Chapter Text
“Each one of us will bestow upon you a blessing, our dear little princess.”
“...It’s Maleficent…”
“I was worried that the invitation lost its way…”
“You weren’t invited in the first place.”
“What a pity. Let me bestow upon her my blessing. Listen well, all of you. The young princess will grow in grace and beauty. All will love her. But, as the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spindle, and she will die.”
***
Kate stood in front of the Thorn Fairy’s statue, arms crossed and lips turned downward in a frown.
“Kate?” Kaitlyn asked, Grim hanging off her shoulder. “What’s wrong with the statue?”
“‘A great fairy who reigned over a mystical mountain, exhibiting mastery over storms and thorns’,” a voice suddenly said. “‘Proud and refined, she preferred solitude even as she commanded her subjects’. Our Diasomnia was founded on her spirit of nobility.”
The trio turned to see Malleus, Silver, and Sebek approach them.
“Oh!” Kaitlyn exclaimed, a huge grin growing on her face. “Good morning, Tsunotarou!”
“Tsu-Tsunotarou?” Sebek blinked before his eyes narrowed. “YOU INSOLENT-! HOW DARE YOU ADDRESS THE YOUNG MASTER THAT WAY! You are currently in the presence of Briar Valley’s heir and our very own Housewarden! He’s none other than Malleus Draconia, the greatest ruler of all! APOLOGIZE FOR YOUR BEHAVIOR AT ONCE, HUMAN!”
“Ugh!” Grim grimaced, holding his paws up to his ears. “It’s the loudmouth guy we ran into at the SDC.”
“Oh right,” Kate hummed, removing her hands from her ears. “You’re the guy from the Equestrian Club with Riddle.”
“I am Sebek Zigvolt!” Sebek proclaimed proudly. “You must apologize for your insolence!”
“Sebek, it’s alright,” Malleus chuckled. “I gave them permission to call me by that name.”
“W-Well…if you insist,” Sebek muttered sheepishly. “Your benevolence knows no bounds, my Lord!”
“Sebek…” Silver sighed. “You need to apologize for shouting like that. You’ve been rude to the Young Master’s friends.”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who just stood by!”
As Sebek continued to berate Silver, Malleus made his way over to the girls.
“Are you two interested in learning about the Thorn Fairy?” he asked. “I could easily tell you everything I know.”
“I do have a question,” Kate hummed. “Is there a history of her not being invited to large events?”
“Not being invited?” Malleus hummed.
“How dare you show her such disrespect!” Sebek suddenly whirled on Kate. “She was as powerful as she was dignified! Her people respected her greatly!”
“I wouldn’t exactly be sure about that, Sebek,” Malleus frowned. “I believe that her noble status made her fearsome and distant to others. ‘Respect’ becomes ‘awe’, which turns to ‘fear’.”
“Lothing her for those foolish reasons is a lowly man’s excuse,” Sebek huffed, folding his arms. “Not worth your time at all! Stop bothering the Young Master with these questions, human!”
“Sebek,” Silver sighed. “Stop.”
Running footsteps were soon heard and the group turned to see Lilia hightailing it down Main Street.
“I’m gonna be late!” he exclaimed as he slowed down to a halt when he approached the group.
“Lilia?” Malleus blinked. “What’s wrong?”
“I…got a bit carried away playing online games with a friend last night,” Lilia admitted sheepishly. “Why didn’t you come wake me up, Silver?”
“I tried,” Silver replied. “Three times actually. Why are you looking for my help with this? I have enough trouble waking myself up.”
“Your hair’s really messy, Lilia,” Malleus chuckled. “You do realize you could have just fixed yourself and teleported, right? I see that sleep has dulled you, my friend.”
“Malleus…” Lilia began, clearing his throat. “The Juniors were ordered to gather for first period, correct? Do you remember?”
“That was today?” Malleus blinked.
“So young to be this forgetful,” Lilia sighed.
“Oh, is there something special planned for the Juniors today?” Kaitlyn asked.
“You’re correct,” Lilia replied. “I believe someone has mentioned this to you two, but in our Senior years, it’s mandatory for us to go off-campus for training. Today's orientation. Our training is supposed to begin right as the next term begins, so we must be prepared.”
“Yeah, Trey mentioned it to us before,” Kate stated.
The school bell began to ring, causing the group’s attention to turn towards the school.
“Ah, that’s the bell,” Silver stated. “Let’s get going, Lord Malleus, Lilia.”
“Of course,” Malleus nodded before turning towards the girls again. “If you two want to learn more about the Thorn Fairy, please stop by Diasomnia and I’ll tell you all about her. See you soon.”
“Don’t you two get cocky just because Lord Malleus has taken kindly to you, humans!” Sebek yelled. “He’s not someone that commoners like you can easily address!”
With that, he ran after the trio, nearby students muttering as the group walked by.
“Eesh,” Kate huffed. “Sebek’s sure a guy, huh?”
“He’s…very loud,” Kaitlyn commented.
“I think his voice is even louder than Vil’s wailing was,” Grim whined.
“I think you’re right, Grim,” Kate chuckled. “Now, let’s hurry before we’re late for class.”
***
“Thank you everyone for coming,” Crowley welcomed as he handed out papers to the Juniors. “We’ll now formally begin your extramural studies orientation. It’s a compulsory subject, so please pay close attention. Now, turn to page one of your syllabus. Your studies begin in September, and one field of research lasts about one season, which is about three months. You can choose up to three training sites within a year, or just choose one for three seasons. You can even train in a different area per season in order to obtain a variety of experiences. Even though the training will be facilitated in companies, research facilities, and foundations that are all affiliated with the school, it doesn’t mean that your choices are unlimited. Please remember that the training sites that are available to you are varied depending on your electives, credits earned, and your grades. Along with the interviews, there are sites that won’t accept you unless you pass a specialized test. Every detail and requirement is provided in the list that is at the end of the syllabus. Make sure to read them all carefully and not choose a destination based on ‘fun’. It’s mandatory to receive a grade of B or above and to submit a report each season. If you don’t achieve both of these requirements, you won’t be credited. If you’re able to pass two of your three training sessions, then you’ll be able to graduate. It’s also a huge step towards the future you want. Make sure to give it a lot of thought. Dismissed!”
***
“...We’re finally here, huh Trey-Trey?” Cater sighed, leaning against his boyfriend. “We have to pick out three from this extensive list? That’s so many…” He sighed again. “And we have to leave poor Ridds behind too…”
“Riddle will be fine,” Trey chuckled. “Don’t forget that it’s the interview and test that will get you in, not how quickly you submitted the application. Besides, the more popular destinations will definitely have higher acceptance rates. We need to choose carefully and make plans accordingly.”
“So it leads to our decision on whether or not to continue school or start working. You thinking of going to uni, Trey-Trey?”
“No, I’m thinking of looking for work. I can’t think of anything that I would want to pursue in college. Maybe I’ll get a national patissier license, but I can just get that while I’m already working…”
“Ooo~! Then you’ll be able to decorate Ridds’ and I’s tables with your cooking~! You interested in the food industry?”
“Well…yes, but I’m also a bit interested in agricultural research. I ended up researching a bit into fertilizers and selective breeding for the Science Club. Having knowledge on the quality of ingredients will be a great help.”
“Remind me to stop by your club when I get a chance~. I wanna see what you’re growing~.”
“Very well, Cater. Don’t forget to invite Riddle as well. Now, let’s see here…aha! I see that there are some specialized research facilities that are accepting students on a special basis too. It’s all because NRC graduates ended up proving their worth in their chosen industries, so I really think it would be a waste to not take advantage of this opportunity.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It really does slip my mind, but this list reminds me that we’re actually a prestigious school. Entertainment, IT, food research, toy manufacturing, marine research, archaeological expeditions, and professional Spelldrive teams.”
“What about you, Cater? No offense, but Riddle and I both agree that you’re not really the college type.”
“Being ganged up on by my boyfriends, how rude~. But, yeah, you’re right. I’m not a fan of studying. I think I’d go for entertainment…like the know-how of magazines and movie-making. Oh! There’s even theme park management programs. ‘Shows and Attraction Planning’...sounds interesting~.”
“I believe Ace told me that his brother took that course and is currently working in that industry.”
“If only this could be my ‘Eureka!’ moment too…it’s only three months per season, but it’d be torture if I ended up doing something that I ended up not liking. It would definitely affect my performance…bad grades would affect my future opportunities for sure…”
“I agree. Now, let’s say we’ve actually found the ‘One’; would we even be able to keep it up for three whole seasons? That’s the main question. Besides, we might even wanna try other things to challenge ourselves. Such a head scratcher…”
“I’m so lost…I’m not sure what will help…Oh! Why don’t we ask the others?”
“Well…we do have a lot of strong personalities here, so I’m not sure it will help…but at the same time, it wouldn’t hurt to try. Let’s begin with someone who’s actually approachable.”
***
“Rook, Vil,” Trey greeted the couple. “We’re sorry to bother you.”
“Chevalier de Roses,” Rook greeted with a smile. “Monsieur Magicam. Comment pouvons-nous vous aider?”
“We’re a bit stumped,” Cater replied. “We’re asking around to see if that can help us decide.”
“Didn’t the Headmage say that our skill sets affect our available choices?” Vil asked, raising a brow. “I think asking around would just make you more indecisive.”
“It’s just for reference,” Cater pouted. “Please~? Are you going into entertainment? Or uni?”
“I was thinking of applying to a movie studio for a season,” Vil replied. “But I’m also interested in Potionology research, and I haven’t given college much of a thought. During my time here, I had decided to hold back on my job so I could devote myself to my studies. It did take me a while to finally realize that my dream has always been to display sublime beauty in my own way. That’s why, for the remaining two seasons, I’m thinking of applying to facilities that would help me with achieving my dreams.”
“Wow…” Cater breathed. “So professional…”
“Eyes ever on the prize, mon cher,” Rook chuckled. “How beaute, Roi des Poisons! Unfortunately, I will not be able to be by your side to witness your road to beauty from up close.”
“So you’re applying for a different field of study?” Trey asked.
“Oui,” came the reply. “Possibly archaeology. I’m actually interested in studying historic ruins.”
“For real?” Cater asked. “Are you hoping that you’re gonna run away from a boulder or look for a mystical pond like the movies?”
“I wouldn’t object to such theatricalities!” Rook laughed. “Maybe even find a beaute amulet to give to mon cher~.”
“Even if I told you not to do it, you’d still do it,” Vil huffed.
“Well there are still a lot of magical cultures and history left undiscovered,” Trey brought up.
“Archaeological expeditions are a field of research that requires a lot of patience,” Rook explained, holding a finger up. “I do admit that I’m not the most patient person, but our little S.T.Y.X. adventure made me realize that I’ve only seen a small corner of this world. There’s so much more to be discovered…imagine unearthing long-gone beauty! I’ll discover them all! Je ne peux plus reprimer cette curiosité!”
“Ah, I understand,” Trey nodded. “You’re thinking of joining an expedition while also being open to the idea of pursuing higher education,”
“Oui!” Rook exclaimed happily.
“You could have just said that, Rook,” Vil sighed.
“I’m surprised you understood all of that, Trey-Trey,” Cater whispered.
“You get used to it,” Trey whispered back. “I deal with him in the Science Club every day, remember?”
“Tch…keep it down, will ya? You’re cutting into my nap time, so go gossip somewhere else.”
“Wah!” Cater exclaimed as he noticed the lying form of Leona. “How long have you been there?!?”
“So crude,” Vil frowned. “He’s been like this ever since orientation began.”
“Merveilleux, Roi du Lions,” Rook chuckled. “Such a kingly sleeping posture.”
“Always the optimistic, mon cher,” Vil chuckled. “You do know that this is a compulsory subject, right? If you fail, you risk graduation, so take this seriously.”
“I’ve already handed my application in,” Leona stated.
“What?” the other four asked at once.
“H-How?” Trey asked. “We just got the list today.”
“While Crowley was talkin’, I just read through the entire thing,” Leona yawned. “Then I sent my application through the contact provided. Our graduation rights are riding on this oh so important training, so I just took the initiative.”
“So quick,” Trey mused. “Did you already decide on what you wanted to go for?”
“Yup.”
“Where did you apply to?” Cater asked.
“It’s a Mining and Energy Lab back in the Sunset Savannah,” Leona replied.
“Colorie-moi surpris,” Rook blinked. “I had no idea you were interested in geology.”
“‘It is said that there are vast energy reserves waiting to be utilized in the Savanna’...” Vil mused. “Ah…that’s what it is…”
“I guess you’re still a prince through and through,” Cater hummed. “So amazing that you wanna give back to your homeland.”
“Hah!” Leona barked out a laugh. “You’ve got it all wrong, Card Soldier. Not sure how helpful it’ll be, but I can’t let them brand me as the ‘Incompetent Prince’ forever now, can I? I think it’s the only time I can exploit being the second prince. I’ll have those guys working for me instead.” He then lowered his voice to a murmur. “Besides…if they no longer call me that, I’ll be able to confidently propose to Ruggie…”
“What did you say?” Cater asked, tilting his head.
“Nothing,” Leona yawned. “You got your answer, so scram.”
With that, Leona fell back asleep, the other four boys blinking in amazement.
“Call him crude if you want Vil,” Trey frowned. “But only a small handful of excellent students are qualified to apply for mining and energy research institutes.”
“Damn…” Cater hummed. “And it’s on his list too…We’ve really been asking around for nothing.”
“I swear…” Vil huffed. “Leona’s been cursed with braggadocio at some point in his life.”
“And yet that makes him unique,” Rook chuckled. “Non?”
“So…” Cater hummed, glancing around the room. “Who else can we ask?”
“Mon, mon!” Rook exclaimed, walking towards someone. “Why not Roi du Chambre?”
“Ah!” Idia exclaimed as the group made their way over to him. “P-Please just ignore my presence!”
“Hi Ids!” Cater greeted cheerfully. “It’s strange to see you here in person. Where’s Orthy?”
“H-He’s been enrolled with the Freshmen,” Idia replied. “We don’t have classes together anymore, unless they’re joint classes.”
“Ah, right,” Trey hummed. “I remember Ace and Deuce saying something about having a humanoid classmate now.”
“A-Anyways…” Idia fidgeted. “What do the Heartslabyul and Pomefiore extroverts want with me?”
“We’re wondering what training site was chosen by you,” Rook replied. “Are you thinking of becoming an engineer?”
“How could you ask a private question just like that?” Idia mumbled.
“If you’re not comfortable with answering, you don’t have to,” Trey said. “We’re just a bit curious.”
“You shouldn’t have come over here in the first place,” Idia sighed. “I don’t even know why I have to be here in person…such a waste of time. Of course, the Headmage chewed me out saying that he’s not gonna give me special treatment just because I was extended an offer.”
“Wait!” Cater exclaimed. “You got an offer?!?”
“I was offered a lot of internships after I presented my research during the festival. I was planning on turning them down, but since some of them were NRC affiliates, I decided to save it until off-campus training begins.”
“Impressive,” Vil nodded. “Which one did you choose? S.T.Y.X.?”
“As if,” Idia scoffed. “I don’t think Azul would forgive me if I interned there. Besides, I was told to stay away from home for a while. They cleaned up my mess, but obviously, I have a lot of things I need to answer for. These were father’s orders.”
“That’s right,” Cater frowned. “There were videos of S.T.Y.X. infiltrating NRC that went super viral.”
“Those totally exposed some of our operations,” Idia sighed. “Thankfully, we still remain a ‘mysterious organization’ for most people. At the same time, the media’s becoming desperate for any information they can get their hands on. I’ve heard it all already. ‘A secret organization that helps maintain peace’. ‘An evil organization that conducts shady experiments’. Sheesh! The world has bigger issues to deal with than this!”
“It’s a human flaw to pry into people’s business…” Trey frowned.
“My parents decided that this place would be the perfect place to house the ‘real perpetrator,” Idia frowned. “Just a euphemism for getting rid of me…”
“I think they’re showing you that they love you,” Rook chuckled.
“Who’s to say?” Idia shrugged. “When they got back, I got the scolding of a lifetime. It hasn’t been that bad since I remodeled a cleaning robot to shoot magical beams when I was eight. It sure made a mess of the living room. Still…I’m really grateful that they let Ortho enroll as a student.”
“Heh,” Trey chuckled. “I guess even you’re not immune to getting lectured by your parents.”
“What’re you talking about?” Idia asked with a raised brow. “Of course they get mad. If I get too distracted by my games, they hide my consoles’ cords.”
“How cute~,” Cater cooed. “Your family sure sounds chill~.”
“Absolutely not,” Idia shuddered. “Our business is shady AF.”
“And yet your parents were kind enough to support Ortho when he transferred, along with your off-campus training,” Vil pointed out.
“They did tell me that I wasn’t suited for hospitality management,” Idia frowned.
“Hardly any news, only advice. What company did you decide on?”
“Olympus Inc.”
“O-Olympus Inc?!?” Trey blurted out in surprise. “The number one OS shareholder! Like, from the search engine?!?”
“The most difficult company to get a job in?!?” Cater chimed in.
“Y-Yeah…” Idia winced at the loudness. “My internship is as a software engineer for their main office. It’s in the Kingdom of Heroes.”
“I-Incredible!” Cater breathed. “I’ve heard that they have an office cafe that’s super stylish! I wish I could go!”
“Never been,” Idia shrugged. “Do you think I go to cafes often? The only thing close enough is Mostro Lounge.”
“Everyone’s so amazing…” Cater’s smile slipped into a frown. “I’m beginning to lose confidence…”
“Cater? What’s wrong?”
The five of them turned to see Lilia and Malleus standing there, Lilia’s head tilted.
“Hi Lils,” Cater sighed. “Hi Mally.”
“We’re just asking everyone about their training plans,” Trey answered.
“I see…” Lilia frowned. “Cater…I’ve told you before that the more you know, the more indecisive you get. Just go with your gut and settle it like a lottery.”
“No…that’s asking for too much,” Cater stated.
“But you’re still young,” Lilia pointed out. “You don’t need to be so indecisive.”
“What about you two?” Vil asked. “Make any decisions yet?”
“No,” Malleus shook his head. “Honestly…they all look the same to me.”
“How?” Trey asked.
“A season only lasts three months,” Malleus explained. “I don’t believe that’s enough time for me to learn something new.”
“Three months is basically an entire anime season,” Idia muttered. “Good anime can change lives. I tell Azul this all the time.”
“Listen to him, Malleus,” Lilia said. “It’s the only time we’re able to mingle with working society as students, so it’ll be good for you to experience. Enjoy yourself.”
“I know…” Malleus frowned. “Archaeology and Historic Expeditions sound intriguing to me. And you, Lilia?”
“Oh, me?” Lilia asked, blinking. “I won’t be choosing.”
“So you already know where you’re going then?” Trey asked.
“No…” Lilia replied, a sad smile on his face. “I’ll be leaving school next term.”
The group let out a sound of shocked exclamation, surprise on their faces. Malleus’ eyes widened at this statement, a cold feeling washing over him.
“...What…?”
***
The noise of the cafeteria filled the air as Kate and Kaitlyn explained what they saw in their mirror.
“Mickey?” Jack asked. “Who’s that?”
“That’s the mascot from our world who keeps popping up in our mirror,” Kaitlyn explained. “It’s weird that he’s somehow…real.”
“Oh right,” Deuce hummed. “I remember you telling Ace and I about this.”
“I still don’t believe you,” Ace frowned. “Unless you got a pic of him.”
“Yeah,” Kate said, pulling out a photo from her uniform pocket. “Here.”
“...This guy’s a mascot in your world?” Ace asked, raising a brow. “Who makes a mouse beastkin a mascot?”
“He could be a bit more like Grim,” Deuce pointed out. “He seems to have a kind and lovable sort of face.”
“Perfect mascot material,” Kaitlyn pointed out, grinning at Ace.
“That’s true,” Epel nodded. “If I saw him in my mirror, I wouldn’t be scared in the slightest.”
“His ears are bigger than mine!” Grim exclaimed.
“He must have really good hearing then,” Jack hummed.
“I tried to look him up on Twisted Wonderland’s database on living things,” Ortho stated. “But I’m unable to figure out his exact species just from this picture. Well…the database doesn’t exactly cover certain fairy and magical beast species, but still…how interesting…”
“At least we’ve got a picture now,” Ace said. “Now we know that you two aren’t hallucinating.”
“It’s still weird that the camera got a pic of him,” Kate frowned. “But Grim wasn’t able to see him.”
“Do you have any other leads?” Jack asked.
“He said that there were living cards and dancing gloves in the room he was in,” Kaitlyn stated.
“I see…” Ortho hummed. “Let me summarize. Mickey doesn’t live in Twisted Wonderland, time works normally where he is, and only Kate and Kaitlyn can talk to him if he’s sleeping. So…I’m just guessing here, but…maybe your mirror is like an ‘inlay’.”
“What does that mean?” Kate asked.
“Let me give you some context,” Ortho said. “Are you familiar with crystal radios?”
“I made one back in elementary school,” Jack replied. “You use coils and a diode to catch radio signals. I was so confused about how it was able to work without electricity.”
“Exactly,” Ortho nodded. “They do require certain conditions that need to be intentionally set to receive signals, however, in rare cases, dental inlays that are used to treat cavities actually meet those conditions. So sometimes they can pick up radio signals.”
“Really?” Epel blinked. “That can happen?”
“The inlay’s size, amount of saliva secreted, and the layout of the buildings and radio towers could be contributing factors,” Ortho explained. “Crystal radios were made to fulfill specific conditions, while inlays coincidentally pick up on them. Still…most weren’t aware of these conditions back in the day, so they thought the strange sounds were ghosts. Anyway, my point is that Twisted Wonderland has a lot of means of magical transportation and wireless communication. Have any of you heard of ‘Looking Glasses’?”
“I think it was covered in class the other day,” Epel replied.
“I think I saw it before too,” Deuce said, taking out his text book and opening it. “Ah, here it is. ‘The Looking Glass. Shaftlands lore talks of a legendary magical mirror that is capable of reflecting images ranging from loved ones to even beasts dwelling deep in the forest. A magical device modeled after the mirror of legend. Mages can use it to communicate with humans in remote places.’ Prof. Trein did say that it’ll appear on the test, so I made sure to highlight it.”
“Mirrors, crystals, and water basins,” Ortho stated. “They’re often used for transportation and communication here. So maybe the mirror in the girls’ room coincidentally fulfilled those conditions in order to gain a connection with this Mickey person.”
“That seems legit,” Ace nodded. “The Mirror of Darkness did summon them from another worl…ah! Wait, does that mean-?”
“Exactly,” Ortho nodded. “Mickey’s from another world too. Since the girls came from a different world, if we establish a connection with Mickey, then we could possibly find a way to send the two of them back home.”
Kate dropped her fork onto her plate while Kaitlyn swallowed nervously.
“I think it’s worth a shot!” Ortho exclaimed happily. “Should we look into it?”