I thank KatherineOzawa of Wattpad for helping me.
Darkness. Nothing but black as far as the human eye could see.
Slowly, small pieces of a chamber were poking out here and there in a wide room. And in the center was a large ornate mirror, where green flames bursted inside the glass.
"Ahh...my dearly beloved. A lovely and noble flower of evil."
A lone figure slowly staggers to the mirror.
"Truly you are the most beautiful of all."
The figure kept drawing to the mirror as if entranced.
"Mirror. mirror on the wall, who is the…"
Then everything was swallowed by blackness.
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The sound of hoofbeats could be heard as a lone horse pulled a carriage containing a coffin, sealed, inside towards a grand building in the distance. The iron gates were open, the skies were painted a dark purple, and the bright moon the only source of light. Casting shadows on the dark ground it burned, a breeze flowed on, swaying the barren branches of trees, and the vehicle passed under the iron arch into hallowed grounds.
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The figure stood in front of the mirror, closer now.
"Those who are guided by the Dark Mirror. As long as your heart desires,take the hand that appears in the mirror."
A hand with elongated fingers materialized inside and the figure took it with no hesitation.
"For them. For me. For you. We are all running out of time. No matter what, never let go of my hand."
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The sounds of rattling were heard, waking up the person inside, but all that was seen was darkness.
"What's that noise…?"
"Crap. People are coming. Gotta get a uniform while…" a high pitched voice complained somewhere. "Grrrr! The lid is too heavy. Time for my... secret move! Ffnaah~ There!"
Next thing, there were blue flames.
"F-fire?" the person squealed, trying to shield their face from getting burnt.
Something thudded and there was light peeking between the crevices of their fingers.
The room was full of floating coffins in a circularly widened room, small lanterns flickered with green light, giving off an eerie vibe to the room. And a large mirror hung up onto the wall in front.
The person looked down to see a small cat-like creature with grey fur muttering to himself. He had a scruff of white fur on his chest, pink paw pads, Blue flames on his ears, matching eyes and a pitchfork tail. Tied around his neck was a black and white striped ribbon.
"Ok, ok. Gotta get... Whaaaaaaaa! Why are you up!?" the creature jumped back, scared.
"A talking r-raccoon?!" The person's eyes jumped from the creature to the thing they were inside. "And why am I in a coffin?!"
"Just who are you calling a raccoon! I am the Great Grim! Well whatever. Hey human! Hurry and gimme those clothes!" The creature demanded.
"Are you crazy?! I'm not going to strip!" The person shouted, shielding themself from him.
"Otherwise... I'll roast ya!" To prove his point, Grim summoned a barrage of blue flames. But the person was left unfazed by his threat.
"Dreaming about getting roasted by a raccoon, that's a new one!" they snarked.
"I said I'm not a freakin' raccoon!"
But they took off before the creature could make a move.
Rooms passed by their eyes in flashes. A hallway, classroom, an outside yard and a library, which they ducked into for cover.
"Where the heck am I?" they wondered. But a semi-circle ring of blue fire stopped them in their tracks and they halted as Grim emerged from the shadows.
"Did you really think you'd get away from my nose? Dumb human! If you don't wanna get roasted, better hand over -" But a black whip shot out of nowhere and ensnared the creature. "Buwah!? Ow! What's with this cord?"
Behind the person, a man with dark green hair and pale skin appeared. He donned a white collared shirt and black tie, dark blue vest and black slacks and dress shoes. Draped over his shoulders was an extravagant coat with black feathers, and in his clawed-like hands was a large golden key acting as a walking cane. But the most questioning of the newcomer's appearance was a black bird mask that covered the top portion of his face, leaving behind two pinpoints of yellow for eyes through the mask's holes.
"This is no mere cord. It is a lash of love!" He walks forward to the small figure. "Ah, found you at last. Are you one of the new students? You shouldn't do things like that. Leaving the Gate on your own! Not only that, you have yet to tame your familiar which has broken a number of school rules."
The new person spoke up, "But he's-"
"Let me go! I'm not their freakin' familiar!" Grim shouts over them.
"Sure, Sure. The rebellious ones always say things like that. Just quiet down for a moment." the mysterious man waved away his claim and, taking the furry creature, covered Grim's mouth with a white cloth. The creature starts to shout in protest behind the rag.
"Mmmghmmmm!"
The new person got back to their feet and turned to the mysterious figure. "My goodness. It's unprecedented for a new student to leave the Gate on their own. Uuuggh... How impatient can you be? The entrance ceremony is already well under way. Let's head to the Hall of Mirrors."
"Wait. . . New student? And what do you mean by a gate?" They asked, confusion in their eyes.
"It's the room you woke up in with all of the doors. All students who wish to attend this academy must pass through one of those doors to arrive here. Normally, students wake up only after the door is opened with a special key but…" the mysterious guy was unsure.
The hooded figure narrowed their eyes at Grim, deducing, "The fire must have blown the lid off."
The bird man followed their gaze and caught on to what he was saying. "So in the end, the culprit appears to be this familiar. If you're going to bring it with you, you have to take responsibility and properly take care of it."
"But I didn't-" They tried to tell him the truth, but was overruled yet again.
"... Oh my! Now isn't the time to be long winded. The entrance ceremony will soon come to a close. Let's get a move on." The bird man ushered them out of the library.
"Just a second, who exactly are you?" the person backed away from him, demanding answers.
"What's this? Are you still dazed? It appears the teleportation magic has left you disoriented... " the bird figure spoke more to himself, then said, "Well, it is fine. It happens often enough. I shall give you an explanation as we make our way there. For I am gracious."
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Walking in the Courtyard, the man began to speak, "Ahem. This is 'Night Raven College'. Those magicians blessed with a unique aptitude for magic gather from all over the world, here at the most prestigious magical academy in Twisted Wonderland. And I'm the principal, appointed to take care of this academy by the board chairman, Dire Crowley."
The newcomer let this information sink in slowly, and the only word that left their lips was, "Magician?" They said it like they were hallucinating, that magic and fairytales were nothing but jokes of imagination.
"Only those magicians seen as worthy by the Dark Mirror can attend this school. Chosen ones use the Gate and are summoned here from around the world. An Ebony carriage carrying a Gate should have gone to meet you as well."
The person stopped from blurting out the next thing on their mind as they strained to recall things: the forest, the sound of hoofbeats and whinnies of a horse, and the bumps on the road.
"I think I remember going through a dark forest..." They said unsurely.
"The Ebony Carriage goes to welcome new students chosen by the Dark Mirror. They are special carriages that carry the doors to the Academy. The market decided long ago that carriages are used to welcome people on special days."
That caught the person's interest. "The market? From where? And are you telling me that carriage just brought me here on it's own?!"
"Mnggmmm! Mggggggh!" Grim kept struggling against the binds.
"Come. Let's go to the entrance ceremony." Crowley pushed on.
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The mirror chamber was different now. The eerie green lights were now a warm yellow and red, changing the room to a friendly atmosphere. Several students were whispering amongst themselves.
"Is that all for the new student dorm assignments?" One with wine red hair and a heart ahoge spoke up. His steely, slate gray eyes looked around the place. "Listen up, new students. Here in Heartslabyul, I am the rules. Break them and it's off with your head."
"Uuugghh...this stuffy ceremony's finally over." Another muttered with boredom. His summer green eyes were hooded out of sleepiness, a faint scar seen on his left, and dark skin with strands of chocolate hair peeking from under the hood, and tucked under were a pair of lion ears. "We're heading back to the dorm. Savanaclaw, follow me."
"To the new students, congratulations on entering this academy!" The third smiled. He opens his eyes to show off sky blue irises underneath a pair of glasses. To match his hypnotic eye color is light olive skin, and silver hair parted to the left. " Enjoy your life here to its fullest. As the dormitory leader of Octavinelle, I will support you to the best of my ability."
"By the way where did the Dean go?" Someone with a beautiful face spoke. His champagne gold/lavender ombré hair was tucked underneath his hood, a few pieces falling over his shoulders, amethyst gemmed eyes holding a questioned look, to make up for the lack of facial expression his fair-skinned face held. "He flew out right in the middle of the ceremony."
"Abandoning his post…." A shy voice muted from a floating tablet.
"Did he get a stomachache or something?" Another person questioned. His garnet eyes had a bit of confusion in them, a frown etched onto his tanned face as he adjusted the turban wrapped around his head concealing part of his pearl gray hair.
Suddenly the man in question bursted through the doors, with the second person in tow. "Not at all!"
"Ah, there he is." The red-head nods.
The person with Crowley scanned the room carefully and saw that not only were they wearing the same robes as the other students, but that said students were all guys.
"I can't believe you all! We were missing one new student, so I went to find them." He turned to the new student, "You're the only one yet to be assigned a dormitory. I shall watch over the raccoon, step in front of the Dark Mirror." He stepped to the back as Grim still squirmed and screamed vehemently in his arms.
The student did as he said, muttering to themself, "They'll have to find out sooner or later…" Once in front of the Mirror, they removed their hood to reveal light skin, bright aquatic eyes with a neutral face. And dark purple hair in a high ponytail, bangs swept to the right side of their face.
"State thy name." The spirit in the mirror commanded.
"Niho Shimoba," was the reply. Despite the long hair, no one noticed that the person's true gender was a female.
"The shape of thy soul is…." all was silent as the mirror stared at the newcomer. "I do not see it."
"Come again?" Crowley shook his head as if he heard that right.
"I sense not a spark of magic from this one. The color, the shape, all are nothing. Therefore they are not suited for no dormitory." The mirror replied.
Several murmurs swept the crowd at this revelation.
"An Ebony Carriage would absolutely never go to meet someone who can't use magic!" The headmaster spoke in disbelief. "In 100 years, there has not once been a mistake in student selection. So why in the world…?"
"Mghmgh...Pah!" Grim managed to wiggle out of the ropes and spat out the rag to speak. "Then, I'll take their place!"
"Stay right there, Raccoon!" Crowley moved forward to apprehend the creature.
"Unlike that dumb human, I can use magic. Let me in the school instead!" Grim continued with a smirk. "If you need proof, I'll show you right now!"
"Everyone, get down!" The redhead screamed. Everyone dove for cover just as-
"Hnnnnnnnnaaaaah!" A storm of blue flames started spreading around the venue. The boy with the turban wasn't so lucky.
"Waaaaaaah! Hottttt! My butt's on fire!" He screamed, starting to run around frantically with his butt burning.
"At this rate, the school will become a sea of fire!" Crowley grunted. "Someone catch that raccoon!" He demanded. But no one followed his order.
The lion man clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tch, suck-ups."
"Oh?" The blonde with jeweled eyes raised an eyebrow. "Are you good at hunting? Doesn't it look like a nice, plum snack?"
"Why me? Do it yourselves."
"Mr. Crowley, leave it to me." Glasses stepped up. "I'm sure the others couldn't stomach harassing the poor creature, so I will take it upon myself."
"That's Azul for you." The voice of the tablet spoke. "Always trying to earn himself points."
"Uh, hey, Could someone put on my butt fire already?!" The turbaned guy asked as a few tried to calm the flames.
"Are you all even listening?!" Crowley looked close to having a migraine.
The lion spoke up with a groan of annoyance. "If it's just catching some stupid raccoon, can you do it yourself, Teach?"
"How many times do I have to say it, I am not a raccoon!" Grim shrieked. "The Great Grim that will become the greatest magician is me!"
Glasses, Azul, scowled lightly, "Well, it certainly has moxie. Riddle? Care to assist me?" He looked over to the redhead.
"I cannot overlook those who break the rules. Let's hurry and nab it." He nodded.
Together, the two go after the creature, who started running away from them in the ensuing chaos. Attack after attack was thrown, but like the Whack-A-Mole arcade game, the furry being ducked and weaved his way out in time before he could get hit, sending more blue flames scurrying across the room as a result. Leaping over objects, people and even climbing up on the walls, he was nimble and fast.
Grim was about to believe he was in the clear, when some student had grabbed and thrown one of the nearby chairs, at the raccoon. Grim screamed in fear and almost disappeared, but the chair collided into him, sending him crashing into the wall. He grew dizzy as he scurried to pick himself up, when two shadows looked over him. He looked up to see Azul and Riddle standing above, glaring down at him.
"Off With Your Head!" Riddle shouted.
"Ngyah!" Something snapped around the creature like a vice. When Niho looked around a few people, she saw a black and red with gold heart-shaped collar locked around his neck. "What the heck is this?!"
"Law of the Queen of Hearts number 23: 'one shall never bring a cat to a festival'." Riddle answered. "You being a cat means you've broken a rule. I shall have you leave at once."
"I'm not a cat!" Grim shrilled with anger. "I'll just burn this collar up and-" but the creature never saw his power materialized and grew confused. "E-Eh? I can't use my fire!"
Riddle smirked as he picked up the creature by the scruff of his neck. "You won't be using any magic until I remove the collar. Just like an ordinary cat.
"Wh-what?! I'm not some pet!" Grim tried to swing his paws at the redhead, but due to the distance couldn't land a punch.
"Don't worry, I'd never keep a pet like you. I'll take it off anyway when you get thrown out."
"Wow, as wonderful as ever," Azul sighed happily. "Any and all magic gets sealed by your Unique Magic. I want it...I mean, I would never want it casted on me." He corrected.
"You must do something about this! It is your familiar!" Crolwley scolded Niho. But after hearing that sentence constantly, the girl was clearly getting irked. "Properly discip-"
"HE'S... NOT... MY... FAMILIAR!" She screamed, so loud it shook the entire room.
Crowley stopped, letting her words sink it. "Eh? It's not yours?"
"Ugh, of course not! That's what I've been trying to tell you!" She fumed, annoyed that he didn't give her a chance to explain her side of the story.
"Y-you did?" but Crowley coughed to cover himself "A-Anyway, let's get it out of the school at any rate. We won't turn you into a stew. For I am gracious." He snaps his fingers. "Someone help, please."
Two students walked up to Riddle and took the creature from his grasp, dragging him away through the doors. Grim struggled against their hold, but he was no match for their size and physical strength. "Gyaaaa! Let me go! I'm going to, going to... Become the greatest magician!" And the doors were slammed shut with his decree.
All was silent amongst the room as the chaos died down for a while. The last few flames were extinguished, and everyone was calmed down from the excitement.
"I kinda feel bad for him…." Niho mumbled.
Crowley faced the crowd once again with a refined stance, "We had a bit of trouble along the way but this brings the entrance ceremony to a close. Dormitory Heads, please show the new students back to the dormitories." he turned to the ones off to the sidelines and made eye contact with all of them, but noticed something...off. "... Hm? Now that I think about it, I don't see the leader for Diasomnia, Draconia, around at all..." he mumbled.
"That's no different from usual, is it?" The lion hybrid shrugged nonchalantly.
"What? Did nobody tell him about the ceremony?" The turban guy asks, his butt now clear of any flames, but he still shifted in slight uncomfortableness.
The blonde beside him gave him a look. "If you're going to complain, you should've done it yourself."
He noticed the look given and brushed it off like nothing. "Hmmm….But I don't really know anything about that guy."
The crowd soon filled with murmurs and worried glances are shared here and there. Niho caught onto what one group was talking about.
"By Draconia... Do they mean "that" Malleus Draconia?"
"Is he seriously attending this school?"
"Scary..."
A new voice snapped her out of her thoughts, "I was correct. I thought he might come but Malleus really didn't. It seems the invitation "never arrived" again." She looks over to see someone much different than the clothes she's seen. A boy with milky palish skin, and raspberry red eyes. Diagonal cut bags of black with hints of magenta were peeking out from under the hood.
"My deepest apologies. I promise, we didn't intend to exclude you." Azul apologized.
"His aura makes it hard to approach him." Riddle added in.
"It's fine. Members of the Diasomnia Dormitory can come with me. ... I hope this doesn't upset him..."
The students filed out of the room one by one until Niho and Crowley were the only ones left in the spacious area.
"Well, Niho, I'm terribly sorry about this but.. We must have you leave the school." Crowley turned to the lone female. "Those without any talent for magic cannot be allowed to attend class here."
Niho nodded and said, "And since we're alone here and you're finally listening, you should know...I'm a girl."
Needless to say, Crolwey was a bit taken aback by her claim, not knowing what to say. "W-Well...I-I.. don't know what to say... But there is no need to worry. I shall keep this under wraps with your consent. Now, The Dark Mirror will send you directly back from whence you came. Enter the Gate, and picture your home clearly in your mind…" he pushed her towards the mirror with a gentle hand.
Niho closed her eyes, "Hooooommmmm..." She emptied her mind to picture her home. But her eyes snapped open in confusion. She thought, 'Wait a minute. Something's wrong. I remember where I live and my hometown, but I can't remember my house, my room or even my family.'
"Oh, Dark Mirror! Guide this one back to the place she belongs!" Crolwey demanded.
But all was awkwardly silent.
Crowley cleared his throat, "Once more. Oh Dark Mirror! Guide this..."
"It is nowhere..." The Mirror replied.
"Eh?"
"The place she belongs is nowhere in this world... It does not exist."
The headmaster was even more shocked. "What did you say!? That is unbelievable! Hmm, well, the unbelievable has been on parade today."
He ran a hand through his hair carefully, "This is the first time it's ever happened since I became Headmaster, what should be... Where exactly did you come from?" he asked.
"The truth is…" Niho began to explain her origins, or what she subtly remembered even if it wasn't much.
When she finished, Crolwy rubbed his chin in thought. "I've never heard of that place. I have a general grasp of where all the students came from but I've never even heard that name before. Let's go do some research in the library." He waved for her to follow him and together they headed to the library.
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Minutes of searching from everything: encyclopedias to world maps, everything but not a trace of Niho's home was found.
"There really isn't anything. Not only the world map, but the name of your home isn't written in any history." Crowley gave the girl a cryptic stare. "Are you truly from where you say? You aren't lying to me by chance?"
Niho gave him a sort of offended look, "No. Why would I lie about this?"
"Looking at all this, you may have somehow been brought here from another planet... There's also the possibility you're from another world."
Her mouth dropped open at the claim. "Another world?!"
"What did you have on you when you came here? Do you have any identification, like a license for a magic car, name on a shoe... You appear to be empty-handed."
She shook her head, "No. As you can see, I'm empty-handed."
"This is concerning. I can't just let someone who can't use magic to stay at school. However, as an educator, I can't just toss a penniless teenager out on the street with no form of communication. For I am gracious."
He tapped his fingers against his cane for a solution, then found it. "Hmmmm... That's right! There is an unused building on campus. It was once used as a dormitory in the past so if you can clean it up, you should at least be able to sleep there. For the time being, I shall allow you to stay there! Then I will look for a way for you to return home. My graciousness is limitless! I am a model for all educators." He smiled, giving himself praise. "We had better be on our way. Let's head to the dormitory. It may be a bit old but there is a certain charm to it."
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Niho didn't know whether to take the headmaster's words seriously or think he was just that looney. "This is your idea of charm?" she stared at the grounds and the building. The gateway was mangled and crooked, several dead trees dotted the yard and, gathering cobwebs, around the house, which by the way wasn't looking all that good either. Some of the windows were boarded up, and with just one little mishap, the place could cave in on her if she didn't watch her step inside.
Crowley was unfazed by her sarcasm, though. "Right, right. Please come inside."
However, the inside was just as much, if not more, of a traffic accident than the outside: the paintings were crooked, or removed from the wall, the wallpaper was either peeling or faded, chairs and tables were overturned, the rug was rolled up and rumpled, and dust and cobwebs were everywhere.
"Staying here will at least keep you out of the rain. I'm going back to do more research. Make yourself at home. And don't go wandering around school. Goodbye!" Crowley left without another word.
Niho stared at the place tiredly. "Look at this place...I'll need to clean it just to sit down…."
So, she got to work. She scavenged the place looking for some cleaning supplies, and somehow found them in a supply closet further down one of the halls: a broom, mop, bucket, soap, cleaning spray, towels, a feather duster, and a few more things to help her get a head start. With that, she rolled up her sleeves and began to get to work.
She grabbed the broom and began to sweep, while singing a little song.
"Seven a.m., the usual morning lineup. Start on the chores and sweep 'till the floor's all clean." The floor began to look a bit more clean after that. She ran the bucket under a somehow working faucet in the kitchen and got a decent amount of water, added soap and began to mop, clean the windows and fix the fireplace, stacking the kindling, whatever she saw and to get it down as best as possible.
"Polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up. Sweep again, and by then it's like 7:15."
"And so I'll read a book Or maybe two or three." She set the tables and chairs back upright along with the couches and other chairs.
Followed by setting back the rugs, and spot cleaning any places she may have missed. "I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery. I'll play guitar and knit. And cook and basically. Just wonder when will my life begin?"
'Seems like I remember Disney movies…' she thought, nostalgia hitting her as she recalled how happy they made her when she was a child.
She wiped the sweat off her brow and took a look around the room. Still a bit more work needed to be done, but hey: it's a start. She leaned against the broom to catch her breath. But a sudden noise caught her attention, and she looked outside the partially cleaned windows to see a bit of rainfall coming in.
"Now it's raining."
"Hyii! It's really coming down!"
Niho's eyes widened, but she didn't turn a round in time as she felt water hitting her back. She let out a gasp as the cold hit her, and turned to see Grim shaking out his fur of rain water.
He started laughing at her. "Gyahaha! You've got this stupid look on your face like a spider being attacked by a water gun! I'll have no trouble sneaking back into school. Come on, come on. If you think getting thrown out is gonna make me give up on getting in, you've got another thing coming!"
She sent him a glare, "What if I called Security?" That seemed to shut the creature up instantly. "Besides that, why do you want to get into this school?"
"That's simple! I'm a genius who is destined to be a great magician! I've been waiting for the Ebony Carriage to come pick me up. But... But...Hmph! The Dark Mirror just doesn't have an eye for this. So that's why I came here on my own. Not letting me in would be a loss for the world, humans just don't get it." Grim explained. Then, he recoiled as he felt a water drop hit his head.
"Nyaa! So cold! The roof is leaking!" He tried shielding his head with his arms, but it didn't work as he felt another one. "Fgyaa! It keeps coming! My adorable ear fire is gonna go out at this rate!"
Niho looked up at the ceiling to see several holes in the roof of the place and water leaking through the cracks. "We have to find a bucket." She bit her lip in frustration.
"Magic should fix this leak up real quick. ... Oh, wait: you can't use magic! Pfft! You're useless!"
"Then help me!" she rolled her eyes at his snarky and rude comment.
"Huh? 'Help you'? No waaay! I'm just a regular monster staying in a rainy place. You better get a can of tuna ready before I do any work." Grim brushed off lazily.
"Then you're even more useless than me." She spat in his direction, narrowly avoiding a sudden raindrop from a different hole in the ceiling. "I gotta find that bucket."
She doubled up the stairs and made it to the second floor hallway, where it was in a lot of disarray like the lounge. Huge cobwebs hung from the ceilings, Several paintings and objects were strewn across the floor and dust bunnies were cooped up in corners.
Suddenly, she felt chills rack her spine. "Uh...I don't like this feeling..."
Out of nowhere, three ghosts appeared before her. She screamed.
"Heeheehee….heeheehee… We haven't had a guest in so long... I'm itching for some action. Eeheehee!" One cackled.
"Ghoooossts!" she screamed and backed up, nearly tripping over her own feet.
"What are you freaking out... Gyaaaaah! G-g-g-hooooots!" Grim, having her the shriek, went upstairs to see what the commotion was until his eyes landed on the ghosts, and now he was freaked out as her. She cured up against her legs in fright.
"The people living here got scared of us and left." The second moaned.
The third wailed 'friendly', "We've been looking for more ghost pals. How about you guys?"
"Look, I can understand if you're lonely, but killing isn't how you make pals!" Niho tried to reason with them.
"Uuu, uuuuhーー! Grim, the Great Magician, isn't scared of some ghosts! Punahhh!"
Blue fire began to engulf the hallway.
"Where are you aiming?"
"Over here, over here! Heeheehee!"
Grim grit his teeth in frustration. "Shoot! Stop disappearing!"
He started spitting more fireballs.
"Are you closing your eyes when you breathe fire?" Niho glared at the cat, who glared back.
"Shut up! Don't try to give me orders!"
Niho fumed silently, until an idea popped into her head, "I'll give you a can of tuna if you win."
Grim froze at her proposal "Wah...!?" he muttered to himself silently, "Mmmgmm, I-I'm a genius. I won't let one..." He flew back when the ghosts popped up and began to laugh at him. "I mean, a bunch of cowards ganging up on us!"
"For a limited time, I'll give you one more can!" she one-upped her offer. That seemed to satisfy him, for he turned to her and demanded.
"Hey, you! Tell me where the ghosts are!" She saw something starting to materialize behind Grim's shoulder.
"On your left!" On command, Grim whirled around and blasted a fireball at the ghost just as he fully appeared, receiving hot flames to the face.
"Hottttt!" He wailed and shrank away.
"I hit it! Alright, let's chase them all outta here!" Grim smirked and took a battle stance, Niho behind and ready to kick ass.