Twisted Wonderland

Rendezvous at Midnight

You run out of the Octavinelle dorm and stop to catch your breath in the Hall of Mirrors. Deuce wipes the sweat from his brow.

"I was scared stiff there."

Ace glowers at the wolf. "We wouldn't be in this mess if you weren't such a huge target, Jack."

"Wh- hey! I just work out more than you guys! What's wrong with that?" Jack folds his arms. "Besides, wolves are naturally large creatures."

Deuce sighs. "Well, we can't tear the contracts up. We can't even touch them as things stand."

Jack rubs the back of his neck. "I think we'd better call it a day."

"We wasted a whole day, and for what? Nothin'." Grim angrily cries out.

"Is there really a way to shred those dumb things?" Ace asks.

You think back to your encounter with Azul. Something was nagging at you but you weren't sure what.

Ace and Deuce step next to you. Ace puts a hand on your shoulder. "Don't worry, Y/N. We'll get your dorm back."

Deuce nods. "Yeah, we promise."

You wrap the two in a hug. "Thanks guys."

Deuce and Ace walk through the Heartslabyul mirror, leaving you with Jack and Grim. Jack nods towards his dorm mirror.

"Ready to head back?"

You shake your head. "You go one ahead. I have to stop somewhere first."

Jack nods and he and Grim walk into the Savanaclaw mirror. You sigh and walk out of the Mirror Chamber.

You lean against the metal gates, staring at the Ramshackle dorm. You don't know why but you just needed to be here. Though it's in disrepair and barely anything works, you made it your home in this new world and you're sad you might have to say goodbye to it.

Little glowing lights float all around you. You realize the lights are fireflies. Their lights create a beautiful glow in the dark night.

Fireflies?

You turn around and see the boy with horns you met before. You run up to him and wrap the boy in a hug.

"Hornton!"

The boy was taken by surprise by your hug attack. "Hornton? Are you referring to me?"

You let him go and take a step back. "You said I could call you a name of my choosing. My roommate Grim picked that name out for you."

The boy stares at you for a moment. You become worried you may have offended him.

The boy laughs. "Me, being called Hornton! You really are fearless, it seems. No matter. It was I who told you to use a name of your choosing. I'll indulge this liberty and permit you to refer to me by your... curious nickname."

You let out a small laugh, glad that he doesn't mind. Hornton glances at the dorm. "By the by, I've noticed that this dorm has seemed rowdier as of late. Are you taking in more students?"

"Uhhh, actually..."

You explain your situation to him. Hornton listens intently, bringing a hand to his chin in thought.

"You made a deal with Ashengrotto? Well... I suppose that does explain it. Then once the sun sets tomorrow, I suppose this place will belong to him and become a hotspot for noisy students."

You look to the ground, rubbing your arm. Him saying it out loud really puts your situation into perspective.

Hornton chuckles. "You look like you take issue with my statement. You don't like me speaking as though your loss is a given?" He looks to the dorm. "Incidentally, the walls of this dorm have some rather impressive gargoyle sculptures."

You tilt your head. "Gargoyles?"

Talk about an abrupt topic switch...

"At first glance, these gargoyles appear to be imposing, dangerous monsters..." Hornton continues. "But in reality, they are a kind of drainage spout built to keep rainwater from sullying the walls. They look frightful, and yet they are beings devoted to the preservation of their home."

"There's a stark contrast between what they do and how they look, huh?"

Hornton nods, smiling at you. "Sometimes, what you see with your eyes is the complete opposite of the truth. And..."

Hornton steps closer and takes your hand in his. "I, too, would prefer to avoid this place becoming rowdy every night. Continue fighting to protect your dorm. I'd hate to lose the only spot where I can see you again."

Hornton places a kiss on your hand, smiling before disappearing into the night. The fireflies also disappear with him. You place a hand to your chin in thought.

So what I see... isn't always the truth?