Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Abyss was only a child when the Evil Eye first appeared. His parents were horrified by it, calling it a ‘curse.’ Abyss had to agree with them; it ended his childhood. His parents locked him in the basement in a cell, only providing food and water at set times every day. In the end, they decided they could no longer live with this abomination of a child. Instead of trying to kill him outright, they left him in the woods to die on his own; less of a burden on their conscience, he believes.

He was never meant to survive.

Of course not. In a world where magic determines one’s worth, a child who could take away one’s ability to use magic could not be allowed to exist.

It was only by luck that Abyss came across another child in the woods. Well, not pure luck. Anyone within a one kilometer radius would be able to hear the boy pumping iron. Peering into the clearing, Abyss was shocked at the speed the other child was able to move. It was almost as if the weights weren’t even there. After only a few minutes, the younger boy finishes his exercises and stands up, allowing Abyss to take a good look at his face. He gasps out loud in shock. He didn’t have a mark?

“Who’s there?” The mushroom-headed boy turns to face Abyss’s hiding spot. He must have heard him.

Stepping out from the tree, Abyss covers the Evil Eye with one hand. “I’m sorry, I just heard you pumping iron.”

“Ah.” The two stand in awkward silence, neither boy really knowing how to interact with people. “Why are you covering your eye?” The younger boy asks, tilting his head.

Abyss looks down, uncovering his eye. “Other people don’t like my Evil Eye.” The other boy looks confused, unable to understand. “It prevents others from using magic when I look at them.”

“Oh.” They stand in silence again. Abyss’s stomach lets out a loud growl. He hasn’t eaten since his parents left him in the woods that morning. “Let’s eat cream puffs together,” the dark-haired boy decides, taking Abyss’s hand. “This way.”

Was this really a wise idea? It wasn’t like Abyss really cared. The idea of food was too tempting to consider that the other boy could be dangerous. Besides, it wasn’t like going with the shroom-haired boy could be any worse than staying in the forest by himself.

Upon arriving at a small hut in the woods, the smaller boy pauses. “Do I push or pull?” He mutters to himself. “Push or pull? Push? Pull?” Abyss is beginning to doubt his decision to follow the boy. Who doesn’t know how to open the door to their own home? “Hmm… push?” The boy pushes the door… and breaks it. “Oops.” Definitely questioning his decision.

“Mash!” Someone calls from the house. Oh, I never asked for his name. Or gave him mine. “You broke the door again?!”

“Sorry, Ji-chan,” Mash apologizes, walking into the house and placing the door to the side of the doorway. Dumbfounded, Abyss follows him into the house.

“Sorry for the intrusion,” he mutters, trying to keep his eye hidden from the elderly man.

The man shrieks. So much for those cream puffs. “Who are you?!”

“I found him in the woods. We’re going to eat cream puffs,” Mash explains nonchalantly, pulling a bag of cream puffs from thin air and placing it onto the table. “You have some too, Ji-chan.”

Hesitantly, Abyss sits at the table and takes a bite out of a cream puff. It’s surprisingly yummy. “Kid, where are your parents?” The old man asks. He seems more shaken up by Abyss’s appearance in his home rather than his Evil Eye.

“They left me here,” Abyss replies in between bites. “Because of my eye.”

The old man goes silent. After pondering for a moment, he offers Abyss a choice. “Would you like to stay here with Mash and I?”

“Stay here?” Abyss asks. “But I’m cursed. You shouldn’t want to be around me.” He glances at Mash, who is too busy eating cream puffs to pay attention to the conversation. “Mash-kun doesn’t have a mark, but you do. Shouldn’t you hate my eye?” He stares at the old man.

He sighs. “I don’t care about your eye. You’re right; Mash can’t use magic. My magic is very weak. We’re already outcasts of society, what’s one more?” He pauses. “I’m not going to force you to stay here, but please, at least stay the night. I don’t want a child wandering in the woods after dark.”

“Okay,” Abyss agrees. “I’ll stay here for tonight.”

“You’re staying over?” Mash looks up from his cream puff. “Cool. We should make cream puffs together.”

“After dinner, Mash.” The old man turns to Abyss. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Abyss.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Abyss-kun. I’m Regro Burnedead, and that’s Mash Burnedead, my son. I’ll make some dinner for all of us.”

~ Later that night ~

Mash was an interesting individual. He had no idea what Abyss’s Evil Eye represented, which was nice. He was also obsessed with cream puffs. He didn’t ask many questions, and lacked a lot of basic knowledge of anything not related to cream puffs. “Where are you going tomorrow?” The smaller boy asks once they finish making cream puffs (with Burnedead-san’s help).

“I don’t know,” Abyss replies. What was he going to do? He had no home to return to, no place would accept him with his eye, and no way to care for himself. “I’ll figure it out.” The two boys drift off to sleep.

~ The next morning ~

Mash insists that Abyss take some cream puffs before he leaves. He thanks Burnedead-san for his hospitality before leaving. He wanders the woods aimlessly, trying to create some sort of plan for what to do next. He considered going back to his parents, but they would likely leave him in the woods again or just outright try to kill him. An orphanage wasn’t an option; he would never even get accepted in.

Beginning to get hungry, he sits on a fallen tree and opens the bag of cream puffs, thinking about Burnedead’s offer. Could he really go back to them? He didn’t want to burden them… If he joined their household, people would begin to avoid them as well.

Wait. Wasn’t that a good thing? Mash didn’t have a mark. If he was discovered, people would shun him and most likely try to kill him. Abyss didn’t want the younger boy to get hurt. People might not like his eye, but they would view Mash as less than human for not having magic.

Having made up his mind, Abyss makes his way back to the hut in the woods. He knocks on the fixed door.

“Abyss-kun? You came back,” Burnedead says once he’s opened the door.

“Can I still stay here?” Abyss asks shyly, still unsure of his decision. He’s greeted with a wide smile from the elderly man.

“Of course! Come in!” He ushers Abyss into the house and closes the door.

And that’s how Abyss got himself a new family.

Chapter Text

“Abyss. Hurry up.” Mash pokes the blue-haired boy’s cheek as he continues his daily exercises. Mash already finished his ages ago (and scared the forest half to death while doing it, but that was nothing out of the ordinary) despite having a heavier load and more reps to complete.

“Just.. go back… first,” Abyss pants out in between push-ups. “I still have magic exercises to finish…” Mash sighs, but disappears off into the forest.

It’s been almost 10 years since Regro had adopted Abyss and he was eternally grateful to whatever God led him to meet Mash. Life was good; he had a loving family, a nice place to live, and lots of cream puffs to eat. Regro was extremely caring of both Mash and Abyss despite Mash’s lack of magic and Abyss’s eye. Mash was a little dense (read: extremely dense) but the two got along great.

Finishing his physical exercises, Abyss pulls his textbook out and begins practicing. Regro was hesitant to send Abyss to an actual magical school and Abyss wasn’t very keen on going to one, but Regro still wanted Abyss to have the magical knowledge expected of students his age. Despite mostly learning out of textbooks, Abyss was actually pretty skilled at casting lots of magic.

About halfway through his exercises, Regro drops by. “I’m going to head out for a bit. Keep an eye on your brother, won’t you?”

“Yes, Ji-chan,” Abyss replies. “Have a safe trip!” He checks the tracking spell that he’d placed on Mash earlier today (Mash could not be trusted to be left alone, how else were they supposed to locate him when he inevitably got into trouble?) and oh fuck . He was nowhere near the house and was already halfway to the city.

Pulling his eyepatch out of his robes, Abyss carefully covers his Evil Eye before grabbing his sword and wand. “Acceleraise,” he mutters, stepping onto the blue arrow that appears, boosting himself towards the city.

Unfortunately, while Abyss is faster than Mash, he is not fast enough to catch up to his younger brother before he reaches the city for quite a while. Internally, Abyss prays that nobody has noticed Mash’s lack of a mark and that the younger boy hasn’t caused a scene. His hopes are dashed as he sees everyone observing Mash facing off against an officer. For some reason, the officer’s shirt is ripped off. Goddammit, Mash . Abyss pushes to the front of the crowd as another officer arrives and throws Mash over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry about my brother,” he apologizes to the two officers. “He’s not used to interacting with people.” Without waiting for a response, he casts acceleraise and rushes back home.

When they arrive, Regro is waiting for them. Abyss places Mash on the ground before taking off the eyepatch. “Mash!” Regro scolds the dark-haired boy. “How many times have I told you not to go to the city by yourself? I specifically told you to stay at home! The next time you want to go, ask me or your brother to come with you!”

Mash blinks at their guardian. “Okay,” he replies with a flat voice. “I brought both of you some cream puffs.” He places two paper bags onto the table.

Abyss sighs as Regro’s face softens. Their foster-father could never stay mad at Mash for long. Sometimes it almost felt like Mash just forgot that he wasn’t supposed to do certain things, did them, and felt extremely remorseful at his actions. It was pretty hard to stay mad at someone like that. “Alright,” Regro says. “But as punishment, you have to do your daily exercises again.” Mash nods.

“I’ll come with you,” Abyss offers. “I need to finish mine.” As the two leave the house, Abyss notices a rainbow-colored bird perched on a tree by the house. It didn’t look like any bird he had seen before - almost as if it weren’t a normal bird. Before he could think more about it, Mash tugs his arm and they go back to the clearing.

~~~

Regro was enjoying one of the cream puffs that Mash brought home when the front door burst open. He immediately grabs his wand as three officers enter the house. “Hello, old man,” the one in front greets while the chubby one snickers. “We know that you’ve been protecting a lackmagic. If you turn him over, we won’t convict you of protecting a lackmagic.”

They know about Mash! “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Regro lies, forcing out a laugh. “Sheltering a lackmagic? No one is stupid enough to do tha- ugh!” The blond officer kicks him in the stomach and the elderly man lands on the floor with a thud .

“Don’t play stupid with me, old man. Where is he?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

The officer laughs sadistically. “If you won’t talk, I suppose I’ll just have to beat it out of you.” He fires a spell from his wand, knocking Regro against the wall.

“I won’t tell you- umph!” Another spell hits him. “Mash! Run!” He cries out desperately. “Mash! Run, run- agh!” He’s hit by another spell.

“If he’s yelling to the lackmagic, he must not be far,” the blond officer comments. “Go search for him!” The slimmer officers chuckles, moving towards the door.

I can’t let them hurt Mash or Abyss. “Abyss, Mash, run!” Please be safe… The blond officer lets out an annoyed sound as he begins to power up a spell, creating a glowing purple sphere at the tip of his wand. Please…

As the officer reaches the door, it bursts open as Mash punches the officer out of the house. Regro’s jaw drops as he and the blond officer watch the man fly through the wall and off into the woods.

“Acceleraise,” he hears Abyss mutter before the other boy appears in the room. The chubby officer falls to the ground, holding his side as blood begins to seep out of a cut. Abyss flicks his sword to get rid of the blood before turning to the blond officer. “Get away from Ji-chan.”

Regro stares at the two boys in shock. “Why did you come back? Why didn’t you run away?”

“We’re family,” Mash replies. “Isn’t it obvious? I can’t just leave you.”

“You’re the first to accept me despite my Evil Eye,” Abyss mutters. “And Mash is right. We’re family; how could we leave you?”

The bald man tears up at their statements. “Mash… Abyss…”

The last officer lets out a tch . “You brats… I only need one second to take you both down!” He aims his wand at Abyss, clearly viewing the double-liner as a bigger threat. “Nalcompas!” His eyes furrow in anger as nothing comes out of his wand. “You…” He growls in frustration as he connects the dots.

Abyss grimaces, changing his stance. “Acceleraise sph- umph!” He’s tackled by the other officer in the room, who seems to have picked himself up just for this task. His sword slides across the floor out of his reach.

“Brad-san, I’ll hold this one down!” He cries, grabbing onto Abyss.

Brad smirks, aiming the wand at the blue-haired boy again. “I’ll take you out with one blow! Nalcompas diagor- AGH!” He flies through the roof with one punch from Mash before landing on the floor again.

“Don’t hurt my family,” Mash says, preparing to defend from another attack.

“Tch! Nalcompas!” Finally, the officer is able to cast a spell. He grins as the purple ball of magic hurtles towards the magic-less boy.

“Mash!” Regro screams in terror. Abyss manages to kick the other officer off of him but can’t do anything to stop the attack.

Bam! Everyone stares in shock as Mash simply knocks aside the attack as if it were nothing. It dissipates harmlessly against the floor. “Eh?” The officer is dumbfounded. “He… hit it aside? Just like that? Can magic even be paffed like that?”

Mash glares at Brad. In a flash, he punches him again, sending the blond into the table. “Threaten my family again, and I’ll kill you.” Everybody stares at him in disbelief. We’re dead, Regro thinks.

The officer bursts out laughing. “Interesting. Mushroom-head, I’ll make you an offer.”

Mash tilts his head. “A deal?”

Brad nods. “Every year, one exceptional student is chosen as the Divine Visionary. If you are chosen, society will accept you. Enroll in a magic school and become the Divine Visionary. I just want the prestige that comes with it. I’ll back you up, of course.”

“Don’t listen to him, Mash!” Regro screams. “He was our enemy just a second ago!” Abyss picks up his sword and sheaths it, moving to stand next to his brother.

“It’s your choice,” Brad says. “If you refuse, I, and by extension, the rest of the city, will hunt you all down for the rest of your lives. You two might be fine, but what about the old man?”

Abyss glares at the blond. “Mash, don’t do it. It’s a magic school .”

“I’ll do it,” Mash says confidently. His two family members stare at him in disbelief. “My motivation is stronger than anything. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep our family together.”

Abyss continues to look at the younger boy for a moment, as if waiting for him to retract his previous statement. When it becomes clear that Mash is serious, he sighs. “I’ll help too, then. I won’t let you go into school alone.” He turns to the officer. “Will I be able to attend the same school as him, but as a third year?”

Brad picks himself up off the ground. “Yes, if your magic skills are up to par. I can pull some strings. You’re a double-liner; you won’t have trouble in terms of magic power, as long as you know what you’re doing.”

Abyss glares at the man. “I do. Go back on your word, and you’re dead.”

The officer chuckles. “Of course. I’ll leave you three to prepare.” He leaves the hut, pulling the other officer up and dragging him out.

“Mash! Abyss!” Regro cries as he hugs the two boys. “I’m so sorry…”

“What for?” Mash asks.

“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have to put your life in danger and go to magic school. I’m sorry.”

Abyss smiles at the elderly man. “Don’t worry, Ji-chan. I won’t let Mash get hurt.” Mash still seems a little confused, but that’s pretty normal.

Regro offers the two boys a sad smile. “Why don’t we start packing?”

Chapter Text

Abyss arrives at Easton Magic Academy the day before Mash’s entrance exam. While he was originally doubtful that the officer - Brad - would be able to get him an opportunity to even apply for such a prestigious academy, he pulled through. I guess being in the magic police has its perks.

Stopping in front of the principal’s office, he takes a deep breath. He has to pass. If he doesn’t… he doesn’t even want to consider the trouble Mash will get into. Well, he’d probably get into trouble even if Abyss was there, but at least it would be less… right?

Cautiously, he pushes the door open. “Hello?” he calls out, entering the dark room.

“Ah, Abyss Burnedead, come in!” A voice replies as lights illuminate the great hall. Abyss follows the pillars upwards, noting the empty balconies. At least it didn’t seem like he had to prove himself in front of a huge audience. That would be… pretty awkward. He makes his way to the end of the large room, coming to a stop in front of the only other person there. Wahlberg Baigan , he recalls, headmaster of Easton Academy . The headmaster adjusts his spectacles as he peers down at the boy. “How are you on this fine day?”

“Good,” Abyss replies cordially. At least the manners his birth parents beat instilled in him would finally be put to use. “What about you, Headmaster?”

“I myself am doing fine as well, thank you,” Baigan replies. “Shall we begin the test?” Abyss nods, and with a wave of the headmaster’s wand, a table and chair appear in front of Abyss. “This is a preliminary exam; should you score high enough, we will move onto a combat-based exam to test your magical abilities. Lastly, we will conduct an interview to understand your character. Do you have any questions?”

Abyss shakes his head. “No, Headmaster.” As he takes a seat, paper and pen float down from the ceiling, landing on the table.

“You may begin.”

The exam was fairly easy; it mostly covered history and magic theory, all of which Abyss had learned from his textbooks. He presumed that the test was to ensure that he knew what was expected of a typical third year student.

“Hmm…. very good, Abyss. You’ve passed this exam with flying colors,” the headmaster remarks. “Shall we move onto the next section?”

Abyss nods. “I’m prepared. What does the combat exam entail?” He watches in awe as several ogres appear in the hall with a wave of the headmaster’s wand. What a show of power…

“You will be fighting these. I wish you the best of luck, Abyss Burnedead.” The first ogre lets out a roar as it notices the teen, raising its club.

“How unfortunate,” Abyss mutters. “Any creature that must move to attack stands little chance against me.” No sense in holding back; this is a test, after all. “Acceleraise Secondth: Force Field!” The ogre’s swing slows to a halt as a red arrow appears on its chest. It was so slow that it barely moves now… I’m not that much faster but does that really matter? “Acceleraise Sphere,” he casts. Blue arrows appear all around him, pointing towards the ogres. Stepping on them, Abyss easily dispatches them with his sword. After flicking his sword and sheathing it, he turns to the headmaster. “I hope this is enough?”

The old man chuckles as he strokes his beard. “Yes, yes; that was plenty. Thank you for the wonderful demonstration. We shall now move onto the interview.” The ogres disappear, presumably back to where they were summoned from. “Why is it that you decided to enroll in Easton Magic Academy? Please answer honestly.”

Abyss considers the question. I want to support Mash and make sure our family can stay together, but that’s not a very good answer, is it? But there really is no other reason… and he did say to answer honestly… “My brother and I have been homeschooled our whole lives,” he begins hesitantly. “Due to changes in circumstance, my brother will be taking the entrance exam tomorrow. I want to support him during his first year, at least.”

“The only reason you wish to attend Easton Magic Academy is to support your brother?” Baigan clarifies. Abyss nods. “You must have a close relationship, then. Have you considered that he may not get in? We do have an acceptance rate of 3%, after all.”

“That’s not an option for us,” Abyss says firmly. “Our family depends on it. Mash will find a way.”

The headmaster hums. “I see… Well, Abyss Burnedead, congratulations on your acceptance to Easton Magic Academy. You will be sent the details of your enrollment; for now, go celebrate with your family.”

~~~

When Abyss returns home, Regro is sitting at the table sharing a pot of tea with Brad while Mash sits on the floor, working his way through a bag of cream puffs as he does sit ups. “How did it go?” the older man asks.

“I got in,” Abyss replies as he takes off the eye patch. “I can start as a third year.”

Regro leaps up and embraces the blue haired boy in a hug. “Congratulations!” He exclaims as he sobs into Abyss’s shoulder. “They grow up so fast…”

“I knew you could do it,” Mash says in between bites. Well, that’s as good of a congratulations he’ll get.

Brad simply seems amused. “They would be foolish not to accept a double-liner. That’s simply the way of this world.” He turns to face the other teen. “You’re up next, Mash Burnedead.”

“I’ll get in. Don’t worry, Ji-chan, Abyss.” Mash doesn’t seem worried at all for his entrance exam, which is tomorrow. Abyss can only hope that his confidence isn’t unfounded.

~~~

Despite his lack of magic, Mash also passed the entrance exam and was accepted into Easton Magic Academy. After celebrating with their family, Abyss and Mash retreated to their rooms to finish packing their bags. Before they knew it, they were standing in front of their new school.

“Ready?” Abyss asks his brother.

Mash swallows the last bite of his cream puff. “Ready.”

Chapter Text

“Ah, Abel. Thank you for agreeing to this last minute change.” Abyss turns to see his future roommate walk into the hall. Hopefully, this will be the last time he’s in the headmaster’s office.

“Of course, Headmaster. As Lang’s prefect, it is my responsibility to ensure that those in the Lang dorm are taken care of.” His pink eyes, which have distinct star-shaped pupils, glance over towards Abyss. “Additionally, I have never heard of Easton accepting a transfer student. I was curious what sort of person this student would be.”

Abyss gives Abel a small smile. “Hello. My name is Abyss Burnedead. Thank you for becoming my roommate on such short notice. To my knowledge, prefects typically have their own rooms, so I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“There is no need for an apology. I am Abel Walker. I look forward to getting to know you better.” He turns to face the exit, the white cloak billowing behind him. “Let us head to the dorms now.” Abyss quickly follows him out, thanking the Headmaster one last time.

“I have never heard of the name ‘Burnedead’ before, so it must not be the name of a noble family. How is it that you were accepted as a transfer student, then?” Abyss resists the urge to frown. He’s one of those people… but it won’t do me any good to have a bad relationship with my roommate.

“I assume the Headmaster was impressed by my magical ability and knowledge,” Abyss offers. “I may have been homeschooled, but my father was adamant that I had an adequate education.”

“Why come to Easton now?”

“My brother was also homeschooled with me, but due to… certain circumstances, he was forced to attend Easton. I wanted to ensure that he does fine for his first year at least; he’s not used to interacting with people so it will be a very new experience for him.”

The white-haired boy doesn’t seem satisfied by Abyss’s answer, but thankfully moves past the subject. “I suppose that since you were accepted here, you must be quite magically powerful. I look forward to seeing you in action.”

“Thank you,” Abyss mutters, adjusting the eye-patch covering his left eye. It would take time for him to get used to wearing it all day. He’d also have to be careful in his room to ensure that Abel didn’t see his evil eye. What a hassle…

Abel comes to a stop in front of one of the dorm rooms. “Forgive me if this is an intrusive question, but may I ask why you wear an eye-patch?”

Abyss resists the urge to reply with a question about the other’s doll, which he has been carrying the entire time. “It’s not something I wish to discuss. Is this our room?”

Abel blinks, as if he didn’t expect the blue-haired boy to refuse to answer his question. “Ah. My apologies. Yes, this is our room.” He pushes open the door, allowing Abyss to walk in first. The room itself is pretty basic, with two beds on either side of the room, closets for both occupants, and a window in the middle. He notices that his bags have been placed on the left side of the room, while the right seems to already have Abel’s stuff. “Your items have been moved to your side of the room. Please let me know if you require assistance.” Abyss simply gives him a curt nod and gets to work unpacking his stuff. He doesn’t seem like a terrible roommate, at least. As long as we stay civil, the year should be alright.

All things considered, Abyss’s first day is going pretty well. After unpacking, he followed Abel to their classes (apparently they had the same schedule). Nobody has asked about his eyepatch besides his roommate, he hasn’t offended anyone, and he understands the material pretty well! (He can only hope that the same goes for Mash.) He has noticed some students whispering to each other in hushed voices as they look in his direction, so he can only hope it doesn’t bring trouble.

Abel seems to have taken his job of ‘ensure the Lang students (aka Abyss in this situation) are well taken care of’ quite seriously. In every class so far, the two boys have ended up sitting next to each other. Abel has even helped explain some of the material that Abyss was struggling a bit on (Magic Zoology is hard, alright?), which Abyss definitely did not expect. Abel seemed more like the kind to leave people to their own devices unless they interfered with his plans.

“Abyss.” The boy in question looks up from his notes to see Abel standing to his right. “The next class is in the forest. We should begin making our way over if we do not wish to be late.”

Abyss nods, stashing his textbook and notes into his robe as he stands. “Lead the way.” As they leave the classroom, he can’t help but notice the stares of several students.

“Who’s that?” He hears one whisper.

“He’s gotta be strong, if Abel-sama is interested in him,” another replies.

“I wonder if he’ll join?”

Before Abyss can think too much on the last comment, he is steered out of the building and into the woods that surround the school.

“Is everyone here? Good.” The teacher looks bored out of his mind, as if there were a million things he could be doing instead of standing in the forest. “You’re going to hunt Forest Scorpions. Leave the low-level ones for the first years. Each square-stoned one is worth one silver coin, and each star-stoned is worth two. Off you go.” He sits down on a chair which appears from nowhere and pulls a book out of his robes. Abyss glances at the other students around him, but most have already disappeared into the forest. Abel is gone as well. Well, I suppose he’s not going to walk me through every class… The coins are required to become divine visionary, right? I should try to collect them for Mash.

Defeating the scorpions, as it turns out, was not a very difficult task. The more difficult part was locating the creatures. Although their hard exoskeletons protected them from Abyss’s sword, their underbellies were exposed. It was only a matter of careful maneuvering for Abyss to defeat them. In the end, he was able to obtain four silver coins - almost enough for one gold one.
“Abyss.” Abel greets him once he steps out of the forest. There are two others standing next to him, both wearing the same purple-highlighted white robe that Abel wears (minus the fur lining). The dark haired boy with glasses appears mildly interested at Abyss’s arrival, while the pink-haired girl just stares at him. “We’ll talk later,” Abel addresses the other two. They both bow and walk off, leaving Abyss alone with the white-haired boy.

“Who are they?” Abyss asks curiously.

“Members of the Magia Lupus,” Abel responds as he pockets the coins the other two gave him. “An organization which I lead. How did you fare in the exercise?”

“I obtained 4 silver coins.”

Abel’s typically impassive face shows a small amount of surprise. “Impressive. I was aware that you must be strong, to be accepted as a transfer student, but you have certainly exceeded my expectations.”

“Thank you.” Abel seemed like the kind of person who valued strength. And bloodline. Unfortunately.

“Abyss. I would like to extend an invitation to join the Magia Lupus. With your strength, you would take the place of the Second Fang. We can provide you with the resources needed to allow you to flourish.”

What kind of shady deal was this? “And what is the goal of your organization? What would you ask in return from me?”

“The divine visionary must be an individual with power, ambition, and from the right bloodline. I am one of the few who fulfill these criteria. The Magia Lupus collects coins to ensure that the divine visionary will have these traits.” In other words, so he can become divine visionary . “Your strength would be of great assistance to me. All I ask is that you help me obtain the coins necessary to become the divine visionary.”

“I apologize, but I must refuse.” Hopefully this doesn’t hurt our relationship as roommates too much… “I plan to assist my brother to become divine visionary, so joining your organization would be in direct opposition to my goal.”

”Your brother… He is a first year, is he not? He will have the next two years to become divine visionary as well. Could you not consider assisting him another year?”

Abyss sighs. “I’m afraid not. Thank you for the offer. I hope this will not affect our relationship as roommates negatively?”

Abel doesn’t respond. Maybe he’s still shocked that I refused his offer . “Ah. Of course not.” Stiffly, he turns and walks away. Oh dear. It seems like this year will not be so great.

Chapter Text

After a hectic week of classes, homework, and avoiding Abel, Abyss was finally able to meet up with his brother. They decided to make cream puffs in the school kitchens, as a celebration for surviving the first week of classes.

“How have your classes been so far?” Abyss asks as he carefully mixes the filling.

“Hard,” the younger replies. “The teachers get mad at me for doing the assignments the easy way. They expect me to use magic.”

“Well, it is a magic school…” He trails off. Knowing Mash, he probably brute-forced most of the assignments. “I’m glad it’s going well so far. How’s your roommate?”

“Finn’s a cool dude.” Mash reaches over to take the filling from the blue-haired boy. “He’s a good friend, too.”

“That’s good to hear!” Abyss smiles as he watches Mash fill in the cream puffs. “You should introduce us sometime.”

“Sure,” he replies, taking a bite out of the finished cream puff. “Mm. Yummy.” Nudging the plate over to his brother, he motions for the other to take one.

“Thanks.” Abyss reaches over and grabs one, just about to take a bite when he is rudely interrupted by an attack.

“ Graviole .”

He only narrowly avoids getting hit with a quick acceleraise , moving him just out of range of the attack and dropping the cream puff in the process. The dessert rushes towards the ground, rapidly picking up speed. Gravity ability? It is only barely saved by Mash sucking it into his mouth like Kirby.

Looking up, Abyss sees the culprit standing at the doorway. Two straight lines run down the right side of his face, with blue hair framing it. A saturn earring dangles from his left ear, while his wand is pointed straight at Abyss.

“Siscon.” Mash stares at the newcomer as he quickly finishes off the cream puff. “You almost wasted a cream puff.”

“Sorry,” the other replies, eyes trained on Abyss. “Lang, what are you doing in the Adler kitchens? I won’t let you take Mash’s coin; he was strong enough to beat me, so I won’t let anyone take it from him.”

“He’s my brother,” Mash says between bites of the cream puff. The entire batch is almost gone; you should never underestimate Mash’s ability to eat cream puffs. At this rate, Abyss won’t get any. “He’s not gonna steal my coin.”

Abyss nods, taking his hand off his sword. “I’m just here to visit my brother. And make cream puffs.” He manages to snatch the last one before Mash grabs it. Success!

“You’re siblings ?” The intruder asks incredulously.

“Lance? What’s going on- ah!” A black-haired boy with a yellow streak of hair on the left side of head lets out a shriek. “What’s Lang doing here?”

“Hey Finn,” Mash greets, completely unfazed. So that’s his roommate…

“We’re both adopted,” Abyss clarifies. “Could you please put down the wand? It’s unnecessary and rude.”

“Lance? I really don’t think he’s here to cause trouble…” Finn stutters out. Lance sighs, before sheathing his wand. He steps into the kitchen, extending a hand to Abyss.

“Lance Crown. Sorry for attacking you.”

Abyss looks at the offered hand for a moment before accepting it. “Abyss Burnedead. Apology accepted. I’m just here to help my brother become divine visionary.”

Mash’s roommate also steps into the kitchen. “I’m Finn Ames, Mash’s roommate. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Abyss replies, finishing his cream puff. “Mash speaks highly of you.”

“Really?” The boy’s eyes widen. Abyss can almost see some tears welling up.

“You’re a good friend, Finn,” Mash interjects.

“Ah… Thank you, Mash.” He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’m very glad to be your friend.”

“I hope he hasn’t been troubling you. Mash isn’t used to interacting with people since we were both homeschooled…”

“That would explain his horrendous magical skills,” Lance mutters under his breath.

On the other hand, Finn smiles. “Not at all! Well, he did sort of break our room door multiple times and he can be a little weird, but he’s helped me out a lot! If it weren’t for him… well, my school life would definitely be more difficult.”

”They were beating you up, Finn. The detention was worth it.”

“Detention?!” Abyss turns sharply to Mash.

“Oops…” The other avoids eye contact.

“Didn’t Ji-chan tell you to stay out of trouble? How did you get detention already ?”

“He was defending me!” Finn jumps in. “I really thought he was going to get expelled, but it seems like the headmaster prevented that.”

“Expulsion??” Abyss nearly screams. He takes a deep breath. “Mash, I’m glad you’re using your strength to defend your friends, but please be more careful? You know what will happen if you get expelled-” He cuts himself off. “Please?”

Mash nods. “I know. I won’t get into any more trouble, I promise.” Oh, I know that’s definitely not true. But he genuinely means it.

“… Alright. When is your detention?” Mash shrugs.

“It’s now, actually. That’s why we came to find you.” Lance walks up to Mash. “You’ve been assigned to clean the owl coup. I’m coming with you, to make sure you aren’t attacked. You took my coin, after all.”

“Oh! Speaking of coins,” Abyss pulls out the four silver coins from his lesson. “These are for you, Mash.”

Finn’s eyes widen. “Four… I guess third years really are on a different level.”

Mash takes the coins. “Thanks. I’ll make sure to keep these safe.”

“We should head out now. It was nice to meet you, Abyss.”

“Ah… Have a good day!” Abyss waves as everyone exits the kitchen, leaving him to clean the dishes. I’m glad Mash has made some good friends. Hopefully they can keep him out of trouble…

“They what?!” Abyss exclaims, slamming his hands into the table.

“The fifth and sixth fangs of the Magia Lupus attacked us while we were cleaning the owl huts,” Lance confirms. It’s been a few days since he met the other boy, but he had since learned that the other boy was obsessed with his sister, explaining why Mash called him ‘sis-con.’ “They were simple enough to take down, once the owls were moved out of the way.”

“I also learned I can swim,” Mash adds unhelpfully. Abyss resists the urge to facepalm.

“You mentioned that you ran into Abel?” Abyss asks his brother.

“Who?”

“The leader of the Magia Lupus. He has white hair with purple tips, and 3 lines?”

Mash thinks for a moment. “Oh… the one with the weird doll that he called Mother. Yeah.”

Sounds about right… wait, calling it ‘Mother’? Let’s… just move on from that. “Did he say anything weird to you?”

“Hmm… asked for my name, something about the Divine Visionary and rabbits and the weak, and wanted to take my gold coin.”

Abyss lets out a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear. I was worried that he’d be needlessly hostile towards you since I turned down his offer to join the Magia Lupus in order to help you.”

“He invited you to join his little club? Aaaarg, pretty boys get all the privileges!” Dot screams. He was another one of Mash’s friends, but was pretty weird. The boy continues to scream something about pretty boys and girls as he slams his head into the wall. Abyss elects to ignore him.

“I believe it’s because we are roommates. He didn’t seem to take that badly to my rejection, though. I haven’t felt a need to move out.”

“You’re roommates?!” This time, it’s Lance.

“Yes?”

“And they were roommates…” he vaguely hears Lemon, the last person and only girl in Mash’s friend group, mutter. She’s just as weird as Dot; when they first met a day ago, she instantly took his hands and started saying something about “future brother-in-law” and rambling about marriage. He’s… still not sure how to really talk to girls, and has absolutely no idea what she’s talking about, so he ignores her too.

“I guess he did mention something about me being your brother,” Mash adds.

Abyss sighs. Seems like he is targeting Mash because of me… so much for a civil year . “Let me know if he bothers you again, ok?”

Around them, Finn is the only one not screaming or muttering (although this is only because he’s still shocked by all these revelations). Abyss takes his leave while they are all still distracted.

Upon returning to his room, Abyss confronts Abel. “You attacked my brother,” he states flatly.

The other boy turns around to meet his eyes. “Your brother… Mash? Please be assured, it was nothing personal. I merely wish to collect all the coins to become Divine Visionary.”

Not personal, my ass. “You recognized him as my brother before demanding his coin. You sent two of your organization’s members to attack him. How is that not personal?”

“I will admit, I was curious as to how strong your brother is for you to support him so adamantly. He certainly exceeds my expectations, but he will fall and surrender his coin in the end. My offer remains open for you to-” He’s cut off by Abyss, casting acceleraise and closing the gap between them, sword pointed at his face.

“I do not care for your plans as Divine Visionary. Like I’ve told you before, my only concern is my brother. Threaten him again, and I’ll take your coins from you myself,” Abyss hisses. “Am I clear?”

Abel’s eyes are wide open in shock. Abyss, still fuming, sheaths his sword before storming out the room and slamming the door shut.

So much for a peaceful school year.