Twisted wonderland x OP Reader

Dragon Knight (Let's rewind)

Mama Shroud had called Y/n to update him on their researches on his blood. The call had been going normally. She smiled warmly as she spoke "...and the regenerative factor is off the charts, S/n-kun. We're seeing cellular reconstruction at a rate we've never documented before. At this pace, we might even be able to do even more. So-"

The screen glitched.

Mama Shroud paused and blinked as she couldn't hear anything anymore "... Y/n? Sweetie?" All there was was static. Then the line went dead.

She pouted and tried calling back immediately, but her calls were rejected each time. That's weird. Did something happen? 

"Is something wrong?" Papa Shroud asked from some paces behind her.

She glanced at him "S/n-kun's phone hung up on me, and now my calls don't pass at all."

"That's odd coming from him. Maybe something happened. You could try calling Idia and ask him."

She nodded and did just that. She called Idia... but she had the same response, which was... a dead line. No answer. At all.

Now, they were actually getting worried.

"Maybe if we can connect to Or-"

A strange pressure suddenly filled the air, like the entire world had taken a breath and forgotten to exhale. The lights in the facility flickered. The machines stuttered. For one terrifying second, everything simply... stopped.

Mama Shroud froze mid-motion, hand still reaching for the console.

Papa Shroud's fingers halted above his keyboard.

Time itself had been paused...

Then... with a strained, mechanical groan, the facility's emergency systems kicked in. Backup generators whirred to life. The lights stabilized. The monitors flickered back on, though slower than before.

Mama Shroud gasped, stumbling forward as her body remembered how to move "What... what was that?" She breathed, voice shaky.

Papa Shroud was already typing rapidly, pulling up diagnostics "... Some kind of magical interference. Extremely high-level. It tried to freeze everything... but our facility has that stabilizing essence Y/n gave us last time. It's fighting back."

He looked at the readings, eyes narrowing behind his helmet "... It's not perfect. We're moving, but it's... taxing the systems. And our bodies."

Mama Shroud rubbed her arms. She could feel it: a heavy, sluggish resistance in her limbs, like wading through thick syrup.

Papa Shroud looked at the cameras all over the facility. Other people had already fallen asleep or were slumping, weak and growing weaker... He could feel the pressure slowly building up on himself too 'At this rate, we might end up frozen as well... So...' He made a decision.

He walked over to the secured vault, unlocked it, and took out two vials of deep golden-red liquid: Y/n's blood, carefully preserved and enhanced "We don't know what's happening out there..." He said calmly, though his hands were steady with resolve "But if the world is trying to stop, we can't afford to stop with it. Not if we want to help them."

"Hm!" Mama Shroud didn't hesitate. She took one vial, rolled up her sleeve, and injected it without a second thought.

Papa Shroud did the same.

The effect was almost immediate.

A rush of warmth flooded their systems. Their movements became smoother, stronger. The sluggish resistance faded, replaced by a vibrant, almost electric clarity.