#fo:twst

Riddle proceeds to put his hands on his hips and a smirk crosses his face. “Until I deign to remove that collar, you won’t be using any magic. You’re naught but a pet cat now.”

Grim frowns and crosses his arms, before throwing them out to his sides. “M-meoWHAT?! I ain’t nobody’s pet-NOTHING!” Grim growls out.

Riddle frowns again, “Oh, you’ve nothing to worry about there. I certainly have no interest in having you as a pet.” His arms return to his sides as he speaks again. “The collar will disappear once you’re removed from campus.”

From what you’ve seen of him so far, the redhead seems plenty responsible and strict, some rather admirable qualities. He quickly got Grim under control with the spell he cast. You wonder what kind of effect, if any, his collar would have on your magic; though, you’re not hoping to find out any time soon.

“Ha-Ha! Good show as always, Riddle. Your signature spell locks down any magic. It’s quite handy. I’ve just GOT to have it- ah, I mean, I’ve just got to have respect for it.” Azul slips a bit, but quickly corrects himself. He seems recovered enough from his impromptu exercise.

You turn to whisper to Mash, “He mentioned a ‘signature spell’. Could that be akin to a Noble Phantasm essentially?” 

Mash hums, bringing a hand to her chin in thought. “I’m not sure. We’ll have to investigate some more to find out, Senpai.” She nods to you.

Your attention is promptly stolen by the headmage who is, once again, scolding you. “Y/N! Was I not clear that you are expected to take responsibility for your familiar? Now discipline your-”

“For the last time: he is NOT my familiar!” You cut him off with a shout, frustrated with his inability to grasp this concept.

“What’s that?! It isn’t yours?” He looks dumbfounded, shocked even.

“How many times do I have to tell you? NO! He isn’t mine; I’ve never even seen such a creature before today!” You shake your head, facepalming at his dense nature. “And this is supposed to be the headmage?” You mumble to yourself.

“Oh? …Is that so?” Crowley clears his throat. “Then I shall have it expelled from campus. I shall even spare it from being served as dinner,” he says with a joyous expression. “My, but I AM kind. …Someone take this away, please.” 

You frown slightly at Grim’s objectification by the headmage. He’s a sentient creature, so you think he should be treated with at least some modicum of respect.

“Nooooo! Let me goooo!” Grim cries out as he’s dragged away. “You fools better remember my name! Cause I’m gonna go down in the annals of magic history! Just you wait!” The cat-beast was promptly booted from the institution.

You can’t help but feel bad. The poor thing was just excited to learn how to control his magic, and inadvertently caused trouble because of his enthusiasm. Mash puts a gentle hand on your shoulder and phases back from her servant’s uniform. 

“Well, that was quite the unexpected fracas. I hereby declare that orientation has concluded. Housewardens, please escort your students back to the dorms.”

Under his instruction, the housewardens start rounding up their students and escorting them off.

“...Hm? Come to think of it, I don’t see Housewarden Draconia of House Diasomnia anywhere,” Crowley muses aloud.

The guy with long hair and lion ears turns his head and speaks in passing, “And that surprises you? Dude’s a total recluse.”

The nice boy with red eyes whose uniform caught fire speaks up, “Wait a sec… Did anyone even invite him?

“If you’re that worried about him missing out, maybe you should have told him yourself.” The handsome guy shoots back, a hand on his hip.

The red eyed boy hums, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. “Maybe, but I don’t know him too well either…”

Murmuring breaks out among the students present. “Draconia… Like, Malleus Draconia? THAT Draconia?” “So it’s true? He really does go to school here?” “Yikes.”

“What’s so bad about this Draconia guy?” You tilt your head as you mumble to Mash, who shrugs in return.

A smaller student pipes up with a voice not quite befitting of his stature. ”Ah. Just as I’d expected. I figured I’d come down and see for myself whether Malleus had made an appearance.” He crosses his arms, looking rather disappointed. “But once again, he was evidently not informed that his presence was required at an official ceremony.”

Azul apologizes, looking dejected; you’re not sure he actually is though. “You have my sincerest apologies. I assure you, this oversight was in no way intended as a snub.” 

“I mean, you must admit, he’s not exactly the easiest person to strike up a conversation with,” Riddle reasons.

With a hand on his hip, the smaller student responds, “No matter. All who were assigned to House Diasomnia, follow me.” Turning around, he murmurs, “I just hope he doesn’t sulk about this.”

And, with that, all of the students take their leave to their respective dorms, which just leaves you, Mash, and Crowley in the Mirror Chamber. The headmage raises a hand to his chin in thought. “Well, Y/N, Mash, this is a most unfortunate turn of events.” His hand lowers back to his side as he looks at you both with a serious expression. “I’m afraid that neither of you will be attending Night Raven College after all. Surely you realize that I cannot very well admit students that are unfit for my academy. But worry not. The Dark Mirror will see you safely home. Now, step into a gate, and visualize the place from whence you came.”

Maybe this all was just a dream? It certainly felt very real though. The stress from having to save all of humanity must be getting to you. Maybe Archer can make you some pancakes or something when you get up. Turning, both you and Mash step back into the gates. The doors close and you're encased in darkness once more.

“O Dark Mirror! Return these souls to where they belong!” You hear Crowley’s voice outside. 

You close your eyes and think about Chaldea, about your room, about Da Vinci. Everything is quiet as you concentrate. Minutes pass, and nothing happens. You blink your eyes open again. 

The headmage clears his throat. “L-let us, er… try this again. O Dark Mirror! Return these souls-”

He gets cut off by the Dark Mirror’s deep voice. “There is no such place.”

This makes your eyes widen in shock. What does it mean “there is no such place'? Are you still dreaming? Or, if this is a singularity, did humanity actually get erased? Did you fail in your mission? 

“What?” Crowley sounds just as stupefied as you feel.

“There is no place in this world where these souls belong. None.” 

“How can that be? My, but today is a veritable cavalcade of impossible phenomena!” You crack open the door and see the headmage looking at his open hands, frustrated and confused. The Dark Mirror simply stares quietly. Crowley crosses his arms. “This has never happened throughout my long tenure. I must confess that I am at something of a loss.” He then motions for you and Mash to step out of the gates. Now, he’s frowning, exasperated. “Tell me: From what land do you hail?” 

You look at Mash, then back at Crowley. “Uh, yeah, we’re from Chaldea. Our headquarters are in Antarctica.” You tell him plainly, shrugging softly. 

Crowley brings his gloved hand to his face in thought, humming. “Chaldea? Antarctica? I’m afraid I’m not familiar with such a place. I am intimately acquainted with the origins of every student who has ever come here, and yet… This mysterious homeland of yours eludes me. Let us go to the library and look it up, shall we?” Then, he turns on his heel and begins walking in the direction of the library you saw earlier.

“So, wait, let me get this straight. You’re saying you’ve never heard of Antarctica? The continent? Chaldea, I would understand never hearing of, but Antarctica?” You ask, bewildered. 

He simply shakes his head no. “We’ll look at a map when we reach the library.”

It doesn’t take too long for you all to return to the library. The lights are on this time, however, making it a lot easier to see. Crowley pulls out an atlas and several maps, laying them all out on a table. Yet, when you look at the maps, none of them are familiar to you. There’s no Asia, no Europe, and least of all, no Antarctica. Your mouth gapes in shock, you’ve never heard of any of the places on these maps. Sunset Savanna? The Shaftlands? None of these places exist in the world you know, at no point in history. 

“Mash, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” Looking over at her, her brow is furrowed in confusion as she inspects each map carefully, coming to the same conclusion.

“Just as I’d expected. Nothing. Not only is your homeland not listed on any map from any point in history.” The headmage crosses his arms. “Now, are you QUITE sure that you come from such a place? That wasn’t some sort of lie, or jape? Because if so, the only explanation is that you’ve come from another planet. Or perhaps you were summoned here from another dimension?’ He puts his hands on his hips. 

You merely blink at him. “Just where in the world did we land ourselves and how? Is this a Psuedo-Singularity or? This feels like we’ve been sucked into a fairytale or something; don’t tell me a Caster like Anderson, Shakespeare, or Nursery Rhyme have anything to do with this…” You murmur, a deadpan expression taking over your features. 

Mash speaks up from beside you. “Neither of us can recall rayshifting, so I am unsure as to whether this is truly a Singularity or not. Regardless, we should take the necessary precautions and treat it as such until we find out more about our situation.”

You nod to her just as the headmage speaks up again. “Show me everything that you brought here with you. Do you have some form of identification, a driver’s license perhaps? Or even a..shoe? You do seem a tad bit…empty-handed.”

Sharing a look with Mash, you both run your hands over yourselves, patting yourselves down, checking for anything that you may have brought with you only to find nothing but Mash’s glasses and the Command Seal you possess, along with the magic thrumming through your being. Well, that, and Fou, who pops back out of the hood of the robes you’re wearing with a soft yip. “Uhhh… yeah, I got nothing. Not a saint quartz, leyline stone, holy grail, or mystic code to be found; not even my cell phone.”

He stares at you blankly for a moment. “Saint quartz? Huh?” He shakes himself out of his stupor, then brings a hand up to his chin in contemplation. “Well, this is quite the predicament. I cannot have someone with an unknown and unsuitable source of magic bumbling about my magic academy. And yet, as an educator, I am loath to expel such young persons without a cent to their name, or any ability to contact their guardians…”

“I mean, I’m sure we could take care of ourselves,” you interject quietly, waving him off casually, thinking of your experience of being dropped in foreign situations, with and without the ability to contact Chaldea. 

“Truly, my grace is boundless,” he smiles, relaxing his arms back to his sides. “Hmmmmm…Ah! There is a vacant building on this campus. It was, in fact, used as a dorm a long time ago. With a proper cleaning, it should be habitable enough. Out of the profound kindness of my heart, I will allow you to live there for the time being. In the meantime, we will investigate other ways to send you home.” He puts his hands on his hips, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “Dear me, but I am a gracious man indeed! A model educator, one might say.”

Looking at Mash, you both shrug, nurturing the idea in your heads. “I mean, it doesn’t sound too bad, and it could certainly always be worse, like, we could constantly be on the run…” You bring up.

“Yes, he seems willing to help us from the start, we’ll also have to find some way to pitch in and help where we can,” Mash nods. 

“Well then, I shall take you to your dorm straight away. It is an older building, but it has plenty of…character, one might say,” he smiles, crossing his arms. 

You give Mash a bit of a wary look, “Something bothers me about the way he said that, I don’t like it.”

Regardless, you both follow the masked headmage out of the library and down a very long, winding path through the campus, passing by several buildings that you ask the names of, Sam’s Store, the Hall of Mirrors, the Alchemy Workshop, and the Botanical Garden, until you finally come upon a large metal gate, behind which is an old, decrepit looking building. The trees are spindly and dead, looming ominously overhead, and spiderwebs cover most things in sight. There are actual tombstones in the yard and the windows to the building are boarded up. 

You take it all in, nodding rigidly as you look upon it in distaste, a rueful smile on your face. You click your tongue and suck in a harsh breath, groaning softly. “Yeah, this place has, uh…character alright. With the way it looks from here, it may need a little more than just a ‘proper’ cleaning.” 

“I think ‘abandoned’ is a better suited word for this building, rather than ‘vacant’, wouldn’t you agree, Senpai?” Mash murmurs softly to you, in which you respond with an agreeable hum and nod of your head. 

The headmaster coos softly, “Isn’t it delightful? Right, scoot inside now. There you go.” With that, he unlocks the door and ushers you both into the building. 

Stepping inside, you immediately are thrown into a sneezing and coughing fit from the amount of dust that has collected over years over disuse. Mash hands you a handkerchief and rubs your back soothingly. There are, once again, spiderwebs everywhere, this time coupled with broken, overturned furniture, and dusty, peeling wallpapers and paintings. 

Seemingly ignoring your struggle, Crowley prattles on. “This should keep the elements at bay for the time being. Now, I should return to my research. Do try to find some way to busy yourself. But don’t let me catch you wandering the campus! Ta!” He turns and makes his way out, shutting the door behind him, leaving you both alone in the ramshackle dorm.

Wiping your nose and face with the handkerchief, you take a good look around, sniffling. “It’s like a desolate snowscape. Only with dust… I don’t even see a clean place to sit. Mash, it looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us,” you sigh, placing your hands on your hips. 

The demi-servant pads over to the light switches, trying them out, and, to both of your surprise, the light fixtures turn on and seem to be in working order. “Senpai, we should try to find some cleaning supplies, if we can, to at least make this area easier to live in. I noticed that the dust was getting to you earlier.” 

“Good idea, while we’re searching for supplies, we can also check out the rest of the building on the way. It’s probably not going to be in much better condition, but at least we’ll get an idea of what we're working with.” You cross the room to begin checking closets when something wet hits your face, causing you to look up and see a hole in the roof. It then starts pouring outside, which creates a steady trickle from the roof. “We’re gonna need buckets while we’re at it.”

“GWAH! It’s pouring out there!” A sudden, whiny, nasally voice cries out, startling you as the creature comes scampering in, shaking off water everywhere, including onto you. 

“AH! WHAT THE-?!” Cringing away from the cold water, you whirl around to get a good look at the creature, groaning as you recognize it as the troublemaking cat-beast from earlier. Fou hisses at him from atop of your shoulders, swatting an arm. 

“Bwahaha! That look on your face is priceless! Like a bat that got blasted by a water gun,” Grim grins mischievously, his tail swishing behind him. “As if I wouldn’t just sneak back onto campus the second I escaped pryin’ eyes. You all got no idea what I’m capable of!” He smirks, putting his little paws on his hips, “I ain’t givin’ up on goin’ here just ‘cause I got kicked out one measly ‘ol time. And if you think otherwise, you don’t know Grim!”

“Guards! GUARDS!!! MASH! The cat is back again!” You holler, clutching Fou to your chest securely, mostly so that he doesn’t pick a fight with the cat, as Mash comes running in, already in her Servant gear. 

Grim yelps and cowers into himself slightly, “Hey! No! Bad human! BAD HUMAN!” He lowers his voice to a conspiratorial stage whisper, “Ain’t you gonna ask what I’m doin’ here? That’s what you people do, right? Talk about feelings and stuff?” The cat beast crosses his arms, looking oddly offended, “Just what kinda human are ya, anyway? It wouldn’t kill ya to listen to me. Right?!” He pouts, whining. 

You sigh, rolling your eyes and shaking your head, “Alright, I’ll bite. Why are you so determined to go to this school, anyway?” 

Mash looks between the two of you, relaxing slightly and setting her shield down as she also curiously listens about Grim’s motivations and motives.

Grim lights up as you two begin to listen to him, “Isn’t it obvious? I was born to do this! I’m a magical prodigy who’s got the makin’s to become one of the greatest mages who ever lived! So I’ve been waitin’ and waitin’ for that black carriage to come for me. And yet…” His whole demeanor changes and his voice gets softer as he trails off, and it actually makes your heart ache. But then he switches back to his arrogant attitude from before, lifting his chin and huffing, “Hrmph! That Dark Mirror’s got no eye for talent! That’s why I took the initiative and came here myself. You humans don’t understand what a mistake you’re makin’! Not lettin’ me in is a great loss to the world!”

Some of the rain from one of the leaks in the ceiling begins to drip on him and he fusses, jumping shocked. “Mrrao! C’mon, scoot over! I’m getting dripped on here!” He scurries from that spot, taking refuge in another spot, that then also begins to drip on him. “Bwah! Another hole in the roof! These flamin’ ears are like my trademark, y’know? I can’t let ‘em get doused!” 

“Well, I was on my way to look for some buckets when you came flying in like a bat out of hell, dripping water everywhere, mind you,” you grumble as you turn away from him, motioning to Mash to continue your search for supplies. 

“I dunno why ya don’t just magic those holes away. You could have it fixed in half a jiff,” he complains with his paws on his hips. “Ahhh, right. You can’t use magic at all. Pfft. Man, you’re useless.”

“It’s more complicated than that. It’s not that I can’t use magic, it’s more like my magic doesn’t fit in here. I’d explain it in more detail, but, no offense, I doubt you’d understand it. The headmage didn’t even really seem to understand it, himself,” you shrug as you open up a closet, batting the dust away from your face, beginning to sort through it. Finding nothing but old, moth-eaten clothing, you decide to head into the hallway to search there.

The hallway is dark and cold as you move through it, sending a chill down your spine. “Alright, this place is kind of starting to freak me out…” Just as you say that to yourself, your hair stands on end and you catch three shadows moving in the corner of your eye. Turning quickly, you see three ghosts coming towards you. “MASSSHHHH!!!!” You yell as you begin to bolt in the opposite direction of the ghosts, your battle instincts taking over. 

“Yee hee hee… Bwa ha ha ha ha ha. We haven’t had visitors in ages!”

“Oh, I’m just itchin’ for new friends! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!” The ghosts call out from behind you as you sprint down the darkened hallways. 

“MASH! GHOSTS! IN THE HALLWAY!” You can hear her armor clinking as she runs towards you from another part of the building.

“Senpai! Hang in there! I’m on my way!”

You nearly trip over Grim as he appears, but jump over him just in time, not stopping for a second, months of battle experience coming in handy. Fou is clutched tight to your chest as you make your escape.

“Hey! Watch it! And keep it down over- AAAAAH! GHOSTS! GHOOOOOSTS!” The cat beast quickly gets the memo as he sees what’s behind you and starts to sprint alongside you. 

“All the people who used ta live here got scared of us and ran away,” the small ghost says. 

“We just want a new ghost to play with! What do you say, buddy?” The big ghost asks.

“MASH! HELP US!” You yelp out as you see her, dashing behind her as she firmly slams her shield down between you and the ghosts with a resounding thud, stopping them in their tracks as she summons a thick wall of snowflakes, cutting off their access to you all. 

Grim looks upon the swirling wall of snowflakes in wonder, raising his paw to bat at it, before he shakes himself out of the trance. “I’m a master sorcerer! I ain’t afraid of any dumb ghosts! Myahaaa!” He shouts a rallying cry as he spits blue flame at the ghosts, which misses as the ghosts simply disappear and reappear out of the flames’ reach. 

“Nuh-uh. Not even close,” the lanky ghost taunts.

“Over here! Over here! Ah ha ha ha!” teases the big ghost. 

“Argh! They keep disappearing and reappearing!” Grim complains in frustration, spitting out more fire across the hallway.

“Grim, if you keep it up, at this rate, you’re gonna set the whole dorm on fire! Chill out! Let Mash handle it! We’ve got experience in taking care of ghosts!” you peak out from behind Mash, cringing at the parts of the dorm that he’s set ablaze. 

“Shaddup! I don’t need any lip from you, human!” He growls back.

“Hey, maybe Crowley will let you enroll if you actually get rid of them! You know, without causing major property damage while you’re at it?” you murmur, deadpanning. 

“Myah…?! Hmph… I’m Grim, Master Sorcerer! How come I can’t even hit one of these little-”

“Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!” The ghosts laugh in unison, taunting him. 

“Hrmph! Ganging up on us… Yer a buncha cowards!” Grim spits back in frustration. 

“Are you aiming with your eyes closed? That might make it harder to see where they actually are…” Mash points out gently. 

“Myaaah…” grumbling under his breath, Grim turns back to you both, pointing at you. “You, human! You tell me which way the ghosts are!” 

“That I can do! Mash, please make sure we don't accidentally set the whole dorm on fire!” You nod to Mash as you prepare yourself to essentially play whack-a-mole with the ghosts.

“Orders received, Master!” 

“Let’s do this! On your left, Grim!” You shout out, pointing left, to which the cat beast turns and sprays out a cone of blue flames, hitting the lanky ghost. 

“Aaaaah! It buurns!”

“Ha, got one! Keep it up, just like that…” Grim seems surprised at his little victory. “And let’s clear out the whole lot of ‘em!” He pumps his little paw in the air, getting encouraged. 

**I do not own Disney's Twisted Wonderland, Fate: Grand Order, or any of the characters present in either series, all proper rights belong to the proper owners.**