Tristain Academy of Magic (Day)
Louise was a hopeful child, but she was also a realistic one. With Guiche summoning a Mole, Tabitha a Wind Dragon, and Zerbst getting a Fire Salamander, she wasn't sure she would be able to surpass them.
But she didn't need to. She just needed to prove that she wasn't a Zero. It couldn't be THAT hard, right? Summon Servant was one of the simplest spells out there. Then again, she had never successfully cast anything without also blowing something up... 'Never mind that.' she told herself. Rule of Steel.
"Have we gone through everyone?" Colbert asked.
"No sir, Miss Valliere hasn't gone yet." Kirche said with a taunting smile.
'Damn cow.' Louise thought as she stepped into the center of the courtyard. Paying no more attention to the Fire Mage, she began her incantation.
"My servant that exists somewhere in the universe!"
Nobody noticed, but the temperature of the air was increasing gradually as Louise continued her spell.
"My divine, beautiful, wise, and powerful servant! Heed my call!"
After that, Colbert and Tabitha saw a strange white light that started forming a few meters from Louise.
"Answer my guidance, and APPEAR!"
Unsurprisingly, the spell ended with an explosion. However, unlike her other failures, this one actually scattered embers and smoke. In her head, Louise was screaming in agony. 'Did...Did I really fail?' she thought as she looked at the cloud of smoke. The cloud that wasn't leaving. Curious, she walked into the dust, seeing a human shape lying unconscious in the crater.
The first thing she noticed was the weapon beside the person she summoned. It was a katana made from a translucent red crystal. The blade gave off immense amounts of heat, most likely an enchanted weapon.
The person she had brought here with her magic was unidentifiable, as they were clad in golden armor that seemed to shine despite being shrouded in dust. However, there were dents and scratches all over it. Like it just came from a battle. The armor began moving, as the person inside had woken up. They rose to their full height, just a head above Louise. A red light could be seen behind the helmet, but it quickly went away.
That light was all Louise needed to know that she made possibly the worst mistake in her life. She had summoned a Noble. What had she done? What had she done? WHAT HAD SHE DONE!? She could get expelled, or worse! Maybe even executed!
While the pinkette had a mental breakdown, the armored noble removed their helmet. Under the mask was a teenage boy that looked two years older than most of the second-year students. He had green eyes and blonde hair. Notably, that hair covered his ears. He gazed up at the sky and saw the twin moons, smiling in intrigue. He then turned his head to Louise, who was now kneeling before him.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry to have summoned you, please forgive me for this crime. I didn't wish to summon a great noble like you, please have mercy on me." Louise pleaded, not knowing that the boy in front of her was unable to understand what she said. She snuck a glance at his face, and was surprised to see a smiling expression. He brought his palm to Louise's arm as it burst into green flames. Scared that the fire would burn her, the girl flinched. Unexpectedly, the flames didn't hurt her at all. In fact, they actually felt comforting. However, the realization that the blonde used magic took that feeling away. She tore her arm away from his hand, confusing him.
"Mi dispiace." the boy said in a language she didn't understand, a regretful look on his face.
"I'm sorry for taking advantage of you, sir. It wasn't in my interest to remove you from your home. I apologize for my transgressions, I merely wished to prove myself. I was desperate and-" Her rant was interrupted when the boy put a hand to her mouth. He shook his head as well. The reasoning for these actions was unclear to Louise. The pinkette turned to her teacher, Mr. Colbert. "Can I try the summoning again, Mr. Colbert?" she asked.
"I can't let you do that." the bald man said, shaking his head. "This is a sacred ceremony that determines a mage's life. To redo it would be a desecration of that ceremony. Regardless of whether you like it or not, this boy has become your familiar. (Even if he's a noble.)" Colbert said that last part under his breath.
"But, I've never heard of a human being taken as a familiar." Louise mumbled. Even though her words were as quiet as she could make them, a certain redhead heard her.
"I remember you saying you'd summon a Familiar greater than ours, and you ended up summoning a human. Sure, he may be a knight, but that doesn't really change things. Did you pay him to do this?" Kirche asked, mocking Louise.
"I only screwed up a little!" the pinkette yelled in outrage, something that got the attention of her familiar. His expression went from confused to livid in seconds.
"A little? You screw up all the time, Louise The Zero." Kirche added, getting those around her to laugh.
Louise wanted to shout at the world itself for how unfair it was being to her when a blur of gold rushed in front of her. She gasped when she realized that the noble she summoned was standing in front of her, pointing his blade at Kirche. "Non insulterai il mio padrone, puttana." he said in a stern tone.
Now, Louise understood that she truly had summoned a noble. He held his weapon with confidence, even in the face of danger. The pinkette admired that.
"You dare point your oversized pencil at a noble!?" a boy in the crowd shouted, angering Louise. She knew he wouldn't be saying that if he knew he was speaking to a noble.
Louise steeled herself and approached the blonde, placing her hand on his shoulder. He turned to face her, emerald eyes meeting pink ones. "Are you trying to protect me?" she asked. The boy seemed to contemplate his answer, which was odd considering he couldn't understand Louise. After a few seconds, he nodded, and a feeling of glory flowed through the pinkette's body. But it died down when she wondered if her familiar was only defending her because of the runes. "Are you alright with becoming my familiar?"
The boy gave a small frown before pointing to his ears and shaking his head. "Scusa, ma non riesco a capirti." She figured out from his words and actions that he couldn't understand her.
She turned to Colbert once again. "Mr. Colbert, could you please cast a translation spell?"
"Hmm. Yes. Perhaps then we can get some clarity." the instructor said, waving his staff. A veil of light covered the blonde, making him turn and point his weapon at Colbert. Based on his expression, he probably thought he was being attacked. "I'm sorry for startling you. Can you understand me?"
The boy's eyes went wide before he spoke again. "Yeah. Yeah I can." he said, stabbing his blade into the ground.
"Ah! I can understand you now!" Louise exclaimed.
"Thank The Ancients. I was wondering how I'd be able to speak to you. I was never that good at learning new languages." the boy said a bit sheepishly.
"The same could be said for me. I apologize for summoning you here without warning, sir." Louise said as she bowed.
"Eh, it's fine. I wasn't really doing...anything." the boy said, a far-off look in his eyes. "Also, please don't call me sir. Dominic is fine." Dominic said, giving his name. Only he, Colbert, and Louise could hear eachother's words, as they were sort of barricading the blonde from the other students.
"Hey! Let us hear what's going on!" Kirche asked loudly.
"Shut up!" Louise yelled at the redhead, surprising and pleasing Dominic.
"It's probably not important. Just-" the Germanian was cut off by the blonde, who raised his hand.
"I'm sorry, I don't recall giving you permission to speak." he said, authority present in every syllable.
"You can't tell us what to do, commoner!" someone from the crowd protested. They wavered under Dominic's gaze, though.
"I beg to differ, idiota." he said with a smirk. He then turned back to Colbert and Louise. "I apologize for my crude actions, but I am unable to control myself at times. Allow me to introduce myself properly." the gold-clad knight said with a bow. "I am Dominic Xiao-Long, the Mountain King and ruler of Frammentato."
If Louise wasn't panicking before, she definitely was now. SHE SUMMONED A KING! Although, he seemed a bit young for the position. Was he recently crowned?
"I see. A pleasure to meet you, your highne- Dominic. I am Jean Colbert. I'm currently the professor of these children." Colbert introduced.
"I am Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, the third daughter of Duke de La Valliere and Karin The Heavy Wind. My runic name is...none." Louise said, making Dominic raise an eyebrow.
"It's nice to meet both of you. Please, don't feel the need to use formalities with me." the monarch said, turning to the pinkette. "Did you summon me here?" he asked, to which Louise could only nod. "Then, you're my master?" Those words stunned the young mage.
"You're accepting this position?" Colbert asked.
"Of course. Is there a problem with that?" Dominic asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"Yes! Quite a few!" Colbert accidentally shouted. "Ah, sorry for my outburst your h- Dominic."
"It's fine. You don't need to be scared of me." Yet.
"Are you really fine with this? Won't your family come looking for you?" Louise asked, worried.
"Oh, that's not gonna happen. I've left home before. They won't call for me until the kingdom is literally falling from the sky." Dominic explained. Louise and Colbert assumed he was joking.
"I understand. But, surely, do you mind if I report this to the palace? The current rulers of Tristain will need to know of these...recent developments." the bald man told the boy.
"Eh, do what you want." Dominic said, disregarding Colbert's existence almost completely.
"Then, Louise, finish the ritual." Colbert told the girl.
"Eh!? Truly, is this fine with you?" she asked the blonde, who kneeled in response. "Then, here we go. My name is Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere." She pointed her wand at Dominic. "Pentagon that governs the five powers, grace this boy with your blessing and make it my familiar spirit." With those words, Louise pressed her lips against Dominic's forehead. Strange runes carved themselves into his flesh, getting the attention of Colbert. Interestingly, the blonde didn't flinch at all despite the overwhelming heat.
"Well, that's new." Dominic said, trying to read what was written on his hand. Unfortunately, the energy needed to withstand getting magic letters engraved into your skin was more than he had at the present moment. As such, he passed out immediately without any warning whatsoever. He simply went limp and fell forward into the dirt.
Louise's Room (Day)
Eventually, after an hour, Dominic woke up. When he came to, he was laying in a bed with a pair of blankets covering him. From where he was, he could see white walls, a bit of wooden furniture, a closet, and his new master sitting by the bedside. He found the girl funny, even if she was a bit irritable. Then again, so was he. The blonde gave a small chuckle, making the mage 'eep' in shock. "Sorry for scaring you."
"It's fine. Are you unsatisfied? I know my bed isn't sufficient enough to provide comfort for you, but it was the only thing I had, and-" Louise said, trying her best to please the royal that was staying with her.
Dominic frowned at the excuses Louise made. While the bed was nothing compared to his quarters back home, it was still comfortable. "No need to panic. The bed's fine. Also, please try not to treat me like royalty. I'm rather used to being treated normally."
"I'm sorry, sir. But I cannot let your title go. You are a king, and I am merely the daughter of a Duke. Your position is much higher than my own." Louise said, her rant becoming unintelligible to her familiar. His eyes became spirals as he tried to comprehend her words.
Shaking his head, he raised a hand to stop her. "Please, turn off your mouth siren. I can't hear my own thoughts." he said as he rubbed his head.
"Sorry, your highness." Louise apologized.
"Don't worry about it." the blonde said, getting up from the bed to remove his armor. After he was out of his 'combat outfit', he looked rather...different. He wore a black shirt under a red hoodie, which had a symbol of Fire on the back. He also wore jeans and red sneakers.
After that, there was a long silence between the two. Once a few minutes had passed, Louise started the conversation again. "So, what can you do yo- Dominic." Her voice wavered as she asked the question.
"Well, I'm rather proficient with a sword. I've trained with it since I was old enough to swing the darned thing." Dominic explained. "I am also able to use Fire and Earth Magic, but anything other than that is out of my reach."
"But, how did you use healing magic?" Louise asked, confused.
"What do you mean?" the blonde asked.
"Only Water Mages are able to use healing spells." the pinkette stated, as if it were some universal fact.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I can't even touch water without... The point is I can't use Water Magic." Dominic explained, almost shuddering at the thought of being near the substance.
"Then, how are able to heal?" Louise asked, curious.
"That was an attack I made myself. Friendly Fire, should it make contact with a person, will instantly heal them of any grievous wounds." Dominic said proudly. "Beside that, I can use my other attacks pretty much whenever I want."
The dangerous look in Louise's eyes scared the monarch. "Whenever you want, with chants?" she asked.
"Uh, kind of. I only really need to use incantations for my Special Attacks. Other than that, I can basically survive in a fight to the death for weeks straight without saying a single word." the blonde recalled, putting a hand on his chin.
"How is that even possible!? No chanting healing magic that isn't Water Magic!?" Louise practically screamed.
Louise's Room (Night)
Louise felt bad as she watched Dominic sleep in her bed. For the past three hours, she'd bombarded him with questions about his healing magic, it's limits, how he was able to use it, etc. In the end, she had to retell Brimir's story and the entire history of magic. She was surprised how well he took it. In return, she asked where Dominic came from.
Apparently, he came from a land called "Frammentato" and ruled it with little opposition. She felt guilty when he told her about the main threat they faced, and the expression he had when he did so. Turns out, his home was plagued by a ruthless beast up until a month ago. The very name of it sent chills down her spine.
The Darkness.
From what she learned from Dominic, The Darkness was powerful enough to destroy entire worlds. Though, she assumed it was an exaggeration. Regardless, she was glad the monster was gone. Still, the way he described Frammentato made her want to visit for herself. It seemed like a complete fantasy to her compared to Tristain.
She looked down at the pile of hay she'd prepared. She wasn't expecting someone like Dominic to appear as her familiar. Seeing as her bed was taken, she decided to sleep at her desk.
She'd ask for a spare bed tomorrow.
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