A/N: Sup? Sorry this is a little late, I just finished exams and now I'm back home. This is actually a bad thing, since I can now bed distracted by things such as video games. But here it is. Things might be a bit slow for a while.

Bug tapped the lantern, waking up the Lumafly that was asleep within. A bright glow emanated from the insect as it awoke from its slumber, and flew to the edge of its glass container. It hovered right in front of the hand that had tapped its container, while Bug stared at it from outside.

"Bug!"

Louise looked up at where he Familiar had gotten itself, bewildered at its current position.

It looked away from the lantern and stared down at her.

"How did you get up there?!" Worry and annoyance laced her tone as she called out to her Familiar as she watched it balanced precariously on a metal bar that connected the lantern to the wall.

Since she couldn't hear it talk unless she was touching it, all it did was stare at her from its elevated position on a lantern at the height of the second floor of the main tower.

Briefly she wondered if she needed to buy a leash once the Familiar Exhibition was over, because with her releasing most of her restrictions on its exploring tendencies it seemed to just go wherever it wanted. Heedless of both danger, and the situation.

She still hadn't found out why it was covered n dirt yesterday.

"Having trouble with your Familiar Louise?" Kirche asked as she appeared next to her. The Salamander that was her Familiar followed beside her.

She turned to her redhead for a brief glance, before she returned her attention to her Familiar. It was still looking down from its perch, which was making her worry the longer it was standing there.

"It just got up there somehow," she pointed to where it was standing "I couldn't find it when I left the Alviss Hall, so I looked around and found it up there." Her eyes narrowed "I don't even know how it managed to get up there."

Kirche followed her finger, and found herself looking up at the Familiar with her eyebrows raised. Her eyes trailed to the roof of the hallways that lead to main tower and she snorted in amusement "I think I know."

Louise looked at her with confused look.

"In any case," Kirche waved away her questioning look "Are you prepared for the exhibition after this?" She asked. Her hand gestured to her Familiar "I think that my precious little Flame would dazzle the audience."

Louise's gaze turned from the Germanian and towards her Familiar. The Salamander seemed to be preoccupied with chewing something rather than the conversation that they were having. It peeked up at her, and a small ember fired out of its mouth with an odd sound.

"I guess?" Louise said with an unsure tone as she turned away from the Salamander, and faced its Master "I," she hesitated "Didn't really get to practise my routine with Bug." She hugged herself slightly "So uh," her eyes averted away from her "I'm just hoping for the best."

She shook her head "But that's still going to be better than yours!" She pointed at Kirche, a determined look in her eyes "So don't think just because I didn't get to practise, that you'll win!"

The redhead smirked "We'll see Louise." Her eyes glanced at the Familiar who was still above them "Though, you might need your Familiar for that."

Louise turned away from her and cupped her hands in front of her mouth "Bug!" She shouted towards it "Can you come down from there?"

Bug nodded.

Louise smiled "Good, I'll get something t-"

It jumped from the metal bar, cutting off her sentence.

Louise nearly choked on her spit as it fell. "Bug!" She scrambled to try to reach for it, but wasn't fast enough before it plummeted to the ground below.

It landed in a crouch, and landed hard enough that she heard a crack on the ground.

"Oh Founder!" She reached for it, her hand touched its skull "Are you hurt?" She asked it, her eyes wide with worry.

It straightened up and looked up at her.

I AM UNINJURED

A sigh of relief escaped her mouth. She stood and then with one of her hand, smacked it directly in between its horns.

Her hand stung, while Bug didn't even seem to notice other than its skull nodding from the blow. She clenched her hand, ignoring the pain, and glared "You are going to k-"

She stopped herself from finishing that sentence, her mouth clamping shut as she thought about what just happened. So, she merely opted to look down at her Familiar with a glare.

And gave it another smack.

[Scene]

"Bury my mother, in something light. Bury my father in…" Marion cut herself of with a yawn, stopping her singing and her current task.

She blinked and groggily looked down at the plates in her hands, for a moment she was tempted to smack her face with them. Maybe to wake herself up from both the pain and disgust.

Placing them on the tray next to her before she dropped them, Marion rubbed her eyes.

Yesterday night was a nightmare. With the last minute preparation for the stage, which were only made worse by the presence of the Princess, if she could've dreamt last night she was sure she would have nightmares about that stupid tent she would be sitting in. Then there were some students that had stayed up late to 'practise' way past the time she was supposed to sleep. If the tiny footsteps of that knife thief was enough to scare her awake, the hissing and snarling of the largest beasts made it almost impossible to get any rest.

All of this with the addition of her lack of ability to get any sleep for the past week meant that she was more than a little sleepy.

Maybe she could ask for a vacation.

Well that was something for the future, now she needed to finish cleaning up the Alviss Hall. Maybe she'd be allowed to take a nap after this, hopefully she'd dream something this time instead of just getting a dreamless sleep like last time.

She continued her work, ignoring the cheering from outside the walls of the dining hall she was in. The song she was singing popped back in her head.

"Bury the priest, in a gown" She mumbled through the words, unaware of a hooded figure going up the stairs.

[Scene]

Tabitha took a seat next to Kirche. Her book was already open, and she was already reading through it when she sat down.

As soon as her butt touched the wood, she felt a jostle from her side. Looking up from her book, she saw Kirche smirking at her.

"What?" She asked, eyes going back to her book.

"Just wanted to say that you did a pretty showy performance," The Germanian leaned in close "I thought you weren't interested?"

The blue haired girl was silent.

It wasn't really showy; it was more or less just having Sylphid fly and do a couple of tricks. She recalled the feeling in the air, and despite herself she gave an affirmative noise.

"Because of the competition" she replied after a couple of moments of silence. She paused, before she glanced at the red head "You did good as well."

Kirche's smirk turned into a grin "Didn't I?" she looked down at the Salamander that was sitting in her lap "I think that Flame did wonderful as well." Her hands stroked the scales of the lizard, earning a small purr from it.

"Well even if both of you did well," Guiche cut him, the blonde boy waving his rose wand with an arrogant flair "I think that my Verdante is going to win the competition." He looked at the mole, it was sticking up halfway from the ground and sat between his feet. A smile grew on his face "After all, how can anyone think that a Familiar as fabulous as this not deserve first prize?"

The mole seemed to blush at his words, and made an odd sound.

He heard an annoyed 'Hmmph' beside him, and quickly he turned to the blonde girl beside him. "But your Robin was also adorable!" He gestured to her "And your violin skills were just as amazing!"

"Whatever." She flicked his nose, earning a shocked gasp.

"And now presenting, Miss Louise de la Valliere!" Jean announced, the bald teacher stepping down from the stage once he did.

Their attentions turned as the small mage and her Familiar climbed the stage. The former looked nervous, her eyes looking at the audience with a small hint of fear. The latter just seemed to follow its Master and stopped by her side once she stopped walking.

Tabitha's eyes focused on the small creature.

"My name is Louise Francoise Le Blanc de la Valliere!" Despite her small size, and the small mage could project her voice out louder than most of them. She stood tall, and her head held high. It was enough to draw everyone's attention towards her.

Tabitha also noticed how her hands were clenched into fists and shaking.

She paused and gestured to the creature beside her "T-Th-This is my Familiar," she stammered, her eyes squinted shut at her little mess up and shook her head "It's a Water type, and it's a Water Spirit."

Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses.

More than a couple of the students reacted to her words. Mostly the third years who spoke among themselves. Asking each other about how a Water Spirit could be contracted as a Familiar, whether it was possible, and how much magic a Mage needed to be accomplish a feat.

Tabitha could even see that both the Principal and Princess, both of them didn't seem convinced at Louise's words.

"Its name is," Louise paused and turned to her Familiar. Once she did her body posture relaxed, her shaking stopped and her tense body seem to slack. The sight of it seemed to relax her, almost immediately.

The Valliere took a deep breath and announced in a confident tone "Its name is Bug!"

On cue, the Familiar's head tilted down in a small bow.

"Now Bug," Louise took out a wand, and took a deep breath. She pointed it to the Bug.

Her Familiar raised its head, and its body shifted.

Some of the students and guards made an impressed sound as the black of its body seemed to climb up. It enveloped its cloak and skull in the same pure black colour as its body.

When the it covered its eyes however, the black sockets that were its eyes turned into a bright white.

The blue haired girls grip on her staff tightened as she teethed clenched together.

One of its arms lengthened into a whip, extended until it was three times its own height.

Louise nodded and then pointed her wand skyward "Now Bug."

It titled its head back, staring upwards.

"FIRE!"

A blast fired out from the Familiar's body, faster than what normal eyes could followed. But it wasn't too fast for her, and she spotted the small pair of eyes on the magical blast.

"Strike it!" Louise commanded.

Her Familiar complied, and swung the arm it had lengthened into a whip. The long black appendage seemed to whistle in the air.

There was a powerful 'Crack!' in the air as the tip of the whip struck the magical blast dead on.

Once it did, the blast seemed to burst open, exploding outwards with the same black colouring. From the explosion, there was a splash of black.

It descended down back to the stage, and for a brief moment it covered both of the ones that stood there.

Tabitha's eyes widened, while other gasped in amazement. When the black covered them both, two pairs of eyes seemed to stare past the pitch black curtain.

One of them was from the Familiar. Two bright spots that was its eyes.

The other came from Louise. As the smaller pair of white spots peeking through the shadows seem to dart around, she either didn't expect or didn't know what was happening.

After the brief moment passed, the splash of black reached and dispersed on the stage.

Louise looked more than a little confused, while her Familiar had shifted back to its normal state.

But Tabitha had already seen its true form. It was a similar creature to the one that tormented her, a similar creature that worked with her uncle to make her life as hard as it was.

Her knuckles turned white as she struggled not to cast a spell right then and there.

She was knocked out of her thoughts by the cheering of the crowd. She saw Louise smile, and wave while her Familiar tilted its head down to bow. Her grip on the staff relented, as she turned her attention to her book.

"Well that was certainly something," Kirche commented, there was a mix of envy and pride in her voice "Looks like her Familiar didn't mess up."

Tabitha glanced at the three that sat next to her. Kirche was looking at the stage with a smile, while Guiche just looked unimpressed. Montmorency looked just as doubtful as the Principal and Princess just now.

She turned to the two, and while the Principal looked unchanged the Princess seemed to look worried for a split moment. Before a smile broke out on her face.

Tabitha turned back to the two on stage, her eyes glaring at the small creature by Louise's side.

[Scene]

Louise could feel her heart hammering in her chest, the smile that was on her face when the crowd cheered had remained even as she waited for the judges to announce who the winner was.

She felt elated when some of the younger students told her that her performance was cool, and some even called it great.

Even Zerbst was impressed, if her compliment was anything to go by. The only ones that didn't seem impressed were Guiche, who was mostly still convinced that his mole would win, and Tabitha who had inched away from her when she took a seat next to her.

After a couple of minutes of waiting, Principal Osmond and Princess Henrietta stepped on the stage. Louise gripped onto Bug just a little tighter.

"We will now announce the winner for the Familiar Exhibition," Principal Osmond announced, silencing the excited chatter among the students.

Henrietta stepped up next to him, a beautiful smile on her face as usual, "After discussing it, we have come to a conclusion that the winner is." She paused, her eyes scanning the crowd for a moment.

Then her blue eye landed on her, and she pointed at her "Louise Francoise and her Familiar!"

Her heart hammered faster as the crowd around her cheer, she could even a hear more than a couple 'Congratulations' from her classmates. Her smile could only widen further, and with Bug in her arms she nearly sprinted to the stage.

Henrietta had a proud smile on her face, one that she kept even as she bowed before her.

Once more Bug looked at the ground, but she couldn't really care to scold it considering.

She felt the small crown place on her head, it was a pretty thing made of gold that was mostly just a decorative accessory. It was something pretty, at best, but since it was being given by the Princess herself, the value apparently doubled.

But she didn't care, all she cared was that her friend had that proud look on her face. As did some of the of professors behind her.

"That was wonderful performance Louise," the Princess told her. She turned to Bug, and she leaned forward "It's a nice…" she hesitated and paused, looking at it for a moment.

"Bug, look up from the ground." She told it, not as harsh as last time.

It lifted its head, and stared with its empty eyes.

The Princess almost reeled back, but she shook her head and her smile returned. "It's a wonderful Familiar Louise."

Louise couldn't feel happier.

And at that moment a powerful shock suddenly shook the main tower. A moment later, a couple of maids and butlers ran screaming. All of them scrambling to get away from the it, all of them pointing towards the main tower.

A couple of words could be heard in the chaos.

She heard the Principal Osmond call for the guards to protect the Princess, she heard the workers scream about a 'Golem', the other students were panicking.

Because of that, it took her moment to realise that there was something missing beside her when she was pulled up from her bow.

She looked down, and her Familiar was gone. Her eyes widened "Bug?!" She called out to it, her eyes darting around to look for it. "Bug, where are you?!" Fear and panic filled her heart, where there was once joy.

"Miss Valliere," The guard that had pulled her to her feet said "We need to get you t-"

"Where's my Familiar?" She demanded, and pushed away from him. She leaped from the stage, and amidst the chaos she spotted the small creature. It was running towards the main tower.

"Bug!" She screamed and ran after it.

She waded through the students, shoving them aside as she tried to get her Familiar. She got past the group of people, and ran after her Familiar.

"Louise!" "Zero, where are you going?!" "Miss Valliere!"

She heard a couple of voice calling for her, but she ignored them as she ran after her Familiar.

Despite its small size, she couldn't actually catch up to it. But it slowed down when it crossed the hallway connecting the main tower to the rest.

When she was about to shout for it, her voice caught in her throat. Her eyes turned from her Familiar to the massive Golem that stood in front of the tower, and perched on one of the shoulders was a hooded figure.

Her knees shook at the sight of the massive earth construct, and her fear doubled when the hooded figure turned to her.

But then it turned its attention to her Familiar.

The Golem reached for Bug.

Immediately her fear vanished. Worry for her Familiar took over.

"Look out!" She screamed.

Its body shifted and dashed through the massive hand. When it stopped it stood underneath the massive arm.

Louise was about to tell it to run. She didn't care where as long as it was just away from here.

But then its body shifted once more, and it tilted its head up.

And before she could say that it's magic couldn't hurt such a huge construct, something interrupted her.

For as long as she had Bug she knew that it did not speak, not unless she was touching it. And even then, it was just a telepathic conversation. But besides that, she knew that Bug was mute.

But what came out from Bug could only be described as a Scream.

It was loud, it jarred her even more than the water whip she had made. Her bones felt rattled from just the sound alone, and the force of the scream nearly pushed her back.

But that wasn't the worst of it.

When Bug screamed, something came out from its body. The only way she could describe them, were spirits. Various spirits, all of them seemingly summoned by the scream of her Familiar.

Some of the spirits were as white as its skull, formless and without any shape besides a singular face with their mouths stretched wide in a scream. Among them were other smaller spirits that seemed to desperately reached out from the small spaces between them, their hands reaching for anything.

Then there were others that shared the same black colour as her Familiar. Just like the white ones, there were some that were just a singular face screaming out from her Familiar's body. The largest one was directly above Bug. And among them were other smaller spirits that reached out, but unlike the white ones, they seemed to be grabbing things with intent the drag them down.

When the spirits touched the Golems arms, she could almost see them rip the earth arm apart. They tore what they could touch into dirt and sand.

And the spirit didn't just reach the arm, some of them had grown high enough to almost touch the hooded figure on the shoulder.

But as sudden as it appeared, the spirits vanished. And with them was the arm that they had torn to pieces.

The hooded figure fell from their perch, and it was only with a swish of their wand that they didn't met an unfortunate fate.

Bug however was determined that they did, as the moment they landed its arms lengthened into a whip, and it struck.

A splash of red met her gaze as her Familiar sliced into their arm, which was raised in a quick attempt to defend themselves. They didn't scream, instead they waved their wand and a wall of earth formed between them and her Familiar.

Louise tried to call for Bug, but she couldn't speak nor could she move. She watched as her Familiar dashed through the wall.

At that moment something fell out from the sky beside her, and she saw Tabitha's Dragon crash into the ground.

Alongside their Master, she saw that Kirche was with her. It took her only a moment to realise that, beside Tabitha, they were all horrified.

Even Sylphid seemed to be frozen in place.

It was at that moment Louise realised that she had been holding her breath. She turned back to the Golem, and once more her heart hammered in her chest at sight of the the missing arm.