As Isaac watched, a foul smell began permeating the air, emanating from Riddle. Something was seriously wrong. All of a sudden, a black ink-like substance spews from Riddle's now blackened magic crystal, consuming his entire form.
"What the hell!?!" Ace yells. Grim growls and jumps into Isaac's arms. The black ink covering Riddle began to form into a strange but slightly familiar shape, then Riddle was uncovered, revealing a different and darker look.
"His appearance, changed?!" Isaac exclaims, clutching Grim to his being.
"Hnhnhn... HAHAHAHA!!" The new Riddle laughed, far most sinister than before. "Those fools who dare disobey me, I have no need of them in my world. I'm the law in my world. I am the rules! No response other than "Yes, Queen Riddle" is acceptable! It's off with the heads of anyone who dare disobey me! Ahaha!" He says while cackling.
"Oh just look at this mess... A student has gone into Overblot right in front of me." Crowley says in a regretful.
"What the hell is overblot?! That guy's got a really wicked air to him now!" Grim exclaims, still in Isaac's arms.
"Not to mention the smell, and that thing..." The said boy thought, noting the ash- like smell and the massive creature behind Riddle, which strangely looks familiar. "It looks just like thing from the mine! The smell too!" He then recalled.
"Overblot is a state that wizards must avoid at all costs. He's been caught up in a storm of negative energy that has made him lose control of his emotions and his magic." Crowley replies and explains.
"I... don't really get it." Grim replies and Isaac sighs.
"Me, neither." Deuce admits, causing the boy face palm.
"Crap! In plain terms: he's fallen into a dark berserker state!" Cater says, serious.
"Yeah, you think that would be obvious." Isaac thought.
"His life is also in danger if he keeps using his magic like this." Trey ads.
"His life?!" Grim exclaims.
"Say what now?!" Isaac shouts next just as shocked.
"Indeed. But right now the safety of other students is our top priority. I shall go to evacuate the other residents. However, Mr. Rosehearts must be brought back to his senses before he runs out of magic." Crowley states.
"Losing his life is terrible enough, but worse than that..." He mutters, trailing off on the last line. "Right now, I need you all to go get the other dorm heads and teachers to assist..." He began.
"AH! EAT THIS!!!" Ace yells, launching a wind attack at Riddle, stunning everyone.
"COME FORTH! CAULDRON!" Deuce shouts next, throwing a cauldron at Riddle. Grim then breathes his fire at the wizard and monster.
"Argh! What do you fools think you're doing?" Riddle questions, annoyed.
"W-w-whoa, what are you thinking?!" Cater asks nervously.
"He's only in danger like this!! That's what you said, right?!" Grim says back.
"I won't be able to sleep with him like this. And..." Deuce trails off.
"He still hasn't said; "I was wrong. I'm so sorry" yet!" Ace picks up and finishes.
"...You all... Got it! I can overwrite his magic with my Doodle Suit, even if just for a short while." Trey says. "We need to finish this quickly! Headmaster, please work on evacuating the residents. We'll handle Riddle." He then tells the school dean.
"Hold on just a second all of you! It's too dangerous!" The masked man retorts.
"That's right! What's even gotten into you, Trey? You know that you can't beat, Riddle." Cater says in agreement.
"Only challenging guys you know you can beat, that's just lame!" Ace retorts.
"It isn't cool at all!" Grim agrees.
"I can't think of anything else that can bring him back to his senses as quickly as possible." Deuce adds in.
"Yeah, I can't lose him. I... I still have a lot to talk to him about." Trey says next.
"There's no going back now! We have to stop him before it's too late!" Isaac adds.
"...Ah, shit! Understood. I'm really not cut out for this kind of thing!" Cater says.
"Ugh, fine... As soon as I finish evacuating the other students I'll be right back! Hold on until then!" Crowley says and goes to get the students evacuated.
"This guy, that guy, you all have some nerve... I'll take all your heads off at once!" Riddle says as
"Riddle's body can't keep this up. We have to stop him before it's too late..." Trey tells them, clearly worried. Isaac looks at the others, then to Riddle and the thing behind him.
"I have an idea. You guys distract him!" He says and runs behind the bushes.
"Wha-! Isaac?!" Cater shouts but the boy was already gone.
"Well, let's do what he says." Ace suggests. "Trey, do you think you can overwrite Riddle's magic like you did before?" He asks the upperclassmen.
"Yes, but not for very long." The bespectacled replies.
"Maybe, but maybe we can use that time to attack without our magic getting sealed!" The red-haired boy says.
"I agree! Let's do it!" Deuce agrees, getting his magic pen ready.
"Just you wait, Riddle! Raah!" Grim shouts and blows fire at the overblot dorm leader. With that, the others started attacking.
While that was all going on, and Riddle and the creature distracted, Isaac quietly crept up behind both. Then, as Riddle prepared to attack, he rushes forward and grabs the prefect from behind, locking his arms away so couldn't cast any magic.
"Gotcha! You won't be using any of that crap for now!" The vampire says, also having knocked the other male's magic pen out of his hand.
"Argh! Unhand me!" Riddle demanded
"What the-? Isaac?!" Cater exclaims surprised.
"What are you doing?! Get away from there!" Trey shouts.
"I'll be fine! Target that "thing", try aiming for its head! I'll hold back, Riddle!" The black haired boy says back.
"I said, unhand me you peon! Obey your Queen!" Riddle demands again while struggling to get free, but it was useless.
"Oh, would you just stifle it already!" Isaac says and covers Riddle's mouth to shut him up. Suddenly, Riddle grew both still and pale, while Isaac felt something pass into him. The world around them grew dark and then faded completely.
~*Blue-Blood of Night Raven*~
"Huh...? What happened? And where am I?" Isaac thought as his sight cleared up, allowing him to get a good look at his surroundings. It looks like an old-fashioned but expensive house, with antique furniture. He looks ahead to see a woman and child sitting at a table, both had bright red hair.
"Happy eighth birthday, Riddle. Your birthday cake this year is a low sugar, high lecithin cake made with soy flour and nuts." The woman said to the young boy.
"Riddle...? Wait, is that Riddle as a kid? Then that woman must be his mom. Wait, what the heck did she say that cake was?" Isaac thought while processing all that was happening before him.
"Thank you, mama. But, um, I... Just once, I really want to try a tart, covered in bright red strawberries..." The young Riddle says, then timidly asks.
"Uh! How could you say such a thing! That pastry is a mound of sugar that's more like poison! Just one slice will exceed your ideal daily intake of carbohydrates!" Riddle's mom says, sounding outraged.
"What?! But it's normal for a kid to want sweets! Hell, it's normal for a kid to eat sweets! Not whatever the hell that so-called "birthday cake" you're forcing on him is!" Isaac shouts, but they clearly hadn't hear him. It seems he was nothing more than a ghost to them.
"Today we're having a tuna Sautee with plenty of docosahexaenoic and also eicosapentaenoic acid." Riddle's mother continued. "Ah, but at age eight your ideal caloric intake should be less than 600 calories per meal so don't eat more than 100 grams. Alright?" She tells him. What?!
"...Yes, mama." The child Riddle said, sounding like he had no choice.
"What the heck is going on? Am I somehow seeing Riddle's childhood memories? If so... No wonder he acts the way he does, the way this woman raised him is just wrong! I mean, the hell is she making him eat?!" The black haired boy thought.
"For the longest time, the one thing I wanted to eat most of all was a strawberry tart." The current Riddle's voice said from somewhere, but he couldn't tell where from exactly. "I often saw them displayed in the cake shop windows around town. Tarts with berries so bright they looked like jewels." He continued.
The scene then changed to show young Riddle at a desk appearing to be reading something. His mother standing over him, watching like a hawk. There were also a bunch of book stacks around them as well.
"Let's end your classical magic studies here for today." The woman suddenly says. "You have until tomorrow to review the magical ethics that you learned today and get through page 50 of your language philosophy text. To that end, I'll give you an hour to study for your next potion lesson." She tells the boy.
"Yes, mother." Young Riddle replied, sounding and looking tired.
"Jeez, lady! Give him some fucking time to breathe at least! Even Dad wasn't this strict with me." Isaac thought, his anger at this woman rising by the minute for her unhealthy pressuring on the boy.
"Your mother has an errand to run so I'll be back in an hour. So use your free-time wisely." The red haired woman continued and finally left. Isaac turns back to look at the child Riddle and the books surrounding him.
"My every moment was crammed to the brim, with every possible discipline. Time spent learning extended until I could do it. But for me... This was "normal"." Once again, current Riddle's disembodied voice spoke from all around.
"This isn't fair at all..." Isaac said with gritted teeth and clenched fists. "For Pete's sake! You should put down those stupid books and have some fun! This isn't the least bit healthy!" He shouts, though knowing this Riddle couldn't hear him. Just then there was a knock at the window.
"Huh? Who's knocking on the window?" Young Riddle asks no one, then gets up and walks toward said window. Isaac a few paces behind him. The child Riddle opens the window and the two look down to see two kids.
"Oh, he came!" The first boy, who had green hair and glasses exclaims.
"Hey, hey. Come play with us!" The other boy with purple hair and cat ears says.
"Wait... Is that, Trey? And that boy with the cat-like ears, that's definitely Che'nya. This must be how they met." Isaac concluded in his mind.
"Who are you?" Young Riddle asked, snapping him out of his daze.
"I'm Che'nya! This is Trey. Come on, let's play croquet." Young Che'nya introduces then suggests.
"Oh... I can't. Right now is my self-study time. I have to keep studying." Young Riddle replies, a little sad.
"Huh? But doesn't self-study mean that mew decides what mew studies? My grand-paw says playing is a kind of study, too." Little Che'nya says.
"Will you come down for just a bit?" The child Trey asks.
"Alright... J-just for a bit." Young Riddle actually agrees and carefully climbs out of the window and down to the two children. Isaac himself following after him.
"Can I ask your name?" Young Trey asks when the red-haired boy joins them.
"R-Riddle, Riddle Rosehearts." Young Riddle introduces himself and the three go off to play in the rose garden by the house.
"Playing with Trey and Che'nya, was so much fun. I learned many new things, played new games. They both taught me so much. From that day on, during my self-study time, without telling mother, I left my room to go out and play." The current Riddle's voice says as Isaac watches the kids play.
"It's good to know he at least had some fun and good friends." The black-haired boy thought with a small smile on his face. Growing up, he didn't have that many friends, his father often paranoid he would be found out. Though he did talk with other students in the chat of his online school.
"Huh?! Riddle, you've never had a strawberry tart?" Little Che'nya suddenly exclaimed, snapping Isaac out of his thoughts and draws his attention back to the scene before him.
"Mother says it's like poison, so I can't." Young Riddle replies.
"Bullshit... It may not be the healthiest, but every kid deserves to at least eat some sugary treats when young." Isaac thought.
"Well, you probably shouldn't eat too much... My family actually owns a cake shop. Let's go and have some." Young Trey then says, which actually explains his mastering of baking.
"Huh...? But..." Little Riddle stammers nervously.
"Oh, come on, Riddle, this might be your only chance." Isaac encourages, though it was pointless seeing how he was an apparition in this memory.
"One piece will be fine." Young Trey encourages.
"I could go for a whole one right about meow." Little Che'nya says, making Isaac chuckle a little. The trio then head into the nearby town, Isaac following them.
They scene changed to inside a bakery, where a woman with long straight green hair and glasses like Trey, most likely his mom, brought out a strawberry tart and placed it down on the table where the three kids were sitting.
"Atop a pure white plate, sat a brilliantly red strawberry tart. For me, it shined brighter than any jewel. And the first bite was so wonderfully sweet. It was better than anything I'd ever had before." Current Riddle said with a happy tone.
The way he described his first tart reminded Isaac of when his dad first took him to Eddie's. It was a little after Cyrus had taken him in, when he'd officially adopted Isaac, the man took him to Eddie's Sweet Shop to celebrate.
They ordered a single large sundae with the works. Isaac never forgotten the first time he had tasted something so delicious. Somehow, together, they ate through the whole thing.
"I savored each bite..." Current Riddle's voice snapped him out of his reminisces. "And ended up getting lost in it, to the point I lost track of time." He continued, his tone changing. Just then, the bakery door slammed open to reveal Riddle's mom.
"Oh no..." Isaac thought, seeing the look on the woman's face. The scene changed back to the house where Riddle's mother stood over a crying little Riddle.
"How could you! You skipped out on studying to go outside and eat a mound of sugar!?" The woman screamed at the poor boy. "It was those two who instigated it, didn't they! I won't allow you to play with those bad children ever again!" She exclaims next.
"I'm sorry, mother! Please forgive me...!" Little Riddle cried then looks up at the angry woman. Isaac gasped when he saw a red mark on his cheek, like someone had smacked him across the face, most likely his mother.
"Silence!" The woman yelled, shutting the boy up. "This is because you broke the rules. Ah, I should never have given you so much free time. I have to keep an even better watch over you..." She says with strict authority in her voice.
"If I broke the rules, my time for fun was completely taken away. That's why the rules mother makes... I have to follow. In this town Mother is the most respected, so that makes her the most correct." Current Riddle's voice explains, while the scene slowly fades away to darkness.
"Oh god... No wonder Riddle acts like this... Thanks to her, for him, breaking even insignificant rules is cause for punishment, but, that's not healthy at all. I'm sure Riddle's mother thought she was doing what was best for him, but in reality, she was just hurting him. And it was really about her, not Riddle..." Isaac thought.
"...Tell me, mama..." Riddle's voice began again, and the current Riddle appears before Isaac, his face blackened out. "Why? Why does my chest hurt like this? Just on my birthday would be fine... I want to eat a bunch of tarts. I want to play outside for hours. I want to make more and more friends.
"Tell me, mama... What rules should I follow, to make this pain go away?" Riddle asked, sounding ready to cry. Behind him was the same monster, its appearance reminding the vampire of the Queen of Hearts, now that he got a proper look at it. The thing slowly approached the boy, looking like it was going to eat him.
"Then, why not follow your own rules?!" Isaac shouted, snapping both Riddle's and the ink abomination, attention to him. "Riddle, I understand, I really do... but, Riddle you have to realize the way your mother raised you was wrong!" He shouts and, despite his face being non-visible at the moment, Riddle was stunned.
"But... But, mother is the most respected..." Riddle shuttered.
"So what if she was respected? I get it, she had power, she clearly wanted you to be like her, but that doesn't justify how she treated you. You're your own person, you should make decisions for yourself. If you want to eat tarts, go ahead, eat as much as you want. If you want to play, then go play!" Isaac encourages.
"But, the rules..." Riddle begins again.
"I understand the importance of following rules, but if doing so does more harm than good, than what's the point of it? If following rules does nothing but restrict people, to the point they can't be themselves, then why obey them.
"Riddle, the Queen of Hearts only made those rules because it was an excuse for her to hurt others. She'd lose her temper over the silliest of things and was a total tyrant in the end. Do you really want to be like her?" The black haired boy asked.
"N-no. I-I want to make friends, I want to have fun... I want, to be happy..." Riddle replies with a shaky tone. Isaac then reaches out and takes Riddle's hand.
"Then let's get going! Everyone's probably waiting for us! And Ace is still waiting on that apology. I won't lie, he's an idiot, but he does deserve one." He says.
"No one, is going anywhere!" A distorted voice says and Isaac looks up at the ink creature, looking severally weakened.
"Yes! We are getting out of here! And away from you! Whatever you are..." Isaac says back. The creature growls and charges at them. "Don't even think about it!" The boy shouts back.
He quickly pushes Riddle behind himself and clenches his fist. Then, with all the strength and might he could muster in that moment, he thrusts his fist forward and strikes the creature, cracking then destroying its ink bottle head. The monster screams and soon fades away, the dark with it as white illuminates everything.
~*Blue-Blood of Night Raven*~
"...Riddle!"
"Isaac!"