Through the images, Basil quickly realized the world he was about to traverse.
The movie version—The School for Good and Evil.
When promoted, it was hyped as a fantasy masterpiece comparable to Harry Potter.
This movie left a deep impression on him, a bad one.
The plot was very childish, full of holes.
Leaving aside the opening scene where two black men duel with swords, completely lacking any fantasy feel; blood magic sounding too low-end; white Sophie's deceased mother being black, and other absurdities.
In this world, fairy tales like Snow White, Peter Pan, King Arthur, and The Snow Queen are real.
The balance between the protagonists and antagonists, Good and Evil, is maintained by the School for Good and Evil located in the fairy tale kingdom.
The Deans of the two schools are named Rhian and Rafal. These brothers possess a magic book called the [Storian], which constantly writes fairy tales, i.e., the present, past, and future of this world.
Centuries ago, their bond transcended conflict, and they lived in peace. As long as they protected each other, they would remain forever young and immortal.
But as time passed, Rafal, representing Evil, became increasingly dissatisfied. Not because villains were always defeated by heroes.
But because Evil in the fairy tale world was too boring. He had to destroy the old balance, not just Good, but Evil too.
Letting true Evil, his Evil, descend.
So, he killed his brother, pretended to be the Dean of the School for Good (Rhian), and corrupted the school from within.
Then, the School for Good no longer pursued true goodness. The students changed from righteous knights and kind princesses to vain pretty boys and beauty-obsessed divas.
The details of fairy tale endings also revealed an evil side: the old woman roasted in the oven, the mermaid whose tongue was cut off, the woman dancing in red-hot iron shoes, etc. Goodness gradually became selfish, vain, and foolish.
Man-eating flowers were the most beautiful; cute Cupids turned into archers punishing students; harmless scarecrows became reapers claiming lives at night; the kindly School Master was the source of evil.
But even so, the power of Good could not be completely expelled.
Rafal set his sights on the legendary True Love's Kiss.
In the story written by the [Storian], Sophie, who looked like a princess, would be sorted into the School for Evil, eventually turning dark and giving Rafal True Love's Kiss.
Rafal could then destroy the entire school and let true Evil descend.
However, this was stopped by Agatha and King Arthur's son, Tedros.
Agatha, who entered the school with Sophie, was a black girl.
From the same village as the heroine Sophie, she was branded a witch and ostracized by everyone because she lived by a graveyard, had an afro, and her family made money brewing useless love potions.
Only Sophie was willing to be close to her. When Sophie's mother died years ago, Agatha comforted her.
So their relationship was very good; they saw each other as pillars of support.
Even if Sophie was called a freak because of Agatha (also related to Sophie thinking she was a fairy tale princess, wearing self-sewn princess dresses, and pretending to talk to small animals), it didn't affect their bond.
But later, after entering the school, their treatment was starkly different.
Sophie, with the princess look, entered the School for Evil; Agatha, with the witch look, entered the School for Good.
Both were ostracized within their schools.
Sophie had beautiful blond hair, her room covered in poofy princess dress designs. She loved reading all kinds of fairy tales, especially the princess-castle types, so she yearned to be a princess. Wanted to escape the reality of dropping out to work and her noisy family.
Agatha, although constantly called a witch by village peers, receiving cold stares, and facing the danger of being burned to death... had a mother who loved her and her best friend Sophie in the village. So she didn't want to stay at the school. Even if she was a princess here.
Both firmly believed they were sorted wrong, but the Deans and School Master insisted it was based on their inner selves and couldn't be wrong.
Moreover, they both showed amazing talent in Good and Evil respectively.
Sophie summoned Rafal, the embodiment of Evil, directly in class. Agatha saved a little girl who was turned into a wishing fish for failing a class (suspected to be a mermaid's daughter, also black) with her pure heart.
But even so, they still didn't accept reality.
Agatha wanted to take Sophie back to the village; Sophie wanted to be a princess in the School for Good.
Rafal, disguised as his brother, said as long as Sophie got True Love's Kiss, she could go to the School for Good and be a princess.
Then, Sophie set her sights on King Arthur's son, Tedros.
And Tedros liked Agatha. Among the princesses in the School for Good, only she mocked him, calling him arrogant. Didn't bat her eyes at him or smile. Even slapped him, and looked unique.
Agatha also unknowingly fell in love with Tedros.
But for Sophie, wearing a mask of pain and a green crown, she personally delivered Tedros to Sophie.
Then, to prove Sophie and Tedros were true love.
Presided over by the School Master and Deans, they were arranged to go to the Blue Forest at night for the [Trial by Tale].
Entering from different gates, without seeking help from anyone, finding each other before sunrise would prove they were true love.
Sophie could then become a princess.
Sophie, who clearly got the prince's love by cheating, seemed to have lost her mind and forgotten this point.
Fortunately, Agatha didn't forget. Driven by worry for Sophie, she turned into a dove and flew into the forest.
And saved Sophie. Sophie was still grateful at this time.
Then, with Agatha's help, she managed to rendezvous with the prince.
As a result, a scarecrow attacked. Tedros's sword was knocked away by the scarecrow, and Sophie was right there.
Clearly, if she just handed the sword to Tedros, they would be fine.
After all, this was King Arthur's holy sword, Excalibur. In Arthur's hands, it had defeated Rafal, the embodiment of Evil.
But she was too scared to move.
Agatha had to appear, pick up the sword, and save Tedros.
Tedros broke off relations with Sophie because he saw her leave him to die and discovered she cheated.
Then came the funny part.
Sophie believed everything was Agatha's fault, stealing her school and beloved prince.
Sophie turned dark.
Learned blood magic from Rafal, and her face turned into a fairy tale witch's appearance: bumpy face, full of wrinkles, hooked nose, white hair.
She also turned the school teachers into dolls.
Causing anger among the princes and princesses of the School for Good, who launched an attack on the School for Evil students led by Sophie.
However, this bullshit school had a rule.
Good cannot attack first. This time, Good attacked Evil first, causing Evil and Good to swap.
Under the effect of blood magic, the School for Good students' clothes turned into the School for Evil's black clothes, and ugly scars appeared on their faces.
The School for Evil students got gorgeous clothes, and Sophie regained her beauty.
Then Rafal appeared, revealing the truth.
He needed Sophie's True Love's Kiss to rule the school together.
This foolish girl agreed again.
The result was predictable; Rafal wanted destruction.
Sophie realized she was deceived.
Agatha came to stop them.
But they were no match at all.
Just as Agatha was about to die, Sophie finally acted human and jumped out to take the hit.
Pierced by the [Storian]'s quill.
The magic of True Love's Kiss faded because Sophie was dying.
The shattered castle returned to its original state, teachers turned from dolls back to human form, and students' wounds healed.
Tedros also came, wanting to sneak attack.
He was knocked away instantly.
While Rafal mocked Tedros for overestimating himself, the dying Sophie moved her fingers (finger magic) and sent the holy sword Excalibur to Agatha.
Agatha swung the sword and killed Rafal.
Then, Agatha held Sophie in her arms and gave the dying girl a kiss. In front of her boyfriend Tedros.
As a result, Sophie revived instantly.
Saying this was the real True Love's Kiss.
The door to the real world opened.
Finally, Agatha and Sophie returned to the village!
Tedros was abandoned.
What the hell! The villain died just like that?
True love is only between girls, right?
Anyway, this movie gave Basil a deep shadow.
So much so that afterwards, he never watched fantasy movies again.
And today, traversing worlds.
He watched the movie again.
The scene had reached the two heroines being lovey-dovey in the village, and Tedros's arrow piercing the portal between the two worlds, arriving in reality.
Accompanied by a whisper, "I need you, Agatha."
Then a dagger shattered the arrow.
Originally the end of the movie.
"Finally over." Basil breathed a sigh of relief.
For some reason, he felt a long time had passed, even though it was just a 2.5-hour movie.
Having reviewed the movie again, he only noticed that the heroine Sophie looked pretty good, and Beatrix among the princesses was also beautiful.
And the great beauty Charlize Theron, playing Leonora, the Dean of the School for Evil (Lady Lesso), looked so different Basil almost didn't recognize her.
"Hmm?" Basil suddenly realized he was only a foot away from the 'screen' that played the movie just now.
Pop!
The sound of a balloon popping.
The tunnel made of blue light disappeared.
He successfully arrived in the other world!
That's it? Basil couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
He turned his head to look; behind him was another blue gate of light.
It shrank at a visible speed and sank into the center of Basil's forehead.
At the same time, information transmitted to his mind told Basil.
This door could be deployed anywhere.
It existed permanently; Basil could return to Hogwarts through it at any time.
If Basil died, it would also take his soul back to Hogwarts.
"Phew, no need to worry about not being able to go back." Basil breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking around.
The surrounding scenery looked somewhat familiar.
"Aggie + Sophie Forever?"
"Aggie? Aggie Agatha, Sophie?"
"Is this the Wishing Tree?" His fingers brushed over the bark.
"This is Gavaldon, the village where Agatha and Sophie grew up."
"So, the component is in the real world now?" Basil rubbed his chin.
The distance between worlds was so vast.
Relying on the connection with the fragmented component, the system opened an eternally existing passage between two worlds.
The place where the door opened must be where the component was. Or at least, tainted with the corresponding aura.
"Maybe, it's right on this tree?" Basil narrowed his eyes and began to look up and down.
The Wishing Tree was a presence throughout the movie.
Sophie and Agatha's "promise"; Sophie being admitted to the School for Good and Evil seemed to be because she stuffed the letter into the bark; the two returning to reality also woke up under the Wishing Tree.
Basil blinked, click.
However, the Magic Book in his mind didn't absorb the photo.
"Just an ordinary tree, deceiving feelings. Tsk tsk."
"Right, the narration said, 'But some wishes are too powerful to take back'."
"Wish?" Basil turned around, looking toward the village.
Golden vertical pupils appeared, his vision extending continuously. A bookstore marked DEAUVIL'S STORYBOOK SHOP appeared in his sight.
Mrs. Deauville's Storybook Shop.
The two heroines learned about S.G.E. (School for Good and Evil) from the shop owner.
Learned the story from twenty years ago, about a girl named Leonora in the village being taken away under a blood-red sky to the School for Good and Evil.
And because of this, Sophie developed the wish to go to this school.
"So, the point isn't the Wishing Tree, but the wish itself?"
"Could the component be in that bookstore, on a book with the S.G.E. stamp?"
[Quietus & Disillusionment]
While silently casting a Disillusionment Charm on himself, he also applied a Muffliato Charm.
The two spells Fenrir was best at were now used by the person who killed him.
Basil was like a silent ghost, weaving through the crowd in the market, finally arriving at the bookstore.
Regrettably, the system voice didn't sound.
But communication still had to continue.
This shop owner was very familiar with the two heroines.
Knock knock. Basil tapped lightly on the counter.
The shop owner, who was looking down organizing books, suddenly raised her head.
In front of her, first fingers touching the counter appeared, then robes, and then a handsome smiling face revealed itself in the air.
However, Basil didn't feel any fear emanating from her.
The [Inspire] ability brought by [Obsidian Shadow] allowed Basil to absorb various emotions judged as [Shadow] that affected reason and courage.
So, in Basil's eyes, emotions had flavors too.
Fear was sweet, sadness was sour, depression was salty, excitement was spicy...
And now, the spicy scent of excitement overflowing from her was particularly pungent.
"You are from the School for Good and Evil, aren't you?" The shop owner trembled. Even though excess excitement was absorbed by Basil, mist gradually gathered in her eyes.
"Did Leonora send you? I knew she wouldn't forget me!"
Basil tentatively said, "Leonora Lesso?"
"Yes! That's her, my daughter!" The shop owner held Basil's hand. "Is she doing well now? She must be a princess, right! Who is her husband? I think it must be Prince Charming's son! She loved that story the most."
"I shouldn't have forced her to marry! Otherwise..."
The shop owner suddenly realized she was being rude and quickly let go.
"Please sit, please sit."
"Can you tell me about Leonora?"
Looking at the woman who was nothing like the elegant and quiet lady before, Basil couldn't bear to say he didn't know her.
Nor did he want to say your daughter was seduced by Rafal, became his lover, and was abandoned because she couldn't provide Rafal with True Love's Kiss.
(Author's Note: Pure movie setting, haven't read the SGE novels. Fanon/Headcanon: That shop owner is Leonora's mother.)