Cats of the School for Good and Evil | Rise of SGE Fanfiction

Part 1

For six months, Rafal had been missing, and Rhian had done everything in his power to search the Woods far and wide for his brother. Aladdin had indirectly caused a rift between them, along with the boy's fairy tale that had ended in the Evil twin's humiliation. As insufferable as Rafal could be at times, Rhian missed his only brother and wished for his return. At the same time, he dreaded Rafal's reaction, as he'd ordered the building of a new school without his twin's permission—a glittering, glass castle that nobody but Rhian appreciated.

One morning, while Rhian was eating breakfast in the new stained-glass study, a short-haired, solid-white cat with piercing green eyes climbed in through the window and leaped onto the floor. Rhian gasped, jumping out of his chair.

"Oh, my!" he said, and chuckled, his nerves settling. "What an unexpected visitor." He approached the cat. "Such a pretty kitty. Where did you come from?"

The cat glared at him.

"One laugh out of you and I will claw your eyes out," it said, sounding just like Rafal.

Rafal?

"Rafal!" Rhian said. "Is that really you?"

"Unfortunately," he said. "I was turned into a cat, and I can't break the spell."

"Who did this to you?"

"The Kingdom Council."

"Why?"

"For attempting to find the answers to controlling the Storian."

Rhian gasped.

"The Pen that chose us to protect it, the Pen that keeps our world alive?" he said. "Rafal, how could you?"

"You mean, the Pen that wants to do away with Evil?" Rafal snapped. "Seeing as how you've had an entirely new school built during my absence, one that is garishly reflective of Good, you would have to be a perfect idiot to pretend you don't know the answer."

Rhian bristled, and he crossed his arms. "Well, I suppose there's an underlying reason I had a new school built, after all, considering your foiled plans to take over the Woods instead of accepting Good's winning streak."

Rafal's eyes narrowed, his slit pupils like knives. Without a word, he slunk past Rhian and stopped at the door.

"Open this for me," he demanded.

"Where are you going?" Rhian asked.

"To explore."

Rhian shrugged and obliged.

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Rafal ensured that the only person aware of his new form besides Rhian was his Evil dean. The school's isolation played in his favor, keeping everyone within its gates except the School Masters ignorant to the Woods' current going-ons. Rafal told Humburg that being human was growing burdensome after a hundred years, and that he simply preferred to be a cat. The next time they met in secret to discuss grand plans for the Nevers, the lower half of Humburg's face was covered with black fabric.

Rafal eyed him, perched on a stool in one of the supply closets. "Why are you wearing a mask?"

"I-I'm allergic t-to cats, Master R-Rafal," the dean said, trembling.

"Well, pay attention," Rafal said.

He hopped off the stool and onto his large, splayed-out blueprint without knocking over any intricately set-up toy soldiers. One by one, he picked some of the figurines up in his mouth and moved them around, expanding on the plans. Humburg suppressed a snort, his eyes crinkling as he shook.