Into the World of Twisted Wonderland Pt 2

👑 The Beautiful Tyrant: Chapter 40 👑

The two rides down on the sand, the smell of the salty sea in front of them waft in the air, enjoying the breeze, only for the blastcycle to screech, halting it with a jolt. Deuce turns the engine off and got off, looking around seeing that there was no one aside from the two of them around them. "Okay, we're here," he says as Epel gets off.

"Whew..." He releases a sigh of relief, mainly happy at the fact that the ride was over, fixing his hair. "You're more of a speed demon than I expected, Deuce. That scared me at first."

"Really?" Deuce asks in shock. "I mean, I thought I was going pretty slow..." He sighs. "Er, y'know what? Forget I said anything." He looks to the blastcycle. "Anyway, Ignihyde sure knows how to trick out a blastcycle," he says in awe. "It was hard just figuring out what all those different functions did."

"Heh heh," Epel chuckles. "Well, I'm feeling better already! I love going out on long drives." He looks around the beach, a thought appearing in his head. "Are you sure this was a good idea, though?" He asks in concern. "You went off-campus without getting permission first."

The statement shocks Deuce. "Erk...It didn't even occur to me to ask for permission until we were already out," he says with a sigh. "Will you help take some of the heat off me later?" He asks him with a sheepish smile.

"Vil and the others must be furious," Epel says with a smile. The two chuckle, soon becoming silent as they stare off to the waves lapping the shore, the sounds filling the air. "You know, I think this is the first trip I've made to the beach since coming to this island," he says out loud in thought.

"We're on Sage's Island, but Night Raven College sits atop a mountain on the north side," Deuce says.

"And Royal Sword Academy sits along the southern coast, right?" Epel asks, only for his eyes to squint, seeing something in the distance. "Wait...Is that Royal Sword Academy there?" He asks as he points, with Deuce looking at where his finger pointed, seeing a gleaming white castle standing proudly in the distance, the blue tips of the spires shine beautifully in setting sun, almost making it stand out since the blue was a stark contrast to the orange glow of the sky. Even the two could see the difference in environment, seeing how the walkway was pure white compared to the dull gray walkways of town. The two had to almost shield their eyes, seeing how even the setting sun didn't bring its luster down, almost as if it was a lighthouse, beckoning people to come to it during a storm. "Wow..." Epel says in awe at the sight. "It's a school, but it looks more like a castle for kings and queens."

"I've seen it from the Night Raven observation deck, but never up close before," Deuce says in thought as he observes the school. "That place really is fancy."

"My teammates in the Spelldrive Club says it's a place full of snotty, pampered rich boys...But That's also the school Neige goes to, and he's competing in the SDC, right?"

Deuce takes a deep breath, confusing Epel since he didn't answer his question, not that he was specifically asking Deuce at least. "I'M NEVER GONNA KNUCKLE UNDER, YOU HEAR ME?!" Deuce angrily yells out to the sea, only letting the water take it his words.

"Huh?!" Epel says in shock. "What's wrong, Deuce? Why are you yelli-"

"I'M NOT A SMART GUY, AND I CONSTANTLY MISS BASIC CUES!" Epel widened his eyes at him. "ALL MY DELINQUENT HABITS ARE STILL THERE! I GOT A HAIR-TRIGGER TEMPER! BUT I'M TRYING MY BEST, OKAY?! YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE FUN OF ME, ACE?! WELL, THINK AGAIN! ONE OF THESE DAYS, I'M GONNA BE A REAL HONORS STUDENT, AND YOU'LL BE EATING MY DUST FOR THREE MEALS A DAY! I'M GONNA CHANGE! YOU CAN COUNT ON THAT! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" He screams, shocking Epel. Once he finished, he pants, only to chuckle. "...Ahhhh, that's much better!" He says in relief.

"G...Goodness gracious," Epel says in shock as he looks at Deuce.

Deuce looks at him with a smile. "I do this whenever things aren't going my way and I get all out of sorts," he explains. "I drive to the beach and let it all out at the top of my lungs. It always makes me feel better." He sadly smiles. "For as long as I can remember, I've been a slow learner. I'd study hard, but my grades always stayed below average. I wanted an excuse for why I did so poorly in school...So over time, I started taking the easy way out. 'I'm not even trying. Of course my grades are bad.' 'It's lame to be a try-hard.' You know, stuff like that."

"Oh..." Epel says in thought. "I didn't know."

"I was out of control for years. I became a hopeless delinquent and made my mom cry," he sadly says. "That's when I got a letter of acceptance from the prestigious Night Raven College. I thought to myself: maybe I get my act together and change myself if I had a new environment. 'This is my big chance!'"

"And did you change?" Epel curiously asks. "After enrolling, I mean?"

"Nope. Not a bit," he admits. "I can play the part of an honors student, but I can't change who I am deep down. I'm still that same bad boy with grades to match. Nothing ever goes the way I want it to," he shrugs. "But...I learned something when I came to this school. I learned that all the most 'capable' guys struggle hard behind the scenes," he says as he remembers Riddle, Leona, and Azul. "Even when it's embarrassing, even when it's lame, even when it means playing a little dirty... Capable guys never give up," he says as he is reminded about Vil's harsh training.

"Deuce..."

"I invited you out here today because I thought maybe you were like me."

"Huh...?" Epel asks in surprise.

"You have this thing where you start to say something, then stop yourself, right? It comes off to me like you want to change, but you can't, so you're floundering."

Epel thinks for a moment. "...Yeah. Maybe you're right."

"I'm the only one here. Why don't you give it a try?" He asks him. "Let it all out at the top of your lungs. It'll make you feel way better!"

"Well..." He thinks for a moment, looking around, making sure that no one else is around the two, only to see no one. "All right." He takes a deep breath and faces the sea.