Chapter Text
Tick-tock.
Finals are coming up.
Tick-tock.
In a corner of a dimly-lit room where the only source of light comes from a study lamp, Yuu’s loud scribbles rhythmically compete with the monotonous sound of a wall clock that’s situated right above her study desk. Deep into concentration, she persistently jots down necessary formulas and terms onto her notes while completely oblivious to the late hour.
It’s not just past her usual bedtime; Yuu is unconsciously welcoming the early hours of a new day. With a few hours left until the assessments begin, she feels a suffocating pressure brimming in the atmosphere—a kind that carries a heavy weight in the air, leaving little room to breathe. In this restless state she is in, Yuu views drowsiness as a luxury she cannot and will not afford, not until she subjectively reaches the satisfactory level of the term ‘done.’
This has always been her study routine—one her mother often calls ‘unhealthy’ but she didn’t seem to mind. Whenever major assessments are just right around the corner, Yuu’s very first instinct is to meticulously prepare all her review materials earlier than anyone in the campus could ever think of doing it. While many of her classmates have different ways of pursuing academic excellence, Yuu’s approach is rather unique. Driven by an all-or-nothing philosophy, she always pushes herself to extreme lengths, even if it means sacrificing her well-being and interpersonal relationships for the sake of acquiring flying colors in every activity or task given. This, as a result, has gained her a reputation of being the best not just in her class, but among the student body.
“I swear when all of this is over, I will reward myself with a big tub of cookies and cream ice cream and a long, cozy trip to Slumberland.” Yuu softly mumbles, motivating her sleep-deprived body while still continuously locked onto her notes; her eyes doing everything in their power not to close.
But amidst all this crazy obsession of earning academic success in her finals, little does she know that only the latter will be the sole route she’d later entrapped herself in—the kind she’d never would have imagined.
Not even in her wildest of dreams.
“Hey, do you know the answer to the last question at the back portion of the paper?”
“What do you think was the correct answer to number 3?”
“Heck, I was so close to figuring out the answer!...”
Post-exam debriefing sessions between students echo loudly through the school corridors. Some even got reprimanded by the professors for conversing too loudly near the classrooms where exams are still ongoing and hence, are strictly advised to move elsewhere to continue with their chatter.
Yuu, on the other hand, doesn’t have the slightest energy nor the time to strike up conversations with anyone. The moment she handed her test paper to her Math professor (after reviewing countless times all the answers she had inputted), she immediately got all her belongings and stormed out of the room like she's been caught up in an urgent matter.
Truth is, she’s just tremendously tired after pulling an all-nighter for almost the entire week. Sure, there were short naps in between study breaks but she had never fully savored the comfiness of her bed these past few days. Her mother would sometimes come into her room to check on her and there, she’d just find her studious yet completely stubborn daughter dozing off in front of her study desk. When Yuu woke up, she’d often be surprised to see a blanket already covering her fragile frame—with its soft fabric almost feeling the same as her mother’s warm hugs. She may not say it upfront to her mother, but she greatly appreciates everything her mom always does for her, especially in moments where she’s too absorbed in her lectures and assignments that painstakingly puts her well-being at stake.
As Yuu makes her way to the school gate, she feels a vibration in her pocket; a text notification pops up on her phone screen.
Sora: Heya, my smarty-pants bestie! Don’t wanna ask how your exams went coz I know you all aced it up like it was nothing!
Sora: Wru, btw? The minute I looked behind my seat, you were already gone. That’s not nice to leave ur bestie, ya know! ಥ╭╮ಥ
She quickly opens the notification and can’t help but let out a soft laughter after reading her best friend’s text message to her.
Yuu: I’m currently right at the school gate, waiting for the bus. I feel so sleepy so I’m heading home straight.
Sora: Ofc, not a shocking news coming from u. Wait for me there, let’s get on the bus tgt. I have so muuuch to discuss with u after that horrifying Math exam that completely tortured all my remaining brain cells (╥﹏╥)
Yuu: Hahaha, okay. But you better be here in a minute or two. Time is of the essence, you know!
The bus ride home is anything Yuu has expected, especially when Sora is around—an endless stream of topics rattling out from her mouth, like some river that never runs dry. Even though Yuu looks so haggard she could barely passed as a walking zombie, she still manages to stay awake and listen to her ever-so talkative friend yap like there’s no tomorrow, albeit her responses are currently limited to just nods and a couple of facial expressions she can do at that very moment.
Sora, meanwhile, doesn’t feel the slightest bit disrespected by her best friend’s nonchalance at all. They have been friends since their early childhood days to memorize each other's temperament too well. If anything, Yuu’s stoic reactions towards her sentiments don’t upset her but find them rather appeasing to stare at. In fact, she’d even use that opportunity to tease her all the more.
“Oh, looks like your bus stop’s up next,” Sora remarks, “Geez, and here we are about to get to the interesting part of today’s tea...”
Yuu just slightly chuckles at the sight of her best friend’s sulking manner.
“Shall we continue this conversation next week over break time, then? Or if you can’t wait, you can message it to—”
“I’d rather talk about it in person ‘cause it’s more fun that way! Besides, I want to see your live reaction to when I finally spill the tea.” She wiggles her eyebrows, and completely does a smug expression—well enough for Yuu to catch on about the kind of gossip she is yet to unveil.
With only a block away from her destination, Yuu readily puts the strap of the bag over her shoulders and leans towards the seat in front of them—a position that is set to depart once the door swings open.
Beep. Beep.
“Bye, Sora. Text me when you get home. I’ll see you next week.”
“I will, I will, don’t worry! And be sure to take all the rest you need over the weekend, okie? Love ya, bye-bye!”
Sora waves through the window as Yuu swiftly gets off the bus.
Vibrant hues of deep orange, purple, and blue clashed harmoniously, painting the sky as the day finally marches towards its twilight. Yuu awkwardly stands between the apartment building and a convenience store to bask in the sight of a huge painted canvas for a bit, while seemingly forgetting something important. It seems that one of the promises she kept for herself earlier is yet to be unfulfilled when her tiresome body drags itself towards the staircase of a two-storey apartment.
She feels she is missing a certain thing as she heads her way to their apartment unit. She tries so hard to think about it, to let the submerged thought at the far deep ends of her brain to resurface, but all she gets is nothing but reminders from her body to rest. It’s really unlike her to forget this time around, because usually, no matter how exhausted she is from school, she’s not the type to forget things, especially not when it comes to promises she has for herself.
As soon as she twists the doorknob to openly reveal a tiny squared unit where she and her mom reside, Yuu immediately takes off her shoes near the doormat and goes straight into her bedroom. She puts aside her belongings at once and buries her worn out form against the complete softness of the mattress that she feels she hasn’t felt for in ages.
‘Finally, we meet again.’ Yuu says in her head as she gradually nestled even deeper onto her bed. And not even a few minutes in, she quietly dozes off to the land of dreams.
Dreams often tell illusionary tales twisted from one’s own reality. In dreams, you can be anything—where impossible turns to possible. And sometimes, Yuu’s been caught in a trance by the idea of this fantastical world. A world full of craze and wonder where nothing would stay as it is because everything would become what it usually is not; a nonsensical world, as one would argue. But behind it lies a rather comforting freedom that would rest joyfully in the hands of a beholder. Because what greater power there is than being in control of your own narrative, right? Even as maddening as it could get. And she only wishes that life was like this in actuality, where there is only one route to enjoying life: a happy ending, in spite of it all.
Yuu squirms to her other side when she begins to feel a suffocating heat starting to fill the air. This, as a response, makes her jolt wide awake in an instant.
‘Since when did the electricity go out?’ She yawns and stretches her body before fully leaving her bed.
But just as she’s about to sit up straight, her head is met with an aggressive hit against a wooden frame instead.
“Ouch!” She yells in pain.
She reaches the area where her head’s been hit and ponders why such a thing was right in front of her. ‘How is it even there? Did the ceiling collapse or something?’
Then, a sudden bubble of assumption rises up within her, “What the hell? Am I... stuck inside a cabinet?!” Yuu's eyes widen in pure shock.
She’s thinking of all plausible causes that have ended her there, and yet the closest thing she could logically infer is that she was sleepwalking. She has never sleepwalked before when she was a child; however, she is well aware of the fact that this condition can persist to adulthood as well, and that such underlying factors could point to stress and sleep-deprivation—which, as displeased as she is to her stubbornness—she fully acknowledged it.
Heart pounding so fast, Yuu anxiously slams her fists against the wooden frame in hopes it will budge open, but to her dismay, it doesn't.
“Help, mother, anyone—please, get me outta here. I’m stuck!” She cries for help.
And just when she’s about to accept her fate of staying there for an hour or so, her pleading’s been answered at such a rather short moment: the door, or the lid rather, swings open on its own.
She breathes out a deep sigh of relief and tries to extend her gratitude, thinking there was someone who came to her rescue, “Thank you kindly for—”
As she takes a step forward, she notices her foot isn't stepping on anything other than air. She panics at this sheer realization and the next thing she knows is she’s already being pulled down by sudden gravitational force—her body knocking itself against the floor.
Thud.
‘What the heck was that?!’
“Oh my, how impatient you are, dear one! I understand your excitement to enroll, but you could’ve at least waited for me to unlock your gate. You’re our last anticipated student anyway.”
Yuu looks up to see where the voice came from and there, she meets a rather strange half-masked creature clothed in a peculiar get-up. The tall man has glowing yellow dotted-eyes hiding beneath the mask, unusually pointed ears for a human, and is dressed in an seemingly formal attire with a long cape that gives the perfect illusion of having black-feathered wings. He also wears a hat with mirror designs on it and holds a staff that resembles to that of a key, with a golden raven figure on its handle.
‘Is he cosplaying? No, wait—’ She presumes for a bit and shakes her head to ask herself a more fitting question.
‘If I am not in my bedroom then... where even am I?’
Entirely confused by the situation she’s found herself in, Yuu gets to her feet and cluelessly asks, “I’m sorry, where am I? And who are you... Sir?”
“Hmm? Has your consciousness been tampered by the time space teleportation? Well, this isn’t new. Allow me to formally introduce myself: I am Dire Crowley, the entrusted Headmage of Night Raven College. This is the most prestigious arcane academy in all of Twisted Wonderland where only those with exceptional magic are chosen to enroll.” Crowley explains cheerfully, “And your existence has been summoned here because your magical prowess was recognized by the Dark Mirror itself.” He then adds while pointing his staff at Yuu.
‘Time space teleportation... Magic... Dark Mirror... Is this some kind of dream?’ Yuu scoffs, as she shakes her head in disbelief at the nonsensical talk the man just spewed.
She glances down at herself and is caught off guard after noticing her sudden change of clothes. Last she recalled, she didn’t change out of her school uniform before she fell asleep in her bedroom because of how exhausted she was from her finals. What more, she can’t ever recall owning a fancy black and purple embroidered robe in her closet. Still confused as a lost pup, her eyes absent-mindedly wanders at her surroundings and sees people dressed in the same robes with hoods over their heads as her. She unsettlingly notices the place they are in is similar to that of a church, and she feels even more unease after seeing a bunch of floating coffins behind her, which she believed she was stuck in one not too long ago.
“What’s going on?”
“How did someone manage to open the gate by themself?”
“Maaan, when’s this orientation going to end?”
Only when she’s taken a full glance at the environment has she fully grappled with the dangers of the state she’s in. One where she thinks she’s stepped into an important gathering she shouldn’t be messing with in the first place.
“Me coming out from the coffin... People in cloaks...” Yuu raises her suspicion and gasps, “Am I being sacrificed by some kind of cult here?!”
‘Dear God, if this is the price I have to pay for constantly neglecting my own well-being, then I promise to never do it again! Spare me from your great suffering just this once!’
Yuu mentally pleads to the heavens while still hoping all of this is nothing but a mere dream perchance—or a nightmare that she dreadfully hopes she can escape from.
“Fear not, dear one, for you are not in any way being ‘sacrificed.’ Now, step in front of the Dark Mirror and let your soul–”
Before Crowley could even finish his spiel, Yuu alarmingly searches for the nearest exit and hurriedly sprints the second she sees the slight opening of doors at the far end of the function hall.
‘This eerie, gloomy atmosphere certainly tells me this is a cult ceremony. No way am I going to get sacrificed just like that. I need to get out of here fast!...’ She skeptically thinks, while running away.
“Wait a minute!” Crowley’s desperate shout echoes through the hall, “No one has ever dictated their strong refusal to enroll here before, you know!”
The Headmage’s gaze follows Yuu as she excludes herself out from the ongoing ceremony. He’s about to take his leave to catch up to her when suddenly a red-haired boy raises his hand and stands up from the pool of audience.
“Headmage, if you’ll allow me, please let me be the one to handle this matter.” He says.
Without hesitation, Crowley replies, “You have my permission, Rosehearts. Just do be quick about it.”
Yuu finds herself wandering like a lost kitten in the unfamiliar interior hallways of the main building of Night Raven College. Even though her mind’s been clouded with surging thoughts of how’s and why’s, she never let these get herself be blinded by her main agenda: to get out from the mess she’s currently in.
She’s searching for a door that could lead her to an outdoor setting, but almost every door she stumbles upon shows her to yet another room with tables and chairs surrounding it. She then recalls the birdman’s introductory speech earlier—about the place being an academy—and from there, she can immediately tell that those are classroom set-ups. She’s about to walk her way up to the last one at the far end of the hallway; a door that’s twice as large than the previous ones she’d opened and in which she prays to be the main gate—only to be caught on quickly by someone.
“Stop right there, stranger. How dare you run away from an ongoing solemn ceremony? Such blatant rudeness shouldn’t be overlooked!” The red-haired boy says, almost as demandingly.
‘Tsk. Talk about perfect timing.’
Yuu rolls her eyes and turns around to reply, “Could you please stop following me? I don’t even wanna be here in the first place.”
“Hmm, very well. If you don’t wish to take heed of my request, then I have to do this through extreme matters myself.”
He squints his bluish-gray eyes in frustration, then whips out a wand and points it at Yuu’s direction. Yuu gulps, and prepares herself for the worst.
Whoosh.
“Woah! What are you doing?! Stop, I’m gonna get burned to a crisp here!” She exclaims in horror as the scorching fire surrounds her, leaving her with no way out.
“Hmph. Cease your whining at once and come along with me. Don’t make me restrain you. Surely you don’t want to bring more embarrassment to the ceremony than you already did, right?” He slyly retorts back and puts out the fire in an instant.
Yuu suspiciously glares at him and hesitates for a moment. ‘The fire’s too hot to not be real. If this isn’t a dream and what they’re all saying is the truth, then maybe, it’s best to go along for now. Maybe they can find a way to take me home...!’
Left with no other choice but to surrender, Yuu throws both of her hands in the air, “Okay, okay. I'll go!”
The trip back to the ceremony is a rather short one, but Yuu’s been frantically tense the whole time to the point where a minute feels like a passing hour to her. It also doesn’t help that the person she’s with could potentially punish her far worse than what she had witnessed earlier if she ever acts in a misbehaving manner again. The boy leads the way and Yuu walks behind him, almost like some kind of captured suspect. She wants to break the suffocating silence between them, but she couldn’t even know what words to say carefully.
‘Hello? What’s your name? How long have you been here? Can you care to tell me fun stories about this place, if there is one?...’
Yuu’s never the type to casually initiate conversations with anyone, and it cringes her of the thought to strike up one with a brooding stranger who’s holding her captive, a stranger with an extremely dangerous magical prowess to note.
‘One wrong conversation and it’s all over. Just... never mind.’
Afraid to take a risk, she just scrapes off the idea of trying to be friendly when she realizes there’s nothing far more concerning than her life being on the line right now.
When they both arrive at the ongoing ceremony, all eyes are directly on them. As they make their way toward the center, Yuu can feel the intense stares of the crowd at her presence; it’s almost like their gazes are piercing right through her skin.
“Ah, finally! Rosehearts, you have my thanks!” Crowley gleams in joy when he sees the two walk up the center stage. The red-haired boy utters no word. He then steps aside and goes back to his seat in the front row, leaving Yuu and the Headmage at the stage.
“You there,” Crowley turns his full attention to the girl. “Well, aren’t you one naughty student, already causing a scene on your very first day here?” He adds in a serious tone, pressing his staff against the floor to make a sound—an authoritative tap that could send shivers down someone’s spine.
Mustering the remaining courage she has left, Yuu takes her guard stance, her fists clenching hard on her sides—an act of a self-imposed anchor for support and a visible readiness for any possible attack against her.
“However, since I am as gracious as ever of a Headmage—I’ll ignore your show of impertinence in today’s ceremony, for I deeply understand the sentiments of the newly arrived students such as yourself!”
‘Uh, What?’ Yuu grimaces at the sudden shift of his attitude as well as the compliment he just made for himself.
The Headmage then places his golden clawed hands onto her now relaxed shoulders, gently pushing her to face the giant magical mirror, “Now, dear one, make haste; state your name and let the nature of your soul be identified by the Dark Mirror itself.”
She looks up at the huge artifact emblazoned in front of her; it has intricate designs carved on its golden frame, and even though it’s being referred to as a ‘mirror,’ Yuu can’t even see her nor anyone’s appearance reflected in it. The glass is just pitched-black nothing—almost like staring into a void.
“Uhm, my name’s Yuu...” She nervously says, and trails off for a while when fear suddenly takes hold of her thoughts.
‘Will this be the end? Are they really going to sacrifice me, right here, right now?!’
There’s a minute of deafening silence filling the hall. Yuu then tightly grips both her hands, closes her eyes, and blurts out the words as loud as she can manage, “I’m sorry for not saying this earlier, but I think you guys have captured the wrong ‘student.’ I can’t even use magic AT ALL!”
The latter sentence is sure to ring in the ears of everyone present in the assembly, including the Headmage himself.
“So pretty please, can you show this poor, unfortunate soul the way back home?” She adds while looking straight to the Headmage with a pitiful look.
“My, way to truly caught me off guard there—”
“It is as she says; I sense no ounce of magic from this one. Her spirit: colorless, shapeless, and utterly vacant.”
The Dark Mirror interrupts the conversation between the two, making everyone in the room startled by its thundering voice.
The Mirror finally reveals its face to Yuu, and she’s quite taken aback by its only theatrical masked-like appearance. No face. No Body. Just a floating talking mask with green flames surrounding it.
“Pardon?” The Headmage blinks twice and asks in disbelief.
“She bears no magic in her name nor does she even belong in this world. Hence, I cannot send her back to where she originally came from—and I most definitely cannot sort this one to a specific dorm as there is none that truly matches the nature of her soul.”
“Wait, what do you mean I can’t go home? You guys were the ones who brought me here AGAINST my will, and now you’re telling me you can’t send me back?!” Yuu snaps back in response.
The Dark Mirror just stares blankly at her.
‘No, no, no, this CAN’T be happening! Tell me this is nothing but a dream right now!’
Completely terrified and overwhelmed with what’s happening, Yuu places both hands on her head and falls to her knees on the ground.
“How did they mistakenly summon a magicless individual here?”
“Wait, what, that student is a she?! Did I hear that correctly?”
“Well, all this ruckus is quite entertaining to watch.”
Students from the crowd eventually fill the chamber with their loud gasps and utter surprises from what they’ve just witnessed. The oddity of today’s event piqued the curiosity of their villainous minds, and it sure won’t be long until it becomes the first gossip of the school year. Well, it already has.
To prevent further mishaps from unfolding and most especially to spare himself from the humiliation he feels at that very moment, Crowley faces the crowd and talks almost in a composed manner, “Ahem—everyone, I hereby declare the orientation has been adjourned. To the new students, I ask that you kindly follow your housewardens as they will escort you to your respected dormitories.”
“Oh, Great Seven! Accidentally enrolling a magicless woman in an all-boys academy is unheard of, let alone a person from an unidentified dimension or world! This has never happened before in my long tenure as the Headmage! Whatever shall I do with this misguided one then?” Crowley dramatically exclaims, while pacing back and forth in front of the Dark Mirror, still in complete denial.
“As the Headmage, you must exhaust all means to get her back to her world. For the meantime, I will allow this child to be enrolled at the academy, because despite her lack of magical aptitude, I sense her great critical acumen for things often overlooked by mages—a gift that can even rival a magic uncontrolled and not kept at bay.” The Dark Mirror remarks, “Also, I trust you can come up with a potion or a wand that can help her wield one, yes?”
“...But of course.” Crowley answers back, like a knight taking heed of a king’s order. He then turns around to face the hopeless Yuu whose body is groveling steadily on the ground for quite some time, “As loath as I am to leave you all homeless in a foreign place with no familiar guardians and all, come—there’s a vacant building you can stay here for the time being. Why, I’m ever so kind!” He offers his hand to get Yuu to stand up, and without much thought, she accepts.
"She will officially be a student of Night Raven College. The first Ramshackle student in centuries, to note. I sense a great future ahead of this one.” The Dark Mirror states once again.
As both her and the Headmage make their way out the chamber, Yuu looks back in hopes to capture the sight of the Dark Mirror in its full glory, but is surprised to see a bizarre expression from it instead.
It’s smiling right at her.
Surely a grin that has never been seen by any other students here before, not even by the Headmage she believes.
Although, she can’t tell if it was genuine or not, at all.