered open to a bright light in the ceiling of the all too familiar infirmary. Her head hurted a lot less than it did.. Earlier. Right, how long was she out for? She sat up on the bed and leaned back against the wall. Did they manage to make the medicine? 

“You’re awake,” Crewel said, startling Yuu a little.

“How long was I out for?”

“Like, 3 whole hours!” a new voice, which Yuu recognized as Ace’s, responded. Yuu looked at Crewel, to which he gave a nod.

“Yuu, what happened back there?” Deuce asked.

“I passed out,”

“Yeah, we know that much. But why?!” Grim added, as he sat next to Yuu.

“I have a medical condition,”

“Would you mind elaborating? These things are important to note,” Crewel requested.

What am I supposed to tell them? Oh, yeah, it’s a side effect from experimentation!? No way. “There’s not much known about it. I get horrible headaches. I don’t think there’s a direct trigger, that’s still being researched. It just happens anytime,”

Crewel sighed. “That’s really unpredictable. How are we supposed to tell when it could happen?”

“Having the medication on hand all the time helps,” Yuu suggested. “Oh, right. Did you manage to make the medicine?”

“You’re fine now, aren’t you?”

“True,”

“And also, those notes you scribbled down were extremely detailed with its instructions, and had exact measurements for the ingredients. I honestly wouldn’t have believed that you wrote this while writhing in the ground in agony,”

“Thank you,”

“The point is, Yuu, Why didn’t you tell us you have some condition like that!?” Ace interjected.

“Trappola is right. You are supposed to disclose these things, especially if it’s something so unpredictable,” Crewel agreed.

“Alright, Alright. I’m sorry. I-I just forgot I guess..” It was more like she never had time to remember, since she had so much to deal with. No one processes the fact that they just ended up in a different world overnight.

“Oh, right. Did you guys finish the tart?” she asked.

“Oh, uh, yeah. After we got you to the infirmary and handed Professor Crewel the note, he insisted we just go and that he’d deal with it. We wanted to stay for a bit to make sure you were fine, but eventually we budged.” Deuce explained.

“Oh. that’s great,” She responded. She would’ve felt bad if she slowed down or stopped them in any way. “Thanks for worrying about me,”

“It’s common sense to worry about someone who just passed out randomly,” Deuce said, rubbing the back of his neck.

She chuckled. “Was the tart good?”

“Of course it was! We saved you a slice!” Grim added.

“Sorry, Yuu. Grim ate half of it,” Ace added.

“It’s fine,”

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, just a bit lightheaded is all,”

“Can you walk?”

“Yes,” she paused a little. “Can I go to my dorm?”

“I guess so,” Crewel responds a little hesitantly. “Are you sure you’re fine?”

“I’m fine, professor,”

Professor Crewel was surprisingly a worrywart. Despite his tendency to address people like he’s talking with dogs, and his strictness. Yuu found it a little endearing.

“By the way, Yuu-san,” he says. “What exactly are those numbers on your neck?”

Shoot. I forgot I didn’t have my scarf with me. Yuu thought a little urgently.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve never seen it since you always wear your scarf. Why do you wear your scarf everywhere? It’s not that cold yet,” Deuce remarks.

“Oh. I’m just a little sensitive to the cold,” That wasn’t a lie. Since she was little, she was always supplied with extra layers like cardigans, or extra leggings to cover her legs, and she always went out more to soak up more sunlight because it would often feel colder inside. And she especially disliked the winter. It wasn’t exactly cold intolerance, she just felt more sensitive to the cold than anyone else. 

“Oh, okay. But what about the numbers?” Deuce asked again. There was no way she’d respond with the real reason.

“It’s just a weird tattoo I got,” She answered simply.

“A dare?” Ace asked curiously.

“Dare?” she echoed.

“Y’know, truth or dare? Did someone dare you to do it?” Ace added.

Yuu was glad she was good at guessing things. “Yeah,” 

“Well, you just seemed a bit uncomfortable when the Headmage asked. Guess it was just an embarrassment, yeah?” Ace teased.

“Yeah, Sure,” 

After a few more questions from Crewel, she was discharged. As she walked out the campus building, she realized that it was a bit late, considering that it was dark out. “Don’t you guys have a curfew? You mentioned it once,” she asked the duo.

“We got special permission from professor crewel and the vice Dorm head Trey to come see you, so we’re fine, don’t worry.” Deuce explains.

“That Little tyrant can’t get us!” Ace adds.

“Hey Yuu-kun, why didn’t you say anything about your headache?” Deuce suddenly asked. “You already seemed a little.. Bothered and kept putting your hand on your head like it was hurting, but you never said anything about it,”

“I guess I just dismissed it as a little headache,”

“But why don’t you say anything about it?”

“Because it didn’t feel important to mention,” She bluntly responds. “I didn't want to worry anyone,”

“But it is important! And if you don’t want us to worry, then don’t do things that make people worry! Like not telling people you’re having a migraine and passing out on the kitchen floor!” Ace scolded

“That’s right henchman! A boss’ gotta know if their henchman’s in trouble so they can save him!” Grim agrees.

Yuu’s eyes widened as she momentarily paused in her steps. Her symptoms got a lot worse as time passed by, and the medication didn’t do much except temporarily stop her seizures. With the materials from Twisted wonderland, she needed to start developing a new medicine that could do better. “Thanks for worrying about me guys,” She responds, smiling.

“N-no problem,” Deuce responds, a little embarrassed.

“Prefect, you say a lot of mushy stuff, you know that?” Ace comments.

“Mushy stuff..?” She echoed.

“You talk about working together, openly thank people, and some other lame stu-” Ace was elbowed by deuce before he could finish his sentence. “The point is, it’s weird how you landed here instead of the likes of RSA..” 

“RSA?”

“You know what? It’s better that you don’t know about those goody two shoes..”

“Oh, this is where we part. I need to make it back in time to finish some of my assignments. Oh, and by the way, there’s an unbirthday party tomorrow at Heartslabyul dorm. We’re going to bring the apology tart and stuff. You should come too!” Deuce invited.

“Oh, as long as you’re dorm head won’t mind, I’ll come,” 

“Hey Yuu~ My mean senpais won’t let me in the dorm again~” Ace says rather pleadingly.

“Alright, Ace. but you’re still sleeping on the couch anyway,”

“Aw, what!?”

“Would you rather sleep outside?”

“Stingy..”

“Sorry about my Dorm Mate here, Prefect,” Deuce apologized. “I really wish I could keep him out of trouble..” suddenly Deuce lit up. “Wait a minute.”

He reached for a small rectangular device in his pocket. His phone, Yuu presumed, and texted Trey. “He said I could stay over as long as you’re fine with it!” Deuce said cheerfully

“Sure, come on.”

“Really?”

“Why not?”

Deuce quickly rushed to his dorm as fast as he could, exclaiming that he’s going to go get his stuff first. The rest decided to head back to Ramshackle and wait for him there.

As they entered Ramshackle dorm in its rather dusty glory, she noticed a little box atop the table. Upon examination, she realized that it was the mont blanc tart that they made. She smiled. They really did save me a slice.. When she opened the box, a portion of it was already eaten. Half a slice.

“A little gremlin here couldn’t help himself to a bite of that tart,” Ace explained.

“It was good, okay! Could ya blame me?” Grim defended himself.

“Well, I’ll agree with you on that. There’ll be more in the unbirthday party tomorrow since Clover-senpai made a lot,” 

“Good to know,” 

It was still a little past 8 pm when Deuce made it back to ramshackle. As he arrived, Yuu decided to pull out a book from her satchel that she borrowed from the library about the Queen of hearts that was recommended by Trein earlier. Just a little light reading before bed.

“Are you seriously reading?” Ace asked dumbfoundedly.

“Yes?” she responded.

“But why? It's not like there’s a quiz coming up,” Deuce paused. “Is there?”

“No, there isn’t, don’t worry.” Yuu chuckles. “But I don’t know much about the history of Twisted wonderland. So I’m studying a bit,”

“What? You live under a rock or something? You didn’t even know who the great seven were!” Ace was once again elbowed by Deuce.

“It’s really admirable,” Deuce compliments. “But where are you from anyway, Yuu-kun?”

Yuu paused in her reading. How was she supposed to answer that question? She didn’t think the boys were ready to know that she was from another world just yet. “I’m from somewhere far away,” She responded as casually as she could.

“Alright, but from where?” Ace asked.

“..Neverland,” she responded rather in the heat of the moment. Sometimes, the children call it Neverland, mostly because it was a land of children in a sense. And some call it that because the children would never grow up, just like in the fairytale.

“Neverland? Like Neverland from the tale of the magician and the pirate?” Ace asked.

“Ooh, I remember that story! The one with the little fairy sidekick, right? I played the pirate in a play in grade school once,” Deuce added, reminiscing his past.

“I didn’t know there was an actual town named after it,”

“It’s kind of a secluded and remote place that not a lot of people know about..” Yuu clarified.

“What’s it like there?”

“There’s a lot of kids. Like, a lot. They play outside everyday, and everyone’s super smart. There’s also a person who’s really admired by the people there. Especially the kids. He calls himself William Minerva. Minerva is a popular author, writing a fantasy book called the adventures of Ugo. and he also did other great things. The town is mostly filled with orphanages with a lot of kids, and really caring and nice caretakers who take care of everyone,” Yuu explained. It was better not to go into too much detail. She wasn’t exactly lying, only twisting the truth and leaving out some details. 

“Wow..” Ace said. “Sounds like a paradise,”

“It was,” Yuu replied. It was a little ironic, considering Grace field was known as a false paradise, since the children are happy, but can’t live for long. “But anyways, I’m gonna change. You guys probably should too.The bathroom’s down the hall over that way.”

Yuu headed upstairs to her room, with her newly tailored clothes in tow. She was rather proud of her work. Maybe I should make a cardigan to go with it.. I practiced knitting a few times at the house for fun. Time to put those skills to my advantage. She slid on her shirt and let down her hair. Her pale lilac locks weren’t exactly that long now, barely reaching her shoulders. She left her hairpin on a table and headed downstairs to the ‘lounge’.

“Hey guys,” Yuu called as she ascended the stairs.

“Hey y-” Ace’s words stopped. “You sleep wearing a white buttoned dress shirt?”

“Yes?” Yuu answered. Well, what else would she wear anyway?

“Prefect, you’re missing out. Here, have this,” Ace tossed her a red knitted sweater, which was just about her size, but a little loose.

“Where'd you get this? It seems a little small for you,” Yuu responded, examining the red sweater. 

Ace shrugged. “My granny gave it to me. Handmade. Too bad she forgot her grandson isn’t a kid anymore,”

”“Anyways! We were about to play cards. Do you want in?” Ace said, raising a deck of cards

“Sure. But I’ve never played before.” Yuu took some time to rethink her answer. “Actually, yeah I have, but it’s been a while and I completely forgot how to play.” Yuu said, taking a seat on the lounge floor.

“Seriously?” Deuce asked in slight astonishment. “What games do you play,”

Yuu had to think for a moment about her childhood. “Chess.. Tag.. and catch with a ball I guess?” She awkwardly responded.

The duo stared at her blankly. Was that not a good answer? “Okay, have you ever played monopoly?” Ace asked.

“What’s that?”

“Okay, you definitely live under a rock,” Ace decided. 

Eventually, Grim joined in out of curiosity, and the duo explained the rules. It was simple enough, so they got started right off the bat. But the same couldn’t be said for Grim, who couldn’t keep a good poker face, and kept forgetting the rules. Meanwhile, Yuu was basically winning round after round, to the point that they started to question whether she was cheating.

“I swear, You’re cheating, Yuu!” Ace exclaimed after she won another game. 

“Sure,” She said smugly. 

“Can’t believe I fell for that..” Deuce muttered.

“No fair henchmen!” Grim protested

They played and played into the late hours of night, when Yuu convinced everyone to finally head to bed.

“It’s a sleepover right? Shouldn't we sleep in the same room?” Ace suggested.

“Oh, sure. I’ll get us a mattress from upstairs.” she said, getting up. At that moment, Greg the ghost appeared. “Hey there kiddo!”

“Whoa! Hey there Greg.” she greeted back

“I overheard you there, I can grab the mattress. As long as I get to play a trick on them~”

Yuu chuckled. “Don’t do anything too mean. Thanks for the favor,” The ghost excitedly went upstairs through a wall, and down came a floating mattress, as promised. “Here ya go kid,”

“Thanks,” and he was off. A second later, the lights started to flicker on and off. Yuu, who was perfectly aware of who’s doing it, decided to go brew some tea in the kitchen, calmly listening to the loud screams of the trio. She felt a little bad, but couldn't help but find it funny in a way. Later on, she reentered the room, Tea in hand. The mattress was already laid out on the floor, along with blankets and pillows from her bedroom. “Thanks Greg,” she said, taking another sip of her tea.

“How do you live like this prefect!?” Ace asked, baffled.

“They aren't as bad as you think they are, y’know? They’re actually super nice.”

“Are we living on the same planet!?”

“Calm down, Ace,” Deuce warns. “But he’s right. Did you beast tame them or something?”

Yuu quirked a brow. “Beast tame? No, they just like me,”

After a bit more bickering, they settled down and finally went to sleep. Yuu was especially eager, since she could get an update on her family, and she needed to know if Emma forged the promise yet, or if the plan to stop Norman is already set in motion.  

As her eyes slowly grew heavier, she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

When Deuce opened his eyes, he didn’t know where he was. He sat on the ground near Ace– who was still unconscious. Come to think of it, was this even a ground? There was a clear daylight sky dotted with a few clouds when he looked up, but when he looked down at his feet, the night sky was reflected on the ground's surface. Funnily enough, It wasn’t exactly solid ground either. When Deuce walked, the ground rippled like water. Was he walking in water?

“Ack..” Ace groaned as he got up. “Deuce? Where are we?” 

“Does it look like I know?” the boy responded, helping Ace up.

“Myahhh, What time is it?” Grim said, getting up. “Wha- Where are we!?”

“Again, does it look like I know?” Deuce bit back.

The group walked around for a bit, confused, until they realized that someone was missing. “Where’s Yuu?” Ace asked.

Deuce looked around, and Grim repeatedly called for his ‘Henchmen’. After wandering around the empty space for who knows how long, they catch sight of a figure standing in front of– IS THAT A GIANT DRAGON!?

“There!” Deuce pointed, and the group started running in that direction. However, the odd day and night scene started to slowly ripple away like water, and a new scene formed. 

The eerily quiet and calm scene seconds ago became a busy one, Deuce didn’t know where they were, or at least, couldn't understand where they were. It was huge and tall. The space was filled with buildings, like little houses of sorts. Staircases that crossed from one end to another like bridges. Was this.. A town? And are those branches? Is this a town in a tree!?

“What is this place..?” Ace said in awe.

“I don’t know about you, but I smell something good!” Grim exclaimed as he wandered off. 

“Grim, wait! We don’t know where we are right now, stick together or something,” Deuce scolded. However, the cat couldn’t be stopped, so they had no choice but to follow him through the crowd. No one seemed to notice their existence in any way, which was odd. The laughter of children echoed throughout the place, which made Deuce feel an odd sense of warmth in his chest. 

Eventually, they made it to wherever Grim wandered off to, which they discovered to be a very big dining room with children that sat at long dining tables. “Woah! Look at the food!” Lo and behold, Grim’s amazement was justified, because the food on the table was mouth watering. Meats, bread, tea, and all kinds of fruits. It seemed nutritious but really appetizing, to say the least. Grim’s eyes were glued to the food and he tried to swipe a loaf of bread, only for his little paws to go right through it like it’s a hologram.

“What!? This is so unfair!” Grim groaned. 

The children sat down, eating. They chatted about lots of different things and seemed to like the food an awful lot. The age groups ranged from little kids that looked about maybe 3-6 years old, some kids that were 7-12, and teens that should be about Deuce and Ace’s age. They laughed and smiled as they munched on the food.

What Deuce didn’t expect was to see the prefect on the other side of the as he watched the children chow down on their food, with the fondest smile on his face. 

“Thank goodness..” he said, “You’re all okay and smiling.”

“Yuu’s over there!” Deuce yelled, catching Ace and Grim’s attention. At the mention of his name, The prefect looked around the room, but the busy scene suddenly faded into a more quiet and calm atmosphere. They weren’t at a busy dinner table, instead they found themselves in an office of sorts. Large bookshelves, and a desk bombarded with papers. A woman who looked about their age sat on the couch, carrying a.. Menacingly large baseball bat covered in spikes.

“Is that girl carrying a morning star!?” Ace gasped.

“Morning star- why would you know the name of the weapon?” Deuce asked.

“She’s scary!” Grim whimpered.

“Guys?” A familiar voice called. “What are you doing here? This is..”

“Yuu! We finally found you! Where are we? And why can’t anyone see us?” Ace asked.

“And why can’t we touch anything!? That bread on the table looked delish!” Grim added.

“No– how are you guys here? You’re not supposed to–” Yuu cut himself off. “..Nevermind. We’re watching over my family right now,” 

“Your family!? This girl carrying a weapon is in your family!?” Ace said, pointing to the girl.

Yuu only chuckled. “In a sense, yes. That’s Barbara. She’s my little sibling’s subordinate,”

“Your sibling’s subordinate!?” Deuce gasped.

Yuu pointed in the direction of the messy desk. There sat a boy who actually looked older and not to mention taller than them, with snowy white hair and a stoic expression.

“ Little?” Ace teased.

“Yeah, yeah. If you’re going to be stuck here with me, just let me watch over them. His name’s Norman.” Yuu dismissed.

Suddenly, a bald, dark boy entered the room. He was dressed formally, with a dark brown vest and yellow tie with a tall stature and a pair of glasses. But what caught their eye was the line of stitches that was on his head. Why would he have that? A surgery?

The boy, or man, entered and handed Norman some papers. “I see..” Norman muttered. “Then send that man this letter.” Norman handed The tall man an envelope with a red seal.

“Of course,” the man responded as he left the room.

“Woah! Is that one of his subordinates?” Deuce asked. 

Yuu nodded, and soon, their surroundings started to blur into a new place. A grassy field, with children playing and running around. The field was surrounded by a lush forest, and at the center of it all was a relatively large house of sorts. A lady in a black dress and white apron watched over the children, carrying a silver pocket watch.

“Ah! Over there!” Yuu called as she ran down the field towards a little child with dark hair. “Phil!” Yuu exclaimed as he approached the child. He didn’t react but Yuu still approached him. “Thank goodness..”

As Yuu came to him, a blonde little girl approached him. “Sherry!” 

“Yuu-kun, who are they? You’re siblings?” Deuce asked. 

Yuu nodded, a soft smile plastered on his face. “You’ve grown an awful lot, Phil. And you’re still fashionable as ever, Sherry,”

“Hey Phil, do you think Simon would send postcards or a letter? He said he’d send plenty last night! He better not forget and get too carried away with his new family!” the little girl said in a slightly sassy tone.

Yuu’s smile suddenly dropped at her words. Deuce raised a brow. Wouldn’t he be happy? Glad someone found a home?

“Oh. yeah. I hope he'll send a letter,” the child responded somberly. 

“Phil..” Yuu mumbled. “I’m sorry..” 

“For what?” Grim asked.

“Nothing,” He responded dismissively. 

“Hey, Yuu. Where are we anyway?”

“An orphanage,” Yuu responded. 

And again, the scene crumbled away and reformed into a new atmosphere. On the table parallel to the glass stained window were sweet snacks sat on the table, along with warm cups of tea. Multiple women sat at the table. A tea party?

Deuce’s conclusion was quickly disproved when he overheard what the ladies were discussing. “I say we pretend to be on Ratri’s side. Gain his trust. And we’d need to make the children think that way too. As they say, ‘To fool your enemies, you must first fool your friends’. And ‘Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer’” the woman in a full black dress said.

“Clever as always, Mom,” Yuu chuckled.

“Mom!?” Ace exclaimed in shock. 

“This is my mom, Isabella.” Yuu said nonchalantly. 

“Should we let the other sisters in on it too?”

“Not just yet. It’s better to keep this as secretive as possible. There’s a small chance that they might let the plan slip to Ratri, and I’m not risking it,”

“So you’re going to fool us? Considering how good you were at it at the house, you’ll definitely pull it off,” Yuu chuckled.

“What do you mean?” Grim asked curiously.

“I’ll save that story for another time,” 

The atmosphere blurred once again to the point that Deuce barely reacted. Now they were in an.. Infirmary? White walls and medkits, dividing curtains, and shelves and compartments filled with medications and bandages, or whatever other medical stuff that Deuce couldn’t name. In the white bed, was a child. With the almost same exact shade of hair as his own.

“A kid..?” Ace mumbled.

What could have possibly happened to him? His eyes were shut, and his tiny body was small compared to the white bed. He was bandaged

“Hi, Chris,” the prefect said, approaching the bed. “I’m sorry I can’t be with you today in person. You can’t hear me, can’t you?” The Prefect stood at the side of the bed and took a seat. “I’m in school now. A magic school! Crazy, right?” no response.

“Yuu..?” Deuce called.

“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry, I-” Yuu took a breath. “I should have pulled you back, before-” they dug their face into their cupped hands. “I’m sorry-”

Deuce moved forward and patted Yuu on the back. “It’s okay, Yuu,” The prefect looked up at Deuce. “Whatever it was, it wasn’t your fault.”

“Thank you..” Yuu responded

Ace and Grim watched silently behind them as Yuu sat, looking at what Deuce assumed was their brother, before their surroundings started to crumble away. Yuu didn’t flinch as his pitch black eyes stared up at the sky which crumbled away. 

—

Yuu didn’t understand how they managed to get into the day and night, but she really needed that reassurance from Deuce. As the room started to crumble away, the trio’s panicked sounds fell on deaf ears as they disappeared. Yuu was glued to her seat, which didn’t fade away along with everything else. But it crumbled away after she stood up from it.

“I assume you sent them back?” Yuu asked.

“Yes,” He responded.

“Why did you bring them here anyways?”

“I thought it’d be rather amusing,”

“Funny,”

“Are you ready for the next part of the riddle?”

He didn’t wait for an answer as her surroundings faded back to the rose garden, which she realized seems awfully familiar. The card soldiers, who had previously been painting roses, were bowing down to a rather large lady in a black and red dress, which she quickly recognized as the queen of hearts. Afraid of the penalty, they shifted the blame on one another. These efforts proved futile as the queen decided to behead all three of them. She chuckled, exclaiming how it was their fault for confusing the colors.

“How cruel..” Yuu muttered. “They only made a small mistake. Should they have to pay with their life?”

She didn’t receive an answer.

—

“Yuu, wake up,” Deuce said. “Today’s the unbirthday party. It’ll be off with our heads if we’re late,”

Yuu got up, rubbing her head. “Right,” 

There was a knock on the door that morning, giving Yuu a strange sense of deja vu. “I’ll get it.” Upon opening the door, she was greeted by a cheerful Cater, “Morning~ how was last night’s sleepover? I was super jealous I couldn’t join in! Did you play cards and games?”

“Good morning, Cater-senpai,” Yuu responded softly, but couldn’t match Cater’s energy this early in the morning.

“Morning, Cater-senpai. Yeah, we played old maid. But Grim didn’t know the rules and kept picking old maid,” Ace said, followed by a yawn.

“Drats! Couldn’t win at all..” Grim cursed.

“Your face completely shows when you get a joker, y’know?” Deuce explained. “Yuu on the other hand..”

“What’s with your poker face!? It’s insane how unfazed you look when anything happens. I started to legitimately question whether or not I was playing with a statue,” Ace commented.

Cater chuckled. “ Anway, Shall we hurry and bring the tarts we made to apologize to Riddle? Oh, actually, I want you to hurry and come with me because we’re lacking man-power for the party.” Cater said.

“Lacking in manpower?” Ace echoed.

“Nevermins, I was just talking to myself! Go get ready so we can get going!” Cater said dismissively. 

Everyone got changed into their uniforms and headed outside, on their way to the dorm, cater suddenly asked a question. “Hey Yuu? How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine?” Yuu responded a little confusedly.

“It’s just that, y’know, passing out and all yesterday. Gave us all a real scare!” Cater said in an oddly cheerful tone. 

“Oh, yeah. Thanks for worrying about me,” Yuu responded. 

“A senpai’s gotta worry about their juniors, y’know?” Cater responded.

Eventually, they made it to Heartslabyul dorm, still grand as ever. What they didn’t expect, however, was another cater waiting at the dorm for them. “What took ya so long, me?” the second Cater asked. “I’m back~ sorry for the wait, me!”

“What..?” Yuu muttered in disbelief.

“Two diamond senpais!?” Deuce said in shock.

“You have a twin?” Ace asked with a baffled expression.

“Haha! No, I’m the only male sibling. This is my Unique magic, Split card! I can amke clones of myself using magic~” Cater explained.

“Well we really dodged a bullet when you were about to fight us yesterday..” Deuce realized. “I can’t imagine fighting 5 diamond senpais,”

“Welcome back~!” another Cater greeted.

“Hi Yuu!” A different Cater says cheerfully.

“Senpais?” Yuu muttered.

“There’s more!” Ace yelped in horror.

“Ah, by the way, I’m the real Cater. Cloning myself is real tiring, so I’d rather not prolong it~!” Cater explained. “In any case, it’ll be off with our heads if we’re late. Give us a hand will you~?” cater pleaded. “I’ll take you to Riddle after we’re done!”

“Ehhh?! You’re gonna make us paint roses again?” Grim complained.

Eventually, they begrudgingly agreed to help. After all, who were they to deny their upperclassmen? 

The rose painting didn’t take that long, since this wasn’t their first time. Sure there were mishaps every now and then, like when Grim burns the roses to when Deuce accidentally turns the roses blue. But other than that, everything else went relatively well, and they managed to finish in time.

“We.. we did better than yesterday..” Deuce said, panting.

“You did great! Alright me army, we’re done for the day~!” Cater declared.

“Aye aye sir!” and with that, the army of Caters disappeared, leaving only yours truly. Yuu and the others entered the venue for the ‘Unbirthday party’. She feasted her eyes on the sight before her.

Candelabras, stacked tophats of all patterns, sweets of all kinds, cups of tea, plates, and other random artifacts could be found on round tables covered in white cloth. Wooden chairs and stools with black and red patterned cushions were at each table. A red throne, fit for a queen, was at the center of the venue in a rectangular table covered in the same white cloth and red roses. 

But despite the cheery set up, something felt wrong. The air felt so.. Tense. Like everyone’s walking on eggshells. The laughter sounded forced, and the smiles seemed fake. Yuu hated it. 

“Why does everything feel so.. Wrong?” 

“Hm?”

“Never mind-”

Suddenly, a student stood up. “Make way for our Ruler, The Red queen, Prefect Riddle!” he declared, projecting his voice loud and clear.

The rest of the Heartslabyul student body stood, raising their cups of tea. “Three cheers for Prefect Riddle!” 

Riddle, in all his royal glory, could be seen on his red throne with a scepter matching the dorm’s aesthetic. His dorm uniform was different compared to everyone else’s. He wore white overall, with black and red accents on his outfit and heart and rose patterns, like a hearts shaped collar on his outfit and his half painted in red white rose brooch. He donned a black cape that was red on the inside. His black heeled boots clicked when he walked around the venue. Yuu thought the outfit reminded her of the Queen of hearts statue on main street and in her books. 

“Indeed, the roses are red and the tablecloths are white. A truly perfect unbirthday party,” Riddle said, humming in satisfaction. “I trust that the dormouse is sleeping inside the teapot just as planned?”

“Of course. The jam is also prepared to spread on one’s nose, should one arise,” Trey assured. Jam? On a dormouse’s nose? This dorm tradition kept getting odder and odder.

“What’s with the get up!? He looks so cool!” Grim exclaimed in awe.

“His outfit reminds me of the queen of hearts’ dress,” Yuu remarked.

“Bingo!” Cater exclaimed. “You got it in one. Riddle’s dorm uniform is modeled after the Queen of hearts’ own attire. That’s why it gives off this super regal and royal vibe!” 

“Wow,” that was all Yuu could manage at the moment. She wondered if maybe the other students’ outfits were modeled after the card soldiers? She saw some pictures of them in books, and.. Her dreams.

“Fufu. Heartslabyul’s dorm uniform is cool isn’t it?” Cater said proudly. “Super grammable and fashionable! I should probably get changed too,” 

Yuu expected him to go inside to change, but instead, he pulled out his pen from his breast pocket. “The Queen of hearts states that a dress code is necessary for party days, after all~ so I’m coordinating your clothes for you as a special occasion just this once!” Cater said cheerfully as he twirled his pen.

Yuu was a little lost in thought at the moment, so she was a bit startled by the sudden sparkles that surrounded her body. “What-” The glittering light dispersed, and she, Grim, and the Heartslabyul gang were in new clothes.

“Whoa!” Deuce exclaimed, looking down at himself.

“This fit’s totally stylish!” Ace said, equally impressed.

The Heartslabyul group wore an outfit that resembled Riddle’s, only less fancy. One side of their long jacket sleeves were checkered while the other was black. They donned the dorm’s signature colors, red and black. Deuce wore a black vest while Ace wore a red one. Each had a little card on the lower left part of their jacket. Deuce had a pair of black spades while Ace had had– well, an ace of hearts. 

“Myahaha! I look so awesome!” Grim declared pridefully. The cat wore a new black and red ribbon in place of his old one, with the top half its solid colors and bottom half checkered.

“You all look great!” Yuu complimented.

“You don’t look half bad yourself, Prefect!” Ace said a little teasingly.

Yuu looked down at herself. She wore a long blue thin coat and a long white dress shirt that reached her knee. A yellow and black cloth wrapped around her waist, similarly to the others. Her hair was now tied into a half bun with a thin black ribbon. She wore solid blue slacks, and black boots that reached her ankles, along with white socks. A red rose brooch on one side of her chest. Her hairpin was placed in her pocket, but she realized that her neck wasn’t covered.

“Hey, Cater? Could I have my scarf back?” Yuu asked.

“Sure!” Cater agreed, waving his pen. “What’s the tattoo on your neck anyway? A dare?”

“Yeah..” Yuu said. “Thanks for my scarf,”

“Y’know, you really look like a girl in this outfit,” Ace teased.

“Really, Ace?”

“Haha! Hope you like it~” Cater said. “This outfit’s modeled after the dress of a little girl who got lost in the queen of hearts’ kingdom. According to the stories, she wore a blue dress with a white apron and a black ribbon wrapped around her head. Stumbling upon the queen, she was invited for some tea. So now if anyone from a different dorm ever goes to an unbirthday party here, they wear this blue outfit. It’s like a cool easter egg. You happen to really rock the outfit, prefect,” 

“Thanks,” Yuu responded, smiling politely. “I really like the outfit too. Blue is my favorite color so this is a really nice coincidence,”

“Really?” Cater asked.

“Yeah. It's a calm shade and looks really nice. Plus, it reminds me of the sky I guess,” Yuu always admired the blue sky. Sometimes, she'd just sit on the grass and stare up at the sky, admiring its beauty. Those were the calmer days. She wished she could relive them, or at least even have time to. But maybe she could now? She’s in a different world now, right? She wouldn’t need to worry about her life, or whether she’ll live another day, or whether her family would ever make it. And most importantly? She doesn't need to worry about demons anymore. They didn’t exist, right? In a sense, she was free.

If only her family were with her here.

“Glad you like it! You can keep it. Wear it when you come to an unbirthday party,” Cater responded.

“Okay, but when else will I ever be invited to an unbirthday party?” Yuu mused.

“Prefect, you know we’re going to invite you for unbirthday parties, right?” Ace asked.

“Wait, you will? But I’m not from this dorm,” 

“So? You’re here now.”

“But that’s because-”

“Prefect, just accept that you’re getting invited to unbirthdays parties now,”

Yuu honestly didn’t think she’d ever be invited again, but the boys seemed genuine about their words.

“Why so surprised?” Cater asked playfully. “Anyway, Acey, you should probably go present your peace offering to Riddle over there,”

“Right..” Ace headed over to Riddle, who was sipping tea in a fancy teacup. It almost resembled the ones Yuugo would have back at the shelter. But it’s all in pieces now. 

“Erm, dorm head?” Ace nervously called.

“Ah, you’re the tart thief,” Riddle responded coldly. Yuu started to get a bit worried. What if he still won’t forgive him?

“Yeah, that. I wanted to apologize for what I did, so I- uhh.. baked you a new one,” Ace offered.

Riddle’s cold expression seemed to soften in surprise. “Oh? I see.. May I ask what type of tart you baked?”

“I’m glad you asked! It’s a mont blanc with plenty of chestnuts!” Ace answered cheerfully. Unfortunately, Riddle didn't return the kind gesture with a smile or any other form of positive Reactions. His soft expression melted away and shifted to one of fury as he seemed to turn red. 

“WHAT!? A Mont blanc!? How atrocious!” Riddle’s sudden burst of anger startled everyone at the party, as their eyes shifted towards the scene. Ace, the poor boy, could only jump at his sudden outburst. “Eh!?”

“Rule #562 of the queen of hearts states, ‘refrain from bringing a mont blanc to an unbirthday party’ this is a capital crime! How dare you ruin an otherwise perfect unbirthday party!?” the redhead said angrily.

“R-rule #562!?” Deuce gasped.

“I knew I should have spent the night memorizing those rules..” Yuu cursed herself. There was a section in the book on the queen of hearts that she had borrowed from the library specifically detailing every single rule. If she recalled, there were about 810. She managed to skim through the pages and memorized up to at least rule 85, but nothing beyond that just yet. 

As if reading her thoughts, Riddle coincidentally said, “If you had memorized all 810 rules, maybe none of this would have happened! I, as a dorm leader, have memorized all of them by heart!” 

Yuu could hear Trey and Cater frantically whisper not far from them. “Shoot. This isn’t good. Did you know about that, Trey?” Cater said in a whisper. 

Trey sighed and shook his head. “I’ve only memorized up to rule #350..” Trey said in a low voice. “I let my guard down completely.. Who knew there was a rule against tarts..” So it wasn’t set up. 

Ruddle scowled in Ace’s direction. “As heartslabyul’s Dorm Head, I cannot turn a blind eye from this appalling rule breaking!” he proclaimed “Get these mont blancs away from me at once!” he pointed in the direction of Yuu and her group. “And cease them away at once!”

“Wait a minute! No way I’m obeying stupid rules like that!” Ace exclaimed.

“I’m with him! If you’re gonna throw those tarts out, then just let me eat ‘em!” Grim said, backing Ace up

“Dorm head, I’m really sorry. I was the one who suggested making the Mont blanc.” Trey said apologetically.

“Exactly! We didn’t think there'd be a rule against it,” Cater added.

But Riddle still wasn’t having it apparently, still fuming. “The fact that you made them isn’t the problem. It’s the fact that you brought it here today, to this very unbirthday party!” Riddle yelled.

“How petty and tyrannical do you need to be for you to disregard the effort that someone put into something that they made for you, just because it goes against some ridiculous rules that you make yourself and everyone around you follow?” Yuu said, the venom dripping in her voice.

“Excuse me!?”

“You’re going to waste a perfectly good Mont Blanc, that someone who genuinely wanted to atone for what they did wrong created to make it up to you? Ace went through a lot of trouble whipping this confection up just so he could go back into his dorm that he got kicked out of over a stupid rule. While I won’t condone stealing food, what you did was worse. Kicking him out and sealing off his magic, something he considers important, and even making him wear a humiliating collar? That’s going too far. And just so you know, the people who helped him out worked hard too.” Yuu said. 

“Prefect..?” Ace said in a confused tone. 

“Me, Deuce, Trey, and Grim put in a lot of work too. It took hours. And you’re just going to throw it out? Not to mention, how could you expect anyone, and especially freshmen like Ace, to memorize 810 rules off the top of their in a single day, all on their own? Even Professor Crewel isn’t that harsh. And I can already tell that Ace isn’t the only one. How do you think everyone in your dorm feels about this? Constantly having to walk on eggshells and live in fear of accidentally violating a rule that they didn’t know exist? Is that really something a Dorm head would do?” 

“Enough of this mockery!” Riddle yelled. 

“Prefect, calm down,” Trey said. But no one knew which one he was referring to.

“Cool down Yuu-chan! Riddle, they’re just freshies who just got in,” Cater tried to reason. “Ramshackle’s prefect really doesn't hold back..” Cater added in a faint whisper.

“No.. Yuu’s right. I’m gonna say it. Only an idiot would follow a rule about tarts. Try me,” Ace agreed.

“I’m with Ace on this one. Of course, Rule breaking isn’t a good thing, but this is too much,” Deuce said, agreeing.

“How bold of you to speak to me that way. Listen well. Breaking a small rule will result in a big problem someday,” Riddle argued.

“All the other guys here too! Everyone’s just too scared they’ll get collared to say anything, but they're all probably thinking the same way!” Ace’s words startled the others into a panic.

“Is that so?” Riddle said, turning to his scared students.

In a panic they all stuttered until one student finally said, “N-no! It’s not like that at all! We’ll follow whatever it is you’ll say prefect!” 

“No way..” Grim said disappointedly.

But Ace only retaliates. “Running away? Lame cowards..”

“Ever since the year I became Dorm head, not one student from Heartslabyul has ever repeated a year or been expelled. And that’s counting all the dorms in the school. That means I am the most exceptional and strongest!” Riddle proclaimed, starting his spiel. “That’s why I’m the one who’s always right! There is nothing wrong with following what I say!”

“That’s..!” but Deuce didn’t know how to respond.

Riddle wasn’t done. “It’s not as if I do this because I enjoy it. Aren’t you the ones at fault for breaking the rules?” 

Yuu felt her blood boil at the boy’s words. She noticed Trey stood silently nearby, watching his friend with concern. Concern? He isn’t really panicking either. Maybe Trey knew something? She was going to have to pry later on for answers once whatever this was concluded.

“If you’re not going to obey me, then it’s off with your heads,” Yuu honestly has to hold back the urge to scream right then and there. She was at the end of her rope, and she swore that any more and she might blow. But she needed to keep her composure in case things got too heated.

“Everyone come on– just say ‘Yes Dorm head’-” Cater’s plea was cut off.

“I will not,”

“ I’ll never obey the likes of you,” Yuu hissed.

“I’m not playing along anymore you selfish tyrant!”

“What did you just say..?” Riddle said, with his last inch of remaining patience.

  “He called you an irritable and selfish little tyrant who’s unreasonable with mundane and trivial things like food!” Grim reminded. Which was a horrible move, really.

“We didn’t go that far!” Deuce objected.

But it was too late, as Riddle had quite literally turned red this time as he raised his staff into the air and pointed it towards her, Grim, and the Heartslabyul duo. “ Off with your head! ” He chanted. The incantation worked, sending clusters of sparkles that wrapped around their necks as they dissipated, leaving behind the all too familiar heart shaped collar. Except this time, everyone in the group wore a matching one.

Everyone screamed, except Yuu who only had a look of shock on her face as she examined her collar.

Really? How petty must you be to collar a magicless student who doesn't even have a speck of magic in them? It wasn’t that heavy, only adding a bit more weight for her to carry than usual. But it was rather.. Tight. The collar on Ace’s neck originally looked a lot looser than what they had now. Ace wasn’t spared as he got himself a brand new tighter collar as well. 

Yuu mustered up the most vicious, bitterest, and poisonous glare that she could muster at the moment and shot it in Riddle’s direction. Riddle even seemed to shiver and his expression shifted only for a second. “Must you be so petty that you collar an already magicless student?”

“Enough! Trey, Cater, throw them off the premises!” Riddle ordered.

The Senpais were silent. Only to oblige. “..Yes Dorm head,”

“S-senpai!?” Deuce said, looking betrayed.

“Sorry guys.. Can’t go against the prefect,” Cater said in a jokingly sad tone. But Yuu could tell there wa remorse somewhere in those words.

“I’m sorry..” Trey said faintly.

“Is that so? Then I’ll take you on!” Ace said, pulling his magic pen out of his pocket. Deuce, Trey and Cater did the same.

Why does everyone here get themselves into fights to solve problems!? 

“Guys, stop. C’mon you guys we’re gonna get going,” Yuu ushered.

“But Prefect-” Yuu shot him a look that read I have a plan . The red-orange head hesitated looking back and forth, before sighing exasperatedly and obliged. “Whatever..” he begrudgingly said.

“Ace?” Deuce said, eyes widening. The boy only motioned to Yuu and he understood what was happening. “Alright..” 

The group begrudgingly withdrew, much to Cater and Trey’s surprise, and was off the premises.

—

As the Prefect turned his back, with the collared Heartslabyul duo in tow and a black cat on their shoulder. The look in his eyes was calculating, as if trying to come up with something, looking forwards distantly. 

“Wow, That ended a lot easier than expected. We should really take notes,” Cater said, half joking, half serious. But in all seriousness, Cater was right. It was.. Unbelievable to say the least that the Prefect could command a person as impulsive and mischievous as Ace. But here they are.

“We’ve gotta head back to the unbirthday party..” Trey sighed. The prefect had said a lot before. Trey didn’t exactly think Yuu was the type of person to say harsh words like that. In all honesty, The clover thought Yuu was rather sweet. It was no secret that the prefect was kind, Trey knew that much. He was well mannered, patient, and cheerful in a sense despite their calm demeanor. But those words were full of spite and bitterness, as if it were someone else's words. He suddenly got a bad feeling.

Chapter Text

“Dang it! That little red head menace! Does he think he’s the queen of hearts himself?!” Ace groaned.

“Thrown out for disobeying the prefect..? I’m slowly drifting away from becoming a model student..” Deuce said solemnly. 

“This collar’s so stiff and heavy..” Grim whined.

However, Yuu was too busy trying to think of a way to get back at Riddle. Should they report it to the headmage? He does have power over the Dorm heads. Although if anything, Dorm heads have a sort of clear distaste for the headmage.. Except maybe Kalim. How were they supposed to stop hi-

“What’s up with all of ya~? Wearing heavy collars like that,” 

“”””EH!?””””

“Gyaa!! A headless ghost!!” 

True to Grim’s words, the so-called headless ghost had its head float in midair with a mischievous smirk. “Whoops! Forgot to show my whole body~” and with that, the formerly floating head, which Yuu just now realized had cat ears, revealed the rest of their body. He was a cat beastmen with messy violet hair, and wore a white buttoned top that wasn’t buttoned all the way. Under the white top was a striped dark purple and magenta shirt. From his jeans that were covered in all manners of patches, Yuu guessed that he’d get along well with Gillian, although from his unevenly cut bangs, Gillian would be dying to give him a proper haircut. 

“What- so you do have a body..” 

“..What dorm are you from? And what’s your name?” Yuu asked. He didn’t seem like someone from Heartslabyul, but from his cat ears, he might be from Savanclaw. Although, she didn’t think he’d match Trey’s description of what a Savanaclaw student would typically look like.

“The name’s Alchemi Alchemivich Pinkaa.” The boy smirked. “Try guessing my dorm~”

“Whoa- Alche- what?” Ace tried.

“Most people just call me Chen’ya-” Chen’ya suggested. “Now, try and guess my dorm~”

“I got it! You’ve got cat ears so you’re from sava- sa- Bananaclaw!” Grim concluded.

Chen’ya made an X with his hands and shook his head. “Nope! Bananas grow on trees~! And I’m a cat,”  

Deuce put a hand on his chin. “There are people with animal ears in other dorms too, y'know?” 

Ace, who was already in a sour mood, only groaned. “I’m in a bad mood right now. That little red tyrant is being unreasonable. Go away,” he said, and Yuu couldn’t help but think he was pouting like a child and chuckled under her breath.

“Riddle’s a tyrant.. Well, I guess there’s some truth in that~” The purple cat said. “He’s been a stickler for the rules since he was little.. Fufu~” 

“You knew him when he was young?” Yuu cut in.

“Do you know something about him?” Deuce followed up.

The purple cat beastmen only shrugged. “I guess I could say I do., but at the same time maybe I don’t~” talking to Chen’ya was confusing, to say the least.

“Which is it?” Grim pressed.

“Oh~? Are you curious? Do you want to know about Riddle?” 

“Do we? Darn right we do! I wanna know who raised a little tyrant like that.” Ace said, still clearly upset.

“Then go ask glasses guy,” 

“Glasses guy? You mean Clover-senpai?” Deuce concluded.

“That guy knew Riddle since he was a little kid. I’d ask him if I were you,” the cat suggested.

“So I was right.. I knew it!” Yuu said a little too excitedly.

“Prefect?” Deuce said in slight confusion. 

“Alright then~ I’ll be going.” and with that, he disappeared once again. Although, Yuu thought that his disappearing trick is probably his unique magic. So chances are, he’s still here, just invisible.

“Whoa wait-” but he was already gone.

“That guy was weird..” Grim said.

“There’s no way we could attend classes properly with these collars on. It’s humiliating..” Deuce trailed off. “Let’s go see Clover-senpai about it. plus..”

“It’s super lame to apologize to the likes of him!” Ace continued.

Mages had such huge egos, Yuu thought. But at the same time, she couldn’t help but agree with these arrogant boys. How had Riddle turned out the way he did anyway?

“So you’re planning an ambush? Lucky for you guys, I know exactly where he’s probably at,” Yuu offered.

—

The group sat in the library, awaiting a certain upperclassmen’s arrival. In the meantime, Yuu had continued reading up on twisted wonderland history. She decided to finish the queen of hearts’ book. Professor Trein had some great suggestions for History books. She’d have to ask for more later. 

“Rule #249, ‘You should wear pink clothes when feeding the flamingos’.. Rule #250, ‘One must always..’”

“Oi, Prefect, what are you doing?” Ace asked, looking at her book.

“Oh, just some light reading. Thought I’d take the opportunity to read a few more pages.” Yuu responded nonchalantly.

“There’s nothing ‘light’ about this! Seriously, do you actually enjoy reading stuff like this?” Ace asked in disbelief.

“Oh, uh, yeah I guess..” Yuu shrugged. “It’s a little interesting,”

“Why are you muttering rules anyway?” Deuce asked.

“Oh, I’m memorizing them,” Yuu responded.

“Actually!?” Ace gaped. “How much have you memorized anyway?”

“I’m up to #250-”

“What!?” Grim gasped,

“No way. Fine then, state all 250 you’ve memorized,” Ace said, still not believing it.

“Okay. Rule #1, ‘the queen shall always-” and so Yuu started. She recited rule after rule, word for word, unwavering. She didn’t stumble or pause unless she needed to breathe. 5 minutes in, she was already at #50. The boys only watch, gaping in disbelief. By the time she was about to reach #80, the trio stopped her. 

“Alright, Alright! You can stop now..” Ace begged. 

Yuu snickered. “Believe me now?” 

“Guys, look!” Deuce pointed towards a particular student. “It’s Clover-senpai!” 

The group approached the senior, who was carrying a particular cookbook which Yuu knew he borrowed from the library. “Clover-senpai,” Ace called.

Trey turned his head over to them. “Oh. it’s you guys,”

“We assumed you’d be here since you probably need to return your cookbook,” Duce explained.

“We still aren’t happy with the way the Dorm head does things.” Ace wasted no time dilly dallying.

“..I figured..” Trey sighed.

“What do you really think of him? Have you been enabling him like this since you were kids?” again, wasting no time.

Trey’s eyes widened. “Who did you hear that from?” 

“A guy named Chen’ya,”

“Chen’ya..? Oh, him.” Trey had a knowing look on his face.

“Oh, do you happen to know him? Is he also your childhood friend?” Yuu asked.

“Got it in one,” Trey responded.

“Alright, well aren’t you older than Riddle? And Chen’ya is too right? So why don’t you just get mad at him?” Grim asked.

“I’ll do that if there’s a need to, but..” Trey trailed off. “..There’s nothing I can do against him,”

“Why not?” Ace objected.

“Everything that Riddle is now is because he was raised by very harsh rules.” 

“Harsh parents..?” Yuu responded questioningly.

“Riddle’s parents are very famous magicians that not a single person in town didn’t know their name,” Trey explained. “Especially Riddle’s mom. As a well known magic-doctor, she wished the same success for Riddle. So she decides everything for him. What time he wakes up, what time he goes to sleep, and even academic programs are decided for him,” 

“Everything..?” Grim echoed.

“What he eats, what he should wear, and who his friends would be is all decided for him,” Trey continued with a sad expression. “In order to answer his parent’s expectations, he kept quiet and did his best. And by the time he was 10 years old, he had already perfected his unique magic,”

From what Yuu heard, a unique magic isn’t an easy feat. she may have not read through the magical analysis textbooks all the way yet, but it didn’t take a genius to figure that a unique magic is something complex and hard to do. To perfect it by age 10 would definitely be considered impressive.

“He always has to continuously earn first place in school since elementary,” Trey continued. “..I can’t even imagine how difficult that must have been for him,”

“...His mother, huh?” Yuu sighed. “Looks like we aren't that far off from each other in a way..”

“What do you mean?” Trey asked. Whoops, looks like she muttered that out loud.

“..Nothing,” Yuu wasn’t going to reveal anything to the boys just yet.

“Riddle thinks that being harsh will benefit everyone in the long run. He believes that being bound to harsh rules and obeying them out of fear will make people grow.” Trey continued, shaking off Yuu’s odd remark. “Because that's how he was raised. And he think breaking the rules is a bad thing because-”

“Because if he overlooks rule breakers, it’d be like denying everything he was made to be.. Right?” Ace responded, finishing Trey’s sentence.

“I understand it if you think of him as a tyrant, and I will admit that what he does can be a little wrong, but..” Trey trailed off, sighing. “I can’t bring myself to go against him..”

“Clover-senpai,” Yuu said. “I need you to understand something,”

“Wha-”

“If you let Riddle suffer alone like that, even when you knew his parents weren’t doing the right thing, he isn’t going to turn out well.” Yuu continued. “You have to be firm with him. Tell him that what he’s doing is wrong, that his parents were wrong, that he being raised the way he was isn’t right. Just because he’s been suffering doesn't mean you could just let him off the hook because you feel guilty. It’ll only get worse if you let him be,” Yuu didn’t hold back or sugarcoat her words.

“Yuu’s right. The only thing I’m getting from this is that Riddle’s the way he is because of you,” Ace added.

“Yuu-kun!? Ace!?” Deuce gasped.

“Eh!?” Grim said confusedly.

“Dorm head can’t do anything about his parents, sure. That’s not his choice,” Ace continued. “But at the very least, you knew that the way he’s treated is wrong, right?”

Trey hesitated, not knowing how to respond.

“Like Yuu said, tell him to his face that he’s screwing up,” Ace continued. “Fix your mistake. What, you’re just gonna pity him? Spoil him ‘cause you’re sorry?”

“Don’t let him suffer from his mistakes, Clover-senpai. People will resent him if this goes on because they don’t understand his past and Riddle doesn't understand that he’s wrong,” Yuu cut in.

“They’re gonna alienate him and hate his guts, and you’ll watch from a distance?” Ace added.

“Guys! Come on-”

“What? Keeping quiet ‘cause you’re afraid of that collar? Lame!” Ace didn’t seem to sugarcoat his words either. “You call yourself his childhood friend, but from the way things are, can you really call yourself his friend!?”

“BOYS! THIS IS A LIBRARY! KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN!” A certain crow yelled.

“You’re the one yelling, yanno,” Grim pointed out.

“A-ah, yes, apologies,” Crowley said, lowering his voice. “Good grief, the library is supposed to be a place where people could study and read quietly,”

“Oh, sorry about that,” Yuu said. “Why are you here anyways, headmage?”

Crowley huffed pridefully. “I was researching a way home for you, of course~! See, I didn’t forget!” he said cheerfully. “How kind of me! Research does start at the library after all,”

Oh, right. I didn’t tell him that he didn’t need to look for a way back. It’s nice of him to take the initiative, though.

“Of course, I’m definitely not here because I wanted to read the newest addition to my favorite novel before everyone else, no, of course not!”

Nevermind.

“Wait, why would you need to research Yuu a way home?” 

“That’s right! The ghost in the cafeteria mentioned something about you being from a different world,” Deuce added, looking at Yuu.

Things just got a lot more complicated. “Don’t worry about it-”

“Oh, yes! I am gracious, aren’t I? Yuu here is from a different world, or at least a place unlike here! So I ever so graciously let him stay here for free whilst I research a way back!” Crowley proudly exclaimed.

“WHAT!?” Everyone except Yuu and Crowley collectively gasped at the newfound information.

“Quiet!” Crowley exclaimed in a whisper.

“Yuu, you are so gonna explain what’s going on,” Ace said in a lower voice.

“We’ll talk about this later okay!?” Yuu ushered. She didn’t want these news getting out in anyway, including rumours. 

“We’d better,” Ace huffed.

The headmaster took a seat on one of the chairs. “So, why exactly are you all gathered here with such troubled expressions? I seem to have interrupted quite the heated discussion, from how loud Trappola was shouting.”

“Well…”

—

“I see..” Crowley nodded. “You don’t want to apologize in order  to have your collar removed, however, you know convincing your prefect won’t go so smoothly…”

The headmaster seemed deep in thought but only shrugged. “If you dislike the way your prefect does things, there’s the option to switch dormitories,” Crowley suggested. “However, the mirror of darkness sorts you into your dormitories by looking into your souls. So transferring is quite the herculean task,”

Ace put a finger on his chin, considering the suggestion. “Transferring.. I feel like that would be like I lost to him, so I won’t be going for that,” Ah, mages and their huge egos and prides.

“Very well,” Crowley shrugged. “Then how about challenging Rosehearts to a duel for his position as dorm head?”

The nonchalance in his voice was awfully calm compared to what he’s saying. 

“EH!?” 

“I said keep it down!” Crowley scolded in a whisper.

“It’s because you said something so weird out of the blue, headmaster!” Ace hissed in the same whisper.

The headmaster shook his head. “It’s not strange at all, my boy! Rosehearts himself got his position by doing the same thing,” 

“How do you get the Dorm head position anyway?” Deuce asks.

“I heard Riddle say he got the position a week into the school year,” Grim recalls.

“They could either be appointed by the previous prefect, or they could take the role by dueling against them. However there are other ways. Dueling is one of the simpler ways to go about it, I suppose.” The headmage explained.

“But isn’t using magic for one’s own benefit forbidden?” Ace asked.

“For personal gain, yes. However a duel appointed and overseen by the Headmage due to official and valid reasons is a whole different matter.” The headmage clarified.

“If I remember correctly, you can’t enforce handicaps on your opponents prior to the battle, so Riddle would technically have to remove your collar without you apologizing,” Trey explained. “Ah, but..”

“New students are given the right to challenge their dorm leaders for their role if they so wish,” The headmage interjects. “So? Will you challenge Rosehearts to a duel, Trappola?” The headmage questioned.

Ace didn’t seem to take any time at all to think over his answer. “I’m gonna show him who’s boss,”

“I will too!” deuce said, joining in.

“Me too!” Grim exclaimed.

“Unfortunately, you cannot join Grim. You are from a different dorm.” The Headmage objected.

“Then how will I get my collar off!?” Grim complained in frustration.

Ace snickered. “When I become dorm head, I’ll order Riddle to take it off ya!”

“Ambitious, are we? Do you guys have a plan for this?” Yuu interjected. Going in blind is the worst mistake possible.

“Yuu’s right. If anything, I didn’t think Deuce would join in on this,” Trey said, sighing to himself.

“Eh? I think it’s good to strive for the top,” Deuce said in disagreement. 

“In any case, you two don’t have a plan. And I’ll say this right now, going in blind is going to cost you your heads,” Yuu said, crossing her arms.

“Well- uh.. Roseherts-senpai looks a little.. Small. And plus, we’ll totally lose if we go with magic. So I say we go physical,” Deuce suggested. It wasn’t a bad suggestion, but they also need to consider the possibilities of Riddle blocking them with defensive magic.

“Oh, right! One last thing. No attacks outside of magic are permitted. Let us play by the rules!” Crowley said, turning Deuce down.

“Eh!?”

Crowley later excused himself, saying that he’ll explain the procedures on the day of the duel, which Ace decided was tomorrow. Yuu wanted to facepalm at his terrible decision, leaving little time to prepare, but Crowley had already left.

“A-alright! So I guess we need to work on our magic..?” Ace said to himself.

“My neck’s on the line here! You guys better do this right.” Grim reminded.

“Right! When I become dorm head, I’m making that little tyrant say ‘I’m sorry it was my fault’, if it’s the last thing I’ll do!”

Ah, mages and their endless ego and pride.

“Listen you two, I’m not gonna let you go in there willy milly hoping for the best. That’s not how this works,” Yuu said firmly. 

“Oh prefect! Please save us from my stupidity!” Ace pleaded in a dramatic and sarcastic tone.

“As you wish. When we get back to Ramshackle, since I’m assuming there’s no way any of you are getting in your dorms, we’re coming up with a plan. A very detailed and well thought out plan, and I’ll train your magic. I’m going to research battle strategies from some magical analysis and both defensive and offensive magic books, and I’ll beat them into your little brains faster than Crewel ever could,” 

The boys slowly stepped away from Yuu, fear written all over their faces.

“We’re in the library so I’ll go grab some books. You guys could head over to Ramshackle now, if you want,” Yuu said, walking away over to the magical analysis section of the library.

Chapter Text

Ace, and Deuce sat in Ramshackle’s lounge. Stacks upon stacks of books, half drank cups of tea, and some opened snacks that Deuce bought from Sam’s were on the floor. 

“Okay, so do you guys get this concept yet?” Yuu asked.

“I.. still don’t get how floral attacks can counter and deflect water attacks?” Deuce says, scratching his head.

“It’s kind of simple, really. Here’s a useful floral spell for example,” Yuu said, pointing to her textbook. “The way the root shield spell works is that it’s basically a wall of roots that will completely absorb the water magic. It’s a good defensive spell. Think of it as some really thirsty snakes that’ll absorb any liquid it touches. But it’s not as effective if you can’t cast it fast enough to block the attack,”

“Oh, I get it!” Deuce exclaimed.

“Although, Rosehearts senpai is probably going to use more fire magic. I overheard a rumor of him being really good at fire magic, so floral magic won’t exactly be the most handy. So we should learn more water-based attacks like watershot,” Yuu suggested.

“Seems like a solid plan. But what about the main threat?” Ace asked.

“Ah, his unique magic. It’s pretty powerful, so I don’t think we’ll have enough time to perfect a method for blocking it. Seeing it in action, I think the way it works is that he needs to have the spell fired straight at you, and it’ll only work if it hits you, immediately triggering the collar. Also, you’ll know if that’s the spell he’ll be casting since he basically yells the incantation when he casts it. So we’ll work on dodging strategies,” Yuu explains. “Let’s head outside. There’s more room,”

The group got outside, and Yuu first decided to work on their stamina. “You’re going to be moving around a lot, so I’ll need you guys to have a lot of stamina. Let’s start with a game of tag,”

“Tag?” Ace echoed in confusion.

“Yep. catch me if you can. Game starts in 3..2..-” and Yuu already started running. 

“PREFECT WAIT–” Deuce yelled chasing after Yuu. That went on for a while, running around ramshackle, in an attempt to catch Yuu. 5 minutes, and the boys are already panting. 

“Already? We have a lot of work to do,” Yuu declared, handing them bottles of water. “We’ll keep playing the game until you can either last 30 minutes or you two catch me~” 

“You’re ruthless!” Ace screamed breathlessly.

“You’ll thank me later,” Yuu said. Anyway, better get running! Game starts in 3, 2,--” and she was off.

 Ace and Deuce chased after her, lasting 9 minutes this time. 

“Hmm, not bad. Take a break you two,” She said, pulling them from the ground where they lay breathlessly. 

“Why are we playing tag anyway?” Deuce asked, gulping his water.

“To boost your stamina. I said this before,” 

“Right..”

After about spending an hour playing tag and taking momentary breaks, Ace and Deuce managed to last 15 minutes. 

“Let’s take a break from physical exercise and go back inside. We need to teach you guys how to visualize your magic better,” Yuu declared, going back inside.

“How are you not breathless from running so much!?” Ace exclaimed in genuine shock.

“I’m used to running,”

After about 2 whole hours of magical analysis studies and visualization techniques, Ace and Deuce may as well have been dead by now. “Yuu… What did we do to deserve this?”

“You asked for my help,” Yuu responded nonchalantly. “And also, I have this collar on and I need it off. Anyway, let’s head outside,”

“What? More hellish training?” Ace groaned.

“Maybe,” she simply said. The boys— and a curious Grim— followed her outside. This time, she didn’t tell them to do some crazy exercise, or make them train or work, instead she just stared at the sky absentmindedly. 

“So, uhhh.. What now?”

“Nothing. I just thought you guys could use some fresh air. It’s no good to overwork yourself,” She simply said. “I’ll wait until you guys are ready to continue,”

It was silent for a while, as if they were taking in what she was saying. 

“Oh. thanks,” Deuce finally said. “Hey prefect, why do you stare at the sky?”

“I don’t know either. I guess.. It’s just been a while,” Yuu hasn’t had a chance to see the sky this blue and clear in ages. She was either hiding away or when she was out in the demon forests, it’d be covered by massive trees.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ace asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Yuu replied. 

“You know what? Let’s do some more hellish training. I think I’m ready,” Ace declared.

“Yeah! Me too!” 

“If you say so. Now we need to start practicing our aim. You’ll be constantly on the move while waving around a pen and being fired at, so-”

This went on for a while until it got later. They’d train outside, come back inside and reflect on some things, and collaborate on their plan more. Of course, there were breaks. Yuu wasn’t going to work them to the bone.

Yuu sat, sipping tea, reading through a magic textbook on the ramshackle sofa while Deuce and Ace were outside practicing their magic, with Grim as a motivator training with them out of enthusiasm because he “wanted to be strong too!” so Yuu also trained him and taught him magical techniques.

Unique magic in particular is almost impossible to use without saying the incantation out loud. However, normal spells like cosmics, florals, etc. are possible to cast without citing out loud. Some unique magic requires a certain level of volume, while some you could recite in a whisper. When one cannot recite their unique magic’s incantations loud enough to meet its requirements or mispronounce it or say it wrong, the unique magic will not activate. Spells in general must be recited correctly in order for it to work.

Yuu almost spit out her drink. “ACE! DEUCE! COME INSIDE! I HAVE A PLAN!”

—

As Yuu cooked up dinner for the gang, Ace and Deuce had offered to help. Grim even offered to join in later on.

“What’s the occasion?” Yuu asked playfully.

“You just really helped us out, y’know?” Deuce answered, while chopping carrots.

“Come to think of it, why do you stick around and help us?” Ace asked while washing some veggies.

“You kinda crashed my dorm in the middle of the night?” Yuu shot back while boiling the water.

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to help us out with our training, or stick up for us back at the unbirthday party back there,” Ace clarified.

Yuu chuckled. “Eh, I guess it just felt like the right thing to do,” Yuu responded. “Hey Deuce, Try chopping those like this,” Yuu interrupted Deuce’s cutting, suggesting a better way. “See, if you chop them like this, it’ll come out a bit thinner so it absorbs the flavor faster. But don't go overboard! It’ll be overcooked. Just about this much,”

“Woah! Thank Yuu,” Deuce smiled.

“By the way, prefect,” Ace called.

“Hm?”

“What was that dream you and your family in it?” 

Yuu’s hands paused in its movements. “What?” 

“Don’t you remember henchmen? The one where we met your mom and that crazy girl with a bat?” Grim reminded absentmindedly.

In all honesty, Yuu didn’t think they’d remember that. When they’d woken up, no one mentioned it, so she assumed they may have forgotten or something. But looks she was wrong once again.

She continued chopping. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll explain another time,”

“But we want to know now,” Deuce objected.

“Deuce, you’re chopping the carrots too thin. It’s going to overcook when we cook it,” Yuu said, trying to steer the conversation away from the dream. She wasn’t ready to say anything just yet. 

The boys seemed to catch the hint and didn't question further. The next few moments were spent in peaceful silence, with Yuu occasionally giving helpful pointers and some small talk. 

Finally, the soup was ready. The group sat in ramshackle’s lounge, and ate the soup together.

“This is awesome!” Ace exclaimed. It was late into the evening. Due to ramshackle having no running electricity, the room was lit by candlelight, and she let the moonlight stream through the broken windows.

“Every ingredient in the soup has a nice cooked texture. The potato chunks are soft and these cut carrots have just the right sweetness! The soup itself is seasoned to leave a nice taste in your mouth. The other ingredients are cooked just at the right temperature so that it doesn't taste overcooked or raw!” Grim exclaimed excitedly.

“What's with the sudden level up in vocabulary?” Deuce commented.

Yuu shrugs. “I’m glad you’re good at something. Language classes are probably easier for you,”

“Not at all!” Grim disagreed. “Half of the things the professor there says don’t make sense! Plus it’s super boring,” 

“Think of it like collecting new stuff. That’s kind of what words are, y’know?” Yuu suggested.

“Okay but seriously, this is top tier! What is this!?” Deuce compliments

“Soup,”

“That’s it!?”

“You both helped make it,” Yuu teased playfully. “Anyway, we need to sleep. Tomorrow’s a big day. Wouldn’t want to lose all your energy before the duel staying up. You both remember the techniques and strategies I taught you? Is there anything we need to go over-”

“Yuu-kun, we’ll be fine!” Deuce assured.

“Alright,” She replied. “Let’s sleep or something. Good night you guys, tomorrow’s a big day,”

—

The next day came, and Yuu had just woken up from a very unusual dream. Another part of the “Riddle”, she supposes.

The little girl in the blue dress was on trial for going against the queen of hearts. The girl somehow grew giant, and with her power, She proceeded to stand up to the queen, insulting her pointing out how much of a tyrant she is. However her power was short-lived as she shrunk back down to her normal size. Furious, the queen declared that it was off with her head as the card soldiers seized her.

Why is that.. Oddly familiar? 

As they entered Heartslabyul’s rose maze, Yuu suddenly got a bad feeling. “Remember you two, stick to the plan and don't forget those dodging strategies I taught you both. We’re winning this match!” 

“You bet!” Ace cheered.

“You can count on us!” Deuce said confidently.

Mutters and whispers flooded the rose maze. The Heratslabyul students came to watch the battle out of curiosity. 

“Hey, did you hear? A couple of freshmen challenged the dorm head to a duel!” 

“Seriously? They must be outta their minds!”

“This is roshearts’ first challenge duel. Let’s go watch!”

Cater was visibly trying to keep his cool, standing next to Yuu in the sidelines. “They actually challenged him under the headmage’s guidance!?” 

Trey, who stood next to him, sighed and shook his head. “I tried to stop them, but..” 

“Have some confidence in them, won’t you? I trained them,” Yuu interjected.

“Right, that.. What exactly did you teach them?” Trey asked.

“Both of them have been training and studying since yesterday until this morning after the library. I’ve beaten as much magical analysis data into them as I can, and taught them all the dodging tactics and strategies. Plus, we have a plan,” Yuu said, with a trace of confidence in her voice.

“Aren’t you magicless? And weren’t they like, collared?” Cater commented.

“And?”

“Never mind. I just hope this doesn't take a turn for the worse..” Cater responded worriedly.

“Yeah..” 

Shortly after, the Headmage had started with the procedures for the duel, announcing rules and conditions. “Now then! Rosehearts-san, please remove Spade and Trappola’s collars!” Crowley ordered, to which was answered by a wave of Riddle’s scepter which caused their collars to dissipate into nothing. 

“It’s finally off!” Ace exclaimed in relief.

“Enjoy it while it lasts, because it’ll be back on you in a little while,” Riddle warned. “When I heard you challenged me to a duel, I almost doubted it. ARe you truly serious?”

“We wouldn’t challenge you as a joke!” Deuce exclaimed.

“”Course we’re serious,” Ace agreed.

“Hmph. very well. Let us start then,” Riddle said, taking a stance.

“Uh, Riddle? What do we do about afternoon tea?” Cater called.

“No problem. Afternoon tea has to be at exactly 4 PM,” 

“But it’s already past 3:30..” 

“Do you think I’d be late for anything in my life?” Riddle scoffed. “I’m quite sure this will be over quickly. Now, time is of the essence. As you can see, I am on a time limit, so both of you, come at me all at once,”

“How arrogant..” Yuu muttered. The Heartslabyul students cheered for their dorm head on the side lines.

“The moment this hand mirror hits the ground, that is your single to start. Ready? And..” Crowley's words were followed by the shattering of a mirror which ringed lowly in their ears. “Fight!”

Chapter Text

“Off with your head!” Riddle yelled loudly, as a fit of sparkles shot from his scepter and in the duo of Freshman's direction. 

Cater sighed. Looks like it’s over already… he thought, turning around to start preparing tea. Until he didn’t hear grunts of frustration coming from Ace and rice, but from Riddle.

Turning his head around, he saw that the duo had split apart and were running around Riddle, dodging his attacks.

“OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!” Riddle chanted in frustration, but missed again.

“Yuu, what did you do to them?” Cater asked in shock.

“I trained them,” Yuu responded casually.

Riddle started using normal elemental attacks, waving his scepter and casting a non-verbal fire-shot.

“Deuce! He’s gonna summon fire!” Ace suddenly yelled.

“Got it!” Deuce responded. As balls of red fire came hurling at Deuce, the boy calmly and swiftly flicked his pen. “I summon thee, Aqua cauldron!” In seconds, the silhouette of a cauldron formed in front of him, and as the magic sparkles cleared, it was water. Cauldron shaped water.

“What’s with his obsession with cauldrons!?” Cater yelped.

“I knew he could visualize cauldrons the easiest, so I told him to visualize spells in the shape of cauldrons. It works well for boat offensive and defensive magic,” Yuu explained.

“Trey, are you hearing this!?” But Trey’s eyes were fixed on Riddle, and his expression of growing frustration. 

Riddle didn’t move much from his spot at all, staying in one spot as The Duo would circle around him.

“I summon thee, cauldron!” Deuce chanted, which sent a cauldron flying from the sky in Riddle’s direction, which would have hit if Riddle didn’t block it.

“Oof, sorry Deuce-chan,” Cater winced. To his surprise, the Prefect only chuckled.

Before Riddle could fire off another attack, Ace suddenly chanted, “Great tempest!” prompting a massive whirlwind, much larger than Cater had seen last time, in Riddle’s direction at a very fast speed. Riddle couldn’t block in time and tripped onto the ground.

But the Dorm head wasn’t going to lose so easily, as he immediately stood back up on his feet and fired off an enhanced Aqua shot.

“Ace watch out!” Deuce screamed.

“Uh-oh..” Cater mumbled.

But to everyone’s surprise, Ace, as panicked as he was, flicked his pen. “Root shield!” he chanted, and a wall of thick, tendril like roots emerged from the ground in front of him, forming a shield. As the sharp blade of water shoots in Ace’s direction, it immediately dissipates when met with his shield.

“That’s an advanced early 3rd year level spell!” cater exclaimed in shock.

“Wow, I didn’t think he’d really be able to cast it,” Yuu remarked, his eyes widening.

“Weren’t they collared?” Trey stated. “How could they have practiced their magic?”

“They didn’t,” Yuu simply replied. “First, I taught them as much as they could learn in a day about magic. Visualization techniques, how it works, how strong each spell would be, and most importantly, how to not overuse it,” Yuu continued. “Also, I made them run around and play tag to build up their stamina, refined their aim by making them throw rocks, and taught them how to dodge attacks,” 

“What in Twisted wonderland!?” Trey said in shock.

“You’re telling me you did all that in a day!?” Cater gasped again, for the umpteenth time that day. “How are they not worn out?”

“I gave them breaks and made sure they got plenty of rest,” Yuu responded.

His eyes were on the miraculously still ongoing battle between the duo and Riddle. Riddle’s patience was growing thinner and thinner as his calm facade started to fade, revealing a very red and angry queen.

Ace and Deuce were relentless, dodging Riddle's spells rather well. Cater could notice the improvement. Before this, the duo seemed ready to just tackle them head on, straightforward just like that, without much planning. Pure offensive moves and not taking Defensive moves that much into account. Wow. Cater thought, as Riddle chanted another ‘off with your head!’. The prefect really changed them.

“O-Off wi..” Riddle’s words couldn’t come out, startling everyone. “O..f..W-” 

“It worked!” Deuce exclaimed, summoning another cauldron in Riddle’s way, which was dodged.

“Yeah!” Ace said, just as enthusiastically, running up to Deuce.

“Woah, what?” Cater said confusedly. “Did Riddle..?”

“Looks like they could stall long enough after all,” Yuu said in a semblance of relief. “Riddle lost his voice.

“That was why they haven’t really done much to actually defeat Riddle?” Trey mumbled. “They’ve been doing more defensive moves because they’re only wearing him out..”

“Once you can’t say the incantation for a unique magic, it’s next to impossible to cast it,” Yuu explained. “I’m assuming ‘Off with your head’ requires a lot of volume to activate, yes? So we figured if we could make him yell that for long enough, it’ll wear out his voice. So I made sure the boys were swift and nimble enough to dodge his unique magic.”

“Prefect,” Trey said in awe. “You are terrifying.”

“I’ll take that as a complemen-”

“OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!” 

Yuu’s words screeched to a halt as he immediately turned around to the source of the noise. 

“Gah!” Ace and Deuce said unison as a heart shaped collar clamped around their necks.

Yuu’s eyes made a clean switch from relief to horror the second he laid his eyes on the collared duo, who were doubled down on the ground.

“Myah!? Ace and Deuce lost!?” Grim exclaimed in shock. The grey cat had been watching with them the whole time.

“But that’s impossible..” Yuu muttered in disbelief.

But Cater knew exactly what was up. “A non-verbal voice restoration spell,” the ginger sighed. “It’s a 2nd year spell that was taught to us yesterday! Riddle being Riddle was already good enough to cast it non verbally,” 

“Shoot, I knew I should have checked that book of useful cosmic support spells..” Yuu hissed in frustration.

“I can't believe we lost..” Ace muttered in disappointment as he and Deuce approached them.

“It’s okay guys. You two did awesome. Besides, we only had 1 day to practice, it’s fine. We’ll work out a new plan,” Yuu said assuringly, handing them both bottles of water.

“Sorry Yuu..” Deuce said gloomily.

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault,”

“That was quite the close battle, but it seems that Rosehearts here had an upper hand in experience,” Crowley announced. “One must never let their guard down in battle. And the non verbal spell he cast was a quick decision well made,”

“Ah, we were kinda close too..!” Grim hissed in frustration.

“Hmph. What a hassle. I will admit, you were clever with your antics, however I am still high above you in skill level. And I’m sure you couldn’t have accomplished it without help. What a shame,” Riddle huffed. “I knew it. It’s as mother said. Anyone who breaks the rules will amount to nothing,”

“You’re wrong,” Yuu simply stated in a neutral tone. “That’s not true. While rules are made for a reason, it doesn’t mean every rule is right, Rosehearts,”

“Prefect?” Cater said in surprise. 

“ You’re wrong. Rules must have been created for a reason, and thus must be followed. And every rule broken deserves a punishment, and in this dorm, I am the absolute rule,” Riddle states. “Therefore, no rule breaker has the right to complain to me! And especially not you,” 

“I’ve known many rule breakers, Rosehearts,” Yuu said in a poisonous tone. “They broke the rules.. For their own good. They fought the laws of the world for their freedom, sacrificing so many things simply for freedom. They’ve rebelled against their destinies, and ultimately the laws of the world.”

“What..?” Ace and Deuce seemed to mutter in confusion.

“And I can tell you, that they amount to so many things. Every rule was created to be followed, but that doesn't mean they are right,” 

“Rules? Not meant to be followed? How absurd!” Riddle scoffed. “Can you hear yourself? What sort of lessons were you taught as a child for you not to understand something as simple as that?”

Uh-oh. This isn’t going to end well at all. 

“You were born from parents who can’t even use magic. I’m sure you didn’t receive any good education before you set foot into this school. How truly pathe-”

“ Stop ” Cater froze along with everyone else at the sudden furious tone.

“You don’t get to say anything about my family or the people who raised and taught me.” Yuu hissed. Yet his voice was loud and clear that anyone within its vicinity couldn’t run even if they tried. 

“My mother raised me and my siblings with all the genuine love she could give. She taught me almost everything I knew, and I would never be the person I am today without her. Even if she was a liar, I’ll always love her,” Yuu inhaled. “The closest people I could ever call my dad are gone. They taught me just as much as my mom did and they made me smile. But now they’re gone and I couldn’t save them,” 

Cater could barely believe what he was hearing. The prefect went through all that? He couldn’t help but feel terrible.

“Has your mother never taught you that rules are to be obeyed then?” Cater was actually alarmed at the amount of nerve Riddle had to say that after everything that we said a second ago.

“STOP IT ALREADY! I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!”

Smack! 

“Eh!?” basically everyone in the vicinity gasped at the sudden action.

“He..punched the dorm head!?” A Heartslabyul student finally grasped.

“I’m so sick of you. Sick of this duel. I don’t care anymore.” Ace proclaimed. “But you don’t get to insult Yuu like that. Ever. He read stacks and stacks of books on magic, ran around all day and was patient with teaching us everything he could to make sure we could win this duel, and is more dedicated and patient than you’ll ever be,” 

“Kids aren’t meant to be their parents' trophies, and a parent can’t decide what their kid’s worth. But y’know what? I think I finally get why you’re such a trashy person. It isn’t just your parents’ faults.”

“What are you saying..?”

“A year. You’ve been in this school for a year. And out of your parents’ grasp. And the one you should blame is that guy over there you call your friend and vice dorm head ‘cause he’s been turning a blind eye to your selfishness!”

“What..?”

“And I get your parents raised you in some way, and It’s not on you that you had to be raised by them, but is going ‘Mama this!’ and ‘Mama that!’ really all you could possibly say!?” Ace said angrily. “‘’Red ruler’? All I see is a baby who knows how to wave around a magic wand and do magic!”

Riddle was alarmingly silent, but Cater knew better. This was the calm before the storm.

“Me..? a baby?!” Riddle scoffed. “You know nothing. You know nothing about me and yet..!”

“Exactly! I don’t know anything about you! How could I have with that attitude?”

Fanning the flames isn’t helping at all Acey!

The air tensed as the tone shifted even more. Riddle may as well be a rose himself as he was quite literally red from anger. “Shut up.. Shut Up!” he exclaimed. “Mother was right.. And therefore I am right!”

Trey’s face had worry written all over it as he tried to calm the dorm head. “Riddle, you need to calm down. The duel’s over,” Trey attempted.

“Clover is right, Rosehearts-san! Lashing out now and attacking outside of the duel would nullify your victory,” Crowley warned. “If any of this continues, you’d be violating the rules!”

“I’m with the newbie! I’ve had enough of this!” After the sudden proclamation, something was thrown in Riddle’s direction, landing on the side of his head with a loud crack.

“What was.. Was that an egg!?” Trey almost jumped in realization.

Man.. that guy really dragged us down with him with that move. Cater mentally slapped his forehead as he massaged his temples. We are so screwed.

“Who threw that egg at me!?” Riddle exclaimed in a fit of rage.

There was no response, as everyone stood in their spots, frozen. No one dared answer. 

There was a dead silence. No one moved, Said a word, heck, Cater doubted anyone breathed.

“Ha..” Riddle started. “Hahaha..” suddenly, he broke out into a full blown villain cackle. It was bitter and filled with hatred, not to mention maniacal. It was madness, if you may. The type of laugh that you’d hear from a movie character driven to the edge and just snapped then and there.

It was the perfect description for what was going on with Riddle at the moment.

“You’ve had enough!? Seriously? I ’ve had enough! No matter how strict I get, how much I warned you, how much I try to keep you in line..” Riddle trailed off. “You all keep breaking the rules! All of you here are just selfish fools who only think of themselves and don’t bother with the rules! Very well then, if no one will admit it, I suppose I’ll have to make you all take responsibility myself!”

Riddle raised his scepter pointing it into the crowd’s direction, who were glued to their spots, and yelled. “Off with all your heads! OFF WITH YOUR HEAD! ” 

In seconds, tens of collars clamped around everyone's necks. “Run!” they all yelled. But it was no use. Riddle had already put a collar on everyone in the rose maze.

Riddle sent out another bone chilling cackle. “How’s that? Now none of you can raise a hand against me now, can you?” he said in a satisfied rage. “I knew it. I’m right. I’m the only one right because I follow and protect the rules!”

“Rosehearts, desist!” the headmage attempted. “Breaking these rules is unlike you at all!”

But Cater was worried about one thing at the moment. “Trey, what do we do? If he keeps using his magic, he’ll..”

“Riddle, stop!” 

“Hey, you! Listen, not everything’s gonna go your way! This is exactly why I called you a baby!” Ace exclaimed.

“Acey! Now’s not a good time for that!” Cater objected.

“Take that back right now!” Riddle demanded. “Do you want to be skewered!?”

“Not in a million years!” 

Riddle didn’t seem to like that, as he let out a blood curdling scream.

“We need to get out of here. Right now,” Yuu decided.

Suddenly, the rose trees started to float off the ground, slowly floating up. “Rose trees, I command you! Pierce this criminal that stands before you!”

“This is bad..! Trappola, move out of the way!”

But he couldn’t move fast enough. Yuu however, had different ideas. He immediately ran and slid in front of Ace, spreading his arms in a protective position in an attempt to shield him from the rose trees that were about to fly their way.

Chapter Text

Yuu wasn’t going to let anyone die today. Even if it was at the risk of her own life. She had already let too many people get hurt on her watch, and she wanted to change that desperately.

Her eyes were glued shut as she stood in front of Ace’s ducked figure, arms spread wide in a protective stance. She waited for the sharp thorns to pierce her, or any projectile.

Nothing happened.

She opened her eyes hesitantly, only to see the trees scatter into cards.

“I-I’m alive!?” Ace exclaimed confusedly.

“This is..!?” Riddle mumbled in shock.

“Ah! The trees turned into cards. Could this be..?” Deuce realized.

“E-Eh..?” Yuu stuttered in confusion. The others seemed to have an idea of what was going on, but Yuu couldn’t get a possible idea of what just happened.

“Riddle, that’s enough!” Trey exclaimed. Yuu realized he had his pen in his hands as the gemstone shined, a clear sign of its recent use.

“Trey’s doodle suit!? But how!?” Cater yelled in shock and disbelief.

“Doodle suit..?” Yuu echoed.

“Ah! Our collars are gone!” Grim said in shocked relief.

Yuu looked at Ace and the others, and noticed that the heart shaped collar was no longer on their necks, nor on hers. 

They were free.

“I told you, right?” Trey said in a suppressed tone. “Yuu-kun, you must be really confused right now, but my doodle suit can overwrite anything for a short amount of time,”

“Your doodle suit.. You overwrote Riddle’s magic!?” Yuu exclaimed in shock.

Meanwhile, Riddle was grunting in frustration, repeatedly chanting “Off with your head!” over and over, waving his scepter around. Only for measly playing cards to flutter out of its gemstone.

“Stop that Riddle. You’re only setting yourself up for destruction. Look at everyone’s faces!” Trey said in a firm tone.

The scared HeratslAbyul students cowered in the sidelines, shock and terror clearly visible on their faces.

“He’s serious about skewering him..!”

“That’s going too far..”

“He’s a monster!”

The shocked mutters and whispers continued, but they didn’t bother to move from their spots just yet, much to Yuu’s frustration.

“Hah..? my magic was overwritten by.. Trey’s? Does that mean.. His magic is stronger than mine?” Riddle said, as if taking in what just happened.

“No! That’s not it. Riddle, calm down and listen to what they’re saying!” Trey objected. To Yuu, it looked like a mother trying to prevent a very, very bad tantrum, as he was careful with his words.

“Are you saying I’m wrong now too? After I did all I could to protect the rules?” Riddle accused. “Even after I’ve endured so, so many things! I won’t.. I’ll never believe it!” Yuu didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she could hear.. She could feel something crack in Riddle.

“Rosehearts, you mustn’t! Using any more of your magic could be dangerous! Your gem is already tainted enough with blot as is!” the headmaster tried to reason.

Wait, blot? 

Oh no, she thought. She recalled touching upon blot briefly in a book on magical analysis from the library. Blot was a substance accumulated from the use of magic, and a build up and over accumulation of that would lead to..

“I am right! I ALONE AM RIGHT! I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO IS CORRECT!” Riddle exclaimed loudly. Until a dark black, inky substance emerged from his pen, rapidly spreading throughout his whole body as it became covered in blot. Riddle did nothing to resist as it overtook him.

What emerged from the inky substance was something different.

He levitated a few feet off the ground menacingly, surrounded by a dark and negative air. His skin was pale, even paler than Yuu’s, as white as chalk. His hands were covered in an inky substance that dripped onto the ground like inky gloves. His attire changed from a royal fit into one that was torn and shredded. His new attire looked like a torn up royal gown, sporting mainly red and black. White roses that were half covered in ink were attached to the waist, and a string of black playing cards flowed down his dress-like fit. The previously regal red cae was torn up and shredded as it reached the ground, while his now black knee length boots dripped with black ink. Atop his head was a black crown that tilted to the side where his gold crown previously was, and his right eye emitted a strange red light, with surrounding black “decorative” marks.

“HAHAHAHA!” Riddle cackled maniacally.

“I don’t need anyone to defy me in my world. I am my world’s absolute ruler. My world itself submits to me!” Riddle declared. “I will not tolerate any answer aside from ‘Yes Lord Riddle!’” 

At this moment, Yuu thought Riddle was acting rather immature. Like a demanding child throwing a fit. Except this child was very powerful and could probably diminish you with his magic.

“It’s off with the heads of everyone who defies me!” AHAHAHAHAAHA!” 

Meanwhile, Crowley was panicking where he was, frantically scratching his head. “Ah! How could I have let a student overblot in my presence!?” 

“What’s overblot? The guy’s turned full evil mode!” Grim wondered.

“And overblot is a state every mage should avoid at all costs. Right now, Riddle is enveloped in negative energy and doesn't have control over his magic or emotions.” The headmage explained.

However, neither Ace, Deuce, nor Grim understood. “I still don’t get it,” Grim said, shaking his head.

“Me neither!” Deuce admitted.

“I- Oh sevens, it’s a magical berserker evil mode okay!?” Cater clarified.

“If this goes on, Riddle’s life could be in danger,” Trey added.

“His life!?”

Yuu didn’t focus too much on the conversation as she tried to formulate a plan to stop Riddle while the others bickered. “What do I do, What do I do..” she mumbled while examining Riddle. The inky substance.. Hadn’t she seen that somewhere before? She continued to analyze Riddle's overblot form. 

Wait, what’s that behind him..?

Yuu did a double take. A large figure seemed to be behind Riddle’s own overblot figure. It wore a familiar looking dress, reminiscent of Riddle’s current attire, a black and red dress. But that wasn’t Yuu’s focus, no. 

It was its head.

In place of a head was a glass heart shaped bottle with a golden crown that sat atop it. And most importantly, ink. The bottle head was filled with ink.

Like the ink monster in the mines.

“Ace, Deuce, Grim-”

“TAKE THIS!” Ace suddenly shouted. “Great tempest!” 

A whirlwind was summoned, sending Riddle’s figure toppling back slightly.

“ I summon thee, cauldron! ”

“Myahh!!!!” 

Furious, Riddle seemed to grow red, despite maintaining his pale appearance. “You insolent little-”

“H-hey, what are you guys doing?!” Cater said in disbelief. 

“That guy’s in danger if we leave him like that!” Grim exclaimed.

“I don’t want him to go out that way, plus..” Deuce trailed off.

“I still haven’t heard him tell me ‘’It’s all my fault, I’m sorry!’ yet!” Ace declared, as he summoned another great tempest, followed by one of Grim’s blue flames.

Ah, mages and their huge egos.

“You guys..” Trey mumbled in slight disbelief. “Got it! I can overwrite Riddle’s magic for a short while. Headmaster, please escort the other students to safety!” 

Cater however, was still in shock. “Trey!? Wha- what are you doing!? There’s no way to win against Riddle!” 

“Diamond is right, this is too dangerous! You could die!” The headmaster agreed.

“Oh, but we can win,” Yuu interjected.

“You got a plan?” Ace asked. “There’s no way we’re gonna keep losing to the people we challenge! Totally lame!” 

“Yeah!” Deuce and Grim agreed.

“Yeah, I still have something important to tell him! I can’t lose him yet..” Trey declared.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan,” Yuu assured. 

Cater gave up. “Fine! I get it already! I’ll join in,” Cater agreed reluctantly, but was ready to fight.

Crowley sighed. “Good grief. I’ll be back as soon as I escort everyone to safety. Stay safe until then!”

“Here’s the plan..”

—

“Are we in?” Yuu asked.

“Gotta hand it to you, this is too good a plan to come up with in just a few minutes, prefect,” trey remarked.

“You need to get used to it,”

“Alright alright! Let’s get going before we lose our heads!” 

Everyone got moving. Yuu only had more or less 1 minute to explain her plan, as every second they waste, so does Riddle’s life. Trey stood nearby, maintaining his unique magic for as long as he could, and Cater had started making copies of himself. Ace and Deuce had started casting their spells, and were Riddle’s main distraction.

Grim shot fire in Riddle’s direction, and sometimes missed on purpose to create commotion so that Riddle couldn't focus on only one group or person. Cater and his copies had started firing off every spell they could without over exerting themselves. 

“Ha! All of your attacks barely hit!” Riddle exclaimed arrogantly as the figure behind him swung its rosebush once more, which hit one of Cater’s copies.

“Does this guy’s magic have no limit?!” Ace exclaimed in frustration.

“ I summon thee, cauldron!”

“I’m the one who’s always right! If not, then.. All that I worked for..” 

“Riddle..” Trey mumbled.

“Oi! Focus! You can’t let your guard down!” Cater reminded.

“Sorry!”

“Stay focused. We need to win this,” Yuu reminded.

Cater and his copies kept firing, but Yuu knew they were reaching their limits.Ace and Deuce also seemed to be worn out. Time to join the fray.  

She gathered up a bunch of Rocks, the sharpes she could find, and was also lucky enough to find a long enough curved branch for her contraption and some sticks. Using her coincidentally stretchy hair ribbon from her unbirthday clothing, she wrapped it on the end to end on the curved branch. She gathered her sticks and tied the sharp stone to the end of the stick using her spare ribbon that she divided into smaller pieces.

Now she had a makeshift bow and a set of arrows.

She took aim. Bows weren’t her best weapon of choice, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a good one. She aimed for the cracks in the large ink monster that had already formed, and she fired.

Then another one, and another one. With each one she fired, she got closer and closer to Riddle. She didn’t flinch. She wasn’t scared. She kept moving. Yuu was quiet. So quiet in fact, that Riddle didn’t seem to notice her approaching. Which also meant the distractions and attacks were effective.

“Ha! You could barely lay a scratch on me!” Riddle exclaimed. 

Ah, she thought They’re either done, or had run out of magic.

She crept closer. And with every fired arrow that pierced through the wind, it got louder as Riddle seemed to twitch after every fire. She took aim once more, planning to further enlarge the crack on the ink mon-

“YUU WATCH OUT!”

In seconds, she could feel a sharp pain on her whole body as she went airborne, smacking into a nearby rose tree. I need to get-

She felt something wrap around her neck as it tightened its grip and lifted her off the ground. When she opened her eyes, she was met with an inky bottlehead. Despite the fact that it had no face, Yuu could feel the ominous aura it emitted as it stared into her, its grip tightening with every second.

Well, this felt familiar.

“YUU!” Ace yelled.

“-..o..n’t” she tried to say. “..or.rry”

“Let him go!” Cater demanded.

“K..e..p” she tried to say, as the grip around her neck tightened. “A..tack..”

“What are you saying!?” Deuce exclaimed in a shocked frustration.

“..E..Pla-” she needed to stop speaking and conserve her energy. This wasn’t the first time, actually. And if anything, her circumstances were a little better than last time. 

“This is what happens to rule-breakers!” Riddle declared. “Those who defy me will face grave consequences.

Yuu didn’t know how it was possible but their grip tightened on her throat as she tried to come free.

Unexpectedly, Cater had raised his pen, and started firing off spells once more. 

“ Aqua shot!” a copy exclaimed.

“Fireball!”

All of them missed Riddle, prompting him to scoff. “How pathetic,”

All according to plan.

“Now!” Cater exclaimed.

Yuu mustered all her strength to pull out her sharp hair pin, and stab it right into the crack formed by Cater’s attacks, and pull it out again.

The ink monster flinched and yowled in pain, letting her go. She was hovering a good few feet off the ground, and she couldn’t catch herself. However, right before hitting the ground, her fall slowed as she floated down safely. She choked and coughed, letting the air burn through her lungs. She didn’t have the strength to sit up as her whole body was in intense pain. Breathing was difficult and her neck hurted from the monster’s tight grip.

Looking up, she saw the ink leak out from its cracked spot on the blot monster, as different elemental spells were fired in its direction. Further worsening the crack, as all the ink drained from its head. It let out one last ear piercing screech before it disappeared.

Looking in Riddle’s direction, he was crouched in the floor in defeat as all the blot seemed to melt away into nothingness. He seemed defeated, as his eyes were wide.

“I.. was wrong? That can’t be.. It isn’t true.. Can it?” he muttered in disbelief as his voice cracked. “Mother..”

And she blacked out.

Chapter Text

To put it simply, Yuu had no idea where she was, at all. She tried to recall what had happened before she ended up wherever this was.

Ah, that’s right, Riddle overblotted. 

She was hit by a rose tree, and was almost choked to death by a giant ink monster. 

She could have died.

The others could have died.

Suddenly, the dark area was enveloped in a blinding light. When she opened her eyes once more, everything was black and white and gray. She found herself in a house of sorts, well kept and tidy, but not so tidy that it didn’t look lived in. 

“What is this place..?” She mumbled to herself.

“Congratulations on your 8th birthday, Riddle,” A sweet voice cooed. “For this year, your birthday cake is a sugar-free one filled with nuts. It’s made from soy flour with lots of lecithin since it’s good for the brain.”

Something about the lady’s voice sounded sickeningly sweet, as if twisted into a facade. Most other people would have missed it, but in Yuu’s experience, it only sounded familiar. Like Isabella’s voice the last time she ever saw her in person as she embraced her for the last time and whispered in her ear.

“I wish the very best for you, dear. Aren’t you excited? This man here is a scientist! He’ll need help with his research, so be a dear and help him, won’t you?”

She shook her head. No, I’m not going to think about that anymore.

“Thank you mother, but umm..” a child’s voice trailed off. “Just once is okay, but I want to eat a tart filled with lots of red strawberries..”

Yuu gaped. Was that who she thought it was? It was unmistakable for sure. The red hair, heart shaped ahoge, and graphite eyes. It was none other than the red ruler himself, Riddle Rosehearts. Except he was a small child, smaller than he already was.

However, the woman was baffled. “My, how could you say that! Desserts filled with sugar like that may as well be poison for your body!”

“Just one slice will make you exceed your quota of calorie consumption,” She explained. “Come now, this one is filled with docosahexaenoic acid and icosapentaenoic acid. It’s much healthier.”

Yuu had never seen a more depressing birthday. Sure, sweets weren’t exactly the most common in Grace field, and she’s only ever had a bite of one or two chocolate covered treats herself, but this was going too far. 

“Ah, but the ideal recommended calorie intake for an 8 year old is.. It’s only 600 kcal for one meal. So don’t eat any more than 100 grams, understand?” the woman said in a twisted tone.

Little Riddle nodded with a disappointed look on his face. “Yes Mother..”

“I’ve always wanted to eat tarts filled with red strawberries..” Riddle’s voice sounded. “Just like the one displayed on the shop window of the bakery we pass by,”

The scene shifted. Now they were in Riddle’s room. Little Riddle sat on his desk, diligently jotting in notes on his paper under his mother’s guise. 

“That is all for your lesson on classical magic. Read the next 50 pages required for your next magic lessons tomorrow,” She ordered. “Now the, you have an hour to yourself before your next lesson,”

“Yes, mother,”

“Mother has something to take care of in an hour. I will see you then,” the woman left the room, and peeking out the window she could see her leaving with a bag. Off to run errands of sorts, she presumed.

“I was always surrounded by lessons I had to finish,” Riddle’s voice rang through the space. “And if it was possible, they’d extend it for longer,”

“That’s terrible..” Yuu muttered. Grace field may have daily testing and lots of studying, but everyone was happy. They had time to play, they could eat as much as they pleaded, received birthday gifts, and studied whatever they pleased. In a way, she was surprised she didn’t grow up the way Riddle did.

“But something like that was ‘normal’ for me,”

A loud thud was heard. Something pounded against Riddle’s bedroom window. Startled, he jumped, but peered outside from curiosity.

“Oh, he noticed us!” a familiar green haired little boy said excitedly.

“Hey~ hey~! Let’s play together!” a violet haired and cat eared child beckoned.

No mistaking it, it was Trey and Che’nya.

They introduced themselves to Riddle enthusiastically, and beckoned Riddle to join in their games outside.

However, Riddle was reluctant. “Play? But I have self study time..”

“Study? Granddad says that what you study is up to you, so you can just do it whenever else!” Che’nya argued.

“Won’t you come join us down here for a bit?” Little Trey pleaded.

“I-if it’s only for a little while..”

“What’s your name?”

“Riddle.. Riddle Rosehearts.”

Riddle went downstairs and out the door, and joined the boys.

“Playing with Trey and Che’nya was very fun. We played a lot of things I didn’t know how to play.” Riddle’s voice said. “They both taught me many things. I’d sneak out to play with them every time I had self study, unbeknownst to my mother.”

Little Riddle ran around his backyard with Trey and Chen’ya with the biggest smile on his face. He jumped around, played catch, tag, and they’d share stories and jokes. They enjoyed themselves, as children should have a chance to.

“You’ve never eaten a tart?” Che’nya said in disbelief.

“No. My mother tells me it’s like poison for my body..”

“Well of course, it is bad to have too much,” Trey admits. “Hey, I live in a bakery, let’s go have some right now!”

“E-eh? But..”

“Come on! Just a slice is fine!” Trey pleaded.

Ridddle reluctantly budged, and when he arrived at the bakery, he was met with a red strawberry tart. 

“The Bright red strawberry tart on that white plate.. To me, it looked more dazzling than any precious jewel I’d ever seen.” Riddle explained. “I ate the whole slice, savoring every last bite. It was the sweetest thing i’d ever had, and it tasted better than anything I could ever imagine.”

“But I lost track of time..”

Riddle’s mother dragged the young boy by his wrist, holding on a little too tightly. “How could you! Not only did you skip your self study time, but you also ate something as sugary as that dessert!?” Riddle's mother exclaimed in anger. “Those two boys tempted you into doing it, didn't they!? I’ll never let you near them ever again!”

Yuu’s heart sank. Riddle had just lost his only source of joy in his life, all because he lost track of time from enjoying himself. She felt terrible for him.

“I’m sorry mother! I’ll never do it again, so please forgive me..!” Riddle begged. He started tearing up and his voice was cracking.

“Quiet! This is your fault because you broke the rules,” Riddle’s mother scolded. “I should have known you weren’t ready to handle self study time..”

The scenery disappeared, and it was dark again. 

Riddle, in his Dorm uniform, stood in front of Yuu. he didn’t move, he just stood there. His expression was cold as ice, and his head was tilted downwards.

“I broke the rules. So even those fun times were taken away from me.” Riddle said. “That’s why, I listened to every rule that my mother said,”

“Because my mother was known by everyone in town and a renowned magic doctor, which meant she was the most correct,”

“But you know mother?”

“I wonder why?”

“For some reason my heart feels so heavy. I want to eat a lot of tarts, even if it’s only on my birthday.  I ant to play outside a lot. I want to make lots of friends.”

“Please, Mother, what rule must I follow to make this sadness disappear?”

Riddle’s voice cracked at his last sentence as he started to cry, burying his face in his hands. 

—

How could Riddle make his sadness disappear? He was willing to follow any rule he could to feel better. But this sadness wouldn’t go away. 

“No rule can help you, Riddle,”

The redhead turned to the soft voice. Ah, it was Yuu. Why was he here?

“W-what?”

“Sometimes, the smartest, the strongest, or whatever you consider ‘the most correct’ are wrong,” Yuu explained softly. “Your mother was wrong, Riddle,”

“Huh?”

“But that’s okay,” he assured. “My mother was wrong too,”

Before Riddle could question further, the scenery around them changed. From the black and white to a colorful grassy field.

“W-where are we?”

“This is where I grew up, Riddle.” he explained. “This is Grace field house, before it was burnt to ashes,”

Children ran across the green grass laughing and smiling. They played catch, tag, or simply sat down and chatted together. A thick forest of trees surrounded the place, acting as a sort of natural barrier. At the center was a large house. A lady dressed in a black dress stood nearby, watching over the children.

Ah, if only Riddle had grown up here as well. To play and chat with friends like this. He couldn’t imagine such a paradise being burnt to ashes.

“Mama!” a raven haired child called. “Ray’s studying too much! And he won’t play with any of us,” the child pouted.

The black haired woman chuckled. “Is that so? Are you worried he’ll study too much?”

“Elias says if he studies that much, he’ll turn soo smart that his brain will explode!” The child said. “And the biology book I read said that kids should always get enough exercise!” 

“Really? Ray does seem lonely.. But he isn’t one that likes playing outside as much as everyone else,” the woman explained.

“What if he becomes lonely forever..?” The child asked. “I know! I’ll read with him! Then he’ll have a study buddy,” the child exclaimed excitedly.

“That sounds like a good idea,” The woman agreed.

“Okay. Thanks mama!” she ran towards a black haired boy who sat under a tree by the house, seemingly focused on his book.

“Hey Ray!”

“Is that your mother..?” Riddle said confusedly.

“Yes. she’s not my biological mother, but she was the one who raised me,”

“Oh..”

Was this.. An orphanage of sorts? Yuu grew up in an orphanage?

“Your mother seems very kind,” Riddle remarked.

“My mother is a lot of things. She’s caring, motherly, kind, and very smart,” Yuu explained. “But she was a liar.”

Riddle paused. “A liar?”

Suddenly, they weren’t in a grassy field anymore. Now they were indoors. It was dark out and the hallway was lit with a warm white light. The same raven haired child from before, only now they were a little older, walked through the halls silently, before stopping nearby a closed door.

“Yuu is going to be shipped out in a few days, on the second,” a recognizable voice said in a serious tone. The previously warm and kind motherly tone left no trace.

There was a pause, similar to the one during the entrance ceremony.

“A day after her 12th birthday?” a young male voice remarked. “How cruel,” his voice

“It's what HQ ordered.”

“..So she’s going to be eaten by demons?”

“You know exactly what’s going to happen, Ray,”

Ray was silent.

“Unless of course, she wants to train and become a mama,” She added. “I’d be willing to recommend her,”

The scene rippled away like water, as the girl quickly sped away from the door, her footsteps not making a sound.

“What was that?” Riddle said in confusion.

Yuu didn’t respond.

“Mom,” the raven haired child said. “Am I going to die..?”

The raven haired woman paused what she was doing. “What do you mean?”

“I overheard you and Ray last night,” she said calmly. “I was going to be ‘shipped out’. This morning, you announced that a foster family wanted to adopt me.”

The woman’s soft expression disappeared, replaced by a twisted smile. “I see,” she said. “You could die.. Unless, you want to survive,”

The girl cocked a brow.

“You could train to be a mama, just like me,” she said. “I’d be happy to recommend you!”

The scene rippled away before the girl answered.

“My mother was a liar, Riddle,” she simply said. “We aren’t so far off from each other. Only, I was raised to be smart for my mother’s survival, while you were raised to be smart for your mother’s reputation,”

“I never had a chance to rebel. It was too late,”

“But my siblings did,”

Smoke and fire. The once lively house in the middle of a green meadow was now burning with red fire. Children ranging from different ages dressed in thick clothing and carrying leather backpacks ran through the forest speedily. At the end of the forest was a giant white concrete wall. Using a rope, they climbed up the wall and threw a rope that wrapped around a tree on the tree on the other side beyond the wall, across a large cliff that seemed bottomless. One by one they crossed, until the very last orange haired child was about to cross.

Until the mother came. She had run, panting and sweating bullets.

“Emma!” she yelled.

“Goodbye, mama,” she slid across the makeshift zip-line as the children cut off the rope, leaving the woman alone.

Riddle expected her to be furious, angered at their escape, or panicking. But instead, she smiled.

The lady undid her bun, her hair flowing in the wind. She seemed at peace as she softly chuckled. “I lost..” she said. “Ah, I suppose I’ve had enough. Go on now, be careful. And I pray that you will find light.”

“My siblings rebelled. They beat her, outsmarted her, and proved her wrong,”

Chapter Text

When Yuu opened her eyes, she found herself in a very familiar place.

Ah, the infirmary, again. 

Within the span of less than a week, she ended up here at least 3 times for entirely different reasons.

“Evening, pup,” Crewel casually greets. “It seems you got yourself into another mess, haven’t you?”

“Hi, professor,” she tried to sit up.

“Don’t.” Crewel warned. She settled back down.

“How long was I out for?”

“Since noon,” Crewel said casually. “And it’s 6pm now,”

That’s kind of a long time.

“Do my friends want to see me?” she asked.

“ Do they?” Crewel scoffs. “They’re breaking in here any second,”

As if right on cue, the boys burst through the door. “Yuu!” Deuce exclaimed.

“Hi guys,” Yuu casually greeted.

“You were out for so long!” Grim exclaimed, sitting next to her.

“Sorry..” 

“ Sorry? ” Ace echoed. “That’s not the point, Prefect!” 

“There is someone else who wants to apologize, though,” Trey said, walking through the door, with Cater right behind him.

“Hi Yuu-chan!” Cater cheered. “Gave us a real scare back there,”

Yuu thought it was odd how cheerful he was. But if she knew a thing or two from experience, he was pretending, keeping up a facade. She didn’t point it out. Not now anyways.

“Who wants to apologize?” Yuu asked curiously.

At that moment, a familiar red headed boy walked inside hesitantly. He looked down with a nervous and regretful look on his face.

“Hi Riddle,” Yuu greeted.

“I-I’m sorry..” he stuttered. “For everything. I’m sorry for insulting your family, a-and hurting you, and lashing out and-” he paused. “How can I make it up to you?”

“I don’t know if I can forgive you for what you said about my family,” Yuu explained calmly. “But you don’t have to worry so much,”

“E-eh?”

“You don’t have to worry about me Riddle. You didn’t have control over yourself during your overblot. And I’m sorry for saying what I said back there too,”

“What?”

“I said some pretty harsh things back there..” Yuu admits. “And if anything, you owe your dormmates and apology.”

“My dormmates?”

“Especially Ace. You’ve been at eachothers’ throats since day one, and he probably has a thing or two to say to you,”

“Prefect!?” Ace gasped. “He already apologized to me! If anything he owes you an apology,”

“I’m not one to hold grudges,” Yuu remarks. “I’ve already forgiven him. It’s okay,”

“Yuu-chan you’re too nice!” Cater said.

“At least let me invite you to the revenge unbirthday party,” Riddle offered.

Yuu cocked a brow in confusion. “Revenge unbirthday party?”

“As part of Riddle’s apology, Ace asked for a ‘revenge’ unbirthday party to make up for the one he got kicked out of. and also, Riddle has to make him a tart,” Trey explained.

“I see..” Yuu responded.

“Yuu-san,” Riddle called. “May I ask you a question?”

“Sure?” Yuu responded confusedly.

“While I was out after the overblot, I remember having a dream,” Riddle explained. “I recalled my past, and you were in it.”

Yuu froze. Ah, he remembered that, didn’t he?

“You told me, or perhaps, showed me your mother,” Riddle explained. “Yuu-san.. What did she mean when she said the girl was going to be ‘shipped out’?” 

Of course he remembered that too..

“You had a dream with the prefect in it too?” Deuce cut in. 

And Deuce..

“Oh yeah! That dream.. Why would your little brother have subordinates?” Ace asked.

“Yuu-san?” Crewel said questioningly. If Crewel refers to someone by their name, then he’s definitely serious.

“Ah! Yuu-san!” Crowley called from the door. “It seems you are fine! I was just on my way to the library to continue researching you a way home, when I thought I'd kindly stop by to make sure you are fine! How gracious of me!”

“And why would you need to research Yuu-san a way home?” Crewel questioned. 

“Why, because he isn't from Twisted Wonderland! Yuu-san here has been desperate to find a way home back to his loved ones!” 

There was a long pause.

“I’m guessing I owe you all an explanation?”

“Yes,” everyone in the room except Crowley said in unison.

No escape now.

“Alright, there’s a lot to unpack here. Could someone brew me some tea?”

—

Everyone found themselves a seat as Yuu started talking. Ace sat somewhere on the floor with a cushion, preparing to take in what was going to be said. The thought of someone not being from his world was impossible, even with magic in the mix.

“First of all, I’m not from Twisted wonderland. I’m from another world where magic doesn't exist, and species like merfolk, beastmen or fae don’t exist either.”

What? Magic doesn’t exist?!

“And second, the hardest part to announce..” Yuu inhaled. “I’m 83194, Yuu, a high grade from Grace field, plantation 3,”

“I’m sorry?” Crewel said in confusion. Needless to say, everyone else in the room had the same reaction.

“Let’s start from the very beginning,”

—-

“Long ago, species that were similar to that of bacteria evolved through absorbing genes of other organisms. In other words, horizontal transmission of a gene,”

“Eh?” Grim said scratching his head.

“They evolve by eating, essentially becoming what they eat, absorbing their traits and characteristics,”

“Ohhh..”

“They evolved into many different shapes and took different forms, until one day..” Yuu trailed off. “..they consumed humans,”

Divus immediately froze. “Come again?”

“By doing so, they acquired humanoid forms, high intelligence, and developed a language and culture,” Yuu continued on. “Humans became their favorite food,”

“I’m not liking where this is going,” Diamond commented in a worried tone.

“They rapidly surpassed humans, becoming their natural enemy,” Yuu continued. “Humans feared them, an overpowering life form that was evolving at an astounding speed. They called them many names. Monsters, demons, devils..” 

“Really not liking where this is going,” Trappola remarked.

“But there was a price for their rapid evolution,” Yuu states. “They cannot maintain their form unless they continue eating,”

“They continued eating humans to maintain their forms and intelligence,” Yuu took a sip of his warm tea. “They continued to hunt humans, and as a result, so did the humans. An endless war between two species.”

“Until they had enough. The humans and ‘demons’ made a promise. Humans won’t hunt humans, and humans won’t hunt demons. Their promise was overseen by an all powerful species of demon kind, who made it possible.

“The worlds were split into two, the human and demon world. Both species lived separately, with the humans in their world unaware of the existence of demons. A human clan however, had the role of gatekeeper. Their family was tasked to see to it that the promise is never broken, and the human and demon world never intersect.”

“Another part of this promise, however, was to leave a group of humans to be raised as cattle,” Yuu took another sip of his tea. “These humans, left in the demon world, were bred until there were plenty for the demons to consume,”

“Yuu.. don’t tell me..” Spade muttered in disbelief.

“Farms for humans were established, an environment where humans were raised and shipped out like lambs to the slaughter,” Yuu continues sipping her tea. “There are 2 different farms. A mass production farm, and a premium farm. Mass production farms are the common ones. Cattle children are raised through mass production means. They are weak and live in horrible environments. They can barely think and they don’t have names. They are only grown to be killed and served for the commoners and lower class demon folk,”

Divus took a moment to pause. Yuu grew up in a world like that? “Wait, that ‘Vida’ plant you mentioned in class, is it for..?”

“Demons use the Vida plant to kill humans and other things they consume. They stab it into their hearts and the vampiric flower feeds on the nutrients in blood, absorbing it. By doing so, it blooms into a red flower from the blood. Sometimes, I use it too when I hunt because they improve shelf life,”

“You use a plant like that!?” Diamond said in disbelief.

“Premium farms are different. Here, the cattle grow in good environments. They are what demons consider ‘quality meat’. The cattle children are unaware that they are to be killed, and live under the guise that they are going to be ‘adopted’ or whatever way they are shipped out. Every premium farm has its own age limit for the children and a certain standard to meet, lest they are shipped out. The children take tests every day, thinking they are preparing for the future, when this is actually a way for demons to keep track of their physical and intelligence levels. The lowest scorer in a certain range of time will be shipped out,” 

“So if you fail, you die?” Clover remarks.

“To put it simply,”

“But as long as you keep your score up, you can live, right?” Rosehearts asked.

“Every premium farm has their own age limit, which means no matter how much you score, if you reach this age, you are shipped out,” Yuu explains calmly. “A child’s minimum shipment age is always 6, however the limit varies by farm,”

“S-six?!” Trappola jumped in surprise.

“The farm where I grew up, grace field, the age limit is 12 years old,”

There was silence. No one could say anything.

“Each farm has their own identifier imprinted on the cattle in different shapes and positions. Grace field’s for example, has number tattooed on the neck,”

“..That’s why you have numbers tattooed on your neck?” Crowley asked.

Yuu nodded. “This served as a brand of sorts. A faster way for demons to identify what farm you’re in from a glance,” he explains, taking another sip of his tea. “Every premium farm has their own caretaker as well. Every girl that meets a certain set of requirements may choose to train to be a caretaker for a chance to survive for a little longer,”

“T-then your mother..” Rosehearts trailed off.

“Mhm,” Yuu hummed. “Children from farms also focus on their own developments. For example, Grace field focuses on the mind, so children take tests every day and study every day. Demons believe a human mind is fully developed at the age of 12, which explains the age limit,” 

“Tests every day!? That’s insane!” Diamond interjects.

“Well that was my life,” Yuu remarks. “It went on this way for roughly 1,000 years,”

“1,000!?” Everyone exclaimed in shock. 

“-at some point in those thousand years, rather recently actually, just a few decades ago, a man with the alias William Minerva took action,” Yuu explains. “He posed as an author and formed allies that were either in the Ratri clan or perhaps caretakers. He wrote in secret codes warning children who read his books through morse code and other codes, as well as built shelters and hideouts for the children. His allies assisted him and provided pens that worked as keys for the children to enter shelters and such,”

“William minerva..” Divus took a moment to think. “You mentioned that the owl logo on those clothes you made were his symbol,”

“That’s right. That logo is usually found in books. It's his ‘brand’. It usually has a circle drawn in morse code around it for the children to read and decipher if they ever catch on,”

Divus’ eyes widened at the information.

“So that’s what you meant when you said lots of children admire him..” Spade remarks.

“Yeah,” Yuu responds. “Anyways, one day, a group of children find out the secret of the farms and their fates. Using clues from minerva, a pen of minerva’s left by a ‘sister’, and some resources from their orphanage, they successfully escape against all odds. 15 of the children who were above 6 years old left.”

“Those children.. Are they..?” Rosehearts said with a knowing look.

“Those children, were my siblings,” 

“Your siblings!?”

“They’re all alive even today. They survived wild demons who didn't acquire human knowledge, the wilderness that they weren’t familiar with, and managed to find a shelter in which they lived in for a year,” 

“T-That’s..” Grim stuttered.

“I’m really proud of them,” Yuu remarks.

“Yuu-san,” Crowley calls. “You didn’t explicitly mention that you escaped with your siblings,”

The temperature of the room dropped at the realization.

“You are above your farm’s maximum shipment age, correct?”

“..Yes,”

“D-does that mean..”

“A day after my 12th birthday, I was shipped out,” Yuu simply said.

“WHAT!?” Everyone gasped.

“How are you alive!?” Diamond questioned in shock.

“I was a rare case. Instead of killing me off, they shipped me off to a different farm,”

“A-a different farm?”

Yuu pulled down the collar of his shirt, revealing a red hexagonal mark tattooed on their skin. It was different from the tattoo on his neck, as this one was a different color and was more of a symbol rather than a string of numbers.

“They took me to the experimental farm, Lambda 7214”

“Experimental farm..?” Divus echoed. Something told him this didn’t sound good.

“They ran experiments. Drugging, testing, drugging. All in an effort for better quality human meat through practical means. Mass produced high quality meat,” Yuu explained. “Children who were subjected to this started showing abnormal developments, irregular muscle growth, and a heightened nervous system,”

“..C-Children..?” Clover echoed.

“You were sent to a place like that!?” Spade practically shouted.

“I was sort of a special case. I had both heightened physical capabilities and intelligence, so they wanted to see how much they could improve that..”

“What did they do to you?” Divus was afraid to ask, but he needed to know.

“I don’t want to get into the details, but do you remember that medical condition I told you about?”

“The one where you pass out unexpectedly?” Trappola remarked in slight sarcasm. “Yeah, clear as day,”

“That’s a side effect from the experiments. It happens to all the lambda kids, but some are more severe than others,” Yuu explains. 

“So the reason you passed out is because..”

“Yup,”

“Yuu-san..” Crowley said. “Do you happen to know how you ended up in Twisted wonderland?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Yuu responds. “I talked about a promise forged between humans from years ago, right?”

“Yeah,” Grim responded.

“My siblings are trying to reforge a new promise, one where all cattle children can go back to the human world,” Yuu explains. “This promise is between my sibling, Emma and him. In order for it to be fulfilled, she needs to also give him a reward. I don’t know what reward she had to give up, but whatever it is, it won’t be good.”

“So your siblings are quite literally changing the world?” Divus remarks.

“Basically. But making a deal with him is dangerous. You cannot refuse whatever he wishes to take as a reward, and you must never break the promise,”

“Sounds awfully familiar..” Rosehearts muttered.

“He told me that whatever the reward was, it makes my siblings slightly go back on the promise, and as compensation, I’m sent here,”

“But why?”

“Believe me, I wish I knew. All he told me was that it was for his ‘entertainment’”

“Will you be sent back?” Trappola asks.

“Yes, once my siblings do.. Something. He didn’t tell me what. Then I can go back,” Yuu explains. “So headmaster, though I appreciate the sentient, there’s no need to research a way home for me,”

Divus could have sworn he heard the crow man mutter a ‘thank goodness’ under his breath.

“..It’s getting late. You should all probably head back,” Yuu simply remarks. “I’m sure you have assignments to finish. Professor Trein is ruthless when it comes to incomplete or missing work you know,”

Divus made a mental note to excuse any missing or unfinished assignments for this group. And he’s also probably informing Trein as well. After Yuu’s explanation, some things made more sense. Why he was so smart, so casual when it comes to injuries, and why they seemed so unaccustomed to magic.

“A-ah, right. We’d best get going,” Rosehearts agreed. 

“Am I discharged?” Yuu asked.

“I think you should stay here one more night. You’re in no condition to walk to your dorm, or just move around in general,” Divus explained. And frankly, he was a little worried about Yuu.

“Ah, I see.”

The boys left, a look of uneasiness evident on their faces. Divus couldn’t blame them. Something like that was going to take a while to process. And maybe he’ll take some time to process certain things himself. He thought he’d tell the other staff what he found out, since he doubted Crowley would call a meeting for it. 

—

That night, everyone felt uneasy. Struggling to fall asleep. Their dear friend had suffered so much before coming here?

Needless to say, they were prepared to throw a very merry unbirthday indeed.

Chapter Text

Ruggie walked through the empty school halls. It wasn't uncommon for him to snag a snack or two from the cafeteria for Leona, and maybe himself. But man, if only Leona actually thought of the time before he started giving orders! He had just recently been from the cafeteria, and whipped up a quick meal. Nothing too elaborate, just a fried omelet and a quick sandwich for himself.

He’ll admit, quiet like this was nice. It was ambient and calming, so Ruggie took his time with it. His footsteps echoed in the empty halls as he walked.

Soon enough, they were going to set their plan into motion. In a few days or so maybe, Savanaclaw was going to rise to the top and beat the Diasomnia beasts. The plan was cleverly whipped up by none other than the second born prince of the afterglow savanna himself. 

Ruggie pondered the recent rumors from the Heartslabyul bunch. He’s heard of an.. Incident with their dorm head. An ‘Overblot’ supposedly, and how a pair of freshman, 2 third-years, a cat monster, and the new magicless student had defeated them. It was too crazy to believe, and it was the rumor mill anyways. 

Ruggie paused his steps when he heard soft humming nearby.

Who'd possibly be out at a time like this? Sure, he’s here, but that’s because he had an errand to run. Curiosity got the best of him as he followed the soft humming. It brought him to the infirmary which was nearby. 

Peeking in through the opening in the door, someone who looked about the size of a kid sat on the infirmary bed. A candle was lit by their bed and it illuminated a fair portion of the room, like a bedside lamp of sorts. They hummed in the softest voice Ruggie’s ever heard, as they turned the page of their book. They had silvery lilac hair that was let down. Their hair didn’t seem very long, just barely reaching their shoulders, but still longer compared to his.

Who is this kid supposed to be? 

And then it dawned on him. The rumors mentioned some silvery looking hair on the magicless guy and some deep black eyes. And also, isn’t this also the kid he saw in the cafeteria little while ago? And something about them ‘turning into hades himself’ when he was angry?

This shorty? No way. But at the same time, they were in the infirmary, so either rumors of his involvement were true, or this kid just coincidentally landed in the infirmary.

Ruggie didn’t know what came over him, but he stuck around just a little while longer, listening to the soft humming. He’s never heard of that tune anywhere. But then again, music wasn’t in his best interest either. It was kind of sad to listen to. He couldn’t understand why. It wasn’t like he was crying while he sang. No, if anything, the guy was deep into whatever they're reading-- is that a history textbook?

Oh, and isn’t it weird that their voice sounds oddly girly? Even by the pretty boys over at Pomefiore’s standards.

Eventually, he left silently without a word. He needed to get to Leone anyway. Sending him out on an errand in the middle of the night like this was just cruel. But then again, he was getting paid, soo..

—

A few days after the overblot incident and after Yuu recovered well enough to be discharged, but still excused from P.E classes (Ace, Deuce and Grim were very envious), she was invited to the ‘revenge’ unbirthday party.

“Glad you could make it, Yuu-chan!” Cater greeted. 

She inspected the venue. It was basically just like last time, except this time, there was a different feeling in the air. There was no more forced laughter or faked smiles, no scared faces, none of that. Everyone looked they were finally enjoying themselves, as they should.

“Three cheers for prefect Riddle!” a Heartslabyul student called out.

“Cheers!” The cheers was followed by laughter and cheer from the students as they sipped their tea and enjoyed their sweets.

“The roses are red and the tablecloths are white. Indeed, it is a perfect unbirthday party,” Riddel remarks.

“And the dormouse is inside the teapot as planned.. Well I suppose it wouldn't matter now,” Riddle said dismissively.

“You don’t have to change so suddenly you know? And we can just spread the jam on the scones if you’d like” Trey assured. “We don’t need to do this all at once. We can just take it slow,”

“Yes, you’re right,” Riddle agreed.

The others were somewhere nearby, chatting with each other. “Haa! In the end we made the preparations for today’s party,” Ace said in a bit of a disappointed tone.

“It couldn’t be helped if the prefect had to recover,” Deuce remarked.

“The garden’s back to its ‘before’ aesthetic and is looking totally photogenic again! I’m already satisfied,” Cater snapped a quick picture of the venue.

“Come on! I wanna hurry up and eat already!” Grim said impatiently.

“Okay! Then without further ado-”

“Wait a moment!” Riddle objected.

“Eh?”

Riddle set his gaze on a rose tree, which just so happens to have a white rose amongst the red. “That white rose..”

Everyone started panicking at the realization. “Eh!? Did we forget that one!?” Ace exclaims.

“Ahh! Acey and Deucey, you both said you painted all the roses red!” Cater frantically said.

“Eh!? Now it’s our fault?!” Deuce yelled confusedly.

“R-Riddle this is…’ Trey tried to persuade.

“Won’t you overlook this one stray rose?” Yuu pleaded.

But Riddle only chuckled in amusement as a mischievous smile bloomed on his face. “I’m only kidding~ I won’t get mad at every little thing anymore,” he declared.

Collective sighs of relief could be heard from everyone at the news. Yuu herself could feel a weight lifted off her chest. 

“Really?! Three cheers for Riddle!” Cater cheered.

“Of course, it’d be quicker if we all painted the roses,” Riddle added.

“Ehh? Are you sre you’ve changed?” Ace remarked.

“Now, now. Even so, you’ve definitely changed, Riddle,” Trey pointed out.

Grim however, was as impatient as ever. “Let’s get this part started already!”

In the end, Yuu and the others started painting the roses again. Lo and behold, Ace and Deuce somehow managed to miss two or more whole rose trees. And even more miraculously, Riddle only sighed. Ace, now with his magic back, was glad he could magic his way with his work.

Everyone did relatively well, with some burnt and discolored roses here and there. But it was nothing magic couldn’t fix. Yuu and Riddle were the fastest painters, with Riddle coloring multiple roses at once with no mistake whatsoever, and Yuu painting at an astounding speed and accuracy. At some point, it turned into a competition. 

“Did he just paint the roses in one swoop!?” Ace exclaimed in awe.

“Not to mention Yuu is somehow keeping up with him,” Deuce added. 

“Those two are literal monsters..” Ace remarked.

“Who do you think’ll paint the most roses the fastest?” Deuce asked.

“Dorm head, no doubt,” Ace decided.

“I dunno about that Acey, Yuu’s kinda fast,” Cater points out. “I’m pretty sure he’s winning,”

Yuu had her full focus on the roses, her hands dancing across each rose, not leaving a spot of its former white behind. Riddle twirled and moved his scepter masterfully, changing the roses with a burst of white sparkles. No one could understand how, but Yuu was actually on par with Riddle, and she was doing this stuff manually by hand and painting them one by one.

By the end of it, Yuu and Riddle were tied. It wasn’t like anybody was counting, but you just knew they were. And no one was painting anymore either. Simply observing the ‘competition’.

Ace somehow managed to trip and get himself covered in red paint. “Gah!” he exclaimed, trying to ‘wipe off’ the red paint, to no avail.

“Pfft– You’re a real klutz, Ace!” Grim proclaimed.

“Shut up!” Ace retaliated with a pout.

Yuu chuckled and snapped a picture of Ace in his red painted glory. A rather unflattering picture she’d keep for fun. But with a wave of Trey’s pen, the red was promptly cleaned off Ace’s uniform in a flash.

“Now then, everything’s ready. Let’s begin the unbirthday party!” Riddle declared, which was followed by cheers from the students.

“Ah! I can’t wait to try these sweets~!” Yuu said excitedly.

“Do you have a sweet tooth, Prefect?” Deuce asked curiously.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a sweet tooth. I just haven’t had sweets in a really long time,”

“Oh? How long?” Riddle cut in.

“Hmm.. Let’s see..” Yuu trailed off. “Since my 10th birthday I think–”

“That long!?” Ace exclaimed in shock. “What was the last sweet you even ate?”

“A chocolate brownie for my birthday,” Yuu recalls. “One of the sweetest things I’ve ever had. I wish I could just taste it again,”

“Prefect, here, have this macaron,” Trey offered, holding out a round sweet-looking treat.

“Macaron?” 

“Have you never tried one?”

“No..”

“Prefect, what sweets have you tried?”

Yuu took a moment to think.”Well, I did eat a chocolate covered candy once..” She placed a hand on her chin. “Do fruits count? Apples are sweet..”

“Prefect!?” Deuce exclaimed in shock.

“Alright, Alright. Why don’t you have a bite?” Trey prompted.

Yuu took a bite of the round purple sweet. The macaron had two halves and some buttercream filling at the center. The outer halves were a little chewy, but still had a crunch to it. The buttercream filling was rather sweet, much to Yuu’s delight.

“It’s delicious!” Yuu said in delight.

“These are called ‘leaping macarons’. They sell these to students and are believed to bring a boost in grades and great luck in your studies. Pretty neat, right?” Trey explained. "Though I don't know if they really grant good luck."

“ Great luck in studies and a boost in grades? Trust me, Yuu doesn't need the luck, at all,” Ace reamarked.

“Hey, Trey, do the thing,” Cater nudged the green haired teen.

“The thing..? Oh, the thing,” Trey faced Yuu. “What's your favorite food, Yuu-kun?”

“Hmm..” Yuu was never really picky with her food and ate whatever was available, so she never really thought of a favorite. “The chocolate brownies I ate for my 10th birthday were great,”

“Alright then,” Trey whipped out his magic pen. “Doodle suit!” 

Yuu’s half-eaten macaron shimmered with light before it dissipated. Nothing seemed to change. “What did you do to it?” She asked curiously.

“Have another bite of that macaron,” Trey suggested.

Yuu shrugged and did so without paying much mind, only to be surprised by the change in flavor. “T-This is..” she stumbled with her words. It tasted exactly like the brownies she ate on her birthday, the same way she remembered it. “How?” She said, taking another bite. She was going to savor the treat down to every last morsel.

“My unique magic lets me overwrite any variable or property. But it's only temporary, which is why I call it ‘doodle suit’, since it isn’t permanent like a doodle,” Trey explained. 

“Ah! It’s the same magic you used against Riddle during the battle right?” Yuu realized.

“Good eye! It’s a super cool trick you could use to impress the girls, huh?” Cater remarked.

“That’s amazing..” Yuu mumbled in awe. Well, she was pretty impressed.

“You should have more sweets, prefect,” Riddle suggested. “And have some tea,”

“Speaking of sweets..” Ace cut in. “About that tart you made, Dorm head?” 

“Tart?” Yuu said questioningly.

“As part of Riddle's apology, Ace asked him to make a tart all on his own to eat at the unbirthday party,” Trey explained.

“H-Here, I made this strawberry tart,” Riddle brought out a tart with strawberries on top of it.

Trey inspected the tart closely. “Hmm.. looks good. The shape’s a little off, but the nappage technique really brings out the shine on the strawberries,” Trey hummed in delight. “Overall, not bad for your first time.”

“There you go, spoiling him again,” Ace groaned. “Let’s take a bite and see if it tastes good,”

“Wait! Let me take a picture first!” Cater interrupts, snapping a quick picture of Riddle’s tart.

“Ah, that’s right. I still haven’t eaten the tart at home yet–” Yuu realized. “Guess I’m trying Riddle’s tart as my first,”

“Ehhh? You still haven’t eaten it yet, Yuu?” Grim said in confusion.

“I was busy alright?”

“Let’s just dig in already!” Ace exclaims, grabbing a slice.

“Thank you for the food..” Yuu mutters as she takes a bite.

The second she bit into the tart, she immediately wanted to spit it back out, but somehow managed to swallow it, despite her face scrunching up as she took a step back from the sudden shock.

“SALTY!” Everyone exclaimed in unison.

“E-Eh?”

“It’s so salty! What’d you put in this!?” Ace asked frantically.

“I followed the whole recipe down to the last letter. There’s no possible way it could’ve– Ah!” realization suddenly hit Riddle as he seemed to come to a recollection. “The oyster sauce!”

Yuu was about to spit out her tea. “The what!? ” 

“The secret ingredient Clover-senpai mentioned before?”

“W-well.. Trey said that it’s a secret ingredient, that every patisserie uses it on their tarts– I simply followed his advice!” Riddle said in defense.

“No way you of all people actually fell for it!” Ace exclaimed in surprise.

“Ace, you fell for it too you know?” Yuu reminded.

“How much of the ‘secret ingredient’ did you put in the tart anyway?” Cater questioned.

“I added..” Riddle hesitated for a moment. “Well, I wouldn’t know since it isn’t specified in the recipe, so I thought I’d mix in a lot since I was baking many batches,”

“Oh Riddle..”

But before anyone could say anything else, Trey burst into laughter. “Hahaha! To think someone would actually fall for the old Oyster sauce joke! Pfft– I can’t..” Trey took a moment to calm himself, only to fail and burst into another fit of laughter.

Riddle joined in. “Ahaha, You’re right, that was rather foolish of me,” he chuckled embarrassedly.

The others joined in on the laughter, jesting and kidding around freely. “Hahaha!” Yuu chuckled before snapping a picture. The Heartslabyul students and grim were cackling together in one picture. As she waited for the polaroid camera to procure the picture, she suddenly remembered something.

“Ah, that’s right,” She took another macaron from the white clothed tables. “ Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday, Happy birthday~ Happy Birthday to you~ ” She broke the macaron in half and ate one piece. “Happy birthday, Isabella,”

She noticed her friends grew a bit silent. “Hm?” she hummed in confusion.

“..Prefect,” Riddle said. “Why are you singing the Happy birthday tune?”

“Ah, today’s my mother’s birthday,” Yuu simply replied, finishing her half of the macaron.

“EH!?” the guys exclaimed, practically jumping.

“Is something wrong?” Yuu said confusedly.

“Come on! Today’s an ‘unbirthday party’ for a reason, prefect!” Cater replies. “It’s supposed to not be anyone’s birthday!”

“O-oh.. sorry..” 

“No, don't apologize!” Riddle scolded. “Well, it’s fine, really. Just this once..”

“I take it back. Riddle really is changing!” Ace exclaimed in awe.

“So.. it’s your mom’s birthday?” Trey asked.

“Yeah,” Yuu answered.

“Hey, Yuu-chan,” Cater called. “With your whole.. Life. aren’t you mad at your mom?”

Yuu hesitated at the question. She almost forgot that the boys knew some things now. “Well, of course I was, for a while.” Yuu explained, sipping her tea. She had to admit, Heartslabyul really knew how to make their tea good. Or maybe it was just the type of tea they had? “I hated her for lying to me– to my whole family– for sending all of us off to our deaths,”

The boys quietly listened to her words. “Until one day, I couldn’t hate her anymore,”

“You just.. Stopped?” Deuce repeated in disbelief.

“I realized she didn’t have a choice. After all, the reason she chose the path of training to be a mama was to survive anyways. I remembered asking her, on the night of my shipment, once we were out of the house, if she really did love us, and why she’d sent us to our deaths if she did.

“She stopped for a moment when she realized I knew what was going to happen, but continued on. She said she really did love us, and that she’s always remembered all of her children. And she also said that she had to ship all of us out simply because she needed to in order to survive,” Yuu sighed at the recollection. “I always thought she was a cold woman, and didn’t believe her words. After all, why would a mother send her children off to their deaths? Until one day, it just clicked,”

“You realized something?” Ace said curiously.

“Basically. I guess I just thought you can’t expect everyone to be selfless, and that humans want to live.” Yuu explained. “And Isabella did what she could to survive for as long as she can,”

“Isabella..?” Riddle echoed.

“My mom’s name,” Yuu clarified.

“So.. you just forgave her?” Ace said. “Just like that?”

“I couldn’t find it in myself to blame her after I understood, I guess.” Yuu shrugged. “And besides, my siblings already avenged me with their escape,”

“But she lied to you for your whole life! A-and she shipped you off to be eaten and-”

“Even if she was a liar, even if she let us die in the end, she loved us,” Yuu argued back. “She gave us birthday gifts, she taught me almost everything I knew, and her love was genuine and-” Yuu hesitated. “I-I-” she hesitated again. “I miss her,”

“Even after everything?” Riddle questioned.

“Yeah” Yuu confirmed. “And she forgave us too. She’s alive now, and she understands us and is on our side. On her children’s side.”

“Why..?” Riddle questioned again.

“Because we beat her, Riddle,” Yuu continued. “We showed her we could surpass her, and my siblings achieved the one thing she thought was impossible: freedom .” 

Riddle went silent for a while, taking in her words.

“Yuu, have this tart,” Grim offered, breaking the silence.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” she declined.

“Why not? It’s kinda good in a way yanno..”

“I see where you’re coming from there Grimmy. It’s not totally inedible~” Cater said in agreement.

“Eh, I’d eat it. Strawberry and Oyster sauce might go well together if only there was less Oyster sauce, that way it could have this savory taste to it so it isn’t too sweet in case you’re not much of a sweet tooth,” Yuu shrugged.

“Ooh~ nice suggestion Yuu-chan!”

“Eh!? Are you both turning into Grim or something!?” Ace commented.