Chapter Text
THERE were many worlds in existence.
Worlds born of dreams, of magic, of stories whispered from one generation to the next. Worlds shaped by heroes and villains, by kings and fools, by love and ambition and the quiet longing of those who wished for something more.
And among them all, there existed one particular world that prided itself on a single, glittering truth: Villains were the fairest of them all.
This was the world of Twisted Wonderland. A realm where magic thrummed through the air like a living thing, where history was written in the shadows of great legends, and where the prestigious Night Raven College stood as a monument to those who admired cunning, brilliance, and power above all else.
Night Raven College, often called NRC by the student body when they refused to be formal, was no ordinary school. An arcane academy of the magic arts, an all boys school with the random young woman who graced them with her arrival.
Built from black stone that gleamed like obsidian beneath the sun, its towers curved like a fortress reaching toward the sky. Each dormitory carried the spirit of a legendary great, each student was handpicked by the Dark Mirror, and each lesson was designed to sharpen not them in mind and soul… but ambition.
It was a place for prodigies.
For schemers.
For kings in the making.
And, quite accidentally…
It had also become home to a human girl from another world. Yuuree did not look like she belonged at Night Raven College.
Not with her softness in her expression that lingered even when she tried to hide it behind a tired, unimpressed stare. And yet, there she was.
Walking down the stone pathway between the main school building and the dormitories, sunlight glinting across the polished floors and stained-glass windows behind her, as if she had always been part of the academy. The scent of floor cleaner, lemon waxed bleach floors and magic filled her nostrils, as she lingered in the halls as usual.
At her side and sometimes directly under her feet was a small, gray creature with bright blue flames flickering from his ears. A Direbeast and her familiar.
Grim.
“Ugh, I’m starving!” Grim complained loudly, padding along beside her. “All that magic theory stuff just made me hungrier!”
“You were asleep for half of it,” Yuuree replied flatly, not even glancing down at him.
“I was resting my eyes! There’s a difference!”
“You were snoring.” She sad in a singsong voice as she shook her head, the long brown locs swaying when she did the motion.
“I do NOT snore!”
“You snored loud enough for Professor Trein to throw chalk at you. You know that old man isnt very receptive but when he heard you…that really made him mad." She snickered.
“That was one time!”
Behind them, a group of boys followed in a loose gaggle. Each one dressed in their dorm uniforms, each one bringing their own brand of chaos to the otherwise dignified campus grounds. The first years which took very kindly to the young woman. They were like her little brothers, everywhere she went, one of them or if not, all of them were there.
“Man, I thought that class was never gonna end,” The red headed one groaned, stretching his arms above his head. A heart painted over his eye, and his mouth opening wide in a yawn.
That's Ace Trappola. And he had his usual lazy grin, clearly unbothered by the lecture they had just endured.
“You wouldn’t think that if you actually paid attention,” The dark haired one shot back immediately.Roommates they were, He had a spade painted over his eye.
Deuce Spade walked stiffly beside him, arms crossed like he was still mentally taking notes even after class had ended. But he triednot to seem so rigid.
“I did pay attention!”
“You tried to copy my notes the entire time.”
“That’s still paying attention!”
“That’s cheating!”
“That’s teamwork!”
The usual Adeuce banter, hm dearest reader?
A few steps behind them, the lavender haired one, the more gentle looking one let out a quiet sigh. But when he openee his mouth, his appearence did not match those words!
“I swear, listenin’ to you two bicker is more exhaustin’ than class itself.”
Epel Felmier brushed a stray strand of pale lavender hair out of his face, his expression deceptively sweet despite the faint irritation in his tone.
And walking beside him, giving a low huff, was one of the notable first year jocks. A dedicated student, loyal to the end and a wolf beastman. That's Jack.
“At least you two weren’t nearly late,” said Jack Howl, his ears flicking slightly in the breeze. “You’d think by now some people would learn time management.”
He cast a pointed look toward Ace and Deuce.
“Hey, we made it on time, didn’t we?” Ace shot back.
“Barely,” Deuce muttered.
From behind them all came a sharp, indignant voice.
“Humans truly lack discipline! It is shameful!! utterly shameful!! that you would treat your education so lightly!”
That voice belonged to Sebek Zigvolt, who marched with his usual rigid posture and booming volume.
“Lord Malleus would never behave so disgracefully!”
“Here we go again,” Ace whispered to Deuce.
“I can hear you,” Sebek snapped.
“I know,” Ace said cheerfully.
Floating slightly above the ground, Ortho drifted alongside them, his mechanical wings humming softly. The cyborg boy, little brother of Ignihyde's hermit housewarden.
“I found today’s lecture fascinating!” said Ortho Shroud. “The section about blot accumulation rates was especially interesting. Did you know that—”
“Ortho,” Yuuree interrupted gently, glancing back over her shoulder. Her hair touseled as she looked back hardly,giving Ortho a tired smile, her lips were full and round and always painted with gloss borrowed from a Pomefiore student because, where could a girl get a decent lip combination at an all boys school?
“Yes, Yuuree?”
“Please don’t start giving us a quiz.”
Ortho paused.
“…I did prepare one.”
“Of course you did.”
Grim groaned loudly. “No more studying! I want lunch!”
“Food does sound good,” Epel admitted.
“See? Epel gets it!” Grim yelped.
Yuuree let their voices wash over her.
This…this ridiculous, loud, chaotic group of boys, had somehow become her life.
Her normal.
Her found… something.
She wasn’t sure she’d call it home.
Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
But it was something close.
And that was enough.
For now.
The courtyard of Night Raven College stretched out before them, grand and sprawling.
Students passed by in clusters, some discussing lessons, others comparing magical techniques, a few whispering about dorm rivalries or upcoming exams.
Heartslabyul.
Savanaclaw.
Octavinelle.
Scarabia.
Pomefiore.
Ignihyde.
Diasomnia.
Each dorm was a story.
Each student was part of something larger than themselves.
And Yuuree…
Well, Yuuree was the anomaly.
The one the Dark Mirror should never have summoned.
A human.
Magicless.
From another world entirely.
At least… that’s what everyone had believed.
At the front of the group, Yuuree slowed slightly as they reached the main walkway leading toward Ramshackle Dorm.
The old, slightly crooked building sat at the edge of campus like an afterthought, its paint worn, its roof patched together in places, its windows uneven but warm with life.
Her new home.
Grim ran ahead toward the door. “First one inside gets the big couch!”
“You always take the big couch!” Ace shouted, chasing after him.
“Not if I get there first!”
“You’re literally smaller than me, how do you even take up the whole thing?!”
Yuuree shook her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips despite herself.
“Children,” Jack muttered.
“You’re one of them,” Epel pointed out.
“I am not.”
“You absolutely are.”
“I am a responsible student-athlete.”
“Sure you are.” Epel said and Sebek gave a glare as he entered as well, all the boys causing the wooden floors ro creak with each of their weights shifting it. The ghosts greet them all as Moss the Ghost dons a pink apron, carrying cookies on a tin.
Yes, there were ghosts. All over the dorm. There were a few notable ones. Moss, Grubb, Jasper, McShiver, and Booz.
The freshman's bickering faded slightly as Yuuree paused at the bottom of the dorm steps. For just a moment The wind shifted? A strange feeling brushed against her chest.
Like something… calling.
Faint.
Distant.
Familiar?
She frowned slightly, glancing back toward the main school building.
The tall spires of Night Raven College gleamed under the afternoon sun.
Nothing looked out of place.
Nothing looked different.
And yet…
Her chest tightened.
“…Yuuree?”
She blinked, turning back.
Deuce had paused on the steps, looking at her with mild concern.
“You coming?”
“Yeah,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “Sorry. Just zoned out.”
“You do that a lot,” Ace called from inside.
“Maybe because you talk too much.” Yuuree joked, brushing off that awkward zoning out moment, entering Ramshackle with a slam of the door. Removing her satchel which carried she and Grim's dsily items
“Wow, rude.”
“Accurate,” Jack added.
The strange feeling lingered. But she ignored it. Just like she ignored a lot of things.
Time passed in the way it always did at Night Raven College….loud, chaotic, and just slightly magical.
Lunch was eaten.
Arguments were had.
Homework was ignored and then frantically attempted.
Grim tried to cook and nearly set something on fire. Moss, Grubb, McShiver, Boo and Jasper floated about being their regular ghostly selves. Baking, haunting, joking and doing what haunts do best.
Ortho offered to help optimize their schedule.
Ace tried to cheat again.
Deuce tried to stop him.
Epel pretended to be delicate while absolutely not being delicate.
Jack went for a run.
Sebek loudly declared the superiority of Lord Malleus at least three separate times.
It was, in every sense of the word,
Normal.
Until it wasn’t…
Every student’s phone buzzed at the same time.
A sharp, synchronized chime echoed through Ramshackle Dorm.
Yuuree blinked, pulling her phone from her pocket.
Grim looked up from where he was attempting to steal food from Ace’s plate.
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Probably an announcement,” Deuce said, already checking his own device.
Ace groaned. “If it’s another reminder about exams, I’m deleting it.”
Epel raised a brow. “Ah’m pretty sure ya can’t delete school announcements.”
“Watch me.”
Ortho’s eyes lit up as he scanned the message instantly. “It’s from Headmage Crowley!”
Yuuree’s screen displayed the message in elegant, curling script:
From the Office of Headmage Crowley
To all esteemed students of Night Raven College,
You are hereby required to attend a special assembly in the main assembly hall immediately.
Attendance is mandatory.
This is a matter of great importance and academic interest.
—Headmage Dire Crowley
Silence fell over the room.
“…That sounds ominous,” Ace said.
“That sounds exciting!” Ortho added.
“That sounds like trouble,” Jack muttered.
“That sounds like something Lord Malleus should already know about!” Sebek declared.
Grim puffed up. “If there’s food, I’m going.”
“There is definitely not food,” Yuuree said.
Ace stood up, stretching. “Well, guess we’re going to an assembly.”
Deuce nodded. “We shouldn’t keep the headmage waiting.”
Epel hopped down from his seat. “Let’s go, then.”
Yuuree slipped her phone back into her pocket.
That strange feeling from earlier…
It pulsed again. Stronger this time. Like something had just woken up. She glanced toward the window.
Her chest tightened.
“…Yuuree?” Grim tugged on her sleeve. “You’re doing that thing again.”
She blinked.
“Right,” she said quietly. “Sorry. Let’s go.”
Together, they stepped out of Ramshackle Dorm and headed toward the main assembly hall of Night Raven College.