Twisted Wings

by cgn142

Celeste, a fallen Angel, falls into the world of Twisted Wonderland. She and her new companion, Grim, end up helping the students at Night Raven College who are under the impression that she is human. Basically a rewrite of twist, with Azul eventually becoming the love interest. This is very long, i write like I'm writing a book.

7. chapter 7

Dawn was almost breaking by the time Celeste returned to Ramshackle. Having spent the past few hours flying around the island, pondering her meeting with the horned man.

She was hesitant to return, afraid that the horned man wouldn't keep his word. However after several hours of debating with herself, she quietly landed on Ramshackle dorm's doorstep. She couldn't just leave Grim and her new friends without so much as a good goodbye. Perhaps the horned man would keep his word after all.

Retracting her wings, she opened the rickety front door and walked inside, putting away her sword.

"There you are! Where have you been?" Celeste jumped slightly at Grim's voice behind her. She spun to see him sitting up on the couch in the lounge.

"Grim? I went out for a stroll. Why are you not in bed?" Celeste was amazed to see him up so early.

"I had a nightmare and when I woke up you were GONE! I looked all over the dorm for you! I figured I'd wait for you on the couch but I fell asleep..." Grim flattened his ears as he gave her a pitiful look.

"I'm sorry Grim, I was gone longer than I meant to be." She went over and patted him on the head, surprisingly he let her do so with no objection. "I won't disappear without informing you first, I promise." She tried to reassure him but he narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

"You say that like your plann' on disappearin'." He grumbled his pronged tail twitching.

"Grim, I'm not going anywhere at the moment. Now let's get cleaned up. I suspect Riddle will be waiting for us to continue the investigation." She said as she left the room to put on her school uniform.

A short time later they made their way to the main street. It was still relatively early but students were already out and about. She was relieved to see that she wasn't getting any unusual looks. It appeared that the horned man had indeed kept his word.

Now that I think of it, he said to call him whatever I liked... She thought, remembering he hadn't told her his name. Perhaps she should call him Pan, after all, he appeared to be like a mischievous horned spirit.

"Mornin' Celeste." Cater's greeting snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked to see him and Riddle walking towards her.

"Good morning Cater, Riddle." She said smiling back at them.

Riddle's brow furrowed slightly when he saw her. "Hm. Your tie is crooked you know. A disorderly uniform suggests a disorderly dorm." He reached out towards her and adjusted her tie.

Celeste glanced away, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Oh, your right. Sorry, I'm not used to wearing such things." Usually, Zaphiel assisted her with complicated accessories and with her hair.

"Where are Ace and Deuce?" She asked noticing they weren't with them.

"In accordance with rule 249, it's their turn to wear pink clothes and feed the flamingos." Riddle explained before his expression darkened slightly. "By the way, there was another incident last night."

"Oh no! Was the student badly hurt?" Celeste gasped dismayed.

"Celeste you're such a sweetheart. I believe he's alright." Cater smiled as he reassured her before continuing.

"According to the portrait that witnessed it, the victim was a sophomore from Scarabia house. His name is Jamil Viper. It appears the accident happened in the kitchen." Cater said checking the information on his phone.

"I see. Sentient portraits are quite beneficial for such matters. We have several at home for just that reason." Celeste recalled the number of portraits that lined Eden's palace walls. They were part of the palace security and would shout if something was amiss.

"So you got talkin' pictures where you're from too? Am I the only one that thinks it's weird?" Grim grumbled.

"It's time for breakfast so he may still be in the cafeteria. Let's go." Riddle said, ignoring Grim's remark as he led the way.

They entered the cafeteria and Cater began scanning the room. "Jamil has long black hair. Let's see... There he is!" Cater pointed towards two Scarabia students eating breakfast together at a table not far from them.

Unfortunately, Grim darted over to them before she could stop him. "You're the guy who got banged up in the kitchen yesterday, right? Mind if we chat?" He asked, as he rudely hopped onto the chair across from them.

Jamil folded his arms and scowled at him. "What is this? An inquisition?" His long black hair was tied in a low ponytail with several tightly braided locks. His dark eyes glittered with distrust as he eyed Grim.

The other boy drew back, startled. "Oh hey! That's the weasel who set me on fire at orientation!" He had short white hair, scarlet eyes, and tan skin. He wasn't wearing a traditional uniform rather he had on a white cardigan instead of a black blazer and a golden head wrap fastened on his head.

"My apologies! He's just eager! We wanted to inquire about how you got injured is all." Celeste apologized hastily as she caught up with Grim along with Riddle and Cater.

"Grim you need to work on your tone. You're giving Celeste extra work." Riddle admonished Grim who shot him a glare. "Forgive us for interrupting your breakfast." Riddle apologized glancing back at the two boys.

The boy with white hair grinned at them in a friendly manner. "Wow, a beautiful girl and a fire-spitting weasel. Ahaha what a fun combo!"

"I ain't no weasel!" Grim huffed but Celeste spoke over his rude outburst.

"I am Celeste, Prefect of Ramshackle dorm. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances." She introduced herself with a pleasant smile.

"The pleasures all mine! I'm Kalim, Scarabia's Housewarden. And this is my vice Housewarden, Jamil." Kalim beamed as he gestured to Jamil.

Celeste was a bit surprised to find out he was a Housewarden. His carefree attitude didn't seem to match any of the Housewardens she'd met so far.

"Why do you want to know about my accident?" Jamil asked, giving them a guarded look.

"The Headmage has requested us to investigate all of the mishaps involving Spelldrive players." Celeste explained and he appeared to relax.

"The Headmage? I see... Well okay." Jamil nodded in understanding and began to explain how he was injured.

"Last night I was in the kitchen chopping ingredients. It was like my knife hand went wild and cut my other hand all on its own." He said holding up his bandaged hand.

"It makes no sense! Even the dorm's head chef can attest to Jamil's legendary knife skills! Were you tired from Spelldrive?" Kalim spoke up shaking his head in disbelief.

Jamil shook his head. "No. Not so tired that I couldn't control my hands. But at one point while I was cooking I felt kind of lightheaded." He frowned as if deep in thought.

"Like you were dizzy?" Celeste looked at him intently, hoping for a new clue.

"Most people would think that, but I know that sensation. I think I was feeling the effects of someone's signature spell." Jamil said narrowing his eyes and Cater gasped. It seemed her guess about someone using telekinetic magic was correct.

"Oh right! Because your signature spell is-" Kalim was interrupted by Jamil slapping his hand over his mouth. Kalim shook him off and gave him a bewildered look. "Why'd you do that?"

"Because we are not talking about me here." Jamil hissed at him before continuing. "Anyway my theory is that someone was controlling my movements with magic."

Cater looked at Celeste. "It seems like you might have been right about telekinetic magic. It would be a way to hurt people and have it appear as if they were just being careless."

"A spell that could control someone... If I could learn how to cast that, I could really clean up on bakery day!" Grim exclaimed excitedly and Celeste gasped as she recalled the events of that day. The hyena beastman and the hotdog bun...

"Grim! Do you remember how you lost your sandwich on bakery day?" Celeste asked turning to him.

Grim scowled, clearly still bitter. "Do I remember?! I'll never forget! ... That sandwich stealing... AAAAAHHH!" He let out a screech as the realization hit him, causing everyone to jump.

"WHOA! Why are we screaming?!" Kalim pulled back confused.

"I, Grim Expert Detective, have solved this case! I know who's got that signature spell!" Grim stood upright and puffed out his chest proudly.

"What?" Riddle looked over at her for an explanation.

"Ruggie used it to get Grim's sandwich on bakery day." Celeste explained and Cater's eyes widened.

"Ruggie? That lil dude from Savanaclaw?" Cater asked and she nodded.

"Let's track him down and see what he has to say." Riddle declared with a determined face.

"Thank you both for your assistance. I sincerely wish you a fast recovery, Jamil." Celeste said glancing back at the two Scarabia students.

"No problem, anytime! Good luck!" Kalim said waving to them as they left.

Cater led them to the classroom Ruggie was supposed to be in. Inside, Ruggie and a few other students were chatting amongst themselves.

"Ruggie Bucchi, we need to ask you some questions about the spate of injuries that have befallen prospective Spelldrive players." Riddle said causing Ruggie to spin around.

"Oh ho. This sounds like some serious business." Ruggie smirked and raised an eyebrow at them.

"How about we move into the hall and keep this in the figurative DMs if you catch my drift?" Cater narrowed his eyes at Ruggie in a slightly threatening manner.

Ruggie flattened his ears at Cater's tone. "I'm cooperating. Let's all try to be gentlemen now." He said brushing past them as they stepped out into the hall.

"Ruggie we have reason to believe that you have been utilizing telekinetic magic to cause injury to other students." Celeste spoke up once they were all out in the hall. She folded her arms and gave him a stern look.

"Do you now? So you've got everything worked out have you?" Ruggie scoffed at her narrowing his grey eyes.

"While we do not yet know exactly what transpired, it is abundantly clear that your signature spell is a dangerous one. I will be casting off with your head to-" Riddle was cut off by Ruggie who had a sly grin on his face.

"But Riddle, are you sure you should be casting such a powerful spell without your magical pen?" He smirked and Riddle's hands flew to his blazer pocket where he usually kept his pen.

"Huh? Wait... What?! Where is it?!" Riddle cried out in alarm when he realized it was gone.

Ruggie snickered at Riddle's reaction. "Children of privilege all of you. So unprepared. So complacent. Like stealing candy from a baby." He held up his hand. In it was not only Riddle's pen but Cater's as well and a star pendant dangling on a silver chain.

Celeste gasped and reached for her star pendant but Ruggie backed away.

"Ruggie please give that back! It's not a magestone, it's part of a matching set I have with my brother!"

"Relax I'm just gonna borrow it for a bit. Anyway, having a showdown in the hallway isn't on my agenda for today so I'll be on my way. Tootles!" Ruggie veered around and darted away taking off down the hall with surprising speed.

They all scrambled after him but Ruggie was agile as well as fast. While she could have certainly caught him at her normal speed she still hesitated to use it in front of her friends. They turned a corner and practically ran smack into Ace and Deuce.

"Huh? What's going on? Why are you running?" Deuce asked surprised as they skidded to a halt.

"The culprit! He's getting away!" Riddle screamed his face contorting and turning completely red with rage as he pointed to Ruggie running down the hall. "You need to apprehend Ruggie Bucchi immediately! Housewarden's orders!"

"What's this got to do with us?" Ace scowled not wanting to get involved.

"Listen to him! He grabbed their pens and my necklace!" Celeste cried out growing more anxious as Ruggie got farther and farther away.

Deuce immediately swung around and started pursuing Ruggie. Ace let out a groan and went after him.

Celeste sighed as they took off with Grim on their heels. Even though Deuce was fast, Ruggie was extremely nimble, clambering up a wall and running along the edge, forcing Ace and Deuce to take the long way around.

With a hesitant glance at Cater and Riddle, Celeste took off after Ruggie. Utilizing her natural swiftness, she was able to reach the wall within seconds, leaping onto the narrow ledge with ease. She balanced herself perfectly and proceeded to pursue Ruggie.

She gained on him rapidly and he peeked behind himself as she approached. "WHOA?! Holy shit you're fast!" He shouted seeing her about to overtake him. He scrambled off the ledge and into the courtyard, hitting the ground running. She leaped onto a higher ledge so she could track him better- she had no intention of letting him escape.

Ace, Deuce, and Grim burst out into the courtyard panting and hurled a few spells at Ruggie slowing him down. She jumped down in front of him blocking his getaway route.

Ruggie skidded to a halt his eyes wide. "... That was a two-story drop..." He huffed in astonishment backing away.

"...Celeste?... How'd you get in front of us?" Deuce panted catching up to them along with Ace and Grim.

Ruggie frowned. "Seems like I misjudged you. I thought you were just some pampered noble but it seems like you've got some skills."

"Ruggie hand over the necklace and the pens. I think I've more than demonstrated that I'm able to overtake you." Celeste said narrowing her eyes at him angrily.

"Hold on there princess- what makes you so sure that I did it? I only took em in self-defense." Ruggie said putting his hands up. His ears twitched when he noticed how Celeste tensed at his remark.

"... Your actions do not exactly seem innocent." Celeste hissed at him as she crossed her arms.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Let Riddle collar me? Where's your evidence? Do you have any witnesses who saw me casting a spell? Did anyone snap a picture? You don't have anything like that do you?" Ruggie grinned at her confidently when she didn't immediately respond. He knew he was right.

"You know very well that no incantation is needed for telekinetic spells... As for witnesses, it's rather obvious that you used it on Grim to swipe his sandwich on bakery day." Celeste said after a moment but Ruggie snorted.

"What happened on bakery day had nothing to do with the Spelldrive stuff. You've got nothin' to prove that I did it."

Celeste grimaced realizing he was correct. She sighed and shook her head. "I don't understand... Your dorm is so skilled, why do this? Surely you don't need to employ underhanded methods to win?"

Ruggie let out another snort and shook his head. "Someone like you who's had everything handed to em wouldn't understand... Next time make sure you have some proof before you come after me. I'll just leave your necklace and the pens here. Tootles!" He set down the necklace and pens by the base of one of the apple trees before once again darting off.

Celeste sighed and picked them up, clasping the necklace back around her neck.

Ace shouted in frustration and Deuce grimaced. "Housewarden Riddle is not going to be pleased." He sighed shaking his head.

"Unfortunately he was correct. While I'm certain he is the one who's been injuring students- we have no solid evidence. We had no choice but to let him go but his use of the term next time concern's me." Celeste sighed running her hand through her dark hair.

"So you guys are still on the hunt, huh?" They all turned to see Jack walking towards them from where he'd been watching the entire ordeal take place.

Ace glared at him. "Yeah. Hey here's an idea, next time maybe give us a hand?"

Jack's ears twitched. "Celeste seemed to have it covered. That was pretty impressive, I've never seen anybody catch up to Ruggie. Where'd you learn to move like that?" He asked eyeing her curiously.

"I had special training back at home." Celeste said thinking back to how she was trained in the army with her mother. She couldn't tell them that, otherwise they'd start questioning her age. Things would get confusing fast since angels aged differently in the Celestial Realm.

"...Huh. Anyways why're you going through all this trouble for the sake of total strangers? I mean, I'd understand if you were out for vengeance for an injured friend or something." Jack asked after realizing she wasn't going to elaborate.

"Several of our friends have been hurt but I wouldn't say I was doing this out of vengeance. I simply don't want anyone else to be needlessly injured." Celeste said looking up at the tall beastman with conviction.

Ace snorted. "Yeah, yeah Celeste you're too nice. You're both missing the point here."

"What?" Jack blinked as Celeste frowned at Ace.

"We're not doing this for anyone else's sake!" Ace said with a smirk.

"This is a chance for us to score some kudos by catching the culprit." Deuce grinned as well but caught sight of Celeste's disapproving gaze. "Oh! And of course help Celeste!" He added hurriedly.

Ace let out a fake cough. "Ahem, simp mhm." Deuce shot him a glare and elbowed him in the side.

Ace moved away from Deuce and continued. "I feel bad about what happened to Trey, but if there's an opening on the roster... I'll take it."

Jack smirked and crossed his arms. "Wow. I was doubting if I could trust people who would suffer like this for strangers... But it turns out you two are total scum." He looked pointedly at Ace and Deuce.

Ace glared back at him. "If we're scum then you're less than scum. You knew all along didn't you?"

"That would explain why you were so confident that you wouldn't be targeted. Your dorm was behind it." Celeste said narrowing her eyes.

Jack sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "All right, I'll tell you what I know. I'm betraying my own dorm here, but I can't stay quiet any longer." He looked down at them with a determined gleam in his eyes.

"I don't care how strong the foe- I wanna face them with my own two fists. I've been training for this tournament and was excited to see how far I could go. But these cowardly schemes are making me sick! A triumph won through treachery means nothing!" Jack declared adamantly.

"I see. So am I to understand that the entire dorm is in on this?" Celeste asked and Jack nodded.

"Leona has Ruggie doing his dirty work. Ruggie's signature spell makes its target copy his movements. He's able to make it look like an accident on their part." Jack let out a growl and shook his head. "I'm disappointed in Leona. He has incredible talent but refuses to use it!"

"Yeah, for as lazy as that guy is... He seemed insanely strong." Grim muttered, his blue-flamed ears twitching as he remembered yesterday's Spelldrive disaster.

"Right?! Why would you possess such power and not even hone it?! I despise guys like him!" Jack snarled in disgust before shaking his head in disappointment. "The way he played when I saw him three years ago... It blew my mind. That was the reason I came to this school."

Celeste gave Jack a sympathetic look. It seemed he had greatly admired Leona and was feeling let down by his actions. Fortunately, his morals wouldn't let him blindly follow Leona like the rest of Savanaclaw.

"All of these accidents are just an incidental part of their plan. They're hunting bigger prey here." Jack continued frowning.

"Bigger prey?" Deuce asked raising his eyebrows.

"Malleus Draconia, the Diasomnia Housewarden. He possesses monstrous power. He led Diasomnia to victory two years running. He's the reason we were knocked out of both tournaments without scoring a single point. The older dorm members won't ever forgive that. The upperclassmen want to redeem themselves but the way they are doing it is despicable." Jack's face twisted in disgust as he looked away.

"So they are plotting an attack on Draconia on tournament day..." Celeste murmured wondering how they intended to take down someone so powerful.

"Yep. That's why I need to stop them!" Jack made a fist with a determined look on his face.

"I believe I've heard enough." They all looked to see Riddle and Cater walking towards them. Cater waved at her cheerfully while Riddle remained composed.

"Riddle, Cater, here are your pens back." Celeste said handing them their magic pens. Relief flooded their eyes when they saw the pens in her hand.

"Thank you, Celeste." Riddle nodded at her before continuing. "I cannot allow such an important tradition to be tarnished by personal grudges."

"So what's the stitch Riddle? We got a plan?" Cater asked after thanking Celeste and tucking his pen back into his pocket.

"As we have no proof of Leona's machinations, nor of Ruggie's assaults, we cannot take this to Crowley. Without solid evidence, that sort of accusation would never stick to someone as sly as Leona." Riddle stated in a solemn tone.

"So we need to catch him in the act?" Ace asked raising an eyebrow at Riddle who nodded.

"Yes. And I have a suggestion to that end. First -" Riddle began to say but was cut off by Jack who raised his hand to stop him.

"Stop. I've told you what I know, but that doesn't mean I'm joining your merry band. Savanaclaw is my dorm, and I'm gonna be the one to settle this. See ya." He said gruffly and turned to leave.

"That would be an incredibly foolish move." Celeste spoke in a warning tone compelling Jack to spin back around to face her.

"What'd you just say?!" He growled at her flattening his ears.

Celeste gazed calmly back at him, unfazed. "The entire dorm is in on this yes? So it's you against the entire dorm- do you really believe you can take them on all by yourself? Do you think they will fight fair as you do?"

Jack drew back slightly in shock and began to protest again but she interrupted him.

"You will not win a battle by charging in head first. You must strategize and plan your movements." Celeste said staring up intently at him.

Jack grew silent for a moment, his ears twisting with uncertainty. "... Fine. I'll hear you out, but I'm not committing to anything. If I don't like the sound of your scheme I'm out." He grumbled crossing his arms.

"Very well. Now if I may continue." Riddle said and proceeded to explain his plan to them.

"That's very clever Riddle, but will Cater be alright?" Celeste asked giving Cater a worried look.

"Don't worry about me hon, I'll be fine. Thanks though." Cater winked back at her.

"Yeah, that plan's actually not half bad dude." Ace said grinning at Riddle and Deuce nodded in agreement.

"Sounds like I got a lot of prep work before the big day." Cater said with a smile before glancing over at Jack. "So how about you Jack? Are you in or out?"

"There's nothing cowardly about it at least. I suppose we can work together this one time." He huffed after awkwardly clearing his throat.

"Cool beans. Let's all get back to our dorms for today. I know I'm about really to keel over." Ace groaned his shoulders slumping with exhaustion.

"Yes, you guys must be tired from chasing Ruggie. Thank you for helping me corner him by the way." Celeste said giving Ace and Deuce an appreciative look.

"You did most of it, Celeste. You caught up to him in no time flat." Deuce said looking guilty that he hadn't been to one to retrieve her necklace.

"Yeah, is that necklace valuable or somethin'? You were really bookin' it." Ace asked with an inquisitive glint in his eye.

"Well, yes. It's crystalized Moonbeam- a crystal from my world. Mother gave my brother and I each a matching necklace when we were children." Celeste said holding up the necklace so they could get a better look. The clear crystal glimmered in the sunlight and emitted a soft glow.

"How many cans of tuna do you think we can get for that?" Grim asked his eyes sparkling and she glared at him.

"None because we're not selling it." She huffed putting the necklace away.

It was after closing time at the Mostro Lounge and Azul was finishing tallying up the sales for that day. It had been a good day for him, Leona Kingscholar, the second born prince of the Sunset Savanna, had even come to him to make a deal- a first.

Perhaps the angel feather he had acquired had become his lucky charm. His eyes flickered over to it in its glass case. It still hadn't lost its soft iridescent gleam. His mind wandered to what he had discovered about angels through research.

" The angels were beings of light energy able to take on human-like forms. They worked alongside humans for thousands of years and were rumored to have given the first mages their magic. They resided in a realm just beyond Twisted Wonderland and could travel between the two as they pleased. Angels were known to have as many as six wings, the number of wings seemed to relate to the amount of power an angel had. A seven-winged eye known as a celestial seal was used to represent the highest-ranking angels, the seraphim. Angels tended to introduce themselves in relation to a specific star through which they granted wishes. Around a thousand years ago they seemed to have vanished from Twisted Wonderland altogether and now are widely regarded as extinct."

There hadn't been much information on angels for him to find. He had scoured the school's library in search of more information but came up empty. It seemed all the books that had contained information on them were missing. The one thing he knew for certain was that angels were very much still alive and in Twisted Wonderland.

Azul let out a sigh and rose out of his chair. Perhaps a nighttime stroll would do him good, he thought grabbing his cane and walking out into the empty lounge. In all honesty, he was hoping to get another glimpse of the angel, a least of her face. He wanted a face to the beautiful voice that now haunted his dreams at night.

He made his way back to the fountain in the courtyard, disappointed to find it empty. He couldn't say he was surprised, after all, it was doubtful that he'd ever see her again. A cold October wind blew through the courtyard, ruffling his silver hair.

There was a soft thud behind him as if something had landed on the ground. He turned and saw a small figure standing in the shadows of one of the apple trees.

"Azul Ashengrotto? What brings you here this time of night?" A soft voice questioned him as the figure stepped into the moonlight. It was Celeste, the girl from flight class. She wasn't wearing her uniform instead a long blue coat and knee-high boots. A black leather waist belt held a winged short sword in a decorative scabbard over her hip.

"I could ask you the same thing." Azul said raising an eyebrow at her as she walked over to him.

"I go on nightly strolls often, I have trouble sleeping you see, and being under the stars makes me feel at home." Celeste said with a slightly sad smile at she looked up at the night sky.

"So that's the case. I merely wanted some fresh air." Azul said adjusting his glasses.

"Ah yes, the brisk air is rather refreshing." Celeste nodded as a gentle breeze blew through her inky black hair.

"You said you often walk the campus at night. Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?" Azul asked her, wondering if she'd seen the angel as well. It was rather frustrating being the only one to have seen her. He hadn't told anyone, not even Jade or Floyd for fear they would poke fun at him for it. It was a rather difficult story to believe after all.

"No, I haven't. Why do you ask?" Celeste narrowed her sapphire-colored eyes and her demeanor became more guarded.

"You have a weapon on you. Perhaps you were expecting some sort of threat?" Azul glanced at the sword on her hip as he avoided telling her the real reason behind his question.

"Oh! Um,... it's a rather special type of sword from my homeland. Only I can use it so it has a sort of sentimental value to it. I find solace in having it at my side." Celeste appeared slightly uneasy now and he noticed she evaded actually answering his question about a threat.

"Oh? So it's a magic sword. To have a custom-made magical weapon like that... You must be quite well off." Azul murmured suddenly very interested in her. He noticed that her attire was well made and that she wore a glittering jewel in the shape of a star around her neck.

"That was in the past I'm afraid. Now I have very few things from my old life." Celeste watched him wearily as he broke out his best smile.

"Say, Celeste, would you be interested in a study guide for the upcoming exams? If you'd like, you could stop by the lounge tomorrow and we could... Make a deal?" He grinned as he put on the charm however Celeste seemed unmoved.

"Thank you but I have no interest in that sort of thing. True, Grim does drag down my grades but I don't intend to stay at this school for much longer. So the grade I make on the exam won't matter."

Azul's shoulders slumped. "How terribly disappointing... So you intend to leave? To where may I ask?"

"I suspect I'll be traveling to all sorts of places... It was never my intention to stay in one place for so long." Celeste said looking away.

"I see. Well if you change your mind, let me know. I'd be more than happy to make deal with you." Azul said and bid her farewell, heading back to his dorm.

A few days had passed since the encounter with Ruggie. As a result, Riddle and the rest of Heartslabyul were incredibly busy with both working on his plan and preparing for the Spelldrive tournament.

So it was a rather rare moment for Celeste to be alone without any of her Heartslabyul friends during school hours. Even Grim had gone off to PE ahead of her while she returned a library book.

The peaceful solitude was short-lived, however, as two tall boys suddenly fell into step next to her. They positioned themselves so close that their sleeves brushed against hers.

"Heya Angelfish! No school of Heartslybul fish today?" Floyd grinned as he saddled up next to her.

"Good morning Celeste. I trust you are doing well?" Jade spoke from her other side.

Celeste stopped and frowned at Floyd. "Angelfish? Why did you call me that?"

"Because you move and talk like one!" Floyd beamed at her and she relaxed.

"Floyd likes to give everyone nicknames of sea creatures." Jade clarified to her still smiling.

"Ah, I see. That's why you referred to Riddle as goldfish." Celeste said with a nod as she recalled their past encounter. "Oh is this about the other day? I assure you that it was a misunderstanding. We were investigating injuries related to the Spelldrive tournament and were concerned that you were potential targets."

"Aww! You were worried about little ol us?" Floyd exclaimed, throwing his arm across her shoulders which she promptly removed.

"So that's why you were watching us? My apologies for jumping to conclusions. You should have just said so. Instead, your friends dragged you away before we could get properly aquatinted." Jade's expression seemed downcast.

"My apologies, I never properly introduced myself did I? I'm Celeste, prefect of Ramshackle dorm." They probably already knew who she was but it was rather rude of her not to introduce herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Celeste. I'm Jade Leech and this is my brother Floyd." Jade motioned towards Floyd.

"Yeah yeah. All these introductions are borin' me. We're here because the boss wanted us to invite ya to the lounge." Floyd reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card and handed it to her.

"Ah yes, your Housewarden mentioned this Mostro Lounge. So it's a... Restaurant of sorts? And it's located in the Octavinelle dorm?" Celeste scanned the information on the card a bit confused. None of the other dorms she had seen had anything like the business that was described on the card.

"Yes, we serve food and drinks there. We also grant wishes to those in need... As long as they can pay the price." Jade's lips stretched into a sinister smile, revealing his sharp teeth.

"You should stop by soon! We can't wait to have ya over Angelfish, it'll be loads of fun!" Floyd said excitedly.

"Yes, well thank you for the invitation, I'll definitely keep it in mind." She said politely as she slipped the card into her pocket. "Now you must excuse me I must get to class."

"Take care... Angelfish." Jade and Floyd waved to her as she pulled away from them.

Celeste's eyes slowly opened and she sat up in her bed. She frowned in confusion when she saw that she was back in her room in the Celestial Realm.

Her silk sheets felt cool against her skin as she pulled herself out of her oversized bed and looked around bewildered.

Everything was as she had left it, the spacious room had a seating area next to some well-stocked bookshelves, a vanity area next to her jewelry box, and a golden room divider by her walk-in closet. The walls were dark blue with golden stars painted on them in constellation patterns.

A breeze blew in through the balcony, rustling the sheer canopy curtains on her bed. Had it really all been a dream? Saving the child, the fall, Night Raven College?

She stepped out onto the balcony and looked out over the horizon. She could see the palace stables and pastures for the pegasus that were used to pull carriages. Beyond that was the cloud sea. Dawn was just breaking, coloring the clouds a soft pink.

She glanced over at Uriel's balcony next to her own and called out to him. "Uriel! Are you awake? I just had the most vivid dream..." She waited for a response but there was none. Perhaps he was still asleep.

It had been such a long dream, it felt like she hadn't been home in months. Wanting to see her father she rushed out of her room, not bothering to change out of her nightgown. Zaphiel would scold her for not being dressed but she didn't care at the moment.

She ran down the long hallway, her footsteps echoing on the marble floor, and into the throne room. Her father and the attendants should have been up at this hour but she found the palace oddly empty.

"Seraphim Gabriel?" She called out her father's name as she entered the throne room. She slowed down seeing something was wrong.

"Father?" She eyed her father's figure, which was slumped forward slightly on his throne. Dread washed over her as she got closer reaching out to touch him. Her fingertips brushed against him and her father crumbled to ashes before her eyes. She let out a cry of horror as his magic staff shattered along with him.

Celeste sat bolt upright in bed, this time in Ramshackle. The rickety bed creaked as she gasped and looked around. It'd just been a nightmare.

She slumped forward with a sigh of relief. Grim was still asleep at the foot of the bed, sprawled out with his paws in the air.

There was a slight knock on the door and it creaked open as Jack slipped into her room. "Hey, Grim wake-" He froze when he saw her and abruptly spun around.

"Sorry! Ace said you didn't usually sleep in here so I thought it was just Grim!" He said hurriedly as she slipped out of bed still in her silk nightgown.

"I don't use the bed very often, no. Hold on I'll put on my robe." She said reaching for her matching dark blue old Hollywood robe, it was silk and lined with down feathers that swept the floor as she pulled it on. "It's alright you can look now."

Jack peeked back at her with a faint blush on his cheeks. Grim sat up still groggy and frowned at him. "What are you doing in our dorm anyway?" He grumbled rubbing his eyes.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm on my morning run. Today's the Spelldrive tournament and I wanted to make sure you didn't oversleep."

Grim's grogginess vanished. "That's right! Today's the big day!" He exclaimed, leaping off the bed.

"I appreciate the thoughtfulness... And the modesty. Though I don't think my nightgown is THAT revealing." Celeste let out a slight chuckle and Jack looked away embarrassed.

"I just didn't expect you to be in here is all. Besides, it's rude to barge into a ladies' room." He grumbled crossing his arms.

"Alright, I'll get dressed and meet you out at the tournament grounds. Until then take care." Celeste said while Jack made a hasty exit.

Grim left the room in search of food while she put on her school uniform. She paused when she saw Starfell poking slightly out of her bag. She had an odd feeling that she should take her sword with her. With a sigh, she reached over and attached it to her belt before walking out into the hall.

She and Grim went out to the side street that lead to the coliseum. It was unrecognizable, lined with all sorts of merchandise and food stalls. They were quickly joined by Ace and Deuce.

"Man I can't believe I didn't make the team after all that." Ace moaned looking wistfully at the stadium.

"Me neither..." Deuce's shoulders slumped with disappointment.

"There is always next year! And I'm sure you two will have gotten even better by then. Besides we still have important roles to play." Celeste reminded them, trying to cheer them up.

Deuce immediately perked up. "Yeah, you're right Celeste. We should focus on the task at hand."

"Yeah. Good point. Focused. That's us." Ace muttered begrudgingly before snatching Grim who was making a run for one of the food stalls.

"Eat later, we need to go!" Ace hissed dragging him with them as they made their way to their positions.

"What's with the sword Celeste?" Deuce asked as weaved their way through the crowded street. He eyed her sword with curiosity as he fell into step next to her.

"Oh, it's something from home. I brought it with me as a precaution... And if I'm being honest... I miss having it with me." Celeste admitted with a slightly embarrassed look.

It didn't take them long to reach their positions in the stands. From their viewpoint, they were able to get a good look at the playing field.

Crowley's voice sounded over the PA system as the tournament started. "Welcome, one and all, to the Night Raven College interdorm Spelldrive tournament! First up will be last year's champion. But can lightning really strike thrice? Give it up for the Reigning light... DIIIIAAASOOOMNIIIAA!"

The crowd roared as what appeared to be Diasomnia students taking the field. Celeste had to admit she was impressed with how convincing it was.

As the players took their places, a murmur rippled through the crowd as a large group of people suddenly leaped out of their seats. The civilians screamed in confusion and fear as they ran onto the field in one large group straight at the Diasomnia players. Crowley desperately tried to calm everyone over the PA but to no avail.

Celeste watched anxiously as the Diasomnia players scrambled to protect their supposed Housewarden only to get mowed down by the crowd. With one final glance at the disastrous scene, Celeste, Ace, and Deuce left to find Riddle and Cater for the next part of the plan.

They had to weave their way through the civilian's being evacuated from the stadium to reach the Savanaclaw dorm. They passed through the mirror and headed to the Spelldrive field where Cater and Riddle were waiting.

Hiding in the shadows of the bleachers, they watched as Ruggie and several other Savanaclaw students ran up to Leona, who was waiting at the edge of the field.

"Leona, I did it! Did you see the broadcast?" Ruggie panted as he halted in front of Leona.

Leona smirked and flicked his tail. "Yeah. That was nice work, Ruggie. So long Malleus. This year, the throne is mine."

Ruggie snickered as the rest of the Savanaclaw students cheered. At this Riddle stepped out of the shadows with everyone following behind him.

"I believe we've heard enough." Riddle said sternly causing Ruggie and Leona to whirl around.

Leona recovered from his surprise quickly and scoffed. "Well, well, if it isn't the Heartslabyul kids. And is that Jack? You transfer to Heartslabyul on us frosh?" Leona narrowed his eyes at Jack who boldly glared back at him.

"Nah. I just don't feel like celebrating the underhanded accomplishments of a bunch of cowards." Jack growled holding his ground.

Leona flattened his ears. "You filthy traitor!" He spat lashing his tail.

"You have tarnished a proud Night Raven tradition. As Housewarden of Heartslabyul, a dorm focused on orderliness, I cannot possibly overlook this." Riddle declared crossing his arms.

Leona snorted. "Listen kiddies- save the heroic speeches for someone who cares."

"Want us to take care of 'em, boss?" Mano stepped forward with an excited grin. His muscles rippled under his tattooed skin.

"Sure. Have a little fun with them." Leona smirked as the Savanaclaw students rushed them.

Mano blasted Deuce with a water spell and pulled Ace towards him with magic, his fist raised. "I've got you HOOKED!" He snarled menacingly, flashing his sharp teeth.

Celeste darted forward and hit Mano in the back of his head with her sheathed sword. He immediately let go of Ace, clutching his head as he turned to glare at her.

"Damn, you're stronger than you look..." He grumbled his dark eyes flashing with irritation as he started towards her. However, he was stopped when Riddle cast his signature spell, collaring him. The Savanaclaw students groaned and struggled against the collars as they realized they had underestimated Riddle.

Leona shook his head in disappointment. "I knew those chumps would be no match for Riddle."

Ruggie only laughed. "Maybe not! But this doesn't change the fact that they were too late to save Diasomnia!"

"Oh? That's quite an interesting claim." They all turned to see Lilia and two other Diasomnia students striding onto the field. Lilia had a wide smirk on his face as he came to stand next to Riddle.

"They seemed right on time to me." The Diasomnia student with slicked-back green hair and sharp green eyes said putting his hands on his hips.

The student with silver hair and lavender eyes nodded in agreement. "Indeed. It's thanks to them that not a single Diasomnia player got hurt."

Ruggie flattened his ears and took a step back. "What? How?! I saw you get swallowed by a stampede!"

Cater grinned and strode forward, waving at Ruggie. "Oh! About that... So it turns out those were actually duplicates of me, made with my signature split card spell."

"What?" Leona hissed in disbelief, his fur starting to bristle.

"Riddle told us everything. So we had him put on that little charade for us." Lilia smiled up at the lion beastman triumphantly.

"So then... Malleus?" Ruggie stammered going pale.

"Oh, he's in tip-top shape of course! He's been clearing up the chaos using his magic to guide people to safety. You can thank him later." The green-haired boy glared at Ruggie.

"H-how could this happen?!" Ruggie cried out in shock.

Leona sighed and shook his head. "... Whatever. I don't even care anymore. I'm done. It's over." He looked down at the ground seeming to lose interest.

Celeste gave him a surprised look. She hadn't expected him to just disregard all of his dorm's efforts like that. For him to stoop so low as to cause injury to other students and then say he didn't care...

"Boss, what are you saying?!" Ruggie cried out at his housewarden in dismay.

Leona gave him an annoyed look. "Are you payin' attention? If Malleus is able to take the field then we got no chance of winning. There's no point in even trying. I'm out."

"Y-you can't just...! Malleus might still be in the game, but we took out all the other dorm's best players, right? You're just going to abandon our dreams?" Ruggie looked at Leona in disbelief along with the other Savanaclaw students.

"For all the talk about the world watching this is still just school kids playin' a game. All you wide-eyed tenderfoots talkin' about your dreams... Pfft. The whole thing amused me so I threw you a bone. That's all this was." Leona said with a dismissive tone as he watched everyone coldly.

Ruggie seemed confused. "What do you mean? What happened to working together to turn the world upside down?"

Leona scowled at him. "Are you seriously still goin' on about that? All right fine. You want to hear the truth? You're a hyena who grew up in a dump, and I'm a second-born prince who won't ever be king. And there is NO turning that around!" Leona spat at him baring his fangs.

"What? You've gotta be kidding me! You can't just quit after we've come so far!" Ruggie screamed back at him and the Savanaclaw students also started to protest.

"You're gonna play, even if we gotta drag you out there kicking and screaming!" Mano snarled baring his sharp teeth at Leona.

Leona let out a roar of anger and lashed his tail. "I'm sick of this! Shut up, you nobodies!"

The Savanaclaw students near him suddenly doubled over in pain, including Ruggie. Celeste noticed the air around them had suddenly grown incredibly dry, sucking every last drop of moisture out of her skin. The grass beneath Leona's feet started to turn to sand, spreading slowly outward.

"This is my signature spell, the King's Roar. Ironic ain't it? Nothin' the savanna hates more than a drought. Yet its prince's magic desiccates everything- reduces it to sand." Leona growled clenching his fist as he glowered at them.

Ruggie groaned next to him his skin starting to crack. Mano screamed in pain, the spell seeming to affect him more than the other students. Sabu crawled over to him and tried to pull him further away from Leona.

"Boss snap out of it! Mano's a Merman! If you keep this up you'll kill him!" Sabu shouted his fluffy grey ears flat against his head. Leona didn't even cast him a glance as he continued drying out the area around him.

"Your spell can legit dry out a HUMAN BEING?!" Ace cried out horrified as he watched the student's skin crack.

"Leona I cannot allow this to continue! Off with your head!" Riddle yelled only for his collar to bounce off Leona's neck. Riddle watched in dismay as Leona sneered at him.

"Maybe you're some kind of prodigy, kid but don't go thinkin' your smarter than your elders."

"Leona Kingscholar that is ENOUGH!" Celeste shouted her voice carrying across the field as she moved towards him.

"Celeste are you crazy?!" Ace shouted at her as she fearlessly moved forward.

"How could you? This is not how a leader behaves! Leaders protect their people! As a prince, you should have been taught that!" Celeste cried, her tears evaporating off her cheeks as she stood before him.

Leona flattened his ears. "You sure act high and mighty for a nobody. Who are you to criticize me? I'll turn you into sand." He growled at her narrowing his emerald green eyes.

Celeste knew that his signature spell most likely wouldn't kill her however it could potentially cause her corporeal body to turn to sand. Rematerializing would take time and expose her true nature. She clenched her teeth in frustration as she came to a stop.

"Unleash the Beast!" Jack shouted and transformed into a large white wolf. He charged past her and knocked Leona off his feet and breaking his concentration on the spell.

Riddle took advantage of this and quickly collared Leona who was momentarily stunned. Leona growled and pulled at the collar as Ruggie and the Savanaclaw students coughed violently as they tried to recover.

"He let go of Ruggie! This way quickly!" Deuce said as he ran over and pulled Ruggie away from Leona. Jack transformed back into his human form and looked down at Leona disapprovingly.

"Sebek, let's get the wounded to safety." The silver-headed boy said to his dorm mate.

"Don't presume to order me around Silver!" Sebek barked back at him but complied anyway. He and Silver ran over to Mano, who was in the worse condition, and pulled him to his feet.

"No... NO! You can't collar a lion!" Leona screamed in frustration as his dorm was taken to safety.

His eyes fell on Jack. "Jack! How did you... Transformation potions are forbidden! Where did you get that?"

Jack shook his head. "I didn't use a potion. That's my signature spell." He took a breath and glared down at Leona. "Housewarden Leona, I want you to know... I only came to this school because of how much I admired you! What happened to the man you used to be?

Leona looked away frowning. "Shut up... Your dreams have nothin' to do with me." He grumbled, grimacing.

"I understand the irony of me being the one to say it, but it pains me to see you like this. You'd be wise to confine yourself to your room and try to calm down." Riddle spoke with a concerned look on his face.

"What do you know about how I feel?!" Leona spat back at him, his tail lashing wildly behind him.

"What Celeste said earlier was correct. If you ask me that collar suits you better than a crown ever could." Lilia said coldly as he walked over to stand next to her.

"...Huh?!" Leona snarled as he scowled at Lilia.

"You bemoan the fact that you're not next in line to be king yet you seem to have no concept of what being a king is really about. With that sensitive ego of yours that so quickly directs all your petty anger at your retainers... Well, the idea of you ever contending with a REAL king like our Malleus- is absolutely laughable. You'd never be fit to rule." Lilia scoffed at him waving his hand harshly to make his point. Celeste glanced over at him as he glared at Leona and she couldn't help but agree with him.

She didn't quite understand Leona's obsession with becoming king. Her father who ruled over Eden had always seemed terribly burdened with responsibility. Constantly having to make sacrifices to keep his people happy and safe. In the end, both she and her brother were glad that the system didn't operate on succession.

Leona threw back his head and started laughing, startling everyone. "Yeah, you're probably right. No, you're EXACTLY right...! I will never become king. No matter how hard I try!"

A heavy oppressive feeling filled the air as negative energy crackled around Leona. Grim crouched by her legs his fur standing on end.

"His magic power is surging... I don't think my collar can hold it!" Riddle cried backing away as black ooze started falling from Leona's eyes and nose.

"He's starting to blot!" Celeste shouted exchanging a glance with Lilia as they both backed away. Riddle's collar broke and fell from Leona's neck as he glowered at everyone.

"I've been loathed since the day I was born. I've never had a place, never had a future! None of my hard work was ever rewarded! How could any of YOU possibly understand? MY disappointment?! MY pain?!" Leona screamed at them, letting out a roar as the blott overtook him. His appearance started to distort and the blott pooled around him as it started to form a phantom behind him.

"What's happening? What's that shadow coming out of him?!" Jack shouted flattening his ears as his fur stood on end.

"That the incarnation of his blott!" Deuce cried as everyone watched in horror. A wind kicked up and dark clouds seemed to form in the sky casting the field into shadow.

"If you can move take shelter! Ace, Deuce help me take the wounded outside! Lilia, please get help from the faculty!" Riddle shouted as Leona's magic went haywire sending clods of dirt and rocks flying everywhere.

Everyone scrambled and did as Riddle ordered however Ace and Deuce paused to look at her. They seemed to be remembering how the blot burned her skin.

"Don't worry about me! I can handle myself! After all, I have Starfell with me today!" Celeste said patting her sword and smiling at them as she dodged some rocks flying her way. Ace and Deuce nodded and ran to help the remaining injured Savanaclaw students.

"Why does this keep happening to us? This is sooo not my brand." Cater said looking at Leona apprehensively.

"I dunno what's going on but if we hit Leona hard enough will it snap him out of it?" Jack said dodging a rather large rock.

"Yes! Aim for the phantom behind him! It must be destroyed as quickly as possible!" Celeste said shielding her eyes from the dust that was being kicked up.

"I... I'll help too. There's no way I'm taking what he said lying down!" Ruggie coughed as dust blew into his face.

"So even the lowly hyena turns against me?" Leona growled his eyes flashing in the dim light of the dusty field. He now had a black mane around his neck and his clothes had become tattered as the blott swirled around him.

"Celeste, are you sure about staying? You don't have any magic to fight him." Riddle gave her an anxious look however she smiled back at him confidently.

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. So please don't concern yourself with me." Celeste reassured him, unsheathing her sword. With her sword, she was feeling considerably more confident this time around.

As she drew her sword, the blade ignited into a white flame. Ace and Deuce returned in time to gawk at the flaming sword in her hand.

"YOU HAVE A MAGIC SWORD?!" Ace shouted over the ongoing battle. Ruggie and Jack were blasting Leona with fire and wind magic but he was nimbly dodging them. Cater was shielding Riddle with wind magic while Riddle cast fire spells.

Celeste ignored him and rushed towards Leona, aiming for the phantom behind him. However, as she started moving in his direction he spotted her forcing her to skid to a halt.

The phantom seemed to pull him in her direction. His green gaze locked onto her. "That light...such power... GIVE IT TO ME!" He roared and lunged forward at an alarming pace.

"Celeste! Look out!" Riddle screamed as Leona bored down on her.

Fortunately, due to her unnatural speed, she was able to dodge him. In a blink of an eye, she was already behind him. She slashed her sword straight through the phantom, the white flame burning through the blott. The phantom immediately dissolved and Leona collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

Celeste watched Leona fall to the ground as everyone stared at her wide-eyed. She looked down at Leona lying in a pool of blot, as a dark memory flashed before her eyes.

-50 years ago-

"Seraphim Gabriel, phantoms have been spotted by the gorge in the valley of plenty." Zaphiel stated his report to her father, his expression grim. He wore a long dark blue overcoat with silver trimming, his rapier hung from his belt that wrapped around his white suit.

Her father shared his grim expression, his blue gaze sweeping over to her mother standing next to him. "They've never gotten this close to the palace before..."

"I'll alert the other archangels right away. Celeste and I will take our squadrons out there to take care of them." Her mother said starting to pull back her wavy white hair into a braid for battle. Her green eyes flickered over to Celeste who nodded and started doing the same with her hair.

"Alright, Seraphina I'll leave this to you and Celeste. But just in case... Take Belphron and Albus with you." Her father's anxious gaze swept over them as he moved across the throne room, his white gold-lined cape brushing the floor behind him. Belphron and Albus were her and her mother's steeds that were trained to protect them in battle.

"Father, don't you think you're being a little overprotective?" Celeste sighed as Zaphiel helped her with her armor.

"Your father only wants to protect you. You don't technically have to fight with the archangels Celeste, you're a virtue remember?" Zaphiel quipped, a roundabout way of saying he didn't approve of her decision to fight alongside the archangels with her mother. Her mother's rank as an angel was lower than hers, even though she was married to the seraphim, it didn't change her assigned rank.

"Yes I'm a virtue but I'm also the daughter of the Seraphim of Eden. I wish to protect the angels of Eden, regardless of rank." Celeste said and just for a second, she thought she saw a glimmer of pride in her father's eyes.

10 minutes later she and her mother mounted their steeds and flew to the gorge. Belphron, her large black pegasus, seemed to be able to sense the growing negative energy as they neared the location. Albus, her mother's white alicorn, seemed slightly unnerved as well.

They reached the edge of the gorge and were greeted with a horrifying sight. There were well over 50 phantoms congregated there, black ooze was sapping the life out of all the plants turning the cliffside brown.

"This is far too many for us to handle. We'll have to go back and request b-" Her mother started to say but suddenly a phantom shot up into the air like a black wave and crashed into Belphron.

Belphron screamed and tried to adjust himself but Celeste was knocked off his back. Celeste tried desperately to unsheath her sword and unfurl her wings but the distance to the ground was too short. She crashed into the side of the cliff and everything went black.

When she opened her eyes all she could see was darkness. Fear coursed through her as she struggled to remember what had happened. She reached out and felt the familiar softness of Belphron's feathers. At her touch, Belphron lifted the wing he'd draped over her and pulled himself to his feet.

Celeste groaned and clutched her battle helm as she staggered to her feet. Quite some time had passed since she'd been knocked out as night had fallen. She cast a light spell to illuminate her surroundings.

She had apparently fallen off the side of the cliff after she crashed at the top of the gorge. She looked up but couldn't hear any sounds of battle. She saw that Belphron had several injuries on his legs and flank but none seemed life-threatening. The ground around them was covered in pools of blot.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" She called out after a moment but was only answered by a dreadful silence. She began moving forward and her stomach dropped. All around her were archangels, their bodies ashen. Feathers were strewn about everywhere, and she started hyperventilating.

"Mom? MOM?!" She screamed out her voice echoing off the sides of the gorge as she searched frantically through the bodies of her fallen comrades, the slightest touch turning their bodies to ash.

She finally spotted Albus and ran towards him, Belphron limping along behind her. Tears poured down her cheeks as she saw him motionless on his side, his horn shattered. Her eyes fell on the figure lying next to him and she let out a wail as she recognized her mother.

She fell to her knees, sobbing. "I'm so sorry... This is my fault... If I hadn't fallen." She choked as a cold rain started to fall. She lifted her wings and held them over her mother.

"Don't worry mother I'll make sure you stay in one piece." She choked shielding her mother's body from the rain.

-end of flashback-

"Hey, Celeste are you ok?" Deuce was peering over at her, his blue eyes filled with worry.

Celeste blinked as she returned to the present. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm fine." She said sheathing her sword. She felt a slight dampness on her cheeks and realized a tear had escaped.

She quickly wiped it away and went over to where Riddle kneeling over an unconscious Leona.

"Will he be alright?" She asked and Riddle nodded, rising to his feet.

"We were able to overpower him relatively quickly thanks to you, so I think he'll be fine." Riddle said just as Lilia returned with Crowley.

"Oh, I see that you've already handled the situation. My that a relief." The headmage sighed as he looked down at Leona.

Riddle nodded at the Headmaster as he approach them.

"Please excuse me for a moment. I need to check on the others who were injured." He announced, satisfied that the situation was under control before striding off the field.

Lilia raised an eyebrow. "I have to say I'm impressed you subdued him so quickly. He's quite a powerful mage. I was expecting to see a full-on battle when I returned with the headmaster."

"Thanks to Celeste it was over pretty fast." Jack said glancing at her questioningly. "Where'd you learn to fight like that? You certainly don't look the type."

Celeste thought carefully for a minute before answering. "I trained hard to fight alongside my mother who was a commander in the army, even though I was not required to do so."

"Wow Celeste, so you came from a military family?" Cater said looking surprised.

"Well, not exactly. My father... Holds a powerful position in Eden. So I suppose I also wanted to prove myself to be worthy of the title I was born into." Celeste admitted looking down at the ground, her gaze once again falling on Leona.

"Don't tell me... You're an ACTUAL princess?!" Ruggie said flattening his ears, remembering calling her that earlier.

"Princess isn't really the correct term for it... Our government doesn't operate by succession but it's not unusual for me and my brother to be referred to as a prince and princess." She explained to them and everyone looked at her speechless. Due to the long lifespan of angels, they held their positions for thousands of years, which was why the seraphims family was treated as royalty.

Grim was the first to break the silence. "So that snazzy crown in yer bag at home is REAL?! You've been holding out on me!"

"Wh-! You went through my things?!" Celeste shouted, her voice shooting up an octave in outrage.

"Well I mean yeah, you were gone all night being all mysterious an' stuff and I got bored." He huffed defensively crossing his arms.

Celeste was about to scold him again however Leona let out a groan reaching for his head. "Pipe down my head's poundin'." He moaned sitting up clutching his head.

"Leona... Take it easy, you were unconscious for quite a while. You overblotted. Do you remember anything?" Celeste said softly, kneeling down next to him and his eyes widened.

"Wait, ME...?! I overblotted? No way..." Leona looked shaken as he gazed at the torn-up Spelldrive field around him.

"Celeste! Don't start being nice to him, make him confess! The Spelldrive tournament is about to begin and the headmaster promised I could play if we caught the culprit!" Grim demanded waving his paws about frantically.

Leona's ear twitched. "Heh. If this is a joke I ain't laughing." He growled.

"The headmage got Celeste and Grim to investigate the accidents in exchange for letting them compete in the tournament." Jack explained to him and Ruggie gawked at him.

"Whaaaat? THAT'S what this has been all about?" He cried out in disbelief, his eyes darting between her and Grim.

"He also agreed to fix the holes in the walls at Ramshackle. Isn't that right headmage?" Celeste cast him a stern look and he jumped slightly.

"Ah yes! Of course!" He said quickly with a nod before turning to Leona. "Are they correct? Were you responsible for the injuries sustained by the competing players?"

"...Yeah. That was me." Leona sighed heavily, running his hand through his messy brown hair that had become tangled in the battle.

"Very well. Then Savanaclaw house will be disqualified from this year's tournament. The rest of your punishment will be decided after I discuss it with the victims. Are we clear?" Crowley crossed his arms and gave Leona a stern look.

"... Understood." Leona said looking away. Ruggie and Jack both let out sighs of disappointment.

"Wait a moment, headmage." Riddle called out and they turned to see that he had returned with Trey, Jamil, Harry, and Nameer.

"Mr. Rosehearts? And I see you're with...ah." Crowley trailed off seeing who was with him.

"Correct. I've brought the victims with me." Riddle nodded and glanced at Trey who stepped forward.

"Headmage, speaking on behalf of the victims, I have a request for you. We would like you to permit Savanaclaw house to play in the tournament despite their crimes." Trey said with a serious expression.

"What...? Are you saying you... wish to forgive their crimes?" Crowley gasped in complete disbelief. Everyone exchanged stunned looks however the victims scowled at Crowley's words.

"No. That's the last thing we want." Jamil spoke up scowling at Leona and Ruggie.

"If Savanaclaw is disqualified from the tournament, we'll lose our chance at revenge." Trey said with a mischievous smirk.

"Wh-what?" Ruggie stammered shocked at their motive. "Revenge?!" Jack gasped just as flabbergasted as Ruggie.

"After all, fighting with magic is forbidden on campus." Riddle reminded them, crossing his arms.

"But during a Spelldrive game, it's all in the name of sport right?" Trey's grin grew wider, his hazel eyes glittered excitedly behind his glasses.

"Yeah if we lose our chance at revenge it'll hang over us all year." Harry said scowling at Ruggie.

"You're going to pay dearly for burning my hands. They could've scarred." Nameer growled lashing his tail and flattening his ears as he stared down Ruggie and Leona.

"Plus, I dunno what happened here, but it looks like it left the Savanaclaw kids in even worse shape than us." Jamil smirked at Leona who was still sitting on the ground.

"Normally I would demand their heads. But if Trey and the others insist on settling their grudges on the field... I'm willing to overlook their disregard for the rules this once." Riddle said casting a cold glance at the Savanaclaw students.

Crowley nodded. "I understand stand where you're coming from. However, the question is: Are they even capable of taking the field? Mr. Kingscholar has only just regained consciousness!" He turned and gave them a doubtful look.

Leona however let out a laugh. "Don't you underestimate me, Crowley. I wouldn't even need to be awake to handle this sorry pack of herbivores."

"Don't go grouping me in with them! The audacity!" Nameer hissed at him offended. He flicked his tail disdainfully as he glared down at the lion beastman.

"I got no intention of bowin to anyone. If you want your apology come and take it." Leona smirked goading him further.

"Dear me, aren't I the fool for thinking you all wanted to talk about your feelings?" Crowley shook his head and sighed before continuing. "Your petition is granted. Savanaclaw will be allowed to participate in the tournament as originally planned."

Jack and Ruggie exchanged joyful looks as Leona pulled himself to his feet. He grunted flinching in pain as he stood up.

"Leona, here have this. This will help you recover faster." Celeste reached into her pocket and pulled out the other half of the chocolate bar that she had been saving.

"...huh? It looks like an ordinary chocolate bar to me." He frowned eyeing the chocolate in her hands skeptically.

"It's medicine. The chocolate actually hides the taste. It removes residual negative energy and heals any damage that's been done. It's from my homeland." Celeste explained as Leona wavered for a moment before taking it from her.

"Fine." He grumbled before mumbling, "Thanks." He quickly stuffed it in his mouth as Ruggie walked up to him with a scowl on his face.

"Don't think you've earned my forgiveness." Ruggie glared up at Leona who let out a sigh.

"Right, and?" Leona huffed looking away.

Ruggie sighed his expression softening a little. "Still... I couldn't stand seeing that pathetic look on your face. That smug, sneering grin of yours suits you better. So come on laugh with me!" Ruggie cast his signature spell, forcing Leona to smile.

"Owww! Ruggie what are you doin'?" Leona tried to talk around the broad smile plastered on his face.

Ruggie let out a laugh. "I can't tell you how long I've wanted to do this!"

"Knock it off! Now!" Leona hissed still mirroring all of Ruggie's movements.

Jack shook his head a smile forming on his lips. "You guys are a bunch of idiots..." He let out a laugh as he watched Leona and Ruggie.

"Everything is going to be alright now." Celeste said watching them with an amused expression.

"I have you to thank for this. I owe you one." Jack said turning to look at her. After a moment he hesitantly asked, "... Was all that stuff about you being a princess true?"

"I have no reason to lie about it. However, that is in the past now so please don't treat me any differently than you already are." Celeste smiled up at him and he nodded.

"I don't understand. Did I miss something?" Riddle gave her a confused look after overhearing their exchange.

"Oh man, you totally missed out on some mad Celeste lore. I'll tell you about it later!" Cater said grinning as he gave her a wink.

"Hey, headmage what about my reward you promised?!" Grim glared up at Crowley who was getting ready to leave.

"Oh... Um oh, dear. I'm afraid it's far too late. The tournament brackets have already been announced. What to do...?" He glanced nervously at Celeste sensing her frown.

"Headmage does it have to be part of the tournament officially? Could we make it a sort of warm-up match?" Celeste suggested seeing that Crowley was drawing a blank.

Crowley's head snapped up at her suggestion. "Ah! Yes! That's a brilliant idea, Celeste. However, we will need to work out the other players for your team and an opposing team as well..."

Ace and Deuce both perked up at hearing this and made their way over next to Celeste. "If you need teammates we could help you out." Deuce spoke up looking eager.

"What are you doing? You're members of Heartslabyul!" Riddle frowned at them.

"There's no rule sayin' we can't play for another dorms team." Ace said with a shrug and Trey let out a chuckle.

"He's right! I guess no one thought that would ever happen so no one ever wrote it down." He chuckled.

"I didn't do all that to sit back and cheer for you guys. If I'm getting the chance I wanna play!" Ace said with a grin.

"I'm not like him Celeste! I just want to help you out!" Deuce gave her an earnest look, not wanting her to get the wrong idea.

"Thank you I appreciate it. Both of you... Even if you're doing it for yourself." Celeste said eyeing Ace who tried his best to look indifferent.

"If you need someone to play against, Savanaclaw will be happy to help." Jack announced earning annoyed looks from Leona and Ruggie.

"Jack? Are you sure?" Celeste raised an eyebrow at him. She was surprised he'd offered the assistance of his entire dorm and even more surprised that Leona hadn't stopped him.

Jack nodded. "Of course. We'll give you a good game. After all, we owe you one. You guys don't have a problem with it right?" Jack glanced back at Ruggie and Leona.

Ruggie let out a sigh. "... Yeah sure. What's one more game when we're already on the brink of exhaustion? You're a monster, Jack."

Leona let out a snort. "I don't even care anymore. Come on and take your best shot, herbivores. It may be a warmup match but we won't be playing around here. You better be ready for us."

Crowley let out a sigh of relief. "Ah, splendid. You only need three more members for your team."

Grim let out a frustrated hiss while Celeste thought for a moment. "Oh! Why don't we ask the other members of Ramshackle?" She said after a moment and Grim frowned at her.

"What? There's only us two!" Grim huffed but she shook her head.

"There's no rule against ghosts playing is there?" She smiled and Grim perked up.

"That's right! One of them said he used to be a real good player!" Grim exclaimed hopping up and down with excitement.

"Alright now that everything's decided hurry off to the tournament site." Crowley announced and everyone turned to leave.

Jack paused and smiled down at her. "C'mon Celeste." He said his eyes were filled with warmth as he motioned for Celeste to go ahead of him.

Thirty minutes later, they were all in position on the field. The murmurs of the crowd filled the air as the starting whistle blew announcing the start of the game.

Having no magic, there wasn't much Celeste could do. Halfway through the game she was starting to feel like a dead weight. The Savanaclaw students weren't even bothering to try and hit her with their spells and were ignoring her completely. She saw the disk flying towards their goal and decided she'd had enough. She darted forward and caught the metal disk with one hand earning a loud gasp from the spectators. The Savanaclaw players gave her stunned looks as she in almost the same moment, hurled the disk across the field and through the goal, actually scoring their first point.

There was a roar from the crowd as the Savanaclaw students gawked at her. She noticed Leona narrowed his eyes at her from across the field as they regrouped.

As the next play started she noticed someone in the stands that looked familiar. She frowned and squinted as she watched the man with sky-blue hair and tan skin make his way through the stands as if he was searching for someone. He turned and his green eyes meet hers.

"Zaphiel?" She said incredulously her blue eyes wide. She was so distracted that she didn't hear the warning shouts of her teammates until it was too late. She veered around only to be smacked directly in the forehead by the Spelldrive disk, knocking her off her feet.

She could hear he teammates running towards her as she clutched her head, squinting in pain. However, before they could reach her someone was already helping her to her feet. "Wow, Celeste, that hit you so hard I felt it."

Celeste blinked as she turned to see Uriel standing next to her with a grin on his face. He was wearing a white medic uniform with a cap tilted slightly so it obscured his face. He raised his hand signaling to her teammates that she was alright. "Don't worry! I'll take her to the infirmary!" He called out to them as they gave her concerned looks.

Uriel walked with her off the field, stopping when they were out of sight. He gave her a sheepish look. "So now... Could you tell me where the infirmary is?"

She chuckled and lead him to the campus infirmary. It was empty since the tournament had just barely started.

"Uriel, what are you doing here?" She asked as she sat down on one of the empty beds.

"I haven't seen you in a while and I had a bad feeling. Like you were in danger." Uriel frowned as he looked her over, despite not having any actual medic experience.

"That must have been because Leona overblotted. But it's all over now, really there's no reason to come running to my rescue." Celeste tried to reassure him but he grimaced slightly.

"I know you can take care of yourself it's just... It's difficult without you at home. We're all worried about you. Father's been pushing petitions to the elders to revoke your sentence but you know how long that takes..." Uriel trailed off, looking uncharacteristically stressed.

Celeste looked away feeling guilty. "...Uriel was that Zaphiel I saw earlier?" She asked after a heavy pause.

Uriel let out a light laugh. "Probably. He insisted on coming with me this time. I ditched him at the food stands so he's probably still out looking for me." He chuckled.

"We've always given him a hard time haven't we?" She chuckled, recalling all the times when they'd given him the slip as children. Uriel laughed and nodded his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of vials of medicine. He set them on the table next to her.

"Here you should take some... I know the hit on the head probably didn't do much but if you've been fighting overblotted mages it couldn't hurt." He said with a concern returning to his gaze.

"Now that really is overdoing it." She huffed but took one of the vials anyway. "And it's not even mixed with anything. It's the pure potion." She groaned dreading the taste.

"Sorry, it was all I could grab at the moment." Uriel shrugged and she closed her eyes and downed the golden liquid in one go, shuttering at the bitter taste. She felt the potion spread through her, causing a warming sensation.

"By the way, where did you get that outfit?" Celeste eyed his white medic uniform curiously.

"Oh! This is actually one of my magic tools!" Uriel grinned and pointed to a brooch pinned to his pocket. It was a clear stone filled with a rainbow of different colored fragments. "I'm calling it the camouflage pin. It changes my outfit to match to situation. Here watch." He tapped it and the stone flashed before his clothes changed into the Night Raven College uniform.

"Oh, that's new! When did you make that?" Celeste asked but before he could answer Ace, Deuce, and Grim came running into the infirmary.

"Celeste! Are you all right?!" Deuce called out stopping when he saw Uriel.

"I'm alright. It was just a bump on the head." Celeste reassured them. Grim hopped up onto the bed inspecting her forehead.

"I'm sorry Celeste! I didn't mean to hit ya!" He apologized his blue eyes wide.

"...Wow you already got a pet here?" Uriel leaned forward looking at Grim curiously.

Grim whipped around and glared at him. "I ain't no pet! I'm a powerful mage! Who are you anyway?" He huffed puffing out his chest.

"Relax Grim. He was just making sure I'm ok." Celeste said glancing at Uriel.

"Your friend is fine. She just needs some rest, so I'll be on my way." Uriel turned to leave giving her one last concerned look before slipping out the door.

Ace, Deuce, and Grim left after she told them to go finish watching the game. The potion, being in its pure form, made her sleepy and she found her eyes drifting shut as she fell into a deep sleep.

When she opened her eyes again it was dark outside. She sat up in her bed and saw that the infirmary was now full of students, many of them Savanaclaw.

"Oh hey, Celeste is awake!" Grim stood up on the edge of her bed where he'd been curled up.

Ace and Deuce got up from their chairs and walked over to her bedside. "Did ya have a nice nap? You were out for ages." Ace said with a smirk. Both he and Deuce appeared to be uninjured.

"That medicine he gave me... Made me drowsy. Why are you all here? You don't appear to be hurt." Celeste said with a small yawn as she stretched.

"W-well, um... You took that hit to the head and you slept for so long after... We just wanted to make sure you were ok." Deuce mumbled his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"Yeah, I was kinda weird seeing you sleeping so much... You slept through the entire tournament." Ace said rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I did? Who won?" Celeste asked her eyes wide.

"The grand champion was Diasomnia house." Leona sighed from the bed next to hers.

"In the end, there was nothing we could do... It certainly didn't help that we took a beating from every other dorm on the way to the finals." Ruggie said from his bed on Leona's other side.

"I'd heard rumors, but man, seeing Diasomnia's Housewarden in action... That dude does NOT mess around." Ace said his crimson eyes wide.

"Yeah, he was incredible. You wouldn't have believed it Celeste." Deuce added with a nod.

"I have to say that point you scored was pretty impressive Celeste. I bet you'd be a formidable player if you're magic wasn't sealed." Jack said from his chair, his ears twitching. Out of all the Savanaclaw students, he was in the best shape with only a few scrapes and bruises.

Celeste chuckled. "Why thank you, Jack. We happen to have a similar game to Spelldrive in my world so that's probably why.

"Hmph. I'll admit you caught us off guard. It won't happen again." Leona huffed though, in the dimly lit room, she could make out a slight smirk on his face.

"Oh? You think so?" Celeste smiled cryptically and Leona snorted unfazed.

Just then a small boy ran into the infirmary, waving his hands in excitement as he darted over to Leona's bed. "Unca! There you are! I finally found you!" He cried out jumping into Leona's bed.

"Unca Leona!" The boy was a lion beastman with tan skin and bright orange hair. Leona groaned as the small boy clamored on top of him.

"Unca Leona?" Jack asked confused as the boy sat on Leona's chest.

"This furball's my brother's son, Cheka. You know... My nephew." Leona grimaced and everyone gasped.

"So he's next in line for the throne?" Ruggie said gawking at the small boy riding Leona like a horse.

"I saw you play, Unca! You were so cool! Next time I visit teach me how to play!" Cheka bounced excitedly.

"Fine. Fine. Just stop screamin' in my ear." Leona groaned flattening his ears. "Where're all your attendants? They gotta be tearin' their hair out lookin' for you!"

"I couldn't wait to see you, Unca, so I left them all behind!" Cheka said with a mischievous smile.

"Aww, Leona he looks up to you." Celeste said earning a glare from the exhausted lion man.

"Attendants can be rather dull. I'm afraid my brother and I gave ours hard time as well." Celeste chuckled and Cheka turned to her tilting his head curiously.

"Who are you? Are you a princess?" He asked her his brown eyes wide.

"I was once upon a time. Now go easy on your uncle now. He's had a rough day, he needs rest." Celeste said getting out of her bed and walking towards him.

"Is that true Unca? Are you gonna be ok?" Cheka turned back to Leona who let out another groan.

"Yes! I'll be fine if you get off." He grumbled and Cheka slid off him onto the floor.

"I'm sure he'll want to talk to you later." Celeste comforted the slightly downcast Cheka.

"You said you're a princess right? Of what kingdom? Are you gonna marry Unca Leona?" Cheka turned his attention to her and started bombarding her with questions, the last of which caused Leona to choke on air.

"Oh no! I'm not going to marry anyone!" Celeste said quickly throwing her hands up. "H-how about this! I'll sing you a song until your attendants come and get you how does that sound?!" Celeste tried to distract him away from herself.

Cheka seemed to perk up at this. "Ok! I like songs!"

"What? A song?" Jack frowned skeptical of her methods

"Celeste is actually a really good singer. You're all in for a treat." Ace said with a shrug.

Celeste felt everyone's eyes on her as she cleared her throat.

"Look at this stuff isn't it neat?

Wouldn't you think my collections complete?

Wouldn't you think I'm the girl, the girl who got everything?

I've got gems and jewels a plenty

Diamonds and sapphires galore

You want gold coins? I've got many

But who cares? I want more"

Singing Celeste made her way over to the window, the moonlight highlighting her silhouette.

"I wanna be where the people are

I wanna see, wanna see them dancin'

Down where they walk, down where they run

Down where they spend all day in the sun

Wandering free- wish I could be

Part of that world

What would I give if I could live out of these skies?

What would I pay to lay in the grass?

When's it my turn?

Wouldn't I love, love to explore that world down below?

Out of the skies... Wish I could be... Part of that world."

Celeste finished her song and Cheka clapped happily. Celeste was glad he enjoyed it, she distinctly remembered singing it as a little girl. She had so badly wanted to to the human world.

As if on cue, Cheka's attendant's arrived and escorted him away much to Leona's relief.

"I don't get it, Celeste, if you had all that stuff why'd you want to see a bunch of regular people doing boring stuff?" Grim asked after they'd gone.

"Because I wanted to help them. I wanted to make something of myself. I suppose in the end I got my wish- just not the way I wanted." Celeste said after a moment and everyone grew quiet.

"Celeste... So you helped a commoner and that's why they sent you here and sealed your magic?" Deuce asked trying to piece everything together.

"Ah, something like that." Celeste said feeling the familiar twinge of guilt at not being able to be honest with her friends.

"What?! THAT'S why you're here?!" Jack said aghast flattening his ears as be looked at her.

"It's getting late now. I think we should all head back to our dorms don't you?" Celeste said once again changing the subject.

Ace, Deuce, and Jack glanced at each other before begrudgingly heading out the door, leaving those who were injured in the infirmary. Celeste stayed behind as well, walking over to Leona.

"May I speak with you for a moment?" She asked standing at his bedside.

"Do I have a choice?" He grumbled and she took that as a yes.

"... You're closer to being a king than you realize Leona." Celeste said softly and Leona stiffened.

"Being king is leading your people through hard times and making tough decisions for them. That's what my father always taught me. Your dorm sees you as their king and I'm sure where ever you go your kingdom will follow, as loyal as they are." She continued but Leona stayed silent and she wondered if she'd said too much.

"My apologies. I shouldn't have brought it up. I'll take my leave." She turned to leave but was still able to hear Leona whisper "Thanks." As she left the infirmary.