It was a beautiful spring day in the magical land of Tristain. To be honest, most days in Tristain were rather beautiful. But then again, what else could you expect from a land truly blessed by the will of the Founder Brimir? Tristain was truly the best of the Founder's Four Kingdoms. That is, if you asked a noble of Tristain. The nobles of Gallia, Romalia, and Albion might beg to differ.
Regardless, it was the first day of spring in Tristain, which meant that in the elite Tristain Academy, it was a truly wonderful day. The day when every student summoned their familiar that would accompany them for the rest of their life using the Springtime Familiar Ritual, the same one created by the Founder himself. To advance in the school, each student, like every student before them, would have to summon a familiar. How could they not? Their magic, guided by the Ritual, ventured through the world and summoned the familiar best suited for the mage, showing the young noble exactly what their elemental skill was. To not summon a familiar...Well, it was almost the same as lacking magic at all. To be like that would mean the mage was little more than a commoner.
There was one student, however, who lacked the talent needed for any form of magic, even minor cantrips. She was Louise Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc de La Vallière, third daughter of the prestigious Duke de Valierre and his duchess, Karin of the "Heavy Wind". Karin, a former Manticore Knight and legendary mage, was truly an army unto herself when it came to magical combat, her mind was as sharp as any and her will...Her will was as strong as steel. Her father, well, her father was pretty up there too, but he was no Karin of the 'Heavy Wind.'
While she had gained her parent's intellect and carried traces of her mother's unbreakable will and self-discipline, Louise lacked skill in any of the Four Elements and thus was known by her classmates as "The Zero". Worthless. Pathetic. A true failure. She had never casted a single spell correctly. The Springtime Familiar Ritual was her last and only chance to prove to everyone that she was not a Zero.
Louise took a deep breath, ignoring the mocking stares of all her classmates as she prepared to cast the single spell that would define the rest of her life. She had never succeed before but that didn't matter.
This was it. This was her chance. Everything led up to this. All she had to do now was cast this one single spell, succeed at summoning a familiar, and she'd be a real mage. She had to succeed. She'd studied for months, forgoing sleep many times. She'd questioned everyone in the academy who had ever casted the spell, yearning to understand the intricacies and details of the Ritual.
But she still felt terrified. Was it enough? Could anything be enough? Was she destined to be a worthless commoner the rest of her life? Would Wardes even want her without magic?
"Miss Vallière. It's your turn," spoke Professor Colbert, in his calm manner.
She stood there, contemplating her existence. Could she do this? She had to! She had to! Even if she didn't summon a dragon, a Salamander, or anything powerful, she had to get something. Even the Headmaster only had a mouse and he was the Headmaster! She couldn't be worthless! She was a Valliere!
"Miss Vallière, please step forward and approach the summoning circle." Colbert spoke again.
With a dramatic flourish, she extended her wand and prepared to speak the words.
A deep breath.
"My familiar who exists somewhere in the universe…my divine, beautiful, wise, and powerful servant…heed my call. I wish from the very bottom of my heart…answer to my guidance and appear!"
She felt the raw willpower flowing through her. She'd practiced for months just for this moment. Her words...eloquent. Her wand movements...perfected. Her magic rose to the task.
She cast the spell, her heart rising in the expectation of success. 'It's going to work! It's going to work!'
Nothing happened.
Not even an explosion.
Not even a stupid explosion.
She could already hear the insulting whispers behind her.
"Pathetic."
"Well, what do you expect?"
"She's the Zero for a reason."
"Don't be mean. Maybe she summoned air or something."
"You're right. Maybe she isn't such a complete failure."
"Okay, but how is she supposed to seal her familiar contract?"
"I dunno, kiss the air till something happens?"
Louise felt the tears bubbling up and shut her eyes, forcing herself, no matter what, not to cry. She couldn't let them take what little remained of her pride. She wouldn't let them. Her mother would never forgive her if she embarrassed herself like that. What would her mother say?
'A noble is above all others. As such, a noble must control her emotions at all times. Outbursts are for the weak, tantrums for the foolish. To truly stand apart from the commoners, her heart must be as steel, her countenance must be as steel, her will must be steel.'
Louise opened her eyes, her green orbs icy and cold, backlit by a furious determination. They wanted to laugh at her! They wanted to mock her. To bring her down to their level. She, a Valierre, a family so close to the Crown that she was as far above them as they were a disgraced noble. This would not stand!
She would not give in so easily! She was Louise Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc de La Vallière, third daughter of the Duchess Karin de La Valliere and she would not give up!
This was her right! She was nobility! She would summon the most powerful familiar ever or die trying! She wanted power, she needed power! If not for herself, then simply to show everyone that she was not to be trifled with!
More willpower than she had ever channeled before rushed through her and she struggled to control it. She would summon something...she would outdo them all!
Forgoing the extravagant wand motions, she thrust her wand out in front of her.
"My powerful familiar, my divine, strong, powerful, unstopabble servant, I summon you. I wish from the very depths of my soul…Appear!"
With the sound of a thunder crack and a flash of blue light, the ritual circle exploded.
Louise almost screamed in frustration. An explosion always, always...always meant failure. However, unlike other times, the explosion had never happened quite like that.
She waited hopefully for the smoke to dissipate, praying silently to the Founder to allow her to succeed. 'Please, please, please, please, please, please!'
As the smoke cleared, Louise let her wand fall to the side while the class and the Professor finally caught sight of her familiar.
Louise felt like crying once more.
A boy lay on the ground. A shock of white hair was the first thing noticeable about him. His odd clothes were the second.
After a moment of hesitation, Kirche von Zerbst walked over to him and glanced down. "Huh...he's rather cute...for a commoner. Only you, Louise, would end up summoning a commoner...and after all that chanting about power and strength."
Her classmates, emboldened by Kirche's words, joined in. In a few moments, she was inundated with the sound of laughter and jeers, mocking comments interspersed between.
Louise simply stared with an open mouth at the figure that she had summoned.
'A commoner...A commoner...I summoned a commoner.'
"Oh, and look, he has white hair. Isn't that special? Weren't you going to summon something that would put my Flame in his place?" Kirche taunted.
Louise forced herself not to scream at the Germanian girl. In fact, she honestly would have it it wasn't for the Professor.
"Ms. Valliere, you must complete the contract with your familiar," Professor Colbert interrupted, his voice cutting through all the noise from his students. "All of you, cease this nonsense. You are nobility, not fools!"
The class quieted down rather quickly, shocked by the uncharacteristically sharp tone Professor Colbert had used.
"Professor Colbert, I can't have...him as my familiar. He's a commoner."
The professor simply looked at her through his glasses, an almost thoughtful expression on his face. "I'm sorry, Ms. Valliere, but you must."
Louise knew that she just couldn't have a commoner as her familiar. The very idea was an insult to her nobility. "Just look at him He's a commoner. He can barely even stand! This should be impossible! Please, could I please try again?"
Colbert shook his head slowly. "Of course not, you have to honor the Summoning Ritual. Now go on and seal the contract with your familiar."
Louise hung her head and she responded in a despondent voice. "Fine, I'll do it."
As Louise walked towards him, she noticed the commoner opening his bright blue eyes and staring up at her with a confused expression on his face. 'A stupid, worthless commoner as my familiar...I can't believe this.'
With some effort, she grabbed hold of his face and chanted.
"Pentagon of the Five Elements; bless this humble being and make him my familiar." she intoned, carefully drawing a circle in the air with her wand. She reached up and tapped him on the forehead, then leaned in and, standing on the tips of her toes, chastely pecked him on the lips.
Her familiar's eyes widened and less than a moment later, the familiar runes slowly began to inscribe themselves on his hand in a flash of blue light.
A look of pure agony crossed his face and for a moment, Louise felt some pity for the unsuspecting commoner. That moment quickly vanished when he suddenly went limp and his much larger body fell unconscious on top of her.
She could already hear the renewed jeers of her classmates and her face heated up in both embarrassment and anger.
'Weak, Worthless Familiar...what am I going to do?'