Chapter Text
“Skull Powder: a deadly toxin used in various types of potions. Once it hits any part of the body, the victim will slowly begin to hyperventilate until they pass out. Side effects upon entering the blood stream include increased paranoia, anxiety, hallucinations, and potentially death. Use with caution.”
Crewel made sure everyone read the warning before starting the lab. He didn’t need any of his pups dying trying to make a simple potion. He made sure everyone had their gas masks and gloves on at all times as well as their goggles secured over their eyes. He wasn’t about to have any medical emergencies on his hands.
But of course, things never went so smoothly at Night Raven College.
Ace Trappola stared into the cauldron he was working on with tired eyes. Life hadn’t been going super well for him in the past few days. He got into another stupid argument with Deuce that he didn’t even think was that serious, but everyone was jumping him and telling him to apologize. Now he’s gone at least three days without speaking to any of his friend group, and life’s kind of been hell because of it.
“I’m gonna go grab the powder,” his partner said, leaving to grab the ingredient from the back of the alchemy lab. Ace just nodded wordlessly, continuing to stir and observe any color changes that seemed significant.
There was no way he could’ve seen it coming. His back was turned when he vaguely heard two lab partners arguing with each other about the step to add the toxin. Ace wasn’t really paying attention to what they were saying, but they were sitting right behind him, so he had no choice but to listen to their shrill voices.
“You idiot! We were supposed to add it after it turns blue!” one of the exclaimed.
“No, it turns blue after we add it!” the other argued.
It was actually supposed to turn blue after adding the recrystallized version of the powder, but whatever. Ace wasn’t feeling generous enough to help them out. Maybe if he did, what happened next wouldn’t have transpired.
“Hey Ace, I got the-”
“You’re such a dumbass!”
“No you are!”
Ace turned around to take the half filled beaker his lab partner had gotten, but as soon as he grabbed onto it, the other team’s cauldron was tipped over, pouring the hot, magenta liquid all over the freshman. The beaker in Ace’s hands ended up shattering, making the powder fly everywhere and stick to him like glitter.
Crewel was immediately alert once he heard the cauldron crash and the glass shatter. He rushed over to the table that made the mess, taking one look at Ace and shouting, “Get him underneath the shower!”
Ace felt like he couldn’t breathe. His chest was tightening rapidly as he felt the ruined potion run down the back of his neck. His vision began to blur as he felt his lab partner drag him towards the corner of the room. He suddenly smelled something metallic, and it was so overwhelming he felt like he could taste it.
He barely registered the ice cold water washing over him as he clutched at his chest, unable to calm his racing heart. Why did everything smell like blood all of a sudden? Where was he even? Why did the whole world suddenly feel too big? Or was it that he was too small? Either way, his whole body shook with the feeling that danger was just around the corner, and he knew he couldn’t escape it.
He felt another strong hand grip the back of his lab coat and suddenly drag him outside. He could barely even try to catch his breath as his gas mask was suddenly ripped from his face and another mysterious powder entered his system. His vision suddenly went dark, his whole body going limp as the mysterious man began to drag him away from the lab.
—
Ace awoke in the infirmary, his chest feeling tight in a way it hadn’t felt in a long time. He slowly sat up, his whole body feeling cold and slightly damp. He weaved a hand through his still wet hair, everything slowly coming back to him.
“Hello Trappola,” Professor Crewel’s voice cut through his haze.
The redhead jumped in surprise. “Hi professor,” he replied, mentally preparing himself to get scolded.
“How are you feeling?”
The redhead thought about it for a few moments. “Fine? I think?” Weirdly anxious, but that’s pretty normal for me.
Crewel picked up on the hesitation in his tone, internally sighing. “Mind if I ask you a few questions then?” Ace nodded, and Crewel took a moment so that Ace could prepare himself. “Do you have a history of self harm?”
Where the hell did that come from? “Uh, no.”
“Have you had any past traumatic experiences that especially stick with you?”
Several. “Uh, I guess the overblots?”
“Are you currently on any medication for your mental health?”
“Okay, uh, no offense professor, but you’re not my doctor. I don’t think I shouldn’t have to tell you if I’m on medication if I don’t want to.”
Crewel wore a blank expression on his face, but Ace could tell that he was panicking. “Trappola, I checked your mask to see if any of the potion or powder made it in, and I found traces of it that had slipped within some parts that weren’t properly sealed off in production,” he explained. He let the information sink into Ace before clarifying, “I’m making sure you’re not at immediate risk for killing yourself if you hallucinate.”
Ace slowly nodded in understanding. He hid his now shaking hands behind his back. “Uh, yeah, cool. Okay,” he replied eloquently, his nerves completely shot. “I, uh, take over the counter herbal supplements for anxiety. Sometimes. Depends on the day.”
The professor nodded in understanding. “Alright, and have you been diagnosed with any mental or clinical condition like generalized anxiety or depression?”
“Nope.”
Crewel made a mental note to contact Ace’s guardian about getting him into therapy. “Do you feel safe enough with your friends to be able to talk about anything that may be bothering you?”
“Yep.” It was a lie even before their most recent fight, and it definitely was still one now.
“Okay. Thank you for answering my questions.” Ace began to pick at his cuticles and chew on the inside of his lip. “I would advise that you not take any of your supplements in the near future since you’d need an alarming amount of them to counteract even a tiny amount of the effects of Skull Powder, and it could harm your body.”
“Anything else Doc?”
Crewel didn’t even bat an eye as Ace’s attempt at easing the tension. “The effects will last at most two weeks. If you feel at all like you are going to harm yourself due to your heightened anxiety and hallucinations, do not hesitate to stay here.”
The redhead swallowed thickly and nodded in understanding. “Isn’t there a cure? I thought I remembered reading about that.”
“There is, but you know how rare it is to come by, and its ban on Sage’s Island has made it almost impossible for us to obtain.” Ace opened his mouth but Crewel silenced him. “I’ve already asked Sam, and he’s working on it, but I must remind you that after a week, the cure may not work as the toxin has been in your system long enough to the point where adding anything else to your blood may cause unwanted and deadly side effects.”
Great. So I’m either dead in two weeks or dead before that.
“Cool. That’s so cool.”
Crewel paused, staring at Ace with something akin to pity before saying, “As per protocol, I will inform the Headmage of what happened, and he will reach out to your housewarden and notify him of your condition.” His eyes seemed to pierce Ace’s soul, and the boy already felt the man trying to break down his carefully crafted walls to expose more of his secrets. “Are you truly sure that you’ll be able to handle the effects on your own?”
“Yeah,” Ace answered almost too quickly. “I mean, it’s really just amplified anxiety and some hallucinations, right?”
“Your hallucinations could very well draw from your own traumatic experiences. And it’s more than just anxiety. It’s paranoia, delusions, dissociation, all of which usually causes the victim to take very poor care of themselves. Sleep deprivation is often the most common thing victims suffer from.”
The redhead swallowed thickly, his nails starting to dig into his palms. “I’ll be fine.”
“You can come to the infirmary if you ever feel that you might not be.”
“Gotcha.”
I’m gonna die.