Rahmiel found himself in what looked to be a lab of some sorts mixed with the home of witches. Potions, medical tools, and infirmary beds laid in sections. Colbert and Louise were being him, watching him as he observed the entire room.
He's very observant. Colbert thought with more interest than before. Louise could only watch as her "familiar" checked out the place as a tugging feeling struck her heart.
What happened? Those familiar runes... vanished at the touch of his...fire. Does this mean that...he's not my familiar anymore? She felt tears sting her eyes before she wiped them away. Colbert noticed her arm rubbing her face before going to comfort her, "Miss Vallière, I know what you're thinking. Those runes may be not there, but so long as if he's willing to stay—and that is a strong "if"—then you will not be kicked out of the academy. It's all up to him now. Maybe the runes didn't work because Rahmiel here is something of the highest degree in power. Consider yourself lucky, Miss Vallière. You just summoned something from out of this world."
It was enough to say that Louise felt better about herself. She nodded in thanks to Colbert who gave her a smile. They both turned to Rahmiel who surprisingly was standing right in front of them this entire time. Colbert and the boy's eyes met with one another until the older man spoke up, "Rahmiel. Would you mind sitting there on that bed next to the wall?"
The six-winged anomaly only walked to the mattress, complying with the order. The professor sat down on the chair and took his wrist in his hand. Immediately, he dropped it in pain before holding it tenderly and rubbing it soothingly, Son of a! What is this child?!
Louise ran to her professor's side in worry. She saw his hand tainted with a nasty burn mark. The pink-haired mage's eyes widened in shock before eyeing Rahmiel in awe. Did he do this?
Colbert couldn't take it anymore and yelled, "What in the hell are you?"
Rahmiel merely stared at the two before sitting up, "I'm an angel of the Lord. If you want to get technical, I am a seraph."
Colbert calmed himself before apologizing, "Forgive me. I don't usually lose my temper like that. Tell me exactly: what is this...seraph?"
Rahmiel nodded with his eyes closed, "A seraph is an angelic being. Seraphim for plural, we are associated with the traditional Christian angelology, belonging to the highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy. We are related to light, ardor, and purity."
To say Louise was beyond confused is an understatement. She's never heard of seraphim before, but has heard of angels when she was just a small child. The petite girl had no idea there was a ranking system for angels. And Rahmiel was the supposed "strongest" out of the nine?
Colbert hummed, "Most peculiar. Where do you come from?"
"My home in Heaven. A garden." Rahmiel spoke, drawing another hum out of Colbert. The middle-aged professor opened a nearby drawer and took out some medical gauze before wrapping it around his burn. Now it was time for the moment of truth.
"Alright, we'll get into more detail of that at a later point in time, but for right now...Rahmiel," Colbert started, Louise clasping her hands together secretly, "do you have any idea what has happened in the past hour and a half?"
The seraph nodded his head in confirmation, "I've heard of this "familiar ceremony". The other students were quite loud in their conversations with one another."
The old mage only agreed with him, "Yes, the familiar ceremony. In short, students here could summon a familiar for themselves, and if one doesn't succeed in the test...well… That student will fail and will be forced to leave the academy."
Louise shook in her spot, knowing that could very well happen to her. Rahmiel isn't her familiar officially, so what does that mean for her? She'll be forced to leave and go back to her family. But she doesn't want to leave. That's the situation they have here.
"And if you didn't know now," Colbert gestured to Louise after saying that, "Louise here had summoned you here to be her familiar. But there is one huge complication that troubles us."
Rahmiel scrunched up his face and squinted his eyes at Colbert, wondering where he's getting at. He could sense Colbert's feelings of pity and helplessness aimed towards Louise specifically who was filled with sadness and defiance.
"You have burned off the runes of familiars, something that hasn't been recorded since the dawn of time. Rahmiel, you are truly something else if you are the first ever to pull off such an achievement. And since you did burn off your runes, Miss Vallière, I'm afraid, is no longer a student here at Tristain Academy."
At this, Rahmiel could feel the unending sorrow in Louise's heart. Tears began to form in her pink eyes as her little body shook with anguish at the idea of her leaving here. Rahmiel believes he knows of what kind of problem lies in the air.
"So in order for her to stay here, I must also stay along with her?" The seraph questioned slowly, getting the old professor to nod at his words.
"You are correct, Rahmiel. Yes." Colbert said to him, Louise with her drooping eyes down casted to the floor.
"If that is the case, then I see no problem. I will stay." Louise snapped her head up to Rahmiel in surprise and happiness, thanking him deeply within her thoughts. This surprised Colbert even more, but he eventually chuckled in relief and respect for Louise and Rahmiel both.
"Thank you, young man." The professor breathed out gratefully. Louise teared up but wiped them away immediately before going over to stand next to Rahmiel. Her heart beated like crazy when she did.
He could've left...but he didn't. He chose to stay because of me… She trailed off in thought, her gaze transfixed on Rahmiel's face.
The seraph regarded Louise with a stone face before nodding at her. The pinkette rubbed her eyes and broke her gaze away from him in embarrassment. Colbert laughed quietly at this.
"Now I brought you here because I was one to believe you were left with a burning pain in your arm. And now I see that isn't the case at all. Miss Vallière, very briefly show Rahmiel around the academy and get him acquainted with your living quarters. I know this has been a long day for you both."
Louise vigorously nodded at that and took the seraph's arm in her hand before pulling him along. Colbert raised his brows in amusement before turning the lights off and leaving.
In the corridors of Tristain…
Louise held a neutral gaze as she walked through the hallways of her school, ignoring the fearful looks of the other students who were staring up and down the figure that was Rahmiel. Said seraph did not react to them at all and just let the little girl pull him out the doors to the academy and towards more doors on the other side of the school.
After a few turns here and there and the occasional stairs, she made it to a very high floor and made her way towards her room. Louise glanced at Rahmiel who was free from her grasp, not noticing her hand was not burning from touching him.
"Um, Rahmiel. This is my room here. You'll be staying here with me from now on." She said quietly, wanting to know if it will be enough for her "familiar".
"Yes." Was all that Rahmiel said before she went ahead and unlocked it. The two stepped inside, Rahmiel observing his new home for the time being.
An oil lamp was seen standing on a table near a wall, a nice twin sized bed laying vertically near a window that let the moon shine through the room, and a little bed made from hay was sitting near the foot of the bed. Louise quickly ran and shoved that away from sight, chuckling in nervousness and embarrassment.
How was I going to let him sleep on the floor? She chided herself before bringing her hands behind her back and shuffling her feet anxiously.
Louise went to unbutton her top after a long time of thinking, her uniform dropping to the floor. Next, she quickly did the rest and was finally stripped down to her underwear.
She sneaked a glance at Rahmiel to see what his reaction would be but found him to be very calm about it. In fact, his face was still etched into that unmoving, emotionless state since from the start. This startled her and actually made her quite happy to know that he wasn't a lecherous pervert like all of the other boys here at school. But it still kind of disappointed her that there wasn't at least some reaction out of him, for some odd reason.
She dressed into her nightgown and stopped for a second. Where was Rahmiel going to sleep? There's only one bed, so that means…
Her mind erupted into dirty thoughts as steam trailed off of the top of her head, her cheeks reddening from the thought of Rahmiel sleeping in her bed with her. Now was a good time to even ask if he was okay with that idea.
"Rahmiel," She groaned, nervous to even say it, "do you mind if you sleep with me tonight? As you can plainly tell, there's only one bed. I just want you to know...that I...don't mind at all!"
The seraph shocked her with his next words, "As an angel, we do not need sleep to survive, nor do we need to eat, drink, or even breathe. Treat this like you would any other night."
Louise opted to just going along with it and nod, climbing into her bed and covering herself up neat and tight before turning to get herself even more comfortable. Minutes passed before she sat up again and looked to the side to see Rahmiel standing idly by her door as his right foot pressed up against the wall, leaning his back against the wall with his arms crossed and looking down.
She never really paid attention, but he looks really cool. Aside from dressing like a normal, everyday commoner, he does have an attractive face. Well, to her at least. Louise banged her head with her hands before going back to sleep, brushing away those thoughts.
Rahmiel blinked slowly, his mind heading back when the portal tore open in his home. Nothing could even reach that far inside Heaven. His home is in the deepest and highest point in Heaven. Who would've wanted him to come here?
It couldn't have been just Louise who had summoned me here. If it was, then someone else had to have been in control of this supposed summoning spell. I need to find out who. For now... Rahmiel turned his head up to watch Louise as her form raised up and down gently, her soft breathing very audible to him.
Things happen for a reason.
