Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everything felt fuzzy, a subtle ache began to form in her head as her eyes began to open, only to find even more darkness around her. Despite her lack of light, Arlecchino could tell she was in some sort of box, if the small space hadn't gave that away already. Her brows furrowed, she wasn't binded by anything and the box didn't seem particularly strong. It was unlikely to be a kidnapping but then..

“Myah.. gotta be quick about this..”

For a moment, the lid of the box could faintly be heard, attempting to be pulled off, before ultimately falling back into place again. There was also a muffled voice from the other side. She pressed the palm of her hand against the smooth cold surface, testing to see how heavy this thing really was.

“Ugh! What's with this thing? Fine! Try this on for si- MYAH!-” 

A swift kick was enough to fling the lid wide open, letting Arlecchino finally see her surroundings, as well as the box she was in, or the more correct term, a coffin. The room was filled with coffins floating in the air, hers included. The atmosphere dark and grim, Arlecchino jumped down to the ground only to spot.. a change in wardrobe? Looking to the side, she took notice of a broken lock discarded on the ground. Well, that would explain why she needed to put in a bit more force.

“Myeh?! What gives?! You ain't supposed to be awake- eeehhh…” Red X pupils focus down on the monster, causing it to momentarily freeze in place before shaking its head, mumbling something about how she was only a ‘measly human’. “W-Whatever! Human, give me your clothes!” the beast demanded, pointing at the purple robes that were still on her body “If you don't, you'll get what's coming to ya!” A slew of blue fire spat out the beast's mouth, in a blink, she avoided the flames and was now standing in front of him.

THUD

“H-Huh?” The beast flinch in surprise, seeing a bundle of purple robes were dropped in front of him. He wasn't going to lie, he thought the human would attack him with how quickly they moved. Not that he would ever be scared of one of course! 

“Take it, I have no need for them. Next time, however, be sure to ask politely first before you start choking out flames.” She warned the feline, before walking off the two giant doors, her heels clicking against the ground. The beast watched as the human left, his ear twitching before he looked back at the robes. “Myahaha! Well who cares! Victory for the Great Grim!” He said happily, before scrambling to get the oversized robes on, after all, it would be bad to get caught now after all his hard work.

Arlecchino made her way outside of the building, the architecture strange and unfamiliar to her. She brought a hand over her head, running it through her hair as she looked at her attire, a longsleeved button up with a white ribbon around the collar, white shorts and black boots. The atmosphere outside wasn't as dark and gloomy as the room full of coffins, but the colors hold a similar premise. Paths led in several different directions and looking back at the neighboring buildings connected, this place seemed to resemble a school of some sort. Yet the only major schools she remembers is the Akadamiya in Sumeru. Granted, while she's never traveled to any other nations besides Fontaine and Snezhnaya, as a Harbinger, it's expected to know the basics of the seven regions should the Tsarista ever decide to send one of them there.

A school of this size and… unique aesthetic is definitely something worthy enough to take note in the region. Yet nothing remotely comes to mind no matter how much she thinks. 

How did she even end up in this strange place? Last she remembered, she was getting ready to set out and journey back to Snezhnaya after dealing with the affairs going on in Fontaine. It was the last night before departure, Arlecchino was staying up late to finish up a few things. 

After that though, she couldn't remember if she had fallen asleep or not, just faint sound of horses running, a voice whispering in her ear. 

“Ah.. my dear esteemed benefactor…”

Her head began to throb, a sharp ache beginning to form. She held back the urge to groan.

“My proud, beautiful flower of evil…”

A distant memory, a dark room with the only light being of green fire on the other side of a mirror. A hand appearing out of said mirror, palm outward, as if beckoning her.

“Keep your grip steady, no matter what may come…”

“There you are!”

And just like that, the image slipped away from her mind before she could fully grasp it. The ache in her head though, didn't decrease in the slightest.

Arlecchino turned her head to see a tall man walking towards her, his strides quick and steady. He wore a mask resembling a bird, perhaps a crow, which would compliment the black feathered shoulder pads. By the looks of it, he doesn't seem particularly pleased.

“I’ve found you at last. Splendid.” he said, looking at Arlecchino as he walked up to her, he was certainly taller than she expected. “I trust you’re one of this year’s new students? My, were you ever eager to make your debut.”

Student? So she assumed correctly that this was a school of sorts.

“Wait, where are your ceremonial robes?” The man questioned, confusion evident on his face. Arlecchino simply crossed her arms “I gave them away.” She simply told him, which only seemed to surprise him even more before letting our an exasperated sigh.

“Dear me, of all the students I dealt with.. you're the first student with temerity enough to open your own gate and step out of it and take off your robes during orientation. Does the very notion of patience elude you?” He asked, hands on his hips.

“With all due respect, I don't believe I am meant to be here, I am not a student.” She informed the strange man, if she had been taken away against her will, this man wouldn't seem to know. After all, he said students, so she assumed correctly that this was a school and he must've mistook her for one of them.

A genuine harmless individual it would appear.

The man let out a hum of surprise “Hm? Didn't you awaken in a room full of gates? All students arrive here on campus by passing through those gates. Although they’re usually patient enough to wait until I open them.” He said with subtle disappointment directed to her.

“Well, no matter. Orientation has already begun, you'll just have to make do without your robes. Come, let us make haste to the Mirror Chamber.” Without another word, he turned and began walking off.

A harmless.. oblivious individual.

Arlecchino followed close behind, she still needed answers after all. “Again, I'm not a student of this school. Though may I ask who you are and this strange place?”. The man paused again “Hm? Have you not fully regained your consciousness? I suppose the spacetime teleportation must've muddled your memories, very well! I shall explain everything while we talk, oh how generous I am!”

…A clueless and rather eccentric individual. Arlecchino thought.

“This is Night Raven College, an institution for students all over the world who demonstrate a rare aptitude for magic. It is the most prestigious academy of its sort in all of Twisted Wonderland.”

Twisted Wonderland? Despite how important he makes it sound, she's sure she's never heard of such a place.

“And I am Dire Crowley. Having been entrusted with its care by the chairman, I serve as headmaster.” The man, now known as Crowley, said with a hint of pride in his voice. Arlecchino let out a hum at this new information, though now the situation made even less sense. If this man was the headmaster, surely he should know she wasn't a student here nor came here by choice, yet he seemed to show not a care in the world. 

Those questions were almost immediately answered though as Crowley continued.

“Only those who the Dark Mirror perceives as having a talent for magic are admitted to the college.” He said “Those who are selected are summoned to the campus through those ‘gates’ which can appear anywhere. Surely you remember the black carriage coming for you?”

Not that she could recall, though she remembered hearing the faint sounds of horses running. She figured it must've been a carriage coming by to drop off supplies, though now it didn't seem to be the case.

“Having the black carriage come for you is a time-honored tradition, you know? In any case, come now. We haven’t time to waste!”

But instead of continuing on, Arlecchino stopped in her tracks. Crowley took notice and stopped too. “Ah, young man, we must be-” “Director Crowley.” Arlecchino interrupted, her voice stern to make it clear she didn't want to be interrupted.

“As I said before, I am not a student here, nor do I recall ever hearing of this school. Besides, I believe I'm far too old to be attending and I have no reason to further my strength with my vision. My job as a Harbinger does plenty of that already.” Arlecchino told the headmaster, her arms crossed over her chest as she saw the man take in her words, confusion slowly becoming evident on his face.

“Hm? What are you talking about? Harbinger? My boy, unless I am mistaken, you don't look a day older than 16.” Crowley stated with a hand on his chin.

…What? 

Her eyes narrowed at the man. Unless the headmaster was completely stupid, she couldn't think of any reason why she would look like a teenager. She was a young adult, yes, but with her duties as a Harbinger and becoming the Father of the House, her appearance made her look quite older than she actually was, never the opposite. Thus was the sad truth about bearing such heavy responsibilities at such a young age.

She opened her mouth to speak, to refute the statement the masked man had made, but she was swiftly interrupted by the sounds of yelling, the faint blue light coming from the room nearby, and the faint smell of smoke and fire.

Oh Archons, as if today couldn't get even more tedious.

Chapter Text

Quiet murmurs filled the Mirror Chamber as the headmaster had left, proclaiming quite loudly about a mischievous student not being where he was supposed to be.

A red haired boy eyed the broken golden lock under the gate, which seemed to be broken out of by force. Whoever the freshman was, he hoped that he wouldn't be sorted into the Heartslabyul dorm. He already had his hands full with Housewarden duties and maintaining the Queen's rules daily. The last thing he wanted was to have to deal with some troublemaker running around.

Sensing his inner frustration almost like it was instinct, the person beside him quietly spoke up “Hey, don't worry, I'm sure Crowley will be back soon.” His hand rose, as if about to pat him on the shoulder but stopped himself before he could. “I'm sure, but even if he doesn't, I know I won't certainly wait longer than necessary. The rules don't wait for anyone.” He said, the calm smile on other's face faltered slightly but it went unnoticed. 

Looking back at the other housewardens, it doesn't seem like they were doing any better, seemingly becoming rather impatient from the headmaster's absence. Well, except for one but then again, he wasn't sure if the boy even knew a hint of discipline despite being royalty.

Those quiet murmurs soon turned to complaints as the seconds ticked by. A quiet groan leaving the lips of a ginger headed freshman, looking at the sea of people in the dark room. 

Seriously, how long was he expected to wait? If this went on any longer, he'd seriously consider that absent freshman's actions and just dip out of orientation. His eyes gazed around, shifting his weight on one foot and then the other. Tall people wearing purple robes, short people purple robes, purple robes shuffling on the ground in the corner, even more boring people-

His head shot back to the small pile of robes on the ground behind the group. It was in the corner where the light didn't reach so it was well hidden in the dark, only giving itself away by the constant shifting. Seeing as how no one else noticed and orientation was already boring enough as it is, the freshman decided to check it out. 

Stepping closer, he could hear the faint sound of grumbling, complaining about something about size. Through the hood of the robes, two cat ears with blue flames inside them popped out. A yelp escaped the boy's lip, catching the attention of the beast inside the robes and the students nearby.

“What the hell? A weasel?” 

“Who are you calling a weasel?!” The beast's voice boomed out to the entire room, catching the attention of everyone present. The Housewarden held back a sigh, walking over to the source of the noise “What is the meaning of this Trappola- hm?” His eyes stared down at the beast, who was still struggling to stand up properly due to the heavy weight of the robes “A cat got in during orientation-”

 “I ain't a cat either!” The beast interrupted, causing the housewarden to scowl lightly “I'm Grim the Great and I'm a student here at this school!”

Silence followed in after such a statement before an onslaught of whispers filled the room. 

“Is he serious?”

“Can beasts even be accepted as students?”

“There's no way! It's probably a mistake or it's lying.”

The red haired student looked down at the blue cat again, this time with more disdain. “That's impossible, no beast has ever been admitted here by the Mirror. Where'd you even get these ceremonial robes?” He questioned, going over and picking up the robes by the hood. Grim, being much smaller, easily fell out of them with a yelp, his tail swishing around in irritation.

“Hey! How dare you! I got those clothes fair and square from that dumb human!” He said, purposely omitting the fact that the human had given him the robes, because that didn't happen. Nope. He totally scared that human into submission.

His eyes narrowed at that new information, looking at the robes in his hands. It's very likely that these robes belonged to that missing student, who must've been threatened and went to look for staff. On one hand, he could understand the urgency, but on the other, it was barely threatening, surely a bit of magic would've been enough to knock it out.

“Besides, I took the initiative and came here since the carriage didn't come.” Grim continued “Let me show ya! How good at magic I really am.” His chest puffed up as he took in a deep breath. 

“Everyone get down!” The student yelled, narrowly dodging the blue flames that flew out of the beast's mouth. Most people acted quickly, moving away from the fire that charred the floor. Others weren't so lucky.

“Ah! Crap, crap, crap!-” The ginger headed freshman hissed in pain as the fire hit his arm, now his sleeve was burnt. People let out screams as the cat kept blowing flames around, though the Housewardens seemed moreso annoyed than anything.

“Oh dear.. this seems to become quite troublesome.” A boy with glasses spoke, eyeing the chaos that happened. “S-Shouldn't we be doing something?” A boy with short white hair spoke up, nervously looking around at the chaos as well. Burnt marks all over the ground and students desperately flailing about if they stood too close to the bright flames.

Blue eyes glared down at Grim, reaching over to his side and grabbing his pen. He quickly dodged the incoming flames, giving his pen a swift wave.

“Off with your-”

“What in the Seven is happening?!”

The front doors swing open, coming in was Crowley and following behind was Arlecchino, who glanced around at the other students whose faces were mostly covered by their hoods. If she didn't know any better, this would seem more like a cult than anything.

The student with the pen looked over at the front of the room “Headmaster, I was just-” a yelp interrupted as a blast of magic shot at the cat, causing him to get momentarily knocked out.

“Ahem, Mr. Crowley, we were simply apprehending a wild beast that had somehow found its way in here. Apologies for the fright.” The boy with glasses said, a smile on his face as he walked over and picked up the beast by the scruff on his neck. 

Crowley let out a hum “Is that so? Well I'm glad someone handled the situation. Oh and is that a pair of ceremonial robes Riddle? If you don't mind..” Crowley quickly plucked the robes from Riddle’s hands, who was clearly shocked and confused by the whole ordeal. “Here, put these on quickly so we can get a move on!” He told Arlecchino as he tossed the clothes in her direction.

She hid her frustration for the moment as she put the purple robes on, for now at least, it was better to comply and watch everything unfold patiently. “Myah.. no fair, those are mine..” Grim mumbled, fading back into consciousness as he noticed the human. Which made Crowley pause again for a moment “Wait, didn't you say you gave your robes away? Did you seriously give them to a beast?!” Crowley asked in an accusatory and quite baffled tone.

“Hm? Did I tell you that?” 

“Of course you..” Black and red eyes stare blankly at his own, looking at them for too long, Crowley couldn't help but get an unsettling feeling. He cleared his throat “Ah nevermind.. perhaps I misheard. Anyways, thank you Azul for capturing this unruly beast.” He said, shifting his focus once more.

Azul simply smiled “Why of course, it's my pleasure, Director. I'll have Jade escort it safely outside the school premises.” The boy said, handing Grim off to another student, much taller and a more calm yet menacing presence. His tail flicked in anger as he struggled in the other's grasp “Hey wait! This isn't fair, I got strong magic and had the robes! Let go of me!” He complained, puffing up his chest to start spewing fire again before a gloved hand squeezed around his throat “Careful now, we wouldn't want anyone getting hurt, do we?” One glance at the pointy smile was enough to make him shut his trap, but just before he got his words out.

“I’m gonna go down in history as the best mage there was! I’ll remember this!”

With that, the doors slammed close and there was nothing left except the quiet murmurs of students and the faint smell of burnt flooring. Azul pushed his glasses up “Well, I'm glad that's over with. I must say, Riddle, you shouldn't turn your gaze away from the enemy you know, he would've burnt you if I hadn't stepped in.” He said, which made the other grimace slightly as he continued with “I suppose that means you owe me later, wouldn't you agree?” 

Riddle made a slightly defeated look, his eyes gazing away “I suppose.. I do, thank you for the help.” He said, keeping his voice as even as possible.

Crowley quickly led Arlecchino over to the middle of the room, a giant floating mirror awaiting her. “You are the only one who hasn’t been assigned to a dorm. Step up to the Dark Mirror and let it assess you.” The headmaster said, lingering back as Arlecchino approached the mirror.

For a moment, she could see her reflection against the glass, or at least, something familiar. A giant mask appeared in the mirror in front of her, making her shift her attention.

“State your name.” The mask said.

“Arlecchino.” She responded just as simply.

“Arlecchino… the state of your soul is…” The voice paused momentarily, making everyone wait with baited breath as the mirror's eyes narrowed down at the girl.

Then it spoke again “..unclear to me.”

Arlecchino's sigh was silent compared to the many gasps and whispers she heard around her, including the headmage. Whatever assessment the mirror had put her in, she clearly failed, this should be enough to prove she isn't a student.

“What did you say?” Crowley asked the Mirror “There isn't any magic in this one that I've seen before, deep, dark and unperceivable. Therefore, no dorm would be appropriate.” The Mirror would answer, narrowed eyes still fixated on her form.

“Are you suggesting that the black carriage went to receive a person who cannot use magic?” Crowley questioned in disbelief. “That can’t be! The student selection process has not erred in its century of existence!” 

Arlecchino could hear the gist of their whispers, all of them shocked and confused. From Crowley's words, she could guess that this school was around for a long time. If the ‘magic’ it was referring to was her elemental powers, then it wouldn’t make sense as she both had her delusion and her vision. Though, it might be best to keep those facts hidden for now. Once she heads back to Snezhnaya, she'll look into any information she could regarding this school and its headmaster.

“Well, Arlecchino. This is a most unfortunate turn of events. I’m afraid that you will not be attending Night Raven College. We cannot let a person who is unable to use magic attend this school.” Crowley's voice brought her mind back to the present, gazing around she could see students dispatching into groups, clearing out from the chamber. From what she could see, they were going to a different kind of mirror, seemingly stepping through and disappearing without a trace. She let out a hum “That is fine, as I said, I am not a student here. I need to head back anyways.”

“Ah, yes, don't worry, the Dark Mirror will send you back safely!” He said, switching tones rather quickly as he walked over to her and the mirror, a small pep in his step told her that he didn't feel all that bad about sending her back, if she was actually a student wanting to come here, she might've been disappointed “Step into the gate and visualize from whence you came.” He instructed.

Finally, she thought as she turned back to look at the mirror again. In her mind, she visualized the House, where all her children were all working and playing with each other with ease. Perhaps they noticed that she hadn't left yet, maybe they didn't. She would prefer the latter, it'd be difficult to explain how she got abducted and mistaken for a student to a school she hadn't heard of before.

“O Dark Mirror!” Crowley chanted. “Return this soul to where it belongs!” 

The mask stayed silent, Arlecchino looking back to eye the bird man as he grew awkward where he stood. He cleared his throat “Ahem, let's try that again. O Dark Mirror! Return this soul-”

“There is no such place.” The Mirror interrupted.

“What?” Crowley muttered as Arlecchino narrowed her eyes, awaiting an explanation from the Mirror.

“There is no place where this soul belongs.” It narrowed its own eyes at her, looking at her like she was an unsolvable puzzle “None.” It added.

Crowley brought his hands up “T-That can’t be. Today has just been full of impossible phenomena happening one after another! This has never happened once throughout my long tenure. I must confess that I am at something of a loss.” His eyes shifted towards Arlecchino.

“Tell me, from what land did you hail?” Arlecchino crossed her arms as she answered “I am from Fontaine, I was to set out on a journey back to Snezhnaya before I was abruptly taken.”

Crowley put a hand on his chin, clearly confused by her answer “I have not heard of such places before. I am intimately acquainted with the origins of every student who has ever come here, and yet…these mysterious places elude me.” He then turned and began walking towards the big doors. “Let's go to the library and look it up shall we?”

And so, Arlecchino followed the headmaster to the library, all the while, having many questions on her mind. It seemed like he hadn't ever heard of the nations she mentioned, just how she had never heard of this school or Twisted Wonderland before. Perhaps it was much farther than she originally thought, it may very well be somewhere completely detached from Teyvat as a whole. Well, they were heading to the library anyways, it was best not to dwell on any questions until some research is done.

The library was truly strange in itself, rows of books beyond the eye can see with several of them floating and flying about without a single care. Crowley instructed her to simply sit and wait as he went down one of the many rows of books. So, she waited, watching him from afar as he picked up several books, opening and scanning through them before putting them back again and the process repeats.

It was taking a small while, but Arlecchino was patient. Plus, she could occupy herself for the meanwhile. As a book float by, she grabbed the book and brought it down to eye level. “The Great Seven of Twisted Wonderland.. Hm, interesting.” She mumbled, a great seven that wasn't referring to the Archons, her interest was piqued.

Yet before she could indulge in some light reading, Crowley returned with a defeated look on his face “Nothing.” He said “Not only are these places not listed on any current map, they are not listed on any map from any point of history.”

He glanced over at her “Are you quite sure that you come from such a place? You don’t happen to be lying, right?”

Arlecchino set the book down on the table “Of course not. I have no interest in this place if that's what you're assuming. Based on everything I've gathered, the lack of knowledge I know about this place and the lack of knowledge you know. The only other viable answer we have is…”

“You're from another world..” Crowley finished for her, becoming baffled for the 100th time it felt like. “Do you have any form of identification? An ID or something of that sort.” 

Arlecchino shook her head “I'm afraid not, I don't have anything other than my vision.” She said, reaching her hand to the back of her neck and gently grabbing the stone to show him. She figured it would be alright, if the theory of her coming from another world is true then she didn't need to worry about hiding her vision and emitting the fact she could use elemental abilities. 

“Your vision? O-Oh it's an object.” He gazed down at the glowing red stone. The fire symbol on it certainly caught his eye but he didn't bother with asking any follow-up questions “Well, young man, today has certainly been a day full of surprises.” He said with a sigh.

That brought up another thing “Oh, certainly. Though if I may ask, is this school an all boys’ school?” Crowley blinked before nodding 

“Ah, that explains it then, you see, I'm a woman.” Arlecchino stated.

“..Eh?” Crowley straightened his back and stared at her wide eyed, unmoving and for a moment, Arlecchino thought she had broken him.

“W-What?! How can this be?! Not only did the Dark Mirror summon a magic-less person but also a girl on top of that?!” He exclaimed as he put his hands up to his face in pure shock “You say that as if it's the worst thing in the world.” Arlecchino pointed out.

“It is!” Crowley then cleared his throat before speaking in a more quiet voice “I mean, I can't possibly allow a young defenseless girl to attend school with a bunch of magic using, self centered teenage boys. You can see the amount of trouble that it would bring, right?”

Arlecchino didn't take any offense to his comments, after all, it was the facade she put up herself and intended to keep it that way for a while “I can, well then Headmaster, what do you propose we should do? Surely you wouldn't just leave a ‘poor defenseless’ girl on her own to survive, with nothing to her name.”

Despite her more innocent tone, Crowley could sense that eerie feeling creeping up inside him as she looked at him with that blank yet expectant gaze “O-Of course not! The Dark Mirror still summoned you here, so it's my responsibility to take care of your unusual situation. Oh, I'm so kind!”

He quickly looked away from her gaze and went towards the library doors “We have an unused dorm on campus called Ramshackle Dorm,” Crowley started. “It has.. a bit of character, but with some cleaning, it’ll be suitable enough for you to stay in until we solve this mess.”

Arlecchino hummed, grabbing the book and throwing it up in the air. As she expected, it began floating again and flying away. She'll have to come back another time to learn more about this world she found herself trapped in. 

Getting up and following the crow man, she grew slightly curious about the state of this “Ramshackle Dorm” he mentioned. 

If she learned anything about him from the little time she was here, she knew to take his words with a massive grain of salt.