I thank KatherineOzawa of Wattpad for helping me.

Niho kept a sharp lookout as the ghosts continued to swarm the area, but with her fast responses and quick eyesight, Grim was able to defeat them. But when the ghosts decided to make their movements faster to trip them up, Niho wasn't swayed. A bit, but she kept her cool, and kept telling Grim where to shoot in which direction. Soon, the ghosts realized they couldn't stand a chance as they were hit repeatedly by fireballs, one after another.

"Hwaaahhh! We gotta get out of here! Before we get disappeared for good!" The ghost's shrieked and disappeared before they could find themselves burnt to crisps.

"H-huh? Did we…win?" Grim looked around unsurely.

Niho nodded with a small smile. "That was incredible!"

"Aw, geez, I was scared outta my- I mean, they didn't faze me one bit!" Grim toughened up. "Just a walk in the park for a mage of my caliber! Whaddaya got to say now, ghosties? That's right!" He taunted victoriously.

The sound of footsteps was heard as Niho turned to see the Headmaster climbing the staircase. "Good evening! In another gesture of my immense kindness, I have brought you dinner." He smiled, but then his eyes turned to Grim in shock. "Wait. That's the creature we ejected for causing trouble at orientation! What is it doing back here?!"

"Takin' care of yer ghost problem, that's what. You're welcome, by the way!" Grim gloated.

The headmaster tilted his head in confusion. "What is the meaning of this, Niho?"

Niho rolled her eyes and took charge once again. She proceeded to explain what the two encountered and mimicked them during the fight. When she was done, Crowley had a knowing look in his eyes.

"But you know, on that topic, I do seem to recall that this dorm had a mischievous ghost problem. Ah, yes… That's why it was abandoned, in fact. The ghosts scared away all the students. And you're saying that you two joined forces to drive them away?" He murmured.

"'Joined forces' ain't exactly how I'd describe it. More like I drove 'em away, and she watched. And I only did it 'cause I wanted some tuna. Hey… Wait a minute! I never got those cans of tuna ya promised!" Grim realized and pointed a paw at Niho accusingly.

But Crowley wasn't done. "Would you two be so kind as to demonstrate your ghost-eradication methods for me?"

"One, no, 'cause I already wiped 'em all out. And two, no, 'cause where's my tuna?!" Grim marched up to her, demanding his end of the deal, but Crowley stopped him.

"I will play the part of the ghosts. As for the tuna, you'll receive it when you defeat me. Oh, what generosity, Crowley…" He slipped out a clear vial of dark liquid in his hand. "Now to chug this transmutation potion!" he drank the entire potion in one gulp and his form shifted into a ghost.

"Ah, you gotta be kiddin' me. I gotta work together with her again?" Grim started whining.

Niho whispered, "This could be your chance to enroll!"

Grim grit his teeth and spat out, "Hrmph. All right, but this is the last time. And I better be up to my jowls in tuna afterwards!"

The same happened as before. Crowley challenged the two as Niho and Grim followed the same routine as before, proving their work as before.

Grim panted, "Ha...ha… Well?"

Crowley, who had shape-shifted back into his normal form, was stunned to say the least. "Incredible… I've never seen anyone bend a monster to their will quite the way you have." He stared at Niho in amazement, then started rambling, "I must confess, my educator's intuition did sense something about you after that brouhaha at orientation, Niho. I could tell you had a certain animal trainer-y, beast master-ish quality to you. Oh yes. That said, I…" but the rest was inextinguishable since he was muttering more to himself.

Politely, she coughed out, "Would it be possible for Grim to stay with me?"

The headmaster snapped his attention to her and gaped at her. "WHAT? A monster, stay HERE?"

Grim looked at Niho in shock. "Whoa, did you just…?"

"Please, sir!" she begged.

Crowley pursed his lips, "Hmmm… I suppose I cannot deny your plea. Very well."

"Myah?! Really?"

"Let me be clear!" he held up a hand to hold for order as he stared at the two a bit sternly. "Under no circumstances would I admit anyone to Night Raven College who has not been selected by the Dark Mirror-especially not a monster! Nor do I intend to allow you, Niho, to freeload until you're able to return home."

"Hrmph. Never shoulda got my hopes up..." Grim frowned.

"Now, allow me to explain." Crowley asked. "It was the Dark Mirror that transported you here. Therefore this 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 own food, clothing, and incidentals. As to how you will do so, penniless as you are…" he thought for a second. "Ah. Ah ha. Yes, a fine plan."

Niho looked at him skeptically. "What exactly are you planning to make me do?"

"You needn't seem so alarmed. I'm simply going to ask you to do a few odd jobs around campus. From what you've done here, Niho, I can tell you know your way around a broom." he recalled. "So what do you say to you two working together 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 use of the library, so that you may study, and research ways to return home. How boundlessly charitable I am. Ah, but only when your work is over, of course!"

Grim wasn't happy though... "Whaaat? What kinda deal is that?! I wanna put on one of those sweet uniforms and be a student, not sweep up people's junk!"

Crowley pursed his lips in mock-dissatisfaction. "If you're not satisfied with my offer, I can arrange to have you thrown out again."

At that, the creature froze at the subtle threat of being kicked out a second time. "Myah?! …All right, fine! Let's do it."

"Fair enough."

"Wonderful. Then I beseech you both... To work hard as the newest members of Night Raven College's janitorial staff!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Niho managed to snag a room that was in an equally decrepit condition as the lounge. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling, the mirror, fireplace, floor and walls and windows covered in a thick layer of dust. Wall decor was corked, the bedsheets could use some washing, but there was no other room for her to take. So, she sucked it up and made use of what was given. Aside from Pajamas, of course.

Morning arrived sooner than expected. Grim was curled up next to her as the rays of sun peeked through the grimy layer of dust on the windows.

"Hee hee hee… Aren't the two of you supposed to be off cleaning the school today?" The three ghosts appeared and began to tease the sleeping duo.

Grim mumbled sleepily, "Mmmmm… Nngh… Five more minutes, Ma..."

"Go ahead, sleep the day away. And you might not eeever hafta wake up again." the second chimed.

The third laughed, "Just like us! Ah ha ha ha ha ha!"

Suddenly, Grim's eyes shot open fast as he saw the three hovering around the bed. "Myah?! The ghosts are back! Hey, Niho, up and at 'em!" he ran to her face and started shaking it to get her awake.

The girl began muttering profanities in her sleep and she rolled over, barely registering Grim's shriek as he got dragged along with her into her arms like a plushy.

After a while, she sat up and groaned sleepily, not completely awake. Her hair was down but messy. Her eyes cracked open and she saw the ghosts before her.

"Oh, it's you guys, again." She said, unfazed.

"So I hear you'll be living here from now on? Hope you like pranks as much as we do! Hya ha ha!" The ghost teased and they began to vanish.

"We gotta get rid of those things for good!" Grim stood up on his hind legs and shouted at them, ruffling out his fur from being grabbed all of a sudden.

A knock sounded at the door and there stood Crowley. "Good morning, Niho. Did you sleep well?"

"Not at all! When I sprawled out on the bed, the mattress fell right through the frame! Exactly how ramshackle IS this dorm? And worst yet, we got woken up by ghosts!" Grim complained.

Niho, however, tried to keep things in order as she hauled herself out of bed. "I slept great!"

"I am delighted to hear that you've adjusted so well, despite being sent to another world!" Crowley smiled. "Now, speaking of moving on, let us discuss your assignment for today."

She nodded and pushed them out of the room politely as Crowley gave her a small change of clothes and a few other necessities. Once they left, she got ready. All she was given was a baggy short-sleeved black shirt, dark washed jeans, black ankle socks and white sneakers. She proceeded to wash up and brush her teeth with what was given to her. She stared into the kinda-grimy mirror and raked her fingers through her hair, brushed it out with a small hairbrush and slicked it up into its usual ponytail. Once nice and awake, she left the room and went downstairs to the lounge to meet back with Crowley.

"Your job today is to clean the campus." he instructed. "That said, the campus is vast, and without magic, it'd be quite a Herculean task to clean it all. Therefore, today I'll have you focus on the area spanning from the front gates to the library. Now, Niho… I do expect that you'll keep a close eye on Grim, lest he cause another incident like yesterday."

"Understood." She nodded with determination.

"Do not fail me. You may take your lunch in the cafeteria. I eagerly await the fruits of your labor."

Grim pouted and turned his head away stubbornly. "Hrmph. I ain't cleanin' nothin'! I'm here to study magic so I can be blastin' off spells left and right! Like BAM! POW! FWOOM!"

Niho stared down at Grim, unimpressed at his rebelliousness. "After we clean, we can study in the library." She offered with a tight smile and walked out the doors, Grim following behind her, muttering about how strict she can be.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The skies were clear and blue as Niho lugged around the cart of cleaning supplies and down Main Street. Grim walked up ahead of her and stared at the statues lining the walkway.

"Wow, so this is Main Street, huh? This is incredible! I didn't get to see much of it yesterday. What's the deal with these seven statues? All their faces look pretty scary. Like, this lady leer looks like she's got some reeeal anger management issues."

Niho looked up to see what he was talking about and froze in her spot. Those statues seemed oddly and strangely familiar… She thought in her head, 'These are-'

"You don't know the Queen of Hearts?" an unfamiliar voice asked. Niho spun around to see a bright-eyed guy with terracotta-colored hair, cherry red eyes and a smirk on his lips. He donned a black and gold uniform, red vest with matching colored sneakers, and a black glove on his left hand. Painted on his left eyelid was a red heart.

"Queen of Hearts? Is she some kinda big deal?" Grim asked. The newcomer approached the Stout Queen's statue with a bounce in his step.

"She was a queen who lived in a maze-like garden of roses long, long ago. She was a strict woman who prized order above all. She wouldn't tolerate a rose being off-color, or her playing-card soldiers being out of step. She basically rules over a kingdom of madness, but not one of her subjects dared to defy her. You wanna know why? Because the punishment for breaking a rule was immediate decapitation!"

Grim shook. "Wah! That is seriously messed up!"

Niho was confused, however. 'Why would they honor a tyrant like her?' she soured. She knew her Disney movies like the back of her hand and the villains were always labeled as the baddies; no one pitied them because they made bad choices and no one tried to help before it was too late. No one but her. Why would they be seen as martyrs in this world?

"Pretty cool, right? I'm a big fan. I mean, who would bother to obey a quest that was kind all the time."

Niho decided to humor him and said with a fake appreciative tone of voice, "Well, you're not wrong."

"Yeah, true. A leader needs to be strong. But puttin' that aside… Who're you, now?" Grim asked.

"Name's Ace. I'm a first-year student here, as of…today. Pleased to meetcha!" Ace winked in their direction.

"I'm Grim, I'm a prodigy who's plannin' to be, like, the greatest mage who ever lived." Grim gloated for himself first, and then nudged his head over his shoulder to Niho. "That there's my far less interesting hench-human, Niho."

But he yelped in pain as she hauled him by the scruff of his neck up to her face. "I'm not anyone's hench-anything." she sneered and threw him to the floor, not caring if he was an animal or weasel or whatever. Grim bounced onto the hard pavement and rubbed his butt where he landed and glared up at the girl.

Ace gave her a weird look, "'Niho'? Huh. Name's got an odd ring to it."

She just brushed it off and got back on track. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you. Don't listen to anything this thing says about me. He's nuts!" She directed him to not listen to the talking creature standing beside her.

"So tell me, Ace. Is that lion with a scar in the eye a famous ruler too?" Grim moved on to Scar.

"Of course! That's the King of Beasts who ruled the savanna. But he wasn't born into the throne-he had to earn it through hard work and elaborate schemes. When he became king, he decreed that hyenas would be pariahs no more, and should live among his subjects as equals."

This made the girl even more confused, 'What? This is different from the scarred lion I remember.'

"Sounds like a great guy! Not everyone's able to look past social status like that. Who's the lady with the octopus legs?" Ace moved towards Ursula next.

"The Sea Witch who lived in an underwater grotto. She basically devoted her life to helping troubled merfolk. If they were willing to pay the price, she'd help them change their appearance, find love, whatever! They say she was so good, there was no wish she couldn't grant. They also say the price was a tad steep, though. But she was granting wishes! Of course it was!"

"Myaha! So you're sayin' that once I'm a great mage, gettin' rich off folks will be a total cinch?!"

"Clearly, you don't understand the consequences of "steep"." Niho retorted.

Grim ignored her rude remark and pranced towards Jafar's statue next. "Oh, oh! Do the dude with the big hat next!"

"That is the Sorcerer of the Sands. He was an advisor to a total dolt of a sultan. He was a smart guy. Really capable sort. He exposed this swindler once-some guy pretending to be a prince in order to trick the princess! After that, he got this magic lamp and became the greatest sorcerer in the world. Then, they say he used that power to become sultan himself!"

'Again: different from the real version.' she thought blandly.

"Wow! Guess it's true that a mage needs to be an excellent judge of character, huh? And what about this beauty over here?"

"She's a queen who was said to be the fairest in all the land. In fact, she used her magic mirror to check how she ranked on a daily basis! When it looked like her position was threatened, they say she'd do whatever it took to keep it. Can you even imagine the level of dedication it would require to keep a record like that? Also, they say she was a master of making poisons!"

"Geez. She's pretty, but that sounds kinda scary." Grim was shaking.

"That wouldn't win me over." Niho shook her head with a bland face.

Ace looked at them weirdly. "You think so? I gotta respect the hustle!"

"F-for sure… Sounds like she fought hard for what she believed in, and never gave up! And that one there, with the flaming head? Now THAT guy looks scary!"

She looked at Hades' statue next and snarked, "His hair reminds me of your ears. You could be his pet."

"That's the King of the Underworld! Single-handedly ruling a kingdom packed with rambunctious spirits-that takes competence! He may look scary, but he was a straight shooter who worked tirelessly at a tough job he never even asked for. I mean, this is the guy who was ordering Cerberus, the Hydra, and the Titans into battle for him."

Grim nodded. "Hmm. That IS something. T'think he could have that much power and not let it go to his head! And that last one there, with the horns?"

Niho's eyes widened upon seeing the oh so familiar dark fairy of the Sleeping Beauty tale. 'Maleficent!' she thought in shock. From all the villains on the roster, she was the one Niho pitied the most. Never been invited to the christening of Aurora, it led down a spiral, involving a sleeping spell and her becoming a dragon only to die at the hands of a silver sword, with the curse lifted in the end by Aurora's prince.

"That's the Thorn Fairy who lived on a mystical mountain. She was noble and elegant, and a master of magic and curses-even by the standard of these seven! She commanded storms, covered the kingdom with thorns… She could use magic on a massive scale! She could even turn herself into a giant dragon."

"Ooh, a dragon! What all monsters yearn to be!"

Ace nodded. "Pretty cool, huh? Not like some piddling weasel."

"Myah?!"

Ace's smirk only grew at Grim's reaction. "Pfft... Ah ha ha! I can't hold it back anymore! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Come on, you're the ones who turned orientation into such a fiasco, right? The one summoned by the Dark Mirror who can't even use magic, and the monster no one summoned at all. It took everything I had not to burst into laughter right in the middle of ceremony!" he laughed.

"H-hey! You don't gotta be a jerk about it!" Grim spat.

"So in the end, neither of you got admitted, and now you're janitors? Ah ha ha! SO lame!" The ginger kept teasing, making Grim more angry than before.

"And you're both so clueless you don't even know who the Great Seven are. Not a one of them. Maybe before you try getting into the academy again, you ought to take a second crack at kindergarten? Ah ha ha ha ha!"

If Grim was mad before, he was royally pissed now at the final rude remark.

'Uh-oh. This is not gonna end well.' Niho was a bit worried now. She agreed, deep down, she wanted to tell this Ace guy off for being a rude dude, but she held herself as to not cause a scene. "Grim, let it go. He doesn't even know us!"

"Anyway, just thought I'd tease you a bit. And man am I glad I did. It's been a blast! Unlike you, I actually have classes to get to, so I'll let you get back to picking up trash. Bye!" Ace saluted sarcastically and turned to walk off. But Grim wasn't one to let him off that easily.

"Myah-uh! You ain't walkin' away from me! It's too late for that! Myaaaaah!" With little effort, he summoned a wall of fire cutting off Ace's path.

Ace, in surprise, jerks back from touching the flames. "Whoa!"

"No one makes fun of Grim, Master of Fire! I'm gonna make that explodey-head of yours explode all over again!" Grims smirked.

Ace's eyes narrowed in anger to the small creature. "Explodey-head?! You wanna throw down with me, shorty? You got some guts. You wanna talk hair, huh? I'm gonna shave you like a toy poodle!"

"Myaaaaah!" Grim shot a fire sphere at the Redhead. But unknowingly, Ace had a trick up his sleeve.

"Oh-ho! How do you like that?" with a flick of his pen, the bright red gem shimmered and a wind spiral dissipated the fireball into nothing.

"H-Hey! His magic winds are blowin' my fireballs off course! No fair!" Grim muttered and conjured a second one to throw.

The commotion caused two students to look over and see the fight going down. "What's going on over here? A fight?!"

"Oh, sweet! Get 'em!"

Niho, however, was too engrossed in the fight to notice them. "Wind magic is a thing too?"

Ace made the second one disappear and taunted, "Awww… Can't hit me with your little fireballs?"

That made Grim more pissed than before. "Grrr… You better believe I'm about to! Take that!" Grim used up more power and created a larger fire ball much bigger than the first two and chucked it forward.

But Ace did the same thing as before, "Pfft. All it takes is a little gust to-Hah!" But with the slash of his gemmed pen, the fireball was aimed somewhere else….more specifically, the Queen of Hearts' statue, charring it to a black tone.

"Now look what you two have gone and done!" Niho screamed in both anger and fear at the two's recklessness.

Ace followed her line of sight and with one look at the statue, his heart stopped. "Oh no! Now the Queen of Hearts's statue looks like it's been flame-broiled!"

Grim was equally shocked at what just occurred. "That's your fault for tryin' to divert it! You shoulda just let it burn you to a crisp!"

Ace looked down at Grim and sneered, "Who in their right mind would ever do that?!" But one voice nearly made the three piss themselves. "What is going on here? Cease this at once!"

Ace turned around to see the Headmaster, his arms crossed and scowling at them. "Oh no! The headmage!" He choked, eyes growing as big as golf balls.

Grim froze in his spot, choking out, "Not more lashings of love! We gotta get outta here!" But it was too late. The lash came down on them both. HARD.

"OW!"

"Myaaaaah! And I'm still sore from yesterday, too!"

"As if the likes of you could ever flee from me! Haaah… Did I not just warn you, 'no more incidents'? And now you've charred one of my statues?! It's almost as though you WANT to be expelled!" Crowley threatened.

Ace's eyes widened at that word. "No! Forgive me!"

Crowley turned his glare towards Niho. "And you, Niho. You were specifically told to keep Grim under control!"

The girl hung her head in shame at her actions of not being more confrontational in stopping the fire creature. "I know, and I'm sorry…but he wouldn't stop teasing us and it got out of control." She pointed at Ace in defiance.

Crowley sighed and placed his hand over his eyes. "This will not do." He seemed close to having a headache, but regained his composure and looked over at Ace, "And you! State your name and grade."

"Ace Trappola… Freshman."

"Then listen well, Trappola. You too, Grim and Niho. , As punishment for today's infractions, you are hereby ordered to wash a hundred windows!" Crowley demanded.

"Myah?! That's what you get for makin' fun of me! This is all your fault!"

"Whaaat? I have to do it too?!"

Crowley nodded firmly. "Of course you do. You will meet in the cafeteria after class. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir." Ace moaned.

Grim sighed sadly, "Ugh, I just can't catch a break!"

Fed up with his whining, Niho grabbed Grim by the scruff of his neck and hauled him to her face in anger. "Stop your whining! You got yourselves into this mess, now you gotta pay the price!"

"Who died and put you in charge?!" Ace griped, making Niho glare coldly at him.

"I did. Wanna fight me for it?!" She challenged, making Ace back up in fear at her angry aura.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Before she knew it, time had gone by quickly for Niho as she dragged the cart of cleaning supplies into the now empty cafeteria. She looked around and drank in the details. It was very wide and spacious, the floors checkered in green and purple, long and wide wooden lunch tables dotted here and there in the grand room. A fireplace on one side of the room and a bulletin board on the other. The crystal chandelier gave a warm homely glow around the room as she made it to the tall windows on the side of the room. She grabbed a cleaning cloth and soaked it and wrung it out of excess water, beginning to wash the windows.

"I'm already exhausted from a full day of cleanin'. I can't believe we still gotta wash a hundred windows!" Grim fell against the wall out of tiredness. Niho glared down at him and growled.

"We just gotta suck it up and do it." She paid no more mind to him and she continued with her work task, as Grim just sat there.

"What's buggin' me is, Ace ain't even here yet! To make us wait, after what he did… Grrr!"

She just rolled her eyes and moved onto the next pane.

-30 minutes later-

Nothing.

-an hour and 45 minutes later-

Still nothing!

-2 hours and 15 minutes later-

Grim bursted out, "…And now he's super late! I bet he up and bailed on us!"

Niho, finished on the 45th pane, halted at his claim and nodded stiffly. "That's possible."

Grim leapt to his feet and charged for the doors. "Ain't no way am I doin' his punishment for him! C'mon, Niho. I don't care if we gotta drag him kickin' and screamin', he's washin' those windows!"

"Glad you didn't call me your hench-human!" she shouted after him and forgetting the cleaning cart, threw down her rag and ran after the creature to search for the first year.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

They busted into one of the open classrooms.

"Hey! Ace! Get over here! Try to hide from me, will ya! Huh… Maybe there's really no one here?" Grim looked around to see the room deadly quiet and empty.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. I'm here." someone in one of the picture frames spoke.

Grim screamed, "Bwaaah! That picture just talked?!"

The portrait of an old man wearing a top hat looked at the two weirdly. "Yes, and…? Is a talking painting really such an oddity at this school? The lady in the portrait on that wall talks too. As does the gentleman in the portrait on this one. As long as a painting has a mouth, why wouldn't it be able to talk? Is that really so strange?"

Niho was a bit weirded out, but didn't let it show as she said, "In fact, yes. Paintings don't usually talk."

The portrait looked at her. "Well, your 'usual' and my 'usual clearly differ. Shall we agree to disagree on the matter? Now, you seem to be searching for someone."

"We're lookin' for this guy called Ace. He's got messy hair and a heart drawn on his face." Grim explained.

The man in the picture nodded. "Ah, I know the one. A new student, I believe? Today was his first day at school. I think he went back to his dorm a while ago."

"Myaaah! So it's true! He's tryin' to ditch us! Do you know which way he went?"

"The door to the dorms is in the eastern building." the portrait nodded to the direction he saw the first year scamper off to.

"Let's chase after him, Niho!"

"Ace, you're not getting away from me that easily." Niho muttered under her breath as she led the charge.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, in a semi-circular room with gateways to the seven dorms, their crests atop of the portals, Ace trudged down the hallway to his dorm's mirror. "Yeah right, like I'm gonna wash a hundred windows. I'm just gonna go back and-" he muttered to himself.

"AHA! GOTCHA, PUNK!" a high-pitched scream made him whirl around to see the girl and the raccoon running towards him, anger in their eyes.

He shouted in surprise, "Oh no! They saw me!"

"Did you actually think we wouldn't notice you weren't there?" Niho retorted.

"Stop right there, pal! No fair gettin' a head start! Wait!" Grim snarled.

"Who in their right mind would ever wait?! Seeya!" Ace shook his head and ran towards the mirror hall double time.

"No way are you gettin' out of this! You think I WANNA wash windows?" Grim shouted.

Niho was quick to snatch him up and carry him with her as she claimed, "Don't even think about skipping out!" She lugged the creature by his neck in the same direction as the first year.

Further ahead, another boy was about to head through the mirror to his dorm after classes were finished. He had the same uniform on as Ace except he wore dress shoes and both gloves on his hands. His fair skin made his peacock green eyes pop out more underneath the black spade symbol painting his right eye, which peeked out underneath bangs of navy blue hair. He turned to the source of the noise, running feet, humming out a "...Hm?" in confusion.

Ace came running in and started screaming, "Outta my way!"

The bluenette backed up in shock, "Hey! What gives?!"

Niho ran in and screamed at him, "Hey! We need help catching him! He's shirking his cleaning responsibilities!"

The new boy heard her and started rambling to himself, "What? That's not right! But how to stop him? Like, freeze his legs? Or bond them with a rope? Or maybe I could… Hmm… No…"

"I don't care how! Just do something! Anything!" Grim shrieked.

"Anything?! Anything, huh… All right! Here goes anything! I summon thee…something heavy!" He flipped his pen forward and summoned the first thing he could think of.

Then from out of thin air, a giant black cauldron slams on top of Ace, knocking him to the ground. "Bwaaah?! Wha?! A pot?!"

Grim started losing it. "Ah ha ha ha ha! Look, Niho, look! That Ace guy got crushed beneath a giant cauldron! It squashed him flat! Ah ha ha! That's what you get!"

The bluenette bit his lip out of nervousness. "A cauldron?! I wasn't expecting that. I may have overdone it this time…"

"Owwww!' Ace rubbed his forehead from where he ate asphalt and when he got to his feet, he glared at Niho. "What are you bothering me for? You guys coulda just banged out the work yourself!"

But the girl was quick to reiterate, "There's no 'banging out' a hundred windows! And in case you've forgotten, I have no magic!"

The newcomer looked between the two in confusion. "You have to wash a hundred windows as punishment? What the heck did you do?!"

Ace scoffed, "I was just screwing with that furball a little. …Okay, and the statue of the Queen of Hearts got a teeny bit charred. Sue me."

"More like a lot. You're lucky it's still holding its shape." Niho spat back.

But the bluenette was too surprised to hear what the redhead did. "You damaged a statue on the Great Seven?! No wonder he flew off the handle at you! After you managed to get into THIS school, how could you get in trouble on the very first day?!" he sighed in disappointment.

Ace spat out, "Oh, shut up. Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Deuce. Deuce Spade." the bluenette answered. "Don't you remember your own classmate? Uh…"

Ace gave him a neutral glare and blunted out, "You don't remember my name either, do you?"

Deuce waved away his remark. "That's not the point! You shouldn't try to shirk an order from the headmage!"

Ace proceeded to roll his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, message received… Fine, let's bang out the windows already." he noticed Niho looking around and let out a confused, "Huh…?"

"Grim sure has been quiet." she said. Ace looked around wildly and saw that he'd vanished.

"That furball! He's gone!"

Outside, Grim pranced around in victory. "Ah ha ha ha! I'll let you two handle the rest! See ya, suckers!"

Niho felt her anger slowly spiking at the furball's trickery. "Why that no good, little…"

"You caught me so YOU could run away yourself?! Hey! You there! Uh… Juice?" Ace turned towards Deuce.

"My name isn't 'Juice.' It's Deuce! With a D!" he corrected.

"This is partly your responsibility, you know! So help me catch that little furball!" Ace ignored the correct pronunciation.

Deuce's jaw dropped at his claim. "How is this my responsibility?!"

"Grim's useless janitor friend can't use magic. That means this is up to you and me!" Ace nudged his head in Niho's direction with spite. The girl gave him an even icier glare as she grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him down to her height.

"Useless?! I don't need magic to beat you or catch Grim!" she threatened. Ace felt his hands get sweaty and adrenaline spike at her threat and wrenched himself away from her out of fear.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Argh! Stop jumping around like that!" Ace groaned in frustration. The two boys and the girl had run all around the courtyard trying to catch the fiery gremlin but he kept slipping out of their grasp with his vanishing powers, making it all the more frustrating and overwhelming to stop him. Eventually, they had him cornered back in the cafeteria, but now he was prancing around on the chandelier, teasing the three mercilessly.

"Heh heh heh! Catch me if you can!"

"No fair climbing onto the chandelier, you coward!" Deuce started to try and think of a way to finally catch him. "I haven't really learned flight magic yet.. What could I summon to hold onto him…? Hmmm…" he kept muttering to himself until his eyes lit up with an idea in mind. "Oh! That's it!"

"Did you come up with something- Oh, hey! Stop! What are you doing?!" Ace backed up at the close range of Deuce's pen pointing right at him. "Why are you pointing your pen at me?!"

"Because I'm going to launch you."

Niho sweatdropped, "No way does this end well."

"Are you kidding me?! Bwaaah!" without warning, Ace started being lifted into the air, moving around frantically like a fish on a fishing line. "Put me down! Seriously, do not launch me! Abort! ABORT!"

"Just make sure to grab him tight!" Deuce shouted and aimed his arm towards the chandelier "I've got him in my sights, and… Go!"

"BWAAAAAAAH!" Ace screamed as he was hurled forward.

"MYAAAAAAAH?!"

Ace slammed into the chandelier, making it shatter on impact and fall into the ground in a mess, crushing Grim under his body in the process of the fall.

"The chandelier!" Niho screamed in fear and ran towards the mess, Deuce following her.

Ace sat up, hacking his lungs out. "I cannot believe you just did that!" He got off Grim to reveal the creature dazed and seeing stars.

"Myaaah…"

Niho turned around and glared at Deuce, shouting, "What is wrong with you?!"

Deuce held up his hands in mock surrender. "Oh, right! I probably should have come up with a way to soften your landing after you caught him…"

"You complete and total moron!" Ace yelled and stood up behind her, glaring down the bluenette in the same manner. "We got Grim, but we broke the chandelier! If the headmage finds out about this-"

But speak of the devil, he appeared behind Deuce, whose eyes widened as he whirled around to face the headmage. "If I find out about…what, dear Ace?"

Ace's anger melted away. "Ah! Headmage Crowley…!"

"YOU. THREE. AGAIN. What have you done this time?!" Crowley screamed.

"Myaaah...Everything's spinning…"

"Burning a statue wasn't enough for you? Now you've destroyed a chandelier?! Enough. All of you are expelled!"

The two first years screamed in shock "Whaaaaaaaaat?!"

Deuce started pleading, ""Headmage, please! Give me a second chance! I can't get expelled from this school! I need to be here!"

"Then blame yourself for your own foolish behavior." Crowley shook his head. But Deuce was unmoved.

"I'll pay for the damages! However much it costs!" he offered.

"That chandelier is no mere light fixture. It is a magical chandelier. It's candles are powered by a magical energy source, enchanted so that they will burn for eternity. 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. Considering its historical value, I would estimate its worth to be no less than a billion thaumarks. And you intend to repay that sum?" Crowley reiterated.

Deuce felt his heart stop at the price. "A… A billion marks?!"

"B-but I'm sure with your magical talent, sir, you could snap your fingers and fix it right up!" Ace suggested, making Crowley shoot down his answer.

"Even magic has its limits. Furthermore, it's magestone-the figurative heart of any magical artifact-is cracked. A magestone cannot easily be replaced. I fear the candles of this majestic chandelier will never burn again."

"This is bad…"

"What am I going to do?! How am I going to tell my mother…?"

Niho was silent during the exchange between the students and the headmage and came up with an idea. She asked Crowley, "Where exactly did the artificer find the magestone?"

He perked up at her question and racked his head for the right response. "Ah…! There may be one way. One tiny sliver of a chance to repair this chandelier."

The boys perked up at this.

"The magestone that powered this chandelier was mined from the Dwarfs' Mine. If you can acquire a magestone with the same properties, it may be possible to repair it." Crowley answered honestly.

Deuce didn't hesitate to step up, "Then I'll go find a magestone! With your permission, sir!"

"I should caution you that I cannot promise there yet remain magestones to find. The mines were closed quite some time ago. It is quite likely that all of the magestones have already been mined." Despite the bird man's doubt, the bluenette remained firm with his resolve.

"I will do anything to avoid expulsion, sir!"

Crowley sighed, "Hmmm… Very well, then. I will suspend your expulsion for a single night. But if you fail to return with a magestone by morning, then all of you are expelled."

"I understand, sir. Thank you very much for this opportunity!" Deuce smiled relieved.

"Hah, fine, then. Let's hurry down there, find a magestone, and get this whole thing done with." Ace sighed.

"I'll go with them. And this time, I'll do this right." Niho stepped in as well.

Crowley nodded at the three as approval. "You should be able to reach the Dwarfs' Mine instantly by using one of the gates in the Mirror Chamber."

"Yes sir!" Deuce saluted and took off.

Grim took this as an opportunity to finally snap out of his dizziness and look around in confusion. "Myah! Wh-? Where am I?!"

Niho hauled him up not so gently and spat right in his face, "You really messed up, and you may end up wishing you'd remained unconscious." She threw him around like a ragdoll as she and Ace followed after Deuce.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The group made it to the Mirror chamber, the room silent as a tombstone, save for them talking amongst one another.

"Maaan… How did I end up in this mess? I swear, I have the worst luck." Ace sighed exasperated.

"We don't have time to complain. Let's go. Dark Mirror! Take us to the Dwarfs' Mine!" Deuce commanded.

The mirror obeyed, the surface warping like water ripples and a bright surge of light flashed. The light disappeared, and so were the others.