Daybreak
Louise waited patiently and hoped for some sort of ridiculous act of god, devil, or whatever to wipe her away from here, she was even willing to let her classmate be the sacrifice for some unknown god with dark eyes and bring forth the end of the world, allowing the monsters that lurked in the darkness into Halkeginia, she would even whore her soul to such god if needed... But just as her nickname suggested, she had 'ZERO' luck.
She even hoped for a storm or a little rain... But it was a beautiful day outside, birds were singing, flowers were blooming, days like this were perfect for a peaceful game of ball... But for Louise, kids like her should be burning in hell in such day... She was a failure, a 'ZERO', nothing good ever happened to her, her magic was completely useless... Well, unless she wanted to become a soldier in the army and live her days a living artillery... But she doubted her mother would be happy with such plan in her mind, but aside from the prospect of tainting her hands in the blood of her enemies... The other option was marrying some powerful noble in order to seal a deal... Like merchandise... And Louise was completely against such idea, she was a noble, a Valliere, she was given magic by the founder Brimir with the sole mission to protect and rule over those who lacked such talent.
Louise refused to believe, no, she refused to accept that wasn't her mission in this life.
And today was the last opportunity she could prove them wrong, today she needed to succeed in this ancient magic ritual and become the magician she knew she was... She couldn't fail... She won't fail.
But of course... She still believed there was another way out and decided to hide behind his classmates and avoid the ritual... She was a coward.
Well... It was understandable after the spectacle her peers showed her summoning amazing things... The expectations were quite high by now.
Soon, the courtyard was filled with a bunch of animals, some seemingly normal, like cats, dogs, owls, birds, frogs... But there were other particular and impressive familiars as well, A big and red salamander with fire as its element, some sort of floating eye, a weird mole and even a blue dragon... With each creature, Louise grew more and more depressed, at first, she wanted something outstanding, like a griffon or even a manticore... Now, she just wanted something... Something to prove herself she was right... Something to prove she deserved to be in this academy... Anything would do.
"Alright!" Said the cheerful voice of professor Colbert "I am quite pleased this year's summoning has gone so well, there are many remarkable familiars which means there is a lot of potential in this generation, if everyone is done, I think we should head inside since there is another class waiting for..."
"Professor Colbert" Called a buxom redhead "There is one left."
"Oh! I didn't realize... Who is it?"
"Miss Valliere." The redhead said with a sneer.
Louise could feel her face turning pale as everyone stared at her, whispers and even giggles could be heard from the students, everyone knew why Louise was called the 'ZERO', they backed away leaving her in the middle of the group, the world began to shake as Louise stared at her shoes, cold sweat ran down her back and like that, she waited.
"Miss Valliere" The voice of the professor made her twitch "Please, perform the ritual." There was hope in his voice, he wanted to see her succeed... But he was ready for the alternative.
Should Louise fail, she would be expelled from the academy... This was her last chance... It was swim or sink... Nothing else.
Louise breathed slowly in order to quell the tides of her panicked heart, for a moment, the world was filled with silence, nothing could disturb her concentration... And like that, she spoke with resolve.
"I am ready."
She prepared herself and lifted her wand, steel filled her mind and everything else ceased to exist, the whispers were silenced, her peers disappeared, the academy was gone... It was just her, the green of the grass, the blue sky, and the sun...
She could feel the words of power form in her mind... But something changed... The words disappeared, her mind was filled with emptiness... And a voice called for her... A whisper from within the shadows.
And she chanted.
"You, who are the embodiment of the elements. You, who had fought against the darkness and the injustice across the land. You, whose armor shines in the dead of the night. I promise upon your father in the sky to respect and honor the code, to fight with bravery and die in glory, I am a simple mage with no power but with purpose, become my strength, become my power, become my shield, and I will become your leader and comrade, head my call and rise in front of your summoner, Champion of the League!"
A single orb of blue light hovered in front of Louise, the entire class fell in silence, stunned by the words of Louise, they knew they were free to change some parts of the spell in order to achieve maximum results... But to blatantly change the whole spell was unheard of, the summoning spell was designed by Brimir himself, to change a tradition that has existed for more than Six Thousands of years... It could be considered Blasphemy for some...
Kirche watched as the tiny body of Louise remained completely still in front of the mysterious blue orb, next to her, Tabitha could feel something wasn't right, she wasn't sure what, but she could feel it in her gut... Louise's words... Sounded alien for someone like her... Almost as if... Someone or something made her say those words.
Her train of thoughts was interrupted when a bright light made her close her eyes in pain, she could hear her classmates scream as the light blinded them, Tabitha opened her eyes as much as she could and saw the sun acting strange, it was too bright, but how was that even possible? The sun shouldn't react that way... Then maybe magic? Impossible... There was water magic that could amplify the light of the sun but not to this extent, there was no square mage that could muster such power, maybe royal magic could do it but she knew none... But there was something Tabitha was sure of, Louise was the cause... Tabitha saw professor Colbert leap towards his student while he chanted his own spell... But when he was about to touch her, a beam of light exploded from the sun and collided in front of Louise sending the professor away, on that moment, Tabitha was blinded, she could hear the panicked screams of her classmates as they were also blinded by the sudden explosion of light... No one could see a thing.
No one but her.
Louise remained motionless as the beam of sun energy burned the grass in front of her, she knew the light was strong enough to blind her and even harm her... But she couldn't stop looking at it... Her eyes were not harmed by the light, and she could feel a foreign power through her veins... And just like that... She heard a gentle and elegant but mighty voice resonate through her mind... And Louise was sure everyone across Halkeginia heard her words.
"The dawn has arrived."
The light faded immediately and it took a moment for Louise to even understand what was standing in front of her.
Her first thought was a Manticore, truthfully, the sight of her familiar filled her with the same feeling she got whenever she stared at her mother's familiar Alistair... But she knew she was wrong... Her familiar may look like a Manticore... But it... It was...
She was a human.
She was the tallest woman Louise had ever seen before, her long hair remained her of the Manticore mane and her skin was tanned like bronze... But what captivated Louise were her eyes... Molten orbs that seemed to shine with the power of the sun pierced through her soul and made her shiver in fear... This was her familiar, with the presence of a manticore, the pose of a warrior and the power of the sun... And she was... She was...
"Hey! Zero's familiar is wearing a bathing suit!"
Yep... Her familiar was a perverted and mighty commoner... Just her luck...
Zero.
"So much for a vacation." The Radiant Dawn said with sadness as the summoning magic disappeared around her "Well, I suppose there is nothing I can do, if someone needs my shield, I will gladly follow their lead."
Leona knew she should be angrier, but her carefree and kind nature allowed her to brush her anger away and focus on the task at hand, she wondered just what kind of problem the summoners had this time around... She hoped it wasn't as ridiculous as that one time when the master summoner wanted to declare miniskirts as part of the official outfit for female summoners... She sighed remembering just how scary Vessaria looked that day... She shrugged and turned to buy her usual relic shield and potions...
...
...
"Where the hell is the shop?"
Instead of the usual and calming fountain with the funny looking owner of the shop, she found nothing... On top of that, she was alone... Alone in an open area surrounded by tall walls of rock bricks... This wasn't the Summoner's rift, there wasn't the humming energy of the Nexus, no inhibitors, no towers, no lanes, hell, not even the jungle... Just, what kind of map is this?
The Twisted Tree Line? No, the environment was too 'happy' for such depressing place... The Howling Abyss? No, this place wasn't a cold hell where she could hear the roars of ancient creatures sealed below her feet... Then... Was this possibly... The infamous Crystal Scar?! No... It wasn't... Leona knew it because she once fought in that arena... She hated every second of it.
Then, Where is she? A new map? Perhaps... But with what purpose? The area was pretty small as she could tell, and there were no structures aside from the tall walls... She was in the yard of a castle... But the structure was foreign for her... It looked Demacian and Noxian but not quite... What is the objective of such arena in the first place? What was the point of this small area?
And then, she heard a mocking voice followed by laughter.
Leona didn't even notice the group of children in front of her... Well, they weren't exactly dangerous and she was quite concerned by her whereabouts, she completely ignored them since they were quiet... Children?... Oh! That was it! She was summoned in front of a bunch of novice summoners! She knew there was some sort of academy within the Institute of War... She never visited it but she heard stories about it... So that was it! This was some sort of demonstration! Leona nodded to herself and smiled brightly... She had always loved children.
Now... She was summoned, she knew that much, the question was... Who did it? She could see an old... Summoner? Those weren't the official robes of the League... Maybe since he was a teacher he wore different clothes... But the outfits of the children were... Completely different from then norm... White shirts, brown pants for boys and black skirts for girls, and a black cape with a golden brooch... Well... That was... Peculiar to say the least... She wasn't sure since she hadn't visited the school before... But she heard from her grumpy friend the school was a dreadful place filled with annoying kids and stupid teachers... But since her friend was a creature from the Void she decided to ignore most of it... He tended to exaggerate things a bit.
So her summoner... She believed it was the old man... But she was wrong... She could feel the link with someone else... Her summoner was right in front of her...
It was a young child, older than Annie but younger than Taliyah, her soft and childish features almost made her look like a doll, long and pink soft hair, cherry eyes... But there was something else... Inside her eyes, Leona could see a proud soul... Fragile like glass... But beautiful nonetheless... Leona could tell she had suffered, not how but she knew it... This girl needed a shield... And Leona would be that shield.
"Hello there, little summoner." Leona greeted with a soft smile.
The girl was clearly taken aback by her words, she shivered a little making Leona frown, her friends would sometimes tell her she looked like a lion... Leona hoped she wasn't as scary as one... But then, she saw the girl steel her resolve and straighten herself, she puffed her chest and looked at her with determination... Good girl.
And she spoke...
And spoke...
And spoke...
But Leona didn't understand a single thing...
It was weird... But Leona knew almost everyone used the general language established by the Institute of War... Of course, there were parts where the denizens refused to adopt the new language and stuck with the tradition... Like the Mount Targon for example.
But the language of the girl was weird... It sounded just like Fiora whenever she spoke... That accent... It was practically the same...
So maybe she was Demacian? No, Demacians normally were blonde, brunette and had even black hair with blue eyes... But this girl's hair was... Pink!? Like the enforcer... Maybe Piltovian?... Possible... But the children behind her looked quite different from each other... Leona spotted Demacians, Noxians and even a Shuriman girl, the redhead that stood out had that tan only Taliyah and Sivir had... She could also be Noxian since Katarina was a redhead as well... Leona also spotted a small blue haired girl with blue eyes looking at her intensely... Leona couldn't help but see Orianna in her... Aside from that, She was surprised she didn't see any Ionian in the group... Odd.
The young girl in front of her attracted her attention waving her hand, she looked quite angered when Leona ignored her... Leona looked at the young girl again, she looked so cute with her cheeks puffed and her hands on her hips... She remembered a certain Dark Sovereign she liked to drink tea with.
Suddenly, laughter exploded behind her and Leona saw the children laugh and point at her... Why were they making fun of her?
Ah! Of course! She was in her pool party skin!
Well... She was quite surprised the young summoners found her outfit funny, in her opinion, Leona considered her bathing suit was quite elegant and appropriate, aside from her bare back and legs there was almost nothing improper with her suit, it wasn't as revealing as Fiora's or had that weird sex-apple like Sarah's... It was everything she wanted... She wondered where her parasol and her surfing board where... But she could always...
Uh...
Strange...
Leona was sure the kids were making fun of her... Then, why was the child in front of her suffering? She was looking at the ground while her hands were squeezing her shirt with such strength her knuckles were pale... She could see her small frame twitch at the words of her classmates... And her cute eyes had small tears...
Leona had enough.
She steeled her gaze and glared at the children behind 'her' summoner, the mockery stopped at once and the children backed away... It was to be expected... Leona was a seasoned champion in the League of Legends, she had fought many battles against many champions... Some of them were bloodthirsty assassins, Some others were ruthless warriors, there were the most powerful mages among the ranks, creatures that could control the elements, gods of forgotten ages, terrible atrocities that refused to die and even the horrors from beyond the Void... Yes, Leona had fought against all of them... And all of them learned to respect and fear the might of the Radiant Dawn, together with Braum, they have proved that the shield was stronger than the sword.
The children could feel the imposing aura she always had in the Fields of Justice... Leona was surprised the professor didn't run away, in fact, he was in the middle of chanting a spell, Leona could see a red flame in his staff... She smirked, maybe he was a summoner after all.
The young girl muttered something once again and Leona focused on her again, the young girl flinched at her threatening aura... Leona frowned and decided to smile again at her... She then kneeled in front of her and patted her head... Just like she always did whenever the Dark Child threw a tantrum
"Don't worry." Leona said softly "I will protect you."
Leona knew the child couldn't understand her words... But she could understand the message, the girl looked at her with awe and nodded, she breathed and Leona was able to see the steel in the child's eyes once again... Good girl. Leona watched as she waved a tiny wand in her hands and chanted something else... She wasn't sure what it was, but she could always look for someone who actually spoke the general language and maybe she could...
...
...
Oh...
It was quite fast... And unexpected... Leona wasn't prepared and she wasn't paying attention... It simply happened...
The young girl kissed her... In her lips...
Leona looked at the girl in surprise... She knew she had that kind of chivalrous aura around her that made some girls, like Ahri, giggle and laugh nervously around her... There was that one time when a summoner gave her a pink token on Valentine's day... Leona kept the small statue because she couldn't help but laugh at it... She wondered what exactly happened... Because there was no way Vel'Koz would be happy if he knew they used him as the model for the figurine... Jokes aside, she knew she was somewhat attractive for members of the same sex... But this was something entirely di...
She could feel it in her body... Her temperature suddenly rose... She could feel the magic flowing through her... Her own mana pool was suddenly widened and something else began pouring on it... It was strange... But not unpleasant... And then it happened...
Pain.
Soaring pain. Like fire in her chest, she could feel a hot metal bar writing something in her chest... It wasn't extremely painful, she had suffered worse... But it was annoying, the pain left as it came, in the blink of an eye... She touched her chest but found nothing strange... Was it a new spell or something else?
"I am sorry for the pain," Said a small and worried voice "But it was necessary for the ritual."
Leona lifted her gaze and her molten eyes met the pink of her summoner... Her voice was just as she imagined, pure, fragile, defenseless and lovely... Yes, this girl needed a shield.
"It's okay," Leona replied with a smile "It wasn't that bad anyways."
"I-I can understand you!" The young girl exclaimed in surprise.
"So it seems, I guess we can finally introduce each other."
"Oh!" The young girl blushed at her lack of manners "T-Then! My name is Louise Francoise Le Blanc De La Valliere, I am your master."
Wait a damn minute... Leona heard her... She said it... Le Blanc... It couldn't be... She knew something was strange when she didn't see the humongous crystal balls in the sky that were used to broadcast the matches across Valoran... Then... What if... What if this... Was the past? Why not?! She knew there were two champions that could control and bend time to their will... It was completely plausible she somehow traveled through time and now she was in front of the soon to be 'The Deceiver'! Maybe... Maybe she could help the noxian woman... Leona knew Le Blanc wasn't a bad woman at heart... Maybe she could help her become a good magician... She had her doubts, Le Blanc never told Leona her real name... But maybe she didn't give her a false name... Maybe it was incomplete! Then again... This could be a different matter... Leona decided to wait and see, she would have her answers soon.
"Fami... I mean, miss, are you okay?" Louise asked concerned.
"Yes, don't worry, I was just thinking... Oh! Right! My name is Leona, the Radiant Dawn."
"The Radiant Dawn?! Is-Is that your runic name?!" Louise asked suddenly shocked.
"I am not sure what is this 'runic name' you speak of... But no, that was the title my elders gave to me when I became the avatar of the sun."
"The-The avatar of the sun?!" Louise seemed even more shocked. "Like... The representation of the sun itself?!"
"Yes! Exactly like that!" Leona cheered patting her head.
"But-But that would mean that you...?"
"Miss Valliere" Interrupted another voice "I am afraid we ran out of time, you have classes to attend, so save the chatter for later."
The old summoner was fairly away from them, studying Leona with caution, his staff ready if anything dangerous happened... For Leona, he looked like one of those terrified animals she used to hunt when she was younger.
"R-Right... We will make way, professor Colbert."
"Miss Valliere, before you leave... I did saw you performing the ritual perfectly... Your chant might have been... Unusual but the result was... Uh, 'outstanding'... But I am afraid I don't see the runes in your familiar anywhere."
Runes? What runes? Leona was sure the summoners were the ones who carried the runes... Not the champions... What kind of school is this? Leona would question Vel'Koz once she was back.
"Ah! The runes!" Louise exclaimed placing a hand on her forehead "I almost forgot! Leona! During the process, you should have felt the runes being imprinted in your body... Can you tell me where you felt it?"
"Well... I kind of felt a pain in my chest... I am not sure if that is what you want to know."
"Ah, yes! That would be, could you please show them to me?" The professor requested excitedly.
"No" Leona answered immediately.
"Uh..." Professor seemed truly surprised by Leona's answer "Uh... Why not?"
"Becuase the runes are in my chest."
"Uh-Huh... But I still fail to see why is that a problem."
Was this man for real? Leona glared at the man with fury, professor Colbert raised his staff once again... But Louise defused the situation.
"Professor Colbert! How can you ask something so shameful to a lady?! Even if Leona is a commoner, such disgusting command is completely depraved for a noble and a teacher such as yourself!" Louise said angrily.
"Wha... Ah... I... I didn't mean it like that" The professor defended himself flustered "I just... I just wanted to study them! A human familiar is unheard of and I believe its runes should be..."
" 'Her runes' " Louise corrected "Leona is a human being, treating her like a normal familiar is completely insulting! I have classes so we will take our leave, I'll be sure to write down the runes and deliver them to your office tonight, Goodbye, professor!" Louise finished turning around and stomping away.
The professor was so shocked he failed to see the grin on Leona's face as she followed her tiny summoner... There was steel inside the girl... And while Louise was small, Leona could already see the power she held... Louise was just like her... A lion.
A worthy summoner for the Radiant Dawn.
Louise was terrified.
She had been extremely rude to one of the few teachers that still believed in her... But she had to interfere... Professor Colbert might have died on the spot if he said another foolish word, honestly, that man was a brilliant magician... But he needed to go out a bit more... Asking a woman to take off her clothes so he could study her chest!? Any other man would have suffered the fury of Louise's magic... But that wasn't the problem... The problem was her familiar... The woman that was currently wearing an elegant bathing suit... The woman that was capable of shutting down the mockery against Louise... The woman that was the avatar of the sun.
Her familiar Leona, the Radiant Dawn.
Louise at first thought Leona was some sort of descendant of the manticores, her eyes had that peculiar fierce glint that made lesser animals shiver in fear, she was quite tall for a normal woman, and Louise was able to see the well-developed muscles below her clothes... Yes, the woman walking behind her was definitely the daughter of the manticores... A being so powerful even the elves would shiver beneath her mighty glare... But there were more surprises for the young magician.
Her familiar was not only the daughter of manticores... She was also the daughter of the sun... Any other day, Louise would have believed such ridiculous statement as a joke... But after seeing how Leona was summoned... Louise was sure her familiar wasn't joking... Leona was born by the union of the sun and the legendary Manticore her mother used to tell her about... There was no other way to explain the power her familiar held... That must be it.
But it that was the case... if her familiar was truly a half manticore and a half... Whatever people of the sun are called... Then... What exactly meant all of this for Louise? After all, the familiar is the definition of the essence of the magician, the wind dragon for Tabitha explained the nature of the girl perfectly, the salamander of the Zerbst woman had the same element as its master, even the frog Montmorency summoned had qualities the girl could use since Montmorency specialized in potions and water magic... But her, the 'ZERO', and the descendant of an ancient and powerful race... It made no sense!
Either way... She could question her familiar later for answers... Leona seemed fairly patient and Louise was sure she would answer all of her questions... Leona had the same gentle aura of her sister Cattleya... But she also held the mettle of her mother... In short, Louise was completely fascinated by her familiar... And the whispers she could hear while she walked towards the classroom made her even more proud of her achievement.
"Yes... That is the woman I was talking about... She may look like a commoner... But it feels as if I am looking at a manticore!"
"She looks gorgeous... Even for a commoner."
"I heard the zero called the power of the sun."
"How did she do that? I am sure she cheated! She must have hired some triangle mage to do that show and fake her summoning!"
"Are you sure? I saw the whole thing... And I am sure not even a square mage could accomplish that."
Louise could feel the smile on her face growing, Leona was proof she was worthy of her name... She was a Valliere after all.
"Oh! I guess your little ruse did work after all, huh?" Came the annoying voice Louise knew very well.
The Zerbst stood by the door of the classroom with that disgusting smile of hers... God, Louise hated that woman, but it was to be expected, the Zerbst family and the Valliere family had been enemies for decades... The Zerbst woman had teased Louise ever since she set foot into the academy... It was so angering how Kirche would spend every waking moment teasing her... But not today... Today Louise was different... Today, she had a shield by her side.
"Do me a favor and save me the mockery, Zerbst, you can think whatever you want, but Leona is my familiar, I don't own you or anyone else an explanation, it simply is and if you can't accept it, then that's your problem" Louise countered.
"I see our little Louise has matured a lot, uh?" Kirche said with a condescending smile "I really wonder how much you paid for this commoner... I have to admit your little trick with the light almost got me... But you are the Zero after all, so I doubt you truly succeeded... Either way, you have a fine specimen here" Kirche said studying Leona with interest.
Leona simply glared at the woman with no emotion in her face, Kirche was somehow surprised by the lack of emotions in the familiar, after all, she had witnessed the Manticore aura first hand... She grinned and with a quick move she lunged towards Leona and attempted to kiss her.
Louise only had time to lift her hands and open her mouth in protest... But before she could blink, Kirche was lying on the ground and Leona was glaring at her with her 'manticore' aura.
"W-What happened?" Louise asked shocked.
"I simply moved away from her." Leona explained calmly "She never touched me so she fell to the ground, I could have pushed her away... But she could have sustained severe damage." The way Leona said 'severe damage' made Louise shiver. "Let us go, summoner," Leona said turning around and walking into the room.
"You!" Kirche groaned getting up "You will pay for that!" But Leona simply ignored her.
Louise looked at Kirche one last time before she followed Leona into the classroom, as she expected, her classmates were suddenly nervous as they watched the manticore woman walk towards the back of the classroom and sit away from them, Louise could see the different reactions her familiar inspired in her classmates, some looked at her in horror, some others looked at her in awe, even Tabitha was looking at Leona with interest... If only they knew the kind of being that was sitting among them.
"Good morning, my dear students" An unknown woman greeted as she entered the room followed by Kirche "Please, children, take a seat" Kirche sat with a group of boys that looked at her lovingly and Louise took a seat beside Leona. "Good, First; Allow me to introduce myself, I am Miss Chevreuse, Chevreuse the Clay and I will be your teacher for this course. Second; I want to congratulate all of you for successfully moving towards your second year, I see there are some outstanding familiars this year" The teacher said as she studied the animals in the room until her gaze stopped on Leona "Uhm, excuse me, miss, but who are you?" Chevreuse asked.
"My name is Leona, the Radiant Dawn and the champion of Miss Valliere," Leona answered with a bow.
"A human familiar? Well, that is quite amazing" Chevreuse said studying Leona carefully "I never heard of a magician summoning a human before."
"That's because it never happened, the Zero simply paid that commoner to fool us and pretend she was summoned" One of the students commented with malice.
"Yeah! There is no way the Zero actually summoned something at all!"
"What's more! Her 'familiar' is wearing a bathing suit! How does she think she is fooling?"
"Students!" Chevreuse scolded sternly "I will not allow such...!" But her words died in her mouth as she and the entire classroom felt the pressure.
Leona was once again glaring at them with fury, but this time, Louise tugged her arm.
"It's okay" Louise whispered with a small smile "I am grateful for your concern but don't do that, I know you are my familiar and that's everything that matters."
"Oh..." Leona said softening her features "If that's what you want." She closed her eyes and relaxed, the entire room left out a breath of relief when the presence of a manticore disappeared.
"As-As I was saying before..." Chevreuse continued trying to compose herself "I will not allow such behavior in my classroom! I am sure Miss Valliere just needs a bit more of practice in order to improve her skills... In fact! I am sure she can demonstrate her talents right here and now with a transmutation spell!"
"NO!"
This time, Leona was the one surprised by the fear the students were showing... She knew her glare could freeze them on the spot... But the kids seemed completely terrified at the words their teacher had uttered.
"You can't do this, Miss Chevreuse!"
"You are crazy, Chevreuse!"
"Do you have a death wish, teacher?!"
"I am too young to die!"
Some of the students hid beneath their desk, Kirche was surrounded by a protecting wall of boys, Tabitha simply got up and left... Louise could feel the fury boil in her veins... She would not allow them to insult her in front of her familiar, she will prove them she was a mage.
With a huff, she got up and walked towards the desk of the professor while her classmates begged her to stop... She ignored them and proceeded with confidence.
"Uh... Well... Miss Valliere... It is a simple transmutation spell" Chevreuse said as she watched the actions of the students with surprise "Just... Just turn this small pebbles into another material" She said as she carefully placed the small rocks on the desk.
Louise took out her wand and pointed it at the Pebbles... She just had to do it like when she summoned Leona... The pleading voices of her classmates disappeared, the room disappeared... It was just her and the Pebbles... She waved her wand and said the words of power... She watched as the small rocks shone and...
A sudden flash of golden energy pushed her away and there was a large explosion... Just as Louise had guessed... She failed again.
She could hear the panicked screams of her classmates and smell the aftermath of her failed magic, although, she was surprised, normally, she would feel the pain of her explosion... Instead, she felt something soft and warm on her face, she opened her eyes.
She was being held by Leona, the soft and warm thing were her breasts, Louise tried to articulate a word but she couldn't, in the eyes of her familiar Louise could see worry and resolve, she turned around and saw a table being held by Leona as a shield... Leona had somehow leaped through the room with a table and had protected her from the blast of her failed spell... It was impossible... But it was true.
Of course, Louise's little moment of bliss didn't last too much.
"Are you trying to kill us, Zero?!"
"Just quit already, Zero!"
"It is just like you, Zero!"
"Someone call the water mages! Miss Chevreuse is not moving."
Louise stood from the protective embrace of Leona and watched her mess... The desk was obliterated, Miss Chevreuse lied on the ground unmoving, the room was filled with smoke and some walls were darkened by the explosion.
"Looks like I messed up a little" Louise commented softly.
Leona waited patiently for Louise to come out of the room.
It had certainly been an eventful day if the Radiant Dawn was honest with herself... She was summoned in the middle of her vacations into a, possibly, different world, she had threatened a bunch of arrogant children, she was kissed by a little girl and then she became the champion of said girl, a bald man sexually harassed her, a Shuriman woman sexually harassed her and she had witnessed the true power of her summoner; Explosions.
"This is more fun than my vacations" The Radiant Dawn admitted with a small grin.
She had never liked to stay in one place and do always the same... For her, the best way to rest was to explore new lands, fight strong enemies and live to tell her adventures... That was truthfully the way Leona wanted to live... And maybe her dream will finally become true... There was no Institute of War in this land, no Rakkorians, no Solaris... It was just her, the sun and her summoner... It was perfect.
The door opened and Louise appeared with her head down in shame, Leona simply smiled at her and hugged her small summoner... It had certainly been a long day for both of them.
"How did it go?" Leona asked sweetly.
"They blamed the teacher for allowing me to use magic in the first place." Louise answered with her face still hidden in Leona's chest "I am so sorry, Leona."
"Don't worry, summoner, everyone makes mistakes."
"I don't make 'mistakes', I make explosions" Leona couldn't help but chuckle remembering a certain hyperactive yordle "Ah! You are laughing at me! You meanie!" Louise said puffing her cheeks.
"Sorry, I was just remembering something else" Leona apologized patting Louise's head "Either way, I reckon you are tired, let us go to your chambers."
They walked in silence, Leona held Louise all the way until they stopped in front of a door with golden ornaments on it, Leona tried to open the door but Louise stopped her and hurried inside of the room.
"Louise?" Leona asked surprised.
"J-Just hold on! I-I have to clean something" Leona could hear how Louise rushed through her room "You can come in!"
It was certainly a luxurious room, back at the Institute, Leona had a humble bed for herself, a small tea-table, a bookshelf, her personal bathroom and a window so she could see the sun... This room was twice the size of hers, there was a queen sized bed, a big closet, a table with two chairs, a medium wardrobe and even like that there was enough space to walk with liberty... There was no bathroom or a bookshelf, but instead, Louise had a big window, through it, Leona could see the dying sun... It was too much for Leona... She preferred small things... But she could get used to this kind of ostentatious thing... She was a girl after all.
She obviously noted a small trail of hay near the window... It seems Louise expected an animal and not a human, Leona was fine with sleeping on the floor as long as she had something to cover her body with... Rakkorian training was quite harsh.
"Uhm... Leona." Came the shy voice of Louise "I need you to... Undress" Leona lifted brow "It's-Its for professor Colbert! You know... The rune... he said he wanted to..." Everything else Louise said died in her mouth.
Leona gave the flushed child a giggle and patted her head again "It's alright, Louise, you made a promise after all." Leona said undressing the top of her bathing suit and allowing Louise to see the runes.
Leona saw them for the first time, they were written in the upper part of her chest in a language she hadn't seen before... She watched as Louise took out a piece of paper and a pen.
"This is strange... I haven't seen these kinds of runes before" Louise mumbled to herself as she drew the runes in the paper, once she was done with her part, she touched them "What could these possibly mean?" Leona's moan made her yelp and blush in embarrassment "I-I AM SO SORRY, LEONA! I DIDN'T MEAN TO...!"
"Don't worry, Louise, I was just surprised" Leona reassured with a gentle smile "Now, be a good girl and deliver that to that perverted professor."
Louise nodded before she left the room, leaving Leona alone.
The Radiant Dawn sighed and dressed again... It was certainly an embarrassing moment... But it wasn't unpleasant at all... Maybe she viewed Louise as her little sister... Or maybe she viewed Louise like her... Like the one she used to call the love of her life.
Leona sighed again and walked towards the window... It had been a while... But with the memories surging through her mind, she decided she would indulge herself in one of her guilty pleasures... Stargazing.
She opened the window, sat on the railing and watched the stars... What she saw made her lose her breath for a moment.
Two moons, one of sapphire and the other like a ruby... Two moons... This wasn't Runeterra... This wasn't her home... But she found herself mesmerized by the twin moons in the sky... She could almost hear the excited voice of her beloved one... Twin moons... Who would have thought?
"You would have loved this place, Di." She mused to herself.
"I'm sorry?" Leona turned around and saw Louise standing near the table with a tray holding two plates filled with warm stew. "Uh... I brought us some food... I thought you might be hungry... So..."
Leona smiled at the shy girl in front of her... Louise looked just like her beloved one in her younger days. Leona took the plate and returned to the railing and continued watching the moons... After a while, she felt Louise sat carefully by her side and together they ate the stew.
"I am not from this world." Leona began.
"I knew that much." Louise answered with a sigh "There is no way a child from a manticore and the sun could exist in this world... It is impossible... But you are real... So that must mean you came from another land."
"You are a smart girl."
"Thank you," Louise said as she took the empty plates and placed them on the table "Now the question is... What are you going to do?"
"I will stay with you."
"Why...? Why would you stay with a failure like me?" Leona could hear the tears of Louise fall from her eyes "You are far away from your world... From your family... You are bonded to me for life... You will stay here with me until I die... I just did something terrible to you... Why would you stay with me?"
Leona turned around and glanced at her summoner, the young girl was crying and was glaring at the floor in shame... She looked just like her... Leona knew the answer to her question... It was the same answer she gave to her a long time ago... She failed that time... But she wouldn't now...
"You asked for a shield, I will remain by your side until you no longer need me, I will protect you from everything, they will have to break through me if they want to harm you... But I will not fall... I will always be there... I am the sun and the sun always rises." Leona said opening her arms for Louise.
The young girl darted and hugged Leona, the Radiant Dawn could hear the soft sobs of her summoner... Just like that night many years ago... She made the promise she couldn't keep once again... But this time she wouldn't fail... This time she would protect the crying child on her arms.
Under these twin moons, she vowed to protect Louise.
Under these twin moons, Leona became a shield again.
The shield of Zero.