Chapter Text
The recording booth was quiet except for the faint hum of the equipment. Yuu stood behind the microphone,
headphones covering her ears as she waited for the instrumental to begin. The familiar glow of the recording equipment reflected against the glass separating her from the control room. Her friends gave her a thumbs-up, lying on the couch in the corner of the room.
She took a breath.
Then she began to sing.
For a while, everything was normal. The music played through her headphones, the microphone picked up every note, and the world outside the booth might as well have not existed.
Until the music stopped.
Yuu blinked.
She pulled one side of her headphones away from her ear.
“...Huh?”
Nothing.
She looked through the glass towards the control room.
Nobody was moving.
The engineer was frozen in place.
The computer screen had gone completely black.
Even the small red recording light above the booth had disappeared.
Yuu slowly lowered her headphones.
“Did the power go out?”
She waited.
No response
She reached towards the microphone, but before her fingers could touch it, she noticed something strange.
There was a faint sound coming through her headphones.
Not music.
A whisper.
Yuu froze.
She lifted the headphones back over her ears. At first she couldn’t make out the words.
Then she heard it clearly.
Her stage name
“Ado.”
She immediately pulled the headphones off. The whisper continued.
But this time, it wasn't coming from the headphones.
It was coming from somewhere inside the booth.
Yuu slowly turned around.
There was nothing there.
Only the microphone
The walls.
And a tall, black mirror that hadn’t been there a moment ago.
Ah, my dear esteemed benefactor
My proud, beautiful flower of evil,
You are truly the fairest of them all.
O magic mirror, thy wisdom I entreat…
Reveal unto me the visage I seek…
You, whose image the dark mirror did beckon forth…
If your heart bids it, take the hand of the one reflected in the mirror.
As flame reduces even the stars to ash
As ice steals away even time itself
As the great tree swallows even the sky
Fear not the power of darkness.
Now - demonstrate your power.
To me. To them. To yourself.
The hour grows long, and time is scarce.
Keep steady your grip, no matter what may come.
Yuu’s body felt like lead; she felt restricted by vines of some sort; her head felt dizzy, and droplets of blood rained softly to the ground as she slowly slipped into darkness.
A black carriage pulled by horses was heading towards its destination. Inside was a coffin that held someone who would impact the fate of many people.
Why does my head hurt? I groaned, and my eyes fluttered open, but I was met with darkness. Where am I? I tried to think about what I was doing, and after a few seconds of pondering, the memory struck me.
“THE HELL!” I yelled. I need to get out right now! I banged against whatever it was confining me. Then I heard something from the outside. “What’s that noise?”
“I better hurry up and find that uniform before someone spots me,” an unknown voice said. I heard wood creaking, but nothing moved. “Urgggh…” This lid weighs a ton! Try this for size! Mya-ha!”
Suddenly, the temperature rose sharply, and I heard the crackle of fire.
“HUUH?!” I gave one big push, and the lid finally snapped open and off the hinges, falling to the floor, and the source of the voice was not what I expected. “A-a… cat?”
“Myehe, now time to grab the goods,” the small grey cat with.. Blue flames in its ears?! Reached towards me, but finally realized I was awake. “What?! You ain’t supposed to be awake! And who are you calling a cat?!” He huffed, and I swear I saw a few small blue flames come out of his mouth.
“Tch. Whatever. You human!” He said, pointing at me. “Just give me your uniform, and be quick about it!”
“M-My clothes?” I asked with confusion. I glanced down at myself and saw I was wearing a black robe with golden outlines.
“Come on! I’m on a tight schedule here!” he made a motion to grab my clothes, and I quickly swatted his paw away from me. He fell off the edge and grumbled. “How dare you swat the great Grim! You’re gonna pay for that, you human!”
I finally felt the use of my legs and jumped out of whatever it was that was holding me. Looking back, I saw that I was in a black coffin and let out a shocked gasp.
“What the heck! Was I in a coffin?” I freaked out. I saw an exit and bolted for it. I ran down the corridor. I saw another door at the end of it and quickly opened it to hide inside. I closed the door and saw a sign that said “Library”.
“Where am I?” I pondered out loud. I remember I was in the studio, and this weird mirror randomly spawned and then…
“What happened to me? Where are my friends?” I asked myself. Then I heard the door burst open and the mysterious (and a little bit irritating) cat appeared.
“Foolish human! Did you really think you could run away from the great Grim?” he yelled at me. “Now unless you wanna get burnt to a crisp, take off that-” Preparing myself to dodge his flame, I then heard the crack of a whip, and it quickly snatched the cat away and tied him up before he could do any damage. “Me- YEOH! That hurt! What gives!”
“Consider it tough love,” A male voice said. A man now holding Grim appeared. He was pretty tall and had a black mask in the shape of a crow hiding the top of his face, but I could make out the yellow eyes staring at me. He wore a top hat and had quite the flamboyant (Tengen) outfit.
“Ah, I’ve finally found you at last,” He said with relief, looking at me. “ Splendid. I trust you’re one of this year’s students?”
That word struck a chord in me.
“S-Student?! You must be mistaken, sir. I am too old to be a student,” I said, holding my hand up in front of me. Surely this man can see I’m in my early 20s
“My, were you ever to make your debut,” he continued, ignoring me. I was about to correct him again, but then I saw a mirror to my right. For the first time since coming out of that black coffin, I saw my full
appearance. I was no longer a 24-year-old woman who had fought through thick and thin just to work up enough courage to make friends, not the 23-year-old woman who had made it so far in the utaite industry.
I was in what looked like my young 16-year-old body?!
“EEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH?!” I shouted and ran up to the mirror to make sure. I grabbed my face and glanced at my body. Oh my god. How did this happen?! "I just got out of school a few years ago, and I need to go through that hell again?!" I thought.
The man with the crow mask, having seen my freakout, didn't even seem fazed by it.
“Hm? Of course you’re a teen; why else would I address you as a student? Anyways, I should mention, bringing a poorly trained familiar with you is a clear violation of the school rules,” he scolded. I was too stunned by my appearance to even comprehend what he was saying.
“As if I’d serve some lowly human! Now lemme go!!” Grim snarled
“Yes, yes. Rebellious familiars always say the same. Do be quiet for a bit, won't you?” The man with the mask covered Grim’s mouth.
“Mmrph!” Grim tried to protest against the man.
“Dear me. Of all the students I’ve dealt with,” The mysterious man wailed. The word student still stuck in my head. “You’re the first with audaci- ehm, temerity enough to open their own gate and step out of it.
Does the very notion of patience elude you?” I slowly turned around to face him. Still panicking from my youthful appearance.
“No matter. Your orientation has already begun. Let us return to the mirror of chambers,” he said.
“Gate…?” I squeaked. I felt like I could barely breathe, let alone speak, and my brain couldn’t keep up with the information piling up in front of me.
“ You awakened in a room full of gates, did you not?” he asked, as if it were so obvious. “All the students here at the campus arrived by passing through such gates.” So all those coffins were some sort of gate? That still didn’t explain my appearance at all.
“Although typically the students have enough restraint to wait until I open them before waking up,” he said in a scolding tone. I started narrowing my eyes; I didnt like the tone he was using with me. Teen body or not, I was a grown woman.
“I think something blew the lid off of mine,” I replied curtly, staring directly at the still squirming cat.
“The culprit does appear to be this untrained familiar of yours,” he agreed. “You’re the one who insisted on bringing it, so curtailing its behaviour is your responsibility.”
“Hold on just a minute now! T-that cat is not mine!” I said, regaining my wits, but he was still completely ignoring me.
“But now is not the time for such prattle. You’ve a student orientation to attend!” He exclaimed and grabbed me by the arm. “ We must make haste.” He said as he dragged me out of the library
“Hey! Let go of me! (dammit bitch I said, let go!) Can you at least tell me where we are? And who are you?” I asked, hoping he’d hear me, while trying to pull free from his grasp, but his grip was too strong.
“Hm? Have you not fully regained consciousness?” he pondered. “The timespace teleportation must have muddled your memories. I shall explain then. Truly, my magnanimity is boundless!”
"He did not just praise himself for that," I thought, as I felt a few beads of sweat run down my head.
“This is Night Raven College,” he presented in a bit of an ostentatious tone. “It is an institution for students all over the world who demonstrate a rare aptitude for magic. It is the most prestigious academy of its sort in all of Twisted Wonderland. And I am Dire Crowley. I have been entrusted with its care by the chairman; I serve as headmage.” Finally having a name for the face that was kidnapping me. And then a word he said finally processed in my brain.
“M-Magic?” I stuttered.
“Only those whom the Dark Mirror perceives as having a talent for magic are admitted to the college. Those who are selected are summoned to the college through those ‘gates’, which can appear anywhere,” he informed.
“But I don't have magic,” I tried to tell him, but once again it fell on deaf ears.
“Anyways, we mustn’t delay any longer. Let us attend to your orientation,” he said as he pulled me through a door; my journey at Night Raven College officially started.