2: Change
"You died, Miss Vallière!" the balding man, Colbert, yelled.
"Smith," she replied coolly. The headmaster, Osmond and his secretary, a green haired, bespectacled young woman known as Miss Longueville, looked at her with a raised eyebrow before turning to the professor.
"She also believes that her name is Louise Smith," Colbert said, answering the unasked question, "and that she is a member of something called 'Killer7'. I believe that she may be suffering from the trauma of getting shot."
"Shot?" Osmond questioned, observing Louise, "Shot where? Miss Valliè-"
"Smith," the girl interrupted.
"Er, Miss Smith seems fine to me."
Colbert swallowed, not really sure how to convey what it was exactly he saw. "Well, you see, after Miss Val-"
"Smith," Louise interrupted again.
Colbert shook his head and sighed. "After Miss Smith was accidentally shot by her familiar's suicide, I rushed over and cast as many healing spells as I could, but it was already too late, the shot had killed her instantly." Colbert paused, a look of disappointment and regret flashing on his face before continuing. "After that, I proceeded to make preparations for Miss Smith's death when her body… exploded."
Osmond and his secretary looked surprised. "Exploded?" Osmond asked. "As in, her usual attempts at spells? Er, no offense."
Louise shook her head. "None taken."
"Well, no, headmaster," Colbert continued. "Her body exploded into… blood."
Osmond's eyes widened. "B-Blood?"
"Yes. It was like a bloody mist, sir. The blood floated in the air before they converged on the boy, absorbing him into the mist and then shaping into Miss Va-Smith."
Osmond stroked his beard in thought. "What can you tell me about the boy?"
"Well," Colbert began, "I had cast a Detect Magic spell on the child. The results were… interesting."
"Oh?"
"It detected something, but… it wasn't magic. I don't even know how to describe it, really. It was almost like magic… yet not. I was actually going to research this matter later tonight."
Osmond nodded. "A boy who had an energy similar to magic? Yes, researching that would wise. Louise… what can you tell me about the boy?"
"He was a colleague," The pink haired girl replied.
Osmond's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Colleague? You mean you've met before?"
"In a sense."
The headmaster waited for her to elaborate, but the girl just stood silently, playing with a lock of her hair. After a moment, he sighed.
"Well anyway, there's another issue I'd like to address; you're familiar runes. Is it alright if I see them?"
Louise nodded as she raised her left hand, the familiar runes visible to them all.
"Those are some very unique runes," the headmaster said as he leaned over his desk for a closer look.
Colbert nodded his head in agreement. "Indeed. None of the previous summonings I oversaw had familiar engravings quite like these." The professor adopted a contemplative look. "Though I've a feeling that I've seen these somewhere before… perhaps I'll add it on to my research tonight."
"Is that all?" the self-proclaimed Smith questioned as she lowered her hand. "I have things to take care of."
Osmond nodded. "Yes, Miss Smith. Thank you for your time." At that, Louise bowed gracefully before picking up her suitcase.
"Sayonara." She said as she opened the door and left, confusing the three other occupants at the strange word.
After a moment, Colbert turned to the headmaster. "Should I inform Miss Vallière's family about today?"
The headmaster shook his head. "No, Professor Colbert. For now, we keep what happened here in the school. We wouldn't want to worry her family."
"And what of the students? Surely they will inform their families?"
"Possible, but would anyone believe what happened? I have a hard time believing it myself, to be honest."
Colbert grimaced slightly, but nodded. "Understood. Now then, I must get a head start on that research." With a slight bow of the head, the professor left the room and made a beeline for the library.
As the door closed, Osmond's mind worked. Colbert was an honest man, and despite being nothing more than a teacher now, he was a man that he would trust with his life. But what he said contradicted the facts before him; Louise died, but the very same girl stood in his office mere moments ago.
'Or rather, Louise Vallière died, and Louise Smith was born,' Osmond thought, 'But what sort of magic could do such a thing? Not even Brimir could bring a person back from the dead. And why the name change?'
Her name wasn't the only thing that changed. From what he had heard and observed of Louise from before the ritual, she was very insecure about her magic but hid it (poorly, he added) under her pride, and was very vocal in defending herself (usually against Miss Zerbst). But this Louise didn't so much as flinch when he commented on her failed spells. She seemed to accept it, in fact. And the way she held herself...
She reminded him of her mother. Thankfully not as severe, though.
The girl seemed to be in an awful hurry to leave. Where could she be going after such an event?
It was time to bring out the scrying ball again. But before that...
"So, Miss Longueville …" Osmond began as he turned to his secretary.
"Yes, headmaster?"
"White today, hm?"
"Headmaster!"
Louise Valliere, or rather, Louise Smith stepped into her room and locked the door. She scanned the room before quickly crossing over to the curtains and closing them, only the small light of the sun peeking in through the curtains' gaps lighting the room. She turned, then made her way to a room that wasn't there before today.
Harman's Room. Her Master's room.
Slowly, she turned the knob and walked inside, closing the door behind her quietly. The room's interior was devoid of any furniture aside from a small table with an old, worn out metal box with a glass screen and a remote with only two buttons; ON and OFF. The walls of the room appeared to be worn out as well, the wallpaper full of cracks and rips in many places. There were no windows, the only light coming from a single fluorescent lamp in the middle of the ceiling.
In the middle of this room was an old man, dressed completely in black with a bowler hat on his head, slumped on a metal framed wheelchair with his head down and mouth hanging open.
To a casual observer, he looked dead.
Louise strode over to the table, picked up the remote, and pressed the OFF button.
The light disappeared, covering the room in darkness. But it was only for a moment, as two spot lights cut through it, lighting the forms of Louise and the now stirring man in the wheelchair. Louise reverently kneeled, her fists on the floor, head down in absolute submission.
"Master Harman," the pink haired girl said.
"Ah, my dear Louise," the old man, Harman replied. His voice was aged and raspy, but held a clarity and flow like that of the finest wine. "How long has it been since we last met?"
"Far too long, Master," the girl replied. "Forgive me for my tardiness. I had heard your call, but was unable to respond due to certain circumstances."
Harman shook his head. "Think nothing of it, Louise. You are still a student in their eyes. The professor merely had your best interests at heart." The girl nodded her head in understanding.
"Now, onto business." The girl raised her head, giving her Master her full attention. "There is much disturbance in this world. I can feel it. The tidings of war are approaching."
"What shall I do, Master?"
"For now, we wait. Let the world's events come to pass, and then act."
"Yes, Master."
"However,' Harman warned, "one such disturbance has already made its way to this school."
"The woman," Louise stated.
"Yes. Watch her. If need be, call on the others." Louise nodded her head.
"Is there anything else, Master?"
Harman smiled slightly. "Yes. I will need a caretaker for when I am asleep."
The pink haired girl nodded her head once more. "I will find you one as soon as I can."
"Thank you, Louise. Now then, the lights."
"Yes, Master."
At the click of a button, the room was once again bathed in light, and the elder man went back to his slumber.
Killer7 is a property of Suda51, Grasshopper Manufacture, and Capcom. Zero no Tsukaima was written by Noboru Yamaguchi and illustrated by Eiji Usatsuka and its anime was produced by J.C. Staff. I am in now way affiliated with these people. I am just a fan of both works who thought to combine the two settings.
