Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Do you ever wonder what would it feel like to go from one world to another? Or did you refuse to entertain such thoughts, even in the safety of your own dreams? Perhaps in one reality, that would’ve been fine but not in hers. At the young age of sixteen, Yuu Minamoto found herself staring incredulously at the floor-length mirror in her room, that showed a whirling pool of green and a single hand extended outward.

“Hello?” She called out tentatively, taking a small step back. The hand wavered before stilling, firmly settling right in the middle of the mirror. A soft breeze blew by and an unknown voice whispered into her ears. The sentences sound like an invitation, a welcome, an incantation, and a curse. It sunk deep into her core, her eyes fixed on it like a moth drawn to the light, and nothing else mattered anymore at that very moment.

“Those who are guided by the dark mirror, as long as your heart desires, take the hand that appears in the mirror.”

As if hypnotised, Yuu reached out and her hand touched the cold one inside the mirror. The first touch was cold, true to the visage of a mirror that it possessed, but then it slowly warmed like an embrace filled with love. Her eyes slid closed unwillingly and welcomed the darkness that greeted her, a comfortable chill enveloping itself around her warmth before a final whisper descended upon her ears.

“And never let go…”

Right as she welcomed the blanket of unconsciousness, her final thought was that she might have just invited trouble right through her doorsteps this time around. Her mind went black, eyes straining subconsciously to listen. All she heard was the sound of a horse galloping through stony paths and the rustling of trees in the silent, yet beautiful night.

Yuu woke up with a gasp, her head hurting slightly as she tried to recall her previous thoughts and memories. Furrowing her brows, she realised she probably dreamed up something really weird. Blinking to adjust in the darkness, she wondered if the lights had gone out in the neighbourhood or something, it was rather dark in the room.

A quick movement proved that she was either still dreaming or had just been kidnapped and locked away. Smiling nervously, Yuu pushed against her container and felt a shudder down her spine at the thought. Despite not wanting to rush into any assumptions, from what she could tell, she was lying in a coffin.

Was she dead?

No, don’t be stupid. She could feel and hear herself breathing, her breath was quacking and she could even hear her heart pounding with how tight and confined this place was. Inhaling and exhaling several times, she did her best to calm herself down, wanting to regain her composure. This turned out to be a waste of effort because a sharp yowl in the distance instantly had her breath hitching and heartbeat rising once more.

The voice got quicker before it stood right in front of her, with only darkness being her sole defender. Yuu shook slightly before clenching her first, drawing a sharp burst of pain enough to distract her from potentially causing trouble for herself. Yuu stood there, still, as she waited. The thing rasped against the base of whatever she was in before it jerked slightly, moving her around. She lurched forward and it was only by pure luck that was she able to avoid making any noise.

“This lid is too heavy!” A voice growled, sounding feral yet like a child.

It was a male’s voice, but she shouldn’t make any assumptions. Not that any of that matters right now, she was still not entirely convinced she wasn’t going to die just yet. There was nothing but pure silence for a moment, the tension accumulating in the air which made her sweat slightly. Then, not a single minute later, there was a frustrated noise followed by the most concerning declaration.

“That’s it! Time for my secret move!”

No, don’t. What secret move? Yuu shut her eyes in fear and then she felt her whole surroundings explode in bright light, followed by scorching heat. She yelped and her eyes snapped open, widening in horror at the sight of blue flames licking the edge of her coffin. The lid fell off and clattered onto the ground loudly, exposing her to the open world and her potential murderer.

“Okay, okay, time to get the—” Both creature and human stared at each other with wide eyes for a good second before the creature let out the most frustrated howl Yuu had ever heard in her life. It pointed at her rudely before demanding, “You! Why are you awake?”

I, uhm, what? You fumbled around for a response, a good second or so, clearly exhausting what little patience the creature had. It looked fed up with her, a sentiment she would wholeheartedly return to it if she was in her right mind, before speaking up.

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter. I’m the Great Lord Grim,” the creature introduced. “Now, hurry and gimme the uniform… or I’ll roast you.”

There was a creature that strongly resembled a cat except it was flying, had a forked tail, and blue flames coming out of its ears. It called itself Great Lord Grim, demanded for her to strip and threatened to burn her alive if she refused. A creature which had, just a few seconds ago, busted the lid of a coffin she was lying in, open.

There were a thousand, million alternate responses she could give right now, a few reliable ones flashed through her mind and yet— With years of ingrained talent and the overwhelmingly, dumbfounding state she was in right now, all her eloquence in speaking was grounded to dust. All that was left was for her to offer a greeting in the politest tone she could think of, “Good evening.”

Both of them blinked at each other, equally confused, except one more mortified than the other. Desperate to cling to any form of normalcy, despite it being nothing normal for her to react in such a way right now, Yuu simply continued her courtesy as if she were hosting a guest in her home.

“My name is Yuu,” she introduced awkwardly, “It’s nice to meet you.”

Her mouth opened and then it closed again, mind churning out answers too quickly for her to pick one and use. All she could do was settle with an equally polite sentence, following with her previous ones. “May I inquire as to why you need the clothes I’m wearing?”

Great Lord Grim looked dumbfounded if a tad bit on the wary side. However, it replied to her instantly when she questioned it. “I need to go to school, I need that uniform to be a student. The school won’t accept me unless I’m wearing that!”

… Why did something so simple make absolutely zero sense in her mind? Somehow, she understood all the words and the sentences as a whole and yet it was making absolutely no sense in her mind right now. That’s it. Yuu took a deep breath in and then, she decided. She turned to the creature and then informed it in the most tactful way she could think of.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about, my apologies,” she told it. The creature twitched and she took a moment to stand on her two legs, eyes darting over to the ajar door before reaffirming her nerves. “I’m going to run away from you, might I request your cooperation in leaving me alone as I make my escape?”

The creature’s jaw dropped.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Yuu spoke with composure she didn’t know where she mustered up from. Then, with an act of courage that she was equally clueless of its origin, she finished her sentence with a simple, “Good day.”

And then she bolted.

Chapter Text

Yuu Minamoto, sixteen as of two months ago, just wanted her bed so she could curl up with her blanket, hold a pillow over her face and proceed to scream loud enough to give her neighbour a heart attack. She wanted to scream her throat hoarse and then proceed to attempt drowning herself just to ground her mind and soul back to reality.

Because THIS cannot be happening.

At all.

No.

She rejected this.

If this was reality, she was saying no to it. Desperately so.

She’s refusing it.

No, it was happening whether she liked it or not, was it not?

Hahaha... Yuu wondered briefly if this was the first sign of insanity. She was running away with all the strength she could muster, from a creature who spoke with self-importance, shot fire as if magic was real, and chased her with pure murder in its eyes. All for the sake of a uniform, likely fueled by some self-entitlement motive.

Then, Yuu forced herself to find and settle upon the most logical thought in this situation.

She was clearly, absolutely without a doubt, 100% dreaming. This was simply a dream, conjured by her mind, due to her previous lack of sleep and the dream was incredibly real and lucid all thanks to her exhaustion.

Because no.

She refused this.

Leave me alone, she wanted to scream. Fuck off, she wanted to rage. Wake up, she wanted to tell herself. And what does Yuu do despite all her emotional yet realistic internal reactions? Yuu ended up tripping on a piece of rock, gripped the wrong thing to stabilise herself, and stupidly fell down a well.

Falling down a well.

Right.

Well. Falling down. Yuu wanted to cry, exactly how did she fall down a well? Except no, this shouldn’t be what she should think right now. She could leave the moping, self-loathing, and internal reprimands for later when she’s in a safer environment.

No, right now, she had to think fast.

Yuu raised her hand and gripped the edge of the well, holding it tightly with a wince as she felt the faintest stinging sensation prickling her palm. She sweated. Was her palm that pathetic that it would get scraped by grabbing a stone with her whole pulling down on it? On second thought, maybe her palm wasn’t that pathetic.

“Where did that stupid human go?” Great Lord Grim yowled, voice filled with frustration.

Please if there's a god up there, tell this cat to leave me alone, Yuu prayed within the privacy of her own mind to whatever god it was up there in hopes one of them would actually pay attention to the pious prayer of an atheist. (It was probably karma that no one answered.) Her grip on the rim of the well was weakening, and Yuu was quick to raise her second hand and grip it too. Wincing, she could feel another sharp pain stabbing into her palm.

Please just go away, Yuu pleaded forgoing another pitiable attempt of a prayer.

“Must be there!” Great Lord Grim yelled and she could hear his voice getting softer, clearly leaving her vicinity. Out of sheer terror, she contemplated and decided that by chance this Great Lord Grim was incredibly intelligent, he could probably fake leaving just to lure her out.

On second thought, something tells her that she was giving the flaming cat much more credit than she should be.

As Yuu hung there, her whole body inside the well with only her tired arms supporting her, she contemplated on her life. If she could feel pain, then, this was clearly not a dream, right? No, it had to be a dream. Magic doesn’t exist, this was a ridiculous dream and maybe letting go and falling down the well was a good idea. She should do it.

Didn’t people use to say if you dream that you’re falling, it’s actually a mini heart attack that your body makes to ensure you’re still alive? She never heard about someone intentionally falling but it should work, right? Just let go of her hand, drop down deep into the water, and she’ll wake up with her blanket and phone fully charged.

And everything was going to be perfectly fine, absolutely fucking normal, right?

OF COURSE NOT!

WHAT WAS HER BRAIN, STUPID?

Yuu pushed herself up with strength from god knows where and tumbled out of the well with grace directly the opposite of a swan. If her ballet teacher saw her right now, she’d be in the punishment hall for hours dancing to that stupid tune to get her grace back. But, right now, Yuu gave no cares. She slumped over the well, staring down at what looked to be a deep abyss now and resisted the urge to just regurgitate everything.

Huh, funny, she’s never vomited in a dream before.

Maybe it's not a dream? Her mind snides. Shut up, Yuu told it.

She dropped onto her knees and held the rim of well again, this time safely on the outside and not desperately while dangling on the inside. Dark spots danced in her visions but she still remained conscious, Yuu realised the well was probably her best friend and most hated enemy right now. The type of person who saved you out of the goodness of their heart but still hated your very guts.

Oh god, Yuu bemoaned. She was completely delirious, wasn’t she?

Right, no. She was perfectly fine. She’s alright. Everything was alright.

Yuu straightened up and dusted off her clothing only to freeze and go through a string of curses in all the language she knew swear words to inside her head. She lifted her hand and examined blankly at her attire. She was wearing a robe, a rather extravagant one with golden patterns and purple colouring.

Yuu twitched, so not only did they kidnap her and stuff her into a coffin, but she was also changed without her permission and essentially had been violated. Who the hell even wears robes anymore? The kidnappers were clearly cultists.

She shuddered in disgust, mind conjuring out a thousand different scenarios before settling on the most unrealistic one. Clearly, she changed herself but simply couldn’t stay coherent enough to remember such actions.

Right, changed clothes or not, Yuu didn’t care. Right now, all she wanted was to leave this place and never return. She composed herself and took a step forward only to completely freeze in horror. Before, she was clearly out of her mind and unable to focus on her surroundings, but now she was focused.

Now, she understood just how big this place she was in. This area looked like a courtyard you’d expect to see in a Harry Potter film, the visible hallways looked as if they had no end to their beginning, and the walls that extended out to the sky were so smooth and clear of any path to escape from.

Fuck, where exactly was she right now?

Yuu closed her eyes and counted. One, two, three, four, five— this wasn’t helping in the slightest bit.

Yuu inhaled and exhaled, if counting didn’t work, regulating her breathing should help. Her breath stabilised and her heart eventually calmed down. She was once more left alone in the night without a single sound, not even crickets chirping in the trees, in this suffocating silence.

She swallowed.

“Oh my, what are you doing this far out, child of man?”

Yuu withheld a shriek as she whirled around, wide-eyed and full of fright to look at the voice who had spoken to her. Greeting her was a boy with eccentric hair colour and the oddest set of eyes, with the exact same robe as the one she was wearing. She opened her mouth, wanting to demand an explanation or screech profanities at what she presumed was a kidnapper (or a fellow kidnapped person like she was) but all she could do was swallow down her protests and offer a practised smile.

“Good evening.” A polite greeting, mimicking the one she had given to the Great Lord Grim before.

The boy looked bemused but didn’t say a word, allowing her to speak. Yuu was only mildly grateful for the opportunity. While she loved the fact that she still had a little bit of control over everything, she was more terrified by the situation she found herself in. Allowing the stranger to speak would probably give her more information if she asked the right questions.

Wait, wasn’t she the one speaking right now? She could ask questions, right? She had a lot of them, brimming to the tip of her mind. Questions, one after another, come filtering through her thoughts. Where was this? Was he a cultist or a kidnapped person like she was? Was she even kidnapped or did she sign a waiver without realising what she signed? Or was she drugged into saying yes to coming here? Or he was a kidnapper, if so, why was she kidnapped? Why? How? Where?

So many questions, so little time, she probably had one chance. Just one, single chance, to get her answers.

Yuu opened her mouth to ask.

“Do you come here often?”

Yuu cringed, that was definitely not the question she wanted to ask. Most definitely not.

Chapter Text

“Do I come here often?” The boy echoed, his voice tinted with amusement.

Yuu fought hard with herself to maintain a smile of pure ignorance, it was quite difficult considering she was brutally yelling at herself internally. Because she had one bloody chance to ask a question and get some answers but she just had to waste it, didn’t she? And it wasn’t even a question she could recover from and pretend it was a polite greeting, it was a rather strait-laced question with nothing more than a silent demand for an answer.

Yuu, you moron. What did you do, drown idiot juice for breakfast? As she wept over her loss of opportunity, the boy in front of her seemed to finally decide to speak and break the fragile silence that was creeping over them. He chuckled under his breath and then spoke once more, in that surprisingly deep voice of his.

“I do attend school here, child of man.” the boy said.

Yuu nodded as if she knew what was going on, which she didn’t. While she was quick enough to at least understand that this building was a school, she still had zero clue as to what school it was.

Maybe it was a school for cultists, Yuu thought in her mind with a shiver washing down her spine. She was quick to grab on the opportunity, however, when the boy simply trailed off from his sentence without another word spoken. Her smile dimmed slightly, nothing too obvious, but enough to show her nerves.

Right, when in doubt, an introduction would always work out well. Yuu bowed slightly in a standard courtesy with both her hands in front of her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my name is Yuu.”

The boy blinked in surprise before easily returning the greeting, “Lilia. Lilia Vanrouge. What an odd name you have, child of man”

… Did the boy call her child of man, and not for the first time, right? Was she just referred to, in the politest way, as human? As if he was of a different species? Was this a dream or was this a LARP community with the host being a millionaire? Yuu paused, if this was real then the boy in front of her was clearly not human.

Not human.

He’s not going to eat her, is he?!

Please say no, Yuu whimpered in her mind.

“There you are!”

Not another one! Yuu thought in horror, turning around to look at the owner of this new voice.

Then, another eccentric man appeared just as she feared. With a crow mask over his face, a top hat and an odd garment, the most curious thing about him would be those weird, glowing yellow eyes on his face. He made an annoyed noise before stalking closer, making Yuu freeze in shock.

“Good evening?” She called out tentatively. Oh no, what if he’s not human too? Was he a Tengu? Or a crow-man — What even was a crow-man? Yuu sobbed — Was he going to eat her too? Were crows carnivores, she couldn’t remember. Where in the world was she right now, what was this, where would she —

“Goodness, to think that a student would be so impatient as to break their way out,” Mister Crow remarked with a tone of reproach. “And that familiar of yours, letting it rampage in your stead is incredibly irresponsible of you!”

“Familiar?” Yuu stuttered. “I don’t own any —”

“The entrance ceremony is coming to an end already,” Mr Crow continued, bulldozing over her sentences as if she had never spoken them in the first place. “And as a new student— Oh, I suppose we forgot to invite Mr. Draconia again?”

“It is as I expected,” The boy replied, smiling without a care. “I came over to see once it was certain Malleus wasn’t coming, it was on my way did I meet this child.”

No, no wait, Hold on. She needed space to think! Malleus? Who? Draconia was his last name, what kind of last name was Draconia? No wait, Malleus was a weird name as well. Actually, no, that wasn’t important. Who was crow-man, who was eccentric boy who speaks like a grandpa, WHERE IS SHE?

“The ceremony will be coming to an end, I suppose?” Yuu spoke out blankly and then questioned herself as to why she was even bothering with the ceremony. No, why? Oh god, she was going to go crazy. “I don’t suppose it would be alright if I was informed as to where I’m at right now?”

There.

Good, she had an actual question about her situation.

Holy shit, she wanted to break down into tears right now.

“Goodness, the teleportation spell must have affected you more drastically than I thought,” Mr Crow shook his head in disbelief.

The boy standing beside her seemed to be in agreement, “It is rather rare for someone so young to be this affected, how curious. Despite not seeming disorientated, I must be going soft for my age to not recognise such symptoms.”

No.

What?

IT WAS A SIMPLE QUESTION.

WHERE. IS. SHE.

Yuu closed her eyes and smiled again, “Probably.”

NOT.

Please, no.

… Were they going to drag her into their cult’s inner circle, now?

“Come now,” Mr Crow raised his voice abruptly, making Yuu flinch slightly. She stared at him with wide eyes as he continued speaking without any care, already walking in a direction with the boy falling into step with him.

“I shall explain as we walk,” Mr Crow man told her. “For I am gracious.”

…Gracious. Right. Sure.

Whatever, it can’t get any crazier than this.

(It probably could and she just jinxed herself.)

“This is Night Raven College. Those magicians blessed with a unique aptitude for magic gather from all over the world, here at the most prestigious magical academy in Twisted Wonderland.” Mr Crow turned to her with a wave of his hands, gesturing around the building and vaguely pointing to the boy (Lilia) as well.

“And I am the Headmaster of this college, Dire Crowley.”

“Yuu Minamoto, pleasure,” Yuu blurted out her introduction as well, still filled with nothing but confusion. College? She couldn’t go to college; she was still sixteen! No wait, maybe this was a prestigious school that accepted students of early age as they’re made entirely of geniuses? No, that didn’t make sense! She was decently smart but definitely not enough to study in a school for geniuses!

“To be chosen as a student is a prestigious honour,” Lilia told her. “It is only for the best of the best, picked amongst the magicians as above average. You are deemed worthy of entering this college indicates your talent in magic.”

“Chosen?” Yuu echoed, sounding lost. No, sounding lost was an understatement. She was beyond lost, what was going on?

“As Mr Vanrouge had said, only magicians deemed worthy by the Dark Mirror are admitted into this school,” Crowley continued. “Chosen ones will use the Gate, summoned from all around the world.”

Oh, so this was an INTERNATIONAL cult?

“Are you ready to get sorted, child of man?” Lilia asked, smiling at her.

Yuu wanted to shout and wail her protests, she wanted to scream bloody murder and just cry herself to sleep. Because for one she is absolutely not ready for anything at all, hell no. There’s no two, it’s just the one.

“Nonsense, a student would always be excited to get sorted,” Crowley scoffed.

Fuck you, crow-man, Yuu wept silently in her own mind as she stepped through the very doors she had run away from before.

Chapter Text

Six dorm leaders, one present only through his tablet, remained in the ceremonial hall. No one spoke for a moment, enjoying the quiet blanket as they bid their name. The vice dorm leaders had already been assigned to guide the newly sorted students back, while the rest remained to guide the wayward student in which the Headmaster had gone to retrieve.

But of course, with strong personalities like these people, silence was never meant to last.

“Tch, if I knew it was going to take this long, I wouldn’t have stayed,” Leona complained, tail swishing behind him in distaste as his ears twitched slightly. A sharp monotonous voice agreed to his sentiment as well.

“Same, do I still need to be here? I have tasks to complete,” Idia added in his two cents.

Riddle looked annoyed, “You’re not even here in a physical sense.”

“Ah~ it’s fine, isn’t it? I don’t usually stay up this late, either!” Kalim pitched in with a cheery voice.

“I do hope this student is worth the wait,” Vil complained, inspecting his nails for a chip he thought he felt just seconds ago.

Leona groaned, “In the first place, why can’t the crow just send the student to a dorm himself.”

“Speaking of, who brought the Diasomnia students back to their dorms?” Idia asked suddenly. “I don’t remember seeing that guy anywhere.”

Leona’s ears twitched, “Who cares?”

“We didn’t invite him again?” Riddle asked, pinching his nose.

“Oh, how terrible,” Azul spoke up, sounding as false as ever. “I promise we didn’t mean to exclude you, but that’s alright. I’ve tasked Jade with the job of escorting them.”

“Always one to earn favours for yourself, Azul,” Idia reproached.

Azul smiled, “It is only fair.”

“Oh my, I suppose I came for no reason then.”

Heads swerved around to look, it was a Lilia who hung from the ceiling, staring at them with a smile full of mirth. He acted as if he hadn’t surprised them at all, landing on his two feet with practiced ease.

“The headmaster is bringing the student over as we converse,” Lilia informed them. “They’re a bit disorientated from the teleportation spell, it seems.”

“Oh, you’ve met them?” Vil asked, only slightly curious.

“I did, a rather polite child,” Lilia chuckled. “You’ll see them soon; I was only minutes away before appearing here.”

Just on time, the door swung open to reveal Crowley and a small student practically floating in with pale face. Either they were naturally pale or sick as of the moment, that shade of complexion can’t be healthy. It reminded Vil awfully of how Idia looked.

“There we are! In the mirror, where’s the familiar?” Crowley turned to them. “You threw it out?”

“It’s a familiar?” Riddle demanded, sounding aghast.

Leona snorted, “Why, not a fan of cats?”

“Not when it’s against the rules,” Riddle sneered back.

“Well, I’m sure it would find it’s way,” Crowley waved it off.

“Excuse me.” A small voice piped up. Eyes turned to the figure that had written off before this, a small person who stood behind without saying anything. The new student bowed slightly, formal and made everyone rather uncomfortable.

“I apologise but I would like to say that the creature from before is not my familiar,” the new student informed them rather curtly. “I apologise for the trouble I’ve caused.”

“Oh my, how polite,” Vil murmured.

“Aren’t they just?” Lilia agreed.

Leona sneered.

Kalim beamed, “They sound nice!”

“And I’m not quite sure what’s going on,” the new student had a spike of panic in their scent. “You may have explained to me what Night Raven College stood for but I have no idea where this college is nor what I’m doing here.”

Crowley blinked. “Come again?”

“I’m sorry, sir,” the new student continued on politely. “But regardless of how informative your explanation may have been, it made zero sense to me. It was unfortunate but true.”

“Heh…” Idia made a sound of interest.

“Night Raven College is an All-boys school for students who are talented in magic,” Crowley told the new student again. Everyone watched as the small figure falter all the while still maintaining that plastic smile on their face.

“…All-boys school?” They mumbled. “But I’m a girl?”

“I’m sorry?” Crowley was the one who was dumbfounded this time.

“And magic? Magic doesn’t exist from where I came from,” The girl explained.

“Excuse me?” Crowley croaked.

“Sir, with all due respect,” The girl swallowed, “You aren’t a cult leader who kidnaps young children, are you?”

Crowley spluttered. This time, Leona couldn’t help but let out a snort.

The girl blinked at them before bowing, “My apologies. My name is Yuu Minamoto.”

“Girl… No magic…?” Crowley mumbled.

“So, the Dark Mirror picked up the wrong kid?” Leona snorted.

“Isn’t it cool how they manage to enter the school without magic, though?” Kalim bounced. “I can’t wait to tell Jamil about this!”

“That can’t be!” Crowley instantly switched to denial mode, “Child, step in front of the mirror.”

“I’m sorry?” The girl, Yuu, gaped. Despite that, she stepped forward and stared straight into the mirror. The mirror remained silent for a moment, everyone thought it wouldn’t speak as the girl basically said she didn’t have magic before. But then mirror spoke.

“State thy name.”

“Yuu Minamoto?”

“The colour of thy soul…” The Dark Mirror trailed off and the dorm leaders wondered what dorm would a magicless child be sorted into. “I do not know. For thy magic is incomplete yet present.”

“I see.” Yuu said blankly. “Thank you for your wise words, Dark Mirror.”

“So, I was right! You do have magic!” Crowley beamed. “But what dorm will you enter if the Dark Mirror can’t sort you?”

“I could go home?” Yuu offered.

“Out of question,” Crowley shot her down. “All students chosen for this school are required to go. Ah, I see, I could allow you to use that dorm!”

“Okay.” A quick reply, still blank faced with a plastic smile. Leona was starting to see a lot of resemblance to the octo-punk on the girl, fake smiles and flowery words? They could enter a competition on who’s the most superficial, the octo-punk would probably win, however.

“Great, then!” Crowley turned to them, “Off you go. I will escort our new student to their residence.”

“What a waste of time,” Idia mumbled, floating away in his tablet. Leona agreed, walking away as well. What a waste of time. In the end, none of them needed to be here. The student didn’t go into any of the dorms and the crow-bastard handled their residence anyway.

What a pain.

Chapter Text

She had magic.

As in, actual magic.

A fact related to her by a magical mirror.

Yuu pressed her nails deep into her palm discreetly as she watched the other students (including the Lilia guy) leave the room. Her mind was still going over the fact that she possessed magic. What the hell? Why does she have magic? How can she have magic? Oh god, was this even her body anymore? Or was she dead and occupied the body of her alternate self that had magic.

Yer a witch, Yuu. She thought dramatically, still hung over the fact she had magic. Okay, that’s fine, she had magic. Cool, cool, magic is cool. NO, WHAT THE HELL?

Was she going crazy?

She had MAGIC!

Like, actual magic? Supernatural ability? Was she even human still?

No, no, she was definitely still human. Lilia had called her a child of man, no? Wait a moment, could she even trust the words of a stranger? Why was she so trusting over a stranger? Maybe he’s drunk, or something. Maybe his senses were wrong, he didn’t realise she was a girl, after all.

To which, now that she reminded herself once more, she was a girl in an All-boys school.

WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?

“Now then,” Crowley called out, startling her from her inner volcano. Yuu looked up quietly, waiting for the order that would allow a march to her doom. Crowley hummed, “Follow me, I will bring you to your new residence. It is a place of character.”

Oh, she didn’t like the sound of that. As a matter of fact, she hated the sound of it. What do you mean ‘a place of character’?! What kind of place needed such a dramatic description? Something that just made fear crawl its way down her spine in the most menacing manner.

She was not looking forward to this, thank you very much.

She wanted to scream at Crowley, what does it mean by a place of character? Does she need to be worried? Does she NEED to be WORRIED? Or was it alright, she was probably just being dramatic, right now. Everyone was going to be fine. Nothing was going to go wrong, it’s just a place she could use as accommodation while staying in this school.

What could go wrong?

(Oh god, oh fuck. Yuu just jinxed herself.)

“Thank you for your kindness,” Yuu said before she could even process what she had said. With her expression schooled into one of calm blankness, she wondered if it was alright to find the first window she sees and jump to her death? Maybe she should go back to the well, clearly the well was going to be her best friend now.

Wait, no.

“Pardon me, sir?” Yuu called out quickly as Crowley was leaving the room. He turned to look at her with curious eyes, “Yes?”

“I still think it would be best if I was sent home,” Yuu tried to reason out her explanation to the best she could. “I am certain that this world is not my own.”

Right, that sounded stable! Perfectly alright, conveyed her message well and have no blunders. Because if this reality was hers, then the logical conclusion would be that she didn’t come from this world. She definitely came from another world. And right now, the most attractive choice was for her to go home.

“Pardon? Another world?” Crowley asked her again, sounding incredulous.

Okay, so maybe telling someone you came from another world wasn’t that logical. Because Yuu realised that if someone came up to her and said they were from another world, she would probably diagnose the person to be either insane or insane. Basically, not right in the head. Which was probably what Crowley thought of her right now.

Quick, think fast!

“If I may, could I ask for the Dark Mirror to show you my world? Surely, one of its esteemed powers could prove the truth in my words?” Right, that was good. The Dark Mirror was the one who chose her and plucked her from her world, right? So, going by that logic, it should be able to send her back as well. And it can see her soul? So, it should know that she’s telling the truth.

“And I promise, if the Dark Mirror proved that I was lying about my origins, I will accept whatever punishment bestowed upon me,” Yuu promised. Because, trying to prove your point, always include in obvious disadvantages to yourself.

Crowley looked contemplative, “Very well. Step in front of the Dark Mirror and picture your home.”

Yuu stepped forward with a sense of trepidation; For some reason, she had a very bad feeling that her world was about to be turned around in a nasty manner. The mirror figure looked at her, full of judgement in its fathomless eyes.

“O’Great Dark Mirror, light the image to this girl’s home!”

Japan! She thought desperately, followed by a distinct city in her mind: Tokyo. Tokyo, her one-person apartment, her goldfish, the brewing coffee at home, the floor length mirror in her room—

“It is nowhere.”

Yuu felt her stomach drop in terror. “What?” she asked.

“The place of thy calls home.”

“It does not exist in this land nor world.”

“It is of a place unreachable by many.”

Yuu stared. Her mind numbing at it, the implications fully sunk in and her insides turned a frosty cold. What? Her home, unreachable by herself. A place she had earned with blood and tears for, all gone. Unattainable because some stupid mirror decided to drag her kicking, screaming, and unconscious into this new, foreign world.

And now, that same mirror, refuses to sent her back by spewing nonsense on how it is unreachable because it’s from another world. The very world it had kidnapped her from. Her frame trembled in rage that she was quick to suppressed, it’s fine. She can deal with this, in a world of magic, there was absolutely no way she won’t find a way to go home.

“Thank you.” Yuu curved her lips into a wide smile, “I’m glad that you’ve proven my statements to the headmaster. This proves that my home world is indeed different from this world.”

“Never in my years as a Headmaster,” Crowley exclaimed. “Where did you come from?”

“It’s a place called Japan,” Yuu informed him dully.

Crowley rubbed his chin, “Land of the Rising Sun, you say? How odd, never heard of such a place before. To the library, I shall research more on this. In the meantime, you will be enrolled as a student still, Miss Yuu.”

Yuu remained silent, mind still full of troubled thoughts.

Chapter Text

Nothing.

There was absolutely nothing familiar about the world map sprawled across the table right now, not even in a vague sense. Everything was so foreign and unfamiliar, it felt more like looking at a fantasy map designed by an experienced comic author. Written boldly on top were the words ‘Twisted Wonderland’ as if it would mean something to her.

The feeling of despair crept up on her slowly, with each line she read in the atlas, the more it sunk in that she was in another world. A whole other world, with no familiar faces, and herself exposed to a bunch of superpower people when her own magic was incomplete (hah! As if she knew how to use her apparent magic despite having it, she couldn’t even fully comprehend the idea of her even having magic). 

A huff of air left her mouth, trying to shove all her depressing whining and rage screaming back into the locked box inside her heart. She leaned back and waited, still staring at Crowley (her new headmaster, how odd it was to think that she was attending a prestigious school) who was still examining the books as if he could crack the code of one-sided, interdimensional travelling.

“Well, since you have no home to return to, it seems that I must provide you with a proper place to say,” Crowley declared, followed by a self-assured statement, “For I am gracious.”

Yuu blinked once. Twice. Then, she nodded very hesitantly, “...Okay. Thank you.”

“It’s a lovely place,” Crowley remarked. “If a bit rundown, but nothing too bad.”

He lied. 

It was horrible, completely dilapidated, and absolutely ramshackle. The walls were crumbling, like an erosion of the sort, the roof tiles were chipped and tossed around. The trees that surrounded the whole building were wilted and gave off a dead and gloomy feeling, grass tall and menacing as if it harboured snakes, and the pathway filled with broken tiles and soot. 

Yuu stared at her new home with dread, it was like a horror house. 

Crowley ignored her reactions, pushing the gate open. Both of them stared at the entrance gate as it creaked and scraped against the ground with a hair raising screech, then the gate went down with a large sound, successfully ‘opening’ the entrance. Yuu turned her gaze up at Crowley in disbelief, making the Headmaster wince before smiling sheepishly at her. 

“The dorm will be fixed up in no time!” The headmaster declared. Yuu stuttered to a halt, her gaze turned from disbelief to flat out bitter. Staring at the ruined scenery she would call home for who knows how long, Yuu inhaled sharply before nodding.

“I’ll do my best,” Yuu said, still staring at the dorm dully. She clenched her fists tightly for a moment before letting it go. She gritted her teeth and swallowed her complaints as a painfully familiar voice talking inside her head; ‘Beggars can’t be choosers, Yuu. Deal with what you have or go back.’

“It’s not so bad, is it?” Crowley pushed to it. Yuu gritted her teeth and said nothing, following behind the man as she was led down the path. As they stood at the entrance door, Yuu was beginning to think that she should give a try and sleep on the pavement rather than sleeping inside this dilapidated building. 

Crowley pushed the door open, dust falling like a soft blanket over their head. Disgusted, Yuu dusted the dust off her hair and allowed her hands to remain on top, as a way to block any more dust from getting onto her. She stepped in and cringed at the groaning wood, the whole house seemed to sag as Crowley closed the door behind them. 

Yuu followed Crowley towards the centre of the room and just stared at the living area. There was a fireplace in the middle, filled with ashes, dust, and half-burnt paper scattered around. The whole place seemed to be functional but covered in thick layers of dust as it wore a heavy smell of abandonment. Yuu stroked their finger across the coat hanger and watched in almost morbid fascination as it revealed a streak of dull gold behind all that cake of dust. 

She looked at Crowley, “Excuse me, sir?”

“Yes?” Crowley asked, eager as ever. 

For all her unknown origins and Crowley’s egoism, it seemed that deep down he was still rather generous. Logically speaking, Yuu understood that Crowley didn’t actually need to take her in. He could’ve just dumped her out into the world and nothing would come and bite him in the ass, for she had nothing in this new world of hers. But he didn’t, he accepted her and even provided her with an accommodation no matter how rundown it was.

“Sorry, but would it be alright if I requested for some cleaning supplies?” Yuu asked, eyeing the whole area in disgust. “I’m not entirely sure I’ll be at ease with sleeping in this place without cleaning it up.”

“That is understandable,” Crowley nodded. “I shall bring you to Sam’s shop tomorrow! We’ll bring you along to have a new uniform designed as well, you are our very first female student. This means we’re a co-ed school now!”

“...Sure,” Yuu nodded, unsure what to make of his excitement. Internally, she was still slightly hungover the fact this was an all-boys school. While there aren’t many differences between the male and female differences, there is still significant distinction on the fundamental aspect of both genders. Clearly, this school would have a curriculum that was directly fashioned to accommodate those of the male gender. Would she have a difficult time to cope? 

Back at home, they had specific syllabus for female and male during P.E. for example. Yuu wondered if magic worked the same way, or was everyone no matter the gender, share the same basic growth rate? This was all frustrating.

She was going INSANE!

“Thank you,” Yuu finally added, finishing her sentence to the ‘sure’ she had said before. She smiled up at Crowley and bowed slightly, “Thank you for all you’ve done.”

Crowley softened slightly, “You’re a student under my care, in the end. While you won’t be joining any official dorms, you are still part of Night Raven College. I formally welcome you.”

Yuu was slightly taken aback before she nodded in thanks. Still, no matter how kind the headmaster was, no matter how generous this was, it still doesn’t make her current living condition any better. Because for the lack of a better word, this place was undoubtedly a Ramshackle Dorm.

Chapter Text

Crowley left her in the dorm to get her some food, apparently, he had amazing observation and deduced that she hadn’t had her dinner (which she didn’t), probably skipped lunch as well (which she ashamedly had), and was likely in dire need for sustenance (unfortunately true). And then with that in mind, he patted her on her head and left her.

Crowley left her in this ramshackle dorm.

Alone . In this rundown building that looked as if rats crawled in every corner, spiders hung from every ceiling, and ghosts haunted every room. Yuu suppressed a shudder, feeling a psychological chill wash down her spine as she stepped closer to the toppled over chair. She eyed the dusty furniture before deciding that since she’ll have to clean every inch of this dorm eventually anyway, might as well start slowly from now on. 

Yuu reached out and pulled the chair back, setting it right. She dusted the cushion slightly before working around picking up the books that were thrown haphazardly all over the place. The carpets were a mess as well, she’ll have to roll them up and have them sun-dried tomorrow. Just as Yuu was planning her future cleaning duties, a sudden shriek rang throughout the house.

Yuu dropped the book in horror. 

What the fuck was that ? That was a scream, a scream that came from a creature that could emit sound. A sound that should not happen. Not when she was supposedly the only person in this place. Oh god, oh shit.

What the fuck.

Was this place actually haunted? She was JOKING when she talked about how it seemed like the rooms could be haunted. The scream came again, Yuu was starting to get seriously terrified now. Watching ghosts movies and reading horror stories were one thing, but if this house was actually haunted then maybe sleeping on the pavement outside weren’t such a bad idea after all.

“YEOW!” 

Yuu bit back a scream as something came tumbling down the stairs. She stared at the rolling object with wide-open eyes as it finally came to a stop. It was a small creature, wet, and… familiar. Very, very familiar. Yuu gaped for a moment before instantly regaining her composure. She knew the thing, it was the one who she met back at the coffin assembly. 

“It’s you!” 

Well, clearly she wasn’t the only one who remembered their meeting. Yuu offered an awkward smile at the cat-demon-creature thing, and greeted politely, “Good evening.” 

“Don’t try to talk like that again!” The creature screamed. Wasn’t his name Grim with a heavy title of Great Lord before the name? Yuu bowed slightly, what if the cat was an actual royalty despite how brutish and uncouth he acted? “It’s nice to meet you again, Great Lord Grim.”

“Human, you’re the one who tricked me with your nice words!” Grim accused, which to be fair, Yuu supposed they had done exactly that. But to be fair, Yuu didn’t mean to. She was just… overwhelmed and needed to get away from everything as quickly as possible. In her defence, her words were clear and concise, the cat-creature just didn’t compute her words as quick as her actions. 

“My apologise,” Yuu did the only thing she could in this situation, apologise. “It was not my intention, purely unintentional. I simply needed to get away.”

Actually, why the FUCK was she apologising? In the first place, this creature was the one who threatened to BURN HER ALIVE if she didn’t strip and handed over every single shred of clothing she had on hand. So, she had the high ground now.

“Actually,” Yuu spoke, for once her mouth fully in sync with her thoughts, “Aren’t you the one at fault?”

Grim looked furious. 

“You threatened to burn me alive!” Yuu hissed out, her brain finally working at the same wavelength as her mouth now. “Not only that, it was over something you were illegally doing , and it was even regarding the only clothing I had on my back!”

“So, I’m not the one who should be apologising,” Yuu finished, satisfied. Grim’s features twisted, about to shoot back at her with equally heated words when something white and cloudly popped out at the corner of her eyes. Grim’s expression morphed into one of horror, something that instantly set alarms off inside Yuu’s head.

She twisted her head slightly and was greeted by a big, fat ghost . She stared at the ghost, her eyes tinted in utter horror as the ghost grinned sinisterly. Then, very close to her face and very slowly, it whispered into her ears: “Boo.”

Yuu punched the ghost without hesitation and then watched in morbid fascination as the ghost actually got thrown back, clutching its nose as it stared at her as if she was the monster. Yuu swallowed and then she stared at the ghost.

Right.

Ghost.

FUCK.

This place was actually haunted?

“YOU PUNCHED IT!” Grim shouted, then he looked determined. “That’s it, you’re my henchman now.”

“I beg your pardon?” Yuu asked, horrified. 

“You PUNCHED ME?!” The ghost shrieked, looking as if she was the devil himself. Yuu was slightly offended now, what right did a ghost have to look like that at her. She stared at the ghost, ignoring how Grim seemed to be practically clinging to her legs. 

“My apologies?” Yuu blurted out. “It was reflex, I didn’t have control over it. It was a conditional response, are you hurt?”

Why the hell was she asking a ghost if it was in pain? God, she was in pain. This wouldn’t have happened if it didn’t try to scare her! Nothing in this world made sense, she was going INSANE. Still, Yuu couldn’t help but reach out and touch the ghost. She shuddered at the chill (not psychological this time) that washed down her entire body once she made contact. 

She touched the nose, the exact place she had punch, and somehow her touch realigned the previously crooked nose. Both the ghost and she stared at her hand in shock then Yuu put down her hand very slowly and very smartly does not dwell on the topic. She offered an awkward smile to the ghost.

The ghost sniffed. 

“Hello,” Yuu greeted. “My name is Yuu Minamoto, I’ll be joining this dorm from today onwards. Am I right to presume you are the original resident of this dorm?”

The ghost nodded, “Me and two other.”

So there are people living in this dilapidated dorm. Note to self, just because this place is said to be abandoned, it doesn’t mean no one lived here. Yuu smiled and then she bowed. “Please take care of me, I apologise for the punch but I hope we get along.”

Yuu thought, maybe living in this place wasn’t too bad. She wouldn’t be alone, there would be people around and she had a whole dorm with no crowd. She was her own boss, she could manage even if there were ghosts haunting this building. Well, it helps that the ghost doesn’t look malicious or whatnot. 

Who was she kidding, everything was still creepy as hell.

Chapter Text

“Do you have a two?”

“Funna!! How did you know?”

“Cause you’re a dumbass.” 

“Stop fighting, please,” Yuu begged. 

The ghosts surrounded her, all three of them, and Grim as they found a packet of cards laying around. The ghosts could touch physical things if they wanted to, apparently, so they ended up playing a round of card games. Goldfish, but Grim just didn’t understand how to play it, so it ended in a lot of arguments. 

“I don’t want to play anymore!” Grim tossed his cards onto the floor, frustrated. 

The ghosts jeered at him, also putting down their own cards. Yuu stared at the scattered cards on the floor before quietly cleaning them up, no need to make more mess in this place where there was already a huge pile of mess for her to clean up. She stacked the cards neatly and tied them up with a hairband that was laying around on the ground before, ignoring the bickering of the ghosts and Grim.

As it seems, Grim probably got over the ghosts once she punched them and actually got all the ghosts to sit down and talk. Which means less fighting and screaming, but unfortunately, it meant more disagreements and bickering. 

“I have returned!” Crowley declared, slamming the door opened. Yuu watched with a horrified expression as the door creaked and then sagged, tilted one side. Crowley cringed before slowly putting the door back in place as if he was fixing a puzzle piece. The ghosts froze, hovering above Yuu with uncertainty while Grim just stared at Crowley with a conflicted look. 

“My apologies about the door,” Crowley coughed. “But nevertheless, I have brought you—”

Crowley’s smile twitched, staring at the scene before him. Three large ghosts hovering behind Yuu and the very creature who had caused an uproar during the opening ceremony hiding behind Yuu’s legs. Yuu also looked a bit more haggard than before when Crowley had first left her.

“Oh dear,” Crowley put a thoughtful hum out, “It seems I had forgotten that this building had occupants before. But you—!” Crowley pointed at Grim with a flair of dramatics, “I had you thrown out, what do you think you’re doing here?”

“Yuu!” Grim cried for help, practically crawling up her leg. The ghosts snickered at him unhelpfully, still there in the living room. Yuu jerked her legs slightly and nearly kicked Grim out of reflex, barely able to restrain herself. She then stared at Crowley awkwardly and offered a customary greeting.

“Good evening, Headmaster.”

“Yuu, can you tell me why the monster from before is in the house?” Crowley asked patiently.

Yuu looked at Grim then shrugged nonchalantly, “I don’t know, but probably to seek shelter.”

“I must insist you leave at once,” Crowley told Grim sternly.

“No! Don’t throw me out again, I can be a good magician! I promise, let me stay!” Grim pled, running closer towards Crowley. Yuu just stood there awkwardly, wondering if she should be more worried right now. Well, she didn’t need to bother but she felt a little bad for Grim. 

“Excuse me, Headmaster?” Yuu called out. “Wouldn’t it be alright if Grim stayed here for a… trial period as a student?”

“I beg your pardon?” Crowley asked. Yuu sweated, this world had the concept of exchange students right? Grim seemed to want to be a student here, and she didn’t think staying alone in this building with only ghosts to communicate with was the healthiest thing ever. Grim would be a nice company.

Then again, Grim was like a creature so maybe it wasn’t the healthiest thing even if Grim was there as a company. 

“Well, we could put him on probation?” Yuu suggested. “Grim seems to be extremely passionate about having a magical education in this college. And if you kick him out again, he might cause even larger trouble so…”

“I’ll do a probation!” Grim instantly jumped at the chance. “I promise I won’t cause any trouble anymore if you let me be a student!”

“Hm.” Crowley crossed his arms, “It seems, Miss Minamoto, that we have discovered one part of your magic.”

What? What does he mean by one part of her magic? Yuu was confused, beyond confused. What did she do, did she do anything? Yuu squinted at Crowley, had the Headmaster gone crazy? He suddenly declared a part of her magic was discovered when all she did was punch and heal a ghost? Not that he should be aware of that fact.

Can he feel her do magic from before, did whatever weird thing she does before show up on her body that only someone with complete magic can sense? 

She’s driving herself insane right now with all these piled up questions. 

“I will only let Grim in under a few conditions.” Crowley declared. 

Grim nodded frantically.

“Grim will be directly under your authority,” Crowley said, “As you will be appointed as his dorm head.” 

Yuu grimaced slightly but Crowley wasn’t finished.

“Secondly, you will be in charge of teaching Grim how to integrate properly with your peers.” Crowley looked at Yuu, “In other words, teach him how to humanise himself.”

Yuu exchanged looks with Grim before Yuu nodded, “Understood, sir.”

“I’m not finished yet,” Crowley pointed at Grim. “You, however, will be on special probation. I’ll test your patience tomorrow. You’ll clean the main entrance and try to get along with students, absolutely not allowed into classrooms for at least a whole week. But, you may eat in the cafeteria.”

Grim was about to make a fuss when Yuu clamped a hand over his mouth, shutting him up. She smiled at Crowley politely, “I understand, sir. Grim will promise to behave as much as possible and earn his place at Night Raven College.”

“Right?” Yuu pulled her hand off Grim who had been struggling.

He looked furious but nodded, “Yeah! I promise I’ll show you I can be a good student, I’ll be the best magician!”

Crowley smiled, “Aren’t I gracious for allowing this?” 

Yuu cringed, “Thank you, sir.” Then, she nudged Grim harshly.

Grim grimaced, “Yeah, thanks.”

“Now,” Crowley laid out a few items, “These are the male uniforms, as we do not have proper attire for females yet. That will only be available by tomorrow morning at the earliest and the day after tomorrow at the latest. I’ve gathered a few cleaning supplies along with a futon for you, as well.” 

“Thank you,” Yuu responded almost instantly. She reached out to collect all the goods from the Headmaster, looking into the large and heavy bag that was filled to the brim along with a few smaller bags at the side. 

“What about textbooks and stationery?” Yuu asked hesitantly.

Crowley gestured to the big bag again, “At the bottom part of that bag, you’ll find textbooks and stationary enough to last you for a year. I do hope you’ll take good care of these items, Miss Minamoto.”

“Thanks,” Yuu said again. “I’ll do my best.” 

Never mind the fact she was still overwhelmed by everything, she’ll sort everything out tonight. When she sleeps tonight, everything will be fine, her mind will be cleared. Maybe. Possible. Fuck, who was she kidding, everything was going to be ten times worse when she woke up in the morning.