HAPPY HALLOWEENNNN
Halloween at Night Raven College was practically a legend among the students—a night of scares, games, and a bit too much drama, all made weirder by the fact that the entire student body was filled with highly competitive (and slightly terrifying) young mages. Y/N, who was still adjusting to the daily insanity of NRC, barely had time to put on a half-decent costume before Grim was yanking them out the door, shouting about "FREE PRIZES!" at the top of his lungs.
The Great Hall was packed when they arrived, and each dorm had taken the Halloween theme and gone all in—some more seriously than others. Heartslabyul, naturally, had gone with a haunted "tea party" vibe. Riddle looked more like a tyrant than usual in his dark costume, wielding a scepter that looked like it'd been used on more than one unruly freshman. Trey had gone for a creepy butcher look, and Cater was snapping selfies as a zombie, looking entirely too smug with his painted-on blood. Ace and Deuce, meanwhile, were doing some kind of half-baked Tweedledee and Tweedledum thing, bickering the whole time about which of them was more on theme.
Savanaclaw was going for a more casual vibe. Leona had thrown on some fake blood, clearly doing the bare minimum, while Ruggie was bouncing around in a scarecrow costume, sneaking leftover Halloween treats whenever he thought no one was looking. Jack, always serious, had gone full monster, complete with claws and sharp fangs, which he kept awkwardly apologizing for every time someone stared.
Octavinelle was its usual weird mix of eerie and classy. Azul had gone full "Phantom of the Opera" with a dark cloak and half-mask, drifting around the hall like he was practicing for a performance. Jade and Floyd were both dressed as creepy twins, whispering "Boo!" behind people's backs at random moments and then laughing themselves silly. Floyd, of course, took it way too far, popping up behind people and grabbing their shoulders while hissing "found ya!"—which had already earned him a good smack from Leona.
Scarabia had a slightly different take, practically turning Halloween into a mini-festival. Kalim had gone all out with a genie costume that sparkled under the dim lights, and Jamil was trailing behind him in a mummy outfit that made him look about as thrilled as a vampire at a garlic festival.
Then there was Pomefiore, where the idea of "spooky" somehow became "high fashion." Vil was gliding around in a gothic prince outfit, dark lace and feathers and all, and every time he turned around, his cape would billow dramatically. Rook was dressed like some sort of haunted huntsman, striking poses every five minutes and calling people "magnifique!" Epel, however, had gone rogue with a zombie cowboy costume, despite Vil's looks of absolute horror every time he saw it. Epel, grinning ear-to-ear, was absolutely living for it.
Ignihyde, as usual, was half in and half out of the festivities. Ortho was floating around in a ghost costume, complete with a glowing halo, while Idia had refused to leave his room, choosing instead to project a hologram of himself wearing a hooded cloak and muttering complaints about "germs" and "crowds."
Finally, Diasomnia had gone full dark fantasy. Malleus was looking far too pleased with himself in a vampire costume that somehow managed to make him even more intimidating than usual, while Lilia was causing chaos dressed as a bat, popping up at random and laughing at everyone's startled reactions. Sebek, in full suit of armor, had already drawn more than a few weird looks, and Silver was somehow falling asleep in his vampire outfit.
Finally, Crowley took the stage, dramatically clearing his throat as he held up a microphone. "Good evening, students! Tonight, we have a special Halloween mystery: a ghost is roaming these halls, looking for its lost heart! Whoever finds it first will win a mysterious prize!"
The announcement caused the room to erupt with excited whispers and chatter. And just like that, everyone was off, either rushing out of the Great Hall in a frantic bid for the prize or arguing about where the ghost might be. Y/N barely had time to process what was happening before Grim grabbed them by the arm and started tugging them along, shouting, "Come on! We need that prize!"
They ended up forming an impromptu "search party" with Ace, Deuce, and Jack. Ace immediately started theorizing, loudly and confidently, about all the best places to find ghosts, while Deuce kept mumbling about how it was just like that one time he'd watched a ghost-hunting show. Jack kept trying to steer them in a logical direction, but Grim had his own ideas, darting off every few minutes whenever he saw something remotely spooky (which usually ended up being just a shadow or someone's misplaced Halloween decoration).
After a solid hour of wandering around the darkened hallways, tripping over each other, and somehow getting lost twice in what was supposedly a "shortcut," they stumbled across an old mirror tucked into a dim corner. Y/N felt a chill run down their spine as they looked into it. Right behind them, barely visible, stood a shadowy figure—a ghostly outline that seemed to be staring straight at them.
"Uh... does anyone else see that?" Y/N asked, heart racing.
Ace yelped, Deuce jumped back, and Grim somehow managed to make himself look twice as big while standing on Y/N's shoulder. The ghostly figure spoke in a hollow whisper, "Help me... find my heart..."
Then, before they could react, it drifted down a nearby staircase, disappearing into the shadows.
"Well... only one thing to do now," Grim said, his voice trembling just a bit as he puffed up his fur. "We follow it! That prize isn't gonna find itself!"
Cautiously, they descended the staircase, finding themselves in a dusty, dimly lit storage room that looked like it hadn't been touched in years. Relics and old artifacts were scattered everywhere, along with what looked like a dozen other random bits and bobs that probably belonged in a museum. In the middle of it all sat a heart-shaped locket, covered in a thick layer of dust.
"Bet that's it," Ace said, eyeing the locket with suspicion but leaning in closer anyway.
Y/N reached out and picked it up, feeling a strange warmth spread through the room. Suddenly, the ghost reappeared, looking far more peaceful than before. It gave them a nod, almost like a silent "thank you," before fading into the air.
"See?" Grim said, puffing up proudly. "I knew we'd find it!"
They raced back to the Great Hall, where Crowley was already waiting with his usual theatrical flair. "Ah, it seems we have our winners!" he announced, sweeping over to inspect the locket. "And for your brave efforts, you shall receive... these vouchers for the campus store!"
Everyone stared at the stack of coupons Crowley held out. After all that, the big prize was store credit?
Ace looked at the coupons, then back at Y/N, barely containing his disbelief. "All that for some shitty coupons? Really?"
Grim, however, snatched the coupons and started counting them with gleeful enthusiasm. "Are you kidding? We could buy so much tuna with these!" He practically squealed with excitement, clutching the stack like it was the greatest treasure in the world.
As the party wound down, Y/N found themselves laughing. They'd spent half the night chasing ghosts, getting lost, and somehow stumbling into what had to be the weirdest "prize" they'd ever seen. But looking around at the other students—Vil lecturing Epel on "proper costume etiquette," Riddle chasing after Ace and Deuce with his scepter, and Floyd hanging off Jade's shoulder, looking entirely too pleased with himself—it all felt weirdly perfect.
Maybe Halloween at NRC wasn't about the scares or the prizes. Maybe it was about the sheer ridiculousness, the unexpected moments, and the strange, chaotic fun of it all. As they watched everyone laughing and celebrating under the eerie candlelight, Y/N decided that Halloween at NRC was pretty much exactly as it should be, stupid and pointless.
