Archive of Our Own

Twenty years in the future…

“All right, kids, gather around.”

Folena Diamond stared at her mother, her heart fluttering in her chest. She’d been preparing for this for years now, ever since Cora was born, but that didn’t mean she felt prepared for it to actually happen. At the very least, she was grateful that the youngest members of their group, Cora, the twins and the triplets, weren’t with them yet.

The expression Alice Diamond was wearing, after all, was the most serious Folena could ever remember her mother being.

“I’m only telling you guys this because the kids don’t need to hear it and because I know it was me who told you this beforehand,” Alice said as she stared at the twelve teenagers before her. “This is going to be the most difficult thing you’ve ever done in your lives and I’m sorry we’ve had to leave it to all of you.”

“What are you talking about?” Jabari laughed, throwing his head back with the force of it. “It’s just school with our parents, it’s not that big of a deal!”

“You know that’s not true, Jabari,” Kamari sighed, shaking her head at her best friend. “Our parents won’t be our parents and we’re traveling into the past. The entire timeline depends on us getting this right.”

“S-Should we really be the ones going back then?” Georgia asked, playing with the streak of blue in her hair nervously.

“Of course we should! We were there in your memories, right Alice?” Heka pointed out.

“Yes, you were, all of you,” Alice confirmed with a gentle smile. “And I know you can all do it. But you have to also be careful. Especially those of you in Diasomnia.”

“We’ll be okay,” Serena reassured, smiling brightly as she threw an arm around Olivia’s shoulder. “We’ll have Grandpa and His Majesty with us, after all!”

“Yes, but Serena, your father…he won’t be kind to you, nor will some of the other fae,” Alice reminded her kindly. “I’m sorry, but the two of you will have to protect both yourselves and the triplets.”

“It’s all right,” Olivia insisted, shaking her head in an almost lazy manner.

“And Folena,” Alice said, turning towards her own daughter. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to watch over the twins and Cora.”

“It’s okay, Mom,” Folena smiled, taking her mother’s hand in her own. “You said I did it already, so I know I’ll be fine! Besides, you told me there’s going to be an Unbirthday Party soon after we arrive, so I’ll have a tea party to look forward to!”

Alice smiled, no doubt seeing through her daughter’s mask to the fear she held underneath. She’d always been able to see through Folena no matter how mad she acted.

The bell rang then, signaling the end of their meeting time.

“All right then,” Alice sighed, taking a deep breath in and out. The headmage’s office door opened and Folena’s father peeked out.

“Ready, kiddos?” Cater grinned, winking when Folena met his gaze. She couldn’t help smiling as her mother rolled her eyes, but approached him all the same, kissing him on the cheek.

“We’ve been ready for a while now!” Urania grinned, pumping a fist in the air.

“I still wish we could go underwater, but I guess I’ll survive,” Marco sighed as Urania pulled on his arm excitedly.

“This is going to be interesting,” Belle giggled, glancing to her side where Kijani stood. “Are you ready, Kijani?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Kijani admitted, taking a deep breath and straightening his shoulders.

“I’m not…but I guess I don’t have a choice,” Zoe sighed, hanging her head so her hair hid her eyes behind its blue flames.

Watching them all step into the office, Folena could feel her own nerves begin to fall away. She wasn’t doing this alone, after all, and Cora, Tessa and Theresa were relying on her.

Right before she entered the office, Cater gently grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug.

“You’ve got this, my little superstar,” he whispered into her ear. Folena melted in his arms, holding on tight to him.

“Thanks Dad,” she whispered. Cater squeezed her one more time before he let her go, taking Alice’s hand in his as soon as he stepped back.

“And remember to have them get Malleus once you arrive!” Alice called out behind her, sounding worried. Her daughter waved a reassuring hand in response, refusing to look back lest she run away entirely.

Taking one last fortifying deep breath, Folena stepped into the office. It was time to travel back to the past.

Present day…

Alice was starting to consider killing Crowley as she, once again, stood within the Mirror Chamber. It hadn’t even been an hour since she’d left his office and now she had been summoned here for an emergency housewarden and vice housewarden meeting. She had been given the title less than an hour ago and, lest the headmage forgot, just got back from fighting a monster for a damn magestone. What else could he want from her, from all of them, this late at night?

“Why are you here?” Riddle questioned, his blue eyes narrow as he stared her down. Alice, honestly too tired to deal with any of this, crossed her arms as she returned his glare head on.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m the new housewarden of Ramshackle House. Hence, I have just as much right to be here as you do,” she snapped.

“A non-magical person, housewarden? Do the rules of this institution mean nothing to you?” Riddle snapped, his glare sharpening even further if that was possible.

“Now, Riddle, don’t take it out on her,” his vice housewarden, Trey if Alice remembered correctly, soothed, patting Riddle on the shoulder. “It’s not like she chose to be housewarden, that was all the headmage.”

Riddle only let out a prim sniff, turning his head away. Alice rolled her eyes before she turned to Trey, smiling slightly.

“I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Alice Harrison,” she introduced. Trey smiled and took her hand in his own.

“Trey Clover, Vice Housewarden of Heartslabyul. Nice to meet you,” he said. Once he let her hand go, he glanced around. “I guess you haven’t been introduced to everyone yet.”

“Haven’t really had the time to be yet,” Alice admitted, smiling in a sheepish manner. She was so tired, but her sister would kill her if she was rude to someone who had been kind to her.

Seeming to understand, Trey quickly introduced everyone else to her, explaining the dorms as he went. Alice doubted she’d be able to remember all of this by morning enough to share it with the others, but it was nice to be able to put names to the endless amount of faces surrounding her. Hopefully, she’d be able to figure this out before she was expected to know who someone was at a glance.

Suddenly, a loud clap rang throughout the room and the entire group turned to find Crowley had finally deigned to join them.

“My dear housewardens and vice housewardens, thank you for joining me on such short notice!” he smiled, stepping further into the room. “Now I understand it is late and you all wish to retire so you may attend your classes tomorrow, but there has been…a complication.”

“What sort of complication, Headmage?”  Riddle questioned, his crossed arms falling to his sides as he became serious.

“Is this, like, a good complication or a bad one?” Kalim asked, tilting his head to the side.

“What kind of complication could be described as good?” Jamil sighed at his side, looking just as tired as Alice herself.

“I don’t know, perhaps it could be an interesting opportunity,” Azul smirked, sharing a look with Jade, who only smiled back. Jamil glared at the two of them while Leona only scoffed.

“Azul’s already scheming even without knowing what happened…truly the GOAT of managing curve balls,” Idia commented quietly from his…floating tablet, which was still weird to see.

“Why don’t you tell us the complication first, Headmage?” Lilia pushed, laying a hand against his chin. “I’m sure everyone but myself would love to hear what it is so they can sleep. I would simply love to hear it in general, of course.”

“Right then.” Crowley cleared his throat. “Children, come in please.”

Children?

Alice turned back towards the door to the Mirror Chamber as it opened and a veritable crowd of teenagers and actual children stepped inside. And many of them looked strikingly familiar at that.

“Mama!” the youngest child, a girl with shoulder length red hair, cried out as she tried to run forward, directly towards Riddle. Riddle stumbled back, but the girl was grabbed by an older girl before she could get too far.

“Cora, what did we say before we went through the mirror?” the girl asked as she picked the younger girl, Cora, up. Her orange hair was wildly curly as it hung around her shoulders, though her face was hidden by the extravagant top hat she wore as she turned towards the little girl she held.

“Mama and Daddy won’t recognize Cora when we go through so Cora needs to stay with Lena, Tess and Reese,” the little girl chirped obediently. Alice cooed, unable to help herself. The girl was just too adorable.

“That’s right,” the older girl, Lena apparently, smiled. She bounced Cora on her hip before she turned back to the room at large, revealing her brown eyes and features that were eerily similar to Alice’s whenever she looked in the mirror. Her eyes darted around the room and she let out a sigh. “Looks like Mom was right. Headmage, you need to invite H—I mean, Malleus.”

“Wait, he’s not here?” Kalim cried, looking around frantically as the entire group realized they were, in fact, short one.

“Oh dear, I knew I was forgetting something,” Lilia sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“Did you not see him on your way here?” Trey questioned, looking confused.

“Oui, Roi du Dragons would have passed you by, Monsieur Curiosite,” Rook pointed out.

“I did see him, but he looked so comfortably ready for bed that I left him be,” Lilia admitted, smiling apologetically. “I shall bring him posthaste.”

With that said, the vice housewarden of Diasomnia vanished, just as one of the other younger girls stepped forward. Though she was identical to the two other girls who stood beside her, with long black hair and purple eyes, the red rose flower crown she wore kept her easy to identify.

“Grandpa’s going to get Dad?”  she asked, glancing up at the teenage girl who stood beside her, whose silver hair contrasted beautifully with her dark skin tone.

“That’s right, Rose,” the teenager smiled, patting the top of the girl, Rose’s, head. “He’s just running a little late.”

“But they said they didn’t invite Dad!” one of Rose’s sisters, this one wearing a bluebell flower crown, pouted. Her puffed out cheeks were probably meant to look annoyed, but all Alice could think was that she was adorable.

“Grandpa said he didn’t want to bug him though, and Dad always needs more rest,” the last of the three sisters, who wore a daisy flower crown, pointed out.

“Don’t you worry, girls, I’m sure your dad wouldn’t miss this for anything!” the other teenager standing beside the triplets declared, placing a hand proudly against her chest. Her white tinted with green hair sparked as she turned a stern eye towards Crowley. “Right, Headmage?”

“O-Of course!” Crowley stuttered, clearly scared of whatever it was he saw in the girl’s eyes.

“Dad…?” Vil repeated, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the group once more.

“What the fuck…” Leona huffed, rubbing at his forehead as he seemed to also realize something. Alice wasn’t sure she wanted to ask, not yet.

“We should probably wait for Housewarden Draconia and Vice Housewarden Vanrouge to return,” Crowley insisted, clearing his throat awkwardly as he avoided everyone’s eyes.

“Oh no…” Alice whispered, her eyes darting back to the girl wearing the hat, Lena. As if she knew Alice was staring at her, Lena lifted her head and met her gaze directly. Her smile was bright and startling, but it made her look so beautiful. Alice’s heart squeezed in her chest with a feeling she couldn’t identify.

“Riddle…” Trey called. Alice glanced towards them, finding the Heartslabyul Housewarden staring fixedly at the ground, his hands clenched at his sides.

“I’m fine,” he insisted quietly. Trey looked lost, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t come up with the words. Not that Alice could blame him. She was also struggling with just what to say and she didn’t even know anyone here as well as they knew each other.

Thankfully, Lilia reappeared in a flash of magic that reminded Alice of fireflies, this time with a rather tall young man beside him, who had, of all things, horns. Alice was pretty sure that was Malleus, given the previous conversation.

“Dad!” Rose and her sisters cried only to be held back by the two teenagers beside them.

“Come on, now, be patient, Your Highnesses,” the girl with white hair laughed. “Remember what Cora said.”

“Yes, Serena,” the triplets agreed, looking forlornly at the young man who they claimed as their father. Even Malleus looked startled as he looked from the triplets to Crowley.

“It appears I have missed quite the event,” he said, his voice calm despite the obvious fact that he had not been invited…apparently again. “Would you care to inform me of what has occurred, Headmage?”

“Luckily, you haven’t missed much,” Riddle reassured, still looking at the ground. “The headmage was kind enough to wait for you.”

“After I said something,” Lena scoffed quietly, which earned her a glare from both Alice and Riddle. The teenager only shrugged in response, completely unbothered.

“Ahem! Now then,” Crowley said, drawing everyone’s eyes back to him. “I have called you all here due to the extreme circumstances we now find ourselves in. A future headmage of our esteemed academy has contacted me from twenty years in the future and sent these children to us. They are, apparently, necessary in order for the timeline to remain intact.”

“Wait, you guys have to deal with time travel?!” Alice cried, staring at the headmage in shock. “What the fuck kind of school is this?!”

“Language!” one of the girls who stood beside Lena, the one with a heart on her right cheek, cried. “We don’t want Cora learning bad words!”

“Yeah!” her sister, who had a spade beneath her left eye, agreed with clenched fists.

“Sorry,” Alice apologized, glancing away. Being chastised by grade schoolers from the future…this was her life now.

“As I was saying,” Crowley continued, glaring at Alice for interrupting him. “while the mirror connecting the past and future is an heirloom of the headmage, this is the first time in recorded history that it has been used in such a way. As such, I have been instructed to house these eighteen children in your dorms.”

“And where are they supposed to fit?” Leona questioned, glaring at Crowley. “It’s not like we have a whole lot of empty rooms just lying around.”

“Agreed,” Riddle spoke up. “Heartslabyul is already rather full, as it stands.”

“There’s enough room,” a boy with black hair and ocean blue eyes spoke up. When the room’s gaze fell on him, he seemed to fortify himself and glared back at them. “What? My dad told me there’s enough room, so I know there’s enough room.”

“Oh really?” Jade hummed, laying a hand on his chin. “And just who is your father, child?”

“You know him, he’s standing right next to you.” The boy glared as all eyes swiveled towards Azul, who now looked even paler than normal if that were possible.

“Ah, yes, I believe I forgot to mention that…” Crowley chuckled nervously. “It appears that…these children are…your children, in the future.”

“Seriously?! That’s so cool!” Kalim beamed, his eyes sparkling excitedly.

“No, no it isn’t, what do you mean our children?! Do you know how many rules of time this breaks?!” Idia shrieked from his tablet.

“Idia, I’m sure it will be fine,” Ortho insisted, but Idia only continued to mutter about how the timeline was doomed, creating fixed points that would doom them all if undone.

“You know, you guys have already told us we succeed,” a boy with hyena ears pointed out. “I mean, come on! We came back, didn’t we? If you don’t trust us, at least trust yourselves!”

“I believe I’m developing a headache,” Vil sighed, reaching a delicate hand up to his forehead. Alice couldn’t blame him.

“In any case!” Crowley shouted, gaining everyone’s attention once more. “I have been reliably informed that the colors the children are wearing are the dorms they shall henceforth be assigned to. So…have fun!”

With that delivered, the headmage whirled around and marched out of the room.

“Wait, that’s it?!” Alice cried, staring after him and the now closed doors in shock. “What the—YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS! YOU COLOR CODED THEM?!”

“Technically, you guys color coded us,” a girl with braided black hair and garnet red eyes pointed out, her smile a bit cheeky. Alice slapped a hand to her forehead and groaned. “Right, not helping, uh…”

“Please, allow me,” a girl with pale blonde hair said as she stepped forward. “I understand this is difficult for all of you to understand and we apologize for the inconvenience, but this truly is a matter of maintaining our future and we take this very seriously. We are more than prepared to make room for ourselves if we must and we will follow your instructions as current Housewardens and Vice Housewardens of the dorms we shall be staying in, but we also ask that you give us grace in how we go about maintaining our future.”

“My, how eloquent! Truly, you must be my dear Roi du Poison’s daughter,” Rook praised, clapping his hands for the girl. The girl blushed, causing the boy at her side to snicker which she elbowed him for before shaking her head.

“In any case, we all know which dorms we are supposed to stay in, so if you wouldn’t mind separating yourselves by dorm, we can all leave quite quickly,” she said. “Once we’re settled, we can go about giving introductions.”

“And you are not concerned about the ramifications to the timeline if your identities and those of your parents are known?” Malleus questioned, looking intrigued.

“We have it on our parents’ authority, including yours, Lord Malleus, that we never hid who we were,” the silver haired girl answered.

“You say that, and yet you call him by his title?” Lilia hummed, placing his hands on his hips as he teased the girl. In response, the girl only offered a smile.

“It seemed to be the more polite answer for now, Grandpa,” she stated. Lilia startled at the title before his face softened, tears filling his eyes which he quickly wiped away.

“Right, let’s get this over with,” Leona sighed, shaking his head.

“Agreed.” Azul nodded, still looking far too pale for his own good. Jade chuckled at his side.

Alice quickly fell into line alongside the housewardens, their vices standing behind them. As soon as the line was formed, the children walked up to their respective housewardens, which turned out to be everyone but Alice.

“So none of you stay in Ramshackle?” she asked, turning towards Lena, who happened to be standing the closest to her.

“No, you were quite clear on that,” the girl chuckled, her top hat swaying from the force of it. Cora smiled happily in her arms. “I believe your exact words were ‘I had too many things to manage without time traveling children added to the mix, I was fine’.”

Alice flushed, well aware of just who it was she was probably speaking with, but didn’t say a word. Instead, she nodded and turned to march away, leaving the rest of the housewardens to deal with the headache.

Whatever else happened, her future self was entirely correct: Alice had way too much to deal with without adding time travel into the mix.

Time travel. What the actual fuck?!

“Right then,” Riddle sighed as he, Trey, and the four time traveling children stood before the entirety of Heartslabyul House. Cater, Ace and Deuce stood at the front of the crowd, specifically at Riddle’s insistence. Considering how the three were now staring at the time traveling children, he suspected this had been a good idea. “Now that everyone is on the same page, I would like our four new…students to introduce themselves.”

“Then I suppose I’ll go first,” the teenager offered with a bright smile as she stepped forward.

Unlike the other three, she wore what appeared to be Heartslabyul’s dorm uniform, though it was obviously modified to fit her. She wore the red waistcoat like Cater and Ace did, with her jacket unbuttoned and the sleeves straight to perfection. Instead of the white pants the rest of the dorm wore, she wore a white skirt that ended at her knees with the same yellow and black patterned sash as the rest of the dorm wore and the matching pin on her left hip. She also wore white flats on her feet. What was most eye catching about her, though, was the top hat she wore on top of her head. It covered her curly orange hair, which fell wildly around her shoulders, and matched her uniform with its white color broken up by the red and black sash wrapping around it, decorated only with a four of diamonds and a heart tucked into it. Her brown eyes sparkled in delight as she lifted her skirt with one hand and curtsied to the boys observing her.

“I am Folena Diamond. In my time, I am a first year student of Heartslabyul at sixteen. It’s simply lovely to meet you all!” the girl, Folena, declared. As she straightened and adjusted her grip on the little girl she held in her arms, she added, “You can call me ‘Lena’ if you like though!” She then winked in an all too familiar fashion.

Riddle was pretty sure he heard Cater choke at the sight of who was obviously his daughter from the future.

“Cora’s turn!” the little girl piped up, drawing everyone’s attention to her. Riddle was pretty sure he could hear his students cooing as they stared at her and, well, he couldn’t blame them.

Cora, as she said her name was, was clearly the youngest amongst the children from the future and acted like it. With her red hair partially tied back into twin tails on top of her head with white and pink ribbons while the rest curled around her shoulders and her bright yellow eyes, there was no question as to who her parents were. She was dressed in a red and black dress with a white lace collar and a red ribbon tied around her neck, white tights and adorable black dress shoes. Her dress even had a heart pattern on the hem, as if to proclaim who she was for all the world to see.

“Cora is Cora Clover! Cora is five and excited to meet you all!” she beamed, tilting her head cutely to the side. The entire room let out a loud ‘awww’ and Riddle could feel himself turning red as he avoided everyone, but specifically Trey’s eyes.

He did not need the entire house realizing how he felt about Trey or have his entire future put on display for them here. But clearly, he didn’t get a choice in the matter and his future self, somehow, approved this. Why on Twisted Wonderland would he allow his five year old daughter to travel back in time with only teenagers as supervision was beyond Riddle’s comprehension.

“Did Cora do good, Daddy?” Cora asked and Riddle glanced up for the briefest second only to find the girl staring at Trey with open adoration. Trey blushed bright red from being met with the full force of just who he was to her and Riddle could feel his heart warming in his chest.

Cute…

“Oh, uh, yes, you did very good, Cora,” Trey praised, coughing awkwardly into his fist.

“Yay!” Cora cheered, wrapping her arms tightly around Folena’s neck in celebration. Clearly, she did not care that one of her fathers was acting so awkwardly. Folena smiled at her, patting her back in return.

“Our turn now!” one of the remaining children, the girl with the heart on her right cheek, declared as she stepped forward, pulling her sister with her.

The girls were absolutely identical in every way when Riddle stared at them, from their navy blue braided pigtails to their bright scarlet eyes. Even their outfits were identical, both of them wearing red blouses with black plaid skirts, Heartslabyul uniform jackets which had obviously been adjusted to fit them properly, knee high white socks and black dress shoes. The only way to tell the two apart was the cards on their jackets, an ace of hearts for the girl on the right and a two of spades for the girl on the left, which matched the suits painted on their faces.

“I’m Tessa Spade!” the girl with the heart on her right cheek smiled, curtsying like Folena had, though it could clearly use some refinement.

“And I’m Theresa Spade!” the girl with the spade under her left eye beamed. Instead of copying her sister, she gave a perfect bow at the waist, her smile brightening as she straightened up and focused on Deuce and Ace. “You can call us ‘Tess’ and ‘Reese’ though!”

“It’s nice to meet you all! Especially Daddy and Papa!” Tessa added, giggling as Ace and Deuce nearly fainted on the spot.

“We’ll be in your care until it’s time for us to return home,” Folena finished, curtsying once more, her smile this time more refined and reminding Riddle far too much of that magicless housewarden who’d tackled him only a day ago. …had it really only been a day? Great Seven, Riddle was tired.

The rest of Heartslabyul House started whispering amongst themselves and Riddle clapped his hands together, glaring at them all.

“Queen of Hearts’ Rule Number 125: ‘One must not gossip about new guests until five hours have passed following their arrival’. I hope you all are not breaking this rule directly before me,” he stated.

“Of course not, Housewarden!” the students chorused instantly. Riddle nodded firmly as he observed them all, though he could feel Folena’s eyes digging into the back of his neck.

He refused to acknowledge her or the little girl she cradled in her arms.

“Now then, it is late and we have classes in the morning. I suggest you all retire. Folena, I trust you are equipped to prepare your and the children’s room?” Riddle asked, glancing at the teenager from the corner of his eye.

“You got it, Un—I mean, Housewarden,” Folena confirmed, saluting with her magic pen in her free hand. It was a bit sloppy, but considering she was still holding Cora, he supposed he could let it slide for now.

“Very well. Trey, please make sure they’re settled for the night,” Riddle instructed.

“Yes, Housewarden,” Trey agreed, bowing his head respectively.

With his announcements complete, Riddle turned and left the lounge behind. It was time for bed, after all, and he most certainly did not wish to deal with these time travelers anymore today.

And if that little girl, Cora, and her smile haunted his dreams throughout the night, well…nobody but Riddle himself was there to know.

“What a pain…” Leona groaned as he threw himself into a seat in the Savanaclaw lounge which had been left for him. He opened a single eye only to find the two staring at him in shock. He let out a huff and waved a hand lazily in the air. “Go ahead and introduce yourselves or whatever the fuck.”

“Uh…Leona, what’s going on?” Ruggie questioned as he joined Leona. “Who’re these kids?”

“They’ll explain,” Leona huffed, laying back and ignoring the whole situation.

“Are you serious…?” the girl questioned, her voice sounding shocked that he’d be so lazy. “I…wha…you…”

“You gonna stutter all night or actually introduce yourself?” Leona drawled, staring up at her, sizing her up.

She was a lion beastman like him, unsurprisingly, and her dark brown hair fell to her waist with at least three braids that he could see, two on either side of her head and one on the back of her head while the rest fell freely in more refined waves then his own hair. Her eyes were a striking gray as they stared at him. Her skin was as dark as his, no doubt a combination of genetics and growing up in the sun of the Sunset Savana. She wore the uniform of Savanaclaw, the same sleeveless dark yellow shirt, black leather vest and orange-yellow bandana with black trim and the Savanaclaw emblem on it, which she had tied around her waist like it was a belt. She had replaced the usual pants the dorm uniform consisted of and instead wore ripped blue jeans, tucked into her black combat boots easily. To complete the outfit, she had several beaded bracelets on her wrists and black gloves.

“I cannot believe this…” the girl sighed, seemingly giving up as she shook her head. She turned to face the dorm and held her head high, with the air of someone growing used to being a leader. “My name is Kamari Kingscholar and I am the Savanaclaw Housewarden from twenty years in the future. I am seventeen years old and have been sent back here by my headmage in order to keep the timeline intact. I hope to get along with you all.”

“K-Kingscholar?!” Ruggie stuttered, his eyes wide as they went from Kamari to Leona and back again. “So you’re—you’re saying—Leona!”

“Yeah, he’s my dad,” Kamari admitted. As she turned back towards Leona and Ruggie, her confidence seemed to abandon her, replaced instead by a more timid posture. “I hope we can get along…”

“You did good, Kamari!” the boy beside her encouraged, grinning when she glanced at him, as if seeking his reassurance.

“And who’re you?” Jack questioned, crossing his arms as he stared at the two.

As if he had been just waiting for the chance to introduce himself, the boy straightened and placed his hands on his hips. He had messy sandy blonde hair that fell into his eyes and teasing black eyes with the obvious features of a hyena beastman. Like Kamari, he wore the Savanaclaw uniform, though he had ditched the leather vest in favor of an actual black leather jacket and had tied the bandana around his right bicep. On his left hand, he wore a black fingerless glove. Other than that, his uniform was exactly to standards, including his pants and combat boots.

“The name’s Jabari Bucchi-Wildmeer! Like Kamari, I’m a seventeen year old student in Savanaclaw and her trusty Vice Housewarden! Glad to meet all of you!” he declared.

“What did you just say?!” Ruggie cried, throwing himself to his feet.

“Wildmeer? Does that mean—” Timothy Wildmeer, another second year in Ruggie’s class, cried as he stared at Jabari with wide eyes. Ruggie, upon meeting his classmate’s eyes, turned bright red and hurriedly looked away.

Leona smirked as he observed the interactions. Maybe these kids wouldn’t be too annoying after all.

“Don’t you worry about a thing, Dad! You and Pops taught me right!” Jabari reassured as he patted Timothy reassuringly on the arm. Ruggie, if it was even possible, turned even more red.

“I…thanks?” the redheaded meerkat beastman said, looking unsure if he wanted to phrase it as a question or not. He glanced towards Ruggie, but the hyena beastman was already avoiding his gaze.

“In the meantime,” Kamari cut in, glaring at Jabari, who only whistled cheerily as he returned to her side. “we won’t cause any trouble to you all. Just…treat us like normal students.”

“Ha, like that’s gonna happen,” a random mook Leona didn’t know the name of scoffed. “You’re our housewarden’s kid from the future, you say? Then why don’t you tell us how to win the Spelldrive tournament this year.”

Leona’s ears pricked up at that and he stared at the girl who claimed to be his daughter from the future, suddenly very interested in this conversation.

“I…” Kamari trailed off, looking caught off guard. Her hand came up to clutch at her elbow and she glanced away. “Mom and Dad never told me what happened. I’m sorry…I can’t tell you.”

“Pfft, what a waste,” a different mook complained.

“Watch it,” Leona snarled, glaring at the mook, who instantly cowered in the face of the lion beastman’s wrath.

The girl was staring at him with wide, happy eyes and Leona refused to glance her way. He had no idea why he said anything, but his chest had grown uncomfortably hot seeing her be disrespected like that. He had hated it and the words had escaped before he’d even had time to consciously consider them.

“Whatever,” he huffed, throwing himself to his feet. “I’m going to bed. You figure out where you’re sleeping for the night.”

“What—Leona! You can’t just leave this to me!” Ruggie protested.

“Watch me,” Leona snorted and left without another word. He wouldn’t pay any mind to any of the words the two children said, not even the mention the girl let slip of him having a mate.

What did it matter, in the end, if Leona’s own plans failed this year? If he couldn’t prove himself this year, there was no point in anything else, not even the promise of a future the girl, Kamari, promised simply by existing.

It was that thought that accompanied Leona as he made his way to bed at last. It had been a long fuck ass day and he was done with it all.

Azul would very much like to be anywhere else but here right now. Sadly, if the smiles Jade and Floyd wore were any indication, he did not have that option. So instead, he sucked it up and explained the situation at large to the gathered Octavinelle students in the Mostro Lounge just what was going on and who the three time travelers with him were.

“And that should cover everything. Would you three like to introduce yourselves?” Azul asked, glancing back at the three.

The boy, who insisted that Azul was his father, stepped forward first. His hair was black and tied into a low ponytail where it fell slightly past his shoulders, his ocean blue eyes never leaving Azul. He wore a lavender dress shirt, the exact color of Octavinelle which fit with the ‘color coding’ Crowley had claimed the children had been placed into, though the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows like a sailor’s. He also wore black dress pants and dress shoes, as well as a far too familiar shell necklace around his neck. To complete the look, he had a rather worn looking gray Octavinelle scarf around his neck.

“I’m Marco Ashengrotto. Fifteen and currently not attending any magic academy. Don’t ask me who my other parent is and we’ll get along fine,” he stated, crossing his arms as he dared anyone to ask.

“Damn, he really is Azul’s kid!” Floyd laughed, which only left Azul blushing and hissing at the damn eel to shut up.

Marco only rolled his eyes, the epitome of teenage rebellion, before he nudged the rather skittish girl beside him to step forward.

“Go on,” he urged, sounding almost gentle.

The girl in question had waist length blonde hair with a single light blue streak on the left side of her face, identical to Jade’s, and olive brown eyes. Unlike Marco, she wore the Octavinelle dorm uniform to perfection, from the lavender button up shirt with the black double breasted suit, black fedora which was identical to Jade’s own, white gloves, white bow tie, and a pristine lavender gray scarf with the Octavinelle emblem on it. Unlike the rest of the boys though, she wore a knee length, professional black A-line skirt and black high heels.

Azul had to admit, if he were to design a uniform for women, he would have designed it exactly like that. The skirt allowed more movement than a pencil skirt would and while the heels seemed like a woman’s worst nightmare at first, he could see that they were designed to have the heels themselves removed so the shoes could be simple flats instead, should the woman wish so.

“I’m Georgia Leech…um, I’m sixteen and currently a student in Octavinelle in my time…nice to meet you all,” she introduced, bowing her head both as a polite greeting and to quite obviously use the brim of her fedora to hide her face.

“Oh, I see,” Jade hummed as he laid a finger against his chin.

“Heeeeyy, Jade, looks like you actually had a kid after all, and the first of us all! Congrats!” Floyd laughed. “She’s a perfect angelfish, is what she is!”

“Um. Thank you, Uncle Floyd…?” Georgia said, seemingly unsure if she was being complimented or not. Floyd was clearly amused by her, which only caused his poor niece to blush further in embarrassment. “Urania, help…”

“I suppose I am benevolent enough to help,” the girl in questioned sighed as she stepped forward into Floyd’s line of sight.

Considering she was the youngest, Azul wasn’t surprised at how different the girl appeared. Her dark red hair was wildly curly, with a single streak of black on the right side of her face identical to Floyd’s, and the same yellow eyes as the twins. She wore a sweater in Octavinelle’s signature shade of purple with the emblem sewed into the hem near her right hip and black jeans which were tucked into simple black boots. She had a worn fedora on her head, which was clearly Floyd’s own, and two earrings in her left ear, one shaped like a crab and the other an eel.

“I am Urania Leech, fourteen years old and future member of Octavinelle! It’s nice to meet you all, especially you, Dad!” the girl declared proudly, grinning up at Floyd. Her teeth were as sharp as Floyd’s and her smile matched his whenever he was extra motivated in a basketball game. The resemblance was extremely scary, in Azul’s humble opinion.

“Ohhhh? So you’re my little moray, ehhh?” Floyd grinned lazily, wrapping an arm around Urania’s shoulders and pulling her to his side. “Should I squeeze you then? To show I love you?”

“Only if you’re prepared to get it right back,” Urania smiled, completely unphased.

Azul sent a mental apology to Floyd’s future spouse as Floyd laughed brightly. Clearly, they suffered quite a bit with these two.

“Right, now that that’s settled,” Azul cut in, causing his own child’s gaze to snap towards him. “I believe it is time for us all to go bed. We do have classes tomorrow and a full day’s work in the Mostro Lounge ahead of us. Marco, Georgia, Urania, you will be added to the schedule once your school schedules have been sorted. And if you need anything at all, my door is always open.”

“Yeah, I’m not doing that,” Marco snorted, crossing his arms. Azul could only stare at the boy, flabbergasted. “Thanks, but no thanks. It’s already been hammered into me to not make a deal with you.”

“By who?” Jade asked, sounding as if he already knew the answer.

“By him and my papa of course,” Marco smirked, which was far too familiar.

Azul wasn’t sure if he wanted to congratulate his future self or strangle him. Possibly both.

Jamil’s eyes never left the girl even as Kalim, somehow, managed to finish his explanation of exactly what had happened. If it had been in relation to anything else, Jamil might have said he was impressed that Kalim hadn’t needed his help in making this speech at all.

This, however, was not ‘anything else’. This was Jamil’s future staring him directly in the eyes and locking his shackles at the exact same moment.

“And that’s it! Why don’t you introduce yourself to everyone?” Kalim grinned as he turned to the girl, gesturing for her to step forward.

“Of course, thank you, Kalim,” the girl smiled, the perfect picture of respect. But as Jamil continued to stare at her, he knew it was all a façade.

The girl had black hair which hung well past her waist, tied into a complicated braid which rested against her left shoulder, the end of which was capped with a gold bead. Her garnet eyes stood out against her skin, the same shade as Jamil’s which seemed to imply she spent more time in the sun than not. She wore the Scarabia dorm uniform to almost perfection, with the black and red sleeveless jacket, black undershirt, yellow belt, black parachute pants, black sneaker sandals, and gold bracelets and armband all immaculate. The only exceptions she appeared to have made were that, like Jamil, she wore her hood on top of her head and a gold headband which held back the looser, unbraided strands of her hair in place.

“My name is Heka Viper. In my time, I’m a first year student of Scarabia at sixteen. I hope to get along with all of you!” the girl smiled and that, more than anything else, confirmed exactly what Jamil was thinking.

This girl was a liar.

“Viper? Like the vice housewarden?” one of the other students whispered to a student beside him.

“She does look like him…but her eyes! Do you think she’s also related to the housewarden?” the second student whispered back.

Jamil wanted to glower at them, but bit his tongue in order to keep his expression in check. Kalim, of course, looked absolutely delighted to hear the girl’s name at last. He was practically vibrating out of his skin with the urge to ask her any number of questions, but he, miraculously, kept silent.

“Well then, welcome, Heka, to our time. We hope you enjoy your time here,” Jamil said neutrally, bowing respectfully to her. Heka frowned at him as he straightened, but he refused to break. “If it pleases you and Kalim, I can show you to a spare room where you can stay while you’re here. It’s rather late after all and I believe we all need rest.”

“You’re so right, Jamil, just like always!” Kalim grinned like a fool. He then deflated, a hand coming up to rest on his chin. “Though I did want to throw a party in order to properly welcome Heka to our dorm…”

“There’s no need, Kalim,” Heka interrupted, waving a hand as if to brush the thought entirely from Kalim’s mind. She smiled as if to reassure him. “I feel plenty welcomed and I’m sure there will be much better reasons to throw a party in the future.”

“But what could be better than welcoming—”

“I insist,” Heka cut Kalim off entirely, her expression taking on an incessant edge. It smoothed out a second later, as if it had never been there. “And I really am quite exhausted. Another time, I promise.”

“Well…all right. Then be sure to stick with Jamil, he’ll know exactly where you can stay! Until tomorrow then, everyone!” Kalim grinned as he dismissed the dorm with a bright wave.

Jamil kept his expression perfectly neutral until he closed the door to the room where Heka would be staying. As soon as he did, his expression fell and he glared at the girl. As if she had anticipated this, the girl in question turned to him with a glare of her own, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Time to stop lying then, is it?” she questioned sarcastically.

“You’re a liar and I won’t have you manipulating Kalim that easily,” Jamil warned, placing his hands on his hips. “Why don’t you tell me your real name and maybe I’ll let you go to bed.”

“Or what, you’ll Snake Charmer me?” Heka scoffed. Jamil felt his entire body stiffen as she rolled her eyes. “News flash, you won’t ever use that on me, Dad.”

“Stop lying to me. What is your legal name?” Jamil demanded. This girl…she got under his skin so much after hours, forcing his mask to crack with only a few lies. Just what did this mean for his future? How trapped had he truly become?

The girl sighed, drawing Jamil’s attention back to the present.

“Fine. My legal name is Heka Bint-Asim, but I consider myself a Viper, so I’m not introducing myself as anything else,” Heka answered, her arms falling to her sides. Her garnet eyes were watching Jamil almost warily, as if expecting him to explode.

Jamil did not react in that way. Instead, he nodded, wished her a good night and made his way to his own room. Once he was safely there, he truly broke down into tears which he would later deny if anyone asked.

What else was he supposed to do? His future self was well and truly trapped at Kalim’s side until the end of his life. Had Kalim truly been cruel enough to force him to marry him and have a child together? Jamil had not thought it possible. He had thought he still had a chance to be free someday.

But now there stood Heka Bint-Asim, stealing that chance away entirely by simply existing.

In the end, Jamil Viper would never be free, so really what was the point of any of this? He should just accept his fate as it was being laid out before him, like every Viper had before him. What he wanted, what he dreamt of, didn’t matter in the end.

What mattered always had been and always would be the wellbeing of the Asim family.

“And that is the entirety of the situation,” Vil finished as his eyes trailed over his gathered students. The two time traveling students stood behind him while Rook was, as always, at his right side. Epel, by Vil’s own personal interest in him, had stood at the front of the crowd and, somehow, managed to not look disgruntled at it. Perhaps he could be trained after all.

Pomefiore’s lounge was silent as the dorm observed the two time travelers. Vil couldn’t deny his own curiosity, but he refused to let it show. It could cause wrinkles, after all.

“Now then, Mademoiselle, Monsieur, why don’t you introduce yourselves?” Rook smiled, tipping his hat to them politely.

“Then I shall go first,” the girl offered as she stepped forward.

Her pale blonde hair was elegantly swept off her neck in a braided bun with two strands framing her face delicately, her pale green eyes shining as they caught the light. She wore the same uniform of Pomefiore that Vil himself wore, her robes falling to the floor and tied to perfection. Instead of black pants, however, she wore black tights under a thigh length black skirt which she tucked into simple black heeled boots. She also wore the crown that denoted her as housewarden, though unlike Vil she wore hers perfectly straight. To complete her look, she wore a gold necklace around her neck, which had a heart shaped charm with a knife going through it.

“My name is Belle Schoenheit. In my time, I am the Housewarden of Pomefiore at eighteen. Please, treat me as any other student right now. I look forward to spending this time with all of you,” she introduced, curtsying elegantly with a bowed head.

“So you are not a mademoiselle, but Reine du Poison,” Rook gasped, his hands coming up in shock. Belle, however, only let out a giggle as she straightened.

“Perhaps Princesse du Poison would be more accurate for now, Dad?” she smiled. Rook’s own smile, if possible, widened at the confirmation of what he had no doubt been seeking. Feeling all eyes on him, Vil glared at his students, daring them to say a word.

Thankfully, nobody, not even Epel, did.

“I guess it’s my turn then…?” the boy spoke up as he stepped forward. “Unless there’s something else you want to say, Belle?”

“Go on, Kijani,” Belle chuckled, patting the boy on the shoulder. He bowed his head in response.

The boy had neatly combed wavy silver hair and truly enchanting light blue eyes. He wore his Pomefiore uniform immaculately with an obvious attention to detail in how to tie the robe. The black undershirt, pants and boots were also entirely up to code, with the only exception to his otherwise perfect uniform being the brown string tied around his right wrist, which had a small fang on it. Vil supposed he could forgive it, given it gave the boy a slightly wild touch to his uniform.

“I’m Kijani Felmier-Howl. I’m sixteen and a current Pomefiore student in my time. It’s an honor to meet you all,” the boy said, bowing just as respectfully as Belle had just prior.

None of that was what caused Vil to raise a single eyebrow, however. Instead, that was—

“I WHAT?!” Epel shrieked, his accent slipping into his voice as he stared at the boy in terror. “HUH HOW WHA HUUUUUUUUUUUH?!”

“Epel!” Vil hissed, glaring at his poisoned apple. Thankfully, Epel shut up after his little outburst, but his eyes never left the boy as he straightened.

“Hi Pops,” Kijani smiled sheepishly, reaching up to play with the fang bracelet he wore. The confirmation only seemed to make things worse as Epel, somehow, turned even paler than before.

“Monsieur Petite Pomme it is then!” Rook smiled. “How lovely it is to meet both of you. Truly, you are an example that the future of our dorm is beauté!”

“Indeed,” Vil agreed, smiling the slightest bit. Belle smiled back at him in gratitude, but otherwise remained silent. Interesting… “In any case, it is far too late at night for us to be awake if we wish to maintain our beauty sleep. I suggest everyone retire for the night and we can reconvene after a decent time spent asleep. Dismissed.”

Everyone dispersed with gratitude, though it seemed as if Epel was being guided back to his room by his fellow first years. Hmm, perhaps Vil would have to increase his lessons. Clearly he must succeed in the future if Epel’s own son turned out so well. But that would be a later problem.

“Rook, please show these two to their rooms for their stay,” Vil instructed, glancing towards his vice.

“Of course, my Roi du Poison,” Rook smiled. Vil rolled his eyes at the nickname’s new distinction, well aware he was doing so to reassure Belle. Honestly, it was only two years, it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“We don’t need different rooms, Father, just one is more than enough,” Belle insisted, stepping forward slightly.

“Can I trust the two of you to behave?” Vil questioned, glancing at his daughter. He was taller than her and though she looked a bit startled at being put on the spot, her cheeks stained pink, she still met his gaze and nodded firmly.

“Entirely,” she stated.

“Very well,” Vil agreed. “I’ll trust you for now, but I will not allow any funny business in this dorm. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Housewarden,” Belle and Kijani chorused instantly. Vil only smiled in approval before he dismissed the two and Rook with a wave, making his way back to his own room.

Perhaps this year wouldn’t be nearly so tedious after all.

Idia did not want to be dealing with any of this right now. Why did it have to be him? Couldn’t Ortho introduce the new student and show her around? Why did it have to be him? He and Ortho technically counted as one student after all, so Idia should be free to do whatever he wanted instead of stare at the timeline breaking time traveler now standing in his dorm’s lounge.

Unfortunately, Ortho was not nearly kind enough to offer to do that for him, so Idia was left to stumble through the explanation to the entirely uninterested Ignihyde students. Well, that was a lie, they were interested. But once Idia mentioned that they were forbidden from experimenting on the girl or using her to get a headstart on future inventions, they lost interest rather quickly.

At least he didn’t have to do this in person, that would have been so much worse…

“And that’s everything,” Idia finished, glancing around through his tablet screen. “If there’s no questions, let’s have her introduce herself and end this.”

“Well, that was blunt…” the girl commented as she stepped forward, directly into view of Idia’s tablet. And he’d been doing so good at not looking at her too…

The girl’s hair was long enough to reach past her waist, resembling bright blue flames which occasionally flickered red in the right light, and dark green eyes. Like Idia, she was pale, but she seemed to have some color that spoke of influence besides Idia himself. She wore the Ignihyde uniform with its textured black jacket, bright blue half-vest, navy blue pants, and black and blue boots. The only exception to her uniform appeared to be the flower shaped earring which she wore in her left ear. It was a strange addition, in Idia’s opinion, but he wasn’t going to comment on anything.

“I’m Zoe Shroud, sixteen and a student in Ignihyde in the future. Please don’t ask me any questions that Dad forbid, I really can’t answer them,” the girl said, placing a hand on her hip as if to dare the students to try her.

Oh gods, she really is his daughter. Nope, he can’t deal with this, it risked breaking the entire timeline, what was wrong with his future self, why would he allow this?!

“It’s nice to meet you, Zoe!” Ortho chirped happily. Which…well, at least someone here was happy. Idia definitely wasn’t. “We look forward to your stay and hope you feel welcome! Right, Idia?”

“Yeah, sure…” Idia muttered, not really wanting to interact with the girl any more than necessary.

“It’s all right, Uncle Ortho, I understand,” Zoe smiled at Ortho reassuringly. “Dad’s just concerned, like I knew he would be.”

Idia couldn’t help, but pause at those words.

Zoe…called Ortho her uncle? She viewed him as such?

So few people in his family truly saw Ortho as Idia’s brother that the confirmation that his own daughter actually did left Idia feeling warmer than his flames could ever make him feel. Maybe…maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“In that case, shall I show you to your room where you’ll be staying?” Ortho asked, his voice sounding like he was smiling.

“I’d like that, I wanted to talk to you about a few things anyways,” Zoe smirked as she glanced around. “After all, you did instruct me to help you get your notes for having a child of your own in the future in order.”

Never mind, Idia took everything back.

“Really?” Ortho gasped excitedly. “I can have a child of my own?”

“It’s mine and my little brother’s goal,” Zoe confirmed and—

Nope. Nope nope nope nope noooooooope. Idia was not listening to any more of this, this was not happening.

Quickly, he shut his tablet off, completely disconnected it and threw himself back onto his bed, covering his face with his hands.

He had two children in the future. Two children who were determined to help Ortho have a child of his own. A daughter in Ignihyde House and yet still wore flowers on her ear. A daughter who smiled and didn’t seem terrified that any connections she built at this school would be forgotten by the time she left.

It was almost as if—

No. Idia was not going there at all. He was just…going to forget all of this. Yes. That’s exactly what he was going to do.

With that thought firmly in mind, Idia turned his lights off and stuffed his head under his pillow, as if that would block out the memories and thoughts the girl inspired.

Nothing truly would block those out though and despite his insistence, Idia knew that all too well.

“And that is the situation,” Malleus finished, staring at his students and trying to not feel a little proud. After all, this was perhaps the first time he’d been the one to deliver important news to them rather than Lilia because he’d been invited prior to the news being delivered. He would have to thank the child of man from Heartslabyul for mentioning him.

“I’m sure you’ll all treat our guests with the respect they deserve!” Lilia smiled, though Malleus could see the terrifying glint in his eyes. Not that Malleus blamed him. After all, at a glance, he could tell that all five of the children were at least partially human and fae were not known for being kind to humans. He was, admittedly, especially worried for the girl with Sebek’s yellow-green eyes.

Whispers made their way through the crowd of Diasomnia students as the oldest girl, the most obviously human of them all, stepped forward.

“Let’s just get this one over with,” she sighed, rubbing her eyes almost tiredly.

Her hair was a bright silver in complete contrast to her ebony dark skin, falling to her shoulders in tight curls, and her eyes were a dark brown. She wore the Diasomnia uniform to perfection, though it appeared to have been changed to suit her feminine figure. She wore the black all-weather coat with neon green and silver accents, black combat suspenders and belts, a small garrison cap, black gloves and heeled knee high boots. The exception which appeared to have been made was that she wore a knee length black skirt with the lime green lining on the sides and black tights rather than the pants all the male students wore.

“My name is Olivia White. I’m a first year student in Diasomnia in my time at sixteen. Pleased to meet you all,” the girl said, performing a perfect royal bow first to Malleus and then to the room at large.

“White…?” Silver repeated as he stared at the girl, looking the most awake he had been all day. Not that Malleus could blame him, considering the obvious similarities between him and Olivia.

The girl straightened up and smiled at Silver with such fondness that Malleus felt his own worries fade away.

“…Yes. Hi Dad,” Olivia greeted. Silver instantly looked away, his face flushed with embarrassment.

“Does that mean it’s my turn now?” the second oldest girl asked as she, too, stepped forward eagerly. Malleus watched as Sebek sucked in a deep breath at the sight of the girl’s all too human features.

Her hair was white with green tips and it fell to just below her shoulders while her yellow-green eyes had slit pupils that spoke of her fae heritage. That, however, was where her obvious fae like features ended as the girl’s obviously rounded ears could be seen through her hair. Unlike Olivia, she didn’t wear the Diasomnia uniform. Instead, she wore a green blouse under a respectable black blazer which had the Briar Valley royal crest on her right breast pocket, black dress pants and high heeled shoes which looked sharp enough to be used as a weapon in their own right. She also wore a silver necklace with a pumpkin charm of all things around her neck.

“Go ahead, Serena,” Olivia smiled, drawing everyone’s attention away from observing the younger girl.

“I’m Serena Zigbolt! Fifteen and while I may not be attending Night Raven College officially as a student yet, I am the proud retainer of the three princesses of Briar Valley and—” the girl, Serena, abruptly cut herself off before she performed a low curtsy to Malleus. “It is lovely to meet you all again, especially you, Your—I mean, Lord Malleus!”

“Clearly, she’s your kid,” Silver snorted, seeming to have recovered from his own shock as he spoke to Sebek. Sebek, who appeared to have gone into his own state of shock and horror.

Serena straightened, her eyes instantly going to Sebek. But when she saw his expression, she glanced back down at the ground and backed away, looking almost scared. Malleus glanced towards Lilia, finding the older fae staring at Sebek with visible concern and almost disappointment, as if he wasn’t sure if he should speak or not.

“Our turn, our turn!” one of the remaining little girls cried out, drawing everyone’s attention to her. Including Malleus’ own, despite him admittedly avoiding looking at the three for some time now.

The girl who’d spoken, like her sisters beside her, had long black hair which was tied into a braid with flowers in the braid itself and auroral eyes with slitted pupils. Her pointed ears stuck out from her hair, another obvious sign of her fae heritage. She wore a black dress which was fit for a princess of Briar Valley, hanging down to her knees with silver accents and lace patterns. On her head, she wore a rose flower crown with a silver circlet around her forehead which gave the illusion of scales on her forehead. To complete the look, she wore black boots and a neon green sash around her waist to denote her sorting into Diasomnia.

The other girls were identical to the first and dressed exactly the same, with the only differences that kept them distinct were the daisy and bluebells which replaced the roses the first girl wore.

“I’m Rose Draconia! I’m twelve years old and heir to Briar Valley!” the first girl, Rose, declared brightly. She then gave a curtsy that was to the exact standards that Malleus’ tutors had insisted on when he was a child.

“My name is Daisy Draconia,” the girl with the daisy flower crown smiled. Her curtsy was slightly less refined, but she clearly was putting in the effort.

“And I’m Bluebell Draconia. I might be the youngest, but that doesn’t mean you get to bully me,” the girl with the bluebell flower crown stated. She pointed a finger directly at Sebek of all people and glared at him specifically. “That means you, Uncle Sebek!”

“Uncle?!” Sebek choked out. Silver let out a choke of laughter before he smothered it into his hand.

Lilia, on the other hand, didn’t even bother to hide it.

“Well said, Bluebell!” he praised, placing his hands on his hips.

“Thanks, Grandpa!” Bluebell smiled, looking quite pleased with herself.

“Did we do good, Dad?” Daisy asked, turning towards Malleus himself. “We practiced with Mom and Uncle Silver before we came here.”

Now it was Silver’s turn to choke, clearly realizing what the context of the girl’s words and her eyes meant.

“You did very well,” Malleus praised, unsure of what else to say. That, thankfully, seemed to be the correct response as Daisy and Rose both smiled brightly, sharing a high five with Bluebell. “Well then, if that is all, we should retire for the evening. You children, of course, require your sleep.”

Malleus probably wouldn’t be sleeping for quite some time, but nobody needed to know that yet.

“Very well,” Lilia agreed, smiling. “In that case—”

“Lord Malleus!” Sebek cut in, already saluting. “With your permission, I am happy to show these five to a room within which they can stay!”

“Thank you, Sebek, but Lilia has already chosen a room for them,” Malleus denied, shaking his head. “Please, rest for the night.”

“Yes, Lord Malleus!!!” Sebek shouted, somehow saluting even more than he already was. Serena let out a small laugh at her father’s clear enthusiasm, though Sebek refused to look her way.

With his message delivered, Malleus turned and began to leave the lounge behind.

“Wait!”

A tug on his cape pulled him to a stop and he turned, only to find himself staring into the auroral eyes of Rose, his oldest child. His oldest half-fae child. Malleus tried very hard to ignore that fact, but it was so very difficult with the lack of horns the three children had.

There was an ache in his heart and he feared just how soon he could lose the three, never mind their other parent. How could he have agreed to this? He simply could not understand his future self’s thought process.

“Is something wrong, Rose?” Malleus asked aloud, showing his daughter he was paying attention.

“Um,” Rose stuttered, her cheeks flushing as red as her flowers. “I just…wanted to say goodnight, Dad. Sweet dreams.”

Malleus blinked for several moments before he found himself kneeling before the girl. As if realizing what he was going to do, Daisy and Bluebell ran over to join them. Malleus smiled slightly, remembering when he had done this for Silver as a child and reached out to place a gentle hand on first Rose’s head, then Daisy’s and Bluebell’s.

“Sweet dreams, to all of you,” he wished.

The girls beamed and both Olivia and Serena seemed to be quite pleased as they observed the scene. Even Lilia looked proud as Malleus straightened up.

Malleus only cleared his throat as he finally turned and left the lounge and Diasomnia itself behind.

This truly was turning out to be an interesting school year.