(This is the first version of chapter 1 that I scrapped because I thought it was... well, awful. Enjoy.)

Louise was nervous. Scratch that. She was downright terrified. Today was the day of Summoning Ritual, the day that would either prove herself to her peers or prove that she truly was a failure. A Zero. Brimir, she hated that word. To be called something of no value, undermining her very existence, she hated it. And she knew just how she could stop it. By summoning a beautiful, grandiose, and powerful familiar she could prove that she was something and finally get rid of that dreaded title of Zero. Of course, this all depended on whether or not she successfully performed the spell, which brought her right back to being nervous. Which is why when Professor Colbert asked if anyone else needed to perform the ritual, she held her tongue. This strategy was quickly ruined, however, when a familiar voice rose above the silence,

"Louise needs to go sir," shouted Zerbst. A spike of hatred overcame Louise's terror momentarily as she heard her nemesis' voice.

"Ah, Miss Vallière," said Colbert, "If you would," He indicated for her to step forward.

With as much confidence as she could muster she moved out of the crowd of students and towards the magic circle. Colbert nodded reassuringly at her and motioned for her to begin. She took a deep breath and began. "I, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, in the name of the great Five Pentagon Powers, following my fate, summon a familiar."

Haise Sasaki had just finished interviewing Eto and was exiting Cochlea when he started feeling strange. He became dizzy and light-headed. He heard a distant buzzing that sometimes became barely intelligible whispers.

"Louise… name of… summon a familiar!"

The last line sounding as if someone were whispering in his ear. He looked around the empty corridor as a glow quickly covered him.

He awoke in a cloud of smoke. Quickly he stood up and entered a defensive stance holding Yukimura 1/3 in front of him. What he did not expect; however, was a group of teenagers just standing there gawking at him. Nor did he expect to be in a grassy field. He glanced around, noticing the balding man who had tensed and looked ready to attack with… a stick of some sort and a girl near him with long strawberry blonde hair… also holding a stick. In fact, now that he looked closer, all of the teens had sticks and these weird creatures next to them… and was that a floating eyeball? What the hell? Where am I?

Louise didn't know what to think. Of all the creatures to summon, she just had to summon a human. He was wearing a black trench coat and red gloves, and holding a sword of some sort in front of him. Admittedly he looked rather intimidating, but a commoner is a commoner. Her peers starting making jabs at her for summoning a peasant, but Colbert still seemed tense. Even as Louise started to plead to retry the summoning, to which he responded with an adamant "No." He kept his eye on this man that she had summoned. "Complete the contract, Miss Vallière," Colbert requested. Louise, having given up on changing her fate, marched over the man, and indicated for him to bend down. A look of confusion ran across his features, but was immediately replaced with wariness. He slowly bent down and was completely shocked when Louise kissed him.

Haise was shocked. Why did the pinkette kiss him? What the hell kind of world was this that it was acceptable to just walk up and kiss a stranger? When she ended the kiss, he stepped back again raising his sword. Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation on the back of his hand. He hastily removed his glove to see the glowing sigils etched onto the back of his hand.

"Familiar," the pinkette shouted, "what is your name?" Haise was yet again surprised that he could understand her.

Perhaps it has to do with the sigil on my hand, Haise thought. However, the girl shouted at him for his name again, which quickly brought him back to reality.

"Haise Sasaki," he replied warily.

"Mr. Sasaki," the balding man started," I am Jean Colbert of Tristain Academy of Magic, and this here is Miss Vallière, the student who summoned you."

The student who summoned me? An academy of magic? And she called me familiar, which means…

He stared down at the pinkette. "You're my master," he said coldly, "Which means you can send me back. I would greatly appreciate it if you did so."

Louise glared back up at him "I would send you back if I could, but that's not how this ritual works, so for now you are my familiar and you will do my bidding."

Haise stared coldly down at her. "So be it."

Hinami, Touka, I swear I will get back somehow.

"Now then, familiar I-" Louise began to say when suddenly he blacked out