Heartslabyul dorm: rose maze
"Sleight of Hand!" - Trey pointed his pen at Riddle and cast some kind of spell.
"Confound it all! Still you oppose me, Trey?!" - the overblot also tried to use its magic, but nothing worked.
"All right! We've locked down Riddle's collaring attack!" - Trey announced.
"But not for long. We're still in kind of a tight spot here." - Cater was sweating.
"Yeah. Get this done quick, while I keep Off With Your Head sealed away!" - Trey.
"YEEAAAARGH!" - Riddle shouted in anger.
They all started shooting small spells, Ace and Grim created a fire tornado and Deuce threw cauldrons, but the black shadow protected Riddle from any attacks, although it kept its head away.
"GRAAAAH!!" - it flooded when Cater almost hit the head and lost his grip for a second.
'It means its head is weak, one powerful explosion can kill it.'
"Hey Y/n! You know, we could use some help here!" - Grim shouted tiredly to you, but was ignored.
You took a couple of steps back and when another cauldron flew at the monster, you ran straight to him.
“Y/n!!” - Trey.
"Y/n-chan?!" - Cater.
They watched in shock as you ran straight into the shadow's arms. But at the last moment, with the help of explosions, you rose into the air above the head of this one.
"AAAAAAAAH!! DIIIIIE!!" - Raising your hands nearby, you created a huge explosion right into the monster’s glass head.
"GRAAAAAH!!" - it screamed before the body of this one fell to the ground and dissolved into ink, going back into the ground.
"GAAAAAH!!" - Riddle also screamed and fell to the ground. The ink on his body also disappeared and disappeared into the ground.
"I...was wrong?! But that's...impossible...Isn't it...Mother?" - Riddle muttered before falling unconscious.
For a second, everyone was quiet and looked with wide eyes at the scene ahead while you internally fumed.
'WHY THE FUCK ARE THEY SO WEAK?!!! YOU SHOULD BE STRONGER!!! WHAT THE HELL!!!'
"Riddle!" “Trey came to his senses and ran to the lying housewarden. The others also joined.
Trey tried to shake him slightly, but it did nothing.
"He is OK?" - Deuce.
"He just turned into a damn monster. Of course he's not fine!" - you replied irritably, but lowered your tone.
"Well...yes." - he answered a little embarrassed.
You stood to the side while they tried to bring him to his senses, but he didn’t wake up. Just as you were about to approach, you felt a weight on your side and saw a ghost camera.
'I didn't take it...what the hell?'
You took it in your hands and it lightly flashed red and the glass sparkled.
'What's wrong with that?' - turning her camera forward, she began to glow brighter.
You directed it to the side until you realized that it glows brighter only in a certain direction, and following it, she pointed to the crowd of idiots.
You came closer.
"Y/n! Wake him up with your explosion like Ace!" - Grim waved his paws at you.
They fell silent when they noticed the camera and, after turning it a little more, it lit up very brightly, pointing at Riddle.
"Hmm, I think the ghost camera shouldn't glow so brightly." - Ace rubbed his chin.
"The camera shouldn't light up at all unless it's a flash. Did you do something Y/n-chan?" - Cater.
"No. I never used that crap."
"Hmm...maybe you could try taking a picture of Riddle?" - Grim.
"And how will this help?" - Ace.
"This makes no damn sense."
"Well, I guess we can try." - Trey began, looking worriedly at the red one.
“Although I don’t know if this will actually help. The ghost camera only revives memories, but I think until headmage returns now it’s our only option.” - Trey.
'Make especially certain to capture the mischief caused by certain students who struggle with impulse control.' - You remembered Crowley’s words and sighed and brought the camera to your face.
*Click*
For a second everything around lit up before suddenly going black. Looking around, you found yourself in some room, it seemed like a dining room, and you were sitting at the table.
'What the heck?!' - you tried to move, but couldn’t. It was as if your body was being controlled and no matter how you tried, you could only watch.
Your attention was attracted by a woman who came out from behind the door; she was wearing a formal dress and neatly styled hair, with only two strands sticking out to form a heart, and in her hands she was carrying a piece of cake.
"Happy eighth birthday, Riddle. This year's birthday cake is a low-sugar recipe made with nuts and lecithin-rich soy flour to improve your cerebral function." - she said enthusiastically and placed the plate in front of you.
...Riddle?
"Thank you. But, Mom...Just once, I'd like to try one of those tarts covered with bright-red strawberries..." - you heard a child's voice, it came from you. And your hands rubbed nervously.
It finally dawned on you.
The ghost camera showed you Riddle's memories from his point of view.
It looks like it's his birthday and his mother.
"Absolutely not! Those tarts are monstrously unhealthy. I might as well feed you poison! Even just a single slice would exceed your recommended daily intake of sugar. Now, dinner tonight will be a tuna sauté rich in DHA and omega-3 fatty acids. Now that you're eight, your caloric intake should be 600 kilocalories per meal, so don't eat more than 100 grams of it. Understood?" - She said.
"Yes, Mom." - Riddle lowered his head in disappointment, obediently eating the cake, but without any pleasure. And then everything turned dark.
I'd always wanted to try one of those tarts with the bright-red strawberries. The local cake shop had them in the window. They shined at me like forbidden jewels. - Riddle's voice was heard from the present.
"Why are you telling me about this?!" - he didn’t answer you.
You saw the memory again, on the table in front of Riddle was a stack of thick textbooks, a pen and a couple of pieces of paper with notes.
"That's enough classical magic study for today. Your homework is to read the first fifty pages of the philosophy of language book referenced in today's magical philosophy texts. You may now have one hour of independent study before your potionology lesson." - his mother said sternly and placed another pile of books nearby.
"Thank you, Mother." - he answered blankly.
"I need some time to prepare the lesson materials. I will see you in one hour, okay?" - without waiting for an answer she left.
I was studying every possible subject, scheduled down to the minute. When I didn't understand something, the lesson was extended until I did. That was my "normal."
"WHEN CAN I LEAVE ALREADY?!"
While Riddle was quietly reading books, a light knock was heard at the window.
"...Is someone knocking on the window?" - He didn’t ask anyone but went to the window. There, standing on the street were two little boys, the same age as Riddle.
One had dark green hair, amber eyes, and a pair of glasses. And the other one has messy pink-purple hair, golden eyes, cat ears and a tail.
"Whoa, he heard us!" - said the one with a ball in his hands.
"Hey, come play with us!" - the cat boy exclaimed.
"Who are you?" - Riddle.
"I'm Che'nya, and that's Trey. Let's all play croquet! Oh, but it's LOTS of fun!" - Che'nya replied excitedly.
"I can't. I'm supposed to be doing independent study, and I have a lot of homework to do." - Riddle awkwardly lowered his head.
""Independent study" means you pick what to do, right? My grandpa says play is a form of study!" - Che'nya.
"Just play with us for a little bit!" - Trey.
"...O-okay... Just a little, though!" - Riddle.
"Hey, what's your name?" - Trey.
"R-Riddle. Riddle Rosehearts." - he answered quietly, for the first time with a little joy in his voice.
I had the best time playing with Trey and Che'nya. We did so many things I'd never done before. They taught me lots of things I didn't know. After that, I snuck out of my room every day To play with them during independent study time.
"..."
New memory, here you were at a small store. Riddle, Trey and Che'nya sat on the bench.
"Whaaat? You've never even tried a strawberry tart? They're out of this world." - Che'nya exclaimed loudly, sitting upside down.
"Yeah. My mom says sugar is basically poison." - Riddle.
"I mean, you probably shouldn't eat too much of it, but calling it "poison" is kinda...yikes. You know, my family runs a cake shop. Let's go get a tart right now!" - Trey jumped off and stood in front of him.
"Really? But...I shouldn't." - Riddle panicked a little and turned his head.
"Just one slice. It'll be fine." - He took the red one by the hand and pulled it slightly. Eventually Riddle hesitantly climbed down and let Trey lead him.
"One slice for YOU, maybe. I want a whole one!" - Che'nya took his other hand and ran, dragging two of them behind him.
A bright-red strawberry tart on a white plate. To me, it shined more brightly
than any gem could. That first bite was so sweet. It tasted like nothing I'd ever eaten before. With each bite, I became more entranced...and completely lost track of the time.
"I cannot believe this! Not only are you independent cutting study time, but I find you eating a mountain of sugar?! Those two hoodlums must have incited this behavior. You must never play with them again!" - Riddle's mother scolded him loudly and walked around the room.
"I'm sorry, Mother! I promise, it will never happen again." - Riddle said desperately and you could hear him crying.
"Be quiet! You've broken the rules, and I'll not hear another word from you. Clearly, you're not able to handle the freedom of independent study. I need to keep a closer eye on you." - she concluded before firmly taking his hand and dragging him into his bedroom before slamming the door loudly.
Because I broke the rules, my favorite part of my day was taken away from me. I vowed to never break my mother's rules again. After all, she was the most accomplished mother in the city, and therefore, the most correct. But Mom...
Why?
Why does my heart hurt so much?
I want to eat a tart! It's my birthday, so can't I have some just this once?
I want to play outside all day long!
I want to make lots and lots of friends!
Tell me, Mom, please...
What rule do I need to follow to make this pain go away?
Everything around went dark and you found yourself in emptiness.
'Great. First I listened to his little unfortunate story, and now I'm stuck in nowhere.'
You looked around, trying to find anything. And then, out of the corner of your eye, you noticed a slight red glow in the distance.
Without thinking of anything, you went in that direction.
It took much less time than you thought, now you were standing in front of the real Riddle.
He was curled up on the ground, a light was coming from above him from somewhere, and rose petals lay around him.
"Why the hell did you tell me about this shit?" - you did not immediately receive an answer.
"...I don't know. I just couldn't bring myself to stop..."- he answered quietly.
You stood in silence for some time. You were somewhat confused, should you have demanded to be released or is he looking for supportive advice from you? Well shit, you're not a fucking PSYCHOLOGIST!!
But before you could say anything, he started first.
“I have to apologize... for what I said earlier at the unbirthday party. I don’t know anything about you either...” - he began awkwardly.
"...you should, you're lucky that camerafreak helped you." - you frowned, remembering that incident.
Riddle lowered his head even lower and you groaned irritably after thinking for a moment.
"Look, you don't need any goddamn rules to live and no one, not even your mother, can make decisions for you. As long as you don't break the law." - you mumbled the last part.
Riddle turned his head a little and seemed to be thinking about what you said.
"But…what if I can't?…what if I make the wrong decision? My mother was always right." - Riddle.
"So what?"
"...huh?"
"So what if you make a mistake? Everyone makes mistakes, even great people. It's okay if you don't keep stepping on the same shit every time, but realize your shortcomings and correct them."
"..." - Riddle sat silently, processing the new information.
"Your mother has made many mistakes herself as a mother." - he looked at you puzzled, finally turning around.
"She shouldn't have imposed her desires and principles on you, you just became her puppet, she used you." - you said firmly, piercing him with your eyes.
"..." - Riddle lowered his head again.
"...just stop doing everything according to stupid rules and learn to have your own opinion." - you said unconsciously in a softer tone.
The red was silent for a while, but then he rose from his seat and stood in front of you.
He didn’t look so gloomy anymore and looked at you awkwardly.
"...I...I really acted like a fool all this time...and made you listen to all this...I apologize and...thanks for the advice." - he spoke abruptly. As if he wanted to say even more, but couldn’t.
You didn't answer, you just snorted and turned away.
"Anyway, see a psychologist. You're clearly not okay." - he nodded.
After an awkward silence, everything around you began to brighten before you were enveloped in a bright light.
When your eyes left the light, you looked back and stood in front of Riddle again, camera in hand.
'...what the hell was that?' - you rubbed your head, it felt like your head was hit on concrete, but it quickly passed.
"Riiiiddle!" - Trey shouted when housewarden began to wake up.
"Gah!" - Riddle suddenly stood up and grabbed his head.
"He's back!" - Ace exclaimed.
"Well, it's about time... We were just about losin' our heads here - figure of speech, sorry - 'cause we thought you might never wake up!' - Cater.
"*gasp*...*gasp*...What happened in the world...?" - Riddle was breathing heavily.
"Ah, Mr. Rosehearts appears to have regained consciousness. Excellent." - Crowley, who was behind Deuce, sighed with relief.
"Where the hell have you been all this time, you stupid bird?!"
“Excuse me?! I evacuated the students remaining in the labyrinth! It was a very kind and courageous act, wasn’t it?” - your eyebrow twitched and you tried your best not to hit his dumb face.
Timeskip
You stood aside listening to them. Riddle began to cry and apologize, but the fucking ginger wanted a tart instead of apologizing, although he has a point and everything ended peacefully.
As Crowley and Trey escorted Riddle to the infirmary, the redhead looked at you out of the corner of his eye and nodded his thanks, you nodded slightly in response and he left.
"Man, am I STARVED after usin' so much magic! Hmmm Hey, check it out!" - the cat picked up a black stone from the ground, the same as the one it had eaten in the mine.
"HELL NO!! Don't even think about that opossum!!" - you pointed your hand at him and let out small explosions in warning.
"Hic! Okay! I won't eat this. *Not yet*." - he whispered the last part and quickly threw it under a certain rose bush.
"What?! Were you going to eat this?! Grim, it's literally trash! At least have some self-respect." - Cater trembled.
"He's eaten one of these before." - Deuce added and the elder grimaced.
"As a monster, maybe his stomach works differently than ours?" - Ace.
"Even still, eating trash can't be good for anyone." - Deuce.
"Oooh! I just tried the grass, and the flavor was surprisingly pleasant! Crisp, even!" - Grim sat on the ground and chewed grass.
"Stop eating shit!!"
"That's our lawn! Don't eat that!" - Deuce.
"Uh, A-F-K while I go throw up...But...seriously, guys. Thanks." - Cater muttered the last part.
"Did you just say something?" - Ace
"Hm? Nope. Not a thing." - Cater.
"Hey Y/n! Can you help me move all these bushes?" - Deuce.
"...whatever." - you reluctantly trudged along and easily dragged several bushes into a pile.
Timeskip
Heartslabyul dorm: tea garden
And now you were sitting here again, in a place that was turned into ruins three days ago. Now it looked like new and even better than before.
You were invited as the guest of honor and as much as you hated to miss the event, you still wanted a proper apology in the form of a tart. You might not like sweets, but you want to make sure he keeps his word. Plus, you might be expecting a bit of a flop, because according to Trey, Riddle has never cooked.
Ace, Deuce and Grim were discussing some nonsense as usual, and you sat silently on the sidelines and sometimes eavesdropped.
A student stood at the gate and shouted.
"All hail our leader, the Red Sovereign himself...Housewarden Riddle!"
"We salute you, Housewarden Riddle!" - the others stood up from their seats when the redhead and Trey appeared.
"Hm. The garden roses are red, the tablecloths are white... This seems a proper unbirthday indeed. Is there a dormouse asleep in the teapo- Er, well, I suppose it's fine either way." - Riddle looked awkwardly at his friend.
"Not everything has to change completely, you know. Like, maybe spread the jam on your scones, instead of on the dormouse this time? Let's try to set the bar at "it's great if it's this way," not "it absolutely has to be this way." - Trey smiled supportively.
"Yes, that makes sense." - Riddle.
"*Sigh* I can't believe we got roped into cleaning up and prepping the garden again." - Ace groaned dejectedly.
"Well, at least the housewarden recovered from his overblot without any complications." - Deuce.
"And the garden is Magicam-worthy once again! Hashtag #nofilter on this gorgeousness!" - Cater stood up behind you and took a selfie.
"Blah blah blah! Let's just eat already!" - Grim tapped his paws on the table.
"Then eat we shall! I'll get the-" - Cater.
"Wait a minute!" - Riddle exclaimed sharply, attracting the crowd's attention.
"Huh?" - Cater.
"There's a white rose...!" - Riddle pointed to the bush, causing everyone to fall silent.
"We missed one?!" - Ace.
"Ace, Deuce, I told you to make sure to paint EVERY rose!" - Cater.
"Wait, this is our fault?!" - Deuce.
'Idiots...'
"R-Riddle, listen..." - Trey put his hand on the redhead's shoulder. You watched his reaction intently and waited.
"Well... I suppose I can overlook one or two missed roses." - Riddle chuckled slightly.
"R-really?! That's so generous of you, Riddle!" - Cater waved his hand in relief.
"If we work together, we should be able to get them painted in no time." - Riddle.
"What? They still gotta be painted?!" - Ace.
"Even so...I'm impressed. You've changed, Riddle." - Trey patted him on the back.
"Yes, my mistakes were pointed out to me." - he glanced at you slightly and you turned away.
"I'm starvin' here! Let's just get these stupid roses painted or whatever!" - Grim jumped from the table.
"All right, is everyone ready?" - Riddle asked and with cheerful exclamations they went to the maze, and you remained in place, enjoying the silence.
Timeskip
All the students soon returned to their seats chatting happily. Deuce and Ace were a little smeared with paint, and Grim lay down tiredly.
"So what happened to that tart, Housewarden?" - Ace leaned against the chair with a grin.
"I made it for you, as I promised I would. Here: one strawberry tart, crafted by yours truly." - Riddle waved his wand and a tart with white cream and red roses appeared on the table.
"Nice! The shape's a little off, but I can tell you put a lot of work into that glaze. A fine job indeed, especially considering it was your first!" - Trey nodded approvingly.
"Oh, puh-leeze. How about we actually TRY it before you start fawning all over him, Trey?" - Ace rolled his eyes.
"Hold it! Don't you start cutting that before I get my Magicam snap!...Okay, got it!" - Cater quickly took a photo before the tart magically split into several pieces and flew onto the plates in front of the group.
He smelled kind of strange...
You looked closely at the piece and the dough had some strange consistency and smelled like something familiar...?
"Tch. I see Cater hasn't changed a bit either. All right, let's dig in! *munch*" - Ace took a large bite, as did the others except you, but almost instantly they froze in place with stone faces.
"Hmm...?" - Deuce winced slightly.
“This is kinda...” - Trey and Cater also grimaced.
"Salty!" - they shouted.
"Whaaat?!" - Riddle screamed in bewilderment.
"Err? This isn't KINDA salty - it's a full-on salt lick! What did you put in this?!" - Ace stuck out his tongue.
"But I followed the rules exactly, and measured everything precisely! Unless... Oh! Could it be... from the oyster sauce?" - Riddle.
"*Sputter* Wait... did you actually use that Walrus-brand oyster sauce Trey jokes about?" - Deuce.
"But Trey said that oyster sauce is an unlisted secret ingredient in all tarts! He said all the finest bakers use it..." - Riddle.
"And you actually believed him?! How could you not tell that he was joking?!" - Ace.
"Shut up ginger, you fell for it first." - you ignored the look from him.
"Even if you believed the joke, it was only supposed to be a splash. How much did you put in?" - Cater asked.
"It's an unlisted ingredient! How could I measure it if he wouldn't tell me how much to put in?!" - Riddle crossed his arms.
"Pfft... Ah ha ha ha ha! I can't believe someone actually fell for the ol' oyster sauce prank!" - Trey laughed and soon the others also joined in, except for you.
"Ha ha ha... Yes. Quite humorous indeed. I truly am a fool." - Riddle laughed.
"Ha ha! It really is so disgusting that it's actually kind of funny!" - Deuce.
"Yeah, what else can we do but laugh?" - Ace commented sarcastically.
"You know, in its own weird way, I think it's actually kinda good!" - Grim shoved another piece into his mouth.
"Right? It really isn't half as bad as you'd think." - Cater.
"Seriously? You're agreeing with Grim, Cater? He literally eats garbage off the ground." - Deuce.
"Look, I'm not saying it's amazing or anything!" - Cater waved his hands.
"But you like it because it's not sweet, right?" - Trey.
"Huh?" - Cater looked a little nervous.
"You've never really liked sweet things, right?" - Trey asked with a slight smile, and you glanced at them.
"Yeah, you got me. But how did you figure it out? I've never told anyone that." - Cater.
"Because you casually bring up my Paint the Roses spell every time we're eating sweets. You hide it pretty well, but that was a giveaway." - Trey.
"Ack! My secret is out! This is so so embarrassing! Especially after what happened to you and Riddle. I should have learned by now that keeping your feelings on the DL is not a great idea." — Cater scratched the back of his head.
“By the way, Y/n, you don’t really like sweets either, huh?” - Trey asked looking at an untouched piece of tart.
“I prefer spicy.” - you replied monotonously and looked away.
"How about I cook up a quiche for the next unbirthday party?" - Trey.
"That sounds totes amazing to me. Just make sure it's as photogenic as the tarts!" - Cater.
“Mm mm mmm! Your baked goods are always so delightful, Trey. *munch* *munch*” - a familiar voice was heard above you.
"Che'nya?! What are you doing here?!" - Riddle exclaimed.
"Hm? I came to celebrate my unbirthday with all of you. A very merry unbirthday to you, Riddle." - Che'nya hummed.
"The unbirthday party is a Heartslabyul House tradition. It does not pertain to you." - Riddle.
"And those two? What about them?" - he pointed to you and Grim.
"Fuck off."
"Hey! You're that weird semi-invisible cat guy from before! So you never told us - what dorm are you from?" - Grim pointed at him with his paw.
"Che'nya isn't even a Night Raven student. He's a student at our long-time rival school, the Royal Sword Academy." - Trey explained.
"Whaaat? Are you going to a different school?" - Deuce stood up from his seat.
"The freakin' Royal Sword Academy, no less?!" - Ace also stood up.
"Did that guy just say the "Royal Sword Academy"?!" - someone shouted from the crowd.
"He's one of those pompous jerk-faces?!" - another student asked.
"What?! Who's from Royal Sword? We gotta run 'em outta here!" - the third screamed and the crowd went wild.
"Well, now that I've tasted some tart, perhaps I should see myself out." - Che'nya began to disappear before our eyes.
"He's running for it!"
"After him! Don't let him get away!"
"Whoa, everyone turned bloodthirsty real quick." - Grim was definitely looking at the angry crowd.
"The vast majority of Night Raven College students perceive the Royal Sword Academy as the enemy." - Riddle explained.
"No surprise, given that they've kicked our butts every year for a hundred years straight..." - Trey.
"Hey, stop harshin' the vibe! This is supposed to be a day of celebration. Can't we all just enjoy our unbirthdays?" - Cater raised his cup and the others followed his example.
"Come on Y/n! Don't sit on the sidelines so quietly." - everyone waiting looked at you.
"…I hate you idiots." - you lifted your cup and they laughed.
"Myah! Merry unbirthday or whatever! I'm gonna eat till my stomach explodes!" - Grim served all the snacks on the table and everyone began to have fun discussing the party.
💥Little notes💥
- Someone thought that you would be the first to rush at the monster and make some stupid move (ahem-Ace)
- Riddle's mother is on the list of whom you will kill first.
- Riddle actually thought that you would start bullying him, and didn’t expect advice.
- Thanks to you, the dormitory was put in order much faster.
- While they were painting roses, Grim ate a black stone.
- Riddle listened to your advice and made an appointment with a psychologist.
- For some reason you feel that something more is waiting for you ahead.
A/n: Finally the finale of Heartslabyul! As I promised, I will post new books immediately after the update and I hope you enjoy!
Now it will be even more difficult to work with 3 books...(-_-;)
But I'll do my best!
Bye~