A/N: Alright, what am I doing? I seriously did not plan for this to happen, but an idea so firmly lodged itself in my brain that I could not extricate and began to research. So, beyond not being able to focus on one story at a time, now I have to deal with this. *Sigh* I wish I could control my creative spirit.

First of all, go read "Loopholes" by DschingisKhan as I'm certain it will be a better story than this one and was partial inspiration for this, along with the author's kind words of encouragement.

Second of all, I need to clear the air regarding something that's, shall we say, controversial. El Shaddai is based on Biblical Apocrypha, specifically The Book of Enoch and the Book of The Watchers contained within.

For an overview, said book contained the explanation behind the Great Flood in the story of Noah's Ark, in that 200 angels descended from the heavens and gave mankind God's wisdom as well as fornicating with them, creating the unholy hybrids, the Nephilim. With the knowledge of art, science, and war in the hands of mankind, and the Nephilim's insatiable hunger, much of the world was thrown into chaos and God sent the archangels to punish the Grigori (another name for The Watchers) and instigated the Great Flood in order to wipe the slate clean, allowing only Noah, a descendant of both Enoch himself and Adam, and the world's creatures to endure.

The game, El Shaddai, much like this fic, is loosely based on The Book of Enoch. The story was altered so that only 7 of The Watchers, who were the primary ringleaders, survived and Enoch, who was opposed to God's and the Elder's decision to flood the world, was sent to wrangle them in. With the help of Lucifel and Ishtar, he succeeds in sealing 2 of them while the rest are either killed, swallowed by The Darkness, or just up and disappeared like Semyaza.

If any of the above offends you, then stop reading this now. I guarantee that the rest of this fic, should I even get out of the planning stages, is only going to anger you even more.

Also, I doubt I'll follow ZnT very closely either. Just thought that worth mentioning.

My apologies for the long author's note, but I needed to get all that out. Now, onto the story.

Disclaimer: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is the property of Ignition Entertainment, and Zero no Tsukaima belongs to its original authors and Media Factory

"Speech" / 'Thoughts' / "Demon Speak"

Tristain Academy of Magic (Courtyard; Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual)

Of course the spell resulted in an explosion just like every single other one she tried to cast. Dread filled Louise's heart as she looked upon the great dust cloud before her. Should she fail here and now, the rest of her life would be out of her control. She would be a political tool, married off to another young noble in bridging the gap between her family and his, whoever he should be. That was something she could not stand for. She was a noble and a Vallière to boot!

*Gasp*

Before she could ruminate on it further, the dust cloud had cleared, revealing a ghastly sight. In place of the summoning sigil which had been in the center of the burst, lay a pool of bubbling liquid, black as a moonless night, which was releasing a horrid miasma into the air. All around her, her peers devolved into their typical whisperings about her failure. She heard the word 'Zero' passed around several times as it always was, causing her to clench her fists. 'They couldn't understand, even for a moment, what my life is like,' she thought, cursing her fate once more for choosing her as the object of their torment.

Just as she was about to turn to her professor and ask if she could try again, something rose from the black pool, seemingly driving away the darkness and silencing her classmates. Kirche had shut her insufferable mouth and even Tabitha had closed her book and looked on in interest as the shining light pushed the blackness back and out of existence. Looking upon it in wonder, Louise felt she could make out a vaguely humanoid shape within the light. What had she summoned; was it a... could it possibly be a spirit? Whatever it was, it was her familiar; she'd finally cast a successful spell for the first time since her birth. To say she was happy would be an understatement.

*Ahem* "Miss Vallière… You should attempt to bind this familiar, whatever it is. You remember the methods?" she heard her professor, Colbert, say.

She gave him a quick and determined nod, not taking her eyes off her summon, before she took a step forward. If it was a nature spirit that she'd summoned, she would have to attempt the most dangerous type of binding – Soul Binding. A physical bind such as the traditional kiss or the sharing of blood would not work. Instead she would have to offer her own energy, her own willpower, and accept the spirit's in return, allowing a bond to form between them. However, by baring her soul before the spirit, she would risk being possessed by it which was why there was fear building within her as she stepped further toward the light which had not moved since it had first appeared.

Drawing her wand, she flicked it a few times, casting the incantation as a glowing circle with a five-pointed star appeared at her feet. "My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the five elemental powers; bless this humble being, and make it my familiar," she uttered as she gathered willpower within her, allowing it to flow out of her in its most basic form as an offering to the spirit.

Apparently ignoring her offering, the spirit descended to the ground and slowly 'walked' forward, emitting grace with each step. When it was right in front of her, it placed a 'hand' on her head and flowed into her body, filling her with endless warmth.

To outside observers, it appeared she had a glowing aura for a few seconds, and for those seconds, it looked as if she was entirely at peace for what was probably the first time since she entered the academy. This was sharply contrasted by her grasping her chest in panic as pain swelled within her. Desperately she clutched at the area over her heart as flamed seemed to blaze inside of her, building with every passing moment, before an additional fire burned in her right hand.

Louise could no longer form comprehensible thoughts. The pain was too much. She could vaguely remember Colbert and Kirche calling out to her as she passed out. There wasn't even time for her to question why the redhead would care about her fate before she was engulfed in blackness.

Unknown Location

It was cold… and dark.

So cold. Always cold. There was nothing and no one to provide warmth.

She was alone. Unwanted. Unloved.

She cried out, the true pain rearing its ugly head.

Always alone. The only person who loved her and the only person who cared… both of them were far from here, and neither would be around forever. Her sister would die, maybe from disease or maybe from age, and her friend would move on and leave her behind. Maybe she already had. She had no one.

"Why is it that you continue to live in this world that hates you?"

She shuddered at the voice. It was deep and powerful, compelling her to provide an answer, even if she did not want to.

Why… why did she keep moving forward?

Why did she live?

Why did she endure the pain?

Was it so as not to besmirch her family name? "Even that has its limits."

Was it to fulfill her own obligation as a noble and magician? "What worth do you have as either if you cannot cast even a single successful spell?"

Was it so as not to sadden Cattleya? "Ah yes, your beloved sister. The one that loves you unconditionally and sees you as more than a Zero. Each day you await the letter that will tell you her disease has grown worse and she is on her deathbed. Then there will be no one to hold you and whisper false promises that everything will be alright. Pathetic."

The miasma grew around her body, coating her further in the blackness and taint.

"You do not need to hold on any longer. Let go, and you shall find peace in the embrace of The Darkness. There is no need to continue the torment of your existence."

Yes, The Darkness. Though she feared the voice, she could not deny that she wanted this: to put an end to the pain and at least own her own death if she could not own anything else. After all, she had failed in all aspects, and there was no place for her in the world any longer except as a tool in some loveless political marriage.

She closed the senses of her soul, anticipating the end, and… nothing. Was there no afterlife? No Heaven or Hell? No Valhalla or Helheim? Was she cursed with nonexistence for the rest of eternity… or had the voice simply lied to her?

'Do not fall to Belial's temptation,' she heard an unfamiliar voice speak as amazing warmth began to replace the cold that was there before. 'Death may bring you a quick release, but if you succumb to The Darkness and allow the vileness to engulf your soul, then the pain will never end.

Light filled her sixth sense, as a pair of arms seemed to wrap themselves around her metaphysical self.

'But why?' she responded in an anguished cry, 'Why must I hold this curse? Why can I not cast a single spell correctly? Why must I be alone and unloved, even by my own mother?'

There was still darkness covering her, but the taint surrounding her was all but gone, replaced with the light of the spirit grasping her. She heard a light chuckle at her questions.

'I am surprised you have lasted this long with the vileness that surrounds your soul. To have endured for this long; you must have an indomitable will,' the voice said soothingly, 'but you are wrong about being alone. There are people that care for you even now.'

'Who? Who cares for me?'

It was an honest question. She could not think of a single person other than Cattleya or Henrietta that might care if she died. Certainly no one at the Academy would give even the slightest piece of their mind.

'If you truly do not know, then hear their voices and take solace in them.'

Suddenly she felt more voices enter her head, swirling around her like a great whirlwind.

"They've told me that the spirit within your body cannot be exorcised. Please do pull through Miss Vallière. Karin would never forgive me if a child of hers died in my care… not that I would be able to forgive myself."

"We always called you Zero… but looking at you now… For some reason, I can't stand the thought of you withering away before you've had a chance to bloom. So, prove us wrong about you, for your sake and ours."

"Ah, Miss Vallière? So the rumors were true… I guess we'll both just have to get better together, huh? I've seen you from afar and I know you always try your best, so don't give up. Okay?"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I take back all the things I ever said about you. Just… Please wake up, Louise. You're the strongest and most determined person I've ever meant. It's not like you to give up like this, so wake up. Call me a cow, insult my breast size, I don't care. Just wake up."

"Louise… Didn't realize how quiet… without you. You… Only one who can understand. The pain… loneliness… you know it. I do too. My family… hatred… death… insanity… no love. I want… to talk. I don't want… to be alone… you either… Wake up, Louise. Wake up."

If it were possible, hot tears would be streaming down her cheeks. Who knows, perhaps they were in her corporeal form. 'How?'

'You have impressed them with the strength of your will,' the voice replied to her. 'That is the first step. Now you must act on it. You must awaken.'

Slowly but surely, she felt herself be pulled away from the spirit. It was like she was being pulled out of a deep cavern by a safety rope tied around her waist. Looking in distress in the direction of the spirit as more and more light began to fill her vision, to the point of blinding her, she called out a question.

'Who are you?!' She wondered if it could hear her, but that distress was unfounded. It was her own head, after all.

'Know that I am the Prophetess and Warrior, Ishtar, and I will cleanse your soul of the vileness. This I swear.'

Tristain Academy of Magic (Infirmary)

When she awoke, her vision was swimming, producing a mess of colours. She felt incredibly weak and the energy of the summoning ritual was gone. Eventually her sight did settle on a single colour, that being… blue.

"T-Tabitha?" she asked, her voice raspy. "What are…" *cough* "What are you doing here?"

Indeed the bespectacled mage, and the only girl in the academy that was smaller than her, was sitting at her side, and… holding her hand. That fact would have made her incredibly embarrassed, had she the energy. Releasing her grasp on her hand, the blunette took something from the table beside her.

"No talk," she said in her same monotone, "Water first."

A coolness was pressed to her lips, pouring the lifeblood of the Gods down her throat. The substance, which she recognized as Healing Water, provided relief to her throat and made her feel the strength she'd lost ebb back into her. Though, her limbs still felt incredibly stiff and she did not feel like she could lift them. When the glass was removed, she felt up to speaking much more than she had previously.

"How long?" she questioned, her voice quiet as her throat was still healing.

"A week," the genius girl replied, not missing a beat.

"A week?" she said, distressed. "What happened?"

"Summoned a spirit," the blunette replied, wiping a wet cloth over her forehead. "Possessed you. Fused with your soul. Could not be removed. Look. Runes on your hand."

She looked down at her right hand to reveal a set of familiar runes glowing on the back of her palm. She recognized the script from the various volumes she'd read in preparation for the ceremony. In any other situation, she would have been horrified as it would have marked herself as her own familiar. However, she'd already met the familiar within her…

"I remember. Ishtar…"

"Ishtar?"

"Her name. She saved me… from dying." She looked down, ashamed by her moment of weakness. "I heard your voices. Everyone who came to visit me… including you."

Louise looked over to see her classmate with eyes slightly widened and the lightest trace of pink across her cheeks. In all honesty it wasn't that different from her default expression, but for her, it was more emotion then she'd ever seen on the girl.

"You said you understand me. That you don't want to be alone," she continued, "but how are you alone? Don't you have Kirche? Aren't you a genius? How can you not have friends?"

She looked away. "Kirche… doesn't understand. Lots of attention. Lots of friends. Kind to me, comforting, but… Can never know what it's like."

She was surprised by the darkness contained within the last few words. Again, it was more emotion than she'd ever seen out of her.

"And I do?"

The girl looked up at her, meeting her eyes. "You're lonely. Have been since you arrived."

That was something she couldn't deny. Without Cattleya, it had been… difficult to stave off the loneliness her first nights here, especially with her struggling with her magic and the constant teasing and bullying of her peers. Had Tabitha noticed the entire time? The girl had never participated in the teasing, had never done anything to hurt her, but she was also a symbol of everything Louise wanted to be. She was an extremely talented mage who seemed to hardly ever even have to try and had summoned a dragon, of all things, as her familiar. Plus, on a deeper level, she was actually good at hiding her emotions, unlike Louise, who could not help but respond to the indignities thrown at her, even in spite of the Rule of Steel she was to follow. The girl's mere existence was taunting her, and now…

"If you saw, why didn't you do anything?" She couldn't mask the anger in her voice. It was unfair, she knew, to demand attention from others. She wasn't supposed to need anyone else, as her mother had taught her. However, this girl had seen her stewing in her own pain and done nothing. That was simply… wrong, especially if she was going through the exact same thing, as she'd said.

"Was afraid," she said quietly, almost under her breath, "Didn't know how to approach. Not… good with people."

Well, she certainly felt bad now. She should have suspected a girl who spent all of her time with her nose in books wouldn't be very good with dealing with people. The thought had not crossed her mind, though.

"Why now, though?"

"You would have died," the blunette replied, their eyes meeting once more, "Would have regretted it."

Suddenly feeling incredibly awkward, she averted her eyes. 'So she does care…'

"So you want to be-"

"Friends."

It was something she had always wanted, a friend. Henrietta was her friend once, but the two had been separated for years. This would be the first she'd have that was of her own station and it would be something that she'd made herself rather than being selected as a playmate for royalty. Right in front of her was something she'd desired for years. A fire was set burning in her soul though she paid it no heed for now. She was too joyful to notice.

"Tabitha… T-T-Thank y-you," she stuttered out, tearfully.

For the first time in a long time, a smile graced the blunette's lips. It was tiny, barely noticeable really, but for the two of them, it was all that was needed.

A/N: Oh God, what am I doing? Literally, oh God.

So yeah, Louise is Ishtar or she'll at least become Ishtar eventually. This, of course, doesn't mean her original personality will be supplanted , but she will gain access to some of Ishtar's powers as the goddess of War, Love, and Fertility as well as her memories and experiences. Also, as an agent of God, she'll have the purification power as well, as she did in El Shaddai.

I have decided on the other familiars. None of them are Enoch/Metatron, though he might make an appearance depending on what I plan out. As well, I have discovered Enochian Magic and I am looking at attempting to incorporate it in if I can figure out exactly how it works.

I am not confident in my knowledge of theological discourse, but I will do my best to make this work.

Pray for me, if you wish. I'll need it.