Chapter Text
It's a strange world that they landed in this time, full of deities and things called 'Visions'. Lumine isn't quite sure that she enjoys it here, but, nonetheless Aether enjoys it, so she can endure. For her brother. The only person she truly has in all the universes. He's quick to befriend all of the locals of this region, thinking back she believes someone called it Kanrei'ah. Strange, but, acceptable.
The fact that they don't exactly worship the deities and built everything here by themselves also leans in their favour. They meet with the King of this land, and as he speaks her eyes drift around, landing of the Court Magician(?) and bouncing over to the Head of Guard. But the one reason she can guess that they were; magnetized here, for lack of a better term. Is because this place feels and tastes like Starlight.
Starlight which has chosen to imprint upon the people of this nation, it shows in their eyes. With the star-shaped pupils. Other would simply dismiss them as diamonds, but not them. They knew.
Aether and Lumine could feel the Starlight dripping from these people. Not that they even realize it. Luckily, the Starlight recognises them, long-lived as they are, forever unchanging. The Starlight whispers around them, informs them of this place and all that has happened, will happen. That is the thing with Starlight, it remembers, even that which has not yet occured.
It whispers to them, leave, leave my stars and fly away, to the next. It fills them to the brim with energy, urges them to leave, for that is what must always happen. Stars are not meant to stay and tread upon the ground of mortals, of the Earth. In very few may they, and it is in those that they may find refuge.
Though reluctant, Aether listens to what the Starlight instructed, and so he leaves. Lumine following behind, happy to be gone of this land.
Then it all goes wrong.
When Lumine saw her brother be sealed away, something within her; snapped. She circled around the Unknown God, channeling her energy, her 'magic' as it has been referred to, and dives in. When her attack does nothing, and the blocks that had taken her brother away begin to curl around her body.
She panics.
The defense mechanism laid upon her kicks in and drags her away, knocking her unconscious.
Occasionally her mind will process her small surroundings, most of it is black and her senses aren't working too well so she can't identify where she is.
Finally, finally. After stars knows how long, she's conscious. There's a rattling outside, presumably the cause of the ruckus, when she speaks her voice is hoarse from disuse.
"What's that noise?"
A voice is speaking, not yet aware of her waking state, "I better hurry up and find that uniform before someone spots me... Urgggh.... This lid weighs a ton!"
Lid? Ah, she supposes that explains the darkness around her, honestly she'd thought it completely natural. After all, this was far from the first time that her emergency defense had activated. But... something is off.
The voice continues on, "Try this on for size! Mya-ha!"
A blue flame quickly envelops Lumine's sight, making her let out a sound of surprise. But having her vision finally returned, she is able to see several floating coffins around the room, that's probably what she's in now. And in the center stands, or rather, floats a mirror. Wracking her brain Lumine swears that she has seen it before, the shape certainly reminds her of something.
"Now to grab the goods..." a small cat-like creature is above the coffin and startles at seeing her, "What?! You ain't supposed to be awake!"
ah. That explains the drowsiness and the heavy feeling. Her eyes focus on the small creature as she speaks, "A... talking cat?"
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say as the cat-like creature looks quite angry now, "How... HOW DARE YOU! I am no CAT! I'm Grim. Sorcerer Extraordinaire!"
Sorcerer? Well, that settles the fact that this definitely isn't the last world, what was it called again? She thinks, Teyvat, maybe? But back to the important thing, Lumine tries to make her brain cooperate with her as she thinks about which worlds she's been to that uses magic, has coffins, and floating mirrors. It's difficult, harder then it normally would be, though there is always a possibility that she hasn't been here before, or that this is how the world advanced in the time she wasn't here. She's more inclined towards option two.
"Tch. Whatever. You... human! Just gimme your uniform and be quick about it!"
How, intriguing. The cat, Grim, hesitated when saying human. A smile plays at her lips. Her mind thinking about the other thing, a uniform? She lifts an arm and looks at her body, huh, she is wearing a uniform. But even if she were to give it over, the size would dwarf over the small- Grim.
"'Cause if you don't... you're gonna regret it!"
Confident, good. Confidence is good. The blue flames make a reappearnce and cover her vision for a moment, irritating her. "Oh, just great. A cat threatening to burn me alive? What'll happen next? Perhaps my parents will miraculously come back from the dead?"
"Stop speaking a loud! And I ain't no cat!"
Lumine pushes herself upward, out of the coffin. The moment her feet land on the ground she starts running, she needs to get a feel for this world, determine is she's been here before. Then she can figure out her plan. Classrooms pass through her vision, a courtyard, and finally a library. Where her steps come to a halt. "Where am I?"
The blue flames she has quickly come to associate with Grim flare up once more, "Foolish human! Do you really think you could slip away from me? Now, unless you wanna get burned to a crisp, take off that-"
His sentence is cut short. A whip hitting him from behind, it makes him shout.
"Me-YEOW! That hurt! What gives?"
Yup, most definitely a cat. Lumine looks behind and there stands a tall man wearing a bird mask with quite an ostentatious outfit.
"Consider it tough love," he turns to Lumine, "Ah, I've found you at last. Splendid. I trust you're one of this year's new students? My, were you ever eager to make your debut."
Fuck no, what the hell is going on. Is what Lumine wants to say but she restrains herself, best not to possibly get onto this mans bad side.
He continues on, "And bringing a poorly trained familiar with you? That is a clear violation of the school's rules."
"As if I'd serve some lowly human! Now lemme go!"
Oh? She raises an eyebrow, perhaps Grim isn't as smart as she had initially assumed.
"Yes, yes. Rebellious familiars always say that. Do be quiet for a bit, won't you?" the man moves closer to Grim and sets a hand over his mouth. Grim tries to speak but all that comes out are muffles.
"Excuse me, sir. But he isn't my familiar-" her words are cut off as he continues on.
"Dear me. Of all the students I've dealt with, you're the first one with enough temerity to open their own gate and step out of it. Does the very notion of patience elude you?"
No, but it seems to elude you, son of a bitch.
"No matter. You're orientation has already begun. Let us return to Mirror Chamber."
"Gate...?" the word slips unbidden out of her mouth.
"You awakened in a room full of gates, did you not?"
She nods her head.
"All the students here at the campus arrived by passing through such gates. Although typically the students have restraint enough to wait until I open them before waking up."
"So... those coffins are like, gateways? And I think something blew the lid off mine," her brow is furrowed as she tries to remember why that sounds familiar.
He has an annoyed expression on his face, "The culprit appears to be that familiar of yours. You're the one who insisted on bringing it, so curtailing it's behavior is your responsibility! But now is not the time for such prattle."
OH? Really now? Then what have you been doing Mr. Birdface???
"You've a student orientation to attend! Go on, now. Make haste."
Lumine contemplates two things she could ask before deciding it would be best to get them both said and done with, "First of all: Who are you? And second of all: Where am I?"
He looks surprised, he raises a hand and holds to his face, "Hm? Have you not fully regained consciousness? The timespace teleportation must have addled your memories..."
Lumine clenches her hands, desperately wanting to scream out: No! I'm here because my defense kicked in! And I landed on this world, is there a possibility that your timespace teleportation might've sensed me and dragged me here? Yes!. But she doesn't, she holds her tongue from screaming that and obscenities' at him.
"Well, these things happen, I suppose. I shall explain it to you while we walk. Truly, my magnanimity is boundless."
He begins to walk away and Lumine hastens to follow him, into the courtyard they go before stopping as the man not so subtly coughs. She turns to him.
"This is Night Raven College. It is an institution for students over the world who demonstrate a rare aptitude for magic. It is the most prestigious academy of its sort in all of Twisted Wonderland," he's proud when saying it.
But Lumine racks her brain, 'Twisted Wonderland' it sounds familiar. Lumine can almost grab at why but before she can it slips from her grasp.
"And I am Dire Crowley. Having been entrusted with its care by the chairman, I serve as headmage."