A fairytale of a beautiful maiden, the beloved Frost Flower Princess was supposed to be staying in the comfort of her castle masquerading as a cage to protect her from the dangers outside, imprisoned by her own brothers.
That is, until a mysterious...
* "And I fortunately know a little magic. It's a talent that I always have possessed."
** Hall of Mirrors
Y/n, Vanitas, Noé, and Jack followed after the sea anemones, trailing them into the Hall of Mirrors.
"Oh, it's the Hall of Mirrors..." Jack muttered, ears twitching as his eyes widened in surprise. "The place that links all the dorms together."
Inside, the hall shimmered with reflective light, but the eerie sight ahead stole their attention. A long trail of students, each with sea anemones latched to their heads, shuffled forward in unison toward a single dorm mirror—Octavinelle's.
"I was sure I'd make it into the top 50 this time!" a Heartslabyul student whimpered, his voice strained.
"Owww!" groaned a Savanaclaw boy, clutching his head. "Blast it all, I've been had! That cheating cephalo-punk!" His curses echoed as more students stumbled along behind him.
"There goes my academic future!!" a Scarabia student wailed miserably.
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Jack's eyes widened in shock at the sea of students wandering past with sea anemones sprouting grotesquely from their heads.
Vanitas scoffed in disbelief, his complexion paling at the sight. The frozen anemone Y/n had made for him was already melting, droplets sliding down his dark hair. She had warned it wouldn't last, since she hadn't bothered putting much effort into the crafting.
He clawed at the thing with sharp, impatient tugs, as if it were mocking him. "What is this nonsense?" he snapped, his tone laced with venom. His stormy blue eyes cut toward Y/n. "You think it's amusing to lump me in with this parade of fools? I look just as pathetic as they do." His hand twitched as though he wanted to crush the melting shard of ice in his fist.
"Huh? It's not just the three stooges..." Jack muttered, tail flicking as he took in the sight. "There are other students here with sea anemones coming outta their heads. I'm seeing some sophomores and juniors in here, too. And they're all going through the mirror leading to Octavinelle Dorm,"
Y/n's voice carried a steady calm. "Who is this 'cheating cephalo-punk' they're all talking about?"
Vanitas, lingering just behind Y/n's shoulder, let out a low sneer at the sound of the students moaning about their scores. "Pathetic wretches, whining about grades while some puppet master dangles strings above their heads. If this 'cephalo-punk' dares to drag you into this farce..." His eyes narrowed, voice dipping to a hiss. The unspoken threat in his tone carried more weight than words ever could.
