Chapter Text
For all the anime cliche stuff he adored, never once did he ever expect to be reborn in another world, let alone the one from the gacha game that had gripped his heart (and wallet) in a choke-hold. If you had asked him what he thought came after death, this definitely wouldn't have even been in his Top 20 guesses. It took him a while to even process any of it, being suddenly hit with a wave of clarity at age 5. His poor dad had been confused out of his mind when his son suddenly burst into tears that lasted hours right in the middle of playtime without any explanation.
His new life wasn't that bad in all honesty. His name 'Vincent Chroma' was a bit too fancy in his opinion, so he much preferred being called nicknames. 'Vi' was his go-to for it's simplicity and cuteness. His hometown was a quaint little place located in The Land of Dawning. Vi's dad was a good guy in his opinion. His dad always did his best to take care of him and make sure he was happy. He was also a huge nerd who happily taught Vi all sorts of new things and encouraged his own nerdy interests, which definitely earned brownie points in Vi's book. All Vi knew about his mom is that she must have been some sort of fae. Dad always found excuses not to talk about her for some reason if he tried to ask, but it wasn't hard to guess when he looked into the mirror. Even with all of this there was a part of him deep inside his soul that insisted he didn't belong here. That he had to get home.
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Vi paced in his room, muttering to himself as his thoughts raced. Dad had taken him to see a movie today and while it was really good, it was also a massive gut-punch reminder of what was to come when he saw Vil Schoenheit himself listed in the credits. He hadn't even recognized the future housewarden thanks to his youth and the costume his role had given him. It makes sense in hindsight, Vil having been a child actor was a major part of TWST's plotline, but just seeing him at this age shook Vi to his core. He knows exactly what's going to happen to that adorable little kid in the future. The turmoil he's going to go through. What all of them are going to go through. His stomach churns as he's reminded just how much of an outsider he really is. How did he ever forget? How did he let this new life lull him into thinking he belonged here. What about everyone and everything he left behind? Greats, he can't even remember their faces! His chest hurts as he sits down on the floor and curls up pressing his face into his knees, tears burning on his cheeks. What's he supposed to do about all this knowledge? He just wants to go home…
"Then why not look for a way back?"
Vi scrambles back in surprise at the strangely familiar voice. He's alone in his room, he's sure of it! Dad is in his study right now! His breath catches in his throat as he's stunned into silence once his eyes land on the figure sitting on his bed. That's…Him…The old him, the entirely human one from his past life. But he's the same age as Vi, not what he was when he died, and definitely lacking the evidence of his death that surely should have been there. How? How is this possible?
"It's not!" The kid smiles at him. Oh. He said that out loud. Whoops. "I'm not really here."
"Then what are you?" Vi squints in confusion at those cryptic words.
"I guess…Think of me like your conscience! The way Jiminy Cricket is for Pinocchio!" Other him does jazz hands. Ok. Cool. Why not. He's already had to accept the outlandish fact that he got reincarnated into a Disney Gacha Game, why not this too?
"…Why are you here only now then, not like…literally any time before this?"
"I'm just here to help you with really stressful decisions. The stuff you can't handle without a little push," The kid shrugged. "Which brings me back to my point. Why not look for a way back home if you wanna go back so bad?"
Vi opened his mouth to argue, but quickly finds he can't figure out anything to say to that. Why not do that? There's not really anything stopping him.
"But…It'll be really hard to just look on my own. I don't even know where I'd start." He's definitely not pouting. Definitely.
"Why not NRC? It's got all sorts of magic stuff there to look through, and you know so much about it already!" Huh? No way, absolutely not! He doesn't wanna get dragged into the Overblot chaos, let alone the regular chaos that is gonna happen there! It must show on his face from the way other him smiles in amusement.
"It's the best place to start that you know of! You barely know anything about RSA or any of the other schools there are, and it'd take forever to go looking through every single library and potential lead in Twisted Wonderland." Vi hates that he makes a point. It could work though…All he has to do is stay out of the main plot and away from the main cast as he can! Just become a background character! If Yuu finds a way first, he can piggyback of them, and if he finds a way first he can leave something for Yuu about it! Double the people looking, double the chance, right? Plus, he knows enough about the cast that it'll be a piece of cake to stay off their radars!
By the time he makes his decision and looks up to announce it, Other Him is gone and Vi is all alone in his bedroom again.
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After years of studying and training as best he can, he can't help the sense of relief and excitement that comes with getting the invitation to enroll at NRC. Dad throws a whole party to celebrate with him and any lingering terror of what's to come is forgotten for now. He got lots of presents but the one that really stood out to him was a large silver band with ornate designs on it. Apparently, from what dad said, it's a hair ornament since he likes to keep his long and braid it.
When he tries it on the next day, he can't help but smile at his reflection. Brown hair kept in one long braid with the ornament separating a large tuft at the end from the rest of it. He's not sure that's how hair is supposed to work, but that's the logic of being an anime boy for you, Vi supposes. As he looks at his other features, he can't help but jokingly think 'Man, Mom's genes must have been strong as hell, huh?' He's got all the classic marks of a faerie, the sharp pupils, the pointed ears, even the fangs! He thinks his eyes are really his most stand-out feature though. The heterochromia really shocked him the first time he saw it. One eye a bright, vibrant blue, and the other is what he can only describe as 'Diasomnia Green'.
With the silver band now he can't help but feel like his look is truly complete now. Like a missing piece sliding into place. Guess dad really does know what he likes!
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It feels like time flies by until the fated day the Black Carriage comes to pick him up. It's hard to let go of the hug his dad has him in, but he reassures himself with the thought that he'll get to come back and visit during Spring and Winter breaks. Hopefully. If things go well during dorm sorting. He manages to pull away and wave goodbye as the thundering sound of hooves approaches. A thrill runs through his spine when the carriage arrives and he gets to finally see it with his own eyes. It's way more intimidating than the game gave it credit for! The horses glaring into his soul like they know everything he is and everything he ever will be definitely contributes to that. Still, he steels himself as he enters the Gate and everything
fades
to black…