The deeper level of Leona’s dream is a recreation of Book 2 where he and Ruggie were successful in their plot to trample Malleus before the inter-dorm spelldrive tournament. When the darkness-Savanaclaw students say they want higher placement on midterms as well Leona encourages them to “pick off whoever’s likely to score better,” shocking Jack.
Silver tells him to stay calm, as “the darkness is tainting Leona’s thoughts right now” and he is not himself, but Ruggie suspects otherwise, saying, “Deep down, he’s definitely the type that would consider it. I’d know; I am too.”
Ruggie wonders if they might leave Leona asleep long enough to see Savanaclaw win the tournament but Jack responds, “(Leona)’s not the type to ever be satisfied. Even if he did become king, he’d still find something to be unhappy about. If he swiped a throne through dirty tricks, that throne would just be a hollow symbol,” echoing Leona’s own sentiment of, “When it comes to kings, what they’ve done matters way more than their title.”
Ruggie concedes, saying, “I guess even if Leona wins the tournament in this dream, he’ll launch right into the next thing to complain about before touching the trophy.”
The group awakens Leona by recreating the climax of Book 2 and Jack telling Leona to remember who he is.
When the dream begins to collapse the darkness catches only Ruggie, who begs Leona not to let him go (“The last thing I want is to go out like this!”).
For a moment it seems that Leona is about to give up when he cannot physically force the darkness to let Ruggie go (“Wait a minute… You wouldn’t! Are you gonna cut me loose again?!”), but then Leona sacrifices him the darkness to save Ruggie, instead.
In the abyss Leona is met with an overblotted version of himself bemoaning how unfair it is that he will never be king. He observes, “Is that…me? Man, I’m pitiful.”
When the overblotted, darkness-Leona claims he would be a thousand times better king than Falena Leona responds, “A thousand times? That’s a pretty bold claim to make…For a guy who looks down on everyone, you’re pathetically desperate for recognition…And you never put in any effort to earn it…I can’t stand the sight of it. But I guess that’s me, huh.”
The overblotted-darkness-Leona agrees, saying, “I act like I’m better than everyone else, but I never try to compete on my own merits. Because if I competed seriously and lost, the pride l’ve been so desperately protecting will be left in tatters.”
The darkness encourages Leona to stay with it forever but Leona refuses, saying, “I guess you’re gonna stay somewhere deep down inside me, whining about wanting to be king. For my whole life, refusing to ever give up, even with your teeth and claws shattered…fine. I’ll let you in. And I’ll give you what you want someday…a throne and a pride to call my own!”
Leona describes his overblotted self in his dream as “a hideous monster” and the last thing he ever wanted to see, saying that it might have been a nightmare created by his own inner darkness (for himself and for all those who were draggged into the abyss).
After emerging from the abyss the Kifaji of Leona’s mind tells him to go back to where he truly belongs. Leona responds, “Who are others to decide who I am? Get outta here with that. Where I belong and how I live are for ME to decide.”
In contrast to the sleeping Leona in his dream-kingdom saying, “I am the king,” the newly awoken Leona says he is not a king, and he knows it.
Twisted Wonderland Reference Note 