"I want to welcome you all to the Edgar Allan Poe Cup. This is one of Nevermore's annual traditions, dating back 125 years," Principal Weems began, her voice carrying across the crowd. She went on to explain what each participant must do.
"And those who win will earn bragging rights for years to come, along with a special privilege. Let the games begin!" Weems raised the starting gun and fired a shot, the sound immediately followed by a cheer from the students.
"Big brother, you can do it!" Agnes shouted, drawing a few glances from nearby spectators.
"Hey, which side are you on?" a girl asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Quiet, rainbow mask, your face looks heavier than the boat." Agnes rolled her eyes.
Viktor's team wore dark purple robes with masks painted across their faces as they paddled their boat into position.
The race had just begun, but the Amontillados quickly took the lead, followed by the Black Cats, while the Pit and the Pendulum lagged in last place.
"Come on, guys, we need to do something!" Jass shouted, paddling harder and faster until they reached the side of the Black Cats' boat. An axe mounted on their vessel swung out toward the rival team, but the Black Cats narrowly dodged the strike.
"That's it? You're going to have to do better than that." Enid taunted from her boat, grinning at Viktor.
Viktor smirked. "Don't worry, this is just the beginning."
Suddenly, their boat began drifting in the wrong direction. Everyone quickly realized something was wrong. Jass spotted a shadowy figure in the water, pushing against their boat.
"It's a siren, they've got help from a siren!" he yelled.
There were no strict rules for the race, and that was exactly what made it exciting; anything went.
As they were about to hit the buoy, Viktor shouted at Kent, "If you don't stop this, Kent, I'll make sure you get a prank every single day, and I'll show you just what invisibility can do."
Kent stiffened. He looked up at Viktor, even though he couldn't see Viktor's eyes through the glasses, he could feel the weight of his words. Viktor has a reputation for being a quiet guy, but everyone likes him, even guys, so Kent didn't want to feel his wrath. After a tense moment, Kent backed off and changed his target.
"Nice, Viktor!" Jass called, giving him a thumbs-up.
Soon, they reached Raven Land. They were last, but Viktor didn't care, because he knew he was going to win in the end. Jass took off running with Viktor, leaving two teammates to guard their boat. But halfway through, Viktor suddenly turned invisible and doubled back.
Each team's boat was guarded, so he had to make it look like he was leaving. When the guards finally relaxed, Viktor slipped aboard their boat, took the silver orb, soaked it in the water, and returned it.
The orb began to expand, slowly at first, until it reached the size of a baseball. No one noticed, though, because it perfectly camouflaged itself to match the color of the boat. By the time anyone would have realized, it was already too late. Viktor reappeared just in time to see Enid preparing to claw their boat, while his two teammates remained clueless, only now starting to notice something was wrong.
"Hello there."
"What—? You scared me, Viktor!" Enid jumped, startled, then dramatically pretended to be angry.
"You shouldn't do that, Enid." Viktor's smile was calm but sharp.
"I, I was just, no, this is a competition, Viktor!" Enid huffed, sitting beside him. Just as they were about to exchange more words, Jass arrived holding the flag.
"Hurry!"
The Pit and the Pendulum team finally set off, leaving everyone else behind.
"Enid, you should check on Wednesday!"
Viktor waved his hand as they raced through the river, their team surging ahead with the others following behind.
The Golden Bug and the Amontillados suddenly noticed their boat slowing down; no matter how hard they paddled, it kept losing speed until it finally sank beneath the water.
The Pit and the Pendulum team erupted in cheers. They didn't know exactly what had happened, but they were thrilled; they were about to win. Viktor only smiled.
When their boat finally reached land, everyone jumped out. Students cheered, though a few were clearly disappointed.
"Viktor, this is the greatest moment of my life, we finally won!" Jass shouted, hugging him. "We are so celebrating later!"
Viktor glanced at the other participants as they swam ashore. Last of all was the Black Cats, desperately trying to keep their boat afloat.
...
At the Quad.
"The first Poe Cup took place in 1897, as a way not only to honor Nevermore's most famous alumni, but to celebrate—" Principal Weems continued her speech, as the crowd murmured.
Viktor stood with the Pit and the Pendulum team before the massive trophy. But his attention wasn't on the prize; he was scanning the crowd, looking for anything suspicious. His eyes narrowed when he spotted a pale-skinned girl standing at the very back. Her expression was empty, as if lost in deep thought.
'A Shadow Master. Why didn't I think of that? The cult can control shadows; of course, they're Shadow Master Outcasts. There are only a few Shadow Masters in Nevermore. Looks like I have a lot of investigating to do.'
"Viktor?"
Jass shook his shoulder, pulling him back to reality. Jass was holding the trophy and, under the silent crowd, handed it to Viktor.
Viktor accepted it and raised the cup high as Jass cheered, "Whoo!"
The crowd roared in response.
Everyone was celebrating. Viktor glanced at Jass, then at his sister cheering with her friends, and finally up at the sky, thoughtful.
...
In Principal Weems's office, the four winners sat on the sofa.
"And once again, congratulations to our winners," Weems said warmly. "I shall resist the temptation to ask precisely how you secured your victory. What matters is that you have earned the right to boast about it for years to come."
Her eyes swept over them before she continued. "Now, for your special privilege. Each of you will be granted two formal requests from me. Anything within my authority, provided it does not violate school rules or endanger our students."
"Really?" Jass's eyes widened, and he clapped excitedly. A request from the principal was practically a wish from a genie.
Principal Weems added. "Do bear in mind, however, that each request has its boundaries. I reserve the right to refuse anything… unreasonable."
From her desk, she produced slips of parchment and handed them out. "You may record your requests here and deliver them to me, whether now, later today, or by tomorrow evening. Miss the deadline, and your privilege dissolves into nothing."
After leaving the office, Jass and Viktor walked together toward the quad.
"Viktor, what are you going to ask for?" Jass asked.
"I'm still thinking. What about you?" Viktor already had one request in mind, but he was saving the second for later.
"Me too. I can't think of anything good. I was so excited when I first got this 'wish,' but now that I'm here, I've got nothing. I mean, we already have everything: a fun school, good food, friends. The more I think about it, the harder it gets."
"How about money?" Viktor said with a faint smirk.
"I'm rich." Jass grinned, which made Viktor smile reluctantly.
"Well, how about you give me one of your requests?" Viktor said dryly. "You don't even need it, you're rich, remember?"
"No way." Jass immediately shook his head. "Now I get why Principal Weems only gave us until tomorrow. She knew we wouldn't be able to come up with anything right away. What a cunning woman."
Viktor noticed Agnes approaching with her friends as they made their way to the quad. Agnes greeted him cheerfully and sat beside him.
"So, what did you get, big brother?"
"Principal granted us two requests," Viktor said, sliding the paper toward her. "I already have one. You can take the other."
"No, no, you're the winner, big brother. You deserve it all."
"I can't really think of what I want," Viktor admitted. "Any ideas?"
Agnes tapped her chin before her face lit up. "Oh! How about the right to start our own club? We could gather who we want, make our own rules…" She leaned closer, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. "And then we take over Nevermore."
"Why do you keep like taking over the school..." Viktor scratched her head. The idea was good, but it was too much hustle. Tapping his pen on the table, there was an idea in his head that was slowly showing up.
'Wait... I think I have it. Those mythical beasts... maybe I could request to take some of them.'
Mythical beasts were far stronger than normal animals. In his world, creatures were evolving slowly, becoming stronger and more dangerous by the year. If he could bring mythical beasts over, they might multiply and adapt, becoming even more powerful, maybe a hundred times stronger than any ordinary creature.
'But if Principal Weems actually agrees, how would I explain it? Once I send them to my world, they'll disappear from this one. People might notice. And besides, why am I even thinking like I already have them? She'd probably only allow me one or two, if she agrees at all. They're dangerous, after all...'
...
"Wait, you agree?"