NoahAiden

We begin with Lilia and Malleus in S.T.Y.X. HQ. They seem to be making a good recovery, but Malleus does note that he seems to be perpetually tired. He’s not sure if it’s because of keeping his absolute control field up for so long, because he lost a horn, or because he hasn’t gained complete control of his magic back yet.

Malleus and Lilia say that Maleficia scolded them for what they did. I find it really interesting that she specifically said Malleus had disgraced himself; it’s a very harsh word choice (which I do think is warranted in this situation) and contrasts well with Diasomnia’s dorm value or spirit being nobility. Malleus is a noble who has disgraced himself in the eyes of the public.

Maleficia also got mad at Lilia for allowing Malleus to OB under his supervision. Not sure if I fully agree that the same level of anger is warranted at Lilia (I get that Lilia was Malleus’s guardian at school, but he cannot be held totally liable since he’s not a mind reader), but the Draconias have been known to get upset and blame things that can’t be helped on others.

Idia and some of his staff were present during the scolding of a lifetime (just to monitor Lilia and Malleus) and they got SO scared 😭 One staff member told Idia they sweated like 3 liters and Idia was sweating so hard he thought his hair would go out.

Oooh, okay 🤔 so this scene is taking place between the end of Malleus’s OB and before the book 7 dance party (in book 7, there was a time skip). Idia delivers the news that Malleus and Idia will be allowed back to NRC. He says that the island residents are forgiving because they’ve had that history of strong mages being troublemakers, RSA is kind-hearted, and NRC students want to show they aren’t afraid of Malleus. Idia also mentions the parents were okay with this.

Not sure if I’m totally happy with the continued trend of Twst not really bringing up nuances and (balanced) consequences in the aftermath of OBs, but at least this isn’t as absolutist as the end of book 7. I don’t know, I still find it wildly unrealistic that there wasn’t a coalition of stubborn parents (including Mrs. Rosehearts) protesting, but I guess Twst didn’t want that to get in the way of the epilogue. I’m also conflicted about the idea of NRC students wanting to show they aren’t afraid of Malleus. I get that they’re prideful and all, but we have literally seen several mobs be pathetically frightened of Malleus and doing nothing to hide their fright. Now all of a sudden they care about acting like tough guys to him??? Maybe because of the broken horn??? But that doesn’t make the mobs look any less cowardly since they only have the guts to claim courage after Malleus was beaten up and stripped of power🧍‍♂️ Whatever, I guess???

Idia says they will begin a rehabilitation program starting today in hopes of preparing them to reenter society. Lilia is very thankful for the opportunity, but it seems Malleus is hesitant.

shajwbwiwk WHOA THERE, Idia had a rare flash of empathy??? He reassures Malleus that he doesn’t have to decide right away because Idia, too, understands the situation he’s in and says it was probably similar for the other OBers. It must feel awkward and pathetic and guilty to be back among the students and school you terrorized.

Idia wasn’t satisfied with Malleus’s crying face post-OB, but he’s satisfied after seeing him get scolded. LILIA ROASTS IDiA… “You look timid, but you have quite the character.”

???? Unmm so Idia says Lilia and Malleus have nearly identical magical wavelengths, which is weird because even those related by blood would have variance. It’s like fingerprints.

Idia compared their wavelengths to when the two enrolled at NRC. Malleus is unchanged, but Lilia’s magic somehow became very similar to Malleus’s. Lilia doesn’t feel any different.

Malleus suggests that maybe Lilia was changed due to exposure to Malleus’s magic, but Idia says it’s not possible. You cannot force magic into a person or object (which… makes me wonder how tf magical items are made?).

An example is when Malleus restored Vil’s youth. The energy passes through the target’s own “magic circuit” and then the output is still considered “Vil’s magic”, not Malleus’s.

Idia confusingly says magic doesn’t have classifications too, which… makes me think wtf are all the classes at NRC then because those seem like classifications to me. Is it that magic all works off the same energy or unit???

S.T.Y.X.’s current theory is that when Lilia was brought back from death, it altered his own “magic circuit”. Silver’s ring apparently shattered and lost all its magical properties after that.

Uhhh anyway, whatever happened to Lilia is unprecedented.

They go run simulations. Malleus and Lilia are Subjects H and I. Given that A—F are the first 5 boys and Grim, is G supposed to be Idia??? Cuz they skipped G.

xbsnnsksnaLilia makes a comment about playing FPS games and Idia is surprised. They don’t reveal their online personas to each other though. So close, yet so far…

Malleus is instructed to cast ice magic until he is told to stop. He very quickly gets overwhelmed and seems to fall, but wincing in pain and struggling to control the magic.

Idia instructs him to link with Lilia (they hold hands) and then try returning just the snow to the sky. Malleus does this complex spell easily and without feeling pain, so Idia concludes that Lilia has become sort of like a “magic controller” for Malleus. Without Lilia, Malleus can’t reliably cast large scale spells.

The two return to their room in HQ, and Lilia makes some comment about how they’ll be stuck together for a while, at least until Malleus’s horn grows back. (If you’ll remember, that was estimated to be 200 years.)

Malleus suddenly… apologizes??? (I literally leaned forward in my seat when this happened, cuz this was what I part of what I was looking for in book 7’s ending. I had said Malleus needed to apologize to all of Sage’s Island and not to only NRC. I also thought he owed Lilia a personal apology for his overreaction instead of Lilia apologizing to Malleus for not paying attention to Malleus’s feelings.) But um, he says sorry for a different thing than what I was anticipating. Malleus wants to relieve Lilia of serving the Draconia family, but instead Lilia is stuck there for a while longer.

Lilia corrects him and says even though Maleficia asked him to continue watching Malleus, it’s a decision Lilia made of his own will. He wants to see Malleus, Silver, and Sebek grow… and he wants to see Malleus be crowned as king someday.

Malleus demands to know why Lilia was so quick to retire to the Land of Crimson Long then. Why did Lilia make Silver cry?

Lilia explains: 1) his magic loss was sudden and 2) in the army, it was considered graceful to leave if you were no longer able to fight so as to not be a burden on your able-bodied comrades. Guess this destroys what I believed before, which was that Lilia rushed his departure as to not prolong it and thus bring show his deteriorating state + more emotional distress to the boys.

Malleus protests that this was YEARS ago and not now. Lilia agrees but then brings up a third reason: that Silver, knowing Lilia’s situation, would happily spend the rest of his human life taking care of him. Lilia wanted Silver to be able to enjoy his short life.

Malleus wants to know why Lilia didn’t consult HIM. If he cannot listen to a friend’s worries, then a king is useless. LMAO Lilia is shocked Malleus called him a friend and Malleus is like “Why are you surprised.” 🤡 Well. It IS rare for a NRC student to use “friend” unironically… (albeit Malleus did use a neutral version, not a super intimate word choice for “friend”)

Malleus says Lilia lied to him about his own birth and even Silver’s. He suspects Lilia thought he would harm Silver if he knew the truth. Lilia says he just wanted them to live in blissful ignorance and not to worry about the past.

MALLEUS CALLED BABY!SILVER AN UGLY CREATURE (<- made me laugh) 😭 But he did learn to become fond of Silver and Sebek… He liked watching them grow up, learn things, change, etc. Malleus doesn’t hate it anymore.

He makes the decision to return to NRC!! Malleus wants to understand the power of humans banding together to take him down. He wants to learn about their strength without being arrogant about it, then use that to try and become a wiser and stronger king than previous Draconias. The wording here is very specific, the “without my arrogance” part is even included, which makes me feel very validated because I’ve always considered Malleus to be arrogant. Compare this current behavior to how he’s acting in his Dorm Uniform vignettes, and he’s a lot more humble in 7.5.

Lilia agrees, it would be good to go to NRC until Maleficia has calmed down. Malleus says it will be hard to go back to school, but it’s better than his grandma’s lightning 🧍‍♂️ Okay, I guess you’re doing the same thing Idia did and keeping on the down-low.

Lilia tells Malleus they should apologize and also thank everyone for stopping a disaster. Malleus agrees, he especially wants to see Sebek and Silver… and starts brainstorming a way of thanking them. That’s when he comes up with the birthday party idea.

We return to NRC!! Cater is having a checkup conducted by S.T.Y.X. and is released. He meets up with Trey and Riddle in the hallway and they chat about some changes since the incident. There’s been a lot of support to ensure a transition back to normal life, including health inspections for everyone that fell asleep. This is a good detail that helps to cover for the gaps in 7’a ending.

Diasomnia is cloaked with a hazardous amount of magic (so it is off limits), so it is taped off. A Briar Valley mage is still working on clearing the miasma up.

Riddle mentions that they are preparing for the big interscholastic spelldrive/magift tournament in June. Idia has been out of school handling Malleus and Lilia. Riddle wanted to ask him about the coding books he read in Idia’s dream (though Trey suggests they may just exist in the confines of the dream.)

They end up going into the courtyard because they hear a commotion. It’s the first years testing the limits of Ace’s new UM by having him swap magic with each first year. Ace claims the immaturity of the magic owner affects his ability to use the spell, but the others claim it’s just Ace projecting his own immature control of the UM.

The Heartslabyul upperclassmen bring Ace and co. to the rose maze because it’ll be safer to do it there, especially if Riddle tells the maze to make space.

They talk about UMs and Ace learned some limits of his. If he doesn’t know what magic the other person is using, he cannot perform the trade. If the magic is also not “fully constructed”, then he also cannot trade. Depending on the magic, Ace may not be able to perfectly replicate it, For example, Jack can become a full wolf because of his ancestry, but Ace just got… hairy. Sebek’s UM requires intense training snd physical prowess with withstand the aftereffects, which Ace lacks. Nice to know that Ace’s UM isn’t without its limits.

Ortho says Ace was probably able to use Riddle’s UM in the dream because of Ace’s overfamiliarity with being collared… Everyone laughs at him 😭 Riddle tells Ace to train hard, Cater takes a selfie with everyone, and then the upperclassmen leave.

The first years stand around chit chatting a little more and we learn some interesting new lore??? Jack’s maternal grandma had a UM similar to his, so he would watch her shift a lot and eventually was able to do it himself.

Jack’s magic manifested at 9-10 years old, which he states is “not that early”. Ace got his around the same time as Jack. Deuce got his around grade 7 in middle school, around 12-13. (bcjsbsjwk He needed to get a bat for a fight but Ortho mistakes it as Deuce being in baseball!?!) Sebek’s came to him at 14, which we know is considered “late”. Epel’s came at 10.

Lol, apparently you need a broom license to fly in the city???? Epel only got away with flying cuz he was in a rural area.

They ask Grim when his magic came to him but Grim says he actually doesn’t know his age?? (Omg, imagine if he turns out to be a bajillion years old…) He just wants his UM already.

UHHHHHH Yuu has a very weird dialogue option where they can choose to say “I want to use magic too” or “I think I'm fine just watching (others using magic)”… Are they… uh, taking this where I’m concerned they’re taking it… cuz I’d personally rather Yuu NOT develop magic 💀 I think it's the antithesis of what they were set up to be at the start (a normal magicless person who can still go on to change the world + other people without being powerful).

The first years try to reassure Grim, Yuu, and Ortho by saying them being at NRC is unique itself. In a way, Ortho guiding them in a dreams of as unique too.

Anywayyyy, the first years joke and speculate about what Grim’s potential UM. Look at the cute blushy Grimmu!!!

It’s all fun and games until we cut away to Diasomnia at night and we hear skittering… Chomping sounds 💀 Methinks Grim snuck off to a quarantined area to find Malleus’s blotstone and chow down on it… THIS DOES NOT BODE WELL.

7.5-9 shifts to Kalim and Jamil chatting in the hallways. Kalim needs help filling out some paperwork so Jamil says sure thing EXCEPT HE SAYS IT WEIRDLY VERY FORMALLY??? Like he uses very polite language and even slaps a -sama at the end of Kalim’s name… This feels so strange, even Kalim is freaked out.

Jamil says he’s been talking too casually to Kalim. Since his stance is “I’m not your friend”, he should speak formally as a servant, right?? Kalim begs him to go back to talking normally if Jamil refuses unless Kalim admits it’s a command?? But Kalim is uncomfortable.

Jamil demands the gold bracelet Kalim is wearing, which Kalim gives up even though it was a protection charm/gift from his mom. Jamil says he’s just joking, and please don’t let others trick you like this.

Kalim worries that Jamil is still after his family’s money like in the dream. Jamil repeays that Kalim should be less gullible and that he should issue the order.

Uhhh so Kalkm does tell him to??? And then Jamil refuses??? 😭 His reasoning being “I’m your friend and vice dorm leader so it’s okay for me to hold you accountable to perform your own duties”. SO JAMIL BAITED HIM??????

Kalim calls it unfair, but Jamil gets him in a bind by saying he can go back to being the overly formal servant if Kalim doesn’t do the paperwork himself.

Kalim finally says he’ll do the paperwork himself. Jamil says he’ll check it before Kalim submits it and correct for mistakes. And Kalim says he’ll make it perfect so there’s nothing for Jamil to correct to begin with.

Kalim leaves; Jamil reveals that he knows Azul has been eavesdropping this entire time 💥 Azul and Jamil make fun of each other’s embarrassing dreams + take turns blaming Malleus for the dreams but eventually say the dream, despite being exaggerated and distorted, is technically based on their own deepest desires. I have mixed thoughts on this, since it feels like Twst is doing the same thing as Endless Halloween Night… where everyone is mad at Malleus at first, but then somehow begins to transition into blaming themselves 🤡 Granted, this is more balanced than Endless, so there’s that.

Kalim goes inside a classroom to ask Riddle a question but Riddle’s preoccupied speaking with Trein. Ruggie’s also there to hand in paperwork, and they + Jade talk about end of the year preparations, like final exams and the Magician Training Academy Competition. Floyd joins and they talk about lending and borrowing books… Kinda boring stuff

Azul joins and comments on the unusual group. He tries to move over but Silver’s snoozing and in the way?? Like limbs sticking out in his path.

Silver says his sleepiness has actually been reduced considerably since waking from the dreams. We get official confirmation that his drowsiness was the residual effects of the sleeping blessing he had cast on him as an infant!

Apparently Silver being a long lost prince or something has become a popular topic on social media and the news. fjsbsksks This is just public information now, huh… 🤔 Does this mean Silver will ever reconnect with his blood relatives, who surely must now know of his existence???

Kalim insists to the others that he’s planning on finishing the paperwork himself, without relying on Jamil!! Azul offers to help instead of allowing Kalim to ask Riddle for help, but Riddle interrupts at that moment.

They go over the documents; Azul’s has no mistakes but Ruggie has some minor errors. Riddle instructs Kalim on a part of the form where you briefly explain the reason for nomination. He has to hurry cuz the documents are due the 17th.

These documents are to suggest players from each dorm for the Magic Training Academy Competition. Apparently the Octatrio and Scarabia duo are being considered. Usually older students would be the candidates. It is mandatory for dorm leaders to throw their hats into the ring.

Oh, it sounds like there are 4 games included?? Not only magift. One event is always magic, but the other three are random and change every year.

Yuu and Grim are in the cafeteria now. We flashback to a lesson with Crewel where we bake sweets with magical effects ✨ Crewel specifically names Leaping Macarons, which are a real item used for gameplay. In-universe, he says they temporarily improve memory and concentration.

We’re supposed to add 1 gram of a certain powder to the pot but Grim adds a TON more, which caused a big mess. Yuu and Grim had to clean it up.

They go to get lunch and a ghost chef smells the aftereffects of the potion catastrophe on us. He encourages us sweetly before handing us food, saying it’s a common mistake for first year students 😭 He even gives us advice to not “overseason” our “food” (ie follow the directions in potions class!!). Wtf this is actually so cute??

Yuu and Grim sit with the first years and they have a convo about various things: how those two are all glittery from the macarons, a similar incident with a Pomefiore student who later got scolded by Vil, a new protein Jack got, and preparations for the upcoming Magic Training Academy Competition. It feels a lot more natural than I thought it would be, which is good. They feel like they’ve become a real group of friends.

There is a game in which you collect words on slabs and papers and try to form a sentence in an ancient language. Sebek apparently fucked up on this before and wrote a nonsensical sentence. Glossing over this because I found it uninteresting

Vil and Rook approach and sit with us. Vil shares he is going to intern as a “newbie” actor in the same spot for all three terms. He just has to decide the spot, because each studio has different vibes. It’s pressing because the deadline to apply for internships is the end of May, and that’s coming up soon! (So we’re still in May right now, a few days after Silver’s birthday.)

Rook is going to be at an archeological research site in the Shaftlands. (I think Vil’s in the Shaftlands too?)

EHHHHH, Ruggie and Leona show up???!?? The cafeteria is crowded and they need seats.

Leona sits down and eats his hamburger steaks; Sebek complains he talks with food in his mouth but Leona says no one cares how anyone eats in a school cafeteria 😭 Okay, he has a point but I hate that he eats like that…

LEONA PUTS HIS VEG ON JACK’S PLAtE AnD SayS HIS UNDERCLASsMEN NEED THE NUTURuRNTS… What is Jack, the pet dog you shove food to under the table????

Ortho theorizes maybe lion beastmen have difficulty digesting vegetables??? They don’t confirm this, but that’s an interesting question to consider. h hdiwjjww L{eONA CALLS RUGGuE hIS MOM… “What are you, my mom?”

Trey appears with Cater!! LnxhaagFauqh LEONA CALLD HIM A DAD AnD TREY SAID ISNT LEOnA OLDER… I actually laughed out loud at this OTL

Leona got accepted to the mining and energy research lab in Sunset Savanna. Epel is surprised because he thought Leona would be in a magift internship. Even Ruggie told Leona he should establish magift teams and stadiums back home.

Leona says it’s troublesome. However, he’s not opposed to having Sunset Savanna host the Magift World Cup, held once every 4 years. Young star players and fans would be attracted to invest in the country. It would be a good excuse to push urban development too.

Leona says that the boom would be temporary and they gotta also account for what the stadium would be used for once the cup is over. Leave it to him to think 2 steps ahead!! “I don’t want to take responsibility, but I want to face the challenge… Is it like that?” Ortho wonders.

Trey is going to an agricultural tech company in the Scalding Sands. He wants to do two terms there breeding fruits and then spend a third time at a seasoning company developing a low calorie seasoning since uh… he learned the importance of “moderation”.

THE FYCKING ORbS PHAnsYOM

Cater is going to an interior design company in the Queendom. He says that he loved the crazy courtroom from his dream and wants to help people make their “castles” come to life.

Hmmmmmm… That’s interesting. It seems that both Trey and Cater were influenced by the events of their dream and this affected the trajectory of their internships. This is most prominently seen in Cater, who was having trouble figuring out what he wanted to do at the start of book 7.

They spot Idia in the cafeteria and Ortho invites him over. Idia ran out of his usual food stuff and Sam refused to sell it to him because it’s not healthy for Idia’s diet. (cbjsbwjwkw Apparently Trey buys a lot of nuts from Sam, so Sam cut him off??)

This part feels a little contrived; I assume that Idia still hid out in his room and got prepackaged food from Sam for the last 3 years or so while he was a student… So why did Sam suddenly decide NOW that he won’t sell to Idia? Would he not notice a lot sooner that Idia has this habit??? Idk, this is probably me being nitpicky about plot holes www

Ortho goes to get food for Idia. Idia meanwhile is forced to sit with the others. When Ortho is back with the lunch, Lilia and Malleus have joined. Ortho and the other first years excuse themselves. (Er, Ace and Deuce left sooner but I didn’t think this was important and forgot to note it down earlier.)

Leona bitches about having to sit with Malleus

Apparently there are fewer students afraid of Malleus now and he had his first fight with someone who brushed his shoulder?? Lilia tells him to behave and to fight back “gently”.

dbsjwbksks Forgot to mention this earlier, but at the beginning of 7.5, Idia states Malleus “used to be a top 5 mage” or something to that effect. Meaning he fell off…??? Who took his place… Where does Malleus rank now… I wanna know these lore tidbits!!

Malleus reveals he will intern at S.T.Y.X. while also being a research subject. He’ll be in the Magic Analysis and Research branch, deciphering old texts and restoring artifacts.

sbjsebksw Vil and Leona clown on him 😭 saying Malleus knows nothing about tech and is in the habit of destroying it more than anything…

Lilia is going to be at an elementary school in the Shaftlands. He wants to earn a teaching license because he realized the differences in teaching + learning between fae and humans. The remaining time he has… he wants to dedicate it to shaping the future of tomorrow! It’s honestly super fitting for him.

The third years get all pumped up to break RSA’s win streak. They’ll break tradition, change fate!!

Ortho is trying to recruit Sebek and Silver into our Mickey stakeouts. Silver’s UM might be useful, and Sebek represents fae. He wants to test out all parameters + combinations to figure out the correct conditions to send Yuu home.

Silver confirms he saw Mickey in his dreams but thought little of it since strange stuff happens a lot + he usually forgets when he wakes up. His sleepwear makes an appearance!

Sebek refuses to help since he’s “the Knight of Lightning” and has to focus on training and protecting Malleus. He’s been super smug about it, too. Sebek shouts it all the time and even got points deducted an assignment (lmao Trein did it) because he signed with the title and not his name 💀

Errr Crowley appears and says he is looking for “Vanrouge-kun”. Silver mistakes this for his father, but Crowley reveals he was actually looking for Silver. cbjsbsjwkw Looks like someone isn’t fully used to his new surname yet… Something has arrived at his office for Silver, so we go with him for whatever reason.

Malleus and Lilia are at the office already. Turns out that the thing Crowley had for Silver is a new magical pen which is engraved with his name.

Silver signs formal adoption papers with it and Malleus sends it off by burning the paper. Who is he… Spike from MLP: FiM???? And Silver is so happy that he starts scowling to prevent himself from smiling every time he looks at his pen.

This is a sweet moment, but I was under the assumption that this already happened off-screen??? I also think this wasn’t necessary for us to see and that Twst is milking us for an emotional response by dedicating another whole section of the story to this.

Lilia notes that he’s glad Sebek made friends, but he denies it. Sebek tells a lie about how we groveled for his help investigating Mickey. Classic Sebek tsun…

We tell the headmaster, Lilia, and Malleus about Mickey??? Then we drop by Ramshackle to look at the mirror. Malleus inspects it and says it isn’t cursed. They even try Lilia’s UM on the mirror and it yielded nothing useful.

Crowley says it’s dangerous for first years to investigate this since they’re inexperienced and could be exposing themselves to danger!! So Malleus volunteers to supervise because he has an interest in Mickey. Lilia chimes in too, and of course Sebek also does because those two are now involved. Aaand I guess Silver as well???

We decide to make shifts but the others decide to make it a pajama party (does this mean we’ll see more pajamas in the main story??) 😅 Crowley’s counting this investigation as a Magical Analysis class credit, but no one’s really taking it seriously lol

That’s where book 7.5 ends!! Again, it’s treated like an epilogue so it’s considerably shorter than the other books.