...When Yuu opened his eyes, he found himself in a vast gray space that seemed to have no end. He thought for a second he was dreaming but was still wearing his usual school uniform and remembered the battle against Leona. He looked around as he felt a strange sensation of not being alone. "Hello?" He asked out loud before spotting his sister. "Yukiko!"

She was dressed just like the last time he saw her in the infirmary, with the set of clothes that came with the school's ceremonial robe: black pants, a shirt of the same color with golden trim, the black choker around her neck, and dark socks. Even her shirt kept the big, burnt space on the right shoulder that showed her blue print there.

"Yuu!" Yukiko exclaimed when she saw him and rushed to hug him.

The boy returned her hug, internally wishing for the day they stop seeing each other only that way to arrive soon...

The scuffs and dirt on his uniform did not go unnoticed by Yukiko's gaze and she grabbed both of his hands. "Hey, what happened to you? You're a mess! Did someone hurt you? Who!?" She insisted to know.

"Don't worry, I'm fine, really," he assured her with a calm smile and shook her hands. "Nothing could go better now."

Yukiko didn't seem completely convinced, but she decided to take his word for it and looked around. "What place is this? Another dream?" She asked. Yuu was going to say no, but she remembered something and released him. "No, wait. I think I've been in a place like this before."

Before Yuu could ask her what she was talking about, a black and white figure of Leona appeared in front of them. "Leona!" Yuu exclaimed upon seeing him.

"Who?" Yukiko asked, confused. It was the first time in her life that she saw him after all.

"Uh... Let's say it's someone I just interacted with..." Yuu said, knowing that it wasn't the right time to tell her he had just been attacked by him.

Just like it happened with Riddle at that time, Leona didn't seem to notice the twins' presence and fixed a sorrowful look on the floor. He did not move his lips to speak either, so his voice and thoughts were heard in the form of a distant echo: "Since I was born, I always felt like there's an immovable stone over my head..." His voice whispered in a sad, bleak tone that Yuu would never have imagined hearing from him, the fierce dorm leader he feared.

Leona's image disappeared to make way for what seemed to be the corridor of a large and ostentatious building, surely a palace. The place was completely open, without a wall separating it from the outside, a long row of columns supporting the ceiling and the floor. In view was a vast savannah landscape, full of simple vegetation made up of grass, bushes, and rocks, all illuminated by the ruddy light of sunset. The most remarkable thing was a huge rock with a gorge that rang a bell to Yuu. Yukiko quickly pointed at it in amazement. "Wait! Isn't that the giant rock where the lions were?" She quickly said.

"What?" Yuu asked.

"Didn't you see it before? In that... dream, where a baboon was showing a baby lion to a bunch of animals."

As soon as he processed that, Yuu winced slightly. "You're right! But how do we know it's the same? The one from that time was just a dream, right?" He remembered.

"Good point... I guess this one just looks a lot like that one," Yukiko commented before looking around. "Hey, someone's coming!"

In another nearby corridor that connected to the interior of the palace, a small figure walked towards them that Yuu did not take long to recognize. "Speaking of baby lions." He commented.

That little boy about nine years of age was certainly a young Leona. His thick mane was short and only reached to the middle of his neck, but his emerald green eyes had still a fierce shape, with the difference that he still hadn't received his scar on the left one. He was dressed in an elaborate set of dark colors with ethnic details.

"Is that him?" Yukiko asked, surprised, as she walked toward the child to get a closer look.

"Yes, we must be in his memories, that's why we see him like this. We can't interact with him though," Yuu explained as he followed behind. "To think that he'll be terrifying in the future, he's so adorable like this..." He sighed.

"He looks like he has a bad temper, but you're right: he's cute!" Yukiko agreed. "But what could mean that thing he said about his birth?"

Just as they were about to return to the end of the corridor, one of Leona's ears jerked to one side, as if he had detected some kind of sound and leaned his back to the wall with a watchful air to hide from something, confusing both twins.

"What's wrong?" Yukiko asked.

The two looked out and noticed three tall people, two men, and one woman, all of them dressed in simpler, lighter-colored clothing walking towards them. One of the men and the woman had zebra ears and tails, the other man had features of an animal they weren't sure they could identify. The three of them talked among themselves while holding baskets with freshly washed sheets, so it was safe to deduce that they were servants who worked there in the palace.

They didn't know what they were talking about until the zebra-eared man sighed exhaustedly. "Ah... His Highness Falena is bright and cheerful, but...why is his younger brother the prince Leona so hard to please?"

"As if that wasn't enough, he can use magic that can turn anything into sand, so terrifying...!" The female servant muttered nervously.

The second man was disturbed to hear them talk that way about one of the princes and jumped. "Hey, stop gossiping! What if someone hears you?" He scolded them in a whisper before looking both ways to make sure no one was around, still unaware of Leona's presence.

The three of them side-stepped down the aisle and the twins exchanged worried glances before turning their attention back to Leona, who was keeping a scowl on the floor and clenching his jaw and fists in frustration, making it clear that those harsh comments affected him.

"Poor thing..." Yukiko murmured sadly.

"He's just a kid, how can they say that about him?" Yuu asked indignantly. Another thing would be when he was an adult, but at that time he was only someone very young.

The stage disappeared to return to the gray space with adult Leona. "If I had been born first, they would say other things," Leona's voice continued. "Things like: "His Highness Leona is so thoughtful and an extremely formidable sorcerer. He is nothing like his carefree brother." He frowned in disappointment. "But because I was born second instead, all I get is criticism. They exalt the firstborn at the expense of the second. No matter what I do, I'll never be first."

"I would never imagine he felt like this..." Yuu said out loud.

Yukiko wanted to ask him something about it but was interrupted when the space disappeared again to materialize a large bedroom with wooden furniture, illuminated by daylight through large windows. The walls were adorned with elegant tapestries that had to have been woven by expert hands. They looked similar in design to the bed, where Leona, now about fifteen years old, gazed serenely at the canopy above him. This time he had the thin, long scar on his left eye.

As soon as everything finished appearing, the door was flung open, surprising the three young people, and a man of about twenty-five years of age entered the room at a fast pace. He was tall and stocky, with tanned skin, long red hair that reached below his shoulders, dark reddish-brown eyes, and lion ears and tail, just like Leona. He was dressed in elegant, elaborate sleeveless robes, accompanied by a long cape that fell over his left arm. His wrists were adorned with gold bracelets, and his forehead with a golden chain that matched the other one around his neck.

"That must be King Falena," Yuu guessed from the newcomer's appearance and the information he had learned about him days before.

"Then must be his brother too," Yukiko commented as she looked at Leona, still lying on the bed.

To say that Falena looked angry would be an understatement. "Leona! Why weren't you present at the ceremony today!?" He asked in a strong, authoritative tone.

Leona wasn't intimidated by his brother's behavior in the slightest and only deigned to look at him for a second before pretending to check his nails in disinterest. "Ceremony? Oh, do you mean that doting-parent party you threw to show off your son to the whole world, brother?" He asked him with a mocking smile. "My apologies, it seems that I fell asleep again," he said without any hesitation.

"Today was an important day to show the people the face of their future king!" Falena replied, no less annoyed.

The twins looked back at Leona, finally moving to sit on the edge of the bed and give his brother a sour look. "Yes, a whole day of celebration," Leona replied sarcastically. "After all, it's the day that the loathed second prince forever lost his right to the throne."

Falena gave an inaudible gasp, and his angry look turned to one of concern before frowning again. "Don't talk like that!" He insisted sternly.

Without changing his attitude, Leona rolled his eyes in disgust. "It must be great to have been the first to be born. Even if you're lazy and sleep or sing all day, you can still be the king," he said before staring at the ground.

Though Leona's proud demeanor didn't strike him as the least bit appropriate, Falena seemed to understand that the day was a hard one for his younger brother, the underestimated prince. He came over to sit next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Leona frowned but didn't reject the gesture or move away from him. "Leona... even if you can't be king, you are very intelligent," he told him determinedly. "There are so many things you can still do for this kingdom."

Despite the tension in the discussion between the two brothers, Yuu couldn't help but look with gentle tenderness at the king's compassion.

However, Leona glared at Falena and slapped his hand away. "If this kingdom needed someone intelligent, I would have been able to do something long ago!" He said apathetically before getting up and walking to the door, instinctively making the twins step away to let him through.

"Leona. Stop right there, Leona!" Falena demanded before the door closed behind his brother. He sighed and put a hand to his head in exhaustion.

"At least he's trying to help him..." Yukiko commented as the images disappeared again and Leona returned.

"Why do I have to go through all this for just being born a few years later?" Leona asked sadly. "I can study anything, learn all the magic there is in this world... But from the day I was born until I die, I'll never be seen as greater than my brother... and I will never be king. Why did I have to be born as the second prince? Why will I always be barred from being number one? Why? Why? Why!?" A few small tears appeared in his eyes after repeating that question. "...Life is not fair."

Yuu and Yukiko clasped hands as they saw him in such a vulnerable, hopeless position... Yuu could understand why Leona showed little interest in what he was doing while still having a great ability to achieve what he wanted: because, according to him, no one would care, no one would appreciate those achieved goals, and no one would see him beyond his image as the younger brother and would only be compared to others who received the appreciation he never had.

Even though he now saw Leona from a slightly different perspective, Yuu didn't know what to do. While he was able to empathize with Leona, he had never suffered negative criticism or contempt for being born into a position that brought disadvantages, at least not in the same way as him. Riddle's situation was a very different one, and it was not as if Leona saw him with good eyes anyway, so the idea of ​​trying to cheer him up had little chance of going well.

On her part, Yukiko looked at both of them simultaneously as she thought about what to say until she noticed Leona's black and white figure gradually regaining its original colors. "Look, I think he's going to realize we're here," she said before beginning to move decisively towards him.

Seeing her do that made Yuu snap out of his thoughts in fear for her and step forward to stop her by her shoulder. "Yuki, don't!" He told her as he shook his head. Even though he saw Leona in a different way and wasn't feeling intimidated by him after the battle and those heartbreaking memories, Yuu did not want Leona to show his weakened sister the hostility he had shown with him long before his Overblot.

Leona's colors returned, he looked ahead and was surprised at the sudden presence of the twins there. "What...? Prefect!? Why are you...?" He asked before looking at Yukiko. "Who are you?"

It was the first time that Leona hadn't addressed him with offensive nicknames like 'herbivore' or 'pipsqueak', but Yuu kept his guard up, gave him a suspicious look, and placed an arm in front of Yukiko to protect her.

That brave gesture and the clear resemblance between the youngsters were enough hints to remind Leona about the incident that happened days ago when one of his dorm students tried to attack a girl who had appeared out of nowhere, the very sister of the student who inhabited the ruined dorm.

"What place is this?" Leona asked before remembering his memories and frowning, but not with anger or annoyance. "You heard everything I've said, right?" He asked them with a sigh.

Yuu relaxed his position but kept his arm raised at all times. "Yes, we saw everything. And I'm so sorry you had to go through all that," he said wistfully.

"Me too," Yukiko added before gently holding her brother's arm. "If you don't mind, could I say something about it?"

Leona looked at her with a combination of surprise and puzzledness.

"What!?" Yuu muttered, scared.

Yukiko knew her brother well, she did not need to pay too much attention to suppose that something must have happened between the two of them for him to be so cautious. "I'll be fine, it'll just be a second," she assured him before approaching Leona.

"Well? Are you going to try to comfort me with some heartfelt speech from the soul?" He asked sarcastically, trying not to sound too crude for her.

"Not exactly," Yukiko told him calmly. "I don't know you, and I don't think you're very interested in my opinion or my advice, but from what I have just seen, I can conclude that lots of people around you made you feel stuck in an image they have of you..." She looked away for a second. "People who doubt that you'll be able to go far, to the point you believe that yourself."

Leona glanced at her for a second, he knew it was useless trying to deny everything she said. "Yeah, and?"

"I don't know how that sand magic works either, but let's say I understand what it's like to be judged because someone sees you negatively for stupid reasons. Not like you did, of course, but it still hurt. I even lost someone I cared about because of it."

"Yuki..." Yuu murmured with a sad tone since he knew right away that he was talking about her ex's mother.

"But I have people who love me," she looked at her brother with a small smile, "and that helped me reject that hate. I did everything I could to not let the damage stay inside me. Tell me, do you know someone who sees you with good eyes? That doesn't reject you because of that strength you have? There should be at least one person."

Leona looked at her in surprise and thought about it for a moment, but frowned again. "If you expect me to say my brother, you're not helping. I know it's not his fault, that he tried to help me more than once, but he would never understand how I feel. So he doesn't count."

"He indeed seems like a good guy, but I meant if there's someone who met you and the first thing he saw from you was not that magic or your time in birth. Does anyone come to mind?"

After reflecting on it, Yuu looked away, finally realizing that he actually did feel the same thing when he arrived at Night Raven College. After enrolling as a student, he could hear other students talking behind his back, criticizing him and doubting that he could achieve anything there as a non-magical student. Even if it was inevitable to feel a bit hurt back then, he was able to ignore it thanks to Grim, Ace, and Deuce, and now things were different after helping save Riddle. With that, he came up with something to support Yukiko's idea. "What about Savanaclaw dorm?" He asked. "Everyone there seems to admire you and recognize your strength."

Yukiko nodded in approval. "That sounds good. What do you say about that? Are you able to find a place there where you can show your true potential? With them?"

"What a stupid question, of course I am," Leona said before realizing what he had just said, his eyes widened, and stared at the ground in silence. "I'm sure they wouldn't understand anything either, but I was the one who reacted like that when they asked me not to abandon them..."

Reflecting on what he remembered before arriving at that mysterious place, the gray space slowly turned black. Yuu stepped forward to hold his sister's hand again.

"Hey, wake up!" Grim's voice was heard from somewhere.

"Grim!" Yuu exclaimed, understanding what was going on.

"What's happening now!?" Leona asked, preparing himself to fight whatever lay ahead of them.

"Don't worry, we're just going to get out of here," Yuu calmed him down.

Knowing she had no time left, Yukiko flinched as the darkness approached and looked at Leona one last time. "You don't even have to answer!" She exclaimed. "I don't know if this would mean anything to you, but that's my advice. If I was able to find my way and people who encourage me to go through it, surely anyone can!"

It wasn't like Leona knew exactly what to say, either. It was true he had heard more than once from his brother most of what that unknown girl had told him, but he couldn't remember the last time someone who understood the same as he did, at least a little, said it with a fighting zeal instead of being compassionate or trying to seem convincing.

The darkness surrounded them and Yuu slowly opened his eyes. "Huh?" He asked, disoriented.

"I see you're back with us at last, young Yuu," Crowley said with relief.

Yuu looked around, confused. He was still kneeling next to Leona, who was still unconscious on the ground, and Grim was right next to him. He noticed that Riddle wasn't there and that the others were standing next to the headmaster, looking at him with a combination of relief and surprise. "Headmaster? Since when are you here?" Yuu asked.

"A few minutes ago," he answered. "You didn't even react when I arrived, are you okay?"

"Yes," Yuu murmured. "Did something happen?

"Your head was lost in space... again," Ace answered nervously. "At least you didn't move like something was controlling you."

"Does that usually happen to you?" Jack asked with a hint of concern.

"No, but..."

"Look, he's opening his eyes!" Just like Grim said, Leona's eyelids slowly fluttered open, and looked around wearily. The first person he saw was Yuu, who smiled sheepishly. "Hello again," he greeted.

"You..." Leona murmured, still confused by the encounter they just had. "But how...?"

"Yay! You're finally awake! We weren't sure what to do if you stayed passed out like that, yanno!" Grim interrupted happily before frowning and pointing at the headmaster. "Come on, now confess that all of the accidents were part of your plan."

Still disoriented and confused by the situation, Leona straightened up and put a hand to his head. "What... Come again?" He asked with wide eyes.

"Young Kingscholar," Crowley began with a calm tone of voice, "you fell into an Overblot rampage after being consumed by blot and negative energy, do you remember?"

Leona blinked a few times and looked at the people around him. Images like floating rocks, cracks opening in the ground, the fearsome quadrupedal monster standing behind him, and his dorm students pointing their magical pens at him came back to mind. "I fell into a rampage..." he muttered before looking back at his hand in horror and disbelief. "Overblot? It can't be...!" He whispered almost inaudibly.

As if he had just remembered something, Grim flinched. "Don't think about that now! The Magical Shift tournament is about to start. If you don't confess now, we can't get our reward and play in the tournament, yanno!" He exclaimed insistently.

Leona looked at him indifferently. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"The two of them decided to go after you so the headmaster would give them permission to participate in the Magical Shift tournament," Jack explained and Yuu nodded to confirm it.

"What!? You did it just for that?" Ruggie asked, stunned.

Yuu shrugged while giving a shy smile, but Grim felt indignant: "'Just for that'!?" He repeated with a shriek. "It was you who went around injuring people 'just for that', yanno!"

Ruggie frowned and swallowed hard. "Er... I guess... you're right," he muttered in defeat, knowing he could not say anything to deny it.

After listening to them, Crowley turned back to Leona to return to the main issue. "So we can assume that this series of accidents around campus was the work of your dorm?" He asked.

Aware that there was no escape anymore, Leona quietly closed his eyes. "...Yes, they were," he confessed.

"Understood. So first of all, Savanaclaw dorm is disqualified from this year's tournament," Crowley announced. "Further punishments will be decided after discussing it with those that you injured. Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear," Leona murmured. That reprimand was much colder and more severe than the one he had received days ago after Yuu reported their violent game.

After hearing the sentence, Ruggie and Jack looked away in frustration. Yuu couldn't help but feel sorry for them, at least for Jack, who had rebelled against his own dorm to have a fair tournament that he couldn't even participate in anymore.

However, the melancholic silence was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching them. "Headmaster, wait a moment, please," Riddle said calmly, followed by a new group of students including Trey, Jamil, and those who were interviewed during the investigation.

Crowley greeted them with bewilderment, recognizing the newly arrived students. "Young Rosehearts? And... And you are?"

"Yes. They are all the victims in the accidents," Riddle stated.

Some of them still had bandages on their hands, but others like Trey seemed to be feeling better and were able to stand on their feet. "Headmaster, as the victims, we have a request to ask of you," Trey began. "Could you please refrain from disqualifying Savanaclaw and allow them to play in the tournament?"

That question was completely unexpected for the people who were there, even for Leona, who did not move from his place on the ground.

"What? Are you saying that... you're going to forgive them?" Crowley asked, surprised.

Leona frowned, puzzled, and Jack and Ruggie didn't know what to say at the compassion of those who were hurt by their dorm. "Guys..." Ruggie muttered.

"No, we're not forgiving them," Jamil said very seriously.

"If Savanaclaw doesn't play, we won't get the revenge we want," Trey added calmly.

"Wait what? Yuu mumbled, stunned. Now everything made sense, things seemed too tender to be true.

"What!?" Ruggie asked, confused.

"Revenge!?" Jack repeated with the same reaction.

"The use of magic in personal fights within the campus is forbidden," Riddle began to explain.

"Magical Shift is a highly respected sport, right?" Trey continued, flashing an evil smirk that Yuu had barely seen on him. "However, it is known for giving the chance to attack your opponents with magic as much as possible, you know?"

"Yeah, I won't get closure if I don't hit you at least one time," the Heartslabyul student said.

"This is a duel! Pick up the glove!" The Pomefiore's student's low-pitched voice exclaimed as he took off his left glove.

"I don't know what happened to you, but Savanaclaw seems to be in worse shape than all of us," Jamil said with a dark look.

"Since we know who the culprit is, I find it quite convenient getting rid of our grudge with a game," Trey added.

Cater had an idea and walked over to Trey's side. "Do you remember, Leona? You said yourself that one can attack as much as wanted without breaking any rules," he said mischievously.

Riddle looked at him in disbelief. "Normally, it would be off with your head for using our traditions to settle personal disputes," he said. "But if this is what Trey and the others want, I'll turn a blind eye this once."

"I understand how you feel, but I'm still not sure if Savanaclaw should play in the state they're in," Crowley said hesitantly. "Especially you, young Kingscholar, can you even stand up?"

To his surprise, Leona held back to no avail before bursting into a laugh that for once didn't sound mean. "Don't underestimate me, Crowley. I'm capable of facing these wounded herbivores even in my sleep," he said after calming down and looking at him decisively.

"We'll see if that's true," Jamil replied.

"I have not the slightest intention of apologizing. If that's what you want, you'll have to force me on the field," Leona added maliciously, making Yuu take a step back to get away from him.

"There you have it, headmaster. Are you alright with this?" Trey asked.

"My goodness, I feel like an idiot for thinking you had a moving speech prepared. Okay, I'll allow Savanaclaw to play in the tournament, as planned," he announced before leaning close to Yuu and quickly whispering in his ear. "And as headmaster, I'd like to prevent a scandal like this from being broadcast around the world on the day of the tournament."

Yuu blinked a few times in disbelief before laughing nervously. "That sounds mean, but I guess that's one less problem..." He muttered back.

Crowley stepped back and cleared his throat. "Very well, the audience is waiting for the players," he said with a smile. "You better prepare yourselves."

"I should go too," Leona said before bending down to pick up his staff from the ground but dropped it again as soon as he felt a sharp pain and put a hand to his stomach. "Grr... crap, ow..."

Ruggie noticed this and raised an eyebrow before walking over to him. "Hey. Just so you know I haven't forgiven you or anything..." He said with annoyance.

Leona was aware that Ruggie had been one of those who had suffered the most from both his insistence on giving up and his magic, even before he fell into Overblot, so he understood that one of his most loyal followers would be clearly disgusted with him. "Oh, really?" He asked indifferently, but his closed eyes finally expressed a slight feeling of regret for having hurt someone who looked up to him.

"But... how to put it? I don't want to see you with that sad face you have right now," Ruggie said with a little pity. "That arrogant smirk you usually have suits you so much better," he added cheerfully before taking out his magical pen. "...Like this!"

Leona knew what Ruggie was about to do and looked at him in alarm, but it was too late to do anything about it.

"Laugh With Me!" A glow came out of the magical gem and went straight towards Leona. Then Ruggie closed his eyes and forced a big smile, both motions were forcibly imitated in Leona.

"Ah, aagh! Wha dah hell, Raffie!? (What the hell, Ruggie!?)" Leona asked with an irritation that was frustrated by that smile that made it difficult for him to speak.

Ruggie laughed, placing his left hand on his waist and the other reaching up into the air, making Leona copy that too. "Shi, shi, shi! Ay awayz whated to traye dis oh nuy! (I've always wanted to try this on you!)" Ruggie said with the same difficulty to speak, but still smiling.

"Stahp righ naw! (Stop right now!)" Leona demanded.

The scene was too funny not to laugh with it, so Ace and Yuu couldn't help but laugh. "That's a good revenge!" Yuu exclaimed, satisfied to see Leona in such a way after those violent attacks.

On the other hand, Jack looked dumbfounded at his upperclassmen. "But what are they doing?" He asked before smiling slightly.

Yuu noticed him and gasped quietly. "Ah, you smiled!" He exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and joy.

In response, Jack's ears perked up, and he looked at him sheepishly. "No, I'm not smiling or anything!" He insisted but sighed and did it again as he looked at the group. "I must admit you really came through us. Thanks to you I can give my all now."

Riddle smiled in response. "From now on we are rivals, we're not going to make things easy for you," he said.

"Same here!" Jack answered.

"Case closed," Yuu sighed before remembering something with those words and approaching Crowley. "Headmaster, you didn't forget something, right?" He wasn't going to leave the question for later, he did not train with the three ghosts only to distract himself from Yukiko's unconsciousness, after all.

"What do you mean?"

[Published on 9/9/2022]

To Be Continued...