Story Arc: Welcome to a Nevermore
Episode 1: The effect of the Velvet Butterfly (III)
Chapter 1: Bruce Belmont, the Occult Detective
Synopsis: Bruce has received the news that he has been enrolled in Nevermore Academy.
At first he was quite vocal about not going. But after consulting with a voice inside his story, he decided to give in to the old school of Eda and Morticia.
Later, when Bruce is asleep in his office, he is visited by a velvet butterfly, followed by a scarlet moth.
Unlike Wednesday, the Velvet Room has to be more creative than usual with Bruce.
XXX
POV Narrator
Around the same time here, Morticia and Gomez are talking to Wednesday about going to Nevermore Academy.
The discussion of the Clawthorne-Noceda Family is taking place in Boston.
It's unfortunately for Eda, his oldest child, that he manages to make Wednesday look like a harmless lamb.
XXX
In the rich area of Boston there is a huge luxury hotel, belonging to an international hotel chain, Black Kingdom.
The building has 72 floors, having some of the best luxuries and services imaginable.
The Black Kingdom in Boston is considered by many to be the best hotel in all of Boston, indeed the entire state of Massachusetts.
The top seven floors of the hotel have been reserved for the young owner's extended family.
On floor number seventy there is a terrace large enough to host a small party.
Something quite interesting and potentially disastrous for anyone who dares to venture there is going on in this terrace.
The terrace floor is made of black marble, the railing is made of carefully cut thick stone.
Around the corners of the railings protrude intimidating gargoyles shaped like dragons.
Some may not know, but the gargoyle is a carved or formed grotesque, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between.
For an unknown reason, an androgynous boy finds himself sitting comfortably on one of these gargoyles, his legs dangling.
The boy is 167 centimeters tall, with an androgynous face and large gray eyes.
The soft and delicate features of the face make it very androgynous, even downright feminine in the right light.
At a glance it would appear that she is in her late teens, although with a little makeup and a change of clothes she could appear younger or older.
Physically he can be described as lean and lean, almost as to be classified as underweight.
His skin is incredibly pale as if he were a ghost.
His hair is inky black, kept short and slicked back, leaving a single lock to fall forward.
He wears a white collared shirt, paired with a black leather waistcoat with closed silver buttons, and a red tie.
A red snakeskin belt with a silver buckle.
Rather tight black trousers, combined with black-red running shoes.
Finally, his last piece of clothing is an old black leather coat, with a large number of pockets and zippers.
Long story short, this guy is dressed like he's a film noir detective.
The only thing that doesn't scream detective novel fanatic, is a black eyepatch covering his left eye.
The eye patch is designed as if it was meant for King Bradley or Kenpachi Zaraki.
This person is Bruce Bahamut Belmont, Eda's third adopted son, the oldest, the most independent and the one who didn't want to change his name after the adoption.
Although it seems strange, Bruce is not thinking about jumping from the 70th floor of his hotel.
Instead he chose to sit on the gargoyle to… play the violin, singing a tune by Eddie South, a famous jazz musician.
At least it doesn't stand alone.
Seated on the second Gargoyle is a female crow with black plumage.
This little bird is a unique example of its species, first of all its eyes are crystalline blue; its claws and beak are golden.
The female crow is called, Carmen. She is a Familiar, that is, a creature that has been magically bonded to a person in a master-servant relationship.
The actual type of familiar varies greatly; it is typically a small animal, such as a witch's cat, but can be anything, including demons or even humans.
To be exact, Carmen is Bruce's Prima Familiar, regarded as one of his closest and most loyal confidants.
As well as being her most effective and most faithful God Beast and murder weapon, a title Carmen loves to own.
XXX
At the entrance to the terrace, hidden behind a pair of curtains are two people who are important to Bruce and to this story.
The first person is Eda Clawthorne, the adoptive mother who has to break the news about having enrolled Bruce in a school for supernatural young people.
The second person at Eda's side is Luz Noceda, Bruce's best friend, Bruce's first investigative assistant.
Luz is a 159-year-old Dominican-American with tan skin and hazel eyes, 159cm tall, her three sizes are: B77, W56, H77.
Her purplish brown hair is pulled back in a short ponytail.
A hallmark of Luz is a slight scar above her left eyebrow.
Luz is dressed casually, consisting of sneakers, jeans, a purple T-shirt, and an old brown jacket that belonged to a Lady Owl.
"Eda, are you sure it's a good idea to go right now and talk to Bruce on the Nevermore?" Luz asks, slightly hesitant, not believing it's the right time to make their move.
Unlike a certain dark girl, hearing Bruce's violin tune can be a good or a bad sign.
The inky-haired detective possesses the habit of playing the violin only when his mood swings sharply towards happiness or sadness.
The fiddle in the Clawthorne-Noceda Family is a warning that promises especially joyous or hazy days.
" We have about a 50% chance that he is in a good mood.
Plus, today Bruce got word from his fellow witches, the Trinity Seven, that's a sweet spot for us." Eda said, ready to gamble when it comes to Bruce's mood.
However, sooner or later he has to break the news of Nevermore Academy to Bruce.
Waiting to catch him in a happy moment would only serve to make him less likely to receive "environmental harm" and decrease particularly sharp responses.
"I'd be more inclined to try tomorrow." Luz mutters, having a vague awareness that Bruce doesn't want to be disturbed.
Before Eda and Luz could discuss whether or not to go, she had to talk to Bruce.
The violin melody suddenly stopped. This is a bad sign for the future mother-daughter pair.
"Is the concert already over? Normally it shouldn't last longer?" Luz murmurs, having witnessed enough of Bruce's concerts to know their average length.
Before Luz could say anything else.
The curtains and the terrace door moved, revealing Bruce with a nasty frown on his face.
"May I ask the sense of hiding behind a glass door and curtains?
Have you forgotten that I'm a superhuman bloodhound with a lot of extrasensory abilities?" Bruce asks, tilting his head, not being able to believe how stupid Eda and Luz's attempt to hide their presence is.
"I knew I forgot something." Luz murmurs, scratching her head, slightly embarrassed that she's forgotten for a moment why Bruce is often compared to a bloodhound.
"Come in and tell me what you want or go away. This evening I want to devote myself to mastering Mozart's musical magic and I won't tolerate wasting time." Bruce said, his tone calm and incredibly cold.
The inky-haired detective has returned to the center of the terrace, near a table, where Bruce's violin, a laptop torn in two pieces and a jewelry box are found.
"He's not wearing his usual jewelry and I'm getting chills just being around him. I haven't seen him this bad since he had a fight with Adeline." Luz murmurs softly, directly into Eda's long, pointed ears.
"I noticed too. I knew he wasn't happy with how things turned out since Gravity Falls." Eda whispers, in complete agreement with Luz, Bruce's mood is bad.
"I can hear you." Bruce communicates, in a calm and cold voice, interrupting the whispering of Eda and Luz.
"FYI my frustrations do not involve subsequent events during Weirdmageddon or the outcome of my duel with Bill Cipher." Bruce said, dismissing Eda's notion that the negative about him comes from the events that took place in Gravesfield Falls.
[You may want to tell your Birdmother and Naive Secretary that you've started having a new roommate in your head over the last few days] A honey-smooth male voice drifted through Bruce's head, giving him a slight headache.
'Korrigan, if you don't stop talking, I promise I'll get a screwdriver and find a way to get you out of my head!' Bruce mentally shouts at Korrigan, that is, the strange voice that has recently appeared.
The Lady Owl and the Young Glyph Witch, quickly exchanging a glance at each other, have decided to begin and end this battle here and now.
"Today night the moon is beautiful." Eda declares, taking a quick look at the star-filled sky and the moon.
Luz looked up at the sky, not being able to believe how Eda decided to break the ice.
"Eda, what do you want from me? It must be a serious matter if you brought Luz with you to sweeten me." Bruce said, keeping a calm tone and apparently less cold than before.
In return, a thin layer of ice begins to form around the terrace.
Bruce's powers and abilities are affected by his emotional and mental state. So it's no surprise that sometimes these powers manifest themselves unintentionally, causing "environmental damage."
"I don't want anything from you. A mother can't see what her adorable hell puppy is up to." Eda said, with a forced smile, feeling a little anxious about the news she has to break.
" Eda, call me Puppy or Mad Hatter on only two occasions.
Number one, when I'm down and need emotional support.
Number two, you want to ask us a favor that I'm not going to like at all." Bruce said, crossing his arms, having long ago learned how to read his Foster Mother's signals.
"We actually need to have a good chat about your current lifestyle." Eda said, trying to find the right words to tell about Nevermore Academy.
"Carmen, come to me." Bruce said, snapping his fingers, wanting to have his Familiars near him.
In case Eda's request is absurd, Bruce could keep Carmen from gouging out Lady Owl's eyes.
The blue-eyed female crow is nothing short of devoted to Bruce and will not tolerate any kind of insults, even from Bruce's "relatives" or close friends.
In an instant, the blue-eyed crow was sitting on Bruce's left shoulder.
Mrs. Owl seeing Bruce's "God Beast" staring at her, decided to get behind Luz.
Like Bruce to a soft spot for Luz, Carmen herself also shares the same soft spot, delivering more harmless punishments and warn me to Luz.
"Before we begin, does one of you want someone to eat or drink?" Eda asks, looking for a reason to postpone the discussion for just a few seconds.
Carmen was not happy to see how Eda wastes her master's precious time.
" CRA CRA CRA !" She screams Carmen, emitting an aura of purple flames, giving the impression of being a bird from hell.
Eda having seen worse, was not frightened by Carmen's trick.
But he got the message, don't waste Bruce's time, neither of us are in a good mood.
"Bruce, I don't like to say something nasty about your family members. But you should work on Carmen's temper, she's been short-tempered lately." Luz comments, not feeling much sympathy for the blue-eyed crow at the moment.
The Young Witch of glyphs, she loves animals of all shapes and sizes. But when these animals treat her family badly, especially her future godmother, her sympathy diminishes greatly.
"Carmen, I love the sense of duty and loyalty. But don't go too far, we're in friendly territory, surrounded by family." Bruce said, in a warmer tone as he stroked Carmen's head, calming the spirit of his Familiar.
At the same time the temperature on the terrace rose slightly, a good sign for the Owl Lady.
"Let's get this over with." Eda murmurs, seeing that wasting time is a risk she doesn't want to take this time.
"Yesterday I was contacted by an old friend of mine, Morticia Addams, surprisingly she asked me for parenting advice.
Morticia is having problems with her daughter, Wednesday." Eda said, starting her story about Wednesday and her intent to send him to Nevermore Academy.
Hoping Bruce could be a positive influence for Wednesday.
" You want me to take a break from my investigative career and my important summons research!
All to keep your friend's daughter from high school at bay!" Bruce declares, raising his voice, not believing his adoptive mother's absurd request.
Bruce's anger has become quite palpable, affecting the weather, starting a light snowfall.
The Inky-Haired Detective is an incredibly dedicated sorcerer/scientist, devoting at least an hour a day to a scientific or magical project.
The idea of putting his job on hold for nine months and focusing on a girl he doesn't know…
Were Eda not making this request, Bruce probably provoked a full-scale frozen attack.
"Bruce, calm down, summer isn't over yet, we don't need a snowfall blocking the streets all over Boston!" Luz said, pointing to the gray clouds and snow that is falling over the city.
Bruce took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair, imagining something nice to calm down.
The black clouds remained over the Boston sky, but instead of making snow, they began to drop low-volume rain.
"Returning to our discussion." Bruce murmurs, possessing enough control over his emotions and powers to turn snow to rain.
" Eda, why do you want me to bodyguard this girl on Wednesday ?
How dangerous can a private school be for misfits with supernatural superpowers?
Isn't it actually something like the institute of Charles Xavier and his X-Men?" Bruce asks, sounding much more normal than before. Whatever he imagined must be a very good memory.
Detective Occult doesn't understand why Eda wants to send him to such a school, where nothing dangerous will happen.
If it were something more like X-Men school you might understand, but in a "normal" school for young members of the supernatural community?
"Bruce I don't want you to become Wednesday's bodyguard or stop working you have your own plans." Eda said, making it clear that Bruce isn't getting a permanent surveillance job or putting his career as a detective/witch doctor/scientist on hold.
"I want you to go to my old school as a legit student. In case you agree to go to Nevermore Academy, you could try befriending Wednesday." This time Eda was quite clear what her request consisted of.
"Going to school won't be so bad, Bruce. Most of your acquaintances attend regular school or a magical school and have time to participate in your paranormal adventures." Luz said, joining this discussion for a reason.
Bruce can be incredibly stubborn when he wants to be, practically to change their minds, you need at least pressure from three mother figures, the voices of 10 close friends and the presence of his little sisters.
In short, Bruce Bahamut Belmont can be considered the most stubborn hellhound in the world. And to face it you need a small army or a silver-tongued devil and a Machiavellian mind.
"We've talked about this many times already. I don't need to go to school!" Bruce declares loudly, acting in the opposite way to Wednesday.
If the dark girl has (apparently) accepted the parents' will to go to Nevermore; her planning her escape in silence.
Bruce has no problem greening Eda in the face and causing a figurative and literal storm.
One of the dark clouds let out a couple of mighty bolts of lightning, starting to create a gust of wind.
" I am one of the five smartest people in the world, one of the most dangerous sorcerers in history!
I've inherited enough wealth and connections to change the socioeconomic trajectory of a city or small town!" Bruce declares, drawing on his own accomplishments and inherited influence from his ancestors.
" Prestige, power, wealth and influence. I'm not even of age, but I already have a shadow empire and every day it kept growing !
Tell me Eda, what can your old school offer me, the Napoleon of the moonlit world?" Bruce asks, just wanting to know what he can gain from spending 1/4 of his day in a classroom learning things he already knows .
" Me, I like going to school, I can make new friends and have memorable moments.
You might not learn anything new, but you sure could have fun and make new friends." Luz said, wanting to convince Bruce of the positive social aspects that a school can offer.
Carmen shot a mean look at Luz, not liking her tone of voice.
Luz's voice had a small effect on Bruce's heart though, high in the sky the lightning has stopped, a good sign.
"If you weren't two of the most important women in my life, I would have unleashed Carmen on you." Bruce murmurs, motioning to his Prima Familiar to stay quiet and don't gouge out anyone's eyes.
"Does this mean that for once you will try to give school life a chance?" Eda asks, interpreting the passive aggressive comment as a possible yes.
Previously accessed discussions of the Clawthorne-Noceda family. At this point Bruce decided to disappear with a teleportation or the whole room is covered in ice or other small magical accidents happen.
"Ah, women! You can't live with them and you can't live without them." Bruce mutters, running a hand across, looking frustrated and unsure how to proceed.
"Give me a minute to think about whether to give pomace to your ridiculous request or throw me from the building." Bruce said, returning to stand on the gargoyle, keeping his arms crossed and an unreadable expression.
[I recommend accepting your Bird Mother's proposal, claiming a new hunting ground can only do us good] Korrigan said, mentally communicating with Bruce, sounding in favor of attending the Nevermore.
"Instead of calling you, Korrigan, I should have given you the name of Baka. Playing high school antisocial is a colossal waste of time and energy.' Bruce said, having a great deal of experience talking to entities that use his mind as a forum or a telecommunications system.
[Agree with you, being a model high school student and attending classes will get us nowhere. But getting away from Boston and your clingy relatives can come in handy.] Korrigan said, sounding like he's got a successful plan in place for Bruce.
'You have five minutes to present your idea. If I like it, I could tolerate your presence longer and prevent lobotomy.' Bruce said, wanting to listen to the proposition of the voice in his head…he's not crazy, just a person willing to listen to others, even if they don't have a real physical body.
[Boston is no longer a feasible hunting ground for you, you've done such a good job that there are no more big criminals to hunt down and lock up. Crime in Boston has reached an all-time low.] Korrigan said, exposing one of the facts that spoiled Bruce's mood, the lack of action.
In Gravity Falls, Amphibia or the Boiling Isles there was always something going on to entertain Bruce. But lately in Boston the only jobs available are finding missing animals or spying on unfaithful husbands or wives.
A mortal boredom for Bruce who has become accustomed to dealing with serial killers manic egos, criminal organizations or persistent conspiracies.
[Your relatives have already noticed a slight change in your personality. They might find out about my existence or the fact that your power has waned a lot.
Do you want to be forced to go to doctors of all shapes and forms to cure something that couldn't even be a disease?] Korrigan said, bringing up the second factor that caused Bruce's emotional state.
The appearance of a mysterious voice that practically sounds like a darker version of himself, devoid of morality or inhibitions, is quite annoying for Bruce.
But if that weren't enough to piss him off, it coincides with a severe weakening of his magical abilities, the cause of which is unknown.
'My life is complicated enough as it is, having to attend counseling and therapy sessions isn't really going to help me.' Bruce replies, not trusting the shrinks, plus where would he find a psychologist with experience dealing with the supernatural?
[Your fellow witches have chosen to take a break and focus on their arcane studies, taking refuge in the farthest corners of the world.] Korrigan said, touching on Bruce's sore spot and the main cause of his bad mood.
After Weirdmageddon and the clash with Bill Cipher, the Trinity Seven, the seven most powerful witches of their generation and above all incredibly close friends of Bruce ...
Each of the Seven Witches have chosen to separate and reunite only after reaching a new level of power to prevent what happened in Gravity Falls from happening again.
Mentally, Bruce accepted the choices of his close friends, wishing them good luck and see you later.
But on an emotional level, Bruce has a slight difficulty digesting the idea of not seeing the regulation of his favorite witches for several months or, in the worst cases, years.
Bruce can face boredom, the appearance of a dark voice or the reduction of his power. But dealing with the temporary disappearance of his friends is something he can hardly accept without problems.
[Your witches are training, you might as well.
Nevermore Academy is a small town, a sparsely populated area, far from home and free from interference.
All in all, a perfect place where you can practice the more dangerous and darker aspects of your magic, without fear of getting your relatives involved.
During the day pretend to be a student while at night you do your worst with Black Mana.] Korrigan said, finishing explaining her reasoning as to how she should accept Eda's proposition.
Bruce remained silent, absorbing Korrigan's proposition, weighing the pros and cons.
"Bruce is especially quiet. That should be a good sign, right?" Eda asks, not too sure what's going to happen.
Bruce is quite unpredictable, especially when bored or upset.
" He didn't disappear from the room, that's a good result in itself." Comments Luz, quite optimistic of Bruce's imminent response.
The inky-haired detective, turning on the spot and getting off the gargoyle, returns to the terrace to communicate his decision.
"My contacts have told me that things in Boston are pretty calm.
In fact, most of the places I keep an eye on are quiet and don't need my attention. I'm bored out of my mind." Bruce said, keeping his arms crossed, not wanting to admit the rest of his problems that have been plaguing him lately.
" Having nothing better to do, I decided to give Nevermore Academy a chance.
But if nothing intrigues me happens after a week, I'll go away and you'll probably find me in London at the Clock Tower." Bruce declares, giving the impression of humoring Eda, only because Boston is getting too quiet for his liking.
"Are you seriously thinking of listening to me and going to Nevermore Academy?
The end of the world must be near for something like this to happen." Eda comments, in a surprised tone, having imagined that it will take a great deal of bribery or an argument lasting several hours to convince Bruce.
"Listen to me carefully, Mother Owl. I will give Nevermore Academy pomace, not because I want to make you happy or out of pure generosity of my soul.
I have several selfish reasons for my choice." Bruce mutters, putting on his Tsundere pout.
" Let's hear these reasons." Eda said, knowing that her son is acting again makes Tsundere, which happens from time to time.
" I don't have to say anything about my motivations. But I can talk about the conditions for my departure to Nevermore Academy. First and foremost of all, Luz has to come with me." Bruce said, pointing a finger at Luz.
The Occult Detective doesn't want to go to Nevermore Academy without his best friend/assistant.
Eda shifted her attention to Luz, delivering a pleading look, needing her future stepdaughter's assistance.
"Amity won't be too happy about my transfer. But I've always wanted to go to All-Ghouls School and be in the same class as Bruce." Luz said, deciding to help Eda with her plan and allow Bruce to receive an unforgettable school experience.
Plus, when the human world's summer vacation ends, the Boiling Isles vacation begins.
This is rather convenient for Luz, since she mustn't give up attending the Ars Magus Academy, the best magic school in the Boiling Isles.
"Perfect, I'm going to phone, Morticia. I'll ask him if he can find a place for Luz too." Eda said, walking away before either Bruce or Luz can change their minds.
"I will go to a school for supernatural young people. I will have to prepare my arsenal of weapons and my portable laboratory." Bruce said, walking inside the hotel, having to pack the bags and everything.
Leaving Luz alone on the terrace, having to break the news to her fiancée that they won't be attending the same school for this year…
XXX
It's midnight sharp, all members of the Clawthorne-Noceda family are asleep, except Bruce who suffers from insomnia.
Detective Occult is in a pretty standard office, working on a major project on the subject of summoning and computer science.
"If I can finalize this program. I can revolutionize the entire thaumaturgical field regarding summoning." Bruce murmurs, keeping his good eye focused on the screen, not giving the slightest sign of tiredness.
Bruce suffers from insomnia and when he should sleep to rest his mind, he much prefers to use meditation.
Detective Occult is convinced that sleep is a weakness that will be exploited by dream demons or similar creatures, to attack him when he is most vulnerable.
Therefore Bruce will not sleep easily without persuasion.
With this knowledge provided by Woz, the Velvet Room decides to apply creative methods on Bruce.
"One of my contacts in London sent me an email. Let's see what's new in the Clock Tower?" Bruce murmurs, pressing a button on the computer keyboard, opening the email.
Instead get a written test, photographs or some other type of documentation.
The email contains an image of a velvet blue butterfly surrounded by stardust.
Before Bruce could say anything or close the email, stardust shot out of the screen, hitting Bruce in the face.
The effect of this powder was instantaneous, Bruce fell asleep on the spot, eventually hitting and breaking his computer keyboard.
Now that Bruce is sleeping like a log. From the computer screen came the velvet butterfly, landing on Bruce's head, preparing to connect with him.
Only to break into two halves at the last second.
[I don't know who you are, but getting inside this guy's head will be the biggest challenge of your challenge.] Korrigan said, speaking through Bruce's mouth, as if it were some strange case of possession.
A second mysterious email appeared on the computer screen, this time containing text written by Woz and an image of a scarlet moth.
[If the Gray Prophet is helping you, it means what you want to do will be for Bruce's benefit. I'm going to pave the way for you, but watch out there's a whole hell of hell waiting to break loose in here] Korrigan replies, creating a path for the new housemates, preventing one subsequent bug from breaking its wings.
After getting Korrigan's permission, a scarlet moth came out of the computer screen.
The red bug before landing on Bruce's head, picked up the velvet butterfly which broke into two parts.
After that both insects below landed on Bruce's head. This time there were no mistakes in the process, both fairy-like beings turned into a bright red and blue colored powder.
The dust entered Bruce, creating the foundations of a special room, inhabited by a pair of twins dressed as prison guards and an elegant woman dressed in red.
Bruce will not have the good fortune of Wednesday to meet the inhabitants of the Velvet Room right away. Due to the complexity of Bruce's mind and the separation of a certain velvet butterfly into two separate entities, the whole process will take longer than expected, but it will be ready by the time Bruce sets foot in Nevermore and meets Wednesday.
Keep on ...
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Lying With Demons (Magic the Gathering - Iconics)(600): Demons are beings of corruption and evil, borne of Black Mana and plaguing the Abyss. You now hold a particular affinity with them, a dark association to be sure. It is incredibly easy to understand demons, and while they might not find you likable you can control them with far greater ease. Even some powerful demon lords would feel understandably nervous of you, wanting to be on your good side in fear that you might usurp them.
To some people your mastery in handling demons might seem like you have one whispering in your ear. That might be more true than they realize, for you see you have an entity within you. It is formed of a massive amount of Black Mana though regardless of whether this voice is your own or another being it is intrinsically bonded to you and has your best interests at heart. This being can act as an advisor with a more cruel viewpoint, boosts your Black Mana aligned magics and actively provides you with a very unique boon.
Specifically, it lets you use this vast quantity of Black Mana to forcibly engage in contracts with demons subjugating them in blatantly unfair terms, making them slaves and binding them to your service. This form of subjugation usually only works on demons clearly weaker than you, but even when engaging in a voluntary contract with a powerful demon this power can let you shrug off some conditions of a contract such that you might get away with trading another powerful soul instead of your own like originally agreed upon.
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We update: 12/28/2022