The three have been able to defeat the Phantom and it melted into a puddle of ink.
"Hey, Jamil. Your positioning just now wasn't half bad, "Leona says with remark, "Keep cowerin' behind me. It suits you."
"Jasper mutters, "Leona...
Then Jamil questions, "Do you think I'm a burden, Leona?" Then says, "If so, I'll walk away right now. It would be preferable to dragging someone down."
Leona becomes annoyed and asks, "Seriously? Why you gotta swing from one extreme to the next? Were you repressed growin' up or something?" and begins to lecture him, "You can do better than that. Just get an accurate read on your own abilities, and figure out the best course of action. Look-Ruggie, a sophomore just like you, has underwhelming magic. Barely worth mentioning. Thing is, he knows it. So he sucks up to me and uses me. That's not bad or something to be ashamed of. His shamelessness is his strength. Jack's pretty self-aware too. He can get a little prideful, but he knows he's not boss material yet. So he always follows the boss's orders when push comes to shove. He's a good little pupper like that. Where does that leave you?
Jamil remains silent.
"That's pretty deep," Jasper mutters.
Leona continues, "You think you can do everything by yourself? How arrogant can you get? Have you actually put in the work to pull that off? Oh, and just so we're clear, 'I haven't gotten serious yet' isn't gonna fly with me.' You chose to stop holding back, right? How long you gonna use the past as an excuse? Save the sulking and resignation for AFTER you put in some actual blood, sweat, and tears."
Just then, Jamil says, "...You sound like you're speaking from experience."
"Hmph..." Leona huffs.
Jamil says in thought, "For the longest time, I couldn't stand that Kalim was placed above me. Not just Kalim, either. Everyone. I'd side-eye people who were lauded for showing off their talents. I griped about how I'd get nowhere, even if I tried. I've grown up believing that working harder than necessary is pointless. That my day in the sun would never come anyway. Is he right about me...?" and continues to ponder.
Suddenly, Leona laughs a bit and says, "Hah, the look on your face says it all. I can practically see the wheels turning in your head. But hey, take your time to think it over. After all, I'm not like you."
YOU ARE READING
Twisted Wonderland Book 6: The Watchman of the Underworld
FanfictionAfter Grim attacked Briar after the SDC, she and her friends search for him, but captured by Ortho. A few days later, the school has been invaded by strong people is armor, and has captured, Riddle, Leona, Azul, Jamil, Vil, and Briar, and has Grim i...
