Twisted Wonderland: The Seven Treasures

Twisted Wonderland & The Shell of Magic-Part 2

  Jade paused, his finger stopping on the spine of a book. "Floyd," he inquired. "Is it just me or is the library abuzz?"
  "It might be that new notice that showed up on Sea Bream's Magicam account." Floyd said, looking up from his phone.
  "Sea Bream? You mean Cater?" Jade asked, turning to look at Floyd's phone.
  "Yeah..." Floyd said. "Apparently a wish grantin' service popped up. A party's gonna be held in two days to grant over a hundred wishes. And for today only, the first 50 wishes are getttin' granted. Sea Bream is hunting down the students whose wishes are gettin' granted today."
  "Wish granting?" Jade asked. "Like Azul's contracts?"
  "I guess so," Floyd replied, tucking the phone away. "I'm bored. I'm gonna head back to the Lounge. See ya Jade."
  Jade turned back to the books as Floyd left the library, but opened his phone and headed over to Cater's Magicam account, curious.
  On his main story, Cater had posted multiple pics of students who had all had a wish granted. Each student seemed happy with their wish.
  "Hmm..." Jade mused, tucking his phone away. "How odd."
~~~~~
  Floyd walked through the hallway, his gaze on the floor. Was this Azul's idea of a joke? Was he the one who was granting all of these wishes?
  "Floyd," Azul said, making Floyd lookup. Azul was standing in front of him, blocking his way. "You seem more down than normal."
  "Oh, hey Azul," Floyd replied dejectedly. "You raking in tons of marks for this scheme?"
  "Scheme? You mean the wish granting service?" Azul asked. "No. It wasn't my doing. The Headmage would have my head if this was my doing. Mass wish granting is out of my clientele and it would take more than one day to supply 50 student's wishes in one day."
  "Oh, good," Floyd said, perking up. "I was worried you were doing this without tellin' me or Jade."
  "I wouldn't dream of it," Azul said, shaking his head. "I wouldn't initiate a plan without consulting you and Jade."
  "So then what's goin' on?" Floyd asked, falling in step with Azul. "If you're not the one casting the wishes, who is?"
  "I would like to know that as well," Azul said. "The first student who had his wish granted today was a Pomefiore first year. He wished for a pair of shoes yet to be released and they appeared on his feet. Even I couldn't have them just "appear" on the student."
  "Could it be an upperclassman?" Floyd asked. "Someone with more powerful magic?"
  "If you're referring to Malleus, then you are mistaken," Azul said, shaking his head. "I've already spoken to Lilia, who said Malleus wasn't anywhere nearby when the wishes were being granted. And he can't be in two places at once."
  "Huh?"
  "Cater's Magicam has been useful in learning when and where wishes have been granted," Azul said. "At least two wishes have been granted at the same time, but in different places, nearly across the entire campus."
   "You think it's multiple people?" Floyd asked.
  "It's more likely that's true," Azul said. "If multiple mages are casting these wishes, it makes more sense then if just one is."
  "Except..." Floyd started. "A handful of mages, fulfilling 50 student wishes today and hundreds more in two days, wouldn't it be easy to find that kind of group? Plus, if you can't gather the appropriate wishes till you know them, how are these mages giving them the wishes after one text message?"
  "Hmm...you bring up a good point," Azul said, resting his chin on his index finger. "Perhaps I can get some help in solving this mystery..."
  "Who're you thinkin' of?" Floyd asked, extending his hand out.
  "My fellow Board Game member, Idia Shroud," Azul said. "He tracks all of Night Raven College's information. Perhaps he can shed some light on where these messages are going."
  "I'll head my own way then," Floyd said. "Firefly Squid doesn't like too much company and you're a familiar face to him. See ya 'round."
  Floyd waved before running off down the hall, grinning. Now he wanted to go hunting with Cater. Finding out people's wishes sounded like fun.
~~~~~
  Azul knocked on Idia's door. "Idia? Are you in there?"
  "A-Azul?"
  "I require your unique skill set," Azul said. "I assume you've seen the newest wish-granting service?"
  "Yeah...?"
  "I'd like to know where the wishes are being sent," Azul said. "I find it very improbable for these wishes to be real."
  The door unlocked and opened a crack. "Come on in," Idia muttered. "Is this gonna cost me?"
  "No," Azul said. "We are both members of the Board Game Club, are we not? This is just a small thing between us."
  "Alright..." Idia sighed, as Azul walked into the room. "So what's this number you want me to trace back?"
  Azul handed Idia his phone, where a picture of the flyer was showing. "You didn't send a wish in?" Idia asked. "It would be easier if you had someone who's already sent a request in."
  "Unlike our fellow classmates, I'd like to understand all terms and conditions of any contract before I sign anything," Azul said. "However I'm having a hard time finding the terms of this wish-granting service."
  "Then finding someone who's already signed would be a great info drop," Idia said. "Got anyone in mind?"
  "Let me think..." Azul said. "Perhaps the first student who had his wish granted. A Pomefiore student."
  "The one who wished for next month's super expensive shoes?" Idia asked, sitting at his desk and typing quickly. "Got it. Looks like he sent in his wish to the number and received a confirmation message. Huh. No terms or conditions attached. Can I see the flyer again?"
  Azul sent the flyer to Idia, who pulled it up on his screens then zoomed in. "There doesn't like like any hidden terms on the flyer either," Idia said. "If I break down the paper used to print the flyer on, there's no extra ink left behind."
  "How about tracing the number back?" Azul inquired. "There's nothing connected there?"
  "The number is blocked unless you type the code words "I wish for..." in," Idia replied. "But you have to finish typing in your wish before it unlocks. I don't have a backdoor around it. Honestly, the number's probably the oddest thing I've seen when it comes to this whole "wish granting service"."
  "You aren't going to finish the wish?" Azul asked.
  Idia shook his head, turning to Azul. "Like you, I'd like to avoid any extra bonuses that I'm not aware of. It'd ruin my character to be shackled with extra stuff that does nothing."
  "I suppose then we need someone to make a wish for this experiment to work." Azul said. "I don't suppose Ortho would be willing?"
  "O-ortho?" Idia asked, terror in his eyes.
  "Never mind," Azul said, exasperated. "I'll find someone else to make our wish. I'll return once I've found such a suitable candidate. In the meantime, perhaps you should try and find a backdoor into the number."
  "Okay," Idia said, turning back to his desk. "If you find someone, let me know."
  "And you will inform me if you find a back door?" Azul asked.
  "Sure," Idia said distracted, already deep into the code. "Will do."
  Azul let himself out of Idia's room, smiling. There was always the possibility that Idia couldn't find a backdoor but it would be nice to have a backup wisher.
  "I just have to make sure a slot of the 50 is still open," Azul said to himself as he walked out of the Hall of Mirrors. "And Cater would be the best way to gather my list."
  As Azul walked through the school halls again, he began to notice students back on their phones, worried expressions on their faces.
  "Have you seen what's happening?"
  "Yeah...it's horrible..."
  Azul paused then turned, watching the two students walking away from him with a frown. What was happening? What indeed?
  Looking his phone, Azul opened Cater's Magicam feed.
  "What?" Azul asked, his eyes widening. "How...how is this possible?"
  Cater's feed was now showing a handful of the same students who's wishes had been granted, but now they had thick golden chains around their necks.
  On each picture, Cater had the caption "Be Careful What You Wish For".
~~~~~
  Classes were full of whispering about the chains. Azul could hardly concentrate on the lessons because of the whispers.
  Theories were being made, some speculated that only selfish wishes were getting the chains with others pointed out that every wish could be somewhat selfish. Still others wondered if it was just bad luck to have the chain appear.
  But, despite what had happened, the wishes were still pouring in, everyone adding their wishes to be granted during the party.
  Azul's phone buzzed in his pocket and withdrawing it, Azul read the message from Idia. "The quest was a success."
  "Very good. Shall I come by after class then?"
  "S-sure. There isn't exactly any other way I can show you this."
  Azul slid the phone back into his pocket just as Jamil walked over, stopping in front of him.
  "Do you need something Jamil?" Azul asked, looking up.
  "Were you the one who put out the new wish-granting service?" Jamil asked, folding his arms.
  "That seems to be the question of the day." Azul said under his breath.
  "What was that?"
  "Nothing," Azul said. "But I have no connection with this wish-granting service. There are no terms or conditions visible on the flyer and I certainly can't make the wishes materialize out of thin air."
  "Huh," Jamil said, unfolding his arms. "So then you aren't the one who sent the private message to Kalim then."
  "A private message to Kalim?" Azul inquired. "What are you talking about?"
  "Kalim received a private message over Magicam about this wish-granting service," Jamil explained. "The sender's ID isn't one I recognize, except that the profile picture is the same one you use for Monsto Lounge. And Kalim sent a wish in."
  "I certainly didn't send Kalim any messages," Azul said. "He may be naive but you would be there to stop him doing anything stupid. Besides, I haven't seen Kalim all morning."
  "That would be because of Kalim's wish," Jamil said, pulling out Kalim's phone. "He wished to fly like a bird. So now I'm looking for Parrot Kalim."
  Azul, who had pushed up his glasses and looked over the text, now looked up at Jamil, raising his eyebrow. "I'm sorry, Parrot Kamil?"
  "My guess is that Kalim's wish was too vague so he was turned into a bird native to the Scalding Sands," Jamil said, taking the phone back. "A few students have mentioned seeing a parrot with Kalim's headpiece flying around campus so I've been looking for him since breakfast."
  Azul stood up. "Do you require assistance in your hunt?" He asked.
  Jamil looked at Azul shrewdly. "And what's in it for you?" He asked.
  "Some peace and quiet," Azul said, pushing his glasses up. "Someone is defiling my business endeavours by bringing out this wish-granting service and I'd like to find out who's doing it."
  "...very well," Jamil said. "Let's begin the search."
~~~~~
  Azul and Jamil didn't have to go far before they found Kalim, who was facing off against Professor Trein's cat Lucifer.
  The cat made a swipe at Kamil, who hopped to the side to avoid the claws. Kalim looked a bit worse for wear and Azul wondered where he had been exploring.
  "Kalim!" Jamil called out, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a bag of birdseed.
  Lucifer hissed at Kalim before padding away when Jamil walked over and picked up Kalim and placed him on his shoulder, offering the birdseed.
"Well that was easy," Azul said, walking over. "I was expecting him to have gotten himself wrapped up in something more dangerous."
  "Are you serious?" Jamil cried, turning to Azul. "If Kalim got hurt..."
  "Then I suggest keeping Kalim tethered to you," Azul said. "Or at the very least, caged in Scarabia to keep him safe."
  "Arak! Keep him safe!" Kalim suddenly cried out, making Azul and Jamil jump.
  "I see he's more bird than man," Azul said, recovering. "This proves to be problematic."
  "Arak! Banquet at Scarabia tonight! Arak!"
  "Perhaps I spoke too soon," Azul said. "Why don't you two join me in visiting Idia? He's been hunting down the terms and conditions for this wish-granting service for me and seems to have cracked the code."
  "If it'll help get Kalim back to himself..." Jamil said, leaving it at that.
  Azul led them back to Ignihyde and knocked on Idia's door. "Idia?"
  "Oh, are you guys here to see Big Brother?" Ortho asked, making Azul and Jamil turn around.
  "We are," Azul said, nodding. "Idia said he had cracked the code on this wish-granting service but he doesn't seem to be here."
  "That's alright," Ortho said. "I can let you guys in."
  "Arak! Let us in!" Kalim suddenly cried from Jamil's shoulder.
  "I didn't realize you had a bird with you," Ortho saidm, giving off a grinning vibe. "What's its name?"
  "Kalim." Jamil said stiffly, folding his arms.
  "Wait," Ortho started. "You named the bird after the Scarabia housewarden?"
  "No. This is Kalim," Azul replied, exasperated. "Now can we please get in?"
  "Okay!" Ortho said, unlocking the door and pushing it open.
  "Idia? Are you in here?" Azul asked, stepping in.
  The room was dark, the lights off, and just when Azul reached for the light switch, one of the monitors on Idia's desk suddenly flickered on, shedding blue light around the room.
  "Is he in there?" Jamil asked, having remained outside.
  "Just a moment." Azul replied, watching the monitor, the light reflecting in his glasses.
  Walking over to the desk, Azul sat down in front of the monitor and it cleared up, showing a video.
  Azul reached over and touched the "play" button, starting the recording.
  "H-hey Azul," Idia said, appearing on the screen. "So I said I cracked the code right? There was a trap laid behind my backdoor and I activated it. Here's what you need to know about the wish number: all of the wishes are going to a phone in the basement of Monstro Lounge. I didn't even know you had a basement installed there...but aside from that, you'll also need to know that I found the terms and conditions. I'll print them out for you and boy are they a mess. I can't understand the heads or tails of them, but you'll probably have more luck. Also, under no reason should you make a wish Azul. That would make him way too OP and-Augh!"
  The recording suddenly exploded into static and Azul stood up quickly, scared.
  "Is everything okay in there?" Ortho asked.
  Azul licked his lips, breathing hard. Then, forcing himself to inhale deeply, he spoke. "Not exactly," he said, looking over as another light came on in the room. "Idia was affected by the wishing service."
  The light was coming from a printer and Azul waited for the sheet to finish printing before picking it up and pocketing it.
  "Who's Idia?" Jamil asked, making Azul pause. Could it be possible that Jamil was pranking him? No, it was unlike Jamil to joke with anyone. After all, he could barely stand Kalim's continued antics. But then what was going on?
  "The housewarden of Ignihyde?" Azul probed, stepping out.
  "Doesn't ring a bell," Jamil said. "How about you Ortho?"
  "My data banks don't hold any information on a Idia," Ortho replied, pausing for a moment to think. "Are you feeling alright Azul? Maybe I should scan you for any injuries."
  "No. That won't be necessary," Azul said, recomposing himself. "It must have been a slip of the tongue."
  He stepped past both of them then turned back. "Jamil. Where did Kalim go?" He asked.
  Jamil shook his head. "Maybe Ortho should scan you," he said. "There's no Kalim at Night Raven College."
  "I see," Azul said, pushing his glasses up. "Very well. Thank you Ortho."
  He managed to walk out of the dorm without freaking out, but once Azul had crossed into the Hall of Mirrors, he ran across the hall, through the Octavinelle mirror and towards Monstro Lounge.
  "...all of the wishes are going to a phone in Monstro Lounge's basement..." Idia's words rang through Azul's head as he ran into the Lounge, heading for the kitchen. "I didn't even know you had a basement installed..."
  'There is no basement,' Azul said in his head. 'There never was a basement here.'
  Finding the floor plan, Azul closed his eyes, calming himself before looking over the plan.
  "This...this is..."
  The floor plan did show another level, a basement, but there was no visible way to get down to it.
  Azul felt dizzy and fell against the wall, breathing hard. How was this possible? He could have sworn there wasn't a basement before and yet, here it was.
  "Do you see it yet?" A smooth voice asked, making Azul look over towards the shadows. "With every wish I grant, I grow more powerful. Soon, even you won't be able to resist my siren call of dreams coming true."
  Once again, there was the purple flame, but this time, Azul could see the form attached to the flame and he struggled to stand away from the wall. "You're my Overblot form," Azul said. "How are you here?"
  "That need not concern you," Overblot Azul said, coming closer, his tentacles making sucking noises on the floor as he moved forward. "What should be more concerning is why you're trying to enter the Collection without an invitation."
  "The Collection?" Azul asked, but his Overblot form pressed a finger to his lips, shushing him.
  "You'll learn soon enough, Azul Ashengrotto," Overblot Azul said, removing his finger. "But for now, sleep."
  A wave of magic hit Azul and everything faded to black.