(AN: Hi everyone and welcome to my very first project! After billions of years lurking here, I have finally decided to post a little something. However, this is my very first project; so I'm not too comfortable with this. I'd like a little bit of feedback, so long as it is constructive. I'm not one to ignore advice. Also, I'm sure I made my fair share of grammar errors and I'm kinda shaky on this whole thing anyways. So if anyone would like to be my Beta and help me improve that would be...most welcome.
Now with that said, let's begin!)
Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere, the youngest daughter of the Valliere family, was recalling the conversation –if it could be called such a thing—she just had with her perceived rival Kirche von Zerbst. Suffice to say, Louise said something that she should not have. Now if she didn't deliver then her name of 'Louise the Zero' would be forever cemented in history! (Not really, but she is a teenager.)
It was her pride. It is always her pride. It was her pride that carried her through the bullying and belittlement. Yet it was also her pride that invited more suffering. She knew the folly of her declaration, and yet she made it anyway. Now the bullying would be even worse after tomorrow.
With those wretched thoughts in her head, Louise pulled the blanket over her slender, young body. And she hoped, she hoped that just once her magic would'nt explode.
To say that Louise was angry was like saying that grass is green. Not only was she about to get out of the Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual, the Familiar that she got was…was…a human! His appearance suggested that he was a commoner. Granted, he seemed like a very well-off commoner, but a commoner nonetheless.
"You! What is your name, Commoner?" she pointed her wand at him. Not that it would do any good if she decided that he needed a good Fireball or Lightning. The youth shrugged in mock hurt.
"Ah, to treat me so coldly after I let you summon me." he whined, yet he was smiling. And Louise could tell. "Nevertheless, I suppose I should answer my cute summoner," the commoner bowed theatrically, that cat-smile not leaving once, "Aaron Merlin Emrys, at your service."
"Where are you from?"
The familiar scratched his head, "Just a stray dog. I have no home but the lonesome and crowded road."
"As expected of Louise 'The Zero', all of her spells end in explosions, she summons a commoner with 'Summon Servant', and her chest size is even 'Zero'." someone spoke up. Everyone began to laugh except for four people.
"Mr. Colbert, please let me retry the summoning!" Louise pleaded with the instructor. A middle-aged man with glasses and a balding head of brown hair.
"I'm afraid you cannot Miss Valliere, this ceremony is not only a sacred rite but also determines your elemental affinity. You only have one chance."
"But! He's a human! I've never heard of a human being summoned as a familiar."
"This is a tradition, he might be a commoner but you are the one who summoned him, Miss Valliere. That alone makes him your familiar. Now continue the ceremony." Mr. Colbert gently prodded Louise in the right direction.
"With him? I have to…with him?" Louise's face suddenly painted itself scarlet. Her reddish-brown eyes looked away from her familiar and back to him, then away again. "Hey." She addressed him.
"Yes Master?" Aaron tilted his head, genuinely confused. "Are you feeling ill, would you like me to escort you to your room?"
Louise ignored him, though not by choice, rather she was so embarrassed she couldn't even hear the crowd jeering at her. She turned to Aaron and steeled her nerves. "Be honored, normally a noble wouldn't do this to you." the pinkette then placed the tip of her wand on his forehead.
"My name is Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere, Pentagon of the Five Elements, bless this humble creature and make him my familiar." the young magician then stood on her tip-toes and placed her lips over Aaron's. The contact was brief, but enjoyable…at least for Aaron.
"H—how forward of my Master. To think that such soft lips would touch my own." he mumbled with a finger tracing his lips.
"Sh—shut up!"
Aaron simply laughed. "You've deflected all of my teasing, so you're—gh!" the teen winced and clutched his left hand as he fell to the ground.
Burning. His hand was burning. Searing hot. Agony. Something being lost! No, not lost, but sealed. Washed away. Stranded. Something important. It hurts. Stop. Stop. Stop! The world turned black, then white, then color and clarity restored.
He coughed. That was the first sensation he recalled after that nightmare of a 'Contract'. He gradually stood up and noticed that everyone seemed to be staring at him. He already knew the reason for their stares and his eyes narrowed for it.
"Excellent work, Louise! You failed 'Summon Servant' many times but you succeeded in 'Contract Servant' with just a single attempt." the man, Colbert, approached the pair of Master and Familiar. He then held out his hand for Aaron.
"If I may examine those runes please, young man?" Aaron lifted his left hand and confirmed that it did appear that there were runes on his hand. These things caused all of that pain? No, it would've had to be something behind the runes to cause that sort of backlash. Nevertheless Aaron allowed Colbert to examine them.
As Colbert read the runes engraved in the teen's hand, both of them stiffened. Colbert in surprise and Aaron on instinct.
'He knows now. Oh by the Seven Princes…he knows!' Aaron was panicking, thinking on if he should fight for his freedom or just accept it. However, Fate liked to play pranks on Aaron and his kind. Colbert simply let go of his hand with a look of excitement.
"Those are quite the runes you have…Aaron, was it?" Colbert then turned his attention towards the rest of the class. "Alright everyone, the ceremony is over, let's get back to class."
Aaron sighed in relief as everyone but his Master and he levitated up the castle walls and into a large window. With his worries abated, he turned to Louise and stretched out his hand.
"Come and grab on to my hand."
Louise was less than amused and thought he intended to do something dirty. So she punched him hard enough to knock him unconscious. He was just trying to be a gentleman! Maybe he shouldn't have asked for a change in pace.
The space was familiar, yet different. A room, beautifully carved out of stone. A crackling hearth lies in front of him and he sat on a large bed, fit for a King. This was his inner world, it was his heart and deepest wish. It was also modeled after the one place he could call home.
"Oh? I was wondering when I could meet you." Aaron turned with wide eyes. No one else should nor could be in this Enclosed Space. To enter someone's mind without their trust is…"an act of the most despicable caliber?" the woman curled her lips into a faint smile. "Surprised?"
Aaron took a couple of seconds to process that in front of him was a woman. Her body was well-developed and toned. That combined with her steely eyes and bearing suggested that she was a warrior. However, her ears...were pointed. Not slightly pointed like his, hers were long and pointy. You could probably poke someone's eye out with those.
"That's kind of rude don't you think?"
"Not as rude as barging into someone's mind unannounced." he pointedly remarked.
The woman simply smiled wryly and shrugged.
"Look, I'm not saying this is your fault but…damn. Who are you anyway?"
"Hm? I'm not too sure myself, but I think that it has something to do with your left hand," the Elf pointed at his runes, "All I remember is just sitting around here."
Aaron folded his arms. This wasn't going anywhere. But still…people don't just pop into other people's minds. "Maybe a ghost of some sort. Or a memory embedded in the runes? Bah! I've never been good at guessing games!"
His companion chuckled. "Well, here's a guessing game you might succeed at."
"Eh?"
"Time to wake up."
(AN: So how was it? What did I do well, what can I improve? Did you find it okay, did you like it, or was it so bad you want to brain me to death? ...Don't answer that last one. Read, Review, do what thou wilt. Again though, if anyone, with a better grasp on grammar and storytelling in general than I, feels like it, could you please be my Beta?
Oh and cookie to the first one who gets where I got the Title from.)
