0 2: Night Raven College
He groaned as he became aware. His head ached fiercely, and his throat was scratchy. His eyes also felt dried out and sore. 'What? Where?' he wondered, blinking his eyes open. He was greeted by darkness, though it's more soothing than alarming in that moment.
He tried to move his body but didn't get very far in any direction. He tensed, becoming more alert of his surroundings. Whatever is in front of him is smooth and wooden, he could tell that much at least. He braced his feet below him and his hands before him. He tried, to the best of his abilities, to push on whatever was in front of him. He scowled. He wasn't getting enough leverage, but it didn't stop him from trying. Unfortunately, what he's almost certain is a lid, wouldn't budge. He huffed, taking a break to gather himself.
"Who puts a kid in a box?" He muttered in annoyance. He was about to continue, set on getting out of there before he began to feel enclosed more than he already did. He was stopped short though, when he heard something outside his confinement.
"Ugh! There's so many in here! How am I supposed to find the right one?" A voice growled in annoyance. It was inhuman. The words were spoken in a language that he couldn't claim as his own, and yet he understood it as if he had been raised with it.
Something came to him in that moment. 'You're going to have a companion when you get there, Hen. He'll find you as soon as he can. He's always going to be by your side. You'll know him when you see him.' It was sudden. It was warped. It was informative. It was blank.
"Why is it blank?" He muttered, his mind racing and backtracking. Now that he was thinking about it... How did he get wherever he was? What was he doing before he was here? And why, when he tried to remember, was everything fuzzy and dark and off kilter?
"Mya ha! This is the one!" The voice said right in front of Henley's confinement. He blinked, coming from his thoughts. "The lid's a heavy one. I'm going to have to blast it off." The voice said matter of fact.
"Blast it... Whoa! Wait! I'm in here!" Henley cried. He realized he had been too late- or just unheard- when the mild heat began to build outside the box he was in. He quickly covered his face as a cerulean light filled the previously dark space. Then there was a soft breeze and the next thing he knew, he was falling out of his confinement and onto a solid stone floor. "Oof. That was a trip." He groaned, sitting up.
"I found you!" The voice cried with pride. Henley opened his eyes and took in the one before him. A slate gray, feline-like beast with large cerulean blue eyes, the same-colored flames leaving its ears- with a pitchfork tail, and a patch of fluffy white chest fur. It was about 1'2 on all fours and about 2'4 on its back two paws.
The duo stared at each other for a long moment. With it came fuzzy memories that neither could see with any clarity and a deep seeded relief. It was strange how, even with their limited recollection, they still felt a deep familiarity and belonging. Knowing that they knew each other and were meant to find one and other in this place. It was a dizzying avalanche of feeling and knowing that neither were prepared for. But there was one clear thing within all that fog.
"Grim." Henley spoke warmly, breaking the silence between them. The feline beast grinned with sharp, pointed teeth before jumping into the small boy's open arms.
"Henley." He purred. They still couldn't recall those fuzzy memories, but they at least knew they belonged together and had found pieces of themselves that they had been searching for, maybe without even realizing it.
Night Raven College: Mirror Chamber
"So, where are we?" Henley asked, petting the large feline like cat in his lap as he looked around the dim chamber full of coffin shaped boxes with a gold framed mirror floating above a small fountain pedestal full of green liquid. There was a large crystal chandelier, though the lights were dim, adding to the somber ambience of the room. And along the walls were dark purple curtains blocking what was probably the windows. And the feeling he got from the room was something else. It was almost overwhelming.
"It's called Night Raven College. It's an educational institution for up-and-coming mages." Grim replied. Henley blinked.
"I might not remember most anything, but I do remember that I don't have magic. So, why am I here?" He asked, figuring that what he was feeling was probably magic. Grim scowled.
"I don't know either, but I think we're supposed to be here while we recover whatever's been lost to us. My issue is that it wasn't even hard breaking into this place to get to you. What kind of security is that?" He asked with annoyance. "It's like whoever wound up in charge here has been neglecting that aspect."
"It seems like this might be the beginning of the school year, so maybe it was lax to allow the new students to get through." Henley suggested. Grim thought about that for a minute before nodding.
"Alright, but the security during the school year had better be less shoddy than this." He huffed, causing Henley to chuckle.
"Well, I'm not sure what time it is or when this- orientation? - Is supposed to begin." Henley mused, glancing at familiar dark robes of black and purple with gold decals. Around his waist was a thin gold chain with a black fountain pen. It was sleek with a golden raven on the cap. He isn't sure why that seems different from the norm in his mind but figures he'll get that answer later. "How about we go exploring? After all, no one was here to tell us otherwise." Henley suggested.
"Yeah!" Grim exclaimed with enthusiasm. Together, the duo left the room they were in and began to walk through the dim halls. And while the halls were empty of people, there was plenty of noises from the paintings all around them. They chatted with some of the portraits as they walked, though none of them said anything about returning to the chamber. And honestly, Henley wasn't sure if he'd remember the way back at this point anyways.
They got to learn some of the layout of the school, finding out where some of the classes were. They also passed an infirmary. There was a dual haired man inside, but he looked busy enough that neither felt like interrupting him. They had also found the cafeteria, even though it was closed for the night. They weren't sure how long they had been exploring before they found themselves at the door that led out of the main school building.
Sharing a look, the duo stepped out of the wide-open double doors and into the cool night air. They could smell rain on the air and sea water in the distance. Before them were the stairs that led down to the rest of the campus. At the top of the stairs, both found themselves in awe of the view. Below them was a vast campus that glowed under a nearly full moon that lit up everything it touched. They could see a coliseum to their right. A large field, and another building just down the stairs and pathway. And several other buildings to their left dotted throughout the trees that decorated campus.
"Wow. This place is huge!" Grim said in awe. Henley nodded in silent agreement before he and Grim began to head down the pathway and towards the closest building to themselves. As it turned out, it was a library.
The smell of books and the feeling magic was threaded throughout the large building. The green flames of the candles gave the entire place a soft glow and gentle ambience. "This is nice. I can see myself in here a lot." Henley mused with a soft smile.
"I could see that too. I would rather be in the cafeteria." Grim said with a nod. Like he was settling something. Henley chuckled. He could see it now. Grim in the cafeteria surrounded by cans of tuna. He looked over the shelf before him and spotted some kind of informative textbook. With nothing better to do until they were found, he grabbed it up and began to read 'A Basic Introduction to Twisted Wonderland'.
Grim was content to lie in his lap as Henley read aloud from the book, voice soft as they began to learn about the lands and races that could be found within this world they were in. Hoping something would be recalled within the blank confines of their minds.
Night Raven College: Library
"I finally found you! Dear me has it been a journey and a half trying to locate you!" A voice cried in exasperation, startling the boy and beast. Grim immediately jumped to the ground between Henley and the newcomer before them. Hackles raised and ready to burn the other to a crisp at the slightest threat.
It was a tall, pale man with short wavy black hair and glowing gold eyes within a half crow beak mask that he wore on his face. The man's ears were pointed, and his lips were painted purple.
He wore a pair of black slacks and a white long sleeve button up. Over this was a black, darker bedazzled vest with a black tie. He wore a feathered great coat that resembled bird wings and a dark top hat. Among the man's many accessories were seven keys and four mirrors with golden claws at the end of each gloved finger. And a dark, key shaped cane with a golden raven topping it.
This man felt inhuman, ancient, and powerful to Henley. There was also a faint feeling of familiarity that he couldn't put his finger on. Either way, he kept his eyes on the man as he slowly stood up, closing the book as they had just reached chapter two. Chapter one had just been a brief overview of the races in Twisted Wonderland: Humans, merman, beast people, fey, ghosts, and fairies. It even touched up on beasts and monsters.
"Really now! Leaving your gate on your own. Have you no patience?" He asked with a sigh. Then he noticed Grim and tilted his head. "What's this, you've brought an untrained familiar with you? That's very much against school rules you know." He said, though his tone of voice indicated he wasn't truly upset about that.
Grim was offended. "I am not a familiar to be trained! I am a force of nature that protects what's mine!" He growled at the man who gave the impression of raising a bewildered brow, even if they couldn't really see it.
"I see. My apologies." His voice was now rather amused. "Right!" He shouted jovially, taking out a pocket watch. "We have an orientation to get to! Come along then." He said to the duo, turning his back to them. Henley and Grim shared a look before looking back at the man.
"Not until you tell us who you are." They said together. He faltered and looked back at the two of them.
"Are you not... fully awoken? Could the space time teleportation have addled your memories?" He asked, voice just a little bit unsure himself now.
"We don't remember much of anything." Grim admitted after sharing a look with Henley who nodded.
Together, the two of them told the man about Henley waking up while still in his coffin thing, Grim helping him to get out of said coffin thing, and their apparent amnesia. How they recognized each other, yet their memories with each other were only a little clearer than the rest of their minds. How Henley knows he has a family, he just doesn't remember who, what, or where they were. How reading the book did bring some of Twisted Wonderland into a sharper clarity, but things were still hazy about it. And that no, they had no idea how Henley had come to be at Night Raven College, let alone know who he was.
"I see. Well, these things do happen I suppose." He glanced at his pocket watch once more. "Very well, I shall explain things as we walk since orientation is currently underway and we are running behind." The man said, getting some agreement from the other two. "Truly, my magnanimity is boundless!" The man said with a smile. Somehow, that seemed so typical of the man that Henley couldn't help his chuckle. He wonders why that is.
Night Raven College: Courtyard
"Right. My name is Dire Crowley, I am the Head Mage of this fine school. I was appointed with the care of this institute by the chairman about a century ago." Crowley told them as they began to head back towards the main building.
"Students, when their enrollment is accepted by the Dark Mirror, are retrieved by Ebony Carriages, which hold those gates that bring them here. It is one of these carriages that should have brought you here." Crowley said to the boy.
Henley thought about that, and it was sudden the image of a dark carriage and a darkly beautiful horse. "I... I remember the carriage." Henley hedged to the man. Crowley nodded with some concern.
"I see." The man mused. "For the carriage to have picked you up, someone enrolled you into this school and the Dark Mirror approved it. I can check your student files to determine who your guardians were that enrolled you." Crowley mused as they approached a pair of large, double doors that Henley remembers coming from.
"Really?" Henley asked hopefully. Crowley nodded.
"Yes. But that will be for later." He spoke. "After all, you have an orientation to get too." The man said. Henley nodded, picking up Grim and together, they followed the man into the chamber.