I thank KatherineOzawa of Wattpad for helping me.
Ace's lips were puckered in anger, like he nearly sucked on a lemon. His eyes blazed with fury as he kicked up a spot in the grass in frustration, and paced in frustration.
"Rrrgh! I hate that little ginger megalomaniac! Does he think HE's the Queen of Hearts?"
"What happened minutes ago proved it, idiot…." Niho grumbled, sitting on the concrete, head in her hands, propping her chin up. Deuce was next to her, head between his knees, mumbling in shame.
"Banished by the housewarden from my own dorm… My dream of becoming an honor student is slipping further and further away…"
"Stupid collar! It's so tight! Grr…" Grim stared up, trying to lift his neck from the heavy collar.
"You're really racking up those collars. Quite the impressive collection." A voice cooed. Grim looked up from his spot only to see….
A floating head.
Ace and Deuce screamed and Grim flew up from his spot, and hid behind Niho. "Myah! A ghost head!"
"What the hell?!" Niho screamed.
But after that, a body began to materialize into a normal being. Upon closer inspection, the person had shaggy mauve hair with light lavender highlights, gold colored eyes, and palish skin. He wore a purple and pink striped shirt, a white hoodie, gold rings on his fingers, jeans with abstract patches and purple combat colored boots. But the most noticeable features were his cat-like grin and atop his head were cat ears, pierced with everlasting earrings.
"Oh dear. It seems I'm not all here." He punned.
"What?" Deuce breathed. "Er, so you do have a body, then? Who are you?"
"The name's Artemiy Artemiyevich Pinker. Am I a cat? Am I a purrrson? A mimsy borogove, perhaps? A mome arth with a knack for magic?" the neko grinned widely.
"Uh, look, Ar… Arte… Run the name by me again?" Ace was tongue-tied.
"Heh heh. People usually just call me Chenya. Let's just say I'm not from the other side of the looking glass." Chenya laughed as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder to where Riddle and the others were at.
"Yet another weirdo…" Niho whispered exasperatedly.
"You think so? I'd say by the standards here, I'm no more mad than anyone else." Chenya shrugged, throwing her a sly smile.
Ace stormed up to the neko and jabs a finger at him. "After the insanity that teapot tyrant put me through, I'm not in the mood for whatever this is. Just leave me alone."
Chenya smiled wistfully, knowing whom Ace meant. "Riddle the teapot tyrant... Heh heh. Well, I can't dismiss that perspective as wrong. He's always been quite strict."
"'Strict?'" Niho tilted her head in confusion.
"Do you know something about him?" Deuce raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps there are things that I know, and perhaps there are things that I don't." Chenya riddled.
"That's not an answer!" Grim pushed.
"Is there something you wish to know about Riddle?"
"Yeah, what created such a control freak?" Ace nodded furiously.
Chenya crossed his arms and grinned. "I believe his four-eyed friend may have the answer."
"Four-eyed friend? You mean Trey?" Deuce guessed. Chenya nodded.
"He's known Riddle since we were all little boys. If you want to know more about Riddle, I would begin my quest there."
"Those two: FRIENDS? Highly unlikely….." Niho emphasised as if the words didn't fit like puzzle pieces.
"They're childhood friends? I didn't really get that impression." Deuce agreed.
"If you're so perceptive, then what are you asking me for?" Was all the cat-hybrid said, his eyes wandering to Niho. "So it IS true! I heard a lil rumor floating 'round the halls that a new student showed up outta nowhere, one with zero magic in his veins no less, and had to see it for myself!" He smiled inwardly.
"You may think this world is all fun and games, new kid, but I wouldn't go round frolicking like nothin! There may be secrets that not even you can understand..." his tone took on a tad of darkness when he said that, eyes losing their light, making Niho feel a bit on edge with his claim. But it vanished in a snap and he was back to his usual smiling self. "Buh-bye!" And just like the cat in the film, his body began to evaporate away, til his head remained last.
"H-hey!" Deuce tried to stop him, but the only thing that lingered through the air was him humming an eerily familiar tune to an eerily familiar rhyme as he slipped away…
"I tell ya, no one makes any sense around here." Grim freaked out.
Deuce was the only one who had a plan of action after Chenya's appearance. "Well, we're not going to be able to do much in the way of schoolwork with these collars on. So let's go see what Trey has to say, and then…" his gaze wandered to Ace, who caught up with what he was saying and sneered at him.
"If you're gonna say "apologize to Riddle," you can forget it!"
Niho nodded, still a bit on edge from Chenya's words to her, "Maybe we need to set up a little ambush…"
XXXXXXXXXXXX
In the lounge, Riddle sat in the big heart-shaped chair, staring at one student with a strict gaze etched into his eyes. His hands were folded together by his fingers, elbows propped up on the armrests and covering his mouth.
"The Queen of Hearts's rule 249: "Flamingos caretakers are to don pink attire." It was supposed to be your turn to feed the flamingos today. Why aren't you wearing pink?"
The student shook in his spot, trying to state his side of the story. "I'm sorry, Housewarden. My pink clothes were in the laundry… Please, sir, not the collar!"
Riddle felt a vein throb in his head. "This is your second rule violation. I cannot forgive a repeated offense. Off With Your Head!"
"Gaaaaaaah!" the collar appeared around his neck.
"Write me a 5,000-word apology and weed the garden for one week, and I'll remove it." Riddle, cooled after his scream, bargained.
"But..."
"Do you think I enjoy having to do this?! You're the one who broke the rules! As much as I would like to, I cannot ignore these infractions. It's for your own sake. Understood?" he side-eyed the two third years and spoke, "Trey? Cater? Remove him from the premises."
They look to the ground and mumble, "...Yes, Housewarden."
Niho swore the dripping became even louder at that moment from far away…..
XXXXXXXXXXXX
In the library, the trio waited patiently for the vice leader to show his face. It was difficult getting into their school uniforms without magic on Ace and Deuce's part, and no way was Niho helping them. It wasn't long until their patience was rewarded, for soon Trey walked through the doors, a sigh leaving his lips. They moved.
"Hello, Trey." He looked up, startled, but calmed down as soon as he saw it was the first-years.
"You four!"
"We figured that if we waited at the library, you'd show up to return your tart cookbook eventually." Deuce was the first to approach, motioning to the book in his arms.
"We REALLY need to speak with you." Niho followed. "There is no way in hell we're apologizing to that nutcase of a housewarden for something we believed was unfair and unjust!"
"We still got a problem with the way Housewarden Riddle is handling all of this." Ace ran a hand through his hair in stress.
"Yeah, I thought you might say that." the third year nodded slowly, trying to understand their pain.
"Come clean with us. What's your take on Riddle? Is it true you've been pandering to him since the two of you were kids?" Ace put out there.
"What?! Who told you that?" Trey asked, perplexed.
"A guy who called himself Chenya." Deuce answered.
Trey racked his brain until a familiar look crossed his face and he nodded. "Chenya... Huh. That explains it."
"What I don't get is, aren't you older than Riddle? Why haven't ya told him off already?" Grim pouted.
"Trey, don't you get it? If you keep going along with his insanity, you're just encouraging him!" Niho tried to set him straight.
Trey looked at her like he wanted to agree with her, but something held him back from doing so... "I do when I need to. I don't think the situation calls for it."
"Why not?" Ace growled.
"These sorts of strict rules… They're what created Riddle."
Deuce and Niho share a look. "Huh?"
"W-We don't understand…."
Trey inhaled deeply and proceeded to explain. "His parents were famous magical healers. Everyone where we're from knew their names. His mom was especially talented, and she really wanted Riddle to live up to her legacy. So, from the moment Riddle woke up to when his head hit the pillow at the end of the night... Every aspect of his life was planned, down to the minute, by the education program she made for him."
"Sounds pretty lame."
"What he ate, what he wore, what soap he used, who his friends were- every last detail had been predetermined for him. And to please his parents, Riddle obediently completed every task they'd laid out for him. He mastered his signature spell by age ten. He's been the top student in all of his classes. I can't even imagine how hard he must have had it."
Ace was silent throughout the story, but Niho, having seen the reasoning, spoke up instead. "So it's his parents' fault he's like that?"
Trey looked at her. "Riddle sees the enforcement of strict rules as a service to his dorm members. In his eyes, being bound by rigid guidelines-by fear-is a fast-track to personal growth. Because that's how it worked for him. And on the flip side, he sees the violation of those rules as an inexcusable offense."
Ace looked away from him, "I guess that makes sense, since rules made him who he is."
Trey pressed his lips in a thin line before speaking, "Look, I totally get why you see Riddle as a tyrant, and why you disapprove of his methods. But for me... I can't hold that against him, you know?"
"Myah…"
"So that's why he's like that."
"I can't believe it."
"… All right, now I get it." Ace jabbed a finger at Trey accusingly. "It's YOUR fault Riddle's like this."
"What?!"
"I actually agree with Ace on this one." Niho stood by his side, a cold look in her eyes as she stared down Trey.
"Riddle didn't get to choose his parents. But you know what his parents did to him, and you know it was wrong, right?"
"I mean, yeah…" but Ace didn't let him finish, nor Niho.
"Just like flowers, children don't choose where they're born into. And they don't choose what family they're born into or who gave birth to them!"
"Well, now Riddle's making the exact same mistake that his parents did. You're going easy on him because he had it rough as a kid? Don't you see where that's leading? You're letting him make a pariah out of himself!"
Trey could only stare open-mouthed at Ace, words flying out of his mouth like daggers.
"Ace, man, come on…" Deuce tried to stop him from hitting a sensitive spot, but Ace pushed him away and kept berating Trey to no end. By the end of his claim, he was shouting with complete fury.
"So why don't you say something? Are you just afraid you'll "lose your head" too? That's pathetic! You guys are supposed to be childhood friends?! Then act like it."
"You there! Be quiet! You are in a library!" Everyone turned rapidly to the voice coming from the other end of the shelf to see the Headmage striding up to them quite angrily.
Grim and Niho just gave him sour looks. "You're yellin' louder 'n any of us, though!"
"How ironic…."
"Oh! Yes, my apologies." he coughed into his fist to cover up his slip-up and straightened out. "But let us strive to maintain the library as a quiet place for reading."
"I'm sorry, Headmage." Niho spoke up for herself, not sparing a glance at the others for their own rudeness.
Crowley nodded to her. "Well, at least you know better now. Incidentally, what are you all discussing with such grim faces?"
"Well, since you asked…" Deuce winced and proceeded to explain what happened before Crowley crashed their talk. By the end, the birdman was nodded, understanding the situation.
"Ah… I believe I understand the situation. You are resistant to the idea of apologizing, but unable to devise any other method to get the housewarden to remove the collar."
"Yeah, pretty much." Ace shoved his hands into his pant pockets.
"I see. If you and the housewarden are truly unable to reconcile, you could always transfer." Crolwey brought up. "However, this is the dorm that the Dark Mirror chose for you based on the essence of your being. Any attempt to relocate would necessitate quite a burdensome process, as well as a new ritual."
Niho scoffed, "Seriously? Work just to switch out your dorm? What kind of a school is this?"
"A transfer, huh…?" Ace repeated the word and shook his head, hair swaying with him. "That'd make me feel like I was running with my tail between my legs."
Crowley tapped his chin in thought. "Hmm. Then it sounds like you should challenge Mr. Rosehearts for leadership of the dorm."
Everyone screamed like they just heard an asteroid would hit earth. "WHAAAAAT?!"
"Lower your voices! This is a library!" Crolwey went back to scolding.
Ace fired back, "But what you said was…insane!"
"And besides, challenging Riddle may as well be a death sentence for us!" Niho scoffed.
"There is nothing remotely "insane" about it." Crowley reassured. "After all, that's how Mr. Rosehearts got the position."
"What exactly is the process by which housewardens are selected at Night Raven College?" Deuce wondered.
"Trey said that Riddle became housewarden within his first week as a student here." Grim remembered.
"There are several ways. You could be appointed by the previous housewarden, for example, or duel the current warden and win. A duel is certainly one of the simpler methods." Crowley answered.
"But isn't fighting with magic against the rules?" Ace asked.
"In general, yes. A duel initiated through a formal procedure and conducted in the presence of the headmage is another matter entirely."
"I'm pretty sure the duel rules don't allow for preemptively handicapping your opponent… So this could be a way to force Riddle to remove your collar without apologizing. That said…" Trey mumbled.
"The right to challenge a housewarden is bestowed upon all students when enrolling at Night Raven. So what do you say, Mr. Trappola? Will you challenge Mr. Rosehearts?" Crowley looked at the two first years.
"Whatever happens, I'll back you guys up." Niho smiled with determination. That seemed to lift both Ace and Deuce's spirits up.
"Sure, I'll give it a shot!"
"Then I will too."
"Me three!"
"I'm afraid not, Mr. Grim. You cannot challenge a housewarden of a dorm to which you do not belong." Crowley shot down.
"Myah?! Then how'm I supposed to get this buzzkill collar off?!"
Ace petted him behind his ears. "If I become housewarden, I'll just order Riddle to remove it! Easy-peasy!"
But Grim muttered to himself, "How will everyone know how tough I am if you do that?"
"I hope the odds are in your favour, Ace…" Niho prayed.
Trey was shocked, to say the least. "Are you sure about this? I certainly didn't expect you to throw your hat in the ring, Deuce."
Deuce looked at him with a haughty face. "You didn't? I think every man's gotta make a grab for glory at least once in his lifetime. And if we're teaming up to take him down, ya better believe I'm running the show!" he cracked his knuckles for emphasis.
"Oh man, here we go again." Ace chuckled.
"Huh? What'd you say?" Deuce blushed.
Crowley nodded. "Then I'll get started on the paperwork." he turned and strutted away from them.
Niho put them on track when he left. "We need to come up with some sort of plan."
"For sure. Anyone got any good ideas?"
Deuce chuckled a bit darkly. "Hmm. Hard to imagine we can beat Riddle with straightforward magic. A solid left hook, on the other hand…"
Grim smiled maliciously. "Yeah, that guy looks like a pushover!"
"Ah, did I forget to mention that detail? These duels are to be fought solely with magic." Crowley popped up behind them.
"What?!"
"So much for that." Niho shrugged.
"Ha ha ha! Nothing beats a good civilized duel! Now, the paperwork should be prepared and filed on the morrow, and the duel scheduled accordingly." This time, he actually left.
Ace rolled up his sleeves. "Alright, let's do this! I may not be the world's greatest mage, but…I'll figure something out!"
"That's the spirit!"
"My head's on the line here, so don't mess this up!"
Trey could only stare at them with surprise. "You guys…"
Deep in Ace's eyes, a look of revenge was set in stone. "When I'm housewarden, I'm gonna make Riddle fess up to bein' wrong. I'll make him apologize, too! And no one in the dorm is gonna have to live by any crazy rules ever again!"
XXXXXXXXXXXX
-Later that night, at the Ramshackle dorm-
Niho sighed as she slipped on her pjs and climbed into bed. Grim was already sleeping at the foot of the bed, so this was a good time to write in her journal. From the drawer in the nightstand beside her, she popped it out along with her pen and flipped to the next clean page.
"September 29th, First Year. I had just experienced my first Unbirthday party at Heartslabyul. Which didn't go as I had thought. The guys and I, after so much work, thought we'd finally be able to receive Riddle's forgiveness with the chestnut tart we broke our backs trying to prepare. However, it seemed fate had other plans...Riddle blew up over the fact that the party was ruined, threw away the dessert, collared Grim and Deuce along with Ace and threw us out. He was a monster…..or so we believed. A cat-hybrid by the name of Chenya appeared and he told us to ask Trey about Riddle and his past. We managed to corner him in the library and got him to spill the details. Apparently, his mother is the one behind him being like this. In the end, both Ace and Deuce, from Crowley's suggestion, decided to challenge Riddle for the housewarden seat. The match is being held tomorrow…After seeing Ace step up to take on the task, it's like I'm seeing him in a new light! He's sticking up for his beliefs and it's refreshing!...But….why do I have a bad feeling in my gut that something terrible will go down…..the dripping sounds are getting louder now and then….I think I'm the only one who can hear them….what does it mean exactly? Will it tie into tomorrow?...No one knows…."
She let out a yawn and felt sleep overtake her senses. 'Maybe that's enough writing for tonight….' she thought. She put the book and pen back in the drawer and slid it shut. Throwing the blankets over her form, she was out like a light.
Black overtook her sight as she felt herself getting pulled into the mirror once more. "Another strange dream?"
Alice stood on a stand, pointing up in the air. Her eyes were full of anger. "And as for you, Your Majesty… "Your Majesty," indeed! Why, you're not a queen! You're just a fat, pompous, bad-tempered old ty-tyrant…"
The Queen, sitting above her on a judge's table, laughed, "Mmhmmhmmhmmhmm... What were you saying, my dear?"
Suddenly, the Cheshire Cat materialized on top of her head, grinning as he repeated what Alice said seconds ago, laughing as he disappeared. "Well, she simply said you're a fat, pompous, bad-tempered old tyrant! Hahahaha!"
The Queen shrieked, "OOOOOOOOOFF with her head!"
Alice turned to see all the Card soldiers leaping in the air, diving down towards her in a shower as the King's voice rang out, "Ooooooooh! You heard what Her Majesty said! Off with her head!"
The cards blocked her vision and everything faded around her….
"Why won't anyone stop the queen?" 'Were they too afraid to do the right thing?...'
Morning came before she knew it. Niho ripped herself away from her warm bed and got ready as fast as possible. She threw on her baggy black shirt from the first day, her darkwash jeans and sneakers.
"Hey, Niho! Ah, good, you're already up." Grim walked in through the door to see her grabbing her bag and slung it over her shoulder.
Ace knocked on the door and poked his head in. "Today's the big duel! Let's DO this thing."
She nodded and went to grab the ghost camera, just in case, when she froze in her tracks. The dripping was at its loudest point, the droplets ringing in her eardrums.
Trying to snap out of it, she took the ghost camera and made her way out of the room.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Outside the Rose Maze, a crowd of students from the dorm stood off to the sidelines in a semi-circle, talking to themselves.
"Did you hear? They say someone's challenged Housewarden Rosehearts to a duel!"
"Riddle Rosehearts? Seriously?! Whoever it is has gotta be outta his mind. Riddle will have his head off in five seconds flat."
"Still, it's the first challenge since Riddle took power. I'm pumped!"
Cater and Trey were at the far right end of the circle, Niho and Grim with them. But the third years were mostly talking to themselves. "You're saying Ace and Deuce are challenging Riddle for the housewarden's seat?! Please tell me you're kidding." Cater bit his fingers nervously.
"I tried to stop 'em." Trey said helplessly.
"Of all the stupid ideas… I just hope this doesn't make everything worse." Cater sighed.
Trey nodded back, "You and me both."
Standing in perfect alignment with the Rose archway, Crolwey stood in the centerfield of the dueling space. "We are about to commence two challenges for housewarden at Heartslabyul House. The first challenger is Ace Trappola. The second challenger is Deuce Spade!" He motioned with his left hand to where the two first years stood, ready for battle. "The current housewarden they have challenged is Riddle Rosehearts." Speak of the devil, the redhead stood, grip on his staff close to snapping it in two. "Now, in accordance with the duel rules, please remove the magic-sealing collars as they would provide an unfair disadvantage."
With a snap from Riddle's fingers, the collars vanished in a sea of red dust.
Ace groaned, "Ah! FINALLY, the dumb collar is off!"
Riddle smirked smugly at them, "Enjoy your moment of freedom. The collar will be back on soon enough. I could hardly believe it when I heard you two intended to duel me. Is this a joke?"
Both first years threw a glare at him, their eyes filled with defiance. "Do I look like I'm joking?"
"I'd never propose a duel as a joke."
"Hmph. Have it your way. Let us get this over with."
"Uh, Riddle, what do you want to do about today's afternoon tea?" Cater called out.
"A foolish question. You know that the rules stipulate I take my tea every day at 4 p.m. sharp." Riddle scoffed.
"It's just that it's already past 3:30…"
Riddle shot the quirky third year a look. "And you fear that I will be late? All the more reason to end this promptly." he moved his line of sight to the two before him. "It appears I have little time to waste. Rather than facing my opponents in succession, I will take on both at once."
"You can do it, Housewarden! Knock 'em dead, sir!" the crowd cheered, Trey watching silently.
"Cowards."
"Myah! I got a bad feelin' about this." Grim fumed.
"Hey, at least we got a plan!" Ace reassured.
"Headmage, please give us the signal."
"When the mirror I've thrown shatters upon the ground, that is your signal to begin. Ready…" the hand mirror shattered. "Go!"
But all was lost when-
"Off With Your Heads!"
"Bwaaaaah!" -the collars came back as fast as lightning.
"Urrrgh… Not again. I didn't even have time to finish my spell!"
"He shut us down like it was nothing…"
"That was fast!" Niho paled.
"Visualization is key to spell casting. The better you are at accurately visualizing your magic's effects, the stronger and more precise it will be. It would appear Mr. Rosehearts has finely honed his magic." Crowley bellowed.
Grim quivered beside Niho. "Myah… They didn't stand a chance."
Riddle smiled, "Hmph. You didn't even last five seconds. That was all you had, and still you thought to challenge me? You must be utterly humiliated." but his smile melted away into a frown of anger. "I guess my mother was right. A man who cannot follow the rules is a man who cannot achieve anything."
Deuce glared at Riddle after getting his bearings together. "Tch… We agree that rules should be followed. But forcing others to follow nonsensical rules like the ones you've enacted is tyranny!"
Riddle shot him a dirty look at that mark. "Then you agree that breaking rules is wrong. And in this dorm, I AM the rules. Therefore, those who cannot abide by my decisions deserve not the heads they use to complain!"
"But that's not right!" Niho shouted from her place in the crowd. As if he could see where she was, Riddle threw his anger at her next.
"I am the one who decides what is wrong and right! What sort of pitiful education have you received, that you cannot follow such simple rules? Clearly, you were born to parents with no great magical capability. And as a result… You lack even the basic education necessary to attend a school such as this. It's quite sad."
Niho felt her fury skyrocket past the breaking point. How dare he make assumptions on who her family was since she couldn't remember, let alone him not knowing she wasn't from this world in the first place! Without thinking, she ran forward and shoved him back harshly. Riddle stumbled from the forceful push, tripping over his cape in the process. He landed on his butt from the impact, shouting in pain. He struggled to his feet and glared at her.
"How dare you-!"
"Don't you dare insult me for things you don't know!" she snarled, tears burning in her eyes, but forced them back to appear strong. She didn't want to be seen as weak in front of people she didn't know. "I don't even remember my parents, my house or even my own room! You have no idea what that feels like! So don't you even say you know me when you know nothing about me, you monster!"
Behind her, Deuce and Ace could feel her anger and sadness rolling off in huge waves. They felt their hearts crack. After all they had gone through in their time together, although the two of them and her came from different worlds, the boys still felt the need to protect her and the truth of her identity. Although they had ways to go, they'd endure it for her sake and themselves. Before long, her anger became theirs as well. "You little…"
"You shut your spoiled little mouth!"
Ace ran past Niho, arm outstretched and he socked Riddle right across the face.
"Wh-what…?" Riddle flew to the ground from the impact, and fell to his side, the air knocked out of his lungs.
Cater and Trey felt their hearts drop. "Riddle?!"
"Mr. Rosehearts?!"
"Whoa! He just punched the housewarden…"
"Bam! Right cross to the face!" Grim cheered, but Deuce could only stare at Ace and what he pulled.
"A-Ace?!"
Niho stared as much as the others, watching Ace hiss a bit in pain and shake his fist a bit to stop the stinging in his knuckles. He spat out as he glared at Riddle, "That's all I can take. Forget Riddle. Forget the duel. I'm done."
"That hurt!" Riddle laid on the ground, hissing quietly to himself. He felt something wet on his lip. Placing a few fingers at his bottom lip, he pulls it away to see blood on his fingertips. He was bleeding from his lower lip profusely. The shock overcame him fast. "You…p-punched me?!"
Ace loomed over Riddle, keeping his anger to a simmering point. "Kids aren't trophies for their parents to flaunt. And the accomplishments of a child aren't determined by the worth of their parents. It's not your parents' fault you became a tyrant -or anyone else's. You've been here a year and haven't even made a friend who will tell you you're outta line. And that's on you."
"What are you even talking about?" Riddle could only choke out, the world suddenly blurring around him as his vision stayed on Ace.
"Yeah, maybe you had some rigid upbringing from a relentless helicopter-mom. Is that all you are? An extension of her? Can't you think for yourself? You call yourself the "red sovereign"? You're just a baby who's good at magic. And if you think I'm just gonna let you get away with hurting Niho like that, you've got another thing comin', "Your Majesty"!"
Riddle slowly stood up from his place, letting Ace's words sink in. "Baby…? Did you just call me a "baby"?!" As soon as he processed what Ace said, he felt his defense shields move up. "You don't know anything about me! You don't know anything about anything!"
Ace merely scoffed, "Nope, sure don't. And I don't need to. Your attitude tells me all I need to know- that you're nothing but a spoiled brat!"
"Shut up, shut up, shut UP! My mother was right! And means I'm right too!" Riddle screamed.
"Riddle, calm down. The duel is already over." Trey stepped forward, a stone look in his eyes.
"Mr. Clover is correct. The challenger has been disqualified due to physical violence. If you do not cease your conflict now, I'll have you written up for breaking school rules!" Crowley nodded. But then, a voice rang out from the crowd.
"Ace is right, though! I've had enough of Riddle!" Something was thrown, and hit Riddle in the same place he was punched.
"Huh?!" Riddle gaped as he saw clear white block his left eye's vision.
Trey froze, "An egg?"
Riddle wiped the yolk and egg whites off his face and stared at the crowd in fury. "Who did that? Who threw that egg?!"
But no one said a word.
Riddle clenched his hands as he laughed, which started innocently but then became demented. "Heh heh… Ah ha ha ha! You say YOU'RE fed up?! I'M the one who's fed up with all of YOU! No matter how strict I am, no matter how many heads I remove, you keep breaking the rules! All any of you care about is doing what YOU want to do! If the guilty party won't come forward, then I'll pass judgement on all of you! Clearly, none of you value your heads! Off With Your Heads!"
All at once, every student in the crowd had the anti-magic collars. The students began to back away in terror. "Bwaaah! Let's get out of here! Urrrgh…"
"Ah ha ha ha! How do you like that, hm? Now no one can do a thing to me! Do you see now? My strict adherence to the rules was clearly the correct path!" Riddle laughed giddily with a touch of dementia.
Crowley gaped at the aftermath the fight began and glared at Riddle strictly. "Cease this improper behavior now, Mr. Rosehearts. I expect better from you!"
Cater pulled Trey's jacket sleeve furiously, "Trey, if he keeps using his spell... This could get ugly, fast!"
Trey, not acknowledging him, remembered what Niho said yesterday, her words coming back to haunt him, and he felt fear creep into his veins at her truthfulness. But he masked it with strictness. "Riddle, stop this!"
"Wow, way to totally prove me wrong here, pal! I call you a baby, and you immediately throw a temper tantrum!" Ace snarled.
Riddle's face took on a scarlet shade as he yelled back, "Retract your comment immediately, or I shall skewer you where you stand!"
But Ace remained unwavered. "No way! I ain't retaractin' squat."
"YEEEAAAAARGH!"
"Dude, this is bad! You've G-2-G, now!" Cater screamed. The atmosphere shifted into a darker tone. The skies became dark and a thick air of tension floated in the space around the gardens.
"Holy crap..." Niho breathed, in shock at the scene's change.
Grim felt his tail curl into himself. "The rose trees! They're floating!" True to his word, as if the trees were petals torn off of a flower stem, the trees were ripped from the ground, roots clenched around a mound of dirt as they floated menacingly in the air around Riddle.
Deuce started to back up, taking Niho by the arm and dragging her back with him. "This is some serious magic!"
"Mighty roses, tear this brute to pieces!" Riddle screamed, eyes dead set on Ace.
"Cease and desist at once!" Crolwey screamed.
"Run for your life!" But Ace didn't move an inch from his place, his eyes too focused on the trees as their tops, the leaves looked sharp enough to split a strand of hair, pointing at him like spears and they shot at him.
Ace gasped as he threw his hands over his face to shield himself from impact.
However, it never came. The rose trees zoomed forward, intending to spear Ace to the ground. But as they were a hair's length away from smashing him, they vanished in a shower of green dust.
Riddle choked out a gasp, "Nngh?! What just-"
Ace looked through the crack in his arm shield to see the trees were gone and several card symbols floated around in their place. "Huh? I'm still alive? What's with all these playing cards?"
"All the rose trees turned into cards?" Deuce gasped.
"Riddle, stop this right now!" The first years turned to see Trey, his hand holding onto his pen, the gem burning like a small flame, and a glint of anger flashed in his eyes.
"Bout time you pulled something!" Niho was relieved, but her tone of voice was haughty.
Cater was in shock. "Wait, is that Trey's "Paint the Roses"?! But... how?!"
"All the magic-sealin' collars are gone!" Grim felt around his neck. Niho looked up and saw that none of the students were wearing those wretched collars anymore.
"What did I tell you? My magic can overwrite characteristics for a short time. So I used it to make "Riddle's magic" into "my magic."" Trey confessed.
Cater's jaw dropped. "You can do that? That's some kinda loophole!"
"N-no… Off with their heads! I SAID, off with their heads!" Riddle screeched. His eyes darted around furiously until they landed on Niho. "YOU! Look what you've done, you brat!"
Niho set her eyes in a doll-like stare at Riddle, but inside her, a well of anger came simmering out. "You won't always have your way, Riddle. You tried to drag my family through the mud, and now you'll pay the price. Rules are meant to be broken, whether you like it or not."
If Riddle didn't feel more hatred for the girl, he was livid now. "I'LL KILL YO-"
"Riddle, stop." Trey interfered. "Can't you see how you look right now?"
Behind Trey and Cater, the students cowered in fear against each other in a close knit group whimpering like beaten pups at their master's scornful actions. "He… He was really gonna do it!"
"He is completely out of control."
"He's like some kinda monster!"
Riddle stared down at his hands, covered in his own blood from Ace's attack earlier. He sounded scared and….."What? Was my magic overwritten by yours? Does that mean your signature spell is stronger than mine?!"
"Od course it doesn't. Riddle, take a deep breath and listen to us." Trey tried to get him back to his senses, but it was futile. Riddle was too out of it, seeing nothing but red wherever he looked. Even Trey's outline became cloaked in a red sheen...
"Are YOU going to tell me that I'm wrong too? After all I've done to protect the rule of law?! Do you know how much I've suffered for this?! I… I refuse to believe this!"
"Cease immediately, Mr. Rosehearts! Any further attempt to use magic will leave your mage stone completely tainted with blot!" Crolwey shouted.
'Blot?' Niho thought.
In a broken but infuriated voice, Riddle screeched, "But… I'm right! I'M the one who's right! There is NO! POSSIBLLE! ALTERNATIVE!"
"Riddle, stop!" but it was too late...