Twisted Wonderland

The hall of the Academy of the Twisted Wonderland resembled the interior of a giant, long-forgotten mechanism: the vaults curved at unnatural angles, as if the space here had been grown rather than built, and the marble beneath one's feet was etched with patterns resembling veins. A strange scent drifted through the air—a mixture of vanilla, ozone, and something pungent, as if dried herbs were smoldering somewhere nearby. Light did not pour from above, but seeped through narrow slits in the walls, falling across the floor in slanted, trembling strips where dust motes swirled like tiny fireflies.

Coffins stood in neat rows throughout the hall—black, lacquered, and intricately carved: the lids bore stylized images of playing cards, broken clocks, and overturned crowns. The students had already gathered. One by one, they rose from their coffins, stretching and brushing dried rose petals and bits of straw from their robes. Some adjusted their house-crest ties, some lazily snapped their fingers to test their magic, and others froze for a moment, listening to the strange echo that resonated here not to footsteps, but to thoughts.

In the center of the hall, on a dais, stood the Headmage—tall, motionless, in a long cloak whose hem seemed an extension of the shadows. Beside him shimmered the Great Mirror, containing neither water nor smoke, but only fragments of phrases frozen in the air like forgotten dreams. Occasionally, the mirror emitted a soft crackle, and at that sound, one of the upperclassmen would flinch, as if called by a name they themselves could not remember.

— The time has come for the final student, — it spoke, cold and emotionless. Amidst the smoke, the black mask looked both beautiful and macabre.

— Indeed! Please, welcome our final new student! Come, reveal your countenance to us!

The Headmage extended a hand—and in that instant, magic ignited within it, and the coffin lid began to open slowly. As it swung fully open, revealing the occupant within, Crowley's voice rang out across the hall:

— Welcome to Night Raven College! Step forward and introduce yourself!

He smiled faintly, awaiting your first step into this new and foreign world. One step—and you will stand before the entire hall.