Liyada @liya4kar - Tumblr Blog

liya4kar

Jul 19

nonexistantfandoms

Me? Writing 3k~ of twst fanfiction by accident? More likely than you think.

A short snippet I wanted to write for @violenteconomics’ shattered glass AU :D

In the cold of the night, sounds echoed.

The howl of wind. The crackle of fire. The thud of footsteps mindlessly on floorboards.

“Sebek.”

A sound that repeats itself over and over like a broken record. A frantic thump, thump, thump-

“Sebek, stop. You’re going to make a hole in the floor.”

“Just leave it Ace. He’s not going to stop.”

It wasn’t like the rest of them weren’t the same.

Yuu hadn’t been able to stop picking at their fingers even as Deuce’s equally as jittery hands forced them to stop. Ace’s own agitated palms never leaving the deck of cards creaking in his grip.

“I can’t just leave it! He looks like he’s about to burst a blood vessel from thinking too hard!” He hissed in Yuu’s general direction.

“Unless you find some way to tire him out enough to stop spiraling, I suggest you take your own advice and pipe down.” An annoyed ear flicked from another corner as Ace yanked his head around with annoyance.

"Oh I'll give him something that will tire him out real good! Hey, Sebek-"

"Don't. We don't know who could be lookin' if you two end up fightin'." The reminder causes everyone to wince. Eyes flicking cautiously towards the half covered window. Curfew was already an hour or two ago, but you could never know with night raven, especially not now.

Defeated, Ace sat down again with a huff. Hands aggressively shuffling the worn deck. Silence once again the loudest sound in the room, amplified by the whirl of fans and the thumps of anxious limbs on wood.

Yuu sucked in a breath. Such a normal sound suddenly jarring in the absence of the regular chatter their sleepovers usually entailed. They rubbed the sore spot between their eyes.

It still seemed so impossible what happened. So outlandish and ridiculous no one wanted to even talk about it.

One moment everything was fine. The next everything when to shit.

One moment Ace was goofing around in history like he always does. Eyebrow raising dramatically as he said-

-I mean, come on, really?” He jabbed. “One of the most notorious criminals in history and the best catchphrase he can come up with is full house?”

“Hey, I think it’s intimidating!”

“You and no one else Juicey,” He wave dismissively, ignoring Deuce’s squawk of indignation as he continued. “Seriously, think about it!”

His hands flapping sloppily to pantomime pulling a deck out of the air. “Who in their right minds would look at someone saying “I summon you full house” and be scared-”

Suddenly, He freezes. The teasing in his tone immediately dashed as he feels card stock between his fingers. A bright red joker slipping from his grip.

“What the hell-

-The next their entire friend group was now scum of the earth because they were -allegedly- reincarnated fucking war criminals.

One moment, their motley crew was just another oddity on campus who could go about their day with worrying about the-

-staring. I can’t stand the staring.” Deuce grimaced, poking at his measly lunch tray.

“Bear with it.” Jack whispered back, trying to focus on the square of table in front of him even as the hushed gossip made his face twist.

“I know. I know. But sevens damn. I didn’t expect the news to spread this fast.” He replied frantically.

They couldn’t even breathe, not when the tension clung to skin like blot. Every eye pinning itself to their corner of the cafeteria like rusty pins. Only three of them looked anything remotely normal, but even then they looked close to cracking.

“Please. We’re lucky it’s only this much.” Epel huffed. “If Trein didn’t step in in time it would have been even worse.”

Ace winced again, looking away towards the wall. Ortho pat him gently on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much Ace-San” He tried to reassure. “Trein-sensei has done his best to make sure no one can verify the claim and I’ve cleared any footage I could find.”

“Based on my calculations a rumor of this kind and legitimacy will start to fall out of relevancy in a month if conditions remain the same.” The humanoid added half cheerfully.

The if continues to hang in the air.

-The next they couldn’t even sleep in their own dorms without worrying. The pile of foreign blankets and pillows stacked up in the corner a bitter reminder.

One moment, there was the slightest bit of hope that maybe, just maybe everything was going to be alright. That their efforts of being nice and polite despite all the bullshit this goddamn school had throw at them across several weeks had paid off. That being locked out and scorned by their own dormmates was not for fucking nothing.

Please. Please. Please. What do you-

-mean next week!” He slammed his fist into the desk.

“Trappola please calm down. I know it sounds unreasonable, but-”

“Of course it’s fucking unreasonable! You’re sending us to be murdered by the rose court!” He jabbed manically. “In a week! A week!”

“I- I don’t even-”

Ace grabbed at his face. Folding himself into his hands as humourless laughter erupted in the frozen room. Horror and anger seethed beneath stricken faces as that damned Crow tried to continue.

“Your sentences have not been decided! It is just a preliminary trial! Please just cooperate-”

“Even so, that is more than irrational headmage! There is barely any evidence for us to be trialed in the first place!” Sebek hissed. “And to tell us now is even more irresponsible!”

“Yeah! What the hell is a week gonna do!”

“What the fuck Crowley!”

“I- I need to call my mom.”

“What the fuck.”

“What am I supposed to say!”

“What the FUCK.”

“You incompetent WASTE OF-”

“I GET IT.”

“I get it.” He says, so deceptively calm.

“Nothing you have said is false.” A hand pressing beneath his mask.

“But there is nothing we can do to stop them.” He sighs. The sound is heavy, so achingly- achingly human, sagging against the chair.

“Please. Understand.”

There is nothing else to be said.

No one could sleep the following night, nor the next. And now here they were. Trapped, with nothing to do but wait for that next moment.

And Yuu is… so so tired of waiting.

They looked around the room once again, taking in the disarray and hopelessness that has settled over the entire group like a miasma. Hesitantly, they sucked in a deep breath

They had to do something. Even despite their own fears and hesitation there must be something.

And breathed out before clapping their hands together.

“Everyone!” Eyes snap towards them as Yuu patted the ground. “We need to talk.”

At first, there is nothing as the rest of the first years looked around awkwardly. The uncomfortable unease that simmered in the background boiling back now that they had to actually… acknowledge the problem. No one wanted to think about it, let alone talk.

Still, Yuu continues to gesture towards the floor next to them. Hand drumming against the floor with enough persistence to wear them down bit by bit. Slowly, with resignation, the rest of the first years sat down.

“What is there to talk about?” Ace huffed as he settled on the floor, counting on his fingers.

“The card happened. Everyone hates us. Crowley happened. Everyone hates us even more! Bada bing bada boom cased closed.” He flourished his hands with faux enthusiasm.

Vague sounds of agreement go around the room.

“Well can we at least try?” Yuu pleaded with exasperation. “Like uh- try start at the beginning or something- Who... were the seven exactly?”

“Pfft, please, we're not 4. I doubt anyone hasn't heard of the seven scourges-” Yuu raised an eyebrow making Ace chock on his own spit.

"Ah- right. Forgot about the uh other world thing." He cough into his fist alongside several other members of the group. "Sorry."

"Well uhhh..." He trailed off, trying to remember what he thought he knew only to come up blank. "Sebek?"

The boy in question looked up with a startle "Wha- Why me?!"

"Come on man help a brother out! You're the one whose been glued to that book!"

"Ugh... fine. If you insist." The half-fae huffed before reaching for the novel in question.

"In the simplest terms, the seven evils were a band of criminals that originated in the Rose Queendom who terrorized much of Twisted Wonderland before the time of the great Seven." He started, flipping over to the map for them to see.

"It is said that the leader of the group -the Renegade- just appeared one day and was caught trying to insight chaos in the then ruling queen's court," He pointed to a spot on the heavily annotated page, right at the middle of the Queendom. "but before they could be sentence the criminal had already escaped with the help of the Trickster, Monster and Serf."

“As revenge for being captured, the Renegade left a truly terrifying path of destruction in their wake. Not just in the Rose Queendom, but across the Land of Dawning and parts of the Shaftlands as well.” He moved his finger, trailing the path of destruction on the page with a grimace, from one end of the world to the other in one fell swoop. "This is why the group had so many titles. All given to them by the many they tormented."

"Wait, this was before the Sevens right? How did they even cross the ocean?" Yuu interjected in confusion.

"While it was much harder to travel across the sea before the popularization of portals and other forms of transport, it wasn't impossible." Ortho jumped in. "It is theorized that, with the help of the Poisoner and Brute as accomplices, the Renegade managed to find ways on passenger ships that delivered trade and people across the continents."

“Although always through brutal means. Giving the band ample time to cause havoc compared to the Rose Queendom who needed to go through official methods.” Sebek crossed his arm bleakly.

“It took a full year for the entire band was captured. By then the damage was so severe that the entire group were labeled war criminals even though only one to two members operated at any given time.”

“Jeez, what they even do for it to be that bad?” Grim muttered quietly, finally piping up from where he was curled on Yuu’s lap. He didn’t intend for anyone to answer, but Ortho leaned in anyways.

“Well, from my research, the seven criminals committed many acts of atrocities that in included: murder, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture, attacks against civilian populations or non-combatants, use of chemical weaponry, and pillaging.”

“…”

“Christ.”

“Precisely for those reasons, upon the recapture of the Renegade, the entire band was executed almost immediately.” He snapped the book shut.

"However, in those final moments it was revealed that somehow in the time it took to captured their leader the other members managed to alter the programming of the Queendom’s Azure Knight! Making it expend all its energy to cast a spell that did something to the souls of the criminals."

"According to the accounts of multiple mages present, their mana signatures didn't dissipate, it just disappeared. To where? No one knew." He sighed deeply before continuing.

"The panic that ensued from the idea that the entire band could still be out there pushed the then queen to create a treaty alongside several other nations in the event the seven evils rose again..."

"..."

"...What else?" Yuu asked after a moment of silence.

Sebek looked back at Yuu in confusion as he put away the book. "There is nothing else."

"Wait really? Nothing else?" Their face scrunched as they tilted their head. "7 of the most notorious criminals ever recorded and that's all we know about them?"

"Unfortunately, that is the case Yuu-san." Ortho replied sadly as Sebek nodded the same. "History records that came before the Seven are hard to preserve and what did survive focused more on the damage they left rather than the criminals themselves."

"Not to mention the effect that linguistic drift and oral recordkeeping has had on accuracy of these stories." The half-fae tacked on. "We still have no idea what the actual names of the criminals were, nor their relationship to one another. The only thing that survived is their legacy as symbols of villainy."

"...Til now." Epel remined causing everyone to wince.

"The first confirmed case of reincarnation and it just had to us." Ace groaned into his hands "It's exactly our luck."

"How are they so sure?" Deuce mumbled as he looked at his hands. "I- I don't feel like anyone else. I don't think I could ever do what they did... Right?"

"Of course not."

"To compare you to them is disrespectful."

"If ya say that again I'll hit ya!" Epel threatened before, slowly, he droops again. "But it doesn't really matter what we think does it."

“They’re gonna think whatever they fuckin’ want and we’re just gonna have ta deal with it.” He mutters with anger.

“How is this even legal?!” Ace hissed. “How in the Sevens can they just drag us off without even telling our parents! No- Scratch that. How the fuck is this thing still active.”

“It’s older than dirt! Most of the places that signed it in the first place have died 8 times over!” He throws his hands up in exasperation. "How is it still alive?!"

"It's written using magic. It doesn't matter how many times a nation changes hands, if it still believes itself to be the same country." Jack ran a tired hand through his hair. "Unless the Queendom itself disappeared there's no way it could be lost."

"Wait, magic laws?" Yuu whipped their head over to Jack.

"Think of it like one of Azul's contract." He explained. “The holder of the contract enforces a specific set of terms and conditions on those who sign it in return for a service.”

“In this case, the Queendom is promising they’ll take care of the seven if they ever reemerge in other nations, only under the conditions that those nations allow them free rein over said criminals.” He continued seriously.

“But of course -like that slimy octopus- the Queendom is only required to go by the word of the law and not the spirit of it, so here we are.” Ace muttered angrily into his palm.

The group paused a bit as they chewed over the words, remembering less than pleasant memories of the on campus mafia with a shudder.

“If we could just rip up that stupid treaty like we did with Azul this would be so much easier.” He sighed.

“If you genuinely believe that I question your intelligence more than usual human.” Sebek raised his brow with disgust. “Not only is doing so highly illegal, it would be insane to think that the Queendom doesn’t have duplicates stashed away. It’s one of the most important texts of the nation historically and legally!”

“Jeez. Calm your pedantic ass down I was just spitballing!” Ace raises his hands defensively. “What I was trying to say was that if there was another option I would take it okay!”

“Is there another option in the first place?” Deuce looked unconvincingly at Ace.

“Maybe! I don’t know!” Ace shot back. “Like if magic laws are just a bigger and dumber version of contracts shouldn’t they follow the same rules?”

“…Technically, yes.” Ortho tried tentatively. “If you manage to destroy the physical form of a contract, the soul it’s bound to, or the magic itself it would disappear, but all those options would require an astronomical amount of magic equivalent to that of some of the top mages in the world…”

Everyone turned to look at Sebek.

“W- what!” He snaps with a panic.

“Ya know. That lord o' yours.” Epel points out.

"Fools! Malleus-sama would never! Not only is it idiotic, dangerous, and highly illegal, I doubt be would even-" He freezes, the heat in his voice dying as he looks away. "...bother."

The group grimaces before Yuu looked towards Ortho to change the topic.

"Ortho can you access the treaty?" They ask with an edge of desperation. "Even if it's still active, it's old enough that we can find some leeway to work with right?"

"Unfortunately not Yuu-san," He shook his head. "Most of the clauses have been update for the modern court system. The closest I could find is the modern use of term "bring to justice" allows us a right to counsel, but that's it."

"Then what can we say to defend ourselves legally." They bite their thumb nervously as they looked to the others.

"Maybe we can say that we don't remember jack shit." Epel sighed. "It's close enough to amnesia."

Both Ace and Deuce winced.

"Yeah, no. Do you know how brutal Rose court is?" Ace pressed. "I once saw a guy on the new who got lost on private property while shitfaced drunk and he still got a whole year in prison."

"It doesn't matter what your physical condition was, if you did it you would still be judged the same." Deuce continued grimly. "The best you can hope for is a reduction, but in the best case scenario that's still decades in jail for us."

"Unless we can somehow prove ourselves innocent we're as good as gone." Jack added. "And we're more likely to meet the King of Halloween before then..."

“So…” Yuu looked around desperately as tried to swallow the stone in their throat. “Is there really nothing we can do?”

No one says anything for a long while, slowly, slowly, slipping back into the oppressive hopeless silence. Ace shuffles his cards. Yuu picks at their hands. Peeling away the chipped skin, bit by bit by bit by-

"Yuu..." A paw on their thigh stops them.

"Does that..." Grim looks up at them from where he was curled. His voice small and his ears cupped back. "Does that mean you're all really leaving?"

"No! Of course not Grim." Yuu hurriedly cradles the direbeast against their chest. "We're just- We-"

"We..." Their voice wavers as they try to grit their teeth weakly. "I'm sorry Grim."

A loud slam jolts everyone out of their stupor as eyes whiz over to the source of the sound.

"Ace what the hell!?"

"I can't deal with this shit anymore!" He yelled "Why are we just sitting around moping! We're about to die for seven’s sake! We have to do something!"

"Do what!? What can we possibly do? We-" Ace cuts them off frantically.

"What can we do? We run! That's what!"

"Huh?!"

"What other choice do we have!" He presses urgently as he looks to the rest of them. "No matter what we do we're doomed either way! Why not choose the option that gives us even the slightest chance of finding something?"

He looks around again as he bites his lip waiting for them to say anything. Still, the rest of the group stays frozen. A thousand and one objections and fears swirls in their minds and on the tips of their tongues like lead.

"I..." Sebek speaks first. "I agree with Trappola."

"Really?" Ace turns in surprise.

"Yes, I- Wait, why are you surprised!?"

"I don't know man! You always find my ideas stupid."

"Because they are idiotic! And so is this one! Never before have I seen a plan so slapdashed, so incompetent and so reckless!" He pause for a moment. "...However, it is the best plan we have."

"Master Lilia…" He looks down for a moment before he tries to steels himself. “The most important lesson he has taught me is that you have prioritised survival first, no matter what. Even if it's hopeless at the very least we have to try. Everything else can come after."

"Yeah! I'm don't want to lose my hench human!" Grim yowled as he leaped onto Yuu's shoulder. "No way!"

"...Yeah." Deuce said quietly before he repeated. "Yeah! We can't give up before we even did anything."

"I ain’t givin’ up yet!" Epel balled his hand even as it shook at the edges. “Not yet.”

"There is no way of calculating the odds of surviving this string of events in comparison to the overblots, but we’ll never know if we don’t see for ourselves. " Ortho added on as he steadied himself.

Jack took a long, deep breath before he replied. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but we might as well. There’s no other choice anyways."

Yuu looked around the room to the faces in front of them so full of hesitation and fear, yet still resolve.

"Then it's settled." Yuu said grimly. "We're getting out of here."

I hope y’all enjoyed it :D This is mostly going to stay a one shot because I’m not confident I will be able to get it done but I might add onto it sometime!