Swing - TWST

After you and the other students of Night Raven College were sent back to Twisted Wonderland by Santa Claus from Christmas Town, all of you forgot the joyful moments you had experienced there.

When you returned, you continued researching different holidays throughout the year. One date appeared familiar — December 25th. Yes, that date. But instead of Christmas, the records described it as a terrible day… a day that commemorated a once-famous figure — the King of Desire.

Luckily, while everyone felt disappointed about such a gloomy holiday, you introduced them to the idea of Christmas, which also takes place on December 25th. Surprisingly, Christmas didn’t exist at all in Twisted Wonderland. So you began explaining the holiday, and soon everyone became interested. In the end, you all decided to hold the very first Christmas party in Twisted Wonderland.

Preparations began at Ramshackle Dorm. Decorations slowly filled the old building, and everyone was excited to celebrate Christmas. You were excited too, weren’t you?

On the day of the party, you went into town with Grim to pick up a cake. While waiting for it, Grim suddenly bumped into someone. They exchanged a few words, and Grim looked shocked — almost panicked. The moment he saw you, he hurriedly dragged you away, clearly unwilling to stay near that mysterious man for even another second.

The two of you left, unaware that the man was quietly watching your retreating figures. Slowly, a mysterious smile spread across his face. Then he removed the hood of his coat, revealing someone incredibly familiar to you and the other students.

King of Desire — Swing.

You might not remember those events… not even him. But he remembered everything. Especially you.

That night, the Christmas party was lively and full of laughter. Everyone enjoyed themselves. Yet a strange feeling slowly crept into your mind. Several times, you shivered with the uneasy sensation that someone was watching you.

You tried to follow your instinct and look around, but found nothing.

Maybe it was just your imagination. After all, you had been quite energetic during the party. Yes… just imagination, right?

Even though a small seed of doubt lingered in the back of your mind.

Eventually the party ended, and everyone returned to their dorms to rest for the next day. You and Grim went back to your room as well. It had been a wonderful day celebrating Christmas with friends, hadn’t it?

Feeling satisfied and exhausted, you collapsed onto your soft bed and quickly fell asleep. After all, you had homeroom tomorrow — and you definitely didn’t want to be late for Professor Crewel’s class.

Time passed.

You suddenly woke up from your deep sleep.

But when you looked out the window, the sky was still pitch black. Checking your phone, you realized it was only close to midnight.

You weren’t exactly comfortable waking up in the middle of the night, but your throat was terribly dry. So, still half-asleep, you dragged yourself downstairs to the kitchen.

The Ramshackle kitchen was completely dark. The only light came from the faint moonlight slipping through the window.

You opened the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water. The sudden light from inside the fridge made you squint slightly.

Trying to adjust to the brightness, you reached inside, searching for the bottle somewhere among the shelves.

And then—

A shadow appeared behind you. Still groggy, you didn’t notice it at all… not until a voice suddenly whispered right beside your ear.

“Long time no see… kid.”

Before you could react, a large hand grabbed your wrist and yanked you away from the refrigerator — until you realized you had been forced down onto the kitchen table, pinned beneath a stranger.

Before the pain could even reach your back, you realized your arms had already been forced above your head. Your wrists were pinned together by a large, somewhat rough hand. The stranger pressed one leg between yours, and a low, amused chuckle escaped his throat, his tone filled with delight.

Panic rushed through you. You had no idea what this intruder wanted, how he had managed to bypass the barrier surrounding Night Raven College, or what his purpose was here. Everything felt chaotic.

Before you could question him, moonlight from the kitchen window suddenly fell across his figure, revealing part of his appearance. A man… No, not human. His ears were pointed like those of the fae, yet there were subtle differences that made him look even stranger.

He grinned widely when he saw the shock on your face — and the unfamiliar look in your eyes. Of course he knew why. You and the others had forgotten everything after leaving that strange book.

But he hadn’t.

He remembered everything.

“Merry Christmas…” he said with a wide grin, his deep voice both unfamiliar and oddly familiar at the same time.

“This is the second time we’ve met. Swing really missed you, kid.”

The man who called himself Swing suddenly leaned against you as if he were your lover. His large hand kept both your wrists pinned above your head — not tight enough to hurt, but firm enough to stop you from struggling.

A faint sense of familiarity stirred in your mind as you tried to remember who he was. He spoke as if the two of you had known each other for a long time.

But you clearly didn’t remember anyone named Swing.

Then you realized something.

He had just mentioned Christmas.

Wait… how did he know about Christmas?

You searched desperately through your memories but found nothing — until the image of a strange book suddenly appeared in your mind.

And then—

Everything came rushing back.

The man before you no longer felt unfamiliar. Instead, he felt terrifyingly familiar.

King of Desire — Swing.

Noticing the stunned look in your eyes, he broke into a delighted grin when he realized you remembered him.

“Ah, you remember me now. That’s a relief.”

Then he leaned even closer, his eyes are a dull, intense green, glowing faintly in the darkness. His wide grin revealed sharp teeth — and two distinct fangs.

“You know,” he said slowly, “when people who haven’t seen each other in a long time finally meet again, they usually do a little greeting ritual called faire la bise.”

He paused for a moment.

That mischievous grin spread across his lips again.

“So… mind if I steal a few kisses?”