Tangled in Wonderland - A Simulation
author note: ... so this got out of hand and ended up being over 6500 words x-x really curious to see how you guys like it and react to the twist. i'm so anxious if you guys will enjoy it that i can't even right my usual rambly A/N!!
characters: Idia Shroud x GN!Reader, Ortho Shroud (Platonic)
Thump. Thump. Thump. Slam.
The sound of quarrelling which, through Ramshackleâs thin walls, sounded like it could be happening right next door to you.
The sound of a quiet but stern lecture, a voice full of authority that would not stand being questioned.
You rolled over in bed and checked the time on your phone. 7:00 am. On a Saturday. You groaned and rolled onto your stomach and buried your face in your pillow â not the best quality but comfortable enough â as Grim snored, spread out at the foot of the bed. You were pretty sure he could sleep through a hurricane.
Just why had you agreed to allow the NRC Tribe to stay here, again? Perhaps it was masochism?
But that didnât do Vil any justice. He had warned you that tenacity was Pomefioreâs thing.
The morning after Vil had grandly declared that he had moved in was⌠Something. The best way you could describe it was that it played out like a fever dream. You had hoped it was, actually. You kept pinching yourself, hoping youâd wake up any moment. Of course, you didnât.
You had woken the next morning to Vil knocking on your door. He was rather insistent, as he didnât leave even when you ignored his knockings in favour of burying yourself further into the warm comfort of your bed. Finally, you dragged yourself out of bed and ripped open the door, glaring bleary eyed at Vil, who stood looking annoyingly immaculate for so early in the morning.
âIâve prepared us some breakfast. I see you need time to get ready, but please do hurry. I have a schedule to keep.â Vil informed you, not even waiting for your response as he turned on his heel and walked down the hall. You grumbled and slammed the door shut, reeling both from the early morning veiled insult and the fact that somehow Grim had slept through it all, still snoring away peacefully on your bed.
You readied yourself as quickly as you could but took an extra few moments to smooth out your appearance more than you usually would. Youâd be sitting opposite Vil Schoenheit after all, and you could really do without his comments this early in the morning.
You walked down to the lounge to see that Vil had indeed set the table up for breakfast. Mismatched bowls filled with yoghurt, berries, and some sort of⌠Seeds? A jug of orange juice also sat on the table, just enough for one glass each, along with a heartier jug filled to the brim with water. You had to admit, you hadnât had such a healthy, well put together breakfast since you got there. Most days you had to forgo your breakfast entirely in order to stop Grim terrorising the school population before first period began. If this was Vilâs charm offensive, you could get behind it.
âThis was the best I could do with your dormâs⌠Limited implements,â Vil sighed as he drizzled a modest serving of honey on his own bowl of yoghurt before pushing the honey container towards you, âI would have brought my blender but I wasnât if Ramshackle had running electricity.â Vil commented dryly, âdoes Crowley not ensure you have the needed facilities to live adequately? That man is shameless.â
Now this was a conversation you could get behind.
âCrowley doesnât ensure anything ever.â You grumbled as you drizzled some honey onto your own yoghurt bowl under the watchful eye of Vil. The amount you put must have been satisfactory because he didnât say anything, only began to mix his spoon in his own bowl.
âThe prize money from the SDC would help change that. You could get yourself better kitchenware, maybe some more soft furnishingsâŚâ Vil began, and you rolled your eyes as you munched on some berries. Nice segway.
âNot interested.â You responded bluntly, although Vil didnât seem too surprised by that. He picked up the orange juice jug, pouring you a glass first before filling his own, as manners would dictate. âWhy are you so against the NRC Tribe staying here? You only stand to gain from doing so. Whilst there may be a bit of disruption, Iâve assured you that I would keep disruption to your routine to a minimum. I must say⌠I do find your stalwart refusal a little odd.â Vil stared hard at you now, and you tried not to visibly squirm from the intensity that he was studying you.
It seemed that all your efforts to not bring attention to yourself were doing the exact opposite in this situation. Vil found your behaviour odd, and Ace and Deuce had also found your behaviour odd when you didnât attend the Pomefiore ballroom when you were requested to do so. It was rather annoying, actually, how all your hard work to be as unnoticeable as possible was turning out to be fruitless.
But if there was one thing you could rely on for a believable defence, it was the inherent selfishness of the Night Raven College students (and arguably, staff).
âWhy should I go out of my way to help you? Regardless of what you offer, it sounds like a pain. I have to accommodate seven extra students? On top of all the trouble I get from Grim anyway? Sounds like a drag. Plus I enjoy having my own space.â You quipped back, your expression indifferent.
âHmph. It seems like you fit in here more than you think.â Vil shot back sassily, an elegant eyebrow raised at your open self-centeredness.
All throughout breakfast you and Vil had an unproductive back and forth where he tried to gain some ground on getting the training camp to go ahead in Ramshackle. It was exhausting, but you managed to hold out long enough that breakfast was over and there was no reason to stay at the table any longer, for either of you. You were just leaving the lounge when there was a energetic knock on Ramshackleâs main doors. You sighed, wondering why someone else was now knocking on your door, but for all you knew it could be Ace and Deuce, wanting to walk with you to class. That reminded you that you needed to get Grim up too. Reluctantly, you walked towards the entrance, pulling one of the creaky doors open.
You slammed the door shut.
âThat was rude. Rook is here to walk with me to class. He also is delivering my blender.â Vil scolded, having followed you partially to the entrance, obviously predicting that it was Rook. You groaned loudly regardless of this, bumping your forehead lightly against the entrance doorâs old wood. You had to deal with Rook Hunt now too? This was getting out of hand.
Grudgingly, you pulled open the door again, not bothering to mask your expression of displeasure as you stared at Rook, who stood with his usual enigmatic smile on your doorstep, with a blender tucked carefully under his arm.
âAhh Trickster! How delightful your disgruntled expression looks first thing in the morning! Magnifique! Like a raging storm cloud threatening the blue skies! And Roi de Poison, as radiant as ever! Like the brightest of suns in comparison! Oh, how I wish I could burn this image into my mind forevermore!â Rook enthusiastically sang, and it was as if you could feel your mood plummeting in real time.
âOh give it a restâŚâ You muttered under your breath, having to duck out of the way as Vil breezed past you and grabbed the blender off of Rook. âYes, that is quite enough of that, Rook. There is no cloud on this earth that could threaten my shine.â Vil commented, disappearing back into Ramshackle to no doubt deposit his blender in the kitchen. âOf course not, beautiful Vil!â Rook eagerly agreed.
Now why were you catching back handed insults from both Pomefiore housewardens?!
You grumbled under your breath about this, but Rook didnât seem to mind or care. He continued to smile at you, watching you with those ever-observing eyes.
âYou seem agitated, Trickster! But might I say, you do look beautiful this morning. A fine colour to your cheeks and a wicked glint in your eye! I see that your shared breakfast with Vil has done wonders for your complexion and spirit already.â Rook continued, managing to look harmless and sly at the same time. Quite the feat.
How exactly did he know that you had breakfast with Vil?! Had he been watching you? You cursed internally, swearing to yourself that youâd buy some thick curtains for Ramshackle out of your next allowance. But knowing Rook, that wouldnât be enough.
Instead, you glare at Rook and point a finger at him, which he watches with glee, as if he is enjoying the situation. âStop talking.â You say firmly, and he holds his hands up genially, not at all offended at your shortness. In your opinion, Rook Hunt was a whole valid reason on why you didnât want the NRC Tribe to stay at Ramshackle.
âRook, itâs time for us to go. I donât want to be late.â Vil declared as he strode out of Ramshackle, and you had to agree with Rook in that the run down exterior of Ramshackle didnât take away from Vilâs shine in the slightest. It was quite amazing, and also kind of irritating. âYou should leave shortly too, being late would be unbecoming of a dorm Prefect.â Vil sniped over his shoulder at you as he began to leave with Rook. Rook gave you a hearty parting wave, âfarewell, Trickster! I do hope to be sharing a dorm with you soon!â
Not at all ominous, thank you Rook.
âAnd donât forget about Grim.â Vil called, not even bothering to turn towards you as he continued on in the direction of Night Ravenâs main school building.
Oh, damn it. Grim! You rushed back upstairs, on a mission to get Grim out of bed and out of Ramshackle before you were late and Crewel chewed you both out again.
After that, Vil was a semi-permanent fixture at Ramshackle. He would return in the evenings, no doubt after running the NRC Tribe ragged during practice, and then he would put you through your paces. Heâd critique most of the things you did, and it wasnât like his words of advice were unhelpful, it just didnât help that they were delivered with the trademark Schoenheit sass. More often than not you were left reeling because he delivered his flyby judgments with such poise and poison, you were suddenly gaining a new appreciation for poor Epel.
Eventually you relented and agreed to allow the NRC Tribe to stay at Ramshackle until the SDC, but under very strict conditions. You would be receiving Vil and Rookâs share of the prize money if they won. You were not to be disturbed under any circumstances by the members of the NRC Tribe, and they were strictly forbidden from entering your bedroom. Groceries would be provided for the duration of the training camp. You also made it clear that you would not be responsible for any shenanigans that Grim pulled off during their stay, so not to even bother pestering you about it. And lastly, you would not be attending the SDC.
It was a difficult decision for you to make, but you realised that with Vil hounding you about allowing the NRC Tribe to stay, you were perhaps interacting with Vil way more than you potentially would during book fiveâs story path. A foul thought crossed your mind, Vil overblotting because negotiating with you had eaten into his preparation time for the SDC. At least with these conditions, you effectively minimised your role in book five to pretty much nothing, and if book fiveâs story decided to run its course like normal, then it was nothing to do with you.
Vil had stared at you with a knowing look when you first came to him telling him that you would agree for the training camp to go ahead, but his face slowly fell into a judging frown once you got to the end of your conditions.
âYou donât want to see your friends perform at the SDC? You do realise this is one of the biggest events of the school calendar? There might not ever be another opportunity for you to witness such a spectacle, let alone one that your friends are performing in. Not to mention⌠Theyâve been working so hard.â Vil questions you, his tone almost scolding, and his eyes wrought with curiosity as to why youâd be so callous to the two who youâd known the longest since arriving here.
You kept your expression indifferent, giving an excuse that loud spectacles werenât your thing. You did feel bad that you would miss Ace and Deuceâs big moment, but there was no way you could allow yourself to get dragged into a potential overblot situation again.
Of course, all of that felt meaningless now, considering that they werenât even complying with the conditions that you had set out.
You could vaguely hear Ace complaining to Deuce about having to be up so early despite Vil technically giving them the morning off, whatever that meant. You hoped that the voices would eventually die down and you could get a couple hours more sleep, but the banging, thumping and voices went on and on. You even attempted to pass sometime by playing around on some mobile games that you had downloaded, a guilty pleasure that was a temptation too hard to resist when Crowley gave you the phone. But the noise never abated, and with a disgruntled sigh you got out of bed and decided to get ready for the day.
It felt weird being on campus so early in the morning on the weekend. It was mostly empty, which you assumed had to do with most students forgoing breakfast to sleep in, although there were a few early risers milling around campus. Some were heading towards the gates, likely heading out to town, whilst others made their way to the many other facilities that Night Raven had to offer. You yourself had decided to visit the mystery shop on a whim, thinking you could pick up a snack or two for during your breaks at the library.
You were walking up the path towards the shop when some⌠Large boxes came floating out the door⌠You stopped in your tracks, blinking several times. Were you that tired that you were seeing things now?
âSorry Prefect, I donât want to accidentally bump you!â Said a chipper voice coming from behind the boxes, startling you and making you hop out of the way. Behind the boxes was one Ortho Shroud, and suddenly the floating made sense. Not so much the boxes, though.
âAh, my brother got a little caught up yesterday and forgot to do his usual food order, so I came to the mystery shop to pick up a few supplies to tide us over!â Ortho told you as he saw you eyeing up the boxes in his arms in confusion. He floated towards you where you stood off the path, and gently placed the boxes down, and they were nearly as tall as you were! Just a few supplies?!
âWhat are you playing?â Ortho asked enthusiastically, and you belatedly realised that you had one of the mobile games you had downloaded open on your phone, and muscle memory made you want to close it down immediately, but Orthoâs big, excited eyes made you feel too guilty to do so.
âOh, uh⌠Itâs just a game I downloaded, I donât know much about itâŚâ You fielded awkwardly, hoping to brush the topic away but Ortho only floated closer to get a better look at the screen.
âMy brother plays that one too!!â Ortho gushes with glee, the sudden burst of elation catching you a little off guard. Really? This didnât seem like Idiaâs type of game⌠You swear you vaguely remember him saying he wasnât that into dating sims⌠Although, you did suppose this one wasnât a conventional dating simulator at the very least.
âBut what happened to your screen?â Ortho asked, ripping you out of your thoughts, his head tilting to the side curiously. Now that did make you lock your phone to attempt to hide your shamefully cracked phone screen. Kalim, thatâs what happened, you thought dryly. âOh itâs nothing,â you said quickly, âI just had a small accident with it. It still works just fine!â
âLetâs get my brother to fix it!â
Ortho was beaming at you, eyes sparkling at the idea. You could feel your heart sinking.
âOh no, no. I wouldnât want to bother him! Itâs totally fine, I promise!â You said hurriedly, hoping to derail the idea and make a quick escape, but it seemed like the idea had already firmly taken root in Orthoâs brain.
âIt wouldnât be a bother! My brother is really good with machines, heâll get it fixed in no time! Plus, you two can talk about that game together! Iâm sure heâd love to know there was someone else on campus who likes the same game as him!â Ortho encouraged.
Ah. So that was what this was about.
Book six had Ortho really encouraging Idia to share his gaming interests with the other students at Night Raven. Considering that the Ignihyde chapter was the next in line after book five, it did make sense that Ortho was taking this coincidence and running with it, considering you had just made it a thousand times easier for him to do so by just happening to like the same game as his beloved brother.
⌠But how were you supposed to say no to those eyes?! How were humanoids allowed to have such heart wrenching eyes?! It wasnât fair.
You chewed on your bottom lip in indecision. It would be useful to get your phone screen fixed, even to stop Vilâs sassy barbs that he kept firing at you whenever he caught sight of it (something something âyour belongings are a reflection of youâ something something, blah blah). And this was Idia you were talking about here. He would probably freak out as soon as Ortho brought you to his room, fix the phone as quickly as possible and kick you out. Win, win?
âOkay, sure.â You relented, watching as Ortho lit up even more at your positive response. You swear you saw his hair get brighter. âBut I canât stay for long, I have other things planned for today.â You stated firmly, giving yourself an escape plan if needed. Ortho still seemed delighted regardless, moving once again to pick up those ridiculously large boxes he had been carrying. You followed suit, picking up the box from the top of the pile, much to Orthoâs surprise.
âItâs okay, I can carry them!â Ortho assured, but you shook your head, adjusting your grip on the box. It was a little heavy, but nothing you couldnât handle. âNah, I canât let you carry them all by yourself. Besides, this is the least I can do if youâre going to fix my phone for me.â You remarked casually, beginning to walk with Ortho towards the Hall of Mirrors.
âYouâre very kind, Prefect.â Ortho hummed, seeming quite taken with your courteous gesture.
The walk to the Hall of Mirrors from the mystery shop wasnât long, and as you stepped through the Ignihyde mirror, you realised that youâve never actually really seen the inside of the Ignihyde dorm. Sure, the game lets you buy Ignihyde backgrounds such as the entrance and the lounge, and you can get Idiaâs dorm room as a background on his birthday, but other than that, the Ignihyde dorm has largely been a mystery compared to the other dorms. You had no idea what to expect.
It was⌠Very white. And shiny. Kinda made you wish you had brought a pair of sunglasses. The hallways were deserted, and you felt like you stood out like a sore thumb. You suddenly started to feel uneasy about the whole thing.
You followed closely behind Ortho as he led you to Idiaâs dorm room, not trusting yourself not to get lost. He seemed to know exactly where he was going, even with the boxes he was carrying partially obscuring his view.
âOrtho, are you sure this is okay?â You asked, unable to hide the unease in your voice. Ortho didnât stop, continuing to float along the hallways and making turns where necessary. âDonât worry, Prefect! Itâll be fun! Weâre almost there!â He insisted, and you very much felt that you and Idia were about to be in for a very unfun time. Ortho suddenly turned and opened a door that you would have missed if it wasnât for him, as it blended into the wall so well.
âIdia, Iâm back!â Ortho announced, floating in nonchalantly. You followed awkwardly, managing to bump the door closed behind you and place the box you were carrying on top of the other ones that Ortho had left by the wardrobe.
You took a moment to glance around the room. It wasnât⌠As messy as you thought it would be. Wow, the background you can buy in the game really doesnât do it any justice. That or Ortho cleaned up.
âAh Ortho! Come check this out! I finally beat the final boss in that boss rush and got some cool newâ Gah!!â
Idia had swivelled in his chair to look at Ortho but saw you instead and almost tumbled straight out of it with the way he flinched backwards, face morphing into terror. You gave him a small smile and waved awkwardly, but that only seemed to make it worse.
âI invited someone over!â Ortho stated cheerfully as Idia ducked behind the high back of his chair to avoid being seen. Rather fruitlessly too, considering you could still see his characteristic flaming hair.
âI-I can see that, Ortho! W-w-why did you invite an extrovert into my room?!â Idia complained, trying to keep his voice low but not really succeeding. The interaction was so odd to watch that you wondered if you should leave but settled for looking away instead. Ortho didnât seem bothered at all, smiling at Idia like nothing was wrong.
âThis is the Prefect from Ramshackle! I ran into them at the mystery shop, and they helped me carry our shopping back! Wasnât that kind of them?â Ortho rambled on, floating over to his brother. Idia seemed to pluck up the courage to peek over his chair to get a better look at you, prompted by Orthoâs words, but when you looked back towards him, he shot back down in his chair, the ends of his wispy hair turning bright pink.
âB-but OrthoâŚâ Idia stammered out, but it seemed that Ortho had no mercy for him today.
âThe Prefectâs phone screen is broken, and I told them that you could help fix it!â Ortho piped up over Idiaâs stammering, his smile taking no prisoners, âyou can help them, right Idia? Something so simple wonât even take you ten minutes.â Ortho encouraged, beaming smile still on his face.
Talking tech seemed to kick Idia out of his fluster somewhat, and you could hear Idiaâs back thump against his chair as he opened one of his desk drawers and started rifling through it. âTch, typical normies with no protection on their device, then crying when it gets bodied. So noob codedâŚâ Idia muttered under his breath like heâd forgotten you were right there as he finally found what he was looking for, pulling the kit he was looking for out of his drawer and placing it on his desk.
He pushed his keyboard back, assumedly making space to him to work. âGimme. The quicker I fix it, the quicker they leave, right?â
âPrefect isnât a normie! They play the same game as you!â Ortho retorted and you cringed, as you sincerely hoped that wouldnât get brought up into conversation before you could leave. But apparently, Ortho had taken it upon himself to defend your honour from his brother. Lucky you.
âShow him, Prefect!â Ortho compelled you, and you would almost find it funny how he was basically strong-arming Idia to have an interaction if it didnât involve you. You sighed internally, powerless to Orthoâs big eyes, and walked slowly towards Idiaâs desk, loading the game up on your phone. You held it up, arm outstretched so you didnât get too close and give the guy a heart attack.
âItâs this one. I donât play much, but this is the game I play the most. I at least make sure to login every day to get the bonuses and stuffâŚâ You mumbled awkwardly, not actually understanding why you felt so awkward either. It wasnât like it was a big deal. But suddenly your phone was snatched from your hand, and you were startled to see that Idia had grabbed it.
âYou play this too?! Iâm so into this at the moment. How far are you in the story? What cards do you have? Who is your favourite? Ugh, this screen totally kills the vibe. Hang on, let me justâŚâ
You blinked in surprise as Idia rapidly fired off multiple questions about the game at you before putting your phone on his desk and hunching over as he got to work. It was like he was a completely different person. You knew it was the case that he could become very lively when he got to talk about his hobbies and interests, but seeing it happen in person was⌠Truly something. You looked between him and Ortho, with Ortho looking absolutely delighted about the interaction, and gesturing for you to take a seat on Idiaâs bed whilst he worked.
âOh, uh⌠Iâm not very far in the story, I cleared the prologue but thatâs about it. I donât get the chance to play often⌠I donât get many chances to roll the gatcha either, I never have any currencyâŚâ You answered. You didnât really know any of the characters well enough to say what cards you had or who your favourite was, so you kept quiet on that.
âSounds like youâre still in noobville. Iâll teach you how to play, but first I have to⌠Whee hee heeâŚâ Idia volunteered, his voice pittering out as he got more entranced on working with your phone. The room lulled into silence, and you began conversing with Ortho instead, random giggles and mumbles from Idia in the background as you and Ortho chatted. Midway through one of your conversations with Ortho you noticed that Idia had been working on your phone for way longer than ten minutes. Now, you had no idea how long it took to replace a phone screen, you were no engineer. You also factored in that Ortho could have just been bigging up his brotherâs ego when he said it would only take him ten minutes, but did it really take that long to fix? It felt like you had been in here way over an hourâŚ
Ortho was projecting some clips of his favourite video games when Idia finally swivelled around, brandishing your phone with a manic grin.
âThe freshly refurbished Prefect Custom Gamer Deluxe! I replaced the screen and reinforced it so it wonât break again but still has high grade touch screen sensitivity. I upgraded the battery to a larger capacity model so that you can game for longer, and of course a 2TB memory card. The original memory was awful, where did you get it? Samâs bargain basket? Kek.â Idia gushed about your newly juiced mobile, fully in his element, âI didnât know what your preferred colours are, so I didnât add any custom lights. Blueâs good, though.â He commented, and that is when he finally caught you blinking at him, staring rather blankly.
â⌠Did you get any of that? Sigh, noobs OTLâŚâ
You didnât want to look a gift horse in the mouth, so you quickly snapped yourself out of vacant stare and quickly spoke, âI think so⌠It means I wonât have to delete anything to update my games anymore, right?â
That seemed to be enough, because he was smiling that startingly sharp toothed grin again. âExactly.â
The room fell into silence again, with Idia seeming to realise that heâd burst out into a rave about his interests. He held out your phone towards you awkwardly for you to take, and you stepped forward quickly to take it, but Ortho was faster.
âShow the Prefect your cards on the game you both play!â Ortho insisted cheerfully but forcefully, clearly not willing to let this interaction between you and Idia ends just yet. You donât know if it was because it was a game, or because he had been suitably warmed up from the tech talk, or Orthoâs wide, eager eyes. Maybe even a combination of all three, but either way, Idia agreed.
âSo⌠Uh⌠Did you hear all the aggro online about whatâs happened?â Idia muttered as he waited for his game to boot up. It booted up a lot faster than yours usually did. Is that what he did to your phone? If so, you werenât going to complain.
 âCanât say I haveâŚâ You answered honestly, and Idia scoffed lightly under his breath. âOh right. I forgot youâre a casual.â
Why did it sting when he said it like that?!
Idia spent some time giving you some tips on free ways to get in game currency so you could roll on the gatcha more, and even recommended some social media accounts you could follow to get information on future events so that you could plan your resources and gatcha rolling accordingly. It was⌠Pretty helpful, actually. It was oddly nice to just chat innocently about a hobby for once, instead of constantly having to have your guard up in case someone tried to screw you over.
Idia made you boot up the game on your own phone (which you were pleasantly surprised to notice loaded up just as quickly as his own) and took a look through your card collection. He wasnât impressed (âdo you even statgrind?â) but gave you some advice regardless on who your best cards were and the more effective way to power them up, so you didnât get locked out of the story when you progressed.
âNow show them your cards, Idia!â Ortho suggested yet again. You hadnât missed his thrilled expression as you and Idia had been chatting, realising that he was likely delighted that Idia was talking to someone in person for once. But he was being awfully pushy about Idia showing you his card collection, even when the conversation didnât need to be facilitated by himâŚ
The tips of Idiaâs hair went bright pink yet again, and you couldnât resist raising a brow. What was he so embarrassed about? They were just cards, right? Idia tucked his chin in, turning his screen away suddenly. âI-I-I donât know, my collection is pretty a-averageâŚâ
âNo way! You have so many cards, show them!â Ortho tugged on Idiaâs arm, with Idia trying to hide his phone in his lap, âor Iâll just project your cards for the Prefect to see!â
Idia sat up straight, looking very panicked at Orthoâs oddly specific threat. âO-okay, okay! Let me justâŚâ He tapped away at his phone, and you had no idea what he was doing, but eventually he turned the screen back to you, showing you his card collection in all its glory.
Wow. He had tons of SSR cards. Even some UR cards⌠By the look of it, he seemed to only go for the ultra-rare cards of the same characters, so they must be his favourites. You looked at his card collection, nodding appreciatively and making a comment here and there, but otherwise you didnât really have much to say. Idiaâs hair was still tinged pink, and even his cheeks had an awkward half blush for reasons that escaped you.
Out the corner of your eye you saw Ortho staring at you rather insistently, as if he was urging you to keep the conversation going. Just why were you allowing yourself to be exhorted by this kid? Clearly, Ortho Shroudâs powers of compulsion know no bounds.
âWho is your favourite character?â You blurted out, hoping that would satisfy. To your surprise, Idiaâs hair burned brighter, the pink flaring up at your question.
âO-oh, um⌠I-i⌠I canât show you, because of⌠You know, all that aggro onlineâŚâ Idia mumbled under his breath, looking down at his lap. What was up with him?
Either way, now your curiosity had been piqued.
âTell me about the drama.â You asked, although you supposed it came out sounding more like a demand. Idia looked up at you suddenly, staring at you for a long moment, â⌠a-are you sure? Itâs pretty longâŚâ He mumbled, and you nodded anyway. Perhaps this would finally satisfy Ortho and then you could make your exit.
Idiaâs demeanour entirely changed again, his elbows landing on his knees and he leaned towards you, his hands caging his phone. âThis has been big news in the community. Like, God tier discourse. Everyone has come together to try to figure out what is going on, scrubs and tryhards alike. People have been mining the data files, Iâve tried hacking the servââ
âWait, wait, wait!â You stopped him, waving your hands to get him to slow down, âtell me what happened before you talk fandom dramatics.â Idia rolls his eyes but acquests.
âSo a couple of months ago, something happened to the game. Iâm not talking a limited time event or anything like that. Iâm talking one day, every logged in for the next daily login period, and a character was missing.â Idia informed you, and you raised your eyebrows at this.
âLike, gone?â You questioned, and Idia nodded, frantically enough that his wispy hair bounced a little. You scratched your cheek, finding yourself slightly intrigued in this despite just doing it to get Ortho off your back. âI donât think I follow what you meanâŚâ You admitted, almost a little sheepishly, âhow can a character just be gone? Wouldnât you still have their cards?â
Idia, to his credit, didnât seem to be bothered by you not following, only nodding along eagerly with your train of thought. âRight? But that is where it gets even weirderâŚâ Idia begins to tap at his phone again, changing the filters on his card collection before turning the screen back towards you again, âbecause the cards are still there, but the character is missing.â
The sight was eerie, almost ominous. You deduced this character must be one of Idiaâs favourites, considering how many cards he had, all maxed out. It made sense why he was so invested. But the cards themselves, they wereâŚ
The cards were still there, in his collection. The background of the cards was still visible, even the other characters that appeared in the art were still there. But the character the card belonged to? Gone. Just an odd, inky smudge left in their place.
âThatâsâŚâ You couldnât finish your thought, finding yourself at a loss for words at the bizarre, oddly chilling sight.
âRight?!â Idia hissed, really getting into the conversation now.
âSurely it must be some sort of event, right? Something to do with the story?â You tried to reason, and Idia shook his head wildly.
âThatâs what we all thought, at first! Maybe they were springing some big event on us that none of the info trading accounts had managed to dig up. Sure it was a bit early for a Halloween event, GG developers, but it wasnât like that hasnât happened before.â You nodded along to Idiaâs logic, this was exactly what you had assumed. The creepy feel of the cards definitely gave a Halloween vibe.
âBut the official game pages never posted anything about it. And they werenât responding to comments or messages about it either. So, we started to wonder if it was an update gone wrong, or a bug, and the devs were going to patch it. But still, we heard nothing from any official channels.â
You were staring at Idia, transfixed by this odd phenomenon. Youâd never had anything of the sort happen in any of the games you had ever played, thatâs for sure.
Idiaâs cheeks flared a little pinker as he continued, âI-i have every one of that characterâs cards, so I was able to check that it wasnât just one card that had the issue, it was all of them. Other players reported the same issues, so thatâs how we knew it was a game wide issue. The devs finally issued a statement, some vague BS about how they would be troubleshooting some issues with the game but not exactly what they were trying to fix. I personally think the devs have no clue whatâs going on. Which is stupid, who doesnât know whatâs happening with their own software? Is it amateur hour over in that studioâŚâ Idia finished, starting to mutter under his breath.
You mulled all this information over. Wow, clearly fandom drama in Twisted Wonderland was way more over the top than in your world.
âThatâs really⌠Wow.â You hummed, which you thought summed up the situation quite well. You were pondering over it, eyes back on your own phone as you opened your card collection back up. You guessed you hadnât noticed because you hadnât rolled any of that specific characterâs cards in the gatcha. You were kind of grateful, actually. It probably would have given you a fright.
âUhâŚâ You heard Idia hum, and you looked up at him, seeing him watching you with an apprehensive expression, âI have something to show you, if you want to⌠See⌠But you might find it weirdâŚâ He said slowly, his posture more hunched than before.
âOh, okay?â You nodded, waiting for him to continue. You wondered if you were making him uncomfortable and had overstayed your welcome, considering Idia was starting to become more withdrawn again. His social battery was probably starting to go flat. Youâd leave after this, you decided. Maybe quicker, if he was going to show you something really weird.
âThe character is gone from the gameâs cards, but they still appear in promotional materials that were posted online. Do you⌠Want to see?â Idia asked hesitantly, and whilst you found the way he asked the question a little odd, you had no reason to decline.
âSure, why not? I feel like Iâm invested now.â You smiled at him, but he didnât smile back, only turned his gaze to Ortho. âOrtho, can you project the promotional art?â
âEasy! Searching promotional art⌠Loading⌠And, done!â
You felt your blood run cold instantly and you couldnât stop the look of petrified horror that froze upon your face.
Projected onto the muted walls of Idiaâs bedroom, in crystal clear clarity, was the promotional art of the character that Idia had been telling you about, just as he had asked Ortho to do. There was no inky smudge replacing their appearance, and they were posed rather dramatically, the norm for promo art. But something about it had your heart stopping in your chest and your hands trembling in your lapâŚ
The promotional art looked exactly like you.
