Chapter Text
He felt it almost immediately as it happened.
He was still doing research into the Black mirror when he felt a sudden shift as if something had been violently pulled into the school.
It came from the hall where the exam results were being displayed. He had to check it out right away, but he didn’t want to alert whatever or whoever caused it. He turned towards the dark mirror who had a grave expression on his spectral face.
“You felt it too, didn’t you?” It nodded solemnly. “Show me.”
Kalim Al Asim’s startled expression appeared on the glass surface. The young man seemed lost and confused, however he along with everyone around him seemed unaware of the dark aura surrounding him, it was especially bad around the bracelet on his left hand. He cursed when he saw Jamil Viper grabbing that same hand to pull him out of the crowd. As soon as their hands touched the aura seemed to infect the teen.
This was bad. He did notice something peculiar about Al Asim’s bracelet when he first met the teen a month ago, but now through the Black Mirror’s perspective he realized how much of an horrible mistake it had been to ignore it. He needed to intervene now, maybe if he was quick enough he would be able to prevent the situation from escalating further.
He teleported in the hall but the two students he was looking for had left already.
“Headmage?” He heard Crewel from behind him. He turned around and saw the young teacher looking at him strangely. “Is something the matter?”
“Ah, Have you seen Mister Al Asim and Viper?”
“I overheard them as they left, it looked like they were going back to their dorm. Al Asim seemed upset, should we be worried?”
“I’ll handle it. Please stay here and keep an eye out.” Crowley ordered him and quickly disappeared behind the nearest corner. He couldn’t have anyone, especially his students, see him transform. Thankfully by now most of them were focused on their results so finding a secluded spot to take on his raven form was easier. He flew out and caught up with the two right as they left the main building. He couldn’t see the dark aura surrounding them anymore but he was sure whatever he felt before was still there. He had to teleport directly into Scarabia to make sure he wasn’t discovered but outside of that tailing them had been relatively easy.
What happened next cemented in his mind that something had gone extremely wrong. He was already aware that Viper’s grade had taken a significant dip ever since Al Asim enrolled, and he knew it had little to do with the former struggling between school and his duties. It was more surprising to hear that the latter had figured it out. In fact it was completely abnormal. He decided to stay near Al Asim as he obviously was at the center of what was happening.
What he ended up hearing after the teen broke out of his trance and called his father was enlightening. A Djinn latched up onto him after he made a wish to go back in time. He had been evasive about his reasons for making that wish but Crowley had a good idea of what happened.
It seems he may have made a miscalculation.
In any case getting rid of a Djinn was no easy case. He also had a sneaking suspicion that this Djinn in particular was special. It was not the first time he heard of it but he never had a reason to look into more before. He had deemed it to not have been worth the risk. But now he was unsure on how to proceed to rescue the young men that had fallen prey to it.
As soon as he was back to his office he received a call from the patriarch of the Asim. He knew it was coming but he wasn’t looking forward to it. He shifted back to his regular form and picked up the phone.
“Headmage Crowley speaking! How may I be of service to you mister Al Asim!” He answered joyously.
“I’m going to go straight to the point. I want you to flunk out my son in the next exams. I’ll offer the school as much money as you wish to make it happen.”
How unpleasant. He did see it coming though.
“Well, this is an unconventional request. May I inquire what makes you believe we would comply with it?” His tone was still jokingly pleasant but he was wracked with disgust and anger inside.
“I made myself pretty clear, didn't I? You allowed my son in for money and now I want him returned to me in exchange for the same thing.”
Returned to you? As if, you just want to make sure to get rid of him as quickly as possible! Crowley sneered at his phone in pure disgust. He had no reason to bother hiding his expression while alone in his office.
“Mister Al Asim, Night Raven College is an ancient and prestigious arcane academy. While we do appreciate the donations you have made to us in the past we have some principles that we uphold above anything else.” Unlike you, Crowley nearly added. “First and foremost is ensuring the best and fairest education to all our students, and of course this implies protecting them against anything and anyone that may jeopardize it. So as the Headmage of this prestigious academy I have no other choice but to decline your offer.”
“You greedy- Ugh fine! How much do you want?!”
“I’m afraid you don’t understand. Neither me nor any member of my staff is willing to entertain your demand. I’ll have to ask you to not press the issue further unless your unreasonable request fell on the wrong ears, like for example, the ears of your son’s cousin who is a mere half an hour away from here.”
The line went dead as soon as he mentioned the prince of the scalding sands. Crowley sighed as he put his phone down on the desk. At least he got him to back down for now. A knock on the door signaled him he had more visitors, he opened it and was unperturbed to see Crewel and Trein waiting to be let in. Crewel seemed startled to see the thunderous expression on his face. Trein however had been a member of his staff for longer and was already used to the bouts of anger his boss was subject to once every blue moon. He walked in first closely followed by Crewel who was eyeing him cautiously.
“What is going on Crowley?” Trein, always good at reading the room, had realized the situation must be grave enough that he didn’t bother with the formalities and addressed his long time friend directly instead of his employer.
“I’m going to need you to relay this message to the rest of the staff. Mister Al Asim may contact a number of you so that his son’s grades may be flunked intentionally in exchange for a lump sum. Any member of staff caught messing with Al Asim’s or any other students’ grades will be fired and that will be the least of their worries.”
The two teachers seemed astonished by the news, but with the persisting anger on Crowley’s face their better judgment had stopped them from inquiring any further. They were about to both leave to share the Headmage message but Crowley asked Trein to stay behind a bit longer.
“There’s more to it than simply the corruption attempts from the Al Asim family I suppose.”
“I need you to help me keep an eye on Al Asim and Viper. However, whatever you may see or hear, do not intervene. Simply report it to me.”
“Are they in danger or are they a threat?” He did not like raising that possibility but Trein had lived long enough to know better than that.
“Both I’m afraid. And before you ask, no, confronting the issue directly is unlikely to wield positive results. If push comes to shove, I’m asking you to step back and let me handle it by myself, if only for the sake of your children.”
“So things are that bad.” Trein sighed. “Very well. I’m trusting you with the safety of our students.”
Ah, he hated it when people said stuff like that to him. He brought up some feelings he could do without, most of all guilt.
As the weeks turned to months the situation reached an uncomfortable standstill. Kalim Al Asim at least seemed to show some fighting spirit by cutting ties with Jamil Viper and seeking out tutoring from Riddle Roseheart and Azul Ashengrotto. A choice that had to be motivated for more reasons than simply ensuring good enough grades to remain in the school. Crowley was relieved to see that the former heir hadn’t fallen to despair yet but remained doubtful that his course of actions was for the best.
His doubts were confirmed when he decided to pick Scarabia’s next Housewarden ahead of schedule. When he mentioned the names of Kalim Al Asim and Jamil Viper as candidates, Abis Mal the current Housewarden had tensed up and he seemed he was aware of what was happening. Crowley was aware of his links to the Scalding Sands royal family and of the duty of the Mal family towards them. No doubts they were already on the case, good it saved him from finding an excuse to go to RSA to talk with the prince. At least he won’t have to deal with the insufferable old coot.
However after talking with Abis Mal he had to talk with one of the two to appoint them as Housewarden.
He decided to go with Jamil Viper this time around. He wanted a chance to confront him or rather the thing inside of him. It went as well as he’d expected.
“I must admit I feel rather saddened that one of the figures our school honored for so long would behave this way.” He had said after Viper declined the position. “Especially to students of the dorms dedicated to him.”
“Hmph, I see you’re not quite as incompetent as you let everyone else believe.” The teen demeanor had completely changed from too respectful to clearly mocking.
“I’m flattered. Now, if you could please let me know what the great Sorcerer of the Sand wants from my students? Maybe we can come to a peaceful resolution.”
“None of that with me. We both know a ‘peaceful resolution’ is not possible. There is nothing you can offer me that can come close to what I can get from these two.”
“Very well. Then what’s stopping me from destroying you right there and then?”
“If you could, you would have done so already. But in case you’re under any delusion of fighting back, I’m perfectly aware of what’s happening in his school. I am a Djinn after all, wishes have no secrets for me.” The implications were perfectly clear and made Crowley bristle angrily. This was undoubtedly a threat! “Careful now, we wouldn’t want anything bad to happen!”
‘Ṛ̶̤̩͑͂̀͝͝e̵̫̗̪̹̱̦͛̈́͊̚͠͝v̸̱͕͑̒̂̇̿a̴̖̘͇̻̯̘͊̇͋̉́̈́n̷̙̦̘̒͐!’
Crowley felt the distress from the Black Mirror as cracks were threatening to form under the pressure the sorcerer was applying to it. If it weren’t hiding inside of Viper he would have teared it’s throat out.
“ENOUGH!” He clamored before taking a deep breath to calm himself. “I understand. I won’t interfere in your plans.”
The Djinn let go with a final smirk, and Jamil Viper was back, none the wiser of what transpired or why the Headmage seemed so upset. However he didn’t seem to care.
The Sorcerer had gone too far by threatening his students and attacking the Black Mirror. But if he went after him directly it’ll do it again!
He needed to adjust his plans. He was going to ruin this thing for the offense!
A few weeks later Lilia came to him, it wasn’t the first time he had expressed concerns for Al Asim’s safety but this time was different. Apparently Al Asim had confessed everything to them. He wanted Crowley to act, to research ways of saving Al Asim. He made allusions to potential Overblots in the future.
Crowley's answer for him was not what he wanted to hear. But Crowley had agreed to look into the matter and Lilia seemed satisfied with that outcome for now. He had no idea Crowley had already been aware all along and was already putting his plans into motions.
The very next day he had arranged for Abis Mal and Silver to accidentally bump into one another. During the inter school Spell drive tournament he made sure that Prince Yassin had the opportunity to take Al Asim’s phone without noticing. He pushed to let Idia Shroud revamp the school security system and pretended to not notice that the Shroud brothers were using it to monitor Viper and Al Asim. Three forces were slowly getting ready to clash against the Djinn, but Crowley was a prudent man and he wanted, no needed, a last insurance.
Ramshackle dorm. This place was abandoned for a long time now. Only Malleus would drop by from time to time to admire the old abandoned dorm. Crowley however had more serious business that day.
He took a look at the notebook in his hand. He had confiscated it a long time ago when some students found it and started experimenting with it despite the incidents created by the original owner. In the wrong hands, there was no telling of the damages that could be caused by that small thing, but in the hands of the future inhabitants of his place? It could be the final nail in the Djinn’s coffin.
He put the notebook and the old plans inside the desk. It was a risky bet but one he was sure was worth the risk.
He finally met them at the beginning of the new school year. Yuu Toboso and the dire beast Grim. The duo showed promise as they quickly learned to work together but also managed to garner promising students around them, and not just those already aware of what’s to come. Still, they had failed once or else they wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with. Crowley needed to give them a little push to make sure that it wouldn’t happen again.
When Riddle Roseheart overblotted he suggested abandoning the boy. Yuu’s reaction had been pure outrage and had immediately taken charge of the situation to rescue the Housewarden.
This had been a relief. It seems that the teen had more than enough determination to pull through. Something he proved again and again.
He truly had feared for the worst at Halloween. Having to stop Savanaclaw’s dorm from collapsing because Leona Kingscholar managed to awaken some ancient arcane power had been an unpleasant surprise. He didn’t manage to get to Trein’s aid when he should have and had dreaded finding the corpses of Toboso and Bucchi.
What he found instead was his Magicless student towering above the unconscious body of the invader with a bloody fire poker in hand. So not only did Tosbos manage to find the séance room and its inhabitant but he had managed to defeat a formidable opponent. It seems like his bet was already paying off.
From the fiasco at Octavinelle it became clear that Toboso was working with Leota now. It may become a hindrance later on but at least now he knew exactly where every piece was on the board.
“So we’re not going to intervene directly?” Trein asked him once more.
“If we do, our enemy has already said it would retaliate against the rest of our students. It’s safer to let Lilia and his group handle the counter attack.”
“Sir, I’m the first one to say that those kids are strong. Especially Kingscholar and Draconia but letting them handle it on their own…”
“For once I agree with Vargas.” Crewel nodded. “We can’t let ourselves be threatened into inaction.”
“We would not stay idle. We will provide support to them and protect the rest of the students from any attacks. But this thing can attack any of them in or outside of the school if provoked. If we want to protect them all effectively this is the best course of action. As soon as the Djinn is separated from Jamil Viper I will ban it and reinforce the protections around the school.”
His staff was unhappy with the decision but had to admit they didn’t have a better plan.
When he entered the Mirror room he was feeling the weight of the year.
“Do you truly know what you’re doing?”
“Please not you too. Hearing those kinds of questions from Lilia was already hard enough.” He lamented as he sat below the magical artifact. “Don’t worry. This thing won’t attack you again.”
“This is the least of my worries and you know it.”
Of course the mirror is rightfully furious over that.
“I trust Lilia. Everything will turn out fine.”
“It better be.”
…..
If Epel were to describe his first day, or rather night, at Night Raven College then disastrous and disappointing wouldn’t be an exaggeration. First there was that guy, Ace, who asked him if he was a girl. He nearly punched that idiot and then there was his dorm repartition and its Housewarden.
Vil Schoenheit was a really scary guy. First he was incredibly strong and he isn’t talking about magic, but physical prowess. Despite his effeminate looks he saw him pick up packages from Epel’s hometown without any issues. And that was only the tip of the Iceberg. And that scary and strong guy was also stubborn and unreasonable. He seemed to have taken an interest in Epel and had special plans for him. Unfortunately Vil’s plans and Epel’s were not compatible.
It wasn’t all bad per say. Despite their very different set of values Epel did have a lot of respect for the guy. And he was really helping him out becoming a better mage! It’s just that he was also a bit… overbearing. Like that time right when they first heard about Housewarden Roseheart’s overblot.
“To think they managed to push Riddle that far. Epel, keep your distance with those first years!”
Or when he wanted to join the Spelldrive club.
“Leona, if anything, and I do mean anything happens to Epel then I’ll swear on the Sevens I will make your life a living hell!”
And of course there is that time when he heard about the pervert's invasion on Halloween.
“I’m going to schedule all your shifts with either Rook and me. It doesn’t matter whether or not you can actually defend yourself, Epel! I’m not putting my students at risk, though if push comes to shove hitting below the belt is encouraged. Just please try to be mindful and don't let others see.”
Or when he thought he would get a break for not being wrapped up in the Octavinelle fiasco…
“Not cheating is the very least that is expected from a Pomefiore student! Don’t expect to overlook your History of Magic grade because you’re not walking around with one of those awful anemones!”
Anyway it was a bit weird right? Vil wasn’t acting like the other Housewarden, he was so overbearing he heard some students slip up and call him mom once or twice. Epel had to admit he also did it but managed to convince his roommates he was talking about his mom and not the Housewarden. Talk about embarrassing!
Honestly Pomefiore was full of weirdos that marched on the beat of their own drum. That was admirable but sometimes it was simply exhausting to be around. And on top of the weirdos stood the Vice Housewarden, Rook Hunt.
To be fair, despite the fact Epel wasn’t sure he was understanding half of what he was saying, he probably was the one he found to be the most tolerable here. He was strange but a really nice guy! Well, as long as you learned to stop asking questions on how he knew a few things and ignore some comments he made. He was also a good bumper between Vil and the students when one side got too much on the nerves of the others. Nothing seemed to phase him and Epel sometimes wondered what would even break his legendary composure.
Rook was smoothing things over between Epel and Vil the most out of any other students in the dorm. He seemed determined to make sure that the two of them would keep an at least cordial relationship. Epel had asked him once why he was so invested, besides being Vil’s boyfriend and his duties as Vice, and Rook told him this :
“It would be du gachis to let communication issues get between you two.”
He wasn’t sure what communication issues he was referring to. For Epel it was more like different world views but at least Rook support helped him feel less alone in his dorm. Adjusting to life so far away from home has been hard. Rook was always supportive and listening to his worries so talking to him was easy. Even when it was clear he was keeping tabs on him on Vil’s account.
Epel had been splashing some water on his face when he noticed Rook behind him. He gave a small yelp and turned around to confront his Vice Housewarden.
“Ah, Monsieur Crabapple! How are your exams going?” Rook smiled at him.
“Eeek! Uh, they’re going well?” Epel looked away a bit embarrassed and feeling like he got caught red handed even though he really didn’t do anything wrong.
“I’m glad to hear it! I’m sure Roi du poison will be happy to hear his lessons paid off!”
Well, they definitely paid off for alchemy but for History of Magic? Epel had to stop himself from wincing in case it would somehow summon Vil in the bathroom with them.
“Yeah, well I was just here because my head hurt a little. I’m feeling better now so I should get going.” Epel was going to make an exit but Rook grabbed him and checked his temperature.
“You should be careful about headaches. It could be detrimental for the rest of your exams. You don’t seem to have a fever but here take this. It will help better than merely splashing water on your face, which by the way is extremely mauvais for your skin.”
Epel took the cold pack Rook had handed him and was about to thank him when the door slammed open and a student rushed into the stalls to throw up. Rook turns their attention to them quickly and Epel follows him. He was surprised to see that it was the infamous magicless students, shaking and crying as his stomach content spilled in the toilets.
“I’ll go look for Jack or Grim!” Epel shouted as he ran out.
Jack… When he first saw his classmate his heart almost missed a beat. The guy was exactly everything Epel aspired to be! No wonder he made an impression, and on top of that he never underestimated Epel or judged him on his appearance! Calling him a breath of fresh air would have been an euphemism. They quickly befriended one another over their shared interest and their admiration of Leona. Jack was also more keen than most would have assumed. Epel wasn’t sure how but it seemed like he picked up on his complicated relationship with Vil.
“If you need someone to talk to please let me know.”
He and Grim were the two students Epel got along with best. Grim could be obnoxious but he had guts and ambitions. The two of them had become menaces in the club, something he relished in particular since Vil allowed him to be a true chaos goblin as well. Grim even let Epel throw him at other players' heads during training when they mouth off against their height compared to the rest of the team. Ruggie and Leona were mostly amused by it but made them promise not to abuse it since the rules weren’t clear on it. Anyway Grim and him were becoming a feared duo in the club!
Jack and Grim were also friends with one another even though they never hung out the three of them together. Those two befriended one another on their own due to less than ideal circ*mstances. If only he had more free time he would have loved to join their friend group but Vil’s training regiment had become worse a few weeks ago. From what he overheard it may be linked to some Neige guy but Epel didn’t pry. Winter break should have been the only moment he could have relaxed until the end of the VDC but that was without that conversation he just happened to overhear a few days before the break started.
Epel had been looking for Grim as he wanted to offer him a last training session before he left for winter break. Grim had told him to drop by Ramshackle whenever he wanted to hang out so he invited himself in through the backroom door. At this time of the day he was most likely to find Grim in the kitchen and he didn’t want to bother Yuu. However as he approached the door he could hear Jack’s voice shout out in shock.
“What do you mean he died?!”
Epel froze in place. What was that about? He knew he should have left right then and there but somehow he couldn’t move from where he was standing.
“Quiet down. We’re going to prevent it, I’m not letting Kalim die again on my watch.”
“Okay but, is it really okay to let him lose?” Another’s student voice asked.
“Against that opponent? It’s our only option. If that thing thinks for even a second that he’s going to lose then it’s all over.”
“Damn that sucks!” This time it was that guy from the entrance ceremony that spoke up. “But yeah, I agree. What I don’t like is leaving you and Grim alone until then. What if Grim can’t open the mirror again for us?”
“Hey! I’ve been training and I can totally handle it now.”
“And even if Grim fails, I’ll talk Sebek or Silver into doing it for us. And we won’t be alone, Azul will help us out too.”
“Dude relying on Azul right now is not something I can do peacefully right now. I forgave him but…”
“He hadn’t shown himself to be the most trustworthy or stable person there is.” Jack agreed with Ace.
“He’ll pull through for us. Trust me on it. It was the same thing with Ruggie during Halloween and I was right in the end, wasn’t I?”
“Well, I guess that’s true but I'd feel better if we stayed here.” The unknown student said.
“No, we can’t let it notice you guys. Besides, after it’s all said and done it’s better for you to not have been in school as everything goes down.”
“Are you sure we can’t just confront this thing and drag it out of Jamil now?” Jack asked.
“It won’t work, She was very adamant about it: whatever you do, do not go into Scarabia’s dorm!”
Epel had quietly left afterwards, his mind reeling with the bits and pieces of intel he heard. That night he had made his decision.
He was staying in Night Raven College for winter break.
He called his family and his grandma had agreed to cover for him, so he came up with an excuse to present to Vil and the school and changed his plans last minute. Ever since the start of the break he would patrol the school under the guise of training for the spelldrive tournament. He was basically flying around campus trying to spot signs of troubles, and when he wasn’t doing that he would hide in the mirror's hall waiting to see if anyone or anything would come out of the mirror of the Scarabia dorm.
His small size ended up being useful. Silver and Percy from his class had for some reason entered Scarabia’s dorm this morning. Epel still remembered Yuu’s warning so he didn’t follow them right away. In fact he debated for a good five minutes when he got too worried and ventured inside.
Thank seven he did. He wasn’t sure what that guy’s deal was but he would have been done if Epel hadn’t tackled him. He knew they weren’t really facing Jamil and that their chances were slim so under those circ*mstances all he could do was try to keep them safe in the air and try to look for an escape plan but he didn’t know where Percy went, what if ‘Jamil’ found him? So he kept looking for him while Silver attacked.
The sandstorm had been a painful and unpleasant surprise. Even with his protective gear Epel couldn’t see anything and he ended up crashing and losing consciousness.
When he woke up, Percy and Silver were hovering over him using healing spells and they were about to take his gear off. Epel, feeling as if he couldn’t let them find out who he was, jumped to his feet and ran in his dorm.
The first few students barely paid any attention to him until he stumbled upon some classmates of Rook who took one good look at him and seemed like he was about to faint. Epel was dragged to the infirmary where the doctor diagnosed him with a concussion.
“And what exactly did you do to end up in that sorry state?” The doctor asked harshly.
“I fell off my broom during training?” Which wasn’t a complete lie. Amzy glared at him sharply, clearly displeased with the first year. Epel wondered nervously if he was going to call him out on a lie but the doctor seemed to have other plans.
“Hmph, back in my days this kind of things wouldn’t have happened! I’m going to give him a piece of my mind!” He complained as he walked towards his office. Epel wondered who he was talking about until Amzy came back with the school phone in hand. Did he call his parents? With a sense of dread Epel picked up the phone and…
“Why were you flying alone?! If you’re going to train then at least have Leona supervise you! Seven knows that this lazy cat isn’t doing anything important!”
Epel's mouth fell open as he could hear Vil berate him for his recklessness on the phone and worse of all, he could also hear Rook interject once in a while meaning that they were spending their break together and he didn’t want to think of the implications. He looked at doctor Amzy in horror in confusion, just why? Why would he do that? Amzy however looked extremely satisfied and went back to his own design. Epel had no choice but let Vil lecture him for a good half an hour, but even then he couldn’t regret what he did. After seeing the thing lurking in Scarabia he was sure of himself.
He couldn’t let Jack, Grim and their friends face that thing alone. Epel was going to help, he may have lost this time but the next time he would face that thing? Epel will win!
