Straight-Up Not Having A Good Time At Night Raven College: Chapter 1

Chapter 22: Soundly Chastised

"Very well then," Crowley said. "Ready..."
He raised the mirror high, and it caught the sunlight, gleaming bright silver.
Then he opened his fingers.

It tumbled end over end, still catching the light with blinding flashes.
Then it hit the lawn, sending shards of mirror showering through the air with a loud crash.
"BEGIN!"

Ace and Deuce barely even had time to take their first running steps forward.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEADS!"
With a deafening shout, Riddle swung his scepter.

A shockwave of white energy boomed outwards, sending Ace and Deuce flying backwards. They hit the ground hard with harsh cries, collars rematerializing around their necks with emphatic clanks.

The force of Riddle's spell actually affected the surrounding crowd. Kat staggered back, raising an arm, and Grim went tumbling backwards off her shoulder with a shocked "FNYAGH?!"

Crowley, of course, seemed completely unaffected. One hand on his walking stick, he held the brim of his hat with the other, standing stock-still with a faint smile even as his coat and epaulets whipped in the wind.

Regaining her balance, Kat shook her head, blinking hard.

"Urrrrrgh.... SHIT!" Ace cursed, punching the ground angrily as he struggled up onto his elbows. "I-- I didn't even get a chance to finish my spell, dammit!"

Deuce coughed, rolling over with a wince.
"We-- couldn't even lay a finger on 'im," he groaned. "Unbelievable..."

"...Holy shit," Kat muttered, pressing her hand over her mouth. Her eyes fixed on the small, straight figure of Riddle, who'd twirled his scepter proudly in one hand, propping it on the ground next to him.
How had that gone so fast...?

After a second, the assembled students seemed to realize what had just happened.

There was another beat of silence.
Then the crowd exploded, jumping up and down with wild whoops and cheers that seemed to shake the sky above them.
People started punching and slapping each others' shoulders and backs in a storm of enthusiastic glee, exchanging high-fives and the occasional chest bump.

Kat got shoved forward by the surging crowd, almost tumbling out into the 'field' and falling right on her face.
Luckily, Crowley put an arm out like a buffer, catching her.

She staggered back, shaking her head and looking over at the Headmaster in shock.
"H--How the hell did he do that so fast?" She asked, regaining her balance as he withdrew his arm.

"The force of one's spellcasting lies in the imagination-- that is, the visualisation-- of the caster," he informed her. "The better one is at visualizing the effects of their magic, the stronger and more precise it will be."

He nodded at Riddle, who had folded his arms, walking towards the pair of first-years.
"It's clear that Rosehearts-kun here has refined his magical prowess to the utmost."

"No kidding," Kat murmured, shaking her head.

Grim crawled over, slinking low to the ground with his ears flat against his head.
"F-Fnyaaaaah," he mumbled, pressing himself against her leg and shivering.
"This guy's on a whole different level.... They didn't stand a chance!"

Riddle strolled over and came to a stop in front of Ace and Deuce, actually giving a small laugh with the side of his fist to his mouth.
"Hm... You didn't even last five seconds!" He declared.

He gave that cold smile of his again, resting the bottom of the scepter on the ground.
"That was the limit of your abilities, and yet you still thought to challenge ME? Aren't you ashamed?"