Jonah barely registered when they were about to leave the Mostro Lounge that Deuce and Floyd entered. Ace and Grim were thrilled to meet up with the last of their trio. When they finally jumped out of the mirror, Cater and Jack was waiting for them at the Hall of Mirrors.

"Put me down," the captain spoke. Despite Trey's best effort to keep him in his arm, Jonah pushed himself off of the senior.

"Jonah-"

Jonah stepped back, back turned against the approaching Riddle. "Don't."

Riddle let his hand dropped to his side, letting out a pained sigh. Of course, he would. But Jonah was too mess up to consider that. "I just..."

"If I could at least try to protect you from ever giving up your unique magic, I would do it," Jonah muttered in a hoarse voice. "But, in the end, I can't even do that."

"You nearly die-"

Jonah glanced back. "Is it really worth it?"

Riddle's brow furrowed. He took a step forward, voice steady and filled with certainty. "Yes."

Jonah bit his lip and looked down at his feet. "Just... I need some time alone."

"Jonah-"

Ignoring the call of the Heartslabyul Prefect, Jonah ran away, never looking back. Riddle didn't know how to feel. Was this supposed to be a rejection from Jonah? Was it a good idea to give up his unique magic? Yes. He was sure. He saved his life. So why he can't see it?

Trey looked at Ace who was holding Jonah's cutlass. Opening his palm as a silent request, Ace understood it easily and gave it to Trey. The greenette knelt next to Grim who was holding Jonah's cutlass. "Grim," he said, offering the blade to the cat. "Can you go with him?"

Grim looked up at him worriedly. "He won't die when looking at me, right?"

"No," Riddle answered without looking at him. "He shouldn't be. Azul made a deal for that."

Trey sighed through his nose and looked back to Grim. "He'll need someone to comfort him right now."

Grim nodded at him. "Alright." The cat grabbed the sword then flew ahead of them, hopefully, able to find the missing captain.

Ace walked toward Riddle and gently put his hand on the still frozen redhead. "Prefect," he said, voice gentle but filled with guilt. "We're sorry we've failed you."

"I just..." Riddle sighed. "I thought I was doing the right thing."

Trey walked up to him and knelt in front of him, hands on both of the boy's shoulder to make sure he was focusing on him. "You did it to save his life. You did the right thing," he spoke gently. "He just needs some time to process this."

Riddle sighed again. "He's angry, isn't he?"

"At himself? Maybe. But never at you." Trey ran his hand down Riddle's hair in an attempt to give the prefect some reassurance. "Come on, let's go back to Heartslabyul."

Riddle mutely agreed. The Heartlabyul gang walked back to their mirror while Jack walked to his. None of them had any clue what to do next.

-----

Walking through the main street, Jonah felt numb. Maybe because of the tiredness from the battle earlier or maybe the guilt of failing to keep what he has left finally settle in. He felt like shit right now, both physically and emotionally. Looking up, he didn't even notice that he had turned and found himself in front of the brightly lit Ramshackle Dorm. His home. And Ashengrotto took it.

Jonah fell to his knees, hands gripping the grass underneath him and forehead pressed against the metal fence. "I'm sorry..." he choked a sob, "I'm sorry..."

Tiny footsteps approached him and Jonah's breath hitched when he felt the familiar soft paws on his knees. "Jonah..."

The boy slowly lifted his head, staring at Grim whose ears were down. "Please, don't cry."

"I failed, Grim," Jonah whispered. "I lost to Ashengrotto, Senior Riddle had to give up his unique magic, you're still under that takoyaki control, we are still dormless, and I..." he sobbed, trying his best to wipe the tears with the sleeve of his shirt. "... I'm so useless."

"No! You're not useless!" Grim's paws were on his wet cheeks, squeezing them lightly like trying to make an emphasis. "You tried your best to save us! Nothing that you do is useless!"

"It doesn't feel like I'm doing anything good." Jonah averted his gaze. "Senior Riddle did all the planning, even Jack and Ace thought of doing something. I just..." He sighed, shifted his position so his back was leaning against the fence as he looked up to the starry sky. Grim curled up in his lap, nuzzling his cheek onto Jonah's stomach as the boy's hand pat his head softly.

They didn't know how long they sat in this chilly air. Jonah's eyes started to drop. That was until he saw a small green firefly flew past him. He knew that firefly, right?

"Hm? Why such long faces?"

Grim jumped from his lap and landed on his four paws as the familiar, tall, horned, Diasomnia boy stood just a few feet from him.

"You..."

"Who are you?" Grim hissed, tail straight up and ready to fight.

The Diasomnia kid raised an eyebrow at the cat, then turned to the boy. "It seems like either of you know fear, do you?"

Jonah rolled his eyes. "What do you want?"

"I'm just wondering why the Ramshackle Dorm has been quite noisy lately. Do you have new dormmates now?"

"You are from Diasomnia, right? Surely, you've heard something from Senior Vanrouge."

The boy hummed. "Indeed. He did mention about a certain star falling into an uncharted sea." His lips curled into a tight smile. "It appears it's you, isn't it?"

Jonah sighed. Right. Senior Vanrouge mentioned that too. 'Not to dip thy feet into the dangerous water 'lest thou wot what thou are doing' or something like that, was it? "I'm gonna lose everything by tomorrow..." he whispered, fingers curled into a fist, "It's game over. He will win."

The boy was silent again as he stared at the boy and the cat who walked back to him to give a light pat on the knuckle. He turned toward the bright dorm once again. "Have you noticed how beautiful gargoyle sculpture by the walls of this dorm?"

Jonah groaned. "Please. I don't want to recite the whole paragraph of the Gargoyle Strike of 1911."

The boy ignored that and kept on talking, "A gargoyle looks as if it's a monstrous being made of stone at first glance, however it is actually a rain gutter made to protect the buildings from torrential rain." The boy smiled, eyes twinkling in amazement. "It is scary at first glance, but they are very important beings that help the house stay standing. Or so I think."

"So..." Grim turned toward him, looking at him strangely. "Are you saying that they are good guys?"

The boy nodded, almost too eagerly. "There are times when what we see is the opposite of what they really are."

There was a small spark in Jonah's brain as if telling him to note this. This might be important. The horned boy noticed the way he flinched when he finally realized it and he smiled. "I can only wish for the best for you to claim back your freedom, Little Star." He nodded slightly at him before stepping back. "This place better not turn into such a fun-house too."

The boy once again disappeared into a group of green fireflies. Grim crossed his paws in front of his chest and huffed. "That guy is weird."

Jonah didn't respond to it. The boy's word kept ringing in his head. There are times when what we see is the opposite of what they really are... "Hey, Grim. What exactly happened when you touched Ashengrotto's contract?"

Grip patted his chin, trying to remember. "It electrocuted us." He winched. It still stings."

Jonah frowned. Something doesn't add up. "If the contract does electrocute you, then why does he bother to keep it inside a safe since no one but him can touch it?"

Grim shrugged. "Well, it's obvious since it's important to him, yanno?"

"Or maybe..." Jonah tapping his chin. The gears in his brain finally got to work again. "The contract is not as invincible as we think it is..."

Grim tilted his head to the side, still not getting anything. "Jonah...?"

"There are times when what we see is the opposite of what they really are," Jonah repeated as he stood up. Slowly, his eyes widened and he let out a gasp. "Oh, it makes sense now."

-----

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Ruggie and Jack ran into Leona's room from their senior's scream. The prefect was sitting on the bed, staring at the captain who let himself in by jumping from the balcony. Leona pressed his knuckles onto his forehead in annoyance. "Look. I can tolerate your cat jumping onto the balcony, but I draw the line where pirate can loot my stuff."

"I know what Ashengrotto's weakness is."

"What?"

Jonah walked closer to the prefect's bed, eye shining with seriousness. "There's a reason why Ashengrotto keep his contracts inside the safe even though he claimed that they can't be destroyed because it electrocutes those who touch it," he said. "The contract is not as invincible as we thought it is."

Leona started at the captain for a few moments before his eyes widened slightly. "I see now," he chuckled, tail swishing in interest.

"Oh!" Ruggie slammed his fist into his palm finally connecting the dots. "It's common sense to keep important things in a safe, so I didn't even question his logic."

Leona nodded. "That means that the electrocution from the contracts is a big bluff, too."

"What!?" Grim gasped loudly from Jonah's shoulder.

"He must've put lightning magic onto the contract because he knows you'll be trying to steal it when he's not around," Ruggie said.

"That bastard Azul!" Grim snarled. "He's such a double-dealing little cheater!"

Leona stared back at the captain. "Looks like it'll be faster to go and see what will happen if the contracts are taken out of the safe."

"Yes," Jonah nodded. "That's why I want to offer an alliance."

Leona clicked his tongue. "Oi. What happens to the 'keep our distance for now so we don't look suspicious' plan?"

"Tomorrow is the final day, Senior Leona." Jonah leaned forward, face nearly close to Leona. "I let the Heartslabyul do whatever they want, but I have no doubt they will try to dive again, leaving Ashengrotto, who we already know his weakness, wide open."

"And why should I help you?"

Ruggie's brow furrowed. "Leona..."

But both prefects ignored him. Leona glanced at the bruise mark shaped like fingers around Jonah's neck. "For the looks of it, Azul tried to kill you earlier." Noticing how Jonah's fingers are twitching, wanting the touch the bruise, but he held back. Leona stared back into his eye. "Why should I risk my life for a pirate who got himself into this mess in the first place?"

Jonah was silent for a moment before sighing. "It was true that all of this was partially my fault, but the damage has been done." His tone was colder, and Leona would've guessed that it was because of whatever happened between him and the Octo Punk earlier. "I just want to save my crew no matter what consequences will affect the relationship between Ashengrotto and me." Jonah finally leaned back, giving more room for Leona to breathe. "I need all the crew I can find for this last stand. But this is still your choice. You will have to pick what you are going to do now."

"And why is that?" Leona dared to ask.

Jonah closed his eyes for a moment. "Because..."

Then, he brushed his bangs aside, revealing his strange yellow eyes with more black splotched underneath. Leona could've sworn he saw a very dim magic circle around the red iris.

"This is your captain's order."