Chapter Text
Ah…My dear beloved,
my noble and beautiful flower of evil.
It’s cold. So very very cold.
You are the fairest in the land.
—Mirror, mirror on the wall,
who is the most…
Dark. It was all dark. What- what was this? Water. Is that what was wrapped around her? Suffocating her? Drowning her? A voice floated through the nothing pressing on every side, at once both a deafening whisper and a muted clamor. Like the world had yet to decide if the words themselves were real. The water, if that was truly what it was, ebbed and flowed and stilled.
And yet….
Had she ever known peace like this? She drifted in the quiet murmurs, eyes closed and body relaxed. Despite the cold, she felt like she was floating in a tranquil pool or among the clouds. If she could move, she’d trail her fingers through the dark waters and reach out to see if anything else swam out there. Could dolphins see in the dark? She’d heard stories of them saving sailors from drowning. Would they come for her?
Did she even want them to save her from whatever this place was? It was so nice here, so, so peaceful…
She drifted with no concept of time.
—O thee, guided by the Dark Mirror,
Follow thy heart’s desire
and take the hand of the one reflected in the mirror.
Light. Was it light? It was color vaguely stirring in the depths around her, reflected and refracted until it was nothing but blurry shapes swimming in tune with the wave’s lull. Still, she squinted and tried to make them out as each color swirled from view, chased hurriedly by whispers too tangled up to unravel. A streak of red fanned out like a magician's deck of cards as orange tinged the open sky. Each was devoured in a roar by twin flashes of purple-tinged teeth turning quickly to crimson sand. Still the waves rolled and the whispers called out with the singular caw of a crow through blue and emerald flames.
She tried to grab at those flickering images, they were important she knew they were, but she could not tell where the water ended and she began.
Flames that incinerate even the stars,
Ice that imprisons even time,
The great tree that engulfs even the skies,
Fear not the power of darkness.
Now—demonstrate thy powers.
Oh! She could breathe! Air rushed into her lungs no longer constricted by water. Solid wood pressed uncomfortably against her on all sides, her arms and legs cramped within the tiny space. She gulped. Was this a box? Who kept people in boxes? This seemed unethical.
“H-hello?” She tried to say but the word stuck in her throat, sounding hoarse and far away like her ears were still clogged with water. Tilting her head to one side, she tried to shake the liquid out and remember when she’d last been underwater. Even attempting to think made her head throb and she quickly shelved the idea.
Box first, water later.
“H-” she was cut off by a thumping outside and the sound of someone’s muffled voice. Great! Someone was out there and could help her get out! She raised one hand to bang on the door again and froze. Wait, what if the person out there had put her in the box? Did she even remember how she got there-ow, ow, ow! Her head thudded against the back of the box, a raging headache blurring out all other thoughts. Just focus on breathing, she told herself.
In, out. In, out. Something acrid burned her lungs and her eyes flew open. It was hot. Really, really hot! Smoke ripped a cough out of her chest, pain stabbing in her skull and setting it aflame while her skin blazed within the rapidly heating box. Something blue ignited the darkness.
“He…lp-” It was so hot it was cold again. Something soft rippled around her, cool and languid and gentle like a wave cradling her within its depths. But it wasn’t dark again. The bright blue flame from a moment ago still lit her surroundings, its light far more solid than any of the flickering images. She reached out for it, finally able to distinguish between her body and the water, hand lightly grazing the flame. It twisted around her hand, threading through her fingers and pressing against her palm.
Something thudded in her ears. The flame fanned out. Small figures, blurry at first but rapidly becoming clearer, formed within the flame. A great beast roared and something thudded again. It flared its wings as a few people came into view all dressed in dark robes and snapped its deadly teeth. Flashes of light flew from the people to strike at the beast and it screamed back at them.
Why were they attacking it? Couldn’t they see it was in pain?
She reached out for the monster, the thudding getting louder in her ears until it blocked out the sound of the people shouting. Light kept striking the monster and it screamed again, whipping its massive head away from them. Flaming blue eyes locked onto her and she felt like they seared their way down to her very soul, leaving her raw and exposed and hot .
It saw her.
The thumping stilled under its gaze, her heart and lungs and body unable to move. That should be weird. She once read that your heart wasn’t supposed to stop, right? Wasn’t that bad for you, like really bad?
Any follow-up thoughts were cut off as the monster lunged, burning eyes still locked onto her. She tried to move back but she was still floating in the freezing water, barely able to figure out where her body even was. The monster crashed into her shattering her watery cocoon and sending them both plummeting down into the depths.
Something tightened against her, like a black string binding them together in this descent and the monster raised its great black wings to surround them both. Her eyes slid closed. She sighed as the blue flame flickered out and darkness returned.
Finally.
Finally, she was at peace again.
For me. For them. For you.
We are all running out of time.
No matter what,
never let go of that hand.
“-doors are too tough! Gotta break out the special move again…” Someone was grumbling outside of her box. Her uncomfortably warm, smoke-scented box. Huh…
But hadn’t she just been… her mind tried to grab onto the memory dancing at the tip of her brain, taunting her with knowledge she couldn’t grasp.
The thought slipped away, her attempts utterly unsuccessful as her attention was drawn to the rumbling noise outside her box.
(The box she most definitely knew she remembered, even if the memory was hazy at best.)
She was unable to see anything within the box and the smell was starting to hurt her lungs. Well, she couldn’t figure out if she couldn't see, so she first needed to get some light in here.
A blue glow lit up the edges of the wooden panel in front of her and her eyes widened. Had she done that? Asked for light and received it? Oh, she must be really cool if that was the case. She’d pat herself on the back for this magic trick if the box had space for it. Instead, she grinned to herself, too pleased in this supposed revelation to notice how hot the box was getting.
Placing her hands on the glowing blue lid, she pushed out only to yelp when her palms touched the sizzling wood.
“He-Hey!!” She cried, finally noticing the sweat running down her forehead. It was too hot, super hot, in fact and she was definitely not a person who liked that kind of all-surrounding heat. Heat like this reminded her of-reminded her…damn. She slammed her palms against the wood as the thought slipped away again and she shouted as they once again hit the burning wood.
The blue glow faded from the edges of the panel as whoever was out there grumbled again, the word fire barely audible but she caught it.
Oh, so she hadn’t done any magic.
The disappointment was quickly replaced as a flood of icy panic brought relief to her boiling veins. Was the person out there setting her box on fire or something? She had to get out of there. No way was someone going to burn her alive in a box she didn’t even remember getting into. Pressing herself against the back of the box, she pulled one leg up and struck out.
Metal clinked and with her second kick, the door gave way.
Open air met her, quickly followed by an incredibly solid stone floor.
“Owwwwww…” she groaned, rolling onto her back. The world spun dizzyingly around her and she blinked rapidly to try and clear away the wide blue eyes blocking her view of the ceiling.
Hold on, eyes!?
Shooting up, her head slammed into another, fuzzier skull, sending a burst of bright blue across her vision. The other person yelped and fell back, thudding against the ground.
“Wha-” she opened her eyes to stare at the still slightly spinning thing in the room. “You’re awake already?” It asked her, rubbing its head with its paw . She shook her head, brain moving too fast and too slow to process the fact that a little cat-raccoon-monster-thing had just spoken to her. In a language way she could understand, not some convoluted animal body language she just liked to pretend she understood and usually didn’t.
“You’re a cat,” she said dumbly. The cat monster looked highly offended at her remark, the blue flames in its ears flaring (and she had so many questions on how that worked) and eyes narrowing in an expression akin to a toddler getting ready to throw a fit.
“Just who’re you calling a cat? I’m the Great Lord Grim!” He, or should she say, Grim, puffed up his chest, little front paws planted on his hips. Later, she would need to go through all the questions she had about this situation. Now though, she could barely stop herself from cooing over how proud he looked of himself, and doing so required all her focus. She didn’t think the ‘Great Lord Grim’ would appreciate how adorable she found him to be.
Grim shook his head and stepped toward her, pointing one paw at her.
“I don’t have time for this, human, so just gimme your clothes already,” he grinned, something cats weren’t supposed to be able to do, and bared some of his sharp teeth. Her breath caught.
They were so tiny too.
Focus! She needed to focus because this cat-monster named Grim was asking her to strip and this might all turn out to be a horribly wild dream her subconscious was making up to deal with some issue in her waking world, but it didn’t seem like a simple pinch was going to wake her up. She’d already almost been set on fire by someone so a pinch would-
Her eyes snapped back up to meet Grim’s, the only other pair of eyes in the room.
“Otherwise…I’ll roast ya!” He growled and jumped toward her. She leaped up, skin tingling, the phantom feel of heat singeing everywhere her robe sleeves touched. Was the cute cat-monster the one trying to kill her?
This dream kept getting worse.
“I’ll take a rain check on the bonfire, thanks.” She stumbled out of his path and knocked into a floating black box, nearly tripping herself in her haste to get away. Looking around wildly, she tried to find a way out, no way was this cat going to roast her, but all she could see were glowing floating coffins.
Wait, coffins? Was this some kind of morgue!? She patted her chest, confirming she could still feel a heartbeat. Letting out a relieved sigh at the sensation she quickly yelped as Grim threw another fireball her way. Right, being in a morgue was the secondary problem here. The coffins swayed minutely from the fireball’s flight, enough for her to spot the edge of what looked like a door.
“Stop right there!” Grim yelled as she darted away through the maze of coffins but she didn’t turn back. The door opened into a long stone corridor, with large open arch windows leading out into a green courtyard. Several trees dotted the field amidst the twisting stone walkways and she grinned.
Perfect.
Vaulting through the open windows, she landed in the grass with all the grace of a newborn fawn and rolled back up onto her feet glad no one was around to see her. Quickly she shook off the fall and started running for the center of the courtyard where all the biggest trees seemed to be.
Upon getting closer, she realized none of the trees were as large as she’d initially hoped. In fact, all of them looked like apple trees with their twisting branches and gnarled stature but they were full of leafy foliage and she wasn’t about to complain. No one would look for a dead girl up a tree.
(And surely, someone must have thought she was dead because why else would she have been in a coffin?)
Eyeing the largest of the apple trees, the one directly across a path from a pristine stone wishing well, she grabbed the branches and scurried up into the relative safety of the leaves. After carefully balancing on one of the innermost branches, she looked out into the courtyard. From her vantage point, she could see all the way back to the windows, and towering above them were stone walls and turrets reminding her of a castle.
Tilting her head, she tried to remember if she’d ever been to a castle before but her head felt like someone had stuffed it full of cotton and she quickly shook away the thought. In the distance, she saw the twin blue flames of the Grim monster’s ears enter the courtyard. He was shouting something but ducked into another hallway before she could make it out.
This time, she did give herself a pat on the back.
Just in case the little Grim monster came back, she didn’t leave the safety of the tree right away. Instead, she did what any normal and sane person would do in this sort of situation and picked one of the apples hanging close to her head.
After all, for a dead girl, she was starving.
Biting into the apple, she couldn’t help the small groan of appreciation from escaping her. It was so good! Who knew apples could be so sweet? She was so enraptured by the apple that she didn’t notice the two figures in robes matching her own entering the courtyard, one chattering aimlessly while the other followed quietly behind. When a third figure entered the area she’d just taken the last bite of her apple and was searching for another. The small third figure waved his hand and a burst of wind rustled several bushes but she paid it no mind, eyes locking on a perfectly shaped apple right out of arm’s reach.
“Ace Trappola! Epel Felmeir! Are you two here? If you can hear me, come out.” The third person called, moving closer to her hiding spot. But her eyes were fixed on the apple above her, stomach rumbling at the thought of another sweet bite. Carefully she crouched on the branch, wavering unsteadily as she reached.
“Seriously, disappearing from the entrance ceremony.” He waved his hand again and another burst of wind left it, “It’s good you didn’t get yourselves in any trouble but-ack!” The wind knocked into the tree she was in, shaking her already precarious position just as she stood for the apple and she crashed down on top of the small boy. She yelped as they went down in a tangle of limbs and the boy gave a very undignified shout from below her.
“Trappola!” He seethed and pushed her off so he could get ungracefully to his feet. When he moved, the apple she’d been attempting to grab rolled away and she quickly snagged it.
No sense in wasting a good apple.
The boy turned around and aimed a pen with a fancy red gem at the end toward her face, his bright hair almost a perfect color match.
“What is the-” he paused, glaring down at her, eyebrows scrunching in confusion. “Who are you?”
And that, well that was a really good question.
She opened her mouth and closed it, her brain racing around in a fog she couldn’t think through. A name. She definitely had one, yes, of course, because names were something everyone had right?
Her brain was coming up extraordinarily blank. She opened her mouth and bit into the apple. The boy above her fumed.
“It is against the rules to pick and eat the school apples. How do you intend to adhere to the Queen of Heart’s rule number fifty-three? All stolen items must be replaced and that apple is stolen. For another matter-” the boy fell into one of the most thorough lectures she might have ever received. All the while she sat there on the ground, apple in one hand, brain close to empty, and wondered how high his blood pressure had to be to make his face turn that shade of red. “-now, give me your name this instant or I will take you to the Headmage for your crimes!”
“You-” she started to say that he needed to calm down or he might explode but caught herself at the last moment. This boy didn’t seem like he’d appreciate the concern.
“Your name is Yuu? I don’t remember seeing that name on the list of freshmen. Tell me then, Yuu, what dorm did the Dark Mirror put you in?” He placed his arms on his hips, stare promising an unpleasant experience if she didn’t cooperate. She wanted to protest that her name wasn’t Yuu, but honestly? She really didn’t want to disagree with the boy anymore, he was really scary and the last thing she wanted was another of his lectures so soon after the last one. Plus, it wasn’t like she could think well enough to figure out her actual name.
So, Yuu it was. At least until she had time to think properly and this boy was no longer glaring at her.
That did little to help her figure out how to answer his question though. Dorm? Dark Mirror? If this was a dream then her brain should get some overtime pay for all these weird creations.
“Well? We are missing the entrance ceremony and I will not allow you to make me late!” The boy tapped his foot impatiently and she, Yuu, (she should refer to herself somehow for now at least) realized she had no idea what his name was either. Calling him ‘the boy’ in her head seemed ill-fitting for someone with such a monstrous temper.
“What’s your name?” She asked.
The boy’s face somehow grew impossibly redder. Faster than lightning, he snatched her hand and pulled her to her feet. Yuu yelped at the sudden movement and tucked the once-bitten apple into her robe pocket as she was towed toward the edge of the courtyard.
“H-Hey! Wait!” Her shoulder felt like it was going to pop out of its socket. Despite them being almost the same height, the still nameless boy walked with utmost efficiency, something neither her legs nor lungs were prepared to do.
“I will be giving a full report of your behavior tonight to your Housewarden and if I find their verdict too lax I will be going to the Headmage. If you were in Heartslabyul it would have been ‘Off With Your Head’ the moment we got to the dorm!” The angry-boy lectured and Yuu wilted under his harsh words. Off with her head? First fuzzy cat-monsters trying to roast her alive inside a coffin and now an angry-boy threatening her with execution. This place was terrifying!
If she was dreaming then she really wanted to wake up now.
The boy continued to tow her back inside. Yuu’s shoulders slumped.
“Ah, Mr. Riddle!” A voice called from down the hallway and the boy, Riddle(?), stopped, nearly causing her to run into him.
“Headmaster Crowley,” Riddle greeted the other person. Yuu peered over his shoulder, eyes widening as she took in the other person standing a few feet away. He was tall, very tall, and wore a long dark fancy jacket. A top hat sat perched on his head and beneath one arm struggled the cat-monster Grim, tied up in a rope. That alone would have made her do a double take, but her attention was forcefully drawn to the man’s face, shadowed beneath his hat.
No matter what, never let go of that hand…
Words she’d never heard before drifted through her mind and yet they felt familiar as she stared at the bird-like mask covering the man’s two glowing golden eyes. She squeezed Riddle’s hand and took a small step further behind him.
Somewhere in the courtyard, a crow cawed.
Riddle broke the silence.
“I found this freshman wandering in the courtyard. He climbed one of the trees and stole an apple on top of leaving the entrance ceremony.” Riddle pushed her forward, releasing his hold on her hand. Yuu, gulped, suddenly wishing for another lecture if it meant she could keep hiding behind Riddle. This Headmaster Crowley unnerved her. His head tilted to one side and she crossed her arms like they might protect her from his gaze.
“Very good Mr. Riddle, it seems you have found our wayward student. I have been looking everywhere for you. You’re familiar, untrained as he is, was easy to find, but you…” he trailed off, patting Grim’s head. The little cat-monster grumbled beneath his gag. “No matter, please return to the entrance ceremony, Mr. Riddle, I have a few words for this student and I know you are likely anxious to return. Ah yes, how thoughtful of me, how kind-”
“Of course, Headmaster, please excuse me,” Riddle shot her one more glare then turned heel and walked away. Yuu nearly took a step after him but a light cough from Crowley froze her in her tracks.
“Now I must say this is all very irresponsible of you. Students should never leave the Gate on their own! Not only that, but I had to chase after your familiar and collect him for you! How very kind of me, I know,” Crowley placed his hand over his heart, looking stricken. If he wanted someone to applaud him he’d need to find someone other than Yuu. She barely understood half of what he was saying.
Students? Gates? Familiars!? Was this dream due to school stress? Yuu tried to think but came up empty. She didn’t even know if she was a student! Crowley continued talking before she could voice any of her numerous concerns.
“Ugh, how impatient can you be? The entrance ceremony is well underway. Let’s follow Mr. Riddle and head to the Hall of Mirrors now.” He swept past her, clearly intending for her to follow but Yuu wasn’t going anywhere without answers.
“New student?” She asked and Crowly sighed dramatically.
“Yes, yes, do you not remember the room you woke up in full of doors? You were admitted to our fine academy and passed through one of those doors to arrive here. Most students wake up only after the door is opened with a special key, but…” he trailed off and looked down at her. Who knew a bird mask could look so disappointed? Yuu smiled sheepishly despite not really understanding what she’d done wrong. A thought hit her then and she gasped.
“Hold on, so those coffins were just doors?” If that was the case then at least she wouldn’t have to piece together why this dream had her waking up in a morgue.
“They bid farewell to the only world students have ever known as they are reborn. Those doors were designed with such sentiments…Oh my! Now isn’t the time to be long-winded. The entrance ceremony will soon come to a close. Let’s get moving.” He started ushering her down the hall but Yuu stayed still.
“Just a second, where exactly am I?” she asked. No way was she going any further without at least knowing that. Crowley tilted his head again in a very bird-like manner.
“What’s this? Are you still dazed?” Yuu nodded her head. Dazed was certainly one way to explain why she didn’t remember anything and felt like a thick blanket of cotton wrapped around her brain. Crowly hummed, one finger tapping his chin while the other patted Grim’s head.
“It appears the teleportation magic has left you disoriented…Well, no matter.” Yuu would very much like to disagree with that, “It happens often enough. I shall give you an explanation as we make our way there, for I am kind,” Crowley grinned and grabbed her shoulder forcing her to walk next to him. Yuu followed without protest, what else could she ask? She had so many questions but if what Crowley said was right then maybe she was a student at whatever this place was who’d just forgotten due to some kind of magic.
Still, something wasn’t sitting right with her.
Was magic even real?
“This is ‘Night Raven College’. Budding mages blessed with unprecedented talent gather from all over the world here at the most prestigious magical academy in Twisted Wonderland. And I’m the board chairman-appointed Headmage in charge of looking after this college, Dire Crowley.” The bird-man-Crowley preened as he spoke and if both his hands were not occupied, Yuu got a distinct impression that he would be gesturing grandly. He seemed to like that kind of person.
“Mage?” Yuu looked up at him and Crowley nodded sagely.
“Only those mages deemed worthy by the Dark Mirror can attend this school. An ebony carriage carrying a Gate should have gone to meet you as well.” As he spoke something stirred in her foggy mind.
“I think I remember going through a dark forest…” she said, the memory hazy and unsure. It felt like she was missing something from it, something important, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.
“The Ebony carriage goes to welcome new students chosen by the Dark Mirror. They are special carriages that carry the doors to the academy. Carriages are the vehicle of choice for special occasions. Is that not what conventional wisdom has dictated since the days of yore?” You missed most of his explanation, too preoccupied trying to remember what she’d forgotten about in the forest memory, her brain only picking out what it thought to be relevant in his speech.
“So the carriage just brought me here on its own??” Yuu’s eyes widened and she froze. So she’d been kidnapped! And brought to a…school? Huh, maybe the kidnapping was not the important part of Crowley's speech. The bird-man sighed while Grim struggled in his arms. They had stopped in front of an ornate door and if Yuu strained her ears she could hear people on the other side. Crowley gave her one final look before turning away.
“Come. Let’s go to the entrance ceremony.”