Twisted Wonderland 2

Monsters Roaming Free

You and the boys continue further down. You're thankful for the warmth from the dorm uniform you're wearing. For every step you take, it feels even colder.

Rook stops walking, holding an arm out to stop you. "Something's coming up the stairs."

"It looks small." Epel's eyes light up. "You think that's Grim? HEY, GR-"

Rook clamps a hand over his mouth. "Epel, no! That isn't Grim. It's about ten centimeters shorter than he is!"

"Well, it's coming this way now!" Vil takes out his pen. "Ready yourselves!"

Out of the shower steps a couple phantoms. One red and the other blue. Your eyes widen. They look like those demons from my dream... Beside the glass vial heads, they're remarkably similar. With a few blasts of magic, the phantoms dissolve into a black puddle.

Epel's shoulders slump. "Okay, yeah. I see now that thing didn't look like Grim at all."

Vil rolls his eyes. "Good grief. You must be better about reining in your impulses."

"We've ben seeing more Phantoms out and about." Rook observes. "It would appear the lower levels are thawing now."

You hold your arm. "I hope Grim didn't get attacked by a Phantom..."

Rook wraps an arm around you, smiling reassuringly. "Worry not. He's a clever, plucky boy, for all his faults. I'm sure he's hiding and staying out of trouble."

Vil chuckles. "Though I imagine if I opened a can of tuna right now, the noise would bring him running."

You can't help but smile. "Wish I'd brought a can of his favorite tuna with me."

"Oh yeah, speaking of Grim," Epel looks to Vil. "Vil, you said you never saw him when you were in Styx HQ, right?"

He nods. "That's correct. I had no idea he was even here until you all told me. I imagine they suspected he was under the influence of blot when he attacked. Though if he was supposed to depart with us tomorrow morning. Perhaps they couldn't identify any link between blot and his going berserk after SDC."

"Grim is a direbeast." Rook states. "No matter how accustomed an animal becomes to humans, they can always revert back to their feral roots. It's not something they could control even if they wanted to. It's pure instinct. But the same could be said of humans, for reason is as fragile and unreliable as a sheet of thin ice."

Rook turns to you. "Y/N, when Grim injured you, I think it's very likely that his violent, or should I say beastly, display wasn't a conscious choice on his part."

You look to the floor. "He's never done anything like that before."

"I agree with Rook." Epel places an hand to your shoulder. "After all, you've spent more time with Grim than anyone else on campus, Y/N. You're a package deal as a student. I hope you two are reunited soon."

"Actually Y/N, was Grim taking good care of his claws before all this?" Rook asks. "The average domestic cat is around fifty centimeters long and even they need their nails regularly clipped. If not, they can grow so long they can hurt people by accident. And Grim is a seventy centimeter long direbeast. His claws will need even more looking after if he's to live with humans."

Epel chuckles. "Ace and Deuce have told me what an endeavor that is. Grim really hates getting his claws trimmed, huh?"

"That was an eventful day." You laugh.

Vil hums as he starts walking. "Nail care is just as important for humans, you know. Letting your nails just grow without tending to them at all is unacceptable. It's not just unfashionable; it's unsanitary. Conversely, neat, clean nails give off a sense of refinement."