The Other Side of Darkness

Combining Forces!

Episode 2: Chapter 7~10

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The day after the Dorm Head Meeting, Lev and Grim were playing Magical Shift in front of their dorm. It was fall, so the grass the hard and stiff beneath their feet, but that didn't dampen Grim's enthusiasm. He was disappointed when the Headmaster told him he couldn't participate in the tournament because they were the only ones in their dorm. The ghosts tried to help by playing with them anyway for fun, and it worked! Even Lev, who wasn't someone to engage in much physical activity beside what she had to do, was enjoying herself. 

After a while of this, Headmaster Crowley suddenly appeared.

"Hello everyone!" he shouted. "Are you playing Magical Shift?" 

"Ugh, it's him," Grim grumbled. 

The headmaster walked up to them. "I see you're getting along well with the dorm ghosts. Splendid!" 

"Yes," Lev agreed. "Do you need something?" 

"Yes, actually." 

"What is it?" Grim asked.

"It'll take a bit of explaining, so let's go inside," Crowley said. They all walked into the dorm and settled in the partially-cleaned lounge. "You've done a very good job at cleaning up this place," Crowley told Lev.

Lev gave him a thankful smile. "Well, I can't take all the credit. The ghosts have helped a ton!"

"Good! Good!" Crowley said, smiling in approval.

"So, what do you want?" Grim asked grumpily. 

Crowley's smile disappeared. "You see, recently, there have been an increasing number of student injured in suspicious accidents. I'd like to have you two investigate them."

"Injuries?" Lev repeated.

Crowley nodded. "Yes. Tripping down stairs, burned by boiling water...The causes vary but the number of patients in the infirmary has dramatically increased the past several days. Nearly ten students thus far have has some kind of injury. Luckily, none are really severe."

"Sounds like they're all just clumsy," Grim remarked, crossing his chubby little arms.

"Well, the whole school is a little excited for the approaching tournament, that's true. However, there's still many more people getting hurt this year than if you look at past years. On top of that, those injured in these accidents were all in the running to be starring members for their dorm's team."

"Do you someone is trying to sabotage the other teams?" Lev asked.

"Excellent deduction," Crowley applauded her. "Sadly, I have no evidence to prove this is foul play. All the victims were injured in places with plenty of other people around them. All bystanders had to say was: 'They looked like they weren't paying attention.'"

"They just screwed up, problem solved," Grim grumbled. 

Lev pinched his side. "Can you take this seriously?" 

"What? It's not like we gain anything out of this," Grim pointed out. Lev glared at him.

"How does this sound?" Crowley asked. "You could join the tournament as a player as long as you can shed light on this odd series of events."

"Wha--?! Are you kidding?" Grim exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Nope," Crowley chirped. "So, do we have a deal?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Grim squealed.

That didn't take long.

"Great!" Crowley smiled at the two and started to walk away. "I'm counting on you two!"