Celeste bowed her head as her father strode across the courtroom. He gazed down at her with an anguished expression. Her twin brother, Uriel, was observing from the crowd of onlooking angels, with an apprehensive look on his face.
"Celeste, you have broken one of the sacred laws of the Celestial Realm. You have tampered with a mortal's lifespan." Her father's voice reverberated in the vast room.
"As Seraphim of Eden, I cannot take this lightly. Your celestial powers will be temporarily sealed, and you will be banished from the Celestial Realm." He cast his verdict, and the crowd gasped.
Her brother forced his way through the crowd. "Father! Surely, you can give a more lenient sentence! She's family! "His blue eyes were teary as he gave their father a desperate stare from underneath his wavy black hair.
"It's out of my hands, Uriel. I have no more say in this than you do." Their father shook his head as he turned back to her, kneeling on the ground.
"Let me see your wrists, Celeste." He ordered, and she raised her hands, too ashamed to look him in the eye. A pair of heavy golden bracelets were placed on each of her wrists. They had angelic spells etched into them that sealed away her magic.
He pushed her away and the next thing she knew, she was plummeting through the sky. She was being pulled down at an alarming rate, unable to use any of her four wings that were clamped to her sides. As she was falling through the night sky, she thought about the little boy whom she'd saved.
She remembered swooping down and wrapping her wings around the child as he gasped for breath, his eyes going wide when he saw her. She'd brought him back from the verge of death, thus sealing her fate. In the end, she had no regrets about what she'd done. Instead, she only felt resentment at the unjustifiable laws of the Celestial Realm. They had all this power. Why not use it to help those who needed it?
After falling for what seemed like ages, she collided with the ground. The impact caused a blast of air to shake the nearby trees.
As she lay there, dazed, she heard a horse-drawn carriage coming to a halt next to her. She tried to turn her head to see but blacked out from the shock.
When she opened her eyes, she could only see darkness. For a moment, she wondered if she had died from the impact. However, the pain radiating down her spine told her otherwise. Feeling around in the blackness, she realized she was in an enclosed space. Her wings had been tucked away, concealed, so that she would appear to be human.
She paused, hearing a scuffling noise outside. She listened closely for a moment as the scuffling drew closer, accompanied by a voice. There was a loud bang as the lid of the box she was in was blasted off. A startled cry escaped her lips as blue flames shot past her. She wasn't sure if she was being freed or being attacked.
"What?! You ain't supposed to be awake!" A voice cried out, and she glanced down at a small, black creature with a peculiar three-pronged tail. Blue flames grew out of its ears, and it had matching smoldering blue eyes. It appeared to be some sort of... Cat weasel.
"Are you... Some kind of weasel?" She asked, bewildered, stepping out of the coffin she had been trapped in. The room was lined with coffins like the one she had been in, and in the center of the chamber was a large floating mirror.
The creature appeared offended by her assumption. "How... How DARE YOU! I am no WEASEL! I'm Grim, sorcerer extraordinaire! Tch. Whatever. You... Human! Just gimme your robe and be quick about it! 'cause if you don't, you're going to regret it!" Grim demanded, summoning more flames.
"Uniform?" She glanced down and realized she was wearing a long black and purple robe with golden designs on top of her clothes. She peered down at the cat-like creature and determined that it was time for her to leave.
Bolting for the nearest exit, she hurtled through a long hallway and a courtyard before ducking into what appeared to be a library. Still battered from her fall, she could feel a warm trickle of blood running down her back.
To her dismay, Grim soon caught up to her. His blue eyes gleamed with determination as he stalked toward her. "Oh, my! You're persistent." She huffed, stumbling backward, flinching at the pain from her wounds.
"Foolish human! Did you really think you could slip away from ME? Now, unless you wanna get burned to a crisp, take off th-" A whip cracked through the air, striking his behind, causing him to let out a yelp of pain.
"Consider it tough, love." A voice growled, and a peculiar-looking man stepped into the room. He wore a mask resembling a raven's beak and a top hat atop his wavy black hair. His long coat was trimmed with black feathers, so it almost looked like he had wings.
"Ah, I've found you at last. Splendid. I trust you're one of this year's new students?" His yellow eyes glowed from underneath the mask, disguising half his face as he turned to Celeste.
"Student...?" she responded, perplexed. She hadn't been a student in over 200 years.
"You awakened in a room full of gates, did you not? All the students arrive here by passing through them. Although most have the restraint to wait for me to open them before waking up." The man seized Grim by the scruff of the neck. Grim howled in protest, flailing his paws but was ignored.
"Are you referring to the coffins?" She squinted up at him in the dimly lit room, still lost and in a considerable amount of pain from falling out of the sky.
"The design is intended to symbolize a parting with your former world and a rebirth into a new one. But now is not the time for such prattle. You've got student orientation to attend!" He attempted to usher her out the door, but she backed away from him.
"Wait! I don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about. Where am I?" She frowned as she shifted away from the strange man, unsure why he kept referring to her as a student. While she was young for an angel, in human years, she was over 600 years old. She even fought in the celestial army, although in terms of maturing, she was still considered an older teenager.
The man was perplexed by her reaction. "Hm? Have you not fully regained consciousness? The time-space teleportation must have addled your memories. Well, these things happen, I suppose. I shall explain it to you as we walk. Truly, my magnanimity is boundless." He smiled at her, and she hesitantly accompanied him out into the moonlit courtyard, unsure what else to do.
He cleared his throat before speaking. "This is Night Raven College. It is an institution for students who show a rare aptitude for magic. It is the most prestigious academy of its sort in all of Twisted Wonderland. I am Dire Crowley. I serve as Headmage."
Twisted Wonderland is what the mortals called their realm, wasn't it? Celeste blinked as she realized that she'd been brought to an academy accidentally. "Academy? Sir, I think there's been a mis-" She started to say, but he cut her off, not listening to what she said.
"Only those who the dark mirror perceives as having a talent for magic are admitted here. A black carriage should have come to meet you."
She recalled hearing a carriage approaching just before she fainted. It seemed that this dark mirror had picked up on her Celestial magic, even though it was currently sealed by the shackles on her wrists.
He led her back to the chamber she had fled from, only this time it was full of students, all wearing the black and purple robes she had awakened in. The crowd was a buzz as they walked down the aisle, and she caught fragments of conversations asking where the Headmage had rushed off to.
"Maybe he had a tummy ache?" A young man with red eyes spoke, peering around from under his hood.
"I most certainly did not!" Crowley huffed and everyone turned to see him with Grim still restrained in his grasp. "If you must know, I was searching for the new student who failed to show up to orientation." He gestured toward her with a sharp glare.
"You're the only one who has yet to be assigned a dorm. Step up to the dark mirror and be quick about it. I'll watch your weasel." He motioned to the large mirror floating in the center of the room.
"Uh, MY weasel?! Sir, I don't belong here! I've been trying to tell you that there's been a mistake!" She repeated, shaking her head. Her cry created a stir among the students, who watched her with interest. A few remarked on her feminine voice as they craned their necks to get a better view of her as Crowley practically dragged her over to the mirror.
"Don't be ridiculous! Get up there!" He shoved her roughly forward, and she grimaced in pain as she stumbled in front of the mirror.
A pale face materialized in the mirror before her, and she gasped. "State your name." It spoke solemnly.
"I'm Celeste..." she replied nervously, clutching at her sleeve.
"Celeste... The nature of your soul... Is unclear." The mirror seemed baffled by her.
"What did you just say?" Crowley gasped, and he moved to stand next to her, staring at the mirror in disbelief.
"This girl possesses powerful magic, but it's locked away. She has a burning bright aurora unlike any I've ever encountered. She would not fit in any dorm here." The mirror concluded solemnly and there was an uproar among the students, several of them standing up from their seats.
"Did you say... girl? And are you suggesting the black carriage received a person unable to wield magic? That's absurd! The student selection process has not erred once in its century of existence!" Crowley's voice shouted over the commotion in the chamber.
"She has magic, but it is bound by the devices on her wrists." The mirror corrected him and Crowley strode up and yanked back her sleeve, exposing the celestial shackles.
Grim finally managed to struggle free, tearing away from Crowley, who was momentarily distracted. "Let me have her place! She can't go here anyway, she's a girl! And unlike her, I can use my magic!" He shouted, waving his arms about and blasting out his blue flames to demonstrate his point.
"Everyone get down!" A red-headed young man yelled as they all evaded the flames. Unfortunately, his warning came too late for the boy with red eyes, who let out a yelp as his robe caught fire.
"Someone catch that blasted creature before it sets the entire school ablaze!" Crowley yelled, shielding himself from the flames.
The red-haired boy strode forward. "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD." He shouted as he brandished a magic pen. Grim let out a yowl as a metal heart-shaped collar appeared around his neck. It seemed to possess the same ability as her shackles, sealing his magic.
"What are you doing?!" He cried, struggling to remove the collar in vain.
"The queen of hearts rule 23: 'one must never bring a cat to a formal affair. Your very presence here violates order. You will vacate these premises immediately." The young man declared with a strict tone.
"Don't you try'n collar me! I'll burn it right off! Huh?!" Grim froze when he realized his magic was sealed.
"Until I decide to remove that collar, you won't be using any magic. Your naught but a pet cat now. The collar will disappear once you're removed from campus." The boy explained with a sneer as Grim spat in irritation.
A boy with wavy silver hair and glasses let out a laugh. "Good show, as always, Riddle. Your signature spell is quite handy."
"Celeste! You should take responsibility for your familiar! Now-" Crowley yelled at her, now that he no longer needed to shield himself, but she interrupted him.
"That creature isn't mine! It was attacking me when you showed up!" She snapped, annoyed at how he hadn't listened to a word she said since she met him.
"Oh... in that case, I'll have it removed. Take it away." After a bit of an awkward pause, Crowley waved his hand and a couple of students swooped in and carried Grim away while he protested vehemently.
The ceremony concluded and all the students left for the dorms they had been assigned, leaving her alone with Crowley. "Well, Celeste, this is a most unfortunate turn of events. I cannot admit a student who cannot use their magic. But don't worry. The magic mirror will send you home." He turned to the mirror and her stomach dropped. She had no home to return to since she had been exiled. Perhaps it would send her back to where she had originally landed?
"O dark mirror! Return this soul to where it belongs!" Crowley threw his hands up in the air with a dramatic flare, and absolutely nothing happened. The mirror seemed to stare back at him coldly in silence.
Crowley let out a nervous cough. "L-let us er... Try again! O dark mirror! Return this soul-" This time the face in the mirror cut him off.
"There is no such place." It responded.
"What?" Crowley replied, flabbergasted.
"There is no such place in this world where this soul belongs. None."
Celeste's heart shattered at the mirror's words. The gravity of her punishment was sinking in. She had no one and nothing now. An eternity of loneliness stretched out before her. Trembling, she struggled to remain upright as Crowley contemplated the mirror's answer.
"This has never happened before. I must say, I'm at a loss. Tell me, where are you from?" She looked up at him, tearing herself out of a downward spiral. She couldn't reveal to him she was from the Celestial Realm. So she decided to give him the name of the kingdom she was from, knowing it wouldn't appear on any maps in the human world.
"Eden." She replied softly, looking down at the floor.
"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that place. Let's go to the library to look it up, shall we?"
They returned to the library where she'd first met him, and he started reviewing several maps. After a couple of minutes of flipping through them, he looked up with a sigh. "Just as I suspected. Your homeland isn't listed on any maps at any point in history. The only explanation is that you've come from another world or realm." He gave her a curious look.
"W-Well, I'm certainly not from here." She replied nervously, not wanting to reveal that he was right.
"Show me everything you brought with you. Any form of identification? What about your last name?" She reached under her robes as he bombarded her with questions.
She pulled out the only thing she had left from home. A bar of Celestial chocolate that was supposed to help heal minor forms of corruption in angels. Her brother had slipped it to her before her trial.
"I'm only Celeste. I don't have a last name." She answered, slightly confused why he was asking for another name. She held up the bar of chocolate for him to see.
"You don't have a last name?! Well, I suppose it's not unheard of... And all you have is a bar of chocolate... Hmm... I hate to expel such a young lady without a cent to her name and no means to contact a guardian..." He frowned deep in thought before looking at her with a smile.
"Ah! There is a vacant building on campus. It was used as a dorm a long time ago. With some proper cleaning, it should be habitable enough. Out of the profound kindness of my heart, I shall allow you to stay there for now. In the meantime, we will investigate ways to send you home." He decided and proceeded to lead her outside. She didn't know how to tell him that trying to send her home was futile. But she decided that staying until her wings were healed from the fall was probably for the best.
Crowley brought her to a run-down-looking building at the edge of the campus. An iron fence surrounded it and the yard was barren, with a few dead trees here and there. The dorm itself looked akin to a haunted house attraction. He opened the gate with a smile. "Isn't it delightful? Right, scoot inside now. There you go." He ushered her into the dilapidated building.
"Now I shall return to my research. Do try to find some way to busy yourself. But don't let me catch you wandering around campus! Ta!" With that, he left her alone in the desolate dorm. The room had once been a lounge but was now covered in dust. The paint was peeling off the walls and some of the furniture was broken. The air was musty and the floorboards creaked with each step she took as she peered down the gloomy hall.
"Well, it's better than the cell I spent the last couple of days in." She muttered to herself as she looked around. There was a crack of thunder and the sound of rain hitting the side of the building as a storm rolled in.
Suddenly, the door creaked open and a small black creature crept inside. She let out a small shout as it turned to stare at her with big blue eyes.
"You again?" She hissed, realizing it was the cat creature from before.
"That's right! I ain't givin' up on going here just cause I got kicked out one measly ol time!" He huffed, shaking the water out of his fur.
"Ugh! You're filthy!" She scowled at him as he threw water and mud all over the room. "Why do you wish to go to this school so desperately?" She asked, stepping aside so she didn't get splashed. She frankly didn't see the appeal. If she hadn't been injured, she would have flown off by now.
"I'm a magical prodigy who's got the makin's to become one of the greatest mages to ever live! I've been waitin' and waitin' for that black carriage to come for me, but..." He faltered off, looking pitiful, before recovering his usual cocky attitude.
"Hmph! That mirror's got no eye for talent! You humans don't understand what a mistake you're makin'!" He declared before letting out a yowl as the roof started leaking, dripping water onto his head.
"Of course, it leaks." She sighed, squinting up at the ceiling as Grim continued to complain.
"I dunno why you don't just magic the holes away. You could have those fixed in a jiff." Grim glanced at her, and she raised her golden shackles to remind him.
"Oh yeah! Those fancy bracelets are stoppin' ya! Man, you're useless." He jeered at her.
"If you're so talented, why don't you fix it yourself?" She retorted back, crossing her arms.
"You want ME to help YOU? You ain't the boss of me. I don't work for free." He said, sidestepping more water.
"Enjoy getting wet then." She shrugged and started to explore the rest of the house.
Turning down the corridor, she could hear distinct whispers. She sensed another presence and whirled around, letting out a startled cry as three ghosts emerged from the darkness. They chuckled, finding her reaction humorous. "We haven't had visitors in ages." One spoke, drifting closer.
"Do you mind? It's been a long day." She said, exasperated, recovering from the initial shock.
"Wh- aren't you scared?!" One of the ghosts sputtered at her dismissive response.
"Of earthbound spirits? No," she replied, shaking her head.
"Hey! What's going on- AHHH!" Grim had heard her cry from earlier and rounded the corner, spotting the ghosts.
"All the people who lived here before were terrified and ran away. We just want a new ghost to play with." They floated closer to her, but she remained unfazed.
"Well, I'm afraid you'll find it rather difficult to turn me into a ghost. Sorry to disappoint." She gave them a tired smile.
"I'm a master sorcerer! I ain't afraid of any dumb ghosts!" Grim yowled, charging forward. He started shooting his flames haphazardly around the hall.
"WHOA HEY! You're going to burn the place down! Could you try actually aiming?!" she shouted at him, backing up so her robes didn't catch fire. This seemed to hit a nerve with him, as his aim got better, actually landing some hits. She started calling out directions for him to aim. After being struck by Grim's flames a few times, the ghosts retreated into the shadows, leaving them in peace.
Celeste sighed in relief when they fled. "Thanks for your help." She said, glancing down at the trembling creature.
"Aw, geez. I was scared outa- I mean, they didn't faze me one bit!" Grim huffed, smoothing his fur.
She turned when she heard footsteps coming from down the hall. To her surprise, she saw Crowley had returned, this time with a dinner tray.
"Good evening. In another gesture of my immense kindness, I have brought you dinner." Crowley stopped when he spotted Grim. "Wait. That is the creature we ejected for causing trouble at orientation! What is it doing here?!" He exclaimed.
"Takin' care of yer ghost problem, that's what. You're welcome, by the way!" Grim puffed out his chest proudly.
"Celeste, what is the meaning of this?" Crowley demanded, setting down the tray of food.
She explained to him what had transpired with the ghosts, and Crowley paused to think.
"Now that you mention it, I seem to recall this dorm had a mischievous ghost problem... I must confess, my educator's intuition did sense something about you at orientation. I could tell you have an animal trainer-y, beast master-ish quality to you. That said, I..." He trailed off in a mumble.
Celeste glanced down at Grim. "Would it be possible for Grim to stay with me?" He had come to her aid when he'd heard her cry out. Perhaps he wasn't as bad as he initially seemed.
"WHAT? A monster stay HERE?!" Crowley said, appalled.
Grim stared up at her with wide eyes, looking touched. "Whoa... Did you just?"
"He did help me, after all. Besides, what's a beast master without a beast?" She smiled warmly at Grim, and Crowley sighed.
"I suppose I cannot deny that. Very well." Crowley gave in and Grim jumped excitedly.
Crowley frowned, glaring at Grim, who was rejoicing. "Let me be clear! Under no circumstances would I admit a student who has not been selected by the dark mirror-especially a monster! Nor do I intend to allow you, Celeste, to freeload until you can return home." Crowley said sharply, crossing his arms.
That's fine, she thought. I only require about a week to heal, and so I can fly again.
"The school does bear some responsibility for your well-being. So, I will allow you to remain in this dorm free of charge. However, you will need to pay for your food and clothing." Crowley continued looking at the two of them.
"What are you proposing on having us do?" She asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
"What do you say to you two working as a janitorial team? If you agree to that, I will make a special exception and allow you to remain on campus. I'll also allow you to use the library, so you may study and research ways to return home." A broad smile spread across his face at his own suggestion.
While it was a terrible arrangement, she needed to study a map of the human world, so she could plan a route for when she left this place. She wouldn't require much food since angels didn't need to eat as often as humans, so food expenses weren't a big deal for her at least. She eyed Grim, who looked outraged.
"What kinda deal is that?! I wanna be a student, not sweep up people's junk!" He huffed, glowering at Crowley.
"If you're not satisfied with my offer, I can arrange to have you thrown out again," Crowley responded with a deadpan expression.
Grim's shoulders slumped in defeat. "... Alright, fine. I'll do it."
"I don't think I really have a choice." She sighed, shaking her head.
"Wonderful! Now there is one other thing. Celeste, may I see your bracelets?" Crowley held out his hand, and she hesitantly showed him her wrists. He examined the markings engraved in gold. He frowned when he saw the angelic seal, an eye surrounded by wings.
"This symbol... Looks familiar. I'll do some research on it, and maybe I can find out where you came from." Crowley said, letting go of her wrists.
Later that night, once Grim was asleep, Celeste slipped out of the bedroom and moved down the hall.
She went into the bathroom and dampened a washcloth. Sliding off the robes and exposing the backless blue tank top and white Capri pants with a golden belt matching her gold sandals.
She let out a groan of pain as she unfurled her wings and looked them over. A few feathers were missing and all four of her wings bore gashes as well as her back which had taken the brunt of the impact.
She wiped down her white, silky feathers, removing the blood from them the best she could. Wincing as she cleaned some of the deeper cuts. Wiping the grime off the mirror, she caught sight of her tired face. Her short inky black hair was rumpled, and she brushed it out of her aquamarine eyes, so she could inspect the wounds on her back.
She couldn't really clean them that well, but it would have to do. She also had a black hoodie knotted around her waist, so the wounds on her back wouldn't be visible. Retracting her wings she crept back into bed and fell into a deep sleep.