Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit, fan-based story. Devil May Cry is owned by Capcom, Hideki Kamiya, Hideaki Itsuno, and Studio Madhouse while licensed by Madman Entertainment and Funimation. Familiar of Zero is owned by Noboru Yamaguchi, J.C Staff, and CTC. Please support the official releases and have a great day/night :)
[A/N: This story takes place sometime after the events of Devil May Cry 4 but before the events of Devil May Cry 5]
[Act One, Chapter One: A Deal With A Demon?]
Tristain Academy of Magic; a school situated in the Kingdom of Tristain, which was a nation centered in Halkeginia A significant number of enthusiastic students stood outside the large academy building, with an almost balding instructor wearing glasses and a blue coat in front of them. The gentleman's name was Jean Colbert, and he was one of the many educators that taught at the academy. Due to his exceptional skills as a mage in the art of magic and his kindhearted disposition, Colbert was recognized as one of the best, if not the best, instructors; if you had an issue that needed to be resolved, he was the guy to go to.
"My students, the time to rejoice is now." The professor smiled warmly. "This is a very special day for every one of you."
Hearing that, a good portion of the students all cheered in happiness for it was a very special day for them, indeed. One might question what the importance of today was and why the inexperienced wizards were so enthusiastic, and the explanation was quite simple. The students of the prestigious Tristain Academy were going to participate in a ritual, not just any ritual, mind you, a summoning ritual; the reason the young students were so ecstatic was that the ritual entailed summoning a familiar, a magical creature, with whom they would spend their entire lives until they pass away. With the exception of two students, a blue-haired girl who was knee-deep in her reading and a pink-haired girl who was severely anxious and shaken up, the majority of students were fired up and ready to go.
The blue-haired girl was a-okay, but as for the pink-haired girl, she was a completely different story, and for all the right reasons. The young lady's name was Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere, the daughter of Karin Desiree de la Valliere and Duke Sandorion de la Valliere; she was also the youngest sister of Éléonore Albertine Le Blanc de La Blois de La Vallière and Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Fontaine. The ever-exhausting feeling of fear plagued the young Valliere girl's mind for reasons she and she alone knew. The negative emotion stemmed from the fact that, despite her standing as a mage, she was terrible at the art of magic; her spells always ended in chaos and destruction via explosions; to anyone else, creating explosions would be a blessing, to her, it was a curse, a curse she would possess for the rest of her life. If that wasn't bad, since she couldn't use spells correctly as everyone else could, Louise was subjected to ridicule and mockery by her peers.
A small groan of despair escaped the Valliere girl's lips as she placed her hands on her cheeks. "Oh Brimir. This whole ordeal is going to be a complete disaster, I just know it..." She frowned, unaware that her red-haired archenemy, Kirche Augusta Fredrica von Anhalt Zerbst, was standing right behind her. "What am I going to do? What am I going to do? If I fail once again, everyone will laugh at me, and I'll never hear the end of it. Maybe I can-"
Kirche interrupted Louise. "What in the world are you doing, Valliere?" Questioned the buxom fire mage, though it came off more as mockery than it did a genuine question. Louise couldn't help but roll her pink eyes at her rival's pointless antics; the former desired nothing more than to be alone and quiet before her impending humiliation. "You know, if you continue to talk to yourself like that, people will start to think that you're some kind of deranged sociopath. We'd have to start calling you Louise Valliere the Sociopath or Crazy Zero." The fire mage threw her head back and began laughing heartily, adding fuel to the fire and earning Louise's ire. Zerbst always enjoyed poking fun at Louise and riling her up, maybe it was because of how easy it was, she wasn't sure what it was.
Louise clenched her fist in anger and rewarded Kirche with a menacing glare...which proved ineffective, as all she received from her chesty rival was a light chuckle, indicating that she wasn't taking the petite noble seriously, something which angered the girl even more. "Just...just shut your trap, Zerbst, and leave me alone for Brimir's sake!" Louise turned around and walked away, leaving Kirche to her own devices. Louise hated Kirche with a BURNING passion (no pun intended) and vowed to herself that whenever she became a powerful mage, she would exact her revenge. Louise's animosity for the Germanian came from their respective families being at war with one another for generations; many lives were lost, and tears were shed. Luckily, things aren't as bad as they used to be; the families were at peace with one another, and there was a treaty to confirm it, but there was still lingering hostility amongst the families, and no amount of peace treaties could stop that.
"Alright, students." Said Colbert. "Let us begin the summoning ritual."
"Come to me, my great familiar!" Exclaimed one of the many nobles within the area. The young noble dramatically waved his wand around for a little bit until his new familiar, a flying eye creature named Bugbear, appeared out of nowhere without warning and took him by surprise. The novice nobleman was initially skeptical because he hadn't expected to receive a Bugbear, but he quickly got over it, rather quickly, in fact, and brought it in for a big hug.
"Okay, who is up next?" Asked Colbert.
"That would be me, Mr. Colbert?"
A blonde-haired boy had his hand raised while striking an over-the-top pose with a rose in his hand. The blonde was Guiche de Gramont, and he was best known for being the school's resident Casanova, constantly flirting and charming the females with his 'romantic' attitude and stunning good looks. Louise wasn't particularly fond of the boy because she found him to be obnoxious, which was true, and narcissistic to the highest degree, which was also true; not only that, but he was one of the few people who received enjoyment in mocking her for her lack of skills in magic.
Guiche strolled over to the center and took the rose out of his mouth before raising it high and proud. "Oh Brimir, the grand creator that guides us! Oh noble one who will become the familiar of the magnificent Guiche the Brass! Please answer my divine summons!" The ground beneath Guiche's feet began to tremble fiercely, and before he knew it, a cute mole crawled out of the ground, much to his great confusion. "A mole? Why did I get a mole of all things?" Guiche struggled to comprehend what he got; he desired something lovely and gracious...not that. When he asked Colbert why he got a mole, he was told that the summoning spell gave the summoner a familiar that suited their affinity, and his affinity was earth. "This isn't too bad, I suppose; if anything, I could have gotten something much worse." While Guiche wasn't thrilled at having a mole as his familiar, he did concede that it was charming in its own right.
Suddenly, laughter could be heard from a distance; everyone turned around and was astonished by what they saw. It was Kirche and her familiar, a fire salamander; those were all incredibly rare and you would have to be extremely lucky to get one, let alone tame one.
Kirche squealed loudly as she tightly embraced her new familiar, who did little more than blink. "Look at him; he's sooo adorable" The redhead giggled like a schoolgirl, which she was despite her womanly figure. "I think I'll name him Flame; yeah, Flame is a good name, and it goes well with my affinity, not to mention it fits my byname, Kirche the Fever~"
"Okay." Colbert clapped his hands. "Everyone has summoned their familiar, correct?"
A smug expression developed on Kirche's face, and in the corner of her eye was Louise, who was looking at the various familiars in the vicinity; it didn't take a genius to figure out what type of diabolical idea was brewing in Kirche's mind. "Mr. Colbert, Zer-I mean Louise has yet to summon her familiar." Kirche turned to Louise, who scowled at her with absolute hatred in her eyes, both hands clenched tightly. "What are you waiting for, Louise? You have to summon you familiar, I mean, you don't want to fail, do you?" There was a heaping pile of mockery in that question, and Louise knew it; the vertically challenged mage was gripping her hands harder than before, and if she went any further, blood would start to leak out. Fortunately, she came to a halt before anything serious occurred.
Louise took a step forward and collected herself. The latter's classmates were conversing with one another, and some slurs could be heard from them as well. Louise's rage was increased by the hateful comments, and she began cursing under her breath and uttering things that would make a sailor cry. Colbert eventually silenced the students and urged Louise to begin the summoning spell, which she did, lifting her wand and closing her eyes before taking a deep breath. The time to summon a familiar was now, on that very day, Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere was going to prove to everyone that she is not a failure and will never BE a failure! "My servant, that exists somewhere in this vast universe!" she shouted, confusing her classmates as they have never heard of a chant like that before.
In another universe completely different from Louise's, a heavily customized red and black striped 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T was speeding down a highway, giving the impression that the driver was in a hurry, which they were. Speaking of the driver, the person operating the vehicle was a forty-year-old adult woman sporting a serious expression on her face. Even though she was in her forties, the woman was attractive for her age, standing at a height of 6'2 and boasting a voluptuous yet fit, healthy, and muscular body structure. The woman's hair color was obsidian black and fashioned into two spiky buns; her eyes were a gorgeous hue of emerald green, and her smooth skin was a beautiful shade of gingerbread brown. The brunette wore semi-casual clothing, with the term semi-casual being used because she wore a knee-length, hooded leather coat that was gray, black, and yellow (1) with a sleeveless white zip-up hoodie underneath that had a black kanji on it, which translated to "Hero", as well as a silver crucifix that was worn around her neck and a black wool scarf given to her by her mother and aunt. Additionally, she wore a pair of fingerless motorcycle gloves that were black and a pair of motorcycle goggles resting on her head. Finally, the woman wore slightly tattered, dark-blue jeans with a pair of black, white, and camouflage sneakers on her feet (2) and a dual holster around her waist with two personalized handguns inside; one was the brightest shade of white, while the other was the deepest shade of black, but they both had a red rose decoration stretching from the barrel to the grips (3).
The gentlewoman's name was Jessabella Symphony Winters, though her friends and relatives referred to her as Jessie since it was short, simple, and easy to remember. Her adversaries, on the other hand, preferred to identify her by her other last name, Skyheart, a name which she inherited from her mother, who bore that same last name before she wed Jessie's father. Something Jessie also inherited from her mother, aside from a few features, was her power, and it was all attributed to her being a Nephilim hybrid; the blood of an angel and a demon coursed through her veins; human blood also ran through her veins and her father, a pure-blooded human was responsible for it. Wicked demons of all kinds have targeted Jessie for carrying angel and demon blood, which was regarded as disgraceful in their eyes, and they couldn't fathom angels and demons making peace and forging a child; many demons have tried to kill Jessie for being who she was, but none of them have lived to tell the tale.
Jessie, like her comrades Dante, Trish, and Lady, who were all a part of the Devil May Cry business founded by Dante himself, was a Devil Hunter and a damn good one at that; however, she wasn't a part of the business and did her own little thing while simultaneously traveling the world, but if they needed help, which didn't happen very often, she would drop by and give them a hand...if she was around.
Twenty minutes ago, Jessie was presented with an assignment that needed to be completed at once. The assignment was to track down a pair of rambunctious, no-good demons that have been causing mayhem and destruction throughout a small city and toward the public. The demonic creatures of conversation needed to be put six feet under before they could create more violence and take away the lives of many innocent civilians. It irritated Jessie to no end when demons would come out of the woodwork and harass humans for reasons only they could comprehend, and even then, most of them didn't need a reason; they did it because it was amusing to them. Seriously, what was the objective? What enjoyment did they get out of it? Jessie may never know the answer to her burning question, but what she did know was that as long as they continued to prey upon the weak and defenseless, those who couldn't protect themselves, she would be there to stop them and send them back to the depths of the Underworld.
After a half-hour or so of driving, Jessie had finally arrived at her destination, which was a large nightclub open to everyone, excluding children and underage people, of course. The nightclub's façade and outdoor decor were rather exquisite, that Jessie had to admit. There were marble sculptures, flashing pink and purple illuminating lights, a giant water fountain, and a neon large sign that said 'Revolution: The birthplace of history and legends!'. There were fancy-looking clubgoers standing outside in a line with two burly guards dressed up in black keeping the masses in line and making sure they didn't try to sneak their way in or pull anything shady. Nothing out of the ordinary was going on at the moment, and everything seemed to be fine, but Jessie knew that the peace wouldn't last long, especially if demons were prowling around, doing whatever they pleased. First and foremost, Jessie would need to investigate the matter more before taking action.
The Devil Hunter stepped out of her cherished Dodge Challenger and did a little bit of stretching; she had been driving for a while, after all. Walking to the back of her automobile, Jessie popped open the trunk and was greeted by the sight of a long, silver suitcase. The brunette pulled out the suitcase and placed it on the ground, then unfastened it, revealing a sword and a metal scabbard. The sword within the now-open suitcase was massive, single-edged, and sported a technology-based Esque futuristic appearance, not to mention it was pitch black all over. The blade was manufactured out of fine carbon steel, thus making it very durable and long-lasting; the grip/handle was long enough for the wielder to wield with the use of two hands, though Jessie only needed one, and the entire sword was radiating white electricity, something that was a great addition in battle, via stunning and electrocuting enemies (4). The weapon's name was Sotiras, and Jessie obtained it from a mid-level demon who looted it from a multi-million dollar firm whose name she forgot. To make a long story short, Jessie slayed the demon and surprisingly the corporation allowed her to keep the sword as a token of their appreciation, thus it became hers. The sword had proved to be extremely useful on so many occasions, and Jessie was always searching for ways to improve it.
Once Jessie took out her blade and the scabbard that came with it, she closed the suitcase and placed it back in her car; she then placed Sotiras in its scabbard, draped it over her shoulders, and locked her car doors to prevent anyone—demon, human, or whatever—from getting dirty hands inside and stealing her belongings. "Time to complete what I came here to do." Said Jessie before shifting her attention to the club named Revolution and the civilians standing outside. "From what I can see, everything appears to be normal, which could only suggest that I showed up early before the mayhem could begin." That was a relief, but Jessie couldn't rest because demons were still on the loose, and even if they hadn't shown themselves yet, it was only a matter of time until they did, and Jessie needed to be prepared.
Jessie approached the entryway of Revolution and welcomed the guards; one guard, in particular, was noticeably suspicious of Jessie, not knowing who she was and also concerned by the fact that she didn't look like a clubgoer and was carrying weapons, or so they assumed, and they hoped they were props. Before the guard could say anything, his friend, the second guard, intervened, detecting the hostility in the air. The second guard knew Jessie and what she dabbled in, and when her name was mentioned, the first guard looked through a clipboard all the way to the end, and lo and behold, there was Jessie's name with a black star at the end, which was important and only special individuals had. The first guard apologized and gave Jessie a nod before allowing her entry to Revolution, which she gladly accepted.
The first guard turned to his partner and spoke up. "Jessabella Winters." He said. "She's VIP, yet I've never seen her before 'til now, what's up with that?"
"Yeah, she doesn't come here that often, and when she does, it's to take care of all that mojo, supernatural stuff." Said the second guard with his arms folded.
The first guard raised an eyebrow. "Supernatural?" He questioned, checking a clubgoer's ID before allowing them entry.
"Mhm." The second guard nodded. "A whole lotta weird shit goes down here. If ya ain't careful, then it's off with ya head; if I were you, I'd be on high alert."
"Don't have to tell me twice." The first guard said.
Jessie was inside Revolution, and as one would expect from a club, it was crammed with party people, dancing to loud music and having a good time, as one would expect from a nightclub and a very popular one at that. If the outside was exquisite, then the inside was even more exquisite. The nightclub had it all: a rainbow-colored dance floor, an indoor bar serving only the finest beverages, go-go dancers costumed in highly provocative attire, and a VIP lounge that only VIP members were permitted to enter. Jessie couldn't help but whistle in admiration, the nightclub was a significant improvement from the one she was in before, not that the previous one was horrible, but it wasn't as good as the one she was standing in now. Pushing Revolution aside for the time being, Jessie needed to meet with the club owner; they were the ones who assigned her the job, and they should be in their office, if not the VIP lounge, where they usually spent their time when not dealing with business.
After some time of wandering around the large nightclub that was Revolution and conversing with the personnel, Jessie found herself at the far end of the nightclub, standing behind a black door with a golden queen's crown symbol on it. Jessie knocked on the door a few times and was greeted by a voice, a feminine voice, telling her to come in, which she gladly did. Upon entering, Jessie was welcomed by a woman seated at a desk holding an alcoholic beverage; the woman was breathtaking in appearance, with a curvy and voluptuous body physique that would make both men and women collapse in wonder. The woman's hair was reddish-brown and stretched all the way down to her back, her eyes were a lovely shade of hazel, and her skin was noticeably shiny and beige. Finally, the woman donned a short, off-the-shoulder black dress with a brown, fur-lined coat over it, white pumps, and expensive jewelry around her neck and fingers.
Diane Queen was the gorgeous woman's name; she was the loud and proud owner of Revolution and a long-time friend of Jessie's. Diane laid her glass down and approached Jessie for a hearty hug, which the Devil Hunter reciprocated in kind, giving her a hug. "Oh, my darling Jessie, it's always a pleasure to see you." Said Diane with a smile, adding to her larger-than-life attitude, which was one of her greatest qualities. "I wholeheartedly can't express how much of a relief it is to have you here, especially considering what's been going on recently." Diane walked back over to her desk and poured herself another drink. "The story goes as follows: two demons have been running rampant, causing unnecessary chaos and destruction wherever they go. The task is simple; I need you, a professional demon slayer in every sense of the word, to deal with these thugs and put them down; lives are at stake, as are businesses, most importantly mine; I've had to do a lot of things to establish this heaven, and I won't allow it to crash and burn. You understand, right?"
"I'll get the job done, Diane; you don't have to worry about anything from here on out," Jessie said, earning another smile from her friend.
"Your help is well appreciated, darling." Said Diane giving Jessie another bear hug. "Quick note: the demons operate at set hours, so they won't be appearing for a while. If I were you, I would take advantage of the time you have now to rest and relax; remember, you're a VIP, therefore you have access to VIP-only goods, but you probably knew that anyway." Jessie gave Diane a small nod. "Right; anyway, I would love to chat some more with my favorite person, but I do have a business to run and individuals to connect with, so I'll leave you to your own devices until later." Having said that, Diane gave Jessie a small peck on the cheek before making her way to the door. "Do take care, dear." And with that, Diane gave Jessie a small wave before departing, leaving her alone in the office.
Jessie was alone in Diane's office, with nothing but her thoughts to occupy her time. Admittedly, Jessie could, emphasis on the word could, go to where the action was and have herself a good time or get a stiff drink, but the thing was, she wasn't much of a club person; sure, she was capable of having a good time and enjoying herself on weekends, days off, or vacations, but hardcore partying just wasn't her thing; it didn't help that she was a lightweight, and a super one at that, one swig of the hard stuff and she's either out like a light or doing something monumentally stupid, dangerous, or stupidly dangerous. For the time being, Jessie would simply sit and wait in Diane's office; thankfully, Diane had a television set up in the office, and the music wasn't loud enough to drown out the sound from the TV.
"Let's see what's on TV," Jessie said, picking up a remote and flipping through several channels.
Time had passed, and it was now late at night. Jessie was comfortably watching cartoons when Diane entered the room. "Jessie, sweetheart, Revolution is closed." Said the long-haired woman. "It's time to get out there and do what you do best."
Jessie gave Diane a nod before getting up from her seat. "I appreciate the heads up." Said the Demon Slayer, whipping out her two firearms and turning the safety off. It should be noted that the two guns she was wielding had words engraved on them, and they were both written in cursive. The right handgun had the words 'Ama la tua famiglia', which translated to 'Love thy family' in Italian. In contrast, the left handgun had the words 'Ama I tuoi amic', which translated to 'Love thy friends', another phrase written in Italian. "Alright, Diane, I want you to lock up the club and drive straight home, nothing more, nothing less, straight home and that's it; demons are dangerous during the day, but they're even worse at night."
"You got it, you are the expert after all," Diane said, giving Jessie the thumbs up before continuing. "Stupid question, but you'll be fine, right? I mean, I know this is your thing and whatnot, but things happen, and I don-"
Diane was cut off by Jessie. "I thank you for your concern, but please don't be concerned about me; I'll be fine, I've been trained to deal with situations like this." The brunette said, reassuring her worried companion. "You just focus on getting home safely; the last thing I need is for you to be on the news tomorrow." Diane couldn't help but laugh. "By the next day, the streets will be clear of demon waste, and you will be able to supervise your club without hindrance."
"Thanks Jessie." Diane said. "I'm fortunate..." There was a sudden pause. "I'm fortunate to have you as a friend; there have been a lot of casualties recently, so having you here makes me feel safe, as if I had my own personal Superman watching over my shoulder and protecting me, keeping me safe from harm and whatnot."
"It's what I do," Jessie remarked. "I make promises to stand by humanity and protect it against creatures that feel the need to prey on it, and I intend to adhere to those promises."
"You're a good woman." Diane praised before making her way to her office door. "Best of luck to you; if everything goes well, hit me up later." Once again, Diane left her office, leaving Jessie by her lonesome.
"Okay..." Jessie glowered. "So you enjoy causing pain, do you? Let's see how you like it when it's done to you; I'll make you pay for all the lives you've taken."
Jessie was outside a locked-up Revolution; the black-haired woman was wandering along a dark and noticeably foggy street, searching for the demonic couple she had been warned about. The streets were suspiciously quiet, and a cold breeze brushed against Jessie, but she didn't seem to mind; what she did seem to mind was the unexpected and disturbing sound of playful laughter, laughter emanating from a feminine voice. Concerned, Jessie went on the defensive and searched for the source of the laughter, but she couldn't locate anyone or anything; perhaps they were hiding or maybe they were invisible; either way, she was going to find out.
"Enough dawdling, show yourself now." Ordered Jessie in a stern tone. "You've already alerted me of your existence, so there's no point in hiding from me."
"If that's what you desire, then your wish is my command~"
An adult woman, presumably around her 20s dropped down from above and landed safely on the ground like it was nothing special to her. The mysterious female was dressed shabbily and presented herself as someone you wouldn't want to associate with, especially at nighttime; if the disturbing dried-up blood wasn't a red flag, then ripped clothing and chef knife in her hand should clue you in and demonstrate that she wasn't to be trusted. The knife-wielding woman turned to Jessie and gave her a very unsettling smile, which the latter returned with a dark scowl of disgust.
Jessie aimed her firearms at the lady. "There have been tales of a pair wreaking havoc, endangering lives. Does this story pertain to you?" Asked the brunette.
The woman placed a finger on her chin, feigning innocence. "Hmm..." She hummed in a faux cutesy tone before casually nodding. "Yeah, it was a lot of fun."
Hearing something so heinous, Jessie's blood began to boil with pure rage; her grip on her weapons was strong, and she was seconds away from showering the female perpetrator with lead until there was nothing left.
Jessie gave out a hoarse growl as she tightened her grasp on her weapons. "Despicable demons such as yourself really know how to get under my skin and do it well." Winters moved forward a little bit, her handguns still trained on the bloodied lady in front of her. "People like you unleash purposeless destruction wherever you go and don't even express a sliver, a small smidgeon of remorse or shame for your misdeeds," Jessie snarled. "Why? Why do you feel the need to spread pain and misery, especially among the innocent people of the world? Do you not care, even a little?"
"Our motive for spreading misery, you ask? Do we care about the lives we take, you ask?" The bloodied woman said unemotionally. "The answer is simple..."
"We don't..." Spoke another voice, completing the woman's sentence. "And frankly, what reason are we given to care?"
The second voice was masculine, obviously belonging to that of a male. Jessie turned around to confront the voice, which, as mentioned before, belonged to a male who, similar to his companion, was splattered with blood, presumably human blood, or perhaps animal blood, and brandishing a dangerous weapon, though his weapon was your standard Glock 19 rather than a simple knife. Jessie identified the newcomer as the woman's partner/lover/companion/etc; they were both drenched in blood, wielding a weapon, and dressed abominably. The only major distinction between them, aside from their gender and weaponry, was their hairstyles; the male had short, black hair, while the woman had long, blonde hair; other than that, they were practically the same.
The first person to speak after a moment of silence was the black-haired man. "Y'know, I fail to understand why you care about humans so much and show sympathy for them like they're something special." The bloodied brunette said with a small hint of disdain in his voice. "They're weak animals, unable to take a stand and fight for themselves when the problem demands it; they'll most likely die at the hands of stronger people, if not themselves; after all, they have a history of fighting amongst themselves and dying for the dumbest reasons. I don't even think we NEED to do anything, just let them take care of it and pick up whatever they left behind."
"That is the best option, Lium." Chimed the brunette's blonde partner. "It saves us time and effort, but it also strips away the pleasure of doing it ourselves."
"You're not wrong in that regard, Bellum." Said the brunette, now addressed as Lium, to his partner, Bellum. "First, we need to take care of the trash."
Jessie scowled at Lium, knowing he was referring to her. "Take care of the trash? What a bold claim for you to make. If you think killing someone such as myself will be a walk in the park, you're sorely mistaken." A sickly green glow began to radiate from Jessie, illuminating the dark area around her. "You two have committed countless atrocities, and I feel it is appropriate that I make you pay for each and every one of them." Jessie's tone was cold, devoid of emotion save for calm rage.
Bellum laughed out loud. "You've got quite the mouth on you, lady." Said the woman. "I'm going to enjoy ripping it off when we get through with you."
"Make us pay? Don't kid yourself, you'd be lucky to last even a second against us." Added Lium, cocking his pistol back and aiming it at Jessie. "Time to die."
Lium unloaded a round of bullets upon Jessie, however, the woman was nimble on her feet, and thanks to her special genes as well as her inhumane speed, she was able to dodge and move around the bullets with little to no issue, much to Lium's shock and irritation. What in the actual fuck was that? How was that annoying woman so damn fast? There was no way in hell humans could move that quickly, so it didn't make any freaking sense. Now that the gun-totting demon had given it some thought for once, that freaky aura the woman was showing off earlier didn't look normal either; humans couldn't do that, or so it was believed...could the bitch be a...no, no way, that was impossible.
"So you can move pretty fast, big fucking whoop!" Lium cried out in anger. "It's going to take a lot more than speed to beat us!"
Jessie took a step forward, and with her extraordinary speed, she flash-stepped behind her two foes, who were taken aback since they thought she had used teleportation. Jessie smirked inwardly at the expressions Lium and Bellum were making, but she remained serious with her eyes on the prize. "What happened to all that bravado from earlier? You said you were going to take out the trash, so why aren't you doing it? Are you afraid? Good...you should be, but not because of me, but because of the repercussions of your misdeeds."
Bellum had had enough of Jessie and began swinging her knife like a madwoman, though Jessie easily avoided the swings before seizing her hand and firing a bullet through one of her shoulders with her handgun before kicking her backward. When Lium saw his companion get hurt, he flew into a blind rage and angrily slammed his ammo-less pistol to the ground, then pounced at Jessie and attacked her like a rabid animal. Similar to what transpired with Bellum, the brunette effortlessly dodged the punches thrown at her like they were nothing special, and in her eyes, they really weren't; she had dealt with far stronger foes than the ones she was facing, they were chump change, nothing more, nothing less.
Lium administered another punch, but Jessie caught it with ease. "It's my turn..." Spoke Jessie in a haunting tone that sent shivers down Lium's spine.
The blonde-haired demon was now utterly, utterly terrified by what he was witnessing with his very own eyes, his enemy's own emerald-green eyes were deeply disturbing and fear-inducing; it was as if they were peering deep into his soul and were not amused. The frightened demon finally comprehended that he wasn't dealing with an ordinary individual, but someone who should not have been taken for a joke; if possible, he would like to correct his mistake, but he had high doubts it would do him any good. Jessie was still grasping Lium's fist; the latter tried to break free from his foe's grip, but he couldn't, it was way too strong for him to do anything. Lium tried to assault Jessie and escape using his free hand, but it didn't work; in fact, it only served to make the predicament he was dealing with ten times worse because Jessie had BOTH of his hands at her mercy, and she wasn't going to lend him any.
Jessie broke both of Lium's hands and looked him dead in the eye. "This is for all the poor innocent people you've slaughtered; feel their pain, you monster."
Before Lium could get the chance to say anything, Jessie hit him in the head with her own, essentially headbutting him. Lium was in pain, holding his head and groveling on the floor; Jessie, on the other hand, was doing perfectly fine, she didn't feel a single thing. Lium was about to utter something in response to his pain and discomfort when Jessie intercepted him; the brunette mercilessly positioned her foot on the demon's stomach and pointed one of her firearms at the latter's head.
"W-Wait!" Pleaded Lium, clearly scared for his life. "Y-You don't have to-"
BANG!
The sound of a gunshot echoed out across the town; Lium was dead and his corpse slowly turned to dust before being carried away by the cool wind.
"I do..." Jessie said, devoid of emotions despite what she had done. "One down, one more to go."
Jessie turned to face Bellum, who was appalled by what she saw, tears intermingled with blood streaming down her cheeks; her beloved, Lium, was gone, whisked away by the monster not far from where she stood. Bellum stood up and growled at Jessie, her sadness and sorrow giving way to wrath and vengeance. Bellum roared at Jessie like a wild animal; the demon-slaying woman was unfazed by the scream she received and prepared herself in the event that her demonic opponent attacked, which would most likely happen, but to her surprise, they didn't...they began to transform, and not in a good way. Jessie watched in confusion as Bellum's body contorted and moved in ways that should not have been possible, even by demon standards, and demons were best known for being strange creatures and having abnormal attributes. Bellum's body began to mutate dramatically; the demon progressively lost her womanly figure, and her body gradually grew in size; additionally, brown fur started to develop and work its way around her body.
Jessie tilted her head in reaction to what she was seeing. "She's morphing." Said the brunette, mystified. "If she can do that? Why didn't her lover do it, too?"
Bellum's transformation intensified, and she began to acquire unnatural features such as bat-like wings protruding from her back and bat-like ears. Not only that, the female demon's nails began to grow into razor-sharp claws, her teeth became jagged and animal-like, with her canine teeth protruding from her mouth, and her eyes glowed greenish-yellow. Bellum's transformation was finally complete, and what did she change into? A bat, a large and monstrous bat that no normal person would want to deal with, especially if it was the size of a smart car. Bellum turned to Jessie and screeched at the sword-wielding lady before charging at the latter with remarkable speed.
"She's fast..." Jessie said mentally, taking note of her foe's newfound speed. "...but she's not fast enough..."
In spite of the impressive speed boost Bellum had gained through her transformation, she still wasn't fast enough to land a single hit on Jessie, much to her frustration. Nothing she did, no matter what she pulled out of her bag of tricks, worked, and it was exceedingly irritating. Bellum let out an ear-piercing scream of anger before opening her mouth and generating a massive amount of fire before discharging it in the form of a powerful fire blast. Upon seeing the blazing stream of fire heading her way, Jessie clenched her teeth and jumped out of the danger zone before the flames could reach her. Bellum hissed and opened her mouth, conjuring more fire and unleashing it, but instead of a stream of fire, it was a fireball, several fireballs, in fact. Instead of moving away to avoid being hit and not causing collateral damage, Jessie remained in place and swatted the fireballs away with her sword, redirecting them toward the sky, where they detonated and streams of fire traveled skyward.
"Dodged a bullet there," Jessie muttered under her breath, looking up at the sky. "I don't have the money required to cover any damage done to the town."
Jessie turned to Bellum, who was still flying in the air and charging yet another fire-based attack. Knowing better than to allow the barbarous demon to succeed in finishing their attack, Jessie grabbed a cover from a metal trash can nearby; with extraordinary strength and pinpoint accuracy, the dark-skinned brunette managed to hit her opponent directly in the face and even knock them to the ground, temporarily putting them in a dazed state.
When Bellum awakened and made a full recovery, she stood up and spotted Jessie slowly approaching her, displaying an air of coolness. Bellum screeched like a banshee, and just as the demon woman was about to assault Jessie with her claws, she felt a stinging sensation in her shoulder, torso, and leg...it was from a set of small throwing knives; there were throwing knives embedded within her damn body, how did they get there without her even knowing or seeing it coming!? Bellum screamed loudly once more, this time out of agony rather than anger —though she was furious— but that part was unimportant. Jessie was apathetic to Bellum's plight, which was logical given the demon woman's despicable history, and lunged at her with great speed, snatching her neck and hoisting her up before choke slamming her to the ground. Bellum was wheezing heavily, desperately trying to break free from Jessie's clutches, but she couldn't because the woman was too damn strong for her to do anything.
"I believe it's time we put this circus act of ours to a close..." Jessie unsheathed Sotiras and raised it above Bellum's head. "Enjoy your stay in the Afterlife."
Bellum's eyes widened in both shock and fear. The demon screamed in horror, desperately struggling to free herself from Jessie, whose foot was placed on the former's stomach, similar to what she had done with Lium not long ago. Jessie wasted no time in stabbing Bellum in the face, drawing blood from the latter's head, and witnessing their corpse slowly crumble into nothing but ashes and bone before being brisked away by the wind, never to be seen again. When everything was said and done, Jessie re-sheathed Sotiras and heaved a long sigh of relief; the heartless demons tormenting the town and innocent people had been slaughtered; humanity could rest easy...for now, at least.
"I should contact Diane and tell her the news; hopefully, she isn't asleep or occupied by something else."
Jessie guided her hand toward her pocket to pull out her phone, but for some reason, she stopped midway for reasons beyond her control. "What in the world is going on here?" Jessie tried to move her body, but she couldn't, not even an inch, which was quite disconcerting. "Why won't my body move, is someone messing with me?" With a low growl, Jessie tried her damnedest to move her body, but it was all in vain, nothing she tried worked in her favor. Now she was starting to get angry, not to mention nervous. Things instantly went from bad to worse as a bright white aura surrounded Jessie's body, and she slowly ascended from the ground. "No, no, no; this isn't good, not good at all!"
"My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe; my divine, beautiful, and powerful familiar. I wish and assert from the bottom of my heart...please answer my guiding!"
Those were the last words that Jessie heard, coming from an unknown source. The white aura that surrounded the dark-skinned demon slayer grew brighter and brighter until it gradually diminished, and by the time everything returned to normal, Jessie had seemingly vanished. Where did Jessie go? Well, the woman would soon find out.
Louise looked around for her new familiar, but the pink-haired girl didn't see anything; there was no dog, no cat, no Manticore, no NOTHING. "Where the heck is my new familiar?" Louise asked herself. "I'm sure I performed the incantation correctly, so what is the issue?" With every second that passed by, the short magician's nervousness grew more and more, beads of sweat streaming down her face; so many thoughts ran through her mind, such as where her familiar was and if she had performed the spell correctly. Did she use the right words? There was no way she failed yet again; she had been practicing and memorizing the words in her free time for months on end, so what was the problem?
There was a brief moment of silence before loud and obnoxious laughter filled the air. The students of Tristain, Louise's tormentors, were all laughing and taunting at her failure, except for Colbert and the blue-haired girl. Louise was truly saddened about was had transpired. Today was her day; today was the day she would prove to everyone that she was not a worthless mage and was capable of performing magic just like the rest of them.
"I failed...I can't believe I failed." Sobbed Louise in a heartbroken tone, tears of sorrow streaming down her cheeks. "Will I truly be Louise the Zero forever?"
Upon seeing Louise in such a heart-wrenching state, Colbert became furious. "Cease this laughter at once!" He ordered in an assertive tone, incensed at his students' misbehavior and mocking of a fellow student. The students ignored their teacher's command, much to his dismay, and continued to laugh their butts off, with Kirche laughing the hardest out of everyone. The taunting and jeers of the disrespectful students went on for a couple of seconds until something or someone dropped down from above, causing them to quickly cease their laughter and replace it with gasps and murmurs. Aside from Louise, Colbert was shocked the most out of everyone there as he had never seen anything like that before; he was unsure of how to respond.
"Please tell me this is a joke; PLEASE tell me that this is some messed up joke," Louise said inwardly. The pink-haired Noblewoman kept repeating those words over and over again in hopes that her situation was just some stupid prank or an incredibly bad nightmare that she was soon going to wake up from. Hell, she even went as far as to slap herself a couple of times lightly, but that did nothing except give her a little bit of pain, though that was to be expected, because...well, you know. "This isn't real! This HAS to be an illusion of some sort set up by someone just to spite me and make me look like a fool again!" While Louise was ranting in her head, Colbert was observing the person who fell from the sky.
"Well, Ms. Valliere," Colbert started. "By the looks of it, it seems you have summoned a-"
"HUMAN!?" Cried out the young students of Tristain Academy, hollering at the top of their lungs with a look of shock and awe plastered all over their faces. A Noble summoning a human being has never happened before. When a mage performed the summoning ritual, an animal or magical creature was usually what they ended up receiving as a result. Why did Louise get a human familiar while everyone else got an animal or something different? Was it because she was inept at magic or was it something else?
While everyone in the area, barring the blue-haired girl, talked amongst themselves and gave their opinions on the rare situation, Louise's new 'familiar', aka Jessie, was slowly recovering from her fall. "Ugh..." Moaned the brunette, her back sore and aching in pain.
When Jessie finally came to, she was welcomed by the sight and feeling of the radiant sun gleaming down upon her delicate face, as well as the beautiful blue sky. It was...morning? How long was she out for, and most importantly, what the heck happened to her? She faintly remembered a strange aura coating her body, followed by a light appearing out of nowhere. What did it all mean? Jessie slowly picked herself up off the ground, and what she saw next surprised her: a large gathering of children was surrounding her, with strange-looking animals either in their arms or standing alongside them; something clearly wasn't right here. An expression of concern was plastered over Winer's face, completely ignorant of her current location, and the castle-like building behind the youths around her only amplified her uneasiness.
"What is all of this?" Jessie looked at her surroundings and was put off by everything. "Nothing here looks like something you would see in Great Haven, or anywhere else for that matter. I'm hoping this isn't the workings of a demon, otherwise, I would have a serious problem on my hands." Little did Jessie know that she was no longer in that of her world anymore and was now in Louise's. Things weren't going to be pretty once everything gets explained to her.
Colbert, now calm about the situation, made his way over to Jessie and was quite interested in striking up a conversation with her in order to find out who she was. Jessie was on edge about everything around her, and when she heard Colbert's voice, she immediately spun around and went on the defensive, not attacking the teacher, but preparing for whatever they might pull; normally, she wouldn't assume the worst of people, but she wasn't taking any chances right now. "Who are you?" Jessie inquired in a serious tone. "This place...it's nothing I've seen before. The architecture is different from the ones where I'm from, and I truly hope I'm not too far away from home," Jessie lowered her guard, but she remained wary of Colbert. "Look, I have zero intention of harming you; all I need are answers and a way back home, that is all I want."
Surprisingly, Louise was the first one to step forward instead of Colbert; she was a little disturbed by her new familiar's intimidating facial expression, which rivaled that of her mother's, but she scarfed down her fear and displayed a brave facade. "My name is Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere, daughter of Karin Desiree de la Valliere and Duke Sandorion de la Valliere." She responded with pride before continuing. "You are currently at Tristain Academy of Magic, a school located in Tristain." Jessie nodded, taking in the information she was receiving. "Originally, I was supposed to summon an animal, but I ended up getting you instead. I'm not sure where you hail from, so I don't know whether you can go return to your home or not. I'm sorry."
Despite the fact that Jessie had gotten the answers she so desperately craved, she was still puzzled in that nothing Louise said made a lick of sense. Summoning? Tristain? Tristain Academy? Nothing made sense to her, and she was a freaking DEVIL HUNTER for Christ's sake; the supernatural was, well, NATURAL to her! Jessie's day was becoming increasingly perplexing by the second, and she wished for it to come to a stop before she developed a massive headache. Leaving that aside, the Louise girl mentioned magic, and Jessie was familiar with the art, having experienced it and used it a few times, though she wouldn't label herself a master; magic was the only thing she was acquainted with, everything else was puzzling.
"Alright, ma'am, seeing as I answered your questions, it's only fair that you return the favor." Said Jessie, pointing a finger at Jessie's wardrobe. "Who exactly are you, and where do you come from? The clothing on your body conveys the impression that you are from a land devoid of Nobility."
Jessie dropped her guard completely and was no longer apprehensive; since the young child had answered all of her questions, she might as well do the same; as they say, an eye for an eye. "My name is Jessabella Symphony Winters; most people refer to me as Jessie, but you're free to call me whatever you like. Since you're asking, I come from a nice town called Great Haven." Louise frowned; Great Haven? The pink-haired mage had never heard of such a location before. Maybe it was something new; if that was the case, she'd have to look into it later for additional information. "Now then, if you could kindly point me in the direction of the exit, I will take my leave, and we'll be able to put this situation of ours to rest, no problem at all."
Colbert grimaced and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
Jessie observed the bald teacher's small movement and grimaced, knowing something was wrong. Professor Colbert was holding back info, and Jessie disliked it when people withheld valuable information from her. "Is there something I'm not aware of, sir? Because if that's the case, I would like to know." Said Jessie with her arms folded. "I don't want to spend my time at this academy and would like to leave as soon as possible. If there's something you know that I don't, please tell me."
"Ms. Winters, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave here anytime soon." Colbert's voice was sincere and honest, and Jessie could tell that he meant every word he said. "As stated beforehand, Ms. Valliere was supposed to get a familiar, but she ended up getting you instead." The educator replied. "You see, a mage summoning a human has never been done before, and we are unaware as to how to handle it. You mentioned you were from Great Haven, but I've never heard of it, and I doubt anybody else has either; I'm dearly sorry, but I'm not sure whether we'll be able to take you back to your home, unless we know the directions, which we don't, at the moment."
Jessie's heart dropped and her eyes dilated in a mixture of both shock and fear. The Devil Hunter was currently trapped in a realm she had very little knowledge about; being taken from her home and placed in a world vastly different from hers? Nothing new to her; it wouldn't be the first time it happened; the difference between what happened in the past and what's happening in the present was that there was a means to escape...there wasn't a way for her to leave the new world she was in. What the hell was Jessie going to do!? She sure as hell couldn't stay in the new world, she just couldn't! There HAD to be a way for her to escape and return home; if she didn't return soon, people start to question her disappearance and get concerned, especially her friends and family. If there were a brick wall nearby, Jessie would definitely be punching it repeatedly! The Devil Hunter wanted to shout at Louise for yanking her away from her world, but she decided against it because it wouldn't help her; besides, it was an accident, and the child didn't mean to do it.
Jessie gripped her fist before calmly inhaling and exhaling. "Okay, if you people don't know of a way to fix this, then I might as well go ahead and find a way myself. Putting that aside for the time being, what am I supposed to do from here on out?"
"The best solution would be to stay here with us," Colbert answered. Jessie wasn't particularly fond of that idea, but as much as she hated to admit it, it was a good one and the only one. As established before, the brunette was in a new world; it would be best to stay with the people who know it much better than her. With some information, she could get by and start coming up with solutions to escape the new world and get back to the old one. "I'm sure Ms. Valliere here would be more than happy to help you and give you the support you need." Jessie turned to Louse, who gave her a nod. To be honest, the young mage felt guilty about her actions and was quite willing to make amends if possible. "With that being said, I suggest we end things by finishing the summoning ritual."
Now it was Louise's turn to speak up. "Mr. Colbert, even after everything you've witnessed, you STILL want me to complete the ritual?" Question the young mage in shock. "She's a human being for Brimir's sake; I can't make a human my familiar, it's immoral in every way imaginable. Surely, we can try a different method, correct? Something that does not include slavery and going against human rights."
"There aren't any other options, Louise, at least none that I'm aware of," Colbert explained. "Look, I don't like it any more than you do, but we don't have a choice; once the spell is cast, you must complete it; those are the rules."
Louise sulked. The young Valliere girl regarded her day as one of, if not THE, worst days of her life. Her classmates were watching everything unfold and were undoubtedly accumulating nasty remarks to use against her. The short Noble wanted nothing more than to dig a deep hole and die in it; there was no way she could recover from what she was currently suffering through. What would her mother and father think if they saw what was going on? Scratch that, what would his oldest sister, Eleonore think? She would never let Louise hear the end of it and probably scold her for messing up for the umpteenth time.
Louise sighed quietly as she turned to face Jessie. "Why do bad things keep happening to me?"
"Please continue the ritual, Louise." Urged Professor Colbert.
"Yes, Mr. Colbert," Louise said reluctantly. "Jessabella, was it? I need you to kneel down to my level if we want to complete this." And kneeling down Jessie did; there was a considerable height difference between Jessie and Louise, the former being 6'2 and the latter being about 5'0-5'1. "Please don't take offense at what I'm going to do; unfortunately, I don't have any other alternatives." Jessie gave Louise a confused look but allowed the minor to continue. "My name is Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere." Louse pointed her wand at Jessie before proceeding. "Pentagon that rules the five powers, please bless this individual and make her mine." Louise grabbed Jessie's face by the cheek and pulled her in for a kiss; the kiss only took a few seconds and once it was over, Louise instinctively backed away, feeling disgusted with her actions.
Jessie was shocked and appalled beyond belief, and she was also disgusted by the fact that she had kissed a child, an underage child. Before Winters could say anything, a mysterious rune formed on her left hand; there was also an unsettling stinging sensation, but it wasn't particularly effective. "What is this?" Jessie examined the newly formed rune placed on her hand and couldn't understand what it meant; whatever it was, it was now on her hand, and she suddenly felt...powerful, a lot more powerful than she had been a few seconds before. How bizarre. On occasions, the dark-skinned lady would receive a special ability from one of the demons she had slain, but that was about it, no new strength or anything of the sort. Whatever it was, it was doing wonders for her, and if that was one of the many magic spells in the new world, then her chances of returning might've widened.
"Louise, you have now completed the summoning ritual." Said Colbert before turning to the rest of his students. "As for the rest of you, this class is now dismissed; I hope you all enjoy your lives with your new familiars." All of the students said their goodbyes before levitating off the ground and gradually travelling inside their academy.
"From facing off against man-eating demons to this..." Jessie said mentally, shaking her head before shifting her attention to Louise. "So what do we do now? I hope it doesn't involve standing outside and doing nothing." Jessie wanted to get started; if the woman was going to start looking for ways back home, she needed a layout of the Tristain Academy building before going into research mode.
"Follow me, we're going to my room." Louise answered as she walked into the school building, ignoring the various insults she had received from her classmates that haven't entered the building yet. She was genuinely annoying and done with everything, but she continued walking anyway and would deal with it later; there were more important matters that needed to be dealt with.
Jessie and Louise were now in the latter's room. Louise was walking back and forth, muttering to herself as Jessie was sitting on a nice chair while looking out the window, a cool breeze hitting her face, which she didn't seem to mind in the slightest. Finally ready to speak, Jessie turned to Louise, who was still walking around and muttering to herself. "This seems to be really upsetting you." Said Jessie. "Would you like for me to leave you alone for the time being?"
"And go where, exactly?" Louise questioned, her back leaning against the wall and her arms folded.
"I'm not sure; I figured I would simply take a stroll around the building and see what it has to offer," Jessie responded, getting up from her seat. "You clearly aren't pleased with what's going on, and I feel that my presence would provide you with even more stress. I can't make you happy, but I can help you relax by letting you vent and giving you some much-needed space." Jessie walked toward Louise's door. "I won't be gone long; I'll catch up with you later."
Having said that, Jessie left Louise's room, leaving the pink-haired girl by herself.
"Well," Louise began. "At least she's not annoying, so there's at least one plus..."
Jessie stood outside the academy, gazing upon the starry sky, which she had to acknowledge was breathtaking. "I couldn't get much done today, but at least I know the ins and outs of the building," Jessie said to herself. The school library had closed early, so Jessie wasn't able to hit the books and gather valuable information, and there was little doubt in her mind that the Louise child wouldn't be much assistance at the moment. Jessie was talking amongst herself about things she could do when she was approached by a black-haired girl wearing a nifty maid costume. "Is there something I can help you with?" Given the girl's attire, it was safe to presume she was one of the academy's employees...that or she enjoyed dressing up as a maid for some strange reason.
"Word around the school is that you're Ms. Valliere's new familiar." The black-haired girl answered with a soft and gentle tone before continuing. "Is that true? Are you really Ms. Valliere's familiar?" The black-haired girl was very close to Jessie, much to the chagrin of the demon slayer, and had stars in her eyes. To be honest, Jessie would be lying if she said she didn't consider the young woman weird.
"Yes, I am..." Jessie responded, a hint of confusion lying within her voice. She was already in a sticky situation and would rather have it not brought up over and over again. "What of it?" Jessie understood if it was unnatural for a person to get summoned by a mage, but why did everyone and their mothers want to see if the rumors are true and stick their noses in places where they didn't belong?
"That's truly fascinating." The young maid woman said in awe, her hands clasped together. "A commoner being summoned as a familiar."
Nothing was fascinating about that, not one thing. "Believe me; it's not as glamorous as you believe it is." Said Jessie. "Being brisked away from your home, unable to get back? It's a nightmare, and I would like to get out of it as quickly as possible; I can't dawdle in this place, I NEED to find a way out. If I don't return, I may never see my loved ones again."
"I'm terribly sorry." Siesta apologized with a bow. "It's just that...I've never heard of anything like this before."
"Well, let's just hope this doesn't become a trend," Jessie said. "The last thing our planet needs is more individuals being summoned out of nowhere and causing a global crisis."
"My name is Siesta." The maid girl, now known as Siesta, bowed her head appropriately. "As you can see, I am a maid, which means that I have the honor and privilege of serving the Nobles at this here academy."
That earned Siesta a befuddled look from Jessie. "Nobles? What do you mean by that?" She asked, wanting to know more. In the last few hours, some students of the academy, have been calling her degrading names like plebian, commoner, peasant, etc. Quite frankly, she was displeased by it all, but she was too stressed out about her problems to deal with it as such.
"That's correct," Siesta nodded. "Those who can wield magic are Nobles, while those who can't are peasants, like me, for example. Us Peasants tend to get treated with disdain and disgust because we can't use magic. It's a struggle, but we learn to get used to it."
That alone made Jessie's blood boil. There were many things in the world she despised with a burning passion. One of them was unnecessary hate and discrimination against others; people getting treated like they were nothing but dirt because they were either born with something they had no control over or lacked something that most people had. That kind of treatment reminded her of the demons back in her world. They abhorred humans for their lack of power and always felt the need to leer over them...it was just so infuriating! "What kind of moronic lifestyle is that?" Inquired Jessie, gripping her fist in rage. "People with magic get to live the good life, while people who can't use magic get to suffer? That kind of nonsense really irritates me."
"I know it's unfair...but...we can't do anything about it, unfortunately," Siesta said sadly. "Trust me, If I can change it, I would."
"SIESTA, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!?" A masculine voice screamed from within the building, startling Siesta a little bit. "YOU KNOW HOW THESE SPOILED BRATS ACT WHEN THEY DON'T GET THEIR WAY!"
"I'd love to talk more, but I have to prepare the food for tomorrow," Siesta said, giving Jessie another bow. "Do take care."
"You too; by the way, my name is Jessabella, but you're free to call me Jessie if you like." Siesta took Jessie's words into consideration and bid the woman farewell before taking her leave. "Sweet kid; unlike the other children, this one genuinely has manners, but given what I've recently heard, it makes sense." The brunette crossed her legs and heaved out a deep sigh before reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a snapshot of herself as a child, an adult woman, and two little girls; the people in the photograph were her family, which included her mother and younger sisters. Jessie treasured them with every fiber of her being and would go to any length for them. "I'll find my way home, and I'll see you all again." Jessie tucked her family photo back into her pocket and gazed up at the night sky.
Jessabella Symphony Winters has one objective in mind: to get back home. She has no idea how she will accomplish it or how long it will take, but all she knows is that she will find a way, and nobody will tell her differently. Will she return to her home world or spend the rest of her life in the new realm of magic and mages? Only time will tell!
END
Good morning, good evening, good afternoon, good anything, dear readers. I've been gone for several months and have yet to provide you all with another chapter, let alone an update on what's been going on, for which I deeply apologize; procrastination is a female dog and two streetwalkers (a bitch and two hoes), but that's not a good excuse and I need to heavily work on that. Moving on, I bring you guys another chapter, but not in the way you're thinking. This chapter is a remake of the original one; when I looked back at the one prior, I decided a remaster was necessary for all the right reasons. As you may have noticed, I changed some things around, such as character dialogue, scenes, and characterization, especially for Jessie and Louise; Jessie is much calmer and rational (not that she wasn't), while Louise is FAR kinder and considerate than her original self, which I intend to continue as I provide more chapters; in the original source, she was more concerned with her reputation as a Noble rather than Jessie's situation and was indifferent toward the latter's plight. Louise won't be a full-fledged nice girl, but she will have a heart and be less harsh to others, most particularly Jessie. Lastly, chapters two, three, and four will likewise be redone, and from there, I'll move on to chapter five and continue where I left off; sounds good, right?
Having said what I needed to say and getting everything off my chest, I'd want to thank every last one of you for reading the new chapter, and if you're still with me, even after my long ass hiatus, thank you x2; your support means a lot to me. Once again, I sincerely apologize for my absence, but I'm back now, and more chapters are on the way; a new chapter is already in the works, so keep an eye out for it, and I'll see you then. Have a wonderful day/night, and please be careful out there. -TheUnholyGem3034.
[Extras, cause why not]
(1). Okay, if you've ever watched Fairy Tail, then you'll know what I'm talking about (hopefully). You know the coat that Gray Fullbuster wore in the final season, while he was 'working' for Alvarez/Avatar? That's the coat Jessie's wearing, but the colors are different. The blue part is grayish-white, the zipper area is golden-yellow, and the coat cuffs or whatever the heck they're called are golden-yellow as well.
(2). She's wearing a pair of Air Jordan 1's mid-camo 2020.
(3). In Cyberpunk 2077, your character can use a gun called the Malorian Arms 3516; this is the weapon Jessie uses to hunt down demons, but instead of one, she uses two, and the design is different.
(4). Jessie's weapon, Sotiras, is based on the Atlas Sword from Call of Duty. I tried to describe it as best as I could. I also added a few extra things as well.