Chapter Text
"Are you sure you have everything?" Knave asked her once more, seeing her slinging her bags full of her things around her forearms and her shoulders. She was packed to hell and back, something which her brother had encouraged.
"I'm fine, Knave, I have everything!" she assured with a smile "I triple checked everything!"
"I know, I know..." the older sighed "You know how I am. I'm just really worried, y'know? Considering the crazy decisions you sometimes make..." he sweatdropped. Ace just giggled.
"It will be okay-lotte!" Charlotte clapped from inside of Ace's bag, voice somewhat muffled "I will be here to protect Ace! No one will hurt her!" she proclaimed as Ace unzipped the bag slightly so she could speak clearer.
"Somehow, that worries me more..." Knave murmured.
"I'm plenty of strong in my human form-lotte!" Charlotte insisted, pouting. Ace smiled.
"Yes you are, Lottie!" she beamed. That made the fairy smile brightly. Knave sighed, a smile on his face. He reached out a hand, patting her on the head with a fond look in his eyes.
"I'm proud of you." he said. Ace blinked, looking at him in surprise.
"Eh?"
"I am so proud of you, Ace." he repeated "You're gonna do great things at both NRC and RSA, even more than you already do as Cure Heart. You're going to become a great mage. I know it. I bet..." his eyes watered as he reached out, hugging her. Ace let out a surprised noise, the bags slipping from her arms and falling to the floor. She looked at her brother.
"Knave?"
"I bet mom and dad would be so, so proud of you if they could look at you right now. So proud of the girl you’ve become." Ace stood still for a moment, her eyes widening in surprise. But then her face softened, a small smile appearing on her face as she hugged her brother back.
"Thank you, Knave." she whispered as her brother pulled away, the carriage parking right in front of their home. She undusted her clothes, grabbing her bags and gathering them into her arms once more with ease. Charlotte slipped back into the bag she'd been in.
"I'll text and call, I promise! Take care of grandmama, okay?!" she smiled as she turned around, heading for the carriage, skipping down the path.
"Don't get into trouble! And don't run yourself ragged, Ace!" Knave called after her, and she could picture the smile on his face. She giggled, entering the carriage. She dropped the bags inside and sat down on the velvet seat as the carriage set off. Charlotte peeked out from inside her bag.
"Is it safe-lotte?" she asked.
"Mhm!" Ace nodded, taking out her phone. She had messages to read. Some of them were from her schoolmates at Rosebud High, a few were from her grandmother too. She couldn't help but smile.
Grant: don't run urself ragged in nrc and rsa, prez. otherwise u'll end up collapsing or sm shit. js go n kill it n do ur best like u always do, or smth.
Parker: do ur best, prez! every1 at rosebud is gnna cheer u on, esp Grant! u'll be an amazing mage, trust!
Grandmama: Sweethear, I am so very proud of you. You will become an amazing mage in Night Raven College and in Royal Sword Academy, I know it. Your parents would be so proud to see you grow up into a fine, strong lady, blooming beautifully just like a rose. I hope that your time at both magic schools is nothing but splendid and peaceful.
Ace cupped her face, happily swooning. Everyone was so positive and proud of her! It was so nice! Seeing all this love towards her made her so happy. "Everyone's so nice-lotte!" Charlotte beamed "I can't wait to see what NRC and RSA will be like. Do you think they'll have good sweets?" she asked.
"I'm sure!" Ace nodded, scrolling through her contacts before she blinked.
Lazy Boss/pos: Have a good school year. NRC is full of prideful idiots and RSA is full of naive ones.
Lazy Boss/pos: The shop settled nice on Sage's Island. Make sure to drop by. Otherwise, the other two will go insane and give me a migraine.
Ace smiled, letting out a small chuckle. Ah. Just the usual, then. She turned off her phone, putting it back into her bag as she relaxed. Her new life starts now.
The coffin felt somewhat cramped, but she wouldn’t say it was the worst experience ever. She's had worse. The gate in front of her opened, and she shielded her face from the light for a moment as she stepped out. Looking down, she was dressed in the ceremonial robes that belonged to NRC. "Woah..." Ace whispered, admiring the Mirror Chamber.
"Ace Trappola, correct?" she turned her head, seeing a man with dark hair that most of it was hidden by a large top hat and a face covered by a crow mask approach.
"Yes!" she nodded "You must be the Headmage, correct?"
"That's right." the man nodded "After the ceremony, I would like to discuss with you the arrangement of your dual education at Night Raven College and Royal Sword Academy, if that is alright with you."
"Of course!" she smiled "I'd be more than happy to talk about it!"
"Good!" the Headmage nodded "Such enthusiasm is rare, Mr. Trappola!" the man beamed, but then he flinched "Er, uh, I mean Ms. Trappola. Your documents were updated with your gender, and your brother mentioned you've started the treatment in order to transition, but I fear I have gotten so used to referring to students by male prefixes and pronouns that I might misgender you on accident." he explained, his voice lowered.
"It's okay! There's no malicious intent there, just a slip of the tongue!" she assured, waving her hand dismissively. It was an accident, so she didn’t mind!
"What benevolence!" the man gasped, before clearing his throat "Right! Er, you will be given a form later after the orientation ceremony regarding your familiar that you mentioned, which is standard procedure here. But other than that, everything is in order! Now, go and step into line."
"Yes!" Ace nodded, stepping towards the crowd of students, all wearing their hoods. She stepped into line, Charlotte peeking her head out of her hiding spot within the robes. It was practically a sea of black with gold embroidery.
"That's a lot of people-lotte..." she whispered.
"I know. It's so exciting!" Ace nodded happily, fingers drumming together against one another in excitement. The rest of the coffins were opened, more students exiting the coffins and joining the lines of freshmen. Ace was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Starting in alphabetical order by the first name... First student!" The Headmage called the first student forward, who stepped towards the Dark Mirror. Ace watched intently.
"The shape of thy soul is... Ignihyde!" the mirror announced.
"What's with the mirror?" Charlotte asked.
"That's the Dark Mirror Knave talked about. That's how students get sorted into the dorms of the school." Ace explained "Hehehe... I'm so excited!" she whispered to herself, face beaming with joy.
"Ignihyde..? Wasn't that the dorm of the shut-ins..?"
"What a loser..."
"Huh? Why are they saying such things?" Charlotte asked, a frown on her cute face.
"Don't pay mind to them." Ace told her as the next student stepped forward upon being called.
"But they're being mean." Charlotte said.
"Scarabia!"
"I know." Ace nodded "They shouldn't say those things. But they're going alphabetical order by the first name, so-"
"Next is Ace Trappola. Please stand before the mirror." the Headmage called for her, cutting her off mid-sentence.
"Yessir!" she responded, Charlotte going back into her hiding spot inside of the robes' hood as Ace skipped over to the center of the room, hands clasped behind her back.
"State thy name." the face on the Dark Mirror stated, staring right at her.
"Ace Trappola!" she responded with a smile.
"The nature of thy soul is..." it paused, Ace remaining perfectly still, awaiting for the verdict "Heartslabyul!" her face brightened. That was Knave's dorm! He was in Heartslabyul when he was in NRC!
"It must be fate..! The same dorm as my brother!" she gasped happily.
"You there! Quickly return to your seat once your assignment has been finalized." she jumped at the sound of a voice scolding her "I have no tolerance for rule-breakers in Heartslabyul. Henceforth, you will comply." she turned her head, seeing a hooded figure staring at her disapprovingly. He had red hair the same colour as a rose, and gray eyes that held indignance. Ace blinked. Woah, he was pretty.
"Ah- Yessir! I apologize!" she quickly said as she snapped out of her stupor, hopping down and scurrying over to her spot immediately. Sheesh! That was scary! It almost reminded her of Grant! So intense! Though, Grant was more informal and tended to swear more, so...
"Scary..." Charlotte whispered from her hiding spot.
"No kidding! He's intense!" she nodded. Even so, that meant he was the Heartslabyul housewarden, then! He seemed to represent the strictness of the Queen of Hearts, though! So that was good! That meant the dorm was in good hands! So she could relax until the ceremony was done! Though, the muttering had not stopped.
"He's got a lot of energy..."
"Poor thing is gonna be eaten alive."
"I pity him."
"What's with them??" Charlotte frowned. Ace just shrugged. She didn’t particularly care, so-
"We are in the middle of the dorm assignment ceremony! Comport yourselves with dignity and cease your whispering!" a voice bellowed out, causing Ace to jump. She turned her head, seeing a tall boy with mint-green hair slicked back and green eyes being the source of the voice.
"Wha-"
"Your indecent conduct brings shame down upon all freshmen, myself included!" the boy scolded them loudly "Ceremonies require a certain sobriety. We may yet be callow, but we are all mages in making! Act like it!" Ace watched with sparkly eyes. Incredible! He was able to silence the crowd just like that!
"I'll make sure to praise him later!" Ace giggled to herself.
The ceremony had gone on for a while. Ace watched as each student had stepped forward and had gotten assigned to a dorm. Heartslabyul was packing with freshmen, but the other dorms had gotten a lot of students, too. But then the Headmage claimed that there was a missing student and that he had to go and fetch them. So he left the chamber. "Maybe I should go and help?" Ace suggested, about to step towards the door.
"Don't!" Charlotte hushed, pulling at her bangs to stop her "You'll get in trouble with your housewarden!" Oh, yeah, that was a good point. She'd rather not get in trouble with her housewarden. Especially on the first day! She promised Knave she'd stay out of trouble. She couldn't stress him out!
"Alright then..." she sighed. But then her face brightened up. The green-haired boy from earlier! The one who shut the crowd up! She had to thank him! If she recalled, his name was Sebek Zigvolt, and he got into Diasomnia. She quickly searched for the boy, trying to find him in the sea of ceremonial robes.
"There!" she finally found him, standing next to two other Diasomnia students. She smiled, heading over to him with excitement.
"It is a shame that he couldn't come. He'd been looking forward to the ceremony." the shortest out of the three lamented, shaking his head.
"We must ensure that Waka-sama does not miss out on such things again!" the green-haired boy stated.
"Excuse me?" Ace called softly, tapping on the green-haired boy's shoulder. He blinked, turning his head before he scowled.
"What do you want, human??" he asked with a harsh tone. Ace did not expect that, but she pushed past that.
"Thank you for quieting down the freshmen back there!" she smiled, grabbing one of his hands with both of hers and holding it gently "They weren't exactly saying the nicest of things, and I was about to speak up when you did! It was incredible how you were able to quiet them all down!" she beamed. The green-haired boy stood still, his face like a door to his emotions. His brows were aised, eyes wide, and mouth hung open. He looked speechless.
"That was all! I won't take anymore of your time! But that was really cool!" she grinned, letting go of his hand and walking away, heading back to her spot.
"We're done with orientation and dorm assignments?" her housewarden asked as she stepped next to a few freshmen "All right, new students—let me be clear. At Heartslabyul House, I am the law. Break the rules, and it's off with your head!" Ace nodded with a determined face.
"Well, that ceremony was as boring as ever." a lion beastman yawned "I'm going back to the dorm. If you're in Savanaclaw House, follow me." ah. He must be the housewarden of Savanaclaw, then.
"New students! Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your achievement." a pretty boy with glasses beamed "As dorm leader of Octavinelle House, I am honored to have the opportunity to support you in what I hope will be a fulfilling campus experience." he spoke. He looked like he was plotting something, Ace noted.
"Hey, does anyone know where the headmage went? He disappeared midway through the ceremony..." a blond boy asked, a pocket mirror in his hand as he looked over his make-up. He was the housewarden from Pomefiore, she was pretty sure.
"Some headmage he is." a voice came from a tablet. Someone from Ignihyde, maybe?
"Maybe he had a tummyache?" a boy with red eyes and white hair suggested innocently.
"I most certainly did not!" the Headmage exclaimed as he opened the doors of the chamber, holding under his arm a cat-like creature. And by his side was a teenager. Around the same age that she once was.
Their hair was short and blonde, tips dyed in red. Their eyes were a different colour, the right one was scarlet red and the left one was sky blue. They had a purple bow around the left side of their head and a red choker around their neck. Other than that, they were wearing the distinctive ceremonial robes every NRC student was wearing. Ace blinked. That kid... looked familiar.
"Ah, speak of the devil." Ace's housewarden commented.
"As I stated before exiting the chamber, I was searching for the new student who'd failed to show for orientation." the Headmage stated angrily, though it was more of that he was flustered, really. Though, he quickly cleared his throat, directing to.
"You are the only one who has yet to be assigned a dorm. Step up to the Dark Mirror, and be quick about it. I'll watch your weasel." he told them.
"Grrrrr!" the cat-like creature growled. And aww, what a cutie he was! Ace wanted to pet him very bad.
"Weasel?" Charlotte repeated, confused.
"He's so cute!" Ace beamed.
"State your name." the Dark Mirror was staring directly at the kid, who looked intimidated by it.
"A-Ange... Arisu Ange..." they timidly spoke. Ange... Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe.
"Ange..." the mirror hummed, "The nature of your soul is... unclear to me." Ace let out a small gasp at those words. Unclear?
"What did you just say?" the Headmage asked.
"I sense no magical power from this one." the mirror proclaimed "Soundless. Colorless. Shapeless. Utterly vacant. Therefore, no dorm would be appropriate." Well, that was rude to say!
"What a blow to my self-esteem..." the kid murmured.
"Are you suggesting that the black carriage went to receive a person who cannot even use magic?" the Headmage asked "But that is absurd! The student selection process has not erred once in its century of existence! How could this have happened?" That was true. Not once did the selection ever make a mistake. Even when Ace herself was an anomaly of sorts. It was weird.
"Mmmph! Nnnrgggh..." the cute cat gasped as he broke free from the Headmage's grasp "ME! Let ME have this student's seat!" he demanded, hopping out of the Headmage's grip.
"Not so fast, you hyperactive weasel!"
"Unlike that human, I can actually use magic!" the cat continued "So let me be a student here! Look, I'll show you! My spells're the cat's meow!" Actually, that did not sound like a good idea. Ace's instincts kicked in.
"Everyone, get down!" her housewarden warned as blue fire blew out of the cat's mouth, setting everything on fire. The ceiling, the courtains, even the coffins caught on fire. Ace let out a gasp. Woah!
"He really wasn't kidding!" she let out "Lottie, are you okay?!"
"I'm okay-lotte!"
"AHHHHH! HELP! I'm on fire over here!" someone cried out. Ace looked up, seeing the housewarden of Scarabia running around with his butt on fire. Oh!
"Someone catch that blasted animal before it sets the entire school ablaze!" the Headmage exclaimed.
"Can't he do it himself..?" Charlotte mumbled.
"Ugh. Can I go now, or...?" Savanaclaw's Housewarden asked, clearly bored.
"Oh? I thought you fancied yourself a hunter." Pomefiore's Housewarden teased "Go and help yourself to that plump little morsel!" he chuckled.
"Too much effort. Do it yourself." the lion beastman complained.
"Allow me to handle this, Headmage Crowley." Octavinelle's housewarden bravely stepped up "If none of you are up to the task of catching a small animal, I will accept the responsibility." he declared.
"Catching a small animal that can set you on fire surely seems like a big responsibility." Ace chuckled to herself, taking out her magic pen.
"WTG Azul. Rackin' up those participation credits." the voice from the tablet said. So his name was Azul. Good to know!
"Hey, um, my butt's still on fire..." Scarabia's Housewarden mentioned "Could someone maybe put this out?!" he exclaimed. Ace quickly used a wind spell, cutting the source of oxygen the fire had. The white-haired boy blinked.
"Hey, it's gone!"
"I'm sorry, were my instructions unclear?!" the Headmage questioned.
"Can someone evacuate the freshmen?!" Ace called "This is a danger zone!"
"Preeetty sure you can handle catching one mangy weasel all on your lonesome there, headmage." the lion beastman sighed.
"How many times do I gotta say it?!" the cat exclaimed "I'm Grim, spellcaster extraordinaire! I am NOT a weasel!" Grim. So that was his name! Good to know!
"Aren't you a spunky little fellow? Riddle, would you be so kind...?" Azul asked, looking at Ace's housewarden.
"Furry miscreant. I will abide no rule-breaking. You will be judged by my hand." he declared, raising his own magic pen. The rose red magestone shone faintly. If those two were dealing with the cat, then Ace would take care of the fire and the debris! Good!
"Let's go!" she beamed, releasing wind spells. They headed towards the falling, flaming debris, catching the pieces before they could hit any student and putting out the flames.
"Woah!"
"Wind magic?!"
"Hurry and evacuate!" Ace exclaimed, putting the burnt debris aside, away from the flames while she continued her task.
"Right! You heard him! Let's get out of here!" someone shouted, already heading for the door. The rest all followed his lead, running to the exit in a panic. Ace used her magic to lift herself up into the air.
"Make sure not to form a wall! Go out on pairs or groups of three!" she told them while putting out another fire. Grim was running around, dodging spells that Riddle and Azul were casting to try and catch him. It wasn’t working though, and Ace knew why. They weren’t coordinated enough. And, even though she could help them, right now she was more worried about the students. Especially the magicless kid.
She flew over to them, maneuvering through the debris and reaching them easily. "Arisu!" she called, quickly picking them up by slinging her arms under theirs. In response, they yelped in surprise.
"Huh?!"
"Sorry!" Ace smiled, carrying up "I didn't want you getting hurt, that’s all!"
"Ah- Thank you?" the kid responded, a bit confused. But Ace just smiled, placing them on a safe spot that was far from the fire. She could feel them trembling. They were scared. That was normal.
"How old are you?" she asked, working on putting out the fires.
"I-I was gonna be 14 in April..." Arisu answered. Oh, they were a little one, weren't they? Then again, Ace was pretty sure that the school took on child prodigies. She wasn't sure, she'd have to ask the Headmage once she talks with him in the office.
"Well then! That's not that young! You look younger than I thought you would!" Ace smiled "I'm Ace. Trappola Ace. A freshman here!" she said, putting out a misdirected flame that was heading their way with ease. Arisu blinked, surprised.
"Woah..."
"I'm not sure if every day in NRC is chaotic, so I can't make you that promise! But I can try and keep you safe from the flames!" she assured them "Wind magic's my thing." she winked, her confidence shining through. She was confident she could protect them while her housewarden and Octavinelle's housewarden took care of the cute cat! And that was what she did, protecting the younger teen from the fire while also putting out the flames. All the while the two housewardens gave chase to the cat. Though Octavinelle's housewarden looked like he was playing with him the same way predators sometimes play with their prey.
"Poor soul. Ran yourself straight into a corner, did you?" Azul asked as Grim reached a dead end.
"I suggest you surrender. Otherwise..." her housewarden threatened, pointing his magic pen at the cat.
"NO! I'm gettin' into this school, and that's FINAL!" Grim declared. He was so adamant. Why was that?
"Stand aside, Azul!" Riddle ordered as Grim puffed his chest out, creating a large fireball. Ace's eyes widened. That was heading towards the two housewardens!
"Arisu, hide!" she ordered as she ran over to the two, flicking her wrist. She summoned a large gust of wind, spinning like a tornado. It engulfed the blue flames, creating a flaming tornado that made both older students step back. Ace then swiped her arm, cutting off the air. Without the oxygen, the flames couldn't survive, and they died down with ease.
"Incredible..." she heard Azul mutter.
"You can't do that!" she exclaimed, pointing her magic pen at Grim "Causing this much harm won't get you into the school!"
"You shut your mouth!" Grim shot back at her. She pouted. She was trying to help!
"Freshman." her housewarden spoke up "I thank you for the quick thinking, and I praise your magical abilities. However, I'd like for you to step away so I can deal with this miscreant." he told her. She turned her head, surprised. But she nodded, taking a comically large step back. She could hear the threat in his tone.
“Are you ready for your sentence?” he asked Grim, stepping forwards. The gem began to glow a bright red, casting a shadow below his face. Ace paused, Charlotte peeking out from her hiding spot.
“U-Uh?” the cat-like creature let out, confused. Almost… Afraid. As if he realized that his actions had consequences.
“The verdict comes afterwards.” Riddle continued, his tone growing quieter “Have you any last words?” he asked. Ace let out a baffled noise. Last words?? Was he going to kill Grim?!
“Oh, no. This guy means danger…” the cat murmured. Ace watched how he turned around and began to run away, trying to get away.
“Then it's Off With Your Head!”