Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A man with slick black hair with two protruding horns walked inside casually, admiring the state of the ruined property. The man enjoyed the sense of ruins and the run-down place. Although it was dark and his fellow dorm mates were looking for him, he took his time analyzing his surroundings. So far, his second year as a student in the infamous Night Raven College had been pretty peaceful. Albeit a bit lonely.

He had spent many times exploring the place. However, this time's walk surprised him as he stood in front of an unfamiliar door. Diasomnia’s dorm head, Malleus Draconia, has seen many things in his life. Thus, looking at the dark decrepit door, covered in nothing but black ink, was something new. Traces of powerful magic emitted from it, encroaching its surroundings and the hallway he’s in.

“How curious,” the fairy mumbled, as he narrowed his neon green eyes. His pupils turned into slits as he lifted his right hand towards the door. The ink-covering door reacted immediately to the animosity from the opposite side. It splattered as it continued to leak more and more ink, closing the distance between it and the man.

Unfazed by the growing tension and the encroaching liquid, Malleus concentrated as his magic boiled within him.

“What are you doing?”

The filthy black liquid halted along with the man. It was as if time had stilled for a moment by the new voice. The black pool of liquid that had covered the walls, ceiling, and floor immediately retracted backwards towards the door. Seeing this, Malleus dropped his arm before tilting his head around to look backwards at the newcomer.

Standing there was a boy, no older than 16 years. Short black hair that matches with his obsidian eyes that seemed to stare into the unknown. A small rounded face that gave the boy a baby face look, seemingly innocent if it wasn't for the unsettling smile that was plastered on his face. His skin was pale, not so much like a ghost but instead a pale cream. His lips were parched in dull brown. Wearing nothing but a simple white shirt and black pants. It looked as if he came out from a rough drawn sketch of an old vintage paper. In such a dusty old manor where the wood seemed to creak and on the verge of breaking, the boy stood barefooted as if this was his home.

“What? Surprised to see a human living here?”

Malleus didn't say anything as he continued to observe with intrigue. After all, he wasn't much of a conversationalist either. And seeing another person had been the least to what he expected in today's supposed walk. “Hello–” he paused for a second, unsure. “...human child, do you perhaps live in this abode?” After meeting so many people in NRC, people avoided him like the plague except for his dorm mates. His eyes softened as he watched the younger boy stare back unfazed with googly eyes.

“Yep, I live here. Were you invited by my parents?”

Malleus blinked in surprise as he stared silently. Through the times he explored this place, not once he had encountered another person. He was a bit suspicious at the bold remark that the boy made. However he didn't want to cause an abrupt conflict. He put one finger under his chin in thought as he replied, “I have not seen anyone else in this building. Apologies for coming into your place without permission. May I know your name, human child?” At his question, the boy mockingly raised an eyebrow.

“Trespassing another person's place and then demanding answers. A stranger like you should introduce yourself first, no?”

The fairy hadn't expected the sassiness that came from such an innocent face that flatly stared back at him with curiosity. However, what surprised Malleus more was the lack of knowledge the boy had of not knowing who he was. “...You never heard of me?”

“I saw you coming by here many times but you didn't do anything rash so I didn't care much,” the boy explained as he shrugged nonchalantly. The younger boy only squinted his eyes when he saw the fairy guy still looking like a gargoyle statue. “Are you popular or something? Am I supposed to know who you are?”

It was silent for a few minutes and the boy was starting to wonder if he should just leave and pretend like this encounter never happened. He opened his mouth to say something before the taller man exploded in laughter, throwing his head backwards and covering his eyes with his right hand. The boy widened his eyes as he watched.

Malleus took a breath before chuckling as he let out a satisfied sigh. “How brave of you, child. I've never met anybody who knows not of my name. It's been a while since I laughed so much like that. In turn, I suppose I can enlighten your ignorant self.” Malleus smiled, his fangs peeking out slightly. On the other side, the boy only blinked in amazement at the person's confidence. After all, this was his first time encountering a new person after so long.

“My name is—”

“Oiii, Malleus, are you around here again?”

Another higher pitch voice sounded from afar, cutting Malleus off. The boy blinked and all of a sudden, an upside-down head popped into his vision, startling the boy into letting out a surprised shout. “Oya oya, what a pleasant reaction. Who is this?”

“Lilia, don't startle the human child like that.”

“Hmm~ is the great Malleus making friends here? Oh my, I'm so proud of you!” Lilia gushed which Malleus only responded with a flat look. “Aw, c'mon, let this old man be excited over your high-school life for once!” He drawled out exasperatedly as he flipped in mid-air to look back at the boy. His dorm head only sighed, knowing that his vice dorm head wouldn't stop yapping from here on out.

“So who is this? I've never seen you around in the school castle before. Are you not a student?” Lilia questioned with delight, inching his face closer towards the younger boy. The latter instinctively moved backwards, his annoyance growing by the second.

“Student? You mean, people who always read books all day while some person is saying a lot of stuff?” The boy asked back in bewilderment. His obsidian eyes seemed to be sparkling as the words poured out. His response seemed to have been quite a shock since Lilia immediately paused in surprise while Malleus only blinked in interest at him. “What? I’m pretty sure that's what I’ve heard… It has been a long time and my memories are kind of hazy.” He scratched his head awkwardly, now feeling nervous from the boggled eyes coming from the two strangers.

“Hmm, how peculiar. I would love to stay longer and get to know each other…” He trailed off looking aghast with disappointment as he put both hands out. Still floating, he tilted his head backwards to look at the horned fairy who hadn't said a word since Lilia's arrival. “Malleus, the other dorm members have been looking for you. And I think there was supposed to be a dorm head meeting right now,” Lilia explained in a light tone, which made Malleus furrow his brows together.

“Meeting? I wasn't told there was a meeting today.”

“Aww, nobody came to you again huh? That's alright, next time I'm sure they'll invite you,” Lilia patted the other man's back while the latter only stood motionless. This only caused the shorter boy to watch the two while crossing his arms with an unknown smile across his face. “Right right, we should leave now before the entire dorm starts to go on a strike.” Malleus nodded before looking back at his new encounter today.

“Human child, although Lilia has said it already. My name is Malleus Draconia, second year and Diasomnia’s dorm head,” Malleus finally introduced himself with reverence as Lilia waved teasingly from behind. The boy wondered if he would ever see him touch the ground with how much he enjoyed floating around. “I do enjoy taking a walk around this area, you have a very beautiful place. I hope you wouldn't mind me visiting here from time to time.”

The boy shook his head, “It's alright. Come by anytime you'd like. As long as you don't have any intention to break things around here—” He paused when he saw Malleus and Lilia's eager eyes that seemed to wait for the boy to continue. Looking hesitant for a bit, the boy finally decided with a big smile, “You can call me Bendy!” The moment he introduced himself, Malleus smiled softly along with Lilia's brightened face. No one knew what those facial expressions meant but Bendy responded with a bright grin.

“Well, nice to meet you, Bendy-kun! Let's get along, shall we?” Lilia cheered, his black blazer floating around his shoulders.

Before they left, there was one thought that still stayed in Malleus' head. If Bendy hadn't appeared this whole time, why appear now? The boy doesn't seem to be aware of what's going on outside of this ramshackle place and is seemingly innocent of everything. Despite Malleus never tempting to break things; The only time he felt the need to do so was that malicious-looking ink-covered door. As Lilia bade his farewell along with Malleus giving a nod to Bendy, the latter gave one last look towards the direction of the mysterious door.

Nothing, the door had disappeared. Where the door used to be was instead just a white wall like any other. No traces of the hideous ink could be found anywhere as if the whole scene had been cleaned and swept under the rug. Not even a single trace of magic could be sensed in the air. Malleus furrowed his eyebrows again, wondering if everything was just his imagination. He turned back to Bendy again who was still chatting with Lilia. Malleus closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again.

“Let's go, Lilia.”

“Alrighttt, see you next time, Bendy-kun~”

Just like that, both Diasomnia students disappeared, leaving a trail of sparkles. The hallway turned quiet once more as Bendy stood in the middle, still staring at where the two newcomers were. Then his obsidian eyes looked further ahead towards the end of the hallway. With a grin still plastered onto his face, he giggled before mocking, “Hehehe, that was a close call~”

Before the boy could continue, a familiar tingling sense prickled at the back of his mind. With a bright look, Bendy turned and ran towards the direction where he felt the sense from. His bare feet bounced across the hallway and finally to the entrance of his home. He eagerly opened the door to see nobody. However, his grin still stayed as his gaze dropped downwards to see a basket with a variety of bread, meat, fruits, and some water bottles.

Bendy scanned around the area for any abnormalities but found nothing yet again. He picked up the basket and noticed that there was a folded paper slipped between the goods. Without any hesitation, the boy pulled it out and read the letter out loud.

“Hello again, I hope everything is well. These days, I've noticed that a student has been visiting the building and I can only advise that you must be wary of him. He is not one to be trifled with,” Bendy paused in his reading as he made a thoughtful look. Had the sender met Malleus or something? After all, the only person that Bendy could think of was Malleus who had been coming over quite often. However, Malleus had seemed nice and polite so far.

“Here's today's batch, I hope this will be enough for a few days. I won't be able to come by as much due to work so please take care of yourself. From Mr. B,” Bendy finished before nodding. He put the letter back into the basket and went back into the house.

Mr. B had been visiting the ramshackled place for a long time. It was only a few days after Bendy's parents had left, and the baskets full of goods and nutritious food started appearing in front of the building door's entrance. At first, Bendy was skeptical in believing such generous gifts. However, after having nothing left for ‘him’ to eat, they finally relented and realized that there were no malice behind the mysterious gift.

It had been obvious that Mr. B was a person with magic as he could hide his presence despite Bendy's sharp senses. In fact, Malleus and Lilia would have noticed as well. Delighted by the stranger's visit, Bendy looked around once more and with a grin, he waved into the empty environment in hopes that Mr. B could see it.

The boy dropped his hand and while hugging the basket of goods to his chest, he turned around and went back inside the building.

Jet black eyes opened up slowly as the black and white world filled his vision once more. Bendy sat on the floor, back leaning against the wall of the same hallway where he met the two trespassers yesterday. Without a word, he stood up and walked towards the nearby window. There wasn't much to see except the trees that surrounded his home and perhaps the faint outlines of a building from far distance. He'd assumed that this was the “school” that the two mentioned before.

After encountering the two fairies— another thing he hadn't expected— he had dived back into the remaining books left in the household. Hungry for more information about the outside world and the current state of the world. However, the books in this decrepit manor were old and outdated. Nobody had bothered to come by and tend to a haunted-looking place, it was understandable. Bendy could go and fix this broken building but that wasn’t something “he” wanted. “He” wished for everything to remain the same so that when “his” parents came back, things were unchanged and everything was the same.

Bendy didn't care, he doesn't give a damn about this manor nor the state of it. After spending years in the shadow and silence, he only wanted something different. To go out to the outside world and learn more about what there is to life. However… he turned his head towards the ink-covered door and stared. The black-covered door had appeared as if it had sensed the unspoken thoughts from Bendy. The black liquid continuously dropped to the surrounding area of the door and some had already started spreading again like yesterday. Not hearing a response from Bendy, the ink stilled before it sharpened as if it was ready to attack at any moment.

Unfazed by the imminent threat, Bendy gave an amused scoff. “What a hypocrite! Weren't you also curious yesterday? Isn't that why you showed yourself to that Malleus guy?” The ink stilled but didn't retract its pointed sharp blades made out of ink towards the boy. Seeing the reaction, the boy sighed exasperatedly, “I'm still here, aren't I? It's not like I'm going to leave and never come back.”

Not that I can anyway, Bendy held back the words as his lips tightened into a frown. He crossed his arms and tilted his head as he watched the ink door waver before letting go of the hovered blades as it splashed and converged back into the door. As it relented and sought no further to continue the conversation, the door slowly blended into the wall and dispersed out of sight along with the black ink.

Without a word, Bendy twirled and walked in the opposite direction, both hands into the pocket of his pants. Now that “he” is in a bad mood, Bendy doesn't know what to do now. Usually, they would play with each other and have a great time discussing random topics.

“Ahhhh… what to do, what to do… Guess, I'll go try to find the ghosts and play with them instead,” Bendy decided with a cheer at the end of His words. His mood lifted along with his grin, he proceeded to skip across the floor as he hummed a tune. He knew that ghosts were living in the building but hadn't come across them at all. It seemed as if they were avoiding him.

“Oh!”

His steps skidded to a halt when Malleus and Lilia's faces came into his mind. Then he remembers that the Malleus fairy had wanted to visit again. The man seemed to be interested in this ramshackle place. Bendy stood rooted at the same spot for a while as he kept repeating yesterday's scene over and over again. A mischievous smile slowly grew wide across his face. He snapped his fingers in excitement as he made a few connections in his mind.

“Yes yes yes! Not trespassers, no!”

He murmured with joy as he continuously muttered incoherent words under his breath. Bendy then took a deep breath and exhaled, satisfied with the conclusion he made. “Let's prepare a surprise for them!” He announced with open arms like a child who just got their first present. He had imagined that he was surrounded by a big audience clapping for his astounding idea. In a second, his mood had been lifted as he proceeded to skip across the hallway again. “Treat the guests nicely so they keep visiting~ very good idea!”

Far behind him, two small transparent white heads peeked through the ceiling, bypassing the structures. The ghosts had been staring at the giddy boy skipping too happily and both shuddered in fear at the sight. The taller lanky one covered his mouth with his ghostly hand, “I pray for those two students that came by yesterday…”

The shorter one followed with a weary sigh, “I feel bad for hiding from the young master for such a long time. But remembering all those terrible pranks… Akh! I don't want to think about it anymore. Let’s just continue hidin—”

“Hmm? Can I join too?”

“Eeek—”

“AAA—”

The ghosts screamed at the same time as they instinctively flew backwards at a high speed, creating more distance between Bendy and them. Bendy continued to stare with a closed-eye smile as his head peeked through the ceiling. Drops of black liquid fell from the ceiling and onto the floor. From afar it may seem as if there was a hole in the upper floor and the boy stuck his head through it. However, there was no hole, only a puddle of gloomy ink showing as if there was a water leak instead of a hole.

“Y-Young master…!”

Ignoring the ghost's call, Bendy simply pulled both his hands out from the puddle of ink and made claw gestures, “boo!” The ghosts stared at him with baffled looks as a minute silence enveloped between the three of them.

“That was too delayed!”

“Haha! Did I scare you guys?” Bendy ignored the pointed remark from the taller ghost and grinned. “You think you can hide from me? How idiotic! Don't you remember how many times I've won in our hide-and-seek challenges?” Bendy questioned as he crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks. The ghosts glanced at each other before laughing nervously.

“Uhh… we're sorry for avoi— I mean, hiding from you for so long. It's just we—”

“That's alright! I hadn't expected you guys to want to talk to me anyway!”

“Urk— No, master, it's not like that. We just… after so many of our hanging outs, we just needed a break. Yea, a break!” The ghost reasoned with a nervous smile as he clasped both of his hands together in a seemingly prayer pose. The other ghost hissed and socked him on the side to warn him to watch his words.

“Oh, is that it? Okay, I’ll tone it down,” Bendy responded with a grin and the ghosts stopped in surprise. Out of all the things they had expected, they didn't think the boy was going to accept the excuse so easily like that.

“Eh?”

“Children should be respectful to those who are older. Yes yes, I remember reading this,” Bendy rambled as he put a finger to his chin in thought. “And you guys are ghosts who probably lived much muchhh—” He spread out his hands to show the significant difference, “—longer than I am. I thought because you guys are ghosts, you would love getting surprised back, y’know? The books said so!” He finished with a confident smile before looking back at the dumbfounded faces of the ghosts.

“Eh, it was that easy?”

“...Why am I starting to feel like we're the bad guys here…”

“Shhh! Anyway, the young master is after all just a kid at heart. We should've known about this a long time ago!”

The ghosts whispered to each other in front of Bendy, who was playing around with the puddle of ink he created upside down. Before the ghosts could even apologize, the boy snapped his fingers and made a fist on top of his other hand as if he was just thinking about something. “Hey hey, how about we surprise the two guests from yesterday instead? Wouldn't it be more fun? The more the merrier!” The spectral creatures paused as if they had to process the speed at which the boy's mood flipped on a dime. Sinister smiles creeped out from their faces as an evil glint peeked out from their eyes.

“Why… young master, that's a wonderful idea!”

“Indeed! Let's start planning now!”

The ghosts began to snicker deviously at the ideas that came into their heads while Bendy only grinned innocently at them. “We make a great team!”

Chapter Text

“Oho, I didn't think you would be graciously inviting me to your peaceful walk,” a cheery tone quipped curiously at the other taller fairy. “Is it because of that boy? I won't deny it, I would have planned on observing him myself.” Lilia grinned knowingly as he floated alongside Malleus who didn't bother to even look at his vice dorm head.

Instead of answering the shorter boy, Malleus only furrowed his brows as he trudged forward. “That child… I'm sure you've noticed it too, Lilia.” 

“Uhuh,” Lilia sounded in agreement. “Bendy is not a human—” he paused as his pupils turned into slits and a dangerous smile crept up on his face. “But a walking, talking, and living magic. The more I think about it, I just can’t believe it!” Lilia exclaimed as he threw both his hands out in exasperation. 

“I suppose it's possible since magic leaves a presence. And if there is so much waste, they may congregate and bundle up to something big… However, it's still impossible for it to be sentient and have its consciousness like that…” The older fairy theorized as the pair passed through the entrance of NRC castle while nearby students gawked and immediately ran from sight. The two fairies had opted to walk instead of using their usual teleportation abilities. The sight of them caused whispers to spread from the students.

“...Unique magic?” Malleus said in thought as he listened to Lilia's ramble. It was rare to hear the vice dorm head speak so much. However, last week's encounter was too interesting for the Diasomnia’s students to ignore. As soon as they left the manor a week ago, the two had been in full discussion on whether Bendy was a threat or not. Especially his background or what he is.

“Possibly and if it is, that's one powerful unique magic,” Lilia answered as he hummed a tune. “He seems too oblivious and naive to be a threat. But why did you call him a human then, Malleus?”

Malleus didn't answer for a second as he remembered how the mysterious boy had identified himself as a human. “I simply did not want to offend the owner of the house,” he explained after careful consideration. He could feel the surprised gaze coming from his fellow fairy but Malleus ignored as he continued to walk.

“Hmmm? To think the great Malleus is showing respect to a mere human . You sure you aren't denying that you want to be friends with him?” Lilia teased as he wiggled his eyebrows at the dorm head. The latter only turned to give him a flat look. “Aww~ c'mon don't be embarrassed! What's a school life if you won't make any friends?”

They continued to banter with each other, albeit it was more one-sided as they made their way to where the ramshackle building. As soon as they reached the building's entrance, both fairies sensed something amiss so they paused in their tracks. They glanced at each other before looking back at the door of the building. 

“...Why is there so much magic pooling at the entrance?” Lilia questioned quietly as he floated closer to the door. “Malleus, stay back, this could be very dangerous,” he warned as he reached out for the door.

“Lilia, wai—”

Before Malleus could finish himself, Lilia had already knocked on the door. There was a pregnant silence before a creaking sound was heard as the door opened slowly. However, looking inside, nobody was there except a dark hallway that leads to the inner rooms of the building. Both students tensed up as they prepared themselves for any incoming attacks.

“It seems Bendy isn't he—”

“Boo!”

A translucent head popped out from above the ceiling near the doorway. It was inches away from Lilia's surprised face. However, the older fairy didn't seem scared nor show any horrified expression. “Fu fu fu, so it was just the ghosts. Malleus, you sho—”

Without any warning, a pool of black ink appeared in front of Malleus and two hands emerged from it. Everything had happened all at once. The dorm head immediately widened his eyes and was about to use his magic to float away but the hands were too quick in grabbing his ankles. A mischievous laugh was heard from the puddle of liquid and before he knew it, Malleus’ vision spun. The two hands attached to his limbs didn't let go as they dragged the man from the doorstep into the building at the speed of light. The ghost that was still phasing through the ceiling only giggled evilly at the scene as Lilia shouted in shock.

“Malleus!?” 

He heard Lilia’s baffled noise from far behind as his back arched from the gravity that he was being pulled towards. His neon green eyes glowed, pupils turned into slits as he gritted his teeth in annoyance. “Insolent fool! Who do you think you are!? Cease this at once!” He exclaimed as he felt his magic seep out. With only his raw power, he lifted his leg, breaking free from the stiffened arm, before slamming it downwards at the puddle. The impact was so strong that the black liquid splattered all over the place like an explosion. The floor beneath it immediately broke down due to the immense power.

The arms immediately let go in surprise as a shout of pain could be heard. The limbs retracted back into the puddle before disappearing entirely. Malleus huffed, his eyes still bright, shining amid the gloomy and dusty interior; he noticed that he was now in the living room of the building. He straightened himself up as he sensed Lilia floating to his side. 

“Are you alright, Malleus?”

“...Fine,” Diasomnia's dorm head answered after he calmed himself down. He turned to Lilia, analyzed him from top to bottom, and then nodded after making sure his fellow dorm mate was unhurt. “Whoever dared to do such a disrespectful thing will pay,” He growled, the floor around him shook at the increasing pressure that Malleus was exuding. 

In the corner of the living room, a black door had appeared secretly as it sensed the escalating tension in the room. Lilia, who had been floating silently, instinctively snapped his head towards the direction of where the door was at a frightening speed. Like Malleus, his eyes glowed in neon pink dangerously. However, all he saw was a white wall like any other, there was no sign of anything malicious. He stared for a bit longer, searching for the sudden spike of magic around the particular area before relaxing his shoulders. On the other hand, Malleus didn't notice the change as he was too preoccupied with the ‘surprise’ he stumbled upon.

“Owieee… that hurts…”

“Young master! You better apologize to them right away!”

“Right, that guy with the horns looks like he's about to destroy everything! Hiee—”

“Hey, I’m the one who's hurt! Shouldn't you two be backing me up here…”

The two Diasomnia students watched as three figures emerged from the wall ahead of them. Under the evening light that came from the window, the figures stepped forward under the light. One of them was Bendy who was nursing his left hand with the other. Beside him were two ghosts, one Lilia recognized from the doorway. Malleus didn't say anything, he still exuded the same pressure as before. At the sight of this, the two ghosts trembled in fear as they hid behind Bendy who only looked back at Malleus unfazed.

“Human child, was it you that insolently attacked us?” Malleus asked in a cold voice as the atmosphere in the room froze and the ghosts gulped. Bendy raised an eyebrow as he pouted and crossed his arms.

“Yeah, it was me.”

“Eek— young master, you're gonna die if you say it like that!” The taller ghost cried out as he grabbed hold of Bendy's shoulder and shook the boy even though his spiritual limbs simply phased through the boy's body. “Just look at the floor, do you wanna end up like that too!?”

“And you just admitted that you attacked him!?” The other ghost cried out as he held his head with both hands.

Malleus ignored the rambles of the ghosts and only continued to glare down at the mysterious boy who returned his stare. The fairy pulled out his magical pen from his blazer's chest pocket and with a flick of his wrist, a long staff appeared from thin air. Distracted by this, Bendy gasped in amazement as he watched the spinning wheel that was attached on top of the long wooden object. On the other hand, Malleus grabbed it with ease before slamming it downwards on the destroyed floor.

“You may be ignorant of who I am, but I will not tolerate any harm or threat—”

“Y'know, we've been waiting for you guys to come by!”

“—towards us…” Malleus trailed off in his sentence, his green eyes blinking once and then twice as he processed the words that the boy just said. There was silence for a moment as everyone stared at Bendy who only grumbled at how his hand was in pain. “...you were waiting for us?”

“Yeah! You said you liked it here and wanna come by more often. I thought you were going to come by the next day but you didn't come day by day. It's been a week!” Bendy glared childishly and before anybody could interrupt him, the boy continued, unaware of the tension in the room. “And here we wanted to surprise you guys and we didn't even get through the whole plan… It was my first time inviting people and I guess I blew it up… I really wanna be friends too…” He rambled as his mood dropped with every word. By the end of it, Bendy looked more disappointed than ever. 

The plump ghost beside him nudged him, urging him to continue. Bendy glared at him before looking back at Malleus who only stood there stiffly like a statue. His facial expression was unreadable while Lilia who was behind him shook with mirth as the older fairy seemed to be trying hard to cover his mouth. Bendy gave a stinky look at the ghost who looked away while whistling before sighing, “Alright alright, I got it. I'm sorry.” 

Unable to hold himself back, Lilia threw his head back as he laughed out loud. The ghosts and Bendy gave weird looks at the floating fairy. The latter asked in a whisper to the ghosts if Lilia had gone insane or something. The choking tension seemed to have disappeared as Malleus cleared his throat.

“...I didn't think that you were waiting for us so eagerly,” Malleus managed as he softened his eyes at Bendy. “I suppose I can let go of this matter once. I didn't realize that I was invited with so much excitement… this is a first for me too,” He responded and everyone but Bendy who was watching could see imaginary flowers popping out from Malleus. On the other hand, Bendy didn't notice the positive mood change and only grinned back at the taller man.

“Is that so? That makes the two of us, hehe. Did we scare you though?” Bendy asked excitedly with bond hands in a claw motion. “Even if we didn't scare you, the look on both of your faces was hilarious when I dragged Malleus-san away!” He laughed out loud shamelessly before he felt a smack from the back of his head from one of the ghosts. “Hey! What was that for!?”

“ Phew — I don't think I've laughed that much in a very long time,” Lilia managed as he took a breath before looking back at Bendy. “I must say, Bendy-kun. You must be careful though.  if you aren't careful, an act like that towards us could result in some terrible consequences. If it was anybody else, they probably wouldn't survive what happens next to them,”  Lilia warned cheerfully as he floated closer. His eyes lingered on Bendy with a dangerous glint.

“...and the young master thought that he should've grabbed that floating guy instead and slammed him down on the floor before doing the dragging part…” The lanky ghost whispered quickly at his fellow spiritual friend. 

“He seems more terrifying than this Malleus person to be honest… I'm glad the young master changed his mind…”

They both nodded solemnly. Although it was hard to hear, Lilia who heard it only blinked at them with wide eyes like he couldn't believe what he heard. He turned to the smiling Bendy, still in the same pose, and Lilia only chuckled as he floated a bit higher than before.

“Alright, friends should be nice to each other, right? Since friends asked, then I'll stop!”  Bendy decided as Malleus nodded in satisfaction. “But what brings the two of you here? Are you here to sightsee again?”

Malleus chuckled before throwing his staff upwards as it flipped and turned back into a pen. He swept it from midair before putting it back into his chest pocket smoothly. Bendy clapped lightly like a kid watching a magic performance. Malleus then looked around for a bit, as if he were searching for something, his eyes met Lilia's as they exchanged a knowing look. Then the dragon fairy nodded before turning to the smaller human boy. 

“While that would be a great venture. Today is different. If it’s alright, we would like to know more about you, Bendy,” Malleus said smoothly. The boy in question blinked in surprise, but his smile didn't falter. Instead, it only grew in size as Bendy nodded innocently.

“That's right, friends must get to know each other first! Ehhhhh, I don't have any tea or snacks to serve you guys with…”  Bendy thought out loud as he remembered the goods that Mr. B had last brought were completely finished and gone. “What do we do? Mom and Dad aren't here. If they knew I was treating my friends badly, they'd kill me!” At the end of his sentence, Bendy laughed nervously even though his words didn't match his actions. Malleus furrowed his brows as he observed the boy. 

“Fu fu fu, that’s alright, Bendy-kun. We can just sit and talk with each other~ I’m sure that's alright with you too, Malleus?” Lilia quipped as he turned to the other student.

“Right, this room seems comfy enough to talk.” Malleus trailed off again as he looked around the dusty interior. It's a wonder how Bendy managed to live in such a place with no food and drink. Well if the boy isn't even a human and simply just a living magic, then such trivial things wouldn't matter. Nonetheless, Malleus didn't mind such a place as it gives a rather ancient and runic vibe that he very much enjoys.

Malleus and Lilia chuckled at the sight as Diasomnia's dorm head took a seat at one of the sofas nearby. On the other hand, Lilia continued to float behind Malleus as he had a genial smile. “Now, Bendy-kun. Why don't we get to know each other?

“Hmm? So you've been living here for the past 16 years but never gone out? Why?” Lilia questioned curiously as he raised his eyebrows. He crossed his arms as he couldn't help but glance back at a particular corner of the living room. The magic presence that had covered the whole building disappeared after they started chatting and Lilia was only left with more questions than answers.

“Because if I leave, my parents will never come back,” Bendy said as a matter of fact as he twiddled with his fingers. As time went on, he had been bored, so with a flick of his fingers, a blob of ink emerged from his hand as he started playing with it. Lilia and Malleus only hardened their gaze at the display of magic.

“That amount of control… How are you doing that, Bendy?” Malleus asked as he pointed at the ball of ink thrown between Bendy's hands.

“This?” The boy exclaimed as he showed the blob of ink. “Isn't it just magic? You two have magic too, right? Anybody can do this,” Bendy cheered as he transformed the bundle of ink into something long. The two Diasomnia students held their breath as they watched the liquid turn into a familiar-looking staff— Malleus’ staff— albeit made out of ink. The spin wheel at the top seemed to have been shaped poorly as it barely held its shape together. Bendy tried to turn it like how Malleus’ staff did on its own. However, his finger went through it since it was made out of ink. “Close enough! Now I have a cool staff like yours!” 

He held it with both hands, but the staff looked disgusting as the black ink didn't harden fully and continuously dripped onto the floor causing a mess. “Ah! sorry, I made more mess now,” he giggled like a kid before turning the staff back into a ball as it sucked all the dropped liquid on the floor.

“...That is not a simple magic, Bendy-kun. Perhaps, it is your unique magic?” Lilia muttered out with a mischievous smile, his eyes curled with interest. “Seeing as you've been here and never gone out, it seems you were born innately with it.” 

“Eh? I suppose so. I've been able to do it right away since I was little,” Bendy said as he tilted his head in thought. “Does that mean you two have unique magic too?” He asked as his obsidian eyes sparkled.

Malleus chuckled, his lips tugged into a smug smirk, “to ask for another person's unique magic is the height of foolishness. After all, it is one's secret weapon. Perhaps you'll find it out yourself, child.” 

“By the way, what are your parent's names? If they are out and haven't been back for a long time, maybe we can help you make contact with them?” Lilia offered as he put a finger to his chin curiously. Although he doesn’t usually offer help, he notices how Malleus is curious about the boy. The older fairy won’t deny that he too was equally invested. Hearing this, Bendy furrowed his brows in consideration, the two fairies waited patiently before the boy sighed disappointedly.

“I can’t remember their names…”

“Hmm?” Lilia blinked in surprise at Bendy. Malleus only narrowed his eyes at the ramshackle boy. 

“Me and my parents don’t talk much with each other back then. And the servants call them with titles like ‘Ma’am’ or ‘Master’?” Bendy answered as he also seemed disappointed himself. “How sad! A child should know the names of their parents, right? But I don’t! Haha! I’m such a bad kid, I’ll be punished!” The boy laughed out loud with the same unsettling grin that he wore most often. He swung both his legs back and forth as he twirled the ball of ink like a basketball. The ghosts beside him stiffened with uncomfortable expressions on their faces.

There it was again, Malleus and Lilia shared a perplexed look with a slight disgust upon hearing the words that Bendy just spouted. It had been noticeable how Bendy would often say something gruesome and self-deprecating without much thought and proceed to laugh it off like it was normal. Instead of addressing it directly, Malleus turned to the two ghosts. “How did the two of you meet Bendy then?”

“We only came and took residence here after the building was already in shambles and this broken state. So to be honest, we don’t know much.”

“Yep, we didn’t know there was anybody else living in such a decrepit old and haunted-looking place. Imagine our surprise when we saw Bendy-kun here! We even thought he was a ghost like us at first!” The lanky ghost spoke as he floated above while sighing exaggeratedly. “However since he spoke confidently about being the owner of this place, and we had no plans on moving out, we tried scaring him off,”  he explained and at the thought of it, his face paled. “Well, that's when he beat the crap out of us and we're stuck calling him, ‘young master’ now.”

“Haha! Continue calling me so!” Bendy laughed shamelessly with pride. This only earned him a smack from behind by the two ghosts. “Hey! Not that again!?”

Seeing as the ghosts were as clueless as them and didn’t care much, Malleus nodded before turning back to Bendy who seemed distracted in watching the evening sky turning to dusk from the window. Despite the emotionless-looking black eyes, it seemed as if he was looking out with a longing look. “If you don’t remember your parent’s name… Perhaps, do you remember where they’ve gone?” The horned fairy asked carefully as Bendy turned back with his usual grin.

He closed his eyes as he thought hard, Bendy made some struggling noises as if he was searching for a needle in a haystack. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes wide in realization and made a finger snap. “Alright, I remember! Hehe.”

Malleus and Lilia smiled, eager to finally hear some clue about Bendy’s background. Even the ghosts leaned closer curiously. “Right, they said they wanted to go to the sea!” Bendy answered with a satisfied huff. “They wanted to watch the sunset and enjoy the sand. Hehe, isn’t it romantic?” He asked innocently and anybody could see the genuine happiness flowing out from the boy. It was almost contagious even.

“I see, perhaps that could be helpful in our search,” Malleus smiled softly. “Human child, during your time living in this building, have you encountered any—” the fairy paused, unsure. “That’s right, a black door made out of ink?”

Lilia turned to Malleus with a surprised look, confused at the odd and seemingly unrelated question. However, it seemed that Lilia quickly made a few connections in his head as he glanced back at the corner of the living room. “...Black door? I don’t think so. Have you guys seen it before?” Bendy questioned back towards the two ghosts who only shook their heads. 

“But why do you two wanna help out so much?” The bigger ghost asked which made Bendy whine something about friends should always help out each other. In response, Diasomnia’s dorm head only chuckled as he curled his eyes and crossed his arms.

“Well, I suppose since this is the first time I’ve been personally invited. Having such a wonderful chat right now, I must return the favor, no? Is this not part of human customs?” Malleus explained graciousness before turning to Bendy. “Although… human child. To keep calling me your ‘friend’ is truly foolish. Do you not fear me at all?” 

“Eh? You haven’t done anything scary at all. So what’s there to fear?” Bendy answered straightforwardly with a blank look which sent Lilia into a series of choked laughs. On the other hand, the ghosts even pointedly looked back at the destroyed floor that was caused by Malleus’ anger a few hours ago. 

“Is he blind?”

“I think he is.”

“Fu fu fu, you are either kind or just ignorant, Bendy-kun. Usually, when people come across us, they would run away or scream on the spot. Our presence here alone would send fear to anybody else,” Lilia explained as he wiped a tear from his eyes. He took a glance at Malleus who seemed to have a confused look. Truly a sight to see, one of the top five most powerful mages was stuck on a difficult problem. “If you do think Malleus is a friend, please continue to do so, Bendy-kun.”

“Lilia,” Malleus warned which only seemed to further increase Lilia’s mischievous grin.

“What about you, Lilia-san? Wanna be my friend too? The more the merrier,” Bendy cheered as he started floating too. “See? We can even be floaty buddies!” 

“ Oya , my, I do not mind having a friend myself. And floaty buddies seemed to have a nice ring to it. Malleus, you don’t mind do you?” The vice dorm head asked teasingly as he floated closer to the smiling Bendy. On the side, the ghosts only watched back and forth in exasperation as Malleus glared with annoyance at Lilia.

“Cease whatever thought you have in your mind, Lilia.”

“I’ll take that as ‘permission granted’ then~”

Bendy only laughed as the room was filled with more voices than the usual silence that he detested. He thought the world was enveloped with nothing but black and white. However, today, that monochrome world seemed more alive and Bendy didn’t mind the change.

Chapter Text

“Don't… LEAVEEEEE!!! ” 

“Urkk— Young master… Let. Them. Go! Oi, help me out here!”

“I'm trying! But he's so strong! He's practically a glue! How does he have this much energy still!? It's been almost half an hour!”

As they were standing at the doorway of the building, Lilia and Malleus couldn't help but chuckle, entertained by the scene in front of them. They watched how Bendy was still floating as he grabbed onto the hem of Malleus’ and Lilia's blazers like it was his dear life. On the other end, the ghosts tied a rope around Bendy's leg and used their magic to pull on it as hard as they could in an effort for Bendy to let go of the poor students.

“The two of you should be helping me out here instead of preventing me like this!! Some friends you are!” Bendy snarled at the ghosts as he glared behind. If it was any other time, the two spirits might have been frightened. However, after their long chat with the Diasomnia students, their bond had grown closer. 

To say that Bendy was excited was an understatement. He had been attentively listening to all the stories from the outside world from Lilia and Malleus like a kid in a dreamland. From the famous school named Night Raven College, the seven dorms that symbolize the Great Seven, Malleus and Lilia's roles, magift, their classes, and what they study. Bendy asked everything, it was endless. Throughout the whole thing, he had been awed and his eagerness to become part of this new world grew. His joy was so contagious that it amused the Diasomnia students. 

At the same time, the fairies took the chance to also ask more questions about Bendy himself. They had tried to dig more into his background, unique magic, and whatever they could. However, the boy was simply clueless or ignorant of the whole thing. 

Therefore, once the clock pointed to 9 PM, it was time for students to go back to their dorm. Hence, when they stepped out of the building, Bendy was filled with dread as he thought that the two would never come back, his eyes widened in fear. A flash of a couple leaving through the same entrance appeared in his head and without thinking, the boy latched onto them. The sudden desperation from the boy had snapped both Malleus and Lilia in surprise as they watched the trembling boy.

“Young master, it's night already and they have other places to go! They also need to prepare for school tomorrow. You're gonna rip their clothes to shreds by pulling at them like that!” The lanky ghost reasoned as he pulled on the rope as much as he could. Despite how hard they were pulling, Bendy barely budged nor screamed in pain at how the rope seemed to be tightening around his calf. Even worse, despite how hard they were pulling, Malleus and Lilia barely moved from their spot.

“I don't care! What matters is they stay here, FOREVER!! ” 

“You're just being unreasonable now!”

“Fufu— hahahaha!” 

Everybody stopped their movement as they turned to look at where the boisterous laughing was coming from. There, Malleus was laughing out loud while Lilia couldn't help but giggle with a wide smile. “ Aaah — human child, you seem to know how to make a person laugh. I don't think a single moment with you could be a bore,” Malleus smiled with mirth. “I don't believe I've had anyone dared to even touch my clothes nor been keen enough to prolong my stay. You truly know no fear, child.”

“Fu fu, I must say, talking with you has been a breath of fresh air, Bendy-kun,” Lilia added with a genial smile as he covered his mouth. “Perhaps we can do those things that humans do. What do they call it? Sleepovers?” He wondered as he wiggled his brows at Malleus. The man only coughed into a fist as he glared at Lilia. 

“We shall see,” he responded with no further intention to expand on the topic. “Not to worry, human child. We will come by more often since you are so eager for our return,” Malleus explained, while Bendy turned to him with a hopeful expression. There was silence for a moment as they both continued to stare at each other. Even Lilia was blinking in confusion at them on the side.

“Eh?”

Pat!

Without realizing it, Malleus had dropped his hand on top of Bendy's hair. He ruffled it for a bit before lifting his hand again. The fairy then looked at the same hand in confusion before realizing what just happened. “Ah, my apologies. I don't know what came over me for a second there,” he said as he furrowed his brows in frustration. Malleus tried his best to avoid the bugged stare that he could feel from his vice dorm head.

“Ohhhh~ I never felt that before. Next time, do it again, Malleus-san!” Bendy cheered as he decided to finally let go of Malleus and Lilia. As he did so, the force that was pulling him back loosened and the ghosts sighed out in relief. “Well since you promised, make sure to come visit again! Lilia-san too!” Bendy grinned excitedly as both students in front of him nodded.

“Indeed, we'll see you next time, child. Lilia, stop staring at me with that creepy look. Let's go,” the dorm head ordered before disappearing in a trail of sparkles like before. On the other hand, Lilia sighed in exasperation before turning to Bendy.

“Fu fu fu, Bendy-kun, you're an interesting one. Be sure to continue inviting that boy more often. He may not show it but he will remember today's events,” Lilia spoke gently as he gave a thankful smile. “Not a lot of people approach him due to his reputation and so that boy has been pretty lonely. Also, I do hope you won't be grabbing my legs and doing something similar to what you did with Malleus today,” He continued as he ended with a warning tone. The plump ghost who heard this choked at the last sentence and couldn't help but cover his mouth when he saw Bendy's unsettling smile at him.

“But what about you, Lilia-san?” The boy asked curiously as he turned back towards his new floating friend.

“Me?” The fairy asked back in surprise as he pointed at himself.

“Yep, were you lonely too? How do you feel now?” 

Lilia blinked at the question as he didn't expect it to be directed at him. The fairy didn't know what to say for a minute before he softened his eyes at the innocent child in front of him. Bendy couldn't tell what expression Lilia had. As if the student realized something, he chuckled, “I suppose I was too at some point. Now that you've asked, I'm feeling quite lucky today.”

At his answer, the black-haired boy grinned widely at Lilia. The latter took one last look further behind Bendy at a nearby wall before smiling back at Bendy. “Well, time for me to leave as well. See you next time, Bendy-kun,” he waved before disappearing just like how Malleus did.

“Looks like they're gone,” the tall ghost said as he floated past the doorway and looked around. “My energy is completely drained! Time to sleep, good night, young master~” He said before floating upwards lazily and phasing through the ceiling. Bendy only waved towards where the ghost had left before turning to the other spirit. 

“Young master, what are you going to do now?” The bigger ghost asked as he floated down closer to Bendy. “Those two had some scary reactions when we surprised them earlier. Surely, you aren't going to plan anything else, right?” He asked warily towards the boy who had a thoughtful look.

“Don't worry! Friends should respect one another,” Bendy answered as he waved his right hand nonchalantly which earned the ghost a relieved sigh. The boy then leaned forward as he rubbed his chin curiously with his two fingers,  “By the way, I don't know your guys’ names…”

.

.

.

“ HAH!!!??? ”

The plump ghost face smacked himself with a hand as he groaned out loud. If his lanky friend had stayed, he would have been frustrated at the ignorant boy. It was only now the ghost had realized that Bendy never addressed them by their actual names and only by the term ‘ghost.’ “So what have you been calling us this whole time in your head?”

“Ghost one and ghost two.”

“...why am I not surprised? Calling us like that just makes it seem like we're reduced to being NPCs…”

“I don't know what that means but you better tell me your names before you become uhhh… that NPS whatever you call it.”

“Somehow, I feel like with you saying that, it might just happen,” the ghost sweatdropped as he scratched his head in frustration. “My name is Harrow and the tall one from before is Barry. Y'know, there's more of us in this building, young master.”

“Yeah, I know that. There's another nice ghost that doesn't avoid me. He likes to cook for me from time to time!”

“Guh! Young master, you need to work on being more tactful, or else people are going to start bullying you. And the chef's ghost, his name is Gustav.”

“It's okay, I'm strong. I did beat you guys to a pulp before.”

Harrow looked with disgust at the confident grin that Bendy was wearing. They stayed like that for a while before the ghost finally slumped and put both his hands out as if he had lost “I don't know why I'm still talking to you. Well then, see you later, young master~” As he said so, Harrow's body slowly phased out and disappeared and Bendy was left alone standing in the now quiet hallway. With a hum, he turned to close the door of the building's entrance. 

The moment he shut the door with a click, his grin only grew wider as he felt drops of ink hit his shoulders. Bendy took his time to turn around as he watched the dark tendrils hang over his head, all pointed at him menacingly. 

“Hehe, back off~ It's not like anything was broken, right?” Bendy laughed as the tendrils only twisted and pointed back at the broken floor in the living room angrily. “Alright alright, I'll fix it later.” The boy relented as if he had just been scolded then he glared at the black door that appeared at the end of the hallway. As he does so, he makes his way to the broken floor and uses his magic to lift out all the broken parts. Maybe he should have asked Malleus to fix it. After all, it was his fault for destroying it.

At the same time, the tendrils also helped in cleaning up all the wooden splinters. Both entities did their chores silently before Bendy, with his unchanged grin, snapped his head at where the black door made out of ink was. It had changed its place and moved to another wall in the living room, closer to where the damage was. “You're not saying anything this time. You like them too, right?” He asked with a smirk.

The tendrils paused before one of them smacked Bendy from behind. “Ouch! What the hell!? I feel like I've been getting smacked a lot today…” 

“Hey, now that you heard everything out there. Don't you wanna come out?” Bendy asked again, this time he stared hard at the door that was still leaking out ink. The tendrils stopped before it hesitantly shook side to side in refusal. Bendy pouted but didn't push further. “You don't even wanna show yourself to the ghosts? They seemed friendly enough…”

No answer or reaction. Bendy furrowed his brows, showing a rare frustrated look. He didn't say anything as he snapped his fingers to bend and re-attach the broken wood together. A few minutes later, the floor was as good as new and before Bendy decided to call it a day, one of the ink tendrils reached out to poke him in the cheek. He turned around as it floated downwards to write something on the floor.

The boy watched patiently as he read the words out loud one by one. “Tea… snacks… for friends… NRC…” It took a while for Bendy to connect the words before an imaginary light bulb popped out and rang in his head. “Aha! I see, I see! Great idea, it's a school so they should have tea and snacks—” He paused in his words as he looked at the black door with widened eyes.

“Wait, you're allowing me to go?”

Without a word, the tendrils came together to form a small cartoonish thumbs-up. Bendy stood still for a second before his obsidian eyes sparkled like gems as he jumped excitedly. His grin grew by the second as he grabbed the one tendril made out of ink and danced around with it. “Hehe, I'll bring back some good snacks and tea. Then we can serve them to Malleus-san and Lilia-san when they come by~ Maybe some fun stories and more friends!” 

As Bendy celebrated and hugged the crap out of the ink appendage, the boy sat beside where the door was and closed his eyes with a peaceful smile. He leaned towards the door as if another person was sitting beside him. Although he doesn't need sleep, he does so to accompany his best friend who needs one. The bright moon shone through the living room giving a subtle white light in Bendy's gray-scale world. Time passed by and the door disappeared, leaving the dark-haired boy alone who continued to stay at the same place.

“Let's go!” 

“Eh, young master? Where are you going?”  Harrow blinked as he floated down to the confident posing boy. Not far behind the ghost was Barry who had a moody look as he crossed his arms. Ever since the past events, the three of them had been closer, making the ghosts realize that Bendy was just an inexperienced young boy. Despite the constant stabbing words that he threw, the ghosts couldn't help but laugh back at him exasperatedly.

When Barry knew that the boy had just learned his name, the ghost wasn't surprised. However, it was quite obvious that he was frustrated at the fact that Bendy had only been calling him Ghost Two. What made him second anyway!?

“To NRC! Get some snacks and treats and explore and make friends and cause tro—”

“Okay, okay! We get it that you're so excited. Geez, youngsters these days have way too much energy…” Barry cut Bendy off with a hand held up and another holding his head as if he's trying to recover from a massive headache. “Wait, NRC? Why? Is it because of those two yesterday?” The ghost asks with widened eyes as he remembers how hard he pulled the rope to prevent Bendy from latching onto the poor guests. “Uhh, tea and snacks... That place isn't just some random place you can waltz in, y'know?”

“It's okay, I'll be sneaky!” 

“...Wow, your confidence is either stupid or just admirable at this point….” Barry weakly said as he glanced at Harrow who only shook his head helplessly.

“And if there's anybody to pick a fight with, I'll beat them up just like what I did to you guys!”

“Do you have to insult us in every sentence you say!?” Barry screeched out in annoyance before a smug smirk crawled up his face. “How are you even gonna buy snacks or whatever? Do you even have the money?” He asked without much expectation as Harrow nudged him on the side.

“Yep, here,” Bendy pulled out a wallet nonchalantly which made both ghosts gape at him with incredulous looks. Before the boy could even say anything, Harrow looked at him in fear as random thoughts poured into his head.

“...Wait, don't tell me, did you stole that from one of those two students yesterday!? Young master, I know you don't have a speck of common sense but you're gonna be killed!” He said as he looked at Bendy with worried and fearful eyes. He imagined Bendy smacked flat on the ground just like the state of the broken floor that Malleus caused. Harrow gulped at the thought, “Listen, young master. It's okay, we can solve this. Uhhhh, we'll find those students, schedule a meetup, and you can properly apologize!” The plump ghost explained carefully, ignoring how Barry had shouted to not include himself in the plan.

“You guys have such low trust in me! Friends don't steal from friends!” Bendy puffed out his cheeks and crossed his arms. “I found this in one of the old rooms a long time ago. Uhmm I don't know whose it is but when I checked, it still had some money in it,” Bendy rambled as he opened the wallet to show the few wrinkled and old paper money inside. “I don't know how much each of these actually cost or if it's enough to help me buy something so I thought maybe I could ask you guys for help…” He muttered quietly as he looked up at the two floating residences. Without a word, Barry only sighed exasperatedly before floating closer to the boy to check.

“Ehh… not much inside, but should be enough to buy a few things at least… Do you have any idea whose wallet this is?” The lanky ghost asked as he looked through the madols inside of the wallet. “I suppose there should be a school store in NRC. You can just tell'em what you want and show them the money. They'll do the counting for ya,” Barry explained as he shrugged lazily. Bendy nodded with a smile before putting the wallet back into the pocket of his pants and patting it for good measure.

“Hmmm, I found this in the huge room of the building and the top floor…” Bendy thought out loud as he looked upwards with a finger to his chin. “Hehe, I remember only Mom and Dad slept in that room. So I think this wallet could be either of theirs,” Bendy theorized as he grinned brightly. The boy looked as if he had just received a birthday present. However, this made both ghosts wince inwardly as they glanced at each other. “You don't think they would be mad if I used some of the money, right? Will I be punished?” 

“It's okay, they wouldn't notice if a few of their money were gone, young master. Your parents seemed to be rich if they could afford a big place like this a long time ago!” Harrow interjects immediately. Since Bendy talked about his parents yesterday, the ghost knew that the boy had lived alone for a long time waiting for his parents to return. Thus, seeing how long he held onto the wallet on his person must have signified how much Bendy missed them. 

The black-haired boy grinned at Barry and Harrow before he nodded. He asked if both spirits would join him in his venture. However, the two had other plans in mind which Bendy didn't mind. As they said their goodbyes, the young boy waved at them and watched as they disappeared. After sensing they had left, Bendy turned his head to the entrance door. Instead of the usual wooden door with the intrinsic and old pattern, dark paint covered the whole thing. 

“Hehe, worried? I'll be extra careful~” Bendy claims as the black door stands still unresponsive. Bendy paused as he realized that there was something else that bothered ‘him.’ Silence took the hallway as Bendy's grin lowered into a soft smile. Putting his hand on his hips, he leaned forward, “I'll make sure to come back no matter what.” 

It was unknown how long they stood there, basking in each other's presence before the door's height receded and its form slowly shrunk into a puddle of ink, disappearing quietly, leaving back the same old decrepit brown wooden door. 

Bendy took a step past the doorway's entrance. With his hands both spread wide childishly, he took a long deep breath, taking in the fresh air with closed eyes. After a second, he opened his eyes to take a look at the morning scenery before putting his arms back down. He floated upwards to have a better look at the vast land. 

His monochrome vision turned to the huge castle that stood far from his home. A maniacal grin spread across his face before the boy started floating in said direction. He didn't care if anyone saw him, what are they going to do anyway? In Bendy’s mind, he didn't think there could be anyone more terrifying than him. 

“School~ school~ friends~ Can't wait to see Malleus-san and Lilia-san again. Hehe, let's make some surpri— Oh! What the—”

As he continued to float further away from his home and closer to NRC, he started to feel sluggish. Bendy’s eyes widened as he noticed he was gradually dropping closer back to the ground. Confused, he let himself drop as his shoes landed on the grass. Bendy looked at himself as he checked around for any differences before turning around to look back in the direction of his home. With his quick thinking, Bendy made a recognizable noise as he snapped his fingers, “Hmm, this is troublesome… I suppose I need to be more careful from here on out.”

He clenched his hand, opened them back, and watched as the tips of his fingers slightly lost their form into drops of ink. He tries to float again. However, he couldn't go as high as before as he started feeling sluggish again. Bendy didn't seem disappointed as he continued unbothered at the fact that he got weaker. The further he was from his home, the weaker he got. He wondered if ‘he’ knew about this but Bendy shook his head. Nobody knows ‘him’ better than Bendy does and the latter knew that best friends wouldn't do such things as putting the other in a dangerous spot. Of course, with a particular motive behind it. 

Unperturbed, Bendy continued to move forward. With a giddy look, he skipped while humming to a certain tune. The scenery around him passed by and before he knew it, he was standing on a stone pathway leading towards the entrance of the school castle. Nonetheless, what made him stop and gape in amazement were the seven statues that stood tall on the sides. Each statue seemed to portray powerful and important figures.  

The boy stood in silence as he gaped in amazement and wonder observing the whole thing. A new feeling surged within him, for once, he felt nervous at the new area that he was about to explore. He felt thrilled before looking around to see if anybody was watching him. Then he heard a noise and Bendy’s head snapped immediately towards the direction. Without a word, Bendy’s whole body changed, his vision turned dark and his whole body shrunk into a puddle of ink. The liquid moved quickly behind a bush that was near one of the statues before a boy’s head slowly popped out to peek at the scene in front of him.

For the boy’s new and exciting venture today, he had woken up early to visit the school. And he remembered how Lilia-san told him what time they started school and how long each class was. So he wasn’t surprised to see some students come by from far. Some walked in groups while some alone holding onto a square-shaped object in their hands. Bendy wondered what those were since it seemed like it was common for the students to have them. 

“ — did you do the homework yet?”

“—’s been only a month into the school year and I already wanna go home…”

“There’s a guy in our class who already wants to build some sort of cafe in the school. People are crazy here!”

“—eard about the new Hearslabyul’s dorm head? He beat the previous dorm head just a week into the year! The first years we have this time are insane!”

Bendy listened to the chatters and murmurs between each student as his brain racked in trying to remember every single thing. However, most of the stuff that they mentioned were things that Bendy doesn’t know or quite have much knowledge of. It was as if he had joined some exclusive meeting discussing of some highly private pieces of information. 

Another thing that stood out to Bendy as he analyzed was the clothes that these students were wearing. He remembered how Malleus and Lilia also wore similar-looking clothes. Although, Lilia seemed to have a different style as his jacket wasn’t worn properly as Malleus did. It seemed that these clothes were a requirement to attend the school. 

Time passed by and no more students showed up in the vicinity. Emerging from his puddle of ink, Bendy stepped forward and looked back in the direction where the students went. With a finger on his chin, the boy mumbled, “...If I want to sneak into the school, I should make sure I look the part, right?” And as he said so, with a snap of his fingers, his plain white shirt and black pants converged and muddled into a dark liquid. It surrounded him and grew, wrapping around Bendy’s body and creating an extra layer around him. 

Gradually the blobs of ink took shape and outlined a new set of clothing around him, similar to the ones that the NRC students were wearing. Bendy hummed with satisfaction as he felt the black gloves that he was now wearing. As he checked around his new look, a mischievous grin crawled up across his face. “Now, let's go in, shall we?”

Chapter Text

As Bendy took his first step into the school grounds and passed the gates. He did notice the many buildings he passed by on the way to the big castle and knew that he should explore them later. However, he huffed, the school was first and foremost, more important than everything else! If Bendy hadn’t gone weaker, he would have easily just floated from his home upwards into the castle. As he looked around, Bendy realized that there were statues on each side of the road. And on each of these monuments, powerful-looking figures stood tall. Most of them seemed to look like humans but there was also a woman with tentacles and a lion. 

Bendy took a few steps toward one of the statues. Particularly the one where a woman with a huge bountiful dress holding a scepter in her hand. She looked pompous and had a heart-shaped collar that fit her neck. As Bendy was about to read the attached text on the statue to learn more about the person. Another voice piped up from his side, eliciting a small jump from Bendy.

“What are you doing dawdling around when classes are about to start?”

Bendy turned around to see a boy, a bit shorter than him standing with one hand on his hip and the other holding a briefcase. Bendy didn't say anything but only grinned back at the imposing boy who was glaring back with a suspicious and condescending look. They stared at each other for a while before the red-haired boy grew irritated. 

“Are you mute or something? Answer the question or else I will behead you myself!” The student ordered, raising his voice higher and this time Bendy did react. The ramshackle boy put both of his hands up as if a gun was pointed at him. With the same grin, he laughed childishly. The unexpected response caused the other boy to widen his eyes and raise both his eyebrows in surprise. 

“Hehe, sorry sorry~ I'm a bit lost actually,” Bendy giggled childishly. “My name is Bendy. What's your name?” He asked nonchalantly which made the opposite boy seem to relax his glare a bit.

“Hmm? Lost? It's the third week into the school year, I suppose there are still some who are unfamiliar with the school’s layout,” the red-haired boy mumbled quietly. “Which class are you in?” He continued to ask and Bendy tilted his head in confusion. 

“Glass? Oh, class? What's that?” Bendy asked curiously which made the red-haired boy gape at him.

“You don’t know what your class is…?” the NRC student asked in a daze as he looked away, downwards, and started muttering in a low voice. “A transfer perhaps? How else could he be wearing the school's uniform?” He looked back at Bendy who was still smiling innocently and the red-haired student sweatdropped before clearing his throat as if he had decided on something.

“Pardon my rudeness before. You may call me Riddle, Riddle Rosehearts, first year, class 1-A, and Heartslabyul's dorm head,” Riddle introduced himself with one hand on his chest, somehow looking more pompous than before. His long introduction made him look more regal and powerful, it blinded Bendy for a bit. “I suppose since you are not familiar around here. As a fellow student, I shall teach you the rules and bring you to the principal,” the first-year student claimed confidently, leaving no room for any refusal. He pulled on his left wrist to look at his watch, “we still have a bit of time left. Follow me.”

Throughout the whole time Riddle was spouting words left and right, Bendy's focus was elsewhere. After all, he didn't know if he should even trust this person or not. Technically, he wanted to sneak around the school secretly. But now, his cover had been blown. Although, thanks to Bendy's new clothes, Riddle seemed to think that he was part of the school. So when the red-haired boy finished talking and was about to turn around, Bendy decided to innocently confirm something with the other boy. “Riddle-san, do you know Malleus-san by any chance?”

The Heartslabyul’s dorm head stilled in his movement before he turned his head back at Bendy with a wide and aghast look, his face looking paler than before. “M-Malleus-senpai!? Are you perhaps acquainted with that person!?” Riddle’s voice almost went shrill as his pupils wavered. On the other hand, his reaction made Bendy’s grin even wider as he nodded excitedly.

“We’re friends!”

“...friends…” Riddle mumbled out loud as if he couldn’t believe what he heard.

“Hehe, since you seemed to know him, that means you’re a friend too! Let’s go!” Bendy cheered and before Riddle could react, the taller boy grabbed the latter’s hand and pulled. This elicited a surprised shout from Riddle who only gawked at their interaction and turned red. 

“Unhand me this instance! It’s rude to touch another person without their permission!” Riddle shouted, his face burning with anger and embarrassment. “Has your mother never taught you any manners!?” The dorm head continued to shout and at his words, Bendy stopped in his tracks and turned around. The black-haired boy dropped their joined hands and looked directly at Riddle with the same unsettling grin.

“I see, I see, okay. Sorry!”

“Eh?” Riddle blinked in shock, not expecting how the boy had listened to him so easily.

“My mother doesn't talk to me much so I didn't know. Okay, so permission comes first, right?” Bendy nodded as he asked back, ignoring how Riddle gave him an incredulous look. “They say friends hold hands so I thought maybe you wouldn't mind. Malleus-san seemed to be okay with me pulling on his clothes yesterday and stuff… Hmm… Okay, can I hold your hand then?” 

The words poured out of his mouth like a waterfall which left Riddle spluttering when he heard what the boy did to Malleus. However, Riddle shook his head as Bendy's words sunk into him. A flash of his own strict childhood experience crossed his mind and realizing what Bendy might have gone through, Riddle's eyes softened as he let out an exasperated sigh. “Alright, I permit you to hold my hand. And I will be the one to take the lead since you don't even know where you're going,” Riddle ordered with an icy glare. However, this doesn't seem to faze Bendy who only brightened and nodded furiously in response. 

The excited reaction from the black-haired boy sent Riddle into a fluttering mess. “O-Only once, okay!? There's no next time!” Riddle added quickly which Bendy ignored as the latter immediately grabbed back the red-haired boy's left hand and beamed.

“Let's go~ Let's go~”

The dorm head seemed to look more tired than he was before, thinking that he didn't expect his morning to start so energetically. However, with the bouncing boy beside him, Riddle couldn't help but be carried away by his energy which made the NRC student give a sympathetic smile. “Alright, let us go. A student should be punctual and not be late to class.”

As they started walking, Bendy took in the scenery and watched in thrill as the castle building became bigger. He noticed the path was going upwards and more students were hanging around by the sidewalks. Bendy couldn't help but observe the events happening around him while being pulled by Riddle. Noticing the boy’s silence, Riddle glanced back at him.

“That reminds me, how old are you, Bendy-san?”

Bendy's head immediately snapped back from looking around and grinned. “16 years old!” The answer made Riddle blink in amusement.

“We are of the same age then. I would have thought since you are… uhh… friends … with that person, you would be older,” Riddle hesitantly explained, still unsure of the relationship between Bendy and Diasomnia's dorm head. “I see, I suppose we could be in the same class together.”

“Same class? What's a class?”

Riddle only sighed at the question, “How could the principal be so ignorant of a transfer student not knowing their class baffles me. That man truly isn't fit to be a principal,” The boy rambled, his irritation growing by the second at the thought of the principal not doing his job properly. “He needs to be taught the proper rules— Wait…” Riddle’s words trailed off as he snapped back at the curiously bright face that Bendy was wearing.

“...you don't know what a ‘class’ is!?” 

“Is it like glass? You use it to drink water, right? Hmm, does that mean I can be in the same place with you?” Bendy asked as he tilted his head and stared at the gaping Riddle. The latter only took a second to recompose himself as he cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Somehow, that logic is not wrong…” Riddle sweatdropped as he sighed. “Class is like a category. In a school context, classes are how we categorize or group students. Additionally, they are the rooms that the students are categorized into where they are taught together,” the boy explained carefully, to which Bendy nodded attentively. Seeing this, Riddle couldn't help but be more curious about the boy. “Bendy, to not know of something that basic… Where did you come from?” The Heartslabyul student asked, dropping the honorific since they were the same age. 

“I live in the building there!” He said as he pointed in the direction where his home. Since the school castle was at a higher level than the old building, it was easy to view what was down below. As Riddle followed where the boy pointed, his face turned into disgust at the sight of the old and haunted-looking place.

“...you live there?” 

“Yep!” 

“Even from afar, that place looks utterly broken, no human should live in such places,” Riddle said, his voice turning cold. On the other hand, Bendy just giggled. Riddle turned to the unbothered look that the black-haired boy was wearing, “Seeing as how you seemed to not care… I suppose it wouldn't matter if the person living in the building is so happy. Your taste is left undesired.” 

Bendy only grinned happily, “Yep! It's my home. Riddle-san, you can visit too if you'd like.” The sudden invite made Riddle chuckle as he gave a pitying look back at Bendy. However, with his invite, the latter was already running through thousands of ideas to surprise Riddle if he had visited.

“Inviting someone you just barely met is a height of folly. Be more prudent. After all, this is NRC we're talking about here,” Riddle explained, his smile turning smug which Bendy wanted to point out that what Riddle said also included himself. 

“Are NRC people bad?” Bendy questioned with a brow raised. This only left Riddle giving back a flat look. 

“...Do you live under a rock or something? Have you not heard about NRC before coming here?” Riddle asked with a ridiculed look. His eyes then stared at Bendy critically as if he just realized something. “...Also, control yourself better.” Bendy's smile faltered, showing a confused look. 

“You are leaking out a lot of magic. It is unfit for an NRC student to not know how to control one’s power,” Riddle cautioned as he pointed at Bendy who gave a wide look. The red-haired boy’s grey eyes hardened as he remembered what the boy had briefly mentioned a while back. “However, you should have learned how to do this since you were young. If you require any help, as a fellow student, I do not mind lending a hand.” 

“Hehe, you’re nice, Riddle-san~”

“ Haahh … those are words of a foolishly naive person. Had you known me any better, perhaps you wouldn’t consider me nice. I’m helping you only because it is something expected of an exemplary student,” Riddle scoffed as he closed his eyes. Compared to Malleus and Lilia who seemed to be more laidback and outgoing, Bendy regarded Riddle to be more strict and noble. As they continued to walk towards the castle, Bendy only continued to smile at the red-haired boy who seemed to continue on a tangent on how the ramshackle boy is naive and foolish.

When both boys stepped inside the castle, Bendy was awed at the architecture and the high stone walls. Compared to his home, everything was much bigger and more spacious. If Bendy wasn’t following Riddle, he would have run off and explored every inch of this place. The boy noticed that there were even more students inside and as both Riddle and him walked across the hallway, those students whispered around him. Bendy raised both brows curiously, listening to them silently.

“Hey, isn’t that Riddle? The guy who just became Heartslabyul’s dorm head in a week? Just look at the way he walks is terrifying…”

“I’ve heard that the guy is all about rules and strictness. Man, being in Heartslabyul must be tough…”

“—Don’t get me started. As soon as he became the dorm head, we were all forced to remember hundreds of those rules!”

“Who does he think he is, being a first-year and already the dorm head? Does he have no respect for his seniors—”

“Who the hell is he walking with? Holy shit, is he holding ha— Urk !”

Nobody saw him move, even Riddle didn’t. One second, Bendy was still holding onto Riddle’s hand and the next second, the brown-haired guy that was whispering was now held up against the stone walls. The wall behind the student cracked slightly at the sudden force. The stranger choked out and gripped at the gloved hand that was wrapped around his neck. He had a wide look as his eyes met a pair of blank and flat obsidian eyes. The owner was none other than Bendy who still had the same grin as he usually does. The students around him let out surprised shouts as they took a few steps back in fear.

“—urgh… l-let go…!”

“—where the hell did he come from!? Wasn’t he over there with that dorm head?”

“H-Hey, should we go call a teacher here?”

Bendy didn’t say a word as he continued to stare, increasing his fingers around the pathetic neck of the guy. “Hey, say it again, why don’t you~ Friends shouldn’t talk behind other friends, right? C’mon, hehe, isn’t it fun? Doesn’t your neck feel great as it tightens?” Bendy cheerily questioned as his eyes crinkled with satisfaction and glee. Despite his cheery tone, anybody could tell that there was something dead and cold beneath it all.

“Bendy, stop this instance!”

A familiar shout was heard from behind as Bendy glanced backward to see Riddle stomping towards him with a furious look. Seeing this, Bendy loosened his hand that was wrapped around the other student’s neck. The brown-haired student dropped to the floor, losing consciousness. “What do you think you’re doing!? Causing a fight between students is not permitted!” Riddle barked out as he glared at Bendy.

Bendy stared back for a second, he looked at the same hand he had used to choke the poor student. He turned back to meet Riddle’s seething glare before tilting his head innocently. “Isn’t it simple? He was talking bad about you?” Bendy asked straightforwardly which left Riddle to pause and give him a bewildered look.

“W-What!?”

“He was talking bad about you and you’re my friend. Should I have not done that?” Bendy repeated naively, looking more confused and ignoring the quiet scuffles behind him. On the other hand, Riddle’s face turned slightly red as a blush crept onto his face. The dorm head immediately shook it off before sighing.

“Learn to control yourself. I could have handled them myself. Causing a fight would get you into more unnecessary trouble,” Riddle chided as he stepped to the side to glare at the fallen-down student who was slowly regaining his consciousness. “And you . Had you kept going, I would have beheaded you and everybody else here myself whether you were Heartslabyul or not. Talking behind other students is ruining NRC’s reputation, learn to behave .” He swept across the surroundings with his grey cold eyes at everybody who immediately straightened themselves as if they were military soldiers.

The red-haired boy turned back to Bendy who seemed to be grinning at him brightly. Without a word, Riddle took Bendy’s hand without asking and pulled him back in the direction they were walking. They were both silent for a few seconds while Bendy seemed to continue enjoying the courtyard they were passing through. It was as if nothing had happened a few seconds ago. His jet-black eyes landed on the apples that were hanging from the tree. His eyes sparkled for a moment and was about to call out to Riddle before the boy himself asked back instead.

“Why did you have to do that?”

“Hm?”

“You didn’t have to bother yourself with that guy for my sake. It’s more important to uphold the rules to stay safe,” Riddle stated without looking back as Bendy felt the dorm head’s hand tightened around his hand. “We are in NRC, it is expected for students here to act incredulous and barbaric.” Bendy blinked in amusement at the statements and he wondered what Riddle was trying to confirm with him. The black-haired boy only thought that what he did was to be expected from any normal friend.

“Because you are a friend,” Bendy answered again but Riddle didn’t respond. Seeing this, Bendy furrowed his brows in consideration, “Hmm, rules are important and it is made to be followed. But I’d like to think friends are above rules.” 

“That is stupid!” Riddle shouted back, suddenly turning to face Bendy who had to pause himself from crashing into the dorm head. “Friends are nothing. Rules are meant to be followed and anybody who breaks them is nothing short but foolish and will fail. It seems I need to drill them into your head,” the dorm head venomously spat out as he emphasized his last few words strongly. Unfazed, Bendy only nodded diligently like a good student.

“Okay!” Bendy agreed nonchalantly which made Riddle spluttered, his face looking baffled than ever. “I’ll try my best to follow the rules but there’s no saying that I don't care for my friends,” The monochrome boy smiled as he continued. “Hehe, isn’t this like a game? Riddle-san, you can still be yourself and follow the rules but you can try to stop me from caring about your wellbeing. After all, I’m such a good friend~” 

“Wha— wha—” Riddle gaped with his mouth wide open, his face burning red for the many times today as he processed the other’s words. From his facial expression, Bendy couldn’t tell if the boy was angry or just embarrassed this time around. “Is that a challenge I hear!? To dare to challenge me…! You ought to— woah!” Riddle was cut mid-sentence when Bendy decided that he wanted to continue walking while talking. The latter pulled the still-flaming Riddle who screamed ughiiii across the open courtyard and into another hallway. Bendy wondered if he could find this principal’s office faster than Riddle did. If he did, he could go and pick out the apples that were hanging from the courtyard’s trees. After all, the purpose of his being in NRC was to bring back snacks and teas.

However, all thoughts were dashed from his mind when his vision spun and now all he sees is Riddle’s face accompanied by his venomous glare. Their faces were merely inches away from each other and Bendy realized it was his turn now to be pinned against the stone walls. Riddle’s briefcase had been dropped onto the floor as he used that same hand to pin Bendy against the partition. Their joined hands were still together but this time, Riddle had used it to pin the dark-haired boy’s other side. Despite the intense atmosphere, Bendy could only be amazed at how much strength Riddle had. Considering how Riddle seemed to be angry many times today, the ramshackle boy wondered if he was going to start growing white hairs soon.

“Heh, still have that same look on your face. Truly you know no fear. I’ll make you regret challenging me like that,” Riddle scoffed, his lips lifted into a smug smile as his eyes narrowed. “And didn’t you hear me? I’m the one taking the lead .” A pregnant silence took over for a minute as Riddle’s words hung in the air like a judge having made a decision that no one could disobey. His authoritative aura was nothing like when Bendy first met him. The latter didn’t say a word which left Riddle looking satisfied as he let go of Bendy. With a grin, the black-haired boy continued to smile happily as Riddle scoffed and pulled their joined hands again towards the direction in which the principal’s office was. Far behind them, around the corner, two random students peeked out their heads.

“So I think we just saw something forbidden…”

“Man, I thought that guy was going to be killed by that Riddle!”

“No no, that’s not what I meant. For a second, I thought the genre of this whole thing was going to change into something else… like, it was pretty heated there, y’know…”

“ Hahhh… ? What are you talking about, dude? No way that guy would survive Riddle…”

Chapter Text

The two continued to walk. With the events that happened a while back, anybody would've thought that Riddle and Bendy had known each other for years. However, in reality, it had only been less than an hour. Bendy continued to listen to the many rules a student should follow from Riddle. Occasionally, the former would ask questions back which Riddle would answer them with a huff of confidence. The dorm head had even decided to tell Bendy the many rules in Heartslabyul as well. And to be honest, Bendy's brain couldn't keep up with the genius mind that is Riddle Rosehearts. So when Bendy had enough, he decided to change the topic instead.

“So, who is the principal? Or what is it?” 

“...your basic knowledge is quite worrisome. I'm starting to think I should lend you a dictionary or perhaps teach you myself,” Riddle asked flatly as they both went upstairs. “Who we are meeting is the principal. He is basically the head of the school and has the highest authority in managing the school,” Riddle explained as they stood in front of a door. However, unlike other doors, this one was slightly bigger and had a more luxurious pattern compared to the others. 

“Alright, we're finally here.”

Hearing Riddle's words made Bendy panicked for a second. After all, the ramshackle boy wasn't a real student! If they found out that he had been a trespasser, surely this principal and Riddle himself would end him on the spot. Before Bendy could even say anything, Riddle had let go of his hand and opened the door without asking.

“Headmaster Crowley, I'm here to speak with you about a particular matter.”

“What's with the students here not knowing how to knock !? Ahhh, I'm so nice as a headmaster aren't I?” A frustrated benign voice was heard from the inside. A man with a crow mask and top hat leaning was seen sitting at his office desk. Crowley looked up as his yellow eyes blinked, “Aha! Mr. Rosehearts, it's you. What is it that you require?”

Riddle shook his head as he looked back at Crowley. “No, it's not me who requires your assistance. I found this student, his name is Bendy. I presumed that he's a transfer student who got lost and doesn't know which class that he's in. I just thought of bringing him here so that you can help him get sorted out,” Riddle explained perfectly in order as he held his free hand open to the side. Hearing this, Crowley could only continue blinking in amusement at the sight. Not noticing this, Riddle decided to check on his watch before looking back up. “That’s all. Then, I’ll be taking my le—”

“Uhmm… Mr. Rosehearts, I'm sorry to interrupt you,” Crowley nervously said as he pointed his index finger towards Riddle's left side. “I don't see anyone there.”

Riddle's eyes widened as he immediately snapped his head to where he thought Bendy was. However, nobody was there except for a lonely breeze of air. Riddle's eyes twitched in annoyance, he turned around to check the surrounding hallways only to see nothing but an empty hallway with some unfamiliar students chilling around. “ That little— ” The red-haired boy seethed out as his face turned slightly red again.

Knowing that the renowned Heartslabyul's new dorm head would never make such a weird mistake and to prevent the boy from exploding in his office, Crowley had immediately searched through the list of students. This is the one rare moment where he decided acting as a principal is better for the sake of his office. At this point, Riddle had marched back into Crowley's office. “Headmaster, I apologize for my rudeness, I will find that boy and bring him he—”

“He's not on the list.”

“Eh?” Riddle paused in his words, face turning back to normal as he stared at Crowley who seemed to be reading through stacks of papers. “Could you elaborate on that?”

“He's not on the list of the students enrolled here and so far, we only have one student in consideration for a transfer next month,” Crowley said as he put one finger to his chin in thought. Then they both turned to each other and stared. As they both connected the information together, Riddle's hand that had at some point gripped onto the edge of Crowley's desk cracked. 

“Mr. Rosehearts! I'm not sure why you are so angry but please spare my precious desk from being obliterated by your monstrous strength!!” Crowley cried out as he stood up and tried to calm down the red-haired dorm head. However his worries were not heard because all that was in Riddle’s head was just but one person. 

After a moment of silence as Crowley stood stiff in confusion and wary, it was as if he was trying not to wake a still sleeping lion. Riddle regained his composure as he stood straight again. Although his face seemed normal, anybody could tell that the Heartslabyul's dorm head was holding himself back as he gave a cold smile at Crowley who quacked in shock. “No worries, Headmaster. I apologize for causing an unnecessary ruckus. I'll find this trespasser and behead him for fooling me,” He said between his gritted teeth which made Crowley squeaked. 

“W-Well,” Crowley cleared his throat as he also collected himself. “It shouldn't even be possible for any stranger to come and go to NRC without some sort of invitation or permission. This person could harbor some ill intent if not dealt quickly. Can you tell me more about this person?” Crowley questioned, his golden eyes glowing from his mask. Riddle nodded, bringing his gloved hand to his chin in thought. Bendy had been a very cheerful and naive person who barely knew anything about NRC. If he had wanted to do something malicious, the boy had many chances to do so.

Him and Riddle were perfectly alone at the Great Sevens statues area. It would have been perfect for an ambush there but the boy didn't do anything except wanting to hold Riddle's hand. At the thought of this, Riddle's brow twitched in annoyance in remembering the event. Additionally, there was no need for Bendy to stand up for him in the castle. He also lives within NRC grounds, so to do anything threatening would only bring more harm to him than the school. The only thing that Bendy had been spouting foolishly were things about wanting friends and such.

“...I don't think he has any ulterior motives per se. So far, he had exhibited interest only in incomprehensible things like friendship and such. In fact, he didn't know much about the school and seemed genuine. To be honest, he lacks the common knowledge to even do anything,” Riddle finished with a serious face which the Headmaster responded with a flat look. It had seemed as if the Heartslabyul's dorm head was calling the threat too stupid to be of any danger. “However I do think we still need to capture him as soon as possible. A trespasser is still one and it's better to be cautious than risking it.” 

Crowley nodded in agreement, “I'll take a look at this matter, do not worry Mr. Rosehearts.” The man looked back at the clock. “Actually, classes are about to start. So why don't you come back later during lunch?” 

“That was within my plans too, Headmaster. Alright, I'll see you at lunch then. It's imperative that I must be in class on time even with the hassles that happened this morning,” Riddle answered, his last words sharp like a knife. His gray eyes had darkened significantly as he turned and walked towards the door without waiting for Crowley's words. The adult didn't mind either. In fact, he appreciated even more that the furious Heartslabyul's dorm head was leaving his office peacefully. 

As Riddle shut the door behind him, he gripped his briefcase's handle tightly. “To fool me and pretend to be a student… Just you wait, when I get my hands on him, I swear it won't be just beheading I'll do…!” Riddle fumed as he continued to walk down the stairs and into his classroom that was already filled with many students. As he opened the door, the students nearby it jumped in fear at the sight of him. They scrambled away, distancing themselves away from Riddle who had glared towards them. His mood had turned much sour then and his left hand tingled from the missing warmth he was already used to from this morning's events. 

“ Hehhh , it's Kingyo-chan~ You're much later than your usual time today~” A high-pitched slurred voice could be heard close by as Riddle turned his icy glare towards the Octavinelle student, Floyd Leech, who unfortunately is his classmate. “What's with that look? You seem to be much moodier than usual, eh~ Keep doing that and I'll squeeze you~” His voice dropped by an octave at the end of his sentence. 

“Floyd Leech,” Riddle seethed as he gritted his teeth at the eel. “Call me with that stupid name again and I'll be the one squeezing your neck with a nice collar,” the boy responded with a cold tone although his lips turned into a smug smile. Electricity sparked between their eye-contact and Floyd's eyes crinkled dangerously back.

Within a month, the Octavinelle student was already renowned along with his twin brother. Their overwhelming height and indescribable merman strength are not to be laughed at. But what's worse was their twisted personalities hidden beneath their merciful acts.

“Aha! Are you threatening me? Just cause now you have a new crown, doesn't mean I can't sweep it off from you…!” Floyd threw back as his smile dropped into a frown, sharp teeth showing themselves towards Riddle. “After all, you're still just a small fish,” the Octavinelle student spat out. His last words seemed to have been Riddle's deal breaker as the dorm head's fist tightened much further. Everybody in the room for sure heard a crack somewhere.

“You have some nerve to say that to me as the Heartslabyul's dorm head—” Riddle managed as his face erupted into flames, his eyes wide in anger. “I'll have your head!” He shouted which elicited shrieks from the other students. At this point, Riddle had already pulled out his magical pen alongside Floyd with his. All rationality had been thrown out the window as both leaked out their own magic power aggressively against each other.

“Hah! Kingyo-chan, you sure are in a bad mood, today~ You sure you can win against me?” 

“I'll have you know that I didn't become a dorm head in a week from merely playing around foolishly like you!”

“Guys, let's just calm down for a bit, okay?” A flat voice interjected which immediately cut off the tension between Floyd and Riddle. They both turned to see none other than Jamil Viper standing with his arms crossed. His gray eyes swept between the two agitated students before sighing. “Crewel will be here any minute now. I don't think anybody here would want to receive any of his scolding.”

“Tch. Umihebi-kun, you're so boring.”

“...I apologize, my emotions got over me for a second there. Thank you for the reminder, Jamil-kun,” Riddle sighed as he shook his head, feeling a headache from all that has transpired. On the other hand, Jamil shrugged as he scanned around the classroom, the other students crowded in one corner at the opposite side. They were practically huddled together from the furthest point of the conflict. As Floyd Leech lost his interest, he turned around to walk back to his seat. 

Seeing as there was no further instigation, the cornered students slowly dispersed, walking back to each of their own seats. Without much word, Jamil and Riddle also followed. The latter settled his briefcase in the open and empty drawer of his seat. Fortunately for him, his seat was next to the window. This allowed him much relaxation and access to the scenery outside. All is well, until Floyd Leech sat behind him of course. All peacefulness was destroyed as Riddle had to keep his guard for whatever the eel was going to do.

Jamil had gone to talk with a few other students in the room. Some had thanked him for neutralizing the fight from a few minutes ago. However, this doesn't cease the whispers that still spread between other students.

“Hiiee— so scary! How the hell are we in the same class with two of the scariest students…!”

“Did you forget we also have literally the scariest homeroom teacher?”

“Shush your mouth. Do you wanna die!?”

“They can practically hear you, morons.”

“Cease your pathetic barkings, you mutts! Get into your seats!” An authoritative voice boomed followed by the slam of the door being opened harshly. Every single student immediately scrambled in a panic except for Jamil who casually walked to his seat. A tall man wearing a heavy black-and-white furry coat walked in elegantly. His ash-colored eyes swept across the room like a hawk before narrowing his eyes which sent shivers down almost every student in the room. 

“Why do I sense some magic presence at the entranceway?” Divus Crewel questioned as he held his teacher pointer with his right hand and pointed at the location. Nobody answered him and for a moment, an awkward silence filled the room except for the nonchalant yawn from Floyd. “Stop your disgusting yawning, Leech. At least cover your mouth! Since all the mutts here seem to be mutes… Jamil, answer!” Crewel ordered as he pointed his black stick at the Scarabia student. The called boy nodded as Floyd muttered something about teachers being annoying.

“Yes, Riddle and Floyd almost got into another fight. However, it didn't go any further this time around,” Jamil answered diligently and at his response, Crewel turned to the two mentioned students. Unbothered, Riddle returned his steely gaze back with his own silver eyes. 

“Apologies Crewel-sensei. I will be more prudent in the future.” 

“You better, I expect many things from you, puppy. And you, Leech! Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

At the call of his name, Floyd only whined in annoyance as he threw both his arms out, “ahhhhh…. Whatever~ It's just some little squabble. It's not like anything is broken.” However, his answer didn't relent Crewel's daggered gaze from moving so Floyd clicked his tongue. “Fine~ I’m sorry. Geez, doesn't mean I'm not doing it again though~”  He continued, although his last sentence was mumbled in a more hushed tone. 

“I know it hasn’t been long since all of you have been attending NRC. This school has a reputation to uphold and I will not let the mutts in my class be the ones to destroy it. Do you hear me!” Crewel barked out as he slapped the stick in his hand onto the wooden podium. “Alright, let us start homeroom now,” the teacher continued with elegance as he continued to talk about the events coming up and for the month and what is expected for each student.

“As you may know, in about two weeks, the inter-dorm magift tournament is about to take place. I know you mutts are excited but do be aware that we have many guests and people coming from all around the world. These people could be your chance at your future careers and whatnot. Additionally, everything will be broadcasted live on TV so have some awareness and be at your best behaviours.”

As Crewel continue to lecture long about the event, its informations, and rules, everybody in class began to tremble in excitement at the thought of tournament. Although, they are only first years, it was no doubt that everyone wanted to be part of their dorm’s magift team.

During this time, Riddle had been listening attentively. As the Heartslabyul’s new dorm head, he wasn’t too surprised, he had known about the event from the recent housewarden meeting. With a pen in his hand, he wrote down all the necessary things to remember on his notes. However, his mind couldn't help but go back to a particular black-haired that was always smiling and laughing. The fact that Bendy had managed to worm past and fooled him completely frustrated Riddle to no end. As the housewarden of Heartslabyul, he should've known better. Furrowing his brows, he couldn't help but remember when the boy had ignorantly challenged him back in such a giddy tone. 

There was no way the boy could have left so quickly. If he had come all the way to NRC, there has to be a reason why he was here. While listening to Crewel talking, Riddle multitasks into thinking about all of the possibilities of what Bendy wanted and where he could be. The strange boy doesn't even know where the principal's office was! Nothing makes sense! As Riddle continued to brainstorm and planned his route on hunting the boy, he glanced outside towards the window.

The weather had been nothing but perfect as it shines down on the open courtyard. Riddle's silver eyes gazed downwards at the field and his soft smile turned into a wide gape as he noticed something or somebody seemed to be standing on a tree branch and reaching out for the apples hanging from the trees. If he wasn't in class, he would have dropped his pen and charged towards the black-haired boy that was in the courtyard. Riddle's eyes turned furious as he couldn't help but glare down at the scene in front of him. 

There, Bendy stood happily as he picked up another apple from the tree. With his other arm, he was already carrying more than two apples. After he had managed to escape from Riddle by turning himself into a puddle of ink, Bendy rushed to hide in a safe spot, blending into the cracks of the stone walls. It wasn't like he hated Riddle. However, by turning himself in, especially to somebody with such high authority like the principal sounds like too much trouble for Bendy. 

When he saw Riddle pass by, that's when he emerged from his puddle and decided to go back to the courtyard where he last saw the apples. From then, he started picking them one-by-one without a care in the world. As he was humming a melody, he sensed a gaze from afar and couldn't help but turn towards that direction. Once again, Bendy's dark eyes met the familiar narrowed gray eyes and the former couldn't help but grin brightly.

Riddle couldn't help but stiffen again as he watched Bendy waving at him innocently from the tree branch. Perhaps, because of the sudden movements, Bendy's feet slipped and Riddle had to hold himself from shouting from the second floor like a maniac. The red-haired boy immediately relaxed when he saw Bendy skillfully balanced himself back with ease. The ramshackle boy took a second to regain himself before looking back at Riddle who flinched. As if he had achieved something, Bendy threw a v-sign with his free hand, symbolizing his victory.

The sudden action caused the Heartslabyul's dorm head to hold his laugh before he shook it off as soon as possible. He focused himself back to Crewel as he thought of the many ways to punish the trespasser named Bendy. Perhaps, locking him with a collar and making him listen to at least the 300 rules of the Heartslabyul's dorm would be good. The student seemed satisfied with this as he turned his focus back at Crewel's lecture.

Observing from behind, a pair of heterochromia eyes watched with interest. He had noticed how Riddle acted differently since the dorm head stepped into the room. And with the recent reactions bringing it together, Floyd Leech turned his eyes towards the mysterious boy standing on the tree branch. The eel's eyes crinkled in mirth as his lips tugged into a genial smile. An idea popped into his head as he lifted his left hand high up lazily. “Ishidai-sensei~ I need to go to the washroom~”

Crewel had immediately snapped his head towards the student and regarded Floyd carefully without a word. Nobody dared to speak a word as Floyd waited patiently for Crewel's affirmation. Finally, Crewel sighed as he nodded, “Fine, go then. And don't you dare run off!” The teacher reminded sharply while Floyd only yawned as he stood up. His 190cm height stood tall amongst the seated students. Some let out squeaks in fear as they watched the merman hover over their much tinier bodies.

“Okay~ See ya later~” Floyd sang as he closed the door of the classroom. Everybody stood quiet before Crewel slammed his dark stick onto the podium, jumpscaring almost everybody. 

“Don't be distracted, mutts!”

Jamil, who had watched Floyd leave only sighed tiredly. Resting his chin in one hand lazily, he slowly glanced back at Floyd's now empty seat and mumbled, “that guy isn't coming back at all.”

Chapter Text

“...three… four…. five… right, that's probably enough for ‘him’, Malleus-san, Lilia-san…” Bendy trailed off as he sat on the branch of the tree. He swung his legs back and forth before looking back up at the second floor of the castle. “Hehe, if Riddle-san comes by, that makes four! I guess I can keep the last one for myself!” The boy excitedly laughed as he picked one of the apples in his hand.

When he saw Riddle again from outside, the dorm head had a look of aghast and fury for a brief instant. However, Bendy didn't care and only thought about how fun it would be to share an apple with him later. From time to time, the Heartslabyul student would glance downwards to check on Bendy as if making sure that the trespasser was still in his sight. 

As Bendy took his time basking in the sunlight and enjoying the view of the peaceful courtyard, a high-pitched and slurred voice rang from below. “Hehhhh~ Looks like you're having fun over there~” Bendy looked down with wide eyes as his obsidian eyes met a pair of yellow and olive-brown eyes crinkled with mirth. The boy was awed at the unique haircut the other guy had, a short straight cut with a part of his hair being a long streak of a darker one on the side.

“Hello~” Bendy responded with the same slurred tone as he waved innocently with his free hand. 

“Ahh? Are you mocking me?” The tall man questioned, his voice dropping down by an octave as he showed a threatening smile. 

Not noticing the negative energy emitting from the student, Bendy jumped down from the tree to stand in front of the handsome guy. With his other arm still carrying the apples, Bendy used his right hand to measure his height difference with the student and gaped in shock. “Holy! You're so tall! How did you get so tall? Tell me!”

On the other hand, Floyd only gave an annoyed and bewildered stare back. “Not telling you anything, kid~ What's with you? You're just a pipsqueak. I was wondering why Kingyo-Chan was flailing so much,” He grumbled slowly, losing interest in the kid. Bendy blinked in confusion as he tilted his head.

“Kingyo-chan?” 

Without a word, Floyd turned his chin upward as if pointing in a particular direction. Bendy followed as his vision landed back on Riddle's form who seemed to be ten times more furious than before. The boy had a wide look, his silver eyes looking like they could freeze the surroundings. However, it seemed that the target of his anger wasn't on Bendy anymore but on the other student.

“Ah, Riddle-san. Why does he always look so angry all the time?” The boy questioned out loud which earned an amused choke of laugh from the new student. “Kingyo…” He turned back to the tall man with sparkles in his eyes. “So cool! Do you use nicknames for friends?” Bendy quipped as he inched closer towards Floyd.

“Oh yeah, sorry, I should've introduced myself! My name is Bendy, what's yours?” Bendy introduced as his grin widened while Floyd only looked back disgusted.

“Told you I'm telling nothing~ are you hard of hearing? Aha, you're so dumb,” Floyd casually attacks without much thought which makes Bendy's grin even wider. “Why do you keep smiling like that? It's weird~” 

“They say, smiling helps give a friendly impression and make friends,” Bendy explained as he giggled. Before Floyd could say anything else, his breath sucked to a halt as he watched the black-haired boy's left arm lose its shape and turn liquid black. Sensing the increase in magic usage, the merman's pupils turned to slits. In a matter of seconds and with frightening speed, Floyd launched his right hand to take hold of the boy’s neck and pushed him backward. With his other arm, the Octavinelle student had already grabbed his pen in his pants pocket for any surprise attacks. 

Bendy’s back slammed into the tree behind him harshly and the boy coughed in surprise as he felt the tree shake a little. He winced at the impact and speed before looking back at Floyd’s threatening smile that was showing his teeth. For a second, the black-haired boy marveled at the sight of them. If he wasn't in such a precarious position, he would have forcibly opened the other's mouth to get a better look.

“Hey~ Just what are you trying to do, huh~ Do anything and I’ll squeeze you dry—

However Bendy didn't say a word as his ink-covered arm split into two chunks. The upper one turned back and shaped into his original arm like it was nothing, still carrying the apples with the same arm. During all of this, the one below muddled, elongated and looped around his arm to shape itself into a black basket made out of ink. 

Letting go of his hold on the apples, the fruits dropped into the hardened ink basket cozily. Bendy grinned as he watched Floyd's suspicious look move to the basket. Bendy was unfazed by the tight hold he felt around his neck as he stretched out the basket that dangled from his left arm.

“Can you hold this?”

“...Are you for real?”

Floyd's incredulous gaze made eye contact with Bendy's blank ones. His hand that held Bendy's neck loosened and slowly let go. “You're asking me to do something when I was still squeezing you? What's with you, you piss me off,” the student spat out as he glared at the smaller boy. Losing interest, Floyd was just about to turn around and leave when Bendy smiled.

“If you hold this for me, we can do something entertaining!” 

Floyd paused and blinked once at the exclamation. He had planned to walk back to class to avoid Crewel's scolding and anger. However, at the call, he turned back lazily to give a curious look back at Bendy who still had his arm stretched out with the basket of apples. 

“Heh~ Really? I was just getting bored and I don't want to go back to class,” Floyd excused as he leaned forward, his hand reaching out to grab the dark basket. Without much thought and care, he grabbed one of the apples and bit into it. “So where's the fun?” 

Bendy didn't seem to mind that the other person had taken one of the apples. After all, he had picked up five of them and for him, it wasn't necessary. At the student's question, Bendy gave a closed-eye smile before opening it to show a mischievous expression. Floyd stiffened again as he held onto the apple in his hand. 

“Wha—”

In a matter of seconds, the boy in front of the tall merman dropped and shrunk into a puddle of ink. Floyd was about to move away to create some distance while holding onto both his apple and the dark basket of fruits. However, Bendy was agile in his liquid form, his speed was close to that of a merman in the ocean. 

Floyd cursed under his breath when he saw the puddle of ink dashed forwards and underneath him. In an instant, he grabbed his magical pen and pointed it downwards to point at the dark liquid.

“Haha~ let's have some fun…!”

A familiar cheery voice rang from the puddle which sent goosebumps to Floyd. Two arms shoot up from the puddle creating splashes of ink around. The limbs immediately grabbed onto Floyd's ankles from behind before they pushed .

It was the same as last time when Bendy had dragged Malleus across the ramshackle building. To be honest, Bendy enjoyed such activities and considered it fun.  However, since Floyd wanted fun, the boy decided to give it another try. A friend should share what they like to do and if this student doesn’t like it then Bendy will simply respect that!

“You— WOAH!!!”

Floyd's body leaned backward and his eyes widened in shock. His vision sped up and his hair threw back, the wind rushed past him as the scenery changed. From the open courtyard to the hallways, across the stone flooring of the school, the surroundings changed. It felt like he was back in the ocean, swimming in the water freely and fast. Throughout the whole thing, the first-year didn't even realize he was laughing out loud which was accompanied by another cheery one.

“Hahaha! Isn't it fun! Look at how fast we're going…! Woohoo!!!”

By the time they stopped and the rush of adrenaline cooled down, it had been no longer than five minutes. It took a second for Floyd to realize that they were now at the entrance of the school castle. He didn't even realize that his grip on the fruit basket tightened and with instinct, he had held it close to his chest with his other arm covered on top of it. His heterochromia eyes were still wide as if he was in a daze along with his gaped mouth.

The arms attached to his calves let go, converging with the puddle of ink before moving in front of Floyd again. Gradually, a familiar black-haired head popped out followed by the rest of Bendy’s body. In the end, the puddle disappeared with the boy standing with a bigger grin than before. He had both hands to his sides in a prideful manner. “Well? How was that for ‘fun’?”

“...That was…” Floyd trailed off as his eyes ventured across the spans of NRC's open area. After a moment, his gaze snapped back at Bendy who was still grinning. Even after going at such speed and using his magic, the boy didn't seem tired at all. The Octavinelle student grabbed Bendy's shoulders before shaking him back and forth. “ AMAZING ! How did you do that!? Let's do it again!”

Bendy's head swung back and forth at the force and by the time Floyd stopped, the black-haired boy felt like there were stars in his vision.

“I just do it, easy, hehe! Friend like fun, happy friend!” 

“Aah~ Enough of that bullcrap you're spouting about friends. Call me Floyd, okay? Floyd~” The merman slurred as his eyes crinkled with mirth. His grip on Bendy's shoulders tightened as his smile widened mischievously. “C’mon, Ika-chan, let's do it again. I never had so much fun like that after a long time~”

Bendy's eyes widened, “...Floyd-san… did you just give me a nickname!? What does it mean?”

“Figure it out on your own~ why are you so enamored with something like that anyway? C'mon, grab my legs again,” Floyd rolled his eyes and Bendy nodded eagerly. “Walking on land is so slow and flying can sometimes be annoying with Lobster-sensei there~ I miss going as fast and freely as I usually do in the ocean.”

“Ocean…?” Bendy wondered out loud. 

“You're not that bad, Ika-chan. Thought you were like one of those RSA brats,” Floyd ignored as he let go of the other's shoulders. 

“RSA…?”

“...you're a student here and you don't know about them? Ehhh~ You don't look much older than me. Are you a first year? What class are you in? I've never seen that color of a bow, which dorm are you from?”

Bendy kept tilting his head side-by-side every time Floyd questioned something that he was unfamiliar with. Just as he was about to tilt again, Floyd's hand latched itself on top of his head with a vice grip, putting a pause to Bendy's head movement.

“Stop moving .”

“You talk a lot, Floyd-san.”

“ Aha! I don't usually do, but I'm in a good mood right now. You should be glad I'm not trying to squeeze ya again~ Aren't I nice?” Floyd praised himself while Bendy aimlessly clapped. The Octavinelle student's eyes twitched with annoyance as he put more pressure into his grip on the black-haired boy's head. 

“Ouch, ouch, ouch. Floyd-san, you're really strong!”

“...you don't even look like you're in pain. Heh~ Are you just faking it?”

“Hehe.” 

“Don't hehe me, C'mon~”

With the same unsettling grin, Bendy dropped into a puddle of ink, creating splashes of ink around. Floyd watched with interest as he held the fruit basket with one hand. His lips turned wide, fangs showing. Before he knew it, his vision sped up and all his surroundings became a blur. If he wasn't holding something in his hand, the student would have spread his arms outwards. The fresh wind hits him like a blast as he hears Bendy's laughter. 

“Hahaha!! Ika-chan, you're the best!!”

“Really? Let's go faster…!”

It had been almost an hour or so when both Floyd and Bendy zoomed across the open plains and stopped in front of a particular building. During that time, they explored almost all corners of NRC’s grounds. Of course, they had avoided areas that were filled with students to prevent causing further ruckus. However, they had gotten a few shouts from both students and staff when they passed the hallways or the field.

If it wasn't for the class he had to monitor, Vargas had almost been tempted to chase after them. Floyd immediately rushed Bendy to go even faster as they managed to escape from the muscular teacher. Bendy didn't know where to go so he ended up following Floyd's direction. 

The students had gaped at them in shock. It was quite a sight watching a 190m tall person speeding across the field in an awkward standing posture, holding a basket full of apples, and waving at them lazily. Things got worse as they screamed in horror at the sight of two hands emerging from a puddle of ink that grabbed both ankles of the tall person. If Floyd hadn’t looked so happy, the students would have deemed such events as a kidnapping act. Although, they were quite reluctant to save such a scary person anyway.

As they came to a stop, Bendy jumped out of the puddle of ink as Floyd stood beside him. The merman watched with interest as his lips pulled into an unsettling grin that matched Bendy's own. “Hey~ you're not a student here aren’t ya?” Empty black eyes stared back at the taller student. 

Bendy then grinned innocently. He was a bit surprised by the sudden mood change coming from his companion. “I never said I was,” He answered cheerfully which made Floyd’s grin grow.

“What if I snitch on ya?”

“Okay! You won't get any more zoomies then!”

Floyd’s eyes blinked in surprise as he lost his grin. Hands in his pocket, leaning forward, his pupils turned into slits as he frowned at Bendy. “Heh~ are you threatening me?” His voice dropped by an octave as he glared at the mysterious boy.

“...no?” Bendy questioned back, genuinely looking confused and not caring how his companion looked like he was about to attack. “Don’t you like the zoomies? If you snitched on me, how am I going to meet up with you again?” The boy questioned innocently as if such things were obvious facts. It was silence for a minute and as he heard no response from the student, his smile seemed to drop slightly, “...did you perhaps not enjoy them?”

“Aha! That’s the first I see you looking a bit upset! So you can make that kind of face too,” Floyd was delighted as his eyes crinkled in satisfaction. “Anyway, why would I be doing something so boring? Be glad it was me whom you met. If it was somebody like Kingyo-chan or Umihebi-kun, you’d be looooong gone~” The Octavinelle student sang as he straightened his back, rolling his eyes. With a yawn, Floyd turned and walked towards the small building.

Hearing his answer, Bendy’s eyes brightened, his mood improved immediately and his grin grew back. He bounced after Floyd like a little kid, “This is the place where we can find snacks and teas?” Between their speedy trips, Bendy had asked the student if there were any places he could get snacks and teas. Seeing as they had no other plans left to do and Floyd had no urge to go back to class, the latter decided to lead the trespasser to the one place he knew where such delicacies could be found. However, the Octavinelle student had mocked, saying that Bendy was like those snobby rich students from Heartslabyul. 

Bendy remembered Malleus and Lilia telling him about the seven dorms. Although their names were hard to memorize, he recalled that Riddle had proclaimed multiple times that he was Heartslabyul’s dorm head. Considering that the dorm head was pretty uptight and strict with rules, combined with Floyd’s accusation, Bendy wondered himself wearing the fancies and bougie clothes he could imagine. For some reason, the ramshackle boy dreaded the thought and shook his head furiously.

“Yeah, Umiuma-kun owns the store here. Got most things you probably need and some random stuff,” Floyd answered lazily as he went up the stairs before kicking the door open leisurely. Bendy was awed at the person’s actions from behind as he followed inside. 

“Oho~ I see two little imps skipping their classes hmm? Ah, it's the infamous Leech twin anddddd.. who may we have here?” A cheery male voice rang, filling the room. Bendy peeked around Floyd from behind to see a tall young male with hair locks peeking underneath his sewn top hat. His clothing style stood out from the rest of the students and Bendy couldn’t help but feel excited about meeting an adult. Bendy noticed that the man was directly looking at him and the boy couldn’t help but walk forward.

“Hello, my name is Bendy!”

Unexpected by the genuine polite introduction from an NRC student, the store owner blinked in surprise before showing a closed-eye smile. “Well, aren’t ya a cute one? The name here is Sam, little imp. What brings you two here, today?”

“Take care of the lil’ dude there and since I’m already here, ya got any mints in stock?” Floyd quipped not far behind as he looked around the shelves in a slouching posture.

“There should be a few boxes up on the top shelf, bring them over here. Alright, what can I do for ya, imp?” Sam responded delightfully as he winked at Bendy.

Thinking that the gesture was a form of greeting, Bendy winked back, albeit with a bit of struggle. Sam chuckled in response as the boy pulled out a wallet from his pants pocket. “I don’t know if this is enough, but I wanna get snacks and tea!” A few paper money fell from the turned wallet as Sam watched with a bemused expression. The man’s magenta eyes softened for a bit before showing a grin to match with Bendy’s.

“Hmm… right! You got 15 modals there, I’ll get ya a nice pack of biscuits and a pack of tea bags. How does that sound?” Sam asked with a wink as he snapped his finger. Bendy’s obsidian eyes sparkled as he nodded furiously. The man walked away from the counter before coming back with four boxes instead.

“Eh? That seems a lot more than you mentioned!”

“Haha, since it's your first visit, take the extra ones as a welcome gift!”

“Hahh? Umiuma-kun, I never got anything like a welcome gift when I first came here. Where’s mine then,” Floyd whined as he appeared beside Bendy, who turned to him with a curious glance. He placed the three boxes of mints on the counter. 

“Woah, those are the famous limelight waffles too. Ika-chan, what did you do to get on his good side,” Floyd asked as he peered over to Bendy.

“I can share some with you, hehe.” 

Sam only laughed playfully at Floyd’s jab. “Maybe if you hadn’t destroyed my door back then, I would have been more than happy to give you the same treat, tall imp,” Sam attacked back with a smile that didn't fully reach his eyes. Floyd rolled his eyes as he muttered something along the lines of doors being too weak which made Bendy raise an eyebrow at him. 

“Are you sure I can take this many?” Bendy questioned doubtfully, his smile wavering for a bit. “You’re too kind, Sam-san!” 

Sam laughed as he grabbed Floyd’s money and counted them swiftly with his dexterous fingers. The latter only glared at Sam before turning to Bendy. “Listen, Ika-chan, when somebody is giving you free stuff, you take it. No question, no splish-splashing, just go,” He explained as he pointed down at Bendy. The boy listened to him intently as he nodded. A sigh was heard from the counter.

“Don’t listen to him, small imp. NRC needs more cute students like ya,” the staff said as he gathered Bendy’s stuff into a plastic bag while Floyd took his mint boxes. The merman opened up a box and popped it open. Inside Bendy marveled at the many small squares inside. The merman popped one into his mouth as he chewed it delightfully. Floyd glanced at Bendy’s watchful gaze and smirked evilly.

“I’m not giving you any~”

“It’s okay, I can’t have one, anyway.”

“Eh?”

“Eh?”

“Oh, it should be lunchtime at school now. Are you guys going back?” Sam remembered from the side as Bendy took the bag full of snacks and tea from him. On the other hand, Floyd had put his mint boxes into his abysmal pocket pants before turning around.

“Aa~ I'd rather just skip the whole day but my stuff is still in class. This sucks~” The Octavinelle student said as he strides towards the entrance door. Bendy immediately followed along, turning his head around and waving back at Sam who reciprocated with a grin.

“Bye, Sam-san!”

“Come again, little imps~”

They shut the door, leaving silence in the store. Sam leaned against a nearby wall, crossing his arms as a thoughtful look crept up his face. His brows furrowed in concentration, “Bendy… his face is quite familiar. But where did I see it?” 

Chapter Text

“Whoops, we’re finally back!” Floyd called out as his body launched forward to a halt. The hands held onto his legs let go before Bendy popped out from the puddle beside the taller student. They were now back at the entrance of the school’s castle, just beneath its wide and expanded staircase leading to the tall and open doorway of the building. The black-haired boy looked around with interest, more students were hanging out outside of the castle and some were trickling out from the tall doorway.

The merman was about to say something when a buzz could be heard from his pocket pants. Floyd curses under his breath as he swiftly pulls out his smartphone. Seeing the name on the screen, the student rolled his eyes before tapping on the green button and putting the phone close to his left ear. The moment he did so, an icy tone blared into his ear which made Floyd pull the phone away from his ear as he clicked his tongue.

“—finally picked it up. Floyd, where the hell are you!? You're not in your class and Riddle-san said something about how you were going around strangling an outsider! Do you not know how impo—” 

“Aahh~ stop yapping, Azul. I know already~” 

“You…!” The furious voice went up in a pitch before an exasperated sigh was heard from the other side. The other person must have given up on Floyd's nature of doing whatever he wants. “Thank God Jade is here with me. Floyd, meet up with us at the cafeteria, and don’t you dare be late, do you hear me!?” The voice continued loudly and anyone could hear the animosity coming from it. 

“Yea yea~”

Azul continued as he instructed a few more things, Floyd grumbled something incoherent before his eyes widened as an idea popped into his head. He glanced down at Bendy who looked curious before a smug smirk pulled across his face. “I have an idea. Ika-chan, I’m going to introduce you to Azul and Jade! It’ll be so fun~” At the suggestion, Bendy grinned widely as he clenched his fists in front of him and nodded excitedly. 

“More friends? The more the merrier!”

“—and then… What? Floyd, who are you with? Don’t tell me it’s that outsider I heard from Riddle-san! If you—”

“Bla bla bla, I’m not listening to you anymore, Azul. Whatever, it’s enough that I’ll be there and you can just tell me what you want me to do. I’m bringing Ika-chan with me. Bye~” Floyd sang as he pulled the phone away from his ear.

“Who is this squid you’re talking to!? Wait a—”

“And peace,” Floyd finished as he hung up with a satisfied grin. “Man, Azul is so annoying, with all his preparation for the opening of the Mostro Lounge. He's practically a boiled octopus every single day. Oh, Ika-chan, you should visit the Cafe once— Ika-chan?” Floyd paused in confusion as he looked at his smaller companion.

Feeling more exhausted than usual, Bendy had slightly shrunken in height. His smile stayed on, although it looked a bit more strained. His whole form looks slightly more melted than normal and the tips of his fingers seemed as if they were almost turning to liquid. The boy lifted his slightly malformed hands and looked at them with his black beady eyes. “...Oh, I never felt like this before…” 

“Tsk, I was wondering why you didn't look a bit tired from using all that magic running around,” Floyd said, his eyes narrowing as a serious look grew across his face. “There's something weird about you, Ika-chan,” the student squinted.

“...Me? Tired? Is that so?” Bendy murmured, not hearing Floyd's last sentence. He never felt this weak and tired before. Perhaps it was because he was further from his home and he had gotten weaker. He looked around and noticed how students were eyeing him weirdly like he was inhuman . Seeing such reactions made Bendy feel something boiling inside of him. Fear and anger crept within him like a tide, “Why are they looking at me like that…? Don't look at me like that…!” Bendy whispered as his eyes turned bloodshot and his grin faltered.

Beside him, Floyd noticed the spike of the rushing magic coming from the shorter boy. Pupils turning to slits, Floyd took a step back with wariness. “Hey hey, Ika-chan, ya good there?” 

It was as if all voices had muddled between the two and the air halted. Bendy shut his eyes and in his mind, a black door appeared. ‘He’ wasn't here. However, by simply thinking about ‘him’, the weird looks and the students’ whispers quieted down. Bendy calmed himself and slowly inhaled and exhaled. He opened his eyes again to see the same wide stairs. Mustering up his energy, he controlled and formed himself back to normal. He fisted both his fists in front of him, opening them, then closed again. His grin stretched out again as he turned to the bewildered Floyd.

“All good! Let's go!”

“...you're so weird,” Floyd said with a disgusted look that sent Bendy gaping in shock. How could a friend say that out of nowhere? “Gimme that,” Floyd took the plastic bag from Bendy's hand and he carried it along with the dark fruit basket made out of ink.

“Oh, are you sure? Thank you, Floyd-san,” Bendy cheered as he followed the taller boy up the stairs. On the other hand, Floyd didn’t reply as he couldn’t help but remember the brief look that the other boy had a few seconds back. The merman was very much familiar with that expression, Floyd knew he wore it many times himself. Nothing but a mad predatory look that was more than ready to go on a killing spree. 

“Hehe, you and Riddle-san are so nice,” Bendy complimented innocently, which made Floyd twitch in annoyance. 

“Nice? Hah, Ika-chan, you’re so stupid. And don’t call me that again else I squeeze ya,” Floyd warned lazily.

They both finally reached the doorway and into the school castle’s hallway. People stared at them like they were in a zoo. However this time, the stares are different from the ones that Bendy felt a few minutes back. “Why are they all staring like that?” Bendy asked as he moved closer to Floyd.

“Ignore them small fishes. I mean you are also one…” Floyd trailed off, already distracted. “Who cares about them anyway? They yap yap and yap all day. It’s probably because I don’t usually walk around with anybody else but Azul and Jade,” he continued leisurely as he strode forward. Since Floyd was much taller than Bendy, his walking pace was much faster so Bendy had to jog to keep pace with him.

“Sounds like the three of you are real good friends! I’m jealous!” Bendy bounced as he imagined a poorly drawn stick man of Floyd and his two other companions holding each other’s hands happily. Floyd paused which made Bendy blink as he also stopped. Before he knew it, his face was squished by one hand that was Floyd’s. The other students that were nearby squeaked in fear at the sight and immediately rushed off.

“Eyh? Floyd-sahn?”

“Listen here, Ika-chan~  My relationship with Azul and Jade is not as disgusting as what you call friendship. Downplay it like that again and I really won’t hold back~” Floyd sang playfully with his teeth baring dangerously. His eyes seemed to glow slightly for a moment. At this moment, all Bendy could wonder was what colors those eyes were. Additionally, Bendy also doesn’t understand how Floyd’s mood seems to change at the drop of the hat. To the black-haired boy, Floyd was a very interesting friend!

“Okah~” Bendy responded with an ok sign with his hand. Floyd grumbled at the lack of fear coming from the smaller boy. They both stood still for a moment before a loud and familiar voice interjected them, cutting through their tension. Floyd turned his head to the left while Bendy, whose face was still in the merman’s vice grip, could only move his pupils towards the direction of the new voice.

“I see that you still haven’t learned your lesson, Floyd Leech.” 

Standing in the middle of the hallway, not far from the two, was none other than Riddle Rosehearts, the Heartslabyul’s dorm head that Bendy escaped from. Beside him was Jamil Viper who seemed to be watching the scene playing out with mild interest. Floyd straightened his back, still holding Bendy’s face. The change in height made Bendy dangle his feet in mid-air from Floyd’s grip.

“Aha! It’s Kingyo-chan~ this is going to be fun.”

“Rihdle-sahn, hello ahgain…!” Bendy waved nonchalantly with a bright face. 

Both responses seemed to make Riddle twitch as his face was slowly growing red. He took a deep breath before narrowing his gray eyes, “Hand over Bendy, Floyd. I must bring him to the headmaster. You’ve caused enough trouble already trying to strangle an outsider and such.” 

Floyd blinked owlishly as he glanced down at Bendy who also had turned his eyes over to him. The latter's eyes twinkled innocently and the merman's grin turned wider, almost predatory like a hunter finding a new toy.

“Ehhh~ but I don't wanna,” Floyd whined.  “I just told Ika-chan that I’ll introduce him to Azul and Jade. And he just promised for more zoomies too. Right, Ika-chan?” The tall student slurred viciously as he peered at Bendy who gave a bright closed-eye smile that can only mean an agreement.

“I don't care what agreements you made. Bendy is not a student here and must be brought to the headmaster at once,” Riddle demanded icily, his words dropping like a judge in court. “In fact, I must also punish him for daring to fool me in the first place. Do you hear me, Bendy?” 

Without even looking at the dorm head, Bendy could feel the hostility towards him from the smaller boy. He couldn't blame Riddle for it. After all, he was the one who ran away without telling the former. However, at the mention of such action, Floyd in turn glanced at Bendy with interest.

“Heh~ what did you do? I was wondering why he was flailing around so much in class,” Floyd urged with his grin growing wider.

“I. Was. Not.” Riddle barked out, enunciating each of his words like a death sentence. His face was growing red by the second.

At this point, Floyd let go of Bendy who slightly wobbled as he landed on his feet. The latter turned to Riddle and gave a grin. “Sorry, Riddle-san. I wasn't ready to meet the boss of this school yet. But don't worry, I'm not here to cause any trouble!” 

“ Haah? you already outed yourself to Kingyo-chan? That's the worst person you wanna get outed to, y'know. You're so dumb, Ika-chan,” Floyd rang from behind Bendy and before the black-haired boy could react, Floyd dropped his weight onto Bendy and laid his chin on top of the ramshackle boy. It was at that moment that Bendy realized how sharp Floyd's chin was digging into his head.

“If I were to go to the headmaster, would I not be able to visit the school anymore?” Bendy questioned and Riddle sighed exasperatedly.

“We shall see about that. For now, come with me, I'll bring you to the headmaster,” Riddle concluded strictly before he took a step forward and grabbed Bendy's hand. The latter didn't react much nor tried to avoid it. After all, he was still feeling sluggish and exhausted from using up too much magic. Bendy was using all of his strength to preserve his form as well as the dark basket made out of ink that was still being held by Floyd.

Seeing the lack of energy, Riddle's glare sharpened. However, before the dorm head could say anything about it, another hand latched onto Bendy's shoulder tightly, pulling back the black-haired boy.

“Aha! Didn't you hear me, Kingyo-chan? Me and Ika-chan got business to do first. You bringing him to the headmaster can be done later~” Floyd exclaimed cheerfully, there was a slight threat hidden beneath his playful tone. “Also, Ika-chan. I still have your stuff with me, y'know?” The student lifted both the plastic bag full of snacks and tea boxes and the fruit basket, all with one hand. He dangled it accompanied by his all-knowing sinister grin.

“ You…! ” Riddle glowered, not understanding Floyd's prioritization. He didn't know what happened after the duo had left the courtyard. Riddle had to hold himself back when he saw Floyd choking Bendy to the tree back then. Seeing that this was turning into nothing but a useless fight, Riddle shook his anger away, “Fine, give me those already, Floyd.”

“Why? Ika-chan entrusted these with me. Also, I told you, he's coming with me.”

“I have no time to deal with your unreasonable spouts, Floyd. This is by the headmaster's orders!” 

“Aah~ but my promise with Ika-chan stands first. Not my fault that you got stood up.”

“S-Stood up!? You dare to say such a ludicrous thing in front of me!? I will behead you!”

As things started getting heated up and the students started to crowd around them, whispering to each other if a fight was going to break out and how scary Riddle and Floyd looked. Noticing the growing onlookers, Jamil observed the events happening in front of him with a tired look. He knew something was up when Riddle had come into class later than usual and Floyd proceeded to disappear for the whole morning. The whole situation had made the entire morning dreadful as everybody in class was on the edge from Crewel’s terrifying stick.

Things became even more curious when Azul and Jade, known to Jamil for their reputation for being merciful , visited after classes. In the Scarabia student's mind, if anyone knew about Floyd's activities, it would be those two. However, the surprised expressions on the faces of the Octavinelle students suggested otherwise. In fact, it was probably Jamil's first time seeing a rather uncomposed and angry look on Azul's face.

Jamil’s sharp and obsidian eyes moved over to Bendy, who was stuck between the two bickering dorm students. It was almost comical how the three of them looked with Bendy seeming to be getting stretched and pulled on both sides. The outsider doesn’t seem to even bother talking back to the other two considering he looked like he was ready to go to sleep instead. 

Not wanting to attract more attention since Jamil had other things he needed to prioritize. He let out a sigh before looking up towards the direction of the main attraction. 

“You two, we'd be getting into big trouble if we keep this up,” Jamil interjected in an attempt to neutralize the fight for the second time that day.

Immediately, as expected, Floyd and Riddle's venomous glares directed themselves to Jamil. Had it been anyone else, they'd quake in their feet, especially with how alarmingly red Riddle's face looked.

“Shut up, Umihebi-kun. Stay out of the way, else I squeeze ya too,” Floyd threatened darkly.

On the other hand, Riddle immediately reigns in his emotions rather quickly. However, his domineering glare stayed on Floyd. “You're right, Jamil-kun. We should end this foolish farce as soon as possible before we disrupt the school even more. Now, Floyd. Let. Go.” Riddle glowered back which made Jamil give an incredulous and disgusted look from behind.

Usually, Riddle would have stopped immediately, which would make Floyd uninterested. This would then cease the fight. However, both sides still wanted to continue. In fact, things seemed to be getting more intense as they continued to throw words at each other. 

“Ughh….” A frustrated and deprived voice grumbled out after a long silence. “Too loud… I have to go somewhere else,” Bendy mumbled as he opened his eyes slowly. Without looking at the two bickering students, the boy glanced at his goods that Floyd was carrying. Within seconds, a series of events happened. 

Releasing the strength he put to keep hold of his current form, Bendy dropped and turned into the all-familiar dark liquid. His new form slipped out of Riddle and Floyd's grips causing the two to let out a twin shouts of surprises. Jamil, who thought about leaving, stopped with a bewildered look. 

In the moment of surprise, the small pool of ink stretched out and snapped towards Floyd. It shot forward which made the merman flinch and take a step backwards. However, the dark appendage tilted and changed direction towards the taller student's hand. With a smooth movement, it slipped and circled around to grab both the basket of apples and the goods Bendy bought from Sam. 

Pulling it back, the puddle of ink then rushed towards the opposite direction, making its escape while dangling Bendy's stuff with the same appendage midair.

“Bendy!” Riddle's perplexed shout was heard from behind. He hadn't expected Bendy's abilities to escape so easily.

“Aaah~ you made him run away, Kingyo-chan. All your fault~” Another voice drawled out disappointedly. The dorm head, in response, snapped back at the tall moray eel with a menacing glare.

“My fault!? I don't want to hear that from you who was strangling him moments back!” 

“Whatever, boring~ Azul is gonna skin me alive if I don't go to the cafeteria now, bummer,” Floyd whined as he put his hands into his pockets. “See ya, fishes~” Floyd waved nonchalantly to the seething Riddle and Jamil who had his arms crossed in an unperturbed manner. The crowd of students immediately parted away like sea as Floyd made his way off the stage.

On the other hand, Riddle, who still had a seething look as he watched the back of the Octavinelle student disappear, calmed himself down. He turned to Jamil who had a thoughtful look. “I must apologize, Jamil-kun, I won't be able to join you for lunch this time around. I have a meeting with the headmaster I must attend,” the dorm head exclaimed with a reverence. He didn't look the least apologetic at all, which made Jamil scoff inwardly.

“No worries, I had other things in mind anyway.”

“Right, now that you know about the situation. If you ever come across Bendy, do bring him to me. I have some unfinished matters I need to settle with him myself,” Riddle demanded seriously. In Jamil's mind, he would have rolled his eyes at how the Heartslabyul dorm head seemed to like ordering people around. To be honest, he didn't care much about the outsider, the boy didn't look like he would be any useful to Jamil.

“Seems like the situation is more personal on your end,” Jamil prodded carefully. Out of everything, he was more so curious on what the boy did to make both Floyd and Riddle quite attached despite being only an outsider.

“Well it's only logical that someone who breaks the rules needs to be punished,” Riddle sniffed haughtily, not noticing another look of disgust that Jamil had. The latter started to feel pity towards Bendy. It seems like ever since the Scarabia student enrolled in NRC, the people he met seemed to be none the better.

Well, that also included himself too.

Through the many hallways and students shouting in surprise and shock, Bendy sped up. He needed to find a quiet place so that he could rest and not bother people. He felt his energy decreasing and drying up. He would have to apologize to both Floyd and Riddle again for leaving them so suddenly without notice. Bendy wasn't even paying much attention where he was going. 

As he noticed that he was now in an empty hallway with no students, he rushed to the nearest door he could find, which turned out to be one of the school's washrooms. 

Carrying the goods that he found with the appendage he created made out of ink, he slammed the washroom door loudly. And at his brisk pace, the splashes of ink splattered onto the walls and floor of the room. Without much care about the mess he made, Bendy rushed into one of the stalls.

From his liquid form, his body slowly emerged from the puddle. He looked far worse compared to when he was with Floyd. Half of Bendy's face was covered in ink which blended in with his black hair, while his grin faltered with no emotions. His limbs could barely hold their shape as drops of ink fell and hit the floor.  It was the first time that Bendy felt so weak. Was it because he was so far away from his home? The boy panicked in his head and as a result, he planned to go back home as soon as possible.

However, he needs to rest first and gather his energy. Putting down the toilet lid, Bendy sat on it as the appendage carrying his goods gently put them on the floor. 

Exhaustion washed over him like a waterfall and the boy leaned against the bathroom's facility. He closed his eyes softly, pretending as if he had just fallen asleep.

.

.

.

.

.

.

“G-GHOST!!!!!!”

Bendy’s eyes snapped open immediately to see a terrified-looking student. Seeing Bendy open his eyes seemed to further frighten the student as the visitor turned much paler. His body trembled.

“Y-You…” The random study muttered out while pointing his finger at the half-melted and exhausted Bendy. 

“...I'm not—”

“It can talk!? P-Please, don't kill me!!!” The student screamed out loud as tears poured out of his eyes. The student dashed off before Bendy could even say anything, trembling in fear.

The slam of the washroom door was heard and silence filled the area again with Bendy's lonely hand reaching outward awkwardly. The boy looked back at his malformed hand that couldn't even make up five proper fingers. 

Looking outside of the stall door, he noticed the splattered ink on the mirror and the sink. It was caused by his hastiness from rushing into the room. 

“I should clean it up first…” Bendy muttered to himself as he mustered up his strength to suck up all the ink that flew everywhere across the room. Bits of ink slowly flew and slithered towards him, converging with his body again.

Once it was finished, his arm turned black and elongated to reach the stall door. He closed the door of the stall he was in. This way, the next person that comes in wouldn't be suspicious or run into him.

“...I'm just gonna sit here for a bit…” 

Jamil didn't like it quite a bit. No, not at all. He had just received a text. It was a horrifying text that turned his life 180° and not in a good way. Today had been just another normal day; Albeit, with the appearance of a random outsider and the unofficial duty of stopping Riddle and Floyd's daily conflicts.

It was only a single text. But it was enough to almost make Jamil bang his head onto his desk in class and ruin the perfectly built reputation he had painstakingly created in the school.

It had been in history class when he received the message. He had briefly checked it to see the sender and grimaced at the sight. The name ‘Idiot’ showed up on his phone and as he opened it up. 

“Surprise, Jamil! I'll be going to NRC too next month! Can't wait to see you, I miss ya! I'll call ya later! :D”

It took everything in Jamil's mentality to not maniacally scream on the spot. It was to the point that he had to ask Trein for a washroom break so he could go take a breather and calm his mind. If he hadn't done so, Jamil thought he would overblot and destroy NRC himself.

Stomping his way across the hallway, he muttered curse after curse as if saying it many times would somehow curse this ‘Idiot’ for not enrolling into the school. “Why, why, why….  I thought everything would be peaceful and I could escape…! Just why!?” 

Carried away by his emotions, he needed somewhere quiet and alone to vent his anger. He opened the washroom and closed the door tightly. He didn't notice the lingering presence of magic from one of the stalls. Jamil immediately looked into the mirror, seeing his reflection.

His face twisted and contorted, looking more mad than ever. “Ha… Hahahaha! That Kalim, coming to NRC? What A coincidence! It's gotta be the headmaster… A person like him doesn't fit NRC at all,” Jamil grumbled as he slammed both of his fists onto the sink.

“What do I do… what do I do… I have a month until he comes in,” Jamil paced around, his arms crossed as he brainstormed ways to keep his peace in the school. Once Kalim joined the school, Jamil would be bound to follow him like a pathetic servant again. His life would be full of following useless orders and dealing with the irritating naiveness that is Kalim Al’ Asim. He needed a way to keep his position above Kalim at all costs. After all, NRC was one of the few places where everyone was treated equally. Then amid his thoughts, Jamil's eyes widened as an idea popped into his head. 

“I got it! It doesn't matter which dorm he goes in, if I'm able to become a dorm head, that already puts me above those who are just students !” Jamil concluded with a sinister grin. Now that he already has a goal in mind, he couldn't help but look more confident than before and less crazed.

“Right, just like that Riddle who immediately went around ordering people left and right. If I have such a position, Kalim would have to show me some respect!” Jamil snickered evilly. “Now, the current dorm head is in his third year… If I just keep quiet and show my utmost abilities and loyalty, I would be the best candidate to be the next dorm head…!” 

His excitement shot up drastically at the imagination of him being Scarabia's new dorm head. The look of fear and helplessness on Kalim's face as Jamil looked down from above. “How foolish of Kalim, heh. Coming to NRC might as well just become the start of your worst nightmare. Truly, utterly, stupid!” 

“Well, I have to wait for a whole year though… that's alright, I'm used to that. The reward is greater than anything. When it comes to actual power, magic, and intelligence, I'm all above. There is no way for him to overtake me on such things! But I can't make it too obv—”

Creak!

Jamil's head snapped behind at a terrifying speed as his eyes turned wide in alarm. “Who's there!?” His vision went to the last stall at the end of the room. And out of the door, was none other than the outsider that had caused a commotion during lunch.

Bendy had been resting up peacefully in the meantime and he felt like he was back to normal again. So when he started planning for his path to go home, he hadn't expected somebody to barge into the washroom and start a whole villain monologue, similar to those in the movies.

He had been silently listening, not wanting to rudely interrupt the person, especially when he was at his peak euphoria moment. However, when Bendy stood up, his body hadn't adjusted well after his recovery so he ended up stumbling, knocking the door open.

Two pairs of obsidian eyes stared at each other. Bendy's bright grin turned wide innocently as Jamil's eyes twitched. Time halted for a moment and Bendy only giggled sheepishly as the other student was still in a moment of stupor. The ramshackle boy put up both of his hands openly before making a claw pose.

“Peekaboo…?”

Chapter Text

“...How much did you hear?”

“Uhmm… you're Jamil-san, right?”

“ How . Much .”

“...Everything!” Bendy smiled brightly as he answered simply. He remembered seeing him with Riddle a few moments back. Although the student didn't say much back then, Bendy was thoroughly surprised with how much the long-haired person spoke in the room. “Y'know, you sounded like those villains from the cartoon movies!” The boy added bluntly, not realizing the dark look that Jamil wore.

At his words, Jamil gritted his teeth angrily. “So you practically heard everything, huh…” He murmured to himself which made Bendy tilted his head curiously. “What? Are you gonna snitch on me now? Hah! you're not even a student here, who are you going to snitch to anyway?” Jamil scoffed mockingly. Bendy was a bit taken aback when he was still with Floyd and Riddle, Jamil barely talked much. 

“Snitch? Why would I?” Bendy questioned innocently. “My name is Bendy, by the way. Nice to meet ya!” He introduced himself while Jamil looked at him shrewdly. “Also, who's this Kalim?”

“None of your business,” Jamil spat, not wanting to spill out any more details. “Technically, I have the advantage here. Do you even know how much trouble you caused today?” Jamil asked back, not responding to Bendy's introduction. “That Riddle and Floyd were still throwing words at each other even after lunch. If it wasn't for the teachers being there, I might have to stop them for the fifth time today.”

“Oh, I should apologize to them later,” Bendy exclaimed regretfully as he scratched the back of his head with a grin. At this point, he had escaped from Riddle twice and Floyd once. His record seemed to be growing unintentionally.

“Y'know, that Riddle told me that if I run into you, I should let him know. Perhaps, even bringing you to him specifically. Outsiders are not allowed to be in school,” Jamil threatened with a wicked smirk. Bendy hummed thoughtfully for a second before grinning.

“I don't mind coming with you,” Bendy answered simply, which made the student look at him in shock. “But we can do that later. I need to go home first,” He continued unbothered. The boy realized that after he experienced using too much magic and putting himself in such a weak position, it's better to go back and recoup for the day.

Jamil scoffed at him as he raised an eyebrow, “What makes you think I’ll let you off so easily after hearing everything?” 

Bendy blinked, “uhh… nothing? What do you want me to do?” He looked genuinely confused as he directly stared back at the other pair of jet-black eyes. As he said so, Jamil narrowed his eyes.

It’s true, as a Scarabia student who’s known for their cautiousness and deliberateness, he shouldn’t be panicked. The moment he does so, the enemy will make use of that moment of vulnerability and use it against him. “Right, you’re only an outsider. You’re not even supposed to be here. There’s nothing to be worried about.”

“This Kalim person sounds fun! If he could make you worry like that so much, I kinda wanna meet him now~” Bendy wondered delightedly which immediately put a pause to Jamil’s thoughts. The Scarabia student stared back blankly at the innocent face that Bendy wore and instantly, he felt his blood pressure rise again. He shouldn’t be careless, all possible risks to his plan must be eliminated!

“Your ability to seemingly turn yourself into liquid is useful enough…” Jamil murmured before a mischievous smile stretched across his face. “Well, what’s more important is having you not speak around about my plan. Hey, why don’t you be my ally instead?” 

“Eh?” Bendy bent down to grab both his basket of apples and the goods he bought. He stood up again and looked back at Jamil wondering what the student was going to do next. However, as soon as he does so, Jamil’s grin turns maniacal as they make eye contact with each other. Bendy felt the surge of magical energy coming from the other person and widened his own eyes.

“That’s right. You’ve looked into my eyes. Now, be my follower! Snake Whisper !”

A magical force rushed over towards Bendy. Using his unique magic, Jamil immediately went to control Bendy’s mind to turn him into his servant. It doesn’t matter if Bendy was useful or not, his display of unique magic would be helpful for Jamil. Turning himself into liquid, Bendy could infiltrate into many places and his aptitude for creating these objects made out of ink was nothing to be laughed at. Him being an outsider makes him less suspicious of doing these acts since he wouldn’t be suspected so easily. Most of all, Jamil needed a way to keep Bendy quiet from spilling out all his secrets.

On the other hand, Bendy, who noticed something had changed in the air and the presence of magic being used, took a step back. For a few seconds, he felt something was interfering with his mind and his vision blurred. Bendy stumbled as he made a pained noise. 

His consciousness became muddled and Bendy was about to give in before he felt something else clawed at him from within. An intense surge of magic burst from inside, roaring out loud as it cleared up the fuzziness of whatever affected Bendy's mind.

It was silent for a moment and Jamil held his breath. This was his first time using his unique magic in the school. It was by rules that students were not allowed to use their unique magic on the school grounds, especially to outsiders. However, the worst case had happened and the Scarabia student needed a way to keep Bendy shut his mouth, force him to leave, and never come back. But, instead of the red eyes that Jamil had been expecting, he was met with the same normal obsidian eyes as his.

“Did you do something?” Bendy asked curiously without a hint of danger. 

“W-wha—” The Scarabia student gaped in shock as he took a step back. “No way, did it not work? You blocked my unique magic…!?” Jamil stood there gaping, his pupils slightly trembling. After all, he had been studying and went through many arduous training to perfect his magical abilities. Not only to uphold his duties but to also dominate his peers. He had felt so high and mighty when he found out that he was one of the few people to have unlocked their unique magic. Not only that, his unique magic was even considered the strongest as it can manipulate other people’s minds.

However, the magic he honed to be the strongest was easily deflected by a mere outsider who came from unknown origins and wasn’t even a magical student. Jamil quickly regained his composure looking more cautious than before, “...what are you?” 

Bendy hummed as he raised an eyebrow, “I’m a human,” he smiled. However, the joyful expression didn’t seem to reach his eyes and Jamil glared suspiciously. The latter seemed to quickly realize the foreboding threat if he continued the topic any further so he held back.

Coursing through all possible actions, now that Jamil’s unique magic failed on Bendy, he needed another way to keep the outsider’s mouth quiet. Through his deliberate and careful personality, the Scarabia student knows what to do when facing a stronger foe. “...Fine, you win. What do you want?” Jamil relented as he sighed. Bendy’s black eyes twinkled with slight confusion.

“I win? What did I win? Can we be friends instead?” The ramshackle boy laughed as he put out his right hand. Jamil looked back incredulously, not knowing what to do or say. Bendy thought for a moment when he realized Jamil wasn’t taking his hand. “How about this, friends support friends. I won’t say a word about what happened just now, mouth zipped~” He says as he makes a motion with his hand like a zipper through his mouth. 

“...Why are you so invested in being friends?” Jamil couldn’t help but murmur out loud. “And seriously, what do you want? There’s no way you’re shutting your mouth for nothing,” He prodded even further. 

Bendy tilted his head, “...what do I want…?” He had already mentioned what he wanted and couldn't understand the complexity of what the other person asked for.

“You don’t even know what you want? Surely, there’s something that you need?” Jamil asked further, in fact, he was getting more annoyed.

“Nope! Nothing! Just be friends~” Bendy cheerfully said innocently. At his words, the long black-haired student grimaced.

“Don't kid with me, didn't you just call me a villain? I might just backstab you if you aren't careful,” Jamil sneered.

“What!? Villains are so cool!” Bendy looked aghast as he widened his eyes. “Without them, the movies just end up plain boring. Hehe, what do they usually say…? Something like, ‘Let's take over the world!’ Sounds fun, let's do it!” Bendy was motivated as he fisted his right hand up. Jamil stared at the shorter boy with a dumbfounded look, not knowing what to say.

“Uhm, okay, you do have a point,” Bendy started as he hummed in thought. “Villains often don’t use the word friend , how about sidekick? Hehe, that sounds cool, right?”

“Tsk, you sound just like him. I have no time for this. Alright, fine, we’ll be whatever crap you wanna be,” the first-year student mocked with an irritated glare. “How can I trust you to not spout anything though?”

“Trust me~ I’m the best sidekick you could ever make! You won't regret having me on your side,” Bendy grinned as he put both hands on his hips. Before Jamil could say anything, the boy continued, “I gotta go now though, see you later, Jamil-san!” Bendy says as he waves and walks past the stilled Jamil towards the washroom’s door.

Click!

“Wait a damn minute—” Jamil snapped around. However, all he met was a small noise of the door closing. A dark tendril slithered between the gaps of the door, before disappearing. The Scarabia student had a wide look as he immediately marched forward and slammed the door open. He looked around in alarm. Jamil could sense the presence of magic left by Bendy. It would have been easy to pursue the boy due to the obvious magic tracks, but he still had a class he needed to go back to. If he were to choose the first option, others would be suspicious of him and this would ruin his perfect student record. 

Jamil can't have that right now. Not when today had already been ruined by a single text. Whether he liked it or not, all he could do was put his trust in the ramshackle boy to not spill out his plan.

“I swear if he ever says a word…!” Jamil gritted out irately. In his mind, he kept convincing himself that Bendy was only an outsider and that Jamil wouldn’t need to deal with him much. So with these thought processes, things should be fine, right?

The hallways were all quiet with no students lingering like before. Bendy rushed past in his liquid form, one dark tendril emerged from it to carry the goods he had. Today had been a very wild journey for him. He met so many people, learned so many things, and had so much fun. When was the last time he felt such a way? The boy needed to go back and tell ‘him,’ Barry, and Harrow about everything. Even more, Malleus and Lilia too. 

Despite the mishaps that he found himself in during his time in the school, he was more disappointed that he didn't run into the two fairies. And he would have stayed longer if it wasn't for the panic he had when he ran out of magic and lost his form.

He couldn't help but remember when the unknown student had looked so terrified in the face of his half-melted form. If it wasn't for Bendy's weak state, he might have gone to shut the student up from his pathetic screaming.

“Finally, outside again!”

The blob of ink rushed out of the school's entrance and down the stairs. When he got to the bottom of the stairway, he emerged to his normal form from the puddle of ink as he carried his commodities. Malleus and Lilia briefly mentioned how you study so many things about magic in school. Considering how there were barely any students around. Bendy assumed that Riddle and Floyd were also studying in their classes right now. 

Bendy didn't like how he last left off Riddle and Floyd before ditching them. The former had wanted to bring the ramshackle boy to the boss of the school. The latter had wanted to introduce Bendy to more friends. So many fun opportunities and yet Bendy didn't take them.

“I’ll make sure to get back to them next time. Maybe eh, give them something…?” Bendy wondered out loud as he walked. 

He remembered faintly seeing his mom apologizing to another person, giving them something for a mistake that she had made. Back then, Bendy had just been standing there confused as he tightly gripped another child's arm, which was slowly turning black. At the same time, the child had been crying profusely, trying to get Bendy to let go.

“Hmmm… Right, it's only polite to do such things for friends. You must care for them! And apologize when you make mistakes!” 

The boy began to skip happily towards the direction of his home, passing a few buildings before coming to a full stop as his gaze landed on a particular structure. His eyes sparkled at the uniqueness that this building had. It was different from the others. The walls weren't made out of the typical bricks or wood, instead, they were made out of glass. 

The boy was curious, he was so excited to go to the school castle itself that he missed such a building. He looked around and not far behind, he could see the faint silhouette of his home. With a grin, he decided he'd like to check out this beautiful building. 

In less than a few minutes, Bendy made his way over and opened the doors giddily. He was met with a warm, earthy scent and the sight of an intricate grayscale world. The inside of the greenhouse was a mesmerizing tapestry of shades and textures. Tall plants with broad, glossy leaves towered over him, their silhouettes sharply defined against the muted background. Vines with delicate, monochrome flowers trailed from the rafters, creating a beautiful pattern of light and shadow.

“Woahhh…! There are so many plants!”

Rows of potted plants, each unique in its shape and structure, lined the pathways. The air was humid, filled with the gentle hum of bees and the occasional flutter of a butterfly. Sunlight filtered through the glass panels above, casting intricate, dappled shadows on the brick floor. Bendy's eyes widened in wonder as he took in the variety of shapes, the depth of the grays, and the intricate patterns of the foliage. It was like stepping into a secret jungle, hidden away from the rest of the world, where every leaf and petal held its unique texture and form, creating a stunning monochromatic masterpiece.

The boy walked around with a gaping mouth. He had only seen such places through a small static and almost broken TV screen. And even through the digital screen, it was nothing compared to what he’s seeing right now. Before he continued any further, he briskly stopped when he noticed there was something unusual ahead. On the ground, peeking between the plants, was a thick, tuff, and unique-looking rope. Bendy blinked curiously before a mischievous grin crawled wide across his face. He bounced over to the lying object before crouching downwards. He put aside his baggage beside him.

“Oho~ maybe this is a surprise…?” Bendy whispered out loud but he reached his hand nonetheless without any hesitation. His anticipation and excitement grew by the second before everything was dashed away as his vision spun. The air twisted and roughed as his back fell and hit the ground hard. Bendy winced at the impact, feeling dizzy for a second. Before the black-haired boy could even process what just happened, a heavy thing slammed into his stomach, pushing him down and pinning him from moving. 

“Oof!”

“An assassin dressed up as a student? State your damn business,” a deep and threatening voice demanded, followed by a feral growl. 

Bendy opened his eyes to see a tall man with wild, unkempt hair, and sharp features standing above him. If it wasn’t for the twitching and small protruding round ears sticking out from either side of the person’s head, Bendy would have been terrified. However, keeping his smile on, Bendy giggled at the sight which only made the beastman above him narrow his gaze harder.

Leona Kingscholar had been taking his usual afternoon nap, skipping the boring classes that he very much knew the content of. Everything had been peaceful so far and Ruggie hadn’t visited yet to scold him like a mom. However, with his heightened senses as a therianthrope, he felt an unfamiliar magical presence heading towards him. The whole thing was bizarre for Leona. At this time of the day, there shouldn’t be any students here as they should be in class. Additionally, no one knows that he was here except for Ruggie and his continuous admonishments.

So when this magical presence continued to come closer to him and approached Leona’s bait with his tail. The Savanaclaw’s dorm head took the initiative to take action into his hands, not allowing the supposed assassin to make a move first. With his strength and prowess, Leona shot forward from his hiding place, grabbed the stranger's collar, and pushed him down before slamming his foot down onto the person's stomach harshly.

Now, what he wasn't expecting next was the innocent gleeful look that the other person had. Leona's eyes turned to slits as suspicion washed over him. 

“Haha! So cute, a kitty cat,” Bendy laughed which made Leona snarl back in disgust.

“I'm asking questions here, who sent you,” Leona venomously said as he dug his foot deeper. Nonetheless, Bendy only continued to grin. “Stop smilin’ like that you creep—”

His words were cut off when he felt the weight under his foot disappear as he watched Bendy's form melt into a puddle of ink. “What the fu—” Leona gritted out as he immediately took a step back. The black puddle shot forward which made the lion flinch at the unexpected movement. The student immediately took out his pen and aimed for the strange liquid, the golden gem on the top of the stylograph glowed into a glimmer.

Instead, the black liquid flew past him, and before Leona could react any faster, he felt two hands taking hold of his round ears. The therianthrope stood still like a statue. It was as if time had paused for him. “Whoa, they are real! So soft too,” A cheery voice was heard as Bendy rubbed the stiffened ears.

“Get your damn hands off them!” Leona snapped as he turned around with a furious swipe. His pen had magically turned into a long wooden staff similar to Malleus’. Bendy's eyes sparkled in awe at the sight as he floated away from the angered student.

Leona didn't hesitate as he swung his staff and a blast of flora magic shot forward at a high speed towards Bendy. 

The boy's eyes crinkled in excitement as he dodged skillfully in midair. It was silent for a moment and both opposing sides stood still under intense pressure. Bendy had a thoughtful look on his face before he conjured a long thin stick made out of ink with a ball hanging by a thread at the end of it. “Are you mad? I made a toy for you. Here, kitty kitty~” 

“You got some nerves treatin’ me like that, brat,” Leona growled lowly, he seemed to be less tense than before. “Seems like you ain't an assassin or whatever, especially with that stupid grin on your face. In fact, what even are you? Get that stupid thing out of my face else I'm gonna turn you to dust,” The dorm head demanded lazily before a yawn took over him. “...Interrupting my nap and all.”

Bendy blinked before he landed his feet back onto the stone pathway. Seeing that there were no threats, Leona twirled his staff back into a pen and put it back into his pocket pants. He turned around with another yawn, making his way back. On the other hand, Bendy was still curious. He followed closely towards Leona from behind. “Eh? Where are you goin—”

SLAM!

“Ugh…!”

As Bendy closed the distance, Leona seized the opportunity. With a menacing grin, he spun around and delivered a powerful punch to the black-haired boy's right side. 

Bendy gasped in shock, the force of the blow sending him hurtling in the opposite direction until he collided with a nearby tree. The therianthrope stood triumphantly, cracking his knuckles. “That's for touching my ears and interrupting my nap, kid. Do that again, and I'll do something much worse,” he growled. “Now, scram already,” he commanded before turning back to his napping spot.

The disheveled boy clutched his side, struggling to stand. By the time he regained his bearings, Leona had disappeared without a trace. Despite the pain, a grin lingered on Bendy’s face as he pondered what he had done to provoke such anger. Maybe he should seek advice from 'him' on how to handle this situation. His black, beady eyes fell on the scattered items he had left on the sidewalk.

“Ouch… that hurt a lot. Man, that guy was scary…”

Bendy shuffled over to gather his belongings, glancing nervously around the now-threatening scenery. The once serene place now felt perilous, knowing a menacing figure lurked nearby.

“Right, time to go back!” he muttered, hastily making his way out of the area.

Chapter Text

“I'm back~” Bendy slammed the doors open with big energy. When he made his way closer to home, he could feel the difference in his magical energy and strength, feeling much better and more energetic than before. He stood at the entranceway, staying still as he wondered why everything was so quiet. He doesn't even sense ‘his’ presence around. 

It’s true that back then it was only Bendy and ‘him’ that lived here before. However, he had expected ‘him’ or the ghosts to at least approach him when he came back.

Bendy blinked curiously as he stepped inside his home, closing the door behind him. “Oiii, anybody there? Where did everybody go? Are the ghosts back yet?” Bendy questioned nobody as he made his way to the living room.

He remembered how ‘him’ and Bendy would play hide and seek a few times in the past. At the thought of this, Bendy grinned as his eyes twinkled in mirth. Perhaps that was it! He put down the apples he brought from NRC as well as the stuff he bought from Sam's store. He turned around and began to skip across the hallways and check each room mildly.

“Hehe~ I see you’re playing hide and seek aren’t ya? You think you can hide from me?” Bendy giggled as he opened a door which led to another empty room.

The boy hummed a tune, as he swirled his head around to go check the kitchen instead. Gustav, the chef ghost, had known Bendy longer than Barry and Harrow. Gustav had been the more friendly spirit compared to the other two, welcoming Bendy’s presence in the building. Whenever the boy received any goods from Mr. B, Gustav offered to cook up something with the gifted ingredients. 

The last time Mr. B came by, Gustav had done the same thing. Although Bendy doesn't need to eat, he secretly gives the delectable to ‘him’ instead. As the boy came close to where the kitchen was located, he heard some muddled noises of chats and cluttering sounds. The grin on Bendy's face grew as he suspected something.

As he reached for the doorknob, all of a sudden, it was immediately covered by a black liquid. Surprised, Bendy took a step back as he watched the kitchen's entrance turn obsidian, splattering ink to its surroundings as if the movement was done hastily.

“Oho! So you're here! I was wondering where you went,” Bendy cheered out loud as he jumped excitedly. “I have so much to tell you! I brought back some snacks and tea. Let's go to the living room!” He bounced before running back in the opposite direction towards said room. The black door stood quietly before gathering all the ink mess in its surroundings and slowly followed the boy.

When they reached the living room, Bendy began to recount all the things he had encountered throughout his day. His stories flowed from meeting Riddle and running around with Floyd to visiting Sam's shop, his drastically weakened form, stumbling into Jamil, and finally getting punched by a terrifying cat. As he started sharing, he found he couldn't stop; there was just so much to talk about. Every detail, every interaction, seemed more vivid and important as he relayed it, his voice animated and filled with excitement. In the process, Bendy discovered a newfound love for storytelling, relishing the way his words could bring his adventures to life.

Bendy knew that ‘he’ could see through his eyes. However, the emotions that accompanied each event were unique and unparalleled. ‘He’ couldn't feel those emotions through Bendy. So, as the black-haired boy retold everything, the room had fallen into a hushed silence, as if ‘he’ was fully immersed in the whole experience. It was as if Bendy's enthusiastic narration had transported ‘him’ into the heart of Bendy's adventures, allowing ‘him’ to glimpse the world through a different lens. Bendy realized that through storytelling, he could share not just the events, but the feelings and excitement that came with them.

The excited boy couldn't help but feel refreshed as he realized so many things. The wonders of the outside world, the variety of people he encountered, and the countless possibilities he had missed out on. Each story he shared was a reminder of the vastness of life beyond the familiar, a tapestry of experiences waiting to be explored. Bendy felt a surge of exhilaration, knowing that there was so much more to discover, and his heart swelled with anticipation for the adventures yet to come. 

By the time that he was finished, it had already been late at noon and Bendy took a deep breath before exhaling as if he had just been through an arduous workout session. His black obsidian eyes were wide as he stared at the door made out of ink on the wall. 

“What do you think? Isn't the outside world so fun?” The boy questioned as his eyes sparkled. 

A tendril made out of ink stretched out from the door as it reached forward to the bag of snacks. It pulled out the famous limelight snack that Sam had given. It observed the food for a while before putting it down as the dark appendage turned to Bendy silently. It was as if ‘he’ was hesitant to answer Bendy’s simple question. The missing response made Bendy lower down his excited arms as he tilted his head.

“Did you know about what could have happened to me?” Bendy asked again, inquiring about his weakened state. And this time, ‘he’ responded by shaking the tendril left and right. “Hmm, I suppose that would make it difficult for me to go again. Or I can just be more careful~” The boy laughed as he crossed his legs on the floor. Despite the boy's seemingly lack of common knowledge, Bendy was pretty perceptive to other people’s emotions and could tell when they seemed reluctant to talk about a particular topic so he didn’t push it any further. 

However, again, the black tendril doesn’t seem to respond as it elongates itself to loosely circle around Bendy’s left wrist. The boy blinked once then twice, looking confused before realization hit him like a truck. “It’s okay, I’m not just gonna disappear~ I’ll still be here with you!” He comforted. 

“So what do you think about Riddle-san? He’s super strict, right? He talked so much about rules here and there, isn’t it impressive how he remembers them all? Oh oh, what about Floyd-san? He’s so cool and super tall!”

The boy continued to ramble as the tendril responded once in a while on what ‘he’ thinks about the people that Bendy met. 

“Uhuh, Jamil-san is very cautious. But then, he talked to himself so much in front of the mirror though. What's the word for people like those again?”

The dark tendril wrote a quick word made out of ink on the wooden floor as Bendy grinned brightly.

“Narcissist! Exactly, hehe! It's okay, I think he's also really cool. He was coming up with such an elaborate plan. He seemed to hate this Kalim guy too…” Bendy murmured as he remembered how Jamil swore to make Kalim suffer in NRC. “I can't come up with something so detailed like that. My head hurts just thinking about it, y’know. Everybody in NRC seems so smart.”

As he said so, ‘he’ poked at him to get Bendy’s attention before writing a few words on the floor again. The black-haired boy then looked downwards as he read the letters carefully.

“Hm hm, right, so you saw it too. I think Jamil-san tried to do something to me. My head hurt for a bit but then nothing happened afterward,” Bendy shrugged nonchalantly as he raised an eyebrow in thought. The hovering tendril paused in its movement as if ‘he’ realized something before it began to write again.

“...Be careful around Jamil-san…?” The boy read out loud quietly before nodding slowly. “Okay, if you say so. Everyone there seems so powerful, especially that terrifying cat!”

Scribble.

“Eh? He is a lion?”

Scribble.

“But lions are like bigger cats? So yeah, he’s still a cat then.”

Scribble.

“Apologize to him? Uhm, okay, if you say so…” Bendy exclaimed with a head tilt. “Why is my list of people to apologize to becoming longer…?” 

Smack!

“What was that for!?” Bendy whined as he held his forehead that had just been flicked on. “I said I was going to apologize! Is it because I touched his ears?”

Scribble.

“Ah, okay. I suppose just like what Riddle-san said, I need to ask permission first…” Bendy grumbled as he massaged his pained head. “Speaking of him, do you think he'll come by? I told him about living here. Haha, let's surprise him if he does! I gotta come up with something~”

As the boy thought about it, the door made out of ink dispersed into nothingness along with the black tendril. Bendy blinked before he sensed something coming towards him. The black-haired boy looked up and after a few seconds, a ghostly chiseled face of Barry phased through the ceiling.

“I was wondering who you were talking to… young master, when did you get back!?” Barry questioned with an annoyed look which made Bendy giggle. The ghost raised an eyebrow at the grinning boy.

“Hehe, I miss you guys! There's so much that happened!”

Barry's eyes twitched as he frowned, his eyes glanced downwards to see the bag of goods that Bendy brought. Recognizing some of the brands, the ghost's eyes widened. “Woah! Wait a minute, limelight waffles, card cookies, and some of those leaping macarons!” And in his moment of amazement, a realization hit Barry as he mechanically turned his head stiffly to the happy-looking boy.

“...Did you steal this…?”

“Rude! Do you want me to beat you up again?”

Barry only sighed exasperatedly as he scratched his head in confusion, “Weird, I don't remember you had that much money to buy this many goods…”

“Mr. Sam was generous to add some extra ones in there. Everyone in NRC is so nice!” Bendy praised which made Barry wear an exhausted look.

“I’m not sure if they’ll be happy if you say something like that to them…” he mumbled as he glanced away as if to check something. “Anyway, how long have you been here!?”

“A while back, I think? I thought you two hadn’t come back just yet so I kinda just wandered around,” Bendy explained as he looked at the broken clock. “Maybe around 3 PM? I don’t exactly remember… Anyway, where is Harrow? What did the two of you do today?” The boy asked giddily as he stood up from his long sitting posture.

“...Well I’m glad that you didn’t run into us…” Barry trailed off awkwardly before looking to his left, “Oi, Harrow, Gustav, let’s bring it out!” The lanky ghost called out which made Bendy turn around as well. His eyes widened as two more ghosts popped out from around the corner as if they had been waiting there. Using their magic, the two awaited ghosts floated a giant cake in. A three-tier cake that was made with a lot of care and decorated with a bountiful amount of patterns from the whipping cream.

Bendy bounced towards them in excitement as they floated the cake to the living room’s table. “Oh my god! Oh my God! It’s a huge cake! Did you guys make this?” Bendy rushed as his eyes sparkled over the food. Barry followed behind as he couldn’t help but show a smug smile.

“Of course, we did. Something like this is nothing for us!” The lanky ghost boasted pridefully which earned a nudge from Gustav and an exhausted look from Harrow.

“You didn’t even know how to beat up the eggs, Barry,” Gustav pointed out.

“And you practically did nothing but watch the entire time,” Harrow added without any hesitation which made Barry look back at them with a traitorous look. 

“Hey, you two were the ones stopping me from helping!”

“Yeah, because if we didn’t, you’d be destroying the cake sooner or later. So might as well just have you be on the lookout instead,” Harrow argued back which made Barry grumble.

“So who is this cake for? Oh, for the guests that are going to visit?” Bendy questioned as he analyzed the cake in awe. It was his first time seeing such a tall and beautiful-looking cake. “Malleus-san, Lilia-san, and even Riddle-san are going to be so happy! Haha, you guys are so nice!”

This made the surroundings still as all the ghosts looked at each other in confusion before Gustav chuckled softly. “You got it wrong, young master. We made this especially for you,” the chef explained, which made Bendy tilt his head in wonder.

“...For me?”

“Yeah! The whole day, we’ve been preparing for this, y’know! Harrow and I went out to get some ingredients while Gustav prepped everything in the kitchen. We didn’t know what flavor of cake you’d like so we just went with chocolate,” Barry explained with a huff as he floated around, crossing his arms with a satisfied look. “Honestly, we had trouble at first cause we thought you were going to stay in the building. But then you mentioned going out to NRC coincidentally, and that made everything much easier!”

Bendy was left speechless as he stood in silence, not knowing what to do. It was the first time for people besides Mr. B to show such kindness towards him. After years in silence, waiting, alone, in this dark old building. The usually happy kid was left with a sense of uneasiness, not used to such positivity shown to him instead of the other way around. The boy blinked once, then twice as he scanned at the confident faces of his three ghost friends.

“...But why…?”

“Why? Well, because all this time, we’ve been avoiding you and thought you quite rudely when you’re just a kid, young master,” Harrow answered as he put on a thoughtful expression. “As an apology and… I suppose, to celebrate our new relationship, we’d like to surprise you with this,” the plump ghost continued with a genial smile.

“Yeah, young master, you should feel grateful for our kindness,” Barry added pointedly, which earned a jab to his side from Gustav. “Ouch! Anyway, we ghosts can’t eat, so you should dig in! Here, Gustav already got some cutlery for ya.”

Instead of taking the cutlery set beside the cake, Bendy didn't move, showing a rare hesitant look. This earned worried glances from the ghosts who had been floating closely. Barry, who had been the more straightforward out of the three, couldn't help but speak his mind.

“What's the problem, young master? Don't tell me you don—”

“Sorry, but I can't eat this.”

“...Huh? What do you mean?” Barry asked as his eyes widened in shock. Harrow and Gustav also shared a look of bewilderment. 

“...Are you perhaps allergic to chocolate?” Gustav questioned as Bendy shook his head slowly which sent all of the spirit entities into a more chaotic mess. “Like, you aren’t able to eat anything at all?” The chef ghost couldn’t help but be further baffled as he choked on his words, “w-wait a second…”

“Then what do you mean!?” Barry shouted in exasperation as frustration washed over him.

“...young master, do you mean like you can’t eat at all?” Harrow asked calmly as he tried to cool down his lanky friend. “Does this perhaps have any relation to your… uhh… state?”

“State?” Bendy blinked curiously.

“Well, we know there’s something different with you compared to the other humans we’ve met. We thought maybe it was because you just came from a family of very powerful magicians,” Harrow explained carefully as he rubbed his chin with his hand. “But there’s still something that’s just hard to point out— or more like, the thought of it should be impossible to begin with. Uhh, young master, are you perhaps some kind of other race? Maybe not human but a fairy or something?”

The plump ghost rambled on before stopping immediately when he saw Bendy’s unsettling smile. “...Did I say something wrong, young master…?” However, the boy didn’t answer, he only proceeded to look around the room as if he were searching for something.

On the other hand, Gustav had a terrified look as he held his head in one hand. “Wait, if he can’t eat… then who have I been cooking for all this time?”

“Oh, come on already! Young master, are you seriously gonna joke around at a time like this? We worked hard on the cake and planning out the whole thing. The least you can do should be to appreciate it!” Barry demanded, his anger boiling upwards by the second. However, seeing that Bendy wasn’t even looking at him and instead just continued to look around aimlessly, Barry’s vexation reached its peak.

“Even after all of that, you really are just a wei—”

“You’re here!” Bendy shouted in delight, interrupting Barry’s words who had a baffled look as he looked over to where the boy was staring at. The other two spirits followed as well and their breaths halted in shock as they all watched blobs of ink gathered around a particular area of the wall, forming and converging as it grew into a door made out of black ink. The atmosphere dropped and from it, an ominous aura emitted from the mysterious-looking door.

“W-What is that?”

“Hehe, so you’ve shown up finally~ Everyone, meet my best friend!” Bendy cheered as he bounced over to the black door and spread his arms wide open. “Hey, come on, you guys are ghosts but how come you’re the ones looking scared?” Bendy huffed out with an indignant look.

“Young master, are you kidding me!? That thing has got to be some evil entity or some sort!” Barry shrieked out as he went to hide behind Harrow. “Just look at it! It’s all dark, goopy, and suspicious!” 

“Eh~ Barry, say something more mean again to my best friend and I’ll really beat you up,” Bendy innocently jabbed as he gave a close-eyed smile at the ghost who only hid further behind the other ghost.

Sensing that things were going drastically for the worse, Gustav took in the reins to control himself and floated forward. He looked nervous as he got closer to Bendy and the mysterious encounter. “Young master, does this mean, this friend of yours has been the one eating all of the dishes I’ve made for you?”

“Yep! By the way, he appreciates and loves your cooking!” Bendy praised as he glanced back at the door. “Come on, you should show your thanks too!”

The black door was quiet for a minute which made everyone but Bendy tensed up. Slowly, a black tendril made of ink emerged from the door which elicited some squeaks of fear from Harrow and Barry. As the tendril floated upwards to meet Gustav, it changed its shape to form a cartoonish thumbs-up. Bendy grinned as he watched the whole thing, “See? It wasn’t so hard after all~”

Seeing the innocent gesture from the entity, Gustav couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved as his eyes turned soft. “Well, as a chef, it’s truly a pleasure to hear that my dishes are well received.” Then he turned around to look back at his two other fellow ghosts admonishingly, “Aw, suck it up you two, I’m right over here and nothing happened. At this point, you guys are just being rude to the young master’s friend.”

“If you say so…”

“Gustav, I think you’re just too friendly and gullible, y’know…” Barry murmured exhaustedly, however, he does seem to be less tense than before. “Alright alright, don’t look at me like that, I’m sorry okay!? You can’t blame me for saying all of that when something— I mean, somebody showed up like that…” As the lanky ghost apologized meekly. In front of him, Harrow snapped his fingers as if he just realized something.

“Wait a minute! Young master, don’t tell me this is what that Malleus person had asked before regarding the black door. This is him!?” Harrow questioned with wide eyes as Bendy grinned back showing his confirmation. “B-But you said you didn’t know anything about a black door. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because it’s a secret~ It’s up to my friend if he wants to show himself or not,” Bendy reasoned confidently before his eyes narrowed into a mischievous yet threatening look. “So if you guys say a word without permission, I will personally murder you all, hehe.” At his words, Barry looked at him blankly.

“Young master, we’re ghosts, we’re technically already dead.”

“I’ll find a way! Don’t underestimate me!”

“Barry, don’t provoke him like that. Him saying that means that he’ll somehow make it happen. Just look at his confidence.”

“What do you mean, Harrow, that’s just impossible! You’re just scared!”

“The last time we said something like that, we got obliterated. Don’t jinx it.”

“How about we all just keep quiet and not cause any more trouble, okay?” Gustav interjected with an exasperated look as he crossed his arms. The chef turned around to look at the silent door made out of ink as he gave a soft smile. “So do you have a name that we can call you by?” 

Bendy also had a wondered look as he turned to his best friend curiously. The door stood silent for a bit before using the floating tendril to write something on the wooden floor. Everybody came closer as they all looked downward to read the poorly written words. As it finished, they all read it out loud at the same time.

“... Mr. Door…?”

“Hahaha!” Gustav laughed out loud as he bent his body backward. On the other hand, Barry gave a disapproving look as his eyes twitched in annoyance.

“What kind of name is that? —Ouch, what the hell!”

Another black appendage had grown from the black door as it smacked Barry from behind. The ghost then shrieked in fear as he floated closer to Gustav. “This guy acts just like the young master. Now there’s two of him!”

Bendy grinned, a flutter of joy in his chest, as he watched the scene unfold. His best friend was finally stepping out and connecting with others. Amid the lively interactions, an ink tendril snaked its way toward Bendy, gently wrapping around his empty hand. Without looking, Bendy responded, clasping the tendril in a silent, reassuring gesture.

Chapter Text

“So how is he going to eat the cake though?”

“Just leave it here. Mr. Door doesn’t like eating in front of other people!” Bendy declared as he crossed his arms smugly. “Well, I’m an exception of course,” He added pridefully which earned disgusted looks from Barry and Harrow while Gustav only laughed. 

“That’s alright, young master. Mr. Door, please enjoy it as much as you can,” Gustav said gently which earned another thumbs-up from the door himself. The ghost then turned to Bendy with a curious look, “So how did you and Mr. Door meet each other?” 

They huddled up in a circle surrounding Mr. Door as he stood quietly. Bendy blinked before he glanced over to his best friend. “I’ve known him since I was practically born. We’ve been close ever since!” The boy cheered and the ghosts immediately took notice of how the answer had been very vague. However, Gustav didn’t prod any further as he only hummed thoughtfully.

“So, young master, what trouble did you cause in NRC today?” Barry asked with a mocking yet rather expectant look, making Bendy’s eyes sparkle as his grin grew wider. 

Barry had expected a short, concise, and quick story, except he and his fellow ghosts were immediately sent through a long, eventful, full-of-surprises adventure. During Bendy’s storytelling, Barry had been laughing non-stop while Harrow seemed more fearful of each person that Bendy ran into. On the other hand, Gustav listened with a parental look as if he was ready to be called to the principal office to talk about his troublemaker child.

“You’re telling me,” Barry choked out between his laughs, “you went and almost got caught, dragged to the principal. Then you went running around the school grounds with some random student, terrorizing other people and breaking the rules. Stumbled upon a wannabe villain and then proceeded to get punched by a cat!?” The slight ghost explained quickly in one breathing which impressed Bendy as the latter clapped his hands.

“Lion, not cat,” Harrow fixed.

“Seriously, they're just bigger cats!”

“I know right!” Bendy huffed out which only earned a poke from Mr. Door's tendril. “That person got a really mean punch. It hurt,” the boy whined, feeling sore in his side again.

“This is too funny. I don’t know if I should be laughing at your expense or how unfortunate those kids are to run into you,” Barry finished as he wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. “Part of me can’t help but empathize with them a bit.”

“More importantly, kids these days sure are energetic, or maybe that’s just the reputation that NRC students have to begin with…” Harrow weakly said. “But that student must have been a therianthrope, their animal characteristics are very sensitive so no wonder, you got punched like that, young master.”

At the same time, Barry scoffed, “Wake not a sleeping lion, they say.” The ghost paused before a snort came out, “Even worse cause you also treated him like a small kitten too. In fact, Lions are very prideful.”

Ignoring Barry, the boy only pouted before grudgingly muttering, “Fine, when I see him again, I'll apologize later.” He then tilted his head as he wondered out loud, “...Therianthrope… that’s a hard word to pronounce.”

Barry hummed in thought before he tilted his head in confusion, “Wait, if the young master is just made out of magic. Shouldn't physical force feel nothing to him?” 

“Right, it would be like punching water,” Gustav chuckled at the idea. He then smiled, “Unless they are using magic. Magic clashes with each other. If that therianthrope coated his fist in magic. Then it would feel the same as what a normal punch would feel.” In response, Harrow then wore a disgusted look.

“T-That's just terrifying. That guy's instincts must have been insane to notice the young master's circumstances and know the appropriate way to deal a blow like that…” Harrow murmured before glancing down at the bright-looking boy.

“I'm okay! I'll get him back!” Bendy cheered as he pumped his fist into the air with a confident look.

“Uh yeah, no,” Barry immediately rejected, putting a pause on the boy's destructive behavior. “Anyway, considering that they’re looking for you, are you going to go back and revisit NRC?” The lanky spirit asked curiously which made Bendy hummed in thought.

“Hehe, I mean I would love to! There’s so much to do, so much fun, so many friends!” Bendy cheered, not noticing the slight increase in tightness of Mr. Door holding his arm. “I didn’t know the outside world was so exciting! I wanna see more of it.”

“Although, wouldn’t it be dangerous? They already know you’re an outsider so wouldn’t they immediately recognize you and kick you out?” Barry questioned as he floated with his arms behind his back.

“It’s okay, I can change my looks however I like! Nobody will know~” Bendy confirmed confidently, earning some curious glances from his ghost friends. 

“So that’s how it is, I was wondering how you got the school uniform,” Harrow concluded. “Your unique magic is versatile. Isn’t it very similar to Mr. Door? Both of you seemed to have the ability to manipulate ink and some sort,” the ghost inquired as he glanced between the two subjects.

“...Hmm, something ain’t right. I think there’s more to it than that. However, your unique magic is really flexible!” Gustav praised as Bendy grinned back. “Would it be alright if you tell us more about yourself, young master?” As he said so, the boy paused before turning to the ominous-looking door. The latter waited as if he was conflicted about something before writing something on the wooden floor. 

As Bendy bent over to read the words, everybody was silent. The sound of scribblings can be heard and, Bendy read the confirmation written on the wooden floor before grinning at the ghosts. The trio had known that there was something odd and unique about the human boy living in this decrepit house. Especially, with the appearance of a new entity, things had just become more convoluted and they wanted to know. 

“Okay, Mr. Door allow me to talk for a bit~” 

“O-Oh, for real?” Harrow blinked in surprise as Bendy nodded.

“You see, Mr. Door and I are pretty similar. We both can do similar things. Manipulating ink and creating things with it. However, I’m a bit different than him in a way that uhh…” Bendy trailed off as he struggled to find the right words. “I think it’s pretty obvious but I don’t have any of those things other people have inside their body. I’m just made out of ink!” 

His statement validated what the ghosts had in their minds as their eyes widened in realization. Gustav then rubbed his chin calmly as he thought seriously, “That makes sense. I see, so you’re made out of magic, young master. We had a few inklings about it but the thought of it seemed impossible at first.” However, his calmness was not shared with his fellow spirits.

“What the hell!? Why are you acting like this is not a big deal!? Young master here is a walking miracle!” Barry announced as he pointed at the smiling Bendy. “A being made out of magic that can retain its senses and have its consciousness? Speaking and talking to us normally like this? Having emotions? This is insane!”

Gustav then turned to the aghast look that Barry had, “magic has no bounds and an infinite amount of possibilities. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some unique magics out there able to give consciousness to inanimate objects for example. They’re just a rarity, I suppose.” He paused for a minute. “However, it’s still hard to believe. Magic is supposed to leave a presence and then slowly disappear. Young master, if you are just a bundle of magic, who created you? They must have an overwhelming amount of magic power to maintain you for a long time.”

“...Hehe, isn’t it obvious? You seemed like you already knew the answer. So, why ask?” Bendy grinned mischievously. Anybody in the room could hear the slight warning beneath his cheery tone as Harrow couldn’t help but inch backward in fear. On the other hand, Gustav only smiled knowingly as he gave a glance at Mr. Door who had been silent throughout the entire ordeal. 

“Doesn’t this mean that the young master isn’t technically a hum—”

“Eh~ say that again, Harrow?” Bendy gave a dark closed-eye smile that seemed to be more sinister than it should be. Said ghost yelped before fumbling into a series of apologies. Unbothered, Bendy put two hands on his side as he gave a prideful grin. “I’m a human. Just a very magical human!”

With the boy not wanting to give any more answers or explanations, Barry grumbled, “Well, it doesn’t matter to us if you are anything or whatever. At the end of the day, you’re still the same young master that beat us all up.” At his response, Bendy’s obsidian eyes widened at Barry’s words, and couldn’t help but feel the warmth building up inside of him.

“Oho~ I hadn’t expected those words to come out of your mouth, Barry. Looks like you do care about the young master after all,” Harrow teased as he nudged the lanky ghost who immediately gave an annoyed look.

“I’m only spitting facts here. There’s nothing new or special with what I said.”

“He’s just embarrassed.”

“Who’s embarrassed!?”

Mr. Door, Bendy, and Gustav watched with delight at the bickering duo. The latter took notice of the time and inquired, “Alright, everybody, it’s getting pretty late now.” As he said so, the ghosts bid their farewells as Bendy and Mr. Door waved back in response. One by one, the spirits phased through the ceilings and walls, leaving the two of them left. Bendy waited for a few seconds with a smile, sensing if there was anybody in the vicinity before turning to the door made out of ink.

“They’re gone now~ So, what do you think of ‘em?” The boy jumped excitedly as Mr. Door stood in silence again. The hovering tendril made out of ink floated closer to the floor as it began to scribble a word.

“...Like…?”  Bendy read out loud before his eyes sparkled. “See, I told you! They’re all so nice and friendly! You should introduce yourselves to Malleus-san and Lilia-san too.”

However, Mr. Door shook in disagreement which made Bendy pause as he read the new words written below. “...Too many people? Eh, if you say so… hehe, it’s okay, you can make friends at your own pace. I’ll be here with you always!”

“Don’t you think being a student there seems so much fun? It would be easier rather than having to sneak around and stuff too…” Bendy trailed off as he turned to look through the window outside. Mr. Door stood still as if he seemed hesitant about something. The black-haired boy whips his head around back at his best friend and grinned, “Hey, maybe I can be a student there too? Oh, even better! Both of us—”

Crack!

A sudden, sharp sound shattered the air, startling Bendy. He stumbled backward, a shout of surprise escaping his lips. Before he could gather his wits, Mr. Door vanished, leaving only a blank wall in his place. Stunned, Bendy's gaze fell to the fractured wooden floor. Among the broken planks, a single word scrawled in ink caught his eye. He read it aloud, his voice barely a whisper.

"...No...?"

“On Friday, after lunch period, they said that if you go to the washroom on the first year’s floor and knock three times on the last stall, a monster made out of black liquid will greet you.”

“Eh? A monster?”

“The washroom will then be covered in splatters of liquid, like some kind of twisted art project gone wrong. Then, the stall door slowly creaks open, and there, sitting on the toilet, is the monster. They say it looks almost human. Half of its face seems to have melted away. Its body was barely formed, more like a puddle of liquid than flesh and bone. The last student who saw it swears that the creature’s ink-filled eyes stared right into their soul.”

“Woah! That sounds scary! What happens next?”

“Then the monster will ask you if you’d like to make a deal with them. However, nobody has encountered the monster yet these past few days so nobody knows what happens next. The student that met this creature was too scared and managed to escape in the nick of time.”

.

.

.

“Hmmm, sounds interesting. What a scary story, this monster seems dangerous. I wanna meet them!” Bendy laughed out loud as Lilia only smiled knowingly at the boy. Beside him, Malleus sipped his tea with much elegance.

“Isn’t that right? I’d like to meet them as well. This rumor has been spreading across the school. They won’t admit it but all of the students have been avoiding that washroom like the plague now,” the vice dorm head of Diasomnia chuckled. “Accompanied by another rumor about an outsider terrorizing other students on the same day, isn’t it very curious?”

“Man, I didn’t think NRC had so many things going on! Sounds like a lot of fun,” Bendy cheered as he offered the snacks he bought to Lilia who thanked him and took one. It had been a few days after Bendy’s adventure to NRC and he was excited to see Lilia and Malleus visiting them again.

Beside him, Barry and Harrow floated nearby. As they both listened to the ominous rumors that Lilia mentioned, the spirits couldn’t help but boggle their eyes towards the oblivious boy made out of ink sitting comfortably on the couch of the living room.

“Remind me, when did the young master go visit the school again?”

“Last Friday, I’m sure of it.”

“Both the toilet monster and this outsider sounds very familiar, right?”

“Hundred percent. Don’t you think this monster seemed to have similar abilities to the young master?”

“Uhhh, young master, you don’t think that these rumors could pertain to you, right?” Harrow nudged Bendy which earned a raised brow from the black-haired boy.

“What do you mean? I’m not a monster, duh! Also, I didn’t terrorize anybody; I was just having fun,” Bendy huffed as he crossed his arms confidently. This earned a chuckle from Malleus who had been sitting in silence the entire time. “Tsk tsk, you guys think of me so low, I was just sitting on the toilet to rest. There was no knocking or making deals and stuff.”

“Wow, somehow his attitude is really pissing me off,” Barry twitched in annoyance.

“Young master, you must know that rumors tend to spread misinformation but it will still hold some truth to it…”  Harrow weakly pointed out dejectedly.

“Oya? But Bendy-kun, why didn’t you tell us that you were planning on going to NRC? We could have given you a quick tour,” Lilia added with a genial smile as he rested his chin in one hand. “Malleus and I were pretty surprised ourselves when we heard it from our classmates.”

Bendy scratched the back of his head before smiling embarrassedly, “I wanted to surprise both Malleus-san and Lilia-san with snacks and teas the next time you two visit.” The boy pointed out before continuing, “The school was so big too! I thought about trying to find you guys but I got too tired so I went back home instead.”

“I see… How generous of you. You don’t need to do such things for us. However, I hope none had offended you during your visit,” Malleus prompted as he put down his tea on the table with a smile. “I appreciate the length you’ve gone to prepare such delight for us. You should visit Diasomnia’s dorm next time.” 

“Hehe, the two of you are too kind~” Bendy giggled before he wondered. “I met so many friends. Do you two know Riddle-san? I invited him over too but he hasn’t shown up in a while.”

“Riddle-kun? Ah, if I remember correctly, he’s the new Heartslabyul’s dorm head. He managed to win the position and title a week into the school year,” Lilia clarified as he looked upwards in thought.

“Indeed, an impressive feat. I remember meeting Rosehearts once. Very dignified and confident. I must say he does exude an aura similar to that of royalty,” Malleus praised eloquently while nodding approvingly.

“Hmm,” Harrow hummed suddenly as if he realized something. “Isn't the inter-dorm magift tournament coming up soon for you guys as well?” 

At the mention of the event, Bendy immediately perked up with interest as he looked back at Malleus and Lilia curiously. The latter crinkled his eyes in mirth as he gave a mischievous smile.

“Yep, every student and staff in the school are busy preparing for it right now. It'll be happening next week,” the older fairy confirmed as he floated and crossed his leg over the other in midair. “It's probably the reason why Riddle-kun hasn't visited over. As a dorm head, he is probably busy preparing for the tournament.”

“A tournament? So like a competition, are you two going to participate?” Bendy questioned with sparkling eyes.

“Of course we are. Bendy-kun, you should visit and cheer for Diasomnia,” Lilia urged as Malleus nodded.

“I must say, I’m looking forward to this year’s tournament. After all, that Kingscholar has been very eager to win against me since that last match,” the dragon fairy remembered with a smile. His words were playful as if he had found new entertainment. “Human child, if you wish to come, the tournament will be happening next week on Friday. There is no need to pay any sort of entrance fee.”

Without any hesitation, Bendy nodded eagerly. Fisting both his hands forward in excitement, he asked, “So what kind of tournament is this? Do you guys fight each other? All of the seven dorms you two mentioned last time will all fight? Is it a last-man-standing type of game?”

“Okay, slow down there, buddy,” Barry immediately put a stop to the bundle of joy. “Last-man standing? Where in the world did you hear that from…”

“It’s a sports tournament where each dorm will be pitted against one another. Whoever comes out top wins. The sport is called magift,” Lilia explained and his smile only widened by the confused look that Bendy had. “Magift is a pretty complex team sport. I believe it would be better to see things in action to learn it~” The Diasomnia student summarized with a wink.

Bendy gaped in wonder as he imagined the whole scenario like something out of a movie. He then wondered what it would feel like to participate in such activities. “Is it not possible for an outsider to join in?” The boy couldn't help but ask innocently which earned some surprised looks.

Not far from him, Barry only scoffed, “Only NRC students can participate, young master. If you go and cause more trouble in a big event like that, you might as well be banned from the school instead.” 

“Ehhh, that sucks~” Bendy whined out loud as he pouted. “How would I know who belongs to Diasomnia and which dorm?” The boy crossed his arms as he tilted his head.

Malleus then smiled softly as he took a card cookie from the table, “Each dorm has a particular color representing them. For Diasomnia, our color is this neon green. The dorm’s color is usually reflected in both our school and dorm uniforms.”

“...Neon green…? Looks grey to me,” Bendy squinted.

Everybody paused including the NRC students who also blinked their eyes wide. Lilia dropped his smile into a frown as he pointed at his own eyes. “Bendy-kun, what color are my eyes?”

“Easy, grey!”

 “...it’s not grey…” Harrow murmured.

Lilia furrowed his brows as if he had something in mind before a warm smile returned to his face. “If you wouldn’t mind, Bendy-kun, what kind of colors do you see?”

Unbothered, the boy had a pensive look before answering, “Everything is just black, grey, and white.”  He couldn’t remember other colors that had looked different. These three shades had been what painted his world. He snapped his finger before showing a smile, “Hehe, what’s the word again? Oh yeah, I often think the world is a bit monotone .” 

None had replied to his words. Bendy wondered why the room’s atmosphere seemed so down and quiet. He turned around to see that even his fellow ghost friends had frustrated looks. The boy whirled his back at his NRC friends and tilted his head with a bright joyous grin, “Uh… neon green… I don’t know what kind of color it is but I’m sure it’s a very pretty one that suits handsome people like Malleus-san and Lilia-san~”

The Diasomnia students stiffened to a stop which reminded Bendy of the gargoyle statues in his home. His positive answer seemed to catch them off guard. Lilia’s grin turned into a faint smirk, his eyes crinkled smugly. On the other hand, Malleus coughed into his fisted hand, a faint blush could be seen on his cheeks. The ghosts watched the reactions with mild interest as Barry scoffed.

“Sometimes the young master can hit right at home, huh? I’m seeing flowers everywhere now.”

“Hmmm~ Well, Bendy-kun, if you require any help in perceiving a few things. Please, don’t hesitate to ask us,” Lilia provided, ignoring the words of the ghosts, followed by a nod from Malleus.

“...I apologize for before. Thankfully, each dorm also has a crest or logo representing the dorm. As you may have noticed, our dorm’s symbol takes after the Queen of Thorns in her dragon form, one of the Great Sevens,” Malleus explained patiently as he pointed toward the badge attached to the ribbon band on his left arm.

“Uhuh, I’ll remember it~ Thank you, Malleus-san,” Bendy nodded as he grinned at the horned man. Malleus only shook his head as he returned the smile.

“For something like this, there is no need for gratitude, human child.”

All of a sudden, Bendy seemed to remember something as he put his fist on top of his other hand, “Oh yeah, do you two know of a really scary cat— uh, I mean, lion? Long hair, very tall, and has a strong punch!”

At the question, Malleus and Lilia looked at each other with wide eyes as if they immediately came to the same conclusion in their heads. The latter crooned with a wide smile, “Well if we’re talking about a particular lion, there’s really only one that stands out amongst the rest.”

With a devious smile, fangs peeking out, Malleus added elegantly, “I am quite unsure what you meant by strong . However, the person you are talking about does fit somebody we do know of. His name is Leona Kingscholar, the second prince of the Sunset Savana.”

“Also, the current Savanaclaw’s dorm head!” Lilia added cheerfully. “Bendy-kun, you seem to have a knack for running into house wardens, huh.”

“...out of all the people that he could offend and got punched by, he chose a r-royalty…” Harrow squeaked in fear as he glanced downwards at the unbothered boy in question. “Young master, I’ll make sure to be there for your funeral.”

“Oh, shush it, knowing how stubborn young master is, he is going to be the world's most wanted man first. He will be offending people left and right,” Barry chortled which earned an enlightened look from Bendy himself. “Why do you look so happy…?”

“The most wanted man… that sounds like a big achievement!” 

“...” Barry floated in place with a disgusted look which sent Lilia laughing at the scene.

“Hmm…” Malleus hummed in thought which attracted everyone’s attention. The dragon fairy then looked up, his neon green eyes reflected in Bendy’s. “I am glad that you are making many connections in NRC. However, in your current state, I must warn you to be very cautious not to be the target of that Roseheart’s unique magic.”

“Eh?” Bendy let out a confused noise as he widened his eyes.

“Riddle-kun?” Lilia followed before a look of realization hit him. “Ah, I see, that’s right. You are very magical , aren’t you, Bendy-kun? As far as I’ve heard, Riddle-kun’s unique magic can seal away another person’s magic.” 

Barry and Harrow glanced at each other before the latter nervously looked down at the silent black-haired boy. Said subject only smiled knowingly back at the Diasomnia students, “Good to know! Looks like I just have to be careful around everyone, hehe.” Bendy then paused before his usual unsettling grin crawled up across his face.

“But the same could be said the opposite~”

Chapter Text

“Young master, this will be your new room.”

A maid monotonically instructed with a blank look as she pointed at a door. The boy, wearing a simple white shirt with black pants, stood still. It had been a long time since he heard another person's voice. Everyone had been avoiding him and refused to communicate with him. He didn't remember the last time he spoke to another person, let alone one that would look into his eyes.

Instead of opening said door, the boy didn't move. “Where's mom and dad?”  He asked without looking at the maid.

“...” The maid didn't respond for a while. “Your par— They have instructed me to tell you not to leave your room unless they said otherwise.”

She didn't answer his question. The boy noticed the word slipped from the maid's mouth. However, he didn't think much of it. He had been observing the state of his home. Day by day, he counted, the number of maids and butlers in the building dwindled to less than five. Time by time, the state of the house became more dusty, unkempt, and broken. As if everything had been left abandoned.

There was no point in questioning any further. All he wanted was to see his parents’ faces again. He observed in silence as he glanced at the maid. 

Despite the stoic look she wore like everybody else in the building, her hands trembled, a drop of sweat trailed down from her head, and her pupils wavered.

She was afraid.

He wondered if she thought that he would punish her for her slip of words. He hated it. He hated the way she looked now. He hated the way her fingers trembled and her wariness against him. He hated how she wasn't even looking at him.

He despised everything about her.

Not saying a word, he moved forward and with a bit of struggle, he lifted his thin malnourished arm. He opened the door slowly as the maid stood behind him. 

The room was empty, with no windows, closed-off ceilings, and another small room connected. The boy assumed that it was for the washroom. There was no bed, only a hard wooden floor for him to sleep on. The room didn't look anything special. Nothing like the ones he sees in the movies where it is cleanly furnished and well-decorated.

Well, he shouldn't say that. The room is decorated quite uniquely with two items. The boy just doesn't know the correlation between both of the objects and why they are placed in such ways.

He couldn't ignore the audible hiss of breath coming from behind him. Glancing at the maid, the stoic look was gone. It was replaced with an obvious yet terrified expression. Her hands had covered her mouth like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. 

The boy didn't seem bothered. After all, this was the room that his parents had provided. He should respect it. However, he couldn't help but ask out loud. “...Am I supposed to use them in a specific way?”

No answers.

“Okay, I suppose that food will be brought often enough, right?”

No answers.

“...I'm going in then.”

The boy then turned before stepping inside the room. 

Click!

He heard the door closed behind him, followed by the sound of the door being locked from the other side. Afterward, the sounds of hasty yet rushed footsteps could be heard before disappearing as the maid ran away.

Perhaps, this was a puzzle that his parents prepared for him. He remembered how he liked solving them one by one. Maybe if he solved this, his parents would come back and allow him to go outside again. This puzzle shouldn't be a hard one, right?

He looked up again at the scenery in front of him. A lone wooden chair sitting in the middle. And above it, a nice and long rope was tied to the wooden beam from above. It continues downwards until a noose large enough to fit his head through is made at the end of the rope. 

The boy walked forward, standing in front of the chair and the tied rope dangling from above. He watched silently with a blank look. He wondered why the maid had looked so terrified.

.

.

.

Bendy stood in silence as he watched the sun rising slowly, signaling that a new day was starting. His neck tingled for a bit and he blinked. It had been a few days since he visited NRC for the first time. Everything felt like a dream as he adjusted back to his normal quiet days of living in the household. This ramshackle place felt nothing compared to the bustling and full of activity like the school castle. 

Malleus and Lilia had come by to visit a few times. The last time they visited, they had been talking about the upcoming inter-dorm magift tournament for almost the whole day. Bendy had been so curious and excited about the event that he badgered both students about everything. However, it was unfortunate that only students could participate in such activities.

“...Neon green…” The boy murmured as he remembered the supposed color that represents Malleus and Lilia’s dorm. He couldn’t help but imagine what his monochromatic canvas was supposed to look like. 

When Malleus had warned him about Riddle’s unique magic, it had come out as a surprise. It wasn’t due to the capabilities of Riddle’s magic, but that Malleus and Lilia had already known about Bendy’s circumstances.

However, Bendy didn’t confirm anything to them. He had immediately switched topics to avoid discussing it any further. The Diasomnia students didn’t seem to push it either. As long as Mr. Door doesn’t permit him, he will not talk about it to others.

“Hmm? It seems he’s waking up later than usual…”

Bendy thought out loud as he turned around and made his way toward the upper floors of the building. Last time, when he had mentioned being students, Mr. Door had rejected the idea of it very openly. Bendy didn’t like angering his best friend, even more so again. But the idea of being a student seemed so enticing, and perhaps, he could try convincing his best friend again. The boy didn’t think much about how he’d become a student, he just needed permission first and he’d figure out the rest!

Before he even reached the top floor, a surge of magical energy showed up from a nearby wall and Bendy turned around to see Mr. Door not far from him. “Hehe, there you are~” Bendy sang out with a mischievous grin.

The boy skipped his way over to the black door as it stood in his usual hush. However, it had seemed as if Mr. Door already read his intentions because a word made out of ink immediately showed up on the wooden floor. Seeing the word, Bendy stopped dead on his track as his eyes widened and grin faltered.

“Promise,” It said on the floor. 

The black-haired boy stood still for a minute before furrowing his brows. He turned to face the door made out of ink and noticed how his friend’s shape seemed to be more tense than usual.

An uncomfortable feeling rushed through Bendy and the boy furrowed his brows. He felt it was unfair. “Why are you bringing that up, right now?” He questioned, his usual light tone gone.

“You're not being honest again~” Bendy sang with a wide grin, his eyes wide like a predator cornering its prey. “I know you better than anyone else,” the black-haired boy's cheery voice mocked. 

A splash of liquid was heard and the same word written in ink could be seen beside the original one. However, unlike before, the word seemed to be drawn hastily, aggressively, and with more fervor. It had seemed as if Mr. Door was shouting at Bendy.

The boy didn't back down and stepped forward. “I thought you’ve changed. Showing yourself first to Malleus-san, then to the ghosts. Even allowing me to go outside to bring back gifts ,” Bendy reminded and with each sentence, he took a step forward, his grin wider, and ink tendrils shoot out from his skin. 

As the distance closed in between the two. The same words were written again and again. Each growing in size, spreading across the floor and even the ceiling.

“ Promise .”

“I kept reassuring you, I won’t leave.”

“ Promise .”

“But you seem to have little trust in me.”

“PrOMiSe.”

“Aren’t you tired? Don’t you just wanna have fun?”

“PROMISE.”

“LIAR!”

Silence washed over them as soon as the word rang out. Bendy huffed, his eyes wide as he stared into the rush of black liquid that hovered itself in midair, like a tide that was ready to engulf him. Bendy didn’t move and neither did Mr. Door. Their movement stilled as if time had paused. 

It took a minute for Bendy to realize the words coming out of his mouth. Before he could say anything, it seemed the opposing side had enough. The wave of ink lost its shape as the liquid dropped like rain onto Bendy carelessly. 

The ramshackle boy didn’t even realize that his right hand had clawed itself, preparing for an attack. He gasped and closed his hand immediately. 

Bendy took a look at the surroundings; The huge puddle of ink that he was standing on and the words written all over the place. The scene looked ominous and dreadful.

The grin that he usually wore dropped and the betrayal feeling he had was replaced with fear. “I-I thought you enjoyed it when I went out… Y-You saw it all too…” He didn’t know if Mr. Door was listening or not. It had seemed as if Bendy was trying to reassure himself instead. 

Overwhelmed and desperate, Bendy knew he couldn't stay there a moment longer. The words on the walls seemed to judge him, their silent accusations haunting his every move. He had to escape. Instinct took over, propelling him before his mind could catch up. Ignoring the chaos he'd left behind, he bolted down the stairs and crashed open the entrance door.

He had no idea where he was going, and he didn't care. He just needed to get as far away from the building as possible. The thought of transforming into a puddle never even crossed his mind, nor did he acknowledge his growing weakness. Staying any longer in that dilapidated place felt like invisible chains tightening around him, threatening to shackle him in a state of helplessness. But where could he go?

“Hah…” He gasped, struggling to keep running. Each step felt like his heart was being squeezed by an invisible force.

Malleus-san or Lilia-san? No, this was too personal to share with them.

The school castle? Too many people. He couldn't face their stares or endure any interactions right now.

Before he knew it, he found himself in front of a familiar building. A place he once admired for its beauty, but also one where he had encountered a terrifying figure lurking nearby.

Maybe he could go to Mr. Sam’s shop instead. But he didn’t want to trouble such a kind person.

Bendy stood in silence, his emotions spiraling out of control. He wanted nothing more than to find a hidden corner where no one could find him.

Standing in front of the greenhouse, he remembered the ghosts’ words and his promise to apologize.

“Ugh… I made so many mistakes already…” Bendy whined with his brows furrowed. His face had scrunched up as if he was disappointed with himself. From ditching Riddle and Floyd to offending a royalty. And finally, angering his best friend. The list just kept growing and Bendy couldn't help but feel more disappointed with himself. 

It took him a second before he put both his hands up and gave himself a good smack on both of his cheeks. Although he doesn't feel much pain, it helps to reel his mind together again.

“Let's…” Bendy started before looking forward again with a more determined look. With both his index fingers, he stretched his lips into a smile. “...Yeah, let's solve things one by one! Smile always helps make friends!” The boy motivated himself before taking a deep breath and spearheaded his way towards the glass building.

These past few days had been really busy for the Savanaclaw’s dorm head; His dorm mates pestering day and night to train for the upcoming tournament and having to come up with an ingenious plan against Diasomnia. Although he takes a lot of naps, right now, he would kill for a wink of sleep. 

Even worse, with the new first years, their energy exploded with excitement and some had already boasted about being in the magift team and such. Everyone in the dorm sang praises of him and to be honest, Leona didn't mind. After all, he was confident that this time he would beat that lizard .

Nonetheless, some of the new first years joining the dorm had proven themselves to be worthwhile. For example, the hyena named Ruggie Bucchi. 

The first few weeks, as soon as the hyena walked into the dorm, he didn't have a good impression. After all, hyenas were known for their greediness, cunning, selfish, and traitorous behaviors. Of course being Savanaclaw, a dorm known for their dastardly and physical nature, none hesitated to show their dislike towards Ruggie.

Leona hadn't cared at first. He knew the hyena's terrible reputation was unavoidable. However, Ruggie had gone and proved himself resilient, versatile, and wicked in the dorm. The first year stood his ground and earned his keep in the dorm to which everyone couldn't help but show some respect.

Regardless, Ruggie had decided to lurk around Leona just like a hyena does. Offering to do menial tasks and such. The dorm head knew what the first year's goal was but who was he to care? If somebody volunteered, why not? The lion does not care to do such things and even if Ruggie would try to do anything, Leona simply only needs to lift a finger for the hyena to go back being the lowest of the bunch.

“Shut it, Ruggie. Classes like these are worthless when you just keep revisin’ the same thin’ over and over again,” Leona yawned lazily, his tail flicking back and forth slowly. “Better spend the time polishin’ up our team for the tournament. Don't you agree?” He smirked knowingly without looking backward.

“...well, that’s because you’re just repeating your second year. So of course, you’d already know about everything…” Ruggie sarcastically mumbled quietly from behind.

“ Haah ? Say that again?” Leona threatened and Ruggie immediately shut himself up with a grin.

“Shi shi shi, nothing~” Ruggie chuckled as he put his hands behind his head in a laid-back manner. “But you’re right, Leona-san. This year’s inter-dorm tournament is going to be ours to win with you on our side,” the hyena praised as he brimmed with confidence.

“That’s to be expected. That lizard is not gonna see what’s comin’ for him,” Leona mocked before opening the greenhouse door. “Anyway, I’m sure you got the—” The lion paused in his tracks which almost made Ruggie bump into his back.

“Woah woah, Leona-san, you can’t just stop like that! Almost crashed into ya,” Ruggie cursed in bewilderment before peeking over to the side. “What made ya stop so suddenly? Uhh, who is this kid…?”

Before them stood a familiar black-haired boy who stood still with a 90° bow directed at them. Just as Ruggie was about to say something, he was interrupted by a loud yell coming from the stranger.

“I’M SORRY FOR OFFENDING YOU!”

“Leona-san, who did you bully to the point that they’re apologizing to you like this?” Ruggie weakly inquired with an exasperated face.

However, Leona didn't respond to Ruggie and only narrowed his eyes at the boy. “Didn’t I tell you to scram off? What do you want, brat?” 

Ruggie stood looking even more confused as he glanced back and forth between the two. It was currently lunchtime and usually no other student would hang around in a place like a greenhouse. After days of following Leona around, the former was probably one of the few who knew that this was Leona’s favorite place to hang around. 

The boy then tilted his head upwards with a befuddled look before explaining, “I touched your ears without permission, no? You didn’t like it so I came to apologize. That’s how it is.”

“...his…ears…?” Ruggie thought out loud as if his mind couldn’t process what he had just heard. Afterward, he couldn’t help but have a terrified look as it dawned upon him. “Y-You touched his ears!?”

Seeing the ghostly look from the new person, Bendy couldn’t help but feel baffled. Especially coming from a seemingly similar race, Bendy immediately looked back at the lion. “It’s that bad!? Sorry! It’s just they looked so fluffy…” 

“And you decided you wanna double-check on ‘em?” Leona guessed with a mocking grin. “Whatever, what do you want anyway? Scram before I give you another beating,” He yawned lazily. His words seemed to elicit a shocked HUHH from Ruggie who couldn’t fathom that anyone dared to do such actions towards a terrifying person like Leona.

On the other hand, Bendy seemed to take this differently and instead stood straight with an excited expression. “Does this mean you’re not mad anymore? Can we be friends now?” In an instant, both therianthropes stiffened still with both eyes wide. For a moment, Bendy couldn’t help but think how they acted similarly to Malleus and Lilia. 

“Is this kid really from NRC…” Ruggie incredulously asked as he had a look of disgust.

“I’ve never seen you before! Would you like to be friends too?” Bendy immediately targeted his eyes at Ruggie who only twitched his eyes.

“Okay, who the hell are you? You’re giving me the creeps looking at me like that!”

“What’s wrong with the way I’m looking?”

“ Kuh …” 

A stifled laugh was heard and both Bendy and Ruggie turned their attention back at Leona who looked down. Throwing his head backward, he then laughed out loud, “ Hahaha !” The other two bystanders jumped at the booming voice, Ruggie had a look of shock while Bendy seemed to just have a wider smile instead.

“He’s laughing because he’s happy, right?” Bendy giddily turned back to the hyena.

“No, that was not a positive laughter. Do you not have a single common sense!?”

“ Hah… ” Leona finally breathed out before looking down at the shorter boy. His eyes glinted with deride as he scoffed. “I can’t believe I thought you were some assassin coming for my head. Turns out you’re just some stupidly naive kid. Ya seriously came here just to apologize? That’s it?” 

“Uhh, what else do I want from you?” Bendy tilted his head, earning only a gawked look from Ruggie and a chuckle from Leona.

“Do you even know who I am?” Leona prodded with a smirk as he put his hands in his pockets.

Bendy blinked before squinting as he tried to remember what Lilia and Malleus had told him a few days back. “...You’re a prince…?” As he said so, he beamed brightly with an eye-closed grin before continuing. “Like in the movies~ the prince goes on a big journey to save the princess from the dragon, hehe. Befriending you means I can also go on an exciting journey, right?”

Silence ensued and nobody moved except for Bendy who waited patiently for a response. He noticed a multitude of times how these NRC students seemed to like pausing themselves whenever he said something.

“—Pfft!” A snort was heard beside Leona, first to break the silence. Ruggie held his laugh as he sneaked in a teasing glance at his dorm head. “Leona-san, I didn’t know you already had a lady in mind. I don’t think I’ve ever heard about the second prince being so romantic,” he continued which only earned a silencing glare from said royalty.

“Say another word and you’re out of the magift team, Ruggie.”

“Shi shi shi, whoops~”

“An exciting journey, huh…” Leona wondered out loud with an amused look. “Too bad, I’m not that kind of prince. You’re out of luck, look somewhere else with that childish brain of yours,” He said before sauntering past Bendy who only tilted his head curiously. With a sigh, Ruggie followed closely behind Leona.

Undeterred, Bendy instead also turned to follow the two NRC students without a word. Noticing this, Ruggie walked closer to Leona’s side and whispered. “Uhh, Leona-san, he’s following us…”

“Leave him be. The kid ain’t even a student here.”

“Huh!?”

“Ruggie, you should be able to tell too,” Leona hinted as he glanced back, his green eyes meeting with a pair of wide blueish-grey ones.   

It took Ruggie a second before he took a glimpse at Bendy who was now enjoying the view of the greenhouse from the inside. Therianthropes have heightened senses compared to humans; Every species and person carries a distinctive smell. The smell of the sun, perfume, nature, anything. So when Ruggie took a few sniffs, he raised his brows in bewilderment when he realized he couldn’t get a single whiff of the smell a human usually carries nor any smell at all.

“What the—”

And it was only then that he realized the presence of magic trailing both him and Leona. Ruggie's eyes widened as he pieced it together. Had this stranger been using magic all along? Was it to conceal himself? But to maintain such consistent magic power for… how long? And why? Could this person be some kind of monster?

The questions swirled with no clear answers. Yet, the hyena began to understand. For someone with these traits, it made sense why Leona saw the stranger as a formidable threat.

The three of them made their way to Leona’s usual spot. The lion dropped onto the grassy area, lying down with a lazy yawn. Ruggie followed, sitting cross-legged beside him.

Bendy glanced between them, his grin ever-present, and sat across from them. “This seems like a secret hideout. Hehe, so cool! What are we going to do here?”

Leona smiled knowingly, his fangs gleaming like a predator who had cornered its prey. “It's only right that friends get to know each other first, isn't it?” Bendy's obsidian eyes sparkled with excitement at the lion's question. Meanwhile, Ruggie felt a guilty pang, smiling nervously, as if witnessing an evil mastermind manipulating an innocent child.

.

.

.

Everything hurts.

He choked for air, tears forming from his eyes. The rope dug into his neck like a vice grip as his feet swung back and forth in midair helplessly. His wide pupils darted around the empty room but all he saw were the wooden walls and the one single locked door that stared back at him silently.

The door didn’t open. Fear washed over him, panic, no one was here, no one was coming to save him. His vision flickered on and off like a dying flashlight. Before he knew it, the darkness consumed him.

Chapter Text

“So badass! Cool! Epic! Strong!” Bendy praised brightly with a huge grin as he buzzed in excitement in one spot.

While Leona seemed to enjoy the continuous waterfall of compliments, Ruggie only smiled awkwardly at the sight. The hyena wondered how they had gotten to this point. At first, he thought that Leona was going to interrogate the stranger right away. However, the boy who introduced himself as Bendy started asking them questions about therianthropes, Savanaclaw, school activities, etc.

At that point, it had been obvious that Bendy was not a student from NRC. His lack of knowledge over what should have been the normal routine was clear. However, what made Ruggie not show any animosity was because of how magical this person was. It was probably the same for Leona, who seemed to be patiently biding his time as if the lion was studying a new lesson subject.

“Hehe, alright, I feel like I know so much more now, thank you! Your turn~” Bendy welcomed as he gave a satisfied smile.

“Oho? You're not as dumb as you look, kid,” Leona mused with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Good. You're self-aware enough to know that I won't be giving you that much information for free.”

Bendy raised an eyebrow, “eh? Friends get to know each other. You've already told me about yourself and now it's my turn.” The boy explained that it was the most obvious thing.

Ruggie snickered, “What makes you think we were friends, to begin with?” 

The ramshackle boy blinked before he inquired, “Because you didn't say no?”

“So what if we reject you then?” Leona mocked.

“That’s okay!”

“Huh!?” Ruggie choked out, not expecting such a laid-back answer while Leona only stared back at Bendy curiously.

“Anyway, you, what are you?” Leona questioned right away. When Bendy didn't answer immediately, the lion only showed a vile smirk, “You don't smell like a human nor any other species, you barely know shit, so spit it out. You're too magic-y to be anything. Ya ain't fooling nobody.”

Hearing this, Bendy widened his eyes momentarily before an unsettling grin crept across his face. “Hm hm~ Well, there isn't much I can do about smell I suppose… Man, NRC students are too smart.” The boy closed his eyes for a moment before crinkled them open, “hehe, I'm just a very magical human~” 

Leona smirked victoriously, “ Hooo … Impressive. I suppose punchin’ you with magic last time was the right move. Otherwise, you wouldn't feel it.” The therianthrope seemed much more satisfied while Ruggie only gawked at him. 

“Hey, it hurt a lot!”

“That's what a proper punch should feel, moron,” Leona instantly threw back.

“Living magic… This is insane. It's my first time seeing somebody like you, Bendy-kun. Where did you come from?” Ruggie questioned with a curious yet wary look.

“I came from the old building over there!” He said as he pointed toward the direction where his ramshackle home. “Well, we can't see it from here. But it's in that direction. You two should come to visit! I'll surprise you all with many things~” Bendy finishes excitedly.

“There… I only remembered there was a run-down building. It’s not abandoned?” Ruggie inquired with a raised brow.

“Of course not! I live there and well, there are the ghosts too…” Bendy explained which only earned a terrified response from the hyena.

“Ghosts!? You live with ghosts!?” Ruggie shrieked with wide eyes as he scooched backward.

“Don't be scared. They're not bad at all. You should be scared of me instead!” Bendy laughed out loud jokingly which earned an exasperated look from the hyena.

“...Last time you were able to change into a liquid. What was that about?” Leona questioned nonchalantly which earned the other two's attention. 

“Liquid?” Ruggie whispered his shock in bewilderment.

“That's just my ability. I can do so many more things. Here, let me show ya!” Bendy smugged confidently before putting his hands together and then spreading them out to create a net made out of ink from the tips of his fingers. “There ya go, hehe~ Or we could do this too,” he excitedly continued as he closed up his hands again. He furrowed his brows and the Savanaclaw students watched, pupils narrowing to slits as they sensed the increase of magic presence pooling and increasing from the black-haired boy.

Slowly, Bendy separated his hands and a blob of ink floated in between. With a bright and glee look, he concentrated and the bundle of ink muddled. Like an experienced potter, he shaped the liquid to his will, expanding it and creating a hole in the middle. Followed by a giggle, Bendy pinched some parts of his creation and pulled upwards. Soon enough, the shape was familiar enough for both Ruggie and Leona to recognize with bated breaths. After finishing the object’s form, the shorter boy solidified his liquid creation to harden itself, similar to how he last created the fruit basket a week ago.

Before anyone could react, with a satisfied huff, Bendy floated his creation towards Leona and placed it neatly above his head. Grinning brightly, the boy gave the shocked faces of both the therianthropes a small thumbs-up. “A crown for the prince~ As expected, it fits Leona-san well. It may not be the prettiest crown ever but I tried my best to make one from the picture books I read at home. What do you think?” 

“...” Ruggie gaped for a moment, not knowing what to say. And after one look at the slowly darkened face of his dorm head, the hyena snapped towards the innocent newcomer.

“...You…” was the only word the first-year could speak and Bendy blinked. Ruggie had wanted to say more, yet he hesitantly shut his mouth instead.

“Hehe, you agree, right? It looks great on Leona-san,” the boy repeated his words.

“...Kid,” a low and deep voice called out and Bendy turned his head towards the lion with anticipation. However, Leona took the crown off his head and gave it a deep look before throwing it back at Bendy where the boy stumbled to catch it out of surprise. “You do know that I’m the second prince, right,” Leona stated, his voice low which made Ruggie couldn’t help but dread what was coming next. Slowly, Bendy nodded, looking confused as he held the crown made out of ink in his hands.

“As long as I’m the second one, I don’t deserve a crown. Not even one like that,” Leona concluded. 

Before Bendy could respond to the dorm head’s statement, Ruggie cut him as the latter glared at Leona. It was the first time Bendy had seen the hyena showing such a determined expression.

“Leona-san, everyone in the dorm believes in you that you are a better leader than your older brother! You deserve—”

“Ruggie,” Leona started, which immediately shuts the first-year instantly. “Had we not been in NRC, you would have been sentenced to imprisonment for defaming a royalty. Now, shut it.”

“But—”

“Lunchtime is over. Go run off to your class,” the second-year student shooed him away without much look and Bendy watched Ruggie gritted his teeth, a frustrated look covering his face. The younger Savanaclaw student fisted his hands before standing up and turned to walk out without uttering a single word.

Now it was only Bendy and Leona sitting in the area, the former was still holding onto the crown of ink loosely while the latter closed his eyes as he lay lazily on the grass. It was silent and nobody spoke for a while before Bendy piped up curiously, “So… you can’t become a king because you’re the second prince?”

Hearing the question, Leona opened one eye to look at the boy once more. He then closed again and let out a yawn. “Still questionin’ after all that? You aren’t scared of me, huh. Even goin’ as far as to apologize to me,” Leona mused. “If it weren’t for your absolute lack of knowledge and blatant ignorance, I would have kicked you out as well,” he explained, which earned a squawk of shock from Bendy. “My older brother, who was the first prince, is the current king, and he has a son. Putting those two together would mean I will never have a chance to sit on the throne and be the king.”

Bendy sat as he furrowed his brows thoughtfully while listening to Leona’s explanation. “...I see, this is a hard one to solve. What a tough one!” 

The lion opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow, “Solve? Hah , If this was solvable, I would have known a long time ago.” Bendy then hummed before grinning widely as if he had found an answer, this only made Leona show a displeased look. “What’s with that bright face? What, gonna spout something so naively stupid or fantastical again?”

“Stupid!? No, not at all!” Bendy cheered as he spun the crown with his index finger. “But of course! This is solvable. Hehe, you still have people following you, no?”

Leona halted as he stared back at the pair of obsidian eyes. He then scoffed, “What people? If you think Ruggie was one, forget about it. Same as the rest of the dorm. They are just unlucky enough to end up with the second born here.”

“Eh? Unlucky? Ruggie-san doesn’t seem like he looked that unlucky and he looked determined too,” Bendy questioned back.

“Again, they’re just desperate. They don’t have many options around here on whom to follow.”

“Really? Your punch was powerful though. I would follow anybody who has a strong punch like you!”

“...That’s your only reasoning? If you ever get enrolled in NRC, you might just fit right into Savanaclaw.”

“Woah, that sounds like a lot of fun…”

“Although, your small stature would make it easy for you to get picked on by everyone.”

“I’ll beat them up! Also, I can make myself look bigger and terrifying too!”

“ Oho , You can do that? Your unique magic is interestin’. Or more like, it’s not unique magic but yourself …” Leona trailed off as he rubbed his chin with his fingers thoughtfully as if he was already connecting a few ideas in his head.

“Agh! I got distracted!” Bendy gaped in realization which only earned a snort from the opposing end. Leona had tried to divert the topic so smoothly that it made Bendy look in amazement. Unlike other people the boy met, Leona was so different! He wasn't strict like Riddle, not as hyper as Floyd, nor as polite as Malleus and Lilia. He could see some similarities with Jamil but both of their attitudes differ quite a lot too. 

“You’re quick to catch on. Guess you’re not as oblivious as I thought,” Leona considered, his striking emerald green eyes crinkled with mirth. 

Bendy cleared his throat as if he was preparing for a big speech which the lion rolled his eyes to. “I was going to ask, aren’t you already some sort of a king in some ways?”

Leona paused, his eyes wide before they quickly squinted irately at Bendy. “Did you not hear what I just said? I have no cha—”

“I heard you. You’re the second prince and unfortunately, first come first served, right?” Bendy cut off bluntly and if Ruggie had been here, the latter would have immediately slapped the black-haired boy for his rude remarks.

“Ya tryna piss me off—” Leona started again, a low growl rumbled from his throat as he slowly lifts himself from the ground with one hand.

“But you’re the Savanaclaw’s dorm head, no?” Bendy pushed, looking genuinely confused at the frustrated expression on the lion. His question seemed to also put a dent to Leona’s move who instantly gave the ramshackle boy a ridiculed look.

“...That has nothing to do with being a king. What are you trying to get here, kid,” Leona asked back annoyedly, fangs peeking out. “You better be saying something good since you keep wanting to bring this up.”

“Well, isn’t being the dorm head like being a king already?” Bendy ignored the hidden threat as he spoke. Seeing that Leona still didn’t grasp his point, the boy continued quickly, feeling a tingle on his side. “Being the king means you’re ruling over people. From my view, Ruggie-san seemed to truly believe in you—at least from his words! To me, dorm head just seems like another title for king…!” Bendy rambled, and as he spoke, Riddle’s gallant and proud image flashed through his mind.

A surge of thrill and wonder rushed over him, and before he knew it, Bendy stood up. Still holding the crown in his left hand, he placed it on his head with pride. He lifted his right hand and snapped his fingers. At the signal, his arm morphed, dropping a few blobs of ink onto the ground. Leona watched as each blob splashed and grew into small human figures made of ink. With Bendy’s fingers dancing around, the figures followed like puppets.

“You can be a king!” Bendy exclaimed as he moved his joints, the ink figures dancing around the grass in unison. “Look at me, I have followers ready to go wherever I lead. I’m the king of… uhh… King of Ink?” He trailed off, tilting his head in wonder.

Leona chuckled, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “You seem to enjoy putting on a show. Alright, King of Ink, what wise words would you like to bestow upon this unfortunate second-born?”

Bendy cleared his throat with a cough before showing a closed-eyed grin. "I think a real king is great because people want to follow him. If you have their trust and the will to do it, you can just make another kingdom, right?"

Leona’s smirk faded, replaced by a contemplative look. Bendy’s words, though playful, held a weight that struck a chord deep within him. 

“I mean with a strong punch like that, I think you can just become a king easily…” Bendy wondered as he imagined Leona knocking out his opponents with his punches one by one. “So, what do you think?”

The dorm head, who had a seemingly unreadable expression, couldn't help but scoff. “I didn’t think I would hear something like that from a kid like you. Let alone somebody who I just gave a beating to.” The lion then sat right up, resting his head in one hand. “...People…” He muttered quietly before moving his vision over to the dancing people made out of liquid and then upwards to the crown that Bendy wore.

“Oh! Leona-san, do you know about the tournament that’s going to happen in NRC?” Bendy quipped with gleaming eyes as he snapped back at Leona. “Are you going to participate as well?” The boy asked eagerly. The Savanaclaw student hadn’t expected the sudden change of topic, but he didn’t bother to point it out and only showed a confident simper.

“Of course,” He started before he considered momentarily, his tail waving slowly behind him. “Heh, you know what, you should come and watch the tournament. Give a cheer for Savanaclaw. That punch I gave you is nothing compared to what I’m gonna show in the matches.” 

Bendy bounced excitedly which was accompanied by his liquid minions. He then nodded before pausing to question himself how he was going to cheer for both Diasomnia and Savanaclaw. If they both go head-to-head against each other, which side would the boy give support to?

“Is Ruggie-san going to be in the team too?” The ramshackle boy asked curiously which the lion yawned to.

“Yeah, that hyena proved himself worthy enough to be in the team. Although, there was a bit of complaint at first considering his reputation.”

“Woah, Ruggie-san is also that strong!?” Bendy gawked with amazement as he imagined Leona and Ruggie doing a full combo similar to the hero cartoon movies he watched. 

“Enough about me. This was supposed to be about you more,” Leona stated as he narrowed his eyes at Bendy. “Fest up. You weren’t here just because of the apology, right.”

Bendy stiffened immediately, His face froze. Then he turned to the therianthrope calmly sitting on the ground. The reaction only made the dorm head smile cunningly, “Yeah, exactly. The apology was one thing but there’s something else that made ya come here out of all places. You were scared shitless last time.”

“Uhm… how did you know?”

“You’re made out of magic, magic leaves a presence, and you’re constantly using magic to somehow maintain yourself without overblotting. And when I first came in, what did I notice?” Leona questioned knowingly as he watched Bendy’s face widen his obsidian eyes in shock at the thorough observation. “Your magic was going haywire, all over the place. It was like a ball of yarn being strewn and untangled messily. Suppos’ your emotions are shown through magic as well, which is interesting on its own.”

“Woah…” Bendy gaped in amazement while wondering what the word overblot was.

Feeling victorious and satisfied, Leona concluded, “I thought you were going haywire because you were scared of me. So I asked again just to make sure, you took the bait and confirmed it yourself.”

Bendy blinked once, then twice. He realized then that Leona was only testing the waters with him and he got lured in. The boy couldn’t help but be speechless at the student in front of him. “Leona-san, you’re so smart! How did you figure everything out so quickly!?”

Leona then raised an eyebrow incredulously, “I outed you and now you’re praising me? One second I think you belong in Savana and the next second, I think you should be in RSA.”

RSA again, Bendy remembered faintly how Floyd had mentioned something similar. 

“Now, out with it,” Leona ordered lazily.

Dissolving the crown on his head and the human figures he made, the boy sat down cross-legged looking guilty. Leona blinked owlishly as he noticed the jolly look from Bendy was gone. 

“Uh, Leona-san, what would you do if you fought with a friend of yours…?” Bendy asked, his voice quiet as he couldn’t help but remember Mr. Door’s agitated state in front of him.

The opposing side didn’t say a word as he regarded Bendy carefully. “Friend… Right, you’re probably the only one who goes spouting about that everywhere,” the lion mocked with a chuckle. “Not that it matters.”

“You see, uh, I may or may not have broken a very important promise…”

Leona then stared at Bendy for a few seconds before bluntly saying, “Lions aren’t a fan of promise breakers.” The ramshackle boy flinched right away at the mention of the last two words and couldn’t help but look downwards.

“Even though this promise could be holding us down further…?” Bendy asked again, his voice almost a whisper. If it wasn’t for Leona being a therianthrope with sharp hearing, the student would have trouble hearing it. However, the Savanaclaw student did and his eyes glinted sharply at the choice of words that Bendy used.

“...” The dorm head didn’t respond for a few seconds. “Talk it out.”

“Eh?” Bendy looked up in surprise.

“We might hate people breaking their words, but an agreement that is just nothing but blocking our way is much worse than anything,” Leona finished calmly. “What’s the point of the agreement if it just ends up being an obstacle? At that point, it’s time for a change. So talk it out with that friend of yours”

Obsidian eyes turned wide in shock and Bendy’s lips wavered, feeling somewhat grateful and relieved. “Leona-san…!” He cried out and before he knew it, the boy tackled the student who was lying down relaxedly.

“What in the— Get off me!” Leona shouted in shock as he tried to push away the boy clinging onto his waist. Doing so, the man couldn’t help but have a sense of dejavu with a certain nephew of his.

“Leona-san, you’re the best!” Bendy cried out into his torso while Leona only grunted annoyingly. 

Soon enough, Leona coated his hands with magic like last time to pull Bendy away from him. “Just because I let you in here and all, don't get chummy with me,” the lion growled as he pinched Bendy's cheeks and pulled. “Interestin’, you can still interact with us normally because you solidified yourself but we have to use magic to particularly harm ya.”

“Ow! Ow! I'm sorry… I was just too happy to hear it from you…” Bendy whined as he felt his cheeks burning. Then immediately Bendy made his escape from Leona's grip by turning to liquid and moving backwards away from the dorm head. He then peeked his head out to stare warily at Leona.

“That ability of yours to turn to liquid is annoying to deal with,” The student exclaimed thoughtfully before a vile smile spread across his face. “But if we put you in a jar and seal it with magic… Would it be possible for you to get out?”

“...This is not friendly behavior towards friends, Leona-san!”

“I particularly excel in defensive magic.”

“...” Bendy blankly stared at the mischievous therianthrope. 

“My bad, I excel in everything,” Leona smugly teased which only earned a more grumpy look from Bendy. The latter then popped out of his puddle, sucking in all the liquid before plopping himself back onto the grass.

“Y'know, Leona-san, you're so different compared to the other dorm heads I know,” the boy wondered as Riddle and Malleus’ faces flashed across his mind. At the mention of other people, Leona's eyes narrowed as he raised a brow.

“Other dorm heads? How the hell did you even meet them? You're a damn outsider,” Leona questioned.

“Riddle-san and Malleus-san, they're very nice!”

Immediately an amused yet mocking scoff was heard from the Savanaclaw's housewarden. “ Hah , the snobby Queen and the lizard. Tough luck, kid. Those two are the worst, especially that monster . You're just calling them nice 'cause you're a stupidly naive goody-two-shoes.”

Bendy blinked in surprise at Leona's straightforward words. And he remembered how Riddle had said the same thing about him, Riddle, himself wasn't a nice person. The boy tilted his head, a disapproving frown showed up on his face. “I think they are nice. They've been nice to me so far so I'll believe in my own experiences.”

Leona paused for a bit before a wide smirk crossed his face. “Suits you, don't come crying to me when you have another fight and turns out they ain't as nice as you think,” the lion ended with a yawn again.

“I don't need to come crying to you. Leona-san, I know I'll come to find you myself.”

.

.

.

“I'm gonna punch you again,” Leona deadpanned with an obviously disgusted expression.

“Eh!? Why!?”

“You just reminded me of somebody who is really annoying…” The therianthrope groaned out loud. “Ugh, can't believe I got goosebumps.”

“Goosebumps…? What does that mean? Oh, you got scared by me? That's amazing!”

“Moron, I'd never be scared of a weakling like you. Well, at least compared to him, you do have a bit more common sense.”

“I wanna meet this person! He sounds fun! Introduce him to me, more friends!”

“Yeah, absolutely no chance.”

Leona and Bendy had chatted for a lot longer than the former thought. By the end of it, it had already been the evening. Perhaps, it was because of the constant and relentless energy that Bendy keeps bringing. Every word, question, and reaction was brought with as much excitement and wonder. In a way, it was infectious.

The lion knew that it all started purely out of curiosity. However, throughout it all, despite the childish innocence and playfulness, the ramshackle boy acted no more and less than just a child. 

Most of his base knowledge had been sourced from the picture books he mentioned or the random TV shows that were available on his now-broken TV. Leona had only looked on disapprovingly at first yet he said nothing. It wasn’t his business and this mysterious boy looked content enough with his current situation.

All the more reason for questioning why Bendy was living in such a place with barely anybody else but ghosts to accompany him. 

Usually, Leona would have been mentally tired dealing with so much talk and interaction. Although Bendy can sometimes be touchy, the lion found himself more satisfied than he thought. 

When the student finally got up to go back to his dorm, he reminded the black-haired boy once more to visit the tournament again. The latter had agreed with so much energy, looking more like an obedient puppy. Nonetheless, Bendy watched with glee as Leona walked away casually without looking backward.

Standing alone for a few seconds, Bendy then fisted his hands and grinned confidently. “Alright, let's talk it out!” The boy cheered before turning around to go back to his home.

The boy took his time walking as he started planning his words and actions carefully. If he had more time and money, he would have probably gone to Mr. Sam's shop to give a few things as an apology. He remembered faintly his mother's actions, thus he tried to follow. Bendy was worried that his chances of talking it out would less succeed that he didn't have a gift now.

That's why he must make sure that he plans out his words carefully and on point!

“Okay, I'll first apologize for being rude and not thinking about his feelings. Also for being ignorant about our promise. I didn't mean to just forget it like that. Maybe we can talk things out…?” Bendy trailed off. He repeated his words over and over again to make sure that everything was alright. And by the time he was sure of it, he had already been standing not far away from the said run-down and abandoned building.

Taking a deep breath, he mustered his courage to move forward. As he got closer to the entrance, he took a nervous gulp before opening the door slowly. Sensing that the ghosts weren't in the vicinity, he walked to the living room before noticing that there was something different. His eyes widened in disbelief and a bright smile was on his face, secretly hiding the nervousness he was feeling.

“...I'm back?”

Not far from him, a black door loomed ominously against the stark white wall. Ink appendages stretched out from it, floating in midair with an eerie, silent menace. These tendrils were dexterously handling a particular white letter, which seemed to consume Mr. Door's attention completely. The ink twisted and turned, carefully manipulating the paper, so focused that it failed to notice Bendy's presence.

When Bendy finally called out, Mr. Door's reaction was immediate and frantic. The ink appendages snapped back, engulfing the entire letter in a shroud of darkness, hiding it with a desperate urgency.

Bendy's eyes narrowed as an uncomfortable feeling ignited within him, a sensation reminiscent of their near confrontation that morning. The unsettling grin spread across his face as he approached his best friend.

The room seemed to grow colder with each step Bendy took, the tension thickening like the ink that now coated the hidden letter. He could feel the weight of what was to come, a heavy certainty that the imminent confrontation would push them both to their limits. The boy knew that neither of them was going to like what happened next, but there was no turning back now. The ink was already spilled, and the promise will soon follow.

Chapter Text

“Is it from Mr. B?” Bendy asked nonchalantly, seemingly curious about the letter. There would be times when Mr. B would secretly come by to drop off a pack of goods filled with food, drinks, and other ingredients. And when that would happen, he would often accompany it with a letter for Bendy to read. 

However, his friend didn't respond and that's when the ramshackle boy took notice of his company's state. Just like Leona mentioned before, Bendy's magic senses are also sensitive due to his unique circumstances. His friend was definitely not in a good mood. 

Spikes of magic could be felt in the atmosphere of the living room. Mr. Door's magic has been so abundant that it covers the entirety of it. 

Unbothered by the escalating tension rising in the area, Bendy repeated his plan to talk things out. “Uhm, I'm sorry for not thinking about your feelings carefully and blurting out words I shouldn't have…!” The boy started as he fisted his hands. 

The heavy pressure in the air halted as Mr. Door paused his boiling anger to listen to Bendy's words. 

“I realize it wasn't very nice, and I shouldn't have taunted you like that...” Bendy's voice softened, and his fingers twitched nervously. He glanced back at the ominous black door, feeling the weight of the silence pressing in on him. “You've given me those chances because you know that both of us have always wanted to go outside and have fun together.”

The room was eerily quiet, amplifying the tension. Bendy felt a surge of confidence as the words poured from his lips. He knew that what he was about to say next would be the hardest to convey, and he steeled himself for the inevitable confrontation.

“...Regarding our promise… I didn't forget about it! But I think at this point, it's holding us back from the things we want to do…” He paused, his heart pounding in his chest. “How about we talk it out and make some changes?”

The door stood quietly, still waiting patiently. “...You've opened up to Malleus-san, Lilia-san, and the ghosts so far. You've shown some interest and uhh, so I think isn't it the time for us to give ourselves a bit of freedom, right?” The boy carefully urged with a genial smile.

Then his lips curled downwards into a frown. “...We both know that Mom and Dad are never coming back…” He said and it was at that moment the pressure in the air increased tenfold.

CRASH!

Bendy jumped in shock, his eyes wide. A tendril made out of ink lifted itself from the wooden cracks of the floor. Splinters of what used to be part of the platform scattered in its surroundings. 

Suddenly, Mr. Door's state muddled again. The ink vibrated, creating occasional spikes and more tendrils whipping outwards violently. The room seemed to darken as his anger boiled over. 

Bendy barely had time to react before Mr. Door attacked again, appendages made out of ink shot out at the boy. The air crackled with intensity as the once-composed figure now unleashed a torrent of fury. Bendy stumbled back, trying to defend himself against the onslaught. 

With every sharp tendril coming at him, Bendy would swipe his arm, creating a thick dash of ink that solidified itself to protect himself. The boy whisked his head around for things he could use but all that attracted him were the ink words written all over the place just like in the morning. Bendy's pupils trembled in fear when he recognized them.

“PRoMiSE”

“TraItOr”

“LiAr”

“ABanDoN”

“TrAItOR”

“CruEL”

The boy felt his heart race and soon enough, he felt the same way. He had tried to talk things out just like what Leona had suggested. But now, it seemed the opposing side had no plans to talk at all. The ramshackle boy blocked another attack as he was pushed further into the wall. As soon as another tendril lurched forward again, instead of blocking it, the boy grabbed it instantly, holding it in place.

“YOU COWARD!!” Bendy screamed, his eyes wide with mad and absolute frustration. 

“What is it that you want!?” He shouted back, a hint of desperation could be heard underneath his words. However, it didn't matter. Bendy proceeded to take a step forward. With each step, a burst of ink exploded beneath his feet. The burst of black liquid formed blobs in midair before it shaped itself into sharp needles made out of ink.

“Aren’t you tired!?” Bendy shouted, his voice laced with frustration and desperation. “Staying here!? Living in this broken building!? Alone and waiting for Mom and Dad!?” His voice cracked at the end, but he didn't care.

The attacks came relentlessly. Bendy hurled his own ink projectiles in fierce retaliation, meeting Mr. Door’s tendrils head-on. The living room became a battleground, walls splattered with black ink, and the floor a chaotic mess. Cracks spiderwebbed through the walls, and furniture was either pushed aside or shattered in the crossfire.

Mr. Door's tendrils whipped through the air with a terrifying speed, each strike intended to subdue Bendy. But Bendy, fueled by anger and desperation, dodged and countered with a ferocity he didn't know he possessed. He launched ink bullets, forming shields to block the incoming blows. The room echoed with the sound of their fierce combat, the clash of ink against tendril, the crash of broken furniture, and the shattering of glass.

Bendy leaped onto the couch, using it as a springboard to gain height and hurl a concentrated ink blast at Mr. Door. The projectile splattered against the wall, adding another layer to the chaotic mess. He landed in a roll, narrowly avoiding a sweeping tendril aimed at his legs.

“Why… Why can’t you see…!!” Bendy screamed, his voice raw. “This is only hurting us! We can't keep doing this! We can't keep living like this!”

The tendrils paused for a moment, then resumed their assault with renewed vigor. Bendy felt a sharp sting as one grazed his arm, drawing a thin line of ink that dripped to the floor. He gritted his teeth against the pain and retaliated with a wide arc of ink that forced Mr.Door to disappear into a puddle of ink before reappearing from another side.

The fight raged on, each side pushing the other to their limits. The room was unrecognizable now, a warzone of ink and debris. The walls, once white and dull, were now painted with the evidence of their conflict. Furniture lay in ruins, splinters and fabric scattered across the floor. Bendy panted heavily, exhaustion creeping in, but he refused to back down.

Each blow and shout filled the room with a palpable sense of betrayal and desperation. The promise that once bound them now seemed like a shackle, driving them to a breaking point.

Then, amidst the chaos, a whole sentence appeared in midair, stark and imposing, written in ink. It hung like a grim banner, a message from Mr. Door. As Bendy read it, he felt the weight of the irrevocable change. There was no going back.

“YOU AREN'T REAL. MONSTER. LIAR.” 

Bendy's form paused, as if time had just stopped around him. His movement hitched to a halt and due to this, a black tendril had stabbed through his side. Burst of ink exploded through the shot and Bendy had to grit himself from screaming in pain. Perhaps, had he been a real human, blood would have come out instead. None mattered, instead a chuckle was heard from the boy.

“ Heh….. ” He scoffed before he whipped his head upwards to give a mad look towards the black door. “ HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! ” 

More tendrils came in and Bendy ignored them as they entangled his limbs, keeping him strained and shackled like some animal. Yet the boy just kept laughing madly before stopping himself and a huge grin crept across his face. “Did you just call me a monster…?”

“If I am a monster, then you are one too. And didn't I tell you before?” Bendy calmly asked, his voice seemed to be devoid of emotions. “NO ONE KNOWS YOU BETTER THAN I DO! NOBODY ! ”

“...”

“Me? A liar?? Who's the one lying about themselves right now!?”

“...”

“This house, this family, this promise … they're making us mad! Don't you realize!?”

“...”

The room was silent, save for the dripping of ink and the sound of Bendy’s labored breaths. He knew that nothing would ever be the same again. And as his emotions exploded with his words, he felt deranged and lost. Before he could say another word, a familiar sensation crept within him. The boy giggled like a madman as the sensation grew. It felt as if something was clawing out at him, whispering, slowly awakening itself, and urging his emotions to go haywire.

“Heheheheh…” Bendy laughed out loud, feeling a surge of unknown power growing within him.

Noticing the spike increase of magic from the boy. Mr. Door seemed to pause in realization before he immediately let go of Bendy, dropping him to the destroyed floor. The mysterious entity soon retracted his appendages leaving only himself standing as Bendy dropped to the destroyed platform harshly. The black door stood still for a few minutes, hesitating, before shrinking himself into a puddle and disappearing from the living room.

Sitting on the floor, not caring that his friend had just left, Bendy tried to control himself from the sudden changes inside of him. 

“W̷̧̜̻͔̝͗̐̈͌̾-̸̮̺͚̌͆̏̾̀W̴̩̐̈́̄͊h̸̺̩͈̤̆͂a̷̢̬͔͙̯̾͆̋̓̕t̶̡̼̀͐͝ ̴̢̽i̵͈̜̦͝s̷͍̫̭̋̄̂͠ ̶̰̹̜͔͐̕ṫ̴̟̼͗͗̕h̸̗͙̑i̶̲͇͆̇s̴͈͓̫͛͐̔͛̄.̷̧̭̰͍͌̐̈́.̸̟͍̟̿̽̍͝.̶͆̌͒̊́ͅ?̸̖̞̪̈̌̀ ̴̮̮̮̹͐̈Ụ̶̼́̋̅̈́g̸͕̯̺̿̃͘͜͝h̷̜̱͚͕̜͆.̵̨̢͙͔̳̃̆́́͐.̷̧̢̥̜͎͛̀͂.̴̲̪̊̊̀͜ ̶̧̭͓̫͕̄̑͠Ḩ̶͎͓͎̭͂̄́e̴͙̱͆̒̇͊͠h̸̺̃̍͠.̴̠͇̦̘̿̓̉.̸̡̝̤̞̦̉.̶͚̜̟̣͈̉ ̶̲̠̐Ḩ̸̜̖̞͂͠͠ͅe̶̖̙̪͕̝͝h̸̫̣͍̤́͜e̵͓̯͉̚͜ḥ̸̮̓́̃̄̚e̸̺͒̀h̴͖͘͘ē̸̪̣̤͇̋h̴̃͜e̸̘͑͌̂̌h̴̖̖͈̤͐̀̍͜͝e̷̞̘̝͗͌.̶͖͚̭̰͗̓͑̂.̴̮̗̿̃͆.̸͈̱̈́̔̈!̴̧̖͎̰̔̋̈́”

Something itched inside of him, clawing, scratching, as if it had been long contained and wanting to burst out. Bendy struggled for what felt like forever as his emotions went erratic.

“Are you okay, young master…!? Please, stay with me. You must stay alive…”

A muddled and very faint voice whispered from the depths of Bendy’s memories. It was so soft that the boy almost missed it. However, the tone had been so kind, so warm, and full of worries that the boy latched onto it with all his might. He yearned to feel those things again, as it reminded him of what parental love would feel like. The soft voice continued to repeat itself along with the loud monstrous voice as if both sides were fighting each other for Bendy’s senses.

“ Young master, here’s another puzzle. Let’s try solving it together—”

“—How about a nice warm milk to soothe your tears, young master?”

“What did they do, young master? I’ll handle them for you.”

.

.

.

“Oi, Young master! Are you alright!?” A familiar shout was heard as it woke Bendy up from his midst of struggle. The boy’s eyes snapped wide as he realized that the dark ominous temptation was no longer there. The kind voice soon echoed into the disappearance. Bendy’s vision was blurred as he saw three familiar figures. It took him a second as his view finally cleared up to show his ghost friends looking absolutely shell-shocked and worried.

“You’re finally back to your senses! What the heck happened here!?” Barry questioned with a baffled look as he spread his arm out to showcase the destroyed living room they were in. Glasses shattered, the walls and floor cracked, splattered with splashes of ink everywhere. The furniture was pushed aside and some were broken beyond reparation. It looked as if a mad painter had walked in and decided to create his masterpiece with the whole room.

At the mention of this, Bendy finally took a look at the surroundings without a word. He slowly moved his gaze silently and his heart tightened with realization at what just happened. Sadness and frustration engulfed him like a tide and before he knew it, it exploded.

“Darn, it’s gonna take a while for us to fix everything…”

“How about you take care of the glasses and I’ll clean up all the ink, Barry? Oh, young master, where’s Mr. Door— y-young master!?”

All attention had immediately fixated on the young boy sitting on the floor. The ghosts watched in bewilderment and worry as transparent tears streamed down from Bendy’s eyes. The boy didn’t even seem to notice it as he was too busy trying to control his feelings.

“… Hic… I’m… I’m—” His breath hitched as he tried to control the convulses. “I just… missed mom and dad so much…!” Bendy whisper-shouted as he tried to wipe away the tears. “I tried, I really tried…! What did I do wrong!?”

“...”

“All I wanted was to just have a life outside! Is it so hard….!?” He shouted in vexation, voice breaking in between his words. The ghosts watched in silence. The once bright boy who would laugh, make pranks, laugh childishly, and boast his power was now vulnerable, broken, and crying.

“You two clean up the mess. I’ll get the young master to rest outside for now,” Gustav ordered immediately, none had objected as Barry and Harrow nodded with grim looks. The two of them proceeded to float away to their respective tasks as Gustav used magic to carry the ramshackle boy out of the building. The older ghost knew through Bendy’s words what had just happened, it was easy to connect and imagine what had transpired. Said spirit couldn’t tell what he was feeling when he saw Bendy’s state. 

When Gustav first encountered Bendy, he was taken aback and suspicious. Why would a human child be living in such a decrepit, old building? Initially, the boy was avoidant, but Gustav's warm smile eventually coaxed him into conversation. Despite Bendy's insistence that he was a teenager, Gustav saw through the façade. The boy's pure, innocent mind revealed the truth: he was a lonely child, waiting patiently for parents who never returned.

Gustav, once a celebrated chef, had lived a life brimming with wonders, achievements, and success. He had traveled the world, savoring and creating the finest dishes. He had a family he deeply loved, but as the years passed, they too faded away. Driven by his lingering love for the world and an unyielding passion for cooking, Gustav became a ghost, seeking to share his culinary skills even in the afterlife. Over time, he couldn't help but view Bendy as his own son.

Now, as Bendy sat against a tree, Gustav floated closer, his ghostly form shimmering with gentle light. Using a touch of magic, he tilted Bendy's tear-streaked face towards him. The boy's eyes were swollen, his hiccups uncontrollable. With a gaze full of warmth and assurance, Gustav smiled tenderly. "Young master, everything is going to be alright. For now, just sit here for a bit and take a nice rest."

Obsidian eyes stared back longingly back at Gustav’s and the boy sniffed before asking in a hushed voice, “...you… you’re not going to leave me, right…?”

Gustav hardened his eyes and without a second of hesitation, he made sure to speak with confidence. “Young master, I will not leave you. It would be a strike on my honor as a chef to leave my regular and favorite customer in such a state.” Then he frowned, “So please don’t cry, young master.”

Bendy’s eyes widened as he touched his face. “I-I’m crying?” He asked as Gustav nodded slowly. “So this is what it feels like to cry. I seemed to have just created them out of instincts…” He murmured. He turned his view from the ghost to the old building behind him.

From outside, anybody could tell there was a huge fight happening as the side of the building’s roof had been half exposed and scatters of wood were thrown outside. Seeing this, Bendy’s lips wavered. “Sorry… I made a mess…” He apologized. “Mom and Dad are gonna kill me now…” The boy whispered which only earned a hardened stare from Gustav.

“Young master, if your parents would punish you for this. I will make sure to stand by your side,” Gustav promised before continuing. “...But what happened…?”

Bendy hesitated when he heard the question before he looked downwards guiltily. “Mr. Door and I fought…”

Gustav had to hold back his wince, he had already had a few ideas as to what happened. However, hearing it straight from Bendy was different. It seemed the ghost had realized that this problem was going to be more personal and complicated than he thought. 

“...What happened here?”

Before the chef could respond, a familiar voice called out from nearby, prompting Gustav to immediately position himself protectively in front of Bendy. In their tension, neither noticed the fireflies slowly appearing around them, their gentle glow illuminating the scene. Fortunately, the newcomer seemed to have missed Bendy's last words. The boy's eyes widened in surprise as he gazed at the figure standing tall, exuding an aura of their usual calmness and elegance.

“...Malleus-san…?”

Seeing the familiarity between the two, Gustav sighed in relief before floating away back to Bendy’s side. Malleus glanced at the ghost and Gustav only gave a frowned look that seemed to explain enough for the student to understand the general situation. The fae then turned to the boy, noticing the slight drops of tears out of his obsidian eyes. The Diasomnia student’s neon green eyes glowed momentarily, pupils turning to slits, he narrowed them before asking, worry laced hiddenly beneath his question. 

“I seem to have come at a rather inconvenient time for a walk. However, are you alright, child?” 

When Malleus had decided to come by the ramshackle building. He had been in a good mood as he expected his newly bright and positive friend to welcome him with a cheery energy. Compared to the other students who would avoid him or be overly strict and polite in front of him due to his royalty status, Bendy brings a new refreshing experience. Although Lilia similarly treats him due to his outgoing personality, Malleus sometimes finds himself annoyed when his father treats him more like a child.

“Hmm?” 

As Malleus walked closer to the building, he noticed something strange in the air. He paused momentarily as his eyes narrowed. Glaring towards the direction of the building, he realized that the whole house was covered with lingerings of magic, similar to the last time when he and Lilia had come to visit… only to be ‘kindly’ welcomed by Bendy and his ghost friends.

However, the fairy snapped his head towards something else when he sensed another bundle of familiar magic not far from the building. Absolutely disordered. The mass of magic seemed to be spiking up and down, tangling and untangling itself like it didn’t know what to do. Sometimes, it would even pause before hesitating and continue to move again. It had been clear that it was Bendy. And the student was proven right as he disappeared from his spot before teleporting to said location.

The ghost that showed up beside the boy was a new one that Malleus hadn’t recognized. Nonetheless, the expression of the more mature ghost seemed to give a hint to the fairy of what had transpired. Malleus then looked back at the bewildered Bendy.

“I seem to have come at a rather inconvenient time for a walk. However, are you alright, child?” Malleus asked softly as he kneeled beside Bendy.

“...I’m okay…” Bendy slowly spoke. He then looked around to see if there was anybody else besides Malleus and tilted his head. “Where’s Lilia-san?”

The fairy blinked as he remembered how Lilia was too busy with whatever raid event the older fairy kept telling Malleus about. Something about scheduling a meetup with his online friend named Gloomurai and having an intense warm-up session that the dragon fairy couldn’t understand. “Unfortunately, he’s too busy,” Malleus simply answered. “What happened?”

Bendy hesitated at first, he glanced at the ghost who only gave back a comforting gaze. The boy then turned back to Malleus. “Me and my friend fought…”

The boy began explaining the situation, describing the disagreement between him and his friend. Bendy wanted to become an NRC student, but his friend was opposed to the idea, distrusting his motives. Bendy didn't shy away from admitting his faults, acknowledging that he might have said things that were too harsh. Throughout his explanation, he never mentioned Mr. Door by name, only referring to him as his friend. Despite their conflict, he wanted to respect his best friend and not divulge too much information. As Malleus and Gustav listened attentively, they exchanged knowing glances.

“Young master, first of all, please don’t blame yourself. You’ve done your best and have tried to talk things out. A sensitive topic like this is hard to go through for anybody else,” Gustav comforted and Bendy nodded hesitantly as he repeated the ghost’s words in his head.

On the other hand, Malleus smiled as he called out, “Human child.” Bendy turned to the fae, his eyes wide. “Words are often insufficient and easily misunderstood. Showing, however, reveals the truth more clearly.”

Hearing the vague words that Malleus had just said, Bendy, couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion, “...showing?” 

Seeing the bewilderment from the boy, Malleus’ eyes crinkled with mirth as he stood up. “Perhaps, a demonstration would be sufficient. Allow me to show it to you,” the Diasomnia student called out as he offered his hand out. Bendy looked at it for a few seconds, hesitating again, before taking it and lifting himself from the ground. “Think of this as a gratitude for your continuous warm hospitality.”

Perhaps on any other day, Malleus would have just up and left. However, seeing the distraught state that Bendy was in, the fae couldn't possibly just let it all be. For a second, the dragon thought that the ramshackle boy was just close to overblotting . 

As Malleus let go of Bendy's hand, he, Gustav, and Bendy slowly walked towards the building. Gustav and Bendy glanced at each other as they had no clue what the NRC student was planning to do. Yet as they got closer to the building, Malleus gently opened the door before stepping in. 

Bendy hung back right at the entrance as if invisible chains had slowly crept and slithered their way across his body. His eyes were wide in fear as whispers of the past echoed from within.

“...We are not allowed to leave…”

“We must wait patiently…”

“So that everyone is happy…”

“For them… for us…”

“Young master…? Are you okay?” Gustav asked as he noticed the boy’s sudden stillness. However, the boy seemed to be shocked and unresponsive as he continued to stare at the entranceway leading to the inside of the house.

Gustav's voice faded into a distant hum, drowned out by the rising whispers that clawed at the edges of Bendy's mind. His body felt heavy, and distorted, as if something dark was seeping into his very being. Half his vision was swallowed by shadow, and when he lifted his arm, it was no longer his—it had morphed into something monstrous. His hand had stretched and twisted, elongating into deadly, razor-sharp claws, poised to rip through anything that dared to stand in their way.

What was happening to him…?

Nononononono—

“MONSTER!”

“Human child, look at me.”

A hand had plopped itself onto Bendy’s head and the boy snapped back into his senses as he stared back straight at a pair of gray eyes that seemed to shine bright into his monochromatic world. The boy gasped as he immediately looked at his hand, only to realize that they were back to normal as if nothing happened.

“O-Oh, sorry, Malleus-san! I got distracted...”

“...”

Malleus didn’t say a word for a few seconds as if he was analyzing something else. He then ruffled Bendy’s hair which earned a surprised yelp from the boy. The gesture reminded the boy from weeks ago when Malleus had done the same thing. After he let go, the fairy proceeded to show a smug yet reassuring smile that Bendy hadn’t expected.

“Perhaps it is due to your lack of knowledge of who I am,” Malleus thought out loud before continuing. “However, there is no need for fear. I am here.”

Bendy's eyes turned wide as he stared at Diasomnia's dorm head for a few seconds in awe. His lips wavered as he also turned to Gustav who also gave him a reassuring stare. The boy felt like he was about to cry again. But no, with a nod, Bendy finally followed the two inside the building. 

As the three of them headed towards the living room, Bendy tried to sense for Mr. Door. However, due to the disastrous fight, the whole place had been covered in both of their magic which made it hard for Bendy to distinguish and find his friend. He looked on with wariness towards Malleus’ back who seemed to always walk with confidence like no other person had. 

“Harrow, can you help me out with this couch? I'm running out of magic!”

“...Barry, kill me…”

“You're already dead, what are you tal— HUH!? Wait, why are you already more tired than me!?”

“There's so much ink everywhere. Man, the young master is really scary when he figh— Young master!” Harrow called out in surprise as he turned to the three people coming into the living room. His eyes boggled even more when he realized there was a new person who had joined the party.

“Woah woah! Why are you here!?” Barry gawked as he pointed quite rudely at Malleus. “And Gustav, I thought you were going to have the young master stay outside!?”

Hearing this, Gustav immediately gave him a scolding look as he crossed his arms. “Barry, that's rude. And I brought the young master back because this good fellow here seemed like he wanted to help out.” 

Malleus then looked around, observing the state of the place. He recognized how some of the gargoyle statues had been half destroyed, chipped away little by little. The flooring and walls were still a mess with cracks across them. And the tall glass window pane had all been shattered into pieces. No doubt fixing everything would take quite a long time even with the use of magic.

“Hmm…” The dragon fae looked on thoughtfully before turning to Bendy who seemed to look even more guilty at the state of the living room. “Child, would you believe me if I say that a fix for such a situation is but a small effort.”

It wasn't a question but a statement as Malleus exclaimed to the boy. Without hesitation, Bendy only looked on as he responded with an incredulous look. “Of course, Malleus-san, friends trust each other!”

The dragon only showed a satisfied smile. “Your blind trust is both precious and dangerous,” He says, while Bendy only repeats his words in even more confusion. 

"Y-You're going to fix everything?? That's impossible! This would take days, maybe even a week!" Barry exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief. Harrow could only nod warily in agreement, the enormity of the task weighing heavily on his mind.

"Yeah, even the roof looks like it's about to cave in..." The plump ghost added, glancing upwards with a worried expression. As if to emphasize his point, a picture frame suddenly detached from the wall, crashing to the floor with a resounding smash.

Gustav remained silent, his furrowed brow betraying his doubts. The skepticism in the room was palpable, but it only seemed to amuse Malleus. A confident smile spread across his face, revealing a glimpse of his sharp fangs.

"Fixing this is nothing for me," Malleus said with a chuckle. "Leaving such a rare place in disrepair would be a great disservice. Now, witness…!"

Bendy, who had been standing off to the side, watched the scene unfold with a heavy heart. He felt a deep sense of guilt and sadness, knowing that his actions had caused the destruction. His eyes were downcast, and his usually cheerful demeanor was replaced by a somber expression.

With a mere flick of his fingers, Malleus summoned a shimmering wave of magic that began to emanate from him, the air crackling with energy. His slick jet-black hair floated and danced along the air. The room seemed to hold its breath as the spell took hold, a gentle hum filling the air.

The transformation started subtly. The broken pieces of the picture frame, scattered across the floor, began to quiver and lift into the air as if guided by invisible hands. One by one, they fitted themselves back together with a soft, resonant chime. The cracks in the walls, once glaring wounds in the structure, started to mend, the plaster flowing like water to seal the gaps, leaving the surface smooth and unblemished.

Above them, the roof, which had been teetering on the brink of collapse, began to solidify. Each beam and shingle glowed with an ethereal light as they knitted back together, stronger and more resilient than before. The room was bathed in countless sparkles, the light seeming to pulse with life and renewal.

As the magic continued its work, the very atmosphere of the room seemed to change. The oppressive weight of despair and guilt that had hung in the air was lifted, replaced by a sense of calm and hope. The once dark and damaged space was now bright and inviting, every corner filled with a comforting light.

Barry, Harrow, and Gustav watched in stunned silence, their initial skepticism replaced by awe. Bendy's eyes widened as he saw the room being restored. “Woah…”

"There," Malleus concluded calmly, turning to his companions before his gaze rested on Bendy. The boy's eyes turned glassy, a mixture of gratitude and relief shining through. Soon enough, he realized what he needed to do now.

Chapter Text

Bendy sat outside of the ramshackle building, his face seemed blank as if he was concentrating hard on something. It had been a week since his disastrous fight with Mr. Door and ever since then, the boy had been doing a lot of thinking. What Malleus had shown that night was simply nothing short but exemplary. Bendy knew he needed to think about another plan to convince Mr. Door.

But what…? How…?

These are the questions that had plagued his mind for the past week. During that time, the boy hadn’t been back to his home and had opted to stay outside. Not so far away; He would just sit against one of the old leafless trees or the iron fences surrounding his home’s area. He hadn’t even bothered to go visit NRC again or anybody else in particular. 

Sometimes Malleus had dropped by to visit, simply going on his usual walk. At first, Bendy thought that the fairy had wanted to talk more on the matter, perhaps even asking who Bendy’s friend was. However, the dragon asked none of it and chose to simply explore the area and the building as usual.

Nonetheless, a simple look from the Diasomnia’s student was enough to tell Bendy that the dorm head trusted the boy to solve his issues. On the other hand, the ghosts had also been very supportive. When Malleus had fixed the living room back to its normal state, Gustav showed his gratitude and offered to cook for the fairy while Barry and Harrow had seemed more fearful of the student. Such a display of magic perhaps shows much of a bigger statement of who Malleus is.

In one of their talks, Bendy remembered that Lilia had also mentioned Malleus was royalty. Similar to that of Leona. And as it turns out, the fae was the heir of Briar Valley! At the mention of his title, Bendy had asked a similar question that he did for Leona. The boy innocently asked if Malleus would go save a princess from a dragon just like in the movies. Immediately, Lilia had busted out laughing so much that he dangerously slammed the living room table with his hand while Malleus tried to shut his vice dorm head with a terrifying glare.

He should also thank Leona too. Despite not succeeding in talking things out as the lion suggested, the therianthrope still gave very meaningful advice. If the Savanaclaw student hadn't said anything, Bendy would have continued to run away and not face his problems. 

Seeing that Mr. Door hadn't come out nor called out to Bendy. It had been obvious that he hadn't watched Bendy during the past week. 

“Young master? Is everything alright?” A voice called out and Bendy snapped his head towards it to see Harrow. “You've been sitting without a word like those gargoyles inside the building, y'know.”

Bendy blinked as he laughed with a big grin. “Hehe, being a gargoyle sounds fun. Maybe Malleus-san and Lilia-san would come by every day to see how ancient I look,” the boy imagined out loud as he remembered Malleus talking for hours about the history of gargoyles. “Hmm… Technically, I can just change into a gargoyle, right now…”

“You being a gargoyle is more terrifying. Hiee— you're just gonna jumpscare us every other minute…!”

Bendy only showed a bright grin. Although he still acted as he usually does, Harrow could tell the emotional distraught that the boy was possibly going through. However, instead of looking down, Bendy smirked, “Harrow, are you worried about me?”

The plump ghost twitched before sighing. Had it been Barry, the ghost would have denied it right away. “...Young master, I think everybody is worried for you, right now! You haven't been back inside. Well, I know that you don't feel cold or anything but still…!” 

Bendy listened attentively to Harrow's words and as the ghost rambled, the boy's smile only grew wider.

Harrow raised an eyebrow as he stared at the boy, “Why are you smiling…?”

Without a single hesitation, Bendy answered honestly, “It feels really nice having other people worry for you! I didn't think you guys cared about me so much.” And as the boy watched Harrow's eyes turn wide, he concluded. “So thank you!”

The spirit floated silently as Harrow gaped at the happy boy. Instead of being angry or worried, he slumped. “I'm starting to see why Barry is always so agitated with you. Young master, you're just too innocently positive.”

“Is that not a good thing? Haha, did Barry say something weird? I'll beat him!”

“Anddddd, you're back to your battle maniac phase…” Harrow couldn't help but chuckle tiredly at Bendy. “Yeah, keep at it, young master. After all, this is what makes you who you are.”

“Hey Harrow, what would be the best way to show someone what they’re trying to prove…?” Bendy asked carefully as the ghost hummed thoughtfully. After the fight and Malleus had left, the boy explained the context of the conflict to the ghosts.

“Hmmm, if it was me… I’d believe someone who had experienced it beforehand,” Harrow explained as he rubbed his chin. This earned a tilted head from Bendy.

“Experience…?”

“Yeah! If you were sick, would you listen to a doctor more or some random stranger?” Harrow pointed out that Bendy gaped in understanding right away. “Experience makes a big deal in your choices. Though I’m not sure how this would help you out…” The ghost weakly added.

“...” Bendy stayed silent for a few minutes as he contemplated Harrow’s words repeatedly in his head. Show… what does he show… Must he show that their mom and dad will never come back…?

No. Bendy shook his head. As soon as the thought came across, the boy was immediately reminded how Mr. Door had lashed out at him right away. That's right, Bendy should have more faith and he knows that every parent would love their children no matter what!

Right…?

Noticing how quiet the boy had gotten again, Harrow couldn't help but twiddled his fingers together nervously. He wasn’t sure if his advice had been useful or not.

Harrow is painfully aware that, among the three of them, he's the one who avoids confrontations the most—though if he’s honest with himself, it’s not just confrontations he avoids but challenges in general. He tends to step back, preferring the shadows over the spotlight, allowing others to take the lead. Barry, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. His fiery temper and impulsive nature make him confront situations head-on, often with a bluntness that borders on insensitivity. 

But that same intensity also makes Barry the first to call out mistakes, to cut through the noise and address what others are too afraid to say. He’s the one who, despite his rough edges, will always be there to lend a hand when it truly matters, without hesitation or second thought.

Then there’s Gustav, the eldest of the trio, whose years of experience have shaped him into someone who seems almost unflappable. Gustav has seen it all, or at least he gives that impression. His calm, measured demeanor suggests a man who knows exactly how to navigate the complexities of life. 

Whether offering sage advice, solving a problem with practical wisdom, or simply being the steady presence everyone can rely on, Gustav is the glue that holds the group together. Where Barry charges in with fire, Gustav steps forward with quiet assurance, a stabilizing force in the storm of emotions and uncertainties that often swirl around them.

Both of them had tried their methods of comforting the boy. However, of course, the root of the problem is still not solved. After all, a fight between Mr. Door and Bendy can only be settled by the two of them.

Harrow grumbles quietly. That's right, he may not have the right solution or provide the best help. Perhaps, he can instead cheer the boy up. 

The plump ghost hesitated before speaking, his voice trembling slightly, “I-I have an idea, young master. How about we play magift? You’ve shown quite an interest in it lately, haven’t you?”

The boy's attention snapped to Harrow, his obsidian eyes widening with excitement. He simply stared momentarily as the ghost's words sank in. Then, a slow, eager grin began to spread across his face. “Harrow…”

The ghost shifted nervously under the boy's intense gaze. “Uh, yes, young master?”

With a sudden burst of energy, Bendy leaped to his feet, his eyes sparkling with unbridled enthusiasm. His small hands, brimming with magic, gripped Harrow's ethereal shoulders, shaking him back and forth with unexpected force.

“ Hieee— young master, did I say something wrong?!”

Bendy stopped his movements, his smile growing even more mischievous. “That’s exactly it, Harrow! We’re going to play magift, right now!”

It was Friday morning.

Bendy had made sure to take a mental note of the coming days in his head. For the past three days, the boy had been reflecting on himself. 

Preoccupied by his conflict with Mr. Door, Bendy had momentarily forgotten about the upcoming NRC tournament that he was so excited about. It hadn't been realized until Harrow had brought it up. Ever since then, Bendy and the ghosts had been playing the sport as much as they liked.

Even with the lack of players, Bendy thoroughly had so much fun playing it. From running with the ball, dodging other players, and finally scoring multiple goals. It was exhilarating. He imagined what it would feel like to play it in an actual tournament with official teammates. On the other hand, Barry had complained many times that Bendy's ability to turn himself into liquid was a hassle to deal with.

They had spoken many times about how the ramshackle boy was surprisingly really good in the sport and maybe in the future, he could be a professional athlete in it.

However, such thoughts were only a hopeful dream that Bendy could have. Until he resolves his matter and whatever conclusion may come out with Mr. Door, it all depends on this. 

That's why, with renewed vigor and determination, the boy steeled himself as he stood right in front of his house's entrance. Taking a deep breath, the boy steeled himself to open the door, revealing the old decrepit hallway leading towards the inside of the house.

He knew that Mr. Door had immediately taken notice of his presence, Bendy felt a tingle at the back of his head, signaling some sort of connection was made. 

The boy hesitated, waiting for his friend to say something, anything. But the silence stretched on, suffocating and heavy. Finally, with resolve hardening in his chest, Bendy took a deep breath and began.

"Just for today..." he whispered, his voice barely audible as he clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. The softness of his tone startled even him, but he pushed forward, his determination flaring. His eyes locked narrowedly, blazing with intensity. "Just for today, watch me!"

He paused, the air around them electric with tension. "I'll prove it to you. No, I'm going to show you that life is more worthwhile than this broken building. It's about seeing what’s out there!” 

The boy concluded his quick speech and only silence was his audience. Another tingle and Bendy’s eyes widened when he felt that his connection with Mr. Door had disappeared. The black-haired boy didn't know what it meant, but perhaps Mr. Door was willing to give things another chance.

After a few seconds, the boy realized his words and couldn’t help but feel a bit flustered. “Ahhh, that sounded a bit embarrassing.” He then rubbed the back of his head momentarily before shouting again. “Anyway, just watch me, okay!”

Bendy turned around, he closed the door, and ran back outside without looking back. As he made his way further from his house, he felt his power draining from him. However, he was now more resolved compared to the past few days. 

“If I remember correctly, Malleus-san and Lilia-san said that the festival was going to be held at the coliseum…” Bendy pondered for a few seconds as he remembered how the two Diasomnia students were explaining what a coliseum was and what it looked like. “It should be huge, right…? Perhaps it's the one on the other side of the castle. I'm pretty sure Floyd-san mentioned it once.”

That's right, even though it was brief and they were both practically zooming all around NRC's grounds, it was still quite a tour. Albeit, a very hectic and unorganized one.

As the boy contemplated even more, he blinked in realization. He turned around towards where he came from. “Ahh, I should have told the ghosts about me leaving. I was way too distracted…” He thought about it for a few seconds and noticed that he was already pretty far away before he shrugged with a bright positive grin. “I’ll apologize to them later. I’m pretty sure we can just meet up at the festival~”

With a cheery hum, Bendy turned around again. His right foot moved forward and instead of the ground, his limb sunk into a burst of ink followed by his whole body. 

“Now, let’s have some fun…!”

Life on land had been a series of wonders and full of surprises. From the feeling of walking, the smell of earth and soil wafting in the air, to the interactions that one might have with another. These moments had been nothing but an eye-opening experience for an eccentric person like Jade Leech. 

At first, it had been tough to adapt to human culture. However, with his twin brother and close partner, Azul, things had been a bit bearable. If it wasn’t for them, perhaps Jade would find himself more lost and admittedly quite lonely. After all, moray eels tend to be highly dubious against other people, let alone be close to them. Finding a companion of trust is a rare matter for them.

When the three of them had received their invitation to NRC, to say they were excited would be an understatement. Although they won’t admit it, Azul had determinedly set his prospective goals and plan. Throughout it all, both Jade and Floyd found it entertaining and joined in the cause. They both knew that when it came to Azul, no such plan would have a plain, old, and tasteless journey.

Of course, this plan involved them building the soon-to-be Mostro Lounge in the school.

Unfortunately, every road, and plan will always have a multitude of challenges. When Jade had met with the current dorm head of Octavinelle, the first-year had shown his well-practiced politeness . In an instant, the dorm head had looked at him in full disgust and laughed at his face saying that Jade needed to buy a new mask to fool him.

“The first years we have this time are quite endearing. Look at them already knowing who to leech and suck on the moment they walk in. Waiting for me to be all dried up on the corals. Careful, I bite .”

The words not only strike a chord in him but also in his perception of NRC students. If his dorm head had so easily exposed him, what about the others? At that moment, Jade didn’t know what to say as the dorm head walked away, leaving him, Floyd, and Azul quite speechless. His twin brother had cursed about the dorm head saying how barracudas are aggravating while Azul had stayed silent. Knowing the latter, the octo-merman was probably maintaining his composure while planning out his future murder plan.

Jade had said nothing too. After all, he was more curious about what he did wrong to be exposed so quickly. In the past, the other barracuda mermen he encountered were not pleasant at all. They were greedy, highly aggressive, and nosy. Even worse, they can be predators to both octopuses and eels. 

“Nonetheless, they’re all the same. Once wealth is in front of them, they’ll soon drown in their own greed.”

“Azul, are you not talking about yourself?” Jade prodded with a genial smile.

“Shut it, Jade,” an icy tone snapped viciously back. “We have an order for two blooming honey iced tea. Get onto it. And Floyd, we need five servings of the onion rings with the side of aioli,” the same voice ordered as he made sure to look at the multiple printed paper of orders in his hand.

“Gotcha~” A high-pitched voice drawled out from behind.

“Will do,”Jade responded smoothly before moving to the side and began his task professionally.

.

.

.

To the side, a pair of Octavinelle students simply stared blankly at the bustling scene in front of them. “Hey, this is supposed to be a festival, right? But why are we working like a bunch of employees now?” A black-haired student asked meekly while carrying a box full of plastic cups.

“Dorm head’s orders. I don’t know what that first year did, but the dorm head agreed to him being the planner and manager of this whole event,” Another student answered with a grunt as he handed out a serving to the customer in front of him. “And our dorm is slowly being turned into a restaurant now. I suppose this whole thing is meant to promote it. The first-year sure got some guts to do all this.”

“ Hahhh…” The former first-year student sighed tiredly. “More so, how are those three so used to managing all of this? It’s like they’ve been in the food industry for years!” 

“You don’t know?” The second-year inquired with an amused scoff. “That octopus is from the Ashengrotto family. They are known for their family restaurant. I don’t know about those eels though, they’re just weird…”

“Oh my, senpai. It seems you have quite a lot of praise for us. I must thank you for your sincerity ,” a sleek voice interjected from behind eliciting surprised shrieks from the two students. The two of them jumped out of the way as they whipped their heads around to see Jade standing politely with a hand over his chest.

“J-Jade!! Don’t scare us like that!” The second-year pointed out with a wavering voice.

“Scare? I am merely giving my respectful greetings to my fellow peers and upperclassmen,” Jade started with a closed eye smile which only sent shivers down to the other students. His eyes then peeked open mischievously, pupils turning to slits. “However, it seems that both of you have quite a lot of time in your hands to have such a lovely chat. Please do invite this lonely first-year next time.” 

The brown-haired student couldn’t help but gulp. Any cautious person could tell that Jade was very unhappy with them. Talking to the eel felt as if he was being strangled and watched over with extreme vigilantism. Truly terrifying and daunting experience. 

“Hey, I don’t know where your confidence crawled out from… But I’m still your upperclassman so you better treat me with some respect!” The older student glared as he pointed his index finger at Jade’s face. Despite being a year higher, the infamous eel twin was much taller and intimidating than him. 

“Oya, I was simply saying my greetings like a good underclassman,” Jade smiled apologetically before glancing to his side. “Customers are lining up. If we continue to idle here, dorm head wouldn’t be so happy with us, no?” He asked rhetorically which earned an annoyed twitch from the older student in front of him.

“Tsk!” The student clicked his tongue before whipping his head around and walked in the opposite direction to attend the upcoming customers. The other brown-haired student didn’t hesitate to follow warily. Jade continued to show a genial smile as he watched the two students retreated. After a few seconds, his lips then pulled upwards further, fangs peeking out, he smirked.

"It seems I need to be more cautious..." he murmured softly, before quickly clearing his throat with a delicate cough. With a graceful turn, he began, "Now, I should inform Azul about the—" He stopped abruptly, sensing a surge of magic hurtling toward him. Before he could react, the force struck, knocking him slightly off balance as it latched onto him, embracing him tightly. Thanks to his strength as a merman, Jade was able to quickly adapt and hold himself while his heterochromia eyes turned wide in shock.

“I found you!!”

An unfamiliar voice cheered out. Jade’s mind processed across thousands of his thorough practices on what he should do in such unexpected situations. However, before he could enact on any of them, the male voice moved and floated in front of him, and now the moray eel was facing at a bright grinning face of a black-haired boy. 

“It’s been a while, Floyd-san!”

Wait, Floyd? Jade blinked in astonishment. He then collected himself before standing upright to face the stranger. Despite many of his peers pointing out how him and his twin are so different from one another. Perhaps, there are still some who couldn’t tell. “My apologies, you seem to mistak—”

“Hey hey, I’m really sorry for not keeping my promise last time! I’ve been looking through all the uhh… places around here! It’s so cool! I never seen such a big festival! So many people and so many things to look at! Everything is so loud but in a good way, hehe~” The boy rambled breathlessly with excitement and Jade only smiled politely in amusement as he continued to listen. “I gotta thank you for giving me the tour while zooming around, else I wouldn’t know where to go! Actually, let’s do that again as an apology for me breaking my promise. How does that sound?” The boy ended with a bright smile.

Jade maintained his composure, his mind already set on his next move. Rather than correcting the peculiar person before him, he chose to play along. "Why, that sounds delightful. I look forward to doing this activity with you again ."

And without a single speck of suspicious nor doubt, the boy laughed joyously. He then stopped as his beady eyes turned wide in realization. “Oh, actually, I did get something!” He snapped his fingers before pulling something out of his pocket pants. “Here, this is for you! I don’t know what else you liked, but there were some people selling those mints you bought from Mr. Sam last time!”

“Oya, thank you for your generosity,” Jade thanked generously as he received the gifts. Well, it was definitely Floyd’s favourite. Nonetheless, moray eels do like to keep their teeth clean and that applies to Jade too. Even though the mints wouldn't make their teeth thoroughly clean, the feeling was enough to help accommodate it. Seeing an opportunity for a potential customer and his curiosity on eccentric things, the Octavinelle student continued, “Hm, how about you stay here and order some food. We’re currently in charge of the food stall here—”

“BENDY! SHOW YOURSELF THIS INSTANT!”

“Ah, crap!” The boy, now Jade learns his name, Bendy gasped in surprised. Heterochromia eyes blinked in amusement. Despite being cut mid-sentence multiple times, Jade seemed to be enjoying at the continuously unexpected events happening around him. “Uh, sorry, Floyd-san. I gotta go or else he’s gonna kill me!” 

What happened next shocked the merman even more as he watched Bendy’s form muddled and dropped into a puddle of ink. Without a second waste, the liquid shot across the ground, passing skillfully through the unaware bystanders and people, away from Jade before the student could even say anything. 

Speechless, the twin glanced back at the pack of mints in his hand, analyzing his past interaction. As he does so, a now familiar voice shouted towards him.

“Jade Leech!” Said student looked up to see none other than Riddle Rosehearts, the new Heartslabyul dorm head standing menacingly with a furious face. In spite of his shorter stature, other people immediately cowered in fear, creating a pathway for him. With a glare that seemed to freeze his surroundings, the dorm head began his interrogation, “By any chance, did you see a black-haired person around here?” 

Feeling calm, the Octavinelle student closed his hand around the pack of mints before smoothly putting it inside his pocket pants. “Good morning, Riddle-san. I must say, today must be quite hectic for you to be in such energy already. Perhaps, you can provide more details in your description of the person for me to help.”

Riddle widened his eyes momentarily before he cleared his throat. “My apologies. I should have been more specific. This boy is able to use his unique magic to turn himself into ink. He’s also about the same age as us. Have you seen him?” Unlike Floyd, the Heartslabyul dorm head much preferred to converse with Jade who acts more mature and logical.

“Let me see,” Jade pondered carefully with his eyes closed, right hand to his chin. He pretended as if he was trying to remember if he had seen any person that fit such descriptions. After a few seconds, heterochromia eyes peeked open again mischievously, “Unfortunately, I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone like so.”

The two students stared each other carefully. Riddle narrowed his steel-colored eyes as he tried to discern anything amiss. Some students surrounding them couldn’t help but gulped at the intense scene.

“I see,” Riddle started with a huff. “Good to know. I will be off to continue my search. Thank you, Jade.”

“My pleasure,” Jade returned with a polite smile. “However, I must ask, what did this Bendy do to gain such attention?”

At the question, Riddle’s lips pulled into another disapproval frown. “He was stealing from a stall. Such act is absolutely not permitted and illegal.”

Unexpected by the answer, Jade couldn’t help but blink twice. “Stealing?”

“Indeed, he was stealing for… I believe, they were some pack of mints,” Riddle clarified seriously, his gaze hardening even further. “No matter how little the item is, I must still punish this person. I must off his head just like any other!” The dorm head declared causing some nearby Heartslabyul students to immediately hid further to prevent themselves from being exposed under the red head’s vision.

“Well, I do hope you will find him,” Jade claimed as he slightly bowed with a hand to his chest.

“Hm, likewise. I must say, you and your dorm seem to be doing well. Furthermore, I look forward to your upcoming performance in the inter-dorm match,” Riddle gracefully ended before turning around. His domineering aura made the surrounding audience instantly part away like sea as the dorm head marched away without an ounce of hesitation.

With the events that had just transpired, Jade couldn’t help but feel quite refreshed. Things are becoming interesting and more exciting. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a pack of mints, letting one slide onto his tongue. As he slowly chewed, the cool, invigorating flavour cascaded through his senses, like a crisp breeze on a hot day. It was a small pleasure, but in that moment, it sharpened his focus, making him feel more alive than ever.

“Oiiii, Jadeeeeeee~ There you areee~” A slurred voice echoed as Jade turned his head to see his twin.

“Floyd,” Jade called back with a steady voice that doesn’t match his brother.

“I thought I saw Kingyo-chan just now~ Did he left?” 

“Fufu, indeed he did.”

“Ahhh~ And I was just about to go play with him. It’s been so boring getting the other fishies work. None of them know a thing about cooking!” Floyd ranted annoyedly which only earned another chuckle from Jade. “Huh, Jade, where did you get those?” The former pointed with interest at the pack of mints.

Jade glanced down as he continued to chew. He was quiet for a seconds. After all, this gift was meant for Floyd. “Somebody gifted them. Here, Floyd,” Jade claimed before throwing it at his brother who caught it skilfully.

“Eh? You’re giving them to me? You sure?” Floyd questioned in bewilderment. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop him from popping one into his mouth at the same time.

Jade only smiled knowingly, “No, I should thank you instead. It was meant for you.”

“Huh?”

“Did I say it was meant for me? Alright, I must go see Azul and report some stuff. He must be in a fuss considering I’ve been gone for so long.”

“Wait what? Jade, who did you get this from? Hey, don’t just walk away!”

Chapter Text

Bendy peeked behind a stall as he scrutinized the vicinity. His luck couldn’t have been any worse when he just wanted to grab a few packs of mints for his friend, only to be found out by Riddle. He thought he was quick enough to leave quietly without being noticed. Yet, just as he turned around to walk away, he was then faced with the furious dorm head.

This wasn’t how he planned to meet his friend again! What kind of coincidence is this!?

Had it been any other time, Bendy would have immediately apologized and sat through whatever punishment Riddle was going to give him. However, he had a mission to do here and if he let himself get caught and dragged by the dorm head like last time, would he even have the chance to see the tournament!?

The boy couldn’t let that happen; the next thing he knew, he ran away at full speed. Passing through the bewildered people, he didn’t know where he was going. At first, he thought he managed to avoid Riddle as he bumped into Floyd. Although the latter acted a bit differently than last time, Bendy had too much adrenaline to pay attention. He was just glad that he could see another friend of his.

The day had started when Bendy finally approached to the event's site. He thought he had gotten lost, yet when he came close, his breath got caught in his throat. The sheer mass of people packed into one place was overwhelming.

The closer he got, the more he felt like he was stepping into another world. Stalls stretched as far as the eye could see, each one overflowing with a dizzying array of goods. 

The air buzzed with the scents of sizzling food, the bright colors of toys, the clamor of games, and countless other things he couldn’t even name. It was a feast for the senses, and Bendy found himself longing to reach out and grab everythinh. At that moment, he wished for nothing more than to take whatever caught his eye, to fill his pockets without a second thought. But reality hit him hard— he didn’t bring a single madol in hand.

It was at this moment that Bendy hated how poor he was.

Except for the little money he found last time, there was no other place in his home where it was stored. Perhaps, his parents had taken all the money for their vacation. Bendy didn’t mind, he couldn’t wait to see his parents coming back with souvenirs.

“I think… he’s not following me anymore…?” Bendy whispered hesitantly. 

Still, in his puddle form, head peeking out, he looked around once more. He can’t go buy anything and if he hangs out openly, there is a chance Riddle would find him. To begin with, how in the world did the housewarden find him so quickly at first!?

No time to think and thinking hurts! Bendy shook his head, he might as well just go straight to the tournament. After all, such a big event must be happening inside of the coliseum. 

His plan was set as he began to make his way towards the building. Slithering his way over, he couldn’t help but be in awe again at the sight of the magnificent construction and view. It was nothing like his home or the school castle and Bendy couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous as he silently got closer. 

“Alright, time to blend in with the crowd,” the boy declared as he slowly emerged from his puddle. Not knowing where the entrance was, he followed the group of people trickling into the place. Bendy breathed out a sigh of relief. As he squeezed between the people, he couldn’t help but listen to the excited conversation between the students and outsiders.

“Hey hey, who do you think it’s going to win this year?”

“I have high hopes for Savanaclaw. After all, isn’t Leona Kingscholar in the dorm? For a royalty, he’s gotta be as strong as his title!”

“Don’t underestimate us Pomefiore! Unlike you brutes, we have both beauty and strength! All of you are going to be dazzled into the ground!”

“What does ‘dazzled into the ground’ even mean? Go touch up on your pretty faces, 'cause that’s what’s going to be pummeled into the ground instead.”

“Hey, don’t forget Octavinelle. I bought a few transformation potions just to see how the renowned tiger of the sea gonna fare in the matches. Barracudas can be seriously freaky.”

“What the hell is a barracuda? At the end of the day, you guys are all just a bunch of fishes.”

“Huh!? You wanna say that again!?”

“Looks like you fishes got bad hearings too. Here, let me kindly spell it out for—”

“SHUT YOUR MOUTH. THE ONE WHO WILL ACHIEVE VICTORY IS NONE OTHER THAN MALLEUS-SAMA! KNOW YOUR WORTH, HUMANS!”

The sudden and booming voice scared Bendy as he jumped slightly. The people’s movement also stopped as they seemed to be attracted to the loud declaration. Bendy looked backward to see a young man, his hair was slicked back as he stood proudly. The people around him couldn’t help but move away as they rubbed their ears in pain and whispered how their eardrums seemed to have exploded from the shout.

“Hahh…? Who the heck do you think you are?” Another male voice from before piped up.

“Hmph! I do not need to explain myself to an ingrate like you! Heed these words, everyone will bow down in front of our young master!” The person ended strictly, his glare sent electricity to his surroundings. As he does so, a therianthrope stepped forward. Bendy recognized his voice from the one who was amongst the previous bickering. 

“You’re not even an NRC student. Hah! What do you even know? You’re just some little boy cheering for losers. Back off,” the student threatened, which only poured more oil into the fire. Hearing this, the outsider couldn’t help but grit his teeth in anger at the response.

“You imbecile—”

“Sebek, there you are. Father and I have been looking for you,” another voice unbotheredly interjected. Unlike the other two aggressive and piercing voices, this one came in smoothly without a hint of emotions. Bendy tilted his head as he saw another student walking into the scene of conflict. He has mid-length hair that seemed to shine even within Bendy’s monotone vision. With a neutral look and half-lidded eyes, the newcomer glanced between the two main adversaries. “Are you picking a fight again?” 

“Silver! This human here dared to question our liege’s obvious glory!” Sebek shouted defiantly as he pointed in a threatening manner. 

On the other hand, the therianthrope couldn’t help but scoff as he turned to Silver. “You’re from Diasomnia, right?" The man asked, his arms crossed intimidatingly as Silver nodded without a word. "Is this brash dude your buddy? Can’t you babysit him properly? His loud voice is becoming a grate to everyone’s ears here,” He ranted mockingly as he gave a smug look towards Sebek. At the mention of a familiar dorm, Bendy couldn’t help but gasp in realization as he immediately took a mental note of the related students. 

Sebek couldn’t help but widen his eyes furiously, pupils turning to slits, he took a step forward. “You—”

“...I apologize on his behalf, senpai. C’mon Sebek, we gotta go,” Silver cut his friend off as the former grabbed him by the arm and began dragging the latter in the opposite direction. The sudden movement caused the other person to shout in surprise as he directed his anger to Silver instead.

“Silver! Why you, you ingrate! Unhand me this instant! I must teach that man a lesson!” Sebek roared as he trashed around, trying to escape from Silver’s powerful grip. 

Everybody watched in silence at the duo as they disappeared around the corner. On the other hand, the therianthrope grinned smugly as if he had just won a match. Bendy couldn’t help but be reminded of how he first met Riddle. The boy giggled to himself when he also did the same thing by grabbing the dorm head’s hand. Yet now, the house warden is terrifyingly chasing after him because of a pack of mints.

“Everybody, the tournament is about to start, please make your way to the stands and seat yourself comfortably. I repeat—”

A radio voice blared from above, immediately grabbing everybody’s attention including Bendy’s with the announcer’s clear and diction voice. The ramshackle boy fisted his hands in excitement at the thought. What’s going to happen at the tournament? Who will win? How is everyone going to fare? What strategy or formations are they gonna use? How loud and exciting are things going to get?

The questions ran through his mind like a bullet train as he followed the group of people up the stairways. Due to the crowd and the closed-off hallway going outwards, everything was dark and cramped. Bendy had to thank himself for having his capable abilities to shape himself smaller to squeeze between the group. 

A sudden realization struck Bendy, his eyes widening. A lot of people are going to recognize him. He quickly counted on his fingers—Malleus, Lilia, Riddle, Floyd, Jamil, Leona, and Ruggie. Despite being amazed at how many friends he had now, a new worry gnawed at him: what if Riddle had told them all about him being a thief? Bendy couldn’t help but picture his face plastered on a wanted poster, just like in the pirate shows he watched on his now-broken TV. Having a dorm leader on his case was already nerve-wracking. And as much as he wanted to apologize, today wasn’t the day for it—he had more pressing matters to deal with.

Furthermore, Mr. Door was also watching. Although it was faint, perhaps due to their distance, Bendy could still feel it. Hence, He can’t show himself getting into pathetic situations. After all, today’s goal was for him to prove how the outside world can be so fulfilling with many opportunities and joy. 

In the dark hallway with only a single light source from the front and the surrounding people too busy trying to make their way out, Bendy’s body began to muddle. His height grew, his back bent slightly forward, his hair shorted before turning white, and his school uniform soon lost its shape. Whenever the boy decides to take shape for himself, he always has a certain person in mind. A reference or some sort. After all, It was hard for him to come up with something of his own, including the form that people have now known and interacted with.

The ink converged and muddled, creating layers upon layers of solidified liquid to form the person in Bendy’s mind. A sense of familiarity and warmth crept within the boy as his clothes began to assimilate that of a white corralled shirt, black tie, a formal suit, sleek dress pants, and a pair of polished obsidian shoes. Along with the change of his clothes, his face shape turned sharper as wrinkles formed across them. 

At the knowledge that there were more colors in the world, Bendy was wary that his change would look odd to other people. He needed to be more cautious about his choices.

By the end of his transformation, a sleek, silver monocle materialized perfectly over his left eye. Bendy took a deep breath before exhaling. A grin spread across his face just as a brilliant light surged toward him. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing against the brightness. Slowly, he cracked them open, squinting at first, until they snapped wide with awe. The scene before him was nothing short of breathtaking.

He had just stepped onto the stands of the stadium, and the world unfolded around him in a symphony of noise and color. The roar of the crowd was deafening, their energy almost tangible as it vibrated through the air. Flags waved, the stadium lights gleamed off polished metal and stone, and the sheer magnitude of the arena dwarfed anything he had imagined. It was a spectacle that took his breath away, the grand stage of countless battles and legendary moments now in full view. For a moment, all he could do was stand in silent wonder, letting the atmosphere wash over him, feeling both small and electrified in the face of such grandeur.

“Yo, old man, move already. There are people behind you trying to pass here,” an annoyed voice rang behind Bendy as the boy couldn’t help but jump slightly.

“O-Oh, sorry,” Bendy apologized quickly before stepping to the side, allowing the person to move forward.

“So this is what it looks like,” the boy marveled as he took the sight in. The people talking to one another, betting on who was going to win. Drinks and food were everywhere nourishing the audience's continuous excitement. And—

“Très Beau!!”

“Tre— what?”

“Oh, the joy, the wonder, the excitement… How wonderful to be in such a fiery atmosphere!” The voice rang as Bendy immediately looked left to see a young man with a bob haircut standing proudly with open arms. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a large feather sitting comfortably on top of his head, the person continued to usher even more compliments of the whole event without a care in the world. As the surrounding people gave weird looks towards the flamboyant guy, at that moment, Bendy’s first impression of this person had settled in instantly.

“He’s so cool…” The boy whispered, his words not matching his new appearance.

“Hm? Did I hear a compliment pour moi?” The enthusiastic person swiveled himself towards Bendy’s direction at a terrifying speed. Said movement made Bendy choke himself in shock. As they both made eye contact, the stranger began to walk graciously towards the ramshackle boy. “Bonne journée, monsieur! I must say you look excellent in your suit, très superbe!” 

Bendy pulled out all of his acting skills and what he could remember of how an old person should act. He cleared his throat before lowering his voice as much as he could. “Why thank you, young man. I must say your energy is also amazing."

That was the person that Bendy remembered in the past and impersonated as right now. He was always gentle, polite, calm and respectful. The boy kept repeating these characteristics inside his head. However, a lingering thought still whispered from the deepest part of his mind. 

‘He still left you alone in the end.’

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“Is everything alright, monsieur?” The person in front of him asked, a curious yet worried look plastered across his face. 

Bendy blinked as he regained his composure quickly. “Haha! I apologize, I was mesmerized by your enthusiasm from before.”

“Non, monsieur! I can see your heart is wrenched in agony! On a beautiful day like this, one must not be in such a state! May I perhaps ask what is it that bothers thy heart?” The person questioned flamboyantly as he stared into Bendy’s eyes determinedly. The latter couldn’t help but chuckle at the question. Bendy then looked around before giving a closed-eyed smile.

“Well, I was trying to find a seat for myself. But it seems like everything is rather filled out already. These old eyes of mine are getting older by the day,” Bendy reasoned out weakly. He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that the person seemed to not suspect a single thing from his acting.  “It is also my first time here so I’m quite lost as well.”

“Is that so? How about I be of service to you? I am also trying to find Roi de Poison,” the person exclaimed. “Oh! Where are my manners? Apologies for the late introduction, the name is Rook Hunt!” He introduced himself as he tipped his hat forward chivalrously. Beneath his bangs, Rook had a curious glint that Bendy didn't notice.

At his words, Bendy couldn’t help but repeat the name of the person that Rook was trying to find. What an odd name, but it did sound cool though. If it wasn’t for his current disguise, Bendy would have been jumping up and down in excitement. Yet in the matter of introductions, the boy had to stop himself from saying his actual name. Bendy hesitated as he inwardly apologized to the person he was impersonating, “That is alright. You can call me Al, Rook-san. A pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh, what a lovely name, Monsieur. Then let us go on our astounding journey!” Rook proclaimed like a leader as he winked at Bendy who couldn’t help but laugh at the person’s antics.

Whether it was by luck or some sort, both Bendy and Rook managed to find this Roi de Poison instantly. Yet this person looked so suspicious with black sunglasses and a mask, covering his whole identity. Only his smooth shoulder-length blonde hair with purple tips at the bottom stood out amongst the audience. Sitting in the second level of the stands, the person sat elegantly with his arms crossed and leg over the other, “Hm, you’re here, Rook. Did you use your unique magic on me?”

“Why must I need such a thing? Roi de Poison, you alone shine the brightest! Even with your face hidden, your beauty shines through it, marvelous!” Rook sang out and behind him, Bendy was impressed by Rook’s ability to continuously compliment everything. On the other hand, the person sitting on the bleacher was unfazed.

“Lower your voice. Had I been showing my face, I would be stealing this whole event’s spotlight myself,” the person claimed confidently and Rook joyously laughed in response. 

“Parfait! Monsieur, why don’t you seat yourself comfortably here?” Rook directed his hand just right next to Roi de Poison. 

“Wonderful, thank you for helping me out, young man. And you are… Roi de Poison? Rook-san has been talking about you non-stop all the way here,” Bendy quipped, stumbling awkwardly as he pronounced the peculiar name. 

“Again with that nickname,” the new person sighed out loud. “Give the name no thought. I hope Rook didn’t talk your ear off, he does that quite often with just anyone. A pleasure to meet you, you may have heard of me before, my name is Vil Schoenheit. Just Vil is enough,” he introduced and Bendy repeated the name out loud in wonder. At the same time, Rook placed himself graciously on the other side of Vil. 

In a quick second, the two Pomefiore students exchanged knowing glances. Rook then tipped his hat again, his alluring gaze turned to Bendy as if he was analyzing for something before moving away to the scenery infront of him.

“Haha, I am old now, so apologies that I fail to recognize you. I go by Al,” Bendy introduced himself with a warm smile.

“Fu fu, not at all. In fact, I’m quite glad,” Vil chuckled, seemingly satisfied and relieved by Bendy’s response.

“It is Monsieur Monocle’s first time to the tournament!” Rook quipped beside Vil, his eyes sparkling under his straight-cut bangs. “Don’t you think the stadium is très grandiose?”

“Monsieur… Monocle…?” Bendy questioned out loud amusedly.

“Haah… ” Vil sighed again. “Rook tends to give people nicknames. I hope you do not mind it,” Vil courteously said. “However, I must say, that monocle does add some elegance to your attire, sir. A beautiful choice.”

“I love the nickname and thank you for the compliment, Vil-san,” Bendy laughed, genuinely happy that he had received another nickname from a new friend. First, it was Floyd, and now Rook. Each nickname made the boy felt like he had just won another trophy. “The stadium is spectacular! I couldn’t help but be in awe every second.”

“Indeed. We, NRC students, had come together to put a lot of effort into making sure that today’s event is all set up accordingly,” Vil explained smoothly. Without needing to look at his face, Bendy could tell that the student was smiling beneath his mask.

Oh, how did Bendy miss it? He didn’t notice that both Rook and Vil were wearing NRC’s school uniforms. Maybe he was too distracted by the environment to pay attention. “You two are both NRC students?”

“Why, of course!” Rook proudly said with a wide smile while Vil nodded. “Even more, we’re both in the same dorm. The most historic dorm, representing beauty and that of the Fairest Queen, one of the Great Seven, Pomefiore!”

“Alright, Rook, sit down. Everyone is looking now,” Vil deadpanned without even looking at his fellow dorm mate. Bendy didn’t even realize that Rook had stood up, carried away by his dramatism. And without a single objection, the latter instantly sat back down, his face still bright as ever. “Things should begin soon.”

Bendy was about to ask what Vil had meant before a loud static noise rang throughout the whole coliseum. Immediately, the whole audience went quiet with barely a few whispers between one another. The huge monitor settled at the middle of the stadium lighted up showing a person wearing a formal suit with a mic in his hand.

“Test, test… Alright! Welcome students, guests, and newcomers to the long-awaited NRC’s inter-dorm magift tournament! ” The same announcer as last time declared and immediately a euphony of cheers overflowed the whole area like a thunderstorm. If it wasn’t for his new persona, Bendy would have followed and screamed as hard as he could with excitement. 

“A lovely cheer! Now, I know you all have been sitting tightly with your food and drinks ready for the upcoming matches. However, there is somebody who would like to give his greetings first. Let's all give a round of applause for the one-and-only head mage of NRC! ” Another round of cheers and applause ensued and Bendy blinked in surprise as the huge monitor at the center of the stadium changed. A man with a top hat appeared on a screen, his face was half-covered with a mask of a raven’s beak, and Bendy noted how over-the-top the man’s clothes were. Thick blackbird feathers peeked out beneath the man’s collared greatcoat over his suit.

At the same time, Bendy heard a disapproving mumble from Vil, “How obnoxious. Look at him flaunting himself so openly when he barely did anything.”

Now that Bendy thinks about it. If this is the head mage, isn’t this the person that Riddle had tried to bring Bendy to? The principal? That would mean the boy would have to avoid this man at all costs for today!

“Well well, it is I, Dire Crowley! Everyone, thank you for coming to the tournament. Your continuous support and love towards NRC truly brings me and my students many tears and joy. As the head mage, I couldn’t be more proud of my fellow teachers and of course, my students…! ” Crowley cried out before wiping an imaginary tear from his right eye. As he did so, some nearby NRC students scoffed at the sight.

“I don’t feel a single drop of sincerity from his words.”

“That’s the first time I heard him say he was proud of us. Other than that, he complains about us not treating him nicer.”

Bendy internally gawked at the words. Shouldn’t students be respectful to the highest authoritative figure in the school!? He glanced at Vil and Rook beside him. The latter only had an unreadable smile while the former, even through his cover, Bendy could tell that Vil was not particularly happy.

“—And to those of you in search of future candidates. Our NRC students are well-taught and capable of many things. I can assure you they will not disappoint you. Not today and in the future! ” The principal continued before taking a deep breath. “Well then, I won’t keep everybody waiting any longer. I shall end my speech here. Thank you and I do hope you all enjoy today’s event! ” 

“Finally.”

“Gosh, felt like his speech alone took up the whole day.”

“No, his speech was the unexpected match we never asked for.”

“So, he is the head mage. What did he do again?”

“At least he promoted us for a bit. That’s the least he could do as the principal.”

The grumbles and whispers from the NRC students couldn’t help but itch Bendy’s ears. The boy was speechless at the words. They weren’t even hiding it at this point!

The previous announcer then appeared again on the huge monitor. “Well, thank you for the encouraging words, Mr. Crowley! Without further ado, place your bets and sit tightly! The first matchup we’re gonna have today is none other…. ”

Followed by the announcer’s build-up, the audience went quiet, a background music portraying drum-rolls began to set in, creating a tense atmosphere in the air. Bendy clenched his fists tightly. Vil calmly sat in his chair with his usual elegance while Rook sat forward with an excited smile.

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“—Starting us off! We have Savanaclaw vs. Heartslabyul!”

Chapter Text

“Savanaclaw vs. Heartslabyul…?” Bendy wondered out loud as the crowd screamed with thrill. The whole stadium shook as if an earthquake had hit the area. 

“Roi de Lions and Roi de Roses! Oh, how wonderful! From the wildlife of the savannas to the nobility and justice of the roses. Truly a beautiful yet fierce matchup!” Rook gushed out with his right hand outward like a singer-poet musing his masterpiece.

Bendy blinked with amusement, brows raised with curiosity at the new nicknames he just heard from Rook. Seeing this, Vil sighed exasperatedly.

“Again, don’t mind him. I apologize for my dormmate's eccentric behavior.”

“Not at all! I was just wondering who he was referring to,” Bendy barked out a laugh, voice deepening more than his usual tone. Clearing his throat with a cough, he was starting to regret choosing his new persona.

Vil regarded the old man for a few seconds, his alluring gaze observed analytically beneath his sunglasses, “...Is everything alright, sir? You look very pale.”

Bendy flinched and he gulped nervously, “Oh… uh, I have always been like this. It’s alright.” 

“I see, well, may I suggest a few things, sir?” Vil asked, which surprised Bendy as the boy hesitantly nodded, not knowing how to respond. “Skin aging can cause the skin to get paler due to the decrease in melanocytes. Do you use any facial moisturizer? It will help to trap in the water and make your face feel more refreshing,” Vil suggested, his voice growing more determined with each word.

Bendy inwardly gawked at the waterfall of words pouring out of Vil’s mouth, not understanding a single word of it. “...Woah, I… uh… am not familiar with any of that at all. Seems like you youngsters these days are really passionate!”

“I simply believe that each person, no matter the age, should always maintain a consistent and healthy routine,” Vil undauntedly says without a hitch of hesitation. “And as a student of the Pomefiore dorm and of my profession, I can’t simply stand by when I see an opportunity to share my expertise.”

“Indeed! Have no worry, Monsieur Monocle! Roi de Poison’s beauty is incomparable to many, he stands on the top with an elegance like no other!” Rook shot forward with a gaze that terrified Bendy a little as the student leaned forward, crossing over Vil’s seat and closer to the disguised boy. “Advice from Roi de Poison is hard to come by! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity— that is unless you are an NRC student.”

“Oh, shut it, Rook,” Vil grimaced. “And your face is obstructing the view,” he continued before pushing the second-year’s face with a surprising strength that shocked Bendy.

“Haha, I’ll keep it in mind. You two are so kind to share your experience with this old man here,” the boy smiled warmly. As he said so, a curious glint shined from Rook’s sharp green eyes.

“Hmm~ well, Monsieur Monocle, you also seem to be equipped with some interesting experiences too, right?” Rook questioned nonchalantly with a closed-eyed smile.

Bendy’s eyes widened, feeling a bit flustered, he laughed nervously, “Well of course, with my age, it comes with much experience!”

Rook remained unfazed, pressing forward with an intensity that turned his half-lidded eyes and sharp, winged eyeliner into the gaze of a predator stalking its prey. Bendy couldn’t look away, their eyes locking in a tense standoff. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, Rook interrupted, his voice dripping with curiosity.

“Tell me… How is it that a mage of your age is spilling out a huge reservoir of magic? What are you, Monsieur Monocle? ”

“H-Huh…?”

“ALRIGHT, EVERYONE!” A familiar static noise interjected the intense atmosphere as both Bendy and Rook looked away from each other. On the other hand, Vil breathed out tiredly before pushing his dormmate away again.

“Both teams are walking in now! Let’s all give them a round of applause! Representing one of the Great Seven, the King of Beast! They are persistent, tenacious, and wicked! If you aren’t careful, they can hit you from behind too. So watch out!” The announcer cackled as he continued to build the hype for the first-coming team. “Lead by none other than the almighty second prince of Sunset Savana! Let’s all welcome, SAVANACLAW…!!!” 

The stadium erupted like an explosion, people were now standing, the cameras were rolling, and the large screen projectors surrounding the arena blipped to show a group of people. Immediately, forgetting the tension Bendy just had with Rook, the boy was instead completely entranced by what he was seeing.

“Oh my god, is that Leona Kingscholar…? Am I seeing him for real?”

“Hey, you! Zoom in on them! This is gonna be a hot take! You don’t get to see a royalty every day! I want his face on our damn banners!”

“Hey, I know he’s a prince and all… but wow, he is a one handsome guy.”

“I’m starting to worry about Heartslabyul now… I mean, just look at Savanaclaw’s team. They’re all so bulked up…”

The audience began to comment their own opinions out loud and Bendy fidgeted uncomfortably. Despite the fact he was ecstatic to see Leona and Ruggie on screen, Riddle was on the other end of the match. He didn’t know who he should cheer for. Even worse, he is currently in disguise and can’t be out of character!

Bendy glanced to the side, trying to gauge how the other two Pomefiore students reacted. As expected, Rook was practically beaming with too much joy. The student was literally watching intently at Leona on the screen with an fiery look. And on the other hand, Vil was instead hadn't moved an inch and was deadly silent.

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“Tch.”

Eh, did Bendy just hear a noise filled with disgust from Vil? 

“...How uncouthly. Their postures need to be all fixed and what’s with their manner? Do they not know that there are thousands of cameras watching them? Tch, they are tarnishing NRC’s reputation already.”

Bendy blinked at Vil with a surprised face as he tried to process what he had just heard the student mumbled. Said person then turned to Bendy calmly.

“Is there something wrong, sir?”

“O-Oh, not at all! I thought I heard something odd for a second…”

“Turn your gaze over and straighten yourself for the dorm representing none other than the Queen of Hearts is here to bring down justice!!” The announcer introduced as the projector screens switched again to show a different group of people. 

“Coming from the lands of roses; Don’t mistake their gallant figures for appearances only! Behind it, I’m sure they have many aces up their sleeve! In fact, I’ve heard that the new dorm head overthrew their predecessor a week into the school year! Underestimate them and you might just regret it! Here’s to HEARTSLABYUL!!!”  

Just like before, the crowd cheered like none other. Bendy was starting to wonder how their voices hadn’t completely gone yet. He was truly regretting the persona he chose for his disguise.

Bendy watched as Riddle’s figure was shown on the screen. Beside the dorm head, there was another student who seemed to be walking pretty closely with Riddle. One with glasses and very short hair. The ramshackle boy blinked curiously, their interaction seemed to imply that the two of them were pretty close to each other.

“One week into the school year… Holy crap. That kid must be real strong!”

“Sir, can we stop focusing the cameras on the prince now? I wanna see the other team…”

“Right! A week into the school year!? What an achievement! All cameras on Heartslabyul! This kid has potential! As expected of the renowned NRC!”

“You sure this is not the dorm of beauty? Cause they’re a bit too pretty not to be one…”

Vil clicked his tongue in irritation. “It seems I’ve overestimated the general public’s sense of beauty. How disappointing,” he muttered. Crossing his arms, he caught a strange feeling and glanced over—only to find Bendy staring at him again, a curious expression in his eyes.

“What’s with the look? Actually, what do you think of the teams so far, sir Al?”

“Huh? O-Oh yeah, they’re great! So amazing!” was the hasty answer from Bendy. At the moment, if he had to be honest, Vil’s reaction was more interesting to watch.

Riddle Rosehearts scanned the arena with a gaze that could burn his surroundings. His eyes locked onto the other team. Specifically to the other dorm head who seemed to be walking lazily toward Riddle.

“Oho , the new Queen is here. Should I be honored to have the chance to fight you first amongst the others?” Leona Kingsholar taunted as a nonchalant smirk crept upon his face.

Riddle glared at the older student before putting his right hand forward. “...Leona-senpai, I look forward to our match.” Although the red-haired student hadn’t interacted with Savanaclaw’s housewarden a lot, Riddle was no stranger to their deceitful reputation. 

Leona’s grin grew wider as he reciprocated by lifting his hand and gave Riddle a handshake. Tail swaying slowly, the Savanaclaw's housewarden smirked, “So serious. You need to chill down a bit. Ever thought about gettin’ off from your high horses and putting down your lavish teacups? Why the rush, y’know?”

Riddle’s grip on his staff tightened and he felt his face growing warmer by the second at the words that Leona had just spouted. “As much as you are a senior to me, I will not tolerate an ounce of disrespect towards my dorm…!”

As if he was satisfied by the growing tension and reaction, the therianthrope crossed his arms casually. “Again, still bein’ too serious. Anyway, I heard you already caused some ruckus in the morning. What was it? Chasin’ after some robber?” The lion watched as Riddle momentarily paused in surprise before returning his steely glare at Leona.

“It’s none of your business. I will handle it.”

“Indeed, as expected of the Queen and her soldiers. So gallant and noble,” Leona yawned. His green eyes couldn’t help but glance around the stadium. An idea popped into his head as he looked back down at the slowly burning Riddle. “Hmm, by any chance, you don’t thin’ this robber could perhaps use magic related to ink, right?”

Riddle stopped himself from imagining decapitating a lion’s head as he blinked in shock. “Huh? How did you know that…?”

Leona shrugged idly. However, his grin seemed to be growing wider by the second. “ Heh , call it instincts, I suppose.”

“...Leona-senpai, if you know anything about this criminal, please do share with me after the match,” Riddle stated slowly with a cautious look.

“...Why should I?”

“W-Wha— What are you implying!? We can’t let a criminal like this on the loose!”

“Didn’t you just say that you’re gonna handle it?” Leona asked innocently and before Riddle could retort back, the therianthrope continued. “Maybe if you win the match, I’ll tell you.”

“You…!” Riddle growled, his face now steaming red as he viciously stabbed his staff to the ground. “You’re letting go of an illegal—” the dorm head cut himself off as a realization flashed in his head. Hearing the word halt, Leona couldn’t help but stare down at the younger dorm head with amusement.

“Fu , you’re correct,” Riddle started, his voice now calm. With renewed confidence, the dorm head straightened himself and looked back at Leona’s unmotivated green eyes. A rare yet knowing smirk crept upon the Heartslabyul housewarden’s face, “Don’t underestimate us. We don’t want to show a collared lion and turn this tournament into a circus, right?”

Leona’s eyes widened in disbelief as Riddle immediately turned around, his cloak swiveled boldly at the movement as the latter walked away without looking back. The therianthrope stood there for a moment before he scoffed incredulously. “Hah , ridiculous. Where did he get that confidence from? Before he could do any of that, his team is gonna be all dried up first.”

As he turned around, Ruggie ran up to him. “Sooooo…? How did it go, Leona-san?”

Leona regarded him for a moment before a wicked smile crept up, “He’s got guts, alright. But as long as we continue with our plan and rile him up… Just like a stack of cards, they’ll all fall together.”

Hearing this, Ruggie perked up with interest that soon resulted in a mischievous smile. “As expected of Leona-san! We’re gonna snatch the victory right under their noses!”

“Hmm… we also got somebody to make an impression on.”

“Of course! Wait— huh? Who!?”

.

.

.

“Everything all good, Riddle? We were just discussing our formation again.” 

Riddle turned to the side to see his childhood friend and now vice dorm head, Trey Clover, walking calmly. Behind him were the other team members of the magift team. With a snap of his fingers, Riddle’s dorm clothes transformed into his school’s sports uniform. “What a deceitful person! To think someone like him is a fellow dorm head! Unbelievable!” The red-haired student spouted angrily, face slowly turning red again. 

He then swept through the other Heartslabyul participants, glaring at each one of them, “If we do not achieve victory, everybody is submitted to learn back all of the Queen of Hearts rules and must go practice even during the weekends! There is no other option but victory!”

The other students immediately cowered in fear, some whimpering. On the other hand, Trey couldn’t help but give a wary look at the situation. “Haha, let’s calm down a bit. We will try our best, okay?”

Riddle pivoted his intent look towards his vice dorm head and huffed, “Hmph! Again, you’re still too nice, Trey. You haven’t changed a single bit.”

The older student nervously laughed as he scratched the back of his head. Riddle only stared at the gesture disapprovingly before looking back at the other students who all flinched under the dorm head’s gaze. “Straighten yourselves! We must not show a speck of frailty! Must I remind you that this is also your chance to show what you have for your prospective future careers!? Do you hear me!?”

“Y-Yes!” 

“Louder and more confident! I want to hear, ‘Yes, dorm head!’ ”

“Yes, dorm head!!!”

Trey couldn’t help but smile awkwardly at the sight. When he saw Riddle for the first time after so long, he didn’t know how to feel. After all, the last time they had talked to each other, everything had ended terribly between them. Trey knew he couldn’t blame Riddle for it since the red-head didn’t have a single choice back then.

Nevertheless, seeing the current Riddle only boiled more worries within Trey. The latter didn’t think that his old friend had grown so much, both in strength and emotionally. And that was only proven more true when Riddle overthrew the previous dorm head so easily.

Too easy that it was terrifyingly worrisome.

When Trey had witnessed it all and was appointed as the vice dorm head. There was only one thought that ran through his mind. Riddle had turned for the worse and he couldn't do anything about it. It was too late. 

As he, Riddle, and the other Heartslabyul students dispersed to their respective positions. Trey stared forward towards the other side of the field, his hand gripped tightly onto his magical pen. The boisterous noise from the crowd only exerted more tiredness on the green-haired person. With an exasperated smile, knowing how the match would go, he could only sigh out loud. “Well, perhaps this match can be a wake-up call for him…”

“Seems like everyone is in their positions! Alright, referee, flip that coin!” The announcer’s static noise burst through as everyone roared in excitement. The TV screens then blinked to show a man wearing a striped shirt and shorts standing quietly. A referee whistle loosely hung around his neck, it was specifically imbued with magic that would help project the object’s noise loud enough for the whole stadium to hear it. And finally, in his hand, he held a gold coin that would soon initiate the match.

The referee nodded as he didn’t hesitate to flip the coin. Everybody waited with bated breaths and for once, the stadium went silent. When the coin landed on the back of the referee’s hand, he covered it before taking a peek. 

Instantly, with the decision that was made, the referee lifted his right arm before blowing his whistle.

“And first on the offense, we have Heartslabyul on the attack! Let the first match of the inter-dorm magift tournament begin!!!”

Right on cue, the audience exploded in cheers and screams that enveloped the whole arena completely. At the same time, Riddle didn’t hesitate to turn his staff into a magic pen and with it, took hold of the disc. With an unwavering will, he ran forward like a raging bull.  Behind him, two of his teammates flew on brooms in preparation to receive the disc. As much as it aggravated Riddle that as a first-year being unable to use the brooms, it didn’t relent his determined charge.

“Haha! A pipsqueak becoming the dorm head? What a joke!”

“Let’s all gang up on him!” 

Two Savanaclaw students immediately flew into Riddle’s vision. Pulling out both of their pens, floating on their brooms, they began their relentless attack. However, Riddle only hardened his glare as he swiveled his pen, conjuring multiple magical projectiles to counter back the attacks. “What a pathetic performance, the lot of you!”

“And did you just address me as a pipsqueak ? You animals need some discipline!”

“W-What the…! He blocked them all! C’mon, keep it coming!” One of the therianthrope students squeaked out.

“Apologies, don’t think I can let you continuously block our dorm head now can we?” A calm voice asked from above and both attacking students looked up to see Trey standing on his broom with a polite smile. “Well, excuse me.”

Flashes of flora magic erupted from the second year’s pen, striking the Savanaclaw students’ brooms with pinpoint accuracy. Caught off guard, the brooms wobbled under the impact, throwing the riders off balance.

“Shit!”

“Where did he come from!? I’m falling!! AAAAAA— ”

Unfazed by the students falling around him, Riddle pushed through with a startling speed. Suddenly, a familiar figure slid in front of him, cutting off his path. Riddle’s eyes narrowed, his focus sharpening on the unexpected obstacle.

“ Shi shi shi , well nice to meet you, Riddle-kun~ Didn’t think we’re gonna see each other on the field now did we?”

“Ruggie Bucchi. If you’re not here to spout anything useful, step aside unless you want to get hurt.”

“Sorry, no can do! I gotta show them what I’m made of. In fact, you’re in for a treat! Both kings and hyenas are my friends… Now, Laugh With Me! ” Ruggie chanted out loud, eyes wide paired with a maniacal cackle. A surge of magic burst out and took hold of Riddle’s surprised form.

“W-What in the!?” came Riddle’s baffled shout as his movement stilled to match Ruggie’s. “Can’t… move my body…”

“You think you’re the only one that awakened their unique magic in their first year? Heh , the world doesn’t revolve around you, snobby rich kids!”  Ruggie laughed mischievously as he stood poised. At the same time, Riddle was also forced to follow his movements as the dorm head gritted his teeth in annoyance. 

“What’s this!? Riddle suddenly stopped moving!? He is frozen like a statue! What’s going on??” The announcer’s radio voice interjected as he watched the match halted into a still. “Oho, it seems like Savanaclaw is striking back with their weapons! Ruggie Bucchi, what could he possibly have to easily deter the raging executioner?!”

“ Shi shi shi, feels good to have the spotlight~” Ruggie cackled in satisfaction. “Now, I just need to go and take—”

“...I’ll hand down my sentence…”

“—Huh?” Ruggie paused as he heard the words coming out of Riddle’s mouth. Oblivious as he is, the therianthrope only scoffed, “What do you think you’re gonna do? Your movements are completely locked into mine. Just sit still for a bit. Isn’t that what you do all day as a Heartslabyul student?”

“Well, ready to eat your words, Ruggie?” Riddle’s wicked smile twisted across his face, his half-lidded grey eyes glinting with a dangerous idea. He kept his gaze fixed on his peer, pen poised in his hand. “Did you really think I’d be too weak to cast magic without moving? Time for a lesson. A collared hyena like you will serve nicely as an example.”

“What are you—”

“The verdict comes afterward. Are you ready? OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!! ” Riddle declared loudly after finishing his incantation, like a judge handing down their irrevocable sentence. The order came just as soon as the heart-shaped collar immediately locked neatly around Ruggie’s neck with a satisfying click. 

“Guh…! What the hell!? Where did this thing come from!?” 

“Ruggie!? What happened!?” A Savanaclaw student shouted from afar as they tried to fly as fast as they could to reach Ruggie.

“I don’t know! This thing ain’t coming off!!” Ruggie cried out, ridiculed by the situation as he tried to pull away the collar. He then looked up to see Riddle smiling victoriously as the dorm head began to stride forward towards Ruggie.

“Y-You! You’re moving!?” Ruggie was baffled as he held the collar in one hand. His quick-witted mind instantly caught up as the realization hit him when he couldn’t feel a single magic within him. “Your unique magic can seal another person’s magic with this collar??”

“Hmph, at least you have the sense to grasp it quickly. I feared I’d have to explain it in simpler terms,” Riddle remarked smugly, his magical pen glowing with fierce energy. Then, in an instant, his expression darkened, eyes narrowing as an irritated scowl twisted his features. “How dare you insult my dorm with such crude and misguided words? Like a beast with no discipline—nothing but bark, and no bite.”

“Urk…!” Ruggie gritted out, feeling even more frustrated by the second. However, a sly grin began to show up on his face as he taunted, “I can’t remove this, can I? Heh , don’t get your hopes up, with Leona-san in our team, you—”

“He’s welcome to try . Now, move,” Riddle commanded, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous pitch that demanded absolute obedience from everyone around him. Ruggie couldn’t help but flinch and shut his mouth. He then stepped aside before Riddle began to dash past him. As the latter ran further, Ruggie sighed out loud as he scratched his chin nervously.

“Man, two housewardens and they’re all whack in their heads.”

“Ruggie! Are you okay!?” The Savanaclaw student from before called out.

“What took ya so long? Geez, how the hell am I gonna get this thing off from me…?”

“Ahhh… now I see why those ‘labyul kids are so terrified of their own dorm head…”

“More like, why does he have to be equipped with such an overpowered magic!?”

.

.

.

Fire, flora, and water magic projectiles shot forward towards Riddle like an endless barrage of beams. Yet with every single one, they were met with equal counters from the dorm head himself. Throughout it all, Riddle didn’t even flinch nor feel close to tired. At this point, even his own two teammates following behind started to question if they were even needed there.

Soon enough, Riddle managed to reach the end goal area smoothly before letting the disc drop to the ground. The stadium then erupted with applause and cheers. The TV screens had all focused on Riddle who stood with an unreadable expression. Some people had shown their disappointment towards Savanaclaw, questioning what they were doing and how they were all just brawns with no brains.

On the other hand, Riddle stood quietly without a word as if he wasn’t satisfied with the outcome.

Clap clap clap

Riddle turned his head towards the side to see Leona walking casually towards him. Instead of an angry look, Leona showed a mocking grin that made Riddle sharpen his gaze at the senior dorm head.

“How does it feel to score your first point?” Leona asked idly as he stared down at Riddle. The latter only deepened his glower at the former.

“What about you? Where were you the whole time? Your teammates all tried their best to stop me yet they all failed ridiculously and you were not there to support them,” Riddle snapped back, venom dripping from his words before continuing. “And you call yourself a dorm head? Perhaps its imperative that I speak with the headmaster.”

Leona’s eyes then crinkled with mirth as he stood with his arms crossed. “You’ve only been here for a month, kid. You know nothin’ about how the world works. If you think I was just standing by doing nothin’ then you’re too naive.”

“Wha— You…!” Riddle gawked as his face began to fume, neck turning blazing red.

“What else? Oh, right, aren’t you the one that charged here alone without relyin’ a single one of your members? What kind of leader are you if you can’t use your surroundings?” Leona continuously dropped more questions as each one of them made Riddle’s pale skin turn redder than before. “Y’know, if it wasn’t that green-haired friend of yours, you wouldn’t be able to reach here. Did you even realize that?”

“SHUT IT!” Riddle barked out loud, face now fully red, eyes bloodshot. “I don’t want to hear a single word from you anymore. We’ll end this farce now!”

The Heartslabyul dorm head turned around, stomping away angrily as Leona watched with a cunning smile.

“Leona-sannnnn…!” A voice called out from his left side. Leona then turned to see Ruggie sitting on the broom behind another student.

“Hmm ? Ruggie, your collar is gone,” Leona pointed out which earned a grin from the first-year.

“Don’t know how that happened. It disappeared when you were talking with Riddle-kun,” Ruggie shrugged. “Shi shi shi, were you talking smack at him? We passed by him and man, he looked like one giant tomato!”

“Well, they’ve already shown all their cards. Now we can act on our plan perfectly,” Leona drawled out with a knowing smile on his face. “Just be careful when you’re with Riddle though. Once you rile him up, distance yourself immediately unless you wanna be chained up. If it happens, you’re on your own, don’t drag the team down.”

“Gotcha! We can finally see you in action, Leona-san! Hahaha! I can’t wait!” The second-year student sitting in front of Ruggie laughed. “Hey, Ruggie, you hear that? Out of everyone, we all know you got the nastiest attitude! Look what that got ya!”

Ruggie gave his senior a stink eye as he grumbled, “Shut up, like hell I would know Riddle-kun had that kind of magic.”

“Well, thanks to ya, now we do know! So props to ya for taking the hit!”

“Shi shi shi, ya can always count on me on that!” Ruggie chuckled proudly as he gave a smack at his senior’s behind. Leona watched the interactions with a lazy smile as he glanced around the stadium once more.

“Alright, everybody, it’s time we hunt ,” the Savanaclaw’s dorm head declared which sent his fellow dormmates grinning widely from ear to ear.

When the second attack from Heartslabyul began, the differences were obvious. On one side, Riddle had decided to charge the same way as before. However, instead of defending mindlessly like before, Savanaclaw’s members had instead acted more cautiously and analytically. And in place of throwing random projectiles, the therianthropes had opted to charge forward in a spread-out formation.

Seeing this, Riddle couldn’t help but narrow his eyes and wondered why the enemy hadn’t focused on him. Yet, as soon as he was distracted by the thought, he didn’t notice a Savanaclaw student had bumped into him from behind causing Riddle to jerk forward and stumbled slightly.

“Oops! My bad there!”

Riddle gritted his teeth as his neck slowly turned red again. Nonetheless, before he could respond with his own attack, the person had disappeared, running away at full speed. “That maggot—”

Swoosh!

Flora magic hit Riddle from the side and the dorm head gritted the pain as he dropped to one knee. The disc that was floating with his magic pathetically dropped to the ground. It had happened so quickly that nobody had the chance to see it. 

“Riddle! Are you alright!?” Trey shouted from afar, his face filled with worry as he tried to make his way over to the dorm head. However, just as soon as he moved, a Savanaclaw student blocked him immediately.

“Hey hey, where do you think you’re going~ Sorry, can’t let ya pass,” the therianthrope student playfully said which only earned a cold look from Trey.

“Those curs…! Hitting a person with magic is against the rules!” Riddle growled as he tried to stand up. He pointed his pen at the disc to lift it, yet someone else was faster and had floated it in their direction. Riddle immediately snapped his head towards it only to see Leona standing nearby with a sinister smile that sent shivers down the Heartslabyul’s dorm head.

“Oho, what happened to the mighty Queen? A little nudge and he already fell?” Leona goaded, sharp fangs peeking out from his smile as he floated the magift disk to his side. 

“I don’t want to hear it from cheating mongrels like you,” Riddle snarled as he slowly stood up. His gaze seemed to try and burn a hole through the person in front of him.

“Cheating? Don’t have a clue what you’re talking about at all. Nobody saw a thing. You simply dropped the ball and now it’s mine,” Leona stated innocently which seemed to edge Riddle even more.

The latter knew that this was going nowhere and Leona’s goal was to taunt him even more. Riddle was not a fool, he knew where his faults were. Hence, Riddle didn’t speak a word, directed his pen and shouted off the bat.

“Off with your—” 

“Oi,” Leona called out lazily, and at once, another Savanaclaw student rammed into Riddle from the opposite side causing the latter to falter and be distracted. 

“What was that? I think I just tripped over a tomato~” The random student called out before flying away on his broom at maximum speed.

“YOU—” Riddle started.

“Me,” Leona nonchalantly interjected.

“You bastards are not playing by the rule! This is illegal and I’ll have you disqualified!” Riddle snarled, face fully red as he stared daggers at the older therianthrope. 

“Say whatever you want. Do you think people will care and believe you?” Leona rhetorically asked. “And don’t try to use your unique magic. I have my members always close by if you try anything while they’re blocking your teammates. Let’s not make yourself look like a fool and me a bully.” 

Before Riddle could respond, Leona scoffed and grabbed his broom, letting it hover close to the ground before stepping onto it with practiced ease. In one smooth motion, he floated, drifting higher and further away, his gaze locked onto Riddle below. Looking down with a sneer, he growled, “You still have much to learn. Now, witness the differences between our strengths.”

With those words, he let the disc stop floating, seizing it firmly in his right hand instead. A murmur of confusion rippled through the stadium, even the announcer falling silent. Leona’s grin stretched wider, waiting until every eye in the arena was fixed solely on him.

“This match… is over ,” Leona declared. With a powerful twist, he hurled the disc with all his strength, the force of his throw sending it hurtling through the air like a bullet. The crowd watched in stunned silence as it soared toward the towering goalpost, cutting through the air with precision. Then, with a sharp clang, the disc sailed cleanly between, sealing the victory. For a heartbeat, the stadium was frozen—then the stillness shattered as the entire arena erupted in wild, thunderous cheers.

“D-Dorm head…”

“To think we lost to him! That cheater is nothing more than a fraud! I will have him executed and belittled! How dare he treat me like a toy!?” Riddle ranted as he stomped across the hallway with his teammates following warily from behind. On the other hand, Trey couldn’t help but laugh nervously. Their match had ended a few minutes ago. After Leona had displayed a grand act of throwing the disc from across the field, the rest of the match only turned for the worst. All in all, it was a horrible experience.

“It’s okay, Riddle. We can always win again next time. How about we take a break and maybe have a nice cup of—” Trey began.

“Not. Another. Word.” Riddle broke out, each word driving him closer to exploding.

Trey paused as he watched the back of his childhood friend worriedly. “...My apologies,” the vice dorm head ended up apologizing instead.

“You all, go back. I will have words with each of you about our loss later,” Riddle commanded sharply. Without hesitation, the group dispersed in silence. Yet Trey remained rooted in place, lingering. Sensing his presence, Riddle didn’t bother to turn around as he added coldly, “You too, Trey.”

The vice dorm head stiffened, hesitating for a heartbeat before bowing his head and retreating quietly, slipping out of sight around the corner.

Finally alone, Riddle felt the pressure weighing down upon him. Taking a deep breath, he then exhaled slowly. After calming himself down, he then turned to follow his teammates. 

.

.

.

However, a voice called out to him from behind.

“Riddle.”

Shiver and terror ran straight through Riddle from top to bottom like cold water. The dorm head’s eyes were wide as he slowly turned pale by the second. Like a robot, he rotated back slowly only to see a familiar figure standing not so far away from him. For once, Riddle couldn’t open his mouth right away. He was rooted in one spot as if his feet were screaming out to him, refusing to move.

Regardless, if he doesn’t speak, things will only get worse. And with all his might and every single part of his being, Riddle finally mustered up to call out the name of the person in front of him.

“Mother.”

The adult female figure walked closer, her heels echoing in the now-empty hallway. Each step seemed to serve as Riddle’s own death sentence. And as she got closer, Riddle’s grey eyes seemed empty like a void accepting his fate.

SLAP!

“To think a child that I’ve raised with all my being lost in the first match of the tournament already…” Riddle’s mom started. “Do you even realize the embarrassment I must face upon your loss?”

Riddle’s head had turned to the side from the impact, his left face stung and he was sure that it burned red like usual. With a blank look, the boy faced forward again and bowed down. “I… I’m sorry, mother. I will do my best next time.”

“And what was that display during the match? It was disgraceful. So many errors, so many flaws—utterly unacceptable. How do you plan to correct such incompetence? I cannot believe a child of mine would perform so poorly!” his mother continued sharply, raising her hand once more.

Riddle squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the strike. But it never came. Cautiously, he opened them again, and his grey eyes widened in shock at the sight before him.

“Hmm~ Excuse me, ma’am. May I know what you were trying to do just now?” An unfamiliar male voice questioned. Yet, the tone seemed a bit forced and odd in Riddle’s ears to be exact. That doesn’t matter, what’s important was this stranger had just stopped his mother’s attack by grabbing her wrist in midair.

“Y-You! Who do you think you are!?” Riddle’s mom shouted incredulously at the appearance of a new figure. She then immediately pulled her arm away which the older man let go easily. Rubbing her sore wrist, Riddle’s mom then glared at the taller man.

“...” The strange man didn’t say a word for a moment as if he was thinking deeply. And Riddle could only watch him in bafflement, not knowing what to say.

Fixing the monocle on his left eye, the old man smiled warmly, “I am merely a butler, ma’am. You may call me, Al."

Chapter Text

“That was amazing!” Bendy gasped with a breath of awe, his voice pitching a bit higher with thrill. He watched as the screen blinked to show Leona’s victorious grin despite looking so casual as he stood on his broom. The crowd exploded in shrieks of enlightenment and joy after witnessing the winner of the first match.

“Leona-san was so cool! What do you think, Vil?”

Beside the disguised boy, Vil gave a contemplative glance at Bendy, not pointing out about the contrast of the boy’s personalities and actions. The Pomefiore student then looked forward to the exciting scene before him. “The result was quite predictable… that man schemes all the time like it’s nothing. Although I’m not a fan of such methods, his win is still one worthy of recognition and Riddle-kun needs a lot of work on his end.”

Before Bendy expressed his burst of adrenaline and rambled on his thoughts, his mouth immediately shut into a thin line when he saw Rook’s face peeking out from behind Vil. The latter wore a half-lidded look paired with his alluring gaze that seemed to pierce through Bendy’s disguise. A wide knowing smile crept onto Rook’s face as if he was observing the ramshackle boy like a hawk. Goosebumps ran through the boy like a tide. Oh crap, the boy was so excited that he almost forgot that he was supposed to be disguised as a calm and distinguished old man!

“Oh uh…” Bendy cleared his throat awkwardly, his voice went deeper than before as he pushed down his boiling enthusiasm. “...Yes, the match was an eye-opening experience on my end,” the boy concluded stiffly, his pupils wavering nervously. 

If he had been honest, he would have gushed how Riddle was like a fiery meteor, shooting across the field, setting his path ablaze with his presence alone, while Leona was like a… Hm, no words can describe how fierce and cool the therianthrope was. The shot he did halfway across the field was enough to stun Bendy into silence along with the rest of the crowd. Continuous exhilarating thoughts ran inside the boy’s head, Bendy frowned in dissatisfaction from having to hold back his excitement.

Frustrated, the old man stood up from his seat and fixed up the monocle on his left eye before turning to Vil and Rook. “Well, first match and it was already thrilling to watch. I’ll take a leave to go relieve myself first.” 

“Tres bien, monsieur! We shall await your return here!” Rook brightly proclaimed, smiling widely as he tipped his hat again. On the other hand, Vil only gave a silent nod signifying his agreement.

Bendy returned the warm words with a smile before making his way out, passing by the other seated audiences and apologizing along the way. The two Pomefiore students watched as Bendy’s figure slowly disappeared into the entrance of the arena’s backstage.

Vil sighed out loud as he crossed his leg over the other, “At least, he doesn’t seem to pose a threat or have any ill intention.” 

“I must know who he is! Such tremendous magic to be leaking out from him! A renowned mage? A fairy? But he does not seem to retain any characteristics of the species like Roi de Dragons… Oh mon, perhaps he is a magical creature!” Rook blabbered like a madman, eyes sparkling.

“...You’re probably the reason why he excused himself out of nowhere…” Vil commented at his fellow dormmate, disgust dripping from his tone. “However, I must say, that was some terrible acting. It was almost embarrassing to watch.”

Rook chuckled, “Well, Roi de Poison, when it comes to such things, none can compare to you.”

Vil regarded his friend for a bit. He then said in a tired voice, “how shameless, you’re going to follow him, are you?”

The white feather sitting neatly in between the band of Rook’s wide-brimmed hat swayed. Jade eyes crinkled open menacingly like a hunter, Rook didn’t say a word. He only gave his idol a smile that was enough to answer the question.

“Woahhhh… finally alone…!” Bendy whined out, not fitting his old person disguise. “Man, I didn’t think pretending was so hard…”

Considering how most of the audience are currently out sitting with anticipation and thrill after the first match. The once bustling and cramped hallway that Bendy squeezed through was now empty. The boy blinked in amazement at how spacious it was now.

Torches of flames lined up on each side of the stone brick walls, they burned bright, giving the hallway a warm yet damp light. Bendy walked through the passageway as he scratched his head. “Maybe I shouldn’t have chosen Mr. Al. He always acts so calm and professional… How does he do it?”  The boy grumbled under his breath. At the thought, he couldn’t help but frown again. “I wonder how he’s doing… I miss him.”

Chatting with Vil and Rook had been fun and the boy wished he could have talked with them in his true form. And despite the latter giving out some creepy vibes towards Bendy, the black-haired boy didn’t particularly care. It’s not like the student could guess who Bendy was immediately!

But the more important part was… this wasn’t enough. Albeit the match was exciting between Heartslabyul and Savanaclaw, the black-haired boy knew this wasn’t enough to convince Mr. Door. Simply being a bystander watching as things unfold silently doesn’t show how great life could be.

Crossing his arms, he tapped his foot multiple times and squeezed his eyes shut to come up with something. His current grey brows furrowed tightly. “Hmmmmmm…….”

.

.

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SLAP!

A ringing yet familiar noise echoed through the hallway, causing Bendy’s eyes to snap wide open. He turned his head towards the direction of the sound and blinked. “What was that just now…?”

Not wanting to reveal his presence, he tiptoed his way forward in a childish motion. He imagined himself like he was a spy from the movies he used to watch. One step after another, as he got closer, a female voice could be heard from around the corner. Raising one brow, the boy then peeked around the corner stealthily and his eyes turned wide in surprise.

Before him, a familiar figure of his Heartslabyul friend, Riddle, who was standing with his head turned the other way. In front of him was a tall lady who seemed to retain a close resemblance to the dorm head. She even had unique antenna bangs curving into a heart shape like Riddle! 

Bendy gulped nervously. Despite only knowing Riddle for a short time, he didn’t expect to see the gallant, noble, yet strict boy to be so quiet! The guy who was chasing after him like a madman this morning and would mouth everything about rules is stunned into silence! Who was this lady!?

As the woman seemed to speak a few more words, Bendy watched the scene begin to turn even more dire as Riddle terrifyingly didn’t budge from his spot. The situation seemed so personal and private, resulting in the outsider not knowing what to do. Perhaps, he shouldn’t even interfere.

“And what was that display during the match? It was disgraceful. So many errors, so many flaws—utterly unacceptable. How do you plan to correct such incompetence? I cannot believe a child of mine would perform so poorly!” The angered lady shouted.

“Oh,” Bendy started in realization as soon as he heard the words poured out of the adult.

Magic burst within him and in an instant, Bendy’s gloved hands had gripped tightly around the lady’s wrist midair. Nobody said a word and even the ramshackle boy had to take a moment to reflect on what he had just done. Now that he took a closer look, Riddle does look a lot like his mom.

 “Hmm~ Excuse me, ma’am. May I know what you were trying to do just now?” He ended up asking with a polite smile.

“Y-You! Who do you think you are!?” Riddle’s mom shouted incredulously as she pulled her arm away. A panicked look crossed her face momentarily before it turned into anger.

Lowering his arm, Bendy then fixed the monocle on his left eye like it was nothing. “I am merely a butler, ma’am. You may call me, Al."

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.

.

“...Well sir Al, It’s very nice to meet you. However, you must know that grabbing a lady’s wrist inappropriately like so serves some offensive crimes in the Queendom of Roses,” the lady who uncannily shares a similar resemblance to Riddle condescendingly pointed out as her stark red lips were pulled into a disgusted frown.

Instead of apologizing, Bendy tilted his head innocently in confusion. “Hm, but I believe we are currently not in the Queendom of Roses, right?” In fact, in the boy’s head, he could only question himself: What and where is this Queendom of Roses ?

A vein popped up on the lady’s forehead as she immediately covered her snarl with her gloved hand. “How boorish of you. You claimed yourself to be a butler yet I’m starting to question whose master you serve to not teach their servants the basics of mannerisms towards ladies.”

“Oh! My young master is amazing!” Bendy answered confidently without missing a beat. His shameless yet naive answer made the person in front of him stumble in surprise.

“T-The audacity…” She gritted out, her face seemed to slowly burn red. “No matter! You are interrupting a private conversation. I have no time to deal with a measly servant who knows no manners, out of my sight. Now .”

Her voice had dropped into a cold deadly tone at the end and Bendy glanced down to his side to see Riddle stiffening up. It’s unimaginable how minutes ago, the Heartslabyul dorm head was just battling out and showing his might in front of thousands of people. And now, he’s like a statue refusing to move, act, and even talk.

Looking back at the woman in front of him who seemed to be impatiently waiting for Bendy to leave. The latter instead gave a warm smile. His right hand reached out to grab softly at Riddle’s shoulders, “I’m afraid I can’t do that. My young master requested that I must retrieve Riddle-san since he wants to speak with your son privately.”

“What!?”

“...Huh?”

Both Riddle and his mom said at the same time. The former then looked up towards the strange old man who only reciprocated with a comforting close-eyed smile. Bendy then turned his head back up to face the woman who wore an incredulous expression.

“The young master had said that your son was spectacular during the match. Scoring many points on his own was already an incredible feat on its own. Of course, their opponents were also formidable but that only served to show how great Riddle-san was to be able to stand up to them,” Bendy explained smoothly, his heart letting out as he could finally and sincerely gush out his thoughts regarding the match.

“I must say, due to your son’s courageous and unrelenting will to keep going, a lot of people praised and cheered for Heartslabyul until the end! And oh my, to become a dorm head in a week? Who would want to miss the opportunity to speak with a person with such capabilities?”

Silence once again enveloped the whole scene as Bendy finished his speech. The boy inwardly let out a satisfied sigh. It felt good to finally let out those words after having to act so serious and calm in front of Vil and Rook.

“...” Riddle stood in silence as he instead clenched his fists with his head down.

On the other hand, the red-haired woman didn’t relent and only snapped back emotionally. “He still lost and that’s enough to destroy everything. The results are all that people remember! And my son is supposed to be perfect—”

“What’s wrong with not being perfect?” Bendy cut her off and this time, an unsettling smile stretched across his face.

“You lowly servant… are you threatening me…?” the lady scowled in disgust. “You dare!?”

“Am I the one raising my hand now or was it you?” Bendy threw back without hesitation which only made the female’s face burn brightly in red. The disguised boy was amused at the sight. It was quite entertaining to see how even Riddle’s flaming face was also inherited from his mother.

“You!” Riddle’s mom started. “Name your master! I’ll have you fired when I talk with him!” 

“Apologies, I am not allowed to divulge my master’s identity to anyone without permission.”

“Then bring me to him! I wish to speak with him this instant!”

“Uh… I was only told to bring Riddle-san with me. Perhaps, next time?”

“—Youuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!! ” The woman seethed out like a steaming kettle. If it wasn’t for his current persona, Bendy would have laughed at the noise she was making. Furthermore, he even wanted to pat himself on the back for how quick-witted he was with his responses.

“M-Mother—” Riddle finally spoke out quietly. However, he was shut to silence when his mother’s bloodshot eyes were directed at him in an instant.

“Riddle,” She called out his name like a death sentence. “We shall continue our talk later. You’ve disappointed me enough today. I’m taking my leave now .” And without waiting for a response, she gave one last poisonous glare towards Bendy before turning away and leaving. The latter nonchalantly waved with a victorious smile. The sound of heels stomping across the hallway echoed before growing further and disappearing into the distance.

.

.

.

“Are you alright, Riddle-san?” Bendy finally asked after a moment of silence. He turned to face Riddle who seemed to stare into the distance towards where his mother had just left. 

“Why did you do such things…?” Riddle whispered. His voice was so weak compared to when he was teaching Bendy all about the school when they first met. “I lost and that’s what mattered. I’ve broken the rules and my mother is right. People will only remember the results. I have not only disappointed her but also my whole dorm.”

Bendy stared at his friend without a word. He then circled to stand before the dorm head before kneeling. “But what’s so fun about only remembering the results?”

Taken aback by the question, the dorm head snapped up to glare back at the old man’s face. “Because…!” The student started with hesitation. “—Because it's what mattered most!”

“You keep repeating that but is it really what you think?” Bendy asked curiously. “Hm, I’m not sure, sounds to me like you’re not being true to yourself. Why do you think I said the words that I just said to your mother? Do you think this old man here is lying?”

“I…” Riddle trailed off, a shocked look flashed across his face, it then turned unsure before he shut his mouth in frustration. It was hard to refute somebody who seemed to look so genuine and speaks a lot from experience. Furthermore, it made sense, why would an old man who barely knows Riddle lie about such things?

“Was I…really that amazing…?” Riddle asked, his words barely loud for the ears. However, Bendy grinned in an instant.

“Of course! Failures happen all the time. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to stop, right? Without losing and learning from your mistakes, how are you going to achieve success?” Bendy laughed out like it was the most obvious thing. 

“...” Riddle didn’t say a word. The dorm head only wore an unreadable expression before looking away. “You said that your master wishes to converse with me. We must not make him wait.”

Bendy flinched at the sentence. Ah, crap, now that it comes to it, how is he going to do this!? Maybe he can just create a clone of himself, but that would be too difficult and take too much energy! Why did he have to make the situation much worse!? He didn’t think this through properly.

“B-Before we do that, the young master also parted me with a few messages to ask of you,” Bendy hastily quipped, which made Riddle look back and blink.

“Hm? What is it?”

“You see, he’d like to confess a few things beforehand…”

“Confess? Well, that can be done when we meet face to face, no? It sounds as if your master is well acquainted with me.”

“Uh— no, he said he wishes to know your response before bringing you to meet him. Let’s just say he had done something bad before…”

Riddle’s eyes immediately narrowed into a glare as he heard the last few words echoing in the empty pathway. If Bendy was a real human, he would be sweating nervously like crazy. However, he didn’t like having to lie to his friend and now that it comes to it, it would be better to come clean instead!

“I see… Depending on what crime he committed, I can’t be sure if he had broken the rules or not. If so, then punishment still must be met since this is still within the school grounds,” Riddle stated strictly as he crossed his arms. Each word the dorm head spoke sent imaginary spears piercing through Bendy who keeled slightly forward as if he was truly in pain.

“...Even if it was just a small action?” Bendy mustered out as he adjusted the silver monocle on his left eye awkwardly.

Hearing the butler’s pleading words for his young master, Riddle squinted his steel eyes suspiciously. Why did this young master need to feel so validated by an NRC student!? And after his butler acted so tough and calm in front of his mother too. Was this person a student too?

“—Without losing and learning from your mistakes, how are you going to achieve success?”

The butler's words echoed once more in Riddle’s mind, and for the first time, a rare, helpless smile touched his lips, causing the old man to blink in astonishment. A warmth stirred within the Heartslabyul dorm head as he finally spoke, "It seems, as you said, that all can be prone to error. I trust your master, too, can seek forgiveness and strive for betterment."

Bendy gawked and a joyful feeling washed him like a waterfall and before he could stop himself, the boy then grinned widely. “So you’re forgiving me!?”

Riddle paused, and his smile turned into a confused frown. “Me…?”

Overwhelmed with joy, Bendy’s form began to distort and melt away. His distinctive silver monocle lost its shape, dissolving into black liquid. Riddle gasped in shock, stumbling back as Mr. Al’s towering figure shrank before his eyes. The butler’s pale frame compressed, shifting into a smaller, more familiar silhouette.

As the unsettling grin formed on a rounded face, the once-pristine butler uniform rippled and transformed, its fabric twisting and reshaping into a neatly tailored school uniform. Ink coalesced into strands that simulated hair, completing the look. With a soft sigh of relief, Bendy stood, fully restored in his usual form.

“Hi, Riddle-san! Sorry for stealing back there, I swear I didn’t mean to. Anyway, I won’t do it again! Thanks for forgiving me!”

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.

.

“Huh, why are you not saying anything? Hehe, did you like my disguise? Wasn’t it pretty good?”

“—I’m gonna kill you!!!!!” Riddle seethed out, his face instantly burst into an explosive fire as he immediately pulled out his magical pen and aimed at the thief. Bendy immediately floated backward in fear at the sight of his angered friend. 

“Huh!? Huh!? What! Why!? ” Bendy squawked in surprise as his black beady eyes turned wide in shock. “Wait a second, Riddle-san! I apologized and you said you forgave me!”

“How dare you mislead me! There is no forgiveness, you lowly thief!” Riddle shouted, a scowl plastered on his face. “And to think I showed such vulnerability…. There is no better punishment than locking you up! Don’t you dare think of escaping from me now!”

“Hey hey, Riddle-san, we’re friends right!? Maybe we can talk this out—”

“ —OFF WITH YOUR HEAD! ”

“AAAAAAAAA!!!!!”

“Did you just block my magic!? The audacity!! Come back here, you rat!!”

“NOT UNLESS YOU CALM DOWN FIRST, RIDDLE-SAN!”

“UGHIIIIIIIII—”

Attending NRC had been a dream realized, one that filled his parents with pride and excitement—and he shared in their joy. He had worked tirelessly to earn his place here, and now, all his efforts had finally paid off. Yet, one challenge still lingered: the struggle to socialize. Perhaps it was because he had spent so much time buried in his room, studying and memorizing every detail for exams, that he had lost touch with what life outside of books was meant to be.

This was the life of Oliver Infeliciso. 

Ignihyde student, first year, class 1-A was his introduction to every single person he had met so far. And when it happens, the conversation ends in the next five minutes. He didn’t mind, he rather be an outcast, minding his own business without anyone bothering him.

However, fate seems to have other plans for him. Not only was he put into the one class with the strictest teacher. The kid was also in the same room as some of the worst yet renowned people in school. From screaming like a damsel in distress at the sight of Floyd Leech to acting like a winter soldier in front of Riddle Rosehearts. And finally, the ever-so-mysterious Jamil Viper who sat right next to him. That Scarabia student gives Oliver the creeps!

Everybody in his class was all scary and dangerous!

Thus in such situations, once the bell rang signifying the end of classes, Oliver ran at a frightening speed to the hall of mirrors and into his dorm. He would then be holed up in his room and never go out as he mentally prepared himself for the next day. All he wanted was to pass school with good grades, graduate smoothly without a single trouble, and then have a successful job. He doesn’t need connections, friends, or anything else! Just a simple and quiet life!

Yet, the world seemed to be laughing at him when he had “won” the lottery to join the interdorm tournament.

“Oh, c’mon. It’ll be over quickly!” His upperclassman had laughed it off while Oliver blankly stared at the wooden stick in his hand with a red mark at the tip.

“I… How could this be…” The first-year whispered emotionlessly.

“You got lucky! It’s not like it would kill you or anything. Look, some of your teammates are celebrating there, you should join them!” The upperclassman encouraged warily.

The first-year looked up to see a bunch of his selected team mates all looking like dried-up leaves. They seemed to be in a far worser state than him.

Oliver inwardly screamed in his mind, he imagined himself banging his head against the wall. Hey, perhaps if he does it hard enough, he would be excused from the match due to injury…!

“...My condolences…,” a monotone yet static voice passed by him, and Oliver's eyes went wide as he turned around to see a weird tablet floating away mysteriously.

That day, Oliver cried to himself in his room.

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.

.

“—For the next match, we have Ignihyde vs. Octavinelle!!” The announcer’s voice rang loudly. Blasting into Oliver's ears and consciousness like an execution. The whole day, Oliver had been praying and dreading himself. Every waking moment had been him regretting choosing NRC over some of the other schools. He doesn’t want to be out there! He can’t stand it! Even though his parents are there, the thought of so many people watching every single one of his movements is terrifying.

“Uh, are you okay there, Oliver-kun?” 

At the call of his name, the boy looked up to see his fellow teammate looking worried.

“Looks like we’re already matched with a troublesome one. I heard the dorm head of Octavinelle is a nasty guy. And they have that Floyd Leech in the team too.”

“F-Floyd Leech!?” Oliver shrieked as the image of the 190cm merman flashed in his head like a bad omen.

“Yeah, but it's okay! I think we can handle it!” His peer cheered and Oliver noticed how nervous he was.

“Uh… I… I’m gonna go to the washroom for a bit,” Oliver stated before standing up and walking past the other student.

“O-Oh, okay! Just make sure to come back quickly!”

The moment he left, Oliver fastened his walking pace toward the washroom. Passing by the surprised people around him, he didn’t care. His anxiety is reaching its limit and he can’t take it anymore! 

By the time he reached his destination, he slammed the door close and had his back against it. Thankfully, no one else was in the washroom as Oliver held his head in his hands stressfully. 

“Whyyyyy… Why does it have to be me…! It could have been anyone else! I’m not even athletic or anything! I’m gonna ruin it for everybody and myself!” Oliver ranted out loud in frustration.

It’s not like he didn’t try to avoid it at first. He tried to ask everybody from his dorm if any of them were willing to take his spot. However, none of them took the offer and only gave him pitiful looks. How pathetic! Oliver was just a first year, why must he bear such burden and responsibilities already!?

Out of nowhere, he was suddenly reminded of the lingering rumors that had been going on throughout the school these past few weeks.

“On Friday, after lunch period, they said that if you go to the washroom on the first year’s floor and knock three times on the last stall, a monster made out of black liquid will greet you— Then the monster will ask you if you’d like to make a deal with them.” 

Hey, wasn’t it Friday today? Technically, it is after lunchtime right now…

“But this isn’t the first year’s floor…” Oliver trailed off meekly at the realization. And just as he was about to accept his fate and leave, the image of Octavinelle’s barbaric dorm head and Floyd Leech’s menacing grin flashed before him. “Ugh— Fuck it! Anything will do!”

He then stomped his way towards the last stall of the washroom. The lights of the room flickered on and off like a warning. The damp walls didn’t help either as Oliver put his right hand up in midair. He took a nervous gulp and asked himself if he wanted to do it. Clenching his hand into a fist, he gritted his teeth and knocked at the stall’s door three times.

“I-If somebody’s there… please help me…”

Oliver waited, he held his breath intensely as he continued to wait patiently. After minutes of silence with no response, the boy slumped sluggishly. “What am I doing… I’m so stupid for believing in such things—”

“You need help?”

“—HIEEEEEE!!!”

Oliver let out a high-pitched shriek, scrambling backward until his back slammed into the sink. He winced in pain, eyes widening as he looked up to see a massive blob of ink oozing above the door of the rumored stall. Paralyzed with fear, he pointed at the unknown creature, his mouth hanging open, while his entire body trembled uncontrollably.

“Y-You’re real…?”

“ Shusshh— I’m hiding. Of course, I’m real. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I’m sorry! Please don’t kill me!”

“Huh? Didn’t you just say you needed help?” The cheery voice questioned and Oliver blinked in astonishment.

“R-Right. My apologies! I do need help urgently…!” Oliver instantly straightened himself as he warily stepped forward. “I… I don’t want to participate in the inter-dorm tournament!”

The blob of mysterious ink stayed silent at the declaration as if it was thinking carefully. Each second that passed only served as a build-up towards Oliver's crisis. He glanced at the nearby clock. Just as the student was about to speak out, the mysterious entity then showed an unsettling tooth grin. This creature can have a face!?

“So as long as there’s somebody who can take your place, it’s all good then?”

Oliver's eyes grew wide with astonishment as he nodded furiously. “Y-Yes! That’s good enough!”

“Okay, I can help ya with that~”

“F-For real!?”

“Yep~ I just need to ask you a few stuff.”

“Absolutely! Ask me anything!”

“What’s your name?”

“Oliver Infeliciso. Ignihyde student, first year, and from class 1-A!”

“Uhh that’s long. Okay, Oliver-san. What is the color of your hair and eyes?”

Oliver blinked in confusion as he tilted his head. “Uh, they’re both black… sir?”

The weird entity laughed out loud as if he had reached a euphoria. “Great! Now the next thing I need you to do is…” 

Oliver listened attentively. To begin with, he couldn’t even believe that the rumors were true! Furthermore, this monster seemed to be nice all around. And so far, there haven’t been any weird deals or whatever that Oliver needed to sacrifice for. The student was so happy beyond belief. He could even go back to the dorm and just hide himself in his room for the rest of the day! Ever since attending NRC, he finally felt like luck was on his side now!

“I’m gonna need your clothes and for you to hide yourself in the stall here~ Good night!”

“H-Huh!?”

In an instant, the last thing he saw was the inky mass surging toward him, blotting out his vision. Darkness consumed him, and Oliver's world slipped away as he lost consciousness.