Chapter Text
Prologue
Into The Unknown
Part 1
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‘Bzzt bzzt!’
Reaching into my coat pocket, gloved hands feel around for a buzzing cell phone. Pressing the power button, a funky email notification appears on screen.
🏆😾 𝕐𝔬υ ℍ𝔸Ｖ𝑒 ᗷ𝐄εᶰ αᑕⓒ𝔢ρ𝓉ｅｄ 𝐢𝐧ⓉＯ 𝐧ŕ𝐜 𝓒lเς𝓀 𝔫𝕠ʷ 🐠♔
‘Another damn spam email! I wish you would go away, persistent garbage.’ Swiping the no doubt virus riddled email in the trash I shove my phone back into my pocket with an aggravated sigh.
‘It’s been a week of blocking and reporting these nonsensical texts and yet it somehow miraculously overrides everything.’
‘Riiiiing!’
Whipping out my phone in annoyance, I already knew who would be calling.
🐸♣ ηⓘ𝓖𝒽𝕥 ⓡ𝔸𝓋Ⓔⓝ ℂØⓛᒪ𝐀𝓰є 🥨ൠ
𝔵ⓧ᙭ - Ⓧⓧ𝓧
‘Sorry secret siren but I’m blocking out your calls.’ Another report and block were made.
‘Such a weird scam, pretending to be a mobile game. I haven’t played that game in years, and I didn’t even finish it. Was the story ever completed anyway?’
Letting the disturbance go, you look up and take in the ambience of a serene winter’s night. You often strolled around on winter nights, finding the scene and atmosphere captivating. Trees fitted in ivory coats while their crystallized branches chimed in the wind, streetlights highlighting the snow shifting and sparking in such a way that it mimicked sand, and a chill that illuminates your breath, and reddens your face, all made you feel present. The only sounds to be heard are the crunches of your own footsteps and the odd car that drives by.
Removing your gloves you stop every so often to take photos, attempting to capture the beauty of nature. After a while, satisfied with tonight’s finds, you turn around to return home.
‘I can’t wait to put on warm fluffy clothes and drink an earl grey hot chocolate with whip cream and drizzle on top.’
Interrupted from your fantasy, you noticed something was off.
‘The moon is high in the sky but why is it getting darker?’
Turning around you watch in the distance as the streetlights slowly begin to fade. There’s a pattern you realize, every five seconds another light goes out getting closer to you. You turn away, face huddled into your scarf and resume walking.
‘I have enough time to make it home before getting caught up in the dark, I don’t think it’s a power outage, the way the lights are waiting to go out is too coincidental. Faintly it almost sounds like hooves and something with wheels are in the distance, but I don’t see anything… I’ve never seen a horse out this late either, but it’s too ‘cloppy’ to be a person.’
The lights begin to pick up their pace in going out, feeling unnerved you decide to run home and pray you don’t run into any icy spots and slip.
Your labored breathing and steps are magnified; you can’t imagine hearing anything else, but the noises seem to be getting louder.
‘I’m not looking back. I’m not looking back, I don’t want to know, I just want to go home.’
Unfortunately, you couldn’t outrun the darkness as all the lights have vanished in front of you. The absence of light doesn’t deter your speed and instead spurs you on more. You can see your house now, one right turn, fly up the stairs, get inside and lock the doors. You’re practically home free!
As you turn into your driveway a glowing green horse materializes right in front of you. Screaming at the sudden apparition you fall back not wanting to crash into the skeletal ghost. The horse lowers its head to your view and snorts green smoke, you feel nothing but fear.
‘WHAT IS THIS?! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!’
You scramble backwards on the ground and the ghost horse makes no move to follow. Rising from the ground you see the horse is connected to a low ebony cart with no rider.
The transparency of the cart leaves nothing to the imagination: the sides, front, and back are glass, with curtains tied up for viewing; what lies inside is a coffin.
‘Grim reaper horse?! Victorian carriage hearse?’
With adrenaline coursing through your system, you cannot help but voice your concerns loudly.
“What do you want?! I’m not dead yet and I don't plan to be any time soon!”
Turning away from the horse you run like the fires of hell are on your heels, but the horse elongates its neck, grabs hold of the back of your jacket and throws you over its shoulder.
“AHHHHHHHHHH!” You scream until your back slams through the carriage rooftop and into the coffin. Dazed with the wind knocked out of you, the lid creeps back over to seal you in. You pass out.
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Fading into consciousness you’re left with swirling thoughts.
‘Why do I feel so stiff? Why is it so stuffy?’
You try to sit up but find yourself alright upright causing you to hit your head against a wall.
‘???’
‘!!!’
“I’m in a box?! No the coffin! This is so much worse!”
Panic overtakes you as you fight against the confines of the lid. Kicking and pushing against the cover with all your might until finally a sliver of light floods in. Viciously you slide the cover off, stumbling out of the box and falling onto your knees.
“Fwaanya!”
Colliding into gray fur, the puff ball begins to berate you.
“What?! You ain't supposed to be awake! Tch. Whatever. You...human! Just gimme your uniform, and be quick about it!”
You were too focused on correcting your breathing, and trying to calm yourself to answer the talking cat. You noticed that your clothes had been swapped for black robes with purple accents and gold trimmings. The cat crawled out from under you, the blue flames from his ears burning brighter.
“Oh-ho! You got a lotta nerve ignoring me, human! The name's Grim. Believe me, you won't forget it! Now gimme your uniform, and be quick about it! 'Cause if you don't...you're gonna regret it!”
‘Grim? Grim from twst? Whatever is happening it looks like that little monster is about to launch a fireball at me! Even if this is some sort of deranged dream I’m not burning to find out!”
With your heart no longer ringing in your ears, you bolt out of the nearest exit; a stone archway leading into a dark hallway. The room you had awoken in was filled with similar dark coffins neatly placed vertically in rows, but now wasn’t the time to reminisce about the past.
You hear Grim chase after you, not particularly listening to his vague threats until you hear him let out a ‘me-OUCH’ and turn to see a man wearing a gaudy top hat with the top half of his face concealed by a raven mask, glowing yellow orbs where his eyes should be. He’s holding onto Grim and covering the little rascal’s mouth.
“Ah, I've found you at last. Splendid. I trust you're one of this year's new students? My, were you ever eager to make your debut. And bringing a poorly trained familiar with you? That is a clear violation of the school's rules.”
‘Good gracious that voice! This is headmaster Dire Crowley of Night Raven College! But this feels more compelling than a dream, am I actually in twst?? Why?’
“Dear me. Of all the students I've dealt with, you're the first with temerity enough to open their own gate and step out of it. Does the very notion of patience elude you? No matter. Your orientation has already begun. Let us return to the Mirror Chamber.”
Crowley makes a motion for me to walk with him so I follow not knowing what else to do as Grim continues to squirm and make muffled noises of protest in his hold.
I don’t know what to say so I’ll just remain silent, Crowley seems like the type of bird that likes to hear himself squawk so it’s fine right? But what gate? The coffin?
My confusion must be visible as Crowley opts to elaborate.
“You awakened in a room full of gates, did you not? All of the students here at the campus arrived by passing through such gates. Although typically the students have restraint enough to wait until I open them before waking up.”
Headmaster Crowley sounds a bit miffed at the inconvenience I’ve caused him, I’m a bit surprised. I remember him being just so goofy. From his dramatic feathered and trinket cluttered attire and being a bit bird brained… I should probably keep my eyes out for Headmaster Crowley, he’s in charge of a prestigious school, I doubt he’s actually that dumb unless he’s a pawn like that crow from Maleficent.
“But now is not the time for such prattle. You've a student orientation to attend! Go on, now. Make haste.”
Headmaster Crowley makes a shooing motion with his hands as he follows me. Probably to make sure I don’t cause any more trouble. In order to blend in I’ll have to play along, which isn’t too difficult given how confused I still am.
“First just tell me one thing: Where am I?”
“Hm? Have you not fully regained consciousness? The timespace teleportation must have addled your memories… Well, these things happen, I suppose. I shall explain it to you while we walk. Truly, my magnanimity is boundless.”
‘Oh yeah, Headmaster Crowley’s ‘generosity’ knows no bounds, how could I forget or possibly be allowed to?’
I tune out the Headmaster for the most part, magical institution this, acting chairman that, blah blah blah. Walking through the ever winding hallways, a small cluster of students in ceremonial robes catches my eye. The Headmaster hasn’t noticed yet, too absorbed in his own praises, but the one with an orange bob, bright green eyes, and a red diamond painted under the left outer corner of his eye makes a ‘keep quiet’ gesture with his hand. I nod my head as he smiles and scurries off with his group. Looks like Cater Diamond and a few other miscreants from his dorm were ditching orientation. “Hmmm? Has something caught your attention?” The Headmaster asks, following my gaze to stare at the end of the hall where Cater had been. “Yes, you mentioned something about a ‘dark mirror’ could you elaborate?”
“Of course! Only those who the Dark Mirror perceives as having a talent for magic are admitted to the college. Those who are selected are summoned to the campus through those "gates," which can appear anywhere. A black carriage bearing one such gate should have come to meet you.”
‘Did the Dark Mirror make a mistake though? As far as I remember ‘Yu’ never acquires magic or magical abilities? And if the lesson is some silly ass shit like ‘friendship was the real magic all along’ I’ll throw up. I doubt it’s that type of game but still.’
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget that frightening horse.” I grab my arms and shudder.
“That black carriage serves to receive a student chosen by the Dark Mirror. It too bears a gate that connects to this campus. And as you know, sending a carriage to meet someone on a special day is a time-honored tradition.”
“So this carriage dragged me here against my will?”
I mean lets be real, we already knew this but I think it bears repeating.
Headmaster Crowley poignantly ignores me as Grim fervently struggles to shake the Headmaster’s grip.
“Now, let us attend to your orientation.”
We certainly took the long way around to enter the ceremony, wherever the ‘display room’ was, through the hallway, into the library, out to the courtyard, entering through the front iron gates past the parked hearses, and now in front of the grand oak doors… I really must be out of it thinking the Headmaster was going to be subtle and take us through the side door and not the main entrance.
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