Disclaimer: Zero no Tsukaima / Familiar of Zero (Light Novel) was written by Noboru Yamaguchi, illustraded by Eiji Usatsuka, and published by Media Factory (Seven Seas Entertainment in the US and Canada.) The first anime was directed by Yoshiaki Iwasaki witht the studio J. , and licensed by Geneon in the US and Canda... but as bluntly as possible in order to save time going through all other installments in the series – this author is none of these people and has no legitimate claim to the series. Thus this work is strictly non-profit. Any use otherwise is not this author's doing.
"Time crumbles things; everything grows old and is forgotten under the power of time." – Aristotle.
No Tears for Hollow Men
Chapter I: A Heartfelt Plea
It was a sunny day. The sky was a great indigo blanket, dotted by white patches. A gentle wind tickled the leafs of trees surrounding a fortress, making the emerald spread of its courts roll as if water. It was a square fortress with a tower on every corner and one in the center. A wall had been erected connecting the four outer towers, and there was an arched bridge connecting each outer tower to the center. Between the walls were various courtyards; one decorated by a fountain, another by a garden, and one more by a marble-paved plaza... the final, however, was barren save for a field of grass. On any normal day, however.
Today was different. It was special. In the empty space normally found, there had been drawn a large pentagram. A circle with a five pointed star, and a circle inside the first at every corner of the star, such that they all touched and left a space in the middle, where there was written a phrase in runic script. Normally unpopular due to its plainness – save by those industrious denizens of the "fortress" that actually practiced – the court was now filled with thirty of forty cloaked teens, male and female alike. Beside each was some manner of beast: cats, moles, lizards – even some fantastic beings such as a floating eyeball and, more amazingly, a dragon.
An older man in brown robes – Professor Jean Colbert – stood near the summoning circle, facing the gathering of students. "We have such a wide variety of familairs this year," He spoke, gesturing with a staff in his hand to the assembly before him, "even something so amazing as a dragon!" There was a round of chatter as the teens griped, teased, and congratulated one another. A tap of the staff from the present adult seemed to catch their attention easily, though, and all was silent once more. "That said..." He spoke, gazing carefully at the crowd, "is there anyone who has yet to summon their familiar?" The crowd 'quietly' parted, to expose a petite girl with pink hair.
"Oh forgive me, miss Valliere. Might you step up to the seal of power so that we can see your familiar as well?" The man asked kindly. In response, Valliere – known to most as Louise – nodded and walked to the mentioned seal; confident in step... only for tightly clenched hands and a colorless face to betray her wavering valor. "Don't worry," Proffessor Colbert smiled, "You'll summon a splendid familiar, Miss Valliere."
Louise' peers began to gossip and whisper to one another quietly as Louise started to chant, Professor Colbert observing the proceedings carefully. "My slave who lives somewhere in existence," She started, somewhat unorthodox and drawing several chortles for the trouble. Stony-faced, Louise ignored them as she focused on the summoning. This spell could not fail. It had to go off without a hitch... or she would be disgraced unto eternity. "Ye beautiful, sacred being; whose strength is unmatched by ten of the greatest men, whose fortitude is greater than the most hardened stone..."
The circle glowed with vivid pink light, a clear sign that something was happening... though unusual. What kind of chant was this, and what kind of color was pink?The color of the circle reflected the summoner's element: blue for water, green for earth, red for fire, and white for wind... but this was unheard of. Pink? Knowing Louise, murmured her peers, it could only be a bad sign. Worse... the light was growing steadily brighter, where it had been consistent with other summonings. Familiar with Louise's typical... habits... the assembled students began tensing in preparation for what they had no doubt be a tremendous explosion.
"...whose heart and soul might be in tune with mine," Louise continued, heedless of the worried chatter about her, "and whose loyalty will surely be unquestioned. I call to you; beseech you sincerely from the depths of my heart... answer my summoning!"
Several things happened at once.
The arcane light given off by the circle became comparable to the sun in intensity, resulting in all assembled covering their eyes and tensing in preparation for the following explosion. Wind picked up ferociously, causing capes to flutter (and in one case, fly off) and hair to shift in the manner of a living being... and in the center of it all, Louise stood unaffected. As if ethereal, the wind ignored her; her hair and cape remained in place. The light did not blind her, rather what to others was a fierce sun... was little more than a dull glow to her.
Thus, Louise Valliere alone... saw the entirety of what came next.
It started as a single black dot. – an... inverted star, in a sea of light. Then it spread. As if made up of greedy hands, grasping for the light, the blackness spread out. It savagely tore into the light, eagerly taking it in – consuming it to spread further. And further... until it formed a portal nearly the size of the academy gates. Pitch-black, save for the reflections of shadows that shifted about within. They almost formed figures; shapes. Somewhat humanoid... Louise imagined they might be staring at her – a shiver. What if they were?
Then the shadows within the dark vanished, as did the light, and all could see the great portal Louise had conjured. Slowly, a great stone slab emerged from the portal. A long stone spike breached the event horizon first, followed shortly by another. Then, as it proceeded out with agonizing slowness, the hilt of a sword was revealed in a hand – curiously being held by the blade... which was broken. Then the other half of the sword was revealed, thrust into the right shoulder of a woman – herself, it seemed, merged into the stone as if it were once water.
The woman was stabbed in several more places. Three arrows stitched their way up her left thigh, and an axe head was wedged into the side above those where, notably, there was only empty space... no arm. On the right side, save the sword, there was only another pair of arrows in the upper and lower abdomen. The heart housed both spears.
Louise almost dismissed it as an ordinary statue... until she noticed something peculiar.
The woman had cried blood. Crimson tears stained her cheeks, though they had since dried... and her eyes... were not of stone. There was a large crack in the stone, and it had opened just enough for Louise to realize that – no, this was not the relief of a woman...
...it was a woman that had been encased in stone, for through that crack, Louise could see clearly visible hair and blood.
...
Louise jumped, startled into realizing that the clearing had been silent. Quiet... until a voice had called to her from... somewhere. A quick survey of the courtyard revealed no one new to account for the foreign voice. Professor Colbert had vanished from Louise's side and moved to examine her familiar apparent more closely, a serious expression on his face.
...has...
With another, more minor jolt, Louise realized that the voice originated from the statue. Her familiar was trying to communicate with her... though its sentences were nonsensical. Has what?
...for...long...
"Miss Valliere," Professor Colbert spoke sharply, drawing Louise's thoughts away from interpreting the strange speech. "Finish the ritual – just tap the... stone... it might free your familiar. Then we might see about getting it medical attention." He instructed seriously. Unsure what else to do, Louise nodded and strode up to the stone.
…have... searched...
"Pentagon... of the five elemental powers," The teen trailed, uncertainly placing the tip of her wand on the base of the enormous stone slab.
...years...cold...always...
"Bless this humble being," Louise continued, "and make her my... familiar!"
The stone shattered, and the woman fell to the ground in a boneless heap... or she would have, if the spears in her torso didn't prop her up – acting as macabre crutches. The woman dropped the hilt in her hand, leaving behind a vicious wound caked – like the rest of her – in blood. Louise recoiled, and the woman stumbled forward – impaling herself further on the spears. Evenly, she met Louise's gaze – a pair of shimmering violet eyes piercing through her veil of ebony hair.
"For... end..." The woman whispered, "why now... that I... finally...? Why... my...?"
Louise did not answer, instead recoiling further as Colbert darted to the familiar's side. As soon as he was within arm's reach, however, the strange woman batted his staff aside and into the ground – as if there wasn't a sword lodged halfway into her shoulder.
To the horror of all present, the familiar used the same injured hand to break the shafts of the spears embedded in her and stand. Then to pull out the arrows. The axe head. And then the remains of the spears to reveal a pair of clean holes in her body where her vital organs should have been. She tried futilely to reach the sword in her other shoulder, but failed in absence of another arm... so she simply lifted part of the spear's shaft and used it as leverage to push the blade out – ignoring it tearing through even more of her body as she did so until it was apparent that by now her arm should have fallen off entirely... but didn't.
"W-what is that?!" One of the students in the crowd shouted, prompting the woman to tilt her head quizzically.
"This one..." The woman spoke, voice somehow elegant and grainy at once – as if she were terribly thirsty and hadn't spoke in a long time. "...is... Fane..." The artificial light in her eyes vanished as she continued, "...and would like... much... to sleep. Is... alright, mistress?"
Seeing that she was being stared at, Louise nodded.
She didn't expect her familiar close its eyes in relief... and fall forward completely to reveal an arrow in the back of its neck. Professor Colbert darted forward to catch her... and nearly dropped her in surprise upon finding she had almost no weight. Glancing behind him, Colbert found his students were all standing idle.
"What are you doing?!" He shouted, brow furrowed, "Fetch the healers! Go!" Without further prompt, one of the students darted away.
Satisfied, Colbert turned back to the strange familiar... only to realize something important –
She had no pulse. She was not bleeding, merely covered in blood... but, given she had no heart...
How in the founder's name had this woman been able to last so long before collapsing? She should be dead twice over; if only from blood loss and heart failure!Magic could do many things... but this kind of preservation... it sent Colbert's analytic mind on a rapid-fire brainstorm, even as he examined the wounds more thoroughly. Fane... what does that mean? Some sort of golem? But she bled, so that can't be right... unless it is not her blood... No, it matches her wounds. Maybe she bled out already? But then how was she conscious? Did the summoning ritual preserve her somehow? Or... some other magic...
"Professor..." Louise's qiet voice called, bringing Colbert from his musings. "Is... my familiar...?"
Colbert examined the familiar's undamaged right hand, which was emblazoned with a trio of symbols he had never seen before. "The runes are still active," He responded carefully. It wouldn't do to break the young Valliere's heart by telling her that her greatest success to date... was clinically dead. That the runes were still active was a curiosity in and of itself – considering that fact – their own ambiguity aside.
"I... see." Louise responded, eyes falling on her prone familiar's form. Founder... she was so pale. It was as if the woman was carved of marble – no, she was whiter than marble even. The woman went beyond even the sickly pallor of Cattleya on a bad day. "Please... don't be dead." Louise pleaded as a pair of water mages arrived on scene, shooing the two out of the way. It was hard to think the woman had a chance of survival, considering her wounds and coloration, but... Louise could not allow herself to give up that small grain of hope. Not now. If she summoned something, only for it to die... surely that was worse than a failure.
Unnoticed by any save Colbert, the woman's wounds began to bleed at Louise's plea.
.O.
AN: I re-wrote the chapter and added around 890 words. It should be more fulfilling now and serve as a better introduction as opposed to the short, teaser-like structure of what it was before.