BA-BUMP!

Riddle suddenly gasped as a sharp, painful pulsation shot through his body. He grasped his chest and doubled over in agony as his breath hitched. "Riddle-senpai?!" Alice exclaimed worriedly. Riddle didn't answer. He covered his face and gritted his teeth as the pain continued to spread throughout his body.

Alice's sky-blue eyes widened when that familiar uneasy feeling suddenly jolted up her spine. Every hair on the back of her neck stood on end. There was dark liquid dripping everywhere now. Something dangerous was about to happen.

Trey, sensing the oncoming danger, quickly grabbed Alice's waist. "Alice, get back!" he cried as he quickly pulled her away. Suddenly, Riddle threw back his head and let out a scream of agony as a furious flurry of crimson rose petals and blobs of black ink began to wrap him in an inky cocoon.

"RIDDLE!!!" Trey screamed in horror, and he helplessly watched as Riddle began to float into the air and started to transform right before everyone's eyes. All the while, Riddle continued to scream painfully. "Riddle-san! NO!!" Alice screamed.

Everyone watched in sheer horror and shock as Riddle's form began to change. Black tendrils of ink snaked their way up his neck, his arms and his legs. Once Riddle's transformation was complete, the inky cocoon vanished. He now looked completely different than his usual self.

He was now wearing a tattered red-and-black gown with black leather belts wrapped crisscrossed on his torso and black playing cards falling down to floor-level. A ring of blackened white roses and black thorns enveloped his waist.

He wore tight black pants and black knee-high boots. An inky heart-shaped choker was wrapped around his neck and a sharp inky black crown was placed on top of his head. An inky heart tattoo etched across Riddle's right eye as a bright red flame flickered over it.

His skin had turned into a sickly pale ashen-gray color. When he opened his eyes, the color of his eyes had turned from slate gray into a lifeless blood-red hue. Black ink wrapped around his arms like tattered gloves.

Everyone then backed away when the black puddle of ink began to grow larger, spreading out underneath Riddle. Emerging from the inky puddle came a large shadowy silhouette, taking the appearance of the warped, stitched-up phantom of the Queen of Hearts.

The monster was wearing a tattered red-and-black checker-patterned dress while holding a rose tree with blood-red blossoms as a club. The head was a heart-shaped glass orb, cracked and leaking ink and on top of the monster's glass head was a large gold crown.

Riddle hovered a few feet above the ground as the Queen of Hearts Phantom hovered behind him like a twisted puppeteer. As Riddle glowered at the group before him, he drew closer and closer to the monster by the second—as if he was slowly merging with it.

Everyone, including the girls and Grim all stared at Riddle in horror, utterly shocked by what was happening before their very eyes. "His-His appearance changed?!" Alice gasped, trembling.

The air around them suddenly became deathly still before an unhinged cackle spilled from Riddle's lips. "Hnhnhn... HAHAHAHAHA!! Ahh...I feel so good... I'm overflowing with power!" he sighed, his voice distorted, yet eerily calm. However, it wasn't his voice.

It wasn't even human—not a man's voice, nor a woman's. It was a sinister voice consisting of layer upon layer of distorted sounds. "Those foolish enough to disobey me, I have no need of them in my world." Riddle declared, his harsh, distorted voice echoing throughout the Rose Maze. "I am the law in my world. I am the rules!"

Every time Riddle spoke, the girls and Grim all trembled with fear. "The Queen of Hearts..." Alice whispered, her voice tight with fear. "No other response than "Yes, Lord Riddle" is acceptable!!" Riddle continued. "It's off with the heads of any who disobey me! Ahahahahaha!!" He gave out another terrible cackle.

"Holy moly...!" Kira whispered in utter disbelief. Alice suddenly fell to her knees as she felt all the strength leave her body. Her face was white as chalk, and her sky-blue eyes were wide. She could barely breathe. She couldn't move. She was paralyzed by pure fear. How could this happen this way...?!

"LOOK OUT!!!" Cater suddenly shouted. Everyone immediately scattered just in time to avoid getting hit by the Phantom Queen's rose tree. As soon as it hit the ground, it created a large shockwave that knocked everyone off their feet.

The ground beneath them cracked and pieces of earth jutted out from the grass. The Heartslabyul students all lay around the maze ground, stunned by the sudden blast. Everyone stared in shock as the Rose Maze now looked like a war zone. "One blow did this to the garden...?!" Cater whispered, his face white with horror.

"Ahh, look at this mess! A student has gone into Overblot right in front of me!" Headmaster Crowley said ruefully. The girls turned their heads towards him, confused by his words. "Overblot?" Jazmin asked curiously. "What the heck is Overblot? He suddenly looks super evil!" Grim cried, pointing at Riddle's new form.

"Overblot is a state that mages must avoid at all cost." Crowley explained in a grave tone. "He's being caught up in a storm of negative energy that has made him lose control of his emotions and magic." Alice let out a small gasp. "Oh, no...!" she said as she looked back to the hysterically laughing Overblot Riddle.

He was surrounded by a dark aura that had warped his nearby surroundings, colored crimson with darkness and madness. Worry seeped into Alice's heart. Grim scratched his head in confusion, still not knowing what Overblot was. "I don't really get it." he said, puzzled by Crowley's words. "Me, neither!" Deuce added.

Cater sighed, mildly annoyed by their lack of understanding. "Oh, for goodness' sake! In plain terms: he's fallen into a dark berserker state!" he explained. Trey looked anxiously at Riddle's Overblot form.

"This is bad! His life is in danger if he keeps releasing magic like this!" he said worriedly. The four girls all turned towards Trey, shocked by what they heard him say. "Huh?! What?!" they all exclaimed. Even Grim's eyes almost bulged out from their sockets.

"His life?!" he exclaimed. "Oh, no! That's terrible!" Alice cried out, getting back up on her feet. Crowley went over and pulled his female student back, motioning for her to go with the other students. "Right now, the safety of the other students is the top priority." he urged, his voice immediately becoming authoritative.

"But what about Riddle-senpai?! We have to save him! We can't let him die like this!" Alice cried frantically. Crowley gently patted her shoulder. "I understand your concern for him, Miss Liddell. But as of now, the other students' lives will be in serious peril if they stay here any longer." he said firmly.

"Mr. Rosehearts must be brought back to his senses before he runs out of magic. Losing his life would be terrible, but what would be even worse than that is..." Crowley then shook his head, trying not to imagine the worst scenario.

But he didn't have time to think for the Rose Maze's rosebushes were suddenly pulled out from the ground by an invisible force. They floated high into the air and were now aiming at the group. "Heads up!" Kira screamed as the rosebushes flew towards them at lightning speed like bullets, ready to tear them to pieces.

The group screamed as they quickly dodged the deadly missiles, doing their best to avoid getting hit. "Bow before me!" Overblot Riddle bellowed, pure rage burning in his blood-red eyes. "Now... Stand and prepare to fight! Because it's off with ALL your heads!!!"

Crowley quickly got his bearings before anything else could happen. "Anyway, I need all of you to find the other dorm leaders and teachers and ask them for their assistance—" He was then cut off by a sudden scream.

As Trey, Cater and Crowley turned to look, they were utterly shocked when they saw Ace, Deuce and Grim suddenly charging towards Overblot Riddle at full speed. "GAAAAHHH! EAT THIS!!!" Ace yelled as he pointed his magic pen at them, hitting Overblot Riddle and the Phantom Queen with a huge gust of wind magic.

Overblot Riddle and the Phantom Queen both shrieked as Ace's magic hit them head-on, shocking the others. "Eeh?!" Trey, Cater, and Crowley all shouted in unison. They couldn't believe what they were seeing!

"Come forth! Cauldron!" Deuce then shouted as he pointed his magic pen towards the sky. In a puff of smoke, a large cauldron appeared out of thin air and dropped towards the Phantom Queen. But Overblot Riddle saw the oncoming cauldron and the Phantom Queen batted the cauldron away with its rosebush.

Not wanting to be left out of the action, Grim charged towards Overblot Riddle and took a big breath of air. "Fffgnaaa~~!" Grim shrieked as he unleashed a huge jet of blue flames at Overblot Riddle and the monster, causing him to scream in pain as he stumbled back.

If looks could kill, the glare that Overblot Riddle was throwing at the fools who dared to attack him was downright murderous. "What are you fools doing?!" Overblot Riddle shouted angrily.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what do you guys think you're doing?!" Cater questioned, baffled at what they were even thinking. "He's only in danger like this!!" Grim said. "I won't be able to sleep at night if he reaches that stage. And besides..." Deuce said, trailing off.

"I haven't gotten him to say, "I was wrong, I'm so sorry" yet!" Ace finished. "You said that Riddle-san would die if we don't do something, right?!" Alice asked. "We all must save him, no matter what happens!!"

Trey, Cater and Crowley all went silent as they started at them in awe. "You guys..." Trey whispered. "Hate to admit it, but they're right. If he continues like this, you'll lose not only your dorm leader, but also your childhood friend." Kira said, looking at Trey.

"So are you just gonna stand there and let it happen or do something about it?" Trey tensed as he suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He glanced back at his best friend, saddened by the sight of the state he was in. She was right. They all were right. He allowed this to happen and now Riddle is suffering in pure agony.

He then turned back towards Kira with a determined look on his face and nodded. "All right! It won't be for very long, but I can continue to overwrite his magic with my own for a bit. Please." Trey said as he and everyone else all stood their ground to fight Overblot Riddle.

"Trey...!!" Overblot Riddle growled, glaring at Trey dangerously. "Hold on just a second, all of you!" Crowley shouted. "I shan't allow you to go! It's too dangerous!" He didn't want any more of his students to get involved in this and he'll be damned if he allowed any of them getting injured.

"Yeah! Why are even you encouraging this, Trey? You know you can't beat Riddle!" Cater shouted. "But...But we still have to try! We can't let him suffer like this!" Alice said boldly. "Only challenging guys you know you can beat is a way too lame way to live!" Ace added as he placed his hand on the small of Alice's back, supporting her.

"This isn't cool at all!" Grim shouted in agreement as he stood near him. "I can't think of anything else that can bring him back to his senses quickly." Deuce added, cracking his knuckles as he prepared himself for a brawl.

"Yeah. I can't lose him here. There's...There's still something I have to say to him!" Trey said with a serious glare as he looked at his fallen friend. He noticed that inky tears were streaming down Overblot Riddle's pale cheeks. There was rage in his expression, but Trey could see that there was also pain and sorrow in his eyes.

No matter what... no matter what happens now, Trey was going to save him! He was going to be the friend he should've been all those years ago. He wasn't going to leave him like this anymore.

"Wait! What about the girls?!" Cater asked as he ran towards Alice. "We've gotta get them outta here!" Alice turned towards Cater. "We're not going anywhere, Cater-senpai! We're all going to save Riddle-san!" she said confidently. "What?!" Cater questioned in disbelief. "But... But... But, Alice-chan, you—!" 

Ace turned towards Cater. "Hey, man! Trust the girls, okay?! They're not as helpless as you think they are!" he called. "Yeah! You're looking at the girls who saved our skins!" Deuce proudly added.

"I'd expect no less from my henchmen, y'know!" Grim declared with a cocky grin. Alice turned towards her friends. "Everyone! Let's all combine our powers and take down Dorm Leader Riddle together!" she declared confidently. "Yeah! Let's do this!" Kira agreed, pumping her fist. "Let's go save him!" Aria added.

"We need your help too, Cater-senpai!" Alice urged as she turned toward Cater and grabbed his hands. "Please, you have to help us! You don't want Riddle-san to die, too, do you?!" Cater's eyes widened as the blonde girl pleadingly looked into his leaf green eyes.

He then glanced over at the Overblotted Riddle, who let out an enraged cry as he rampaged... then he sighed before he scratched the back of his neck and looked back at Alice. How could he ever say no to a such an endearing face like that?

"...Aaah, darn! Fine, I get it! This really isn't my style though!" he said begrudgingly as he went over to stand beside them, bringing out his magic pen. "I mean... I don't wanna get involved, but I can't really bring myself to say no to a cutie like you, Alice-chan! I'll support you newbies, so just focus on Riddle, okay?"

Alice beamed. "Thank you, Cater-senpai!" she exclaimed. Cater smiled and blushed. Alice just looked so adorable with that smile of hers. "You're welcome, sweetheart." Cater replied with a wink before he used his Split Card spell to make three clones of himself. "Let's just get this over with!"

"Headmaster, please evacuate everyone!" Jazmin said. Crowley stammered, trying to argue against this, but he knew that nothing he said now would change their minds. He let out a gruff sigh and begrudgingly nodded in agreement.

"You boys, I swear... Very well, Miss Raija! As soon as I finish evacuating the other students, I'll be back! Hold on until then!" Crowley said as he quickly got to work in evacuating the remaining students, leaving the girls and the boys to hold Overblot Riddle off.

"This guy, that guy, you all have some nerve... I'll take all your heads off at once!" Overblot Riddle shouted as he raised his blot-stained hands into the air. As he did, thick tendrils of blot sprouted out from the black puddle and morphed into dozens of razor-sharp blot spears.

The tips of the black spears bore the shapes of the cards' suit motifs. Overblot Riddle then aimed them towards the group. With one sweep of his hands, the blot spears sped towards everyone. But Trey stood ready, brandishing his magic pen.

"Doodle Suit!" he yelled as he waved his magic pen towards the blot spears and cast his spell. In an instant, the blot spears turned into glowing playing cards, floating harmlessly towards the ground. "Riddle's body can't keep this up. We have to stop him before it's too late..." Trey said worriedly.

And so, the battle was on! "Gale Force Wind!" Ace yelled as he waved his magic pen at the rest of the oncoming blot spears, slicing the black blades cleanly through and stopping the spears in their tracks.

But the blot spears suddenly reformed themselves, much to Ace's shock. "Wha-?! They mended themselves?!" he gasped, not believing what he was seeing. Before he knew it, the blot spears shot towards him like arrows. Ace quickly turned and ran, flinching as the blot spears whizzed past him.

Suddenly, one of them grazed his shoulder and Ace watched in horror as the black blot staining his sleeve started to eat away at the fabric. "Darn it!" Ace cursed. As the blot spears struck the ground, the green grass beneath them started to blacken and wither with blot and the ground cracked.

Everyone gasped in shock when they saw what had happened. "The blot's... eating away at the ground?!" Deuce gasped. This was bad. If they don't put an end to this madness soon, then all of Heartslabyul will crumble away and be no more.

Overblot Riddle's distorted, mad cackles rang through the thick air. "You'll rue the day you ever dared to defy me!" he sneered wickedly. "Riddle-san!" Alice yelled as she stepped forward. Overblot Riddle glared at her, his red eyes glowing with rage. "Please stop this! We'll find a way to help you!" Alice pleaded.

Overblot Riddle scoffed. "I don't need any help from the likes of a disobedient rule breaker like you!" he roared as he summoned more blot spears from the black puddle underneath him and flung them towards Alice.

Alice let out a shriek as she quickly ran away to dodge them. Grim quickly blew out his blue flames towards the blot spears. But the blot spears quickly reformed themselves, no matter how many times Grim tried to destroy them. "Nobody defies my rules in my world, not even you!" Overblot Riddle raged.

He then waved his blot-stained hand toward Alice and Grim. "Off with your heads!" he screamed. Before Alice and Grim knew it, the accursed collars magically locked themselves around their necks. "Gyah!!" Grim yelped in shock.

"C'mon! Not again! This really sucks!" Alice tugged at her collar. "Ugh...! This horrid collar...!" she gasped. Suddenly, one of the blot spears struck Alice's skirt and pinned her down. "Alice!" Grim yelled as he attempted to help her. Then, more blot spears struck the ground near them, trapping them in a cage.

Both Alice and Grim shrieked when they saw the blot starting to eat away at the fabric of her skirt and the ground beneath them. "Eek!!" Grim screeched. "Oh, no! Help! Help us!" Alice screamed. Trey heard their cries and gasped when he saw Alice and Grim stuck in a perilous situation.

"Alice! Grim! Hang on, you two!" he yelled as he quickly approached them and waved his magic pen at them. "Doodle Suit!" he yelled. The blot spears instantly turned into thin ice. Alice quickly kicked at the ice, freeing herself and Grim.

The collars around their necks have also disappeared. Overblot Riddle glared at Trey viciously. "Darn it. Darn it! Why do you keep getting in my way, Trey?!" Overblot Riddle cursed. "I have no choice!!" Trey shouted. "You're out of control, Riddle!!"

Grim smiled as he felt the tight, heavy collar around his neck disappear. "Alright! He's sealed Riddle's collar attack with this!" he cheered, raising a paw in the air. "He can't keep it up for long. We're still in a pinch here." Cater warned. "Hurry and finish this while I have "Off With Your Head" sealed!" Trey shouted.

"Uughggiiiiiiii!!!" Overblot Riddle yelled furiously, his face red and his blood-red eyes blazing with fury. "None should DARE stand in my way!!" He then raised his hands. The Phantom Queen mimicked his movements as it raised the rosebush above its head and slammed it to the ground, creating another massive shockwave.

Everyone scrambled to dodge the deadly blow as the shockwave spread throughout the Rose Maze grounds, creating more fissures. Deuce lost his balance trying to evade the cracks and tripped on a fallen rosebush.

"Deuce!" Ace yelled to his friend. As Deuce fell, he lost his grip on his magic pen and it fell into the crevice. "Oh, no!" Deuce cried as he tried to reach for his pen when a sharp blot spear suddenly came whizzing towards him, ready to impale him. Before Deuce could quickly brace himself, Cater suddenly stepped in front of him...

THUMP! The blot spear struck Cater in the chest, impaling him. Deuce stared at Cater with wide-eyed horror. "CATER-SENPAI!! NO!!" Alice and the other girls screamed in horror. As Cater collapsed, Deuce quickly caught him in his arms.

"DIAMOND-SENPAI!!" Deuce cried in horror. "I'm good, just...go on without me." Cater gasped in ragged breaths as he was fading away. Deuce's lip trembled as his eyes started to water. "Senpai!! Don't die on me, please!!" he begged imploringly. An impish smile then spread across Cater's face. "Sike~♪" he said.

Before Deuce knew it, Cater's body suddenly disappeared into a puff of smoke. In his place, various playing cards scattered in the air. Deuce was confused. "Huh?! Cards...?!" he gasped. What was going on here? How did Cater...?

"Hey, no spacing out!!" a voice suddenly said, and Deuce felt someone poking his cheek. Deuce turned and gasped when he saw Cater standing beside him, his finger on his cheek. "The real deal's right here~. ☆" Cater said with a wink. "Cater-senpai!! You're alright!!" Alice cried joyfully. "Thank goodness!"

"Oh, I see!" Deuce exclaimed in realization. "You used Split Card!" When Overblot Riddle saw that, he grew even more livid. "You disobedient fools! I've had enough of your foolish nonsense!" he shrieked as he then began to raise his hands.

Everyone quickly stopped when they saw Overblot Riddle gather his magic and summon gigantic blot spears from the black puddle. "If none of you will obey my rules, I WILL HAVE ALL YOUR HEADS AT ONCE!!!" Overblot Riddle bellowed as the blot spears towered over the Phantom Queen and himself.

Everyone quickly backed away in apprehension as Overblot Riddle then aimed the blot spears at them and flung them towards the group. The group quickly dashed to dodge the spears before Overblot Riddle set his sights on Alice.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" Overblot Riddle screamed as he raised his hand and the blot spears aimed towards Alice. Kira quickly snapped her head over to her and knew what he was attempting to do. "NO! Don't you dare!!!" Kira screamed as she quickly rushed towards Alice.

Alice froze and her eyes went wide with terror as the blot spears flew towards her, ready to impale her. She was trapped. There was nowhere for her to run. "ALICE-CHAN! NO!!!" everyone screamed in horror as they ran towards her.

Alice screamed in terror as she helplessly watched the blot spears close in on her. Suddenly, there was a flash of bright light. The light surrounded the entire Rose Maze, and everybody suddenly stopped in their tracks, enveloped by a bright blue glow. Everything and everyone suddenly stood still, frozen in time.

However, it didn't affect Alice. Alice was left in utter shock as she looked at her surroundings. How did that happen? "Huh?! Wh-What?! What's going on?" Alice asked, confused by what was happening. "Why has time suddenly stopped?!"

"Greetings, Alice." a soft, gentle voice suddenly said. Alice whipped her head up to see a bright blue spark floating towards her. Then the spark formed into the shape of a crystal dove. Alice backed away fearfully. "Fear me not, young lady. I mean you no harm." the voice said. It seemed to be coming from the crystal dove.

"Wh-Who are you?" Alice asked. "I am the spirit of guidance." the dove replied gently. "I am here to help you and your friends in your time of need. As of now, you seem to be in a great dilemma." Alice nodded slowly.

"Yes. Riddle-san has Overblotted. His life's in danger. But...I don't know how to help him." she said sadly. "So I see. But fortunately, all is not lost." the crystal dove said. "There is a way to save his life. I will grant you the power to save Riddle from death." Alice looked up at the dove in surprise. "Really?! How?" she asked.

The crystal dove then closed her eyes and flapped her wings. In a flash of light, a bright red crystal heart materialized before her. Alice gasped at how beautiful the crystal heart looked.

"This is no ordinary crystal heart. This Crystal Heart has magical powers. Use them to free Riddle from his agony." the dove said. "But how? How do I do that?" Alice asked. "The Crystal Heart will endow you your Unique Magic to purify him from his Overblot. Your Unique Magic is "Vorpal Blade". Now go." the dove replied.

"Use your magic well. Go save him and may luck be with you." And with those words, the crystal dove disappeared into a bright blue light as a whirlwind of magical red sparkles surrounded Alice.

A sudden gust of wind knocked everyone off their feet as a bright blinding red light flashed across the Rose Maze. Everybody shielded their eyes as the bright red light shone through the fog. As the bright red glow diminished, everyone looked and gasped in utter surprise. "What?! What is this?!" Overblot Riddle asked in shock.

"A-Alice-chan?!" Deuce asked, not believing what he was seeing. There was Alice, floating as she was surrounded by bright red and white sparkles. Her school uniform had now transformed into a light blue short-sleeved knee-length dress with a pristine white lacy pinafore on top.

Two black ribbons adorned her long honey blond hair. On her hands were pristine white gloves with blue silk bows. A black-and-blue diamond-patterned satin bow with a golden watch hung on her apron.

On her feet were delicate white stockings with black ribbons and black Mary Janes. Hanging from a black bow around her neck was a glittering ruby-red crystal heart. Alice looked at her new appearance in awe and shock. "Oh! Wh-What?! How-?!" she gasped.

It was truly an unbelievable sight. "Y-Yo-You're kidding me!" Cater exclaimed, his leaf green eyes nearly bulging from their sockets. "It can't be!" Everyone else was just as shocked and amazed by Alice's sudden transformation.

"HOLY COW!!!" Kira exclaimed. "NO WAY!!!" Ace added. "Fffgnaaa~~!" Grim whispered. Both Trey and Deuce were too dumbfounded to say anything. Even Headmaster Crowley stared at Alice's new appearance in utter shock, his golden eyes wide like saucers.

"Impossible! How did she suddenly become able to use magic?!" he exclaimed. His eyes then narrowed when he saw the red crystal heart around Alice's neck and a thought occurred to him. Crowley put his gloved hand to his chin as he started to ponder. "Unless...Could it even be possible...?!" he murmured in wonder.