Magic Bullet Chronicles Zero
Chapter 01:
The Key of Hope
It was a typical day at the Tristan Academy of Magic. Students were walking around the sprawling campus, talking with their friends, or just sitting around. Who could blame them? It was a beautiful day and everyone was trying enjoy it in their own way. One student, named Guiche de Gramont, was sitting next to a girl named Montmorency Margarita la Fère de Montmorency, or just Montmorency for short. Guiche looked like he was being chewed out for something. Knowing him, it was probably cheating. Not too far away, sitting on a bench was a girl with short blue hair named Tabitha. Tabitha was currently reading a book, tuning out all the other distractions around her. Sitting next to was a busty redhead named Kirche von Zerbest. Kirche has been around Tabitha enough to know it would be pointless to start a conversation and the two sat in silence. Not far from them a girl with long pink hair paced back and forth. Her name was Louise, but most people called her Louise the Zero, because most spells she cast blew up in her face, literally. Louise was greatly worried about the familiar summoning the next day.
"Great, the familiar summonings tomorrow. The summoning ritual is going to blow up in my face and embarrass me." Louise said. She was practically having a panic attack. "With my luck I'll end up summoning a earthworm or something worse." Kirche watched Louise suffer, she would usually tease Louise but at the moment she was torturing herself. Suddenly a loud bell rang out signifying that classes were starting. Louise took a deep breath and headed inside. When Louise got to class she quickly walked to her seat and sat down, avoiding eye contact with the other students. All the students were talking about the familiar summoning ritual. Louise just brooded in her seat. It wasn't long before the teacher entered and everyone quieted down.
"Alright class, today we will be learning about Transmutation." The teacher said as she pulled out a rock from under her desk. Louise slumped her head on the desk and prayed she wouldn't get called on.
Colbert found himself sitting in the headmasters office. He and the headmaster were having a discussion about the students who were going to partake in the familiar summoning.
"Are there any students that you are concerned about Mr. Colbert?" The headmaster asked.
"Well, there is Louise, who shows no magical ability at all. Anything she tries to cast, just causes a explosion."
"Do you think she should not partake in the familiar summoning?" the headmaster asked Colbert. After a long pause Colbert gave his answer.
"No, I think she should partake in the summoning. Her power is unknown, who knows what she might summon." Colbert said. The headmaster raised an eyebrow at this.
"Really? Well, I will trust your judgment Mr. Colbert." The headmaster said as a white mouse crawled up to his ear and seemed to whisper into it.
"White you say? I think that Ms. Longueville would look better in black." the headmaster said. At that comment Ms. Longueville, who was sorting books near the door turned bright red and threw a book at the headmaster, hitting him square in the face before storming out of the room. The headmaster rubbed his face for a few seconds, trying to dull the pain, before continuing his conversation with Colbert. "Is there anything else you wanted to speak to me about Mr. Colbert?"
"No, that was the only thing I wanted to talk to you about." Colbert Said as he stood up. After a small bow to the headmaster, Mr. Colbert turned and left the room.
In another world, much like the one we live in, a teenager named Trevor Levy, was walking down the streets of Point Mugu with his hands in his pockets. He wore a blue jacket over a black tee shirt and a old pair of blue jeans. Clipped onto his waist was a blue badge looking device with a golden dragon head on it, named GekiRyuKen.
"The city's really peaceful when demons aren't attacking." Trevor commented as he looked around at the bustling streets.
"Don't get too comfortable Trevor, demons might attack at any minute." GekiRyuKen said.
"I know, I know." Trevor said as he turned into a bookshop and walked up to the counter. The girl working the counter walked over to Trevor and greeted him.
"Hey Trevor." The girl said cheerfully.
"Hey Naomi, has the book I ordered come in yet?" Trevor asked. The girl walked to one corner of the counter and searched under it. After a few seconds, she walked back with a book in her hands.
"Here it is Trevor. You really like like some weird books." Naomi said as she handed Trevor the book. Trevor smirked at Naomi's comment and paid the girl before walking out of the bookstore. Trevor stored the book in his brown leather messenger bag at his side and continued on his way.
"She totally is into you Trevor." GekiRyuKen said.
"You really think so?" Trevor asked. "I think she's just nice to everyone."
"You really are clueless about love aren't you..." GekiRyuKen sighed. Trevor just ignored that comment and continued on his way. "You also love ignoring me."
"Did you say something GekiRyuKen?" Trevor asked. The only answer Trevor got was a grumble from GekiRyuKen. Trevor knew who to press GekiRyuKen's buttons and he loved to do it at any chance possible.
"Trevor, I'm sensing a large magical signal just up ahead." GekiRyuKen said, now completely serious. Trevor quickly ran forward towards where GekiRyuKen had noticed the magical energy. Suddenly Trevor saw what looked like a portal right in front of him, unable to slow down in time Trevor went running through the portal, sending him into a black void.
"What the heck?" Trevor said as he looked around in the black void.
"Great. You had to go running into the magical portal." GekiRyuKen said dryly. Trevor decided not to answer and focus on what the heck had happened. Trevor looked around inside the seemingly pitch black void, looking for a way out.
"This is so weird..." Trevor commented. "I don't even know which way is up." Suddenly Trevor was falling through the space towards a light that had suddenly appeared. As Trevor fell through the light he suddenly found himself falling out of the sky. Trevor tried to scream, but his scream was drowned out by the wind in his ears. GekiRyuKen tried to tell him something, but he couldn't hear it. Trevor hit the ground head on and was knocked out.
Louise looked at the dust cloud caused by the explosion during her summoning ritual. Her face turned bright red as she heard all the other students laughing at her.
"That's the Zero we know. Always screwing up." One of the students jeered. Suddenly all the students went quiet as they heard in groaning noise come from within the dust cloud. Prof. Colbert readied his staff if he would have to fight the creature, but to everyone's surprise, when the dust settled they saw a human lying on the ground, obviously in pain. At the sight of the human, Louise's jaw fell agape, and the students broke into even more laughter. It took a few seconds but the boy slowly sat up and began looking around. Louise could see his mouth move but couldn't hear what he was saying over the laughter of her fellow students. Professor Colbert was the first one to approach the boy, who instinctively reached for where a sword would be, but he only found a small blue and golden face.
"Are you alright?" Professor Colbert asked. The boy just looked at him quizzically and scooted back a few inches. Professor Colbert stopped his advance and turned to Louise. "He is the one you summoned. You must complete the contract." Louise let out a long sigh and walked up to the boy.
"You should feel honored that I would do this for a peasant." Louise said as she approached Trevor. Trevor opened his mouth to protest, but Louise couldn't understand what he was saying. Louise then leaned over Trevor and kissed him on the lips. After a second Louise pulled away. After a few seconds, Trevor grasped his hand in pain. Suddenly runes began to form on his hand. Professor Colbert looked at the runes curiously, it didn't take long for Colbert to have a hunch on the runes. Louise then grabbed Trevor by the collar and began walking off with him. Trevor removed Louise's hand and stood up, giving a defiant glare towards Louise. Enraged Louise pulled out her wand and cast a spell on him, blowing him up.
Trevor later awoke in a bedroom, but he was laying on a bed of straw. As Trevor sat up he saw Louise sitting on her bed inspecting GekiRyuKen.
"Hey give that back!" Trevor said. Louise turned to see Trevor looking at her.
"So you're awake." Louise said. "You won't be getting it back. I'll be selling it the day after tomorrow. I should be able to get some good money off it."
"Wait... how can I understand you?" Trevor asked.
"I cast a spell on you. Now I can more freely communicate with my familiar." Louise said as she clipped GekiRyuKen onto her skirt.
"Wait, familiar? Just what is going on?" Trevor asked.
"I summoned you to in my familiar summoning ritual. So you are now my familiar." Louise said. "understand now familiar?"
"With how you're treating me, it seems more like slavery than a bond." Trevor commented.
"And that's how it's going to stay. From now on you are my sword, shield, and hands." Louise said. She then began stripping.
"If this is how you're going to repay me, I don't think I'll mind." Trevor said. Louise pulled out her wand and blew him up again. As Trevor got up, Louise threw her clothes into his face and changed into her nightgown. Louise still had GekiRyuKen on her person, but Trevor couldn't see him anymore.
"Go wash my clothes you dumb dog." Louise said. Trevor sighed and walked out of the room. Louise took GekiRyuKen out from under her nightgown and continued to inspect it. "How would have a commoner gotten his hands on something like this?"
Trevor walked out of Louise's room and began walking towards hopefully a exit into the courtyard he had seen outside of Louise's window. As he turned a corner he saw a boy with blond hair, Guiche, hitting on a girl with a brown ponytail, named Katie. Yep, even though he had been chewed out earlier that day Guiche was cheating again. Trevor tiptoed past the two, so that he wasn't noticed. As Trevor entered the courtyard he bumped into a figure that ran out in front of him. Trevor looked at the figure, who was obviously a maid, begin to bow down furiously to him.
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." She apologized fiercely. After a few seconds Trevor began to laugh. The maid looked up quizzically at Trevor before realizing her mistake.
"You don't have to apologize to me." Trevor said. "I'm a servant just like you."
"Oh, you must be Louise's familiar." the maid said. "My name's Siesta." Siesta introduced herself.
"Well Siesta, my name's Trevor. You're the first person to learn my name." Trevor said.
"I feel honored, sir Trevor." Siesta said.
"You can drop the sir, and you're the first to know my name because this is the only time I've been able to tell anyone." Trevor said.
"Still, feel kind of honored Trevor." Siesta said. She then noticed the clothes in Trevor's hands. "I can wash those clothes for you."
"Really? Thanks Siesta." Trevor said as he handed Louise's clothes over to Siesta. Siesta then walked away into the night. Trevor decided to not return to Louise's room immediately, and instead go walking around the academy. The thing that immediately struck him was the fact that there were two moons in the sky.
"I wonder what GekiRyuKen would think of seeing two moons in the sky." Trevor said to himself. "He's probably scold me for falling through the portal." Trevor heard a sound behind him, causing him to quickly turn around. When he turned around he saw Tabitha behind him. "Can I help you with something?" Trevor asked her. Tabitha didn't answer, but just looked at him. "I guess you don't talk much do you?" Tabitha just nodded her reply. Trevor shrugged and turned back around. "I guess I landed in another world. Where I'm from there is only one moon." Trevor heard another set of footsteps walk up behind him and turned around once again.
"How interesting, only one moon." Kirche said. "I can't really imagine that."
"How do you think I feel. I come from a world with one moon, but I'm staring at a sky with two moons." Trevor said.
"I guess that's stranger than hearing about something." Kirche said.
"I should be getting back." Trevor said, I guess I'll see you around." Trevor said as he walked off.
"What did he mean by that?" Kirche asked Tabitha. Tabitha just shrugged. When Trevor returned to Louise's room, she was already fast asleep.
"GekiRyuKen?" Trevor called out as quietly as he could, but he got no response. Trevor just sighed and lay down on the pile of hay in the corner of the room. When dawn broke Trevor woke up and saw Louise's clothes folded neatly on the table. Trevor gently shook Louise awake. "Rise and shine to a new beautiful day." Trevor said as hammy as he could.
"Cut it out, it's too early in the morning for jokes." Louise said as she got up and grabbed her clothes. Trevor walked into the hallway to allow Louise some privacy as she changed. Louise walked out several seconds later "Come, it's time for breakfast." Louise said. Trevor followed Louise down to the dining hall and followed Louise to one of the tables. Trevor was about to sit at the table when Louise stopped him.
"Familiars can't sit at the table." Louise said.
"Then where am I supposed to sit?" Trevor asked. Louise pointed at the ground. "I should have guessed." Trevor reluctantly sat on the ground. After a few minutes, Louise put down a plate with a piece of bread on it. Trevor sighed and ate his bread as quick as he could.
"Where are you going?" Louise asked as Trevor stood up.
"I'm going to help serve." Trevor said as he walked to the kitchen. He didn't get far before he saw the Guiche with Montmorency. He decided to not get involved but as he continued walking he saw the girl from last night looking around. "Can I help you?"
"Have you seen Guiche?" the girl, Katie asked. Trevor
"He's right there." Trevor said as he pointed at Guiche. "Poor bastard." Trevor mumbled to himself. It wasn't pretty, and Guiche ended up with two slap marks on his face. Guiche looked over at Trevor in anger.
"You servant, do you know what you just did!?" Guiche yelled in anger.
"I gave out some divine punishment." Trevor said. "Where I'm from we have a saying, 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'."
"How dare you." Guiche said. "I challenge you to a duel!"
"I accept." Trevor said. "Where shall this duel take place?"
"In Vestari Court in thirty minutes." Guiche said then he walked away.
"I guess I'll see you then." Trevor said. He then turned to one of the students that had crowed around them. "Where is Vestari Court?"
"It's this way." one of the students said and began walking away. Trevor quickly followed after him.
When Trevor reached Vestari Court, Guiche was already there and waiting for him.
"I applaud you not running away." Guiche said. "Shall we get this started?"suddenly Louise came running in and stood in between Guiche and Trevor.
"Stop this at once, Guiche you know that duels against plebeians are not allowed." Louise said.
"He's not a plebeian, he's a familiar." Guiche said. "That rule doesn't apply to him." Trevor gently lay a hand on Louise's shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Trevor said. "Shall this battle begin?"