When y/n l/n's horribly broken moral code makes her laugh in ace's face after being squashed flat by a fucking cauldron. Or, in which Ace's suffering days are not yet over.
"Clam and stoic is this soul's mind but chaos runs deep when their heart,"
Act i, prologue, Welcome to the villains world
Chapter 12-13, Punishment ducking to An Urgent deadline
Word count, 4508
A/n: bro 😭I feel so bad for lazing around and enjoying my time reading other books or hanging with my friends that I don't have motivation to give you another chapter
It so hard to write character interactions when their not one on one. It doesn't give off the same intensity and build up as it does if another person it there, and the conversation and writing direct to them more and it's harder to write an oc that wasn't originally there to flow easily through the storyline.
Edit: I don't know what the fuck is wrong with my health but I just got randomly sick after going to Costco with my ma after lazing around the house for a few days cause we just had our spring break 😭
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Judgement.
Judgmental oceanic eyes bore into crimson pupils.
The cerulean haired stranger crossed his arms irritably, tucking away the ruby incrusted magestone pen into his breast pocket, staring scrutinizingly at the redhead, "you don't remember your own classmate?,"
Ace sputtered for an answer, instead, just opting to point an accusatory finger into the bluenette's chest, scoffing, "You don't remember my name either, do you?,"
Deuce shoved his hand away, his mouth curving into a subtle sneer, some of that old flame rising from the ashes again in the aquamarine hues of his once calm, clear ocean floor turned into a thrash of raging tides.
The cerulean haired boy stared with judgement clouding his oceanic eyes, "That's not the point! You shouldn't try to shirk an order from the headmage!,"
Ace sneered back with the same vigor, harshly shoving his hands inside his pants pockets before the fire died down and he looked angrily to the floor, "yeah, yeah, message received... Fine, let's bang out the windows already."
By now, the little grey monster had disappeared, leaving naught but an empty presence in the spot he used to be.
Yuuken; who seemed to be grimacing, stared off in the distance to where the troublesome weasel had run off.
Leaning over, you created a wall between the cerulean haired and redhead as you raised a furrowed eyebrow, "grim has been quite silent for the weasel that almost set the school on fire,"
Harshly pushing your head aside, the redhead freshman struggled to sputter a response, his finger trailing off to the desolate hallway where a tuft of grey fur was swiftly bolting from the scene.
Ace sneered and crossed his arms indignantly; his old anger flaring up in an almost uncontrollable fit of fire, "The furball! He's gone!,"
The sage lanterns shinned across grim's face, the tuff of flame of his ears looking like a blaze of neon green smoke."Ahhahaha! I'll let you three handle the rest!," you huffed, you weren't even obligated to wash a hundred windows??
The flaming tanuki called out one more mocking salute, "See ya, suckers!,"
The redhead looked pissed, his eyebrows twitching a concerning amount as a vein almost popped from his head, "You caught me so you could run away yourself you little shit?,"
His expression shifted, to one of mild interest as the redhead gazed through the golden flaked irises of your irises. A twinkle of mischief shinned in the corner of his crimson pupils.
You raised an eyebrow, curious of was he was trying to pull, yuuken shifting uncomfortably as he waddled to the side, mildly interested in what Ace had to offer.
"Hey!,"
Ace tapped a finger to his lips, a convincing smile spreading across his mouth, "You there! ...um what was your name? Oh and uh...Juice!"
The cerulean haired stranger—no longer a stranger—scoffed harshly, crossing his arms indignantly, "My name isn't Juice, it's Deuce."
"y/n." Leaning over, you silently grimaced as the two stared arguing, retracting back to stand by Yuuken's side, your shoulders bumping slightly as his soft amber brown hues fleeted into thought, memory—or lack thereof—clouding the gaze in his eyes.
An almost red hue crawled up the redhead's neck, either embarrassment for getting his name incorrectly or a little pissed that the bluenette wasn't too keen on cooperating with him, you couldn't really tell.
You sighed, weariness heaved through the exhale of your breath. He just wasn't the type of person to own up to his own mistakes, was he?
Ace huffed, bumping his elbow against the cerulean haired boy's arm, rolling his crimson pupils to the side of his eyes, "this is partially your responsibilities too you know! So help me catch that little furball!,"
Deuce pointed indignantly to himself, anger flashing in the oceanic pupils of his eyes, irritation crawling up his neck in a soft red hue, "How is this my responsibility?!,"
The redhead pointed to Yuuken, idly leaning against the cool stone brick wall as he ruffled through his hair, anxiety starting to bubble from his stomach.
He sighed, slightly shoving the cerulean haired boy down the hall, a hand grasping the fabric of your uniform, "Grim's useless janitor friend can't use magic."
You frowned, trying to pry his fingers off your clothes. He must've snagged a glance at the red jeweled magic pen that was—like deuce's, tucked away inside your breast pocket.
Of course, grim running off would only bring more trouble onto your plate if you didn't stop him to the best of your abilities. That sly bastard knew that!
A slight twinkle of mischief clouded over his crimson pupils, "That means this is up to you two and me!,"
A pool of dread started to bubble in your throat, threatening to lurch itself from your stomach as you were reeled from your reverie from the hand tugging at the cuff of the red vest tucked inside your uniform.
It crinkled in an unsatisfying way, stubbornly staying like that for a good while as the redhead's fingers grasped harshly against the fabric, much like the fabric of his own uniform that symbolized the colour of heartslabyul dorm.
Cobbled stone paths and green foliage passed by your vision, the street lamps shinning like beacons of light through the midnight blue sky; the colour of feather that once resided in your hair.
You were distressed when you found it's comforting presence gone; the place where you had tucked it into your hair empty of the ticklish, warm sensation of a feather fluttering by your ear.
When you wandered back to the cafeteria in wait of Crowley to appear, disappointment clouded your heart and dragged it down to the floor when the feather wasn't there to greet you.
Your mind drifted through these memories, the flash of colour and spells being thrown flashing across your vision, mumbles of insults and mindless conversation filling the silence of night.
A flower of dread bloomed and settled inside your heart, shuffling in annoyance as you tried to match their pace; chasing after the little troublesome weasel as your footsteps clattered upon the cobbled stone ground.
Albeit reluctantly, you ripped the scarlet jeweled magic pen out from your pocket.
"Just give up!,"
Ace grit his teeth, clenching them together and making a grating sound as irritability crawled across his face like ugly jagged scars.
You could see the gleaming red gem of the redhead's magestone pen glint dangerously under the soft illumination of the moon, setting beams of sliver light bending in spots against the tilled stone path.
The cerulean haired boy pushed him aside, the redhead's lanky elbows jamming harshly into your side. An angry glare shadowed his oceanic eyes through the dark, empty streets, "stop causing such a ruckus all over campus!,"
"What's the big idea?," Anger ignited a fire inside the crimson of the redhead's eyes, his arrogance clashing with his ego and starting up the storm that was his pissy attitude, "Why'd you run right into me?,"
Deuce clutched the arm that had instinctively shoved him aside, retreating the blatant evidence that fueled the redhead's frustrations. Regret shrouded his voice, obviously not meaning to return to such violent tendencies, "I-I didn't mean to, it was an accident!,"
You pushed them away from each other, pointing in sour disappointment as a tuff of azure blue flame trailed off in a grey smoke in the fleeting distance.
A smug grin spread across grim's face, "Myahha! I'm out losers!,"
Disheartenment crept across your neck in a [faint/dark] red hue, frustration itching across your face. You hated to loose.
Yes, you were okay with it and the frustration would soon fade a couple hours later but you despised the feeling of your heart sinking uncomfortably into the bubbling feeling of your stomach.
You hate the disappointment that stung your face as it grew hot with shame.
Loser. Who the fuck says that anymore?
"Stop jumping around like that!," the redhead pinched the bridge of his nose irritably. Frustration clouded his crimson pupils as a glint of confusion twinkled in the corners of his eyes.
You had returned back to the cafeteria, as if the world was telling you that, "oh well, I guess your back to square one again. Have fun with that."
The weasel, the fucking weasel that set the school on fire had climbed onto the chandelier, the ornate gemstones incrusted upon the lights jingling together with a clink!, "heh heh, Catch me if you can!," grim taunted.
The cerulean haired boy craned his neck up at the flaming tanuki, a deep determination rooting itself upon his face, "No fair climbing up onto the chandelier you coward!," he spat.
He somewhat reminded you of the sliver haired wolf boy in the crowd earlier watching the fight, thinking back to his soft golden brown eyes that was inflamed with passion.
The aquamarine hues of deuce's eyes trailed off in the distance, as if inspiration might spark like a stubborn match that refused to light. "I haven't really learning flight magic yet...what could I summon to hold onto him..? Hmmm."
Finally, a fire ignited from the match as it erupted into flame.
Ace peered over the cerulean haired boy's shoulder, mild interest sparkling inside his crimson pupils, "did you come up with somethi—Oh hey! Stop! What are you doing?!,"
A sort of manic grin spread across deuce's lips, like a mad scientist about to reveal his evil plan.
The redhead stepped back, hands flying protectively to shield himself away from cerulean haired boy, "Why are you pointing your pen at me?,"
Warning bells repeatedly rang in his mind—reacting to the shiny red jewel incrusted inside the magestone pen that gleamed dangerously against the swinging chandelier pointed directly at his chest.
Sheer determination ignited a flame inside the oceanic hues of the cerulean hair's eyes, sheer panic sparking a storm of anxiety that bubbled inside Ace's stomach, a pool of dread that blossomed inside his heart.
"Because I'm going to launch you."
Yuuken, who had caught up a while ago pinched the bridge of his nose, his face twisting with mild frustration as a soft wave of fear passed through the amber of his eyes, "what the hell did he say?,"
Doubt itched across your face, scrunching up your nose in disapproval. There was no hundred percent chance that when Ace came down, grim and the chandelier wouldn't crash down and spinter on the floor with him as well.
A blue light enveloped the redhead, dyeing his hair an ugly shade of cerulean much like a slightly washed out version of the bluenette's—his feet slowly rising from the wooden planked floor, "Are you kidding me? Put me down!,"
The clanking magstone incrusted chandelier swayed even more violently from side to side as the little tanuki tried to balance out the weight as he held onto the light fixture for dear life.
Ace wobbled and swayed in the air, similarly to the unstable magestone chandelier that hung from the ceiling as his feet levitated off the ground, "Seriously, do not launch me! Abort! Abort?!,"
A sense of panic enveloped you, grasping the fabric of the redhead's uniform as you tried to drag him down, the cuff of his sleeves narrowly being seized before he could float away and be thrown onto the light fixture.
Deuce closed his eyes, his own ruby incrusted magic pen tightly woven around his closed fingers, holding the pen and pointing it to the sky as if directing an instrumental performance that soothed everyone's worries with a complex weave of melodies.
"Just make sure to grab him tight."
A beam of white hot light sparkled from the magic pen, the rose red jewel emblazoned upon the fine material gleaming dangerously against the blinking lights of the magestone chandelier, "I've got him in my sights, and... Go!,"
The redhead's sleeve was ripped harshly from your grasp.
Ace screamed.
Grim screamed.
Deuce might've also screamed.
And then a thud! was heard as bodies harshly hit the cold, wooden floor as the chandelier crashed among the derbies from the fall.
Broken glass and magestone shards dug into your skin, the intents leaving small bruised scars along your arms as you coughed up the dust that erupted from the floor.
Your body felt a little numb—feeling another body piled on top of you as their heel dug deeply into your back.
"The chandelier!!," pushing them gently off of your shoulders, you brushed the dirt and grime from your crinkled uniform as you picked through your hair—the band that tied your hair into the little sloppy [bob/ponytail] long gone from the chase.
From your side, you heard yuuken sight gently to himself, ruffling through his dark locks as his face scrunched up in mild disappointment. "Now what have they done?,"
The redhead pinched the bridge of his nose, head slightly bobbing from side to side as he coughed up a fit, "I cannot believe you just did that!,"
A twinge of guilt sparkled in the oceanic green of the cerulean haired boy's eye, genuine feelings leaking from the slice of disappointment that hung from the corners of his pupils, "Oh, yeah! I probably should have come up with a way to soften your landing..."
"You absolute fucking moron!,"
Ace's hand slid down across his face, his eyebrows twitching rapidly as an irk mark formed on his head, "we got grim, but we broke the chandelier! If the headmage finds out about this—"
Paranoia crept silently into his thoughts, trailing off into dread as he saw the shadow of a person behind him.
Pools of anxiety bubbled inside your stomach, twisting and turning like a washing machine with the dreadful contents threatening to spill with the nausea clouding your throbbing head.
You fucked up. You fucked up real badly.
"This was not part of the plan."
The yellow pupils that glowed from under the dark crows mask of Crowley's face darkened with angry intent, folding his arms across his chest neatly as his gloved hand curled dangerously around his staff.
A smile curved across his pale face, shadowed by eerie disappointment as you five stiffened with dread pooling in your stomachs.
"If I find out about... what, dear Ace?,"
A bead of cold sweat dripped down the redhead's neck, ruffling through his hair as he slowly turned to the crow masked headmage with the troublesome tanuki held in his arms, "ah!," anxiety bubbled from his heart, "headmage...!,"
Crowley pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice echoing though the desolate cafeteria that demanded for attention, "You. Three. AGAIN."
Frustration leaked through like a broken water dam, the sound feeling like poison across your ears, slightly turning into a softer noise of agitation "what have you done this time?,"
His voice was grand, like an imposing host welcoming you to their home. Praise and charming complements usually danced across his tongue, sweet flattery flying from his lips in quick witted game of tact.
Now, the grandeur that plagued his voice demanded for attention and full explanation of the "crime." The flattery that once could make the coldest hearts flush with bashful warmth now steeled in agitation as most underpaid employees would sound.
He crossed his arms together, the dark staff that twirled around his gloved fingers clattering a beat upon the dust ridden floor, "burning a statue wasn't enough for you? Now you've destroyed a chandelier?!,"
Yuuken flinched back at the accusation, his eyes downcast and shadowed with shame as embarrassment crawled up his neck in a burning red hue.
You frowned. You didn't like seeing that expression.
"Enough." Crowley's sharp voice cut through the thick atmosphere as if it could just as easily be sliced with a butter knife and spread onto your morning toast.
"All of you are expelled."
Dread pooled inside your stomach, desperation gnawing at your mind as a ringing sensation filled your ears. Your hands started to shake, quivering in fear of the unclear future that was to come.
Tentatively, you cupped one side of your face with your palm, rubbing soothingly at the crimson rose that bloomed from under your eye. It served as a painful reminder that you were off task.
Far, far off from the task that was given to you.
You saw yuuken start to sway in the corners of your golden speckled irises.
He had it worse than you; having no family and nobody to come home to. Though you would go back as a failure for your job, he would be thrown onto the streets as a defective failure of a human being.
The cerulean haired boy clasped his hands as if in prayer, pleading for forgiveness as desperation prickled in salty tears forming from the corners of his eyes. "Headmage, please! Give me a second chance! I can't get expelled from this school! I need to be here!,"
Part of you wondered what would he become if he too, was expelled. Certainly, if deuce were to come home now, would he be a failure too?
The crow masked man crossed his arms indignantly, his brows furrowed as if to proclaim in pity, you brought this upon yourself, I'm only acting on what the right order suggest, "Then blame yourself for your own foolish behavior.
The cerulean haired boy clutched his fist together to his heart in promise, desperation mixing with determination as they fought together in a tight battle for control, "I'll pay for the damages! However much it costs!,"
Crowley shook his head, shaking a lanky gloved finger from side to side, old age and weariness creasing his breath as his sighed deeply through his hollowed mask, "That chandelier is no mere light fixture."
Crossing his legs together, leaning against one of the tables as he beckoned you forward to take a seat on the bench, "It is magical chandelier. Its candles are powered by a magical energy source, enchanted so that they will burn for eternity."
Doubt gnawed at your mind, ruffling through your scratchy scraggly hair as a newfound anxiety bubbled in your stomach as you waited for his verdict, "It was created for us by a legendary artificer. Possibly their finest creation."
"It has been here since the school was established, and I imagined it would be here forevermore."
You could feel the cerulean haired boy trembled beside you, the ghost of his touch leaning over your shoulder as you all listened in mildly terrified silence, "Considering its historical value, I would estimate its worth to be no less than a billion madols."
"And you intend to repay that sum?,"
His question leaved a haunting air, his voice trailing off into mocking challenge.
Deuce's trembling started to grow more vigorous, anxiety clawing up his nerves in a tumble of dread and shock bubbling in a stutter from his throat, "A... A billion madols?!,"
You examined the quivering hand placed feverishly on his knee, elbows bending as if supporting the weight of the sky, "B-But I'm sure with your magical talent, sir, you could snap your fingers and fix it right up!,"
Crowley rose up from leaning against the table, spreading his arms wide as if to stretch or give a mock hug as his head shook in a feign disappointment, "Even magic has its limits."
He brushed the invisible specks of dirt and grime from his clothes, "Furthermore, its magestone—the figurative heart of any magical artifact; is cracked. A magestone cannot easily be replaced."
A bitter feeling welled up from the pits of your throat, looking to the jeweled magstone pen tucked inside your breast pocket—the sleek body of the writing utensil burning uncomfortably against your chest.
You felt your eyebrows twitch, the ghost of a sneer twisted your face into an ugly expression, "Bullshit, utter bullshit" the burning sensation crept up into your blood, your head growing hot with anger.
Crowley bobbed his head from side to side, tentatively placing a gloved had upon his mask in a grim disappointment, "I fear the candles of this majestic chandelier will never burn again."
The redhead shook his head, crimson pupils downcast along with his fallen hopes "This is bad..."
Anxiety and despair bubbled from beside you, deuce's hopeless expression twisting into violent trembling and desperation gnawing at the disappointed tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, "What am I going to do?! How am I going to tell my mother...?,"
Deuce had studied the past years away, often getting frustrated when the results for his effort never seemed to match the amount of hard work he put into his grades. Years of taking the easy route to poor results weighed down heavily on his head in those very moments.
He was a horrible person before—skipping class and getting into fights on the streets as he continued to associate himself with the delinquents—the "bullies."
After hearing his mom break down in tears when on the call that day, he vowed to change, to change for his mother.
He would be a failure of a son if he was to go back on that promise now.
A twinkle of amusement gleamed in the glowing yellow pupils in the hollowed holes of Crowley's mask, taking fun with toying around as he playfully twirled around his staff. "Ah...! But there may be a way. One tiny sliver of chance to repair this chandelier."
The dying sparks of hope rekindled to a small flame, "there is?!,"
Crowley nodded, the twinkle never fading from the glowing yellow pupil inside the hollow mask, mischief dancing across his lips in a sly smile, "The magestone that powered this chandelier was mined from the Dwarfs' Mine."
The black staff twirled around his slim gloved fingers clattered upon the floor, grasping the handle dramatically in his hands before spreading his arms wide in mock adventure-quest giving style, "If you can acquire a magestone with the same properties, it may be possible to repair it."
You stiffened, a flash of surprise taking you off guard. Though, this was nothing to be compared to a perilous quest between five comrades tasked to retrieve a blessed object.
No, of course not. you were five strangers who so happened to be unfortunate enough to get caught up in a redhead's and little flaming tanuki's fucking spat and cost dearly for your own mistakes.
Five failures doomed to follow the unfortunate path of what fate had already laid out for them.
The cerulean haired boy lunged at the opportunity, bowing almost a ninety degrees down to the floor, his grey uniform jacket crinkling as he bent down in exaggerated gratitude, "then I'll go find a magestone!,"
He had paused for a small moment, staying bowed to the ground as if he had forgotten something—his manners being something that he had recently gotten back to as result after his delinquent days, "of course with your permission sir!,"
Crowley smiled slyly, obviously delighted with the exaggerated respect in his presence. "I should caution you that I cannot promise there yet remain magestones to find."
Of course, it only added to fuel is already bloated egoism that burns through his entire body.
"The mines were closed quite some time ago." He leaned against a cafeteria table again, shifting his weight as he gave a closed eye smirk, taking in the delight of having someone scramble under his feet, "It is quite likely that all of the magestones have already been mined."
The cerulean haired boy straightened up again, placing a closed fist upon his chest as if to feign a soldier's promise before leading into war, "I will do anything to avoid expulsion, sir!,"
"Hmmm..." the crow masked headmage placed a glived finger upon his curved lips in consideration, "Very well, then. I will suspend your expulsion for a single night."
Before a smile could curve across the cerulean haired boy's face however, Crowley shushed him with a hand pressed into the air, "But if you fail to return with a magestone by morning, then all of you are expelled."
He warned you for the last time, a silent threat picked up by the remaining people in the cafeteria—Crowley wandering back into the desolate halls as he retreated into his office once again.
Deuce nodded frantically, clasping his hands together as a hopeful smile couldn't help but spread itself across his lips,"I understand, sir!," he called after the fleeting shadow of the headmage's retreating figure, "thank you very much for this opportunity!,"
The redhead mumbled in displeasure, sighing heavily as he harshly shoved the little tanuki into yuuken's arms, "fine then," he shook his head tiredly, "let's hurry down there, fine a magestone and get this whole thing done with."
You slumped your head against one of the cafeteria tables, rising from the uncomfortable wooden bench as you stretched your arms lazily, "we should be able to reach the Dwarfs' Mine instantly by using one of the gates in the Mirror Chamber."
The little flaming tanuki stirred from his wake, blinking the sleep from his eyes as his conscious started to wake from slumber, "Myah! Wh-? Where am I?!,"
Yuuken narrowed the soft amber brown of his irises into sneering slits as he stared in pity at the grey monster in his hand, snorting a snarky remark as his voice felt dead with no remorse,
"You may wish you remained unconscious. It's only gonna get worse from here."
Your footsteps clattered on the cobbled stone floor, navigating through the barren wasteland of empty hallways until you stopped to enter through the darkened room of the mirror chamber.
Sage green lanterns glowed as the flame flickered inside; casting eerie shadows to pass across the walls as the darkness started to creep closer beneath your feets.
The grand artifact itself—the dark mirror stood upon the staired pedestal as the black sulfur danced in it's reflective glass.
The redhead groaned in protest, letting a hand slide down his face as mild annoyance started to twist across his face, "maaan..." he trailed, "how did I end up in this mess? I swear, I have the worst luck,"
Yuuken gently pushed the redhead up the pedestal as he stepped onto the matted stairs himself, "C'mon, we don't have time to complain." he tugged on your uniform sleeve, a silent cue for you to order the magical mirror to start teleporting you five to the mine.
"Dark Mirror," you commanded, your usually awfully silent voice now booming across the desolate room,
"Take us to the Dwarfs' Mine."