Chapter warning: mentions of sexism and racism
Light shone on Yuu's closed eyelids.
"Hey, freshman. Wakey. Wakey."
"Mmmmm. Huh?" Yuu slowly opened her eyes to see a boy in front of her.
The boy wore the same ceremonial robes that Grim had on. Since he had the hood over his head, Yuu could only make out a red diamond mark and a huge grin on his face.
Yuu wiped her eyes and faked a yawn. "Oh. Uh. It's time already?" She hoped her act was convincing enough.
Yuu patted Grim's back. "Grim, time to wake up."
Grim played along, stretching and faking a yawn as his eyes opened.
The boy waved cheerily. "I'm Cater! Cater Diamond! Third-year from Heartslabyul Dorm!"
Yuu glanced at the diamond mark on Cater's face. - How literal. Do people here get tattoos based on their surnames?
"I'm Yuu. This is Grim."
Cater's eyes sparkled as he drew close to Grim. "Aw! Your familiar's so cute! Here, kitty kitty kitty!"
Grim bristled. "I'm not Yuu's familiar! Or a kitty! I'm-"
"Yes! He's such a cute familiar, isn't he?" Yuu scratched at Grim's head, leaning down to whisper into his ear. "You snuck into this school, remember? We need to keep a low profile until we get one of the school staff to officially admit you as a student."
Grim grumbled. "Fine."
Cater, not hearing anything Yuu whispered, merely thought that she was cooing into her familiar's ear. "Yeah! Super cute!" He reached out to pet Grim's head.
Grim leaned back, hissing.
"Sorry! He's only comfortable with me petting him!" Yuu brushed Grim's fur to calm him down.
Cater laughed. "Sorry! Sorry! My bad!"
Cater scratched his chin. "So uh...why is your familiar wearing your ceremonial robes?"
"Oh! He was cold! So I put the ceremonial robes on him to keep warm!" Yuu explained, putting on a casual act.
Cater stared at Grim skeptically. - A familiar with flames in his ears getting cold? Really? - But he shrugged it off. "Whatever you say."
Yuu looked at the other coffins.
More robed boys arrived, holding some kind of fancy rods in their hands. They pointed them at the coffins, shouting, "Open!"
The coffin lids floated outward and landed gently on the ground. Inside the coffins, other boys in ceremonial robes began to stir awake.
Yuu waved her hand next to a coffin. No strings.
Yuu blinked.
Those fancy rods weren't cosplay props. They were wands. Real wands.
Yuu squinted at one of the robed boys.
Wait. Were those animal ears at the top of some of those guys' heads?! Actual animal ears?!
One of the animal-eared boys noticed Yuu's staring. He bared his teeth (sharp canine teeth) at her in a menacing grin.
Yuu quickly looked away.
"Cater," someone called from up ahead.
Cater waved. "Hey, Vice Dorm Leader Trey!"
From beneath Trey's hood, Yuu could make out a pair of glasses and a clover mark on his face.
Trey waved at Yuu and Grim. "Hello. I'm Trey Clover, a third-year in Heartslabyul like Cater."
After Yuu and Grim introduced themselves, Trey asked, "Yuu, where's your wand?"
"Uh…" Yuu's eyes trailed to Trey's robes. His wand was tied to his hip by his robe sash, its gem shining brightly. "Uh. Yeah. I have a wand. But I'd rather keep it hidden where other people can't see it, y'know."
Trey frowned. "But-"
"Everyone! It's time for the Entrance Ceremony! Please gather in the Mirror Chamber at once!" a commanding voice boomed.
Cater grinned. "There's our cue!" He smiled reassuringly at Yuu and Grim. "Don't worry about getting lost! Just follow us! Everyone's going the same way! Come on! It'll be ok!"
Yuu nodded and held onto Grim tightly as she followed Cater and Trey to the Mirror Chamber.
The sight of Grim in ceremonial robes got a couple of stares here and there.
Yuu's response of "He's cold" did the trick of getting people to move on with their business. Besides, they were pretty antsy hurrying to the Entrance Ceremony.
At the entrance to the Mirror Chamber, a voice called out, "Cater. Trey."
A stern-looking red-haired boy approached the group.
"Hey, Dorm Leader!" Cater waved cheerfully.
The red-haired boy scowled at Yuu, making her and Grim flinch. "You there! Why aren't you wearing your ceremonial robes?"
Cater stepped in front of Yuu. "Whoa! Easy, Dorm Leader. Yuu's just a first-year."
"Yuu was only trying to take care of his familiar and keep him warm with his ceremonial robes," Trey added.
The red-haired boy noticed Grim shivering (not realizing it was from fear) on top of Yuu's shoulder. His eyes softened. "I see. You understand the importance of being kind towards familiars and animals."
The red-haired boy cleared his throat. "I am Riddle Rosehearts, the Dorm Leader of Heartslabyul. Should you be sorted into Heartslabyul, be sure to follow the rules and don't cause trouble."
As Yuu looked upon Riddle and his wand, her vision flashed.
Drops of black ink splattered all over the wand's gem, so much that it gradually darkened and drowned out what was once a rich red.
Yuu blinked as her vision returned to normal.
What-what the hell was that?
Entering the Mirror Chamber, Cater, Trey, and Riddle walked over to stand with the rest of the Heartslabyul Dorm.
Yuu and Grim stood with the other freshmen.
"Gotta be in Heartslabyul like my big brother."
"I can't believe I'm actually here. I can't let Mom down…"
A large mirror levitated in the center of the room.
A man wearing a cloak of raven feathers and small mirrors hanging at his hip stood in front of the mirror. "Welcome all! I am Headmaster Dire Crowley! I shall be overseeing the Dark Mirror's assignment of your dorms." He bowed. "Now, without further ado, it's time to commence the Entrance Ceremony!"
Green flames burst to life inside the Dark Mirror and a face appeared.
Yuu's eyebrows furrowed.
No, not a face. A mask!
That mask looked so familiar.
In her mind's eye, it was a lot more plain, not a masquerade mask. More...like a theatre mask? Plain white. No laces.
A funny tingling started in the back of Yuu's head.
—
"Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the fairest of them all?"
—
Yuu placed a hand to her head, frowning.
A woman's voice? What?
Before Yuu could think more about the strange phenomenon, a scroll appeared in Crowley's hands and he began calling out students' names.
The Dark Mirror's voice echoed in the chamber.
"Scarabia!"
"Ignihyde!"
"Jack Howl! Savanaclaw!"
"Octavinelle!"
"Epel Felmier! Pomefiore!"
"Ace Trappola! Heartslabyul!"
"Sebek Zigvolt! Diasomnia!"
Soon enough, Yuu and Grim were the only ones left standing in the middle of the chamber. And they stuck out like a sore thumb.
Crowley was baffled, looking back and forth between the Dark Mirror and Yuu. He looked down at the scroll in his hands. "That's strange. I have all the names crossed out. So what's…"
Crowley pointed a finger at Yuu, making her jump. "You there! What is your name?"
"Yuu…"
Crowley frowned. "...'You'? Now see here! This isn't the time for making jokes!"
"No! I mean it! My name is Yuu. Spelled in three letters. Y-U-U."
Crowley blinked and looked down at the scroll again. "Erm…it appears that your name is not on the list. But you have the ceremonial robes, even if your familiar is wearing them. So there's no doubt you're a student."
Crowley shrugged and put the scroll away. "Oh! Must be a clerical error! First time for everything!" He waved Yuu forward to stand in front of the Dark Mirror.
Grim ducked behind Yuu's shoulder, only lifting his head high enough to be still able to peek at the Dark Mirror.
The Dark Mirror seemed to stare into Yuu's soul. "State thy name."
—
"The eyes are the windows to the soul."
—
Yuu turned her gaze towards the ground, refusing to look at the Dark Mirror.
She didn't even have magic! How was the Dark Mirror supposed to sort her into any dorm when she was magicless?
She wasn't even supposed to be here in the first place!
Would the Dark Mirror detect that she possessed no magic?
Would the Dark Mirror know that "Yuu" was a false name?
Was she going to be apprehended on account of her being a liar and an intruder?
A bundle of nerves and sweat, Yuu almost wanted to cry.
The crowd murmured impatiently. "What's up with this guy? Is he dumb in the head? Just give the Dark Mirror your name already!"
She felt, no, she knew that "Yuu" wasn't her real name.
But it was the only name she had.
She turned her head back up to the Dark Mirror.
"Yuu."
The Dark Mirror frowned. "Thy true name."
Yuu stared at the floor. Again. "I don't know," she whispered.
"Hmmm. No matter."
"The nature of your soul…" The Dark Mirror frowned. "...unclear to me."
Yuu's heart thundered in her chest.
"Thy soul has no color."
Yuu's hands got clammy.
"I sense no magical power from this one. Soundless. Colorless. Shapeless. Utterly vacant."
"What?!" Headmaster Crowley cried.
"This one is not suitable for any dorm."
Nonononononono! - What was going to happen to her now?!
"Are you suggesting that the black carriage received a person who cannot even use magic? But that's impossible! The student selection process has never gone wrong in over a century since it existed!" Crowley exclaimed.
Shit! Was it too late to make a run for it?!
Grim eagerly hopped up to stand on top of Yuu's shoulder. "Hey! What about me then? I have magic and I have the student robes on! Sort me! Sort me!"
"Grim! This is not the time!" Yuu hissed.
Grim completely ignored her.
The Dark Mirror did not answer Grim, merely giving him a frown.
"Still thinking about your decision, huh? Well, of course, it'd be hard to figure out which dorm is best for me, The Great Grim! No worries, Dark Mirror! You can think about it while I make my grand introduction speech!"
Grim turned to the crowd of students, crossing his arms and smirking.
"All right, listen up! I'm gonna be the greatest mage who ever lived! So you all better respect me! Anyone who wants to be my loyal servant, the second honorable henchman after Yuu here, start lining up!"
Deafening silence.
Someone snorted.
Chuckles scattered across the crowd of students.
The chuckles turned into full-blown laughter.
"A mangy cat like him becoming a great mage? That's rich!"
"Look at him! The robes don't even fit him!"
"Sure. In your dreams, furball."
"Go back home to your litter box!"
"Grr. Stop making fun of me! You're going to regret it!" Grim's eyes started brimming with tears.
The sight of a teary Grim made Yuu furious. "Hey! Knock it off! Do you feel proud of yourselves for picking on him like this? Shut up, you bunch of assholes!"
The laughter of the crowd only grew louder.
"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it, Mr. No Magic?"
"Yeah! What's a magicless person like you doing here? Get lost! Go home!"
—
"Con. Làm việc ảo thuật gia không có làm nhiều tiền đâu." [1]
"Con. Americans don't want to see Asians on stage...We're sorry."
"Is she really a magician?"
"What is she even doing here?"
"No one wants to see your face, gook!"
"You can't even perform magic tricks in front of others without freezing up. And you call yourself a magician? Pathetic."
"Look at you. You can't even go out there without getting tongue-tied."
"The magician's stage has no place for failures like you."
"You're not supposed to be the leading magician! Just the assistant! Especially a woman like you!"
"You don't belong here."
"Get lost! Go home!"
—
Fuck. There was that sick feeling in Yuu's stomach again.
Yuu shut her eyes and covered her ears, trying to shut everything out.
Grim looked at Yuu in worry. "Henchman?"
Yuu didn't answer, keeping her eyes clenched shut and her hands firmly planted on her ears.
Rage boiled inside Grim, the flames on his body flaring up as he faced the jeering crowd. "I'll show you! I'll show all of you!"
Grim shot several fireballs into the crowd.
People gasped as their robes got singed.
Grim smiled smugly. "Not laughing now, are you? That's for insulting my henchman, Yuu! No one insults him except for me!"
Even as chaos unfolded around her, Yuu still stood in the middle of the Mirror Chamber, paralyzed with her hands stuck to her ears.
"You'll never be a full-fledged magician, understand? Never!"
"-ey!"
"Hey!"
Someone shook Yuu by the shoulders.
"Snap out of it! Get a handle on your familiar, will ya! He's gonna burn down the entire building at this rate!"
Yuu broke out of her trance.
A boy with light purple hair stood in front of her. "Finally! You're back to your senses!"
All around Yuu were blue flames and students scrambling to flee the Mirror Chamber. She spotted Crowley hidden away in a corner. "Aren't you going to do something, Headmaster Crowley?"
"The Dorm Leaders are already handling the situation! I shall supervise them from this position!"
Welp. Looks like Yuu was going to have to find help on her own.
"Anyone here got water magic?" Yuu shouted.
A white-haired boy running around with his butt on fire raised his hand. "Aah! Hothothothot - I do! - hothot!"
Yuu blinked.
A boy with water magic, whose butt was on fire…
Yuu shouted, "Use your water magic to put the fire on your pants out!"
The white-haired boy's eyes brightened. "Oh! Good idea!" He proceeded to do what Yuu asked.
"What's your name, Water Boy?"
"Kalim Al-Asim!"
"All right, Kalim. I'll need your help to put out Grim's flames!"
Kalim nodded. "Right!"
Yuu turned to the boy with light purple hair who had shaken her earlier. "What's your name?"
"Epel Felmier."
"Epel, I need you to cover Kalim and me so we can get to Grim."
Epel's eyes widened. "Wait..you trust me?" He gestured to his small stature. "Little ol' me to help you out?"
"Yeah. I felt how hard you were shaking me earlier. You're really strong."
At Yuu's words, Epel gaped at her in surprise. Then his hanging mouth morphed into a smirk. "Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go wrangle that mangy cat!"
"No! Don't hurt the cat! We just need to calm him down!" Yuu shouted.
Yuu and Kalim rushed towards Grim. Epel followed close beside them, knocking aside any debris in their way.
"Hey, everyone! Clear the way! I'll handle this situation with my water magic!" Kalim shouted at the other Dorm Leaders, getting them to step aside.
"Kalim! Don't shoot directly at Grim! If his body's flames go out, he could get hurt!" Yuu shouted.
Yuu didn't know what would happen if the flames in Grim's ears were doused. And she didn't want to find out.
"Got it!" Reaching Grim, Kalim shot a jet of water at his flames, making sure not to hit him.
Grim stomped his feet. "Ugh! Stop putting out my fireballs!"
Yuu moved to stand in front of Grim. "Grim! That's enough! They got the message!" She placed her hands out placatingly. "If this place burns down, there won't even be a Night Raven College for you to attend! How are you going to become the world's greatest mage then? Look around you, Grim. You've already shown everyone here how powerful you are. You've proven your point."
Everyone held their breath, bracing themselves for what Grim might do next.
The surrounding students were tense.
The Dorm Leaders stood tall, their wands at the ready.
Headmaster Crowley peeked out from behind a pillar.
As Yuu stared at Grim surrounded by blue flames, her vision flashed again.
—
"Yuu! You need to get out of here now!"
A blue-haired boy with a black spade mark on his face waved his arm at Yuu for her to get away. A bloody cut was on his cheek and he appeared injured and heavily fatigued.
There were robed people other than the blue-haired boy. No one was wearing their hoods, leaving their faces exposed.
Yuu recognized some of them to be Cater, Trey, Riddle, Epel, and Kalim.
The Mirror Chamber was in ruins.
The robed students were bloodied and battered, desperately trying to fight off a gigantic winged beast.
Blue flames surrounded the beast's collar. The beast's tongue lolled out of its mouth in glee as if it was just mockingly playing around with the students.
Then the beast's eyes turned to focus directly on Yuu's.
Without warning, the beast jumped into the air and landed in front of Yuu, making the ground rumble.
Its menacing blue eyes stared into Yuu's stunned eyes.
It stood so close to her that she could see its big pointy teeth. Teeth sharp enough to tear her to shreds in seconds.
The beast spread its mouth wide open, a blue fireball ready to burst.
"Yuu! Nooooooooooooooooooo!"
—
Yuu stepped back from Grim in terror, the sight of the beast still fresh in her eyes, not completely faded yet.
Grim was shocked by Yuu's reaction. Was what he was doing really so bad?
Grim's ears drooped and the fireball he had been building up fizzled out. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to scare you. You know I'd never hurt you, right, Henchman?"
Yuu trembled as she looked at Grim. What the hell did she just see? That big monster she saw looked so much like him! But Grim was small and cute! Not ferocious!
Despite how shaky Yuu still was, she managed to nod to Grim. "'Course I know you'd never do that to me, Grim."
Grim grinned.
Just as relief fell over the entire Mirror Chamber, a whip wrapped around Grim. "Gah!"
Holding onto the whip was Headmaster Crowley. He turned his beady yellow eyes towards Yuu, glaring. "Yuu! You are in so much trouble! You and your familiar are coming with me to face disciplinary action this instant!"
Yuu gulped.
So much for keeping our cover.
Glossary
1. "Child. Being a magician won't make you a lot of money." in Vietnamese
2. Con: "child" in Vietnamese. How Vietnamese parents address their children.
3. ảo thuật gia: "magician" in Vietnamese
4. gook: a racial slur for people of East and Southeast Asian descent. Widely used during the Vietnam War.
A/N: I didn't know what the Vietnamese word for "magician" was. And Google Translate had way too many words that I wasn't sure about the accuracy of. So I had to ask my aunt.
I'll be going on a tour group trip to Japan and Korea soon on Oct 28. It's a trip I've delayed since 2020. I was supposed to go after graduating from college but…2020, y'know.
It'll be my first time going to Japan and Korea.
I wonder what Halloween is like in Japan.
In Japan, I'll be going around Tokyo, Yamanashi, and Kawaguchiko.
In Korea, I'll be in Seoul and Incheon.
If anyone has travel tips, food recommendations, must-buy souvenirs, or must-go places for Japan and Korea, feel free to share! I would appreciate it.
Here's hoping I find Grim and Malleus plushies to cuddle!
