Twisted Wonderland | Mickey's Print

13. Riddle Rosehearts

When he opened his eyes, Yuu found a very different and tenebrous image of Riddle that made him flinch: the young boy was now levitating from the ground and was wearing a ragged, red and black dress similar to the Queen of Hearts', with a much darker and more sinister style. The small golden crown on his head became one made of black metallic filigrees. His arms were covered in ink as if they were wet gloves, his skin had turned white as marble and his big, gray eyes turned the same red color as his hair, from which the right eye emanated a luminous red flame and was adorned with a black net protruding from his forehead. His entire being emanated a very dark and dangerous aura.

His heart clenched in horror and held his breath. "What happened to him!?" He finally asked. "His whole appearance changed!?"

Riddle gave a wicked laugh in which his voice sounded double as if a dark echo resounded in every syllable he spoke.

"I don't need idiots who disobey me in my world!" He exclaimed angrily in that voice. "I am the absolute law of this world! I will not accept any answer other than 'Yes, lord Riddle!'. It will be off with the head of anyone who refuses to listen! HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!!"

As he laughed evilly, a strange figure formed behind him. It was a huge monstrosity shaped very alike to the Queen of Hearts, except that its dress was ragged and patched with poorly sewn threads over the top and it was brandishing a giant rose bush as a weapon. What caught Yuu's eye was the monster's head: a huge glass vial covered with a large golden crown and filled with ink that was oozing from a huge crack. With that, he immediately remembered the monster from the Dwarfs' Mine.

When it finished materializing, Riddle leaned forward in a position that made him look as if the monster's free arm was controlling him as a puppet.

"Ah, how could I let this happen?" Crowley lamented. "A student has gone into Overblot right in front of me!"

"What's the hell is Overblot?" Grim asked, scared. "Look at him, that guy has gone completely evil!"

"Overblot is a state magicians must avoid at all costs," Crowley explained, trying to remain calm. "Right now, he has been engulfed by so much negative energy that he has lost control over his emotions and his magic."

"I don't get it!" Grim exclaimed.

"Me neither!" Deuce exclaimed, staring at the monster behind Riddle.

"Oh, come on!" Cater exclaimed in frustration. "In a few words: he has fallen into an evil berserker mode!"

"If this continues, Riddle's life will be in danger!" Trey added.

"HIS LIFE?!" Grim exclaimed.

He was grabbed suddenly in Yuu's arms as he didn't waste any time walking over to Ace and Deuce. "Guys, look at the thing behind Riddle! That's exactly like the monster we found in the cave, do you think it would be possible to defeat it like last time?" He asked with determination.

Without saying a word, the four of them exchanged glances and nodded.

"Right now, the highest priority is the safety of the other students. I must help evacuate everyone!" Crowley insisted. "Young Rosehearts must come to his senses before his magic consumes him! For him to lose his life in a situation like this... but even worse than that would be..." He did not notice that two boys were pulling out their magical pens and a monster leaping from the arms of a third. "In any case, you gather the staff and the rest of the dorm leaders to fight this situation." He commanded Trey and Cater, not noticing that the others weren't there with them.

"TAKE THIS!!" Ace shouted.

The headmaster, Trey, and Cater reacted to the shout and observed the change in the situation with surprise.