Chapter 3: An Unexpectedly Dangerous Adventure

The group looked around the area the gate had dropped them off at. They seemed to be in a forest. It was quiet except for the sound of small insects chirping. "So this is the Dwarfs' Mine... Long ago, this mine was flush with mage stones." Deuce said, repeating a part of the lessons they had had that day. The sun had set over the pass several minutes, resulting in the woods being dark.

"Ugh... Who knows what lurks in there now?" Grim muttered, shivering at the foreboding atmosphere.

"Look, I can see a house over the bridge. Let's see what the people there have to say." Ace suggested to the group. They all nodded and began to make their way towards the cottage. Even just from looking at it from the outside, Aster could tell that the cottage was abandoned.

"Hello? Is anybody home...?" Deuce called out into the empty, ramshackle building. "It looks abandoned." Deuce muttered as the four of them made their way inside.

"Ack! I got a spider web on my face!" Grim cried, spitting out the webs.

"Look how tiny these desks and chairs are. Like they're meant for small children." Ace muttered. "Hey Aster, they're the perfect size for you." Ace teased, getting a playful slap on the arm in return. "One, two... Seven! It's like a clown car in here!" Ace mused.

"When the mine was flourishing, this house must have been a lively place." Deuce observed as they looked around the large room.

"Well, this isn't getting us anywhere. If we're gonna find a mage stone, it'll be inside the mine. Let's go and look." Ace finally decided. The other three nodded and they made their way towards the mine. The entrance was a large, dark void, making the group just a little bit nervous.

"You wanna go inside THERE? It's pitch black!" Grim cried.

"What, are you scared of the dark? Pathetic." Ace taunted the cat, avoiding a warning look from Aster as he did.

"Myah?!" Grim let out an offended cry. "I'm not scared of anything!" He declared. "I'm taking the lead. You all follow me!" Grim ordered, storming into the mine, his bright ears lighting the way. The first part of the trip was uneventful, though they did run into a pair of mischievous ghosts that reminded Aster of the ones in their dorm. After the chase ended, the group were catching their breath in a side cavern. And of course, this gave them a chance to argue.

"You know, you're the reason we're in this mess." Ace told Deuce.

"Oh? I'm pretty sure this all started because you tried to shirk your window-cleaning punishment." Deuce retorted.

"So we're bringing up ancient history now? Then if you wanna get down to the brass tacks, this all started when the fur ball torched that statue!" Ace declared.

"Myah?!" Grim glared at the ginger. "Maybe you shouldn't have made fun of me, then!" Grim accused. Now that Ace and Grim were the ones arguing, Deuce tried to break it up. Aster, who had been keeping an eye on their surroundings, frowned. He could have sworn that something in the air had changed.

"Guys! We're in real hot water, remember?!" Deuce cried. "If we don't come back with a mage stone by morning, we're going to be expelled!"

"Yeah, which is why we don't need you ordering us around. It gets old fast." Ace told him.

"I wasn't ordering anyone around!" Deuce cried.

Aster sighed. "All of you, calm down." He said, voice tight with stress. It was enough to get them to be quiet. And in that moment of silence, they heard groaning coming from down another shaft.

"Wh- where's that coming from?" Ace asked softly, the three mages shifting closer to Aster.

"I'm not sure." Aster muttered softly, shifting to try to find out where the voice was echoing from. They were even able to make out some of the words that were being groaned out.

"...Never... Give... You..." the voice groaned.

"It sounds like it's getting closer." Deuce muttered, tense.

And out of a nearby shaft came a large creature in torn and frayed red clothes carrying a pickax and a lantern. Its head seemed to be made out of a glass jar that was fractured and leaking a dark substance. Aster felt his stomach roil as something thick, inky, and heavy felt like it was sliding down his spine and in his stomach. He turned to the wall where he lost his lunch. "Aster!?" They cried in alarm.

Aster took a deep breath, spitting out the bile. "I'm fine." He groaned, taking deep breaths to calm his nausea and the dizziness as he stood back up wobbly. They didn't look like they believed him, but the creature's words called their attention back to it.

"Stones... Stones are mine!" It snarled at them.

"What is that?" Deuce asked, nervous and concerned.

"No one said anything about monsters! Let's get out of here!" Grim cried. Aster stood more firmly, the shock of the disturbing and vile feeling in the air having passed.

"That thing's super creepy! But didn't it just say something about 'stones'?!" Ace asked, being the one to catch those words.

"Wait, what?" Grim looked at the ginger.

"Stones... Never give you stones." The creature screeched.

"So there ARE still mage stones here!" Deuce exclaimed excitedly.

""Myah... Even as a master sorcerer, I... I don't think I can take that thing down." Grim said.

"But we need a mage stone, or we'll be expelled!" Deuce got a look of grim determination on his face. "I'm going in!" He declared.

"Are you out of your mind!" Ace cried in shock.

"Not alone you won't." Aster told Deuce, feeling out for something under the veil of inky wrongness. And sure enough, there it was. Just noticeable was the sense of elemental magic. Scowling, Ace and Grim joined the other two.

"You just lost your stomach, take a breather!" Ace ordered the smaller boy as they prepared to fight.

The creature attacked using mostly floral magic, with some cosmic void spells thrown in here and there. Aster was quick to relay the information to the others, who adjusted as necessary. "Begone! Begone! Begone!" the creature shouted at them, sending a wave of vines at them. They fell into a lull in the battle as they caught their breaths. That was when Aster noticed it.

"Guys! In the shaft behind this thing! There was a sparkle!" he called.

"Could that have been a mage stone?!" Deuce cried hopefully. The creature roared in defiance at them.

"Aster, we need to book it. It'll make tuna paste out of us at this rate." Grim cried, jumping back to Aster's side. Aster looked over the other boys and nodded.

"Use some fire to cover our retreat!" He ordered the three of them who quickly did as they were told. And while the creature was temporarily blinded, they made a break for it, going back the way they had come, its furious roars echoing in the mines. The didn't stop running until they had reached the abandoned cottage where they tried to catch their breath.

"I think this should be far enough." Grim whimpered.

"What was that thing? No one said there would be anything like that there! What was that crazy man thinking!?" Ace cried.

"It definitely wasn't a normal ghost." Deuce said.

Aster shook his head. "I'm not sure what exactly it was, but that didn't feel like a ghost." Aster muttered.

"Let's just give up and go home. I'll happily take the expulsion if it means never having to fight that thing again." Ace said, shuddering.

"What?" Deuce cried. "Nuh-uh, not happening! I'd rather die than get expelled from Night Raven!" Deuce cried, desperate. His outburst of course, got some rather concerned glances from the others. "How can you give up when the stone is right there?" Deuce asked.

Ace snorted, shaking out of his stupor. "Big talk from someone who's not even half the mage I am. You want that stone so bad, go get it yourself. I'm out." Ace declared.

Deuce glared and smacked his fist into his hand. "Oh YEAH?! Fine, go back to your coop, you big chicken!" Deuce shouted, causing them to jump back in surprise at the outburst.

"What? Who are you callin' a chicken, huh?" Ace demanded, stepping back up into Deuce's space.

"Whoa, Deuce... Is it just me, or did you, like, turn into a totally different person just now?" Grim asked with some awe.

Deuce blushed furiously and coughed into his hands. "Sorry... Lost my cool there for a second." he apologized.

"Do you think we could do something with your magic?" Aster asked after some silence.

Deuce and Ace shook their heads. "The headmage said it himself... magic has limits." Deuce began. "If you can't strongly visualize your magic, it isn't going to happen. Using magic at a greater scale or using different types of magic- those things require training." Deuce explained.

"Yeah." Ace took up the explanations next. "That's why magic academies exist. It takes a lot of training before you can snap your fingers and turn your thoughts into magic. And the more flustered you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes."

Aster nodded in thought. "Oh, I'd assumed spell casting just came naturally considering how well you guys were using it this morning." Aster replied. The boys blushed but continued.

"Nope, although if the magic's your specialty, you can use it more intuitively." Ace finished.

"Anyway, we need to find some way to defeat that creature and get the mage stone." Deuce said, getting back on track.

"Yeah. Just like the time with the chandelier, right?" Ace asked. "You found 'some way,' and now here we are. We just fought that thing, and it creamed us." Ac scoffed at Deuce. "So what exactly is your plan here, genius? Because I sure don't trust you to improvise!" Ace informed the boy.

Deuce sputtered. "What? You're the one who-" Deuce began.

"And they're at it again." Grim sighed as the two of them watched the two students argue. Aster had tried to calm them down, but they were completely ignoring him. Aster did not take that well.

"WOULD THE TWO OF YOU KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY?!" Aster snarled, startling the three others.

"That was loud..." Grim trailed off, looking at the boy's flashing gold eyes warily. "Where did that come from?"

Aster ignored the question and stared the two of them down. "You said it yourself- we can't hurt that thing. But what if we tried cooperating a little bit? Come up with a plan to get past it and grab the stone?" He gritted out.

"Work together?" Ace asked skeptically. "... Is that some kind of joke?" Ace snorted. "You say the lamest things, with the straightest face Aster." Ace told the boy, who's brow twitched.

"Agreed." Deuce put in, neither student recognizing the landmine they were at risk of stepping on. "No way I could work together with him."

"Yeah, but... Getting expelled on the first day...?" Grim voiced, trying to defuse the situation. "That's pretty lame too." Mischievous blue met mirthful gold. "Maybe even lamer."

Aster nodded. "Yeah, there's really nothing cool about that!" he agreed.

"Gah... Fine! Let's just get this over with, then. All right Aster, what's the plan?" Ace asked. Aster grinned in reply.

-NRC-

They were back in front of the entrance to the mine again. The entrance looked just as foreboding as it had before, especially with them being aware of what was in there. "Aster... Is this plan of yours really going to work?" Grim asked as they approached the entrance. "I'm just kind of sca-" he trailed off. "I'm, uh... hungry." He covered his slip up making Aster smile softly at the cat.

"Don't worry Grim. I really think this could work." Aster assured him.

"It really could." Deuce assured. "Let's go, Aster." Deuce said with a grin.

-NRC-

"H- Hey monster! I'm over here!" Grim called from the entrance, and successfully got its attention.

"BEGONE!" the monster snarled, coming to the front of the mines. It noted the flaming cat to one side of the entrance and exited to make its way towards Grim.

"Alright, he's coming this way!" Grim called out. "Aster!"

Aster jumped out, further from Grim, but still in the same area. "Right over here, monster!" Aster called out.

The monster groaned. "Thief this way too?" He shifted towards the other child. "Never give stones! Never!" The monster cried.

Grim let out a small yelp and dodged behind the human to avoid a punch. "If it lands one of those punches, we're toast." Grim yelped.

"Let's lure him as far from the cave as we can." Aster murmured. Grim nodded and the duo ran further from the entrance. Like planned, it followed.

"We got him pretty far away." Grim noted.

"Now!" Aster called. Ace jumped from the bushes and held up his pen.

"You bet. I got this! One extra-large gust of wind, comin' up!" Ace sent a large wind blast at the monster as Grim added his cerulean flames to the mix.

"With a side of Grim's blazin'-hot fire! Myah!" The creature screamed as he got caught up in a veritable tornado of flames.

"How's that taste? With my winds, even Grim's feeble flames can become an inferno!" Ace hollered.

"What do you mean 'feeble'?! You really don't know how to shut your mouth, do you?" Grim complained.

"Now's our chance!" Aster called out to Deuce.

"Just stay calm, aim carefully... and pull out the biggest, heaviest thing I can think of..." Deuce jumped into the fray. "Get 'em, cauldron!" Deuce shouted. A giant cauldron appeared, and the monster found himself pinned to the ground under the iron's heavy weight.

"Nailed it!" Grim hooted. "It's working! Look, Aster. That monster got smashed flat just like Ace!"

"Could have done without the reminder, thanks!" Ace called back before groaning. "This has been one drag after another." He muttered.

"Quick, while it's distracted! We need to go get that stone!" Deuce cried and together the group ran into the mine, ignoring the monster's screeches. It didn't take them long, knowing where it was. "That's it! That's a mage stone!" Deuce cried, finding it. The stone was about the size of a large fist and glowed with an iridescent light. It was rather beautiful, really. They snatched it up and ran from the mines.

"Don't touch that!" The creature cried, almost free from its confinement.

"Uh-oh!" Ace muttered, edging around it.

"Deuce, you've gotta add more weight to it!" Grim cried.

"Y-you mean something heavier. Uh... I summon thee, cauldron! And another cauldron! And another!" Deuce summoned three more cauldrons, enraging the monster ever more as they raced through the woods and back towards the gate they had arrived from.

"Is that the only thing you know how to summon?" Ace asked teasingly, panting from their exertion.

"Pipe down already! I'm worked up enough as it is!" Deuce retaliated.

"More moving less yapping!" Grim called from his place at the front with Aster.

"Roger that!" Ace agreed. They stumbled though when they heard the unmistakable sound of metal toppling over each other, clanging together. Then the sound of pursuit.

"Are you kidding me?! It's still coming!" Ace cried.

"It's too fast! It's going to catch us!" Deuce said as they reached the bridge.

"Then it's kill or be killed!" Aster replied, coming to an abrupt halt and spun around on his heel.

"AW, fine! Let's just smash the thing. Try not to wet yourself, Deucey!" Ace called over to the bluenette playfully.

Deuce smirked. "Same to you, Ace!" He replied. Grim jumped in front of Aster and between the two boys.

"I'm gonna show ya why they call me Grim the Great!" He gloated. And just like that, they were in battle once more. This time, the battle went much more smoothly than it had before. The three mages worked well in tandem while Aster gave directions the best he could. All of them had gotten some minor scrapes and cuts though, thanks to the monster's floral ropes. But finally, the creature fell and gave one last screech as it turned into a puddle that just... dispersed.

"D-did we, do it?" Deuce asked, panting.

"I- I think we won!" Grim shouted gleefully.

"Woohoo!" The group celebrated their hard-won victory.

"Look at that, we all worked together." Aster grinned at the other three, plopping to the ground. He could run, but boy did his legs hurt after all of that. He snickered as the three mages blushed profusely.

"I don't think that had anything to do with it." Deuce muttered, looking away.

"Yeah. Spare us the cliches, Aster." Ace mumbled, rubbing his cheek in embarrassment.

"There wasn't any 'together' here!" Grim declared. "This was all me. We won cause I'm a magical genius." They all chuckled at the Grim's outrageous, good-natured arrogance.

"I hate to say it," Ace began as the other three joined Aster on the ground to catch their breaths. "But... We mostly won because of your plan." the ginger told Aster who blinked at him.

"Yeah... If you hadn't managed to keep your cool, then lose it to get us back on track, and then tell us what to do, we would never have gotten the mage stone." Deuce agreed. "Now I won't get expelled and that's a huge relief." Deuce grinned brightly at the raven-haired boy.

Aster shook his head. "We all played our parts well, that's what did it. And only minor injuries to boot!"

"Yeah, yeah. Lessons were learned et cetera. Can we just go home already? I'm wiped." Ace grumbled.

"Using that magic made me hungry." Grim complained, then he popped up and sniffed the air. "Huh? What's this?" He asked, picking up a small, pitch-black stone. Aster looked at it, mind fuzzy and not quite comprehending what he was feeling. He was tired and hungry too.

"Is that a part of the monster we beat? Or did it just drop it when it was defeated?" Deuce asked, studying it. "Though, it looks a little bit like a mage stone, doesn't it?

Grim sniffed it. "It smells amazing!" Grim purred, getting strange looks from the humans.

"Are you insane?" Ace asked, just unable to handle the absurdity of the comment.

"I bet it's some fancy candy the monster was keeping from us!" Grim said, ignoring them. Aster wasn't fast enough to grab it from the cat before he shoved it in his mouth.

"Seriously?" Aster groaned. "If you get sick, I'm not going to feel bad for you." He grumbled as the cat let out a happy cry at how delicious it was. For the sake of the nausea that was slowly receding now that the thing was gone, Aster decided to ignore the five stars review Grim was giving trash.

"Monsters have a weird sense of taste." Ace grumbled. The other two nodded.

"Oh yikes, it almost midnight!" Aster said, having collected Ace's phone to check the time.

"Let's pull ourselves together and get the mage stone back to the headmage then." Deuce said, now that they were all breathing regularly again. The others nodded and entered the gate that had appeared for them.

-NRC-

The group found the headmage waiting for them in the Mirror Chamber when they stepped out of the gate. "You four were almost late. It's nearly midnight." He said, breathing a relieved sigh as he looked them over, frowning at the multitude of small injuries and the obvious signs of constant magical use.

"We got a mage stone, Headmage sir!" Deuce said, proudly presenting the stone to him. Crowley's eyes widened in surprise.

"Well, I'll be. I didn't think you would actually retrieve a mage stone. Why, I've spent all evening preparing your expulsion documents." He mused. Really it was just reports, but they didn't need to know that.

"Are you serious?" Grim cried. "While we were fighting some crazy monster for you, you were expelling us?" he sounded flabbergasted. All four of them noticed the shift in the headmage's behavior.

"'Monster'...?" He asked, voice low and concerned.

"Yeah." Ace began cautiously. "There was a monster. It was big and nearly killed us." Crowley hummed.

"Come with me you four. I'd like to hear the full story from you." he said, leading them to his office and healing their injuries along the way. "So a mysterious monster was living in the mines. And the four of you worked together to destroy it, and then brought its mage stone back to me?" Crowley summarized half an hour late.

"I wouldn't call it working together?" Ace denied with a blush.

"It was more like we just happened to share the same goal at the same time..." Deuce trailed off. Crowley thought for a moment.

"I see..." Crowley trailed off. 'To think they would work together. Not something one sees here very often...' he glanced at Aster who was looking around his office. 'From what I got, it was Aster who put them on track and got them to do so... It's just as I figured, Aster is in fact, a beast master. What a turn of events. I suppose that explains just why the Dark Mirror summoned the boy here. I'll have to do more research on them just to make sure there aren't even more surprises, although...' he turned towards the child. "And when you first encountered this monster, you got sick?" he asked. Aster nodded.

"It was really just the shock of something so... wrong... suddenly appearing in our vicinity." Aster tried to explain what had caused him to get sick.

"Wrong?" Aster nodded, unsure of how to explain it. 'More to research, though I have an idea now. I'll just have to keep an eye on him from here on out.' Crowley nodded to himself, regaining the four children's attention. "In all the decades I've worked at this school... The day has finally come when the students at Night Raven College have joined hands together to defeat a common foe!" He exclaimed joyfully, genuinely happy and touched.

"Whoa! No! No way would I join hands with that guy!" Spade exclaimed, pointing at Trappola who scowled back before adding his own protests.

"Okay one, there was no 'joining of hands'. Gross. And two, exactly HOW old are you, headmage?" he asked incredulously.

"Ancient." Aster answered Trappola's inquiry. Crowley didn't scowl, just adding more to the list of what he was going to have to look up when it came to unraveling the mystery that was Aster Merel.

"At this moment, I am moved beyond words." he ignored their protests. "This incident has proven my hopes justified. Aster, my doubts are allayed!" Aster's brows furrowed.

"Wh- what doubts?" He muttered.

"For you... You possess the talents of a beast master!"

"A beast master?" the four asked in confusion.

"A beast master is someone who possesses an aptitude for creating bonds and bringing out the specific talents of others. Whether this comes out in problem solving, combat, or something else entirely or all together, depends more on the master and their bound. However, that's as far as our knowledge of beast masters goes, for they are entirely sparse and uncommon. In my lifetime, I've only met less than five of them. And none in the past century. But rest assured, that I will look into this as well as the other things that we're already set on researching." He assured the boy who nodded.

"Now, on the subject of my previous topic: My students have all been selected by the Dark Mirror for their exceptional talent and potential. But great talent begets great pride and big egos. Most are so self-reliant and self-centered that they never even consider cooperating with others." Crowley began.

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing." Grim commented, getting ignored by the two speaking.

"But you, Aster, possess no magic. Yet in spite of that- or perhaps because of it- you were able to convince those who CAN use magic to work together towards a common goal. The everyday, humdrum mundanity you possess may be exactly what Night Raven College needs!" He exclaimed, back to his previously less serious tone.

"... None of those words are good things though?" Trappola trailed off. Crowley ignored his words.

"Aster... I am convinced that people like you are necessary for the future of this school. My educator's intuition tells me so." he smiled at the boy's bemused chuckle. "Trappola, Spade- I hereby revoke your pending expulsions! Furthermore, Aster... I am granting you the qualifications necessary to attend Night Raven College." he told them his decision. It had occurred to him earlier as he listened to their tale, that no matter what he had the child do, he was going to find trouble. The poor thing was probably cursed as a trouble magnet, considering everything that had happened in the span of 48 hours. Taking into account that he was struggling to find anything on how to help the child, there was a chance Aster Merel was going to be here for a very long time, so in hopes of jogging some of those locked memories, he would have the child attend the lessons and hope that something sparked.

"You remember that I can't use magic, right?" Aster's soft and confused voice brought Crowley from his thoughts.

"Of course. And it is because your inability to use magic, for a mage, is unacceptable. You wouldn't be able to adequately pursue the school's curriculum." He waited for the boy to catch up before continuing. "As for you, Grim..." he trailed off. "Your actions today- as chaotic as it turned out to be- makes it clear that you do possess sufficient talent to become a mage. In light of the total sum of your respective circumstances, you and Aster will share a single enrollment at Night Raven College." It also would allow Aster to keep his- now bonded, Crowley was sure- familiar with him as protection. And provide Grim with a competent student to keep an eye on him that he would, for the most part, listen too.

"I... I'll get to go to this school...? As an actual student and not a janitor?" Grim asked hopefully. Crowley nodded.

"Correct. However! There must be no further incidents like the one that occurred today. Are we clear?" he asked sternly. Grim was vibrating with happiness too much to answer as he instead threw himself into Aster's arms in joy.

"Aster. I... I finally..." he choked out in his happiness.

"I'm really happy for you Grim." Aster told the cat softly.

"I finally did it!" He shouted.

Crowley shook his head but went on. "Accordingly, I will now present to Grim the mage stone that is issued to every student here." With that he collected a beautiful, pale purple mage stone embedded into a case of gold. Just barely noticeable inside was the NRC emblem of a raven holding who magic pens in either claw. He attached the mage stone to the center of the dire beast's frayed bow. "Normally, they're attached to the 'magic pen' students use. However, due to your limitations of paws, this is the unique solution I have for you." he explained. Then in a very exaggerated tone of voice. "Is it possible that I am, in fact, too kind?" he mused. Aster couldn't help his chuckle at the man's words and tone. Crowley decided he'd be doing that more around the child. Noticing that dire beast was jumping around fawning over his new mage stone, he sighed. Grim was not listening.

"Aster. As you can plainly see, Grim remains oblivious to the customs of human society. And while I understand that the customs of this society in particular is still a learning concept for yourself as well, I have confidence in your common sense and natural abilities to pick up on social ques to keep a tight rein on Grim and ensure there aren't any further incidents."

Before Aster could reply, Ace spoke up. "Wow, that's quite a promotion. From janitor, to student, to prefect all in the span of a day." Ace congratulated the smaller boy.

"Oh, I see." Deuce made the connection. "So if your dorm is just, you two... And the headmage himself has put you in charge of Grim, that makes you... the dorm prefect."

Aster blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll do my best!" He promised, getting a laugh from their two friends- and fellow students.

"Good luck to you, magic-less Prefect!" Ace teased.

"Let's see that same spirit you showed us at Dwarfs' Mine!" Deuce added.

Crowley tilted his head in realization of the two boys' words. "Ah yes. I suppose that does make you a prefect. If I just so happen to have a job for you, that title will make it all the easier to foist- er..." he blanched a bit under the suspicious looks he received from the four students. "I mean, congratulations! Now, I have something for you." He added to his charge. It was official now, as the last of that paperwork had been dealt with first thing- after they left for the mines. "This is called a ghost camera." He added, bringing out the artifact he had come across earlier that evening.

"Ghost camera?" Aster asked the headmage, as he gently took the device and began to look it over. Crowley noted, somewhat pleased, that the process of looking over the camera was almost natural to the boy, revealing that the boy was no stranger to such a device. The camera was already in its camera bag. It was a square thing, with a tan top half with two vertical brown lines going down the middle and blending in with the darker brown bottom half. The circular lens was encased in pale yellow metal that looked a bit like mouse ears. There was a much smaller circle under that which, when looking it over, was used for focusing. There were a couple others used for zooming in and out and all of it was connected to a long, adjustable, brown leather strap. It was wonderful.

"Ooh, my grandma's told me about those. Those are, like, super old magic items, right?" Ace asked.

Crowley huffed, a little offended. "I would hardly consider them 'super old'..." he grumbled. Seeing the looks on his students' faces he continued. "But it may indeed have been invented when your great or great-great grandmother was a child. It's a camera enchanted with a special kind of magic. It enables the user to photograph not just the subject's physical form, but parts of their soul itself." he exclaimed, getting wide-eyed looks in return.

"Well, that sounds... sketchy." Deuce finally settled on.

Crowley rolled his eyes. 'What were people teaching their children now adays?' he decided to give another educational lecture for the sake of his precious students. "They're called Memories." He informed them. "Here's the thing: When the soulbond between the photographer and subject deepens... the Memories captured un this magic camera's photos come jumping out!"

"Soulbond?" Aster asked.

"When the photographer and subject grow closer, their photographs grow animated like videos... and sometimes the photographs take on a corporeal form and slip out for a certain amount of time. Is that not what youths would call 'wicked keen'?" Crowley asked.

"That sounds like ghost photography." Deuce observed. Crowley barely kept his face straight at the honest but obvious observation.

"Very astute. Hence the name 'ghost camera.' I understand it was developed as a more vivid way to capture moments in time, in an age before video. As Spade observed, in days of yore, when people saw Memories jumping out of photos, they would get spooked and yell. 'Ghost!' I've heard many a tale of people who were deathly scared of being photographed by such cameras." he finished his explanation.

"This tech sounds like way more trouble than it's worth." Ace muttered.

"I think it's rather brilliant!" Aster exclaimed in awe.

"Aster. I would like you to photograph Grim and the other students with this camera and make a record of your campus life." he explained.

Grim laughed. "Sounds like the perfect way to immortalize all my finest moments!" Grim hooted.

Crowley coughed lightly into his fist. "... Make especially certain to capture the mischief caused by certain students who struggle with impulse control." he added, getting chuckles from Aster while the others paled just a bit. "Besides, keeping a photographic journal sounds far less tedious than writing me lengthy reports, wouldn't you agree?" he asked Aster, who gave a very grateful nod.

"Thank you, sir. I'll give this my all." Aster promised. Crowley nodded.

"Now, the hour has grown late, so further details shall have to wait till the morrow. You are all dismissed. Return to your dorms. I'll have some uniforms delivered to your rooms in the morning." He added to Aster.

"Good night, sir!" the four students said before making their way from his office and began to head to the Hall of Mirrors where they'd go their separate ways.

-NRC-

It was in the exterior hallway that overlooked the school grounds on the second floor that they finally broke the silence between them. Deuce let out a relieved sigh. "We managed to avoid expulsion. That was a close one!" Deuce exclaimed.

"Yea, no kidding!" Ace agreed, the trio listening to Grim as he sang.

"I'm a student at Night Raven College! I'm gonna be the top mage on campus in no time. Enjoy eating my dust, boys!" Grim gloated to the ginger and bluenette.

Ace snorted. "Big words for a sentient pile of lint who's literally only half a student. Still... good for you." he told them genuinely.

"I guess we're schoolmates now. Grim, Aster, welcome to Night Raven." Deuce told the two new students with a smile.

"The pleasure's all mine. Thanks." he chuckled.

"We'll be seeing each other all the time now. We'll see what a pleasure that turns out to be." Deuce replied. "Especially you, Ace, since we're in the same dorm. We're from Heartslabyul, by the way. What about you two?" Deuce asked.

"The dorm we're in has been abandoned for years... We've taken to calling it 'Ramshackle House'. The Ol' dump is literally full of ghosts." Grim said.

"Hey, I know it's not the best, but we're going to make something great out of it." Aster said with determination.

"Well, I say count your blessings. I'd rather ghosts than having to deal with this guy's smug, self-important scowl every day." Ace replied with a smirk, jabbing his thumb at Deuce.

Deuce returned it. "Better than your lazy, dopey grin."

"Keep bawling, crybaby. I haven't forgotten how you almost wept when he said you were expelled." Ace teased. "Catch ya later, Aster!" Ace said as they entered the Hall of Mirrors.

The duo continued to bicker as they made their way across the room. "Those two seem like they're made for each other." Aster commented with a chuckle.

"Maybe they're the type who bond through squabbling?" Grim mused before turning his bright blue eyes on Aster. "Anyways, let's get back to the dorm! Tomorrow when we wake, it won't be as janitors. Finally, finally... My glorious education as a proper Night Raven College student is about to begin!" Grim exclaimed happily as he ran a few paces ahead of Aster who just smiled warmly at the cat.

'Tomorrow, a whole new adventure is set to begin.' Aster thought, glancing at the bright, star filled sky.

A/N: And there is the end of the Prologue. The next book will be the Red Rose Tyrant. It'll take place in the canon timeline of Aster and Grim's first official day as students.