Key of Souls: Twisted Wonderland

Chapter 42: The Dangers of Blot and Overblotting

Dawn's POV

The rest of the day went by quickly for me and my friends as school was finished for the day; just as planned, Grim, Ace, Deuce, and I were asked by Headmaster Crowley to come to his office to discuss the events that happened in Heartslabyul, while Perry decided to stay hidden inside my bag to secretly watch the meeting. We approached the door and gave a knock, signalling our presence and letting ourselves in."Headmaster, pardon the intrusion.", said Deuce as he opened the door as we came in.

"Pardon us.", Ace said as we approached the Headmaster's desk. Headmaster Crowley looked up from his documents and placed them down as he addressed us.

"You're all here, I see. Let's get right to the matter at hand...", Crowley said as he began to talk with us in a serious tone. "Now that things have calmed down after the Heartslabyul incident the other day, there is a matter I must discuss with you. You all need to know about the berserk state Mr. Rosehearts fell into if you are to become wizards."

"It was Overblot?", Deuce asked.

"Yes, that's correct.", Crowley said.

"I've heard about it from my bro before but, seeing someone build up enough blot to become that was something else. He really went full "evil berserker mode".", Ace said.

I nodded my head in agreement with Ace and said, "The way Riddle transformed into that state, it was like an overflowing wave of negativity overtaking him."

"Hey, what is "blot" anyway?", Grim asked.

Crowley looked at me and Grim specifically and said, "That's right. You two need to have that explained as well. I shall fill you all in. For I am gracious." I rolled my eyes at that last sentence and took out one of my notebooks; I wanted to learn as much as I could about this just in case. The Headmaster cleared his throat and began to explain. "Blot is a type of waste created after one uses magic. In the same way, a vehicle creates exhaust as it burns fuel to run. Spells burn magic to manifest and create blot at the same time... That should be easy enough to understand."

I looked up from my notebook and asked, "So blot is the exhaust of magic?"

Crowley nodded and said, "That is correct. Blot has been researched since the dawn of recorded history, but there are still many mysteries to unravel. One thing that is known for sure is that blot is a toxin and building up too much can cause great harm to the mind and body." Hearing that made me pale for a moment, there was no telling what would have happened to Riddle if he was in that state a little longer.

"Oh yeah, my grandma used to always say, "You'll build up blot, so don't use magic willy-nilly." She went on and on about it.", said Ace.

"With great power comes great risk. No matter how great the wizard, they cannot infinitely use magic.", Crowley said.

"So you're saying the more we use magic, the unhealthier it becomes?", Grim nervously asked.

"No, that's not exactly right. Hmm. It might be faster to just show you rather than just explain.", Crowley told us. He clapped his hands and called out, "My dear ghosts, it's time for work!" In an instant, a few ghosts appeared in the office surrounding us. "Yo yo. You called, Headmaster.", one of them said as they suddenly appeared right next to Ace.

"Eh? W-what now?", Ace asked, very confused as to what was going on right now.

Crowley turned to the ghosts and said, "First, please lend a hand in helping these young ones."

At his command, one of the ghosts suddenly appeared in front of Deuce. "Eeeh?", he shouted.

"Here we go. Let's go a round.", said another ghost, raring to go. I was nervous about what was going to happen; I may have gotten used to the ghosts from Ramshackle Dorm, but I'm still pretty scared of them. Ace and Deuce quickly moved in front of me so I wouldn't get caught in the crosshairs, while Grim looked ready to throw down. "Ready your magical pens, everyone. Your special lesson with the headmaster isn't over yet.", Crowley said as he snapped his fingers. In an instant, the ghost came at us and attacked.