CHAPTER 22: I WON'T SAY I'M IN LOVE

Today really was a pain in the neck for everyone involved, wasn't it?

Ace was forced to stay inside his bland Styx containment room—really, it was more like a prison to punish him for invading the Isle of Woe. Meals were brought to him at regular intervals, Ortho connected some videogames to his monitor so he could entertain himself, and there was even a bathroom attached. But there was no way he could relax. Between the multiple questionings of how his group arrived and his own experiences with facing overblotted mages, Ace was feeling harassed by the staff. He could only imagine how cooped-up Deuce and Epel must feel too (Rook was probably all zen about it).

Then he could finally sleep at night, only to get that weird dream about the God of Death. And then Ortho announced some weird 'end of the world' speech over the intercom… what was that about?! Whether it was serious or not, Ace wasn't about to take that lying down. So while the power was out, he looked all over the room for something to use, like in an escape game. But he was left with virtually nothing, not even a deck of playing cards. Just when Ace was tempted to swallow his pride and call out for help…

The door melted away, revealing Vil Schoenheit holding his cursed toner. "Well, well… I should've guessed," he said curiously.

"Vil? Weren't they experimenting on you or something?" Ace asked in shock.

Before Vil could answer, Riddle moved past him and into the room. "Ace!" cried the Heartslabyul housewarden. "Are you okay? How did you get here? What's going on in Night Raven College? Do Trey and Cater know about this?"

"Uh… in that order… yes, we snuck in, everyone's panicking, and I'm sure they know we're gone by now," Ace answered as best he could.

Riddle's face turned a familiar shade of red. "So you disobeyed your upperclassmen and went off after us? Do you know how many rules you've broken?!"

"I'll leave you to it, Riddle," Vil said. "I believe I have my own students to scold." He went off to free the other prisoners.

"Look, Riddle, we're sorry!" Ace said quickly. "We were just trying to make sure you were okay, you know? We're card soldiers—it's our duty to defend our housewarden!" He held his neck, stepping around Riddle carefully and made it into the hallway. He glanced around to see Azul, Leona, and Jamil, along with some researcher who looked like he was out of it. Where was Jill…?

Meanwhile, Vil had used his toner to free Deuce Spade, who stepped out gratefully.

"Thank you for saving me," Deuce said. "I was trapped in there for hours! I didn't know what to do once the power went out…"

"You probably tried to punch the door, didn't you?" Leona teased.

"No," Deuce said quickly, folding his arms. "It would've come to that, though…"

"Deuce, you too?" Riddle asked in annoyance, joining them in the hall. "Do you have no respect for your own lives?"

"Come now, Riddle, they risked life and limb for you," Azul said. "Why, if Floyd and Jade were to infiltrate this place for my sake, I'd be overjoyed! …Granted, they would've asked favors of me, but I'll take that at this point."

"Right…" Riddle finally calmed down. "Thank you for all you've done." He finally grabbed Ace and Deuce, pulling them into a hug.

Another reunion was happening with the Pomefiores. Vil had freed both Epel and Rook, who were identical in relief.

"Vil! I knew you'd swoop in to save us!" Rook said happily.

"Even though we were supposed to save you," Epel seconded. "Still, it's good to see you!"

Vil pocketed his toner and grabbed both students by the ears, causing them to cry out in pain.

"I can't believe you two!" Vil scolded. "Abandoning Pomefiore just to try and play hero! What were you thinking?! Especially you, Rook, you're supposed to be my second-in-command!"

"Ow! It wasn't our fault!" Epel grunted.

"Ouch! Yes, I left Monsieur Mirior in charge!" Rook said.

"Myron Wallace? He is disciplined, I suppose, though he wouldn't be my choice for a substitute—he's far too stoic," Vil sighed. He released the duo and pulled them into a hug, kissing them on the foreheads. "But… nonetheless, I am grateful too. You're simply too tenacious for your own good, aren't you?"

"Well, the Fairest Queen was known for tenacity. Can you blame us?" Rook asked.

Just as things were settling down, Jamil glanced down the hallway. "Jill," he called out. "Grim isn't here either. You're missing the reunion."

"I know, I'm sorry!" Jill's voice said. "It's just, I thought I saw Grim around the corner… but it was just another stupid shadow."

And then Jill appeared, her eyes widening once she saw the rescued captives. "Boys!" she cried. "You're all okay!"

She rushed past Epel and Rook, touching them on the shoulders, before sprinting to Deuce and playfully ruffling his dark hair. But then she finally stopped at Ace, hugging him tightly and kissing him on the cheek.

"You came to save me, didn't you?" she asked quietly. "How did you guys get down here, Ace?"

"W-Well, that…" Now it was time for Ace to turn red. His arms automatically wrapped around Jill, then gently pulled her away from his face. "I can explain that later."

"Ace? Jill? What are you doing?" Riddle asked.

"What does it look like?" Leona chuckled.

"Didn't think he was Jill's type," Jamil noted.

Epel, Deuce, and Azul smirked, much to Ace's humiliation. Jill seemed unbothered, though her face was pink as well.

"Ah, how sweet!" Rook praised. "You make an adorable couple."

"W-We're not…" Ace tried to say. "I mean, we're keeping it light…"

"Ace and I have been dating since my overblot," Jill announced.

"I see…" Riddle nodded, but he still seemed disapproving.

"Oh wow, and how did that work out?" Leona snorted. "Oh, your monster form is hot, let's make out."

"Ugh, no. That form was terrifying!" Epel said.

"Will you all just give it a rest?!" Ace demanded. "This isn't the time to tease us! What the heck's going on here?"

"We're trying to find Idia to get the answers ourselves," Azul said. "Seems there's been some kind of coup."

"Putting all this aside… you'll need these," Vil said. He summoned the four missing pens, and the prisoners took them thankfully.

Finally, Apollo stirred out of his stupor. "Wh-What…?" Coming to his senses, he saw all the mages out of their imprisonment. "The subjects are loose… and the intruders, too?!" he cried. He turned around. "No! I've got to warn the others—"

"Wait, no—" Jamil said, trying to make the researcher turn back around.

"Hey, we're on your side!" Jill cried. "Don't run! We can help you!"

"Help us? How could you…?" Apollo stopped in his tracks, and he backed away. "Oh no…"

"What?" Epel demanded.

"It's them… the Charon army!" Apollo whimpered, stepping behind the mages. "Ortho must've reprogrammed them!"

"What, those guys again?" Deuce readied his pen.

Everyone could hear ominous, heavy footsteps from down the hall.