Twisted Wonderland

Sequel Cut Short

Ortho's eyes widen at this.

"Zero is zero no matter what you multiply it by, right?" Vil continues. "But if you take some form of action, that zero could potentially become 0.001. And 0.001 has a chance of becoming one hundred. In which case, there's no reason NOT to do it. The main character of Star Rogue starts at zero and becomes a hero, does he not?"

Idia shrugs. "Well, sure, but that's just a story. Reality doesn't work that way. At the end of the day, even super passionate dev teams disband without finishing what they set out to do."

"You're right, of course." Vil nods. "Reality is harsh, and we don't always get happy endings wrapped in neat little bows. And that's precisely why there's room to turn our story, our future, on its head. We're still young. No need to roll the end credits on our potential yet."

"But for me, it's just..." Idia trails off.

"It's not impossible, Idia!" Ortho shouts.

Everyone looks to Ortho in surprise.

"I never thought there was any chance we'd have friends over and play video games with them. But it happened!"

Idia groans. "Again, this is kind of a different scenario..."

"I think I have a better idea of what I should be doing now." Ortho looks to Vil. "Thank you, Vil Schoenheit!"

Vil shrugs. "I hardly did anything worth thanking me for. But if you got something positive out of it, so much the better."

"YES! I did it!"

Everyone looks to Riddle who just beat the game. Ortho smiles. "Looks like Riddle Rosehearts cleared Legend of the Underworld stage one on Easy!"

"Whoa!" Idia grins. "Guess he figured out where the Up button was."

Azul chuckles. "All thanks to my patient and humble advice, of course. Wouldn't you agree, Riddle?"

Riddle rolls his eyes. "I could've done without the peanut gallery."

"Have you two been playing this whole time?" Vil asks. "I thought I told you to take breaks."

Ortho mutters to himself. "Not letting zero stay zero... By taking action... You're able to turn your story on its head..."

An alarm blares through the room. "Testing of subjects ROS-859A and SUS-3320B is now complete as of 1600.
Phantom cages have been frozen and secured. Lifting lockdown status."

Idia looks up. "Oh hey, they're done. Now I can finally get out of this zoo."

"Those three hours certainly flew by." Vil observes.

Leona sits up and stretches his arms. "Nothin' like a good nap."

Jamil quirks an eye at the lion. "I'm impressed you managed to sleep through all that noise, Leona."

Riddle rubs his eyes. "Now I see souls drifting down the river whenever I close my eyes."

"I understand the entertainment value of game playthroughs much better now." Azul chuckles. "The way Riddle would scream when he got hit right before he was about to clear the stage. Oh, I can hear it now."

"Okay, guys. Time to head back to your rooms. You're scheduled to fly back to school at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Just sit tight until then." Idia is about to walk out when he stops himself. "Oh, right, I almost forgot. Vil, could you stick around for a sec?"

Vil quirks an eye. "Just me? Well, I suppose I don't mind."

Idia, Ortho and Vil all step out into the hallway. The brothers quickly explain how Rook and Epel got to The Island of Woe.

Vil's eyes widen. "Rook and Epel followed us all the way here?"

Idia folds his arms. "AND they brought Y/N with 'em."

"Y/N too?" Vil runs a hand through his hair. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Wish I was, dude." Idia sighs. "Their attack's gonna go down as the wildest thing to ever happen at Styx."

"What possessed them to do such a thing?" Vil asks. "Were they actually trying to rescue me?"

Idia nods to his brother. "Ortho, go on and give him the stuff Rook brought."

"Roger." Ortho holds out the briefcase to him. "Here you are, Vil Schoenheit. A full set of your preferred skincare products!"

"...I beg your pardon?"

Idia throws his arms in the air. "Right? That's the normal reaction! When Rook came flying up to the island on that broom, he held out those bottles and was like, 'You must give these to Vil!' And I swear every Styx staffer there just froze in place."

Ortho nods. "He said he was here to rescue his boon companion from mortal peril."

Vil takes the briefcase, staring at it. He eventually bursts out laughing. "I could hug and kiss all of them right now. Then I'd slap them in the face. I thought I was used to Rook's antics, but this truly takes the cake. And then there's Epel. I explicitly told him not to get involved. He just never listens. I must give them a stern talking-to once we get back. They need to understand how foolish this was. Even Y/N risked coming here. I shouldn't be as surprised, she's always too caring for her own good. But since they were kind enough to bring it all, I'll gladly take it."

Vil opens the case, picking up a certain vial. "This serum..."

Ortho tilts his head. "Something wrong?"

Vil shakes his head. "Oh, no, not really. This isn't what I normally use. It's a high-end product imbued with a special cantrip. After seeing how violently the Charon troops dragged me off, Rook must've feared I was in dire straits."

"They knew they didn't stand a chance, yet they came after you anyway." Ortho smiles. "Rook and the others must be really caring friends."

Idia rolls his eyes. "Uh, what they did was way beyond 'caring.' More like creepy, TBH."

Vil chuckles. "Rook can certainly be eccentric, but once you get used to it, you see he's quite affable and honest." Vil smiles. "Honest to fault sometimes, and utterly devoid of tact. But regardless, he's ensured I'll be in top form for my photo shoot next week. I imagine not every subject is allowed to receive care packages from the outside. Thank you, Boss."

Idia shrugs. "Eh, no biggie. I just threw a howling beast a bone. Had to calm him somehow."

Vil shakes his head, still smiling. "You really do have a special talent for getting on people's nerves. Well, if we're all done, then I'll return to my room."

"Yeah, cool." Idia waves as he walks away. "Later."