Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

.
.
.

“.....i……..Oi, Yuu! I said, Wake up!..........”

‘........What-......’

Yuu slowly opened his eyes due to the rude voice and the sound of fabric rucking, his blurry vision soon became clearer. He was laying on his bed… Wait… That wasn’t right…. Standing beside him were the Heartslabyul first year duo, Ace and Deuce, looking at him with confused, worried, and somewhat angry looks. Well, Ace was the one with an angry look.

“Come on now,” Ace grunted, looking annoyed, “Don’t you go off sleeping around right after texting and calling us out in the middle of the night!” he gritted his teeth angrily. “I was surprised to have you called for us right at midnight, y’know,” Deuce said, as Yuu sat up slowly, eyes still glued on his blanket. “You said, Grim is missing… what do you mean by that?” the blue haired boy asked.

“.....Grim….” Yuu held his numb head with his left hand, “...Right, I was looking for Grim….” he mumbled. But his two friends gasped, looking at Yuu with wide eyes, “Hey- Yuu! What happened to your arm!? You got those nasty long scratches….” Ace asked, holding Yuu’s left arm carefully. The boy noticed their looks, and saw his left arm. “!?” Yuu’s blood went cold.

Six long scratch wounds still fresh, still oozing with blood. The memory of Grim attacking him came back, and when Yuu opened his left fist, a piece of ripped fabric he used to make Grim’s protective charm laid there, unmoving and coldly. “...............” Yuu’s lips trembled, as he stuttered something. However, it was too small for them to hear, so Ace asked again, “...Eh? What did you say…..” “..........Gri….m…… did it…….” Yuu mumbled out. “! T-That’s… no way… Grim really did this to you!?” Deuce let out, shaking his head in disbelief.

Yuu gritted his teeth, as he hugged the fabric tightly, and the duo knew he was holding back his tears, “.......Yea-.....” Yuu said, even his voice became hoarse. “..........” A long silence came. Ace and Deuce looked at each other, and Ace was the one to make the first move, patting Yuu's back, “A-anyway, let’s get to the lounge room for now. It’s better if we treat those scratches first,” he suggested. “Y-Yeah! Right!” Deuce let out, but he was more panicked than Ace, as he fumbled to get his phone out, “I’ll contact the headmaster!” Yuu nodded slowly, and let Ace helped him up, leading him to the lounge room.

When Ace was treating Yuu’s injuries, the boy stayed silent, even the pain didn’t bother him much. His mind was filled with worries. Worried if Grim was okay. Worried if Grim was still berserk. Worried if Grim would hurt anyone. Worried if Grim….was going to face heavy punishment from the school….

With a mountain of worry, those anxiety became fear. And they creeped on Yuu’s head ominously. Soon enough, Crowley rushed into the Ramshackle dorm, demanding what had happened. Thanks to Ace’s calm demeanor and Deuce’s encouragement, Yuu was able to calmly explain to Crowley, as best as he could.

“.....The mirror in your room was connected to some kind of space or realm… After you talked with an entity with big ears named Mickey, you went out looking for Grim-kun who wasn’t around, then you were suddenly attacked by Grim-kun who went berserked….. Hmm…..” Crowley summed it up, trying to take in Yuu’s information about the event.

The last detail he was going to say was, “....Grim, he….” Yuu’s lips quivered, afraid to say the words… But knew he had to, “....He ate a black rock again….” he stated.

“A black rock, you say….?” Crowley looked at him, his voice was in disbelief. Crowley sounded different than how he usually was. “Eh? By black rock…. You mean like the black rock Grim picked up at the Dwarfs’ Mine when the school started?” Ace asked, remembering perfectly about their bizarre adventure. Yuu nodded, and Deuce thought, “Speaking of which, Grim, that guy… After Prefect Rosehearts overblotted, he picked a black rock on the ground and he ate it like it was delicious, right…” he asked. “But at that time, he didn’t go berserk or started acting weird or something,” Ace stated, feeling conflicted.

“More so… What ARE those black rocks…?” Ace questioned. “I wasn't around in the scene so I can’t say this for sure, but…” Crowley spoke out, “...The black rock you say Grim-kun has always eaten is perhaps… a ‘Crystallized Blot’.”

“Crystallized…. Blot…?” Deuce repeated slowly. All of the three students looked at Crowley with wide eyes, and it was because he mentioned ‘Blot’. “I have explained this before…” Crowley crossed his arms, now fully in his serious mode, “Overblot, is a phenomenon when a practitioner of magic accumulate too much blot until it overflows. Blot is a byproduct produced upon casting spells, made up of powerful toxins and stagnant magic.”

“And then, when those got greatly affected by the mage’s negative emotion, it created an enormous incarnation based on those emotions,” Crowley finished his explanation. Everyone went quiet for a bit, until Ace spoke up, “To pull someone out from an overblot state… We have to find a way of ripping that incarnation off of the mage, right?” he asked. “Yeah,” Deuce nodded, “From the cases we’ve been through, that was kinda how we’ve managed to bring the seniors to their senses. Attacking both the incarnation and the mage’s glowy eye…” he added warily.

“...Indeed. The only way we can resolve an Overblot is to sever the magical connection between the incarnation and the mage,” Crowley stated, “There have apparently been instances where, once the incarnation has vanished, the condensed blot held within crystallized.” “The blot-...crystallized…?” Ace let out, now connecting the dots.

“Magic gems already form through the crystallization of magic flowing through the earth and air. Hence, it’s no strange if blot, that is the waste of using magic, could also crystallize. But so, I, myself have never seen one,” Crowley added, the explanation grew even more disturbing. “To begin with, Overblot in and of itself is an exceedingly rare phenomenon. However….. Hmmm……”

Hearing Crowley said this, Yuu gritted his lips, and clenched his trembling fists, “....How can you call this ‘rare’.....” he growled at the headmaster, causing the bird masked man to focus on him. “.....I……” Yuu tried to express his frustration, and when he composed himself, the boy spoke once again, “....I…. I even found a pattern… of the overblots….” he admitted.

“...What did you say, Yuu-kun…?” Crowley asked, his voice was low, but Yuu didn’t flinch. “....” The boy was silent, and he raised up to take the notebook from his bag, then handed it to the headmaster. Crowley without saying anything, took the notebook, and read through them. Yuu had his head low, but his voice was clear even though there was shame and regret in them, “.....Ever since I came to this school… To this world, I’ve been having dreams connected to the Great Seven,” Yuu started to explain his dilemma.

“Whenever I had those dreams, I heard dripping noises, and progressively, there would be an overblot case… The Queen of Hearts, Riddle-senpai’s overblot. The King of Beasts, Leona’s overblot. The Sea Witch, Azul-senpai’s overblot. The Sorcerer of the Sand, Jamil-senpai’s overblot. And…..” Yuu paused, remembering that the headmaster wasn’t aware of Vil’s overblot yet.

“Hm hm,” Crowley nodded, understanding what Yuu was trying to say, “I understand, Yuu-kun.” But his statement didn’t bring any reassurement to Yuu’s heart. Hence, the headmaster raised up and pat Yuu’s shoulder, “Are you blaming yourself because you didn’t notice this much sooner?” “............” “Please do not blame yourself….. Sooner or later, this will happen eventually….” Crowley said, and mumbled at the end. But since Yuu was close to him, the boy heard what he said. ‘....Wait,’ Yuu looked at him with wide eyes, ‘So headmaster…. He already knew…?’

“Say, Headmaster,” Ace called out to him, “If I’m following you correctly… Blot is already super bad even in a small amount. But those black rocks are condensed versions of an even larger amount, right?” he asked, slowly. And Crowley nodded, “Yes…” he answered with his lowest tone, sending shivers of fright.

“Then… There’s no way that eating tons of those things is going to have no consequences…” Ace deduced that everything would always have some unwanted effect. “Then-... Did eating all of those rocks make Grim go berserk…?” Deuce questioned. “...This is all just a speculation,” Crowley firmly stated, “And, even though Grim-kun is able to communicate with us, at the end of the day, he Is a monster.”

“When he lashed out at Yuu-kun, that may have very well been his true self. The joint culture festival will continue tomorrow as planned. I cannot allow a dangerous Monster that may pose a threat to others to roam around the campus freely,” Crowley started to leave, but Deuce shouted, “A dangerous monster!?”

“This is Grim, sir!!” he shouted more, feeling angry that the headmaster would call Grim a monster. But Crowley didn’t waver, “I too wish not to be doubtful of Grim-kun.” Crowley turned his head, looking at his students, “Despite him being a monster, I was the one to choose to believe in him and allowed him to enter the school. However… Depending on his condition, he may not be allowed to remain in this school any longer….” he stated, with a downed voice.

“Eh?.... By that…..” Ace mumbled, eyes widened. “Anyway. I need to inform the faculty and dorm heads to immediately capture Grim-kun,” Crowley stated, marching his way to the Ramshackle’s entrance. The three of them tried to catch up with Crowley, and Deuce even let out a panicked, “T-That’s-!” “I will now take my leave,” Crowley paused his walk, and turned back to the three.

“Yuu-kun, make sure to lock the door tight shut. You two, Heartslabyul’s students, do get back to your dorm immediately,” he ordered, leaving them unable to voice any complaints. Crowley then opened the door, and right before he closed it, he murmured, “....It may be about time for ‘him’ to make his move….” “Eh?” Yuu’s eyes blinked, and Crowley closed the door…

*BANG*

A minute of silence filled the air. The three couldn’t do much to stop the headmaster, because Crowley had a point. Capturing the now berserk Grim was the safest option they have.

“When he said… ‘Depending on his condition, he may not be allowed to remain in this school any longer’.... Did he mean that there’s a chance Grim will be exterminated as a dangerous monster….?” Ace wondered worriedly, biting his finger anxiously. “There’s no way to doubt Grim-....” Deuce shook his head, “...Well, he IS pretty greedy, and he can be impatient most of the time. He likes acting on his own….”

“But he wouldn’t hurt Yuu or any other students without reason!.... He won’t…. He wouldn’t…. Probably… I’m sure……” Deuce tried to reason with Grim’s act, but he then grew doubtful as well. “C’mon, man!” Ace slapped his back, “You’re just adding more fuel to our anxiety here!”

“....It’s my fault…..” Yuu muttered, and he couldn’t hold it any longer… A droplet of his tear reached the ground, and his two friends immediately knew. “.....I-...... If I…. Noticed sooner…. This-... Wouldn’t happen….” Yuu stuttered, gritting his teeth, as he covered his face with his clenched hands. “I-..... If I-... I stopped Grim sooner…. If I didn’t-... Ignore the warnings….. I-...!” “Yuu-! Hey hey, it’s not your fault, okay,” Deuce hurriedly went to Yuu’s side, trying to comfort the boy.

“Didn't the Headmaster already say to not blame yourself about this?” Deuce pat Yuu’s back, and signaled Ace to help him. Ace grumbled, but he complied anyway, “Well, monsters are just another kind of beasts, so if one attacked a person or something, it’ll definitely make some news. I can see what the headmaster was saying,” he stated.

Deuce flinched, and glared at him, “A-Ace!.... You-!” “But,” Ace suddenly added, “In the six months since we started school, against all odds, he and Yuu became a pretty good duo….” he then smiled, “....With us too.” “....!” Deuce looked at him surprised. Ace then faced Yuu, and the boy looked at both of them with tearful eyes.

“Yea,” Deuce nodded with a smile, “He even made friends with the rest of our classmates,” he stated. Yuu smiled a little, sniffling as he wiped his tears away. “Well, what do we do now?” Ace asked, “Actually, what do you wanna do, Yuu?” he faced Yuu, waiting for his answer. “.......” Blinking with new determination, Yuu looked at both of them, “I want… I want to hear everything from Grim.”

“I think-... No. I’m sure that he wasn’t able to control the negative emotion from those Crystallized Blots,” Yuu declared, confident that Grim didn’t mean to hurt him. “Thought you’d say that,” Ace grinned, “Then, let’s hurry and find that idiot!” “Heck yeah!” Deuce grinned, pumped up to the max, “Let’s find Grim before everyone else, and deck him before we ask what’s going on!”

Ace and Deuce reached their fists out, looking at Yuu. The boy looked at both of them, nodded, and joined his fist as well. Hurriedly, they took some tuna cans, and Yuu put on his winter coat. All exited the Ramshackle dorm, on a mission to find Grim…

‘....Wait for us, Grim!.....’