Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I tapped my foot as I waited at the counter. It was finally ready.

            The man came back from the back holding a small black box, “Here it is miss.”

            With a smile I took the small velvet box and opened it. My new pendant. After working all summer I managed to save enough to have it made. A setting for the pink opal my grandmother gave me last year. The opal wasn’t round, it was cut like any other gem.

            My grandma loved collecting loose stones. She gave one to me. When I saw the unique shape and the red and green fire that sparkled in the light, I loved it immediately. I wanted it to be in a necklace. So I worked and saved up enough to have a setting made.

            A rose gold setting, with a design that wasn’t too flashy, but not boring. It looked better than I thought it would.

            “Thank you,” I told the craftsman, “It’s perfect, I love it.”

            I left the jewelry repair shop.

            After buying a chain, my new necklace was complete. I quickly placed it around my neck. I couldn’t wait to show my parents and friends.

            I need to get home. Tomorrow’s the first day of school afterall.

            I sighed at the sad thought. Summer vacation was over, now it was time to go back to school. I didn’t want to think about it, high school was terrifying.

            I got on the bus and sat down. As I played with my phone, my other hand was fiddling with my new necklace. Of course I couldn’t help but glance out the window. Seeing all the trees turning from green to orange. I rested my face against the window, feeling the cool temperature from the outside penetrating the glass.

            I sighed. I didn’t hate the fall, it was just basically the opposite of my favorite season. Spring.

            I desperately missed the warm air, the newly green trees, and of course all the beautiful wild flowers that grew in my area.

            I loved flowers, I loved the color pink, being sixteen didn’t change that. But I didn’t show it much at school. Flowers and pink were for six year old girls not sixteen year olds. And like how I wasn’t supposed to like cooking, because a girl who liked to cook was a ‘slave to old times.’

            But I still did… like cooking. I liked trying and experimenting new recipes and seeing how they came out. Not that I would tell anyone at school. Only my friends new and they were fine with it. You’re lucky when you find someone who knows your weird side, but still wants to be your friend anyway.

            I sighed, well it’s not like it matters. I’m fine with having all my fun at home where no one can see me.

 When we reached my stop I got off. I’d walk the rest of the way home from there, it was only a few blocks away.

            Maybe I should end this summer vacation with a movie marathon and ice cream. That sounds fun. I also got to pick out my outfit for tomorrow. Something that should go with my new necklace and-…

            A strange noise pulled me from my thoughts. A noise I shouldn’t have heard in my neighborhood.

            It sounded like the clip-clopping of horses hooves. I stuck a finger in my ear trying to fix my hearing, because that couldn’t be real.

            The second I pulled my finger out, I hear the whiny of a horse, right next to me. I looked to my right and my eyes widened. Right next to me, on the street was a horse drawn carriage… at least that was my first thought. Until I looked into said carriage.

            My heart stopped when I saw what was inside, a black coffin.

            The coffin’s lid opened slowly, then everything went black…

            %%%%%%%

            Falling… No, I was sinking. Like someone sank into the waters of the ocean. But I wasn’t underwater, I could still breathe.

            Actually, it wasn’t a bad feeling. I felt like a feather, gently floating down. But down to where?

            I opened my eyes hazily. I was floating down, head first, through a dark abyss. But I could see that I was going to land on something. A large black platform.

            Slowly, I was turned right side up, before my feet touched down. I was now more awake and confused, where was I?

            When I took a step forward, a bright light shot from the spot I had stepped on. The darkness that covered the platform peeled away and turned into birds. Bit by bit a green glowing, glass floor appeared as swarms of birds flew to life around me. I held my hands up in panic at first, but I calmed down and watched the birds fly into the darkness.

            Then I looked at the platform. Gone was the darkness, now I was standing on a large circular tower. The floor looked like a stain glass window. In glowing glass, the figure of a girl with short black hair, with a red ribbon. Her dress had a blue top, that was finished with a long yellow skirt, and in her hand was a red apple.

So much to do, so little time…

            A voice spoke through the darkness.

The coffin is still closed…

            A coffin… Didn’t I just see a coffin?

Step forward, can you do it?

            I was still in a bit of a daze, so I walked to the center of the platform as the voice instructed.

            Suddenly, three pedestals appeared around me. On one of them a shield appeared.

Power sleeps within you.

            On another a staff.

If you give it form it will give you strength.

            On the last pedestal, was a sword.

Choose wisely.

            I looked around me. A sword, a staff, a shield. I didn’t understand anything, or why I had to choose between these three.

            I approached the sword at first.

The power of the warrior.

Invincible courage.

A sword of destruction.

Is this the power you choose?

            I backed off then went to the staff.

The power of the mystic.

Inner strength.

A staff of wonder and ruin.

Is this the power you choose?

            I stepped back then went to the shield.

The power of the guardian.

Kindness to aid friends.

A shield that repels all.

Is this the power you choose?

            I stepped away again and walked to the center to think. They each had their own power and appeal. This clearly wasn’t a right or wrong decision. All I could do was choose and hope for the best.

            The shield sounded nice. Kindness to aid friends? However, I felt I could help people whether I had a shield or not.

            The sword was certainly tempting. As a child I imagined being every kind of hero, including a knight.

            However, what drew me, was the staff.

            I wasn’t an athlete or strong physically. If I had strength, it came from within. In myths and in modern shows, stories, and anime, magic could bring out that strength.

            I reached up and took the staff. It vanished.

You’ve chosen the power of the mystic.

Now what will you give up in exchange.

            Now I had to give either the sword or the shield. Offense or defense? I didn’t know what to do. I was never in a fight in my life. I was always told to avoid fighting. Although my mom showed me a few tricks just in case. Sometimes bad people will want to hurt you, for no good reason. And if that happens, you have to prepare to defend yourself. Sometimes that meant fighting.

            I looked at the sword… before going to the shield.

You’ve chosen the power of a mystic.

And given up the power of the guardian.

Is this the form you choose?

            I nodded.

            Suddenly the pedestals sunk into the ground, then the platform shattered under my feet. It happened so fast I couldn’t even scream as I fell through the darkness once again.

Seven hearts…

            A new platform appeared in through the darkness, and I gently landed on it. This one was another stain glass portrait. This time of a woman, in a blue dress.

            The staff I choose, suddenly appeared in my hand.

You’ve gained the power to fight.

Use it to protect yourself and others.

            I didn’t feel any different holding the staff. I just swung it around like a baseball bat.

Good.

            Good? That was it? I was expecting to learn a little magic in this dream.

There will be times you’ll have to fight.

            Fight? But I never fought in my life.

            Suddenly, something rose from the floor. Like a shadow came to life. A small monster, that looked like a possessed ink bottle. The bottle was it’s head, as ink seemed to seep out and form a small body.

Fight!

            I clearly didn’t have a choice when the monster lunged at me with it’s claws. With a small shriek slammed the staff down and shattered the monster’s bottle head. It didn’t stop there, more monsters began to appear on the floor. I began to panic, there were so many.

            “Don’t panic,” A new voice shouted, “Take a deep breath.”

            This voice was different. A boys voice, but who’s?

            “Who’s there?” I called out fearfully.

            “A friend,” he responded, “Don’t grip the staff too tight,” having no choice I did what he said and loosened my grip a bit, “Keep your left leg forward and your right one back. And breath, and watch. Some will jump at you, but the others will crawl. Jump back at the right time and counter.”

            I swallowed and waited. Just as the new voice said, some of the monsters did jump at me. I jumped back and brought the staff down. Smashing them. A few crawled forward. I managed to watch them and dodge their attacks before hitting them. It took time, but one by one, I managed to kill all the monsters.

            I gasped in relief, “I should have chosen the sword.”

            Suddenly, darkness began to bloom around the platform, covering the image of the beautiful woman. When the shadows reached my feet, it was as if the floor had turned into quicksand. I sank down screaming as the darkness swallowed me.

Seven hearts… will succumb to darkness…

            I struggled and frayed trying to get free, when my back gently landed on something. I opened my eyes to see I was on a new platform. This one had three hearts, with three faceless silhouettes.

            I sat up confused.

The time the coffin will open is near.

            I stood up, “What does that mean?”

            “Hey,” the voice from before called, “Are you okay?”

            I looked up and around.

            “I’m…” I said hesitantly, “I’m… not hurt. Who are you? Where are you?”

            “My name is Sora,” he answered, “I don’t know where I am exactly, but I know I’m not there with you physically.”

            I sighed, “That doesn’t make sense.”

            “I know, sorry,” he sounded sheepish, “But, I know what you’re going through.”

            I looked up confused. I could only imagine he was looking down at me.

            “What?”

            “I went through it too,” Sora said, “But it doesn’t look like you’ve fought at all before, have you.”

            “No,” I responded, “I’ve never fought before,” I felt myself going pale, “Are… are there going to be more monsters?”

            Sora was silent for a moment, “Yeah… there will be.”

            I breathed in in panic.

“Don’t worry,” Sora quickly said, “I’ll help you. How about for a little bit, you practice before moving on to the next step.”

            I looked around, “How?”

            “Hold the staff in front of you.”

            I did as Sora instructed.

            “Keep your legs spread out, it’ll make your stance stronger.”

            I spread my legs.

            “Loosen your grip a bit, you’ll hurt your hands,” I corrected my hold, “Now swing forward.”

            I don’t know how long I was there. Sora explained different stances, and different movements.

            “You’re doing a good job,” he praised, “You’re a quick learner.”

            I sighed and looked at the staff in my hands. The top was blue and shaped like a mouse’s head.

            “I should have chosen the sword,” I repeated.

            “It’s not a matter of what weapon you choose,” Sora explained, “It’s a matter of who you are.”

            I looked up at the black void annoyed, “A sword would cut those monsters better.”

            He laughed, “I guess they would… Though it’s weird. They weren’t Heartless…”

            Huh?

            “Do you know what those monsters were?”

            I shook my head, “I don’t know anything about this,” I looked down, “I… I’m trying to remember where I was before but…”

            “It’s alright,” Sora said, “If you’re going through this, it means you’re strong.”

            I laughed, but it wasn’t joyful, “I get picked for last in gym and I picked art and choir as my electives. I wouldn’t exactly call myself strong.”

            “Well, you’re doing really well now,” Sora sounded more confident than me, “I promise.”

            I sighed and looked at the door. The door that was there when I arrived on this platform.

            “I take it, to move on I have to go through there?” I asked.

            “Yeah.”

            I took in a deep breath, “No time like the present.”

            I went over to the door and opened it.

            The next thing I knew, I was on another platform. This one had another beautiful woman, with long golden hair and a blue dress. But thorns framed her portrait.

Seven hearts will succumb to darkness.

            “What does that mean?” I asked out loud.

            “What does what mean?” Sora asked.

            I looked around confused, “Can’t you hear the other voice?”

            “No, but I- look out!”

            I quickly dodged when the monster appeared and tried to attack me. I quickly swung down with the staff.

            More monsters appeared. Sora’s quick lesson actually helped. I managed to kill the monsters quicker now. When the fight was over, I saw a set of stairs appear at the edge of the platform.

            I walked towards it.

            “Hold on,” Sora suddenly called in a panic, “You need to know something.”

            I stopped, “What?” I called.

            “The next platform should be your last, but you… know that…” Sora’s voice started to fade.

            “Sora?” I asked, “What was that?” Was there… interference or something?

            “It… don’t… hands…” Sora’s voice completely stopped.

            “Sora?” I asked again, “Sora?” I shouted but no answer came.

            Not hearing Sora’s voice made me feel alone… it made me scared. I looked up the case of stained glass window stairs. When Sora tried to tell me something, he sounded worried. Why? What was up these steps? Was it more monsters? Or was it something else entirely?

            My hands holding the staff, shook.

            I took in a deep breath. Whatever was happening… I couldn’t escape it. The only way out, was to go forward. So, I gathered all my courage and began climbing the stairs.

Seven hearts will succumb to darkness…

            This again?

You must consume the darkness…

            “I still have no idea what that means.”

            I reached the top of the stairs, leading me to a yellow platform. Another beautiful woman, with brown hair, wearing a golden dress. There was a big hairy beast behind her though. I wondered the edge, trying to appreciate the beautiful platform more.

            I noticed that this platform, had a huge light shining down on it? Was it a spotlight? Curiosity got the better of me, and I began to walk towards the center.

The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes.

            When I heard that, I couldn’t help but look behind me. It was true, my shadow had grown large, stretching across the platform. It seemed, wrong. Like it shouldn’t have stretched that far, the light wasn’t angled in that direction.

            Then, my shadow moved… without me.

            My dark silhouette rose from the ground, like someone emerged from the pool. It was big, bigger than me and it was getting bigger. As it grew it’s form twisted from my shape to something else, something terrifying.

            Black dark liquid dripped from it’s claws. It’s head was a giant bottle with gold accents. Some of the accents took the shape of eyes.

            But the most frightening feature, was the giant heart shaped hole through it’s chest.

            When I saw that, I turned and ran. I couldn’t fight something that big.

            I tried to run back to the stairs, but I skidded to a halt when I reached the edge.

            The stairs were gone. I was trapped with this thing!

But don’t be afraid.

And don’t forget.

            I looked back at the monster. Having no choice I grabbed the staff. Wishing once again, that I had the sword instead.

Remember. You have the mightiest weapon of all.

            Yeah, a blunt staff was going to do wonders against this thing.

            If only I could hear Sora. He tried to help me at least.

            I quickly dodged the swipe of the giants hand. Thankfully, it was slow. I could dodge.

            Wait hands… Sora said something about hands.

            The giant placed it’s hand on the platform and used his other hand to punch down. I went to one of it’s hands and started hitting away. The only thing I had to go on was what Sora said about hands. Was he warning me about this thing? Were the hands the weakness?

            I didn’t have time to think about it, because from where the monster punched more of the smaller monsters spawned.

            “You gotta be kidding.”

            I had to abandon my assault on the big one and focus on the littler ones. They were taken down easy. Thankfully the giant pulled it’s fist away so it didn’t make anymore.

            Instead it got on it’s knees. A black light began to gather in it’s giant heart shaped hole. That didn’t look good. I could only prepare to run.

            The light then shot out blasts. Something told me, I didn’t want to get hit by those, so I ran. Barely dodging the blasts as they hit the ground instead of me.

            I realized the monsters hands were low to the ground, back within striking distance. I managed to take shelter behind one, now the blasts couldn’t hit me. I went back to hitting. Sora better had been right about those hands or I was done for.

            This went on the same usual pattern. Dodge the attacks. Kill the little monsters that spawned and hit the hands. It felt like it went on forever until finally after one final strike. The monster jolted.

            I looked up to see, black electricity erupting from it’s face and it’s limbs trembled. Like it was short circuiting.

            I smiled, was this it? Did I win?

            My sense of victory was short lived. The staff suddenly vanished from my hands.

            What?

            I didn’t have time to wonder, because I had to dodge a giant hand. The monster had recovered and it was now leaning down towards me.

            I fell backwards on my but, I was so focused on the monster above me, I barely noticed something black pooling under me. But I did feel it. I tried to get back up and run, but it wouldn’t let me. So I turned and tried to crawl away.

            The black pool however reached up and grabbed my arms and legs, like black tentacles. It felt, cold and slimy. Like black ink. And it was strong, it pulled me down as it covered my body.

            “Help me! Someone!”

-But don’t be afraid.

            “Mom! Dad! Sora!” I tried to call out before the ink like substance covered my body and I lost my sight.

Because you will be the one, who will consume the darkness and bring the hearts back to light!

            “Ah,” I gasped as my eyes shot open. Fear jolted my body and brought every sensation to life.

            That was when I realized I wasn’t trapped and consumed by some… giant black ink monster. I was alive…

            I sighed in relief, “It was just a nightmare…”

            I took in a few breaths to calm myself down. Seriously what did I eat last night to have a dream like that? What’s worse, it felt so… real.

            I needed to forget about it, I had school soon.

            “What time is…?” When I lifted my hand, it smacked against something hard and made of wood, “Huh?”

            I lifted both hands to feel a wooden lid above me.

            Wait a minute. I didn’t remember going to bed last night. The last thing I remembered before that dream was that carriage and that coffin!

            “I better hurry and find that uniform before someone spots me,” I heard a muffled voice on the other side of the lid, “Ugh… this lid weighs a ton. Try this on for size.”

            Suddenly a bright flash happened in front of me. It looked like blue fire. Then light filled my eyes forcing me to squint..

            “Now to grab the goods…”

            My eyes adjusted, The first thing I saw was a room. It was filled with floating coffins and at the center was a mirror.

            “What’s going on?” I asked.

            “What? You ain’t supposed to be awake!”

            I looked down towards the source of the voice. It was a small, gray… creature… with blue flames coming out of it’s ears.

            “A talking… weasel?” I asked out loud.

            Then the creature went from shocked to offended, “How… how dare you? I am no weasel I am Grim the Great, sorcerer extraordinaire. Tch whatever,” he grinned, “You… human give me your uniform and be quick about it.”

            Uniform? I looked down at what I was wearing. I wasn’t wearing the hoodie and jeans I wore before. I was wearing a black coat with gold designs along the line.

            I was in a strange place, wearing weird clothes, and a weasel was trying to rob me…

            “Oh I get it,” I said, “I’m still asleep,” I yawned and closed my eyes, “I’m going to wake up now. Goodbye talking weasel.”

            “Well keep dreaming,” A bright flash of light forced me to open my eyes, seeing a bunch of blue flames around me, “Cause I ain’t no weasel.”

            In a panic I jumped over the weasel to avoid the flames.

            “You’re quick for a human,” the weasel turned to run after me.

            By that point I was panicking, so the next thing I did, was a kneejerk reaction caused by sheer panic.

            “Go away!” I kicked him.

            “Myah!” Like a soccer ball the gray creature, known as Grim sailed through the room and slammed into another coffin, where he slid off and landed on the floor.

            “Well… he’s easier to deal with than the monsters from before,” I muttered.

            “Who are you calling a monster,” Grim shot up in anger.

            That was when I decided to run. I ran out of the room and down the hall. I ran through the strange building, through a courtyard until I reached what looked like a library. Everything looked normal until I saw books floating above me.

            “What, I- ah!” I tripped over a chair and landed on my knees, “Ow, ow, ow, ow…”

            That hurt… That hurt… and I didn’t wake up.

            I looked around, fear began to constrict my chest. If this wasn’t a dream, then where was I?

            “Found you!”

            I turned to see Grim standing behind me.

            “Thought you could slip away from me? Now if you don’t want to be burnt to a crisp hand over that-…” something suddenly wrapped around Grim’s neck, “Ow that hurts, what gives.”

            “Consider it tough love,” A man wearing a raven mask suddenly appeared and yanked Grim up. Whoever he was, he managed to stop Grim.

            I managed to stand up, “Th-thank you.”

            The man looked at me. Aside from the mask he was dressed strangely. He wore top hat, had his coat hanging off his shoulders. Said coat had feathers off the shoulder, he looked like a crow.

            “Ah you must be the new student,” he said.

            I looked at him confused, “Student.”

            “Hold on,” he took a closer a look at me, which made me a little uncomfortable.

            “Uh…”

            “You’re a girl!”

            “Uh… yes,” I said.

            “A girl,” he placed his hand on his chin, “in all my years a girl has never been chosen to attend this school.”

            “Um, excuse me, sir?”

            “Then again there are no rules against female students, but that might be difficult to accommodate,” he muttered as he went on.

            “Um, sir?” I asked again.

            He looked at me, “Were you so eager to make your debut that you’d bring a poorly trained familiar to school,” he held up Grim, “That is a clear violation of the school rules.”

            “Hey,” Grim snapped, “I would never stoop so low as to serve a lowly human. Now lemme Go!”

            “Yes, yes,” the man sounded unimpressed, “All the unruly familiars say that, now hush.”

            A muzzle suddenly appeared over Grim’s mouth.

            “Dear me,” the man said, “Of all the students I dealt you’re the first one to open their own gate and step out of it,” he crossed his arms as he scolded me, “Does the very notion of patience allude you?” Then he uncrossed his arms, “No matter, your orientation has begun, let us return to the mirror chamber.”

            “Wait a minute,” this was all happening way too fast, “What gate?”

            “You awakened in a room full of gates did you not?” The man asked, “All the students have arrived by passing through such gates,” he crossed his arms again, “Although most students have the patience to wait for me to open their coffins before waking up.”

            “Okay,” I tried to get some things straight, “First of all, that thing opened the lid not me,” I pointed to Grim, “And… the coffins are gateways?”

            “The design is intended for parting with your former world and a rebirth into a new one.”

            “By dying?” I asked, “Wait am I dead?”       

            “No you silly- I mean young girl,” he said, “You’re perfectly safe at your new school, and speaking of which,” he grabbed my arm, “You have an orientation to attend. Let’s get you and your familiar there.”

            “That thing isn’t my familiar,” I read more than enough books and mangas to know what a familiar was in fantasy genres, “Wait… who are you anyway?” I should have asked earlier, but everything was just too… crazy?

            “Hm… are you not fully conscience yet? Did the timespace teleportation addled your memories?” He asked out loud, “Oh well these things are bound to happen,” he began to lead me away, “I shall explain everything while we walk,” then he smiled, “Truly my magnanimity knows no bounds.”

            How could he say that with a straight face?

            We began through what looked like a courtyard. It was pretty, with a well and apple tree.

            “Ahem, this is Night Rave College,” he explained, “It is an institution for students the world over who have demonstrated a rare aptitude for magic. It’s the most prestigious academy of all sorts in all of Twisted Wonderland.”

            I looked at him confused. Magic? Twisted Wonderland? There was no such thing as magic.

            “And I am Dire Crowley,” he finally introduced himself, “I was entrusted the school by the chairman and act as the Headmage.”

            “Academy?” I asked. I went to a normal public school.

            “Only those the Dark Mirror has perceives as having a talent for magic are admitted into the college. Those who are selected are summoned to the campus through these “gates,” which can appear anywhere. A black carriage bearing one such gate should have come to meet you.”

            Gate… coffin. I remembered the coffin and I remembered what the voice in my dream kept saying.

The time the coffin will open is near.

            “Um… I do remember a carriage and a coffin,” I said.

            “Marvelous,” Crowley said.

            “Um, but… I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” I tried to explain.

            “The carriage coming to meet students is a time-honored tradition,” Crowley explained, “If you’re worried about being a female student don’t. I’m sure we can work something out.”

            “Wait a minute,” I complained, “That carriage dragged me here against my will!”

            Grim was trying say something, but his muzzle wouldn’t let him.

            “Now let’s get to orientation,” Crowley said, clearly ignoring my distress.

            Having no choice I followed. He said the gates, the coffin, brought me here. Maybe they could send me back home.

            Everything was just happening so fast. A talking fire monster, a magic academy, Twisted Wonderland? This was all too much. The only thing I needed to focus on, was going home.

Chapter Text

Crowley led us back to the Mirror Chamber. The big room with floating coffins that I woke up in. This time however, it was filled with people, all wearing the same cloak as me.

            “Headmage, there you are.”

            “Yes, I found a student who skipped orientation.”

            I couldn’t help but flinch when all eyes were on me. I quickly turned my gaze down and kept my sights on the floor as I followed Crowley.

            “A girl?”

            “This is an all-boys school.”

            “What’s she doing here?”

            The whispers and mutters didn’t make it better. That was when I realized, I was the only girl in that room.

            This was an all-boys school? That was probably why Crowley was so surprised when he saw I was a girl. That just made me want to go home even more, I’ve barely spoken to any of the boys back home. All my friends were girls.

            It was frightening, being the only girl in a room full of boys. All bigger, louder, and stronger than you. I could feel all of them staring at me, I hated it. Being in a strange place, in a terrifying situation.

            “I-…”

            “Now to assign you a dorm,” Crowley said, “I’ll watch your weasel. Dark mirror,” Crowly pushed me in front of the giant mirror, “Please assign this student her dorm.”

            Suddenly a large green mask appeared in the mirror, with a black lace like pattern painted over it.

            “Wait a minute,” I looked at Crowley, “I don’t wan-…”

            “State your name,” the mirror commanded.

            I flinched and gulped, “I’m (Y/N)…”

            “(Y/N)… The nature of this students soul…” the mirror said, “Is unknown to me.”

            “What?” Crowley asked.

            “Her soul is unknown to me. The light within her is blinding, hiding her soul and heart. She does not belong in the ways of darkness,” the mirror said, “So no dorm will be assigned.”

“We’ll, that’s fine,” I said, “I can’t use magic anyway, so…” My confession caused Crowley to gasp.

            “Are you suggesting the black carriage went to receive a person who cannot even use magic?” Crowley seemed shocked, “But that is absurd! The student selection process has not erred once in it’s century of existence. How could this have happened.”

            I took in a deep breath. I hated this, but I needed to get my point across. The only way to make anything right, was to start by addressing the problem. I turned to face Crowley, “I’m sorry,” I said, “But clearly there’s been a mistake. I’ve never even heard of this place before tonight. So, please, send me home.”

            Before Crowley could say anything, Grim finally broke free from his grip and ripped off his muzzle.

            “Me! I want to have this students seat!” Grim shouted.

            “Not so fast you hyperactive weasel,” Crowley snapped.

“Unlike her I can actually use magic! So let me be a student here!”

“Fine, he can take my place,” I shrugged, by that point I just had to go with it.

“Look. I’ll show you! My spells are the cat’s meow.”

I could feel my hair standing on ends.

“Everyone get down!” Someone shouted.

“Myaah!” Grim yowled.

On second thought he’s probably a cat not a weasel.

My thought was cut short when Grim started breathing blue flames all over the room.

“AHHHHH. Help I’m on fire,” someone shouted.

“Someone catch that blasted animal before it sets the school ablaze!” Crowley shouted.

Well… good news, no one’s starring at me anymore… bad news the room’s on fire.

I knew this wasn’t my fault in any way shape or form, but I couldn’t help but feel guilty for some reason. Thankfully other students were putting out the flames, so I wasn’t going to burn to death that night.

“Allow me to handle this, Headmage Crowley,” one of the students said, “If none of you are up to the task of catching a small animal, I shall accept the responsibility.”

Did this guy just diss everyone here?

“WTG Azul,” A floating… tablet…? Said, “Rackin’ up those participation credits.”

“Um, my butt’s still on fire… Could someone maybe put this out?”

“I’m sorry, were my instructions unclear?” Crowley asked as the chaos unfurled.

Someone sighed, “Pretty sure you can handle catching one mangy weasel all on your own headmage.”

“How many times to I have to say it?” Grim yowled, “I am Grim, spellcaster extraordinaire! I am NOT a weasel.”

“Aren’t you a spunky fellow,” the student who volunteered to catch Grim earlier appeared, “Riddle could you be so kind?”

Another student joined him, “Furry miscreant, I will abide no rule-breaking. You will be judged by my hand!”

The two students, Azul and Riddle, if I heard correctly. Pulled out something that was strapped to their sides, as if they were drawing swords.

But instead of blades they had… Sparkly pens?

Grim was too busy breathing fire to notice them approach, “See how strong I am?”

The red haired boy, Riddle waved his pen, then sparkly light came forth and nearly hit Grim. I blinked was that magic.

So, magic was real. Talking, fire-breathing, cats were real.

Was everyone here a wizard? Were those pens actually their wands? I wondered when I watched the two students chase Grim around the room. It was kinda funny to watch.

Seeing the wands made me think of the staff. The dream I had before waking up in this twisted nightmare.

I looked at my gloved hands. After Grim woke me up and chased me, I didn’t have time to think about that dream.

It didn’t feel like a dream. It felt so real. The staff, the glass platforms, the monsters, the voice that talked about seven hearts and the coffin, and Sora’s voice…

“Off with your head!” Riddle’s booming voice made me look up.

“Myah! What are you doing?” Suddenly a large black and red collar appeared on Grim’s neck.

Where did that come from?

“The Queen of Hearts rule 23,” Riddle said, “One must never bring a cat to a formal event. Your very presence is a violation of order, you must vacate the premises immediately.”

“But I ain’t a cat either,” Grim snapped.

Then what are you?

“Don’t you try’n collar me,” Grim snarled, “I’ll burn it right off!” When he tried to breathe fire, nothing happened, “Huh? Wh-what gives? My fire ain’t workin’!”

Riddle smirked, “Until I deign to remove your collar, you won’t be able to use magic. You’re naught but a pet cat now.”

“Meowhat? I ain’t no one’s pet-nothing.”

“Calm down I jest, I wouldn’t want you as a pet. You’re as unruly as a keyblade wielder,” Riddle frowned, “The collar will disappear once you’re removed from campus.”

Azul started laughing.

“Your signature spell is amazing Riddle,” Azul said, “I simply have to have it- I mean, I simply have to have respect for it.”

Crowley looked back at me, “(Y/N) I told you to control you-…”

“How many times do I have to say it,” I snapped, “That thing isn’t mine.”

“Oh it isn’t your familiar?” Crowley asked.

“Exactly,” I groaned. I was really tired of this circus.

“Then I shall have it expelled from campus,” Crowley smiled, “I shall even spare it from being served as dinner. My but I AM kind,” he then grabbed Grim by the scruff and held him in the air like a dirty diaper, “Someone take this away please.”

A few students grabbed the cat. Grim struggled as he was carried away, “NOOOO let me go,” he yowled, “You fools better remember my name. Cause I’m gonna go down in the annals of magic history, just you wait.”

The door slammed close, Grim vanishing behind it.

“Well… that was… something…” I muttered, “Although, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for him.”

Then again, I probably shouldn’t. He did try to steal the clothes off my back.

“Well, that was quite the unexpected fracas,” Crowley said, “I hereby declare this orientation over. Housewardens please escort your students back to your dorms,” suddenly he looked around the room confused, “Hm. Come to think of it, I don’t see Housewarden Draconia of Diasomnia anywhere.”

I looked at Crowley, what was he talking about? What’s a Housewarden?

“And that surprises you? The dude’s a total recluse,” A tall guy suddenly said.

This had nothing to do with me, so I just stayed in a corner of the room. Hoping no one there would notice me.

“What a sec… Did anyone bother to invite him?”

“If you’re that worried about him missing out, maybe you should have told him yourself.”

“Maybe, but I don’t know him too well either.”

Then there were whispers among the crowd. Whoever this ‘Malleus’ was, he must had been a big deal. I was only half listening at this point.

“Ah, just as I expected,” a short boy with a deep voice seemed to just appear, “I figured I’d come down here and see for myself whether Malleus made an appearance. But once again, he was clearly not informed his presence wasn’t needed at a formal event.”

“You have my sincerest apologies,” Azul said sounding remorseful, “I assure you this oversight was in no way intended to be a snub.”

“I mean you must admit, he isn’t the easiest person to strike up a conversation with.”

“No matter,” the newcomer said, “All who were assigned to House Diasomnia, follow. I hope he doesn’t sulk over this.”

Soon, all the students began to leave in groups. I noticed a lot of them glanced back to look at me. I could only hold my arm feeling anxious.

Eventually it was just me and Crowley in the large room.

“Well (Y/N), this a most unfortunate turn of events,” Crowley said, “I’m afraid you will not be attending Night Raven College after all. I can’t admit a student with no magic capabilities.”

I looked at him, “Is there a way to send me back home? Please, my parents must be worried about me.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” he led me back to a coffin, “The Dark Mirror can send you home.”

“It can,” I looked at the large floating mirror.

“Yes, just step into a gate and visualize the place from whence you came.”

I sighed in relief, finally it was over, “Thank you.”

“Of course, my dear, I am a kind man afterall,” he said as he helped me into a coffin. I closed my eyes and I pictured my home. My town, my real school, my house, and my family, “O Dark Mirror! Return this soul to where it belongs.”

I waited a few minutes… but I was still in the coffin. I opened my eyes confused.

“Um… Was something supposed to happen by now?”

Crowley looked nervous, “Uh… L-let’s try this again. O Dark Mirror! Return this soul to where it belongs.”

The mirror spoke again, “There is no place.”

“What?”

“There is no place in this world where this soul belongs,” the mirror stated, then it narrowed it’s eyes, “None.”

I felt my heart sink. My home did exist, I knew that for a fact.

“How can this be?” Crowley looked at his hands in dismay, “My, but today is a veritable cavalcade of impossible phenomena.”

The mirror just stayed silent. I stepped out of the coffin, but I was panicking.

How could the mirror not send me home, didn’t it choose me and send that stupid carriage?

“But,” I looked at Crowley confused, “You said the mirror chose and brought me here. How can it not be able to send me back?”

“I don’t know, there isn’t a place in Twisted Wonderland that the Dark Mirror can’t reach,” Crowley said.

“What’s Twisted Wonderland?” I asked.

Crowley suddenly looked at me, like I grew a second head, “(Y/N), it’s the name of our very world, don’t you know?”

My eyes widened. Something clearly wasn’t right, “The name of my world…” I began, “Is Earth… And magic doesn’t exist there.”

Crowley placed a finger on his chin as he thought, “I’m afraid I’ve never heard of such a place. Let’s go to the library and look it up.”

I followed Crowley to the library, where he first found me. He went through some books until he decided.

“Just as I thought nothing. Are you certain that’s where you’re from?”

“I’m pretty sure I know where I came from,” I thought I was going to cry any moment.

“Well, if that’s the case then, the only explanation is that you come from another planet, or perhaps another dimension, another world.”

“Another world…?” I asked.

“Show me everything you brought here with you,” he demanded, “Do you have any form of identification. A drivers license… or even a shoe? You seem to be… empty handed.”

That made me search my body. I began to panic, everything was gone: my purse, my wallet, my phone. Even my clothes. There was only a black shirt and pants. Everything from my world was gone.

Or so I thought for a second… when I undid my collar I felt something move around my neck. Hope sparked in me. I reached under my collar and felt it.

I sighed when I pulled it out, “My necklace,” The pink opal necklace that I just got before all this madness happened, was still with me.

“Is that all you have?” Crowley asked.

I frowned and nodded.

“Well, this is quite the predicament. I can’t have someone with no magical ability bumbling around my academy. But as an educator I can’t expel a young girl without a cent to her name and no way to contact her family. Truly my grace no know bounds.”

I looked at him, “Magic exists here… isn’t there a way or someone who can travel between worlds?” I gripped my necklace, “I… I can’t just be stuck here.”

“Hm…” Crowley thought, “There might had been someone… but alas, they’ve been gone for centuries,” he looked at me, “There is a vacant building on this campus,” he explained, “It was in fact a dorm a long time ago. With proper cleaning it should be habitable. Out of the profound kindness of my heart I will let you live there for the time being.”

“You want me to live in a building alone?” I asked.

 “Well, I can’t put you in with the other dorms,” Crowley said, “In case you haven’t noticed this is an all-boys school. I can’t have a lone girl sleeping in a building full of hormonal teenage boys,” yeah he had a point, “In the meantime I will investigate other ways to send you home. Dear me, what a gracious man I am. A model educator I dare say.”

“Um… thank you,” I guess this was the best I could do. Besides, he was a wizard… he was bound to find someway to send me home soon. People with magic could do anything, right?

“Now, I’ll escort you to your dorm. It is an older building, but it has plenty of… character to it.”

Character he said.

The building looked like a rundown haunted house. I could feel the wind blowing against me as I stared.

“You want me to stay here?” I asked in disbelief, “It looks like it will collapse any second.”

“Oh don’t worry, it won’t. This is Ramshackle dorm.” Crowley said with a smile, “Now why don’t you go make yourself at home. Now I must return to my research. Be sure I don’t catch you wondering around campus. We wouldn’t want one of the boys to gobble you up.”

I had distinct feeling he viewed me as dust that he was sweeping under the rug.

“You are going to find me a way home right?” I asked.

“Of course my dear,” he said, “After all I am a kind generous man.”

I sighed, “Fine, just please find me a way home soon.”

After Crowley left I went inside. It was just as bad outside. The furniture was falling apart, the wallpaper was peeling off, the pictures were crooked or falling off, and everything was covered in dust.

I sighed. I managed to clean up a bit for a few hours. That dorm wasn’t going to be spotless in a day, but I needed it to be habitable at least. I managed to wipe the dust off the couch, found a blanket, and sat down.

That was the moment, everything sunk in. I was in another world. Alone. I had no idea how to get back home.

When that sunk in, the fear and pain began to kick in. I pulled my knees to my chest and started to cry. What if I was stuck there forever? What if I never saw my family or friends again?

My hand reached up and held my necklace. The only thing I had from my world.

“It’ll be okay.”

I looked up. I wasn’t in the broken down dorm. I was in some strange space. Someone was kneeling in front of me.

It was a boy, about the same age as me. He had spikey brown hair, he was wearing a red outfit that included a hoodie. A necklace with a crown shaped pendant. He had kind blue eyes and a sympathetic smile.

He had a hand on my shoulder, “You’re gonna be okay. I promise.”

That was when I recognized his voice.

“S-Sora?”

With a crash of thunder, Sora vanished.

My eyes opened and I was back in Ramshackle.

I sighed. I must have fallen asleep when I cried. I got off the couch and looked outside. It had started to rain and to make matters worse. The roof was leaking.

I sighed, why couldn’t this be a dream and the nice boy be real?

            Suddenly, I heard the door open and close, “It’s pouring out there.”

            I turned to see who just entered the dorm, “You again?”

            Grim stood at the entryway laughing. The look on your face is priceless. Like a bat that got blasted by a water gun,” Grim grinned, “As if I wouldn’t just sneak back onto campus. The second I escaped pryin eyes. You all have no idea what I’m capable of. I ain’t giving up on going here just because I got kicked out one time. If you think that then you don’t know Grim.”

            Great, did I have to deal with fire breathing psyco again… Wait, no I didn’t have to.

            “Guards! Guaaaards!” I began to call.

            Then Grim began to panic, “No bad human! BAD HUMAN!” He said as if I was a misbehaving pet, “Ain’t you gonna ask why I’m here? That’s what you people do right? Talk about feelings and stuff? Just what kind of human are you. It wouldn’t kill ya to listen to me.”

            I glared at him, “You assaulted me and tried to rob me the first time we met. A normal person wouldn’t be complacent about that,” I reprimanded. Grim’s ears began to droop. He looked sad. And sadly I was a cat person. I sighed, “Fine. Why are you so determined to go to this school?”

            “Isn’t it obvious?” Grim immediately perked up, “I was born to do this. I’m a magical prodigy who’s got the makin’s to become one of the greatest mages who ever lived! So I’ve been waitin and waitin for that black carriage to come for me. And yet…” his ears drooped again he looked like he was about to cry. He then looked back up at me, “Hmph! That Dark Mirror’s got no eye for talent,” he crossed his front legs as though they were arms, “That’s why I took the initiative and came here myself. You humans don’t understand what a mistake you’re makin. Not letting me in is a great loss to the world.”

            I sighed, “I have no say in whether you get in or not,” I sat down, “I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not even from this world.”

            Grim looked confused, “You’re not.”

            “No, I’m not,” I said, “My world has no magic, yet apparently through some fluke the Dark Mirror managed to bring me here, but now it can’t send me back. And believe me, I don’t want to be here.”

            “Hmph, too bad,” Grim didn’t seem interested, “Now scoot over,” he suddenly came over and crawled onto the couch, “I’m drippin wet here.”

            He did looked soaked. I sighed and leaned back, trying to ignore him. Except I could feel him trembling. I looked next to me. He was shivering. He must had been cold. Not a good combination when you’re wet.

            Finally, I let out a breath. I took the blanket off me and wrapped it around him.

            “Myah?”

            “Hold still, I’ll get you dry,” I dried him off and made sure the blanket was comfortable, “Better?”

            He looked at me, then snuggled into the blanket, “I guess this works, but these holes in the roof are everywhere. My flamin ears are my trademark I can’t get them soaked.”

            I looked around. Whether I liked it or not this place was my shelter for the time being. I needed to at least keep the floors dry, “Maybe there’s some buckets around here.”

            “Why don’t you just use magic to fix those holes,” Grim sneered, “Oh wait you can’t. Man you’re useless.”

            I gave him a look. Did he just forget I gave him a blanket, “Why don’t you then mister magic prodigy?”

            “Hmph. I’m not here to help you. I’m just here for shelter. Now if you have a can of tuna, I might be willing to help,” what was all that talk about him not being a cat? “But I don’t work for free.”

            “You wouldn’t be helping me, you’d be helping yourself,” I said, “Or do you want to sit in a building with a leaking roof during a storm.”

            He flinched, “Uh… I’m… just too tired from earlier. That’s all.”

            He probably just couldn’t do it. I rolled my eyes and got up, “I’m going to look for some buckets.”

            I found myself in a hallway. Everything was dark and falling apart. It really did look like a haunted house.

            “This place is so creepy,” I muttered.

            “Oh… it’s not that bad…”

            Suddenly three white ghosts appeared out of thin air in front of me.

            I stumbled back screaming.

            “It’s been a while since we had visitors.”

            “Everyone who used to live here got scared of us and ran away.”

            I screamed again, that made Grim appear.

            “Can you keep it down over he- Ah! Ghosts,” he trembled.

            “Looks like we get to have some new friends,” one of the ghosts said.

            “There going to kill me,” I whispered.

            Grim trembled, “Ghosts.”

            I looked at Grim. I couldn’t do anything, but he could. He had magic. I did remember he just said he wouldn’t do anything for free. So I needed to make him think he had a reason to fight.

            “Grim, this is your chance,” I said, “If you clear out these ghosts, they might let you in to the school.” I had no idea if that could happen, but I was desperate.

            Grim shivered. Where was all that bravado during orientation?

            Finally he moved, “I am Grim master sorcerer. I ain’t afraid of no ghosts,” he shot out towards the ghosts in front of me and attacked. But he attacked with his eyes closed he missed completely.

            “You can’t hit them with your eyes closed,” I snapped.

            “I’m… I’m scared.”

            “Then let me help you,” I said, “I can see them just fine.”

            Grim trembled, “Fine, we’ll work together, tell me where they are.”

            One ghost appeared, “On your left.”

            Grim breathed fire in that direction. The fire actually hit the ghost, “Ah it burns,” then it vanished.

            “You got one,” I cheered, “Let’s keep it up.”

            With my guidance, Grim was able to burn the ghosts away, until they finally stopped appearing.

            “Okay, it looks like they’re gone now.”

            Grim opened his eyes and looked around, “We won.”

            “We did,” I crawled forward and petted him, “Thanks for your help.”

            “Aw jeez, I was scared out of my-…” then he quickly stood up, “I mean, they didn’t faze me one bit. And I’m not a cat.”

            “Oh, alright,” I tried to pull my hand away, but then he grabbed my hand and placed it back on his head, “I didn’t say stop,” I smiled when I saw him blushing.

            “Good evening,” Grim and I jumped when we heard a new voice, “In another gesture of my immense kindness, I’ve brought you dinner,” Crowley had appeared behind us, his eyes went to Grim, “Wait that’s the creature we ejected for causing a disturbance at orientation. What’s it doing here.”

            “Takin care of your ghost problem is what,” Grim crossed his arms with a smirk, “You’re welcome by the way.”

            “What is the meaning of this (Y/N)?”

            I stood up to look at Crowley, “Are you aware this dorm is haunted?” I crossed my arms, “If Grim wasn’t here I would had been dead.”

            “Hm, on that topic I do recall that this dorm had a mischievous ghost problem,” he said as if it weren’t a big deal, “Ah yes, that’s why it was abandoned. All the students were scared away by the ghosts.”

            “You dumped me in an abandoned haunted house?” I asked, telling myself to not punch him.

            “And you two joined forces to drive them away?”

            “Not exactly, I did all the work and- ow,” I stepped on Grim’s tail.

            “He was so scared he kept his eyes closed the entire time,” I corrected, “So I told him where the ghosts appeared so he could aim.”

            “I was promised cans of tuna,” Grim said as he nursed his tail.

            I made no such promise, but… “Is there tuna in that dinner?”

            However, Crowley was more interested in our fighting techniques.

            “Can you demonstrate your ghost eradicating techniques for me?”

            “One, no, because I wiped them all out. And two, no, because where’s my tuna?” Grim whined.

            “I will play the parts of the ghosts,” Crowley said, “As for the tuna, you can receive it if you defeat me. Oh, what generosity, Crowley…”

            Did this guy knew the meaning of the word, ‘generosity?’

            “Now to chug this transformation potion,” after drinking a vial Crowley turned into a ghost.

            Grim slumped, “You gotta be kidding me, I gotta work with this human again?”

            I picked up Grim, “One, this could be your chance to enroll. And, two, do it for the tuna master sorcerer.”

            Grim pouted, “Fine but this will be the last time. I better be up to my jowls in tuna.”

            Once again, Grim and I worked together. Crowley made it a bit more challenging in the middle of this exercise, but we managed to pull through.

            When it was over, Grim was slumped in my arms panting, “Well.”

            “Incredible,” Crowley looked at me, “I’ve never seen anyone bend a monster to their will before the way you have. I must say, my educators intuition did sense something about you during that brouhaha during orientation (Y/N). I could tell you had animal trainer-y, beast master-ish quality to you. Oh yes.”

            Crowley began to mumble and I looked down at Grim. I didn’t see much of the magic in that world yet, but Grim did seem have some talent.

            “Can Grim go to this school?” I asked, “He could stay with me for the time being.”

            “What? A monster stay here?” Crowley asked.

            “Please, sir?” I asked nicely.

            He hummed, “I suppose I can’t deny your plea. Very well.”

            Grim perked up, “Really?”

            “Let me be clear,” Crowley’s tone became more serious, “I would never admit anyone who has not been selected by the Dark Mirror,” he looked at Grim, “Especially not a monster. Nor will I allow you (Y/N) to freeload until you return home.”

            You know a responsible adult wouldn’t ask a lost child to work, I bit back. Whether I liked it or not, he was only way home. I couldn’t get on his bad side.

            Grim moaned, “I never should have gotten my hopes up.”

            “Let me explain,” Crowley said, “The Dark Mirror did transport you here. So the school does bear responsibility for your well-being,” good to know he understood that, “So I will allow you to remain in this dorm free of charge. However, you will need to pay for your own food, clothing, and incidentals.”

            “How am I supposed to do that?” I asked. I was flat broke.

            “Oh, don’t worry I have a fine plan,” Crowley smiled as if he was doing me a favor. That made me nervous.

            “What do you want me to do?”

            “You needn’t be so alarmed, I’m just going to have you do a few odd jobs around campus. From what I noticed around here, you know how to clean up. So what do you say about working together as a janitorial team? If you agree to that, I’ll make an exception for you to be on campus. I’ll even let you use the library to study ways to return home. How boundlessly charitable I am.”

            The last comment was debatable, but I didn’t have much of a choice. Grim however wasn’t happy.

            “What kind of deal is that? I want to be in one of those sweet uniforms and be a student. Not sweep up people’s junk.”

            “If you’re not satisfied with my offer. I can arrange to have you thrown out again,” Crowley offered.

            “Myah,” Grim, “Alright fine lets do it,” Grim slumped in my arms, “Human take me to bed.”

            I sighed, “My name isn’t human,” I told him, “It’s (Y/N).”

            After Crowley left. Grim and I went to the top floor. There, we found the largest bedroom. It was just as much of a mess as the rest of the dorm, but it had a large bed, a desk, and nice windows. There was even a window nook in the corner that oversaw the garden.

            What caught my attention was the fire place and the large mirror that hung over it.

            “Maybe this was were the top student lived when the dorm was habitable?” I wondered.

            Grim went over to a door, “It’s even got it’s own bathroom.”

            We cleaned it up enough for us to sleep. Not having a bed of his own, Grim climbed into the big bed with me.

            “This sucks,” Grim complained.

            “It is, what it is,” I told him, “Right after we do our job tomorrow, let’s hit the library,” I looked towards the mirror, “I’m going to home no matter what.”

            “Hmph, and I’ll be a great mage no matter what.”

            I sighed and looked at him, “I know it’s not ideal, but lets try to get along until I get home at least.”

            “Don’t tell me what to do,” Grim muttered, “I’m the boss and you’re my hench human.”

            “I never agreed to that,” I deadpanned.

            %%%%%%

            I was floating. I was floating in front of the mirror. Then I went through it.

            The sound of the waves filled the air. A beautiful scene was in front of me. The sun setting over the ocean. The sky was a color of orange and pink, the ocean sparkled with each wave.

            I couldn’t help but smile. I wished I had a sketch book so I could try and draw this beautiful scene.

            “If there are other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one?”

            I turned when I heard a voice.

            Sitting on a lopsided palm tree, was Sora. He looked a little younger, but it was him. He had two others with him. A boy with silver hair, blue eyes a yellow top. And a girl, short red hair, blue eyes, a white top and a purple skort.

            Honestly I wished I could look that cute.

            Wait, they were talking about other worlds.

            Suddenly the scene changed. The island that was once whole and beautiful was in a storm and…

            The destruction was nothing I had never seen, not even in disaster photos. It was like some force had ripped the island out of the ocean and suspending it in the sky. I looked up to see some giant dark hole, slowly, every piece of the island was being sucked up into the dark hole.

            I heard something creaking. I looked to see Sora. Clinging to a piece of wood, for his life. But it was for naught.

            Sora lost his grip and with a yelp, he was yanked into the sky towards the unforgiving darkness.

I was pulled away, the next thing I knew I was back in front of the mirror.

“Sora!”

I opened my eyes and sat up. For a second I didn’t recognize where I was. Then I remembered. I was in another world.

I looked at Grim who was still sleeping next to me. I sighed and got up.

I had no idea where I was or how I could get home. The only thing I did know was, crying and feeling sorry for myself wasn’t going to make it better.

Somehow, someway. I will go home. Regardless of the warnings, I won’t let the future scare me at all.

Chapter Text

            “This is so lame,” Grim complained as we carried the buckets and mops to the next street, “I wanna be a student.”

            We hadn’t cleaned this area yet.

            We stopped when we reached a street that had a row of statues.

            “Complaining won’t help,” I reminded, “The sooner we finish the sooner we can check out the library.”

            “Myah,” Grim whined.

            I swept some leaves off the sidewalk. I honestly wasn’t thrilled about this job, but I didn’t have a choice. I had no where else I could go. I still couldn’t believe this was happening to me. I was sent to another world and I couldn’t get back.

            Not yet at least.

            While my mind wondered, I looked around. Apparently, it was fall in that world too. The leaves had started to turn orange and yellow… it was actually pretty. The colors of the trees. Once again I wished I had my sketchbook.

            However, I also noticed the statues on the street.

            “These are some… creepy statues,” I admitted.

            The people who were immortalized there, didn’t look friendly. A couple of them weren’t even human. I saw a lion and an… octopus woman?

            “Yeah, they are,” Grim said, “I wonder who these people are. They all look scary, especially this lady,” Grim looked at the statue of the woman holding a heart shaped fan. She was certainly on the round side.

            “What, you’ve never heard of the Queen of Hearts?”

            Grim and I looked to see a boy, a student had approached us. He had reddish brown hair which was spiked up. Not as spikey as Sora’s, but pretty spikey. He had red eyes, and for some reason, he had a heart painted over his left eye.

            “Like the playing card?” I asked.

            “Is she a big deal?” Grim asked.

            “She was a queen who lived in a mazelike garden filled with roses, long, long ago,” the boy explained, “She was a strict woman who prized order above all else. She wouldn’t tolerate a rose being off colored or her playing card soldiers being out of step. She basically ruled a kingdom of madness, but none of her subjects dared to defy her. You wanna know why? Because the punishment for breaking a rule was immediate decapitation.”

            I looked at the statue, then at the boy in shock, “You’re kidding right?”

            “Nope,” he grinned.

            “Myah, that’s seriously messed up,” Grim said.

            “Pretty cool huh,” he said, still grinning, “I mean who would bother to obey a queen who was kind all the time.”

            “Yeah true,” then Grim grinned, “A leader needs to be strong.”

            Were they serious? Kindness wasn’t weakness. And the Queen of Hearts sounded crazy and psychotic. I opened my mouth to say something but stopped. I sighed. This wasn’t my world and the last thing I needed was to make someone mad for insulting a historical figure.

            I looked at the boy, “Who’re are you?” I asked.

            “Names Ace, I’m a first year student here, as of… today. Nice to meet you.”

            “I’m Grim, a prodigy who’s planning to be the greatest mage to ever live,” Grim declared, “And this is my hench-human (Y/N)!”

            That earned Grim a smack over the head with a broom, “I’m not your hench anything,” I glanced at Ace, “Nice to meet you Ace.”

            “(Y/N) huh?” Ace said my name, “Has an odd ring to it.”

            I rolled my eyes and went back to sweeping, “Some will say ‘Ace’ has an odd ring to it.”

            “So tell me Ace,” Grim rubbed his head, “Does that lion with a scar over his eye also a famous ruler too?”

            “Of course!”

            I kept sweeping but I was listening. If I was going to survive that world I had to know some things.

            “That’s the King of Beasts who ruled the savanna. But he wasn’t born to the throne, he had to earn it through hard work and elaborate schemes. When he became king, he declared that the hyenas would be pariahs no more, and would live among his subjects as equals.”

            Oh, that was nice of him.

            “Sounds like a great guy,” Grim said, “Not everyone can look past social status like that. Who’s the lady with the octopus legs?”

            “The Sea Witch who lived in an underground grotto,” Ace explained, “She basically devoted her life to helping troubled merfolk. If they were willing to pay her price she’d change there appearance, find love, whatever. They say she was so good, there was no wish she couldn’t grant. They also say the price was a tad steep though. But she was granting wishes of course it was.”

            No wish she couldn’t grant? Maybe she would have had the power to send me home?

            “So you’re saying when I’m a great mage, I can get rich off of folks will be a cinch?” Grim laughed.

            “Awesome, I’ll pay you a thousand cans of tuna if you send me home,” I called as a joke.

            Grim ignored me, “Who’s the guy with the big hat?”

            “That’s the Sorcerer of the Sands. He was an advisor to a dolt of a sultan. A real smart guy, really capable. He exposed a swindler once, some guy pretending to be a prince to trick the princess. After that he got his hands on a magic lamp and became the greatest sorcerer in the world. And they say he used that power to become sultan himself.”

            Good for him.

            “Wow, guess it’s true. A mage needs to be an excellent judge of character huh?” Grim thought, “And what about this beauty over here?”

            “She’s a queen who was said to be the fairest in the land. In fact she used her magic mirror to check her rank on a daily basis. When it looked like her position was threatened she would do whatever it took to maintain it. Can you imagine a level of dedication it would require to keep a record like that?”

            Her royal position or her good looks?

            “Also,” Ace added, “They say she was a master of making poisons.”

            Yikes.

            “Geez, she’s pretty but she sounds kind of scary,” Grim said.

            “You think so, I gotta respect that hustle.”

            “F-for sure,” Grim stuttered, “She fought hard for what she believed in and never gave up. And the one there with flames on his head? Now THAT guy looks scary.”

            “That’s the King of the Underworld. Single handedly ruling a kingdom packed with rambunctious spirits- that takes competence! He may look scary but he was a straight shooter who worked tirelessly for a job he didn’t ask for. I mean this guy was ordering Cerberus, the Hydra, and the Titans to fight for him.”

            I have no idea what he’s talking about.

            Grim hummed, “That is something. To think he’d have that much power and not let it go to his head. And the last one there, the one with the horns?”

            “That’s the Thorn Fairy who lived on a mystical mountain. She was noble elegant and a master of magic and curses- even by the standards of these seven. She could command storms, cover kingdoms in thorns, even raise the dead… she commanded magic on a massive scale. She could even turn herself into a dragon,” Ace explained, “There’s even this legend that she actually gathered some of the seven and others like them together.”

            “Really?” Grim asked.

            “Yeah,” Ace said, “Supposedly the goal was to open a door to the heart of all worlds… but that’s probably just a rumor.”

            “Aw, but the rest does sound cool,” Grim said.

            “Yeah pretty cool,” Then Ace sneered, “Not like some piddly weasel.”

            I looked at Ace, “Excuse me?”

            Then Ace started laughing, clearly at us, not with us, “I can’t hold it in anymore. Come one you’re the ones who turned orientation into such a fiasco right?”

            I couldn’t help but flinch, “I didn’t even want to be there,” I said.

            “Yeah, yeah,” Ace shrugged clearly not listening, “The one the Dark Mirror summoned who can’t use magic and the monster that no one summoned at all. It took everything I had to not burst into laughter during the ceremony.”

            I frowned and looked down. I knew I shouldn’t let it bother me. I didn’t want to be at that school at all. He didn’t know anything about me. I shouldn’t care what some jerk thought, but I never liked being picked on. I stayed quiet, but Grim didn’t.

            “Hey, you don’t have to be a jerk about it,” Grim snapped.

            “So neither of you got admitted, so now you’re janitors?” Ace laughed, “That’s so lame.”

            “Hey, I’d go home if I could,” I snapped.

            “What’d you just call me?” Grim asked.

            “And you’re both so clueless you don’t even know who the Great Seven are. Not one of them. You actually thought I was talking about a playing card.”

            I couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. What did he want from me? I was from another world, I wouldn’t know anything about their history.

            While I was upset, Grim was getting angry. Knowing how Grim reacted to anger. I made myself calm down. This couldn’t end well.

            “Okay, let’s all just calm down and-…”

            “Anyway, I thought I’d tease you a bit and am I glad I did,” Ace said, “Man I had a blast.”

            Wow, this guy was a jerk.

            “Unlike you, I have actual classes to get to, so I’ll let you go back to picking up the trash. Bye.”

            Grim snapped.

            “Myah, you ain’t walking away from me. It’s too late for that,” a mighty breath Grim breathed fire towards Ace.

            “Whoa,” Ace dodged.

            “Nobody, makes fun of Grim, Master of fire! I’m gonna make that explodey-head of yours explode all over again.”

            “Grim stop,” I tried, “A jerk like him isn’t worth.”

            “Not worth it?” Ace asked, “Oh please, if you want to throw down go ahead,” he looked at Grim, “You wanna talk hair. I’m gonna make you look like a toy poodle when I’m done.”

            “A fight?”

            I soon realized we were drawing a crowd of students. In fact they were cheering.

            “Yeah go get him.”

            Grim shot fire towards Ace.

            “Oh you like that,” with a wave of his wand Ace created some winds that deflected the flames. One almost hit me.

            “This is getting dangerous,” I took cover behind one of the statues. No way was gonna stop a fight between magic users. Still I peered behind the statue and watched the fight.

            “Aw you can’t hit me with your little fireballs?” Ace taunted.

            Grim growled, “You better believe I’m about to.”

            Grim blasted a few more, but Ace deflected them, “Give it up you weasel. I’m so good, not even keyblade wielders could beat me.”

            “Oh yeah? Well take this,” Grim shot the largest fireball towards Ace.

            “All it takes is a little gust of wind and…” The fireball was redirected at the statue I was hiding behind.

            With a shriek I managed to dodge to safety… the statue however wasn’t so lucky.

            “Oh no!” Ace panicked, “The Queen of Hearts statue, it’s been flame-broiled!”

            “That’s your fault for tryin’ to divert it,” Grim complained, “You should have just let it burn you to crisp.”

            “Who in there right mind would ever do that?” Ace asked.

            “What is going on here?”

            I deflated when I recognized the voice, “This just went from bad to worse.”

            “Headmage,” Ace jolted and Grim froze.

            “No more lashings of love,” Grim panicked, “We gotta get outta here.”

            Ace and Grim tried to run, but Crowley pulled out two whips and dragged them back.

            “As if the likes of you could ever flee from me,” Crowley scolded. He looked at Grim, “Did I not just warn you, ‘no more incidents?’ And now you charred one of my statues, its almost as though you want to be expelled.”

            “No forgive me,” Ace and Grim begged.

            Then Crowley looked at me, “And you (Y/N). You were specifically told to keep Grim under control.”

            “I tried to stop him, but-…”

            Crowley shoved Grim into my arms.

            “I suggest you try harder in the future young lady. This will not do,” he turned to Ace, “And you, state your name and grade.”

            “Ace Trappola,” Ace reluctantly admitted, “Freshman.”

            “Then listen well Trappola. You too Grim and (Y/N). As punishment for todays incident, you are hereby ordered to wash a hundred windows.”

            All three of us were shocked. Me included.

            “But I wasn’t even part of this fight,” I complained.

            “You’re still responsible for Grim.”

            “Since when?”

            “This is all your fault,” Grim looked at Ace.

            “I have to do it too?” Ace asked.

            “Of course you do,” Crowley crossed his arms, “You three will meet in the cafeteria after class. Is that clear.”

            “Yes sir.”

            “Ugh. I just can’t catch a break,” Grim mumbled.

            I want to go home, I thought for the thousandth time.

            %%%%%%

            After school, Grim and I did go to the cafeteria, but Ace didn’t show up. After almost an hour of waiting, it was obvious that Ace had ditched us.

            Which pissed off both me and Grim.

            “That jerk,” Grim growled, “he’s ducking out and leaving us to do all the work.”

            I took in a deep breath and stood up, “Let’s look for him,” I wasn’t going to let that jerk make me do his work. I was bullied in my world, I wasn’t going to take it in that world.

            “Yeah,” Grim agreed, “I ain’t washing a hundred windows by myself.”

            After a brief chat with a painting, we learned Ace had went back to his dorm. Confirming he really did ditch us.

            Needless to Grim and I were both mad.

            Grim somehow knew were his dorm was, but…

            “The hall of mirrors?” We tracked Ace to a building that looked nothing like Ramshackle. Not just because it was completely intact, but because it didn’t look like a dorm building at all.

            “There he is!”

            Grim spotted the culprit about to enter the building.

            “As if I’m gonna-…”

            “Hey!” I shouted. That caused Ace to flinch and look over his shoulder at us, “Where do you think you’re going?”

            “Crap, I’ve been spotted,” Ace then bolted inside.

            “Get back here!” Grim shouted as we ran inside after him.

            It didn’t look like a dorm inside either. Just a large room with seven large mirrors. But I didn’t have time to think about it, I was focused and capturing the fugitive and making him work.

            I spotted another student. A black haired boy with blue eyes. He also had a card suit painted on his face. A spade.

            “Stop him, he’s shirking his punishment,” I called, trying to get help.

            The perked and saw Ace who was running, “You want me to stop him? Well, if he’s trying to get out of punishment…” he thought, “How to stop him? Freeze his legs? Oh I get. I summon something heavy to stop him.”

            In a puff of smoke, a black cauldron appeared over Ace and fell on him, causing to fall on his face.

            That made me flinch, he wasn’t dead now, was he?

            Grim wasn’t concerned in the least. He rolled on the floor laughing at Ace’s misfortune, “Ha! That black pot crushed him flat, like a bug.”

            “Grim,” I scolded.

            “Ow!” Ace said after the cauldron vanished. Good he was alive.

            Ace looked at the black haired boy, “What was that for?”

            “She said you were trying to get out of punishment,” the black haired boy pointed at me.

            “He is,” I said.

            Ace got up and looked at us, “Oh come on, it wasn’t a big deal. Can’t you just knock it out?”

            “You don’t just knock out a hundred window,” I snapped, “And it was ordered by the headmage!” Maybe using Crowley’s title would get my point across.

            “The headmage?” The boy asked, “What did you do?”

            “All I did was throw down with the furball a little,” Ace tried to down play it.

            “Which lead to the Queen of Hearts statue being burned,” I added. That made Ace wince.

            “You burned a statue of one of the Great Seven?” the boy asked, “How did you not get expelled?”

            “It was accident pal.”

            The boy scowled, “You don’t even remember your classmate’s name?”

            “We’re classmates?” Ace asked.

            “Yeah,” he said, “My name is Deuce Spade…” the boy, now known as Deuce trailed off, because clearly he didn’t know Ace’s name.

            “Seriously?” Ace asked, “I’m Ace.”

            “Yes you are,” I said, “And you’re going to help us clean the windows, or I’ll tell the headmage and he will probably make you do something worse.”

            Ace groaned, “Fine, I’ll help.”

            “Good, now how about you and Grim agree to get along for now and…” I looked to see that Grim wasn’t next to me anymore. In fact he wasn’t in the building.

            I could feel my eye twitch in irritation when I realized what had happened; Grim had used finding Ace so he could ditch us himself and get out of cleaning.

            “I’m going to kill that fleabag,” I said through gritted teeth.

            “That furball,” Ace realized immediately, “If thinks he’s getting out of this he’s got another thing coming,” he looked at Deuce, “Uh… Juice help me out.”

            Did he seriously forget his name?

            “My name is Deuce, and why should I help?”

            “Because Grim’s useless janitor friend can’t use magic,” Ace pointed at me.

            Suppress urge to kill, suppress urge to kill!

            “We need to get that weasel!”

            “Okay,” Deuce agreed.

            We ran out and saw Grim scampering down the road.

            “Grim!” I shouted.

            Realized he was found out, Grim ran faster. With Ace and Deuce, I ran after Grim. The two boys pulled out their wands and started shooting magic at Grim.

            Our chase led us back to the cafeteria where Grim had somehow climbed the wall and onto the chandelier, which looked like tree roots.

            Grim cackled, “You’ll never catch me.”

            “Get down here you flea bag,” I yelled stomping my foot. As soon as I got my hands on him he was going to regret trying to dump the work on me.

            “We need to get him down somehow,” Ace said.

            “I haven’t started flight magic yet,” Deuce said, suddenly his eyes widened, “Wait I have an idea,” he looked at Ace and pointed his wand at him. That was when Ace was levitated into the air.

            “Wait, what are you doing?” Ace began to panic, and honestly, I didn’t feel good about this either.

            “Uh, Deuce…” I tried.

            “I’ll throw you,” Deuce told a panicked Ace, “You just need to catch him.”

            “What?” I asked bewildered.

            “Wait don’t do it,” Ace yelled as Deuced positioned him as if he were about to throw a football, “Abort, ABORT!”

            But alas, Deuce didn’t abort.

            With a mighty throw, Ace was shot into the air towards the chandelier.

            When Grim saw Ace being thrown, he release a terrified yowl that matched Ace’s panicked yell. Their expressions were exactly the same, until Ace crashed into the chandelier. The ceiling décor swung for two seconds, until it broke free from the ceiling and crashed into the floor. It was like watching a bomb go off.

            Deuce and I stared at the wreckage in horror. Everything just got a whole lot worse.

            “Ow,” Ace stood up.

            “Everything’s spinning,” Grim said in a daze.

            Ace panicked when he saw the mess, “Oh no, if the headmage finds out about this-…”

            “If the headmage finds out about what?”

            I swore my heart stopped when I heard the voice of Crowley behind me. All three of us looked to see the headmage standing behind us… And he wasn’t happy.

            “So burning statues wasn’t enough for you. You had to destroy a chandelier too?”

            “Uh, well…” I had no way to explain this.

            “It’s not how it looks,” Deuce tried.

            “Enough,” Crowley snapped, “All of you are expelled.”

            “Expelled?” Ace paled.

            Technically I wasn’t a student but, “No, please I need to figure out a way home.”

            “Please sir,” Deuce begged, “Reconsider I need to go to this school uh…” he looked towards the ruined chandelier, “I’ll pay for the damages.”

            Well, it was nice to know someone tried to take responsibility, however…

            “That chandelier,” Crowley began, “Has been in this school since it was built. It was created by one of the greatest craftsman in the world, and was enchanted to keep the candles burning forevermore,” That sounded very... pricey, “not including the historical significance the price of repairing it will cost over a billion thaumark.”

            Thaumark must had been that world’s currency.

            Deuce went pale when he heard the big number. I could only guess he wasn’t rich.

            “Being expelled,” he sounded crestfallen, “How can I explain this to my mother.”

            “Please,” I implored, “Isn’t there anything we can do?”

            Crowley placed his hand on his chin, “Well… maybe,” hope began to rise in me, “The main component for this magic chandelier, the magestone is cracked. I’ll put your expulsion on hold for one night. If you can bring a replacement by morning, then I’ll cancel it.”

            That made Ace and Deuce look up in hope.

            “Okay,” I said, “Where can we get a replacement?”

            “The Dwarf Mines used to have an abundance of magestones,” Crowley said, “but they have dwindled in past years. However it’s the best lead we have. You can use the Dark Mirror as a gate to send you there.”

            “Awesome.”

            “We won’t let you down sir,” Deuce said.

            “Very well, I wish you luck,” with that Crowley vanished.

            “Uh…” Grim finally woke up, “What happened?”

            I grabbed Grim by this ribbon and held him to my face. He got a good look at my angry expression, “You’re going to wish you had stayed asleep!”

            %%%%%%%

            After explaining the situation to Grim, we went to the mirror chamber.

            I could only frown when I entered the room again. The memories of waking up and failing to go home were still too fresh. I couldn’t forget what the mirror said.

            “There is no place in this world where this soul belongs… None.”

            My hands gripped into fists when I remembered the mirrors cold words. If this world didn’t want me, why did it bring me here in the first place?

            “Okay let’s go,” Ace said as we stood in front of the large mirror, “Dark Mirror, take us to the Dwarf Mines.”

            The mirror glowed and we suddenly pulled through. It was only for a few seconds, but it looked like we were shot through a tunnel made of light. When my feet touched the ground again, it took my eyes a few minutes to adjust.

            We were outside at night, so it was hard to see, but we were in front of a small cottage. Just past it, you could see the side of a mountain. With the entrance of the mine in the side.

            “That must be the Dwarf Mines,” I said.

            “So this is the Dwarf Mines,” Deuce said, “Long ago, this cave was flushed with mage stones.”

            Grim deflated a bit, “Who knows what lurks in there now.”

            “I can see a house,” Ace looked towards the cottage, “Let’s see what the people there have to say.”

            Deuce knocked on the door, “Hello? Is anyone in there?” The door opened from his knocking. We looked inside to see that it was empty, “It looks like it’s been abandoned.”

            “The house isn’t just small,” I realized, “The furniture is small too.”

            The chairs, the table, everything was tiny. The only one of us who could sit in a chair and not break it was probably Grim.

            “Are these for children?” Ace asked, “It’s like a clown car in here.”

            Grim looked into a pot that was hanging over a fireplace, but then pulled out wiping his face, “There are cobwebs everywhere.”

            “Who do you think lived here before?” I wondered.

            “When the mine was thriving, people probably lived here,” Deuce thought.

            I did notice a few pickaxes in the corner.

            “So, this used to be the home for the miners?”

            “Well this isn’t getting us anywhere,” Ace said, “Let’s get those stones. If they’re anywhere they’re in the mines.”

            We left the cottage and stood at the entrance of the mines. It was dark, abandoned, and creepy.

            “You wanna go in there?” Grim asked scared, “It’s pitch black!”

            “What are you scared of the dark?” Ace asked pathetic, then he looked at me, “I’m sure you’re scared. Girls tend to be afraid of things. So, why don’t you wait out here girly.”

            I glared at Ace.

            “(Y/N).”

            “Huh?”

            “My name is (Y/N),” I got in his face, “It’s not ‘girly,’ or ‘pathetic janitor girl,’ it’s (Y/N),” I turned and began my way into the mines, “Get my name memorized!”

            “And I’m not scared of anything,” Grim suddenly climbed up my back and onto my shoulder, “I’m taking the lead. Hench-human (Y/N), onward towards the stones.”

            “Still not your hench anything,” I said, but continued walking.

            “Wait,” Deuce called. He and Ace followed us.

            For a few minutes we walked in silence.

            “(Y/N),” Deuce said.

            “What?”

            “So… why are you here?” Deuce asked.

            “Same as you, to get the stones,” I reminded.

            “I think he means why’re you still at that college?” Ace asked, “What’s the point of you being there if you can’t use magic. Why not go home?”

            That made me stop, “Don’t you think if I could I would?” I turned to look at them and gave them a glare, “I tried to go back home, but the Dark Mirror can’t reach my home.”

            “Huh?” Ace looked confused.

            “But there isn’t a place in this world the Dark Mirror can’t reach,” Deuce said.

            “And that’s exactly the problem,” I decided to spell it out to them, “I’m not from this world!” I practically shouted, “I’m from a world where magic doesn’t exist, it’s just a thing of fantasy in book or movies. I’m not from Twisted Wonderland, I’m from Earth! Got it?”

            That made their eyes widened.

            “Then, how did you get here?” Deuce asked.

            I sighed, “All I know is this. I was walking home minding my own business. The next thing I knew a carriage with a coffin appeared next to me. I had a weird dream, then I woke up in the mirror chamber,” I turned around to continue walking, “That’s why I need to be at that school. If there’s anyway for me to get back home, I might find it in all there, so let’s just-…”

            “Wait,” Deuce placed a hand on my shoulder, “Something’s there.”

            “Myah?”

            Suddenly ghosts appeared in the caves.

            “Hee hee, new visitors.”

            “Don’t make yourselves at home, you could stay forever.”

            “Gh-gh-ghosts,” Grim suddenly grabbed my face in fear.

            “Grim, let go, I can’t see,” I struggled to get him off my face.

            “Ghosts are the last thing we need,” I heard Deuce say. I yelped when I was suddenly thrown over someone’s shoulder. Grim almost fell to the ground, but I quickly caught him and held him to me as I was carried over the ground, “Let’s go.”

            That was when I realized Deuce was carrying me over his shoulder as he ran through the mine. Ace was behind him.

            “How are you so fast while carrying her?” Ace asked as he ran.

            Ace was right, Deuce was really fast even though he was carrying me and Grim. He was definitely faster than me.

            The ghosts chased us for a bit, but after some maneuvering on Deuce’s part we lost them.

            “Looks like we’re in the clear,” Deuce set me down when it was safe.

            “Thank you,” I said.

            “Okay, now lets look for those stones,” Ace gasped.

            “… Stonesss…”

            “Myah, what was that?”

            “Another ghost?” I wondered.

            But it wasn’t. Something was moving, something physical. It sounded like something was dragging along the floor of the caves, it also sounded wet. The squishy sound of something wet was accompanying the sound of movement.

            From dark shadows of the caves, a giant creature emerged. It was so tall it almost touched the ceiling of the cave. It’s body was black and dripping with ink. It wore a red patched shirt, holding an axe. A brow loose cap, sat on it’s head… which was a cracked ink bottle.

            My eyes widened. It wasn’t exactly the same, but the monster that appeared before us, looked like the ones in my dream. The one I had before waking up in the coffin.

            “Myah,” Grim yowled as he grabbed my leg, “What is that thing?”

            “A monster?” Ace asked, “I did not sign up for this when we agreed to look for the stones.”

            “Stones…” the creature hissed.

            “Huh?” I wondered.

            “NO!” The monster roared, “The stones are mine!!!”

            “Uh… take this,” Deuce tried to fight it, but he was knocked into a wall.

            “Aw, crap,” Ace pushed me behind him, “He’s got Loosey-Deucey on the ropes! Not on my watch!” Ace tried to attack it, but his magic didn’t work. He got knocked to the side as well, leaving only me and Grim.

            “Get away!” Grim tried to use fire magic, but it just bounced off it. Grim ran and jumped into my arms, burying his face into my chest in an attempt to hide.

            “The stones…” the monster hissed as it approached me, my feet were glued to the ground paralyzed with fear, “Are mine…”

            It reached towards me. That made me flinch back with a scream. I raised my free arm to guard my head and looked away closing my eyes.

            I was going to die!

            But the attack never came.

            There was a flash of bright light that filled my senses for a minute and for a brief second, I thought I felt something in my hand; something heavy, but it was gone as quick as it came.

            The monster screeched. I looked to see that the monster was recoiling away from me. In fear? In pain? Both?

            “The… light…”

            What?

            Before I could question what had happened. I spotted something behind the monster. In the wall, something was sparkling like gems.

            “Are those…?

            Ace and Deuce recovered and looked where I was looking.

            “That’s them,” Ace’s eyes widened, “The magestones.”

            “NOOOOO!” The monster recovered, “Mine! They’re mine!!!” It raised it’s pickaxe and slammed it into the ground, “My stones! Destroy the light!!!”

            From where the pick hit the ground a shockwave erupted, it was sent towards me. I managed to jump out of the way, but the monster was now coming towards me.

            “You… will… Die!!!”

            “Myah,” Grim cried in my arms.

            “(Y/N)!” The next thing I knew, Deuce was next to me. He tossed me over my shoulder again and ran.

            “Let’s get out of here!” Ace was next to us as we fled the mines.

            We lost the monster in the caves and managed to escape outside safely. We regrouped in front of the cottage.

            “What was that thing?” Ace asked as he nursed his bruises, “No one said there’d be anything like that.”

            “That was no normal ghost that’s for sure,” Deuce said.

            “Was it… even a ghost?” I asked. My mind kept going back and forth between the monster in the caves and the monsters in my dream. They weren’t exactly alike but they looked like the same kind. I looked at my hands. In my dream I had the staff to fight with, but now…

            “Let’s just give up and go home,” Ace’s voice pulled me from my thoughts, “I’ll happily take the expulsion if it means I never have to fight that thing again.”

            “What?” Deuce snapped, “Nuh-uh not happening. I’d rather die than get expelled from Night Raven,” Deuce glared at Ace, “How can you give up when the stone is right there.”

            “Pfft,” Ace scoffed, “Big talk coming from someone who isn’t even half the mage I am. You want the stones so bad, go get it yourself, I’m out.”

            “Oh yeah,” Deuce suddenly went from mild mannered to scary, “Fine, go back to your coop you big chicken!” Grim and I took a startling step back.

            Ace just took a step towards Deuce, clearly ready to fight, “Whaaat? Who’re you callin a big chicken?”

            “Whoa,” Grim was shocked, “Deuce is it me, or did you like turn into a totally different person now?”

            Deuce flinched, took a step back and coughed, “Sorry, lost my cool for a second there.”

            I sighed, “Can’t you do something?” I looked at them, “You’re mages, you can use magic.”

            “You really are from another world,” Ace shrugged.

            “The headmage said it himself,” Deuce explained, “Magic has limits. If you can’t strongly visualize your magic it isn’t going to happen.”

            “So, you can’t just snap your fingers and turn that thing into a snail?” I asked.

            “Yeah, I wish,” Ace said.

            “Using magic at a greater scale or using different kinds of magic, takes training,” Deuce explained.

            “Yeah, that’s why magic academies exist,” Ace added, “It takes a lot of training before you can snap your fingers and turn your thoughts into magic. And the more flustered you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes.”

            “So it’s not natural,” I sighed, “Wait, is that why Grim can only use fire magic?”

            “Hey,” Grim complained, “I’m gonna learn how to use way cooler magic than that, for the record. I’m just hitting my stride here.”

            “Anyway,” Deuce decided to get back to the point, “We need to find some way to defeat that creature and get the magestone.”

            “Yeah,” Ace sneered, “Just like when you found a way with the chandelier and here we are. We just fought that thing and it creamed us. So what exactly is your plan genius, because I don’t trust you to improvise.”

            “Oh yeah,” Deuce cracked his knuckles, “You’re the one who-…”

            I was sick of this. These two had been driving me crazy all night and I reached my tipping point, “Will you two idiots knock it off,” I shouted into their ears. That made them stop and looked at me shocked, Grim included, “Arguing and pointing fingers isn’t going to solve anything. If we want the magestones we need to come up with a plan! Or are you all fine with the idea of all of us getting expelled!”

            “Yeesh that was harsh,” Grim said, “Where did that come from.”

            “Like you said,” I reminded, “We can’t hurt that thing.”

            Deuce stuttered, “Then what do we do?”

            “We need to work together,” I said, “Cooperate. Maybe if we combine your attacks we can hurt it.

            “Work together is that a joke?” Ace asked, “You say the stupidest things with such a straight face.”

            “Yeah, I agree,” Deuce said.

            “Well…” Grim finally said it, “It would still be lame if we got expelled on the first day.”

            That made Ace and Deuce flinch. I smirked.

            “Yeah, there’s nothing cool about that,” I crossed my arms.

            They both sagged in defeat, “Fine what’s the plan (Y/N).”

            %%%%%%

            Grim and I stood in front of the caves.

            “Uh… (Y/N) are you sure about this?” Grim asked, “I’m scar- I mean, I’m a little hungry.”

            Grim was scared and honestly so was I, but we didn’t have a choice. I needed to stay at Night Raven to look for a way home.

            “We can do this Grim,” I assured. Hoping we could actually do this.

            “Alright.”

            I went a little further from the cave. Grim was up first.

            “H-hey monster,” Grim shouted, “I’m over here.”

            A few minutes later, the large ink monster appeared, “Begon!”

            Grim scampered towards me. It was my turn now.

            “Hey monster,” I called.

            It saw me, then it roared viciously, “The light… destroy… the light…”

            “We… we need to get it away from the caves,” I said. Which was easy, the monster was coming straight towards me.

            “Destroy…”

            “I don’t think it likes you,” Grim said as I ran with him in my arms.

            I managed to get it further away from the mines. Just in time.

            I turned and set Grim on the ground in front of me, “Now!”

            “Here’s a good gust of wind,” Ace’s voice called from behind me.

            “Myah!” Grim breathed fire.

            I remembered how damaged the Queen of Hearts statue was when Ace and Grim fought. So combining their spells would make Grim’s flames stronger.

            The monster was engulfed in blue flames, and it screeched in pain.

            “How do you like?” Ace taunted, “With my wind even Grim’s feeble flames can become an inferno.”

            I gave Ace an exasperated look, “Are you capable of saying anything nice? Or at something not mean?” I shook my head, “Now’s our chance.”

            “Get em cauldron.”

            While the monster was busy with the flames, it couldn’t do anything to dodge the giant cauldron that materialized in the air and fell on it.

            “Nailed it,” Grim cheered, “The plan is working,” Grim climbed onto my shoulder and laughed, “That monster got crushed. Just like Ace did earlier.”

            “Did not need that reminder,” Ace groaned, “This has just been one drag after another.”

            “Quick, while it’s distracted,” Deuce ran towards the mine, “We need to get the magestone.”

            We ran back into the mine, where we saw the mage stone.

            Deuce grabbed an abandoned pick axe and chipped away at the wall. Then Ace and I dug and pulled out the stone.

            It was beautiful. It looked blue, but it changed colors in certain light.

            “That’s it, the magestone,” Deuce said.

            “Don’t touch that!” The monster had recovered and was coming after us again.

            “Uh-oh, it’s wriggled free,” Ace said.

            “Deuce, you need to add more weight,” Grim complained.

            “Y-you mean something heavier?” Deuce panicked, “I-I summon thee cauldron… and another cauldron. And another on top of that… All the cauldron!”

            Soon the monster was buried under a mountain of cauldrons.

            “Is that the only thing you know how to summon?” Ace and I asked in unison.

            “Pipe down already,” Deuce said, “I’m worked up as it is.”

            Grim breathed fire, getting our attention, “We got the magestone! Now let’s get out of here.”

            “Roger that,” Ace said, the stone tucked under his arm. I held Grim in one hand as Deuce grabbed my other hand and lead me through the mine.

            “MY STONE!”

            We managed to escape the mine, but the monster still chased us.

            “Are you kidding me?” Ace asked, “It’s still coming. It pushed off all that weight?”

            “Give it back!” It chased us with obsessive anger.

            “It’s too fast,” Deuce looked behind us, “It’s about to catch.”

            I swallowed, “Then it’s kill or be killed,” I looked at them, “You all managed to weaken it. I’m sure you can beat it.”

            Ace groaned, “Fine.”

            We came to a stop. Ace gave me the stone and Deuce pushed me behind them, “Stay behind us (Y/N). You’ll be safer there.”

            “Yeah, we don’t need dead weight,” Ace said, “Deucey don’t wet yourself.”

            “Same to you Ace,” Deuce cracked his knuckles.

            Grim stood with them ready to fight, “I’m gonna show you why they call me Grim the Great.”

            I could only take a few steps back grasping the magestone.

            “Might as do it again,” Ace stated, “Breath fire weasel.”

            “Don’t tell me what to do,” Grim yelled as he cast his fire magic. Ace used his wind magic to strengthen it.

            The monster was engulfed in flames.

            “I summon thee cauldron,” another cauldron fell on the monster.

            As the monster writhed in pain. It looked at me. At least I think it did. It didn’t have a face, just the ink bottle, but I could see my reflection in the glass.

            “You…” It burst free from the cauldron and charged towards me, “You will die!”

            “(Y/N)!” I heard Grim shout.

            I panicked, was it trying to take the stone from me?

            I spotted the cottage nearby and came up with an idea. I ran towards it.

            “Ace,” I shouted, “When I give the signal, use your wind magic on the monster!”

            “Uh-… Okay.”

            I reached the door to the cottage and stood in front of it. The monster loomed over me.

            “My stone… and… the light… must be… snuffed out…”

            I swallowed before giving the order.

            “Ace, now, push it towards me!”

            “Are you crazy?”

            “Just do it!”

            “Fine, it’s your funeral!”

            A strong gust of wind hit the monster and pushed it towards me. Thankfully, I had gotten good at jumping and dodging. I jumped out of the way before the monster could hit me. It crashed into the cottage.

            “Grim, set the cottage on fire now,” I demanded, “The entire cottage.”

            “Okay!” Grim quickly set the cottage ablaze. The monster roared as it was now trapped inside.

            “Deuce,” I looked towards the black haired boy, “Pile as many cauldrons onto the roof as you can.”

            “Uh… Okay. I summon thee cauldrons.”

            It only took a few cauldrons to do the trick. With the added weight and the fire weakening the support. The cottage collapsed, burying the monster.

            We all quickly jumped away from the burning wreckage as it all came falling down. The monster gave one final scream, before the sound of glass breaking shattered the night air.

            We all looked up from our places on the ground.

            “Did it work?”

            As if to answer me, a piece of broke glass covered in ink bounced from the wreckage. Then, it faded away into black mist.

            “We…” Deuce said as we stood up, “We did it!”

            We cheered.

            “Woohoo,” Grim said, “Gimme a victory high five!”

            With a smile, we all came together and clapped our hands in triumph.

            I smiled, “I guess this makes us all friends now.”

            That made them embarrassed, “Uh, I don’t think I’d go that far,” Deuce said red faced.

            “Yeah, spare us the cliches, (Y/N).”

            “There’s no ‘together’ here,” Grim crossed his arms, “We won because of me.”

            I rolled my eyes, did everyone here think with their egos.

            “Well,” Ace looked at me, “I’d hate to admit it, but we won mostly because of your plan.”

            My eyes widened. Did Ace just say something nice to me?

            “Yeah,” Deuce agreed, “If you hadn’t kept your cool and told us what to do, we never would have gotten the magestone. You made a plan that even keyblade wielders couldn’t beat,” Deuce looked relieve, “Now I won’t get expelled.”

            I looked at them. Basically from the moment I woke up in that coffin, everyone looked down on me because I couldn’t use magic. But hearing Ace and Deuce say those things… for the first time in that world, I smiled.

            “We won because we worked together. And no one got hurt, that’s what’s important.”

            “Yeah, yeah lesson learned,” Ace groaned, “Now, can we just go home now, I’m wiped.”

            “Using all that magic made me hungry,” Grim slouched. Then he suddenly perked up, “What’s that?”

            In front of the burning wreckage where the monster once was, was a rock. A black rock.     

            “Is that part of the monster we just beat?” Deuce asked, “It’s looks like a magestone, but it’s black as coal. I’ve never seen one like that before.”

            I looked at Deuce then at the stone in my hands. The one I was holding was sparkling like a diamond. An opposite of the stone in front of us.

            Grim went over and smelled it, “What is it? It smells amazing?”

            “Since when do rocks smell?” I asked.

            “It must be some kind of monster candy it was hiding from us,” Grim said with a grin, “If it tastes half as good as it smells…”

            “Grim wait a minute!”

            However, Grim just popped the strange object into his mouth and ate it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

            I squeaked, pushed the magestone to Ace and grabbed Grim, “No spit it out, bad kitty!” I tried to shake it out of him, but it was too late. Grim yowled.

            “Are you okay?” Deuce asked.

            “That’s what you get for eating trash,” Ace said.

            Grim shook in my hands, “That was… Amazin!” His face lit up and his eyes sparkled.

            “Huh?”

            All of us looked at him like he was insane.

            “Rich in flavor and full bodied,” Grim gushed, “Like sweet fragrant flowers blooming on my tongue. A whole field of them right on my mouth.”

            I just stared at Grim as he acted like he was in bliss.

            “Is everyone in this world, completely insane?”

            “No,” Ace said, “Just the monsters.”

            “Let’s just pull it together and get this stone to the headmage.”

            %%%%%%%%

            When we got back to the college, Crowley met us in the mirror chamber.

            “You actually went to Dwarf Mines?”

            We all looked at him nervously, “Uh… yes.”

            “I didn’t expect you to seriously do it,” Crowley said, “And never in my wildest dreams did I think you would return with the magestone. And here I was spending the night working on your expulsion documents.”

            “Are you serious?” Grim asked on my shoulder, “While we were fighting some monster you were expelling us?”

            “Monster?” Crowley asked.

            “Yeah, there was a monster,” Ace explained, “A big nasty one, it nearly killed us.”

            “Would you kindly relate this story in full?”

            He took us to his office, where we explained the whole story.

            “So, you worked together to defeat a mysterious monster and bring the magestone back to me,” Crowley reiterated.

            “I wouldn’t call it ‘working together,’” Ace said.

            “Yeah, it was more like we shared the same goal at the same time,” Deuce agreed.

            “Why is it you can only agree that you disagree?” I asked.

            “Oh gracious me,” Crowley raised his hands, as he began to cry.

            “Uh… are you okay?” I asked reaching out towards him. Suddenly he grasped my hand causing me and Grim to yelp.

            “I am so filled with joy my dear,” Crowley said, “In all my decades, at last. Students of Night Raven College has come together to defeat a common foe.”

            “Wait we didn’t join hands, that gross,” Ace said.

            “(Y/N),” Crowley looked at me, tears running down his face.

            “Uh… yes?” I asked.

            “What’s with this guy?” Grim asked.

            “This proves my hopes were justified,” Crowley declared, “(Y/N) all my doubts are allayed. For you… You possess the talents of a beastmaster,” he finally released my hand to raise his in the air in celebration.

            I backed away towards Ace and Deuce.

            “What’s a beastmaster?” I whispered.

            “No clue,” they both whispered.

            “My students,” Crowley looked at me, “Were all selected by the Dark Mirror for the exceptional talent and potential. But great talent begets great pride and big egos.”

            “Really? I didn’t notice,” I said sarcastically.

            “Indeed,” Crowley didn’t understand sarcasm, “Most of them are self-reliant and self-centered they don’t consider working with others.”

            “You make it sound like it’s a bad thing,” Grim said.

            “Because it is Grim,” I added.

            “But you (Y/N), possess no magic,” Crowley said, “But in spite of that, or because of that, you were able to convince those with magic to work together for a common goal. The everyday, humdrum mundanity you possess maybe exactly what Night Raven College needs.”

            I looked at him, “I think you just complimented me, but I still feel insulted.”

            “(Y/N),” Crowley placed his hands on my shoulders, “I am convinced that people like you are necessary for the future of this school. My educators intuition tells me so,” he looked at the boys, “Trappola, Spade, I hereby revoke pending expulsion. Furthermore, (Y/N)…” he looked at me again, “I am granting you the qualifications to attend Night Raven College.”

            My eyes widened, “Wait… you’re making me a student here?”

            “What?” Ace, Deuce, and Grim looked at me like I grew a second head.

            “Uh, hold on,” I took a step back and got out of Crowley’s grasp, “I can’t go here as a student. I can’t use magic, and I’m a girl. This is an all-boys school.”

            “Oh, don’t worry. You can stay in Ramshackle away from the boys. Of course, I’ll have to create a girls changing room for you to use and as for you uniform,” Crowley looked at me over with a hum, “What’s your favorite color.”

            “Pink,” I was so confused I answered honestly.

            “Alright then!”

            There was a flash of light. Nothing seemed to change, but I heard the boys behind me make weird noises. I turned to look at them, “What?”

            They looked me over. Ace and Deuce looked away; they looked like they were blushing a little.

            “What do you think?” Crowley asked behind me.

            “What do I think of…” I trailed off when I turned back. There was now a full length mirror in front of me. Gone was the black shirt and shorts I had been wearing all day. Instead I was wearing what could only be described as… a female uniform.

            Ace and Deuce wore a standard uniform. A black blazer, a red vest with gold trim with a black and white striped tie tucked under it, pants with a gold stripe down the side, with a black and red armband on their left arms.

            I was wearing a blazer that matched theirs, but my vest was pink with gold trim. I was wearing a pleated skirt that stopped just below my knees, a gold stripe ran along the edge of the skirt. I was wearing black tights and black shoes. On my left arm was a black and white armband.

            My necklace was still there, resting over my new tie.

            “Isn’t it nice?” Crowley said, “A uniform just for you, and I’ll even let your vest be your favorite color. Oh, my generosity knows no bounds. However,” he paused as he made the mirror disappear, “Your inability to use magic, for a mage, is unacceptable. You would not be able to pursue the school’s curriculum,” he looked towards Grim next, “As for you Grim. Your actions today prove that you have talent to become a mage. In light of the total sum of your circumstances. You and (Y/N) will share a single enrollment at Night Raven College.”

            “Myah?” Grim was shocked, “I… I’ll get to go to this school? As an actual student, not a janitor?”

            “Correct,” Crowley said, “However, there can be no more incidents like today.”

            Grim was so happy, he started to cry, “Myah… (Y/N)… I-I…”

            I smiled and knelt down Grim and scratched his ears, “I’m happy for you Grim.”

            Grim cheered, “I finally did it!”

            “Accordingly, I will now present Grim with a magestone that is issued to every student here.”

            In a flash of light, a light purple stone appeared on Grim’s ribbon, it looked like the tag on a collar.

            “Myah? A magestone?”

            “All students have these?” I asked.

            “Yeah, we do,” Deuce took out the pen that was in the pocket on his chest and showed me.

            “Isn’t this your wand?” I asked. Deuce and Ace’s stones were red, not purple. I couldn’t help but notice.

            “Indeed,” Crowley said, “Magestones are usually attached to a magic pen that works as a wand. But I suspect that Grim can’t use such implements. Thus I made a custom for you,” Crowley smiled, “Oh is it possible I am too kind?”

            “Ah sweet,” Grim cheered, “Look at the awesome magestone worn by the legendary archmage, Grim!”

            “You’re not listening to anything I say aren’t you?” Crowley sounded exasperated.

            “I’m gonna try out my new stone,” Grim tried to run, “Let’s see how my fire works if it-,” I grabbed Grim by his collar.

            “No, Grim! You’ll set the school on fire again and that’s a bad thing!” I scolded.

            Crowley sighed, “(Y/N) as you can see, Grim remains oblivious to the customs of human society. You are to keep a tight reign on him and prevent further incidents.”

            I sighed. This wasn’t going to be easy.

            “Wow, that’s quite a promotion,” Ace said, “From janitor to prefect in one day.”

            “Prefect?” I asked.

            “I get it,” Deuce thought, “If the headmage is putting you in charge of Grim and there’s only two of you in the dorm. That means you’re the prefect of Ramshackle.”

            “Wow, that’s got to be a Night Raven first,” Ace grinned, “A magic-less, female, prefect? Sure why not? Whatever works.”

            “Well…” I looked at Crowley, “I still want to go back to my world.”

            “Of course,” Crowley said, “I shall continue to research and find a way to send you home. Oh what a generous soul I am.”

            I thought it over. A student? In a magic school. I was magicless. But, it would be easier to access the library and maybe help Grim become a mage. Maybe I could make him strong enough to send me home. Either way, being a student sounded better than being a janitor that was certain.

            “Alright,” I agreed, “I’ll do my best.”

            Ace laughed, “Good luck to you, magic-less prefect.”

            “Yes, I suppose that does make you a prefect,” Crowley mused, “I happen to have a job for you (Y/N) and that title will make it easier to foist… er, I mean congratulations!”

            I was starting to regret this already.

            “Now I have something else for you,” Suddenly he pulled out a camera.

            “A camera?” I asked as I took the strange device.

            “It’s a ghost camera.”

            “Oh, my grandma told me about them,” Ace said, “They’re really old magic items.”

            “I would hardly call them, ‘super old,’” Crowley said, “But it certainly was invented sometime ago. It’s a camera enhanced with a special kind of magic. It photographs not just a subjects physical form, but part of their soul itself.”

            “Wait, that sounds sketchy,” Deuce said.

            “They’re called memories,” Crowley elaborated, “When someone takes a photograph of something that is soulbound, the memories captured in the photograph just come jumping out.”

            “Soulbound?”

            “When the subject and photo come closer together, the photo’s become animated like a movie. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

            “Sounds sketchy.”

            “(Y/N), I’d like you to use this camera to document your school life here,” Crowley said.

            “Sounds like a great way to immortalize my legacy,” Grim cheered.

            Crowley narrowed his eyes, “(Y/N) take photos of Grim and his shenanigans as well as other trouble making students.”

            So basically, he wanted me to spy on others.

            “Am I not generous, giving you a magical device that even you can use?”

            I sighed, and smiled, “Thank you, sir.”

            “Well, the hour grows late. Whatever else remains will have to wait till tomorrow. Back to your dorms everyone.”

            %%%%%%

            “Finally, I’m a student,” Grim cheered as we went back to Ramshackle.

            “Yeah,” I said, “And all it took was fighting a giant monster.”

            “It was no match for me,” Grim said, I just rolled my eyes, “Although, there was something I don’t get.”

            I looked at Grim in my arms, “What didn’t you get?”

            “Well,” Grim looked at me, “It wanted to keep the stone right?”

            “Sounded like it,” I said.       

            “But sometimes it was yellin, ‘destroy the light,’” Grim reminded, “What did it mean by that? It was dark in that cave.”

            I hummed, Grim was right. The monster did say that, “I don’t know,” I sighed, “But, I think it doesn’t matter anymore.”

            We entered Ramshackle and went to bed. However as I laid in bed, Grim’s reminder replayed in my mind.

            What light was it talking about?

            That was when I remembered, there was a flash of light in the cave. The creature recoiled from it. Was that it?

            %%%%%%

            I saw the mirror. It was like I was being pulled in. Then there was a bright light.

            The next thing I saw was a rose garden, filled with white rose trees. A young girl, with blond hair and a blue dress was walking through it. There was singing in the distance.

            “Painting the roses red, painting the roses red~.”

            The girl came across three living playing cards, they were using red paint to paint the white roses red. The girl approached them.

            “Excuse me? But why are you paining the roses red?”

            The cards looked at her.

            “You see miss, we planted the white roses by mistake.”

            “But the queen likes red roses.”

            “If we don’t paint these roses red, then we’ll all lose our heads.”

            After explaining, the scene faded away and I was pulled away from the mirror. Then everything went black.

            I was standing in the darkness.

            “Great Seven?” A voice asked, “Are these people crazy?” I looked around trying to find the source of the voice, “Ursala? Helping people? Where did they come up with this stuff?”

            My eyes fell on Sora, he was turned away from. His hands were in his hair acting like he was trying to figure something out.

            “This is bad, if they find out she’s a wielder then-…”

            “Sora?” I asked.

            Sora spun around to see me, “Hey, (Y/N).”

            I blinked, “You know my name?”

            “Uh…” he smiled sheepishly, “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to spy on you it’s just. I keep seeing you,” his expression fell, “I saw the day you had.”

            I sighed, “Yeah. It was insane and I almost died.”

            Sora looked at me worried, “I’m glad you’re okay, but…”

            “But what?” I asked.

            Sora looked at me, his expression was filled with worry and pity. It made me feel worried myself.

            “What’s wrong?” I asked.

            Sora closed his eyes. Then he opened them, like he had an answer, “I’m going to help you.”

            “Uh…” I gave him a confused look, “Help me with what?”

            He walked over to me and placed his hands on my shoulder, “I’m going to help become a Keyblade Master.”

            “Is… that the same as a beastmaster?” I asked remembering what Crowley called me, “Wait, keyblade?” That sounded familiar, “Where have I heard that before?”

            Sora closed his eyes, “It’s a risk, but like it or not you are a Keyblade Wielder,” he opened his eyes and looked at me, “If you accidentally summon your keyblade and they see it then… I don’t know how’ll they’ll react.”

            “Hold on,” I said getting frustrated, “What’s a keyblade?”

            Sora took his hands off me and took a step back, he held out his hand. In a burst of light, something appeared in his hand. A sword? Or was it a key. It was like a giant skeleton key. Long and gray, the teeth at the end was shaped like Sora’s crown pendant would fit in it. Yellow handguards protected the handle, at the other end of the handle, a keychain hung.

            “This, is the keyblade,” Sora explained, “Well, it’s my keyblade. You have your own.”

            I gave Sora a look, “How many times do I have to say it? I’m magicless.”

            “You don’t have to have magic to summon the keyblade,” Sora explained, “The keyblade chooses it’s master. Their chosen master can summon their keyblade at will, without magic. You summoned yours today. It was for a second, when you were in that cave.”

            I did remember feeling something in my hand when that light flashed, but I thought it was just nerves.

            “That… that sounds crazy.”

            “Try it,” Sora urged, “Call out to your heart. Ask it to come to you.”

            I gave Sora a look, but his confidence didn’t waver.

            “Fine,” I shrugged, “But I’m still magicless.”

            I still did as Sora said, just to prove I didn’t have a keyblade. I held out my hand like he did a minute ago. Like I was about to grab something.

            He said to call out with my heart, right? Not sure what he meant so, I tried thinking. I tried to… feel something. Like I was soul searching or…

            Come to me…

            Light flashed from my hand, I yelped in shock yanking my hand back. For a brief second I felt something solid form in my hand.

            I looked at my hand shocked.

            “Try again,” Sora encouraged, “You had it.”

            I looked at him, at his keyblade, then my hands again.

            I took a deep breath, reached out and tried again. This time, I let the light continue and form something.

            A weighted handle gently settled into my hand, when the light died down, it was revealed.

            It was definitely a key shaped sword, but it didn’t look like Sora’s.

            Mine was black mostly.

            The handle was black. At point where the blade and handle met, a small circular mirror was there. It looked like the Dark mirror. The handguard was circular, one half was made of black feathers, the other half was an intricate gold pattern. The blade’s base was white, but faded into black as it stretched out. The bottom half was lined with a gold design, the teeth looked like the pendant of my necklace. The pink pear shaped opal, with a gold design fanning around it. That wasn’t the best part.

Cherry blossoms, dotted the entire weapon, in an imperfect but still beautiful pattern. There was one on one of the hand guards. Two along the blade’s base. And one bloomed at the base of the teeth.

The keychain that dangled from the handle, was the Dark Mirror.

I couldn’t help but marvel at the beautiful design. My fingers ran over the cherry blossoms. They were my favorite flowers. Black with a few touches of pink, it was my favorite kind of color combo. As my fingers ran up the blade, that was when I noticed.

At the white part of the base, right above the mirror, were seven smaller black magestones.

“Wow,” Sora had gotten closer to look at my keyblade, “So that’s your keyblade,” he looked at me, “What’s it called?”

He was asking me that? I just got it. I looked back at my keyblade. Then suddenly a name drifted from my mouth, “Hearts Reflection,” I didn’t know how, I just knew. That was its name.

“That’s a good name,” Sora nodded. Sora gave me a serious look, “Listen (Y/N). No matter what, don’t show anyone at Night Raven College that you have this keyblade.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Trust me,” Sora’s keyblade vanished, “The ‘Great Seven’” Sora used air quotes, “They didn’t get along with Keyblade Wielders and it’s starting to sound like the students there won’t like them either,” Sora gave me a concerned look, “Just promise me, you won’t show this or tell anyone that you are a Keyblade Wielder.”

“Uh… I-…”

A loud banging shattered everything around me. Sora vanished, and I opened my eyes.

“Myah, what’s that racket?” Grim asked.

“Is someone at the door?” I asked.

I was wearing my pajamas, but Crowley did give me some clothes. A large cardigan was one of them. I put that on and Grim and I went to the first floor to see who it was.

“We’re coming,” I opened the door. Standing behind it, was… “Ace?”

“Hey, (Y/N),” Ace suddenly walked into the dorm. The first thing I noticed about him, was what was on his neck. He was wearing a large black and red collar, “What are you doing here?”

He looked at me, “I’m joining the Ramshackle dorm!”

Chapter Text

Ace angrily marched into Ramshackle, Grim and I followed.

            He found the lounge and sat on the couch with a sulk. My eyes were glued to his neck. A heart shaped, black and red collar was around Ace’s neck. It didn’t look comfortable.

            “I know that collar,” Grim shivered, “That’s the same collar that psycho put on me during orientation.”

            I briefly remembered the chaos.

            “If I remember correctly,” I thought, “When it was on you, you couldn’t use magic.”

            “Don’t remind me, it was awful,” Grim whined.

            “So that means…” I looked at Ace.

            “I can’t use magic as long as I have this damn collar on me,” Ace growled, “It’s the Housewarden’s signature spell.”

            “Housewarden?” I asked.

            “The official leader of a dorm,” Ace explained.

            “So that guy,” Grim said, “He’s your dorm leader?”

            “Yeah,” Ace stated.

            I looked at the collar. I noticed there was a small lock at the bottom keeping it on.

            “I assume this is a punishment?” I asked.

            “All I did was eat a tart,” Ace blew up.

            I stepped back for a minute.

            “You did what?” I asked.

            “I ate one small slice of a strawberry tart,” Ace reiterated, “That’s it. After what happened today, I missed dinner and I was hungry. So I went into the kitchen and I found three strawberry tarts in the fridge. No big deal,” Ace threw his hands in the air, “I just took one small slice, when Housewarden Riddle suddenly appeared and said that stealing tarts was against the rules and slapped this on me. Isn’t that crazy?”

            “Well, you shouldn’t steal another man’s food,” Grim said.

            “What?”

            While Ace and Grim bickered I thought about what Ace told me. The one who put that collar on Ace, the Housewarden, I believed his name was Riddle.

            “Well, didn’t you apologize?” I asked.

            “Why would I?” Ace asked, “He overreacted.”

            Honestly, it did seem like an overreaction. I didn’t know much about magic but it seemed extreme to seal someone’s power just because he ate a tart.

            “You said there were three tarts right? Maybe there’s a party coming up and that’s why he was upset,” I suggested, “Look, maybe if you apologize tomorrow he’ll take off that collar.”

            “Why should I?” Ace asked.

            I looked at the collar, “Well, you said this collar is from a spell right? Is he the only one who can undo it or are there others?”

            Ace seemed to get more grumpy, “No…”

            I sighed. I did remember what Crowley said about big egos, “Look, I’ll go with you and apologize with you tomorrow. It’s not like you have much to lose.”

            Ace groaned, “Fine… so, where am I sleeping?”

            “Uh…”

            “The only clean room is ours,” Grim said.

            “Okay,” Ace stood up, “I’ll sleep in your room then.”

            “I’m going to assume that’s a joke,” I deadpanned, “You’re not sleeping with me.”

            “Oh come on,” Ace said, “I’m sure the bed is big enough for-…”

            “Stop right there before I call the cops,” I said, “Remember that you can’t use magic and Grim can,” I held Grim in front of me like a weapon, “Grim, if he tries to come into our room tonight you’re free to set him on fire.”

            I could hear Grim chuckle and made a cheeky grin.

            “Jeez I was kidding,” Ace held up his hands in surrender.

            “Good boy,” I put Grim back down, “I’ll get you some pillows and blankets,” before I left the room I glanced at the collar again, more accurately I glanced at the lock, the keyhole. For some reason, seeing that made me think of my dream and the keyblade.

            %%%%%%%%

            “Sealing someone’s power over a tart? Wow, he sounds as crazy as the Queen of Hearts.”

            I was here again, in the dream with Sora. Right after I said goodnight to Ace and went to sleep. Apparently Sora saw my talk with Ace.

            I mentally chuckled. Of course, Sora knew he was a piece of my subconscious. This dream with him, was probably some kind of coping mechanism my mind created to help me deal with being stuck in another world.

            “I can’t help but feel bad for Ace,” I told Sora.

            “Well, you might feel a little worse,” Sora rubbed the back of his head looking nervous, “You have the power to take off that collar.”

            I gave Sora a weird look, “I do?”

            Sora looked around, “I wonder…” Sora closed his eyes, then suddenly a chest appeared with a keyhole. He opened his eyes and smiled, “It worked.”

            “What did?” I asked.

            “Try to open that,” Sora pointed to the chest.

            I gave him a look before walking over to the chest and crouched down. I did try to open it, but the lid wouldn’t budge.

            “It’s locked,” I looked back at Sora. He grinned.

            “Tap it with your keyblade.”

            I raised my eyebrow but did as he instructed.

            I stood up and summoned my keyblade. I tapped the lid, then with a pop it opened. It actually made me gasp.

            “Now, I think I wanna try…”

            Suddenly I wasn’t in the black void, but a giant cave. There were creepy blue torches lit and a layer of fog was on the ground.

            “This place is creepy.”

            “Sorry,” Sora said, “This was the first thing that came to mind,” he rubbed his head, “Apparently I create places based off my memories.”

            I looked at Sora, “Memories? Where did you go to wind up in a place like this?”

            “It’s a long story,” Sora pointed at something, “Look.”

            I turned to see a huge door. It looked like it would slide open with blue zig-zags in the opening, like teeth in a mouth. It would, if it didn’t have a giant lock plastered on it.

            “That… looks bigger than a chest,” I commented nervously.

            “Don’t worry,” Sora walked over to me. He placed his hand on mine and had me guide the keyblade up, “Just point, it will do the rest.”

            I looked at Sora skeptically.

            “Alright.”

            I took a step away from Sora and pointed the keyblade at the lock. When I did, I felt… something. Like I could feel my keyblade coming alive.

            Then the tip of the blade began to glow, then a beam of light shot forth like an arrow. The light went into the keyhole of the giant lock and I heard a loud click. Then, the lock dissolved away into hundreds of little sparkling lights. I could only watch in awe.

            Sora walked up next to me with a smile, “It’s not just key shaped,” he explained, “It really is a magic key.”

            I looked at Heart’s Reflection, then I remembered the lock on Ace’s collar, “You think I could use this to unlock Ace’s collar?”

            “I know you can,” Sora said.

            I looked at Sora, “But Ace said the collar was created with magic.”

            “I guarantee,” Sora said, “There is no lock in existence, normal, technological, even magical. No lock the keyblade can’t unlock,” I looked at my keyblade, “You can even use magic.”

            I looked back at Sora, “I’m-…”

            “Magicless?” Sora repeated what I had said over and over, “Technically yes. But the keyblade grants it’s master magic, watch,” Sora walked a few steps ahead of me and pointed his keyblade in front of him, “Firaga!”

            Fire burst forth from Sora’s Keyblade. Then it exploded in a tornado of flames, my eyes widened. Compared to Sora, Grim’s magic was just candles on a birthday cake.

            I looked at the ash covered cave in awe, “You… You’re saying I can do that?”

            “Not yet,” Sora looked back at me, “You just got your keyblade, so you’re not that powerful yet.”

            I stared ahead, “I don’t know the first thing about magic.”

            “It’s fine,” Sora smiled, “I’ll teach you.”

            I looked around, “Can you teach me somewhere that’s less creepy?”

            “Oh right, sure,” Sora closed his eyes. The cave vanished. The dark and cold air, was replaced with warm sunlight and a cool breeze. The sound of the oceans waves gently filled the air, “We can train here.”

            My eyes widened. I recognized this place.

            “This island,” it was the island from the previous dream, the one that was, “It… it was destroyed.”

            “What?”

            I looked at Sora, “Last night, I had a dream. I saw this island, I saw you,” I tried to recall everything, “You were with a red-haired girl and a silver-haired boy and…” my eyes widened, “Then there was this… black hole in the sky and you were…” I looked at Sora, “What happened to you? Did you die? Are you a ghost?”

            “What? No,” Sora said, “No, that happened a while ago,” his expression fell, “Yeah my world was destroyed, swallowed by the darkness. When that happened I fell to another world.”

            “Oh my God,” my mouth went to my hand as horror and sympathy filled, “Sora, I’m so sorry.”

            “It’s alright,” Sora looked at me, “My world was restored. My island, my friends, my family, they’re all safe now.”

            “Really? Worlds can be restored?”

            “Well, maybe destroyed wasn’t the right word,” Sora said, “More like swallowed by the darkness,” he looked out over the ocean, “I managed to bring it back from the darkness.”

            What Sora said didn’t really make sense, but it was a dream.

            “Well, I’m glad your home is okay now,” I said.

            “Thanks,” Sora stood next to me, “Now how about we get started.”

            “Right,” I smiled, “What’s first?”

            “Let’s start with your stance.”

            For hours, Sora taught me basic stances and sword play. I never touched a sword. The closest thing I have, was a knife for cooking.

            I swung the keyblade around. Trying to memorize what Sora taught me.

            Soon, we took a break.

            I sat on the sand gasping, “How can… you get tired… in a dream?”

            “Sorry,” Sora sat next to me, “let’s take a break.”

            I flopped onto my back. I looked up at the blue sky.

            “Your home is beautiful,” I said.

            “Thanks,” Sora said, “I hope I’ll see it again.”

            Huh?

            “Didn’t you say it was restored?”

            “It was,” Sora said, “But recently I… was in a fight. I had to rescue someone I care about but… there was a cost.”

            “You’re not dead are you?” I asked, “You’re not one of the ghosts Grim and I chased out looking for revenge?”

            Sora laughed, “No. I don’t think I’m dead, but… I am stuck…”

            I sat up to look at Sora. I noticed something in his hand.

            “Wow, that’s pretty.”

            It was five seashells sewn together to make a star. They were pink and yellow, like a sunset. I noticed there was a crown in the center and a face drawn on the top shell.

            “Oh,” Sora looked away from the seashell star, “This is a good luck charm. My friend made it from Thalassa shells,” he looked back at it, “She said sailors would wear these to help guide them home.”

            I smiled, “That’s so cute.”

            After a few minutes we got back to it.

            “Alright,” Sora helped me stand back up, “Let’s try magic next.”

            “Magic?”

            “We’ll start with ice magic first,” Sora said.

            “Good idea,” I scratched my cheek sheepishly, “I don’t want to set anything on fire accidentally like Grim does,” I looked at Sora, “So, how do I do it?”

            “Well,” Sora pointed his keyblade in front of him, “Blizzard.”

            This time an arrow of ice shot from Sora’s keyblade, like a bullet. As it trailed over the sand it created a trail of ice, like a rail. When it hit the wall, ice spikes seemed to burst forth.

            I clapped my hands, “Incredible.”

            I had seen a lot of magic since coming to Twisted Wonderland, but Sora’s ice was so pretty, it sparkled like crystals.

            “Okay, my turn,” I summoned my keyblade and pointed it in front of me, “Blizzard.”

            However, nothing happened.

            “Uh… Blizzard,” I repeated growing frustrated, “Blizzard!”

            “Okay, calm down,” Sora placed his hand on my keyblade, “Don’t try to force it.”

            I looked at Sora, “Then how do I do it?”

            “Remember what your friends said earlier,” he must had meant Ace and Deuce, “You need to visualize too. Imagine ice forming, crystalizing.”

            I closed my eyes. I tried to picture ice. Water freezing.

            “Blizzard!”

            The keyblade did do something this time. It glowed and then…

            A single small snowflake puffed out and fell to the sand.

            I fell onto my butt groaning loudly.

            “Hey it’s okay,” Sora squatted next to me, “You can’t be expected to get it in a day. I didn’t.”

            I sighed, “Maybe I’m just destined to be magicless.”

            “No,” Sora said, “You chose the staff, so magic will be your strong suite.”

            I looked at Sora, “Come again?”

            Sora sat next to me, “Remember that dream, where you had to choose something and give up another thing?” I nodded, “That dream was the dive to the heart.”

            “What’s that?”

            “Well, when a keyblade wielder is chosen, they basically go through a rite of passage,” Sora began, “That rite of passage is meant to form your power and you decide what kind of keyblade wielder you’ll be. The sword, the staff, the shield, they represent three aspects. Physical strength, magical strength, and defense.”

            “So, by choosing the staff and giving up the shield…” I realize.

            “You’ll be a strong magic base keyblade wielder, but your defense will be weak.”

            I groaned and flopped onto my back, “If I knew I would have chosen differently.”

            “I doubt it,” Sora said, “You can only be honest in the dive.”

            Before I could respond, Sora vanished. Everything around me vanished.

            My eyes opened; I was back in my room at Ramshackle.

            %%%%%%%

            Ace took us to the Hall of Mirrors.

            “This place again?”

            “So, where’s your dorm?” Grim asked as he walked next to me.

            “You’ll see.”

            Ace took us to one of the mirrors. The frame was a ring of cards and roses.

            “Follow me,” Ace placed his hand on the mirror, then suddenly he was pulled through. That made me gasp. Grim and I looked at each other for a moment, before repeating the action.

            We were pulled through. The next thing I knew, I was standing in front of a pathway lined with rose bushes, leading to a red castle.

            “This is the dorm for Heartslaybyul?” I asked in awe of the beautiful building.

            “Dang, this place is swanky,” Grim declared, “It’s nothing like our dumpster of a dorm.”

            “Uh-… Our dorms a work in progress Grim,” I crossed my arms, “We’ll make it look way nicer.”

            Ace snickered, “Good luck with that.”

            I shot him a glare, “Well, anyway where’s your housewarden?”

            “Dunno,” Ace shrugged.

            “Ace?” Suddenly Deuce ran up to us, “There you are. You weren’t in our room. What happened?”

            “What do you think?” Ace pointed at the collar on his neck.

            “We’re trying to find the housewarden, so Ace can apologize for eating a tart and hopefully get this collar removed,” I explained.

            “Really?” Deuce looked at Ace.

            “Sadly yes,” Ace grumbled.

            “Do you know where he is?”

            “No,” Deuce shook his head.

            I sighed, “Let’s look for him.”

            We wandered into a maze, “Uh…”

            “What is it (Y/N)?”

            “Won’t the students find it weird that I’m here?” I asked motioning to myself, “The only girl at an all-boys school.”

            “The headmage sent a message to every dorm about you and Grim being here,” Ace explained.

            “Awesome, we’re famous,” Grim cackled.

            “More like we’re the freaks of the school,” I muttered. I wasn’t thrilled at the thought of being the only girl at an all-boys school.

            “Oh yeah, getting my paint on!”

            We heard a voice among the leaves.

            “Someone’s here,” Grim voiced our thoughts.

            We looked around the corner to see a tall guy, with ginger hair. He was wearing a uniform, and had a small red diamond painted under his right eye.

            He had a bucket of red paint and was standing next to a bush of white roses. With a wave of his wand, the paint flew from the bucket and onto the flowers dying them red.

            “They have to be red, or it’s ‘off with my head.’”

            I blinked.

            Someone was painting white roses red… or they would lose there head…

            “I’ve seen this somewhere before…” I muttered.

            The boy spotted us, “You guys want something?”

            “Just wondering what you’re doing,” Ace said, he and Deuce approached him ahead of me.

            “What’s it look like I’m doing? I’m painting the roses red.”

            “Why?” I asked, “They look just as pretty white as they do red.”

            That was the first time the ginger saw me, he then immediately walked past Ace and Deuce, “Well… Hello there,” he approached me with a smile, “The name’s Cater Diamond, I’m a junior here, but you can call me Cay-Cay if you’re feeling cray-cray.”

            “Um… hello,” I said nervously, “I’m (Y/N).”

            “(Y/N)?” Cater looked me over, “So you’re the new girl everyone’s talking about? No one said you were this cute, though.”

            “Eh…” Was he flirting? I was not used to guys flirting with me on sight or at all!

            He placed a hand on my shoulder, “How about you and I go-…”

            “Hey!”

            Ace and Deuce suddenly got between us. I was thankful for that I had no idea how to handle the situation.

            “Uh…” I remembered we came here with an objective, “Have you seen the housewarden?” I asked, “Ace has a collar and he’s come to apologize.”

            Cater looked at Ace and saw the collar, “Yikes, what did you do?”

            “I just ate a tart,” Ace complained.

            “And he’s come to try and make amends,” I explained.

            “Well,” Cater said, “I’d love to help you look for him, but I need these roses to be painted red,” he gave us a look, “Maybe if you help with this, we can finish faster and I can help you.”

            “Why should we?” Grim asked.

            “Alright, we’ll help,” I agreed.

            “We will?” Ace asked.

            “This might help soften up your housewarden if you help around the dorm,” I whispered.

            Ace groaned, but picked up a paint brush with red paint.

            I decided to help, even though this didn’t make sense to me. Honestly I was pretty sure this would be bad for the rose bush.

            “Change color,” Deuce waved his wand, but the rose turned blue, “Uh…”

            “Change o foul color,” Grim tried to help, but the rose caught on fire.

            “Is fire magic the only thing you know how to do?” I asked Grim.

            “Wow you guys are less competent than I thought,” Cater said, clearly regretting asking us for help.

“Why do you even need to paint the roses?” Ace asked, “Like (Y/N) said they’re pretty and junk.

            “Well,” Cater said, “It’s tradition. The white roses have to be painted red, for the unbirthday party. Then we play croquette with seven colored hedgehogs as balls with seven colored flamingos as mallets,” Cater explained.

            I looked at him confused, croquette was kind of like British golf right? But flamingos and hedgehogs as equipment?

            “But the roses need to be white for the spring concerts.”

            “These rules sound insane and complicated,” Grim muttered.

            “The Queen of Hearts made these rules herself,” Cater explained, “She was one of the Great Seven you know.”

            “Was that the one who decapitated people for breaking rules?” I asked nervously.

            “Look, we don’t have time for this,” Ace reminded, “Where’s Riddle, I need to talk to him.”

            “Well,” Cater crossed his arms, “First off, did you bring an apology tart to replace the one you took?”

            “No, I came here first thing in the morning,” Ace explained.

            “Oooh,” Cater tried to sound remorseful, but his smile was anything but, “Sorry, but I can’t let you see Riddle without a replacement tart. Rule 53, all stolen items must be replaced. Sorry, but I can’t let you back in the dorm yet.”

            “Are you serious?” Ace asked.

            “Sorry, but I have to ask you to leave,” Cater pulled out his pen-wand, “Or it’ll be my head next.”

            “Guys do something,” Ace looked to us.

            “What do you want me to do?” I asked.

            “Why should we help you?” Deuce asked.

            “Look, I can’t use magic alright,” Ace reminded, “Look he’s about to-…”

            Cater began to wave his wand.

            “Myah, you think you can beat Grim the Great?” Grim stood in front of us, “Take this,” he shot a ball of fire towards Cater, which exploded on impact. Which made me panic.

            “Oh my God, Grim did you just kill an upperclassman?” I asked.

            “Don’t worry sweet stuff,” Cater seemed to appear from nowhere, not having a single scratch on him, “I’m okay,” he winked at me.

            That made us gawk. We were certain Grim landed a direct hit.

            “I summon thee cauldron,” Deuce summoned a cauldron. It landed right on top of Cater.

            “Nice try boys,” we looked to our left to see Cater leaning against a tree, perfectly unharmed, “Now I think it’s time you go,” with a wave of his pen, Ace, Deuce, and Grim were suddenly floating in the air, “Don’t come back without tart now, bye-bye.”

            With a flick of his pen, the trio were flown over the maze, while I stood there watching.

            What the hell just happened?

            I know he was hit at least twice, but he kept reappearing. Was that his magic?

            “Now that it’s just us,” Cater suddenly appeared next to me, his arm reaching out clearly to drape around his shoulder, “Why don’t you and I go-…”

            I ducked under Cater’s arm and ran in the direction my friends were thrown, “Sorry, but I can’t. Bye!”

            I found them by the mirror.

            “He just wanted us to paint the stupid roses,” Ace complained.

            “Are guys alright?” I ran up to them.

            “No,” Grim whined, “How did he dodge our attacks? He just kept coming and-…”

            “Oh no,” Deuce stiffened.

            “What?” I asked.

            “We missed first bell, we’re going to be late,” Deuce explained.

            That made Grim panic, “No, I can’t blemish my first day at Night Raven College by being late,” he jumped on my shoulder, “Shake a leg henchhuman!”

            Deuce grabbed my arm and ran. Ace ran next to us.

            “You’re freshmen too right,” he looked at me and Grim, “What class are you in?”

            “Uh… Crowley said we’re in class 1-A,” Grim explained.

            “Same as us,” Deuce looked over his shoulder at me, “Our first class is potionology.”

            I couldn’t help but groan, “A girl in an all-boys school… what could possibly go wrong?”

            %%%%%%

            Believe it or not, the classes weren’t bad.

            Our first period was with Professor Crewel. A young teacher with what must had been the fluffiest coat I had ever seen.

            “You may call me Master Crewel,” he slapped a crop in his hand. Was that even a qualified teaching instrument? “I will drill and train all you unruly pups,” he glanced in my direction, “And kitten.”

            I flinched. Kitten, was he talking about me? I didn’t want people to notice me.

            “Now, we will be studying mycelia. I will make sure you know what poisonous plants to not put in your maw.”

            Ace and Deuce sat next to me and Grim.

            “So…” Deuce whispered, “Does anyone know what mycelia is?”

            I shook my head.

            “All I care about is how to tell the yummy plants from the yucky ones,” Grim said uninterested.

            Second period was history with Professor Trein.

            He was definitely older. He seemed like a normal teacher, other than the fact he had a cat with him.

            “I am you history teacher Mozus Trein and this is my familiar Lucius. You are here to learn the rich history of magic, and how it sculpted the world you take for granted.”

            I mentally sighed, history was my worst subject back home, now I had to learn a whole new world’s worth of history?

            “I grade on classroom behavior as well as quality of work. Don’t let me catch you sleeping.”

            I pulled out my notebook and started taking notes. Whether I liked it or not, I was a student. Plus learning more about Twisted Wonderland would probably help me survive it.

            Third Period was P.E.

            I was worried, because I was a girl and I would have to change into gym clothes.

            Thankfully, there was a girl’s locker room.

            I stood in front of it and sighed in relief.

            “That wasn’t there last year,” I heard some students whisper.

            “It’s for that new girl.”

            I tried to suppress a nervous groan. I quickly opened the door and went in. I stopped when I heard Grim yowl.

            I turned to see that Grim had tried to follow me, but was being electrocuted at the doorway. He fell backwards on the floor a bit charred.

            “Grim,” I went over to him, “What happened?”

            Suddenly lights appeared over the doorway.

Boys are not permitted in the girls locker room. Anyone who tries to break this rule, will be disciplined.

Sincerely, the generous headmage Crowley.

            I sighed. I guess Crowley didn’t want any lawsuits on his hands. Well, at least I was safe in the locker room.

            After our class with coach Vargas we had a break.

            “This so called magic academy feels like an ordinary school,” Ace said.

            “I’m perfectly fine with that,” I said.

            As we walked through the hallways, people kept staring at us. Or rather staring at me.

            I couldn’t help but feel nervous, being the only girl there sucked.

            Ace sighed, “It’s not what I expected, but at least this collar won’t be much of a problem after all. You with me on that Grim?”

            Silence was our response. Which was weird because Grim was noisy.

            “Grim?” I looked around to see that Grim was no where to be seen, “Oh no.”

            “Look out the window,” Deuce pointed, “I just saw a ball of fur running across the courtyard.”

            “Let me see,” Deuce stepped aside so I could look. It was true, a gray ball of fur with blue flames was running around the courtyard. I felt my anger rise, “He’s ditching… on the first day?” I swore if I gripped the window any tighter it would start cracking.

            “Wow, he’s one stupid cat,” Deuce mentioned.

            “It doesn’t look to lose your student on the first day, prefect,” Ace just had to get a jab, “You want us to get him.”

            I looked at them with hope, “Yes, please.”

            “Well,” the tone in Ace’s voice made my hope die, “I do love the chocolate croissants at the co-op.”

            “I’d do it for an iced latte in the cafeteria.”

            Those idiots were blackmailing me?

            “Then go buy some,” I growled, “Money is tight this month.”

            “You know the longer we stand here,” Ace grinned, “The further Grim gets away.”

            I growled in frustration, but I didn’t have a choice.

            “Fine, but only if you bring Grim back,” I snapped.

            “Pleasure doing business with you,” they both said before running after Grim.

            I groaned. If Sora were real, he would catch Grim without a price.

            “Why is it, the only nice boy I can meet here is in my dreams?”

            %%%%%%

            “Why do I have to take these boring classes,” Grim struggled in my arms as we sat in the cafeteria.

            “Don’t complain,” I grabbed his head and started squeezing, “You wanna be a great mage? Then take being a student here seriously?”

            “Myah, since when were you so bossy?”

            “Since I had to bribe these two to bring you back!” I made Grim look at Ace and Deuce who were eating their croissant and latte, and had the nerve to look smug, “And since I had to spend money to buy them those, you won’t be getting any tuna for a week.”

            “No, not my tuna,” Grim whined.

            Ace laughed, “That’s what you get you dumb weasel.”

            “Who are you callin’ a weasel!” Grim looked like he was about to breath fire, but I quickly stuffed a roll of bread into his mouth.

            “No, fighting,” and I shot Ace a glare, “And don’t be a smug jerk especially to those who are trying to help you get that collar off.”

            “What she said,” Deuce said.

            Ace sighed, “Seriously, I want this stupid thing off now.”

            I looked at the collar and saw the lock. I remembered my dream again.

            I couldn’t help but chuckle, “Weirdly enough, I had a dream where I could take off that collar.”

            “Well, it doesn’t help me if you’re awake,” Ace grumbled.

            “I suppose,” I took a bite out of my sandwich, “But it was a nice dream though. I met this boy and he taught me how to use a-…”

            “Hey newbies!”

            We all jumped when we heard the voice. We looked to see the junior from that morning Cater. Next to him was a tall guy, with glasses and green hair.

            “You’re the guy from this morning,” Ace said.

            “You tricked us into painting those dumb roses,” Grim added.

            “’Tricked is such an ugly word,” Cater sat next to me, “Do you think I want to spend my morning painting roses.”

            “So instead, you made us waste our morning painting roses?” I asked.

            “Don’t be mad cutie,” Cater said, “It was dorm policy. I was just following orders.”

            “And grinning like a fiend all the while,” Deuce added.

            “Now, now, Deucey,” Cater teased, “I don’t care what rules you follow, out here I am your friendly mentor figure.”

            “Do not call me Deucey!”

            “That just shows how Cater cares,” the green haired guy sat across from us, next to Ace.

            “And who are you?” Ace asked his new neighbor.

            “Ah, I should introduce myself, the name’s Trey.”

            “He’s the vice housewarden,” Cater added.

            “I take it that means he’s second in command?”

            “Bingo!”

            “Why are you sitting with us?” Ace asked.

            “Oh don’t be mean, we’re all friends here from the same dorm. Besides,” Cater wrapped an arm around my shoulder, “It’s not fair to hog the only cute girl here.”

            “Please let go of me.”

            “Cater, don’t be creepy,” Trey said, that made Cater release me. Trey looked at me, “I’m also a junior like Cater. You’re (Y/N), the new prefect of that dump of a- I mean- that rustic dorm.”

            I slouched, “It’s okay, I know it’s a dump.”

            “Well, I heard the whole story from Cater, thanks for looking after our boys yesterday.”

            “See we’re friendly,” Cater pulled out his phones, “How about we exchange numbers.”

            I looked at him, “When I was cruelly ripped away from my world, my phone didn’t come with me. Sadly I have no number to give you.”

            “What? Well, we need to fix that asap.”

            “Cater, you’re freaking out the freshmen take down a notch,” Trey said.

            I looked around at the students from Heartlyabul. I noticed something.

            “You’re all wearing red and black armbands,” I looked around the cafeteria, “Actually, there are a lot of colored armbands.”

            “She’s right,” Grim said, “Plus we’ve seen what your dorm’s like, what about the others?”

            “I’d actually like to hear more about ours,” Ace said with a scowl, “What’s with the whole ‘Queen of Hearts rule junk?’”

            “I’m sure you’re familiar with the Legendary Queen of Hearts?” Trey began, “She ruled over a kingdom of weirdos by creating strict laws.”

            “Our dorm pays homage to her,” Cater added, “And we live by the rules she created.”

            “Can you make me any more bored?” Grim asked.

            I personally didn’t see the point of living by the rules a queen made centuries ago, but I kept quiet.

            “We wear red and black arm bands, because she wore a red and black dress,” Cater added, “As for following the rules well… past housewarden’s were more lax about it.”

            “But Riddle doesn’t mess around,” Trey explained, “Basically we’re honoring the traditions to the upmost as possible.”

            “Just my luck,” Ace groaned.

            “So, what are the other dorms like?” Grim asked.

            “As Cater mentioned,” Trey said, “Each dorm is themed after the Great Seven. Our dorm, Heartslyabul, was themed after the Queen of Hearts strictness. Savanaclaw is based off the King of Beasts persistent spirit. Octavinelle is based off the benevolent heart of the Sea Witch. Scarabia is based of the mindful personality of the Sorcerer of the Sands. Pomefiore is based of the tenacity of the Fairest Queen. Ignihyde is based of the diligence of the King of the Underworld. And Diasomnia is based off the noble spirit of the Thorn Fairy.”

            “I’m never gonna remember those long names,” I said.

            “Well you get the idea,” Cater laughed, “Like it or not you’ll get it soon.”

            “At orientation, the Dark Mirror choses your dorm by the nature of your soul,” Trey said, “So each dorm has a certain flavor of students.”

            “Yep, it’s true,” Cater said.

            “For example look at that guy,” Trey pointed to a tall muscular guy… with dog ears.

            “Okay, this world has people with animal ears,” I muttered. I wasn’t shocked anymore. After being brought to a new world, with talking cats, magic, ghosts, and ink monsters, nothing surprised me anymore.

            “That rough and tumble vibe he has, has Savanaclaw written all over it.”

            “Yep,” Cater agreed, “That dorm is full of big buff guys who like to work out and fight. The black and gold armbands are a dead giveaway.”

            “What about that guy with the gray and purple armband?” Grim asked.

            “He’s from Octavinelle,” Trey explained, “And the students sitting at the table with the gold and red bands are from Scarabia.”

            “Those dorms are for the smart students. They’re always neck-in-neck in academic rankings,” Cater then looked unsure, “Although Scarabia’s current housewarden is a little different.”

            “Let’s stay on topic,” Trey said, “See the flashy students with red and purple armbands? That Pomefiore’s color.”

            “Whoa, it’s another girl,” Grim said when he saw the purple haired student.

            “I thought (Y/N) was the only female student here,” Deuce added.

            Ace sighed, “She is, that’s a boy.”

            Our eyes widened. For a boy, he was certainly a dainty fella.

            “They take vanity pretty seriously in that dorm,” Cater said, “Full of pretty and gorgeous models. They’re housewarden has over five million followers on magicam.”

            Magicam? Was that like Instagram?

            “They’re not all just pretty faces,” Trey interjected, “The students at Pomefiore are the best at making potions and casting curses.”

            Not to self, don’t make anyone at Pomefiore mad.

            “Next we have Ignihyde. They have blue and black armbands, but I don’t see any of them around. They’re not the most outgoing of students. Even I don’t have a single friend from that dorm. They’re kind of the opposite from us fun loving Heartlabyul students.”

            “So they’re gloomy and miserable?” Grim asked.

            “Grim don’t be rude,” I said.

            Trey laughed, “They just have a reputation for being serious. That dorm attracts magical energy engineers and students who are good at tech.”

            I hummed, didn’t think a magic school would focus on tech.

            “And that leaves,” Deuce tried to remember, “Diahonyalara, was it?”

            “You were so close,” Ace sighed, “but then you tripped at the finish line. It’s Diasomnia.”

            Deuce’s face became red, “I know that, I just misspoke.”

            “What kind of flavor does that dorm have?” I asked.

            “Oh well, look over there,” Cater pointed to a balcony, “Those guys in the special seating area. You can tell from their neon green and black armbands. They’re campus celebrities. The vibe they give off, makes it hard for us regular shmucks to approach them. And their housewarden is that times a thousand.”

            We looked to see three students from the mentioned dorm. A silver haired boy with violet eyes. A green haired boy. And a short boy with black hair, red eyes, and pointed ears.

            He got the most attention.

            “There’s a little kid in that group,” Ace pointed him out.

            “Well, we do get child prodigies here,” Trey adjusted his glasses, “But that guy is no kid. He’s a junior like us. Name’s-…”

            “Lilia, Lilia Vanrouge.”

            We all jumped in our seats. I released a startled squeak when I heard a voice above us. We looked up, and wouldn’t you believe it. The student we were just talking about, was hovering above us, upside down.

            “Where did you come from?” I asked.

            He just smiled then landed in the seat next to me, “I understand that my apparent age interests you. As the bespectacled fellow has noted, despite my fresh faced and boyish good looks. I am not a child.”

            “Fresh-faced he says,” Trey looked surprise.

            “You’re that girl who appeared during orientation,” Lilia looked at me.

            “Um… yes,” I could only say.

            He reached up and patted my head like I was a little kid, “There’s no need to be nervous dear. Feel free to come talk to anyone from our dorm. We are schoolmates after all. We at Diasomnia welcome you with open arms.”

            “Uh… Thank you?”

            He chuckled, “I hope we can speak again.”

            Then he vanished into thin air and reappeared with his dormmates.

            “Their table is over twenty yards away,” Ace whispered, “And he overheard our conversation. That’s way creepy.”

            “Well, Diasomnia has a lot of special students,” Trey said, but by his tone it sounded like he agreed with Ace, “They’re extremely talented with magic. Their housewarden, Malleus Draconia is considered to be one of the five best mages in the world.”

            “Sounds powerful,” I noted.

            “Myah, I’ll be better than him in no time,” Grim stated.

            “I wouldn’t go around saying that,” Cater said, “Malleus is real bad, news. Then again, the same could be said of our housewarden.”

            “Yeah, he collared me, just for eating a slice of tart,” Ace complained, completely unaware that Riddle had approached the table, “He’s a rule obsessed freak.”

            “Oh really?” Riddle asked.

            Deuce looked behind and flinched in the presence of his dorm leader.”

            “Yeah, he is,” Ace said, completely oblivious to the hole he was digging, “He’s a tyrant who uses the rules as an excuse to keep everyone under his thumb.”

            “Um… Ace,” I tried to warn him but it was too late.

            Ace looked behind him and went pale, “Housewarden!”

            Riddle stood there with his arms crossed. If looks could kill, Ace would be dead.

            “Hey Riddle,” Cater grinned, “What’s shakin pal, you look adorbs as usual.”

            Cater was clearly trying to calm Riddle down, but it didn’t work.

            “Cater, keep running that mouth and you’ll lose it. Along with the rest of your head,” Riddle snapped.

            “Sorry, sorry, my bad.”

            Grim stood on the table, “You’re the guy who put that stupid collar on me during orientation.”

            “Grim shush,” I pulled him into my arms trying to keep things from getting worse.

            “And you’re the new students who nearly got expelled yesterday. I’ll ask you not to refer my signature spell as a stupid collar,” Riddle looked at both me and Grim with a scowl, “A magicless girl and a monster? What was the Headmage thinking. You being here is a clear violation of the rules.”

            I withered under his cold gaze and cruel words, Grim however…

            “The Headmage made us students. So we’re students! Deal with it!”

            Grim was insane with no common sense, but I wished I could be as brave as him. Maybe me being a student there was against the rules… but I did know I didn’t deserve to be talked to like that.

            “The Headmage is far too lenient,” Riddle said, “One day his decisions will send the campus into chaos one day.”

            “Uh… Housewarden sir,” Ace tried to sound courteous, “Could I have you remove this collar please?”

            “I was planning to after you reflected on your actions, but I detected no remorse from the nonsense you just spouted,” Riddle crossed his arms, “So I won’t. Don’t worry, the freshmen curriculum is more about theory then practice and having your magic sealed will prevent you from doing any more harm like you did yesterday,” harm he ate one tart, “I will not let my students be as unruly as Keyblade Wielders.”

            My eyes widened and I had to stifle a gasp. Did Riddle just say Keyblade Wielders?

            “Oh come on,” Ace groaned, “I’m not as bad as a Keyblade Wielder Riddle.”

            “That’s Housewarden Rosehearts to you,” Riddle said, “Now if you finished eating, get ready for class. Rule 271 is quite clear: One must leave the table fifteen minutes after finishing a meal.”

            I was thrown for a loop. That was when I realized I had heard them talk about Keyblade Wielders before.

            “What are Keyblade Wielders?”

            The question fell from my lips before I knew it. Suddenly all eyes were on me at the table. Everyone looked at me like I had grown a second head.

            “Yeah, what are Keyblade Wielders?” Grim asked.

            Riddle sighed, “You need to know this in school.”

            “Well, the technical term was someone chosen by a weapon called the keyblade,” Trey explained, “They say the keyblade was a key shaped sword, that could grant great power to it’s wielder.”

            “Really, I want one,” Grim piped.

            “No you don’t,” Riddle snapped, “The Keyblade Wielders, were anarchists and war criminals! Not to mention, the greatest enemies of the Great Seven.”

            My eyes widened at Riddle’s explanation.

            Anarchists? War criminals?

            I remembered my dream. I remembered holding a keyblade… did that mean. I was a…

            Keyblade Wielder?

Chapter Text

I sat there stunned at what Riddle had just said.

            The Keyblade Wielders were the greatest enemy of the seven? My mind went into a slight panic. Torn between my dream and what Riddle just said, I was too afraid to say anything.

            Thankfully, Grim wasn’t.

            “Their greatest enemy?” Grim asked, “Ace made it sound like they were all invincible.”

            “Well, they were for the most part,” Cater said.

            Riddle scowled, “During the reign of the Queen of Hearts, someone tried to assassinate her. The culprit was captured and was placed on trial. Naturally, the attacker was found guilty and was to be executed,” Riddle’s expression just became angrier and angrier, his face even turned red, “However, a wretched Keyblade Wielder and his two minions disrupted the trial to free the criminal. The Queen’s army fought valiantly to stop them and make sure justice was served, but in the end the army fell, and assassin escaped with their head.”

            I felt my heart sink deeper and deeper at Riddle’s story.

            “Myah, they fought an entire army and won?” Grim asked.

            “Do not sound impressed,” Riddle snapped, “An enemy of the Queen escaped. Her flawless record of maintaining order was forever ruined, because of that Keyblade Wielder!”

            “So, they aided and embedded a criminal,” an assassin no less. That did sound bad.

            “Well,” Trey said, “Compared to the rest of the Great Seven, the Queen of Hearts was lucky.”

            “How so?” Grim asked.

            “The rest of the Great Seven,” Ace added, “Were all murdered by Keyblade Wielders.”

            My heart stopped. Murdered? Them? I was half-listening to Ace’s story yesterday, but I did hear that the Great Seven were leaders and powerful mages.

            “Myah! All of them?” Grim asked, shocked.

            “Yeah,” Cater said, “Keyblade Wielders are scary stuff. There are even stories that say the Keyblade could be used to destroy the world.”

            Destroy the world? My mind went blank at the thought. Did I really have something that dangerous?

            %%%%%%

            “Assassin? Are you kidding me?” Sora practically yelled, “Alice was a kid. She couldn’t hurt anyone if she tried, and I proved her innocence too, but that crazy Queen threw a temper tantrum and declared all of us guilty anyway!”

            Sora glared at Riddle and the rest of the students. Of course, none of them heard Sora. This was afterall just a dream. So, Riddle continued to drag Keyblade Wielders through the mud.

“And we don’t want our students to act like them,” Riddle looked at Ace, “Understand.”

            “Easy Riddle,” Trey said in a gentle tone, “Look, how about you cool off. I can look after our freshmen.”

            Sora gave a concerned look towards (Y/N). She looked anxious. Sora understood. He remembered when King Triton found out he was a Keyblade Wielder and told him that the Keyblade only brought ruin. Sora had always tried to use the Keyblade to protect people and to be viewed as some villain instead of a hero, wasn’t a nice feeling.

            Not to mention (Y/N) probably believed the NRC students. She was probably worried about the power she had. Sora needed to explain to her the truth about the Keyblade and try to clear up the misunderstandings. For some reason when Sora slept and when (Y/N) slept, they meet in their dreams.

            He’d talk to (Y/N) that night and try to explain things to her.

            “Must you teleport to the humans table?”

            “They’re freshmen, I just wanted to tease them a bit and say hello.”

            Sora turned at the voice. It was the weird little guy who teleported to (Y/N). He frowned when he saw the green vests and armbands. They were the same shade of green as Maleficent’s flames. Sora couldn’t trust anyone who thought Maleficent was someone to admire. Or any of those seven. Basically, he didn’t trust anyone in that school. He needed to help (Y/N) as fast as possible, especially now that he knew what they thought of Keyblade Wielders.

            (Y/N) was a brand new Keyblade Wielder. From what Sora saw, she hadn’t done much fighting. If the students learned about her keyblade and decided to hurt her, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

            “Huh?” Sora stilled when he saw a flash of silver, “Riku?”

            Sora saw a silver haired boy walking with the guy called Lilia, for a second, he thought it was Riku. Until he got a good look. The boy had violet eyes and he had a stoic look.

            It wasn’t his best friend. But…

            “That guy kinda looks like Riku.”

            %%%%%%%%%

            I watched Riddle walk away after saying something about sugar cubes.

            Suddenly, I heard the sound of something wet. Like raindrops, but instead of rain that filled my head, an image of two black drops forming a puddle appeared in my mind.

            “Hm?” I rubbed my head, what was that?

            I was pulled from my thoughts when Ace groaned, “How am I gonna get this collar off now?”

            “Sorry about that,” Trey said, “Riddle is strict, but he does it because he believes it will make the dorm better.”

            “Riddle is serious,” Cater agreed, “He became Housewarden in less than his first week after his enrolment.” I could only assume that was an impressive feat.

            I forced what I learned about Keyblade Wielders in the back of my mind and focused on Ace.

            “Isn’t there, I don’t know, a spell that can nullify Riddle’s collar?” I asked.

            “No, it’s Riddle’s signature spell.”

            “I know how terrible it is,” Grim sulked, “That psycho put that collar on me during orientation.”

            “That was mostly your fault Grim,” I said, “When there’s a firebreathing monster running around people will try to stop it.”

            Grim growled, “But that collar hurt and it shut off my magic.”

            “Curious about Riddle’s signature spell huh, cutie?” Cater asked me.

            I looked at him, “What’s a signature spell?”

            “A spell that only one mage can do,” Deuce explained.

            “I doubt he’s the only person in the world who can use it,” Trey adjusted his glasses, “But yes a signature is a magical ability that is unique to it’s user. You’ll learn about them in class soon enough.”

            “Riddle’s spell can temporarily seal away someone’s magic,” Cater continued, “It’s name is ‘off with your head,’” how cheery.

            “Even the name’s psycho,” Grim paled.

            “To mages losing your magic is as painful as losing your head,” Cater explained, “Which is why everyone at our dorm, tries not to violate Riddle’s rules.”

            “Wow,” I said, “So if Riddle can shut off someone else’s magic, what can you guys do?”

            I looked at Ace and Deuce who looked nervous.

            “Uh…”

            “Lemme guess,” Cater grinned, “You two don’t have a signature spell yet.”

            “Shut up,” Ace whined.

            I looked at Grim, “Do you have a signature spell?”

            “Who needs it when I got flames?”

            “Anyway,” Ace said, “You seriously won’t let me back into the dorm without a tart?”

            “Sorry, rule 35, my hands are tied,” Cater said, “Plus, Riddle always wants to eat the first slice so you’ll have to get him a whole tart.”

            “But aren’t tarts expensive?” Ace asked.

            “Aren’t tarts fancy pies?” I thought out loud, “They’re supposed to three times smaller than pies, but three times as expensive.”

            “Pie? That sounds good,” Grim said.

            “Don’t worry,” Cater said, “Trey can make a tart in fact he made the ones you ate last night.”

            “Really, that’s amazing,” I said.

            “You made those tarts, Trey?” Ace asked, “They were as good as ones you find in a bakery.”

            “Thanks,” Trey smiled, “I can help you, but you gotta do something for me.”

            “You’re charging me?” Ace asked deflating, “What kind of racket…?”

            “Nah, I wouldn’t take money from a freshmen,” Trey smirked, “I just need you to gather some ingredients. Riddle wants a chestnut tart next, so I need you to get some chestnuts.”

            “That sounds like a hassle,” Ace complained, “But fine, how much do you need?”

            “Well, it’s for the unbirthday party,” Trey said, “So, probably two or three hundred.”

            “Did you say hundred?” Deuce and Grim asked at the same time.

            “And they need to be shelled, boiled, and pureed,” Trey said with a smile as if Deuce and Grim hadn’t just freaked out.

            “And where are we supposed to get that many chestnuts?” I asked.

            “Hold on, what is ‘we,’ business?” Grim asked, “I don’t wanna help.”

            “Me neither.”

            “Oh come on,” Cater encouraged, “Don’t you know that food tastes better when made with friends?”

            “Plus, I’m in charge of you Grim and I say we’re helping.”

            “No way, I’m the boss here!”

            I grabbed his collar, “Help make the tart and we’ll probably get to have a slice for free,” I hadn’t known Grim long, but I knew by then, that free food, made him compliant.

            “Sold!”

            %%%%%%

            The rest of the classes, went by in a blur. My mind kept replaying what Riddle and the others told me about Keyblade Wielders.

            Anarchists and War criminals. Greatest enemy of the Great Seven. Helping dangerous criminals. Killing figures in power…

            Destroying the world.

            My dream… it felt so real. I could still feel the heavy weight of the keyblade in my hands. The leather bound handle and how my thumb felt as it ran against it. The feel of the seven small gems at the base of the blade and the grooves of the Sakura design. I even felt… something else.

            But it was just a dream!

            I heard the others mention the keyblade yesterday and… well it was self-explanatory a key shaped sword. My brain must have just created that fantasy, just like Sora. It wasn’t real. At least it wasn’t real for me.

            I mean, I wasn’t some anarchist or blood thirsty killer. I knew that. I was a normal, nice girl, who was-…

            “(Y/N)!” Grim’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

            “Uh, what?”

            “This isn’t the time to be spacing out,” Ace complained, “I said we need tools to collect chestnuts.”

            “R-right,” we were in the forest trying to collect chestnuts.

            “My paws hurt,” Grim held up his paws. One of them was bleeding.

            I crouched down concerned, “You need to be more careful.”

            “Let’s check the botanical garden for tools,” Ace suggested.

            “They must have something,” Deuce agreed.

            I nodded.

            I tried to get my head together as we walked towards the entrance. I needed to focus on helping Ace, not on some weapon didn’t have or crazy anarchists who had been dead for centuries. It had nothing to do with me.

            Just focus on Ace, then focus on getting home.

            When we entered, I was in awe of the giant greenhouse.

            “It’s beautiful in here.”

            It was like a rain forest. So many trees and plants I had never seen before, and a small little river flowing through it. Once again, I wished I had my sketchbook. This would make a beautiful picture, even a painting.

            “Let’s split up,” Ace said, “There has to be a groundskeeper who maintains such a big place.”

            “Okay.”

            We split off from each other, although Grim was with me.

            “I wonder if this tastes good,” Grim grabbed a leaf and tried to take a bite out of it. I quickly grabbed him and pulled him away from the plants.

            “Don’t eat strange plants, they could be poisonous,” I pulled him into my arms.

            “You sound like that teacher with the hitting stick,” Grim complained.

            “Well, clearly I can’t trust you to wonder around on your own,” I stated before turning and walking down a path, “Let’s see if we go straight through here we can-…”

            “Ow!”

            A yell came immediately after my foot stepped on something. What?

            I looked down to see whatever I had stepped on, shoot into the bushes. The same place the yell had come.

            A few seconds later there was a groan then someone stood up from behind the bushes.

            “What’s the big idea?” The man asked in a gruff voice when he spotted me. He walked towards me.

            He was tall. He had tan skin, long dark hair, small braids hung in his wild mane. And ‘mane’ was the correct word, he had lion ears and a tail. He had green eyes and a small scar over his left one.

            Was he a student? He wasn’t wearing the blazer jacket that was part of the uniform, but he was wearing a white shirt and yellow vest. That was part of the Savanaclaw dorm, if I remembered correctly.

            “You must be the groundskeeper,” Grim said, completely ignoring his glare.

            He growled, “You got a lot of nerve, stepping on my tail and waking me from my nap.”

            “Um… I’m very sorry,” I quickly said, “I didn’t mean to step on your tail.”

            His scowl remained as he looked me over, “Aren’t you that herbivore girl who made a mess of orientation.”

            “Uh… technically it was Grim,” I pointed to the cat in my arms nervously. Wait did he just call me an herbivore?

            “Look pal, you shouldn’t talk that way to students,” Grim said, clearly not reading the situation.

            I had just stepped on the tail of a grouchy lion man, who was bigger, meaner, and could easily hit me. Needless to say I was scared.

            Suddenly he leaned down close to me and sniffed my neck.

            “Hey what are you doing?” I took a few steps back to get away from him.

            “Yep,” he said, “You don’t smell like magic. You don’t have an ounce of magic in you.”

            “I made that clear in orientation,” I reminded. I felt the need to get away, “Look, I am sorry. I’ll leave right now,” I tried to walk away, but he suddenly grabbed my arm.

            “Hold it, no one steps on my tail and just walks away,” he said. My eyes widened when I noticed the tips of fangs in his mouth.

            “It was an accident,” I struggled, “Just let go.”

            “Hey Leona, are you in here?”

            The lion guy turned his head in the direction of the new voice. That gave me my chance to rip myself from his grip and dash into greenhouse safe from his sight.

            %%%%%%

            Leona watched the herbivore girl disappear into the gardens. A part of him wanted to chase after her, but he decided it wasn’t worth the hassle.

            “Was that a girl?” Ruggie asked when he approached Leona, the he snickered, “Wow, now you’re bullying girls now. I thought lion beastmen respected women.”

            “She stepped on my tail,” Leona stated, “All I did was scare her a little. Now she should know her place.”

            Although, Leona did remember what the Dark Mirror said about that girl.

            “… This girl is a light, she does not belong in the ways of darkness…”

            Why would that mirror say that? Leona doubted most of the students even remembered that, but he did. The fact the mirror brought her there was a mystery of itself. Why bring a magicless girl to a magic academy for boys?

            Leona decided to shrug it off. It didn’t matter to him. She was magicless, afraid, and weak. She wouldn’t last long there. She would probably leave NRC in a week or so.

            %%%%%%%

            I gasped as I leaned against a tree, “I think we’re safe here.”

            “What was that guy’s problem?” Grim asked, “Who would hire a groundskeeper like that?”

            “I actually think he was a student,” I slid down the tree and set Grim on the ground. I sighed, “Why is the only nice boy I meet in this world is in my dreams?”

            %%%%%%%

            The mirror was in front of me again. It began to glow, then the light seemed to pull me in again.

            The next thing I knew, I was standing on top of a mountain. Looking up at the most clear night sky I had ever seen. So many stars sparkled, like diamonds on black velvet. I even caught streaks of light shooting across the sky. It was beautiful.

            “Hey Aqua,” I looked to see two people sitting over the edge of a cliff. A boy with blonde spikey hair, and a woman with blue hair. The boy was looking at the woman, “Do you know what stars are? Where light comes from?”

            The woman, Aqua hummed, “Well they say…”

            “That every star up there, is another world,” a new voice finished.

            We all looked to see who had just appeared.

            “Terra.”

            A man with brown hair, a strong build, and blue eyes approached the two, “Yep hard to believe there are so many world besides are own. The light is there hearts,” he explained, “And they’re shining down on us like a million lanterns.”

            The boy turned to face Terra, “What? I don’t get it?”

            Terra just smiled, “In other words, they’re just like you Ven.”

            Ven stood up and approached Terra, “What does that mean?”

            “You’ll find out someday I’m sure,” Terra said.

            Ven just frowned, “I wanna know now.”

            “You’re too young to know now,” Terra stated.

            “Quit treating me like a kid,” Ven whined.

            Aqua who watched the exchange burst into laughter.

            “Hey what are you laughing at?” Terra asked.

            “I can’t help it,” Aqua said, “You two would make the weirdest brothers.”

            The two boys just gave Aqua a weird look as she continued to laugh, but soon all three of them were laughing together.. I couldn’t help but smile at the scene. It was obvious these three were friends.

            The three sat on the cliff, watching the stars. I couldn’t help myself, so I sat next to Aqua and pretended to watch with them.

            I kept glancing back at the three friends. They were all dressed differently. Terra kind of looked like a samurai. Ven was wearing a jacket that was half black half white, like Yin and Yang. Aqua, was wearing a corset and ribbons hung off her hips, creating the illusion of a skirt.

            They’re shoes looked like armor shoes. They also wore the same emblem, it kind of looked like a heart.

            “Oh yeah,” Aqua got up and reached into a pocket behind her, “Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow.”

            I looked at her confused. An exam?

            “I made us good luck charms,” Aqua pulled out three necklaces. My eyes widened at the pendants. They looked like the sea shall charm Sora had. Except these were made of glass and each one was a different color. Orange, green, and blue.

            Aqua gave the orange one to Terra, which he caught. Ven looked at the charm in awe, “Whoa.”

            “Here,” she tossed the green one to Ven.

            “I get one too?” Ven asked.

            “Of course, one for each of us,” she kept the blue one for herself. And held it out to her friends, they held out their good luck charms together.

            “Wow,” I muttered, “Whether they’re glass or seashells, they’re still pretty.”

            Aqua looked up towards the sky, “Somewhere out there, there’s this tree with star shaped fruit. And that fruit represents an unbreakable connection,” Aqua walked into the lot of grass, “So long as your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You’ll always find your way back to each other,” she turned back towards the boys, “Technically, I think you’re supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had.”

            I smiled, “That’s so sweet.”

            But Terra being a man ruined the moment, “Oy, sometimes you are such a girl.”

            That made me tilt to the side. Men just couldn’t appreciate sweet sentiments could they?

            “So, this isn’t a real good luck charm?” Ven asked, since they weren’t made with seashells. He seemed disappointed.

            “Well, that remains to be seen,” Aqua explained, “but I did work a little magic on it,” I looked at her. Aqua was a mage? Aqua held her charm in the air with a smile, “An unbreakable connection.”

            I smiled. This was sweet, despite what Terra thought.

            Terra walked into the lot, “Well, tomorrow’s the exam, anyone want to spar?”

            Ven took a stance, then in a flash of light something appeared in his hand. I gasped when I saw the keyblade appear.

            Terra playfully smiled, “Let’s see how much you’ve improved,” in another flash, another keyblade appeared in Terra’s hand.

            “Shouldn’t you spar with someone on your level?” Aqua then summoned another keyblade. I looked at all of them in shock.

            All of them, were Keyblade Wielders?

            “(Y/N)? Hey (Y/N)?”

            A voice from far away called. I was pulled away from the three Keyblade Wielders and back through the mirror.

            My eyes shot open, to find Grim looking at me, “Ace and Deuce said they found the tools. Let’s get those chestnuts.”

            I sat up straight when I realized I was still in the botanical gardens, sitting against the tree.

            Did I fall asleep?

            “Uh… yeah, chestnuts, let’s go,” I stood up.

            We went back to collecting chestnuts, Grim told Ace and Deuce about the lion guy.

            “Yeah, I don’t think he was the groundskeeper,” Deuce agreed.

            “I’m starting to think that too,” Grim said, “He was wearing a vest from the pajama-clog dorm.”

            How he get that so wrong?

            “Savanclaw,” Ace corrected.

            “It looks like this school has a lot delinquents,” Deuce thought.

            “Gee, I haven’t noticed,” I said sarcastically.

            When we collected enough chestnuts we went back to the kitchen.

            Soon, we were peeling and mashing chestnuts. Or trying to.

            “Grim, stop eating the chestnuts,” I pulled him away from the basket, “At this rate we won’t have enough for the tarts!”

            “But they taste good,” he whined.

            “Oh boy,” Trey said, “It looks like you guys got too much chestnuts to make the cream.”

            “So, what?” I asked, “We let Grim eat the access?”

            “Oooh, I’m all for it,” Grim got excited.

            Trey laughed, “No, we just need more eggs and milk.”

            “I can go,” Deuce volunteered, “But I’ll need help. (Y/N) can you come?”

            “Sure,” I nodded.

            “In that case, I’m coming too,” Grim said as he climbed onto my shoulder and rested his front paw on my head as if it were a bed, “If I can’t eat I’ll come.”

            “Of course you won’t,” I sighed.

            “Don’t worry,” Trey gave a friendly smile, “I’m sure with the ingredients you get, we’ll make tarts even Keyblade Wielders can’t beat.”

            I bit my tongue when Trey said that. I didn’t know why. His opinion of Keyblade Wielders had nothing to do with me.

            Deuce and I walked to the student store. My mind kept going back to the dreams I’d been having. I kept telling myself I needed to forget them. That I shouldn’t think about the Keyblade Wielders.

            From what I heard, Keyblade Wielders had the power to destroy worlds. They even used that power to kill leaders and important figures. I could only imagine the horrible chaos that followed. Governments must have collapsed, people must had starved, wars must have happened. I didn’t want to believe I could have a connection to those people…

            Except, Sora, Terra, Ven, and Aqua… they didn’t seem like terrifying anarchists or world destroyers. They seemed like nice people.

            I shook my head. They were dreams! They weren’t real! Just like how I wasn’t a Keyblade Wielder!

            “Hey, you’re gonna shake me off,” Grim’s voice caused me to stop my head shacking. He still lost his balance and would had landed on the ground if I hadn’t caught him.

            “Sorry, Grim.”

            “Are you okay?” Deuce asked.

            “Uh… Yeah… I…” What could I tell, “I-I will be.”

            That made Deuce look concerned.

            “Um… I’m sorry you’re here.” I looked at Deuce confused, “I know you don’t want to be here. You want to go home,” he said, “I’m sorry that you’re stuck in a different world.”

            My eyes widened. That was the first time anyone had actually said something kind to me since I arrived.

            I smiled, “Thank you Deuce. It means a lot that someone actually cares. I’ll try to hang in there, until Crowley finds me a way home. I just… I’ve just been having weird dreams lately.”

            “Dreams?” Deuce asked.

            “Yeah, just weird dreams,” I said, “Like you said, I… I don’t want to be here and it’s messing with my head,” I sighed, “I need… something.”

            “Well, if you ever want to talk,” Deuce said, “I’ll be here.”

            I smiled again, “Thanks Deuce. I’m glad there’s one nice boy here and it isn’t in my dreams.”

            He suddenly looked ahead blushing.

            The school store had everything. I’m not exaggerating, they had magic charms, taxidermy, school supplies, and groceries.

            It was either impressive or insane!

            Deuce and I split up to get the ingredients. I found the milk and was making my way back to the cash register, when something caught my eye.

            A book, it didn’t have a title, it must had been a notebook for notes or to be a diary. The cover looked like it was leather, but it had an embroidered design on it. A heart that had stemmed from a star design. A pair of mismatched wings were at the bottom, a feathered wing and a bat wing. I didn’t know why but, something drew me to this book. I picked up and opened it. I was right, it was blank, just lines waiting to be filled with entries.

            I remembered reading somewhere that, one way to help deal with stress and trauma was writing about it in a diary. Maybe this was what I needed. Something to write about, something to confess all my secrets too, without telling anyone.

            I checked the allowance Crowley gave me. I had just enough.

            I looked around a bit and stopped. There was an isle, filled with arts supplies. Colored pencils, sketch books, blank canvas’s and paints. I could only stare.

            Drawing and painting was my hobby back home. I loved to draw and sketch. Painting however was a labor of love. I wouldn’t paint something unless I found the subject absolutely beautiful.

            Being artsy was definitely a good way to process. It was therapeutic, but there was no way I could afford any art supplies, I could barely afford the notebook. Which was a tragedy, those blank canvas’s called to me.

            I managed to force myself away and walk towards the check-out.

            Once we got everything, we began our back to the kitchen.

            “That store was amazing,” Deuce said.

            “And you’re amazingly cheap,” Grim complained, “I didn’t know it was National No Fun day.”

            “We didn’t need those flying saucers, Grim,” I adjusted my hold on the bags. They were heavy.

            “(Y/N), it looks like you got the bags with all the cans,” Deuce noticed, “It must be heavy let me take one.”

            “Thank you Deuce, but I don’t want to carry something heavy,” I said concerned.

            “Don’t worry,” he took one of the heavy bags, “There’s a trick to carrying heavy bags?”

            “There’s a trick?” I asked.

            “Yeah, my mom would stock up on groceries,” Deuce explained, “I was the only man in the house. So, I learned to carry groceries.”

            I smiled, “You’re a good son, taking care of your mom like that,” however, Deuce’s expression fell into sadness, “What’s the matter?” I didn’t think I said anything mean.

            “Well…” He began, “To be honest, I wasn’t-…”

            BAM

            We were suddenly hit when a group of students crossed the corner and walked into Deuce. He fell backwards and the bag he was carrying hit the ground and started to leak.

            “Hey,” the student who ran into Deuce snapped, “Watch where you’re going.”

            “Deuce,” I placed my bag on the ground and quickly checked on him, “Are you alright?”

            “Aw how cute, your girlfriend’s worried about you,” another student mocked.

            “You got crap on my uniform, how are you going to make up for that?”

            “Maybe your girlfriend can keep us company?”

            “Myah, get from my henchmen,” Grim demanded.

            Deuce got up and stood in front of me, “Leave her alone, besides you ran into us and ruined our eggs!”

            “Oh please,” the delinquent said, “They’re just a little cracked they’re still edible, besides who cares some eggs get smashed?”

            “Smashed?” Deuce began to trembled before yelling, “SMASHED?”

            That made me and Grim take a step back. Deuce had suddenly changed.

            “Those eggs might not have become chicks, but they were still going to be a delicious tart! You have no right to say that no one cares.”

            Then Deuce tackled the group of students and began beating them up. Grim and I stood their stunned as Deuce took down a group of delinquents by himself.

            “You wanna get in there Grim?” I asked.

            “Nope!”

            “This guy’s insane, run!” The students retreated leaving Deuce.

            “Eh, are you okay?” Grim asked from a distance.

            I carefully approached Deuce, “Deuce… just take a deep breath.”

            When he heard me, he seemed to snap out of it, “Oh man, I did it again.”

            I looked at Deuce confused, “What was that?”

            Deuce sighed, “When I was in middle school I was wild. I cut classes, I hung out with bullies, I showed off my magic to kids who couldn’t use it yet, I bleached my hair,” he bleached his hair? That… would seem like an interesting look for Deuce. “I was a total punk. One night I overhead my mom talking to my grandma, she was crying saying she had no idea how I turned out that way. That she failed me, by raising me herself. It wasn’t her fault it was mine. So, when the carriage came for me, she was so happy. I decided then and there, I would turn over a new leaf, become an honor student, someone she’d be proud of.”

            I smiled, “It takes a lot for a person to admit their faults and try to become better.”

            “Yeah,” Deuce slumped, “But I got angry again and slipped backwards.”

            “Look,” Grim said, “If you hadn’t beaten them up, I would have.”

            “Really?”

            “Yeah,” Grim nodded.

            “You also defended me,” I said, “Honor students are allowed to get mad, just don’t overdue it.”

            Deuce looked a bit relieved, “Thanks guys,” he shot a glare in the direction the bullies ran, “Every time they eat eggs, they better apologize a hundred times over.”

            I made a small noise. Deuce was nice and I could appreciate anyone who tried to be a better person, but… I didn’t think he was going to be an honor student any time soon.

            “Deuce, you understand those eggs were never going to hatch right?”

            Deuce looked at me shocked, “Huh?”

            %%%%%%%

            After explaining to Deuce about eggs, we went back and made chestnut tarts.

            I whisked the cream and eggs together as Deuce contemplated the truth about eggs. I felt a little bad, he was acting like a kid who just learned that there was no such thing as Santa Clause.

            “You’re really good at that,” Trey said as he checked on me.

            “It’s no big deal,” I said, “I’m just mixing ingredients.”

            “Well, you’re still pretty good, do you cook often?”

            That made me pause for a second, “Uh… no not really.”

            My reaction made Trey look concerned, “Is something wrong.”

            “No, I’m fine. I’m just… normal.”

            “Normal?”

            “Yeah, normal. I don’t like to cook I just… do it to eat.”

            Trey wasn’t convinced, “Would it be a bad thing to like cooking.”

            “Well… in my world. A woman cooking is old fashioned and… people expect us to be modern women.”

            Trey frowned, “But what if you genuinely like it?”

            That made me go quiet. Trey looked a bit worried.

            “I don’t know how things work in your world but here, there are no rules to tell you what you can or can’t like.”

            I could only nod.

            It took time but we finished the tarts.

            “And finished.”

            We made about three large tarts. They looked and smelled good.

            “Wow, it smells great in here,” Cater seemed to pop out of nowhere, “And they look so tasty, definitely worthy of a photo,” he pulled out his camera and snapped a pick.

            Trey laughed and passed each of us a slice, “Here try it.”

            We all took a bite. I couldn’t help but melt at the sweet and creamy taste.

            “This is so good,” Deuce said, “Like something you get in a professional backery.”

            Grim was eating so much, I was concerned he wasn’t breathing, “It’s so tasty, like chestnuts are dancing on my tongue.”

            “This is really good,” I complimented, “Is there a secret?”

            “There is,” Trey grinned, “I added a bit of oyster sauce.”

            I nearly spat out my tart.

            “Oyster sauce?” Ace asked shocked.

            “Yeah, the umami of they oysters gives the cream a deep, savory flavor,” Trey continued.

            What the hell is umami?

            “All best bakers use it in their tarts,” Trey added.

            “But aren’t oyster sauce like super salty?” Deuce asked.

            “Well some people put chocolate in curry don’t they? Maybe it’s the same thing,” Ace thought.

            “Umami in oysters and chocolate in curry,” I wondered out loud, “I really am in another world aren’t I?”

            That was when Trey and Cater burst into laughter.

            “I’m totally lying,” Trey said, “No one in their right mind would put oyster sauce into a pastry.”

            “What so you were just messin with us?” Ace asked annoyed.

            “And here I thought there was at least one decent human at this school,” Grim sagged.

            “Well, you have to admit it’s a little funny,” Cater said.

            Trey chuckled, “How about I show you something to make up for it. What’s your favorite food?”

            “Me? Well cherry pie or hamburgers,” Ace answered.

            “Omelets,” Deuce answered.

            “Tuna,” Grim chirped, “And cheesy omelets, and grilled meat.”

            “Grim, pick one,” I sighed, “Me, I like pasta.”

            “Alright,” Trey waved his wand, before pointing to our tarts, “Now try them.”

            We did. My eyes widened, my tart tasted just like pasta.

            “Whoa, it tastes like cherry pie now,” Ace said. I looked at him bewildered.

            “I can taste tuna,” Grim took another bit, “And cheese omelet,” then another bit, “Now fried meat.”

            “That’s Trey’s signature spell,” Cater explained, “It called, ‘Paint the Roses.’”

            “I can overwrite the characteristics of things, colors, smells, tastes.”

            “Wow, this is pretty cool,” I took a bite out of my pasta tart.

            “See Trey,” Cater said, “I told you your spell would be popular with the ladies.”

            “Well, this is definitely better than Riddle’s spell,” Grim grumbled.

            Trey shook his head, “Riddle’s spell is in another league, it’s an actual weapon.”

            “That’s actually scary,” I said, “I think your spell is much nicer.”

            “That’s sweet (Y/N).”

            “It’s getting late,” Cater noticed the time.

            Ace sighed, “It’s too late to give the tart to Riddle now,” he looked at me, “(Y/N) can I stay at Ramshackle again? I don’t think I’ll be let back into my dorm tonight.”

            I nodded, “Sure, we’ll have time to clean out some space.”

            “You shouldn’t keep mooching off (Y/N) and Grim,” Deuce said.

            “Yeah, if you’re wanna stay, you gotta pay ten cans of tuna a night,” Grim crossed his paws.

            “In that case I’m sleeping outside.”

            I flicked Grim’s head, “I’m the prefect remember,” I looked back at Ace, “You can stay free of charge Ace, don’t worry.”

            “Deuce,” Trey chimed in, “How about you stay with Ace at Ramshackle tonight. To keep an eye on him. As vice-housewarden I’ll write you a sleepover pass.”

            “Oooh, staying with (Y/N)?” Cater got excited, “Can I go too?”

            Trey grabbed Cater by the ear halting his advancement, “No pass for you.”

            Cater pouted, “Aw, no fair, spoiling the freshmen.”

            %%%%%%%

            We sat in the lounge of Ramshackle, each of us sitting on sleeping bags. I decided that we could all sleep in the lounge together. I was a little nervous sleeping next to boys, but after that I realized; Ace and Deuce were harmless to me.

            That and Grim had permission to barbecue them if they tried anything.

            “I keep winding up the old maid,” Grim whined as he held the joker card.

            “Because you’re so easy to read,” Ace grinned.

            “Knock it off you two,” Deuce sighed.

            I watched the three of them bicker. I couldn’t help but laugh, what was I going to do with these three.

            “I’ll go get some drinks,” I stood up and went to the kitchen.

            As I did, I thought about the day I had. A lot of things in that world was still confusing and new to me. There were a lot scary things too, like that lion guy in the garden, and Riddle himself. It would be in my best interest to stay away from them while I was there.

            But, making the tarts, talking to Ace, Deuce, and Grim. It was nice. I took in a deep breath and smiled. Maybe this world wasn’t so bad if I had those three to keep me company until I went home.

            “You know guys,” I said as I walked back in, “I’ve been having dreams about Keyblade Wielders. There was even a dream where I was…” I trailed off when I walked back into the lounge. The three of them were sleeping on the futons, snoring away. I snorted a laugh, “You guys are hopeless.”

            I put the drinks back and took out my new diary.

            It feels wrong to just call it my diary. It’s silly, but being an another world is a special circumstance. It should be called a special name.

            I hummed when I opened to the first page. What to call this diary? I smiled when a name came to mind. I wrote down the title.

Twisted Diary

            %%%%%%%

            I opened my eyes as I sank into the darkness.

            Here again?

            The sensation was familiar to me. This was what I went through, during the dive. But it also felt different somehow.

            I looked towards my destination. Yep, another stained glass platform. However, it wasn’t a stranger, it was… me?

            Laying in the center of a glass portrait of pink, black, and violet, was me. I was wearing the hooded robe I wore when I first woke up in Twisted Wonderland. In the circles that surrounded my face, was Ace, Deuce and Grim.

            I was lying in a coffin, like the one in the mirror chamber, my eyes closed. It was little unnerving, I looked like I was dead. But in the coffin, clutched in my hands like I would bouquet, was my keyblade, Heart’s Reflection.

            My feet gently landed on the glass portrait. I looked at my image, before looking around, “Sora?”

            No answer, Sora was nowhere to be seen.

            I looked at the portrait again and noticed something. The keyblade in stained glass was different. Just a little. It was the small line of mage stones that was in the base of the blade. They weren’t black, each one was a different color. From the mirror the color’s were, bright red, yellow, grey, dark red, purple, blue, and lastly green.

            That wasn’t right. I looked at my hands nervously, before shaking my head. This was just a dream.

            I summoned my keyblade back into my hands and checked. The magestones were black, just like before. I ran my finger over them, wondering why the portrait was wrong.

Seven hearts will fall to darkness.

            “Who’s there?” I shouted when I heard the voice.

Consume their darkness, return them to light.

            “What does that mean?” I shouted. But the voice went silent. I sighed, “I really am going crazy aren’t I?”

            I looked at the keyblade in my hands. Everything about this dream felt so real, just like the night before. I could feel the rough leather of the handle, I could feel the smooth texture of the magestones, I could feel the heavy weight of the keyblade itself.

            I could also feel that the keyblade was… alive.

            I didn’t know how to explain it, but I could feel that as I held the keyblade it felt like it was holding me too. It wasn’t a scary feeling, it felt like, I was holding someone’s had as I walked through a dark forest.

            After everything I learned about Keyblade Wielders that day, I should had been afraid or ashamed of having that dream. The Keyblade was supposed to be a dangerous weapon that brought ruin, but it didn’t feel like that. It felt… comforting, to hold and look at.

            I held the keyblade in the air, the cherry blossoms seemed to shine with the light from the tower, “Do… you really have the power, to destroy worlds?” Of course it didn’t answer me, verbally, but it felt like it, shined for a moment. That didn’t seem like a bad answer.

            I sighed, “Well this is a dream anyway,” I took the stance Sora taught me, “Let’s pretend, I’m some chosen warrior of justice. Protector of the innocent, and vanquisher of evil. Choosing to use my keyblade for good.”

            I practiced with the keyblade. I swung the keyblade, made thrust movements. Pretending I knew what I was doing when I didn’t.

            I tried to use magic again, but I still couldn’t do much.

            I groaned and sat down, “Seriously, I can’t even use magic in my dream?” I flopped on my back, “Maybe I’m overthinking this?”

            I held my keyblade above me. I could still feel it. The warmth, the life…

            I pointed my keyblade up into the sky, or rather the dark void. I closed my eyes, feeling the keyblade, feeling Heart’s Reflection.

            I tried to… reach towards that warmth… and it reached back.

            The keyblade pulsed with something. I opened my eyes to see light gathering at the tip, then a beam of light rose into the air, gently, beautifully. More lights broke off it, like a tree. I sat up and watched as the lights branched off and began to sink back towards the platform.

            One small light floated down to me. Hesitantly, I lifted my hand and caught the light. It didn’t burn or hurt. It was just warm and gentle.

            I smiled and brought it closer to me.

            “This is the scary deadly power that destroys worlds?”

            Suddenly, everything was gone. Replaced by the mirror again.

            The mirror glowed again, and like before, I was pulled in.

            “Who’s been painting my roses red?” A woman’s angry voice asked, “Someone will lose their head for this.”

            A large woman wearing red and black, stood over three cards and the girl who were kneeling at her feet.

            The card begged for their lives.

            “Have mercy your grace, it was the Ace!”

            “Not me, it was the three.”

            “That’s not true, it was the two.”

            “Enough,” the woman shouted waving a bush of painted roses in the air, “Off with all of their heads.”

            With cheers, the three unfortunate living cards were dragged away to be executed. The blonde girl’s expression was just like mine.

            Horrified.

            “But, they’re just roses,” I called, “She’s killing her subjects over roses? This is wrong, someone stop her.”

            However, I was pulled away from the scene and out of the mirror.

The first heart will succumb…

            My eyes opened. I was back in the lounge with Ace, Deuce, and Grim. I sighed and sat up.

            That was… an intense dream.

            I took in a deep breath. I really needed to get it together. That was the day of the unbirthday party. Once we gave Riddle the tart and have Ace apologize, hopefully this would make things a bit easier.

            So, why did I have a bad feeling?

Twisted Diary

Entry 1

            Since I woke up, I was chased by a fire breathing cat, became a janitor at a magic school, fought a giant ink monster, then became a student at the same school. And that was just one day.

            I’ll go crazy if I don’t write this down. I heard writing things down helps you with stress. Like talking to a blank wall.

            So, basically, I’m stuck in another world called Twisted Wonderland. I decided to call this diary the ‘Twisted Diary’ for fun.

            Last night, Ace ate a tart and his housewarden Riddle put a collar on him, that seals his magic. Ace wants the collar off, but the dorm he’s in, Heartslyabul, has crazy and confusing rules. Supposedly if Ace replaces the tart he ate, it will resolve the issue.

            So we made chestnut tarts. I almost got beat up by a lion man to do it, but we did it.

            Also, I learned about Keyblade Wielders today. The Great Seven, past historical figures, were defeated or killed by Keyblade Wielders. They sounded like rebels, or terrorists, or anarchists. Everyone at the school badmouths them.

            Ace said yesterday that he was a fan of the Queen of Hearts, so I guess it only makes sense to hate someone who messed with your hero.

            But I had been having dreams. Dreams about Keyblade Wielders, I’ve even had dreams where I was a Keyblade Wielder. The Keyblade Wielders in my dreams weren’t scary. They were nice, friendly.

            When I held the Keyblade in my dream it wasn’t scary either.

            But, those are dreams. I’m sure in real life they were terrifying and crazy.

            I’ve only been here a few days and it feels like I’m going insane. I want to do something to calm down.

            Okay, I’ve decided, tomorrow I’ll tell my friends about the dreams. I’m sure they’ll just laugh it off and say I’m too weak to be a Keyblade Wielder and I’ll laugh along with them. Maybe then, I’ll feel better.

            Afterall, I shouldn’t let some weird dreams stress me out.

Chapter Text

            Cater led us back to Heartslyabul.

            Just as we crossed the mirror, we were met with… another Cater?

            “Hey me, you made it,” the Cater who was waiting said as me and the other three just stared.

            “You see another Cater too, right?” I asked Ace.

            “Yep,” Ace said, just as dumbstruck.

            “Oh, this?” Cater pointed at his double, “This is my signature spell, ‘Split Card.’ I can make clones of myself.”

            Then suddenly a small team of Cater’s appeared.

            “Hey Cay-Cay.”

            “How’s it hanging?”

            “Hi (Y/N),” one of them clearly tried to flirt with me, but I was too busy being dumbstruck.

            “My brain is doing backflips,” I muttered.

            When the shock was over, we entered the garden where the party was being held. I was quick to notice everyone was wearing something different then the black uniforms. The uniforms were mostly white. The lapels were red and black and shaped like two halves of a heart. If anyone closed their jacket the heart would come together. The sleeve’s were mismatched. One sleeve would be red, while the other was checkered black and white. Gold cords hung off the shoulders, which resembled something an old soldier uniform would wear.

            “Everyone’s wearing some fancy duds,” Grim commented.

            “It’s Heartslyabul’s dorm uniform,” Cater said, “They’re cutting trend fashion.”

            “The dorms have another set of uniforms?” I asked. That made me a little jealous.

            “Yeah, one of the Queen of hearts rules is, dress formally for an occasion,” Cater held up his phone, “Now, how about a little help from your senior.”

            In a flash our clothes changed, Ace, Deuce, and myself were all wearing the exact same Heartslyabul uniform. Even Grim’s ribbon was red and checkered.

            I lifted my arms to examine the outfit. Clearly this was a boys uniform. It was baggy on me.

            “Sorry, sweetie, the only thing I had,” Cater explained.

            I looked at him, “Is it okay for me to be here? I’m not breaking a rule am I?”

            “Don’t worry,” Cater said, “Dorm members are allowed to invite students from other dorms. I do it all the time. Now smile,” with that Cater took a picture of all of us.

            Then there was fanfare.

            “All hail, Red Ruler,” a student declared, “Housewarden Rosehearts.”

            Riddle then emerged from a highly decorated entrance. His uniform was not like the others. While the other students were dressed as, what I could only describe as soldiers. Riddle was dressed like royalty. His suit was white, and neat. A long flowing red cape hung off his left shoulder, in his hand was a long red staff, then to top it all off, he even had a small crown.

            “I guess Housewarden’s get fancier uniforms,” I thought out loud.

            “Ace, now’s your chance,” Trey appeared, “Go give him the tart.”

            “Alright, let’s get this over with.”

            Ace approached Riddle with the tart, “Uh, hey Housewarden, sir.”

            Riddle looked at Ace with a scowl, “Ah, it’s you the tart thief.”

            “Um about that,” Ace began, “I wanted to say I’m really sorry about eating the tart, I even brought a tart to replace it.”

            “Oh,” Riddle didn’t seem impressed, “What kind of tart is it?”

            “Oh, it’s a chestnut tart,” Ace presented with a smile, “And we didn’t skip out on the chestnuts.”

            Riddle didn’t look pleased, if anything he looked offended, “A chestnut tart? Rule 562, don’t bring a chestnut tart to a formal event. Do you understand this is a breach of the rules? What have you done? You’ve ruined an otherwise perfect unbirthday party.”

            That made us all look at him confused.

            “Are you kidding?”

            “Do you have all those rules memorized?” I asked.

            “Of course,” Riddle answered proudly, “Any Housewarden must know and uphold all these rules, all 810 of them without question.”

            “Trey did you know about this?” I heard Cater whisper.

            “I’ve only managed to memorize the first 340 or so,” Trey explained.

            “This is reprehensible,” Riddle growled, “Have this offending tart destroyed at once!”

            “What?” Ace started to get angry, along with Grim.

            “Hey, if you want food gone, just give it to me, don’t waste it,” The cat demanded.

            This was getting bad, “Guys,” I tried, “Hey calm down.”

            “Housewarden,” Trey stepped in, “I was the one who suggested a chestnut tart and even helped make it.”

            “There was nothing wrong with creating the tart itself,” Riddle said, “It’s bringing the tart here to this place now, that’s the problem.”

            “Huh?” Nothing about what he said made sense.

            “That’s just crazy,” Deuce finally said. Clearly he was tired with the nonsense.

            “I’m doing this because I want to, but because the rules demand it,” Riddle said.

            “Look,” Deuce said, “We understand the importance of following the rules, but this is just crazy.”

            “Can’t you see you’re wrong here?” Ace demanded.

            “Me wrong?” Riddle just seemed to get more and more wound up. I took a few steps back, this wasn’t going to end well, “Ever since I became Housewarden, no student has dropped out or fallen behind. That’s because I uphold the rules perfectly.”

            “You’re only using the rules to throw your weight around,” Ace complained before looking at the rest of the dorm, “Isn’t that right?”

            All the other students stiffened.

            “Is there something wrong with the way I uphold the rules?” Riddle asked in a very intimidating manner.

            “Uh… no,” a student stuttered, “Housewarden Rosehearts is correct.”

            “You chickens!” Ace yelled.

            “This is just lame,” Grim shouted.

            “This isn’t right.”

            Riddle snapped, “I won’t have any disobedience. Off your head!”

            In a flash, collars appeared on Deuce and Grim.

            “Not the collar again,” Grim whined.

            “Throw these rule breakers out at once!” Riddle ordered.

            “Yes Housewarde Rosehearts.” Trey and Cater grabbed Ace, Deuce, and Grim.

            “Wait, aren’t you our mentors?” Ace asked.

            “Sorry, but not now,” Cater said.

            “We’ll try to get Riddle to calm down later.”

            With that, Trey and Cater dragged the three out. I quickly and quietly followed them.

            I couldn’t help but feel guilty, but it wasn’t like I could do anything. I was magicless and I doubt Riddle would listen to anything I’d say anyway.

            I sat with the trio at the edge of the dorm.

            “Now all of us are collared,” Grim whined as he rested in my lap. I tried to calm him down by petting him.

            “Seriously, what’s his problem?” Ace asked.

            “What indeed?”

            We all jumped when we heard a new voice. We looked up and saw… a floating head.

            “A ghost head?” Grim yelped.

            “Oh dear it seems I’m not all here,” with a chuckle a body appeared with the rest of the head.

            The new arrival, was a pink haired cat beast man. He had a lot earrings piercing his pink cat ears, and a white jacket was barely hanging off of him.

            “Who are you?” Deuce asked.

            “The names Artemiy Artemiyevich Pinker,” he introduced with a grin, “Am I a cat, am I a purrson? A mimsy borogove perhaps? A mome rath with a knack for magic?”

            “Look Ar… Art…” Ace groaned when he couldn’t pronounce his name, “Run that name by me again.”

            The cat just grinned and laughed, “People usually just call me Chenya. Let’s just say I’m not from the other side of the looking glass.”

            “Why doesn’t this world make sense?” I muttered, “What dorm are you from?”

            “I’ll let you guess.”

            “Judging from your ears,” Grim took a guess, “You’re part of the… Bananaclaw dorm.”

            Chenya made a buzzing noise, “Incorrect. Bananas grow on trees, do they not. And I am a cat.”

            “It’s Savanaclaw, Grim” I corrected.

            “But not every beastman in the school is part of Savanaclaw,” Deuce corrected.

            I sighed and looked at Chenya, “Why are you here?”

            “I thought I’d check in on Riddle,” he said with a grin.       

            I looked at him confused, “Are you a friend of his? Do you know him?”

            “Perhaps, perhaps not,” Chenya said, “I have many answers, but I don’t always tell.”

            I frowned.

            “That’s not an answer,” Grim groaned.

            “Do you wish to know something about Riddle?”

            “Yeah, what made him such a tyrant in the first place?” Ace asked.

            “I believe his four eyed friend holds the answer,” Chenya said.

            One person immediately came to mind, “Trey?”

            “He’s known Riddle since we were all little boys,” Chenya said.

            I looked at him confused. We?

            “They’re childhood friends?” Deuce asked, “I didn’t get that impression.”

            “If you’re so perceptive what are you asking me for,” Chenya then began to vanish into thin air.

            “Hey!”

            However, Chenya vanished leaving only an echo of his laughter.

            “I tell ya, no one makes sense around here,” Grim said.

            “Nothing in this world makes sense to me,” I stated.

            “Uh, this is so frustrating,” Ace said, “If I could, I’d knock Riddle off the island.”

            Deuce slumped, “Collared and banished from my dorm. My dreams of becoming an honor student are slipping further and further away.”

            I blinked, “We’re on an island?”

            Ace, Deuce, and Grim all looked at me.

            %%%%%

            The waves splashed against my feet as I looked over the ocean.

            “Here it is, the beach of Sage Island,” Deuce said.

            I couldn’t help but stare out at the ocean. After asking my question, the trio took me off campus. Apparently, Night Raven College was on an island. Sage Island. The campus was located in the mountains, the boys brought me down to a town at the foot of the mountain that was right next to a beach.

            “How pretty,” I said.

            “Yeah,” Deuce said, “Since we all came by the Dark Mirror, we didn’t get a chance to see much of the island.”

            Ace sighed, “We seriously needed a break.”

            I looked at Ace and Deuce.

            “What was is like for you?”

            They looked at me.

            “What was what like?” Ace asked.

            I looked out towards the ocean, “When… the carriage came for you?”

            “It was great,” Deuce said, “My mom was so proud.”

            “My brother was a jerk about it,” Ace shrugged, “Though my folks were pretty happy.”

            “You weren’t scared?”

            “Why would we be?” Ace asked.

            I was silent for a moment.

            “A strange carriage, appearing out of nowhere. Carrying a coffin…” I recalled my last minute on Earth, “You weren’t doing anything, just minding your own business… when it just… appeared… And took you away from your home… That’s scary.”

            That made the boys flinch a bit.

            “I guess, it’s different for everyone,” Deuce said uncomfortably.

            Ace looked at me, “You seriously had no idea it was coming for you?”

            I sighed, “In my world, magic doesn’t exist,” I repeated, “Everyone believes it’s something that’s made up. I never heard of Night Raven College before,” I explained, “I wasn’t even at my house. It was the last day of summer vacation. I was walking home from a bus stop, trying to figure out how to enjoy my last day before going to school. Then, I heard horse hooves clacking. I looked to my right and… there it was. A horse drawn carriage, with a coffin inside,” I placed a hand on my arm, “Before I could run or scream the lid opened and… I guess it just sucked me in and brought me here.”

            “That… does sound hard,” Deuce said.

            I sighed, “I don’t understand how the mirror could bring me here, but can’t send me back.”

            We stood  in uncomfortable silence…

            Until Ace went ahead and splashed us.

            “Ace!”

            “Moping time is over,” Ace said, “We all got problems, you’re stuck here and Deuce, Grim, and I have collars stuck on us. But right now, let’s take a minute to enjoy the nice beach,” Ace smirked, “Even if life sucks, the beach is kind of nice.”

            I looked at Ace shocked, then I started to laugh, “You seriously suck you know that? You’re horrible at cheering people up.”

            “No charge,” Ace just grinned.

            “Hey, I found some seaweed,” Grim held up something green and slimy. That just made me laugh harder.

            Ace and Deuce went to find some drinks. I sat on the beach, letting the ocean air blow over me.

            Despite the craziness that happened, it was nice to just get away from it for a while. This beach, made me think of Sora’s island.

            I sighed.

            Was I ever going to have another dream about Sora? It was silly, but I missed Sora. I knew he was basically an imaginary friend, but he was a nice imaginary friend. He was friendly, easy to talk to, and he practicing with the keyblade was more fun with him.

            I looked at Grim who was poking a jellyfish. I looked at his collar and the lock that hung from it.

            If I was an actual Keyblade Wielder I could remove their collars.

            I knew that Keyblade Wielders weren’t nice, but a part of me couldn’t help but wish that I really was a Keyblade Wielder. I hated being the only magicless student in the school. When I had those dreams about being a Keyblade Wielder, it felt like I was special somehow. Special in a good way.

            I sighed as I leaned back. My hand felt something hard under the sand. A seashell?

            I turned and brushed my hand over the shell removing the sand. I gasped when I saw pink and yellow. I quickly pulled out the shell and dusted it off.

            “No way,” I whispered.

            The shell I was holding was a Thalassa shell. The same kind that made up Sora’s good luck charm.

            I remembered the charms from my dreams.

            “She said sailor’s would wear these to help guide them home.”

            “You’ll always find your way back to each other.”

            A charm that helps you find your way back home to your loved ones… Maybe I read that in a book somewhere.

            I stood up and looked around.

            I wonder… are there any more shells?

            %%%%%%%

            I managed to sew two shells together. I held it up into the air. So far so good. Now to add on another three.

            “I’ll never understand girls,” Ace muttered as he watched me make my charm.

            I managed to find a bunch of Thalassa shells. That way if I broke one, I had extras. I had heard somewhere shells were fragile. I needed to be careful.

            We were waiting in the library for Trey. We needed to get the collars off and do something about Riddle. His obsession with the rules… it wasn’t healthy.

            I knew that some rules that were made in the past wouldn’t always make sense in modern times. Like how women were supposed to only wear dresses, because that was the norm. Or how people weren’t allowed to eat pig meat, because they had worms and parasites so they weren’t safe to eat. But times changed, people learned that pants looked good on everyone and people learned to safely process pork. So those rules were overturned.

            Yes, some rules were needed, like, ‘don’t steal what isn’t yours,’ ‘don’t hurt someone in anger,’ ‘don’t commit murder!’ Rules that are meant to protect peoples safety, rights, and freedoms are needed.

            The rules in Heartslyabul didn’t make any sense. They didn’t protect anyone’s safety, and only seemed to restrict their freedom. But Riddle didn’t seem to care about that at all. He only seemed to care about the word of the law, not it’s spirit.

            “He’s here.”

            I looked up at Deuce’s voice. Trey had entered the library. Before I knew it, Ace, Deuce, and Grim had shot from their seats and ran towards Trey.

            “Trey,” they got his attention. I managed to follow them.

            “You’re here?”

            “We figured you’d come return a tart cookbook,” Grim said.

            “So, is it true you’re Riddle’s childhood friend?” Deuce asked.      

            Trey’s eyes widened, “Where did you hear that?”

            “Someone called Chenya,” I answered.

            “Chenya?” Trey groaned sounding tired, “Did he have to stick his nose in this?”

            “So it’s true?” Deuce asked.

            “I don’t get it,” Ace said, “If you’re his friend and that you’re older, why don’t you tell him he’s wrong?”

            I had to agree with Ace. It felt like Riddle was becoming more and more crazy. I thought it was because no one was telling him what he was doing was wrong.

            “Look, you don’t understand,” Trey said, “Riddle is only being strict because, strict guidelines are what made him.”

            “What do you mean?” I asked.

            “Look, we we’re from, Riddle’s parents are famous,” Trey explained, “They talented and successful doctors. His mother especially and she wanted Riddle to live up to her legacy,” he had a remorseful look as he spoke, “From the moment he woke up to the moment he went back to bed, Riddle’s schedule was planned down to the minute. From the food he ate, to the clothes he wore, to the friends he had, everything was decided for him. Even his magic training, he mastered his signature spell by the time he was ten.”

            “I assume that’s a big deal?” I asked, not verse in magic norms.”

            “Really big,” Deuce confirmed.

            Trey nodded, “Riddle believes that obeying the rules is the only path to success and any deviating from the rules is an unforgivable offense.”

            I frowned at the heartbreaking story, “That’s awful.”

            From the looks of it Deuce and Grim agreed with me.

            “That doesn’t make him right,” Ace immediately snarled. Making us jump, “Riddle is still a lousy Housewarden and he’s wrong.”

            “Why are you making so much noise in the library?” Crowley suddenly appeared making us released startling yelps.

            “You’re making just as much noise as the rest of us,” Grim complained.

            I quickly covered Grim’s mouth, “We’re very sorry headmage.”

            “Well, at least one of you understands,” Crowley said, “Now, what is you all are discussing?”

            We explained what had been happening with Riddle, from Ace getting collared, to us making a replacement tart, which led to Deuce and Grim getting collared.

            “I can’t stay at Heartslyabul if it’s going to be like this,” Ace complained.

            “Well, you could change dorms,” Crowley suggested, “But the Dark Mirror choose Heartslyabul for you, to change dorms would require a different ceremony and paper work.”

            “No,” Ace refused, “If I switched dorms it’d be like I was running away and I’d hate that.”

            “You said you wanted to join Ramshackle two nights ago,” I reminded.

            “I was kidding. I was just made that Riddle is our Housewarden.”

            “Well, then why not challenge Riddle for his position?” Crowley suggested.

            We all looked at him confused.

            “He can do that?” I asked.

            “How is a Housewarden chosen anyway?” Deuce asked, “Riddle became Housewarden less than a week.”

            “There are a several ways,” Crowley said, “You can be recommended by a previous Housewarden, or you can challenge a current Housewarden to a duel.”

            We looked at him bewildered.

            “You can fight someone for the Housewarden seat?” I asked.

            “I thought fighting with magic was against the rules,” Deuce said.

            “Normally yes,” Crowley nodded, “But an official duel which is held in the presence of the Headmage isn’t considered a fight.”

            That didn’t sit well with me, a strong fighter wasn’t the same as a good leader.

            “Well now,” Ace grinned mischievously. I couldn’t help but feel nervous, “Sounds good to me,” he looked at the Headmage, “I want to challenge Riddle, then I can just order him to remove this collar.”

            “Me too,” Deuce cracked his knuckles.

            “Me too,” Grim said.

            “Sorry Grim,” Crowley said, “But you can’t challenge the Housewarden when you aren’t part of his dorm.”

            Grim slumped, “Then how am I supposed to get this collar off?”

            “I’ll order Riddle to remove it when I win,” Ace said, “And no one will have to follow anymore ridiculous rules.”

            I looked at his collar, “How are you going to do that with your magic sealed?”

            “If a duel is commenced, Riddle will have to remove it before it begins,” Crowley said, “It’s against the rules to have a disadvantage like that from before the duel starts.”

            “Awesome, sign us up.”

            “Excellent, I’ll get the paperwork started,” Crowley said gleefully.

            I frowned, “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

            “She’s right, it isn’t a good idea,” Trey agreed.

            “Don’t be such a downer, (Y/N),” Ace said, “Sure Riddle’s got magic on his side, but I’m sure one punch will do the trick. He looks like a pushover.”

            “No punching,” Crowley was quick to sink that plan, “This duel will solely be a magical one.”

            That made the boys flinch, regret flashed in their eyes.

            “Well…” Ace tried to think it over, “It’ll be two against one.”

            “Yeah, we have the advantage,” Deuce agreed nervously.

            I, however, wasn’t convinced.

            Ace and Deuce stayed at Ramshackle again. This time I cleaned out a room for them.

            “They’re gonna win,” Grim said confidently, “And then we’ll get rid of these collars.”

            I sighed and sat on the bed, “I’m not so sure. Remember, Riddle became Housewarden his first week here. The only way that could have happened was by challenging the previous Housewarden. Plus, odds are he was challenged before and didn’t lose. What makes you think he’ll lose to those two.”

            “Because I want this collar off,” Grim said.

            I sighed, “Life isn’t that simple Grim.”         

            “Sure it is,” Grim placed his paws on his hips with a grin, “I wanted to be a student here, and now I am.”

            I had to suppress a laugh, “I guess you have a point there,” I scratched his ears, “Sometimes I wish I had your confidence.”

            “You don’t need it,” Grim said, “As the boss, I have all the confidence we need for both of us.”

            I laughed that time. Grim was an irritating little monster, but he could funny sometimes.

            “Whatever you say ‘boss.’”

            %%%%%%%

            I was back on my platform. The stained glass platform of me.

            “Right… after everything that happened I forgot to tell the others about my dreams.”

            I held out my hand and summoned my keyblade.

            “Sora?” I called out. But he wasn’t there.

            I sighed. It was sad, but I was hoping to see Sora that time. I knew he was just a figment of my imagination but, I liked talking to him. He was truly kind and understanding.

            I sighed and began practicing with the keyblade again. I had to do something in that dream.

            “Take that, and that,” I pretended to strike at enemies, “And some of- ah!”

            Like a loser, I tripped over my feet and fell on my face. My keyblade slide across the glass panel and away from me.

            “Way to go, (Y/N),” I reprimanded myself as I stood up to get my keyblade.

            If only I could just magic my keyblade back to me.

            In that instant, my keyblade vanished from its spot on the floor and reappeared in my hand.

            “Huh?”

            I looked at it. Did it just teleport back to me.

            Wanting to test it, I threw my keyblade across the platform, watching it slide until it almost fell over the edge. Then I held out my hand and with a thought called it back.

            It vanished from the edge and back into my hand.

            I smiled, “Cool.”

            Hours passed, before I was brought before the mirror again. Just like before, the light pulled me in.

            “This girl is the culprit!”

            The queen from my previous dream as well as the blonde girl, were standing in a courtroom. The girl was standing before the queen like she was being judged.

            The queen looked down at her, “There’s no doubt about it, and the reason is, because I say so that’s why!”

            “That’s so unfair,” the girl said, “I’ve done nothing wrong. You maybe queen, but that doesn’t give you the right to be so… so mean.”

            “Silence! You dare defy me,” the queen roared, “I find you guilty as charge, for crimes of assault and attempted theft of my heart! Off with her head.”

            The cards turned ready to seize the poor girl.

            “No please,” the girl pleaded.

            “Hold it right there!” The cards parted when three people ran into the courtroom. I gasped when I saw who it was.

            Sora! He and a… walking dog and duck, ran into the court.

            “Who are you?” The queen asked, “How dare you interfere with my court.”

            “Wait, it isn’t her,” Sora said.

            “Yeah,” the dog said, “it was the Heart-…” suddenly he stopped himself from talking. I looked at him confused. If he knew who it was, why wasn’t he telling her.

            Sora looked at the queen, “Anyway, she’s not the one you’re looking for.”

            “That’s absurd,” the queen scoffed, “Have you any proof?”

            The scene went black, before coming back.

            Sora was at the stand this time. The poor girl was in a cage, looking scared.

            “We’ve brought the proof you’ve demanded,” Sora was holding a pink box. He opened it. Suddenly a small monster that looked like a knight appeared.

            The queen gasped, “What in the world is that?”

            “It’s the true culprit,” Sora explained, “Now you see Alice is innocent. Release her.”

            The queen didn’t oblige. Instead her face went red with rage, “Silence! I am the law and anyone who defies me is guilty.”

            “What?” Sora’s eyes widened, “That’s nuts!”

            “Off with their heads!” The queen demanded.

            That was when all the card soldiers jumped at Sora and his two companions. Sora summoned his keyblade, while the duck summoned a wand and the dog a shield.

            “We have to save Alice and get her out of here,” Sora called.

            “This is meddling too much,” The duck said, “but fine, Thunder!”

            Lightning rained down taking out some soldiers.

            “Gawrsh,” the dog blocked attacks with shields before using it to ram into soldiers.

            Sora and the two fought through the army towards the cage Alice was being held. The cage was covered in a tarp, so no one could see inside.

            Sora blocked and parried weapons that were swung at him, before attacking back. He slid under an axe before striking at a card, then turned back towards the axe wielder, pointing his keyblade like it was a gun, “Blizzard!” A wave of ice and snow froze a good number of the cards. Then he turned back towards were Alice was kept.

            Sora knocked the last soldier away with his Keyblade before reaching for the cage.

            “Alice hang on,” Sora pulled the tarp off, “We’ll-…”

            Sora trailed off when the tarp was removed, revealing an empty cage.

            “Where is she?” I asked worried, but I wasn’t answered. Instead, I was pulled away from the scene and out of the mirror.

            I opened my eyes and I was back in my room. That dream…

            I had the dream about the queen and Alice before, but that was the first time Sora was in it.

            The queen… she tried to execute Alice and she wasn’t guilty! Sora proved it! Alice was innocent but the queen. She clearly just wanted to be right.

            Sora tried to help Alice but…

            She wasn’t in the cage when he reached it. What happened to her?

            “Hey (Y/N),” Grim’s voice pulled me from my thoughts, “Are you awake, today is the day of the duel.”

            “Uh… Yeah,” I said, “Just let me get dressed.”

            %%%%%%

            I stood in the crowd as Riddle stood across from Ace and Deuce.

            “Today, Ace and Deuce will duel Riddle for the seat of Housewarden,” Crowley stood between them, acting as a referee, “Riddle, please remove the collars so that this could be a fair fight.”

            “As the rules state,” Riddle waved his scepter and for the first time in days Ace was free from the collar, along with Deuce.

            “Hmph,” Grim pouted in my arms, “That guys lucky I can’t duel him.”

            I looked between the boys.

            This was supposed to be a duel with magic only. No physical attacks. I was still convinced Ace and Deuce weren’t going to do well in this fight.

            But, if it were Sora who fought Riddle instead, how would that go?

            In my dream, he froze a squad of card soldiers in seconds and I hadn’t forgotten the fire spell he first showed me. Of course, his magic was only second with his sword fighting skills. Sora was so strong… but what impressed me most was what he did for Alice.

            He stood up for her, he fought to help her. He stood up against some… crazy queen, who had an army to help one innocent girl.

            Sora was just so amazing…

            I wish I was that brave.

            “Off with your head!”

            I looked up to see Ace and Deuce had once again been collared.

            “Already?”

            It hadn’t even been half a minute and it was already over?

            “Magic takes strong visualization and training,” Crowley crossed his arms, “Clearly Housewarden Riddle has mastered his signature spell.”

            Riddle gave a cocky smirk, “You didn’t even last five seconds.”

            Ace and Deuce growled. Clearly upset at their defeat.

            “It’s just like my mother said,” Riddle began, “A man who can’t follow the rules is worthless.”

            Everyone began to glare at Riddle.

            “You’re wrong,” the words left my mouth before I could stop them.

            That made everyone look at me. I flinched at the sudden attention. I didn’t mean to say anything, but Riddle reminded me of the queen from my dreams.

            “Oh am I?” Riddle challenged.

            I swallowed, well it couldn’t get much worse, I looked at him, “Obeying the rules… and doing the right thing… aren’t the same thing.”

            Riddle scoffed, “Don’t be ridiculous. Clearly you weren’t born to magically talented parents.”

            That made my gaze harden, “My parents don’t need magic to be amazing.”

            “Oh I didn’t mean it as an insult,” his expression clearly meant he was lying, “But you can’t understand when one has a legacy to uphold. To be the proof of someone incredible who achieved great feats.”

            “Shut up!”

Ace's fist collided with Riddle's face. Riddle fell to the ground, not expecting the punch. His crown fell from his head with a clang. Everyone stared, shocked.

            “You… you punched me?” Riddle was the most shocked out of everyone.

I gripped my skirt nervously. Everything felt like it was starting to spiral out of control. I wanted to do something to stop this and make everything right, but I couldn't.

            Deuce came over and placed a hand on my shoulder, clearly trying to comfort me. I gave him a smile.

            “Kids aren’t trophies for their parents,” Ace snarled, “I get it, you had issues with a crazy helicopter mom. But forcing everyone to follow your crazy rules is wrong.”

            Riddle glared.

            “Yeah,” a voice in the crowd said, “I’m sick of this.”

            An egg flew from the crowd and smashed into Riddle’s face, covering him in running yolk. That just made Riddle angrier.

            “Who threw that egg?”

            All the students stayed silent, which made Riddle angrier.

            “You won’t confess, then all of you will be punished! Off with your head!” In a flash all the students had magic suppressing collars.

            My eyes widened, this was starting to get out of hand.

            “Mister Rosehearts,” Crowley said, “Settle down.”

            “Shut up,” Riddle snapped, his face becoming more and more red, “You have no idea what I’ve been through, what I sacrificed. I’ve done what I was told, I’ve followed the rules! Yet, no matter what I do, all of you just keep breaking the rules!”

            Suddenly, I heard a dripping sound again. I looked around.

            “Wow, way to prove me right,” Ace snapped back, “When someone tells you you’re wrong you throw a temper tantrum.”

            “I’m right!” Riddle shouted, “I’m always right! Anyone who disobeys me is the one who’s wrong!”

            I looked at Riddle, my eyes widening.

            “Silence! I am the law and anyone who defies me is guilty.”

            It was like I was watching that dream again.

            “No,” I suddenly said, “You don’t decide that,” I remembered poor Alice trapped in a cage waiting to be executed, “A person isn’t guilty just because you say so!”

            “Shut up, all of you!”

            With a wave of his scepter, the rose trees were suddenly uprooted from the ground and levitated into the air. I gasped.

            “Tear them apart oh rose trees.”

            “Rosehearts stop,” Crowley shouted, but it was too late. Riddle used his magic to throw the rose trees towards us.

            Everyone screamed in panic. I moved trying to shield Grim while I felt Deuce suddenly covering me.

            “Paint the roses!” Trey’s voice shot through.

            The next thing I knew, playing cards were falling around us, harmlessly.

            “Are you okay (Y/N)?” Deuce asked.

            I nodded.

            “That scared me,” Grim said before he noticed, “Huh, our collars are gone.”

            I looked at Grim and at the other students. He was right. The collars were gone.

            “What is this?” Riddle asked.

            “Riddle,” Trey was standing in front of us, “You’re taking this too far.”

            “You too Trey?” Riddle asked, “You even stopped my spell.”

            “I didn’t stop it, I overwrote it,” Trey explained, “You’re spell is still stronger.”

            “He… he actually tried to kill us,” a frightened student said.

            “He’s a monster.”

            “All of you…” Riddle growled, “No… I’m right,” something black began to drip from his eyes, “I’m right… If I’m not right then…” something black, like smoke, began to form and swirl around Riddle, “Then… what did I suffer for?”

            My head throbbed in pain as an image flashed through my mind. It was red mage stone, but something black, like ink poured over it. When the ink was gone, the stone was black as night.

            The first heart… has succumbed…

            I blinked and looked back at Riddle.

"I'm right," he kept repeating over and over like a mantra, even when something began to drip down his face. Was that blood? Did Ace hit him that hard? No, it the liquid was black. I noticed the look on Trey's face. Horror was spreading as more black liquid fell from Riddle's face, pooling down at his feet like a pit of tar.

"And I will always be right!" In that instant. Riddle froze, the air seemed to freeze with him.

I didn't need magic to know; something terrible was about to happen.

Riddle suddenly released a wail, the black substance suddenly came to life, it rose up and consumed the housewarden.

"Riddle!" Trey shouted in panic and terror.

We could only watch as the black substance covered Riddle, moving around him as he screamed in pain. Finally there was silence, and the black liquid subsided. Like a black wilted rose that was somehow still able to bloom. Riddle's skin had become ash gray. His clothes had become a black and red. Like he was wearing a shredded red gown. Black tight pants, were mostly hidden by the tall, high healed, strapped boots. Around his waist was a ring of wilted flowers, four strings of cards hung from them, like a second layer skirt. The black substance hadn't vanished from Riddle either. It wrapped around his arms and covered his hands, like gloves. More ink was suspended from the back of his neck, like collar. A black crown sat on his head in place of his gold crown.

Riddle's face seemed the most startling. The black substance... the ink, created a pattern over his face. One could mistake it for a mask, like Riddle was wearing a black lace heart over his right eye. But it wasn't, it was part of his skin. When he opened his eyes, they had changed from gray to red. And his right eye, had begun to burn with a small red flame.

For a split second, Riddle seemed calm. But that vanished when he began to laugh. His face twisted in maniacal laughter. He looked exactly like the queen from my dreams. Mad, drunk on power, and bloodthirsty.

He looked like a monarch of madness.

"This power," Riddle laughed, "Welling up inside me... No one can defy me now!"

Trey finally ran forward towards Riddle, "Riddle."

Riddle just glared at Trey with bloodlust, "Trey, you still dare to defy me?"

            The pool of ink below Riddle began to boil like lava, "Any fool who dares to defy the rules of my world will be executed!" A large hand shot from the pool, something crawled out of the muck like a zombie from it's grave, and when it emerged it towered over Riddle. My eyes widened. The monster that had formed had a glass bottle for a head. Just like the ones in my dive and the one we faced in the Dwarf Mines.

            This monster wore a red and black dress and held one of the rose trees shaking it in anger.

            “In my world I am the law!" Riddle declared, "I make the rules of this world!”

            With every movement Riddle made, the monster made as well. It was like his reflection or his shadow.

            With a swipe of his hand, the monster grabbed a rose bush and slammed it into the ground. The Ground broke apart and crackled, releasing a shockwave that shot straight towards us.

            Crowley quickly raised his cane and a barrier formed, protecting us from the attack.

            “This is horrible,” the headmaster wailed, “To think one of my students would overblot like this.”

            “Overblot?” I asked confused.

            “If we don’t do something, Riddle won’t survive this,” Crowley said, “All students, evacuate!”

            Of course, the students of the dorm ran for their lives. All except…

            “I summon thee cauldron!”

            “Wind magic go!”

            Ace and Deuce attacked Riddle with their magic.

            “What do you think you’re doing?” Crowley asked.

            “We just need to knock him out right?” Deuce asked.

            “I’m not giving up, until he admits he was wrong and apologizes!” Ace snapped.

            “This is bad, I’m not cut out for this,” Cater whined, but it was clear he was going to fight.

            “Riddle,” Trey looked the most worried for Riddle.

            I swallowed, “Guys, give it all you got.”

            I didn’t have magic, but maybe I could help somehow. However, Crowley suddenly pulled me away, “(Y/N), evacuate with the other students.”         

            “What?” I asked, “But I can help,” could I?

            “It’s too dangerous,” Crowley said, “Grim can stay we’ll need all the magic we can use, but it’s safer for a magicless person like you to leave.”

            “But-…”

            “Just go (Y/N), we got this,” Ace called.

            I looked at my friends who were about to fight. Logically I knew Crowley was right, but it felt like I was only saving myself.

            Grim trembled in fear, “Uh… I’m Grim the Great… I’ll… I’ll beat this guy up, no problem,” he jumped from my arms to join the fight.

            “Grim,” I said worried.

            “Go,” Crowley pushed me towards the garden’s entrance. Leaving me with no choice but to run.

            I began running towards the mirror.

            They’re right. I’m magicless. There’s nothing I can do anyway, I’m not Sora. Besides, they have Crowley. And Trey can overwrite Riddle’s magic and Cater can distract Riddle with his clones. They’ve trained at this school way longer than Ace, Deuce, or Grim. They’ll be fine…

            I slowed to a stop. Despite what I tried to tell myself. Something felt… wrong.

            I turned around and ran back.

            I’ll keep my distance. I’ll stay out of the way and see how it goes. I’m sure they’ll be fine. Right?

            However, as I approached the entrance, I heard a loud blast. I swore I heard Grim screaming.

            I gasped and ran faster. I stopped at the entrance; I bit my tongue to keep myself from screaming.

            Ace, Deuce, and Grim were on the ground motionless.

            Trey and Crowley were in front of them. Trey was overwriting one attack after another, but Riddle was relentless.

            “Hey Riddle, over here.”

            “No over here.”

            A group of Cater’s appeared around Riddle. The overblotted mage snarled.

            “You pests!” He made the monster sweep into the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked all the Cater’s back.

            I began to panic. They were losing.

            “Stop,” my voice escaped me before I could stop it. My hand shot forward in desperation, “You’re going to kill them!”

            In that instant. A small light sparked in my palm. Something tried to materialize. I yanked my hand back in reflex, dismissing the light… the light…

            No, it couldn’t had been… it was dream…It had to be a just a dream… I wasn’t-…

            “(Y/N), I told you to run!” I heard Crowley yell.

            “Riddle?”

            Trey’s voice made me look up. The monster and Riddle stilled. The kind of stillness that happens when you’re shocked. When you sense something and you’re trying to focus on it.

            Riddle slowly turned to look at me. His eyes were wide and filled with a terrifying rage, “You…” I took a frightened step back, “You…” Riddle trembled, “You revolting creature! I’ll wipe you off the face of Twisted Wonderland!”

            Riddle then turned and charged towards me.

            “Riddle stop, leave her alone!” Trey yelled but was ignored.

            I did the only thing I could do and ran. I spotted a path into the rose maze and ran into it.

            “Get back here!” Riddle roared.

            “Riddle stop,” Trey and Cater tried to run after Riddle, but with a swing of the rose tree, Riddle blocked the entrance into the maze, trapping me with him.

            “I’ll take your heads later, hers comes first!” I heard him yell as I turned the corner.

            If I had time to think, I wouldn’t had run into the maze. Riddle probably had the layout memorized, there was no place I could hide, but I still ran. There had to be another exit, somewhere.

            “Get back here so I can take your head! I won’t let you escape me!” I heard Riddle behind me. That made me run faster.

            When I turned a corner, the maze opened up into a circular area. I spotted an exit and tried to run towards it. I heard something flying through the air. I looked behind me and ducked down with a shriek. A tree nearly took my head off, it landed in front of me and blocked my escape route.

            With nowhere to go, I was forced to turn and see Riddle enter the opening. His monster looming over him, like it was poised to strike me.

            Riddle smirked, “No where to run now.”

            I took a step back. I was cornered, I was alone. I was… I was…

            My head suddenly throbbed with pain and my vision blurred. For a few seconds, Riddle and the rose maze vanished. Instead, I saw Sora in the distance, he was yelling in a panic.

            “(Y/N),” he yelled, “Use the keyblade!”

            My vision shifted back to Riddle and the rose maze. His monster just threw a tree at me, time slowed down, as I heard Sora’s voice fade, “Use,” I raised my hand, “The,” I closed my eyes, “Keyblade!”

            A bright light filled my senses. Something heavy filled my hand, this time I didn’t dismiss it, I grasped it in desperation.

            The tree never hit me, even though I heard a loud crash and felt shaking around me.

            I opened my eyes and gasped. A sphere of glass like hexagons had materialized around me. The tree was shattered into pieces around the shield.

            “I knew it,” Riddle growled, “I knew it!”

            I looked at my hands and felt my heart stop.

            Grasped in my right hand, was the weapon that appeared in my dreams, my keyblade, Hearts Reflection.

            For a brief moment it moved on its own in my grasp. Forcing it’s tip to point towards the monster that followed Riddle like a shadow. Like it was telling me to kill it.

            “I was right,” Riddle snarled, “You never belonged here,” I looked at Riddle, his monster was shaking in rage as he glared daggers at me, “You’re a Keyblade Wielder, your very existence is against the rules,” the ink and dark aura just seemed to flow off Riddle in suffocating waves, “I will destroy you and bring peace. Afterall, the keyblade only brings ruin.”

            I trembled looking between Riddle and my keyblade. This… all of this was so overwhelming! The fact that the keyblade, that Hearts Reflection was real, that it was solid and in my hand… There so many questions that sprang to life in that moment.

            But this wasn’t the time to ask them.

            I forced myself to take a deep breath.

            I can’t run and I can’t wait for help.

            I swallowed before grasping the keyblade. I took the stance Sora showed me and stared down Riddle.

Twisted Diary

Entry 2

            Everything just went wrong.

            Apparently, there is some stupid rule that forbids a ‘chestnut’ tart to be brought to an unbirthday party. Ace didn’t get his collar removed, then Deuce and Grim got into a fight with Riddle so he gave them collars and were banished from the dorm.

            Then this pink cat boy, Chenya showed up and told us Trey was Riddle’s friend.

            But apparently, we’re on an island. When I asked about it, Ace and Deuce took me and Grim to the beach. It was nice. I even collected seashells.

            I’m gonna make a good luck charm, it’s supposed to help you find your way home and I need all the help I can get.

            So anyway. We found Trey again and he told us Riddle’s parents were control freaks.

            It sounded horrible. It sounds like Riddle, never had a chance to be a kid. I can’t help but feel bad.

            But Ace doesn’t feel bad in the least.

            He’s even going to challenge Riddle to a duel, because apparently in this insane academy students can fight for leadership positions. He and Deuce are going to fight Riddle.

            I don’t think they’re going to win. I’m positive Riddle beat the previous Housewarden and he’s been maintaining his position ever since.

            I wish I could do something to stop this. I wish I could help Ace, Deuce, and Grim

            I even wish I could help Riddle.

            But what can I do? I’m magicless and powerless.

Chapter Text

The sky was dark, it was as if the air itself was hostile. It had been that way since Riddle transformed into this strange and terrifying berserk form.

            I clutched the keyblade in my hands. It was my only chance and hope for survival.

            Even though I barely had any experience fighting and Riddle was a highly trained mage…

            I shook my head, I couldn’t think like that. I was able to beat the monster in my dive, maybe I would get lucky.

            I just needed to focus on the objective; kill the monster and snap Riddle out of it.

            “To think you were a keyblade wielder,” Riddle snarled, “To think a wielder of chaos would come to Night Raven College.”

            I gritted my teeth, “I didn’t ask to come here and I didn’t ask to have the keyblade.”

            “It doesn’t matter,” Riddle roared, “The keyblade is instrument of destruction and chaos. You’re very existence is against the rules and now I will do what the Queen of Hearts herself couldn’t do.”

            I didn’t have time to feel hurt by Riddles words, because he suddenly sent a blast of magic towards me.

            I held the keyblade in front of me to protect myself. I didn’t know how, but I managed to make another barrier out of hexagons. When the attack hit I was protected, but the barrier cracked like glass. Thankfully it withheld.

            Unfortunately, Riddle used the opportunity to close the gap. His monster raised its tree about to crush me.

            I screamed, I felt myself trying to lash out in a panic. Then somehow, my keyblade and barrier reacted.

            The barrier burst out in a small shockwave pushing Riddle back a few feet. I expected him to attack right away, but he flinched. In fear… No, in pain.

            That was when I finally noticed the cuts and bruises on Riddle’s body. They must had been from his fight with Grim and the others. They weren’t able to take Riddle down, but they were able to weaken him.

            Riddle was weakened from a previous battle, while I wasn’t.

            I didn’t want to be cocky, but this meant I had another advantage.

            I looked at the monster above him. Something was telling me to attack that thing, not Riddle. My keyblade itself seemed to want to kill it. Crowley said that if Riddle wasn’t pulled from this state, he wouldn’t survive.

I looked at Riddle. In every encounter with Riddle he wasn’t a very nice person. And he wasn’t nice to me.

            But that didn’t mean I wanted him to die. I wanted him to see what he did was wrong.

            I held my keyblade and shouted, “Absolute law, doesn’t create absolute justice.”

            “What?” Riddle growled, “Now you’re saying I’m wrong.”

            “You are wrong!” I shouted, memories of my dream and the queen, “Rules are meant to protect people’s rights and freedom, not to punish those who break them!”

            “Will you shut up, you wretched Keyblade Wielder!”

            Riddle sent another wave of magic towards me, this time I dodged.

            I pointed the keyblade at him, “Blizzard.”

            But nothing happened.

            “What was that supposed to do?” Riddle mocked when he charged me. I dodged again, but the monster swung the tree and it hit me. Pain shot through my shoulder as I rolled across the ground, my keyblade slipping from my grasp.

            “Ow,” I managed to stand up. I moved my shoulder, it hurt but I didn’t think anything was broken.

            “Now for your head,” Riddle was on top of me, the monster bringing down the tree.

            Thankfully, I remembered that even if the keyblade was separated from me, I could summon it back.

            It reappeared in my hands and I created the barrier again, surprising Riddle, “What?” Then I made it burst again pushing him back. Deciding to actually use the sword I shot forward and swung at Riddle.

            He rose his arms in front of him. Hearts reflection didn’t reach him, it seemed to hit a small barrier around him instead. But he was still forced back.       

            With every strike Riddle flinched. Then I managed to jump and attack the monster directly. I stabbed my keyblade into it and it actually took damage. It shrieked and Riddle screamed, “I’ll paint the roses red with your blood!”

            Then the monster grabbed me and threw me to the side. Once again I rolled across the grass, basically crashing into a wall of thorny bushes.

            At least I managed to hold on to Hearts Reflection this time.

            I quickly got up. This wasn’t going anywhere.

            “So you can use magic afterall,” Riddle sneered, “We’ll have to change that. Off with your head!”

            In an instant I felt something latch around my neck. I reached up and felt the heart shaped collar that had plagued Ace for days now.

            I tried to pull it off, but it wouldn’t budge.    

            Riddle just laughed at my feudal attempt, “It’s no use, I’m the only one who can remove that collar.”

            My hand brushed against the lock. I looked down at my keyblade. Would it work? Could it work?

            Only one way to find out. I lifted the keyblade into the air and grasped it just below the teeth of the key and had it pointed at the lock just above my throat. Riddle looked at me with annoyed confusion, “What are you doing?”

            I remembered the words Sora told me in my dream, “No lock in existence, that the keyblade can’t undo.”

            I wasn’t even sure if it worked when I held it like this, but I didn’t have a choice. I closed my eyes and gave the command to my keyblade.

            Unlock this collar.

            I felt the keyblade grow warm. I opened my eyes and in an instant, the keyblade’s tip glowed.

            “What? Impossible,” I heard Riddle shout, “You shouldn’t be able to use magic while bound in my collar. That’s the rule!”

            Then as if to prove him wrong, the keyblade shot a beam to the collar. I heard a clicking sound before feeling the collar fall off my shoulders. I looked down to see the collar had landed in the grass, open and harmless, before it disappeared into particles.

            It seemed I really did have the power to remove Riddle’s collar. It made me feel bad, since I could have helped Ace sooner.

            But I didn’t have time to think about that.

            “My signature spell is perfect,” Riddle continued to throw a tantrum. As he did, more and more ink flowed from him. Some even began to drip from his nose and mouth, like blood. That didn’t look good. Was he getting worse?

            I needed to do something or whatever was happening to Riddle would get worse.

            Come on think.

            For most attacks Riddle relies on the monster. It uses an uprooted rose tree as a shield and sword.

            I needed to get in Riddle’s blind spot, somehow. But his eyes were locked onto me.

            If only I could get the ice spell to work.

            “Magic takes strong visualization…”

            Visualization?

            I thought back to the dream when Sora fought those card soldiers. How it looked when he used the ice spell. Could I pull it off?

            I held the keyblade in front of me and closed my eyes. I pictured what I needed. A bullet of ice magic, that could be shot, that could freeze anything it touched, and that could be conjured.

            I gripped the keyblade, this wasn’t the time to be nervous.

            Visualize.

            The enemy will freeze!

            I didn’t see how the tip of my keyblade began to glow a pale blue. When I opened my eyes, I looked directly at Riddle.

            “Blizzard.”

            In an instant, what I envisioned came to life. Like a bullet fired from a gun, a bullet of ice magic was shot from my keyblade towards Riddle. Leaving a trail of ice in it’s wake.

            “Tch wasted effort,” Riddle’s monster blocked with the tree. The tree was immediately frozen over.

            But that’s what I wanted, for the tree to block Riddle’s vision, for him to not see me approach.

            When he moved the tree to the side, he soon realized I wasn’t where he last saw me.

            “Where did she-…?”

            He was interrupted by the sound of my keyblade stabbing into the tree with a loud thunk. Using my impaled sword as a handle I pulled myself onto the tree.

            I wouldn’t call myself the most athletic person, but I guess I was on adrenaline from almost being killed by a monster. I climbed onto the tree, not bother to pull my Keyblade out, which was hard since it was covered in ice.

            When Riddle spotted me, I knew it was too late go back. It was do or die.

            I jumped off the tree towards the monster straight towards the black bottle, where it’s face would had been. Then before Riddle could do anything, I summoned Hearts Reflection back into my hand, then with all my strength I stabbed the weapon into it’s head. The glass cracked as the blade broke through and ink began to spray over me. The monster rived in pain and Riddle screamed.

            “Blizzard!” With another spell, ice shot through my keyblade and into the monster. It shook and convulsed as the sound of cracks filled the air around us, until finally, the monster was torn apart by icicles from the inside.

            It was finally dead and what remained began to dissolve into black mist, including the ink that sprayed on me.

            “What…?” I looked down to see Riddle staring at the sky, reaching up into it, “What was it for…? Mother?”

            Suddenly, black aura pooled around him. Was he going to go nuts again.

            “Riddle!” I let go of the keyblade, jumped down and grabbed his hand.

            Then everything went dark.

%%%%%%%%

            The dark stony walls were lined with green torches, a large fire place burned a green blaze, while at the top of some steps was a throne decorated in large stone bat wings. Students were wearing black and green uniforms that resembled military uniforms.

            Some were at tables studying, some were grouped together discussing whatever topic they preferred.

            However, sitting alone at the throne alone, was the leader of the dorm. He was sitting there alone, staring out into space, sulking.

            Lilia sighed, he should have known that he wouldn’t have gotten over not being invited to the orientation.

            “Malleus,” Lilia appeared next to him, “Try to cheer up alright.”

            Malleus just sighed, “Sebek said the orientation… was lively.”

            “It was,” Lilia confirmed, “A small cat breathed fire and almost burned down the school, and a magicless girl was summoned by the Dark Mirror.”

            Malleus glanced up, “It’s a shame I didn’t witness it.”

            “Well, don’t worry I’m sure…” Lilia trailed off.

            Both him and Malleus stilled for a second. Malleus then stood up, looking slightly alert.

            “What… is this?”

            “So, you sense it as well?” Lilia asked.

            “I do,” Malleus noted, “Lilia, do you know what this sensation is?”

            Lilia hummed, “It feels like some kind of magic, but who is casting it.”

            “My liege!” A green haired boy suddenly shot up the stairs and ran to the throne, “Is something the matter my liege? You seemed distressed.”

            “We’re not certain Sebek,” Malleus said, “We sense something.”

            “What is it?” Sebek asked enthusiastically, “Whatever may threaten you, I will strike it down. Even if it were the Keyblade Wielder who slayed the Thorn Fairy, I would end any threat to you, my lord!”

            “Sebek calm down,” Lilia said as he thought, “I don’t think it’s an attack, it’s not even in Diasomnia.”

            “No it is not,” Malleus added, “But it is close by somewhere.”

            “Where? Where is the source of your concern?” Sebek asked.

            “Hm…” Lilia hummed, “Why does this seem so familiar?”

%%%%%%%

            The darkness slowly lit into a gray. Where was I now?

            The grayness shifted. I was standing in a room with a table and chairs.

            “Happy eighth birthday Riddle,” a woman’s voice said, “This year’s birthday cake is a low-sugar recipe made with nuts and lecithin rich soy flour to improve your cerebral function.”

            I looked to see a figure. I couldn’t see her face, it was covered in shadow, but I could see the ‘cake’ she was carrying.

            “Thank you mom,” a child’s voice said. I looked towards the table. Unlike the woman, I could see the boy clearly. It was Riddle when he was eight. He didn’t really look or sound happy. He looked up the dark figure with imploring gray eyes, “Just once, I’d like to try one of those tarts covered with bright-red strawberries.”

            “Absolutely not,” the woman snapped, “Those tarts are monstrously unhealthy. I might as well feed you poison! Every single slice would exceed your recommended daily intake of sugar,” she placed the ‘cake’ on the table, “Dinner tonight will be a tuna saute rich in DHA and omega-3 fatty acids.”

            I looked at the figure. Did she seriously need to list the nutritional value of everything?

            “Hey, he’s a kid. Give him a break!”

            The room vanished. Standing in front of me, with his back turned to me was Riddle.

            “I’d always wanted to try one of those tarts with the bright red strawberries,” Riddle’s voice sounded so tired. Unlike his usual strict tone, The local cake shop had them in the window. They shined at me like forbidden jewels.”

            Suddenly I was back in the room. The woman… Riddle’s mom was standing over Riddle who had a pile of books in front of him.

            “That’s enough classical magic study for today,” she took the open book in front of him and replaced him with a new one, “Your homework is to read the first fifty pages of the philosophy of language book referenced in today’s magical philosophy texts. You may have one hour of independent study before your potionology lesson.”

            “Thank you mother,” Riddle responded almost robotically. I looked at him. He didn’t look any older than eight or nine.

            I was back with the current Riddle.

            “I was studying every possible subject. Scheduled down to the minute. When I didn’t understand something, the lesson was extended until I did,” my eyes widened at what he said, “That was my ‘normal.’”

            I opened my mouth. I wanted to say something, but I was brought back to the room.

            There was a tapping sound behind Riddle. Out of curiosity he got out of his seat, “Is someone knocking at the window?”

            Riddle and I both looked out the window and my eyes widened. I recognized the green hair and glasses, and I certainly recognized the pink hair and cat ears.

            “Hey, wanna play?”

            “Then I met Trey and Chenya.”

            Little Riddle was now outside, with young Trey and Chenya. Trey was holding a box.

            “You seriously haven’t had strawberry tarts before?” Trey asked.

            Riddle shook his head, “My mom said they’re poison.”

            “Poison?” Trey asked surprised. He opened a box to reveal a strawberry tart, “I guess they’re not that healthy, but they’re not poison. It’s okay to have a slice every once in a while.”

            “I could eat as many slices as possible,” Chenya grinned.

            “Chenya,” Trey sighed before giving Riddle a slice, “Just try one.”

            Hesitantly, Riddle took the slice. He looked at it with a bit of fear. Then finally he took a bite. His eyes lit up at the sweet taste.

            “It was even better then I dreamed. Since then, I used my hour of independent study time to play with Trey and Chenya.”

            The scene shifted. Riddle was climbing out a Riddle with the help of Trey. Then the three would smile and run off to play.

            “It was what I looked forward to, everyday. My favorite time of the day. But that had to come to an end.”

            “Riddle, what are you doing?”

            Riddle was caught climbing out the window. His mother stood there. I couldn’t see her face, but no doubt she was angry.

            “Is this what you’ve been using your independent study time for?”

            “Just like that, my favorite time was taken away from me, because I broke a rule.

            “Remember Riddle,” his mother’s voice said through the void, “Children who break rules will end up at Castle Oblivion.”

            “So, I followed the rules so I wouldn’t lose anything else. I mastered everything my mother taught me, but it was never enough for her, and I had never once felt the same joy I felt when I played with Trey and Chenya.”

            Riddle was in front of me again. A dark aura was surrounding him, like it was about to swallow him.

            “Mother, what rule do I have to follow, to make this hollow feeling go away?”

            I felt wet tears run down my eyes. I couldn’t stand it anymore. Without another word I rushed forward, pushing through the dark aura, and wrapped my arms around Riddle.

            “Your mother was wrong,” I said, trying to comfort him, “She shouldn’t had forced that on you,” I remembered when he was asking what he suffered for. This had to had been it, “You shouldn’t have had to suffer like that, someone should have protected you. It wasn’t fair. Riddle,” I tried so hard, and I wasn’t even sure if he was listening, but I had to try, “Riddle, you are amazing, and if that’s not enough for your mom… then that’s her problem. You don’t have to push so hard. Not on your classmates and not on yourself. You don’t have to be perfect. There’s no such thing as perfection. You can fail and make mistakes and be wrong. Yes there will be consequences, but I promise they won’t be as cruel as your mother’s punishments, and when you admit your faults, you can heal. You are allowed to be a child,” I trembled, “You’re allowed to cry.”

            For a moment all was still and silent. I wasn’t even sure if this was the real Riddle or just a dream.

            Suddenly, I felt a pair of gloved hands touch mine. Riddle was holding my hands.

            “Thank you.”

            Riddle began to glow and the dark aura was burned away. Then Riddle vanished from my arms in a mist of sparkling lights.

            In an instant, Hearts Reflection was in front of me. One of the black magestones, the bottom one… began to glow. The blackness faded away, giving way to a rose red stone. Gently the keyblade floated to me and I received it in my hand.

“The first heart, has been back to the light.”

%%%%%%%%

            “It’s gone,” Malleus noticed.

            “Indeed,” Lilia opened his eyes, he was just about to see if he could find the location of the strange magic, “It came as soon as it appeared.”

            Sebek laughed, “Clearly they realized that Lilia was about to attack so they fled. What cowards.”

            “Sebek,” Lilia lightly reprimanded, “We don’t know if that’s what happened.”

            “Regardless,” Malleus interrupted, “It is gone. I wonder if we’ll ever sense it again.”

            “Let them come if they dare,” Sebek challenged.

            Lilia sighed, “I’m going to look for Silver,” with that he teleported to Silver’s room. He found Silver, asleep, but not in bed. He was leaning against the wall lightly snoring.

            Lilia couldn’t help but smile. What was he going to do with his son? With a wave of his pen, Silver was placed in bed. Lilia knew Silver wasn’t a child, but he couldn’t help but tuck him in like when he was little.

            “It seems like just yesterday you were a baby and now,” Lilia looked at his sleeping son, “You look so much like your real father.”

            Lilia’s eyes widened. That was when he made the connection between the strange magic he just sensed and why it felt familiar.

            But how? It couldn’t had been that. Lilia knew without a doubt the source didn’t come from within Diasomnia. And Silver had clearly been asleep the entire time. Then again he wasn’t sure if it would have worked for Silver at all.

            Still, if that power did exist in something else…?

            Lilia grinned. Something told him that this was going to be an interesting year.

%%%%%%%%

            I moaned as I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was grass in my face. That was when I realized I was lying on the ground.

            The last thing I remembered before that dream of Riddle, was grabbing his hand after killing the monster.

            It hurt to move, but I forced myself to look up.

            Riddle was in front of me. Our hands linked, he also laid on the ground unconscious.

            “Riddle?”

            I managed to crawl to his side. My hand reached out, I hesitated for a second. What if I didn’t save him? What if killing that thing also…

            I swallowed before placing a hand on his shoulder and gently shook, “Riddle?”

            When he released a small moan, I thought I was going to cry. He was alive.

            “Riddle? (Y/N)?”

            I heard voices in the distance. I looked towards the entrance where Riddle chased me through.

            It sounded like Trey and the others. Good, now they could help Riddle and me and then…

            I stopped and looked at Riddle.

            Riddle is no longer in his berserk state. I was here with him alive.

            How was I going to explain this? That I, a magicless student, defeated a Housewarden?

            Of course, the first thought was, tell the truth. Tell them that a keyblade appeared in my hand and I used that to kill his monster…

            That made me remember how they all spoke about keyblade wielders.

            “I will not let my students be as unruly as Keyblade Wielders.”

            “Oh come on. I’m not as bad as a Keyblade Wielder Riddle.”

            “The Keyblade Wielders were anarchists and war criminals! Not to mention, the greatest enemies of the Great Seven.”

            “The rest of the Great Seven. Were all murdered by Keyblade Wielders.”

“Keyblade Wielders are scary stuff. There are even stories that say the keyblade could be used to destroy the world.”

And of course, I remembered how Riddle reacted when he saw my keyblade.

“The keyblade is instrument of destruction and chaos. You’re very existence is against the rules and now I will do what the Queen of Hearts herself couldn’t do.”

When Riddle saw my keyblade he tried to kill me. He even ignored everyone else and chased after me. It was terrifying.

But I did save him, maybe that would change his opinion? All their opinions?

I… I was a good person, or I tried to be. They’d see that, right?

“This way,” I heard Ace’s voice. I looked. No one was at the entrance yet. I looked between it and Riddle.

Then, I pushed myself to my legs and ran in the opposite direction. I knew I saw another exit out of that open area. I’d be lost in the maze, but…

I just needed a minute to think!

Right as I turned the corner, I heard Trey shouting, “Riddle!” I stopped and peered behind the corner to see the students of Heartslyabul coming into the opening and surround their Housewarden.

“He’s back to normal?” Someone said.

“How?”

I bit my lip. When I saw Ace, Deuce, and Grim enter I sighed in relief, they were okay. I was worried, the last time I saw them they were knocked out.

“Oh, thank goodness Riddle has reverted to normal,” Crowley cried.

“Where’s (Y/N)?” Grim asked.

That made me flinch.

“Yeah, where is she?” Deuce looked around. I shrunk behind the wall of leaves.

“Riddle,” Trey helped Riddle sit up.

“Trey?” Riddle looked around, “What happened? Where am I?”

“You overblotted Mr. Rosehearts,” Crowley reminded.

“Riddle,” Trey quickly said, “Where’s (Y/N)?”

“(Y/N)?”

I froze. In my panic I didn’t think about them questioning Riddle.

He’s going to tell them everything.

I turned and began to sneak away. I didn’t think I could listen to his response, until…

“What about her?”

Riddle’s question made me stop.

“You suddenly turned on her and chased her into the maze,” Trey explained, “Don’t you remember?”

There was a pause, “No, I don’t. I think I remember overblotting but, everything is a blur after that.”

It took all my strength to not collapse to my knees in relief. Riddle didn’t remember.

“Trey, everyone,” I heard Riddle’s voice, before it began to sob, “I’m sorry. Trey I wanted to play with you and Chenya more when we were younger. And I did want to eat the chestnut tart.”

I listened to Riddle as he apologized. I smiled.

Riddle wasn’t a bad guy… just a lonely kid.

“You think you can get away with just an apology,” Then Ace ruined it. I frowned.

Way to be a jerk Ace.

“If you want forgiveness you have to make a new tart and help us find (Y/N)!” I tensed for a second before running deeper into the maze.

%%%%%%%

“Of course,” Riddle stood up and looked around, “She might be injured somewhere. Everyone spread out and search for her.

“Riddle,” Cater approached, “Think man. You really don’t remember what happened to her?”

“No. I’ll help look.”

“No can do Riddle,” Cater suddenly said, “You just overblotted, you need to see a doctor.”

“Mr. Diamond is right,” Crowley agreed, “Someone take him to the doctor.”

“(Y/N)?” Grim called, “(Y/N) where are you?”

Ace stopped when he saw something sparkling on the ground, “Huh?” He went over to pick it up. It was the pendant with the pink stone that (Y/N) always wore.

“Isn’t this hers?” Ace asked.

“Yeah, it is,” Grim said, his ears began to droop, “I’ve never seen her take that off.”

No one would say it out loud, but the discovery of the pendant made them all worry even more.

“Hey, what’s that,” Grim suddenly ran over and picked something up, “Hey, it’s another black rock, like the one we found at the Dwarf Mines.”

“Where’d that come from?” Deuce asked.

“You’re not going to put that in your mouth are you?” Ace asked.

“Of course,” Grim practically cheered, “After how great the last one tasted, I can’t wait to eat this one.”

“How can you think of food when (Y/N) is missing?” Deuce asked.

“I’m drained after that fight,” Grim argued, “Eating this will give me more energy to find her,” with that Grim popped the rock in his mouth with one chomp.

%%%%%%%

I ran through the maze, just running. I had no idea where I was going. But even if I did manage to leave the maze, I had no idea what I was going to do.

I turned the corner and stopped. There was a shed in the middle of the maze? This place had crazy rules, so maybe this was one of them.

“Do you think she’s around here?” I heard voices.

No, I-I couldn’t see anyone yet. I… I still needed time!

Without thinking I ran to the shed. I grabbed the doorknob and pulled, but it didn’t open. It was locked.

“Did you hear something?”

I panicked. I needed to hide.

Suddenly, the keyblade flashed through my mind and I remembered it was an actual key.

I took a few steps back and raised my hand. I flinched, but then I summoned my keyblade. I pointed it to the door. It released the beam that seemed to gently tap the door. I grabbed the doorknob. This time it easily opened.

I opened the door, ran inside, and closed the door. Surrounding me in darkness. I pointed the keyblade at the door again, it released a beam, and this time it locked the door.

A few minutes later, the door rattled. I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep me from yelping.

“How could she get in there?” I heard someone say, “It’s locked. Only the Housewarden and the Vice-Housewarden have the keys.

“I thought I heard the door open and close,” another voice said.

“You must be hearing things, come on, let’s keep looking.”

I waited a few minutes for their footsteps to fade away. When everything was quiet was when I finally collapsed to my knees.

I gasped, letting everything that happened that day wash over me.

Riddle went through some kind of dark transformation, then I fought him with a keyblade… the keyblade…

The keyblade that was currently in my hand, on the ground as I gasp like I ran hundred mile marathon.

The keyblade was real.

Hearts Reflection was real.

The weapon that defeated the Great Seven and had the potential to destroy the world was real!

And I had it!

My mind was blank as I tried to process.

How could I have it? How could I have the keyblade? Why did I have the keyblade?

It wasn’t enough that I was taken from my world, dropped into another, filled with magic, talking cats, and idiot boys. Now, apparently I had a magic sword shaped like a key that could fire magic!

A weapon that supposedly has the power to destroy worlds.

With that in mind I leapt back from the keyblade and scooted away from it until my back hit the wall.

I couldn’t really see. It was dark in the shed, but I stared at the spot where I knew I left it.

It was just one thing after another in that world. Nothing was making sense. I had no idea what was happening to me and it scared me.

What could I do?

I couldn’t tell someone. Everyone in that world believed Keyblade Wielders were anarchists and monsters.

What if I told Crowley and he’d kick me out of the school? I could see it happening, he wouldn’t allow a Keyblade Wielder attend a school dedicated to the Great Seven. Someone wielding the weapon that killed them.

What if they did something worse?

What if they thought I was so dangerous that I was too much of a threat to live…?

My heart plummeted at the thought.

I did beat Riddle, but only because he was worn down by an earlier fight, my victory was dumb luck. If the entire school turned against me and tried to kill me, I wouldn’t survive!

I looked around the dark shed. I knew perfectly well, I couldn’t hide in the darkness forever. What could I do? Do I wait? Wait until night and sneak out of the school?

But I had no where else to go, but on the other hand, was it safe for me to stay at Night Raven? It felt like an ultimatum was being forced onto me, for something that wasn’t even my fault!

I curled up, bringing my knees to my chest before closing my eyes. I was so tired and confused. I didn’t know what to do. I just wanted to block everything out.

Riddle’s transformation. The keyblade. Twisted Wonderland. I just wanted to get away from all of it!

“(Y/N)!”

I opened my eyes and there he was. Sora.

I was standing on a glass platform again, but it wasn’t mine. This one was blue, and it was of Sora.

Sora stood in front of me. He looked worried, “(Y/N), are you okay? That fight looked hard,” he reached out to me, “And you were-…”

I took a step back away from him.

He looked confused, “(Y/N)?”

I looked skeptically at Sora. If the keyblade was real then… was Sora real too?

“Sora,” I began, “Who are you?”

“Huh?”

“I thought…” I began, “I thought you were a figment of my imagination, something to help me process being in this insane world, along with the keyblade but…” I looked at my hands.

“I get it,” Sora said gently, “This is a lot to take in, but-…”

“Does the keyblade really have the power to destroy the world?” I suddenly shouted, “And the Great Seven, were they killed by Keyblade Wielders too?”

Sora flinched, “That…” he released a panic groan, “It… what you heard… well… yeah, they were killed by Keyblade Wielders.”

I felt panic fill me.

“But it’s not what you think,” Sora quickly said, “The stories you heard about them. They didn’t happen that way!”

“Why should I believe that?” I asked, “Why should…” I stopped. I remembered my dream, “Alice…”

Sora looked at me surprised, “How do you know Alice? I don’t think anyone said her name here.”

“I… saw it in a dream,” I admitted, “The ones where I didn’t meet you,” I explained, “I saw Alice being placed on trial, that queen,” I frowned, “She declared Alice guilty, just because she ‘said so.’ Then you… came and tried to help her.”

Sora nodded, “That was one of the first worlds I visited.”

I remembered the empty cage.

“When you reached the cage, it was empty,” I recalled, “What happened to Alice?”

Sora looked at me, “She was kidnapped by some of ‘the Great Seven,’” Sora explained, “(Y/N) I know I can’t prove it, but the seven weren’t good people. They were evil.”

I ran my hands through my hair. I wasn’t sure I could believe Sora, “And the keyblade destroying the world?”

“That won’t happen,” Sora said confidently, “I promise a single keyblade isn’t capable of destroying a world. In fact, they got everything about Keyblade Wielders wrong. We’re not anarchists or war criminals. We’re heroes, protectors, guardians of the light,” Sora explained, “We protect the worlds from darkness. The next time you use your keyblade you’ll-…”

“Next time?” I asked, “There isn’t going to be a next time,” I said.

“What?”

“Sora, I can’t use the keyblade anymore,” I said, “If you have heard what they said, then you know I can’t be found with the keyblade. When Riddle realized I had it, he tried to kill me,” I held myself and shuddered, “I survived because he was crazy from his transformation, and he was worn down from fighting the others. If the other students found out I won’t be so lucky next time,” I closed my eyes, “And Sora, can you say honestly that every Keyblade Wielder was good?”

I heard him sigh, “I can’t. There have been… really, really bad Keyblade Wielders. One especially.”

I held myself tighter, “What’s stopping me from becoming like them?”

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Sora, “(Y/N) you’re nothing like him. You’re not a destroyer. Riddle is alive, because of you. He was a crazy controlling jerk, but you still saved him. That tells me you’re nothing like Xehanort.”

“Xehanort?”

“And, there’s a reason why you should use the keyblade,” Sora’s expression softened, “The keyblade has the power to travel to other worlds.”

My eyes widened.

Travel to other worlds?

“You mean,” I lowered my arms, “If I get better at using the keyblade, I could… I could go home?”

Sora nodded. He placed both hands on my shoulders, “Listen, I’m going to help you. You only did a little bit of training, but you still won against a powerful opponent. You even created a barrier on your first time and used a counterattack. (Y/N) you’re amazing,” he looked worried, “I don’t know why, but I can’t talk to you every time you sleep, but I promise I will teach you everything I know about the keyblade and help you get stronger and if you can’t find your way home on your own,” he looked me in the eye, “Then I’ll find my way to you and bring you home myself.”

I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t speak.

This wasn’t like Crowley’s promise. When Crowley said he’d look for a way home, he didn’t seem to actually mean it.

Sora, however, meant it with all his heart. He wanted to help me. He was going to help me, like he helped Alice. I had made friends in Twisted Wonderland, but for the first since coming to that world. I felt like someone was really in my corner.

“P-promise?” I asked, sounding like a little girl. Tears were welling up in my eyes.

Sora smiled and held up his pinky. I laughed, I hadn’t made a pinky promise since I was six.

“What?” He asked, “This, is the greatest oath between Keyblade Wielders.”

I laughed a little again, “Okay,” I lifted my pinky, “I… I don’t want to break tradition.”

When our pinkies interlocked, Sora vowed again, “I promise (Y/N). I’ll help get you home safely.”

%%%%%%%%

            “Where is she?” Trey searched the garden for (Y/N). They searched for half an hour and nothing.

            This wasn’t looking good. What if Riddle actually killed her in his overblot rage?

            “Looking for something?”

            Trey stopped when he heard the voice. He looked and saw Chenya’s floating head in one of the trees, grinning as usual.

            “Chenya? How long have you been here?”

            Chenya’s body appeared laying on the branch, “Oh, I arrived a while ago, and managed to get good seats for the performance.”

            Trey mentally sighed, Chenya was still the same.

            “Chenya, I’m looking for someone. A girl, (Y/N), have you seen her?”

            “Perhaps, perhaps not,” Chenya gave a knowing smile, “You know me Trey. I have all the answers, but I don’t always tell.”

            “Chenya please,” Trey implored, “She could be badly hurt thanks to Riddle.”

            Chenya chuckled, “Oh don’t worry Trey, I think she’ll be okay. She was quite lively when she went into the croquette shed.”

            Trey raised an eyebrow, “How could she have gotten into the shed?”

            Chenya chuckled again, “Simple. She had a key,” that was when Chenya vanished.

            “Chenya wait,” but he was gone. Trey stood there for a moment. (Y/N) was in the croquette shed? That was impossible. He and Riddle had the only keys.

            Still it wouldn’t hurt to check.

            Trey began to run to where the shed was.

            “Trey?” He stopped for a second to see Ace, Deuce, and Grim.

            “No time,” he continued on his way.

            “At least wait for us!” The trio followed Trey.

            “Do you know where (Y/N) is?” Grim called.

            “Maybe.”

            Trey was able to arrive at the shed.

            “What’s this place?” Ace asked.

            “The croquette shed,” Trey answered as he pulled out his key.

            How could (Y/N) have gotten inside? How did Riddle go back to normal?

            Did she somehow do it?

            Trey unlocked the door and opened it.

            It was empty.

            “Guys?”

            Everyone turned so fast they nearly got whiplash. Appearing around the corner from behind the shed, was (Y/N).

            “(Y/N)!” Grim ran over and jumped into her arms.

            “Ow, ow, ow, Grim watch it, my shoulder hurts!” She winced in pain.

            She was covered in scratches and bruises. Her clothes were torn. Her hair was messy.

            “Finally,” Ace said, “We’ve been looking all over for you.”

            “(Y/N) are you okay?” Deuce asked as he and Ace approached her.

            “My shoulder is killing me,” she explained, “But I think I’ll live.”

            Trey approached them, “What happened?”

            She looked at Trey, “I found a hole under one of the bushes and climbed under it. Riddle didn’t see it, so I managed to slip away. I’ve been hiding here since,” She looked afraid, “What happened to Riddle?”

            “Well, he’s back to normal,” Deuce said.

            “He even apologized,” Ace smirked, “And he’s gonna make us a tart.”

            She looked at Ace bewildered, “Maybe Riddle really did kill me.”

            When Trey looked at the girl and saw the state she was in, he felt bad. There was no way this injured girl could have done anything to restore Riddle.

            But still…

            Trey glanced at the shed. Chenya didn’t always explain everything clearly, but he also didn’t lie.

%%%%%%

            I felt guilty. I didn’t like having to lie to them, but I had to.

            Sora and I agreed that I had to keep my keyblade a secret. I couldn’t tell anyone at that school. Not my classmates, my upperclassmen, my teachers, or even my friends.

            But we also agreed that the school, might have the means to take me home.

            “There can be a lot of ways to travel between worlds,” Sora explained, “Some use portals called the corridor of darkness. But that’s too dangerous to travel and I don’t think you can create it.”

            “What else can I do?” I asked.

            Sora hummed, “I still don’t trust anyone at Night Raven, but you were brought there by the Dark Mirror. There might be a way there.”

            I looked down, “So you think I should stay at the school?”

            “For now,” Sora said, “But don’t use the keyblade,” Sora looked worried, “(Y/N) promise me you won’t tell anyone there you’re a Keyblade Wielder. We don’t know what they’ll do to you if they do.”

            When Riddle learned I was a keyblade wielder he tried to kill me in a bloodthirsty rage. Thankfully, it seemed Riddle had forgotten everything. I was extremely lucky that day.

            “Oh yeah, we found this,” Ace caught my attention as he pulled something from his pocket. It was my opal pendant.

            I took in a breath and felt around my neck. I hadn’t even realized it was missing.

            “Thank you,” I took it back from Ace, “It must had fallen off when… I was running,” I held it to my chest. I was so glad I hadn’t lost it.

            “Girls and their jewelry,” Ace shrugged.

            I shot him a glare, “This, is the only thing that came with me from my world,” I carefully looked at it with realization, “It’s my prized possession.”

            “Okay,” Trey said, “Let’s get (Y/N) back. She needs a doctor.”

            %%%%%%

            Before I knew it, I was lying in an infirmary. The nurse bandaged me up, my shoulder especially.

            The others were back at the maze and garden, cleaning up everything after Riddle’s attack.

            Grim was dragged off with the others, so I was alone.

            I carefully lifted my hand and looked at it.

            I could still barely believe it. I had a keyblade. I reached my hand towards the ceiling. I felt tempted to summon it, but didn’t. I didn’t want to risk being caught.

            I had a lot of feelings about this. I was scared, I was confused, I was tired… but also just a little excited.

            If the keyblade did have the power to travel between worlds, then maybe I was closer to home than I thought.

            I needed to get better, stronger with the keyblade. I didn’t know how but, it felt like I could train in my dreams. That certainly made things easier, the last thing I needed was for someone to walk in on me training.

            I just needed to train in my dreams until I was powerful enough to travel between worlds, simple.

            I thought more about my dreams, then I remembered; Sora wasn’t the only Keyblade Wielder I saw.

            Terra, Ven, and Aqua.

            They seemed like nice Keyblade Wielders. I wondered if Sora knew them.

            I’ll ask Sora the next time I see him.

            Suddenly someone walked past the curtain in front of my bed.

            Riddle, it looked like he was getting up for something. I should have known that he’d be here. Crowley said that Riddle could have died, so he must had been brought here for treatment.

            The second Riddle saw me, he stopped. His eyes were wide, clearly not expecting to see me.

            “Riddle,” I sat up in surprise, “I…”

            “(Y/N),” my name wasn’t spoken with anger or hatred like before. He turned to look at me, “There’s something I want to say.”

            I swallowed and looked down. Did Riddle remember now? Did he know I was a Keyblade Wielder? I closed my eyes in panic.

            “I’m sorry.”

            My eyes shot open, and I looked up at him. He just apologized.

            He looked remorseful, “I shouldn’t have said you didn’t belong here,” he took in a breath, “You coming here… it’s not your fault and the headmage is trying to take responsibility by letting you go here.”

            Once again, I froze. Trying to process what was happening.

            Was this a trick? But Riddle and I were alone. That was probably the first time I was alone with the housewarden.

            I looked down and the question left my mouth before I knew it, “You really don’t remember?” I mentally panicked, what if asking that jogged his memory.

            “I hurt you, didn’t I?”  I looked up, he was looking at my bandaged shoulder, looking guilty, “I’m very sorry. Trey and Cater told me, I chased after you. I don’t know why I would do that.”

            You realized I was a Keyblade Wielder and thought I deserved to die for it.

            I pressed my lips together at the thought.

            I looked at Riddle. He was right, he did try to kill me. He cursed me, said my very existence was against the rules of his world. I wasn’t going to forget that terrifying look he had when he tried to crush me with trees.

            But I also couldn’t forget the child who was robbed of his childhood by his mother. The child who chastised for wanting something innocent, like a strawberry tart. The boy who cried in garden and admitted he wanted to eat the chestnut tart.

            Riddle didn’t want to be the red tyrant. He thought he had to be because of his mother. He was what he was, because he thought that’s what was expected of him.

            I could relate.

            Besides, Ace was already a jerk about it. I didn’t see anymore reason to add salt to the wound.

            “It was scary, Riddle,” I admitted, “But it was clear you weren’t in your right mind, so I’ll forgive.”

            Riddle looked a bit relieved, “Thank you, and I am sorry,” I nodded, “Would… would you like to come to the next unbirthday party?”

            “Um,” I said awkwardly, “Sure. I’ll come.”

%%%%%%%

            A few days later, Grim and I went to Heartslyabul for the unbirthday party.

            Riddle had calmed down.

            “Does the teapot have a door mouse…” He trailed off, “On second thought, it’s fine.”

            I smiled, I was glad he was starting to mellow out.

            “Are you sure you’re okay (Y/N)?” Deuce asked.

            “Yeah, the nurse took good care of me,” I explained, “But,” I looked at Grim in my arms, “You seriously ate another rock? And grass?”

            “What? It was delicious,” Grim said without a hint of shame.

            “And the grass?”

            “And the grass.”

            “Don’t eat grass Grim, I don’t think you’re that much of an omnivore,” I told him.

            “Besides,” Ace added with a smug grin, “You’re going to finally eat a chestnut tart. Made by the Housewarden himself.”

            I looked at Ace, “You guilted him into baking it. Even though he apologized.”

            “Hey, sometimes a simple, ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t enough,” Ace said.

            “Just admit you wanted to eat another tart,” I said.

            “And that’s enough from the peanut gallery,” Ace turned away, “Where’s that tart?”

            “It’s coming.”

            Soon, Riddle brought out the tart. It was another chestnut tart.

            “I followed the recipe, so it should had come out well.”

            We were each given a slice. It looked as good as the one that we made with Trey.

            We each took a bite.

            Then we all spat it out.

            “Blegh, it’s so salty!”

            Riddle looked shocked, “But I followed the recipe precisely.”

            The recipe? Wait, he didn’t…

            I looked at Riddle, “You didn’t add… oyster sauce did you?”

            “Yes.”

            Riddle’s honest answer made us all look at Trey. He smiled sheepishly, “Well, no one ever took me seriously before. How was I supposed to know Riddle would?”

            “Because you knew him since childhood,” Ace added. I nodded in agreement, Riddle was getting better, but he was still a stickler to some things like recipes.

            “Indeed,” Chenya’s head suddenly appeared, “Isn’t friendship beautiful,” the rest of his body appeared.

            “Chenya?” Riddle was shocked, “What are you doing here?”

            I looked at them confused, “Aren’t you friends?”

            “Yeah, but he doesn’t go here,” Trey said.

            “But Cater said other dorm students can attend unbirthday parties,” I pointed at myself.

            Trey sighed, “I mean, he doesn’t go to Night Raven College.”

            That made us blink and look at Chenya.

            “You’re not a student here?”

            Chenya chuckled, “I never said I was. Sometimes I like to visit and I’m glad I did,” Chenya suddenly looked at me with a smile. I didn’t know why, but it felt like he was looking right through me.

            “Hey, he’s from Royal Sword Academy,” another student shouted pointing at Chenya. That caused several of the students to glare at the beastman.

            “You can’t be here!”

            “Get him!”

            “Looks like it’s time to go,” Chenya said, “I’m glad to have met you all,” he suddenly took my hand and kissed it, causing me to blush, “I’m certainly glad to have met you miss. Ta-ta.”

            With that he vanished.

            I felt smoke rise from my ears in embarrassment, no one ever kissed my hand before, “What just happened?”

            “Well, that’s not good,” Cater pouted, “I have competition now.”

            “Um…” I needed the focus to not be on me, “What’s Royal Sword Academy?”

            “What, you think NRC is the only magic academy there is?” Ace asked.

            “Royal Sword Academy is another high ranking magic academy,” Trey explained, “They’re basically our rivals.”

            “Yeah,” Cater slumped, “But we keep losing to them in contests.”

            “Well, now you got us,” Ace grinned, “We’re so good, not even Keyblade Wielders can beat us.”

            I had to suppress a whine. They certainly liked to say that a lot. Did they want to fight an actual Keyblade Wielder.

            Don’t panic. Just keep your keyblade a secret and when its time to go home, no one will ever know.

            But, I was curious about something else.

            “Royal Sword Academy, huh?” I wondered what they thought of Keyblade Wielders.

%%%%%%%

            Sora smiled as (Y/N) enjoyed the unbirthday party with the Heartslyabul students. At the moment she was safe.

            He sighed. From the looks of things, there weren’t any Heartless in Twisted Wonderland, so (Y/N) didn’t need to use her Keyblade. Sora saw her a few times since her fight with Riddle. She was coming along great. She even learned how to use fire magic.

            “Be strong (Y/N), we’ll get you home,” however, there was something about all this that didn’t make sense to Sora. It worried him, “I should talk to Strelitzia later. She may know what this is.”

            Suddenly, everything went black around Sora.

            “Huh?”

            The next thing he knew, he was in someone’s room. It was big and mess, “And I thought I wasn’t good at keeping my room clean.”

            “Ruggie,” a gruff voice startled Sora, “What’s going on at Heartslyabul?”

            Sora turned and scowled. Lounging on the bed was the lion eared jerk who grabbed (Y/N)’s arm. He wasn’t wearing the uniform he wore last time. He was wearing a leather vest, with a golden shirt. His arms were bare and buff, but that didn’t intimidate the Keyblade Wielder.

            “When I get there, I’m going to teach you some manners,” Sora snapped, “Starting with how to treat a girl.”

            “They’re just enjoying another tea party,” a new voice caused Sora to look at another beastman. Messy blonde hair and wore the same thing the lion jerk wore, except his shirt had sleeves and he also wore a yellow scarf.

            The lion jerk smirked, “Well, they won’t even be a challenge,” he got off his bed and walked past the other guy, “I’ll show them just what I’m made of.”

            That didn’t sound good. Was he going to do something bad? His thoughts shifted towards (Y/N).

            Was whatever he was planning going to hurt her?

^^^^^^^

            Ventus rubbed his head. He was tired but he wasn’t going to show it.

            There was a knock at the door, “Ven are you ready?”

            “Yeah, Terra, I’m coming.”

            Terra walked with Ven towards the throne room. Aqua was there, she should be talking to Riku by now.

            Terra, glanced at Ventus.

            “Are you okay Ven?”

            Ven sighed, “I’m fine.”

            “We don’t have to do this today,” Terra suggested.

            “Sure we do,” Ven said, “Sora looked for us, we gotta find him. I’m fine, really,” Ven sighed, “I just keep having these weird dreams.”

            The blonde boy looked at his friend, “Say… how do you think… we’ll be remembered?”

            Terra hummed, “What do you mean.”

            “I mean, do you think people will see us as heroes or… something else? Master Xehanort… really messed up a lot of stuff.”

            “I see,” Terra said, “But remember we’re not doing this for recognition.”

            “I know, but what if Master Xehanort’s reputation makes people think other Keyblade Wielders are dangerous?” Ven recalled his dream, “It’s not fair for them.”

            “You’re right, but right now we just have to do our best,” Terra reminded.

^^^^^^^^

            Roxas walked with Hayner, Pence, Olette, Xion, and Lea to the Bistro. Before beginning to search for leads on Sora, they wanted to spend some time together.

            “Just wait till you try the tart of…” Hayner trailed off. He couldn’t pronounce it.

            “Tart au fruit,” Olette said.

            “Yeah that.”

            Roxas looked at them a bit surprised, “A tart?”

            “Yeah, a fruit tart,” Pence explained, “It has all kinds of fruit made into it.”

            Roxas hummed, “There won’t be any… oyster sauce added will there.”

            “Oyster sauce?” Lea asked, “Somehow I doubt even Little Chef can make that work.”

            Xion laughed, “You’re weird Roxas.”

            “I’m not weird,” Roxas looked to the side, “It’s my dream that was weird.”

^^^^^^

            “I see,” Master Yen Sid contemplated what Kairi said, “You plan to fall into slumber and search for Sora using your connection to him?”

            Kairi stood in front of his desk and nodded, “Everyone’s following their own lead, this is mine.”

            “Very Well, I wish you luck Kairi.”

            Kairi bowed to the master before leaving his study. She began to walk down the enchanted steps.

            “Are you certain about this Kairi?”

            Kairi looked at her shoulder where Jiminy sat, “This is the only thing I can think of,” as Kairi walked, she remembered the dreams she had for the past few nights, “Jiminy about your journal?”

            “What about it?”

            Kairi looked at the cricket, “You’ve made it clear that… Maleficent and all the other enemies we fought are bad, right?”

            “Of course,” Jiminy said, “I made it clear about all the terrible things they did.”

            Kairi nodded, “And Sora stopped them because it was the right thing to do.”

            “Naturally,” Jiminy said, “Why are you asking?”

            Kairi sighed, “I’ve been having these dreams lately.”

            “Dreams? Are they connected to Sora?”

            “Well, no I don’t think so,” Kairi said, “In those dreams I keep seeing a school, for mages. It only for boys and I can only say it’s horrible, because the school is dedicated to the enemies Sora had fought and defeated.”

            “Which enemies?” Jiminy asked curiously.

            “The Queen of Hearts, Scar, Ursala, Jafar, the queen that Aqua and the others faced, Hades, and Maleficent,” Kairi frowned, “The stories they heard weren’t right. They actually believed they were someone to be respected and admired, and that we were the bad guys,” Kairi pouted, “’Great Seven’ they called them. ‘Great Seven’ indeed, they clearly didn’t see them when they destroyed my island, took my heart, kidnapped me, tricked Riku, destroyed so many worlds, ugh!”

            “Oh my,” Jiminy said.

            “Although the boys who attended, weren’t exactly good either,” Kairi said, “All they seemed to do was fight and insult each other. How typical of boys,” Kairi’s eyes grew softer, “But then, this girl appeared…”

^^^^^^^^

            Mickey looked through the storage room for supplies. He was getting ready to travel with Donald and Goofy, to the worlds they traveled with Sora.

            Sora was a special kind of Keyblade Wielder. Mickey was certain that he left his impression on everyone he met, and maybe that would lead to a clue to finding their lost friend.

            Mickey couldn’t help but sigh. He finally got three of his friends back from Xehanort, but only to lose another to defeat him.

            Not to mention, Maleficent was still out there somewhere. They all knew perfectly well Maleficent was a vindictive fae. Now that Xehanort was gone, she would most likely begin a new play for power.

            As Mickey walked through the room, something shined in his eye.

            “Hm?” Something was reflecting light from behind a box. Mickey went over and moved it aside. He smiled, “Oh, I forgot about this.”

            He pulled out the old mirror. It was just a simple mirror, rectangular with a gold frame. But for some reason, Mickey really liked it.

            “I think I’ll put this in our room.”

            Mickey went to his bedroom. Despite being the room of a king and queen, it was simple. One bed and one chair. A fireplace was against the wall framed by two windows.

            Mickey couldn’t help but think that the mirror would look good over the fireplace, so he hung it there.

            Once it was hung, Mickey stood there to admire it.

            “Isn’t that mirror, Master Yen Sid gave you?” Minnie appeared in the reflection at the doorway.

            “It sure it,” Mickey turned to face her.

            Minnie approached her husband and took his hand, “Are you all prepared.”

            Mickey’s smile fell. He hated that he had to leave Minnie again. His war with the Organization already cost them a year, he didn’t want to lose anymore time. But Sora needed them, “Yes, but don’t worry. We’ll come back here to visit and rest often. It won’t be like last time.”

            “I know, don’t worry,” Minnie did her best to show that she would do anything. She knew what she agreed to when she married Mickey and became queen, “We’ll do what we can on here.”

            “If Maleficent shows up again-…”

            “I’ll be alright, she won’t catch me off guard again,” Minnie promised.

            Mickey made plans to return to Disney Town, that way he and Donald could keep seeing their wives and to protect their world better. Maleficent attacked the castle twice already. Mickey knew he had to protect all worlds, but he had a duty to his world as it’s king.

            “Alright, I’ll see you again, soon,” he promised before kissing her.

            He didn’t notice the mirror gleamed for a second.

%%%%%%%%

            “Finally, it’s done,” I said.

            “Huh?” Grim looked up from his spot on the bed, “What’s done?”

            I began to tie my tie. I had noticed that some students wore their ties differently. Most wore their ties in a traditional tie knot. Others had them as bowties, like Riddle and Lilia.

            When I was making my charm, I just knew I had start wearing my tie like that. Because I wanted to wear my charm as a special accessory.

            My seashell good luck charm was complete. At the center, was my opal pendant. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. I loved it.

            When my bowtie knot was complete, I took my charm. I glued a paperclip to the back, turning it into a broach.

            I pinned my charm so it would be at the center of my tie.

            I went to the mirror that hung over the fire place and looked at my reflection.

            My charm was pinned to my collar, the stripped bowtie stuck out, like leaves from a flower. It looked better than I imagined.

            I smiled at my reflection.

            With my charm, I felt more confident. I could feel it, I was going to master my keyblade and go home safely.

            But first, I needed to learn everything I could about Twisted Wonderland, so I could navigate and survive. And that meant going to school.

            I looked at Grim, “Come on Grim, we don’t want to be late.”

            “Fine, but only because you promised me tuna if I go to those boring classes,” Grim got off the bed and climbed onto my shoulder.

            I turned and left, ready to face whatever NRC was going to throw at me!

Chapter Text

Once again, I was drawn towards the mirror. It began to glow a light that I was pulled into.

            Sound, that was the first thing that came to me. I could hear the sound of the wind blowing.

            The sky had clouds, but it wasn’t enough to be called overcast.

            I looked around, I was in a savannah surrounded by animals. Elephants, giraffes, gazelles, even cheetahs.

            They weren’t acting like normal animals. The predators and the prey all seemed to stand together, like a crowd, like they were waiting for something. They were all looking towards the same direction.

            I looked too.

            A large rock, too big to be a hill, but not quite big enough to be a mountain. A cliff towered over the animals, almost like a stage or a tower.

            I saw movement.

            Walking on the rocky overview, was a lion. A golden lion with a red mane. Next to him a lioness, and behind them… A monkey?

            A blue bird flew over them as they reached the peak.

            I felt myself growing excited. I didn’t know why, but there was something about this that felt special.

            The monkey walked in front of the lions, carrying something in his arms.

            Then he raised it into the air, revealing a small newborn lion cub.

            All the animals began make noise, like they were cheering, then they bowed. Like they were bowing to royalty.

            I looked at the little lion cub, who clearly had no idea what was going on, but the way the animals cheered and the light shined upon him.

            It was as if nature itself was celebrating his birth.

%%%%%%%%

Twisted Diary

Entry 10

            Okay, Twisted Wonderland is a magical world. But! It has a lot of familiar things from my world as well. To help me understand and adjust I’m making two lists of things that Twisted Wonderland has that Earth has and doesn’t have.

            List of things Both worlds have:

            Phones

            Television

            Cars

            Anything technological I’d thought a magical world would ignore.

            List of things Twisted Wonderland has that Earth doesn’t:

            Magic

            Beastmen

            Ghosts

            Talking cats with flaming ears and attitude.

“The grilled cheese is mine!”

            I looked up from my dairy to see Grim holding a grilled cheese sandwich that he clearly climbed over students to get.

            I was currently sitting in the cafeteria with Ace and Deuce, waiting for Grim to come back from his brawl over the cafeteria food.

            I sighed, “Grim I packed you a tuna sandwich for lunch.”

            “I’ll eat that too, but this grilled cheese is my prize!”

            “For what?” I asked. Seriously how did the headmage expect me to control this ball of fire and fur?

            “Hey there friend,” Grim turned to see a beastman had approached him. A very familiar beastman, he had dishwater blonde hair and large round ears; he was looking at Grim, “I see you have snagged the greatly sought after grilled cheese.”

            “That’s right,” Grim said smugly.

            “Here’s an offer,” the blonde beastman suddenly pulled out an empty hotdog bun, “How about trading that sandwich for this fine looking hot dog bun.”

            “Did you seriously just say ‘fine looking hot dog bun?’” I asked.

            “Why would I trade my sandwich for that?” Grim asked irritated.

            The beastman grinned, “Come on, let’s trade.”

            When the beastman held out his right hand holding the hotdog bun, Grim held out his hand with the grilled cheese sandwich, startling all of us.

            “Hey what’s going on?” Grim asked sounding confused.

            “Are you seriously trading the grilled cheese for an empty hotdog bun?” Ace asked shocked. I was speechless, what was Grim doing.

            The two exchanged food at the exact same time. The blonde beastman grinned, “Thanks for doing business,” then he ran out of the cafeteria.

            “Hey, my sandwich!” Grim cried.

            “Something weird just happened there,” I stated.

            “It’s Grim, what do you expect?” Deuce asked, “Anyway, after we finish lunch, we need to go see the headmage.”

            “Huh? Why?” Ace asked.

            “I think he wants to talk to us about what happened to with what happened to Housewarden Rosehearts a few days ago.”

            “You mean when he turned into a monster?” Ace asked.

            I bit my lip for a second before daring to ask, “How is he anyway?”

            “Better,” Deuce said, “But we still don’t know how he changed back.”

            I bit my tongue before speaking, “Maybe what happened to him was only temporary?”

            “No,” Ace shook his head, “The headmage made it clear that wasn’t the case,” Ace lifted his fork to bite into his food, but there was no food to bite into. He immediately looked to see Grim eating his sausage, “Grim!”

            “What? I’m upset,” Grim snapped before scarfing more of the sausage, “I need to eat my feelings!”

%%%%%%

            We all arrived at Crowley’s office. I was carrying Grim as we walked through the door.

            “Sir, we’re here,” Deuce said.

            “Wonderful,” Crowley sat behind his desk with a smile, “I called you four here to better explain what happened to Mr. Rosehearts.”

            “You said he overblotted,” Deuce asked.

            “Yes, I’m afraid that’s what happened.”

            I looked at them confused, “What does that mean?”

            “My brother mentioned it before,” Ace scratched his head, “But I don’t know the specifics.”

            “Then it’s a good thing your headmage is going to give you a special lesson,” Crowley smiled, “Charity thy name is Crowley.”

            If you’re so charitable then how about setting me up at a building that isn’t falling apart?

            “Mr. Roseheart’s condition was due to something called, ‘blot,’” Crowley began.

            “What’s blot?” Grim asked.

            “Blot, is a created when a mage uses magic,” Crowley explained, “Like when we breath we create carbon dioxide. It’s a toxic substance that has negative effects on the mind and body.”

            My eyes widened slightly, “That sounds dangerous.”

            “Indeed it is,” Crowley said, “We don’t know why this happens despite all the research into blot.”

            I recalled Riddle’s state when he overblotted, “And too much blot turns you into a monster?”

            “That must had been why my grandma always told me to not use my magic so much as a kid,” Ace thought, “I thought she just didn’t want me to break stuff.”

            “It was probably both,” I commented. That made Ace shoot me a glare.

            “I still don’t get it,” Grim said.

            “Well, then perhaps we need a demonstration,” Crowley said, “Ghosts, come here please.”

            Suddenly a group of ghosts popped up in the room, causing us all to jump.

            “These guys again?”

            The ghosts flocked to Crowley, “What’d ya need us to do?”

            “I would like you to spar with these students,” Crowley said with a smile, “Please go easy on them.”

            “Here we go again,” I sighed.

            Grim began to tremble, “I have to fight ghosts again?”

            “What scared?” Ace antagonized as he and Deuce pulled out their pens.

            “Of course not,” Grim said as I set him down.

            “Grim don’t worry,” I said, “They won’t get near you,” I looked at Ace, “When I say go, use wind magic.”

            The ghosts began to advance.

            “Deuce, distract them for a minute,” I said.

            “Okay,” Deuce waved his pen, thankfully he didn’t summon cauldrons this time. It looked like he created some smoke. That was good.

            I felt my hand twitch, trying to raise, but I quickly stopped it and gripped my skirt.

            I can’t get involved in this fight directly!

            “Ace use wind magic, but just hit the ghosts,” I instructed.

            “Fine,” Ace managed to blow streams of air towards the ghost.

            “Grim fire now!”

            “Myah!” When Grim breathed fire, it mixed with Ace’s wind magic. Just like with the monster at the mines, their combined attack increased and hit the ghosts, causing them to vanish.

            “Alright, enough,” Crowley ended the match.

            Grim placed his paws on his hips, “I don’t get what beating a few ghosts is supposed to prove.”

            Crowley kept his smile on his face, “Simple, gentlemen please turn your attention to your magestones.”

            They did; Ace and Deuce looked at their pens and Grim looked at his tag.

            “Myah, my gem has some black gunk on it!”

            “My pen has some too,” Deuce said.

            I walked over to Deuce and looked at his pen. I gasped, a small part of his magestone had turned black.

            “It won’t come off,” I looked to see Grim rubbing his stone trying to clear it.

            I looked at Crowley, “Is there a way to fix their stones.”

            “Of course,” Crowley said, “You just need a proper nights sleep and it will go back to normal.”

            I looked confused, “So, magestones can monitor how much blot a mage makes?”

            “Indeed,” Crowley nodded, “Just as they can help mages with spell casting they can show how much blot a mage can accumulate, that’s why magestones are so valuable.”

            Grim quickly climbed up to my shoulder, “So, blot goes away after sleeping?”

            “Yes,” Crowley said, “Blot can accumulate if a mage uses magic far to constantly, without proper rest it can lead to disaster.”

            I thought about it. Riddle did use his signature spell a lot, so maybe that’s what led him to overblotting.

            “Are you sure, it feels like Riddle’s case was extreme?” Ace asked.

            “Well, blot excess can happen if the caster is under extreme stress and full of strong negative emotions, anger, sadness, fear…”

            “The darkness in their hearts,” I didn’t mean too, but I quoted what Sora said to me.

            “Precisely,” Crowley said, “That shadow, that formed behind Mr. Rosehearts was the personification of his blot and the darkness in his heart, you can say,” Crowley raised his hands, “We’re lucky he was able to change back, if not the consequences would had been,” they he yelled dramatically causing us to step back.

            “Don’t yell like that for no reason,” Grim complained.

            “However,” Crowley placed a gold claw on his chin, “It’s still a mystery, how he reverted back to normal.”

            There it was.

            No one knew that I was the one who defeated Riddle and freed him from his overblot state. And no one ever could know.

            I couldn’t tell anyone I was a Keyblade Wielder, because everyone had a dislike for them. Still, I took a risk and asked.

            “Is it possible Riddle could have snapped himself out of it on his own?”

            “No,” Crowley said, “When someone overblots they tend to fall into a state of insanity and delusion,” he looked at me, “You’re certain you don’t know how Riddle changed back.”

            I took a small breath before repeating my lie, “No, I managed to slip away from him. I don’t know how he changed back. Don’t you have any clues?”

            “I think I do,” Crowley said. I bit my tongue; he had a clue? “Despite not being there I was able to sense something.”

            “Something?” Ace asked.

            “Yes, I could feel a strange… power or magic, coming from where we found Mr. Rosehearts,” Crowley closed his eyes, “It was nothing like I had ever felt before. A strange power, but it was so brief.”

            I swallowed before asking, “Have you felt it since?”

            “No, I haven’t,” Crowley said.

            I looked between Ace and Deuce, “Did you guys sense anything?”

            “Uh…” They both looked away. I took that as a ‘no.’

            “Ha, can’t sense magic huh?” Grim taunted.

            “Oh, so you sensed it Grim?” I asked.

            He flinched, “Uh… I was still tired from the fight.”

            “Sure you were,” I said, masking my anxiety.

            Crowley sensed a power. Did he sense the keyblade?

            “So,” I looked back at the headmage, desperate to change the subject, “Do overblots happen often.”

            “Oh no, of course not,” Crowley said, “Yes sometimes people accumulate too much blot, but overblotting is an extremely rare case. I doubt you’ll ever see one again.”

            I mentally sighed in relief. Good, that meant I wouldn’t have to use my keyblade to fight anymore.

            “Okay, then, how is the progress on getting me home?” I asked.

            Crowley’s face twitched, “Oh yes,” his eyes shifted away, “Finding you a way home (Y/N),” his voice sounded nervous, “Of course I’ve been searching diligently to find you a way home. I certainly haven’t forgotten. I’ve just been busy lately.”

            It was obvious, he forgot that he was supposed to send me home. He wasn’t fooling any of us.

            “Sir don’t play poker,” Ace said.

            “You’re eyes are shifting a lot,” Grim sounded tired.

            Sora really is my only hope isn’t he?

            Crowley placed his hands on his hips in indignation, “I’ll have you know, I really have been busy. The upcoming Interdorm Spelldrive tournament is soon, in fact I have a meeting with the Housewarden’s after this!”

            I slightly cocked my head, “Spelldrive? What’s that?”        

            Ace and Deuce looked at me like I was insane.

            “You’ve never heard of Spelldrive?” Ace asked.

            “Yeah, let’s pretend I’m from another world and I don’t know what that is,” I said sarcastically.

            “Spelldrive is one of the biggest sports in Twisted Wonderland,” Deuce explained excitedly, “There’s even a pro league and world tournaments.”

            Boys and their sports.

            “I’ve never heard of it either,” Grim said on my shoulder.

            “It’s a game with two teams made of seven,” Ace explained, “The team has to carry the disk to the other teams goal to gain points. Whoever has the most points wins. It’s game where you have to attack and defend.”

            “Sounds like football.”

            Honestly, I didn’t get sports.

            “Football?” They asked confused.

            “It’s a sport in my world where guys tackle each other to get a ball,” I could recall the countless afternoons of my father watching college football, where he would be yelling at the TV.

            “Hm, I never heard of such a sport,” Crowley said, “I’ll try to look it up in my research.”

            In that moment, I took out my diary and added them to the list of things that only existed in Twisted Wonderland and Earth.

            Spelldrive only exists in Twisted Wonderland.

            Football only exists on Earth.

            “I don’t think you could play (Y/N),” Ace said when I closed my book, “You need magic to play. Magic to levitate the disk as well as to protect yourself from spells.”

            “Sounds complicated,” I said.

            “The tournament is very important event for this school,” Crowley smiled proudly, “In fact we’re one of the leaders in the sport. Many students get recruited into the pro league,” I simply nodded, pretending to care and understand, “There will many recruiters looking to scout fresh talent, not to mention the tournament will be broadcast live by several cameras and Television stations. The amount of planning, that goes into this takes a lot of time.”

            I blinked. This was going to be watched by the whole world?

            “Okay, it’s a big deal,” I didn’t think I’d ever get excited over sports, but the rest of the world could enjoy it.

            “Wait, the whole world is going to watch,” Grim suddenly jumped on my head.

            “Grim, ow, that’s my ear!”

            “So if I take part in this tournament- and of course win- Everyone will see it?” Grim asked excited.

            I groaned, before grabbing Grim off my head to make him face me, “Grim, ten minutes you didn’t even know what Spelldrive was. What makes you think you can win a world famous tournament?”

            Grim just make his cocky smirk, “Because I’m a genius.”

            “Then use your genius to fix our dorm,” I deadpanned.

            “Grim I’m afraid you can’t play in the tournament,” Crowley suddenly said.

            “Myah,” Grim looked over his shoulder, I quickly turned him so he could face the headmage, “Why not?”

            “Grim, Spelldrive is a ‘team’ sport! The tournament is going to be held by each dorm, who have selected seven players to represent them. Ramshackle only has two!” Crowley explained.

            Grim slumped in my hand, “Myah…”

            “Oh don’t worry, playing in the tournament isn’t the only way to stand out,” Crowley smiled, “There’s selling snacks and beverages, cleaning the stands, and-…”

            “I don’t wanna do that,” Grim whined, “I want people to see me win and say, ‘Did you see Grim? He was amazing,” feeling sorry for him I patted his head.

            “Come on Grim,” I turned, “I’ll make you some tuna tonight.”

            “With lots of sauce,” Grim whined.

            Ace and Deuce walked back to Ramshackle with me and Grim. Grim continued to sulk in my arms.

            “We sure learned a lot today,” I thought about overblotting, “I didn’t think using magic could make something called blot.”

            I began to wonder about my magic. When I used magic, did I create blot too? Sora didn’t say anything about blot when we were training.

            “Who cares,” Grim moaned, “I eat and sleep a lot, so I’ll be a great mage no problem. But I still want to play in the tournament.”

            “Aw, is Grim made he can’t play,” Ace taunted.

            I rolled my eyes, “Don’t be mean Ace.”

            “Yeah, lots of students can’t play remember?” Deuce asked, “Only seven members from each dorm can be selected.

            Now that Deuce mentioned it, Heartslyabul had a lot of students and only a handful of them could be selected to take part in the tournament.

            “What about you guys?” I asked, “Were you selected for the Heartslyabul team?”

            The question caused both boys to stop. That made me stop and turn to look at them. They looked nervous. I felt a smirk pull at my lips and decided to get a little payback for Grim.

            “Oh, I get it. I suppose Riddle doesn’t want a couple of newbies he isn’t sure he can count on to represent Heartslyabul.”

            “Hey,” Ace snapped, “I’ll have you know that the team hasn’t been selected yet!”

            “Th-that’s right,” Deuce said, “We still have a chance.”

            “Of course you do,” I nodded and casually shrugged, “Even though Heartslyabul already has members like Trey and Cater and a bunch of other students who Riddle has known longer and knows their strengths and weaknesses and from that knowledge can build a great team to win.”

            “Well, you can’t even play (Y/N),” Ace snapped.

            “I don’t care about sports,” I just shrugged completely unfazed by his insult and continued walked, “So screw you.”

            I heard Ace growl, then suddenly he grabbed my bag and reached in and pulled something out; my Twisted Diary.

            “Hey give that back,” I grabbed for it but Ace held it above his head.

            “What’s this?” He asked with a grin, “You’ve been writing in it all day.”

            I began to panic, he could not read what was in that book. The keyblade, Sora, it was all in there.

            “That’s none of your business jerk, just give it back!”

            But Ace quickly took a few steps back. I looked at Deuce who was just standing there, “Are you going to do something?”

            “Should I?”

            “Yeah, Deuce go long,” Ace looked like he was about to throw it to Deuce.

            Dammit if Deuce got involved then it would all be over. In panic, I did the only thing I could do.

            “Grim.”

            “Myah, (Y/N) what are you-…?”

            “Fetch,” I threw Grim at Ace who yowled in panic as he sailed through the air, and crashed into Ace’s head.

            Ace stumbled back a bit as Grim landed on his face. Grim who was now panicked from his surprised flight clung to Ace’s head. Thankfully, that was the moment Ace let go of my diary to try and pry Grim off his face.

            I quickly ran up, snatched up my diary and grabbed Grim off Ace’s face. Then sprinted towards Ramshackle.

            “Bye guys see you tomorrow,” I quickly called back before I ran.

%%%%%%

            Ace rubbed his head, he was sure that Grim scratched his face. He shot a glare towards the girl who was disappearing down the street.

            “Oh that little bitch, just wait till tomorrow,” Ace growled.

            “You know, you shouldn’t pick on a girl like that,” Deuce sighed.

            “She started it,” Ace snapped.

            Deuce sighed again, he looked down the street where (Y/N) had already disappeared.

            Deuce thought about what they talked about in the headmage’s office, “So, did you sense anything?”

            “The feeling of a weasel clawing my face, yeah I did.”

            “No not that,” Deuce said, “The headmage said he sensed some weird power when Riddle overblotted.”

            “Are we sure it wasn’t from Riddle’s overblot?” Ace asked annoyed.

            “I don’t think he would have mentioned it if he thought that was it,” Deuce said.

            “Well, it doesn’t matter anymore,” Ace said, “Riddle’s back to normal, now how about we focus on getting on the team and make (Y/N) eat her words.”

%%%%%%

            “Oh man, Spelldrive sounds fun,” Sora mumbled as he stumbled through the darkness. He saw (Y/N) talk to the headmage about blot and Spelldrive. It sounded like a fun magic sport. Sora loved a good game.

            But he didn’t have time to think about that. He tried finding a way back so he could look for (Y/N), but he failed. He sighed, he wished he could contact Riku, or the king, or Donald and Goofy and ask them to look for (Y/N). He knew his friends could help her if they knew about her and that she was in trouble.

            Suddenly, the darkness he stood in shifted again. Now he was standing in the Mirror Chamber of Night Raven College.

            “I hereby call this meeting of Housewardens to discuss the upcoming Interdorm Spelldrive tournament.”

            Sora saw Crowley first and frowned. It was obvious he wasn’t taking (Y/N) problem seriously. He was clearly more focused on the success of his school and the other students.

            Wait did he say a meeting of Housewarden’s?

            Sora quickly looked around to see five students, presumably the Housewarden’s… And a floating tablet with a blue screen and skull icon.

            “We will start with the head of the planning committee, Mr. Ashengrotto.”

            “Thank you, headmage.”

            Sora turned his attention on a silver haired boy with glasses. He looked at the crest of his dorm and scowled. Sora would recognize that seashell anywhere. This was the Housewarden of Ursula’s dorm.

            “You’ll be happy to hear that all spaces have been rented by the vendors.”

            From Sora had seen so far of the Housewarden’s was that they all were most like his past enemies. Riddle was crazy and short tempered like the Queen of Hearts. The lion jerk was pushy and brutal like Scar.

            If this was the Housewarden of Ursala’s dorm, then he was bound to be sneaky and conniving just like that fat octopus hag! Sora made a mental note to tell (Y/N) to keep her distance from the other Housewarden’s.

            “We have come up with a way to lessen late application,” The Ursala wannabe said, “If a team is late but tries to apply, they-…”

            “Will be disqualified immediately, correct?” Riddle asked.

            Sora looked at Riddle. Okay, maybe they weren’t exactly like his enemies. After (Y/N) helped Riddle, he apologized and was trying to be better. Plus (Y/N) told him about some strange vision she saw when she grabbed his hand. Riddle had it rough.

            “No,” the Ursala wannabe let out a tired sigh, “They’ll receive a late fee.”

            Riddle frowned, “I don’t appreciate you changing the rules like this.”

            “Well, I couldn’t be more grateful,” a boy with tanned skin and grey hair said. He had a carefree smile. Sora looked at him confused. He actually seemed like someone Sora could get along with. Which dorm did he lead?

            Sora saw the cobra insignia and the tower that resembled the one in Agrabah.

            That made Sora look at him, more confused, “You’re the leader of Jafar’s dorm?” But he seemed so… nice.

            “I’ll need to make sure my make-up is top tier when we play,” A blonde guy in heels suddenly said, “Something that will make me stand out on that high def display.”

            Sora gave him a weird look. What kind of guy wore make-up. Sora didn’t wear make-up, Riku didn’t wear make-up. None of his guy friends wore make-up. Make-up was for girls, and even the girls he was friends with didn’t wear make-up, they thought it was a waste of time.

            Kairi was certainly pretty with or without it.

            Which dorm did this diva belong too?

            He saw the apple. Sora didn’t recognize it. He quickly went over the statues he saw before and realized, “You’re in that other Queen’s dorm.”

            The Queen was the only one of the Seven Sora didn’t meet, but he did hear about her. He heard about her from Ven and Aqua. Sora frowned at the story. She tried to poison Snow White, just because she was prettier than her. How could anyone be so petty and how could anyone do something so horrible to Snow White?

            Sora met the princess briefly at Hollow Bastion, just like the other princesses, she was kind, gentle, but did everything she could to hold back the darkness in the keyhole to protect the worlds. All while worrying about what happened to her loved ones.

            This made Sora worry for (Y/N) again. The Housewarden’s were like those Seven in a way and those Seven were always cruel to kind girls. The Queen was cruel to Snow White. Maleficent was cruel to Aurora. Ursala was cruel to Ariel. The Queen of Hearts was cruel to Alice. And Jafar was cruel to Jasmine.

            And (Y/N) was a nice girl, forced to go to a school full of bad boys.

            “Only House Pomefiore makes timeout calls to fix their make-up,” Riddle said, taking Sora out of his mental tirade.

            “Seriously?” This was why boys didn’t wear make-up.

            “Let’s get back to the subject at hand,” the Ursala wannabe fixed his glasses annoyed, “Anyway. The invites have been sent out. VIP’s including royalty should receive theirs soon.”

            “Royalty comes to this thing?” Sora asked.

            The guy from Jafar’s dorm gave a friendly laugh, “I always looked forward to receiving my invitation as a kid,” he looked at the lion jerk, “How about you Leona? I’m sure we might have even ran into each other as kids?”

            “Seriously, why do you go to a school for jerks?” Sora asked the red eyed boy even though he couldn’t get an answer.

            “Who knows, and also, who cares,” the lion jerk, now known as Leona said. Sora gave him a glare.

            “Thanks for proving my point.”

            Crowley cleared his throat getting the dorm leaders attention.

            “I also wish to discuss something,” Crowley said, “It’s about Diasomnia’s Housewarden Malleus Draconia.”

            With the mention of the name, the room went quiet and everyone’s expressions became tense.

            Sora remembered, Diasomnia was Maleficent’s dorm. Then this Malleus was…

            “Ever since Mr. Draconia enrolled,” Crowley began, “No dorm has been able to defeat Diasomnia, in fact no dorm has ever scored a single point. And ninety percent of the points Diasomnia earns are from Mr. Draconia himself.”

            Sora’s eyes widened. That all sounded very impressive. He probably should had realized. Maleficent was one of his most dangerous and powerful enemies, second only to Xehanort. She almost destroyed all the worlds and almost killed him several times.

            It would make sense the dorm leader of her dorm would be powerful too.

            “Yeah, seriously it’s like that guy has a cheat code for life.”

            Sora looked at the tablet in shock when he heard it’s voice, “Roxas?” The voice that just came from the tablet sounded like Roxas.

            “Indeed,” Crowley said sadly, “While it is a competition, Diasmonia playing prevents other dorms from, displaying their talent,” he looked towards Leona, “Especially Savanaclaw. Usually your dorm would place at least in the top three, but that hasn’t been the case since Mr. Draconia joined,” Leona scowled at what Crowley said, “Your dorm has been in the lower ranks of the tournament. So, I’d like to make a proposal,” Crowley crossed his arms, “I propose we have Mr. Draconia placed in the hall of fame. That would excuse him from taking part in anymore tournaments in school, of course Mr. Draconia has already agreed, now all you have to do is vote on it.”

            “Hell ya,” the tablet said, “I’m not interested in getting stomped on.”

            “Okay, that definitely isn’t Roxas or Ven,” Sora realized. Neither of them would take ‘getting stomped on,’ lying down.

            “What about the rest of you?”

            Leona just growled, “Listen here, there is nothing I hate more than someone telling me I can’t win, before I even have the chance to try. You’re basically telling us none of us have a shot at winning if that lizard is playing.”

            Crowley faltered, “That isn’t what I’m trying to-…”

            “Spelldrive isn’t just about brute strength,” Leona pointed to his head, “It’s about strategy, using what’s in your head.”

            The nice guy crossed his arms, “I don’t think what’s in my head can beat Malleus.”

            “Yours can’t but mine can.”

            “Why do you have to prove you’re a jerk?” Sora asked.

            “The King of Beasts won his throne through planning and strategy,” Leona said.

            “By murdering his brother and trying to murder his nephew,” Sora added bitterly. He really hated how this guy admired the monster who murdered his friend’s dad.

            “He also managed to drive away the Keyblade Wielder when he first arrived at the Pride Lands.”

            “It was a strategic withdraw!” Sora snapped, “I came back with Simba, and we kicked his ass off the throne!”

            Of course Leona didn’t hear Sora and continued, he looked at the other Housewardens, “Are you going to let this one in a lifetime opportunity go to waste? Whoever wins will have the chance to see that obnoxious lizard defeated face on TV. Doesn’t that thought make you wanna roar?”

            Sora raised an eyebrow. What happened to having fun and winning the game.

            “Well that would certainly raise rates and values,” the Ursala wannabe grinned. Sora shuddered, he was just as creepy and suspicious as the sea hag.

            “Leona makes sense for once,” the sparkly diva said, “Besides this proposal reeks of bias on your part.”

            “I also agree with Pomefiore’s Housewarden,” Riddle said, “I don’t want to give up before given the chance.”

            The nice guy smiled, “This sounds like fun.”

            “Seriously?” the guy who sounded like Roxas asked from behind the tablet, sounding nervous, “I’m the only one who wants him in the hall of fame?” 

            Crowley sighed, “Very well.”

%%%%%%%

            I saw the mirror again, I was pulled into it’s light.

            I could hear the sound of fighting.

            “Donald, Goofy,” I heard Sora’s voice.

            I was standing in some plaza of some kind. Sora was fighting. He was fighting a giant suit of armor.

            I recognized the two he was fighting with, Donald and Goofy. Sora told me about them. They founded each other after Sora lost his world and traveled together ever since.

            Sora was knocked back by an attack. He would had been hit again if it weren’t for Goofy. Goofy used his shield to protect Sora from the claws.

            “Come on Sora,” I cheered, “You can do it!”

            Sora got back up and threw his keyblade. It made impact destroying one of the claws. When the remaining claw flew towards Sora, he summoned his keyblade back to him and blocked.

            “I’m gonna summon Simba,” Sora called.

            “Alright,” Donald called giving Sora cover with thunder magic.

            Sora shot out his keyblade and turned it like he was unlocking something, that caused the tip of his keyblade to glow. He raised the keyblade into the air, lights swirled around from it, and from those lights a lion manifested. The lion stood next to Sora, when the armor attacked, the lion released a mighty roar, creating a shockwave that forced the monster back.

            I watched amazed as Sora, Donald, Goofy, along with the lion defeated the giant monster. When it vanished, it released a giant heart into the air.

            “Thank you Simba,” Sora said.

            The lion, Simba, nodded before disappearing into lights.

            Sora walked over to a fountain. The water surrounded a giant keyhole. Sora pointed his keyblade at it. The keyblade released a beam, when it hit the keyhole there was a locking sound and the keyhole vanished. Replaced piece by piece with a giant mural of butterflies.

            “Wow,” was all I could say.

            The next thing I knew, I was on Sora’s blue glass platform.

            “(Y/N).”

            I smiled when I looked to see Sora, “Sora, you’re amazing.”

            He grinned sheepishly, “Uh thanks… what brought that on.”

            “I just saw you and Donald and Goofy, and this lion; you all fought a giant armor. You took it down and it was incredible,” I explained, “Then you used your keyblade on a giant keyhole.”

            “Oh that,” Sora stretched, “That was a long time ago. Back then I was trying to seal the keyholes.”

            “Were they important?” I asked.

            “Remember what I told you about the Heartless?” Sora asked.

            I nodded, “Monsters that attack people to steal their hearts.”

            “Well, it’s just people who have hearts,” Sora explained, “Worlds have hearts too.”

            My eyes widened, “Wait, Heartless can steal the hearts of worlds?”

            Sora nodded, “Those keyholes led to the hearts of worlds. On my first quest, I closed as many keyholes as I could find, so that way the Heartless couldn’t steal hearts from other worlds.”

            “What happens to the worlds when they lost their hearts?” I asked.

            “They disappear,” Sora looked down, “Just like my world did.”

            I gasped. I looked at Sora, he seemed worried. I placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled, “You made it so those worlds would never disappear and that’s not ‘amazing?’”

            He laughed, “I guess it’s a little amazing.”

            We both laughed, “Oh, by the way Sora, I wanted to ask you something.”

            “What?”

            “Well, the headmage called us in,” I began.

            “Yeah, I saw that,” Sora said, “He talked about blot and Spelldrive.”

            “Okay, then this will make this easier,” I said, “Um… Will I overblot?”

            “Huh?” Sora looked at me confused.

            “Crowley said mages create blot when they use magic,” I explained, “Will that happen to me?”

            Sora hummed, “I don’t think so. No Keyblade Wielder has overblotted. In fact this is the first time I’ve ever heard of blot.”

            I crossed my arms nervously, “So you don’t think I can overblot?”

            “I don’t think so,” Sora said, “Maybe you could check?”

            “How?” I asked, “I don’t have a magestone.”

            “You could borrow Grim’s?” Sora suggested.

            I gave him a look, “Remember who we’re talking about. No way is Grim going to give up his magestone even for an hour, at least not without asking questions.”

            “How about borrowing it when he sleeps?”

            “You mean stealing?”

            “I mean borrowing,” Sora said, “Just borrow it at night, go outside cast a few spells and check to see if it goes black.”

            “I can’t use magic without my keyblade and…” I trailed off for a minute, “I don’t think it’s safe for me to even summon the keyblade.”

            “Why?”

            “Remember what Crowley said? He said he sensed a strange power after Riddle chased after me. What he might have sensed was my keyblade,” I explained, “If he senses it again and follows it to me, I’ll be discovered.”

            Sora hummed, “I don’t think that’s the case,” he looked at me, “You used the keyblade to unlock that shed to hide, plus you had it there for a while. If Crowley did sense it he would have found you at the shed before anyone else.”

            I blinked. Sora had a point.

            “But if you don’t want to take any risks that’s fine. It looks like Twisted Wonderland doesn’t have Heartless. So, there’s no reason for you to use the keyblade yet.”

            I crossed my arms and looked down, “Yeah… not yet…” I thought back to the mock fight with the ghosts. Ace, Deuce, and Grim were pretty good.

            If they decided to attack me, would I stand a chance?

            “Alrighty,” Sora summoned his keyblade, “Let’s get back to training.”

            I smiled and summoned my keyblade, my eyes drifted to Hearts Reflection. My eyes went to the same spot I had been looking when I had summoned it the past few times.

            The red magestone. After beating Riddle one of the small black magestones that lined the base of the blade had turned red.

            I hadn’t had a chance to figure it out because, I hadn’t seen Sora in my dreams the past few nights, and I didn’t want to ask without him.

            “Sora.”

            “Hm?”

            “Come look at this.”

            “Okay,” Sora came over as I showed him Hearts Reflection. I pointed to the magestones, “This one used to be black, just like the other ones. But after I killed Riddle’s monster and pulled him from his overblot, it changed to red. Why is that?”

            Sora looked at it, “I don’t know. I do know that different keyblade have different powers and abilities. Some are stronger, some can use certain magic better, but this…” Sora looked at me, “Actually, there’s something different about you.”

            That made me worried, “What’s wrong?”

            “Oh no, nothing’s wrong,” Sora quickly said clearly trying to ease my worries, “It’s something you and I share.”

            I looked at him confused, “You see, I learned that other Keyblade Wielders are usually given their keyblades.”

            I gave Sora a look, “Given?”

            “You see, a Keyblade Master chooses an apprentice. They pass the power to wield a keyblade down to their chosen apprentice and eventually pass down their keyblade to them.”

            I looked at Hearts Reflection, “No one gave me this.”

            “I know,” Sora said, “The keyblade seems to have chosen you without an inheritance ceremony. Just like me.”

            I looked back at Sora, “Like you?”

            “Yeah,” Sora rubbed his head with a sigh, “I’m sorry (Y/N).”

            “What for?” I asked.

            “You should be talking to a Keyblade Master, like the king or Master Yen Sid. They have all the answers about the keyblades,” Sora looked at me, “I’m not even that, I’m not even much of a keyblade wielder when it comes to things like this. I’m… self-taught. All my sword fighting came from sparring with Riku and I learned magic on the fly on my quests.”

            “Sora no,” I said, “I’ve seen how you fight and what you taught me, saved my life when I fought Riddle,” I placed a hand on his shoulder, “I’m proud to call you my teacher,” I smiled, “My Keyblade Sensei.”

            Sora laughed before getting serious, “I’ve never taught anyone before, but I promise I’ll teach you what I do know and help you get back home.”

            I smiled, “Thank you.”

            “Okay, let’s look at the magestone,” We looked at the red magestone.

            “It’s the same color as the ones they use in Heartslyabul,” I observed, I gently placed my finger on it, “Maybe it has something to do with-…” The moment my finger touched it, the stone began to glow and I felt something. I took my finger back with a gasp.

            “What was that?” Sora asked.

            “I don’t know,” I said, “When I touched it glowed and… I felt something.”

            Sora looked between me and the keyblade, “Touch it again.”

            “Are you sure?” I asked.

            Sora nodded, “(Y/N) I know that having the keyblade is scary. I know it feels like you’re holding more than you can carry,” he gently placed his hands on mine, his hands felt so warm and gentle, “But this, isn’t a weapon of destruction. Not unless you decide it to be. This keyblade will be whatever you want it to be. What do you want it to be?”

            I looked at Hearts Reflection. I looked at the small mirror at the top of the handle, my reflection looking back at me.

            “I… I don’t know. I do know that, I don’t want this to be something that hurts people,” I sighed, “If I could, I’d like to use it to help people like I helped Riddle… and use it to go home.”

            “Then, that’s what it will be,” Sora said, “The keyblade’s power, will come from your heart. You’re the one who grants it power, not the other way around,” Sora gently removed his hands, “Sometimes it will grant you what you want before you know it. Sometimes you have to just listen.”

            I smiled at Sora’s reassuring words. Sora always said such nice things, “Why can’t I see you when I’m awake?”

            “You will one day, (Y/N),” Sora promised.

            I smiled and then looked back to Hearts Reflection. I placed my finger on the red gem again. It began to glow and I felt something. I took Sora’s advice and I guess I listened to my keyblade.

            Then a word bubbled up my throat, “Heartslyabul.”

            The gem suddenly grew brighter and I was engulfed in light and red rose petals, I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t go blind. I felt like lightning was shooting through my body, but not in a bad way. I felt like I was being filled with energy. The kind that could make me run a marathon without getting tired.

            When the light died down, I opened my eyes.

            “(Y/N) are you o…” Sora’s voice trailed off.

            The first thing I saw was my keyblade. I gasped.

            Hearts Reflection had completely changed, gone was the gold and black keyblade. In its place was a keyblade of red, white, black.

            The teeth of the key, was a rose, a white rose that half painted red, with four cards surrounding it, the ace of hearts, the two of spades, the three of diamonds, and the four of clovers. A heart that was half red and half black stuck out as the main teeth. The blade that stretched down looked like a long red flamingo body. The base of the blade was Riddle’s crown, the handle guards formed a heart around the handle. One was red, the other was checkered. The keychain was comprised of the four card suits, with the emblem of Heartslyabul.

            But it wasn’t just my keyblade that changed. My hands did too! On my right hand was a fingerless black glove, my left had a fingerless checkered glove. When I saw my nail on my keyblade I pulled my hand up and examined my nails.

            Each nail was long and manicured, like I had gone to a stylist, not to mention the designs. Each nail had a rose painted on it. On my thumb, it was a red rose one a white nail, on my index finger, a white rose on a red nail and that’s how the pattern continued.

            “Uh… what’s… what’s going on?” I looked at Sora who staring at me. When I looked at him he blushed.

            “This… this must be like my transformations,” Sora said.

            “What do you mean? I transformed?” I asked confused.

            “Uh… hold on,” Sora closed his eyes, “Mirror… mirror… mirror…”

            Then to answer Sora’s call, a full length mirror suddenly appeared in front of me. I took in a breath when I saw my reflection.

            My clothes, my hair, and my face…

            Gone were my pajamas.

            A white vest that looked similar to the Heartslyabul dorm uniform, was wrapped around my waist, gold buttons over my stomach, with a white collar on my neck. But there was an opening around my chest that was shaped like a heart, revealing a red and black top underneath. The vest had tail in the back that hung behind a black and red checkered skirt that was pleated. The tail was ruffled a bit like Riddle’s coat.

            The vest was sleeveless, but it still had gold shoulder pads on the top, with a gold cord that hung from my collar and connected to the left shoulder pad.

            Gold trimmed, black boots that reached my knee, were laced to my feet.

            If the outfit wasn’t enough, my hair and make-up was. My hair was pulled to the side in a sideways ponytail, but some of my hair was styled into a bun on top of it, it looked exactly like a rose.

            I was wearing make-up. I hadn’t worn make-up since I was six and used a play kit make-up. I didn’t wear make-up because my mom said it was bad for my skin, my dad said I looked pretty without it, and the girls at my school who wore it… always looked trashy to me.

            But this… looked so good.

            My eyeliner was red, and a design called a double flick (When I realized a lot of guys at NRC wore make-up, I looked up some eyeliner designs out of curiosity). The eye shadow was pink that complimented the eyeliner. My lips were also a shade of rose pink. Painted under my eyes were upside down teardrops. Dangling from my ears were a set of rose shaped earrings.

            I trembled, “Oh my god… my face has never looked like this before,” I reached up and poked my face to make sure it really was mine, I even looked over myself. This was so different and… gorgeous. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d look so amazing.

            I looked at Sora, “You said I transformed? How?”

            “I could do that too,” Sora said, “I had different forms that gave me different powers; valor form, wisdom form, I called that power form drives.”

            I looked at the keyblade, “It even changed this.”

            Sora looked in awe, “Keyblades can change forms, but only if you change the keychain. But yours changed because of the gem.”

            I stared at the keyblade. It wasn’t Hearts Reflection anymore. It was…

            “Law of the Rose.”

            “What?” Sora asked.

            “That’s the name of this keyblade,” I explained.

            “I see,” Sora nodded, “Well,” he took a few steps back and held Kingdom Key in a fighting stance, “Let’s see what it’s got.”

            I looked at Sora surprised, then nodded. I came here to train after all.

            I stood in front of Sora. The stance I took… was different, but it felt right. I stood up straight. One hand behind my arm as the other held the keyblade straight up in front of me. Like a knight or a fencer.

            “Okay, start!”

            When Sora gave the signal we lunged at each other.

            I couldn’t help but realize that Sora was going slower than before. I easily parried his keyblade, leaving him wide open. I quickly pointed my keyblade at his neck.

            We both blinked in surprise. That was the first time I won against Sora. I did know he went easy on me, especially after seeing his fight with the giant armor, but I couldn’t help but feel surprised.

            I withdrew my keyblade and looked at it.

            “That was so fast,” Sora said.

            “I know,” I said, “It… moving didn’t feel hard. It just felt natural.”

            “Okay, let’s try again,” Sora took another stance, I took mine, “Begin.”

            This time, Sora obviously took it more seriously. The black void was filled by the sound of our keyblades clashing. Metal on metal, hitting, scraping against each other. Our match almost looked like a real sword fight.

            Sora jumped back. I pointed my keyblade to shoot a spell… but nothing happened. I knew I did it right, but the magic just wouldn’t come.

            “Fire,” Sora shouted as he shot a spell at me.

            When I saw it, my body felt like it moved on it’s own. With a stroke, I slashed through the flames. Then I rushed forward towards Sora. He shot another fire spell and I cut through that as well, by that point I was right in front of Sora. Law of the Rose still at an angle in my right hand, from breaking through the spell. Sora was about to stab forward, I didn’t have time to bring my right hand down for a block.

            But my left hand moved. As if on instinct, I summoned something into my left hand and parried Sora’s keyblade. After locking blades for a few seconds, we both stopped.

            “Time.”          

            I took a few steps back to look at my left hand. Hearts Reflection had returned to my left hand, but Law of the Rose was still in my right. I looked between them confused. I had two keyblades, but I just knew, they were both the same keyblade.

            “Wow, you can duel wield in this form,” Sora said.

            “But, I can’t use magic,” I said.

            “Then it’s like my old valor form,” Sora said, I gave a confused look, “In that form, my speed and strength were enhanced, but my magic was sealed to do so.”

            I hummed, “I’d be worried but,” I spun the keyblades around me, smoothly, expertly, “It’s like I’ve been training for years not a week.”

            “That’s probably an effect of this form,” Sora said.

            “Cool.”

            Then suddenly, like a flame on a short candle going out, I changed back, I was only holding one keyblade now.

            Then exhaustion hit me like a wrecking ball. I collapsed to my knees, trying to use my keyblade to support me.

            “(Y/N),” Sora was suddenly next to me looking worried.

            I could only gasp in exhaustion, none of my previous training had left me this tired. He placed his hand on mine and had me place the keyblade on the floor, “You’re done for tonight.”

            “What?” I looked at him.

            “Transformations like these take up a lot of energy,” Sora explained, “This was your first time transforming, you need to give yourself time to rest. We can pick this back up later.”

            I sighed, “Fine, but are we supposed to do until I wake up?”

            Sora hummed, “How about, I show you someplace.”

            “It won’t be creepy will it?” I asked.

            “Nope,” he smiled. He closed his eyes and focused on someplace in his memory.

            In an instant, we weren’t on his glass platform anymore. We were at the docks of some place. I stood up and looked around. Everything looked like a painting from another time. Cobble stone roads. Stone cottages, there was a city, it looked like it was on an island in the middle of a lake. I couldn’t get a clear view, since it was nighttime.

            I looked at Sora, “Did you forget what this place looked like during the day?”

            He just grinned, “Wait for it.”

            I gave him a confused look, he just pointed towards where I think the castle was.

            I released a small gasp, when I saw a small light float from what was indeed the castle.

            Then another light floated up, then another and another. An entire ocean of warm orange lights ascended to the sky, like small suns illuminating the night.

            The lights swirled and danced around the island, that was when I realized that they were lanterns. I watched in awe as the floated over the lake. The water reflecting dancing lights in a beautiful way.

            “On my recent quest,” Sora stood next to me, “We found a girl named Rapunzel. She wanted nothing more than to see this lantern festival, so we brought her here.”

            “I can see why?” I said, “They’re like suns or stars.”

            “Shining down on us like a million lanterns.”

            “Oh right,” I remembered and looked at Sora, “Sora, do you know a Terra, Ven, and Aqua?”

            Sora’s eyes widened, “I do, how do you know them?”

            “The same way I know about Alice and the Queen, how your island was destroyed, how you fought the armor… oh and the lions!”

            “What do you know about them?” Sora asked.

            “Well, they were friends and Terra and Aqua were going to take something called the Mark of Mastery Exam,” I said.

            “Huh,” Sora nodded, “That was a long time ago,” he looked around, “The main goal of my recent quest, was to find them.”

            “They were lost?” I asked.

            He sighed, looking sad, “They were first to fight against our worst enemy, thanks to them they bought the worlds time, but… In one way or another, they became trapped, for nearly ten years.”

            “That’s awful,” I said.

            Sora looked at me, “They’re okay now. We found them.”

            “Still, ten years,” I said.

            “Well, it’s complicated but, they didn’t really feel the ten years pass,” Sora said, “They’re still the same age as they were all those years ago.”

            “That sounds confusing,” I could only say.

            Sora rubbed the back of his head, “Yeah I know, sorry. How about you try watching out for them in your dreams.”

            “It’s not like I can just flip a channel, you know,” I reminded.

            “I know, but it seems like you’re meant to see our past somehow,” Sora said.

            I sighed walked over to the pier and sat to watch the lanterns, “I don’t believe in destiny.”

            “That’s fine,” Sora sat next to me, “I don’t think I believe in it either.”

            I giggled.

            “By the way,” Sora said, “What are you going to call that transformation spell?”

            I looked at Sora, “Does it need a name?”

            “Well, it’s up to you,” Sora said.

            I thought about it. I thought about how I transformed.

            When I thought about it, my outfit looked like the Heartslyabul uniform, but it was for me. A girl. I could only use it now, after defeating Riddle, when I killed his monster, one of gems on my keyblade changed colors.

            Now that I thought about it, there was something about how I attacked that made me think of Riddle. Precise, accurate, but brutal and ferocious. Like I was Riddle’s reflection.

            “How about… Reflect Shift?” I asked.

            “That sounds cool,” Sora thought out loud, “Reflect Shift,” Sora placed a hand on me, “I promise you’ll get better at transforming as you practice. I think the keyblade helps you learn how to fight faster.”

            “Can it help me do my homework faster?” I joked.

            He laughed, “I wish.”

%%%%%%%%

            I groaned when the alarm clock went off. I moved over and slammed my hand against it, shutting it up.

            “Myah… it can’t be morning already,” Grim complained.

            I forced myself to sit up. I couldn’t help but agree with Grim that morning. I felt like I hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep.

            I threw off the covers and tried to stand, but my legs gave away and I landed on my knees with a small thump, startling Grim.

            “Myah! What was that?” He saw me crumpled on the floor, I rubbed my legs trying to get feeling back into them, “Hey are you okay (Y/N)?”

            I grabbed the bed and forced myself to stand.

            “I… I’m okay Grim,” I said.

            “Well, we got school remember?”

            “I know,” I staggered towards the bathroom, “I need to brush my teeth.”

            When I was alone, I leaned over the sink and looked myself in the mirror. I still looked dead tired despite just waking up. Why was that?

            Wait? Was this a side effect from the Reflect Shift? Sora did say it took a lot of energy.

            I sighed, I had P.E that day. Coach Vargas was going to kill me.

            I need to be careful when I train with the Reflect Shift. I’ll try to do it over weekends, on nights I don’t have class.

            But I wondered, was there a reason for me to train with the Reflect Shift? There wasn’t really anything for me to fight. There was that incident with Riddle, but that was over and Crowley said something like that wasn’t bound to happen again.

            I closed my eyes for a second.

            Suddenly, my mind was filled with gold, then droplets of black fell, blemishing the color.

            My eyes shot open.

            What was that?

            And why did it feel familiar?

%%%%%%%

            “Hey,” two students were walking down the stairs, “How has training gone?”

            “Great,” the other said, “At this rate, I’ll be part of the Heartslyabul team in no time at all. Just you wa-Ah!” Suddenly the student jolted forward which caused him to fall down the stairs.

            “Dude,” his friend ran down the steps, “Are you okay?”

            From the shadows, watching the whole scene, someone snickered, “Too easy.”

Chapter Text

            Once again, I was before the mirror. What story would the mirror show me tonight?

            The light engulfed me. Transporting me somewhere else.

            Rocky walls surrounded me. It looked like the inside of a cave. I almost jumped when I heard a hiss. I looked to see steam coming out of a hole. Was that a geyser?

            A new noise pulled my attention in front of me.

            Three lights were glowing in the cave. When the lights vanished, three different animals were left behind. A bird, a tortoise, and a brown lion cub.

            “Whoa,” the lion cub spoke. Wait, the lion cub spoke? “This is what we look like here?” I blinked, wait, I recognized that voice.

            “Yup,” the tortoise said, “It appears we’re animals here Sora.”

            My eyes widened in realization. These animals were Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

            I looked at Sora, and I couldn’t stop my excited smile.

            Sora was so cute! He was a lion cub; he was so small and furry! I just wanted to pick him up and cuddle him!

            “Well look who’s here?”

            Suddenly, Sora and his friends were surrounded. A pack of hyenas had suddenly appeared. They were all looking at them smiling and laughing. But it didn’t feel joyful.

            “Just in time for dinner,” one of them said.

            Sora looked nervous, “We didn’t bring anything to eat.”

            “Oh, I think you did,” then the hyenas attacked.

            Sora tried to run, but he tripped over his four legs. Donald and Goofy didn’t have much luck either.

            “Sora,” I cried. I summoned my keyblade and tried to attack the hyenas, but my weapon just phased through them. I couldn’t help them.

            I could only watch helplessly as the hyenas advanced on them. Just as they were about to attack, a roar rocked the sky like lightning.

            One of the hyenas sighed, “He wants us now?”

            A second roar answered him.

            “Looks like it. You got lucky boys,” the hyenas left. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were safe.

            Sora struggled to stand, “It’s going to take time moving around in these new forms.”

            I was pulled from the scene and the mirror.

%%%%%%

A few days passed since Crowley told us about overblotting and Spelldrive. I hadn’t seen Sora since that night, though.

            I was at Ramshackle, trying to make it look a little better at least. I was taking down broking pictures and worn out paintings.

            I sighed. The walls looked so bare without pictures.

            Grim and I had been taking inventory of the entire dorm.

            It didn’t just have bedrooms, there was a shower room meant for multiple people. What looked like a chemistry lab, a small gym, and even an attached green house.

            My theory was, Ramshackle used to be NRC’s only dorm, probably back when it first opened. It was probably a smaller school, but as it got bigger and more students came, they created the other dorms. I believed that was the real reason Ramshackle was abandoned.

            I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the old building. Forgotten and left for the newer more fantastic dorms.

            I gently ran my hand against the wall.

            I bet this place was beautiful when students still cared about it. I wish I could make it better.

            Grim was on the couch whining, “I still wanna be in the Spelldrive.”

            I sighed as I put the broken frames in the trashcan, “You’re still on about that? It’s been days.”

            “(Y/N) we got that feather duster,” one of the ghosts appeared holding the cleaning utensil.

            I took it with an appreciative smile, “Thank you.”

            After realizing the ghosts weren’t going away, Grim and I made peace with them. They were actually really nice. They even helped me clean Ramshackle.

It was hard to believe I was ever afraid of these guys.

            “What’s the matter with Grimmy?” Another ghost asked, seeing Grim moping on the couch.

            I sighed, “He’s depressed he can’t play in the Spelldrive tournament.”

            “You wanna play Spelldrive?” The ghosts went over to Grim, “We can play with you.”

            “You can?” Grim asked.

            “That’s right, ninety years ago, I was the best Spelldrive player. All the girls were cheering for me.”

            “But we don’t have seven players for a team.”

            “It’s not a real match so who cares.”

            Grim sighed, before jumping off the couch, “I guess I could use the practice.”

            “Let’s head outside.”

            “Don’t hurt yourself Grim,” I called as he and the ghosts ran out of the dorm.

            As I cleaned I looked out the window to watch Grim. He used his magic to make the disk float above him. It was fun watching him run around the yard with the ghosts.

            I smiled, it looked like Grim was having fun. I was glad.

            As I washed the windows, thinking about my dream.

            Sora could turn into an animal? A really cute one too. Was that the power of the keyblade? I did transform with the Reflect Shift, but that was just my clothes. I was still human. Could I do that one day, turn myself into an animal?

            I sighed. I wish I could ask Sora.

            Then again, I wished I could talk to Sora whenever I wanted. Not just sometimes in my dreams and not just about keyblade stuff.

            Sora was so nice and easy to talk to. We would talk about random things during our breaks. He told me about his childhood friends Riku and Kairi. His island, his mom. He told me about some of his adventures.

            Apparently, to one of the worlds he traveled to, he could fly by using pixie dust. He also told me about the most amazing places. Even showing me them with his memories, like the lantern festival. I couldn’t help but wished he could take me to those places for real.

            I sighed. Sora promised he’d come find me and bring me home. I wished he would just come to Twisted Wonderland already.

            I wanted to see him in the real world.

            But all I could do was wait and hone my skills.

            And clean the dorm while I waited. I had nothing better to do.

            After the windows were clean, I began to dust the wall, but soon I realized there were some spots I couldn’t reach. Normally, this would be the part I ask the ghosts for help, but they were outside playing with Grim.

            I couldn’t help but frown. Just yesterday we learned a spell to make small objects float. If I could use magic it would be easier.

            I looked at my hands, but what if I could?

            I shook my head. No way, the keyblade was for fighting not household chores.

            But Sora did say that the keyblade’s power could be whatever I want. I looked around, Grim and the ghosts were outside. I was all alone in the dorm.

            I spotted my backpack on the table. I placed the feather duster down and went over to it. I took out my notebook.

            It might seemed weird for me to take notes about a spell when I couldn’t use magic, but I did it to help Grim study. He had a very short attention span, so every time we studied I had to be the one to try and reteach him what we learned in class.

            “This doesn’t look complicated,” I muttered, “But will it work with…?”

            I looked around. Grim and the ghosts were busy and no one else was around. Plus, when did I ever get to use my keyblade?

            I took in a deep breath, I would try using a small spell I learned in class then that would be it.

            I held the book open in my left hand then carefully summoned my keyblade with my right. I pointed my keyblade at the feather duster.

            “Look directly at the object,” I remembered, “Make sure you keep it in your mind. Then say the incantation,” I took in another breath, “With my invisible hand, I command you to rise and do my will.”

            When I raised the tip of my keyblade, the feather duster followed it into the air. Causing me to gasp and nearly dropping it. But I managed to catch it.

            “Wow,” I whispered, “Okay… this is… kinda cool,” I moved the feather duster up, to clean the part of the wall I couldn’t reach, “I wish I could show the others I could do this. Maybe this would finally shut Grim up and-…”

            I screamed when I heard a loud knocking. Out of reflex I dismissed the keyblade and the feather duster fell to the ground.

            “Uh… who is it?” I called.

            “It is I, your generous headmage,” Crowley’s voice joyfully called through the door.

            That caused me to freeze. Did Crowley sense me using keyblade magic?

            I swallowed and went to the door. I shyly peeked outside the door, “Oh uh… headmage sir, what brings you to my humble dorm?” I was trying not to panic.

            “To ruin our fun!”

            “Grim?”

            I opened the door completely to see that Crowley was holding Grim by his Ribbon. Worried I took Grim from him.

            “I think we should discuss this in the lounge,” Crowley said.

            “Um, okay,” I awkwardly led us to the lounge. I sat on the couch with Grim in my lap, Crowley sat in a recently dusted chair, across from me, “Is something the matter, sir?”

            “I think there is,” Crowley said. I bit the inside of my cheek, my heart was starting to pound. Was this it? Did he know? “During the past few days, there have been a serious of accidents that has led to injury.”

            That surprised me.

            “That’s horrible,” I said.

            “Indeed,” Crowley sighed, “Each student has been hurt from a short fall, boiling water. I’d like it if you two would investigate.”

            “Why should we?” Grim asked.

            “Grim, don’t be rude,” I chastised before looking to Crowley, “It sounds like they just need to be more careful.”

            “I would agree,” Crowley said, “However, each of the students were top contenders for their dorms team, and each incident has made it impossible for them to compete this year.”

            That did sound suspicious.

            “Were they tripped, did someone attack them?” I asked.

            “That’s the strange part,” Crowley said, “They all happened in public areas and they all said the same thing, ‘it was like my body moved on it’s own.’”

            “Maybe they just got too excited for the tournament?” Grim asked.

            “Our students do tend to lose focus around this time of year, however this is the most accidents we’ve had. At least ten students are injured.”

            “How serious?” I asked worried.

            “Nothing life threatening… at least not yet,” Crowley said.

            My mind began to process. I had watched a lot of crime shows with my dad back home. I would need more information before investigating.

            “How many students from each dorm?” I asked, “Was a specific dorm targeted? It could be someone trying to get their dorm to win, but it could also be someone who might want to win for himself, so he could target his dormmates for a spot on the team,” I thought out loud, “How about a time-…”

            “Hold on, hench human,” Grim snapped in my arms, “I didn’t agree to this.”

            I rolled my eyes to look down at Grim, “Grim, people are getting hurt.”

            “Not our problem, besides it sounds like this is all just a case of clumsy kids,” Grim crossed his arms, “We’re not even in the tournament. I don’t see why we should get involved.”

            “You don’t need a reason to help someone,” I snapped. I didn’t like the thought of someone going around hurting the other students.

            “You’re kind soul is truly a marvel (Y/N),” Crowley said clearly trying to butter me up, “It’s a shame that Grim doesn’t share your good nature.”

            I sighed, “I’ll look into it myself if I have to.”

            “While I appreciate that,” Crowley said, “There’s a possibility that if someone is behind this, they may attack you if they learn you are investigating. I would rather you have Grim for protection.”

            I did a mental cheer. If Crowley believed I needed Grim for protection, he didn’t know about my keyblade.

            “Well, I’m not doing it.”

            “Grim come on,” I tried.

            “Well, that’s a shame,” Crowley rubbed his chin, “And here I was planning to give you a special reward if you succeed.”

            We both looked at Crowley, “Reward?”

            “Oh no,” Grim complained, “I’m not doing this even for a hundred cans of tuna.”

            “What about a place in the Spelldrive tournament?” Crowley asked.

            That shocked us both, “Huh?”

            “I was going to offer you a spot in the tournament if you managed to find out what’s behind all these incidents. It’s a worldwide event, everyone would be able to see you win, but if you’re uninterested…” Crowley baited Grim.

            “Sign me up,” Grim jumped from my arms, “We’ll snag the bad guy and compete in the tournament.”

            I looked at Crowley, “We don’t have seven members,” I reminded.

            “I’ll just use my magic to perform a miracle,” Crowley said. I gave him a look. I wasn’t stupid he was talking out of his ass at this point, but Grim however…

            “Oh yeah, I’m gonna compete in the Spelldrive.”

            I rolled my eyes, “And when you do, I’ll be your cheerleader,” I looked at Crowley. Suddenly something popped into my mind, “Can I… ask for something if we do pull this off?”

            “Of course,” Crowley said, “I am nothing, if not generous,” I mentally sighed, “What are you hoping to get for a reward (Y/N)?”

            “I want art supplies.”

            Crowley blinked, “Come again?”

            “Art supplies,” I repeated, “I want paints, brushes, sketchbooks, colored pencils, and I want them for free.”

            I still remembered the art supplies at Sam’s shop. Not to mention, I loved to draw and paint. And doing that would help me cope in this strange world.

            “That sounds like a boring reward,” Grim said.

            “I also want Ramshackle restored,” I said. There was only so much I could do for the dorm on my own. I wanted to make it better. Maybe one day students would live here again. It would be nice to leave it in better shape.

            “Done and done,” Crowley said, “That’s certainly easier than what Grim wants.”

            “What was that last part?”

            “Nothing,” Crowley got up, “Good luck you two,” he began walking towards the door, but stopped, “Oh, there’s one more thing I would like for you two to look into.”

            “What?” I asked.

            He looked back towards us, “I would like for you to look into how Riddle changed back.”

            I felt my heart stop, “Um…”

            “Sure, why not?” Grim said.

            “Oh, excellent,” Crowley beamed.

            “Headmage,” I quickly said, “We don’t… even have a clue on what changed Riddle back. Other than you feeling a strange power,” my mind was racing for an excuse, “You remember I can’t use magic, that means I can’t sense it,” I explained.

            “I’m sure I can sense it no problem,” Grim said.

            “Somehow I doubt that,” I said.

            “I’m sure you can find something,” Crowley said.

            I bit my tongue for a second, “Um… Well… have you sensed that power at all… since then?”

            “I’m afraid I haven’t,” Crowley said, “I only sensed it during Riddle’s overblot incident.”

            I felt so relieved. He hadn’t sensed me using magic just before he came into the dorm. Which begged the question, what did he sense when I changed Riddle back?

            “Anyway, you two have an investigation to conduct, good day.”

%%%%%%%

            Riddle walked towards the Juniors room, he wanted to talk to Trey about the upcoming tournament. He and Trey were competing this year.

            Riddle tried to enjoy the temporary peace and quiet. The other students in his dorm had been doing everything to gain his attention and get a spot on the team. Ace and Deuce especially.

            He sighed, how did (Y/N) put up with those two?

            “You seem to be down?” Riddle quickly stopped at the sound of the voice and looked around. He quickly spotted a floating head of pink hair in the corner of the stairwell.

            “Chenya, what are you doing here?” Riddle asked, “You know what will happen if you get caught. Also don’t you have class?”

            “Don’t worry, no one even notices I’m gone,” Chenya grinned as the rest of his body appeared.

            Riddle groaned, Chenya could be a handful. Sometimes Riddle wondered why the beastman didn’t enroll at Night Raven with him and Trey.

            “But, I believe I should be going soon,” Chenya sighed, “A shame. I was hoping to see the lovely lady.”

            Riddle blinked, “Are you talking about (Y/N)?”

            “What other lovely lady would I be talking about?” Chenya asked, “Is there another?”

            Riddle blushed a bit, “She is a… respectable student.”

            Chenya chortled, “A respectable student, is that all you have to say?”

            “You-you know I don’t have much experience with girls Chenya!” Riddle’s face began to turn red. His mother barely let him spend time with male friends. She refused to let him have female friends.

            Chenya chuckled again, “How have you been Riddle? Any lasting effects from your episode?”

            Riddle sighed, “No, I’m good health.”

            “That is good,” Chenya said, before giving a knowing smile, “Do you… remember anything from that episode.”

            Riddle sighed, “No.”

            Everything from the moment he overblotted to waking up in the maze was a blur. A constant shifting of shapes and sounds. Not to mention the dream he had of his childhood.

            “Nothing, you don’t remember anything. Not even regarding, the dear lady?” Chenya asked.

            Riddle gave Chenya a glare, “Chenya, I don’t have time for your riddles,” he turned to continue his search for Trey, “I suggest you leave before a less friendly student finds you.”

            Chenya shrugged, “Very well, but I’ll leave this clue for you,” Chenya’s body began to disappear, “In regards of how you changed back, (Y/N) holds the key.”

            Riddle looked back where Chenya just vanished from. Did Chenya imply that (Y/N) was the one who changed him back?

            Riddle shook his head, that was impossible. She was magicless. The Dark Mirror said so, he was there when it revealed she was magicless. And he saw the damage he did to the gardens, there was no way she could have stopped him, even if she tried.

            However, Chenya wasn’t the type to lie. He liked to confuse and pull pranks, but not lie.

            (Y/N) said, she didn’t know how Riddle changed back, but was she telling the truth?

            “… (Y/N) holds the key.”

            Riddle stopped when he remembered Chenya’s words.

            Key.

            Key.

            Key.

            Why does that word make me feel…

            Suddenly, something shot through Riddle’s mind. Like a broken strip of film. He could just barely make out the blurred image of (Y/N).

            “You are wrong!” Her voice shouted as she clutched something in her hands, “Rules are meant to protect people’s rights and freedom, not to punish those who break them!”

            Riddle heard his own voice shouting, full of anger and hatred.

            “Will you shut up you wretched-…”

            “Riddle?”

            Trey’s voice shattered his thoughts. Riddle looked to see Trey calling to him from beneath the stairs.

            Riddle quickly left that thought behind, he had more important things to worry about than his recent mistakes.

%%%%%%%

            “Well, that felt like a waste of time,” Grim said.

            I looked over my notes; after we talked to some of the students who were injured I took notes. Like a real detective.

            “We haven’t really found anything,” I said, “They all said the same thing,”

            “It was like my body moved on it’s own.”

            We heard a knock at the door. I got up and answered, “Ace.”

            “What do you want?” Grim asked.

            “That’s not a nice thing to say.”

            I sighed, “Come in Ace.”

            Ace noticed our mood as we brought him into the lounge, “What’s your problem.”

            “Well, it’s like this,” I explained to Ace about what Crowley tasked us with. Investigating the accidents.

            “Sounds like just a bunch of guys who got careless to me,” Ace shrugged.

            “It does look like that,” I looked at my notes as I sat back down on the couch.

            “Crowley better keep his promise about us being in the tournament,” Grim said.

            “Somehow I doubt it,” I reminded.

            A minute later, Deuce suddenly burst into the dorm, a panic look on his face, “Ace we got a problem.”

            We all looked at Deuce in worry, “What?”

            “Trey fell down some stairs,” Deuce declared.

            “What?”

            That made me stand up. I looked between all three of them, “Trey wouldn’t have gotten distracted like that.”

            Trey liked to mess with Ace and Deuce a little, but he was one of the nicer students. I would even go so far as to consider him a friend. The thought of him falling down some stairs and getting hurt…

            My hand clenched in anger.

            This wasn’t an accident! Someone is hurting other students and Trey was their most recent victim.

            “Grim,” I looked at Grim, “We’re going to find who did this!”

            “Yeah, then we’ll get in the tournament.”

            I frowned, “We’re not doing this for the tournament! We’re doing this to prevent anymore injuries.”

            “Goody-goody,” Ace said.

            “Shut up,” I marched into the kitchen, “I have a ‘get well’ present to make. It’s a good thing the forest has a lot of apples that I can pick for free.”

%%%%%%

            A couple hours later we went to Heartslyabul. I was carrying a container that contained Trey’s gift. Grim… well, he tried to be considerate and brought a can of tuna to give Trey.

            Deuce knocked on Trey’s door.

            “Come in.”

            When we came in, we spotted Cater standing next to Trey’s bed, “Well look who came to visit,” Cater saw us, “It’s the cutie from Ramshackle, Grimmy, and Hunting season.”

            “Hunting Season?” Ace asked.

            “It’s what you call an Ace and Deuce pair in poker,” Cater said playfully.

            “Don’t give us a couple name,” Deuce whined.

When I saw Trey, I couldn’t help but place a hand over my mouth. Trey was on his bed, his ankle was bandaged and a set of crutches were leaning against his bedframe.

            “Oh my God, Trey,” I said worried, “They said you were hurt, I didn’t think it was this bad.”

            “Hey,” Trey held up his hand trying to calm me down, “It looks worse than it is (Y/N) really.”

            “But seriously, man what happened?” Ace asked.

            “I fell down some stairs and messed up my ankle,” Trey sounded remorseful, “I’ll be on crutches for a while.”

            Grim sighed, “I was hoping your injury wouldn’t be so bad so that I could keep this, but,” Grim went over, jumped on his bed and handed him his can of tuna. I smiled, it was the first time I had seen Grim share his food.

            Aw, my little monster is growing up.

            “This is so sad,” Cater said, “#zero, you were one of our power players for our Spelldrive team, now the teams positions are messed up.”

            “Really?” Ace and Deuce asked, and they both had the nerve to grin.

            That made me mad.

            “You’re dormmate is injured and you’re both happy about it, because it opens up a spot on the team?” I asked angrily. Causing them to flinch.

            “Um… no?”

            I sighed. I couldn’t believe these two were my friends. Sora would never smile at someone in pain.

            “Trey, I also brought you a get well gift,” I walked over to his bed. I felt a little nervous. This the first time I gave a boy a gift.

            I mean it wasn’t like I had a crush on Trey or something, but I still felt embarrassed.

            “What? Trey you lucky stiff,” Cater whined, “Getting a gift from a cute girl, I’m so jealous.”

            “Knock it off Cater,” Trey accepted the container.

            I still felt nervous, “They’re not as good as what you make, but I still hope you like them.”

            Trey opened the lid, “Roses?”

            Inside the container were six small, rose shaped treats.

            “Actually,” I rubbed my arm embarrassed, “They’re rose apple tartlets.” I made them back home, but never shared them with anyone but my family. I would die of embarrassment if I shared these with my friends back home.

            But Trey was hurt, and I felt he deserved to have something nicer than just a can of tuna.

            “Are you kidding?” Cater said when he saw the tartlets, “Homemade treats from a girl? Now I’m double jelly.”

            “You don’t even like sweets Cater,” Trey reminded.

            “Well I still want a homemade gift from a cute girl.”

            “That’s what you made?” Grim asked, “They smell good, gimme one,” Grim was about to dive into the container, but I grabbed him and pulled him away.

            “Those are for Trey not you!”

            Trey gave me a kind smile, “These look and smell good (Y/N), thank you.”

            I couldn’t help but blush, “L-like I said, they’re not as good as what you’d make.”

            “Why is Trey’s room crowded,” a voice in the door called, “Trey needs rest.”

            We look to see Riddle standing at the doorway.

            “Myah, it’s the raging tyrant!”

            “I’m not raging,” Riddle crossed his arms, “I’ll be perfectly calm if you follow the rules.”

            I sighed, “I apologize for Grim,” I said, “We heard Trey was hurt and we came to see him.”

            “She even made Trey, little rose tartlets,” Cater whined, “They’re rosey and cute, just like (Y/N) is.”

            “Tartlets?” Riddle asked. As he walked over to Trey to examine his gift. I felt my face getting redder and redder. Why was my gift getting so much attention? I couldn’t take it.

            “They do look good,” Riddle said, “Would you like anything else Trey? Something to drink maybe?”

            “I’m fine Riddle,” Trey assured, “You don’t need to wait on me like this.”

            “But you’re like this because of me,” Riddle frowned.

            We all looked at the Housewarden confused, “What do you mean?”

            Riddle sighed, “I was the one who fell down the stairs. Trey got hurt catching me.”

            Trey shrugged, “If I hadn’t done that, you would have just caught yourself with a flight spell. Me doing something was a bonehead move.”

            “Don’t say that,” I said, “What you did was brave, and Riddle,” the red head looked at me, “I promise this isn’t your fault.”

            I looked down. This was the culprit’s fault. Riddle gave me a strange look.

            “Okay, let’s all leave and let Trey rest,” Riddle ordered.

            “Alright.”

            “Try to feel better Trey,” I said one last time before leaving the room.

            Riddle brought us to the lounge. It was just as red and a little zany as the rest of the dorm. There were cards in the mirror. The furniture was plush and red, and of course the table had a vase filled with roses.

            It made me jealous. I wondered if I could make Ramshackle this nice.

            “So Riddle,” Cater said, “Was there something you wanted to say while not in front of Trey?”

            “Yes,” Riddle sat down at one of the chairs, “I wanted to know why you all visited Trey.”

            I blinked, “Because Trey is a friend and we’re concerned that he’s hurt.”

            “I believe that coming from (Y/N),” Riddle said.

            “Right?” Cater said, “(Y/N) is such a sweetheart, she even made him some little tarts for the tart master,” that’s when he got closer to me, “By the way, I like spicy food. So, if I happen to get injured…”

            “Cater,” Riddle snapped, it made his two strands of hair, that was shaped like a heart when hung over his bangs, straighten up like rabbit ears.

            “Sorry, sorry,” Cater took a few steps back, “but Grim and Hunting season are another thing. I mean Grim sharing tuna, that’s sus.”

            “Also,” Riddle looked at me, “You promised this wasn’t my fault.”

            I sighed, “I really am concerned for Trey, but I’m also looking into the recent string of accidents.”

            Riddle sat up straight, “Go on.”

            “The Headmage asked us to investigate the accidents,” Grim took over, “All the victims were likely candidates for their dorms team,” Grim smiled, “He said if we find out whoever’s behind this, he’ll let Ramshackle take part in the tournament.”

            “Which isn’t the point Grim,” I said sternly. I sighed, “Riddle you said you were the one who fell down the stairs?”

            “Yes,” Riddle nodded.

            “Were you pushed?” I asked.

            “No,” Riddle frowned, “I didn’t feel anything. It was like my body moved on it’s own.”

            “That’s what the other victims said,” I said.

            There was a pause before Riddle spoke, “We’ll help with this investigation.”

            Grim and I looked surprised, “You will?”

            “Yes, someone is trying to win through treacherous means,” Riddle said, “As the Housewarden of Heartslyabul, I will not overlook this.”

            “Right,” Cater said, “Besides we need to avenge Trey.”

            “Sure do,” Ace agreed.

            “Let’s get this bastard for Trey,” Deuce cracked his knuckles.

            We all looked at the pair, there reason for being pumped was obviously not for Trey.

            “You two just want to be selected for your Spelldrive team don’t you?” I asked bluntly.

            That made them flinch.

            “Guess you got us,” Ace sighed.

            “Uh… no, I-uh…” Deuce tried.

            “Save it,” I crossed my arms, “I haven’t forgotten that you two were grinning at Trey’s injury because now there’s a spot on the team for you.”

            “Wow, you guys got caught right away,” Cater said.

            Riddle sighed tediously, “fine, your performance for this investigation will be taken into consideration.”

            “Alright,” Ace and Deuce grinned.

            “You both disgust me,” I said honestly.

            “That’s not the only thing the Headmage asked us to look into,” Grim said, “Hey Riddle do you remember how you changed back from being overblotted yet?”

            I stiffened. Leave it to Grim to remember that.

            I looked at Riddle who closed his eyes, I had to suppress a flinch when he opened them, “No I still don’t remember.”

            Phew.

            “Nothing?” Grim asked.

            Riddle hummed, “Actually I may remember something.”

            Scratch that, I was screwed.

            “W-what do you remember?” I asked.

            “I’m not to sure,” Riddle said, “Everything felt like a distant dream. I know I remembered having a dream about my past.”

            I had to bite my lip again. I remembered that as well. When I grabbed Riddle’s hand, I saw his past. How his mother smothered him. How lonely he was.

            Riddle tried to hide it but, I could tell he didn’t like remembering it.

            “If you don’t want to talk about it, don’t force it,” I said gently.

            “It’s fine,” Riddle closed his eyes, “It wasn’t all bad.”

            “What do you mean?” Cater asked.

            “In the end there was,” Riddle’s face began to turn red. Not in anger, more like embarrassment.

            “What was at the end?” Deuce asked.

            “The-the dream just ended nicely for me and that’s all I’ll say on the matter,” Riddle said sternly.

            I tilted my head. Nicely? Was he talking about my hug? I just saw a lonely boy who needed a hug.

            “Aw, did someone have wet dream?” Ace asked like an idiot.

            “Of course not,” Riddle’s eyes shot open, his face was red in anger this time, “Do you want to lose your head.”

            “Okay,” I quickly stepped between them, “How about we focus on the Spelldrive issue. That’s the more pressing matter.”

            “She’s right,” Grim said crossing his arms, “We’ll have more time on Riddle changing back later. We need to figure out how to figure out who the culprit is.”

            Riddle calmed down, “That’s simple. We need to set a trap and catch the culprit in the act.”

            “That’s sounds like a good idea,” I admitted, “But how are we supposed to know who the next target is going to be?”

            “Don’t worry (Y/N),” Cater pulled out his smart phone, “Cay-Cay’s has you covered.”

            “I also found the recent accidents strange,” Riddle said, “So I had Cater look into some of it.”

            “I managed to get a list of the top players in the school on magicam,” Cater explained, “We just need to check the guys on this list and see if they’re targeted.”

            “Alright,” I nodded, “Sounds like a plan.”

            “Awesome,” Ace said, “Let’s go check out the first target.”

            We began to leave Heartslyabul. Grim decided to ride on my shoulder as I walked behind the boys. They knew where we were going anyway.

            “So, what are we gonna do if we do run into the culprit?” I asked.

            “We kick his ass,” Deuce said.

            I sighed, “But what if he’s strong? What if he’s using magic to cause the accidents? We don’t even know how he’s doing it.”

            “Let’s not sweat the details,” Ace said, “I bet we could take him down, even if he’s a keyblade wielder.”

            I gripped my skirt, “You guys… really want to fight a keyblade wielder?” The question fell from my mouth before I could stop it.

            “Well, who wouldn’t?” Ace asked, “To get a chance to do something even the Great Seven couldn’t do?”

            “Uh… do what?”

            “Beat a keyblade wielder duh,” Ace said, “You need to pay attention (Y/N).”

            I looked at my feet as we walked, “I just don’t see the point in doing that.”

            “Well, we strive to be like the Great Seven,” Deuce reminded, “If someone could beat a Keyblade Wielder, then they’d surpass the Great Seven.”

            “Well, I wouldn’t test my luck,” Cater said, “They were some crazy hombres.”

            “Bless you,” Grim said.

            “What about you Riddle?” Cater asked, “What would you do if you were face to face a Keyblade Wielder?”

            I looked towards Riddle.

            “Isn’t obvious?” Riddle asked, “I would avenge the Queen of Hearts and make sure no harm would befall Twisted Wonderland. No matter what.”

            My heart just sunk deeper and deeper at their words. They were only a few feet in front of me, but it felt like they were the ones who were a world away, not Sora.

            My hand reached up and clutched my seashell good luck charm, hoping it would give me some strength and comfort.

            Once again, I was reminded that I needed to protect my secret.

            “(Y/N) hurry up, we’re falling behind,” Grim’s voice jolted me. I looked up to see that they were pulling further ahead.

            “Oh, sorry Grim.”

%%%%%%%%

            Riddle glanced behind to see (Y/N) jogging up to catch up to them.

            She was always quiet when they mentioned Keyblade Wielders.

            Chenya’s words briefly came to mind as well as what he thought he remembered earlier.

            But he dismissed those thoughts and looked ahead.

            Honestly, he had been thinking about her a lot recently. He didn’t know why. But when he thought about her, he remembered the end of his dream.

            The dream of his childhood was cold and dark. He remembered feeling helpless and trapped. He remembered feeling so alone. He even thought it would just be easier to succumb to the darkness, maybe then he would no longer feel that way.

            But then, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He felt warmth and his dream seemed to gently become lighter and brighter.

            For the first time in his life he felt like he would truly be alright. Even if the rules broke, everything would be alright.

            Riddle did know better than to just take what he dreamt as fact.

            He couldn’t just believe what he thought he remembered earlier either. Riddle had read that overblotting can cause delusions or warped memories.

            He couldn’t believe any of what he recalled.

            None of it at all!

%%%%%%

            After entering Pomefiore’s dorm, I couldn’t help but take in the sights. Pomefiore’s dorm was absolutely beautiful. Like a castle.

            But I couldn’t really admire it the way I wanted to. I was still trying to come to terms with what the Heartslyabul boys said.

            We entered the dorm building. We walked past several students, while the Pomefiore students did notice us they didn’t do anything. Which was a relief. After being there for a couple of weeks I had learned that a lot of students were quick to violence if they thought they were threatened.

            “Okay, first on Cay-Cay’s list of potential targets, is Rook Hunt,” Cater said in his usual cheery tone.

            “Who’s that?” I asked.

            “He’s a junior, with a blonde bob and a fedora,” Cater described, “Rumor has it he’s an incredible athlete,” we peered into their lounge, “Ah he’s over there.”

            I spotted a student matching Cater’s description. He was sitting with another tall blonde student, and a shorter student with purple hair.

            “Whoa, that guy like a human glitter bomb,” Ace said.

            “Rook is an incredible athlete,” Riddle said, “However, he’s a bit of an… odd duck.”

            I didn’t say it out loud, but Ace was right. Rook was very sparkly. In fact it seemed every Pomefiore student was sparkly.

            Then again, it seemed that every guy at NRC, was ridiculously good looking. They ranged from cute, gorgeous, to sexy, but for reasons obvious I kept that to myself. Honestly, if I wasn’t stuck in another world and if they all had better attitudes, I would have considered myself a lucky girl.

            Even Sora was cute!

            “Non Epel non,” Rook spook with a French accent, French existed here, “That is not how you hold your teacup.”

            “Oh, sorry Rook,” the purple haired student said timidly.

            The other blonde sighed, “I just can’t decide how to do my make-up for the tournament.”

            I blinked; did he just say he was going to wear make-up? Oh he must had meant those black stripes I had seen football players wear… Wait, everything about this dorm is fancy and sophisticated, there was no way is he going to smear black stripes on his face.

            “Oh, belle Roi de poison Vil,” Rook said, “Surely you don’t need make-up to make your beauty shine.”

            “Of course not, but I never miss a chance to enhance it.”

            Rook beamed, “Ah, your dedication astounds me. Magnific, Tres bien!”

            We all stared in awkward silence.

            “I have no comment,” was all I could say.

            “I don’t think this guy is a target,” Grim muttered.

            “Yeah,” Cater said awkwardly, “I think we should move on.”

            “Yes please,” as I turned to leave with the others. I glanced back into the dorm. That was when I saw Rook looking towards me… no at me.

            I felt a blush of embarrassment rush through me before quickly walking down the hall.

%%%%%%

            Rook watched the mysterious girl scurry down the hall like a frightened rabbit.

            “Rook, what are you looking at?” Vil asked looking where Rook was. By then the girl and the Heartslyabul students had left.

            Rook chuckled, “I was merely observing a petit lapin.”

            “Excuse me?” Vil asked.

            Rook smiled, “The mysterious belle who appeared during orientation just paid us a visit,” he explained further.

            “The magicless girl that the Headmage has enrolled, along with that cat,” Vil recalled the message he received about her, “What would she be doing here?”

            “Alas, I don’t know,” Rook’s smile never wavered, “What curious prey she is.”

            Vil sighed, “Rook, while I know you don’t have malicious intent, don’t hunt her like you do the other students,” Vil took a sip of his drink, “If you’re caught following her, it won’t look good, you might actually get arrested.”

            “Your concern is magnific, Vil,” Rook said, “Of course I would never do anything to harm a fair lady.”

            Vil nearly snorted, “While she has potential, I wouldn’t call her ‘fair.’ It’s obvious she puts little effort to approve her appearance. Besides I am the fairest of them all.”

%%%%%%%%

            We left the dorm and the hall of mirror entirely. Cater brought us to the courtyard in the school.

            “So, who’re we looking for this time?” I asked.

            “Jade Leech and his twin brother Floyd,” Cater explained as we hid behind an apple tree, “They’re sophomores in Octavinelle. The two work really well together. They should be… there.”

            We all peered to where Cater was pointing.

            It wasn’t hard to spot the pair of twins. Both had teal hear, both had a single black lock frame one side of their face, both had one earring hanging from their ear, they both even had mismatched eyes. It was like one was the reflection of the other.

            “Whoa they have the exact same faces,” Grim said jumping on Cater’s shoulder.

            “Grim, that’s what it means to be twins,” I told him, “Although, it looks like they’re easy to tell apart,” I looked at Cater, “Which one is Jade, and which one is Floyd?” I asked.

            “That’s Jade and that’s Floyd.”

            Floyd was a mess. His tie was missing, his jacket was unbuttoned and so was his vest and the top of his undershirt. He had his hands in his pockets while talking to his brother.

            Jade, however, looked like a model student. His uniform was straight, not a single hair out of place. Jade was standing up straight, smiling politely as he and Floyd spoke.

            “Wow those guys are tall,” Ace said. I couldn’t help but agree, they must had been at least six feet tall.

            “Seriously, they make the other students look like little kids,” Deuce said.

            Riddle looked nervous. That couldn’t be good. Riddle was one of the scariest people I knew, and I didn’t want to meet someone who would make Riddle nervous.

            “Riddle? Are you okay?” I asked, “You seem unsettled.”

            “Just a little,” Riddle admitted, “If I were the culprit, I would stay clear of them,” Riddle said, “Especially Floyd.”

            “Why?” Grim asked.

            “Oh ho,” a voice boomed, “What’s up lil’ Goldfishie!”

            We all jumped, especially Riddle, “He spotted us!”

            We all turned to see that we were approached by one of the twins we had been watching, Floyd. It also appeared Floyd was the one who called Riddle, ‘Goldfishie.’

            “What brings you to our humble abode?” Floyd asked, “Playing hide and seek? Sounds fun.”

            “Isn’t this a public courtyard?” I whispered to Ace and Deuce. They both nodded.

            “F-Floyd,” Riddle was mad, “I told you so many times to not call me that ridiculous nickname.”

            Floyd looked confused, “But you’re small and red. How are you not a goldfish?”

            “How can he say that to a Housewarden?” Deuce whispered.

            “No clue,” Ace whispered.

            “This guys a few tuna cans short of a casserole,” Grim said. That seemed to only catch Floyd’s attention.

            “A talking cat? That’s not something you see every day,” Floyd said, “Can I squeeze you till you pop?”

            Grim panicked, “No, get away from me you weirdo! (Y/N)!” Grim leapt from Cater’s shoulder and onto my face. Which caused me to lose balance and spin around.

            “Grim,” I tried to say, “Get off my face! I need it to breathe!”

            As I spun around trying to get the panicked Grim off my face I could hear laughing. Clearly it was because of me.

%%%%%%%

            Floyd laughed as the girl spun around with the cat clinging to her face.

            “My, it appears we’re being paid a visit from some Heartslyabul,” Jade then appeared next to Floyd. While he spoke he kept glancing between the Heartslabyul students and the Ramshackle duo who were making a spectacle. But he continued to address the Heartslyabul students, “Have you come to survey the competition?”

            “Um… it’s not like that,” Cater said, “But we can’t go into it.”

            “Whoever’s laughing stop it and help me,” (Y/N) called as she spun around with Grim on her face.

            Ace and Deuce were looking between the Ramshackle duo and the twins. They did consider helping but the twins were suspicious… Plus Ace wanted some payback.

            “What goes around comes around (Y/N),” Ace called.

            Jade couldn’t help but chuckle, “As entertaining as this is, we don’t have a good view of spying at Octavinelle. Please justify your actions, even if they are suspicious.”

            “I’m on a mission from the Headmage,” (Y/N) called from her spinning, trying to resolve this.

            “I’m certain you are,” Jade said smiling, clearly not believing her.

            Everyone looked nervous.

            “This guy talks fancy, but his eyes are cold,” Ace said nervously.

            “Gee would you look at the time,” Cater pulled out his phone pretending to check the clock, “It’s been real bye.”

            “Retreat,” Riddle ordered.

            Without another word, Deuce went to (Y/N) threw her over her shoulder and started running.

%%%%%%

            Finally, I managed to yank Grim off my face, “Grim, my face isn’t a-…” That was when I noticed I was being carried by Deuce like a sack of potatoes as he ran, with the others. I looked to see the twins chasing after us.

            “I am getting a serious case of déjà vu,” I said as I held Grim, so he wouldn’t fall to the ground.

            “Wait,” Floyd called with a scary sharp toothed grin, “let’s be friends and talk.”

            “No way!” Riddle yelled as they ran.

            All the while Grim and I watched as we lost the twins.

            “Well, that could have gone better,” I muttered.

            I sighed, not only were we spotted, I was made a fool of, once again, by Grim. But on the positive side, after seeing me act like an idiot, no one would believe for minute that I was a Keyblade Wielder.

Chapter Text

We managed to escape the Leech twins and found a safe haven on Main street. Deuce finally set me down when he knew we weren’t being chased anymore.

            “I think those two can take care of themselves,” I thought out loud.

            “Agreed,” Grim sagged in my arms.

            I couldn’t help but feel like this plan was going nowhere fast. So far, the potential targets either chased us away or just didn’t seem to be targets.

            But it was the only thing we had to go on.

            I looked at Cater, “Do you have anymore leads?”

            Cater winked at me, “I do. A freshman in Savanaclaw.”

            “Alright,” I said, “How about we actually talk to this guy? Explain the situation and hope he cooperates?”

            Riddle looked at his watch and frowned, “It’s almost five.”

            “So?” Grim asked.

            “One of the rules says that no one can practice croquette after five,” Cater explained.

            Riddle put his watch away, “As housewarden I need to make sure that rule is being followed, but…” He looked at me. He seemed nervous.

            “I thought you weren’t so obsessed with rules now,” Grim said.

            “Oh trust me,” Cater said, “He’s definitely relaxed on the rules, but…”

            I sighed, “Guys come on, old habits are hard to break,” I turned Grim so he could look at me, “It’s fine with taking baby steps and honestly, a curfew for practicing sports actually sounds like a sensible rule.”

            “What do you mean?” Grim asked.

            “Well,” I began, “It’s not good for you to practice at night. You could lose a ball or get injured. Plus you wouldn’t have time for homework or study and be too tired to do anything the next day,” I looked at Riddle and smiled, “That does sound like a rule you should enforce. Just don’t go overboard, okay?”

            Riddle looked down when I smiled. His expression was odd. Like a cross between confusion and… guilt?

            What was that look about.

            “Cater,” Riddle instructed, “Keep an eye on them and keep me updated.”

            “You got it boss!”

            After Riddle left, we walked to Savanaclaw. I couldn’t help but think about how Riddle looked at me.

            “Did I say something I shouldn’t have?” I wondered.

            “What do you mean?” Deuce heard me.

            “It’s just, Riddle seemed a little off when he left,” I said, “I can’t help but feel like it was because of me.”

            “Maybe he’s just worried about you going to Savanaclaw,” Cater suggested.

            “Why?”

            “Well, remember what I said before?” Cater reminded, “Savanaclaw is full of rough and tumble types. Guys over there like to play rough.”

            “Yeah,” Ace said, “I heard its full of athletes and most of the students there are beastmen.”

            “Doesn’t sound like a place for a girl,” Deuce mentioned.

            I sighed. As much as I wanted to say otherwise, I knew they were right, I wasn’t exactly the kind of girl who did well with big jocks. Besides the last time I saw a Savanaclaw student, it didn’t go well.

            Wait, what if the guy we were going to check was the one who’s tail I accidentally stepped on. I suppressed a whine, I hoped not. I really didn’t want to see that one again.

            I looked around me at the Heartslabyul boys. Well, I had a group of friends with me now, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

            We went to the hall of mirrors and entered through the mirror. When we arrived I had to squint my eyes at the bright sun. After shielding my eyes I looked around.

            “Wow, this is definitely not Heartslyabul,” I said.

            Savanaclaw was on an actual savanna. The dorm building looked like it was carved out of a mountain. It looked like cavemen lived here.

            “Look at those giant bones,” Grim jumped out of my arms and ran towards a large skeleton, “I wouldn’t want to see the animal this came from.”

            “Everything here feels so primal,” Cater noted, “It feels like we’re a long way from civilization.”

            I spotted a couple of Savanaclaw students.

            “That’s their dorm uniform?” I asked.

            Their uniform was composed of leather vests and jeans. They looked more like members of a motorcycle gang than students at a prestigious school.

            “I think they look cool,” Deuce commented.

            “Of course the bad boy wannabe would say that,” Ace said, “So who’re we looking for?”

            “Jack Howl,” Cater began, “Freshmen, really athletic and strong. Hear a lot of recruiters are trying to recruit him,” Cater pulled out his phone, “Supposedly, he has wolf ears, silver hair, and a big bushy tail.”

            “Like that guy over there?” Grim pointed towards a track.

            Someone matching the description Cater gave us, was jogging on a track. Wolf ear and tail, what Cater failed to mention was that he was big… bigger than the twins we ran into earlier, he wasn’t just tall he was really buffed out. His muscles had muscles!

            “Good eye,” Cater smiled, “He’s definitely our boy.”

            “Whoa,” Ace looked nervous, “And I thought those twins were big, this guy is huge!”

            “No wonder the scouts are after him,” Cater said.

            “With that build, he’d be an asset on any team,” Cater agreed.

            I couldn’t help but feel nervous. I was still nervous around boys, I was even more nervous around boys who were bigger and clearly stronger than me.

            “He’s kind of intimidating,” I said under my breath.

            “Don’t worry hon,” Cater suddenly wrapped an arm around my shoulder, “Cay-Cay’s got your back. I won’t let the big bad wolf bite you.”

            “Um, that’s nice Cater but… wait where’s Grim?”

            “Hey you, Mr. Scowl-a-lot!” I looked ahead and to my horror, Grim had already approached Jack and was standing in front of him on the track.

            “Grim!” I raced out of Cater’s hold towards Grim, while Grim continued to make an ass out of himself.

            “Someone’s probably going to come after you,” Grim crossed his arms with a smirk, “But don’t worry the Great Grim is here to protect you.”

            “What?” The wolf beastman looked annoyed.

            That was when I finally caught up and snatched up Grim, “I’m so sorry,” I quickly, “He just gets excited when he meets new people.”

            “I don’t- mmmph,” I covered Grim’s mouth before he could make this worse.

            The wolf beastman looked at me surprised. I gulped, he looked even taller up close.

            “Grim that was horrible,” Cater said as he and the others followed, “If you were on Magicam I would unsubscribe your feed,” Cater sighed as he addressed the beastman, “Soooo sorry about that Jack. Listen, king could we have a moment of your time.”

            Jack seemed annoyed, but it looked like he was willing to listen, “What do you want?” He asked gruffly.

            “A lot of Spelldrive hopefuls have been hurt in so called ‘accidents’ on campus lately. And we’re trying to figure out who’s behind it,” Ace explained.

            That caught Jack’s attention, “Go on.”

            “To put it bluntly,” Cater said with his usual charisma, “We would like to do a stakeout. If you would, we’d like to watch you in case you’re targeted. Then when the culprit strikes, we’ll catch them in the act. EZ.”

            Jack looked at us, then shook his head, “I can take care of myself.”

            “Uh…” I tried, “Look we don’t know how the culprit is causing these accidents. No one has seen anything. If you’re attacked then it might be a good idea to have back-up,” my voice began to fail when he looked at me.         

            “I said no,” then he walked away from us.

            “And he’s gone,” Cater sighed.

            “What was his problem,” Grim asked in my arms. I flicked his ears.

            “Maybe your approach scared him off,” I said.

            “Hey!” The next thing we knew we were cornered by several Savanclaw students, “What are you doing in our territory?”

            One of the beastmen actually sniffed me, “They even brought a girl with them.”

            I took a step back, Deuce quickly stood in front of me, “Leave her alone!”

            “Look,” Cater tried to keep the peace, “We were just leaving,” he tried to lead me back towards the mirror, but they cut us off.

            “What, you think we’re just gonna let you walk off? Where’s the fun in that?”

            “What’s going on here?”

            I turned and felt myself go pale. It was the lion beastman I met in the botanical gardens. Next to him was the guy from the cafeteria. The one Grim traded the grilled cheese for an empty hotdog bun.

            “Housewarden Leona, sir.”

            I felt myself shrivel even more. He was the Housewarden?

            Grim, of course, made this harder.

            “Hey it’s you,” Grim shouted in my arms, “the grilled cheese burglar.”

            Someone kill me.

            “Hey, there’s no need to get carried away with such a delicious sounding nickname,” the grilled cheese burglar frowned, “Adress me as one of my standing. The names Ruggie Bucchi, don’t forget it.”

            Thanks to Grim, the lion Housewarden saw me and scowled, “It’s you, the herbivore who stepped on my tail.”

            Kill me, kill me, kill me, kill me! I mentally begged as the beastmen began to glare and growl at me.

            “You stepped on our Housewarden’s tail?”

            “It was an accident,” I said quickly, “And I am sorry about it.”

            “Sorry doesn’t cut it.”

            “Look,” Cater got in front of me, “Can’t you cut her some slack, I mean who can stay mad at that adorable face?”

            “Housewarden, lets beat them up!” One of them demanded.

            I began to panic. If this turned into a fight, could we win? I certainly couldn’t fight! They were bigger, stronger, and had magic.

            What about your keyblade? A voice in my head asked.

            I quickly shoved that voice back. No I couldn’t use the keyblade!

            “Stop,” Leona said, “You’re not gonna pick a fight, so close to the Spelldrive tournament. If it gets out, we could get disqualified.”

            That was surprising, but I sighed in relief, maybe we could get out of this after all.

            “What, you’re just gonna let them walk away?”

            “No one’s going to just ‘walk away,’” Leona said with a smirk, “We’re going to play a ‘friendly’ game of Spelldrive. Afterall you can cast spells during a game.”

            When Leona explained his reasoning, the students began to grin, clearly in agreement.

            Ruggie began to laugh, “Shyehehe I don’t know if these guys would be much of a challenge. A bunch of easy prey if you asked me.”

            Sadly, Ace, Deuce, and Grim were riled up by the taunts.

            “I’m not taking that lying down,” Grim snapped.

            “We’re not afraid to take you on,” Deuce said.

            “Cater, remember this when you’re selecting members for our team,” Ace grinned.

            I quickly grabbed Ace’s sleeve, “Guys, stop, let’s just leave. It’s not worth it- ah!” I was yanked back by one of the Savanaclaw students.

            “Stay out of this girlie!”

            Grim jumped on my shoulder and breathed fire at the beastman, who quickly let go and backed away, “No one harms the hench human of Grim the Great!”

            I sighed, “Thanks Grim.”

            “Okay,” Cater said, “We can play a game, but leave (Y/N) out of this alright.”

            “Fine,” Leona shrugged, “We won’t get a challenge from a little magicless mouse.”

            “Awesome,” Cater sighed before looking at me, “(Y/N) watch from the sides and try to give us clues.”

            I sighed, “Alright.”

            Savanclaw had a huge sports stadium next to their dorm building. It made me wonder how I missed it.

            I sat on a bench on the side as everyone, including Grim played Spelldrive.

            “Cater on your left!” I shouted.

            Cater blocked an attack thanks to my warning.

            The Heartslabyul boys were guarding the disk as they ran across the field. It looked hard. Ace and Deuce were constantly blocking attacks, creating shields with magic.

            I couldn’t help but compare their shields to my barrier spell. Their shields could only cover their front, my barrier covered everything in a sphere. Their shield stopped the attacks fine, but by barrier could reflect the attack back on the caster.

            If I was out there I could-…

            I shook my head. What was I thinking? I get a magic key and now I think I’m hot stuff? Riddle almost killed me. It was dumb luck I survived. Besides, even with my keyblade I knew most of the students there were stronger and more skilled than me. They had more magic and knew how to fight and counter magic attacks.

            I had my keyblade for a week.

            I looked out, watching my friends using magic. Using it so… freely. Testing, pushing their limits.

            I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. I glanced down at my hands.

            When they use magic, its no big deal. But if I used magic, if I used my keyblade…

            Leona came out of nowhere, knocked the entire team back and stole the disk in one swing.

            “Guys!” I stood up in panic. Then seemingly just to add insult to injury, Leona used his magic to shoot the disk, across nearly the entire field, into the other teams goal.

            I gawked. I didn’t need to know much about Spelldrive to know that was an impressive move.

            “What that, long shot was insane,” Ace voiced our thoughts.

            I looked back towards my team. They were on the ground, clearly too tired to do anything.

            “What is that all you got?” Ruggie asked snidely.

            I looked between Leona and my friends.

            Leona did scare me… but this needed to stop. So, I forced my legs to move.

            “Get up,” Leona demanded, “We’re having a rematch.”

            With added force, I stood between the Housewarden and my friends, “S-stop,” I hated how my voice stuttered.

            Leona just glared, “What was that?”

            I gulped, “I-I said-…”

            “Speak up you annoying little mouse,” Leona smirked, clearly not at all intimidated by me.

            I hated this. I was tempted to summon my keyblade and try and show this jerk who was the boss! But I kept reminding myself that it was a bad idea, and I wasn’t going to be a bully here.

            I looked Leona in the eye. Suddenly, my head started to hurt, my vision filled with static, like you’d see on TV. I couldn’t see Leona or the stadium anymore.

            Instead I saw Sora. He was in his lion form along with Donald and Goofy who were in their bird and tortoise form. In front of him was a lioness.

            “Let me get this straight,” Sora said, “You want us to take down your king?”

            “I don’t know what else to do,” the lioness said clearly worried and despearte, “He’s brought in the hyenas. Because of that, the prey has either left or been eaten and he won’t do anything to help us. We’re about to starve.”

Then the scene suddenly changed. It was that rock and plain I saw before, but it was different. Gone was the beautiful grassy savanna, all the plants were withered. The once blue sky was covered in dark clouds. It was as if the land had died.

 Sora was there now, looking up at a lion, with a black mane. They were surrounded by the hyenas again.

            “The prey has left Scar,” a lioness said as she stood with others, “We have nothing to hunt.”

            The lion known as Scar motioned to Sora, “What do you call this?”

            “We’re not prey,” Sora snapped.

            “(Y/N)?” Grim’s voice brought me back to the stadium. I felt someone gently pulling me back. It was Deuce. Ace was standing in front of me, clearly about to pick another fight.

            In a hostile territory, surrounded by enemies. This was just like what I saw with Sora. Only we were the prey here.

            “What’s going on here?” Jack then appeared on the field.

            One of the students growled, “It’s none of your business.”

            Jack crossed his arms and released a growl of his own, “It’s my business when my dormmates act like a bunch of cowards.”

            “What?”

            Leona looked at Jack, “We were simply playing a game having fun.”

            Jack looked at us. For a moment our eyes made contact.

            “A game? What’s so fun about torturing a bunch of amateurs?” Jack asked.

            That surprised me. He was defending us?

            “Aw,” Ruggie mocked, “Looks who’s playing the hero?”

            Jack growled, “I just hate seeing such a pathetic spectacle.”

            “What was that? You got a lot of nerve for a freshman!”

            Jack growled back, “Like I’m afraid of bunch of cowards.”

            The air was growing more and more hostile, it looked like there was going to be a fight within the dorm.

            “Enough,” with one word Leona stopped the storm. He looked at Jack, “You got some nerve frosh,” after a staring match between the two, Leona walked away, “We’re done here.”

            I couldn’t help but sigh in relief as the other students finally left us alone.

            I glanced back at Leona and frowned. What a jerk. Seriously, what was his problem?

            Suddenly, my vision filled with yellow. There was a black puddle, it grew when I saw more black drops falling on it.

            I blinked then; everything was back. The stadium, my friends. I rubbed my head. It was bad enough I get these in my dreams, now I’m seeing them when I’m awake?

            “(Y/N)?”

            Focus, this was no time to zone out. I looked at Jack.

            “Thank you for that,” I said.

            Jack crossed his arms, “I was doing this for the pride of my dorm.”

            I rubbed my arm, “But still, thank you anyway.”

            “Let’s get out of here,” whined Ace, “I’m covered in mud.”

            “And I’m hungry,” Grim waddled over to me, “(Y/N) make me some dinner.”

            I sighed and picked up Grim. He was probably too tired to walk back to Ramshackle.

            “Guess we’ll be off,” Cater said, “Take care Jack.”

            “You got some nerve worrying about me,” Jack said gruffly.

            I looked at Jack. He didn’t come off as friendly, but he did help us.

            “Seriously, though,” I said as I left with the Heartslyabul boys, “Stay safe, we still don’t know who’s behind this or how they’re accomplishing it.”

            Jack looked away from me, “I’ll be fine.”

%%%%%%

            Sora watched (Y/N) leave behind Jack. He crossed his arms.

            “Seriously, is every guy in this school a jerk? Then again why should I expect anything from the guys in Scar’s dorm,” Sora looked at Jack who was facing away, “She was only trying to be nice. If you’re going to be a-…” Sora trailed off when he noticed Jack’s tail was wagging, “Huh?”

            Sora wasn’t sure but didn’t a wagging tail on a dog or wolf mean they were happy. Sora walked around so he could see Jack’s face. Jack was forcing a scowl but, his cheeks were a little red.

            “Wait,” Sora stared, “Are you… shy around girls?”

%%%%%

            I sighed as the Heartslabyul boys walked me home, “What was that guy’s problem?”

            “Which one?” Ace asked, “We dealt with a lot of jerks today.”

            “The angry lion Housewarden,” I specified.

            “Leona isn’t exactly the friendly type,” Cater admitted, “Savanaclaw is usually a heavy hitter in the tournament… well, not the past couple years though.”

            I looked at Cater, “What’s happened the past couple years?”

            “Two years ago, Malleus Draconia became the Housewarden for Diasomnia,” Cater explained, “Since then, he’s been in every tournament and no one has scored a single point against their team, he even scores most of the points by himself.”

            I thought about what I learned so far about Spelldrive. It was a team sport, not to mention Leona made an incredible long shot.

            “And Leona couldn’t beat him?” I asked.

            “Nope,” Cater said, “Both times Savanaclaw was matched with Diasomnia first round, and they were taken out. Usually by Malleus alone.”

            “Seriously?” Ace asked, “That’s crazy.”

            “Well, that’s what happens when you play against Malleus Draconia,” Deuce said.

            That name again, “Is this Malleus really that tough?”

            “For reals,” Cater said, “You know, there’s a rumor that Malleus is actually a descendent of the Thorn Fairy herself.”

            “You gotta be kidding,” Ace said, “A descendent of one of the Great Seven?”

            “I don’t know,” I muttered, “Leona was a really strong player today. It’s hard to believe someone could beat him,” His scary attitude aside, Leona was impressive on the playing field.

            “What? Are you impressed?” Cater teased, “Well, Leona is a handsome prince, not to mention-…”

            “Don’t insult me,” I deadpanned, “He’s arrogant, rude, and scary. I’m simply saying he’s a strong Spelldrive player, but that’s it,” I held up a finger, “Word to the wise boys. Whoever said, girls were attracted to bad boys, was a bold face liar. We want someone who makes us feel safe, not scare the crap out of us.”

            “Well, that’s a relief,” Cater said walking next to me, “Just so you know honey, I’m mister dependable.”

            I rolled my eyes, “I also like nice boys Cater,” suddenly Sora popped into my head, “So…” change of subject, change of subject, “Let’s meet back up at Main Street tomorrow. We’ll try again, there.”

%%%%%%

            Riddle knocked on the door.

            “Come in.”

            Riddle entered Trey’s room, “How are you Trey?”

            Trey gave a kind smile, “I’m fine, you don’t have to worry. So, how’s the investigation going?”

            Riddle released a groan, “I had the misfortune to run into Floyd today.”

            “Ah,” Trey smiled nervously. He reached over and grabbed the container that (Y/N) brought, “Why don’t you try one of these?”

            Riddle looked, “Those are the rose tartlets (Y/N) brought you.”

            “Yeah, they’re good,” Trey explained, “I tried one. I think we should have her make some of these for the next unbirthday party.”

            Riddle walked over to look at the treats. Riddle usually preferred strawberry tarts, but he did like apples. Hesitantly he took one out.

            The rose shaped apple treat, looked like an actual rose. Dusted in sugar. It was pretty, but Riddle didn’t take a bite.

            “Riddle? Is something the matter?” Trey asked when he saw Riddle’s unsure look.

            “Trey, what do you think of (Y/N)?”

            Trey looked confused, “Well… she seems shy, but I guess that’s to be expected. She’s the only girl at this school. But she is a nice girl. Why? Are you starting to get a crush on her?”

            Riddle’s face went red, “Of course not, I just…” he sighed, “I saw Chenya today.”

            “Chenya snuck in here again?” Trey sighed.

            “He… mentioned (Y/N),” Riddle said, “And… he implied that she might be hiding something.”

            “You too huh?” Trey asked.

            “Too?”

            “On the day you overblotted, Chenya told me to look inside the croquet shed,” Trey explained, “He said that (Y/N) was hiding in there.”

            Riddle looked confused, “She didn’t have a key.”

            “Well, Chenya said she did,” Trey explained.

            “Was she in there?”

            “No, but she was nearby,” Trey explained, “But Riddle, what does it matter if she has a secret? As far as I’m concerned she’s not hurting anyone.”

            Riddle closed his eyes, “I… feel like… she did something, during my overblot.”

            “Riddle, what could she have done?” Trey asked, “You heard the Dark Mirror. She’s magicless. I don’t see how she could have done anything.”

            “Finally,” Cater burst into Trey’s room, “Home sweet home.”

            “Cater, don’t just enter someone’s room without knocking,” Riddle scolded.

            “Oh, sorry,” Cater said, “Gotta be nice. After all (Y/N) likes ‘nice boys.’”

            Trey laughed, “Come on Cater. You flirt with every girl you see, don’t try and play with (Y/N).”

            “Trey you wound me,” Cater placed a hand on his chest, “I’ll have you know, I’m head over heels for her. I mean, just today, she stood up to Leona for us.”

            “Leona?” Riddle asked, “Why would she have to stand up to him?” Riddle was certain wouldn’t hurt (Y/N). The men in his kingdom were raised to respect women.

            “Well, while we went to talk to Jack, Leona got made at us for quote ‘entering their territory.’ #cornered. He forced us to play Spelldrive, who wouldn’t let up even when we collapsed,” Cater slouched, “But then sweet little (Y/N) suddenly came and stood in front of us. Demanding to stop. Of course, it was Jack who made Leona call it off, but she was so sweet and adorable trying to help.”

            Riddle looked at the tartlet in his hand, “She stood up to a Housewarden who was stronger than her.”

            “She did it with you remember?” Trey asked.

            Riddle was silent for a moment, then he finally took a bite of the tartlet. The crunch of the apple slices and the burst of the peach jam mixed with cinnamon filled his senses. Riddle closed his eyes for a second. This made him think of the warmth in his dream.

            “You’re right Trey, lets ask (Y/N) to make more of these for the next unbirthday party.”

%%%%%%%%%

            Grim and I sat in the bathtub.

            “I’m so sore,” Grim whined. I reached over and began to rub his back.

            “Is this better?” I asked.

            He began to purr, “Harder hench human.”

            I smiled. Grim seemed to be a cat, but he liked to take baths.

            I sighed, “Thanks for helping me today Grim.”

            Grim hummed, “I’m the boss. My job is to look out for my minion.”

            I giggled a bit. Grim was clearly too proud to admit he was my friend. Then I sighed, “I’m sorry I couldn’t do much against the Savanaclaw students.”

            “Showing off is my job, remember?” Grim said, “Besides you have other uses… even though I can’t name them right now.”

            I rolled my eyes, “Well, thanks anyway for trying to cheer me up.”

            “We need to figure out who’s behind all this, so we can get in the tournament,” Grim said.

            “And prevent anymore injuries,” I added.

            “That too.”

            I groaned, “Maybe we should talk to the other victims. Maybe we missed something.”

            It was Grim’s turn to groan, “When is it time for Grim the Great to shine?”

            I leaned back in the tub, “Ask me that when we do something that’s consider shiny.”

            Grim got out of the tub and shook off the water, “I’m going to bed.”

            “Okay,” I said, “I’ll be there in a minute.”

            I waited for Grim to leave and close the door. I sighed and lifted my hand, before summoning my keyblade. I just looked at it. The magestones at the base of the blade. The black feathers that made up the handle guards. The cherry blossoms. The pink gem at the teeth.

            I had mixed feelings when I looked at the keyblade.

            Half of me hated this weapon. I hadn’t forgotten what my friends said that day, what they say almost every day. How they viewed keyblade wielders. I also didn’t forget what Riddle said when he learned I was a keyblade wielder.

            “Your very existence is against the rules!”

            Because of what keyblade wielders did to the Great Seven, they weren’t viewed well. And to them, just having this keyblade made me guilty of the past wielders crimes.

            I dismissed my keyblade and sunk beneath the water.

            It wasn’t fair. If the past keyblade wielders hadn’t fought the Great Seven, I could have helped more that day. Maybe I could have helped the boys in that spelldrive match. Maybe I could have learned magic like everyone else and not be the magicless freak of the school.

            It wasn’t fair that the one thing that made me just a little like everyone else, was also the thing that made me an outcast.

            I got out of the tub and tried to go to sleep. I wanted to see Sora.

            Sora was the only person I could talk to about any of this. The only boy I knew I could trust. The only person that made me feel safe and easy.

            Except I couldn’t sleep. Grim was too loud.

            “Watch me… I’m gonna win…”

            I sighed and sat up. I was too worked up to sleep anyway.

            Carefully, I left the room without waking Grim. I decided I wanted some fresh air. With a blanket wrapped around me, I went downstairs and outside into the night.

            I sighed and held the blanket closer to me. The night was dark and the world just felt so… big. I was all alone in this strange world of magic.

            Alone. Scared. And no one understood.

            I closed my eyes. I wanted to see Sora.

            I looked up at the sky, at least the stars were pretty…

            Wait, didn’t Terra say something about the stars?

            “That every star up there, is another world… The light is their hearts. And they’re shining down on us like a million lanterns.”

            I gazed at all the small but beautiful lights that decorated the sky.

            So, every star up there was another world? There were so many. Which one was home? Which one was Earth?

            I reached my hand up towards the sky, even standing on my toes. Acting that if I just reached far enough, I could reach home.

%%%%%%%%%

            Sora watched (Y/N) reach for the sky, with a sad expression on her face. He wished he could talk to her. Tell her everything was going to be okay. He wanted so badly to go to Twisted Wonderland and help her, especially after the day she had.

            Those twins and Scar’s dorm! Sora’s list of guys he needed to punch was getting longer by the minute.

            Suddenly, there was a swarm of green fireflies floating through the air. (Y/N) hadn’t noticed them yet. Sora looked around, this looked nice.

            Until he saw something.

            He couldn’t help but gasp. In the shadows was a tall figure, black horns, and green eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness were watching (Y/N). All those features brought one name to Sora.

            “Maleficent!”

%%%%%%%

            Small green fireflies suddenly appeared in the air. That made me look around. I couldn’t help but smile.

            The small and gentle lights of fireflies, were always beautiful at night. I didn’t know there’d be fireflies at my rundown dorm.

            Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure. I turned, whoever it was, was standing under a tree.

            “Who’s there?” I quietly called. The person didn’t move. I sighed, I didn’t want to deal with this, “You can come out, I’m harmless. There’s no need to be afraid.”

            A deep voice cut through the darkness, “I’m not afraid.”     

            I looked at him a little annoyed, “Then why won’t you approach me?”

            “Because then you will be afraid,” he answered.

            I gave him a confused look, “Why? Do you want to hurt me?”

            There was a pause, “I have no ill intention towards you.”

            “Then I have no reason to be afraid,” I said, “Besides, I’d like to see who is trespassing on my dorm.”

            After a beat of silence, he finally came into the moonlight.

            He was tall. He had jet black hair and pale skin. What caught my attention the most were his bright green eyes that seemed to glow in the dark, the pointed ears that poked from under his hair, and the two black horns that grew from the top of his head adding to his height.

            I had seen plenty of people with inhuman features, since coming to this world. Talking cats, ghosts, and beastmen. This guy was something else entirely.

            He had an air of mystery, he seemed to be part of the dark night, not in a scary way though. Remember when I said I believed that most of the boys in the school were attractive? Well, he had an otherworldly kind of beauty to him.

            He looked at me, with his bright green eyes, “You are a child of man, a maiden no less, why are you at this place?”

            This guy talks weird.

            “I live here,” I told him, “I am the prefect of this dorm,” I took one step closer, “I’m the one who should be asking why you’re here? Who are you?”

             His eyes widened in surprise, “You don’t know who I am?”

            I kept looking at him confused, “Should I?”

            He placed a glove hand on his chin. Despite being so late he was still in his school uniform. I noticed a neon green and black arm band.

            Green and black. Which dorm is that again?

            “Knowing my name will only cause you trouble,” he said. I gave him a look. Why was every guy at this school so weird? “You can call me a name of your choosing?”

            “Okay…”

            “Now you must reciprocate the introduction, child of man,” the horned boy said, “What is your name?”

            Even though he didn’t introduce himself?

            “My name is (Y/N),” I told him, “Like I said, I am the prefect of this dorm.”

            “(Y/N),” he spoke as if testing the name, “What a strange name.”

            “Just for that I’m going to give you a weird name,” I muttered.

            He hummed, “So, someone has taken up residency here, it is no longer abandoned. I must find another form of ruins to spend my nightly sabbaticals.”

            In a flash of glitters, the horned boy vanished. I blinked.

            “That was weird,” I thought out loud, “Wait, did he teleport?” I kept wondering, “He said he was looking for ruins… is he an archaeologist or something?”

            I watched as the sparkles and the fireflies faded away. Was it his magic that caused it?

            I hummed, “He was… weird. But he seemed harmless,” I looked up towards the sky, “I’ll probably run into him sooner or later,” I giggled, “What should I call you, mister horn boy?”

Chapter Text

The smell of steam. That was the first thing I noticed after entering the mirror.

            “Listen, all of you!”

            I was standing among a pack of hyenas… actually, it felt more like an army. They were all looking up at someone. My eyes widened, it was the black maned lion, Scar. The one who tried to feed Sora to the hyenas.

            The anticipation in the air. It felt like I was watching a general address his soldiers.

            Scar grinned, “We’re going to kill Mufasa and Simba too. Then, I shall be king. Stick with me and you shall never go hungry again.”

            The hyenas cheered.

            “Long live the king.”

            They all looked excited…

            I remembered what I saw earlier, with Sora. In that vision, Scar was king. Was this before that?

            “Never go hungry again?” I muttered. I remembered what the lioness said to Sora. Under Scar, they did go hungry.

            I looked up at the sneering lion. Was Mufasa such a bad king? Couldn’t they have compromised something?

            “(Y/N),” I perked and smiled. Sora was in front of me.

            “Sora,” I went over to him. He carefully placed his hand on my shoulder.

            “Are you hurt? Did those thugs do anything to you?”

            Sora must have saw the day I had.

            “I’m fine Sora,” I told him, “The only thing that was hurt was my pride.”

            Sora sighed, “Seriously, that lion jerk. He’s just like Scar.”

            “Scar?” I asked. It was funny Sora mentioned him, “He was… the lion who tried to feed you to hyenas, right?”

            “Yeah,” Sora nodded, “Did you have another dream?”

            “Kind of,” I said I smiled, “You were so cute as a lion cub.”

            Sora blushed, “Could we talk about something else?”

            I frowned, “The dream I just had, Scar was talking to the hyenas. He said they were going to kill someone named Mufasa and Simba.”

            Sora’s expression darkened.

            “Sora?”

            “Mufasa was his brother,” Sora explained, “And Simba was Mufasa’s son, his nephew.”

            I gasped, “He… he killed his brother and his nephew?”

            Sora closed his eyes, “He did kill his brother, and he tried to kill Simba when he was a young cub. Simba survived, because he managed to escape the hyenas Scar sent after him,” Sora opened his eyes, “Simba met a Timon and Pumba, a warthog and meerkat, they raised him. At some point Simba’s world was destroyed like mine was, Simba didn’t disappear with his world though. Instead he became a gem.”

            I looked at Sora confused, “A gem?”

            “Some hearts are so strong, they don’t disappear with their world,” Sora explained, “Simba’s gem was given to me by a friend, then a fairy used magic to help restore him, well mostly. During my first journey, Simba would appear when I summoned him and he helped me fight the Heartless.”

            “Oh yeah,” I remembered.

            Sora smiled, “At the end of our first journey, our worlds were restored and Simba went back home. It was after that when me, Donald, and Goofy went to his world. We met Nala, Simba’s childhood friend. She told us about Scar, he was using the Heartless to control his world. When Nala told us about Simba and that she believed he died as a cub, we told her we fought with him a short while ago. So, we went and found Simba and we managed to help him reclaim his throne.”

            “And avenge his father?”

            Sora nodded, “That was his fight.”

            I sighed, “I can’t believe Simba went through that,” I said, “His uncle betrayed him in the worst possible way. Scar was a monster…” I remembered what Sora had just said. Comparing Leona to him.

            “Leona… is a jerk, but don’t you think comparing him to Scar is a little harsh?” I asked.        

            “Not at all,” Sora crossed his arms, “He’s the leader of Savanaclaw after all.”

            I looked at Sora confused. What did Savanaclaw have to do with Scar?

            “Anyway,” Sora said, “Let’s get to training.”

            That cheered me up, “Yes please.”

            Sora closed his eyes, then the darkness vanished. We were now standing inside a house. A very rundown house, it made Ramshackle look decent.

            “Where are we?” I asked.

            Sora smiled and walked towards the door. I followed him out to the porch and quickly stopped. The house was in a tree. A tree house! It was nothing like the tree houses in my neighborhood. The house was huge, it had two stories, people could actually live in it. Which said a lot about the tree, it was giant. High above the canopy.

            “Where are we?” I looked over the banister to see a net was spread out under the treehouse. Clearly meant to catch anyone who fell. Whoever built this place thought everything out.

            “We,” Sora said, “Are in the Deep Jungle. I think we should  be able to train in my memories.”

            “Cool,” I looked at him, “What are we going to train in?”

            Sora smiled, he suddenly grabbed my hand and ran, towards an opening in the banner.

            “Sora wait,” I panicked as he didn’t stop, “What are you doi-EEEEH!” We jumped over the railing, missing the net and felt into the trees. I screamed and grabbed onto Sora and closed my eyes.

            I felt him wrap his arms around me, before suddenly feeling like we changed directions, from falling to moving around in the air. I was still to scared to open my eyes, until we stopped.

            “Okay, we’re safe,” I opened my eyes as Sora set me down on a branch. We were standing in the trees.

            I looked at Sora and smacked his arm, “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

            “Ow, sorry,” he said, “I thought I’d teach you how to move around.”

            “Like what, dodging an attack?” I asked.

            “No,” Sora suddenly leaped off the branch grabbed a vine and swung to another tree. He let go, but instead of landing on another branch, he jumped off the trunk of a tree, spun around another tree.

            My eyes were wide as Sora just seemed to defy the laws of physics. It was like he was flying through the trees.

            I gave him a round of applause when he landed back next to me, “That was so cool. You would have wiped the floor with Leona in that game.”

            “Yes I would,” Sora smirked smugly, “Now it’s your turn.”

            “Excuse me?” I asked.

            “Keyblade Wielders aren’t just for fighting,” Sora said.      

            “Uh… Sora,” I said nervously, “There’s no way I can do any of that… Ever.”

            “Well, I’m not expecting you to pick up flowmotion right away,” Sora said, “But I want to help you improve your physical things. Try swinging from a vine.”

            I looked down from the tree, “From… up here?”

            “It’s a dream, remember?” Sora said.

            “Uh, Sora,” I said, “Magic is one thing, but this? I’ve never been athletic.”

            “That’s why we need to practice,” Sora encouraged, “Besides, the keyblade can enhance and improve your strength and speed,” Sora explained, “That doesn’t mean you’ll be a super gymnast in a day, but you’ll be amazed at what you can do.”

            I looked away, “Do we have to do this? I mean it’s not like I have to fight monsters too.”

            I heard Sora sigh, “(Y/N) you may not have to deal with the Heartless, but that doesn’t mean you might not have to fight,” I looked at him, he looked concerned, “What if Leona let those guys at Savanaclaw hurt you? What if the Heartless do find their way to Twisted Wonderland? What if someone… finds out you’re a Keyblade Wielder and they want to hurt you?” Sora gently took my hand, “I’m trying to get out of here to help you, but I can’t right now. The only thing I can do for you is help you get stronger.”

            I sighed, “It’s just… this isn’t… I feel like… The more I use the keyblade the more… I feel like I… I won’t be me anymore.”

            Sora rubbed the back of my hand, then smiled gently, “You’ll always be you. No matter what, even if you become a Keyblade Master.”

            I looked at Sora. I was still nervous, but his smile… It made me feel better.

            I took my hand back, “This is… just really out of my comfort zone,” I rubbed my arm, “I just want to go home.”

            “And you will,” Sora promised, “I know this can be scary, but right now, you’re safe and sound. You don’t have to fight to survive, you’re free to choose whatever you want,” he grinned, “Hakuna Matata.”

            I looked at him confused, “What?”

            “It means no worries,” Sora said, “That’s a saying I learned in Simba’s world.”

            I giggled a bit then sighed, “I want to go home,” I held out my hand and summoned Hearts Reflection, “And I think this can take me there… Even though I don’t think I like it,” I rubbed my thumb over the blade, “But, the better I get with the keyblade, the stronger I become, and the closer I get to going home,” I dismissed it and looked at Sora, “And improving my physical strength will help… not just magic?”

            Sora nodded, “Yeah.”

            I closed my eyes for a second and nodded, “Alright.”

            Sora grinned, “You’re going to be awesome.”

            I walked to the edge of the branch and spotted a vine hanging from a tree. I couldn’t help but glance down.

            We were really… really high up.

            “It’s a dream… right?”

            “Just a dream,” Sora said, “I promise I won’t let you fall.”

            “Okay.”

            Just a dream, just a dream, if I fall, I won’t die. Worse case scenario, I wake up and freak out Grim.

            I looked ahead. Jump and grab the vine… try not to fall. Should be easy, right?

            Wrong.

            I jumped, my fingers grazed the vine and I fell with a short scream. Thankfully less than a second later, I splashed into a body of water. My head went above the water. It looked like I was still in the jungle, but now I was in a lagoon.

            “Are you okay?” Sora was standing on the shore.

            I sighed, “I thought I was going to have a heart attack,” I swam over and he helped me out of the water.

            “It’s okay, every time you fall I’ll make it short,” Sora explained.

            “I appreciate that,” I said, though I wished he told me about the splash down before I jumped, “So, can you take us back up.”

            “No,” Sora smiled, “We’re going to climb back up.”

            “Say what now?” I asked.

            “Come on,” Sora went to a tree and started climbing, “This is part of your training too.”

            “Are you serious?”

            Thirty minutes of agonizing tree climbing later, I collapsed on the branch.

            “Come on,” Sora crouched down next to me, “I’m not even tired.”

            I turned my head to glare at him, “Well, some of us are still keyblade rookies, you know.”

            “Yeah I know,” Sora had me sit up anyway, “But you can only get better if you train.”

            I sighed and stood up.

            “Well, if nothing else, that climb has given me motivation to improve,” I muttered.

            “That’s the spirit.”

            I ignored Sora’s peppy tone and went back to the edge of the branch.

            Don’t miss this time.

            After taking a breath, I jumped off the branch again. This time, I managed to grab onto the vine, but then I was dangling in the air, just barely clinging to the end of the vine.

            “Um… Sora?”

            “You can do it,” he called, “It’s just like being on a swing.”

            I groaned. I managed to climb up the vine a bit more. If I was going to try swinging, I wanted more grip.

            I began to swing my legs. It took a few minutes, but I finally managed to reach over and grab onto the next vine. About an hour later, I finally managed to swing to another branch.

            I collapsed on my knees gasping. How did Sora do it? He made it look so easy.

            “You did it,” Sora easily made his way to me, before grabbing my arm, “Now onto tree sliding.”

            “Say what now?”

            Hours of crazy exercise later, Sora agreed to letting me take a break.

            He took me to some cliffs that overlooked a series of waterfalls. The scene was beautiful.

            “Sora, be honest,” I sat with my sore muscles, “You’re not human, are you?”

            “I am,” Sora said.

            “Only a monkey or a gorilla could have done all that,” I said.

            He grinned, “Funny you should mention that. Tarzan was raised by gorillas.”

            “Who?”

            “Tarzan,” Sora repeated, “He’s my friend who lives in this world.”

            I looked at Sora perplexed, “And he was raised by gorilla’s, wait is he human?”

            “He is,” Sora explained, “Following him through the jungle was a workout, but it helped me gain skills and look and some things from a new perspective.”

            “Which perspective?” I asked, “How to swing on vines?”

            “No,” Sora said, “That sometimes you have to travel the path that most don’t follow.”

            I gave Sora a look, “Like… breaking the rules to get what you want.”

            “No, actual paths,” Sora said, “You saw how I was able to move through the trees. Sometimes I need to go somewhere and taking the sidewalk is too slow.”

            “You’re saying you climb buildings?” I asked, “Doesn’t that freak people out?”

            “People are usually too busy with their lives to even notice when I’m taking a shortcut,” Sora shrugged.

            “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter much here,” I looked around. I couldn’t help but think out loud, “From savannah to jungle, everything has been wild themed lately.”

            “I noticed,” Sora said.

            I looked at Sora, “Sora, you don’t… see everything I do in a day, do you? Like when I’m in the bathroom.”

            “No,” Sora quickly shook his head as his face went red, “Don’t worry. I don’t see everything.”

            I sighed, “That’s good.”

            My thoughts drifted to Scar, “I can’t believe he wanted to be king so bad, he’d kill his family. I mean… who does that?”

            “Scar did,” Sora frowned, “And a lot of other creeps I met too.”

            “I mean,” I ran my hands through my hair, “Every time someone talks about being a leader, they say it’s a hard job. The hardest job out there. Why would-…”

            “Scar just wanted to be number one,” Sora crossed his arms, “He didn’t want to be king so he could rule better than his brother,” Sora held up a finger, “He didn’t by the why; he just wanted to be important and for others to think he was without working for it. In the end, he lost his support, his family, and he lost his heart to darkness,” Sora looked out over the water, “There was no going back for him.”

            Sora’s expression was solemn. Clearly he hated Scar, but didn’t like what happened to him. I decided to change the subject.

            “So, how do I turn into a cute and cuddly lion cub?” I asked.

            Sora snorted, trying to not laugh, but failed, “For the record, it wasn’t my magic who transformed us. It was Donald’s. And a lion cub isn’t the weirdest thing I’ve transformed into.”

            “Oh?” I leaned in curious.

            Sora laughed, “Let’s see. I’ve been a merman, I’ve been a toy, I’ve been a computer program, I’ve been two types of monsters-…”

            “Two types?” I asked confused.

            “Yeah,” he smiled, “Two kinds.”

            I suddenly remembered Leona and what he called me. My expression fell for a second, “Well, it’s better than being a ‘little mouse.’”

            “Hey,” Sora quickly placed a hand on my shoulder, “Don’t let what that jerk said get you down, and; besides, one of the greatest Keyblade Masters is in fact a little mouse.”

            I laughed, “Yeah right.”

            “No really,” Sora said, “He’s a master, a king, and I guarantee he would have kicked Leona’s tail up and down that field,” Sora crossed his arms, “The king is the master of the keyblade and the lord of Disney Castle. When he saw the worlds were vanishing, he jumped to action. He dove head first into the fight, because he knew the danger to his friends, loved ones, and to everyone. He was even willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.”

            I gasped, “Is he…”

            “He’s alright,” Sora assured, “That’s the difference between him and Scar. Scar wouldn’t do anything for his people. The king would do everything for his people, even if it meant he would was sealed in the realm of darkness or forced to stand alone against the most deadly enemies he fought: he would fight. He wouldn’t give up, because he knows that there are people to fight for. A king serves his people, not the other way around.”

            I smiled, “He sounds incredible.”

            “He is,” Sora nodded, “On my journey I learned that not every king, is a good king.”

            I poked him, “You also learned, Hakuna Matata.”

            Sora laughed, “Yep, it’s a wonderful phrase and it ain’t no passing craze.”

            I laughed, “You’re silly.”

            “Who’re calling silly?” Sora grinned, “I’m a bonafide hero.”

            I gave my own silly grin, “Sure you are.”

            Sora smiled, “You seem to be feeling better.”

            “Huh?”

            “I know you’re trying to solve the mystery behind the accidents,” Sora said.

            “Yeah,” I nodded, kicking my feet in the air, “I don’t suppose you know who’s behind all this?”

            “Sorry,” Sora shook his head, “I don’t.”

            I sighed, “That would make this easier.”

            “Don’t give up,” Sora said, “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

            “I hope so,” I looked up at the blue sky.

            “Well, come on,” Sora stood up, “Let’s get back to training.”

            I couldn’t help but whine.

            %%%%%%

            Ruggie entered Leona’s room. The Housewarden was sprawled over his couch, waiting.

            “Well?”

            Ruggie grinned, “Another one down.”

            Leona smirked, “Good, you made sure no one saw you?”

            “Hey, I’ll have you know hyenas are good at cleaning up messes,” Ruggie chortled, “No one knows that we’re behind the accidents.”

            Leona suddenly scowled, “Ruggie, be quiet.”

            “Huh? Why?”

            Leona stood up, “Get in here,” he growled.

            Ruggie looked behind him towards the door. From the shadows emerged Jack, the freshman.

            For a minute, there was silence. Leona crossed his arms, “What do you want frosh? You want someone to sing you a lullaby?”

            Ruggie snickered, “I can give it a shot.”

            Jack looked at them, “I heard everything.”

            The air became even more tense. Ruggie glanced between Jack and Leona. What now?

            “Housewarden Leona,” Jack addressed, “Why are you doing this? I saw how you played before, you don’t need to resort to this.”

            Leona just scoffed, “I’m doing this for your dormmates. The past two years we went up against Diasomnia in the first round and we were knocked out. We have a case full of trophies, but the recruiters just ignore Savanaclaw house,” Leona said, “Do you know how humiliating that is for us? Picking off weaker prey is just part of the hunt.”

            “But if you just practiced and played seriously, we’d win,” Jack encouraged.

            Leona just scoffed, “Everyone knows how strong Diasomnia is. If you knew then you’d know there’d be no point if we did play fair.”

            Jack couldn’t help but release a growl.

            “Don’t let your misguided rule about morals ruin your dorms chances,” Leona smirked, “Besides, there’s no little mouse here to impress.”

            “It’s not like that,” Jack snapped before storming out of the room.

            Ruggie looked at Leona, “Should we do something about him?”

            “No, he’s a good player, we’ll need him for the team. Besides, even if he blabs he doesn’t have any proof. He’s not going to be a problem.”

            “Okay, but what about the ‘little mouse?’”

            “What about her?” Leona asked.

            “Apparently, the headmage has her looking into the accidents,” Ruggie explained, “What if she figures us out.”

            “She won’t be a problem, you saw what happened today,” Leona smirked, “That herbivore would be too afraid to do anything.”

            Ruggie shrugged, “If you say so boss, I’m hitting the hay.”

            Ruggie left the room. Leona went to his bed to turn in. He smirked satisfied with himself. This year, he’d be Spelldrive champion, easily.

            However, there was a nagging thought in the back of his head. He did hear about Riddle’s overblot. How Riddle lost his own head and nearly destroyed his own dorm.

            No one knows how, but Riddle managed to come out of his overblot. Leona just chalked it up to dumb luck for the little red brat… But, he also heard the last time anyone saw Riddle in his overblot state, was with the magicless student.

            Leona turned to his side pushing the thought away. It didn’t matter. It had nothing to do with him or his plans.

%%%%%%%

            The next day Grim and I waited on main street.

            I leaned against the King of Beasts’ statue while Grim sat in my arms.

            “Hey (Y/N),” Grim suddenly said, “Where were you last night? I got up to get some warm milk and when I tried to ask if you wanted some, you weren’t there.”

            That earned Grim and affectionate head scratch, “Sorry, I couldn’t sleep, so I went outside for a few minutes to clear my head and…” I remembered the visitor, “Something weird happened.”

            Grim looked up at me, blue eyes curious, “What?”

            “I met another student,” I explained, “He was… different. He had a neon green armband, and he had horns growing out of his head.”

            “And he was on our turf?” Grim asked.

            “Yeah, apparently not everyone knows Ramshackle is being used now,” I said.

            Grim huffed, “Well, we’ll just have to make that clear, what’s his name?”

            “I don’t know,” I said, “He wouldn’t tell me, he said to call him a name of my choosing.”

            “A nickname?” Grim suddenly got excited, “Let me pick,” he closed his eyes to concentrate.

            “Don’t hurt yourself,” I teased.

            “A guy with horns…” Grim’s eyes shot open, “How about Hornton?”

            I had to suppress my laugh, “That sounds so lame…”

            “Hey, he said we could choose right?” Grim frowned.

            “Yeah, he did,” I patted his head, “He did call my name weird, so it’s only right to give him an even weirder name. Hornton it is.”

            Grim smiled, “You should introduce us if we run into him again. I haven’t met a student with horns before.”

            I smiled back, “I’ll point him out if we see him.”

            “(Y/N)!”

            We looked to see Riddle and Cater approaching us. But no Ace or Deuce.

            “Are you ready for some more investigating honey?” Cater asked.

            “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

            “You’re tie is crooked,” Riddle suddenly pointed out.

            “It is?” I set Grim down to free my hands. Riddle was right, my bow was crooked and so was my broach. Before I could try to fix it, Riddle’s hands were already undoing my broach.

            “As Prefect you need to set an example,” Riddle placed my seashell broach in my hands so he could fix my bow, “Even if you only have one student, an untidy uniform reflects an untidy dorm,” I looked at Riddle, he was fixated on my tie. This was the first time I had been so close to Riddle, not since I fought him when he overblotted. Before when he tried to have the rules followed he would have gone to extreme measures, now he seemed a bit more relaxed. I was glad.

            “Sorry, I was in a hurry this morning,” I said.

            Riddle took my charm and fastened it to my tie, “There.”

            “Gotta say,” Cater said, “That’s a cute broach.”

            “Oh, thank you,” that was the first time someone complimented it, “It’s my good luck charm. I made it.”

            Riddle looked at my star shaped charm, “It is charming.”

            “It’s a good luck charm?” Grim asked.

            “Yes, Grim I told you that before,” I said.

            He climbed onto my shoulder, “I want some good luck,” he reached for my charm, but I took him into my arms.

            “I’ll make you one later,” I stated.

            “By the way,” Grim looked at our seniors, “Where are Ace and Deuce?”

            “In accordance to rule 249,” Riddle explained, “It’s their turn to feed the flamingos while dressed in pink.”

            That made Grim laugh and I had to suppress a laugh of my own, “Why do you have to wear pink to feed flamingos?” Grim asked.

            “I… I think it’s to trick the flamingos into thinking you’re one of them,” I theorized.

            “That sounds like a good reason,” Cater grinned.

            “We need to focus,” Riddle informed us, “There was another incident last night.”

            “Oh no.”

            “Yeah, this happened to a sophomore in Scarabia,” Cater explained, “His name is Jamil Viper.”

            “Scarabia, that’s the dorm with the red and gold armbands, right?” Grim asked.

            “That is correct,” Riddle confirmed.

            “We should go talk to him,” I said, “Maybe he noticed something the others didn’t.”

            “Agreed,” Riddle said, “It’s breakfast time so he should be in the cafeteria.”

            “Okay, to the cafeteria,” I said.

            “And let’s get some grub while we’re at it,” Grim added.

            As we walked Riddle looked at me, “Cater told me what happened at Savanclaw, are you alright?” 

            “I’m okay,” I said, “I got Grim.”

            “No harm comes to my minion while I’m watching out for her.”

            “I see,” Riddle said, “What Leona did was uncalled for. There are no rules saying students can’t visit dorms that aren’t their own.”

            “What’s that guys problem anyway,” Grim griped, “Who does he think he is?”

            “He thinks he is, what he is Grimmy,” Cater shrugged, “A prince.”

            “Yeah, he’s a royal pain,” I added.

            “Cater means, he’s genuinely royalty,” Riddle said, causing me to almost trip.

            “What?” I looked shocked, “He’s actually a prince, as in ‘his royal highness,’ born to a king and queen, type of prince?”

            “Yep,” Cater winked, “Though he’s the second prince of his kingdom, so he’s not in line for his throne.”

            I was still shocked, “This school has royalty attending?”

            “He’s not the only one,” Riddle said, “Schools like Night Raven have tend to attract royalty and nobility.”

            “Uh…” My brain was trying to process the new info, “I… Well, he… when I try to imagine royalty I don’t picture… him.”

            “Understandable,” Riddle nodded, “Leona doesn’t take anything seriously despite his standings. He’s even been held back.”

            “He’s been held back?” I asked.

            “Twice,” Riddle added.

            “How could some idiot who’s been held back twice be a Housewarden?” I asked.

            “Yeah, I would never get held back,” Grim said.

            “Not yet at least,” I whispered.

            Riddle sighed, “Leona wasn’t held back on account of grades,” he explained, “he was held back due to poor attendance. If anything Leona is one of the brightest minds in school.”

            “Who got held back twice,” I reminded.

            “Yeah, he can be a little lazy,” Cater said as we walked into the cafeteria. We began looking for Jamil.

            “Jamil has long black hair… There he is,” Cater spotted him easily and led us to the table.

            If it wasn’t his long black hair, that was pulled into an intricate ponytail with several smaller braids that gave it away, it was his bandaged hand. He was clearly a victim.

            “Jamil Viper,” Riddle took the lead.

            Jamil looked up from his breakfast to see us, “Yes?” Jamil had tan skin and black eyes. I quickly noticed his uniform was a bit different. He was wearing the blazer, but he was wearing a red and black hoodie under it instead of a white shirt or vest. He didn’t even have a tie.

            “We’d like to ask you about your accident,” Riddle said.

            Jamil raised an eyebrow, “What is this about?”

            I took a step forward, “We’re here at the behest of the Headmage, can we please talk, it will only take a few minutes.”

            “The Headmage?” That got his cooperation, “Very well then.”

            “Hey,” the boy next to Jamil suddenly said. He had short silver hair, with a cream colored scarf wrapped around his head. Tan skin, and red eyes. He wore a cream cardigan in place of a blazer.

            “You’re the weasel who set my rear on fire,” he said with a smile.

            “I’m not a weas-ah!” I made Grim bow in my arms.

            “What he means to say is, ‘he’s very sorry for that,’ aren’t you Grim?” I scolded. If I was going to be with Grim, I couldn’t have him making things harder for the other students.

            “Ow-ow okay, sorry!” Grim struggled.         

            The boy gave a cheerful laugh, “And you’re the girl who appeared during orientation,” he looked at our group, “The Heartslyabul Housewarden, the fire breathing weasel, and the mystery girl! That’s an interesting combo.”

            “I said I’m not a weasel,” Grim complained.

            “He means his name is Grim,” I corrected, “And I am (Y/N). Nice to meet you.”

            The red-eyed boy continued to smile, “I am Kalim, Scarabia’s Housewarden, and this is Jamil my Vice-Housewarden.”

            Kalim was nice. I couldn’t help but smile, he reminded me of Sora.

            Riddle looked at Jamil, “Can you tell us what happened last night?”

            Jamil placed his hand on his chin as he thought, “Last night I was making dinner in the kitchen.”

            “Jamil makes the best lamb rolls,” Kalim chirped, “You need to try them some time.”

            “Sounds good to me,” Grim said.

            “Grim we don’t have time, besides I fed you earlier,” I sighed, “So, can you tell us how your accident happened?”

            Jamil hummed for a minute, “It’s strange, I was chopping the meat when my hand suddenly moved on it’s on and cut my other one,” he closed his eyes, “When it happened I felt lightheaded.”

            “Lightheaded?” I repeated, that was the first time a victim had mentioned that.

            “Maybe you were just tired from spelldrive practice?” Kalim suggested worried.

            “No, it wasn’t that,” Jamil dismissed, “It felt like I was feeling the effects of someone’s signature spell.”

            I gasped and I could tell the others were surprised.

            “Are you sure?”

            “Oh yeah,” Kalim grinned, “Because your signature spell also let’s you-mmph!” Jamil slapped his hand over Kalim’s mouth, stopping him. When Kalim stopped muffling under his hand, Jamil removed it, “What was that for?”

            “We’re not talking about me Kalim,” Jamil said annoyed. I was curious about what Kalim tried to say, but we had bigger fish to fry.

            “So, someone is using magic to cause the accidents,” I said, “And it’s a signature spell that controls other people?”

            “Myah, is that possible?” Grim asked.

            “I believe so,” Riddle thought, “When I fell down the stairs, it felt unnatural.”

            “Even if it was just for a second,” Cater said, “When someone was controlled, they were immediately in their accident. They wouldn’t have thought about it afterwards.”

            “A magic that can control others?” Grim asked before laughing, “If I could do that, I could clean out on bakery day.”

            “Really Grim?” Riddle asked disappointed, “Is that as far as your ambitions go?”

            “You having mind control powers would be a nightmare,” I held Grim up to my face to scold him, “Seriously, you can’t make people give them your… food…”

            Grim and I stilled at what I just said.

            “Making people give them food,” Grim realized.

            “On bakery day,” I added.

            Our minds went back to the previous bakery day. The day the local bakery brought their best bread to the school and used them in dishes. That was the day Grim got the deluxe grilled cheese, until…

            “Hey there friend,” Grim turned to see a beastman had approached him. A very familiar beastman, he had dishwater blonde hair and large round ears; he was looking at Grim, “I see you have snagged the greatly sought after grilled cheese.”

            “That’s right,” Grim said smugly.

            “Here’s an offer,” the blonde beastman suddenly pulled out an empty hotdog bun, “How about trading that sandwich for this fine looking hot dog bun.”

            With that memory, all was made clear!

            Grim and I came to the realization at the same time. I released a small scream and Grim released a small yowl. Causing everyone around to flinch in fear.

            “What was that? Are you two possessed?” Cater asked.

            “No,” Grim declared, “I, Grim ace detective have realized who the culprit is.”

            “What? Who?” Riddle asked.

            “The guy from Savanaclaw,” I quickly said, “Ruggie!”

            “Ruggie?”

            “Yeah,” Grim said, “We need to get that guy, so we can play in the tournament,” Grim jumped out of my arms and started running towards the exit.”

            “Grim, you don’t even know where he is,” I called. Then I remembered the Scarabia students, “Um, thank you for talking to us, this helps a lot,” I said, “Please feel better soon,” I spun on my heels and chased after Grim, “Grim come back here!”

            After catching up to Grim, we explained our reasoning to Riddle and Cater.

            “I should have realized sooner,” I sighed, “There’s no way you’d ever give up a grilled cheese for a hot dog bun.”

            “Exactly,” Grim whined, “I’m a victim in all this too.”

            “That does seem to make sense,” Riddle said as we approached class 2-B, “This is his classroom.”

            “Yep,” Cater confirmed.

            We entered the class. I looked around trying to spot Ruggie, if we could get him to come to the hallway quietly we might have a chance.

            “Ruggie Bucchi! Are you here?” That plan was dashed the moment Grim shouted at the top of his lungs.

            “Grim, be quiet,” I hushed.

            “Who’s calling for me,” Ruggie’s voice asked from a desk. He frowned when he saw us, “Oh it’s you again. Are you seriously still mad about the grilled cheese?”

            “When it comes to food, Grim holds a grudge,” I confirmed, “But that’s not why we’re here.”

            “Ruggie Bucchi,” Riddle took the lead, “We need to speak with you about the recent accidents that have befallen prospective spelldrive students.”

            “Oh, sounds serious,” Ruggie’s expression gave nothing away.

            “Why don’t we talk in the hall?” Cater suggested, “Let’s keep the DM’s a secret.”

            “Look, I’m cooperating,” Ruggie got up from his desk and walked to us, “No need for any issue,” he walked past me with a wink. I just glared, if he did this, hurt the other students. He was going to pay for this.

            We went out into the interior hallway. Of course Ruggie denied everything.

            “Well, to be safe, I’ll be using my signature spell to seal your magic,” Riddle said, “So-…”

            “But Riddle,” Ruggie interrupted with a smug tone, “Are you sure you should be casting such a powerful spell without your pen?”

            My eyes went to Riddle’s breast pocket as Riddle felt for his pen. It wasn’t there.

            “You’re pen’s gone,” I said.

            “Cater, your pen’s gone too,” Grim pointed out.

            “What?” Cater felt for his pen to see it was gone.

            My hand reached up to my tie. I developed a habit of grabbing and holding my good luck charm when I felt nervous. Only to grasp at nothing but my tie.

            I gasped and looked down, “Where’s my charm?”

            “You children of privilege should really keep a closer eye on your possessions,” Ruggie began laughing smugly.

            “Myah, he used magic to swipe your stuff?” Grim asked.

            “Puh-lease, like I need magic for that,” Ruggie said smugly. I began to tremble, “Aw, what’s wrong princess. Upset that you lost your-…”

            “You slobbering mongrel,” I screamed, that made everyone flinch in fear of my anger, “Give me back my charm or I’ll cut off your ears and make a handkerchief out of them!”

            I try hard not to let my anger get the better of me, but that charm was made with my beloved pendant; a gift from my deceased grandmother and the only thing I had from my world. There is only so much a girl could take before she snaps, and I was not going to let anyone take away the sole reminder of my home and family.

            “I’d like to see you try,” Ruggie turned and started running down the hall, “See ya.”

            “Get back here,” Riddle was even more angry than me, he raised his hand to use magic, “Off with you-…”

            “Riddle stop,” Cater grabbed his arm and held him back, “Don’t be a hero man!”

            That was when Ace and Deuce turned the corner just as Ruggie ran past them.

            “Who makes a leopard print in hot pink?” Deuce asked.

            “Ace, Deuce,” Riddle’s face was an unhealthy shade of red by that point as he yelled, “Get him!”

            Ace and Deuce looked at Ruggie who was fleeing down the hall, “Him?”

            Riddle continued to struggle in Cater’s grasp, “Housewarden’s orders! Apprehend him.”

            Deciding they needed incentive I yelled, “This is your chance to get a spot on the team!”

            They slumped for a minute clearly of liking the idea of running, then charged after Ruggie.

            “Cater, let go,” Riddle got out of Cater’s grasp and ran after them.

            “Seriously?” Cater asked as he ran after them. I ran too, but stopped when I reached a window.

            “(Y/N)?” Grim asked, “He’s gonna get away.”

            I looked down the hall, and I looked out the window. That way led to the courtyard, if Ruggie was fast he’d lose the Heartslyabul students. I certainly wasn’t fast enough to get him. Should I take another route? But the other hallways took longer, even the exterior hallways that were open to the outside, they were on the second floor. If only…

            My eyes widened at an idea.

            “That sometimes you have to travel the path that most don’t follow.”

            Sora’s words echoed in my head. Actually, I could reach the courtyard before Ruggie if I… But that could be dangerous, I just started on that crazy training last night!

            But if I didn’t do it, we’d lose Ruggie and not only would we lose our suspect I may never see my good luck charm again!

            I turned around and went through the door that led to an exterior hallway, Grim held onto my shoulder.

            “(Y/N) where are we going?” Grim asked.

            “To the courtyard,” I said.

            “We’ll never reach the stairs in time,” Grim said.

            “Who said anything about taking the stairs?” I asked.

            “Myah?”

            I stopped and looked over the ledge, just below was a lamppost and beyond it was the apple tree. I gulped.

            “Grim, I’m going to do something crazy,” I admitted, “You don’t have to do this with me. You can go after the others.”

            “No way,” Grim said, “If my hench human has a plan, then I need to be part of it.”

            “Alright, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I took several steps back and looked around. There was no one else around. So if this worked, no one would know, well there was Grim, but no one took him seriously.

            You can do this. You did this last night… in a dream, but the things I practice in my dreams somehow carry over to reality.

            I sighed, I had to do this.

            “Grim,” I told him, “Hang on tight.”

            “Myah?”

            I ran to the window.

            “(Y/N) what are you doing?”

            I hoped onto the ledge, then with all my strength I kicked off it and flew through the air. Grim gripped my shoulder, yowling in my ear.

            Just before we could land on the ground, I reached out and grabbed the lamppost. Then like a gymnast on a bar I spun over the lamppost once, before letting go again, causing us to fly into the apple tree. I crashed through some leaves, but I managed to grab onto a branch and got foot holds.

            I gasped as I felt it all sink in.

            I did it. I got to the courtyard before Ruggie.

            “Grim?”

            The cat was trembling as he clutched to my shoulder like a lifeline, “Next time… warn me before you do that…”

            “Shehehe, those Heartslyabul losers were so easy to lose,” Ruggie’s voice filled the air. I looked through the branches to see him exiting the building. He was slowing down looking smug, “Compared to the slums this was a breeze.”

            He started to walk past the tree, clearly he had no idea we were there. He reached into his pocket and pulled out my good luck charm, “Not sure about the shells, but the gem looks valuable, I wonder how much I can sell it for.”

            That was it.

            “You’re not selling anything!”

            “Huh!”

            Ruggie had no time to react when I jumped from the tree and landed on him.

%%%%%%%%

            Ace and Deuce were gasping when they reached the courtyard.

            “How… can he be so fast?” Ace panted.

            “I don’t know… I-…”

            “Give it up Ruggie!”

            Ace and Deuce looked into the courtyard and their jaws dropped.

            Ruggie was spinning around, trying to throw off (Y/N) and Grim. The cat monster was on his face yanking at his ears, the prefect was on his back, her legs wrapped around his stomach and her arms wrapped around his neck.

            “Between Grim’s stubbornness and my determination, you have no chance!” She declared, “Confess your sins and return my charm!”

            “Do you have any idea who you’re messing with?” Ruggie asked as he tried to pry Grim from his face, “I’m part of Savanaclaw dorm!”

            “Well, we’re the Ramshackle dorm,” (Y/N) declared, “We might only be two students, but we are the mightiest dorm!”

            “Exactly,” Grim snapped, “Any dorm that has me in it is the greatest!”

            Ace and Deuce just watched in shocked.

            “Shouldn’t we help them?” Deuce asked.

            “Let’s give them a minute,” Ace said, “I’m still exhausted.”

Chapter Text

“Search everywhere Grim, leave no stone unturned!”

            Suddenly wallets were flung into the air as he searched Ruggie’s clothes.

            “Wallet, wallet, this guy has a lot of wallets.”

            “Get off!”

            I clung to Ruggie’s back like a cowboy on a bull. I did my best to hold him still while Grim searched him for my good luck charm, he crawled all over Ruggie going under his jacket and clothes in his quest. My efforts weren’t very good as Ruggie’s legs were free and he did his best to shake me off. As Grim searched his pockets, he dug out a good number of wallets, something told me they all didn’t belong to him.

            “Here it is,” Grim appeared on Ruggie’s shoulder holding my prized good luck charm.

            However, in that second Ruggie finally managed to grab a hold of my blazer and Grim’s ribbon. The next thing I knew both Grim and I were thrown into the air. I released a panicked yelp as Grim cried a terrified yowl.

            “(Y/N)!” Instead of the hard ground, I landed on Deuce who managed to catch me. Thinking fast I managed to catch Grim who nearly flown over.

            “Thank you, Deuce,” I said as he set me down gently.

            “Mission accomplished,” Grim held up my charm, which I gratefully accepted.

            “Geez you guys are nuts,” Ruggie said from across the courtyard, “You’re almost as crazy as Leona.”

            I glared at Ruggie, “Was he the one who ordered you to cause the accidents.”

            “Whatever do you mean? I have no idea,” Ruggie’s smug tone betrayed his words.

            “We know it was you!”

            “How? Got any proof?” Ruggie smirked. My glare hardened, sadly we didn’t have anything to prove to Crowley.

            “You won’t get away with this,” I snapped in a bit of desperation.

            “Oh please,” Ruggie wasn’t intimated by mean, “Even if you tell the Headmage what proof do you have?” He pulled out Riddle’s and Cater’s pens and set them on the ground, “I’ll leave these here, I wouldn’t want to get in trouble with stealing a Housewarden’s pen.”

            “Yet you’re fine with stealing other people’s wallets?”

            “What wallets?” That was when I noticed he somehow managed to recover all other stolen property while we weren’t looking.

            I glared, “You’re a coward.”

            “I take that as a compliment, mousey,” did he just call me mousey? “Shyehehe, next time you wanna come after me, get some proof first. Though considering your track record that seems hard. Anyway, I’m done playing today, toodles.”

            Ruggie then bolted from the courtyard, leaving us standing there exhausted. We all slumped.

            “That jerk,” Ace growled.

            “Housewarden Riddle is not going to be pleased,” Deuce said.

            “I’m more concerned about the other students,” I said, “If we let Ruggie do as he pleases, more people are going to get hurt. So, what now?” I wondered, “Do we warn the other dorms that a student from Savanaclaw is attacking their star players? Maybe that will make them more careful until the tournament.”

            “Yeah, no,” Ace shrugged, “There’s no way they’ll believe us.”

            “Well, maybe they’ll believe me?” I suggest, “I’m not in the tournament, I have no reason to deceive them,” that was my logic.

            “If they do believe you,” Ace added, “Then they’d probably go to war with Savanaclaw.”

            “And that will only add to the number injured,” I understood, “Well, we can’t just let him keep doing this, we have to do something.”

            “Why would you want to do anything for total strangers?” I gasped and spun around, standing behind me was Jack.

            “Um… how long have you been here?” I asked.

            “Since you jumped out of the tree to attack Mister Ruggie.”

            Mister?

            “Answer my question,” he asked.

            “What question?” Deuce asked.

            “Why do this? I mean, I get it if it’s to avenge an injured friend,” Jack elaborated. Was he talking about Trey?

            “Buddy, you got it all wrong,” Ace suddenly said. I turned to face my two friends.

            “What?”

            “We’re not doing this for anyone else’s sake,” Ace grinned as though being selfish was something to be proud of.

            “This is just a chance to score points so we get on the team,” Deuce added causing me to sigh. I thought Deuce at least would pretend to care. Seriously why was everyone in this school so selfish?

            “Yeah, I’ll do anything to get on my dorm’s team and show my talent to the world,” Ace stated.

            “Me too,” Grim piped up in my arms, “I wanna catch the guy so I can show off this glorious mug on TV.”

            “Grim,” I groaned.

            “I mean, yeah I feel bad for Trey, but if there’s a spot, I’ll take it.”

            “I wasn’t sure I’d trust someone who’d suffer for total strangers,” I glanced over at Jack, he was actually grinning, “but you guys are total scum.”

            That was it.

            I spun around stomped over to Jack and pointed a finger in his face, “Stop grinning like this is some joke!” That made Jack’s eyes widen. I ignored his reaction and spun around and stomped over to Ace and Deuce, “And as for you three,” the sound of three smacks filled the air as I hit them over the head.

            “Ow, what was that for?” Ace asked.

            I just glared, “Those are horrible and selfish reasons, and you should all be ashamed of yourselves, and Grim,” I looked down at the cat in my arms, “Just for saying that, you’re going to bed without any tuna tonight.”

            “No, not my tuna,” Grim whined, “If we’re so selfish what about you? You want art supplies- myah!” I pinched Grim’s cheek.

            “That’s a bonus I asked for nicely; not a demand,” I explained, “I am doing this to prevent any more victims and to see that justice is served.”

            “That’s so corny,” Ace said. I shot him a glare.

            Jack scowled again, “I don’t understand why you’d do that for strangers.”

            I redirected my glare to Jack, “You don’t understand?” I handed Grim to Deuce as I began to walk towards Jack, “You don’t trust people who suffer for strangers? I don’t need a reason to help someone when they’re in trouble! Perhaps I don’t have an obligation to help, but the same can be said for not helping,” my tone rose as I got closer to Jack, as I just realized something about Jack, “I don’t understand why someone would hurt anyone over something as trivial as a game and don’t give me the whole bull crap about recruiters, nothing is worth hurting people,” Jack’s ears began to lower, “I don’t like bullies, they’re cowards. I don’t like seeing anyone especially a friend hurt over something trivial, and yes,” I pointed to my three idiots, “They are scum, but,” I immediately reached out and grabbed Jack’s shirt and pulled him down to my height, his expression finally showing his shock at my boldness, “You’re worse than scum, for letting Ruggie do what he wants.”

            “What?” I heard Deuce ask in surprise. I released Jack and turned back to my friends as they pieced it together. While I mentally panicked. Did I seriously just yell at a guy who is taller than me, and grab his shirt?

            This place was rubbing off on me in the worst way. I needed to get it together, or I might provoke the wrong person one day.

            “That would explain why you knew you wouldn’t be targeted,” Ace surmised as I took Grim back.

            Jack seemed to pull himself out of his stupor, he placed his hands on his hips, “Fight me!”

            “No,” I immediately rejected, “Fighting is wrong.”

            “Not you,” Jack pointed to my trio of idiots, “Those three… Besides I don’t hit girls.”

            I raised an eyebrow. Is he actually trying to be a gentleman?

            “Why should we fight?” Ace asked.

            “If I’m going to trust you, I gotta size you up first,” Jack declared raising a fist, “Prove to me you ain’t all talk and I’ll tell you everything I know.”

            “I just rode your dormmate like a bucking bronco,” I said, “Haven’t I proved I’m not all talk?”

            “Yeah, you have,” Jack admitted, “But they haven’t.”

            “Now you’re speaking my language,” Deuce’s switch got flipped as he cracked his knuckles, “Let’s cut the chatter and throwdown!”

            Deuce was the first to attack and Ace and Grim followed.

            I just groaned and watched, why was everyone so violent at this school?

            A few minutes later, they were all on the ground, beaten and bruised.

            “Please tell me you’re done and we can hug it out,” I begged weakly.

            “Fine, I guess I can tell you,” Jack said as they stood up, “Remember, I’m betraying my own dorm here.”

            I frowned, “All of Savanaclaw is behind this? Not just Ruggie?”

            “Yeah,” Jack growled, “Ruggie’s signature spell lets him control someone else’s body. When he does something the victim mimics him perfectly.”

            My eyes widened, “That’s how he made Grim trade the grilled cheese. He just stuck out his hand and Grim stuck out his paw, like a mirror.”

            “Myah, I knew it,” Grim complained.

            “But wouldn’t someone have noticed?” Ace asked, “This all happened in crowded areas. It would be easy to see him doing something that mimicked the victims.”

            “All of Savanaclaw is involved,” I reminded, “Ruggie could have easily hidden in a crowd of his dormmates.”

            “Yeah,” Jack confirmed, “Those cowards,” Jack crossed his arms, “They’re doing this to win, but the victory is pointless if you don’t give it your all against an opponent that’s at their best too. I was looking forward to the tournament, especially if it meant playing with Leona,” Jack ran his fingers through his hair looking frustrated, “The reason I came to this school was because of Leona. I saw the match he played in three years ago, and he was amazing. I thought the two of us would tear it up on the field…” Jack scratched his head.

            I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. I leaned towards Ace and whispered, “It sounds like he really admires Leona.”

            “Looks like it,” Ace agreed.

            Jack groaned, “I’d bet at our best we’d be so strong, not even the keyblade wielders would defeat us,” I bit my tongue trying to not react, “But now, he’s resorting to this,” Jack got angrier, “He has such incredible power and strength, and he doesn’t even use it?”

            I bit my tongue again. For some reason it felt like that last question was directed at me and my keyblade.

            What would I even use it for and besides I’m a newbie? I don’t have incredible power and strength.

            “And the other members,” Jack ranted, “If we win like this, how will they survive the big leagues?”

            “So, he’s going to take out more players,” Deuce asked.

            “No, just one,” Jack explained, “The biggest one, Malleus Draconia.”

            That shocked us.

            “He’s going after Malleus?” Ace asked.

            “That’s right,” Jack said, “During the past two years, Savanaclaw lost to Diasomnia. I heard it from the upperclassman. They’re still mad about it.”

            “Cater told us the same thing yesterday,” I remembered.

            “I believe I’ve heard enough!”

            I gasped and turned around, standing behind us was Riddle and Cater. From the looks on their faces they’ve heard the entire story.

            Deuce was quick to return their pens.

            “So, Leona is going to target Malleus?” Riddle asked as he adjusted his pen, “We’re going to need to plan carefully. Despite his attitude Leona is too sly to leave anything to chance.”

            “So warning Diasomnia won’t be enough?” I asked.

            “Hold on,” Jack suddenly said with a growl, “I agreed to tell you, but I didn’t say I’d work with you.”

            “Myah?” We were surprised. It seemed Jack liked being a lone wolf.

            “Jack come on,” I said, “This is no time to be stubborn.”

            “It’s my dorm, so I’ll handle it,” Jack crossed his arms.

            That caused me to glare, “Like how you just let them hurt other students?” I snapped.

            Once again, my outburst surprised everyone.

            “Myah, (Y/N) sometimes you like to go for the jugular.”

            Oh I wasn’t done yet, “How many students were hurt and you didn’t do anything? Was it because you wanted to do it alone, or because it was just you against an entire dorm?”

            “Are you calling me a coward?” Jack asked.

            “No, I’m calling you an idiot,” I stated, “It’s an entire pack against one wolf. There are strength in numbers you muscle head,” I said, “Incase you haven’t noticed there’s more at stake here than your ego.”

            “I know that,” Jack tried to argue, “That’s why I-…”

            “What if Leona’s plan succeed?” I asked, the images of my dream flashed through my mind. Sora’s story about how Scar murdered his brother and tried to kill his young nephew. This situation was just too similar to what Sora had seen, “What if because no one stops Leona now, later down the line he’ll try to do something worse? What if he decides he wants to be king? What if he decides to murder his brother?”

            My question caused the air to still. Jack’s eyes widened and I could feel everyone looking at me. That made my anxiety come back. I straightened up and cleared my throat. Maybe I went too far.

            “I mean, the best wolfs hunt in packs,” I told him more calmly, “You’re not betraying your dorm; you’re keeping them honest.”

            Jack looked at me and closed his eyes, “I listen to your plan, but if I don’t like it. I’m doing things my way.”

            “I suppose that’s fair,” I said, I looked towards the others, “So… any ideas?”

            “I believe I do,” Riddle said, and we listened.

%%%%%%

            By the time Ruggie got back to the dorm, night had fallen. As he walked through the lounge, he could hear snickering from his dormmates. Ruggie looked around, what was so funny?

            “Ruggie,” Leona called.

            “Yeah boss?” Ruggie approached.

            “I got the potion from the cephalopunk,” Leona pulled out a small bottle, “It cost a pretty penny so you better not screw this up. You ready for tomorrow?”

            Ruggie grinned, “Of course.”

            Leona raised an eyebrow, “By the way, I heard you had a run in with some herbivores.”

            Ruggie stiffened for a second, “Oh that? That was no big deal.”

            Leona couldn’t help but smirk before pulling out his phone. Ruggie watched as Leona pulled up a video and played it.

            “Give it up Ruggie, between Grim’s stubbornness and my determination, you have no chance.”

            Ruggie couldn’t help but pale when he saw the video of the Prefect girl and Grim riding him. Someone had filmed the incident from a second story window, but it was clear that he was struggling against the human girl and loud weasel.

            “I don’t know, looks like a big deal to me. What, can’t handle one little mouse and her furball?” Leona mocked me with a laugh. Ruggie pouted when he heard other members of his dorm laugh. He couldn’t believe it; someone recorded him getting caught by the only magicless girl in the school.

            “I-…” Ruggie tried to think of an excuse, “I’ll have you know that I had been chased by a large group of Heartslyabul students before that… and I was tired by the time she attacked me,” he needed to say something that would make him look a little better. He couldn’t tell Leona he was attacked over a tacky broach.

            Leona’s expression became stoic and serious, “Will you be tired tomorrow?”

            “N-no,” Ruggie could see Leona was serious.

            “Good, because if this doesn’t work, I’ll cook you and eat you myself.”

            “Uh, don’t worry, I’m on top of it,” Ruggie said nervously.

            “You better.”

%%%%%%%

            Once again, I was pulled into the mirror.

            “Dad,” I heard a voice whimper. It sounded like a little boys voice.

            I could barely see past my face, there was dust everywhere, but I followed the voice. I could see something on the ground ahead of me.

            “Dad, come on… we gotta go home…”

            I finally made out the shape of a lion lying on a ground. It was the lion with a red mane. When I got a closer look, I realized… he wasn’t breathing.

            “Dad…” I saw a small lion cub, trying to wake him. Tears began to form in his eyes as he realized his father wasn’t going to wake up. He began to sob in defeat, he crawled under his father’s paw… clearly trying to pretend his father was alive.

            I placed a hand on my mouth, feeling tears well up in my eyes.

            The scene changed. Now I was in a cave. Scar was there lying on his back, looking bored.

            Next to him was a blue bird in a cage. Well actually the ribcage of a dead animal.

            “Zazu, how about singing a song for me,” Scar said.

            The bird humphed, “I never had to do this for Mufasa.”

            Scar growled at the name, “You know the law,” he practically roared, “Never speak that name in my presence!”

            I glared at him. If he didn’t want to be compared to Mufusa, why didn’t he just try harder?

            “Hey Scar,” three hyenas then entered the cave, “There’s no food and no water, we’re hungry.”

            Scar just sat there looking unimpressed, “Why are you complaining to me, eat Zazu.”

            “No,” the bird panicked.

            My glare remained, “Aren’t you the king? Your people are suffering, do something, help them! Where was all that enthusiasm when you wanted to be kind so bad?” I crossed my arms, remembering Sora’s story, “You killed your brother for it, now you have to live with it.”

            The scene changed again. This time Scar was fighting. He was fighting a lion that looked like the one I saw earlier. The one with the red mane.

            They were both battling on top of a mountain, or cliff. Either way, it looked like a long way down.

            “Simba!”

            I looked behind me. Sora, Donald, and Goofy had appeared. Donald had just tried to charge into the fight, but Sora lifted his paw and stopped him.

            “This is his fight, Donald.”

            “Simba?” I asked looking ahead. The red maned lion was Simba? Then that meant…

            I remembered what I saw a few minutes ago. That lion cub was him?

A horrible bitter feeling filled my chest. He lost his father at such a young age… Because of his uncle.

            I watched Simba fight with his uncle. For his throne and his people.

            How did it come to this?

            Family fighting and killing each other? It shouldn’t ever come to this. I knew this wasn’t Simba’s fault, Scar started this, he killed his father and endangered his people. Simba had no choice but to take back his birthright, take responsibility, and save his kingdom.

            That didn’t make it any less tragic.

            Finally, Simba managed to throw Scar over the ledge. It was over… or so I thought.

            “Not so fast…” I heard a voice gasping. I looked and saw a… very fat lion appear on the cliff. I raised an eyebrow, there was something weird about that lion.

            I heard a growling and looked back towards where Scar fell. Scar had crawled back up, but something was wrong. A horrible darkness was radiating off Scar. It reminded me of Riddle’s overblot, but instead of oozing off him like ink, it rose off him like smoke.

            Yet the darkness still looked just as frightening as Riddle’s. Dark, evil, and poisonous.

            “Your Prideland’s will rise as the Land of Darkness.”

            As I watched Scar radiate darkness, my head stung, and my vision shifted. Scar vanished in front of me, and in his place was…

            “Leona?”

            Leona stood in front of me, darkness oozed off him.

            Was he about to…?

The second heart will soon succumb.

            I was ripped from the mirror and my eyes shot open. I sat up, sunlight peaked through the boarded windows. It was morning.

            My mind was going over and over what I saw in my dream. Sora did tell me they defeated Scar; he didn’t mention that at the end Scar got a power-up.

            That power, it was so much like the power I saw Riddle use when he overblotted. What was that? It was terrifying.

            “(Y/N), you awake?” Grim asked sleepily next to me, “I guess we do have to get up,” he got out from the covers rubbing his eye with his paw. He looked up at me, “What’s wrong?”

            I sighed and leaned back, “I… had a bad dream.”

            Grim hummed, “What was it about?”

            “I…” I sighed and took Grim into my lap, “I can’t remember, I just know it was bad.”

            “Maybe you’re just hungry,” Grim suggested.

            I didn’t like having to lie to Grim. He was annoying most of the time, but in a way he was also my best support.

            But I didn’t know what else to tell him. I couldn’t tell him about Sora or my keyblade.

            “I’m just worried,” I said, “Today’s the day of the tournament… This will be our last chance… I hope we can do this.”

            “Of course we will,” Grim said smugly, “Remember what you said yesterday? We’re the mightiest dorm.”

            I laughed, “I think that was the adrenaline talking,” I sighed, “But, yeah, I think we can do this. After all, Riddle and Cater managed to convince Diasomnia. Leona and his dorm can’t hurt someone if they aren’t really there.”

            “Exactly,” Grim said with a smile, “So how about some breakfast?”

%%%%%%

            After breakfast, Grim and I wandered around the stadium a bit. We had some time before getting the operation underway. It wouldn’t hurt to look around and take in the sights.

            Several stalls lined the streets, some served food and drinks. Some sold souvenirs. The air was filled with a mixture of grilled food and the overwhelming sound of people chattering. So many people had come to Night Raven College just for the tournament.

            I saw all kinds of people; from people you’d just normally see on the street, to groups of people in suits. Those must had been the recruiters.

            “I guess this tournament really is a big deal,” I said as I carried Grim through the crowd in my arms.

            Grim chuckled, “Truly a venue worthy of Grim the Great,” then he got distracted, “Ooh, that looks shiny,” Grim suddenly pointed towards a booth. Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take one small look.

            “We need to go after this Grim,” I reminded.

            “I know, just a quick look,” Grim pouted.

            I reached the stall and looked at what they were selling. They were selling food, but they were also selling seashell necklaces.

            “These do look pretty,” I noted.

            “Don’t they?” I looked up at the new voice, “We’re having a special, buy two get the third free.”

            Standing in front of me was a very smartly dressed guy. He was wearing a tuxedo, a gray coat hung over his shoulders like a cape, along with a purple scarf and a fedora.

            His hair was short, white, and wavy. He wore glasses over his blue eyes and a single mole was on his lower lip. He was giving a friendly smile.

            Wait, I recognized this guy. Of course, Grim beat me to it.

            “Hey, you’re the guy who helped Riddle throw me out of orientation,” Grim snapped angrily.

            “Yes, what a twist of fate it seems,” the boy smiled, “The weasel and the magicless lady, enrolled at this school. What a marvel it is to behold you both.”

            “I’m not a weasel!”

            “Uh, nice to meet you,” I tried to be friendly, “I’m (Y/N) and this is Grim… He’s sorry about the trouble he caused during orientation by the way.”

            “All water under the bridge,” the boy smiled in a friendly manner, “My name is Azul Ashengrotto, I am the housewarden of the benevolent Octavinelle house.”

            “Oh, I didn’t know that,” I gave a slight bow, “My apologies housewarden Ashengrotto.”

            “Please, call me Azul,” Azul insisted, “Anyway, I think we have plenty of lovely necklaces that will suit you,” he grabbed a spiral nautical seashell and held it before me, “This one is a replica of the necklace the Sea Witch herself wore.”

            “Um… thank you but,” my hand reached up to my charm, “I already have a seashell necklace,” technically it was a broach, but I was able to turn in into a necklace too.

            Azul looked at my charm with intrigue, “Well that is indeed an interesting pendant. I’ve never seen someone fashion Thalassa shells into a star before or is it a flower? I’ve seen plenty of five petal flowers since coming on land.”

            Coming on land?

            “(Y/N)!” I gasped when I heard Riddle’s voice. I looked to see the red-haired housewarden.

            Is it time already?

He looked between me and Azul. When he looked at Azul, his eyes narrowed a bit.

            “Riddle, how are you today?” Azul’s cheerful tone didn’t waver, “I was having a wonderful discussion with miss (Y/N) about seashell jewelry.”

            Riddle suddenly went over to me and took my hand, “She has business with me Azul, don’t distract her.”

            With that Riddle pulled me away, I looked over my shoulder at Azul, “Um… goodbye.”

            Riddle pulled me through the crowd. I looked at him worried.

            “Riddle?”

            “What was that about?” Grim asked.

            “(Y/N), Grim,” Riddle addressed, “Stay away from Azul.”

            That confused me, “Why?”

            “Azul may seem friendly, but believe me when I say it’s an act,” Riddle explained, “He tricks others into being indebted to him and when that happens, he shows his true colors and it’s not good,” his hand squeezed mine, “It’s best if you both stay away from him.”

            That made me glance back, but the crowd had swallowed Azul, “Is every housewarden here bad news?”

            “I wouldn’t get too close,” Riddle said, “No one here wants to lose.”

            “Lose what?” I muttered.

            “I’m stronger than them, so who cares?” Grim stated. I sighed.

            “Is everything ready?” I decided to get to business.

            “Yes, Cater and Lilia are handling it as we speak,” Riddle looked at me as we walked, “Now we must get ready for the next part of the plan.”      

            I nodded, “I’m ready to end this.”

            As we walked, I couldn’t help but wonder; was Sora watching?

%%%%%%

            “(Y/N)? (Y/N)!” Sora called even though no one could hear him. He was standing next to the crowd in front of the stadium for the Spelldrive tournament. Sora didn’t know why though. Usually he went straight to wherever (Y/N) was and would watch whatever was about to happen to her. This time, however he couldn’t see her anywhere.

            “Looks it’s Diasomnia,” Sora heard someone say.

            He looked past the crowd, now realizing the people had made way for a group of students. Each student was wearing a black and green uniform, complete with little hats.

            “Maleficent would laugh if she saw those uniforms.”

            “Shyeeheehee, looks like it’s time,” Sora turned when he heard the voice. It was Ruggie, the student (Y/N) caught before. He was the one behind the accidents.

            Sora frowned, “What are you planning this time?”

            Ruggie reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle, “Azul’s potion better work.”

            “Potion?” Sora asked.

            Ruggie quickly threw back the bottles contents in one swig. He stuck out his tongue in disgust, “Blegh, taste like mold. Leona better repay me with something tasty later.”

            Sora began to feel uneasy, what was he about to do?

            Ruggie grinned, “Now it’s show time,” Ruggie closed his eyes, “Let’s laugh together.”

            Sora could see Ruggie had used magic, then suddenly he heard a collection of gasps behind him.

            “What’s going on?”

            “My body’s moving on it’s own!” Sora turned to see that the crowd of people he was just watching, were all mimicking Ruggie perfectly.

            “He can control an entire crowd?” Sora asked in a panic.

            “And now…”

            Sora turned and paled when he saw Ruggie just run ahead. He looked back at the crowd who suddenly ran forward. Stampeding towards the Diasomnia team.

            “Look out!” One of the poor people called, trying to warn the students.

            “We can’t stop!”

            The students saw the advancing crowd and panicked.

            “No!” Sora watched helplessly as the students were charged over, the crowd slammed into them.

            Sora couldn’t believe it, it was just like what Zazu described. The hyenas drove a herd of wildebeest into a canyon where Scar left Simba. Mufasa, being a good father went to safe his son. He rescued Simba but got caught in the stampede, when he got out and tried to climb a cliff, Scar pushed him off. Where he fell to his death.

            To think Leona would actually go this far.

            “Looks like it worked,” Ruggie gasped. Sora turned and glared at the hyena beastman. Ruggie was hunched a little, breathing deeply, “That was exhausting. Now to tell Leona.”

            When Ruggie began returning to Leona, Sora followed him. He couldn’t do anything to stop Ruggie or Leona, but at the very least he wanted to see what was happening. He could tell (Y/N) later and hopefully, she could handle it.

            Sora followed Ruggie back to his dorm. Leona and his dormmates were at their dorm’s stadium. 

            Ruggie gasped, “Leona I did it. Did you see the broadcast.”

            Leona smirked, “Yeah, I did. Bye-bye Malleus, this year the throne is mine. Not even Keyblade Wielders can stop us now.”

            The Savanaclaw students cheered, so sure of their victory. Sora glared, “Just wait till I get there. You want to see if you’re stronger than a Keyblade Wielder, I’ll be more than happy than to give you a demonstration!”

            “Long live the king,” Ruggie snickered.

            “Long live the king,” the students cheered.

            “Oh I’ll show you a king yo-…”

            “I believe we’ve heard enough!” A voice boomed.

            The celebration screeched to a halt. Sora spun around and smiled, “(Y/N)!”

%%%%%%%

            I looked at Cater, he finished recording the video on his phone. We now had evidence to show the headmage, that Savanaclaw was behind the string of accidents.

            “You have tarnished a Night Raven tradition. As leader of the dorm of strictness I will not allow this!”

            Riddle stood in front of us, as the leader. I wasn’t going to confront an entire dorm by myself.

            Grim was on my shoulder paws crossed, Ace and Deuce were beside me. Jack also stood with us.

            When Leona saw one of his own with us, his face twisted into a snarl, “What’s this Jack? You transfer to Heartslyabul for their tea parties?”

            “No,” Jack crossed his arms with a growl, “I just don’t feel like celebrating the underhanded tactics of cowards.”

            “You traitor,” Leona growled.

            “It’s over,” Grim called obnoxiously, “You’ve been caught red handed.”

            Leona just scowled, “Listen kiddies, save your heroic speeches for someone who cares.”

            Ruggie placed his hands behind his head smugly, “Coming into our territory with only a handful of people? It’s like you’re begging to get a beating.”

            “You want us to take of them boss?” A Savanaclaw student asked.

            “Go ahead,” Leona allowed the attack.

            I swallowed, I knew this was going to happen, but still…

            “(Y/N),” Riddle ordered, “Stay behind us.”

            “R-right.”

            Ace and Deuce got in front of me. Grim jumped to the ground and joined them. I gripped my skirt as guilt gripped me.

            I could fight too. I wanted to help; I had the power. I had the keyblade. But I couldn’t, instead I had to stay behind and let the others do all the fighting.

            It’s better this way, besides they wouldn’t like it if a girl fought for them. Let them keep their egos intact.

            I tried to tell myself that, but every time Ace had to dodge, every time Deuce got punched, every time Grim breathed fire. I gripped my skirt tighter, forcing myself to not summon the keyblade in those moments.

            “Riddle?” I begged. He was focusing on his magic. He needed time to focus on multiple targets.

            “I’m ready now,” Riddle declared, “Off with your heads!”

            With a wave of Riddle’s scepter, collars appeared on the attacking Savanaclaw students. Inhibiting their collars and that gave the boys the chance to push them back.

            “He’s strong.”

            “Housewardens are no joke.”

            Riddle scoffed, “Nothing but hot air,” Riddle looked at his students, “Ace, Deuce are you alright?”

            “Yeah, this was nothing.”

            “You bet sir.”

            They were both a little out of breath, but they looked alright.

            “Grim are you okay?” I asked.

            Grim was also huffing, “This ain’t nothing, for Grim the Great.”

            I smiled.

            Leona scoffed, “I knew those morons wouldn’t be a match for Riddle.”

            I looked at him. If he knew, why did he let them attack us.

            Ruggie snickered, “Maybe not, but they’re still too late to save Diasomnia.”

            “Oh, is that so?” A new voice joined the conversation.

            “It looks to me, like they’re right on time,” another voice added.

            “Thanks to them, not a single Diasomnia student was injured.”

            We all looked to see three Diasomnia students had appeared. Lead by Lilia, who apparently was the vice housewarden.

            When Ruggie saw them, he was shocked, “What? How? I saw you get swallowed by the stampede!”

            “About that,” Cater chimed in, “Those were actually my clones created from my signature spell. Split Card.”

            I smiled, “You rock Cater.”

            “Thank you, baby girl,” Cater said, “It was my pleasure, especially seeing my clones in those sweet Diasomnia threads. I’m totally gonna take some selfies later.”

            Lilia giggled, “If I knew you liked them that much, I would have happily have lent you mine.”

            “Such a sweetheart,” Cater said, “But I think yours would be too small.”

            I looked at Lilia. He was wearing his uniform, but the coat was way too big for him. It dragged on the ground behind him. I couldn’t help but think that Cater wouldn’t have a hard time wearing that.

            “Get to the point,” Leona growled.

            Lilia smiled, “They told us what was happening, so we let them put on this little charade for us.”

            I was still surprised Lilia was the vice housewarden. Despite his childlike appearance he was a junior, I knew that, but he also seemed so carefree. I didn’t think he’d want to be in a position like that. Especially after learning that, he and Cater were in the same club.

            There’s seriously a pop music club at this school.

            “Tch, whatever, I don’t care,” Leona’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

            “Boss, what do you mean?” Ruggie asked, looking nervous.

            “I’m done,” Leona grunted, “If Malleus is on the field there’s no point.”

            “What?” Ruggie started to look desperate, his ears drooping down, “You can’t be serious, even if Malleus is still in the game, we took out the other dorms best players. If we have you, we’ll have a chance at the top three.”

            “Yeah,” one of the collared students.

            “You can’t just abandon us!”

            “You’re playing even if we have to drag you out on the field!”

            Leona growled, his ears pointed down and fists curled, “All of you are just yapping.”

            “Come on, what happened to ‘turning the world upside down,’” Ruggie asked desperately, “We’ve come so far.”

            My eyes widened at the scene in front of me. It was watching my dream again, only this time Ruggie was in place of the hyena’s, and Leona was in place of Scar.

            Scar did nothing as his kingdom was dying.

            Leona was just giving up, allowing his dorm to fall.

            I glanced at Jack. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. I honestly thought he was the best student in his dorm. He deserved a better housewarden.

            Pain suddenly cracked through my skull. I closed my eyes and held my head, trying to stop the headache.

            My vision was filled with yellow, there were black drops. Then more black drops fell, creating a puddle of black.

            “Shut up, all of you!”

            The feeling of a blast of sand knocked me to my senses.

            I looked up and gasped. A small sandstorm had suddenly appeared, swirling around Leona… No, from Leona.

            I closed my mouth to keep the sand out.

            Ruggie was being held in the air. Leona had a strong grip on his neck as Ruggie struggled to get free.

            “This is Leona’s magic?” I asked.

            “That’s right,” Leona snapped, “It’s called ‘King’s Roar.’ Anything I touch, I can turn to sand,” Leona’s expression fell, “Nothing the savanna hates more than a drought. Ironic the prince has the power to dry things out.”

            Ruggie cried out in pain. His skin was starting to dry out to the point that it was cracking. My eyes widened in horror.

            “St-stop,” Ruggie began to cough as the skin of his neck and chin cracked like stone.

            Leona just smirked maliciously, “What’s that Ruggie? Your tongue to dry to even lick my boots now? Heh, too bad that was all you were good at.”

            “He can actually turn people to sand?” Ace asked.

            Everyone panicked, Leona was clearly going too far.

            “Leona enough,” Riddle quickly took action to save Ruggie, “Off with your head!”

            The magic beam that was supposed to become the collar shot towards Leona. Leona saw it, with a swipe of his hand he shot another beam of magic that canceled out the attack.

            “What?”

            Leona smirked, “You might be some genius, but I aced magic defense classes in my sleep.”

            “We need to do something, or Ruggie’s gonna…” Jack trailed off.

            “Whatever you do, stop him,” I called.

            Everyone attacked, but Leona managed to block them. Either he used the sandstorm as cover, or he shot out magic to cancel out attacks. It seemed he wasn’t all talk, he was a housewarden for a reason.

            I panicked, if we didn’t do something Ruggie was gonna die. I gripped my skirt. What could I do, even I summoned my keyblade and used a spell, Leona would deflect it just like…

            Wait a minute…

            Leona wasn’t even looking at me. He was watching the others who were attacking him. And everyone was focused on Leona, trying to save Ruggie.

            No one was looking at me.

            I looked at Leona and I remembered Sora comparing him to Scar.

            I remembered how Scar underestimated Sora. He just assumed Sora was easy prey, so he didn’t do much to stop him.

            If Leona was like Scar; then he didn’t consider me a threat. I wasn’t worth even acknowledging…

            I looked down at my hand, then I looked around. We were in Savanaclaw’s stadium. Leona was near the seats. No one was looking at me. And the sandstorm made it hard to see anything.

            I had an idea. It was crazy and stupid, but Ruggie’s life depended on it. I couldn’t just sit by and do nothing. If I could help them, I had to try.

            And if I was going to do this. I had to do this now!

            I quickly ran towards the seats of the stadium. I jumped off a bench to reach the railing and pulled myself in. I stayed low, hiding behind the seats out of sight, until I was close enough to Leona.

            I took in a deep breath, before summoning my keyblade.

            I’m too far away for thunder. Fire and blizzard would probably kill Ruggie.

            Thankfully, Sora taught me a new spell the other night.

            If Leona brought drought, then I was going to bring the rain.

            I channeled magic in my keyblade, the magic swirled around me, shifting, swirling, splashing, becoming, “Water.”

%%%%%%%

            Lilia was about to shoot another spell, when he felt something. It felt like magic, but it was different.

            He shook it off. Leona was about to kill his dormmate, he didn’t have time to be curious.

            “If you have this much power,” Riddle yelled through the small storm, “Why do this?”

            “Now, you’re gonna lecture me?” Leona growled, “Listen kid, power isn’t enough to make waves in the world. Just look at Ruggie, he’s now as helpless as a- …!”

            Leona was cut off by the sound of rushing water.

            From seemingly out of nowhere, water burst between Leona and Ruggie, forcing the housewarden to release the hyena beastman. It was as if an invisible pipeline had burst, expanding further and further, creating a whirlpool on land.

            “What the hell?” Leona felt himself being swept away. He immediately began using King’s Roar, causing the water to evaporate, so he could regain his footing.

            “He’s focused on the water!”

            “Off with your Head!”

            That was the moment Leona felt a collar appear around his neck. His magic was nullified, luckily the water had receded before he could take any damage.

            Ruggie washed to the side coughing.

            “A-are you okay?” Ruggie looked up to see the magicless girl approaching him, she actually looked worried.

            Leona looked to see Ruggie being helped by the little mouse… Leona blinked for a minute. How did she get over there, she was hiding behind her friends a moment ago?

%%%%%%

            I helped Ruggie to his feet, and we were quickly approached by the two Diasomnia students.

            “Let’s get the injured to safety, Sebek,” The silver haired boy said.

            “Don’t presume to order me around Silver,” the green haired boy now known as Sebek barked. He turned to me with a dead serious look. I couldn’t help but flinch, did I do something wrong? “Human girl! It is not safe to be on the battlefield.”

            “Uh… right.”

            I let them take Ruggie before running back to my friends.

            “(Y/N), we got em,” Grim jumped into my arms.

            I smiled, “You sure did.”

            Leona was clearly shocked that he was defeated, “What the- you can’t collar a lion!”

            We just did! I mentally cheered.

            “And which one of you losers cast that water spell?” He roared.

            I bit my lip and tried to be a small as possible. Half of me wanted to gloat that I caught him off guard, the other half really didn’t want to enrage the housewarden even more… that collar was going to come off eventually.

            “Who just cast the water spell?” Cater asked.

            I couldn’t help but stiffen. Everyone was looking around. I should have realized sooner, everyone in this school had huge egos. If someone managed to land an attack on a housewarden they would be bragging.

            The words fell from my mouth before I could stop them, “It doesn’t matter now.”

            “She’s right. Housewarden Leona,” Jack addressed, “I want you to know, I only came to this school because of how much I admired you. What happened to the man you used to be?”

            “Your dreams got nothing to do with me,” Leona just snapped.

            Riddle crossed his arms and frowned, “I know it’s ironic to hear this from me, but it saddens me to see you like this. I suggest you wait in your room until you calm down,” he spoke to Leona like he was scolding a child.

            “That’s right,” Lilia suddenly said, “Frankly a collar fits you more than a crown.”

            Leona growled at Lilia’s remark, “What?”

            Lilia just sighed in false morose, “If only the king of the savanna could see this farce. Are you that upset you’re not next in line to be king,” Lilia’s face shifted into a taunting grin, “Someone who with a fragile ego like you, who directs his anger at his retainers, doesn’t deserve to be king. Nor do you have what it takes to compete with a real king, like our Malleus. You will never be fit to rule.”

            Leona looked at Lilia, then… he laughed. A cold and empty laugh.

            “You’re right,” he admitted, “You’re absolutely right. No matter how hard I work, I’ll never be king.”

            Seriously, why did he want to be king so bad?

A bad feeling began to rise in me. Why? We won? Leona was powerless now, so why would I still feel worried?

            Leona looked down, his hair covering his eyes, “I’m just not fit to rule huh?”

            My headache came back, with a vengeance. There was a chill in the air.

            “My fur’s standing on ends,” Grim panicked.

            “What’s this?” I heard Riddle question, “His magic is rising, I don’t think my spell can contain it.”

            I managed look up towards Leona. Something was radiating off him. The sound of metal breaking apart pierced the air as Riddle’s collar suddenly broke apart.

            “Riddle’s collar just flew off?” Cater panicked.

            “That’s not magic,” Lilia’s expression filled with panic, “It’s negative energy!”

            My mind was filled with another image. A yellow magestone was being cover in blot until it turned completely back. In the distance I heard Leona’s angered voice.

            “I’ve been loathed since the day I was born. None of my hard work is ever awarded or noticed,” he let out a frustrated yell.

            My vision came back, and I looked up. My eyes widened as the scene from my dream seemed to replay itself once again.

            Darkness began to drip off Leona, like ink. It swallowed him.

            The sky darkened, sand began to swirl around us again, this time more violently. When Leona emerged from the darkness, he had transformed. His skin had become ashen gray. Black fur hung off his shoulders. Tribal wear was wrapped around him. his hair was slicked back to reveal a marking that was etched across his forehead and over his left eye. The same eye that had a single yellow flame.

            He released a spine chilling monstrous roar, showing us he was truly a lion.

            From the tar like puddle that formed at his feet, rose an ink monster. This one looked like a lion, just like the others, a bottle of ink was in the place of his head.

            As Leona’s transformation happened, my mind played the memory of Scar, rising from the cliff and brandishing dark powers that was just as terrifying as an overblot.

            “He’s… he’s overblotted,” I realized.

            The second heart has succumbed.

            “If you can move, get to shelter,” Riddle yelled in the storm, “Ace, Deuce, get the injured to safety!”

            The two nodded. Grim jumped out of my arms, getting ready to fight.

            “Lilia,” Riddle called, “Get help from the faculty.”

            Lilia nodded, “Be strong until I return,” he then teleported away.

            “Jack, get (Y/N) out of here,” Riddle ordered.

            “No, I can help,” I tried to say. But Jack just grabbed my arm and began pulling me away.

            “We got this,” Jack said, “You can’t fight, you have to get out of here.”

            “But-…” I looked back and watched the others fight Leona.

            The wind picked up, it would have knocked me over if Jack hadn’t caught me, “Just hold onto me.”

            I did, but suddenly in a flash of light, Jack changed. The first thing I noticed, I had felt he had become hairier. I realized I was now holding onto a giant white wolf.

            “What?” I blinked, “Jack… Is that you?”

            The wolf nodded it’s head.

            Okay, Jack could turn into a wolf now. Jack was huge, like the size of a horse, so it was easier to hold onto him in the storm. He tried to lead me to safety, but it wasn’t going to work.

            Leona released another roar, then the storm got even worse. Even more sand filled the air and the winds became stronger. So strong, they knocked me away from Jack.

            “(Y/N)!” I heard Jack’s voice get swallowed by the storm.

            I was knocked across the ground, the sand pelting my entire body and stinging my eyes. I couldn’t take it.

            I summoned Hearts Reflection and casted a barrier around me. I finally had shelter from the storm, I managed to get on my knees and rubbed the sand from my eyes.

            Not that it did anything. I couldn’t see anything outside my barrier. There was so much sand in the air, the there was no visibility.

            “Grim?” I shouted into the storm, “Ace? Deuce?” I let down my barrier for a second. I quickly stabbed my keyblade into the ground to stay anchored. Slowly I walked through the storm, setting up a barrier for a few minutes at a time, “Cater? Jack?” I called. Where were they?

            Where they safe? Where they fighting? Was Leona killing them? This was so much worse than when Riddle overblotted.

            I had the barrier up, when I was struck with a splitting headache. It was so bad I fell to my knees. My hand clinging to my keyblade.

            A new vision filled my mind.

            Sora walked out of a building.

            “They’ll come at you out of nowhere,” a man’s voice came from the shadows.

            Sora turned summoning his keyblade, “Who are you?”

            A tall man with long brown hair, and a leather jacket appeared, “And they’ll keep coming after you,” he pointed to the weapon in Sora’s hand, “As long as you continue to wield the keyblade.”

            “Sora,” I muttered as the vision ended. Why did I see that and who was…?

            The sand wasn’t hitting my barrier anymore. I looked up, the storm was still raging but the area around me wasn’t being hit. It was like I was in the eye of the storm.

            What was going on?

            “Well, well, well,” a dark voice chilled me to the bone as I looked up. Someone emerged from the storm, completely unscathed. Of course he would be, it was his magic, “Look at this, the little mouse, has a key.”

            Leona’s eyes were on me and my keyblade. The fire from his left eye seemed to burn brighter and his ink monster seemed to growl in agitation.

            Before I couldn’t even react, Leona was on top of me. His magic slammed into my barrier, causing it to crack then shatter. I barely blocked with my keyblade in time, but I was still sent across the grass.

            I panicked, Leona was much stronger than Riddle.

            I got up on my wobbly legs and took a stance. Leona just seemed amused, “Look at that, the little mouse thinks she can fight,” his expression then twisted into a snarl, “I’m going to enjoy tearing you to pieces!”

          Leona was out for blood. I was alone. Everyone was most likely trapped in the sandstorm and it was just getting worse. I swallowed. Leona needed to be stopped now, or everyone in the Savanaclaw dorm would perish.

            “For the record,” I tried to sound tough but failed, “’Little mouse’ is a compliment to Keyblade Wielders.”

Chapter Text

“Oh, to think such an occurrence could happen on my watch,” Crowley despaired as Malleus used his magic to help the confused crowd, “I don’t understand,” the headmage whined, “I gave them the chance to have you put in the hall of fame Mister Draconia, yet they do this?”

            Malleus tuned out Crowley. It didn’t surprise him that Leona had decided to do this. The second prince had made it perfectly clear that he disliked him. The two got into terrible fights whenever they had the misfortune to cross paths, like when Leona returned his ceremonial robes.

            Malleus, clearly needed to show who was the stronger mage in the tournament. The thought brought a smile to the Fae prince’s face.

            “Crowley!”

            Lilia suddenly appeared above them.

            Causing Crowley to shriek and Malleus to startle.

            “Lilia? What are you doing here?” Malleus asked, “I thought you were helping the Heartslyabul students.”

            “There’s been a development,” Lilia looked worried, “Leona Kingscholar has overblotted!”

            Lilia’s report caused them to wince.

            “Another one… so soon?” Crowley despaired, “Oh, how could this happen? Why must this happen to me- I mean my poor dear students?”

            “There’s no time to talk,” Lilia said, “They need help now!”

            “Of course,” Crowley pulled himself together, “We must stop Kingscholar before he can cause any more damage to the other students or himself.”

            Malleus turned ready to go, but Lilia stopped him.

            “Malleus, stay here,” Lilia ordered, “I was instructed to get help from the faculty.”

            “But if Kingscholar has overblotted… then…” Malleus had heard of what happened to those who overblotted. While he may not have liked Kingscholar, he didn’t want him to die either.

            “We’ll handle this,” Lilia said, “Stay here where it’s safe.”

%%%%%%%

            The winds howled and the sands shifted around us like a dome, but I barely noticed any of it. I was focused on dodging Leona’s attacks.

            No matter where I ran or dodged, Leona was just a step behind me. Either his monster tried to slice me to ribbons or he tried to turn me to sand.

            I barely rolled out of the way when Leona’s hand slammed into the ground. A blast of sand erupted, turning the solid ground into a sandy pit.

            He growled, “Hold still!”

            He lunged at me again, this time I used the barrier. I managed to stay anchored when he collided with me, but he still blasted my shield with magic. I could feel it starting to give way.

            “Barrier burst!” The barrier released a shock wave that pushed Leona back. That gave me just enough time to raise my keyblade into the air, “Thunder!”

            Lightning struck down hitting his ink monster lion, but it didn’t seem to cause much damage. Leona just snickered, “This is all a Keyblade Wielder has? Damn, what a letdown. Who knew that beating one would be this easy.”

            I glared before casting another spell, “Water!”

            I sent a bullet of water towards Leona, it exploded on impact, that just seemed to piss him off, “So you’re the one who hit me earlier?”

            “I did what I had to stop you from killing Ruggie!”

            I held up another barrier when the lion monster sent an attack at me.

            “You should have stayed out of it!” The second my barrier fell Leona was on my right. He shot his hand towards me, I raised my keyblade and managed to block the hand that would have turned me into sand. Leona gripped my keyblade with both hands, clearly trying to destroy it. He glared at me, the flame from his eye seemed to burn more intensely, “Ruggie tried to turn against me, me,” he snapped, “He needed to be put in his place. That ungrateful little mongrel, after everything I did to help our dorm.”

            Images of Scar flashed through my mind, and I released a growl of my own.

            “You did this for your dorm? Don’t make me laugh,” I channeled magic into my keyblade, fire burned from the blade causing Leona to let go momentarily. I quickly jabbed the keyblade forward, directly hitting Leona in a fiery blast, pushing him back, “You didn’t do this for anyone but yourself!” I held the keyblade in front of me, “And when things got too hard, you just gave up!”

            “Shut up,” Leona roared, he and the monster slammed the ground, causing an eruption of magic to charge towards me. I jumped out of the way, but the attack did wing me. It grazed my arm, tearing off half the sleeve of my uniform. I stumbled across the ground, “I did hear that Keyblade Wielders stuck their noses where they didn’t belong. I guess it’s true,” I looked up to see Leona stalking towards me, “Just like when they overthrew the King of Beasts for someone less worthy.”

            I gasped, trying to catch my breath. I wasn’t going to survive at this rate, Leona was stronger, more powerful, and faster. I couldn’t even keep up with him.

            Something caught my attention beneath my gaze. Something was glowing. I glanced down to see, the red magestone on my keyblade was glowing red. Like it was calling me.

            Reflect Shift? Was that the answer.

            I was definitely stronger and faster when I transformed, but it cost me my magic. Could I win this without magic, plus the transformation was temporary and took up a lot of energy. So much so, I’d be too exhausted to fight. If I used the Reflect Shift and failed to stop Leona before my transformation was up, I wouldn’t be able to fight!

            But if I didn’t do it, I’d die anyway. And then Leona would die, and possibly so would everyone in Savanaclaw!

            The faces of my friends, Ace, Deuce, Riddle, Cater, Jack, and Grim flashed through my mind.

            I swallowed. It was a gamble, but it was also my only hope.

            “If I can’t be king,” the ink monster began to growl, “Then there’s no point, I’ll turn the world to sand,” the monster slammed it’s claws onto the ground, “Starting with you!”

            A blast of magic towards me. I managed to dodge out of the way. I needed just a few minutes to transform.

            “Being king isn’t about being better!” I shouted, trying to stall and look around.

            “What do you know you little mouse!” He lunged towards me, I rolled under him. I spotted something. A large rock, maybe it broke off from the stadium? It was sitting just outside the dome, withing the raging storm. Leona wouldn’t have noticed it.

            That looks heavier than a feather duster, but I don’t have a choice.

            “I know being king or a leader is a hard job,” I pointed my keyblade at the rock and began using the spell I read about, “Every day you’ll have duties, responsibilities! You have to make sure that every decision you make benefits your people!” My heart leapt as the rock began to rise. It was difficult to move it in the wind, but I just needed it for a minute. I began to spin around the flew around following my keyblade. It was still outside the dome, so Leona didn’t notice. Good thing too, because he was about to attack me again. He was so focused on me he didn’t see the rock coming.

            He was going to send a long range attack again. The monster was about to slam it’s claws into the ground again.

            “Do you ever shut up you-…” Leona couldn’t finish his taunt when the rock shot into the dome and crashed into the ink monster. Throwing it and him of balance and knocking them to the side. Apparently, an overblot mage was tethered to their ink monster, like a marionette on string. They literally couldn’t part.

            I had hoped that would be enough to kill the ink monster, but it wasn’t. This one was tougher than Riddle’s, or the others just wore Riddle down enough for my attack to work.

            Either way, I still had a job to do.

            I raised my keyblade in front of me, placing my finger on the glowing red magestone. Leona managed to regain his footing and he was clearly mad.

            “You’re gonna pay for that.”

            My keyblade began to glow a red rosed light and I activated my power, “Reflect Shift: Heartslyabul!”

%%%%%%

            Kill. Destroy! The light burns! Snuff it out!

            The moment Leona sensed the keyblade he was filled with an undeniable urge to kill it’s wielder.

            “Reflect Shift: Heartslyabul!” When the words left her mouth, (Y/N) was enveloped in a bright light and rose petals. Leona didn’t waste the chance he charged at her again, he raised his claws infused with magic. Ready to slam down and crush the hateful pest.

            He reached where she was and slammed his attack onto her.

            However, his claws hit nothing. Instead rose petals danced around his claws in a gentle flutter. She was gone. Where did she-?

            Leona felt a serious of slashes, rip through his sides before a final thrust knocked him to his side. He looked where the attack came from.

            (Y/N) landed on the ground, her appearance completely changed. Her clothes looked like something the Heartslyabul students would wear, her hair was pulled to the side in a side ponytail, and her keyblade looked different too.

            Leona didn’t have time to think about it. He quickly retaliated. He attacked her with his claws, instead of dodging or using a barrier she used her keyblade. She deflected and blocked each attack like she was blocking another sword. Leona was quick to realize, she was faster now and stronger. She fought like a champion fencer.

            But that gave Leona a chance. She could only block with one hand.

            While he attacked her right side, she blocked with her keyblade. Leaving her left side wide open. Leona shot his hand out towards her, ready to use his magic to turn her to sand.

            Her eyes went to his hand, then moved her left hand. What could she do, the keyblade was already protecting her right side?

            A pillar of light formed in her left hand, and her previous keyblade appeared in it. In fluid motion she knocked his hand over and ducked under his arm, before hitting his side with both keyblades. Leona had fall back to assess.

            She stood before him, her stance was tall and confident, unlike before. Keyblade’s in both hands. She spun them around before bringing them together above her, before separating them, causing sparks to fly from the friction of their steel.

            She looked at him with a glare.

            “A king serves his people; they don’t serve him!”

%%%%%%%%

            One minute Cater was caught in a sandstorm, the next he wasn’t. He fell to his knees when he found relief, and started coughing up sand.

            “This…” he coughed some more, “Is insane!” He gasped.  

            “Cater, are you alright?”

            Cater looked up to see his Housewarden. Riddle was holding up his scepter, like an umbrella. There was a red barrier around them keeping out the sand and wind.

            Cater sighed in relief, “Thanks Riddle. This is so not my vibe…”

            “Well, make it your vibe,” Riddle said sternly, “There are still other students out there, not to mention we still have to find Leona.”

            Cater slumped, “Being a mentor is exhausting.”

            Before Riddle could say anything else, he gasped.

            Cater noticed, “Is something wrong?” Cater quickly looked around, “Is Leona about to attack us?”

            “No,” Riddle said, “It’s not that it’s… I don’t know.”

            “Uh… Riddle, now’s really not the time for a fake-out.”

            “I know that, I…” Riddle paused and closed his eyes. He felt something strange. He didn’t understand it. It was like he felt… himself. Almost like another version of his magic had been cast from an outside source.

            Riddle shook his head. He didn’t have time to think about that, as a housewarden, he needed to locate any students in distress.

            “Cater help me with this barrier.”

            Cater sighed, “Aye-aye captain.”

%%%%%%%

            The air was filled with clashing powers. Either Leona would shoot magic at me and I would slice through it with my keyblades, or I would attack Leona and he would intensify his magic to the point where I couldn’t cut through.

            I was pushed back. One keyblade was used to block while I dug the other into the ground, to keep me from being knocked out of the dome. Law of the Rose carved through the ground, to keep me from flying, until I came to a stop.

            I ripped the keyblade out of the ground, and dodged another attack.

            I was much faster in this form. I was actually faster than Leona, but even in his overblot state, Leona was able to predict where I would attack. He knew I was aiming for his blind spots and would dodge or counter.

            Riddle did say Leona was one of the smartest students there, despite being held back twice. Which confused me greater.

            If Leona was this powerful and this smart, why would he need to resort to cheating? Why let himself get held back? He said he wanted to be king? Maybe he couldn’t be king, but he could be whatever else he wanted to be!

            He would flourish in Twisted Wonderland, instead he was here in front of me, self-destructing.

            “You’re pitiful you know that,” I couldn’t help but mutter under my breath.

            “I’m pitiful?” He actually heard that? “You haven’t used one spell on me since your little makeover,” he sneered, “You’re faster, I admit it, but it looks like it cost you your magic. Transformations like this, have to be temporary,” I bit my lip, he was right. The candle was lit, and it was already half melted away by the fire. Soon, it would burn all the way to the wick, and my transformation would be up.

            I needed to kill the ink monster if I wanted to save Leona and everyone, and I needed to do it fast; but how?

            I gripped my keyblade’s and charged ahead. Leona shot a wave of magic which I dodged. I managed to slash into the ink monster’s side. It released a roar, before swiping at me. I quickly jumped over it, slashing into it’s back as I flew over it. When I landed I turned and stabbed both keyblade’s into the other side, before tearing them out of the fabric like flesh.

            I was forcing myself to stay focus on the battle, but if I wasn’t. I would had been wondering over and over, how I would had been doing the things I had done. I knew the swordplay I was demonstrating should have come from years of practice. I was like a knight who had spent her whole life mastering the sword.

            Even though I never touched a sword before coming to Twisted Wonderland.

            The only explanation was my Reflect Shift. It didn’t just increase my speed and strength it gave me skills that I didn’t have before. While I was more than grateful, it also felt strange and scary. The way my body moved and reacted in ways I never had before, it felt like I was… a co-pilot for my body. I was aware and in control, but something else was also in control.

            It was scary, to put my faith in something that affected me so much, something I didn’t completely understand. But at the moment, it was my only hope.

            I tried to distract myself from panicking, by yelling at Leona.

            I slashed into the side, “That’s for hurting Trey!”

            I stabbed the monster, “That’s for hurting, Ruggie!”

            Leona tried to grab me so he could turn me into sand, but I managed to jump over him… then kicked him in the face, “And that’s for trying to hurt me for stepping on your tail, when it was an accident!” I tried not to give into violent urges… but honestly, I had wanted to kick him in his cocky smirking face, since the day we met!

            Leona growled then he managed to hit me with a blast.

            The world spun around me as I was knocked into the air, my keyblade’s fell from my hands.

            “You’re mine now, you little mouse!”

            I barely caught a glimpse of Leona charging towards me.

            Once again, the skills of my transformation kicked in. With a twist of my hips and a motion of my legs. I managed to turn myself upright in the air. Just in time to grab onto the head of the ink monster that was charging at me, flip over it’s head, run over it’s back, and jump to the other side.

            “Let me know how it feels when you lose to this ‘little mouse,’” I called as I sailed through the air… towards the wall of the stadium?

            While we fought, Leona and I must had moved closer to the edge of the field. But this worked in my favor. I twisted my body so I would land gracefully against the wall.

            I summoned Law of the Rose, gripping it with both hands.

            The flame was close to the wick, it was now or never.

            With all my strength I kicked off the wall, rocketing towards Leona, Law of the Rose gripped in my hand. Leona had begun to turn around, his monster with him. I aimed for the glass bottle, that was it’s head.

            Then, I felt Law of the Rose change in my hands. The handle grew longer. My arms spread to hold, the weapon it was becoming. A long pole arm, that was good for long and heavy swings.

            I was in my Heartslyabul form. So, I had to say it.

            “Off with your head.”

            What I swung forth, was a giant scything. The curved pole was red. The red painted white rose was still there, but the red and black heart had grown out into a curved sickle.

            The sickle latched into the monster’s neck. Of course it resisted at first, trying to fight back, but I wasn’t going to lose. To much was at stake!

            With one final yell, I pulled the scythe one final time.

            The black bottle cracked, before it finally shattered and gave way for my scythe. I spun through the air, before landing on the ground on one knee and my scythe hanging over my shoulders.

            The blot shot into the air like a geyser raining around and on me.

            I gasped as I stood up. It was over.

            I won.

            Just in time. My Reflect Shift reverted. My uniform was back, my hair fell out of the side ponytail, and my scythe vanished from my hands.

            My body suddenly felt like it was made of lead. I was so tired. At least now I could-…

            Leona released a painful roar. I looked up. The rest of the monster was melting away, but Leona still looked like he was in pain. He gripped his head.

            “I…” he grunted, “I wanted… to become king…”

            Suddenly, the darkness around him spiked. It looked like it was going to consume him again.

            “Leona!” I forced my legs to move. I ran as fast as I could. Leona was a jerk, but that didn’t mean I was going to let him be lost to the darkness forever.

            “I want…” he held out his hand, I didn’t think it was because he was reaching for me. It sounded like he was out of it, “I wanted… to be… acknowledged…”

            I shot my hand out and grabbed his black clawed hand.

            Then, there was a bright light.

%%%%%%

            Lilia gasped as he and the headmage approached the Hall of Mirrors.

            “Do you sense that?” Crowley asked, “It was just like with Mister Rosehearts.”

            Lilia nodded, “We must hurry.”

%%%%%%%

            I stood in another gray space, just like before with Riddle.

            In front of me, was Leona. His back was turned to me.

            “Ever since I was born, there’s been a boulder on top of me. That’s been to heavy to lift.”

            Suddenly, I was someplace else. It looked like a hallway, for a palace. When I looked outside, I saw a vast savannah, the sun was setting over it. It looked beautiful.

            “Crown prince Falena is such a bright and cheerful young man.”

            I turned to see two people. Just like before with Riddle’s mom, I couldn’t see their expressions or traits. They were covered in shadow. The only thing I could make out, was the animal ears on top of their heads.

            One of them crossed their arms, “I don’t understand why his little brother has to be so moody all the time.”

            “And he possesses such a terrifying power,” the female sounding figure brough a hand to her chin, “Imagine turning anything into sand. We’re lucky he’s not in line to be king-.”

            “That’s enough,” a third figure snapped, “You can’t say that out in the open, what if someone hears you?”

            I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I looked and gasped.

            A younger looking Leona, was hiding behind the corner. He looked like he was twelve. He slumped against the wall, hands gripping his shirt, his face had a scowl, but it was force. He was clearly trying not to cry.

            I took a step towards him, “Leona…”

            “I bet if I was the crown prince, they would have said: ‘Crown prince Leona is such a judicious young man.Look how he wields such incredible power. I don’t understand how Falena can be so carefree.’”

“This is all because I was born second. They’d fault me no matter what, just so they could use it as an excuse to praise my brother.”

The pain and bitterness in his voice. It caused me to flinch. He couldn’t have known that, they could have criticized him if he was the first born too.

“No matter what I do, I can never be the best.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but the scene changed again.

Leona was sitting against a window. He looked a bit younger, maybe fifteen or sixteen. He was just staring out the window with a bored look on his face. His ear twitched at the sound of a door opening and closing.

“Leona,” a tall, shadowed figure had entered the room.

Leona looked towards him, “Oh, hey Falena,” he greeted in an uncaring tone.

Falena, Leona’s brother?

“Leona,” Falena sounded irritated, “Why weren’t you at today’s ceremony?”

Leona’s face twitched as if to repress a scowl, “Oh that? I guess I slept through it, sorry.”

Leona stood up as Falena approached.

“Leona,” Falena sounded disappointed, “This was a very important celebration. Showing the people the face of their future king is important.”

This time, Leona didn’t repress his scowl, “Yeah, showing off your kid is really important. It’s also the day the despised second son loses his claim to the throne forever,” Leona spat.

“Leona,” Falena’s tone became a bit gentler, “It’s not like that.”

“It must be so nice Falena. You can do whatever you want; sing, nap, and still become king,” Leona growled.

“Leona listen,” Falena placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “You may not be king, but you’re still bright and wise. There’s so much you can do for this country. Great things I know you can accomplish.”

I smiled. But Leona just knocked his brother’s hand away, “Well if this country chose it’s king based on merit instead of birth order, I’d be more motivated to do something with that wisdom,” Leona stormed past Falena towards the door.

“Leona, come back here!”

The prince ignored his brother, opening a door that led to darkness.

I was back with the present Leona.

“Why do I have to spend my life feeling this way? Just because I was born a few years too late?”

The frustration in his voice grew as he spoke. Darkness seemed to rise around him.

“No matter how hard I study.”

“No how matter how powerful the magic I command…”

“From the day I was born to the day I die. No one will ever acknowledge that I’m better than my brother. I will never be king.”

My feet caused me to walk forward towards Leona, who’s back was still to me. I had no idea if I could help. Leona didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would accept kindness. He would probably see it as pity.

I still had to try.

“Why did I have to be born second? Why can’t I be the best?”

“Why?”

“Why?”

“WHY?”

My hand reached through the darkness and rested on his back.

“Why do you have to be the best at all?” I asked. Leona stilled, but didn’t turn around.

After seeing the things I saw, I understood Leona a little better. I understood why he did this. Malleus was a prince who would become king and he was beating Leona in spelldrive. He reminded him too much of his brother.

I had no idea if what I said would make sense. I honestly had no idea about any of this.

“I’m sorry, you’ve been compared to your brother your entire life,” I began, “I’m sorry people whispered things about you behind your back,” my mind went to my keyblade, “I’m sorry you were feared for having a power you didn’t choose. But being ‘king’ and being the ‘best’ are two separate things,” I took in a deep breath, “A king serves people, not the other way around,” I remembered what Sora told me about Simba and the Keyblade Master, “A king has to work hard every day. He has to fight for his people, every day. He has to make choices, sacrifices, and every single one of those will affect everyone, and anyone of those choices could easily lead the kingdom into ruin,” I sighed, “Honestly, I think you got the better end of the deal. Your brothers fate was decided when he was born, but you can choose your fate. Leona, you’re strong, powerful, extremely smart, you can do whatever you want, be whatever you want. If you genuinely want to rule, you could help your brother if you think he’s not leading the kingdom well. You could be a professional Spelldrive player, you certainly have the skill. But you’re so busy, comparing yourself to your brother and Malleus you don’t see that.”

It was those servants fault. Leona must have heard things like that his entire life. Everyone constantly compared him to Falena, so much that he started to compare himself. Then he began to think, ‘what’s the point?’ And stopped giving effort.

“People will compare you to your brother, but people probably compares your brother to your father all the time. We rarely get the recognition we deserve,” I added, “But the moment you start to compare and doubt yourself, that’s when you truly lose!”

I gasped. That was all I could say. There was silence between us. I had no idea if what I said reached him at all.

I flinched when I heard him hum.

“That…” I heard him mutter, “Doesn’t sound so bad…”

Leona began to glow a warm light, the darkness around him was burned away. Then vanished into a mist of sparkling lights.

Hearts Reflection appeared in his place in front of me. The black magestone, above the red one, began to change. The blackness faded away, until it was replaced with an amber like yellow.

I took the keyblade in my hands and examined the yellow stone.

It happened again… Just like with Riddle.

I looked at the five remaining black stones.

Does, this mean that-…

“The second heart has returned to the light.”

%%%%%

The second Lilia crossed the mirror, the sensation vanished. The power he sensed was gone once again. He looked around towards the Savanaclaw stadium, that was covered in a cloud of sand. Whatever that power was, it came from there.

“My word, what has happened here?” Crowley asked when he saw the stadium.

“Let’s go find out and see,” Lilia chirped.

%%%%%

My eyes opened, once again I was face down in grass… and sand. I sat up to wipe the sand off my face, only to realize I was still holding Leona’s hand. I looked in front of me. Leona was laying on the ground in front of me.

Appearance wise, he was back to normal. Leather vest and all.

I released his hand and got closer. Good he was breathing.

I looked around. The sandstorm had stopped, but there was dust still settling in the air, making visibility impossible at the moment. when I heard voices in the distance, I began to feel relieved. The sounds of students calling and checking on each other.

Good, it sounds like everyone is okay.

Now it was time for the internal freak out.

I just used my keyblade again! And it transforms… into a giant scythe?

My mind was running in circles over the fight that just transpired. I fought another housewarden, with my keyblade, and won. I was supposed to be happy I saved everyone, but I was still terrified.

What if Leona wasn’t like Riddle? What if he remembered the fight? What if he remembered I had a keyblade?

Leona moaned a bit. That caused me to flinch, scoot away, then scramble to my feet and run in a random direction. Well run was a strong word. My legs nearly gave out and my body felt like it was made of lead. The Reflect Shift had taken its toll.

As I ran, I looked around. I still couldn’t see past the dust. I slowed down and looked around confused. What could I do? Where could I go? What should I-…?

“(Y/N)!”

            I shrieked when something landed on my back and climbed to my shoulder. I turned and saw the gray fur and blue eyes.

            “G-Grim,” I gasped, “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

            “Me?” Grim asked, “What about you?” He moved into my arms, “Jack said he lost you in the storm, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Seriously, you’re such a handful.”

            “I don’t wanna hear that coming from you,” I frowned, completely forgetting my anxiety.

            “There you are!” I looked to see, Ace, Deuce, and Jack running up to me.

            “Are you hurt (Y/N)?” Deuce asked.

            “I’m…”

            “What happened to your arm?” Jack suddenly asked. I looked, right, Leona attacked me and my arm got hurt.

            “I… I think… a rock did it,” I desperately came up with a lie, “I couldn’t really tell, the storm kept knocking me around until it was over.”

            “Tell me about it,” Ace groaned, “I thought I was going to get buried in the sand.”

            Suddenly, Jack took my arm.

            “Uh… what are you-…”

            “This could get infected, come with me!” Jack was about to take me away, when Grim shouted.

            “Look, it’s Leona!”

            That made me flinch, but I turned to look anyway. Apparently, the dust was settling faster than I thought. We could all see Leona lying on the ground.

            Grim jumped from my arm and began to run towards him. That made me pull away from Jack, “Wait, Grim!”

            We all chased after Grim, towards Leona.

            “Leona’s back to normal?” Jack asked in realization, “How?”

            I bit my lip, refusing to say anything.

            Don’t react, don’t react…

            “Hey wake up,” Grim began pulling on Leona’s ears to wake him, causing Leona to moan.

            “Grim, stop that,” I snatched up Grim away from Leona’s vulnerable ears.

            However, it worked. Leona woke up.

            “What?” He began to rise to his feet.

            “What is going on here?” That was when Crowley appeared with Lilia. I bit the inside of my cheek. He was here already?

            “He did it,” Grim pointed at Leona, “He’s the one behind the accidents!”

            Jack crossed his arms, “Leona and the entire dorm has been scheming to win the tournament through underhanded means.”

            “Cater caught the whole thing on camera,” Ace added, “We just need to find him.”

            Crowley sighed exasperated, “And he also overblotted.”

            “What’s going on?” Leona seemed to have come back to his senses. I felt myself freeze up, if he remembered our fight… I was dead.

            “Mister Kingscholar,” Crowley placed his hands on his hips, “Your negative emotions increased your blot accumulation, then overblotted.”

            Leona’s eyes widened in shock, “Me? Overblotting? That’s impossible!”

            I thought my legs would give out in relief. He didn’t remember, thank God.

            “You don’t remember?” Crowley asked.

            “No I don’t,” Leona said.

            “Well, do you remember how you’ve changed back?” Crowley asked.

            “Also no,” Leona grumbled.

            “How strange,” Crowley said, “And I sensed that strange power just before arriving.”

            Power? He wasn’t talking about me, was he? Oh who was I kidding, he was talking about me.

            Crowley looked towards me and Grim. I had to suppress a flinch, “You two, did you see what caused that power or what changed Mister Kingscholar back?”

            I bit my tongue, before answering, “No. I was caught in the sandstorm. I wasn’t anywhere near Leona when it finally stopped.”

            Crowley continued to look at me. I desperately tried to keep a neutral face. But the longer he stared at me, the more insecure I felt.

            He knows you’re lying, he knows you’re lying, he knows you’re lying, he knows you’re lying!

            Then… Crowley sighed.

            “A shame I was hoping to have an answer to this mystery by now.”

            I thought I’d pass out from relief.

            All this tension isn’t good for my heart…

            “But we do have the culprit,” Grim pointed towards Leona, “It’s him! The tournament’s about to start, I want to take part.”

            Crowley looked away, turning his attention fully on Leona.

            “Mister Kingscholar,” Crowley took a serious tone, “There have been a series of accidents around the school. Are you responsible for them.”

            I sighed. Why bother asking? He was going to deny it.

            “Yeah, it was me.”

            Wait, what?

            Leona sighed and rubbed his head. I didn’t expect him to confess. Every time we confronted them about it, they said we needed proof.

            But then again, after going through a laughable investigation, chasing Ruggie, having to fight an overblotted Leona… I desperately needed a break.

            “I see,” Crowley nodded, “To start with, Savanaclaw house will be disqualified from the Spelldrive tournament. The rest of your punishment will be decided after discussing with the other victims.

            There was an orchestra of defeated growls among the Savanaclaw students. I thought that was a fair punishment, except for one thing.

            I looked at Jack. He wasn’t involved in Leona’s scheme; he even helped us stop him. Jack didn’t deserve to be punished with the rest of his dorm.

            “Headmage, wait,” we all looked to see Riddle with a group of students. I recognized Trey and Jamil among them. I couldn’t help but feel relieved, Trey looked better, “I have with me the victims of the accidents.”

            “Headmage, sir,” Jamil began, “We’d like to make a request.”

            Trey stepped forward, “We would like it if you would allow Savanaclaw to compete in the dorm.”

            We were all surprised by their request. I didn’t expect anyone to forgive Savanaclaw this quickly. I smiled, maybe it was Trey’s doing.

            “Oh? You’re willing to forgive Savanaclaw for their crimes?” Crowley asked, touched.

            “No that’s the last thing we want,” Jamil said in an irritated tone.

            “Huh?”

            “Fighting on campus is against the rules,” Riddle crossed his arms.

            Trey donned a scary grin, “But if you use spells in Spelldrive, it’s all in the name of sport.”

            Never mind, Trey was just as scary as the other students.

            Jamil, then had a sly look on his face, “You can’t let us not have the chance to take revenge like this.”

            Revenge?

            “Right,” Trey said, still looking scary, “Besides, it would be best if we all hash this out in the tournament, instead of letting our grudges build up until we snap. Right?”

            “Yes,” another student in a fancy purple tunic called, “We throw down the gauntlet! Duel us.”

            “Besides,” Jamil noticed, “You all look worse for wear than we do.”

            “It’s like you said Leona,” Cater got involved, “It’s only Spelldrive, using magic on the field against others is allowed.”

            “Normally, I would demand their heads,” Riddle said, “But I suppose if it’s the request of so many victims, I’m willing to overlook this disregard for the rules.”

            I couldn’t help the small noise in my throat. Everyone at this school was crazy and vindictive. Not to mention it seemed like they would any excuse to get into a fight. Any excuse to beat someone who’s wronged them…

            I really, really, really can’t let anyone here know I’m a keyblade wielder. If they figure it out, I’ll be doomed.

            “I believe I understand,” Crowley said, “However, are the Savanaclaw students able to compete. Mister Kingscholar just came out of an overblot.”

            I rolled my eyes, knowing Leona, he was probably just going to forfeit saying it would be too much a pain like he did earlier.

            However, instead of groaning, Leona laughed. It was an arrogant and cocky laugh that filled the stadium… but it was better than the hollow laugh he made before his overblot.

            “Don’t underestimate me Crowley,” Leona smirked, “I’d be asleep and still take down a pack of injured herbivores.”

            Wow, he’s still a cocky jerk.

            “Now that’s audacious,” Jamil sneered.

            That didn’t phase Leona, “You want my apology, come and take it,” he smirked.

            “Do we have your permission Headmage?” Trey slipped on the nice guy mask again.

            Crowley sighed, “Dear me, and here I was hoping you’d all want to talk this out.”

            How long has Crowley been here again?

            “Very well,” Crowly resigned, “Savanaclaw can participate in the tournament,” then he quietly muttered, “Plus this can help keep this scandal hidden from the public.”

            “You’re setting a perfect example for all us students, Headmage,” I said sarcastically.

            He cleared his throat at being caught.

                        “Mister Kingscholar, are you certain? You seem hurt,” Crowley noticed.

            “I’m fine,” Leona said, “My face is just a little sore.”

            I recalled that was the part of his face which I had kicked earlier. Half of me felt bad it still hurt, the other half was saying, “Not sorry, you deserved it.”

            “Alright,” Leona turned to his students, “Let’s all- urk… Damn my face hurts.” He held his cheek.

            Wasn’t that the side of his face I kicked earlier?

            “Hey,” Ruggie suddenly appeared, “I still haven’t forgiven you.”

            “Yeah and?”

            Seriously, he almost killed Ruggie?

            “But still,” Ruggie created an obviously pained expression, “Seeing your pitiful face like this is painful,” Ruggie then grinned, “Your normal shit eating grin, it suits you better,” then his face turned scary, “So come on. ‘Laugh with me.’”

            In a flash, Ruggie used his signature spell on Leona. Forcing Leona to grin and move with Ruggie.

            “Ow, Ruggie that hurts.”

            Ruggie just snickered, “I’ve been waiting to do this for a while.”

            “Knock it off now,” Leona said through grit teeth.

            Jack watched the whole display. With a frown he crossed his arms, “You guys are idiots.”

            “Remember,” I said, “They’re your dormmates,” Suddenly, Jack grin, and released one small laugh. One he clearly tried to hide. I couldn’t help but grin, “You actually laughed.”

            Jack blushed, “I-I did not.”

I smiled and patted his arm, “Don’t worry I won’t tell a soul.”

Jack blushed some more, “Um… I owe you for this. Thanks to you,” he smiled, “I can give it my all.”

Riddle smiled, “But on the field we’ll be enemies. Don’t expect any mercy.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Well,” I said, “I won’t be competing, so I can say this, ‘do your best guys.’”

“Myah,” Grim yelped in my arms, “Thanks for reminding me henchhuman,” Grim wriggled out of my hold and onto my shoulder to be on eye level with Crowley, “Hey headmage, we did what you asked. We caught the guy, now give us the reward you promised.”

“What?” Crowley said.

He forgot.

“You promised Grim he could take part in the tournament if he solved the case,” I remembered, “You also said I could get art supplies and fix up Ramshackle, remember?”

“Uh… of course I remember,” Crowley said, “but, it’s far too late. The tournament bracket has been established.”

“What,” Grim paled, “You lying cheat.”

“But, I can get you art supplies my dear prefect.”

“And Ramshackle will be repaired?” I asked.

“Um… we may need time to raise money for restorations,” Crowley said.

I frowned, “Of course you do.”

“You liar,” Grim yowled, “I’m going make it rain fire.”

Normally, this would be the part where I try to calm Grim down, but after risking my life all I could say in that moment was, “Hey that rhymed.”

“Please calm down,” Crowley said, “I will think of something… uh…” his eyes suddenly lit up, “I got it, how about you perform an exhibition match? If you do it right before the tournament it won’t interfere with anything, and all eyes will be on you.”

“All eyes on me?” Grim asked, that made him grin, “Well… as long as I am the center of attention.”

There were still a few things missing that I felt needed to be addressed, “What about the rest of our team, and who would play against us?”

“Oh,” Crowley said as if he just realized, “That’s a good point.”

“You haven’t thought this through at all,” Grim whined.

“Excuse me,” Ace and Deuce suddenly slid in, “We couldn’t help but overhear your problem,” Ace was grinning ear to ear, “Need players, we’ll be happy to help.”

“Wait,” Riddle said, “But you’re members of Heartslyabul.”

“So, there’s no rule saying we can’t play for another dorm, is there?” Ace asked.

Riddle made a look, “No… there isn’t.”

“I didn’t go through all that, just to cheer from the side. If there’s a chance to show off my skill I’m taking it,” Ace said with no shame.

“Don’t lump me in with him,” Deuce said, “I’m just trying to help my friends.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, “Thanks guys. This means a lot.”

“This sounds like fun,” Cater said, “I wanna be on (Y/N)’s team.”

“But you’re already a actual member of our team,” Riddle reminded.

“Oh poo.”

“You need someone to play against?” Jack asked, “Savanclaw can do that.”

“You will?” Grim asked.

“Awesome, thanks a lot Jack,” I said.

“Uh, don’t get me wrong, I just want to repay my debt,” Jack said.

I smiled, “You’re sweet Jack.”

“I-I’m not,” Jack said clearly embarrassed, quickly turning to Leona and Ruggie, “Anyway, what do you say?”

Ruggie sighed, “Fine, one more match means nothing since we’re already tired.”

“I don’t care anymore,” Leona said before grinning, “We won’t go easy on you herbivores.”

“I see that you’ve managed to solve the problem,” Crowley said, “Good… this means I won’t have to take another lecture from professor Trein.”

“We still need a few more players,” I reminded.

“Yeah. Even with Ace and Deuce we’re still short,” Grim frowned, “Why does our dorm only have two members?”

I hummed, when I realized something, “Well, technically it’s not just you and me who lives there.”

Grim’s ears perked, “That right. If they live with us, they have to be considered our dormmates right?”

“I guess?” Ace looked confused, “What are you guys thinking.”

“We have more dormmates,” Grim grinned.

“The ghosts,” I remembered.

“You’re planning to register ghosts for your team?” Crowley asked.

“They’re really good. One of them was actually a professional player in life,” Grim reminded.

I smiled, “Well then, looks like you guys are going to play on TV like you wanted,” I placed Grim on the ground, “While you’re doing that, I’m going to-…”

“Be a cheerleader!” Grim suddenly chirped.

“Say what now?”

“Remember what you said before?” Grim asked, “You said if I got to play Spelldrive, you’d be my cheerleader.”

My face went red as I heard the others snicker, “I was joking Grim! I’m not going to do it.”

“Oh but (Y/N),” Crowley suddenly beamed, “You’re the prefect of Ramshackle. You can’t just sit on the sidelines while your team performs. This is the best way for you to be there for them, even though you can’t use magic.”

“No,” I desperately tried to get out of this, “No, no, no, no, no, I am not going to be-…”

“And in my boundless generosity, I’ll even give you this!”

There was a flash of light then a second later, I felt my clothes change. Everyone then either snickered or laughed. My eye twitched, “What… am I wearing?”

“Oh, my Seven’s,” Cater gushed, “You look absolutely adorbs (Y/N)!” Cater whipped out his phone and took a picture, “See,” he turned to show a photo of me, wearing a black cheerleader costume with NRC written on the front. Not to mention, my hair was put up in pigtails.

First the uniform, then the Reflect Shift, now this?

What is it with this world and putting me in weird outfits?

Ace laughed, “You actually look like a girl for once.”

“Shut up Ace, and Cater give me that,” I tried to take his phone so I could delete the photo but Cater was taller and wouldn’t give it to me.

“No way, this is my new background.”

I heard Jack sigh, “You still need to have your arm looked at before you go on field (Y/N).”

“I’m not going on the field,” I turned on Jack, “There is no way, in this or any world that I am going to be a cheerleader!”

%%%%%%%

Sora watched as (Y/N) half-heartedly waved the pom-poms in the stadium.

“Woo,” she said with false enthusiasm, “Go team. Win!”

            Sora couldn’t help but laugh, “You did a great job (Y/N),” Sora couldn’t help but be proud. (Y/N) managed to defeat Leona and use her Reflect Shift.

            Sora didn’t know that her keyblade could transform into a different kind of weapon. At least he didn’t know she could do that already. It took Sora two years to finally figure out that skill.

            When he saw her wield a scythe, he couldn’t help but think of Marluxia… or rather Larium. Sora hadn’t forgotten how upset Strelitzia looked when Sora told her about him.

            “Great Grim Hurricane!”

            The disc from the game, shot out of nowhere and flew into (Y/N)’s head. Knocking the Keyblade Wielder to the ground and Sora to panic.

            “(Y/N)!”

%%%%%%

            Once again, I saw the mirror. It pulled me in. I wondered what it was the mirror was going to show me this time?

            “Xehanort!”

            “Huh?”

            I was standing in front of a large machine. I had no idea what it was for, it had a big red center. I began to look around. When I looked to my right, I nearly screamed.

            On the floor were two bodies. A man with long silver hair, wearing a lab coat. And a boy with dark gray hair, also wearing a lab coat. Their bodies were… fading, darkness rising off like embers in a fire.

            The only thing I could think was…

            “They’re dead?”

            “Did you regain your memory?”

            I turned at the man’s voice.

            Two men were standing there. Another man in a lab coat, long silver hair, and tan skin. The other was wearing a gray uniform. He was wearing an eyepatch.

            “Or is it possible,” the eyepatch man looked scared, “You never lost your memory to begin with?”

            The man in the lab coat held up his hand, in a flash of darkness…

            A keyblade appeared in his hand.

            This one looked nothing like mine or Sora’s. It was terrifying, large, dark metal, with an eye in it’s teeth.

            “My name,” the man said slowly, “isn’t Xehanort.”

            In a flash, the man stabbed the keyblade into the chest of the man with an eyepatch. This time, I couldn’t hold back my scream. The man withdrew his keyblade and as he did, something emerged from his chest, a light that floated towards the ceiling before vanishing.

            The eyepatch man fell to the floor. Motionless, then his body began to disappear, just like the bodies behind me.

            The murderous Keyblade Wielder stood over him, a terrible grin began to form on his lips.

            “My name… is Ansem.”

            My eyes shot open with a gasp. My heart pounded in my chest in terror. What did I just witness? I just watched another Keyblade Wielder commit murder!

            And his name… was it Ansem or Xehanort or… Wait… Xehanort, I heard that name before. It was when-…

            “(Y/N) is awake!”

            I looked on my stomach to see Grim standing there, looking down at me.

            Hold on.

            “What happened?” I sat up looking around.

            “You’re in the infirmary,” Grim said.

            “Why am I in the infirmary?” I asked.

            “It’s Grim’s fault,” I noticed Ace and Deuce were sitting in two chairs next to me, “He knocked you out with his ‘special’ move.”

            I flicked Grims forehead for that, “Myah!”

            I spotted the windows and saw that it was dark, “How long was I out?”

            “A really long time,” Deuce said, “You missed the entire tournament, even the closing ceremonies.”

            That long?

            “Who won?”

            “Who do you think?”

            I looked across the room, to see none other than the Savanaclaw team. Each of them were covered head to toe with injuries, all in a bed.

            “The other teams seemed to completely ignore the disc and went straight for us,” Ruggie groaned, “By the time we reached the finals we were dead on our feet.”

            “And not a single member of Diasomnia wound up here,” Leona groaned.

            “Well yeah,” Ace groaned, “Malleus was on the team after all,” Ace seemed to go pale, “This was the first time I’ve seen him in action. It was insane.”

            “There’s no way anyone can beat Malleus Draconia,” Deuce agreed.

            “If you talk like that then you certainly never will,” Jack was gung-ho despite his injuries, “Next year, I’m giving it my all.”

            “Does ‘giving it all your all,’ include your capacity for evil?” Leona asked.

            I gave Leona a look, “Haven’t you learned anything from this?”

            Leona just gave a smug grin, “I didn’t know this was an afterschool special. Next year, I’m giving it my all.”

            “Shehehe,” Ruggie snickered, “That’s the Leona I remember.”

            Idiots.

            “Heh, I’m sure not even a Keyblade Wielder could stop us,” Leona said.

            I bit the inside of my cheek.

            A Keyblade Wielder already beat you, dumbass.

            “Unca Leona!” A small voice suddenly said. We all turned to see a small child with red hair and by his ears and tail, he was a beastman. He didn’t look older than four or five.

            He was quite adorable.

            “Urk…” I looked at Leona, he looked terrified. That made me confused, he was willing to fight this powerful Malleus, but he was scared of a kid?

            The child ran in, running towards Leona’s bed, “Unca!”

            “The screech box found me,” Leona grimaced.

            “Unca,” the boy chirped, “I missed you.”

            “Who’s this kid?” Grim asked, “Why is calling Leona, ‘Unca.’”

            “Cheka,” Leona grunted as the boy climbed onto his bed, “What are you doing here? Where are your attendants.”

            “Cheka?” Ace asked.

            Leona groaned, “Everyone, this is Cheka. My brother’s kid… you know, my nephew.”

            “Nephew?” We were all surprised.

            What, when I saw Leona’s memories, he did mention something about his brother having a child.

            “He’s going to inherit the throne?” Ruggie asked.

            “So, the source of the housewarden’s anxiety is…” Jack trailed off.

            So I finished for him, “This adorable angel?”

            “I wanted to see you,” the little boy said, “So I snuck away,” his eyes lit up in excitement, “You were so cool in the game, will you teach me how to play Spelldrive? And when are you coming back to visit, next week? What about the next time? Did you read my letters?”

            “Cheka, I told you I’d visit over the holidays, ow… that’s my stomach.” Cheka jumped on Leona’s stomach, bouncing up and down in excitement.

            “He’s riding the housewarden like a horse,” Jack said surprised. Everyone else laughed, including me.

            It was hard to believe a few hours ago, this guy was trying to kill me.

            “Oh, man this is just perfect,” Ruggie pulled out his phone to take a picture.

            “Ruggie put that away if you know what’s good for you!” Leona snapped.

            Cheka took note of us, “Are you all my Unca’s friends?”

            Ace chortled, “Oh, you bet, we’re his best friends, aren’t we ‘Unca Leona?’”

            “Laugh it up,” Leona grunted, “I’ll remember this.”

            Somehow, Leona with his five-year-old nephew on him, wasn’t threatening.

            A short while later, I was cleared to leave. Cheka’s attendants came by and took him home. Grim went on ahead back to Ramshackle and Ace and Deuce were waiting for me outside.

            I packed up the remainder of my things. Thankfully, Crowley had my uniform in my bag. I didn’t feel like walking back home in a cheerleader costume.

            I still can’t believe they made me play cheerleader on TV!

            I put on my backpack getting ready to leave. I looked to see Leona was still there, he was asleep on the bed.

            I couldn’t help but look at him. Everything that had happened that day washed over me like a wave.

            His overblot, our fight, what I saw.

            I didn’t know how, but when I grabbed his hand, I saw his memories. Just like with Riddle. I saw the source of his pain, his darkness.

            I remembered what he said earlier about giving next year his all. Implying he was planning to cheat again. I liked to think he was just joking.

            But what if he wasn’t?

            “Leona?” I gently called.

            Leona didn’t stir, he was still asleep. I bit my lip, what was I thinking? Leona didn’t remember his overblot, he didn’t remember I was a Keyblade Wielder. I should just let sleeping dogs lie and…

            I stood there for a minute.

            I remembered Cheka, then I remembered Simba.

            I remembered Scar and what happened to him.

            I’m probably just wasting my time or shooting myself in the foot. But I need to try something.

            I quietly approached Leona, trying not to disturb him. I couldn’t have him wake up and I couldn’t let anyone else hear what I was about to say.

            Soon I was right next to him. I leaned down, and quietly whispered into his ear.

            “This… is for the part of you that remembers,” I made sure my hair didn’t brush against him as I leaned down, “Leona, you almost died today and you almost took all of Savanaclaw down with you. You need to learn from this. If you keep lurking in the darkness it will consume you all over again. And know this, if you ever try this again or if you lose yourself to the darkness again… I will stop you again,” I quietly sighed before trying something more positive. He was probably tired of lectures, “Leona, I meant what I said before. You’re strong, powerful, and talented. You’re free to create whatever future you want. You also have people who love you and respect you,” like Jack, Ruggie, Savanaclaw, and little Cheka, “If you die, they will be heartbroken. I suggest you think about that.”

            With that, I stood up, turned around, and walked away.

%%%%%

            When her steps faded, that was when Leona opened his eyes and sat up.

“You’ll stop me again, huh?”

%%%%%

            “Today’s been exhausting,” I complained as I walked back to Ramshackle with Ace and Deuce.

            “Oh come on, we all got to be on TV,” Ace grinned, “Though Deucey here looked like he was going to pass out the entire time.”

            “Shut up,” Deuce snapped, “At least I didn’t mess up a barrier spell.”

            “Guys come on, my head still hurts and I feel like a zombie,” I complained.

            “Oh sorry,” Deuce said, looking at my head and bandaged arm, “I didn’t expect Leona to overblot.”

            “None of us did,” I said.

            “But how did he snap out of it?” Deuce wondered, “First Riddle, now Leona?”

            I simply kept quiet. I couldn’t tell them the truth.

            “Who cares?” Ace shrugged, “In the end no one got hurt, and we should just be glad for that.”

            Sometimes Ace says something that actually helps me.

            “Well I guess,” Deuce said, “But we don’t know what happened.”

            “And we probably never will,” Ace said, “Look neither of them remember what happened and no one seems to know anything.”

            “Yeah, that’s weird,” Deuce said, “Maybe they took a trip to Castle Oblivion when no one was looking.”

            “Seriously Deuce, you’re such a baby.”

            “Am not!”

            “What’s Castle Oblivion?” I asked. They both looked at me like I was insane, I gave them an exasperated look, “Let’s pretend I’m from another world and I don’t know what that is.”

            Ace sighed, “It’s not real. It’s an old fairy tale that parents would tell their kids to scare them into behaving.”

            I looked at Deuce hoping for him to elaborate. He cleared his throat.

            “In Castle Oblivion, to find is to lose and to lose is to find.

            Nothing is safe, not the memories in your mind.

            A castle that lies between darkness and the light.

            Guarded by the dark hoods and governed by the witch in white.”

            I smiled, “I didn’t know you were a poet.”

            “It’s just a little kids nursery rhyme,” Ace said, “The long version is. Castle Oblivion was home to a witch who wore white. She had minions who wore dark hoods who would lure in lost kids to her castle. Once there, she would use her magic to take her memories piece by piece. Until there’s nothing left.”

            “Yikes,” I said.

            “There’s also a version of the story that she’ll make other people forget you once you’re trapped in the castle,” Deuce added, “That way no one would come looking for you.”

            “And we’re sure it’s just a fairy tale?” I asked.

            “Of course you baby,” Ace taunted, “If that were true, no one would have ever heard of Castle Oblivion to begin with.”

            “Okay, I get it, don’t be such a jerk,” I sighed.

            They dropped me off at the gate, “See you guys.”

            “Kay,” Ace said.

            “Sleep tight (Y/N),” Deuce added. I watched the two walk down the road back to their dorm.

            I sighed. It was over, this crazy hard day, was over.

            A small green firefly floated past my face. I turned and began walking up the steps towards Ramshackle, but then stopped. Someone was in the yard again. Someone I recognized.

            “You again?”

            It was boy with horns, he turned to look at me, “Child of man.”

            I remembered what Grim said, “Hornton the archeologist.”

            His eyes widened in surprise, “Excuse me?”

            “You said to call you what I wanted remember,” I gave a small grin.

            Instead of getting mad like I thought he would, he laughed, “I suppose I did.”

            I felt my smile increase. Most of the guys at that school would have gotten made at me for that, but he seemed to enjoy it actually. I saw the neon green armband. Then it hit me.

            “You’re in Diasomnia, right?” I asked.

            “Hm?”

            I pointed at his armband, “Neon green is your dorms color.”

            He was still smiling, “That is how you deduced my dorm?”

            I gave him a confused look, “Am I wrong?”

            “No, I am in Diasomnia.”

            “Oh, well, congratulations. I heard your dorm won the tournament,” I told him.

            “Oh?”

            “Yeah,” I told him, “My friends wouldn’t stop talking about how strong your housewarden was. They called him unstoppable.”

            His expression fell a bit, “They would say that.”

            “Were you on the team Hornton?” I asked.

            It took him a minute to look at me, he wasn’t used to the nickname, “I was.”

            “I don’t really get sports, but I hope you had fun and did your best,” I told him.

            “Well, Lilia certainly had fun,” Hornton said.

            “Lilia,” speaking of which, “Was he okay? He was helping us with something today before the tournament. He went to get help, but we didn’t see him again after that.”

            “He’s fine,” Hornton explained, “He did tell us about Savanaclaw’s treachery. He also mentioned sensing the strange power.”

            What?

            “Strange power?” I asked, trying to sound dumd.

            “Indeed,” Hornton said, “We sensed the power during Roseheart’s overblot, Lilia said he sensed it when he arrived. But by then, Kingscholar had regained his senses, so he felt no need to stay.”

            “I see,” other people could sense the power too? Dammit I needed to be way more careful, “Well, congratulations again, Hornton.”

            He smirked, “Thank you, child of man, I wish you a good evening,” then he vanished in a flurry of lights.

            I smiled and watched the lights fade into the night sky. He was weird and I didn’t know his name, but it seemed like I made a new friend.

            “Grim are you in here?” I entered our room. Grim was on our bed, snoring away. I couldn’t blame him for being tired.

            “Sleep tight Grim,” I whispered.

            I managed a quick bath before changing into my pajamas, “Today was exhausting,” I said to myself as I brushed my wet hair, “I can’t believe Leona overblotted,” but even more than that I couldn’t believe I defeated him. I glanced back at Grim, who was still asleep. I placed my brush down and summoned my keyblade.

            There it was, the yellow magestone. I ran my finger over it. First Riddle, then Leona. Both overblotted, both times I defeated them, then a black magestone changed color. My eyes looked up to the five remaining black stones.

            Looking at them, gave me an… Ominous feeling.

            I shook my head and dismissed my keyblade. What was I worried about? It was just a coincidence, it had to be.

            I looked towards the bed, “Maybe I’ll see Sora tonight,” I began making my way towards the bed, “I sure hope so.”

            I pulled back the covers and began to climb in. Grim was on his back, his paws beside him sticking out. I thought I saw something on one of them, something that sparkled a bit.

            “Hm?”

            I looked at Grim’s paw. It looked like he had a couple of tiny black rocks on his paws. Where’d those come from?

            “Grim, did you do something again?”

            Before I could look further, the mirror over the fireplace began to glow. Causing me to gasp.

            I looked up. The mirror was glowing, like a window.

            I carefully and slowly got off the bed and approached the glowing mirror. I couldn’t see anything except for white light.

            “What?”

            “… Sora…”

            I gasp when I heard the muffled voice say Sora’s name. Then, a shadow appeared on the side of the mirror. Like someone was peaking around a corner.

            Then, the light faded, replaced my fearful reflection.

%%%%%%

“Maybe I’ll see Sora tonight.”

            Mickey opened his eyes when he heard a girl’s voice. He was more focused on what she just said.

            Sora?

            Mickey looked where he believed he heard the voice came from and his eyes widened. The mirror that he placed over fireplace was glowing.

            “Minnie,” he turned to Minnie next to him, “Do you see tha-…” Mickey stopped when he saw his body was still lying on the bed. Sleeping peacefully next to his wife.

            Mickey looked between the mirror and his wife. He wasn’t sure, but if there was a chance that this could lead him to Sora, he would take it. He jumped out of bed and ran towards the fireplace. He jumped onto the fireplace and placed his hand on the mirror.

            His hand went right through. Gathering his courage, the king went through the looking glass.

            The room Mickey found himself in, was small.

            He heard a small cringing noise. He looked to see a living nutcracker cracking open walnuts.

            He spotted a chair and an ottoman. When he got closer to it, the ottoman started barking just like a dog.

            Mickey took a step back and looked around.

            “Hello?” Mickey called, “Is anyone else here?” He knew he heard a girls voice from inside the mirror but he didn’t see her.

            The mouse was quick to spot another fireplace, with another mirror.

            “Is that the mirror I came through?” When Mickey approached the fireplace, the mirror started to glow. He jumped back and summoned his keyblade, incase of an attack.

            Instead, came a muffled voice.

            “Grim… something again?”

            Mickey dismissed the keyblade. The voice, it was the girl’s voice. The one that knew Sora.

            He approached the fireplace again. He jumped on the mantel and carefully crept closer to the mirror. Then carefully he looked into it.

            He didn’t see his reflection. Instead he found fog. However, amidst the fog, there was a dark figure. Was it the girl?

            “Hello?” Mickey called, “Do you know Sora?”

            The figure jolted as if startled. Before Mickey could say anything a loud ringing noise shattered the dream.

            Mickey opened his eyes to his alarm clock. He sat up and turned it off.

            Minnie yawned as she sat up, “For the life of me, I will never get used to that infernal clock,” Minnie looked at her husband, “What is it, Mickey?”

            Mickey looked at the mirror, “I just… had a strange dream.”

%%%%%%

            “(Y/N),” I opened my eyes to Sora’s voice. He was standing in front of me with a grin, “(Y/N) you’re amazing.”

            “What?”

            “You totally kicked Leona’s tail,” Sora cheered, “You were amazing, you were so fast, and you sliced that monsters head clean off.”

            “Oh… that wasn’t a big deal,” I couldn’t help but blush at Sora’s praise.

            “Not a big deal?” Sora asked, “You saved everyone in Savanaclaw, that’s a big deal.”

            “It… It was dumb luck,” I said, “I almost died you know.”

            “Yeah,” Sora’s expression fell, he looked at my bandaged arm with a worried look. He summoned his keyblade and held it in the air, “Curaga.”

            A light green light washed over me. All the aches and pains that had bothered me since the tournament suddenly vanished. The bruises magically disappeared as well. My eyes widened, “Is this healing magic?”

            “Yeah,” Sora carefully undid my bandage. The wound Leon inflicted on me was gone, like it never happened.

            “Wow, Sora can you teach me that spell?” I got excited.

            “Of course,” Sora said, “I think it’s about time I taught you healing magic.”

            I grinned at the thought of learning a new spell, and this one was a healing spell. This would be so helpful later.

            “Oh right, Sora look at this,” I summoned Hearts Reflection and showed Sora the yellow magestone.

            “Whoa.”

            “I know,” I said, “It happened after I rescued Leona.”

            “Does this mean you have another Reflect Shift form?”

            Sora’s question made me pause, “I don’t know,” that was a good question. The red stone caused me to change into one form, would the yellow stone allow me to change into another?

            “Why don’t you see and find out?” Sora suggested.

            I lifted my hand to touch the stone but I stopped.

            The memory of that Keyblade Wielder murdering those people suddenly replayed in my mind. It caused me to hesitate and fear.

            “Actually, I’m still tired from transforming earlier,” I told Sora.

            His eyes widened in realization, “Oh, right duh,” he slapped his forehead, “Stupid me. Sorry (Y/N).” 

            “No it’s okay,” I told him. Honestly, I should had been the one to apologize. I was tired, but the real reason I didn’t want to transform was because I was afraid.

            I received a keyblade, I could use magic, I could transform into a mighty warrior capable of defeating a housewarden. This all sounded like something that happens to a hero from a book, but to me it all felt… overwhelming.

            I was changing and it scared me.

            What scared me most was that dream. The image of those bodies on the ground and the Keyblade Wielder, standing over them grinning was horrible.

            What if…

            What if I did that to Ace? Or Deuce? Or Grim? Or everyone at Night Raven College.

            What if I overblotted somehow and became a murderer like that man?

            The thought made my hand tremble in fear.

            What if they were right? What if I was truly the monster they all feared? 

Chapter Text

Leona yawned as he walked to the Headmage’s office. He hated wasting his time on pointless things. He could be doing something much more important. Like taking a nap in gardens, or review the chess move he was studying.

            But because of his overblot incident a few days ago, he had to go talk to the headmage. He was given a few days of rest to recover, but now it was time for the review. What a pain.

            “Welcome Mister Kingscholar,” Crowley chirped annoyingly, “How are you feeling, much better I hope.”

            Leona mentally groaned, “Let’s just get this over with.”

            “No small talk,” Crowley seemed to pout.

            “Nope.”

            The man sighed, “Very well. What do you remember about your overblot incident.”

            Leona closed his eyes trying to remember, “I remember Riddle getting a collar on me. I remember the bat being a shit… Then nothing.”

            “Nothing at all?” Crowley asked.

            Leona tried to remember again.

            “… A king serves his people, not the other way around!”

            A voice shouted from the other side of his memories. That made Leona open his eyes.

            “Someone was there.”

            “Someone was there?” Crowley repeated, “Who?”

            Leona growled, “I don’t remember… I think I remember seeing rose petals… and at the end I think I remember… a light.”

            “Hm…” Crowley hummed, “A light?”

            “It was like,” Leona recalled the sensation, “Like light from a sunrise. Like waking up from a long nightmare.”

            Crowley closed his eyes, “Mister Rosehearts gave the same description about his overblot. Do you think that’s what pulled you from your overblot?”

            “Who knows?” Leona shrugged.

            “Mister Kingscholar,” Crowley was starting to get annoyed with the prince’s behavior, “This could be serious. It may very well be possible that someone, out of the generous nature of their heart, saved your life. They may possess a power to free mages from overblotting, that’s an incredible gift. If you have any idea of who it was or how you came out of your overblot, we need to know.”

            Leona thought back to the moment in the infirmary.

            “This… is for the part of you that remembers…”

            She had no idea, that he was awake the entire time.

            “Well Mister Kingscholar?”

            “… I will stop you again…”

            Leona closed his eyes at the memory, before opening them.

            “Nope. I have no idea how I got out of my overblot.”

%%%%%%

            I was pulled into the mirror once again. It brought me to a room, covered in large black thorns.

            I heard the sound of pained gasping.

            “Do you need some help?” I looked to see someone approaching a wounded woman.

            I blinked, the woman was wearing black and holding staff. What stood out most was the horns growing from her head.

            They kind of look like Hornton’s.

            “Riku?” I heard Sora’s voice call.

            I gasped. It was the boy I saw with Sora before. The one with Silver hair. But, he looked almost unrecognizable. He was wearing a black body suit, that could only be described as creepy. It looked dark and like muscle and sinew. What was more frightening was what was in his hand.

            “Is that…?”

            “Yes, A keyblade,” Riku held up the dark keyblade. It was simple, straight black blade, the teeth were like a dark flame, that shaped around a missing heart. Red handle, no keychain. It was creepy too, “Unlike yours, this keyblade has the power to unlock people’s hearts. Allow me to demonstrate,” for a second the air was still.

            “Behold!”

            The woman’s painful scream filled the air, when Riku suddenly turned around and stabbed into her chest in one motion.

            “Now surrender your heart to darkness,” Riku ordered, “Let it seep in, become one with the darkness within you!” Riku pulled his weapon free and moved back, swiftly vanishing into a portal. The woman he left behind, began to cackle madly. Darkness swirled around her before exploding forth!

            I shot forward in bed screaming. I placed my hand on my forehead and looked around. I was in my room at Ramshackle. I was safe.

            “Myah, what’s the racket?” Grim groaned next to me as he sat up.

            I sighed, “Sorry Grim, I had a nightmare,” I patted.

            He yawned, “I don’t see why you’d have those with me here. I’m Grim the Great, nothing bads gonna happen while I’m here.”

            I smiled and gave his ears another scratch.

%%%%%%

            I quietly walked to the headmage’s office with Grim in my arms. I was still trying to process the dreams I had.

            First the man in the lab coat, then Riku with that dark keyblade. Two keyblade wielders committing two terrible acts. The man in the lab coat murdered those poor people and then Riku… It was like… he made that woman overblot!

            Almost everyday at NRC I heard the stories of how dangerous and terrible keyblade wielders could be, but this was the first time I had actually seen it.

            Every time I saw Sora, or had a dream about Sora, he did something incredible with his keyblade. I watched him defeat monsters and protect the innocent. According to Sora, that was the true duty of keyblade wielders, but he also said that some keyblade wielders did do horrible things.

            The things the man in the lab coat and the things Riku did; could I do that? The thought made my blood run cold. If I made a mistake during my fights with Riddle and Leona, I could have made things worse.

            If I made a mistake… I could have killed them!

            “(Y/N)!” Grim’s loud voice suddenly shouted, jolting me.

            “Grim,” I said, “Don’t shout.”

            Grim frowned, “I’ve been calling you for five minutes.”

            “O-oh, really?”

            “Yeah, we’re here,” Grim pointed towards the headmage’s door in front of us.

            “Right,” I muttered, “We’re here.”

            “I was trying to ask you about what the headmage would want from us?” Grim repeated, “We caught the guys who were behind the accident. What does he want from us now?”

            “There’s only one way to find out,” I forced my legs to walk forward. But they felt like they got heavier with each step.

            I was afraid. What if the headmage called us here, because he somehow found out about my secret weapon? The thought made me want to turn around and run, run far away from that place and hoped to never be found.

            But what if it was something else? If I ran now, I’d be confessing that I was hiding something; something wrong. I had no choice but to enter the office and learn what it was that Crowley wanted.

            I knocked on the door, then it magically opened.

            “Come in (Y/N) and Grim,” Crowley called.

            I gathered all my courage and walked into the office.

            Grim frowned, “What do you want from us now?”

            “I’m just here to ask you two some questions,” Crowley placed his hands on his hips at Grim’s attitude.

            “What kind of questions?” I asked, trying to keep a level tone. I still had no idea what Crowley was thinking.

            “I wanted to ask you two about Mister Kingscholar’s overblot incident.”

            I bit my tongue trying to not panic. I told myself to stay calm. Crowley was asking everyone who was included, not just me.

            “I can’t tell you much,” I began, “Shortly after Leona overblotted, he created this huge sandstorm. I got separated from everyone and was basically knocked around until it was over,” that was my story and I was sticking to it.

            “And I got lost trying to find (Y/N),” Grim said.

            “I see,” Crowley placed a hand on his chin, “And neither of you sensed anything?”

            “Just the feeling of a lot of sand,” I said.

            “Same here,” Grim groaned, “I’m still finding sand in places I didn’t even know I had.”

            “I see,” Crowley muttered, “I did ask you to look into the strange magic I sensed, but I’m starting to believe I was asking too much of you.”

            I swallowed, “We did find out Savanaclaw was behind the accidents,” I reminded.

            “You did and I am glad,” Crowley assured, “I’m simply thinking that you both aren’t equipped to handle this search.”

            “We don’t even know what we were looking for,” Grim reminded.

            “And neither of you can sense this power,” Crowley recalled.

            I tried to keep quiet. I certainly couldn’t tell him that I was the source of magic they sensed. Honestly, it would be easier for me to keep a low profile if Crowley dropped this all together.

            “What we do know,” Crowley mused, “Is that this power only occurred during the two overblot incidents.”

            “Yeah, by the way,” I piped up, “You said overblots were rare occurrences. Why were there two within a month?”

            “I have no idea,” Crowley said, “This hasn’t happened once in all my years teaching here, now two suddenly popped up. Oh, what horrible luck.”

            I sighed, “It better not happen again,” I didn’t want another reason to use my keyblade.

            “It shouldn’t,” Crowley said.

            I remembered what he just said, “Well, if there won’t be anymore overblots and this mysterious power only happens during overblots, maybe we’ll never hear from it again,” I could only hope.

            “It’s possible,” Crowley thought.

            “So,” I hoped, “Does that mean you’ll give up looking for the mysterious power?”

            “Sevens no,” Crowley’s smile crushed my soul, “But I am going to have someone else look into this power.”

            “Myah, who?” Grim asked.

            “That would be me!”

            Grim and I jumped screaming at the sudden voice. We looked to see none other than Lilia, hanging upside down behind us. Smiling all too innocently.

            “Hello again.”

            “It’s you?” Grim asked.

            “Aren’t you the guy who overheard our conversation from twenty yards away?” I recalled that day in the cafeteria.

            Lilia just grinned as he landed on the floor and went between us and the headmage.

            “Mister Vanrouge was kind enough to volunteer his services in locating this mysterious power.”

            “Why?” Grim asked.

            “Because, I’m one of the few people who sensed it both times,” Lilia explained.

            “Really?”

            Not good, not good, not good, not good!

            Lilia was a vice-housewarden. That meant he was powerful. He could sense my power, and he had super hearing! He could very well find out about my secret and then I’d probably burned at the stake!

“Although I’m not very good at locating things,” Lilia said with a slight sad expression, that made me feel a little relieved, “But,” he grinned again, “There’s something exciting about searching for something you don’t understand.”

Not exciting for me!

“Well, even if we’re not directly involved,” I needed to know what they knew, “I’d still like to keep my eyes out. What do you think we’re looking for?”

“Well,” Crowley began, “From what we gathered from Mister Rosehearts and Kingscholar, we believe this power came from someone.”

“You’re saying someone used magic to undo their overblots?” Grim asked.

Well, there was more to it than that, I couldn’t help but think.

“While they couldn’t remember clearly,” Crowley began, “They both believe they were fighting someone. One lone person.”

“Myah!” Grim was shocked, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“One person, defeated both housewarden’s while they were overblotted?” I asked, trying to sound confused.

“Indeed, it sounds impossible,” Lilia nodded, “One person succeeded where a group of students and the headmage failed.”

Crowley cleared his throat at the obvious jab, “Well, we still don’t know for certain, but we do believe this is the work of someone’s power. However, no one has come forth to take responsibility.”

“Which is odd,” Lilia noted, “Someone in this school defeated two housewardens, but aren’t bragging about it? I know a good number of students who would love being known for defeating two housewarden’s.”

Right, everyone in this school wanted to be king of the hill.

If someone like Ace or Grim defeated two housewarden’s in a fight, no one would hear the end of it.

“Oh come on,” Grim complained, “It’s no big deal, I’m stronger than any strange power.”

Thank you for proving my point Grim.

“Oh, so you sensed the mysterious power during both instances?” Lilia asked with a sly grin.

“Um… well… I was too busy to do that,” Grim clearly lied.

“I don’t know why you’re so hung up on this,” I tried to tone it down, “I mean no one else cares.”

“What are you talking about?” Lilia seemed confused, “Two housewardens overblotted, but were somehow rescued by a mysterious power? Everyone’s been talking about it none stop.”

“Th-they have?”

“Oh yes,” Lilia nodded, “Everyone’s curious.”

%%%%%%

Silver woke up when someone walked into him. Out of reflex he quickly pinned the attacker down, only for the attacker to grab their wand and point it at his face.

“Who dares attack a guard of Malleus?”

Silver would recognize that loud booming voice anywhere.

“Sebek?” Silver released his fellow guardsman immediately, “You startled me, you’re the one who walked into me after I fell asleep, why would you…” Silver trailed off when Sebek stood up and revealed that he was wearing a blindfold, “Why are you wearing that?”

“Silver, don’t you know anything?” Sebek barked, “This is part of training! I must do this to help Lilia!”

“Are you sharpening your other senses by blinding yourself?” Silver asked.

“Yes, but not just my standard senses you fool,” Sebek said, “I am also heightening my ability to sense magic!”

Silver gave Sebek a confused look. Sensing magic wasn’t impossible, Malleus and Lilia could sense magic easily. Mostly because they were powerful fae and magic came almost naturally to them.

“Being able to sense magic would be useful,” Silver thought out loud.

“Indeed,” Sebek stated, “But Lilia is on the search for the mysterious power that undid the overblots!”

“He is?” Silver asked.

“Yes, he told us specifically yesterday,” Sebek sounded annoyed, “Did you fall asleep again?”

“So, you want to help father locate the source of the magic?” Silver avoided the question.

“You should too!” Sebek roared, “There is someone who is able to defeat an overblotted mage? That person could be almost as powerful as Malleus! We must find this person immediately, Silver!”

“I’m over here.”

Sebek was yelling at a wall.

“I need you to cast magic! And don’t tell me when you do!” Sebek ordered.

“Are you sure?”

“Don’t question me, just do it!”

Silver quietly raised his pen and casted a small and harmless light spell. Sebek stood there quietly, but he looked intense.

After two minutes of quiet Silver asked, “Do you sense it?”

“I told you to not tell me!”

%%%%%%

Epel walked back into his dorm after Spelldrive club.

“Bonjour Epel!”

Epel jumped at Rook’s voice, “Rook what in tarnation- I mean, you startled me.”

Rook smiled, “Apologies Monsieur Pommette, returning from club duties are you?”

“Yes,” Epel still wasn’t use to Rook’s strange behavior, “I’m heading back to my room to do homework.”

“Magnific, diligent work suiting a Pomefiore student.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later…”

Rook suddenly placed a hand on Epel’s shoulder, “A moment of your time, s’il vous plait.”

Epel frowned, “Does Vil need something again?”

“Non, I’m asking about the Rois des Lions.”

He meant Leona, “What about him?”

“Has he mentioned anything about his recent downfall into madness?”

Epel looked at him confused, “If you’re asking about his overblot, no he doesn’t talk about it.”

“A shame,” Rook placed a hand over his heart, “It seems I must begin my hunt elsewhere.”

By ‘hunt’ he meant stalk. For some reason Rook liked to watch certain students from a distance. Anyone who caught his interest. Honestly, Epel didn’t understand it at all. He did remember the conversation Vil had with him about the female prefect. Vil said Rook wasn’t dangerous, all he did was watch people, but if Rook was caught spying on a girl… it wouldn’t end well.

“Oh, mysterious prey that hides in the shadows,” Rook started to speak like he was reciting poetry, “Your allure beckons like a siren’s sweet song. What truth do you hide is it sweet like honey or is it bitter poison? I wish to know. Oh, mysterious one who has undone the overblots, reveal yourself to me! Show me all that you hold.”

That made Epel look at Rook, “You’re looking for the guy who beat Riddle and Leona?”

“Oui,” Rook confirmed, “A prey capable of defeating two mighty mages? How could one not be filled with insatiable curiosity? Who did it and why would they not make their strength known?”

“Good question,” Epel wondered, “Everyone knows Malleus was at the stadium, so it couldn’t had been him.”

“Oui, this new prey, is a complete mystery,” Rook had a dreamy look in his gaze, “Oh, I cannot wait to hunt down this new game.”

%%%%%

“So, someone really did beat both Riddle and Leona?”

“Two housewardens? That’s crazy!”

“Maybe it was another housewarden?”

“Doubt it, Cater said that he and Riddle got stuck in the sandstorm.”

I tried to ignore the conversation as I chopped the apples. It had been like that for days.

I kept overhearing a new story or theory of how Riddle and Leona came out of their overblots. Lilia was right, everyone was talking about it.

“Do you have the table set?” Trey’s voice put the conversation to a halt.

“No, sir, we’ll get right on it,” the Heartslyabul students cleared the kitchen. I couldn’t help but feel relieved.

“Grim,” I called, “Are those slices done over there?”

“Why do I have to watch the microwave?” Grim asked.

Because it’s the easiest and safest part of making apple tartlets.

Deuce was next to me, spreading apricot preserve on the pastry sheets. And Ace was rolling the warmed apple slices into the tartlets.

“You guys are doing a great job,” Trey said.

“This is so boring,” Ace complained, “Why are we doing this again?”

“Because Riddle asked me to make rose tartlets for your unbirthday party, and to make enough for the entire dorm I need help,” I reminded.

The oven dinged, “I’ll get that,” Trey got out the most recent batch of tartlets.

Less than an hour later, we were all in the garden at the tea party. The air was filled with chatter. Everyone was just hanging out it was a normal party.

“Hey (Y/N),” a random student came up to me, holding a tartlet, “This is really good, thanks for making these.”

“Oh,” I felt a little embarrassed, “You’re welcome.”

I had been getting compliments like that all day. It was a little embarrassing, but it was nice.

I took a tartlet and looked towards Riddle. He was also smiling and talking to the other students. It was hard to believe he was the same scary tyrant I first met.

I was glad he was doing much better. Honestly, everyone in Heartslyabul seemed to be doing better.

Although, there was an uneasiness in my chest. I couldn’t help but glance towards the entrance to the rose maze.

Memories of the day Riddle overblotted came into my mind. That was the day I first used the keyblade. The day I fought Riddle.

Then the memories of those other keyblade wielders flashed through my mind. The man in the lab coat and Riku.

I forced myself to look away from the rose maze and ate my treat.

I kept trying to tell myself that I wasn’t like them. I reminded myself I saved Riddle and Leona that I wouldn’t be like them, but those dreams combined with what everyone said about keyblade wielders. How they were criminals, murderers, and monsters? I could barely touch my keyblade.

I hadn’t seen Sora in a while, during the dreams I was alone, I did nothing. I just laid on the platform, looking at the keyblade with all kinds of mixed feelings.

I wanted to go home, but how could I trust a power I didn’t understand?

“Hey (Y/N)!” I looked to see Cater had approached me.

“Hey Cater, how are you enjoying the party?”

“I’m lovin it. So many pics, so little time,” Cater had his phone of course, “By the way there’s this video on magicam that’s trending, you should see it.”

“I didn’t bring my phone with me from Earth remember?” I asked jokingly.

“Oh right. Duh, silly Cay-Cay,” That’s when Cater got a gleam in his eye, “We need to fix that. How about we do that tomorrow?”

“What do you want to do tomorrow?” I asked.

“Well, duh, we’re going shopping,” Cater said.

“Oh? I don’t have enough money to buy a phone,” I tried to explain.

“No, worries, Cay-Cay’s got you covered sweety,” he said with a wink.

“What?” I got flustered, “Cater, no I couldn’t ask you to-…”

“Relax cutie,” Cater said, “I’m good for it. Think of it as a generous gift from your senior.”

“But Cater,” I tried, “Phones are expensive and I need to go home eventually.”

“Don’t worry, you can’t enjoy Twisted Wonderland without a phone. You need the full experience of our magical little world,” Cater grinned, “If you really want to pay me back, take a selfie with me.”

Cater was so enthusiastic about this, “Um… okay… Thank you Cater.”

“No problem,” I stood next to Cater as held up his phone. I put on my best smile and he snapped a picture.

%%%%%%

That night, I couldn’t help but feel guilty. Having a phone would be more helpful there, but it still felt like I was using Cater. There was also the matter of the phone itself.

If I was getting a phone, then I was admitting that I was going to be in Twisted Wonderland… for a good long while.

I laid awake in bed as Grim slept next to me.

I had honestly hoped I would had been home by then. But neither Crowley or Sora had managed to get me back to Earth. I thought about my family and friends.

What were they doing? Were they looking for me? Did they think I ran away or was kidnapped? I could imagine my hometown covered in flyers with my face on them. I could imagine my parents looking everywhere, spending all they had trying to find me.

I gripped my blanket, guilt washing over and drowning me.

I need to go home. I wish I could at least contact them. Tell them I’m alive and well, that I’m doing everything in my power to come home.

Although, Dad would probably lose it if he heard I was attending an all-boys school.

I closed my eyes and sunk into slumber.

%%%%%%

Once again, I was pulled into the mirror.

“Still so blind I see.”

Before me was an old man. Wearing a black and grey coat. He was bald and hunched over. He had a scowl on his face as he looked at me.

“Then come to the place where all keyblade wielders leave their mark on fate,” he commanded, “The keyblade graveyard.”

“Why would I listen to you now?” I looked behind me. It was the man from the other dream, Terra. He had his keyblade drawn, glaring daggers at the old man.

“There,” I looked back towards the old man, “You will watch your dear Ventus and Aqua die,” from a black storm a keyblade appeared in the old man’s hand, “And last light within you, dies!” He pointed the keyblade into the air, shooting a black beam into the sky. The beam flourished and grew. My eyes widened in horror when I recognized what it became.

A black hole, the same black hole that swallowed Sora’s island. The air became rapid as a storm swept around. There was a building in front of me, but piece by piece, the storm broke it off and it was sucked into the black hole.

Then, I was taken from the mirror again.

The horror didn’t leave me, even when my feet touched Sora’s platform.

“Oh my God… they were right,” keyblade wielders really did have the power to destroy worlds!

“(Y/N),” Sora’s voice caused me to turn, “Great to see you, are you ready for…” Sora trailed off when he saw my face, “What’s wrong?”

I trembled and looked at my hands. I took in a deep breath before answering, “I’ve been having… dreams… about… bad keyblade wielders.”

“What?” Sora asked.

“The first one,” I began, “There was this man in a lab coat. He had silver hair. He used his keyblade to… murder three people. The last man he killed was some poor guy in an eyepatch,” the memory caused me to shiver again, “Then, there was Riku,” I looked at Sora, “You were there and he-…”

“(Y/N),” Sora interrupted in a panic, clearly he understood what I saw, “Listen, Riku made mistakes. I admit they were bad and people got hurt, but he isn’t-…”

“Mistakes?” I nearly shouted, “He used his keyblade to stab an injured woman. He just stabbed it into her chest without mercy.”

Sora’s eyes widened, “Do you mean… with Maleficent? (Y/N) that wasn’t-…”

“And just now, I watched some crazy old man with a keyblade summon a black hole to destroy a world!” I finished and started gasping. I closed my eyes trying to get a grip, “I… They were all right! I do have a weapon that can destroy the world, I… I could do all that to…”

“(Y/N) no,” Sora quickly approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder, “No, don’t do that to yourself. You’re nothing like Xehanort. And I promise those powers you saw, will only manifest if you want them to. I’ve seen what you do, you’re a good person, you won’t-…”

“What if I overblot?” I took a step away from Sora, “What if I become like Riddle and Leona did. I fall to some sick… curse that turns me into a monster?”

“That won’t happen,” Sora said, “There’s no way something like that could happen to…” Sora suddenly trailed off. As if he remembered something.

“Sora?” I asked.

Sora suddenly looked uncomfortable, “Er…”

“Sora?” I asked again, “What is it?”

He looked at me again, “Look, we don’t know if this could happen to you, but…”

“But?”

Sora looked nervous, “My transformations… they came at a risk.”

I felt my heart starting to sink, “What risk?”

Sora’s nervous expression increased.

“Sora, what risk?” I pressed.

He took in a deep breath, “Sometimes I would try to change into a specific form, but when that happened another form took over,” Sora looked at me with regret, “A bad one.”

“Define bad.”

He closed his eyes, “I called it the Anti form. I didn’t choose it, it was random, but it was always temporary.”

“What did this form do?” I asked.

Sora looked afraid, “It… It made me… half heartless.”

My eyes widened, “Excuse me?”

“The Anti-form caused the darkness in me, to take over. Temporarily,” Sora tried to emphasize, “But for a few minutes at a time I was as powerful and mindless as the heartless I fought.”

I felt myself go pale. The thought of Sora becoming a heartless was unthinkable.

“Did you hurt anyone?” I asked.

“No, only the heartless.”

Sora had some, random form that turned him into the monster that he fought?

My eyes widened at the possibility. A horrible possibility, “Are you saying… my Reflect Shift power may also have a…”

I looked at Sora, hoping, begging him to deny it. I prayed he would deny that it couldn’t ever happen to me. That I wouldn’t turn into a monster too.

He didn’t.

“I…” he looked morose, “I don’t know.”

My blood went cold and I swore my heart stopped for a second. My body staggered.

“You… you couldn’t have told me this… before I used it on Leona?” I asked.

“(Y/N), I’m sorry. I completely forgot about it.”

“You forgot?” My terror began to give way to anger, “You forgot you could turn into a monster at a random time? And now I’m running the same risk?”

“No,” Sora tried, “(Y/N) we don’t know if your Reflect Shift is like my power. For all we know you don’t have an Anti-form.”

“And what if I do?” I asked, “What if I tried to transform, but became a monster instead? Or what if I became like the overblotted mages? Insane, powerful, bloodthirsty? I saw what those look like in a keyblade wielder! I’d endanger Twisted Wonderland, maybe even Earth.”

I was so angry. How could Sora not tell me? He knew I was afraid of the keyblade’s power. How could he not explain everything to me?

“(Y/N) you won’t do that,” Sora tried.

“You don’t know that,” I felt myself starting to cry, “Can you look me in the eye and tell me that no good keyblade wielder didn’t succumb to darkness?”

Sora opened his mouth, but then stopped. He looked ashamed, “It’s… it’s all not that simple.”

“How is it not simple? Darkness is evil, everyone knows that!” I was screaming now, “Power like this… I shouldn’t even have it! I didn’t ask for this! I didn’t ask to be here!”

“(Y/N).”

“Why do I have a keyblade? Why do I have to have such a huge risk? It’s not fair,” all my fear and frustration came out, “And you… You just stand there smiling like this is all a big joke! You promised you’d help me, but what have you done so far. You’re useless Sora!”

The last thing I saw was Sora’s sad expression, before I woke up.

%%%%%%

“Hello Foothill town,” Cater cheered when we reached the town by the sea, “It’s a perfect day for a date,” Cater placed an arm around me, “Right?”

“Cater, you will remain at least a foot apart from (Y/N)!” Riddle ordered as Trey pulled Cater off me.

After telling everyone about our ‘date,’ Riddle, Trey, Ace, and Deuce decided to come and supervise. Mostly Cater.

“Oh, come on, Trey,” Cater gave a defeated whine.

We found a store and true to his promise, Cater bought me a new smart phone. I didn’t get the newest model, those would be the most expensive. Plus if Twisted Wonderland was anything like Earth, then the only difference between a new model and an old model… was a slightly bigger screen.

We all sat at a café, while Cater helped me set up my phone.

“It’s been a while since I’ve visited town,” Trey noted.

“Yeah,” Deuce said, “You can see Royal Sword Academy from here.”

“And… Done,” Cater handed me my phone, “You’re all set (Y/N).”

I couldn’t help but smile as I scrolled through the screen. I was actually missing my old phone. It felt so weird to not have it.

“I wanna see,” Grim said in my lap. I held it down to him, he began running his paw across it, “Oooh it moves when you touch it!”

I giggled, “It’s called a touch screen Grim,” I held it up, “First photo, smile Grim,” after getting Grim in the shot, I took a selfie.

“What first selfie and you don’t include me,” Cater made a fake whine.

I smiled a took a quick picture of him.

“Hey I wasn’t ready,” Cater then got up, “We got a whole beautiful ocean right there, that’s a great backdrop.”

So, I took pictures of my weird friends playing in front of the ocean.

“(Y/N) look,” Grim suddenly called. I looked to see Grim holding a Thalassa seashell, “Isn’t this the shell you used to make you charm?”

“Yeah it is,” I put my new phone away and picked up Grim.

“That’s what that thing is made of?” Ace suddenly asked.

“Yeah,” I nodded, “They say if you make star shaped charms out of seashells, it will bring you good luck and help you find your way home. They even say if you and your friends have charms, you’ll always find your way back to each other.”

“Ah yes,” Riddle remembered, “You mentioned that before.

Ace didn’t look impressed, “Wow, I don’t know whether to call that girly or babyish.”

“Don’t be such a jerk Ace,” Deuce said.

“Yeah,” Cater agreed, “It’s sweet.”

“Well, I want some good luck,” Grim chimed holding the seashell up to me, “(Y/N) you said you’d make me one.”

“Okay, okay,” I said, “Let’s look for some more then. I used up all the ones I had last time to make mine.”

“Me too,” Cater said, “Cay-Cay wants one too.”

I sighed.

So we gathered more seashells.

As we did, I gathered other shells. Not just Thalassa shells. I though they looked pretty. Maybe I could make more accessories, or even wind chimes.

This is more fun than keyblade stuff.

My heart began to sink at the thought. My meltdown was still fresh in my mind. I felt bad for yelling at Sora. But still, how could he not tell me about the Anti-form? And when I questioned him about other keyblade wielders falling into darkness, his expression and lack of answer told me that there were many.

How was I supposed to touch my keyblade now, knowing there was this horrible risk? A risk that really could destroy worlds.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise.”

I gasped when a voice suddenly spoke. I looked around, then spotted a familiar floating head with pink hair, “Oh, Chenya.”

He grinned and made the rest of his body appear. I couldn’t help but wonder if his vanishing and reappearing trick was his signature spell.

“It’s been some time miss (Y/N),” he looked me over, like he was looking for changes, “How have you been?”

“Oh, I’ve been… I’ve been okay,” I said awkwardly. I didn’t know that much about Chenya, so it was kind of hard to talk to him.

He hummed, “I heard there was another overblot incident at Night Raven recently.”

I looked down, “Yeah,” then I remembered he was friends with Riddle and Trey. I looked back up, “Riddle and Trey are alright. Riddle even helped us a lot.”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yes you,” he seemed to lean in closer, “Did you do anything special?”

I gripped the seashell nervously, “N-no. I got caught in a sandstorm and got knocked around… that was it.”

Chenya just kept smiling, like he knew I was lying.

“Are you sure that was it?”

“Yeah,” I took a few steps and turned towards the ocean, “I couldn’t anything anyway… Besides it’s better I didn’t fight, I…” the images of those men and Riku flashed through my mind, “I probably would have just made things worse.”

Chenya was silent.

“Um…” I turned around to face him again, “Riddle and Trey are here too. We’re collecting seashells.”

“Seashells?” Chenya asked, “Don’t you know she sells seashells by the seashore?”

“Please don’t confuse me with tongue twisters,” I pointed to my broach, “My roommate wants a good luck charm, like mine.”

Chenya looked at it, “How dazzling, like a star,” He looked across the bay, “I’m certain those would be popular at my school.”

I looked towards where he was looking. In the distance across the bay, was a gleaming white castle with blue rooftops. The emblem for Royal Sword Academy were on the flags.

Their school looked beautiful, like a castle from a fairy tale.

Meanwhile, I’m stuck at a school. Which resembles a scary looking castle on a mountain overlooking the little village.

“I don’t think you could have made anything worse,” Chenya suddenly said.

That caused me to freeze, “You don’t know that.”

He hummed, “I don’t. But knowing everything is boring. We venture into the unknown out of curiosity.”

“There’s a saying in my world about curiosity and cats… it doesn’t end well,” I told him.

“I don’t know everything, but I do know you helped Riddle,” he suddenly said, “You didn’t make things worse then…”

I looked at him with shock, he was still grinning, “Afterall you helped him after his overblot.”

I mentally sighed, he didn’t know.

But I did help Riddle out of his overblot.

“I’m just… trying to do my best.”

“And sometimes that’s all we can do,” Chenya said, “Don’t let fear keep you from doing that.”

“Hey (Y/N)!” Grim was coming towards me carrying an armful of seashells, “I got a lot.”

I smiled, Grim looked so silly carrying so many seashells, “Hey Grim look who’s…” I turned to see Chenya had vanished.

“Who?”

“Chenya was just here,” I said.

Grim frowned, “And he left because I showed up. Some guy,” he held up the pile of seashells, anyway can you make me a good luck charm now.”

I laughed before helping him with the shells, “Okay, give me some time. I’ll start making you one tonight,” after they were put away, I picked up Grim, “So what do you want your center piece to be?”

“My center what?” Grim asked.

I pointed to my opal pendant at the center, “From what I gathered the charms have to have a small center piece. It can be anything.”

“Anything?” Grim hummed, then he looked down at his collar, he held his magestone, “What about this?”

“You want your magestone to be the centerpiece?”

“Sure, it’s all I got.”

“Okay, I’ll only put it on when your charm is complete though,” I turned and began walking down the beach, “Let’s find the others. Riddle’s going to want us to go home soon.”

%%%%%

Once again, I was before the mirror. It began to glow and I was pulled in. As I was pulled through, my anxiety began to rise.

What horrors was this mirror going to show me now?

“Do you see now?”

Riku was standing next to a woman. It was the same woman I saw him stab before. The one in the dark cloak and horns.

“While you were toiling away, desperately looking for your friend, he simply replaces you,” the woman leaned down as she spoke to Riku who was transfixed on the window, “Clearly, he values them and the keyblade more than you.”

I looked at the window, Sora was talking to Donald and Goofy.

“Now, think no more of him and come with me,” the woman said, “I’ll help you find what you seek.”

I looked at Riku, his expression was frighteningly stoic.

“That isn’t true,” I said, “Sora, he told me how worried he was for you when his world vanished. He even fought with Donald and crashed into a world to find you. You have to know that.”

But the scene changed, this time I was on the deck of a ship.

“Riku?” I looked to see Sora. He was looking up at Riku. Sora looked nervous, “Where are Donald and Goofy?”

“Are they that important to you Sora?” Riku asked coldly, “More important than old friends,” Riku scowled, “Instead of worrying about them, you should be asking about her,” Riku stepped aside, revealing Kairi.

The girl was slumped in a sitting position. Her eyes were open, but she wasn’t responding. She didn’t move, not even when Sora ran forward towards her. Only to be stopped by a pirate with a hook for a hand.

Sora was suddenly surrounded by heartless.

“Riku why are you siding with the heartless?” Sora asked in panic.

“The heartless obey me now, Sora,” Riku said his icy expression never fading, “Now I have nothing to fear.”

“You’re stupid,” Sora said in frustration, “Sooner or later they’ll steal your heart.”

“No chance, my heart is too strong.”

The scene changed again. Gone was ship, now there was a strange place. There were rocky platforms and a rising waterfall.

“Riku what are you doing?” Sora stood between Riku and a large wounded… beast. Donald and Goofy were next to him.

Riku just smirked, “Now it’s time,” Riku held out his hand, “Let the keyblade choose it’s true master.”

Suddenly, the keyblade yanked forward, “What?” Sora tried to hang onto the blade, but it was futile. It vanished from his hands before reappearing in Riku’s.

“What?” We were all shocked.

“It’s just like Maleficent said,” Riku looked at the keyblade, “Only the true keyblade master can open the final door; and change the world.”

Sora looked shocked, “But… how…? I fought all my way here with the keyblade?”

“You were just the delivery boy,” Riku said.

Sora’s expression was nothing but pain and disappointment. He fell to his knees, clearly crestfallen.

“Here, go play hero with this,” Riku tossed a wooden sword to Sora. He didn’t even look at it. Riku turned and walked away.

“Sora,” I moved to lean down next to Sora. I couldn’t believe this could happen. The keyblade just abandoned him.

“Goofy,” Donald suddenly said, “Let’s go.”

I looked at them confused. What did he mean by that.

Goofy looked worried, “I know that the king told us to follow the keyblade wielder but…” Goofy trailed off. My eyes widened.

“You can’t be serious,” I said, “Sora’s your friend and have not seen what Riku has done?”

Of course, they didn’t hear me. They just walked past the poor boy.

“Sora, sorry.”

Then they left to follow Riku.

I could only glare angrily in their direction before looking back at Sora.

“Sora…”

A few minutes later, the large beast got up and walked past Sora. Sora quickly got up and stopped him, “Don’t move, you’re hurt.”

“Why…?” The beast moaned, “Why did you come?”

Sora looked surprised at his question.

“I… I came to fight for Belle,” he told Sora, “And though I am on my own… I will fight for her… Nothing will stop me, from finding her.”

I looked at the beast with respect.

“This Belle is a lucky woman.”

Sora watched the beast take a few steps. Then, his expression changed, he became more confident. He went and grabbed the wooden sword Riku left behind, before joining the beast.

I was pulled from the mirror and my eyes opened.

I sat up. It was still dark out my windows, I looked towards the clock. Another four hours before we were supposed to get up.

I closed my eyes and processed what I just saw. After a few minutes of thinking, I got up. I put on a sweater, slipped on my shoes, grabbed a flashlight, and slipped out of the dorm.

I started walking into the woods behind Ramshackle. I kept the flashlight in front of me. I didn’t want to step on or trip over anything.

I kept thinking about Sora. Even after all that, after being betrayed; by Riku, Donald, Goofy, and the keyblade.

He still kept fighting.

I shouldn’t have yelled at him.

Regret was now present in me. If I saw Sora again, I would apologize. But first…

I reached my destination. The cliff behind the campus. Below was the ocean, crashing against the stone wall.

I set down the flashlight and summoned the keyblade. I glared at it.

“If you would choose someone like Riku over someone like Sora,” I drew my arm back, “Then I want nothing to do with you.”

With all my strength I threw the keyblade over the cliff and into the ocean. I watched as it vanished into the abyss. I closed my eyes and released a sigh.

But a flash of light caused my eyes to shoot open.

Heart’s Reflection was in front me. Floating, I took a step back in reflex and raised my hand for defense. However, it just floated back into my grasp.

It didn’t even feel wet from the ocean.

I looked at it dumbstruck.

Did this mean… I couldn’t give up the keyblade?

Chapter Text

I cut the thread, “Finally. Grim, it’s done.”

            “Myah, finally,” Grim jumped on the bed, to look at the seashell charm.

            “And for the final piece,” I held out my hand. Grim gave me his collar. After a few more things it was done.

            Grim’s magestone rested in the center of the charm. His ribbon was connected in the back. I tied it on Grim and he couldn’t help but pose.

            “Behold, Grim the Great and his lucky collar!”

            I couldn’t help but laugh, “Oh, Grim the Great, can I please have a picture?”

            “Only because you amuse me.”

            I laughed a bit before grabbing the ghost camera and my phone. I might have had a smart phone again, but I still wanted to use the ghost camera. I was making a scrap book.

            “I can’t wait to brag and show off my lucky charm,” Grim was basically dancing on the bed.

            I laughed, “Why did you even want a good luck charm anyway?”

            “Cause you have one,” Grim said, “We’re in the same dorm, but we don’t have matching uniforms like the other dorms. This way, we finally have a way to show we’re in the same dorm.”

            “Aw, that’s sweet.”

            “Plus now there’s no doubt you’re my henchman.”

            “And… you ruined the moment Grim,” I cleaned the supplies of the bed, “Now come on it’s time for bed.”

            “Oh, come on,” Grim said, “You like talking to me, you certainly feel better now right.”

            I stilled, “What do you mean?”

            Grim cocked his head, “You haven’t been feeling happy lately, right?”

            I swallowed. Grim actually noticed? I didn’t think he would care or wouldn’t be smart enough to notice.

            Grim crawled onto my lap, “You said that we were going to stick together, remember? You’re my hench-human, but you’re not telling me stuff.”

            “W-well, I don’t…” What could I say?

            “I’m your boss,” Grim said, “I gotta know what’s wrong with my minion.”

            I didn’t know what to tell Grim. I couldn’t tell him about the keyblade, about anything.

            “I… I’m fine Grim,” I scratched his head, “Come on, we got potionology tomorrow.”

            Grim clearly didn’t believe me, but he didn’t push.

            I laid on my side next to him. I released a sigh.

            Last night, I tried to throw away my keyblade. But no matter how many times I threw it into the ocean it just came back. I didn’t understand why.

            Sora’s keyblade left him so easily. And that cost him Donald and Goofy.

            Yet despite that, he still pushed forward.

            I closed my eyes.

            I wish I was that strong.

            Once again, I was before the mirror, and it pulled me in.

            The sound of the wind howling filled my ears. The feel of a stone floor was beneath my bare feet. I looked around. It looked like, I was in a small cave. The cave was covered in drawings. Little kid drawings.

            Monsters and castles were scribbled everywhere. Someone even drew a large face on a rock on the floor.

            However, something stuck out.

            A door. A round wooden door was at the back of the cave. It didn’t have a doorknob or any way to open it. I stared, the door was out of place here. I quietly walked over to it and knocked. I half expected someone on the other side to open it, but nothing happened.

            “I’ve come to see the door to this world,” a deep voice shattered the darkness and I gasped.

            I turned towards the direction of the voice.

            Tucked away in a corner of the cave, was a figure. I only knew he was a man because of his voice, I couldn’t tell anything else. He was wearing a dark brown cloak with a hood.

            “This world has been connected,” the man said.

            “What?” I asked.

            “Tied to the darkness. Soon to be completely eclipsed,” he continued as if in a trance, “You understand so little. You do not yet know what lies beyond the door.”

            I frowned, “I’m learning.”

            “A meaningless effort,” he scoffed, “One who knows nothing, can understand nothing.”

            I continued to frown. I closed my eyes, just for a second, and when I opened them. He was gone.

            I looked back towards the door and gasped. This time, the door had something on it. A keyhole… And Riku was standing in front of it.

            He reached out towards it. Like he was going to open it. As he did, I felt my heartbeat faster, harder. I didn’t know why, but for some reason, I didn’t think opening that door was a good idea.

            The scene went black and I was shrouded in darkness.

            “Oh purest of hearts, reveal to me the keyhole!”

            Now I was standing in some kind of large room, or was it a hall? Kairi was floating in the center, surrounded by a strange aura.

            I also noticed she wasn’t alone.

            “Alice?”

            Alice, the girl from my earlier dreams was there along with five other women. To my horror each of them were placed in nooks in the walls. Black vines encased their lower bodies forcing them to stand, but none of them were awake.

            It was like they were on display.

            Were they alive? When I looked at them all, I gasped.

            “You?” One of the girls had pure white skin, short black ebony hair, and a red ribbon. I recognized her. Her stain glass portrait was the first one I saw in my dive to the heart. I also saw the woman in the light blue dress and blonde bun, and the woman with long golden hair. And the woman with gentle brown hair and gold dress.

            The only one I didn’t recognize was a woman with tan skin, her long black hair was in a thick loose braid.

            I hated how they were mounted like hunting trophies, but you couldn’t deny they were all very pretty.

            Just like princesses.

            I looked back at Kairi worried. What happened to them? Why were they being treated like this? Who was hurting them?

            I wished I could have helped them, but this was only a dream.

            The scene went black and the women vanished.

            “Quit while you can.”

            I scowled when I heard Riku’s voice.

            Sora and Riku were sitting in what looked like a giant creepy foyer. Donald and Goofy (the traitors) were next to Riku.

            Sora was alone, where was the beast.

            Sora gave Riku a defiant look, “I’m not leaving without Kairi!”

            Riku’s clothes changed. He was now wearing that body suit, “The darkness will swallow you.”

            “You’re wrong Riku,” Sora refused, “The darkness may destroy my body, but it can’t touch my heart.”

            “Oh yeah?” A dark energy gathered in Riku’s hand, “We’ll see about that.”

            He shot the dark magic towards Sora. Sora just stood there, tensing up.

            “Sora no!” I screamed.

            “Sora ain’t gonna go nowhere!”

            Goofy suddenly appeared in front of Sora, blocking the attack. It dispersed on contact. I gasped in relief.

            “You would betray your king?” Riku asked.

            “Not on your life,” Goofy said, “But I’m not gonna betray Sora either,” Goofy looked back at Sora with a smile, “He’s become one of my best buddies after everything we’ve been through.”

            I felt a smile grow on my face. Sora hadn’t been abandoned after all, “If the king is really as amazing as Sora says, then I know he’d understand.”

            “See ya later, Donald,” Goofy called, “Can you tell the king I’m really sorry.”

            “Wait,” Donald shouted, “We’ll tell him together.”

            Donald immediately left Riku’s side and return to Sora. Donald looked a bit embarrassed, “You know. All for one and one for all.”

            Sora smiled, “Thanks a lot, Donald, Goofy.”

            I continued to smile, I was so glad Sora wasn’t alone. Then Riku ruined the moment.

            “How can you fight without a weapon?”

            Sora looked at Riku, “I don’t need the keyblade. I have a greater weapon, my heart!”

            “Your heart?” Riku scoffed, “What could that weak thing do?”

            Sora’s gaze didn’t waver, “My heart may be weak, but it’s not alone,” Sora explained, “It’s made a connection and home, with all my new friends. As long as they don’t forget me, then our hearts will be one,” Sora wielded the wooden sword, “My friends are my power!”

            Then, finally, the keyblade left Riku. Rightfully returning to Sora. And Sora didn’t even care.

            I smiled proudly.

            The scene changed again.

            I was now standing in what looked like a chapel. I heard gasping.

            “Why?” I looked to see Riku running towards me, “It was mine.”

            I crossed my arms, “I guess the keyblade had better taste than I thought.”

            “Know this,” a deep voice sliced through the air, causing Riku to stop, “Only one who’s heart is strong may be chosen by the keyblade.”

            Riku turned to look behind him. My eyes widened and my heart stopped. It was the man from the cave, the one in the dark cloak.

            “Where did he come from?” I wondered.

            “Are you saying my heart is weaker than his?” Riku spat.

            “In that moment yes,” the man said, “But your heart can become even stronger than his,” the figure began to creep closer, “You had no fear when you opened the door on your island, the darkness held no terror for you. With it, you granted the power to travel to the outside world,” I looked at them confused. What did he mean by that? The darkness held no terror? Was he talking about the same darkness that destroyed the island, “Open yourself to the darkness even more, let the darkness in.”

            Riku was clearly desperate, he closed his eyes, and a dark aura surrounded him. Then at the same time, the cloaked figure donned a dark aura himself and he got closer and closer to Riku… until the scene changed.

            “Kairi!” Sora’s voice shouted. Sora was leaning down trying to shake Kairi awake, “Kairi? Kairi! Open your eyes!”

            However, Kairi didn’t move, not even a single twitch. I was starting to worry that she was actually dead.

            “It’s no use!” Sora looked up. Sitting above a large heart shaped archway was Riku. He was holding the black keyblade, “That girl has lost his heart. She cannot wake up.”

            Sora gently placed Kairi back on the ground before standing up, “You… you’re not Riku.”

            My eyes widened as I looked back at ‘Riku.’

            “The keyhole cannot be completed, so long as the last princess of heart still sleeps.”

            Now that I was listening. Sora was right. There was something wrong with his voice.

            “A princess?” Sora looked at Kairi confused before looking back at ‘Riku,’ “Kairi’s a princess?”

            I looked at Sora confused. What were they talking about? Sora didn’t say anything Kairi being royalty.

            “Yes. And without her power, the keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened.”

            Sora glared, “Well, whoever you are, let Riku go. Give him back his heart!”

            I looked at Sora. After what Riku did, he still wanted to help him?

            “But first,” the imposter pointed his keyblade at Sora, “You must give the princess back her heart!”

            Sora suddenly grabbed his chest in pain and fell to his knees.

            “Sora,” Donald exclaimed.

            I knelt next to Sora and tried to help him, but my hands just passed through his shoulders when I tried to help him up.

            Right, this wasn’t that kind of dream.

            “What’s...?”

            “Don’t you see yet?” The imposter asked frustrated, “The princess’s heart is responding! It has been there all along! Kairi’s heart rests within you.”

            “What?” I asked. How did that happen?

            “Kairi… Kairi’s inside me?” Sora sounded just as confused as me.

            “I know all there is to know,” the imposter declared.

            Sora looked at him, pain still gripped his expression, “Tell me. Who are you?”

            “It is I, Ansem, the seeker of darkness.”

            “What?” Ansem? Was he the same ‘Ansem’ who I watched murder three people?

            He began to approach Sora’s fallen form. With a yell Donald rushed forward to protect Sora, but Ansem just pushed him back with one hand like it was nothing.

            I looked at Sora in a panic, “Sora get up, he’s coming.”

            “So,” Ansem stood in front of Sora pointed the dark keyblade at him, “I shall release you know princess. Open the door, lead me into everlasting darkness!”

            I watched helplessly as Ansem raised the keyblade above him. Ready to strike my friend. I looked at Sora who was still clutching his chest.

            “Sora!” I screamed.

            Metal clashing shattered the silence. Sora had stood up and blocked Ansem’s keyblade with his own.

            “Forget it, there’s no way you’re taking Kairi’s heart!”

            Ansem smirked, “Come then.”

            I watched as Sora fought the possessed Riku.

            Darkness radiated off Ansem. It was different from how Riddle and Leona were when they overblotted. They were slaves to the darkness. Reduced to hostile beasts drunk on power and would lash out at anything and everything.

            Ansem wasn’t a slave; he was the master.

            Sora quickly dodged the waves of darkness that shot from the floor. The two exchanged slashes with their keyblades. Sparkes flew with each clash. My eyes could barely keep up when Sora had to jump back.

            Ansem shot another wave of darkness. Sora dodged to the side and threw his keyblade. The weapon spun like a buzzsaw towards Ansem. He blocked with his keyblade, but that gave Sora the time to close the gap again. He summoned the keyblade back to himself before striking from another angle.

            Ansem blocked then released a pulse of darkness that pushed Sora back. Ansem then threw a dark attack at Sora. Sora used his keyblade to send it back.

            “Fire,” Sora shot the magic at Ansem, but he caught it.

            “Fool,” he used his own magic to shoot it back at Sora, but Sora swatted it away and attacked again.

            I was amazed. Sora was incredible. He was able to fight such a powerful opponent and he didn’t need to transform with Reflect Shift. There was no doubt in my mind that he could have defeated Riddle and Leona, no problem.

            Finally, it was over. Sora had won.

            But upon defeat, Ansem vanished with Riku’s body. Leaving the dark keyblade behind. Sora ran forward, but it was too late.

            “Riku?”

            “Sora!” Donald and Goofy had recovered, “Look.”

            “The keyhole!”

            Sora looked and approached the heart shaped entrance. He pulled out his keyblade and pointed it inside, but nothing happened.

            “It won’t work,” Goofy said, “The keyhole’s not finished yet.”

            I looked around. What were they talking about? Sora told me before that the keyholes were linked to the hearts of worlds. What did they mean it wasn’t finished?

            “What do we do?” Sora put his keyblade away.

            “Well, maybe we have to wake Kairi up.”

            I looked towards the unconscious girl. Throughout the entire fight she remained unconscious. I walked over and knelt beside her.

            Ansem said she was a ‘princess’ with some power. What kind of power? And her heart was inside Sora? How did that happen? And how…

            “Sora!”

            “Wait!”

            I looked towards the three boys. Sora held the dark keyblade that Ansem left behind. He pointed the tip to his chest.

            Then stabbed himself in the chest.

            My breath caught in my throat as I watched Sora then struggle to stand.

            The keyblade lifted out of his chest and broke into six small lights, that floated past me. But I didn’t pay any attention to them, my eyes stayed focused on Sora. He remained standing… as a seventh light rose from his chest and floated to Kairi. When it entered her chest, her eyes finally opened again.

            The heart entrance flashed a bright light.

            But then Sora began to stumble backwards.

            “Sora!” I shot up from the floor and ran towards him, stretching my arms out to catch him. But just as he was about to land in my arms…

            He vanished, his body dispersed into hundreds of small lights and floated into the air.

            “Sora!” Donald shouted, “Come back Sora!”

            I gasped and watched what remained of Sora vanished into the ceiling. My body trembled and shuddered. Sora was gone. That kind, strong, amazing boy was gone!

            I collapsed to my knees and buried my face into my hands sobbing.

            “Confound it heartless! Get lost will ya!”

            I looked up from my hands, sniffling. Donald, Goofy, and Kairi were in front of one heartless. But it wasn’t attacking, it was just looking at them.

            Kairi looked at the heartless, “Sora is that you?”

            My eyes widened and looked at the heartless.

            “Uh-oh!”

            Goofy’s shout caused me to look around. They were surrounded by heartless and these ones looked hostile!

            Donalde and Goofy, sprung into action and started fighting.

            “Sora!” I looked back, just in time to see Kairi shield Sora as a group of heartless attacked them.

            “No!” I screamed as they seemed to vanish in a mist of darkness. Then, from within the darkness, there was a light. That pushed back the heartless.

            Revealing Kairi… and Sora as a human.

            “Kairi, thanks.”

            “Sora!” I started crying again, this time tears of relief. Sora was alive!

            The scene changed again. Everything was pitch black, except for a gray path, that seemed to be suspended in space.

            “Is this… the afterlife?” I looked to see Riku. Slogging down the path. I glared at him for a second, then stopped. He didn’t look like the proud, arrogant, traitor he was before. He looked sad. He collapsed to his knees, “Sora… Kairi… I’m so sorry…”

            I watched as he began to cry. I was still mad at him for what he did to Sora, but I couldn’t help but pity him.

            “If only I could see you two one last time.”

            “Riku, can you hear me?” A voice in the distance. It was strange, it was warped and unclear.

            Riku looked up confused, “Who’s there.”

            “Riku listen,” the voice said, “Your heart won against Ansem, but your body was left behind and now you’re in the realm of darkness,” the voice explained, “The door to darkness has been opened. It needs to be closed, but in order to close it. We need two keyblades. One on each side, and two hearts have to remain in in the realm of darkness as well.”

            “Two keyblades?” Riku asked.

            “Yes,” the voice said, “A keyblade from the realm of light and one from the realm of darkness.”

            “A keyblade from the realm of darkness?” I asked.

            “Who are you?” Riku asked.

            “I am the king of Disney Castle,” the voice answered. I gasped. Donald and Goofy’s king? “My name is…”

            The voice vanished when everything went dark.

            The next thing I knew, I was on Sora’s island. Or at least that’s what I thought. Everything about the island was warped. The beach was cracked at the edge. The giant tree was overturned.

            “Look at this tiny place,” I flinched when I heard the voice. I turned to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy had approached ‘Riku.’ But the voice belonged to Ansem, “To a heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison surrounded by water. So this boy, sought to escape his prison.”

            My eyes widened when he turned around. Riku’s appearance changed, gone was the boy. In his place… was the man from before. The one who wore the lab coat. The keyblade murderer who had haunting my fears for almost a week.

            Gone was his lab coat. Instead, he wore a black coat with gray trims. With white gloves. His golden eyes seemed to glow with malice.

            This was Ansem.

            “Riku!” Sora shouted.

            “Don’t bother,” the man said, “Your voice can no longer reach him. His heart belongs again to darkness,” Ansem vanished and reappeared behind them, “All worlds begin in darkness and also end. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it, consumes it, such is it’s nature. In the end all hearts return to the darkness from whence it came.”

            “That’s not true!” Sora shouted, “The heart may be weak. Sometimes it might even give in,” Sora spoke, his voice heavy with experience, “But deep down. There’s a light that never goes out.”

            Ansem rose into the air, with a stern look on his face, “So you have come so far and you still know nothing. Every light must fade, everything must return to the darkness.

            Suddenly the ground under me vanished and I fell. I couldn’t help the scream that ripped from my throat as I stumbled through the darkness.

            “Behold the door to Kingdom Hearts!”

            I looked to my side as I fell.

            There a door that was several stories high was open. Framing it was a giant black heart. Darkness was pouring from the opened door. Like black flames were escaping into our world.

            “It leads to the realm of darkness!” Ansem’s voice boomed, “The door can only be opened by the hearts of the seven princesses! The only hearts in all the worlds that don’t have an ounce of darkness. From within darkness will flow forever more, until all worlds are consumed.”

            All worlds? Was this lunatic actually trying to destroy all life?

            Suddenly I stopped falling. I didn’t land on anything; I was just floating. This dream was really jerking me around.

            I looked ahead.

            Sora, Donald, and Goofy were also floating. Ansem was in front of them. He looked injured. Did they fight? Did they win?

            “It’s useless,” Ansem defied, “The keyblade alone cannot close the door to darkness,” Ansem suddenly turned towards the door, “Kingdom Hearts!” He roared, “Fill me, with the power of darkness.”

            “You’re wrong!” Sora called, “I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts is light!”

            As if by Sora’s command, light came through the door to darkness.

            Gentle and warm, it filled this strange dark void. It was beautiful.

            However, Ansem screamed in pain.

            “Light… but why?”

            That was when he broke apart. The light burning him away, the same way the rays of dawn washed away the night.

            “We have to close this door!”

            Suddenly, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were at the door. They were trying to close it.

            I looked inside and nearly screamed. Giant Heartless were approaching the door. If they didn’t close it, they would escape and I doubted Sora could take on so many giant Heartless.

            “It won’t budge.”

            Frankly, I didn’t see how they could close it. It looked like you’d need a giant truck to close it.

            “Come on Sora! Don’t give up,” Riku’s voice suddenly came from the other side, his hand grabbed the door and began to close it on the other side.

            “The king!” Donald and Goofy called when they looked inside.

            I looked too. It was hard, but I saw a small figure standing on the center of the swarm of giant Heartless. He held something in the air.

            A keyblade! It looked just Sora’s, except the blade was gold and the hand guard was silver.

            He released a wave of magic, and that single wave destroyed all the incoming Heartless in an instant. I gasped.

            Sora was right about the king! A powerful Keyblade Master!

            “Wait?” Sora cried, “If we close the door, what will happen to you?”

            “Don’t worry,” a voice, I assumed the king called, “There will always be a door to the light. Now Sora,” the king raised his keyblade, “Let’s close this door for good.”

            With renewed conviction, Sora and the others closed the door.

            Riku looked out one last time. Gone was the anger and hatred he held to Sora before, now there was a smile, masking pain and regret.

            “Take care of her,” Riku said, before the door closed.

            Sora stood in front of the door, holding his keyblade into the air. As he did, I remembered what the king told Riku.

            Two keyblades were needed to close the door. Did he mean one for each side? Two keyblades and two hearts…

            My eyes widened at the realization. The king and Riku sacrificed themselves to save us all.

            The keyblade glowed, the released a light straight into the sky.

            The door to the dark realm, began to shimmer away. It became bits of light, scattering, fading away, revealing a trail behind it.

            My feet gently touched the ground. The feeling of sand getting between my toes caused me to look down. I was standing on sand, but right in front of the sand was the white ground which led to the trail.

            When the sandy ground and the white ground broke apart, it caused a tremor. I nearly fell forward, but a hand caught mine. I looked up to see Sora was holding my hand.

            “Sora?” I gripped his hand. After seeing everything he’d been through, I wanted to ask him things. So many things. I wanted to apologize.

            “Remember what you said before?” He suddenly asked, the lands kept drifting apart. I tried to hang on, but we were growing further and further apart, “I’m always with you too,” finally it got to the point where our hands began to slip apart, “I’ll come back to you, I promise!”

            I looked at him desperately, “I know you will.”

            That was the moment my hand slipped from his. I watched painfully as Sora drifted away from me, or I drifted away from him. He vanished into the darkness.

            The sandy ground then grew. It grew more and more, palm trees and plant life, just burst to life as the sand grew. The sound of waves filled the air. I looked to see that an ocean had appeared. It was then I realized, it was Sora’s island. After being destroyed by the darkness, it had come back to life after Sora defeated Ansem.

            Sora, Riku, now the island. All were swallowed by darkness, but then by some beautiful miracle they came back.

            Just when I thought I had seen enough miracles; the void above was filled with shooting stars. They didn’t fade after a small streak, they stopped, taking a place in the darkness. The dark void became a sky filled with stars.

            I was in awe. This… this was all because of Sora.

            This… was the power of the keyblade.

            The island was gone. The next thing I knew, I was on a trail, between a large grassy plain. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were in front of me, walking.

            “Well, now what do we do?” Donald asked.

            “We gotta find Riku and the king,” Sora said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

            “But, where do we start looking for that there door to the light?” Goofy asked.

            “Good question,” I muttered.

            Suddenly, the scene changed again.

            It was Sora. He was standing in front of… some weird looking castle.

            Then I was finally pulled away from the mirror.

%%%%%%

            “Add two more drops of nightshade and…” I added the two drops to the cauldron. The substance turned black.

            “Looks like it worked,” Deuce said as we seemed to finish our project for the day.

            “We won’t know until we test it,” I reminded. I took the glass of water and set it on the table. Then I got a dropper and extracted some of the potion. I brought it to the glass and squeezed one drop into the glass. The water immediately turned black, just like it was supposed to.

            It wasn’t toxic or anything. It just turned water pitch black, it would fade away after a few minutes, we were freshmen, professor Crewel didn’t want us messing with anything poisonous… at least not yet.

            “This is great,” Deuce said, “We managed to finish first before everyone thanks to you (Y/N).”

            I smiled sheepishly, “It’s no big deal,” I had to force Ace and Grim to work together, but it was worth it. Plus, I was determined to master potion making. This seemed like the one magical subject that I could do without actual magic, “By the way where are Ace and Grim?”

            “Over there,” Deuce pointed.

            The two were supposed to get us extra mandrake leaves, but it looked like they were arguing. I sighed, “Deuce can you go get them before it gets out of hand.”

            “Yeah, leave it to me,” Deuce went to get our teammates.

            I watched as the water began to change back to it’s normal transparent color. I couldn’t help but remember my dream.

            That dream showed me so much that I didn’t even know where to start.

            I only knew one thing for certain from that dream.

            Sora was incredible. He closed the door to the realm of darkness. He saved us all. Him and the king.

            As the water became completely clear I remembered.

            Sora became a Heartless.

            He did it to save Kairi, his friend. When he stabbed himself in the chest, he freed her heart, but at the cost of his own.

            He fell to darkness… not in anger or an obsession for power like Riku, or Ansem, or Riddle, or Leona.

            He did it for his friend…

            My guilt just grew more and more by the second.

            “How is it not simple? Darkness is evil, everyone knows that!”

            I should have listened to Sora. I should have given him a chance to explain more.

            He did fall to darkness, but even as a Heartless he recognized his friends and didn’t attack them. He even came back!

            Somehow Kairi brought him back, but how?

            “Kairi’s a princess?”

            “The door can only be opened by the hearts of the seven princesses! The only hearts in all the worlds that don’t have an ounce of darkness…”

            Heart’s without darkness?

            What did that mean?

            I jumped when I heard the sound of glass shattering. I looked and paled. My three friends (idiots) had apparently gotten into a fight and had just destroyed a shelf full of ingredients.

            Ace, Deuce, and Grim looked at the mess they made in horror.

            “What is this?”

            Their expressions became even more helpless when professor Crewel seemed to just appear behind them, with his crop.

            “It seems you puppies have a mess,” his sharp eyes narrowed as he looked at the three troublemakers. I flinched when his eyes shot to me, “Kitty.”

            “Y-yes?” I asked.

            “There’s a shed in the botanical gardens. There are containers containing extra ingredients. Go fetch them at once!” He ordered me.

            “Yes sir,” I didn’t need to be told twice. I ran out of the classroom desperate to not make professor Crewel even angrier.

            I sighed when I entered the hallway.

            “Why do I leave those three alone together?”

            I fast walked down the hallway determined to get those ingredients. Partly to save Ace, Deuce, and Grim from the professor’s wrath, but mostly to get back to the lesson.

            I was going to master potionology!

            I did want good grades, but I learned something recently in Magical History, regarding the Fairest Queen.

            Grim was starting to snore. I quickly shook him awake, I couldn’t risk professor Trein noticing. When Grim’s eyes opened I went back to taking notes.

            “… The mirror had one power,” professor Trein explained, “Answer all questions truthfully. The Fairest Queen could learn any secret because of this mirror; she used it to gauge her rank, but she also used it to locate hidden enemies. However, when she was attacked by a Keyblade Wielder,” I mentally told myself to not get upset, “She used the mirror to protect herself.”

            Huh?

            I raised my hand.

            “Yes miss (L/N)?”

            “Didn’t you just say the mirror only had one power?” I asked.

            “Indeed, but the queen was master potion maker,” the teacher explained, “She was able create a potion that temporarily increased the power of a magical artifact. With it, she enhanced the mirror’s power. It became a guardian that was able to consume attackers and destroy them.”

            There were whispers that quietly filled the room. Mostly from the Pomefiore students who were in the Queen’s dorm.

            “And her mirror,” I asked, “Where is it now?”

            “Sadly, the mirror was destroyed by another Keyblade Wielder.”

            I had hoped that maybe if the Queen’s mirror was still around, it could tell me how to get home. But apparently a bad keyblade wielder had destroyed it.

            But, thanks to that lesson I had an idea.

            According to the textbooks the Fairest Queen was technically magicless. Any magic she wielded was brewed in potions. If she could create a potion that could make her mirror more powerful, why couldn’t I do the same?

            If I created a potion that increased the power of a magical artifact, maybe I could use it on the Dark Mirror? It couldn’t send me back to Earth now, but if I somehow gave it a power boost, then maybe it could send me home.

            The problem was the potion’s recipe died with the Queen. Which meant I needed to do a lot of research. I had already made plans to check out books from the library, plus Trey said everyone was allowed to take anything from the gardens; which was used to grow potion ingredients. Add that to the fact that Ramshackle actually had a greenhouse, garden, and a small potion lab, I had all the things I needed to do experiments. I was determined. It wasn’t a guarantee, but it was the only possibility I had at the moment.

            My thoughts went back to how a Keyblade Wielder destroyed the Queen’s mirror. Was that wielder like Ansem? A lunatic who seemed hellbent on destroying all life as we knew it?

            I didn’t want to think about it. Instead, I thought about Sora and how he used the keyblade.

            When Ansem and that old man used the keyblade, it was horrible. The only way I could describe it was that it was evil.

            But when Sora used the keyblade… It was miraculous.

            He stopped evil. He protected the worlds; he saved us all; and it wasn’t the keyblade that made him special.

            “My friends are my power!”

            I recalled how he didn’t stop fighting even when he lost the keyblade and was abandoned. But then Donald and Goofy realized their mistakes and came back.

            As for Riku… I couldn’t lie and say I had forgiven him completely. But he did realize what he did was wrong at the end. Then, he sacrificed himself to save all the worlds.

I guess that was a start.

When Riku, Ansem, and the old man had the keyblade, it made me ashamed. So ashamed I didn’t even want to touch a keyblade.

But when Sora and the king wielded the keyblade…

I looked at my hand.

Is it possible to be like them? Even a little?

I mean, how could I possibly be that strong, that brave, that selfless, that kind?

It wasn’t like I had to fight any wars or monsters. It seemed Sora had already taken care of that for me. At the moment the best thing I could do was just try and not make waves. But I had decided to make a rule for myself.

Riku had found a door with a keyhole. Apparently, he opened it and in the process destroyed his own world. That gave him the ability go travel to another world. I scowled at the thought. Going to another world but at the cost of another?

I made a promise then and there. No matter what, I wouldn’t do that. Yes, I wanted to go back to Earth, but not at the cost of Twisted Wonderland. If I ever found Twisted Wonderland’s keyhole I wouldn’t open it. I’d use my keyblade to lock it! Safeguarding that world from the Heartless if they ever came.

Besides there were other ways to travel between worlds.

            I was still going looking into potionology for a way home, I think I was ready to start training with the keyblade again.

            I just wish I could see Sora again.

            I entered the large greenhouse. I knew where the shed was. I just needed to get to it, grab the ingredients and get back. Ace, Deuce, and Grim wouldn’t last long if I didn’t make it back.

            I walked on the path. The gardens were still beautiful. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something or rather someone.

            Leona was lying under a tree, napping. I sighed; I had hoped he would try to get his act together after his overblot. Riddle certainly tried to make an effort.

            I shrugged and continued on my way to the shed. The last thing I wanted was to talk to that jerk again. At this rate he probably would overblot again.

            “… deep down, there’s a light that never goes out.”

            Sora’s words echoed in my head. Did Leona apply in this case. I mean he did come back from his overblot, but that was because I knocked some sense into him.

            Everyone said Leona was one of the smartest guys in school, but if that was true why would he allow himself to be held back? Why would he want to stay at NRC?

            To avoid his family?

            That might be it. Leona probably allowed himself to be held back because that meant he could stay at Night Raven and not go home. It would make sense. He’d want to avoid the constant reminder he wouldn’t be king… and maybe avoid the whispers.

            “… he’s so moody…”

            “… how frightening…”

That made me stop and glance back towards where I last saw him. Leona acted like he didn’t care, but I believed it was the opposite. He was like this, because he cared too much about what others thought of him.

I reached the shed. Now to grab the ingredients and get back. But when I grabbed the handle to open it, the door didn’t move. It was locked.

I made a small groan. Now what? Go back and get the key from Crewel? That could take a while and the lesson would be cut short. I didn’t want that.

I looked at my hand. Maybe I could use my keyblade to unlock this door. It wouldn’t take much time, maybe just a few seconds. Light began to gather in the palm of my hand.

I’d get the supplies and…

I suddenly remembered Lilia, the quickly dismissed the small lights.

How he was looking for the mysterious power he sensed during the overblots. How he heard our conversation across a noisy cafeteria. What if he was somewhere nearby. What if he heard me use my keyblade? And it wasn’t just Lilia I had to worry about, everyone in this school was wondering what defeated two housewarden’s who had overblotted. There were probably a good number of thrill seekers who were taking up their own investigations into it.

I had overheard several theories already. Some students think it’s someone’s signature spell. Some believe it came from a freshmen that had just came in. Some even think it was one of the ghosts. The theories were endless.

Someone smart, who was good at investigating would be bound to look into Heartslyabul, because both times students from that dorm were involved. And if someone was really smart, then they’d know both times, I was involved.

It wouldn’t be impossible for someone would watch me to see if I did anything.

I already tried not to summon my keyblade in public, but now it was an ironclad rule. The heat was too high. I needed them to believe I was a magicless girl, and I couldn’t do anything to make them think I was anything other than that.

“(Y/N)!” I released a small yelp when someone suddenly said my name. I turned and saw Deuce approaching me, with a key.

            “Deuce?”

            “Sorry,” he held up the key, “After you left professor Crewel realized you didn’t take the key. The shed’s locked.”

            I sighed in relief, “I just found that out,” I took the key from him and unlocked the shed.

            “Let’s hurry up and get back,” Deuce shivered, “Professor Crewel mentioned something about ‘fixing puppies that make messes.’”

            “Yeah, let’s go put out the fire.”

            Thanks to Deuce, I got the supplies without issue. He even helped me carry them.

            “Let’s hurry,” Deuce said, “I don’t want professor Crewel even more mad.”

            “I hear you, let’s go,” we picked up the pace through the gardens. As we headed towards the door, I glanced back where I last saw Leona, only to find that he wasn’t there. Weird.

            I didn’t think I made enough noise to wake Leona, maybe Deuce woke him up when he ran in earlier. Then decided that it was too noisy there and went somewhere else in the gardens.

            Leona was a jerk and I wouldn’t call us friends, but after his overblot, I couldn’t help but worry for him a little.

            Riddle was one thing. He tried to make an effort to be better and he had the support of Trey, Cater, and the rest of his dorm. I felt Riddle didn’t need as much attention.

            Leona was… only slightly better. I think.

            I sighed; I didn’t have time to worry about Leona. I had a potionology lesson to get back to.

%%%%%%

            Leona watched as the two freshmen left the garden. His eyes were more on (Y/N) than Deuce though.

            He woke up a few minutes before (Y/N) came in. Leona heard someone enter the garden. That wasn’t enough to make him get up and see who it was, whoever had entered wasn’t going anywhere near him. So who cares.

            It wasn’t until he picked up her scent, did Leona open his eyes. Just in time to see (Y/N) wearing a labcoat walking down the path further into the gardens.

            “… I will stop you again…”

            Leona wasn’t a curious guy. It would be too much hassle to be curious about anything. If someone had told him, Riddle and the other students had stopped him, he’d just let it go.

            But that wasn’t what happened.

            When Crowley asked him about what happened, he left a few things out. The first thing was what (Y/N) had told him in the infirmary. The second was what Leona remembered seeing, or rather what he smelled.

            Leona quietly got up and followed (Y/N) through the foliage, keeping an eye on her.

            The sense of smell was a powerful one. That went double for a lion beastman. And triple for Leona.

            The images in Leona’s memory were a blur. He did remember fighting someone but couldn’t make out who.

            However, he remembered what they smelled like. What she smelled like.

            There was no doubt in Leona’s mind, (Y/N) was there when he overblotted. He remembered her scent, but there something off about it. It was her, but there was something extra added to her scent. Then at some point her scent changed completely, it was basically her scent mixed with roses.

            (Y/N) smelled like her usual scent as she approached the shed. Nothing about her was different, especially when she couldn’t open the shed. She was just her normal, small, magicless self.

            Leona was about to forget about her and go take another nap; when her scent changed for a few seconds.

            He remembered looking back at her, just as she backed away from the shed, gripping her lab coat, and shaking her head. Like she was telling herself to not do something.

            Leona’s eyes widened as he watched her. Did he imagine it? He must have; it was impossible!

            (Y/N) was magicless. Leona had a good whiff of her when he first met her in the gardens. She was just a normal, magicless herbivore.

            But, from what he remembered and from those few seconds, something was added to her scent.

            The scent of magic.

%%%%%

            With a final stroke it was done. I placed my pencil back in the box as I looked over my drawing. I made sure every detail was perfect. From the roundness of his eyes, to the spikiness of his hair.

            Sora looked back at me from the sketch book, in pencil. I gently traced my finger over his face.

            Sora, where are you now? I’m so sorry for the things I’ve said.

            I sighed before putting the sketch book down. My break was over. Time to get back to it.

            I picked up a hammer and some supplies. Crowley came through on the art supplies but skimped out on the repairs.

            He did, however, give me a magic hammer.

            “Paint this on…” After painting a special type of paint on the wall, I picked up the hammer and gently tapped it. With every tap, the paint glowed, and the cracks in the walls faded away, like the wall was healing. I couldn’t help but smile. I would have my bedroom fixed in no time.

            First, I would repair my bedroom. Then I would repair the adjacent room and make it my art studio. Then the potion lab, the lounge, the bathroom…

            I had a lot of work to do to fix Ramshackle.

            I sighed. Whether I liked it or not, I was going to be at Night Raven for the foreseeable future. The best thing I could do at the moment was repair Ramshackle and make it more habitable for me and Grim.

            At the very least I wanted to get rid of the leaks in my bedroom so Grim and I wouldn’t wake up from leaks during a rainy night.

            The repairs were going to take a long time. I was going to try do repairs at least once a week. Two if I had the time. I also needed to study. I needed to keep my grades up and hope to find a way back home. I had four plans.

            Plan A: Get stronger with the keyblade and use that to travel home.

            Plan B: Wait for Crowley to find me a way home.

            Plan C: Wait for Sora to come get me.

            Plan D: Make a power-up potion to use on the Dark Mirror.

            I wasn’t confident in plan B, it was becoming more and more obvious getting me home wasn’t important to Crowley.

            I was mad at myself, for yelling at Sora. I wouldn’t force him to do plan C.

            Plan A and D had potential, but neither was a guarantee. So, studying on this world and it’s magic would help me make more plans.

            But I also needed a stable place to live while I carried out those plans.

            After repairing all the things I could see. I decided to stop for the day. I went to put my hammer away.

            “(Y/N).”

            One of the ghosts had approached me, “Hello Alphy,” I gave a friendly smile, “Is there something you need?”

            “I found something after you cleaned one of the rooms,” Alphy led me to the lounge. Sitting on the coffee table, was a chess board.

            “Chess exists in this world?”

            “Yep, it’s been a while since I played,” Alphy floated around the chess board, “How about a game (Y/N)?”

            I looked at Alphy confused, “Why ask me? What about Ben or Conner?” Surely the other ghosts would be better than me.

            “They’re busy with Grim.”

            I looked at the chess board, “I played a little bit with my parents when I was five,” I admitted, “But I just mostly moved the pieces randomly. I only won once and it was out of pure luck. I don’t think I remember how all the pieces move.”

            “It’s okay, I could show you,” Alphy said. I looked between the ghost and the board. I knew chess was a strategy game, each piece could move a certain way, and the goal was to capture the opponents king.

            I sighed, “I won’t be much of a challenge,” I sat at the couch.

            “It’s fine, it’s just a game after all,” Alphy floated to the other side of the table, “Now which color do you want to be.”

%%%%%%%

            Once again, I was pulled into the mirror.

            It was the weird looking castle again. I looked around, where was Sora.

            I was pulled inside. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were in a pure white hall. Standing in front of them was someone wearing a black coat. I couldn’t see his face, the coat had a hood and it was up. I couldn’t see any hints of a face, only a black void looked back.

            “In this place,” the man said, “To find is to lose and to lose is to find. That is the way of Castle Oblivion.”

            My eyes widened. Castle Oblivion, the place from Ace and Deuce’s story?

            Sora glared at the man, “What do you want from me?”

            “What do you have to give?” The hooded man asked. He began to walk towards Sora.

            Black appeared in the white hall. Shadows just seemed to swirl to life and when the vanished, another man in a black coat appeared. This one, however, had his hood down.

            He had green eyes, and red hair that was even more spikier than Sora’s.

            “Hello!” He said with an eerie enthusiasm.

            “What are you doing here?” The first man asked.

            “No hogging the hero,” The red haired man said.

            There was a pause, then the hooded man threw a card at the redhead, who easily caught it.

            “Perhaps you’d like to test him?”

            “Perhaps I would,” the hooded man disappeared in a small swirl of darkness, leaving the red head. Who smiled enthusiastically, “My show now, Keyblade Master! Who am I? Oh my name’s Axel, got it memorized?”

            “Uh sure,” Sora said.

            “Good,” Axel grinned, “You’re a quick learner. So Sora,” Axel raised his arms, then in a flash of fire and thorns, two wheel like weapons appeared in his hands, “Don’t you go and die on me now.”

            The scene changed seconds later. Axel was talking to Sora and his friends.

            “You need to trust what you remember,” Axel said, “And it seems you’ve forgotten that you forgot.”

            “What the hell does that mean?” I asked.

            Sora looked confused, Axel held his hand out, “Would you like me to give you a hint?”

            Sora gave him a stern look, “I’ll figure it out on my own, and if you get in my way-…”

            “Don’t worry Sora,” Donald jumped in front, ready to defend, “We’ll protect you.”

            Axel grinned, “Just what I’d expect from the Keyblade Master; but be forewarned. Once you remember, you may no longer be who you are,” then the darkness grew over Axel and he vanished.

            The scene changed again.

            Sora, Donald, and Goofy were standing around.

            “I know I didn’t make that place up,” Goofy said, “That was the place where you used Ansem’s keyblade to free Kairi’s heart. I’ll never forget how worried I was,” Goofy recalled sadly.

            “Me neither,” I said. I will never forget when I tried to help Sora, the way his body just vanished from my grasp. The despair I felt when I thought Sora was dead.

            “Oh right,” Sora said like he remembered, but then got confused, “But wait? That happened in a castle?”

            I looked at Sora confused. How could he not remember?

            “Jiminy? Could you show us your journal?” Donald asked.

            A small cricket jumped from Sora’s hood. I leaned closer, “So you’re Jiminy?”

            Sora had told me about Jiminy. The kind and noble cricket who had been cataloging their journey. According to Sora, Jiminy was kind and sometimes he was the voice of reason when they didn’t know what to do.

            “Just hold on,” Jiminy said kindly as he pulled out a tiny book, “I’ll look it up right now,” Jiminy opened his book and gasped, “My journal, it’s blank!”

            I gasped. That was when I remembered what Ace and Deuce told me.

            In Castle Oblivion, there was a witch who stole memories.

            “Did she do this?” I thought out loud. As if to answer me, the scene changed once again.

            “Rejoice Namine, the hero you’ve longed for will soon be here.”

            There were three people in black coats this time. Axel was there, the man from before was there, I recognized his voice. His hood was down, he had shoulder length pink hair. And there was a woman with slicked black blonde hair.

            “I’m…. glad,” A small girls voice responded.

            I looked and my eyes widened. Sitting in a chair in the corner, was girl. She looked a just a little younger than me. Maybe fourteen or fifteen. She had blonde hair and wore a small white dress. She looked so tiny in that chair. And so sad.

            “But I’m warning you,” the woman leaned down and made Namine look at her, “You better not do anything to injure his heart. Do you understand little one?” She spoke in such condescending and warning tone.

            Namine looked down clutching a sketch pad sadly, “I understand.”

            I looked at Namine, then at the adults… were… were they hurting her?

            The scene changed again.

            Sora was on the ground. The blonde woman and Namine were there.

            “Don’t you see?” The woman asked, “That’s what Namine’s powers are about. She enter, rearrange, erase, and even create memories of things that had never happened.”

            As the woman explained, Namine stood there, looking ashamed.

            Sora looked surprised, “Then… my memories, they’re…?”

            “Oh so you do get it,” the woman said with a condescending tone, “Lies, lies, all lies. Namine’s illusions nothing more. We were going to use your false memories to control you and have you overthrow the organization for us,” organization? What organization? “We were so close, but that traitor Axel,” the woman growled as daggers appeared in her hands, “He betrayed us,” she pointed the knives at the down Sora, “And now I have no choice but to illuminate you.”

            “What?” I asked.

            Suddenly Namine ran in front of the woman, holding her arms out in protection, “No, don’t!”

            “Huh?” She looked down at Namine, “It’s a little late, for the witch to grow a conscious,” witch? Was she saying, Namine is the witch in white? “Last time I checked, you’re the reason he’s in this mess.”

            “I know, but…” Namine refused to move.

            “You should know. I’m in an extremely foul mood,” the woman snarled, “Thanks to you all our plans are ruined!” She swung her arm into Namine, which knocked the girl across the room.

            That made me glare at the woman. Okay, it was official; I hated her.

            “Namine!” Sora called trying to get up to help her, but he was still hurt.

            “What’s this?” The woman mocked, “You don’t even know her, why do you care?”

            “Maybe so,” Sora struggled to stand, “But… I made a promise.”

            “Huh?”

            “I promised Namine, I would keep her safe,” Sora said, he began to glare at the woman, “My memories… maybe fake… But they’re still mine… And I’m… going to be true to them…”

            The scene changed again. This time, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were standing in front of Namine.

            “I’m sorry,” Namine said, “Marluxia said, if I didn’t do what he said… I’d be locked in this castle forever,” Namine was close to tears, “And I’ve been alone for so long.”

            “Please don’t cry,” Sora said.

            “Right,” Namine wiped her face, “I don’t have the right to cry.”

            “No, that’s what I mean,” Sora said in a gentle voice. He turned away for a moment, “I know that my memories are fake, but my heart… they feel right. In my heart, I don’t want to see you cry,” Sora turned with his smile.

            “That’s a bit much,” Donald said.

            “That’s alright,” Goofy added, “Sora’s always been like this in front of a girl.”

            “Hey,” Sora complained.

            Seeing the three goofballs acting silly, I saw Namine smile for the first time. Which made Sora smile, “There, that’s the Namine I remember.”

            The scene changed again. Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran out of a giant door. Donald and Goofy went to the double doors and closed it. Sora immediately turned around and pointed his keyblade at it.

            A keyhole suddenly appeared on the door. Sora’s keyblade shot a beam out, when the beam hit the lock there was click, then a bright light. The door didn’t just lock, it vanished. In it’s place was a blank wall.

            “I… didn’t know the keyblade could do that,” I muttered.

            The wall vanished.

            Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Namine were standing in front of a large white pod. It looked like something you’d see on a sci-fi show. Like a… cryo…. Thing that put people to sleep in ice.

            “To get our memories back, we have to sleep in there?” Goofy asked.

            “Yes,” Namine said, “It’ll take time, but I will put your memories the way they were before you came to this castle.”

            “But,” Sora looked guilty, “We won’t remember you either.”

            Namine’s expression became sad, she nodded.

            “But how, are we going to thank you?” Donald asked.

            “Don’t worry,” Jiminy appeared on Sora’s shoulder, “I’ll put a note in my journal, and it will say, ‘thank Namine.’”

            “Good,” Donald was relieved, “That makes me feel better.”

            “Well then, goodnight Namine.”

            “Goodnight Goofy.”

            Donald and Goofy left the room. I guess their pods were somewhere else.

            Sora was about to climb into the pod when Namine spoke, “All of this, may have began with a lie. But I am glad, I met you Sora.”

            “Me too,” Sora said, “When I found you and even when I remembered your name. I was happy,” Sora looked back with a smile, “That was no lie.”

            Namine gave him a sad smile, “Well, goodbye.”

            “No, not goodbye,” Sora said, “When I wake up again, I’m going to find you. Then there won’t be anymore lies, we’re gonna be friends for real. Promise me, Namine.”

            I couldn’t help but smile at Sora. How could I not smile?

            He went over to Namine and the two linked pinkies.

            “The most sacred promise of the keyblade wielders,” I recalled.

            The scene faded, then before I knew it I was on my stain glass platform.

            I looked around, “Sora?” I knew he wouldn’t show up, he only appeared on his stain glass portrait, not mine. But I had hoped to see him.

            I looked at my hands. I took in a deep breath before finally summoning Hearts Reflection.

            I looked at black and gold keyblade. I was still uncertain, about a lot of things. But I didn’t believe in destiny, I believed in free will.

            I didn’t want to destroy the world or become a monster. So, I was going to choose to not be that monster. Hopefully, I could keep the worst parts of me contained.

            Sora once said that the keyblade unleashed the power in my heart, which scared me. I was afraid the keyblade would unleash the bad in me as well as the good. No one was perfect. That was a rule my world taught me every day. Everyone had faults, I knew I had faults. But what if those faults destroyed the world.

            I looked at my keyblade, “Okay… I get it, I’m stuck with you. But, I can’t have you bringing out the worst in me,” I looked at the magestones, “Don’t start any trouble and there won’t be any trouble, alright?” There was silence, but I liked to pretend the keyblade agreed with me, “Alright, let’s get to practicing.”

            I trained in my swordplay that night. I wasn’t going to practice the Reflect Shift, yet. I wanted Sora to be there when I did. I didn’t know if there was an Anti-form waiting to turn me into a monster, but if there was, I wanted Sora to be the one to stop me.

%%%%%%

            “Why are we doing this again?” Grim complained in my arms.

            “Because Crowley said he’d give us a raise in our allowance,” I reminded, “And that means more tuna.”

            Grim hummed, “I guess that makes it worth it,” he looked up at me, “So which club are we going to first?”

            “The Board Game Club,” Crowley had given us a small chore. He wanted us to collect the club reports from that week, “They should be in this room.”

            I knocked on the door. A minute later someone opened the door. He was tall and pale, but that wasn’t what caught my eye. His hair was blue and it was fire. A long mane of blue fire was falling (Rising?) along his back.

            “Wow, you’re hair’s like my ears,” Grim commented.

            I gave him a friendly smile, “Hi, I’m (Y/N) what’s yours?”

            The tall boy stared at me for a minute as though I was a ghost. Then he slammed the door in my face.

            “Well that was rude,” Grim frowned.

            A small commotion was heard on the other side of the door, before it was opened again, “Really Idia can’t you have some tact?” The person who opened the door this time was Azul. When he saw me, he gave me a friendly smile, “Well hello again (Y/N) and Grim. How lovely to see you.”

            “Hello Housewarden Ashengrotto,” I said.

            “Oh, there’s no need to be so formal, you can just call me Azul,” he said.

            I hadn’t forgotten the warning Riddle gave me about Azul, but I didn’t want to be rude just because Riddle didn’t like him. Still, something told me to be careful.

            “Okay, Azul.”

            “Please come in,” he gestured, “We mustn’t linger in doorways,” I walked in, I noticed a bit of blue flames peeking from behind the desk, “You must forgive Idia,” Azul said, “He’s a very shy person.”

            I looked back at Azul, “We’re sorry to bother you, but we’re here on behalf of the Headmage to collect your club’s report.”

            “Oh, certainly,” Azul said, “Just let me speak to our supervisor for a moment if you will.”

%%%%%%%

            When (Y/N) and Grim left, Idia peeked over the desk.

            “Is she gone?”

            “Yes, Idia,” Azul looked at the other housewarden exasperated, “Did you have to slam the door in her face?”

            “It was a fight or flight response okay,” Idia whined, “She’s a girl. A 3 dimensional girl who was smiling all cute and friendly… and with a cat. How am I supposed to deal with that?”

            Azul sighed, sometimes he couldn’t believe Idia was a housewarden. He adjusted his glasses, what was there to be afraid of? (Y/N) and Grim were harmless.

            Easy prey…

%%%%%%

            “I had no idea we had an equestrian club,” I said as I walked to the stables.

            “What’s that?” Grim asked.

            “It’s a club where the members ride horses,” I told Grim, “Everyone says this is a top school, I guess they’re right. My high school back home, doesn’t have any clubs like this.”

            What else would a top prep fancy school have? A chess club? An archery club? A fencing club?

            My mind went to the thought of clubs that practiced swords. I thought about maybe joining them if they were at the school. I still wanted to learn from Sora, but I couldn’t wait for him every night. Plus, Sora admitted that he was a self-taught swordsman. I would like to learn from an actual teacher who could tell me what to do.

            When I heard neighing in the air, I knew we had arrived. In a closed off fence, we saw several students riding horses around a track.

            “Wow, those are some big animals,” Grim said. I went over to the fence so we could both watch. I had to agree with Grim, horses were big, but they also beautiful to watch.

            I heard snorting sound that made me look towards the gate. Was someone sleeping? Lying in the grass was someone in a gym uniform. I assumed he was in the equestrian club too. I walked over to him and looked down.

            “Isn’t he the guy from Diasomnia?” Grim asked.

            It was Silver, “Yeah, he helped us during the Spelldrive incident,” I squatted down to get a better look at him. I frowned. I did know he was Silver, from Diasomnia, but he looked very similar to Riku. Short silver hair, lean frame.

            Riku better had apologized to Sora!

            “Fifty-one. Fifty-two. Fifty-three…” I looked up when I heard someone counting. It was coming from the stable. We needed to collect the club report and I didn’t want to wake Silver, so that’s where I went.

            Under the shade of the porch, was the green haired Diasomnia student Sebek. He was doing push-ups.

            Grim and I watched him confused, “Uh…”

            “Do not distract me while I’m training,” Sebek barked as he did his exercises.

            “Is it good for him to do that before riding?” I wondered.

            “Sebek, I told you to use your inside voice,” Riddle turned the corner and saw me, “(Y/N), Grim?”

            “Hi, Riddle,” finally a friendly face, “The Headmage is making us collect the club reports. Can you help us with that?”

            “Certainly,” Riddle nodded, “Wait here.”

            While we waited, I pulled out my sketchbook and started drawing the horses. Grim sat in my lap and watched.

            “I wanna draw too,” Grim said.

            “I’ll get you your own sketchpad after we’re done,” I told him.

            “I need silence!” Sebek yelled. Grim and I looked to see that Sebek had gone from doing push-ups on the ground, to pull-ups. He was hanging from the rafters upside down raising his head upwards.

            “Okay, seriously, you probably shouldn’t do that before horseback riding,” I repeated.

            “Silence human girl! I must train at any chance I get.”

            “Why?” Grim asked, “I’m getting tired just watching you.”

            “So, I may locate the one who defeated the two housewardens!” Sebek answered.

            My grip on my pencil tightened a bit, “Why do you want to find them?” I asked.

            “Whoever did this has a power that caused both Malleus and Lilia to pause,” Sebek declared, “Someone has a power so strong it causes Malleus himself to hesitate. Furthermore, Lilia has taken charge in locating this person. As his student I must support him at all costs!”

            “Student?”

            “This could very well be a threat to Malleus. I must ensure the safety of my liege!” I have no desire whatsoever to harm your liege! “I will strike down any threat to my liege, even the Keyblade Wielders would stand no chance against me.”

            Seriously, I can’t go one day without someone saying they’ll kill me?

            “(Y/N) I have the report,” Riddle finally came back.

            I closed my sketchbook. I took a second to admire a certain sketch.

            Namine.

            I drew a picture of Namine smiling. A girl who wears white and had power over memories…

            She couldn’t be the same witch from Ace and Deuce’s story.

            Namine didn’t rule that castle, she was it’s prisoner. She was hurt and abused by those stronger than her. She wasn’t a witch.

            Besides, that story must had been around for years. It looked like Sora had gone to the castle more recently.

            I put the sketchbook away and went to talk to Riddle.

            “Thank you Riddle,” I accepted the report.

            “By the way,” Grim stood on my shoulder as I placed the report in my bag, “What’s that guy’s problem?” Grim pointed to Sebek who was still working out like a health nut.

            Riddle sighed, “Sebek is… an odd one.”

            “I’m noticing this school is full of ‘odd ones,’” I noted.

            “Why does he call everyone ‘human?’” Grim asked, “It’s weird for another human to say that.”

            “You’re not wrong,” Riddle said, “Sebek is human, but he’s also half nocturnal fae.”

            “Fae?” Fae was another word for fairy, “He’s a fairy?” I glanced back at Sebek. He certainly didn’t fit the description of what I thought a fairy would look like.

            “As are Lilia and Malleus,” Riddle said, “They’re full blooded fae.”

            The only one I saw was Lilia and he also wasn’t how I imagined a fairy.

            “Lilia seems more like a vampire to me,” with the fangs, the red eyes, the bats, and the constant hanging upside down, he seemed more bloodsucker to me.

            “Well, he is a nocturnal fae,” Riddle reminded.

            I blinked. Nocturnal? He said Sebek was one too.

            “Sebek seems very active during the day,” I said confused.

            “Not that kind of nocturnal,” Riddle said, “In the past they were known as dark fairies, creatures of the night, or dwellers of the darkness. Fae who draw power from dark powers.”

            “Dwellers of the darkness.”

            “It is I, Ansem, the seeker of darkness.”

            After seeing the mages overblot and seeing the Heartless in my dreams. I didn’t have a good opinion of the darkness.

            “Darkness sprouts within it. It grows, consumes it! Such is it’s nature!”

            Darkness destroyed Sora’s home, it destroyed his friends, and it almost destroyed Riddle and Leona.

            I should be careful around Sebek and Lilia from now on. And I should probably stay away from this Malleus for good measure.

%%%%%%%

            After we turned in the club reports. It was time to go to the library.

            “Why are we here?” Grim asked standing on a table as I looked through the bookshelf, “I wanna go back to Ramshackle.”

            “We will after I check out some books,” I told Grim not looking away from my search, “Besides, we have finals in a few weeks Grim. We have to study.”

            I heard Grim yawn, “I’m a genius, I don’t need to study.”

            “Yeah, you do,” I reminded, “You failed our last quiz Grim. We’re only still afloat because I get good grades and even us out.”

            “Yeah well,” I looked to see Grim standing, “I’ll show you during finals that I’m a genius,” Grim jumped to the floor and walked away, “I’ll see you back at the dorm.”

            I sighed. I needed to get Grim to study. I didn’t want to carry us both through the finals.

            I spotted what I was looking for. A book on advanced potionology. I reached up to grab it, only for a gloved hand to beat mine to it.

            “Isn’t this book a bit advanced for a freshman?”

            I looked to see that it was one of the Leech brothers. The neat and clean one.

            “Um… Jade right?” I asked.

            He smiled, “Correct,” he looked at me, “It seems you are without your familiar today miss (Y/N).”

            I tried not to show my surprise when he said my name. While we had technically met before, we didn’t really talk. Grim plastering himself to my face prevented that.

            “And your brother is not with you,” I noted trying to keep the conversation going.

            “Floyd and I maybe twins, but we’re not attached at the hip,” Jade scanned the book, “I don’t believe they’ve covered this in your class yet.”

            If I remembered correctly, Jade was a sophomore, “If you need the book to study for finals it’s yours,” I said, “I simply wanted it for personal use.”

            “Oh?” Jade seemed interested, “What kind of personal use?”

            Obviously Jade seemed a little too interested. It was kind of creepy, so for a moment I considered refusing to answer. But the only thing I had to hide was my keyblade. Me trying to get good at potionology wasn’t a bad thing by that worlds standards. So, I choose to be honest.

            “I’m trying to recreate a lost potion recipe,” I answered, “I’m hoping it can help me get back home,” by now every student knew who I was and where I came from.

            “I see,” Jade handed me the book back, “I already have a copy.”

            I gave a small smile as I accepted the book. Something in Jade’s gaze shifted, “It must be difficult; being in a school, in another world.”

            Something about his tone made me feel uneasy, “Yes, it’s… difficult.”

            He hummed, “Due to reasons not your fault, you’re basically behind everyone here. Lack of basic knowledge, lack of magic… It is truly a shame.”

            My smile fell to a frown, “If you’re here to make fun of me, then we’re done,” I went to the table to get my backpack.

            “Oh, apologies that isn’t what I mean at all,” Jade suddenly said, “You see I was hoping to offer you a bit of help.”

            I gave him a side glance, “Are you offering to tutor me?”

            “No, I’m afraid my duties as vice-housewarden keep me from doing so.”

            I didn’t comment, but that seemed unlikely. Trey was a vice-housewarden and as far as I saw, he helped his dormmates all the time.

            “So how could you ‘help’ me?”

            “Well, not me personally,” Jade said, “but Azul.”

            “Your housewarden?”

            Jade had a professional smile plastered on his face, “Azul is a very generous soul. He would help you pass your finals if you asked.”

            There was something off about this. First, I didn’t know Jade, why would he help me? I hadn’t been at Night Raven long, but as far as I knew, it was every man for himself. Not to say that the all the students were completely selfish and heartless. I had been helped by the boys from Heartslyabul; Ace and Deuce protected me from bullies after all. But Jade and I were strangers and from separate dorms. Why would he help me?

            Not to mention, Jade just said he couldn’t help me because he was a vice-housewarden. Why would he direct me to his housewarden, who would probably be much busier than him?

            There was something fishy about this and I didn’t want to get into anymore trouble. I needed to keep a low profile.

            I slipped on my backpack, “Thank you, but I think I can handle it. If I can’t I’ll ask for help.”

            “Well, I hope to see you soon then,” Jade said with a smile. I turned to leave the row, “Oh, but if I may?”

            I stopped and looked at Jade again, “I’m curious. You were involved with both overblots incidents, correct.”

            I bit my tongue.

            Don’t overreact! Don’t panic, don’t give any indication that you know the truth.

            “Yes, and they were both awful,” I told him.

            “Tell me, did you see any trace of what could have undone the overblots?” Jade asked with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. I swallowed before answering.

            “No. I hid during the first one. During the second one, I was tossed around in a sandstorm until it was over. I don’t know what changed them back,” I had to rehearse the lie over and over again. I wasn’t used to lying. I wanted to ask why he wanted to know, but that could sound defensive on my part, “Is that all?”

            Jade looked me over, like he was analyzing me. I had no idea what he was thinking and it terrified me.

            “That is all. I was just curious.”

            “In that case, have a nice day,” I finally left to check out the book. I released the sigh of relief that I had been holding. Every time someone asked me about the overblot incidents I felt like I was walking on glass. My only relief was that I was alone with the overblotted mages, so no one could confirm nor deny my stories. And as far as everyone knew, I was magicless, hopeless without Grim.

            Jade, however seemed suspicious. I needed to be careful around him.

            As I reached the desk. I noticed Grim was at the door of the library. He was talking to someone. It looked like Jade, but I had just left him.

            That must be Floyd; but why is Grim talking to him?

%%%%%%%%

            “Pleasure doing business with you,” Azul watched Grim leave his office. Azul looked at his newest contract. It was the first time he had a weasel sign over his power to him, but Azul wasn’t picky at the moment.

            Over a hundred students had made a deal with him and he was expecting quite a few more would come in.

            He heard a knock at the door of his office, “Come in.”

            Jade entered, “Azul, you’re scheduled to meet with three more students tonight.”

            Azul couldn’t help the smirk on his face, “Marvelous,” he kept his gaze on Jade, “And were you able to find out anything?”

            “I had spoken to the prefect earlier,” Jade stated.

            “And?”

            “She claims she doesn’t know how Riddle and Leona came out of their overblots,” Jade said.

            Azul hummed, “You think she’s lying?”

            “I had spoken to other witnesses,” Jade explained, “I couldn’t find out much about the second incident. Leona had created a sandstorm that blanketed his dorm. The first incident however,” Jade narrowed his eyes a bit, “When Riddle overblotted, at some point he abandoned his fight with the headmage and the other students to go after her. He chased her into their rose maze and that was the last time anyone saw Riddle in his overblot state.”

            Azul hummed, “No one else saw anything?”

            “Not from what they’ve told me,” Jade stated.

            Azul adjusted his glasses as he thought.

            Two overblot incidents and both times the mages came out of it, but no one knew how. Of course there were all kinds of rumors, but Azul wanted the facts. Part of his success came from knowing every secret in NRC, but now there was a secret he didn’t know. There was something powerful enough to pull two housewarden’s from their overblots and Azul didn’t know anything about it. He couldn’t have that. Whoever did this, could very well be as powerful as Malleus Draconia. If it was a mage or a certain spell, Azul wanted that power under his control.

            But first he had to find it.

            “Is the prefect one of my appointments?” Azul asked.

            “Unfortunately, no,” Jade said, “It seems she plans to study on her own.”

            “I see, she’s smarter than her pet,” Azul noted, “But no matter. If things go the way they should, then she’ll be making a contract with me soon enough.”

            (Y/N) the only student who was a magicless girl. From what Azul heard, she hasn’t shown any signs of magic and had to rely on her friends and pet to survive. Although she did get a minute of fame from a video where she had caught Ruggie (Floyd wouldn’t stop laughing at the video).

            Still, Azul was going to check every avenue for this strange power. She was one of the few who were at both overblot incidents. So, she needed to be investigated.

%%%%%%

            I was once again pulled into the mirror.

            “When a strong willed person becomes a Heartless,” a voice spoke when a hologram of a heartless appeared, “an empty shell is left behind, this shell moves with a will of it’s own. They are called Nobodies.”

            A new hologram appeared, revealing a new creature. This one was pure white. It looked like a ghost or a sock puppet monster.

            “These Nobodies are but a empty spirit with no emotions to speak of.”

            I could only look at the Nobody with sympathy. That sounded sad.

            “Some Nobodies however, are able to retain their human forms and intelligence, they command the lesser Nobodies,” new holograms appeared and my eyes widened. They were all coats, black coats with silver chains, just like what I saw before, “These higher Nobodies have banded together and formed what is known as, Organization 13.”

            “Organization 13?” I asked.

            The next thing I knew, I was in a room. A white and silver room, not like Castle Oblivion. This one had windows. Large window that oversaw a city. Where was I?

            “Roxas.”

            I looked towards Axel’s voice. He was here?

            My eyes widened when I saw who was in front of him, “Ven?”

            Standing in front of Axel, was Ven. He was wearing a black coat, just like Axel. But something was wrong. Ven was… emotionless. He was just staring into space, like he wasn’t thinking of anything.

            “Something I can do for you chatterbox?” Axel asked sarcastically.

            Ven said nothing.

            “Come on, Roxas,” Axel patted his shoulder, “We got a meeting today.”

            I looked at Axel confused, “Why did he call Ven, ‘Roxas?’”

%%%%%%

            Xion fell to her knees. Roxas wobbled as he walked towards her, “Who are you again?”

            My heart broke when he asked that question. Roxas spent a year with Xion, she was his best friend, along with Axel. Now he couldn’t remember her.

            “You’ll be… better off now,” Xion whispered before collapsing, her body began to glow and crystalize. Roxas quickly caught her, he looked at her injured form.

            “Did… I do this to you?” He asked guilt ridden.

            “Roxas it wasn’t your fault,” I couldn’t help but say.

            “No…” Xion shook her head, “It was my decision… to go away now,” I knelt next to them. I couldn’t stop the tears that ran down my face, “Better that… than to do nothing. And let Xemnas have his way… I belong with Sora… And now, I’m going back to be with him,” Xion raised a hand and placed it on his, “Roxas… Can you do me a favor… All the hearts I captured… Kingdom Hearts… Please set them free.”

            Roxas looked at her confused, “Kingdom Hearts… Free them?”

            Xion’s legs suddenly began to turn to ice, “It’s too late… for me to undo my mistakes… But please… you can’t let Xemnas have Kingdom Hearts,” Xion looked at Roxas, “Goodbye Roxas. I’m glad I got to meet you… Oh… and Axel too… You were both my best friends…” Xion raised her hand and placed it on Roxas’s cheek one last time.

            When she did, Roxas’s eyes widened in recognition. When Xion’s hand fell, he grabbed it, “No… Xion…”

            But it was too late. Xion’s body crystalized, then disappeared. Roxas had to watch it all and when she was gone, he looked down, “Xion,” I spotted the tears that rand down his face.

            I couldn’t help but cry with him. Namine said that when Xion vanished, no one would remember her. And Xion knew that, and still chose to save Roxas over herself.

            My sobs became harder as I recalled how the Organization treated her and Roxas. How could they? Roxas and Xion did everything they asked without question and they still…

            I slammed my fist into the ground. I was so angry I could scream.

            “(Y/N)?”

            I looked up. Standing in front of me, was Sora.

            “Sora,” I sniffled.

            Sora, sweet wonderful Sora, immediately kneeled down in front of me. Concern written all over his face.

            “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” He asked. When I looked at him, I couldn’t help but remember everything from my dreams. And that just made me cry more. In desperation, I threw my arms around him in a hug and cried harder.

            “Sora,” I sobbed, “I’m so sorry!”

            “(Y/N),” Sora gently wrapped his arms around, “It’s okay.”

            “No it’s not,” I said, “I should have listened to you and-and…” I could barely speak. Sora held me as I cried and let it all out. After what felt like an hour, I finally calmed down.

            “I’m sorry Sora,” I pulled away, wiping my tears.

            “It’s okay,” Sora repeated.

            “I… I saw more of your past and-…” I suddenly remembered what I just saw, “Xion,” I cried, I closed my eyes and forced myself to think of her. To envision, to not forget her. That brave amazing girl deserved so much better than that horrible fate. The least she deserved was to be remembered.

            “You saw Xion?” Sora’s question made me open my eyes.

            “You know Xion?” I asked, “I thought when she disappeared she’d be forgotten.”

            Sora nodded sadly, “For a while, yeah, she was. But during a recent fight, she was brought back, her and Roxas came back.”

            “Roxas? What happened to Roxas and… why does he look like Ven… or is he Ven?” I was so confused.

            “No,” Sora shook his head, “Roxas was my Nobody.”

            My eyes widened, “He was your Nobody? But…” then I remembered, “Right… you became a Heartless. To save Kairi.”

            “You saw that?” Sora asked.

            I closed my eyes and began pounding my fists on Sora’s shoulder, “Don’t ever do that again!” I started crying again, “I thought you died, I thought I was never going to see you again… you-you stupid idiot!”

            “Ow, ow,” Sora caught my wrists, “Okay, sorry. But I didn’t know what else to do.”

            I looked at Sora, “What happened to Roxas? After Xion vanished?”

            Sora sighed, “He tried to free Kingdom Hearts, but Riku stopped him, then… he brought Roxas back… to wake me.”

            My eyes widened in shock. I couldn’t help but frown, “Riku?”

            “You’re still mad?”

            I closed my eyes, “How can you not be mad Sora?” I looked at him, “Riku destroyed your home! He betrayed you, he stole your keyblade, and tried to kill you.”

            “Riku was trying to help Kairi,” Sora quickly said, “And besides, I already kicked his butt. I got my payback,” his expression softened, “Plus, Riku has been trying to make up for what he did, ever since.”

            I closed my eyes again, “I know Riku did that to Roxas to help you… but Roxas… he… he was his own person.”

            “He is,” Sora said, “And I hated that he was forced to join with me. If I was awake, I wouldn’t have let it happen in the first place.”

            I felt my expression sour, “What happened to the organization?”

            “We defeated them,” Sora’s tone was serious.

            “Good,” I said before opening my eyes, “They deserved better; Roxas, Xion, Namine,” I perked, “Namine… Sora,” I looked him in the eyes, “Did you find Namine?”

            “Yeah,” Sora nodded with a smile, “I did.”

            “Did you thank her?”

            “Not yet,” Sora said, “I have to do it face to face.”

            “Why couldn’t you do it face to face before?” I asked.

            “Before I woke up, Namine had to leave. Then she went back to Kairi.”

            I looked at Sora confused, “Kairi?”

            “Yeah, Namine was Kairi’s Nobody.”

            “What?” I asked, “But she never became a Heartless, she lost her heart but her body was…” I groaned, “This is all so confusing!”

            “I know, sorry,” Sora said.

            I sighed, “Why didn’t Kairi become a heartless when she lost her heart?”

            “Because, she’s a princess of heart.”

            I looked at Sora, “Let’s pretend I’m a new Keyblade Wielder and I don’t know what that means.”

            “Well,” Sora started, “Every heart has darkness. No matter how good or pure a heart is, there is always a little bit of darkness.”

            “Yeah.”

            “Well, there are seven exceptions,” Sora said, “In all the worlds there are seven women, with hearts that have no darkness. Seven hearts of pure light.”

            “That sounds impossible,” I said, “But then again, I thought magic was impossible two months ago.”

            Sora nodded, “Yeah, because Kairi doesn’t have darkness in her heart, it was never released and never consumed her body. Not completely at least.”

            “Okay…” I sighed, “Why does Roxas look like Ven?”

            “It’s a long story and it’s complicated.”

            I sighed again, “In that case… don’t tell me,” I looked down at my hands and summoned my keyblade, “I think… I’m supposed to see it on my own,” I closed my eyes, “It’s like. I’m supposed to be learning more about the keyblade.”

            “What have you learned so far?”

            “That being a Keyblade Wielder sucks,” I deadpanned. That made Sora wince, “I mean, look at what happened to Roxas and Xion, not to mention what happened to you at Castle Oblivion. Having a keyblade makes you a target,” I gripped the sword, “But…” I looked at Sora, “I saw you, Riku, and the king, closing the door to darkness.”

            “You saw that?” Sora asked.

            I nodded, “Yeah… Sora,” I smiled, “You’re the best, you know that.”

            Sora blushed and laughed a bit, “Well… you know. You can’t be a Junior Hero forever.”

            I laughed before looking at my keyblade again, “I’m still scared of what this could do to me… What if there’s too much darkness in me?”

            Sora placed his hands on mine, lifting the keyblade in front of us, “When we face Xemnas, the king told us something. The world is made of both light and darkness. Darkness is half of everything. It doesn’t mean you’re evil, it means you’re human. You see your heart has darkness, but it also has light, one can’t exist without the other. Light begets darkness and darkness is attracted to light, that’s what Master Yen Sid said,” he patted my shoulder, “If you have a lot of darkness, maybe that means you have an equally strong light in you.”

            I looked at Sora, “What if… I fall to that darkness though?”

            “Then I’ll just pull you out of it,” Sora smiled, “Just like you pulled Riddle and Leona out of their overblots,” Sora helped me stand, “(Y/N) I’ve seen what you can do. You have the makings to become a great Keyblade Master, just like Master Aqua and the king. You just need to hold onto your light.”

            I smiled at Sora, “Wise words from the Keyblade Master.”

            “Well, I’m not a master yet,” Sora said.

            I laughed a bit, “You saved the universe and you’re still not a master? That’s some high standards,” I looked at my keyblade then Sora, “Sora… after everything I said, I know I don’t deserve it but… can you please teaching me more about the keyblade.”

            Sora gave me a smile, “I was never going to stop,” he patted my shoulder, “I know how scary having keyblade can be. And I know after seeing Xehanort, it’s terrifying knowing that the weapon you use to do good things with, can be used for terrible things.”

            “Xehanort?” I asked.

            “Ansem’s real name,” Sora said.

            “Right…” I recalled, “He was called Xehanort in the beginning of that dream, but that’s not the point,” I looked at Sora, “Sora, you’re an amazing keyblade wielder. And so is the king, and Roxas, and Xion. You’re all so much stronger than I can ever hope to be. If anyone can teach me the right way to wield a keyblade, it’s you.”

            “I’ll be here (Y/N),” Sora assured, “I’ll help you get strong and help you get home.”

            I gave Sora a smile, then I remembered, “Sora. You said you’re stuck somewhere, right?”

            “Yeah, that’s why it’s taking so long for me to come get you,” Sora said.

            “Then… let’s race.”

            “Huh?” Sora looked confused.

            I tried to give Sora a fun and friendly smile, like the one he always gave me, “Let’s see who saves who first,” I pointed at Sora, “Can you get out and save me first,” I pointed at myself, “Or will I get out and save you first. Whoever wins, gets free ice cream.”

            Sora smiled, “You’re on.”

            We both laughed.

            Afterwards, we got down to business.

            “So you haven’t tried your new Reflect Shift form?” Sora asked.

            I shook my head, “I was hoping to wait for you,” I told him, “If there is an Anti-form… I wanted you to be there… And to stop me.”

            Sora nodded, “I’m here now, and I promise I will help you with whatever comes next.”

            I smiled, “Sora, I have another thing to ask.”

            “What?”

            “You can recreate places from your memories when you’re here.”

            “Yeah?”

            I looked at him, “Do you think… you could recreate your old enemies.”

            Sora’s eyes widened, “What?”

            “Your enemies,” I repeated, “Like the Heartless and the Nobodies, can you recreate them for me to fight?”

            “What? (Y/N) that’s-…”

            “Sora please,” I looked down at my keyblade, at the black magestones, “I think I need to get much stronger than I am now.”

            Sora sighed, “Fine, but we’ll start small. Shadows and Creepers.”

            “Thank you,” I said.

            “Now,” Sora smiled, “How about that Savanaclaw form.”

            I looked at the yellow magestone and swallowed, “Here goes nothing,” I placed a finger on the yellow stone and closed my eyes, “Savanaclaw.”

            I felt a rush of power flow over me and I tensed. I counted to five before letting myself breathe.

            “Okay… I don’t feel like an evil monster,” I slowly opened my eyes, “How do I…”

            I trailed off when I saw my keyblade. Hearts Reflection had transformed into a huge keyblade. It was longer than Hearts Reflection and Law of the Rose. The handle was round it reminded me of the goal posts in the Savanaclaw stadium. The blade was thick, like stone, the teeth was a lion’s head surrounded by pointed tips, the kind you’d see on a tribal spear. The keychain hanging from it was braided, with the Savanaclaw symbol.

            I knew the name of the keyblade in an instant: King’s Pride.

            “I can’t wait to test this baby out,” I ran my hand up the blade and stopped to look at my hand. I was wearing black leather fingerless gloves. Of course, my nails were done. They were long, sharp, the bottom was painted gold and the tips were painted black.

            “Is this how bad girls paint their nails?” I wondered out loud, “I mean it feels…” I trailed off when I felt something… weird. The top of my head seemed to twitch. And something was extended from my lower back. That something brushed against my bare arm, it felt fuzzy. I looked behind me and waving at me… was a tail.

            I jumped with a yelp. My tail straightened up in shock with me.

            “I have a tail! Sora, do you see this?”

            Sora was staring at me. He nodded.

            “Sora, I need a mirror please.”

            “Uh, right,” Sora closed his eyes and conjured a mirror.

            My eyes widened, “Holy… is that me?”

            I didn’t just have a tail, I had a pair of lion ears, twitching on top of my head. My mouth hung open in shock, so I was quick to notice I also had fangs.

            Of course my clothes had completely changed as well as my body. I was wearing a yellow shirt with black designs, but it was covered by the tight leather vest. I was wearing a pair of black shorts, but a yellow scarf with black tribal designs was wrapped around my waist; making it look like a skirt, with a fluttering trail hanging down my left side. I was wearing black tights that were ripped and ended at small black boots on my feet.

            I was also wearing tribal jewelry. A beaded necklace, loose bracelets, and an arm band. Not to mention the multiple piercings in my lion ears.

            My hair was pulled back into a ponytail. But there were also six small braids in the ponytail, with beads braided into them.

            I was also wearing make-up. Black and gold eye shadow was over my eyes, with a feline eyeliner. My lips were darkened. Was this bad girl makeup?

            “I’m… I’m a beastman,” I said.

            “Well, I think you’re a beastwoman.”

            “I have ears… on top of my head,” I said, “And a tail.”

            I made said tail wave behind me. I was so distracted by the tail, I failed to notice Sora reaching over and touching my ears, “Hey!” I backed away.

            “Sorry,” Sora held up his hands, “They just looked soft,” he blushed.

            I couldn’t help but blush, “Well, you can touch them, just… give me a warning next time.”

            “Sure, sorry,” Sora came over, and gently scratched my lion ears. I wouldn’t admit it, but it felt nice.

            “Um… we need to see what this form can do,” I reminded.

            “Right,” Sora took a step back and summoned his keyblade, “You ready.”

            I summoned mine, “Yeah.”

            Then we began.

Chapter Text

            I’m here again.

            The mirror pulled me in, when it began to glow.

            Thunder boomed in the dark night sky, the wind was strong and violent, and the sea’s waves were as big as mountains.

            This is a serious storm.

            Suddenly, through the rough waves were two people. A man and a girl with red hair. The man was unconscious but the red haired girl was swimming, pulling him along safely through the waves. she was carrying an unconscious man away from the sinking ship and to shore.

            I looked at her surprised, she was a strong swimmer. She managed to get him to the shore, when she did, the water retreated from her waist revealing her lower body. My eyes widened.

            “A mermaid?” In place of a of legs, was long sparkling green fishtail. No wonder she could swim through a storm while carrying an unconscious man.

When she was there, she looked at him with a smile and began to sing.

            “What would I give, to live where you are~.

            What would I pay, to stay here beside you~.

            What would I do to see you, smiling at me~…”

            Her voice was beautiful. I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. When the man began to wake up, the mermaid jumped back into the ocean.

            The man, the prince, was retrieved by his servant. He described who rescued him, “A girl rescued me. Her voice… it was beautiful.”

            The mermaid watched from the top of a large rock. Her eyes were filled with love for the prince.

            “My heart, how it flutters. Somehow someday, I’ll be part of your world,” the ocean splashed around her as her long red hair flowed in the wind.

            Little did she know, two pairs of eyes were watching from the water. Two eels, both heterochronic watched, with a look that could only be described as sinister.

            I opened my eyes before my alarm went off. My mind still fresh I quickly grabbed my sketch pad and began drawing.

            I drew a rough sketch of the mermaid on the rocks as the ocean sprayed around her. This would be a great painting. I got up and left the room. Grim was still snoring.

            Ramshackle was still a work in progress, but it was now much nicer than when Grim and I were first left there. It was cleaner, we managed to fix the wallpapers, dust the floors, and fix a few things.

            The magic hammer Crowly gave me, helped repair some things around the dorm. I even managed to renovate my art studio.

            I entered the art studio. I had been drawing and painting a lot of things, mostly the scenes from my dreams.

            I set the sketch next to a blank canvas, that would be my next project. I would get started on it that night, since it was the last day of finals.