A Fox Surrounded in Darkness (Twisted Wonderland x Encanto f!reader)

Chapter 49

"A wonderful way of words," I chuckle.

"I'm impressed, Sebek," Trey smiles as he compliments Sebek. "You were amazing back there."

"Impressed, are you," Sebek tilts his head in amusement. "You must be unusually perceptive, for a human. Your magic could never compare to Malleus or Lilia's, but it was most precise. As befits a junior, I suppose."

"As befits," Trey repeats in disbelief. "You talk an awful lot like Rook, you know. Oh, speaking of which—what were you saying, Rook? You think you might know where we are? Where did the mirror send us?"

"Well..." Rook started off. "Mi mi mi mi miii... ~Foggy castle... Moonlit night..."

"Now he's...singing," Trey was uncomfortable. "And with such seriousness..."

"Who just bursts into song all by themselves," Sebek asks. "That's creepy."

"I know someone who bursts into songs," I say. "Well a few people..."

"The random singing isn't all that uncommon, actually," Trey chuckles. "He does that sometimes during club meetings."

"How odd," Sebek comments.

"He has a great voice though," I compliment Rook.

"That's true," Trey agrees with me. "I just thought he'd be more careful about belting out a song somewhere that isn't totally safe. Hey, Rook? What's the deal, buddy?"

"A drawbridge beyooond...my reeeach!~" Rook continues to sing. "~Within my dreams I keep seeing... a graaand illuuusiooon!~"

"Wait a minute..." Sebek had a moment of realization.

"~Looovely chateau..." Rook continues. "~Looooming shadow... Faaalling chapeau...~"

"~You have found yourself in the Reeealm of Daaarkneeess!~" Sebek and Rook harmonize.

"Sebek," Trey exclaims. "Now you're getting into it too? Did you hit your head when we fought that ghost?!"

"Okay, now I'm lost," I sigh.

"My, my," Rook grins. "I see you are most familiar... with this opera!"

"An opera," Trey repeats in question.

"Yes, I am," Sebek answers Rook. "It's The Moon and the Laughing Night. That was the Realm of Darkness theme."

"Look, I'm not exactly a theater guy," Trey frowns. "Is this show famous?"

"Non," Rook shakes his head. "It's not a popular work, revived time and time again. It's an obscure one, known only to true enthusiasts. Monsieur Crocodile, I'm most impressed that you know it!"

"Crocodile," I snicker.

"I remember seeing it when I was a child," Sebek recalls. "My family took a trip to my father's hometown, and it was playing at a local theater there. I saw it just the once, so I can only recall bits and pieces of it. But I still remember that song because it gave me such a fright as a child."

"Was it that scary," Trey asks.

"The Moon and the Laughing Night is about a living person who inadvertently wanders into the Spectral Realm and tries to find a way out," Rook explains. "It is perhaps a bit intense for children. But if the opera is known for anything, it would be its incredible accuracy! Ghosts are otherworldly beings shrouded in mystery... Yet there was one writer who interviewed 999 ghosts, and subsequently penned 999 works featuring them as a central theme. The pieces came in many forms—novels, plays, poetry... But all of them strove to be wholly accurate in their portrayals!"