AN: Part three of the end of the introduction saga. The pieces have all fallen into place on the board.
Different fonts denote different languages.
Normal font is English, Italics is Halkeginia's language,Bold is Italian,and underline is Japanese.
-o0o-
"Uhm…" the young boy nervously began, "C-can I ask… where am I?"
"Tristain Academy of Magic," Vergil replied.
"M-magic?!"
"By that reaction, it seems that you're not from this land either," the swordsman said as he sheathed his dark blade.
"T-then you're like me?!" the boy exclaimed with hope in his voice.
"Please! I-I don't know how I got here, or where this is, if you can just give me a cellphone or something I can call my parents and-"
Vergil held up a hand to stop the boy's rant.
"Apologies, but there will be no such thing. I have no phone on me, and I myself do not know where this is."
"W-what?! Bu-but a second ago you were threatening me with a sword and stopping me from entering! I thought you lived here!"
Vergil crossed his arms and replied, "My residency was only established here a few hours ago. I am a newcomer to this land, the same as you. If you want to lodge here, you may, but I urge you to ask the one in charge in the morning for more details."
"O-oh…" the young man replied, dejected. "I see. Then can I come inside? Or… get some aid?" he said, gesturing to the cut on his hand.
Vergil nodded.
"You may. But be on your best behavior. Better to not ruffle any feathers while you're here, yes?"
"Y-yes!" Saito nodded as he replied.
Vergil let a small smile crawl onto his face.
"As for your hand," Vergil began as he pulled out a handkerchief, "Use this for now."
He passed the cloth to the teen who quickly bandaged his wound.
"Is that all?" Vergil asked.
"Umm… I fell pretty hard onto the ground earlier. My head was hurting, but it feels fine now, but my arms still sting."
"Hmm…" Vergil said as he thought to himself for a moment. "Despite the fall, your arms seem quite fine, but you may have a concussion. We will take care of both inside."
Vergil walked around the boy and opened the door, standing aside and leaving it agape. Saito made no motion until Vergil glared at him, making the boy jump and stiffly walk inside when he realized he was holding the door for him. He swiftly made his way down the corridor, arriving at a four-way hallway. He did not slow his pace when a green haired girl rounded the corner, colliding straight into him.
"Wha-"
Instinctively Saito moved forward to catch her, grasping her hand and wrapping his right arm around the small of her back. It looked as though the two were attempting to perform the finishing act of a ballroom dance.
"Are you okay?" he asked the bespectacled girl.
Her blue-green eyes peered into his, and when her mind realized the compromising position she was in, she did the first thing that came to mind. She slapped him. Hard.
The resounding injury echoed throughout the hallway as Tabitha fell on her rear onto the floor. Saito had been completely turned around by the assault, a bright red mark on his face was visible even in the dark hallway.
"Chip! The hell?" a voice said as a figure rounded the corner Tabitha had come from.
Nero appeared, and spotted the girl he was chasing after sitting on the floor, cheeks a scarlet red. He then noticed a stranger clutching his head and rubbing his redding cheek.
"What happened here?" he asked.
"Y-y-y-you, who do you think you are, grabbing me s-s-s-so suddenly!? H-have you no shame!?" Tabitha spoke to Saito.
"W-what? A-are you mad at me?! I-I promise I was just trying to help!" Saito groaned as he held his head.
"B-be quiet! I-I do not want to… to hear another word from… oh…" her words became lost as her embarrassment skyrocketed. The once quiet and monotone young girl was stuttering like an energetic youth gossiping about their crush.
She covered her face with her gloved hands, pushing her glasses up into her hair. Her face grew hotter and more red with each passing second.
"I-I-I-I'm sorry! I swear! I-... Ah…"
Saito was beyond nervous, his left hand waving in front of him.
"What the- that's Japanese…" Nero noticed as Saito kept muttering apologies to the young girl.
"I thought I said to not ruffle any feathers. Yet, a few moments away from my view and you already managed to fail at that," came the cool voice of Vergil.
Saito and Nero both glanced to see the man in blue walk towards them.
"Though I am impressed you managed to fluster her so easily."
"Ah! It was a misunderstanding, I swear!" Saito said to the swordsman.
"So it would seem," Vergil said with a bemused smile.
"Yo. I guess this is our mystery guest," Nero said as he gestured to Saito.
"Indeed," Vergil said as he turned to Saito, "This is Hiraga Saito. From Japan."
"Ah. D-domo…" Saito said with a weak bow.
"Figured as much. But what's a Japanese kid doin' here?" Nero asked.
"I would like to know as well," Vergil replied.
"You," Tabitha interjected. She had moved her hands down beneath her eyes, now that her emotional outburst had finally calmed down.
"Who?"
"You…" Tabitha said, staring at the man in blue. "And your son."
Vergil gave nero a curious look, and Nero nervously shrugged.
"Yes. My son and I. Very exact. Anything else you can deuce?"
Saito looked between Vergil and Tabitha, a puzzled look on his face.
"Ano… what is happening?"
Vergil turned to look at Saito, and replied, "A moment, Saito-kun. I will explain later. Please remain silent for the time being."
"Ah… h-hai," the nervous Japanese teen said as he stood off to the side.
"Who is he?" Tabitha asked. "He looks like a commoner. Is he the product of your magic spell?"
Vergil frowned and turned to Nero.
"Nero… exactly what did you tell her we were doing?"
"Hey, she's really sharp, alright? She figured out we were trying to hide something," the younger hunter replied.
"And you told her we were attempting a magic spell?"
"Dante told me to!"
Vergil sighed.
"Very well then…" the man in blue said as he turned to the blue haired girl.
"Are you done fixing your stories?" Tabitha asked.
"Bold claim. I was merely asking why he was here with you," Vergil replied.
"Of course. I assume the tale was quite engrossing."
"Indeed it was," came Vergil's reply.
"Your turn then. Why is there another commoner here? His clothing gives away that he is not from these lands," she said, her gaze avoiding the young man in question.
"Yes. He is like us."
"Like you? So he is a summoned familiar then? Under your contract?"
Vergil frowned.
"I would never bind another human under my will, nor will I ever do so."
"Then what did you do? You cast a magic spell and now another commoner is here. Is that your intention? To summon more and more of your ilk here?"
"Ilk? What do you presume we are to use such a word?"
"I do not know. What I am aware of is that you are no ordinary hunters. You are people who can break the binding ceremony, and now it seems you are also able to cast spells to summon others here."
Vergil frowned.
"Have we not finished this? It was accepted that the summoning was a mistake. Why do you continue with this claim?"
"Had you not summoned a commoner here, I would have not pursued this line of questioning. But your son and the commoner's presence had aroused my suspicions greatly, so I ask again," she said steeling her gaze towards the man in blue, "who are you?"
Vergil stared down, meeting her fierce gaze with one of her own.
Off to the side, Saito began to sweat. He could feel the tension in the air around him, despite not understanding a word either was saying.
A moment of silence passed over the group, neither Vergil nor Tabitha spoke another word. Tabitha, in wait for a response, and Vergil, to not dignify her with one.
Yet with one sentence, this tense atmosphere was broken by a cheery and suave voice.
"Sheeh, I could drop a feather in here and you could hear it fall."
The foursome turned to see the man in red approach from another corridor.
"Hey Sherlock. My brother and nephew are not giving you a bad time, are they?" Dante said as he walked closer.
He passed a glance towards Saito, who stiffened at his glance.
"You're new. Japanese I'm guessing?"
"Eh? Ah- hai! How did you…"
"Not very hard to tell if you have enough light to see your face," he said pointing to the torch above his head.
"Ah."
"Give me a second though, kid. Gotta smooth things out over here," the man in red said as he walked over to Tabitha.
"Not sure if the floor is a nice place to sit."
Tabitha's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as her mind flashed back to recent events. She carefully stood up, picking up her book as she did. She then patted her rear of any dust that clung to her outfit.
"Your new friend is to blame…" she said.
"Really?" Dante said as she turned to Saito. "Kid, how could you? Dropping a lady onto the floor like that. And here I thought you were a decent guy."
"I-I-It's not like that! I swear!" Saito exclaimed in a slight panic.
"Mmm… I don't know, kid. Sherlock here isn't the type to lie."
"I-it was an accident!"
"He is right," Vergil said, coming to Saito's rescue, "The young mage walked into him as she walked around the corner. Our new guest tried to catch her, only to be rewarded with a strike across the cheek," Vergil said in the young mage's tongue.
"Well that's no way to say thank you," Dante said to the girl.
"Indeed, seeing as the child already has a head injury," Vergil added, making Tabitha's eyes go wide.
Dante then turned his attention to Saito. "Sorry kid, guess I misunderstood after all."
"I-it's fine!" Saito replied.
"And how about you? Can you apologize to your helper here for giving a hand?"
Tabitha's face flushed once more with embarrassment, but nonetheless relented to the older man's request.
"I apologize for my assault on your person, as well as my delayed apology," the bespectacled girl said with a bow.
Saito was confused for a moment at the sudden gesture, however Vergil was quick to clarify things.
"She's apologizing for slapping you, Saito-kun."
"O-oh!" the young man said, and slowly bowed. "Uhh… apology accepted. It was my fault anyways for grabbing you so suddenly anyways!"
Dante nodded at the exchange, then addressed Tabitha once more.
"So, while we are doing so, how about my brother and nephew apologize for their behavior. Just so we are all okay."
Tabitha looked towards the man in red in slight confusion, as Vergil quickly translated for Nero. Both hunters then bowed and apologized for the young girl.
"Please forgive us for the trouble we have caused you, young miss," Vergil said for the both of them.
Tabitha was shocked at the turn of events, but accepted their apology nonetheless.
"There we go. Now that everything is okay, do you have anything else you want to say?" the man in red asked the young mage.
Tabitha looked at the man in red, and opened her mouth to speak. Yet somehow the words did not seem to come to her mind. It was though the man in red had cast some spell over them with the round of apologies that quieted her suspicions and loosened the tension.
Dante raised a brow at her silence, but noticed her gaze flickered over to Saito.
"Ah, you're wondering about our new team member," Dante deduced.
Tabitha nodded.
"So you are summoning more of your comrades here then."
"Woah! Do not make a fast conclusion. He is only here because we made a mistake. In back look we should have asked your headmaster to help us."
"A mistake? In summoning?"
Dante waved his hand and shook his head.
"No. We uh… tried to reverse it?"
Tabitha frowned. "Reverse?"
"We thought if it brought us here, we could do the spell again and bring us back."
The young mage gave the man in red a deadpan look.
"Preposterous. Only a mage would be able to use a magic circle. Unless you attempted to study and learn how to cast magic yourself, it would have been impossible."
"But Pinky managed to do it."
The young girl was momentarily puzzled.
"'Pinky?'"
"Louise."
"Ah…" the young girl said in response. "So Louise was the one who summoned him then."
Dante was quick to deny her accusation.
"No. What I mean is, Louise was able to summon us earlier? I heard what the others called her, a Zero. It is because she has no magical talent, correct?"
Tabitha narrowed her eyes.
"That is what the others like to jeer, yes."
"Then she is no mage. Yet she managed to summon us. That means that anyone can use the summoning circle as long as the… permission is granted."
The gears in the young mage's head began turning. It was true that the small girl had failed at every spell or attempt to conjure magic, this was no secret even among most of the faculty. Some even speculated she was just a commoner in a mage's robes. If the girl with no magical talent had been able to summon people to the school, then the chances of three other commoners doing so would be the same.
'Not to mention, we never erased the circle from this afternoon. It should still be in a usable condition. However…'
She eyed the man in red cautiously. A part of her mind still suspected that he was not telling the whole truth, as if once again an extra piece was left over despite the puzzle being complete.
She looked over to Saito, who shyly gave a small wave.
'He looks very different from the others… and the spoken language is different as well… but they can speak it too, or at least the older ones can. If what Dante says is true, then I can find no fault in his logic, but…'
"Why did you tell your nephew and brother to keep this a secret?" she asked.
"I did not want to start a panic. If everything went alright then we would all have gone home and everyone would wake up tomorrow calmly."
"I see…" the young mage said in a low voice.
"I am sorry for the trouble. I did not mean to complicate things here."
"No. I should not have placed myself in a business that is not mine. If what you said is true, then there is nothing more to discuss here."
Dante nodded, and the mage bowed.
"Good evening to all of you," she said as she left.
The group of foreigners were the only ones left in the hallway, as Tabitha retreated back to her quarters.
"Only one thing left to talk about," Dante said as he turned to Saito.
"Before that," Nero interjected, "Wanna tell me what happened and why I had to apologize?"
-o0o-
"So… what's your story kid?" Dante asked as Nero closed the door to their room.
"Ano… I'm… not sure where to start…" Saito replied, fresh bandages wrapped around his head and arms.
"Begin with the portal. Surely that is worth addressing," said Vergil.
"Ah! Yes! That blue light," Saito said as he perked up, "I was about to go on a night walk around my house when it appeared in my room. I felt uneasy when I saw it, but I couldn't help but walk into it. It felt like… it was calling me. It was like that the first time too."
"First time?" Nero asked, "You tellin' us that wasn't the only time you saw it?"
Saito shook his head.
"The first time was earlier in the day, in the afternoon. I was walking through the city when I saw that blue light. It made me feel uneasy, that's why I wanted to go for a night walk before I went to bed, to calm my nerves."
"You 'felt uneasy'?" Vergil asked. "Why?"
"It was because it was right in the middle of the street. And it was weird because it was so bright and everything, yet it was like no one else could see it, except for me."
All three hunters frowned at the new information.
"And you were unable to go through the first time, why…?" Nero asked.
"I'm not sure. I walked towards it, but all of a sudden it closed before I could enter."
"It… closed?" Dante asked.
"Yes… there's no other way to describe it."
"Interesting…" Vergil said with a hand on his chin.
"Saito, you're human right? Not a monster in disguise, or magical knight or anything?" Dante asked.
"E-eh?! Of course I am! I'm just like you three, I swear!" Saito replied.
"Heh, no, no you're not," Nero said with a bemused grin.
"Huh?"
"Ignore him. To affirm, you know nothing of any magics or magic related abilities, correct?" Vergil asked.
"Y-yes! I didn't even know magic existed until you mentioned it."
"So you're a normal human…" Vegil muttered.
"Is… is magic even real?" Saito asked.
"Well… yeah. Hard to show ya without proof, but we've seen enough things around here to be pretty sure that magic is real."
"Ah… I see… Can I ask what?"
"Sure thing," Dante replied as he began to converse with the Japanese teen.
Off to the side, Nero and Vergil and their own conversation.
"Vergil, you have any idea what this means?" Nero asked his father.
"I am not sure… I had my hypothesis but his information has proved it incorrect," Vergil replied to his son.
"Well that portal has to mean something right? It showed up for that beast and Saito, there's gotta be some connection."
"But what would that be? One is a demon created by a witch, the other is a teenager barely beyond his high school years."
"Tch… there's gotta be a reason for both of 'em showing up… just what are we missing…?" Nero said as he scratched the back of his head.
Dante cast a side glance at his nephew upon hearing his question. He turned back to Saito and quickly shifted the topic.
"…Hey, that summoning circle is supposed to bring forth a familiar to bind to a mage, right?" Dante spoke up.
"Indeed. Have you figured something out?" Vergil asked.
"Dunno. Just that I heard from some of the students who were complaining about the creature they summoned. According to them, whatever creature they summon matches the element of the mage that summons them, but what exactly comes outta the box ain't a sure thing."
Vergil narrowed his eyes. "Go on."
"Now I heard there are four magical elements. Water, Air, Earth, and Fire."
"Like from that one TV show with the bald kid with the arrow tattoos?" Saito interjected.
"Yeah. And from the insults I picked up on, it seems like the mage who summoned, ain't a spellcaster that belongs ta any of the elements, pretty much making her a void of magic. Which is why they call her a Zero."
"Where are you going with this?" Vergil asked.
"Well combine these two facts together. An elemental-less mage and a random roulette summoning. If the spell is meant to bring a familiar of a matching element, then when someone who is void of an element attempts a summon they…"
"…Woulda summoned something that's elemental-less as well. In other words, us," Nero finished for his uncle.
"Ah! I did hear a voice earlier, before it opened. Are you telling me that, that voice…" Saito began.
"Belongs to the person that summoned us, yeah. Louise is her name. She's a nice girl all in all," Dante replied.
"I see… so- wait! I- no, we are all just summoned creatures like from a video game?"
"Indeed we are," Vergil confirmed, "And most likely, the reason why the portal seemed to call out to you was perhaps to draw a familiar into it to allow a mage to complete the ritual. After all, it would do little good if you were to simply walk by it. Perhaps it is the same for the other monsters summoned as well."
"No way… this… this is too much… and there are actual monsters…" Saito said as he sat down on one of the beds. "This has to be a dream right? I must be dreaming."
"If you were dreaming kid, Verg woulda smacked you right out of it the moment he met ya," Dante added.
"Who?" Saito asked as he glanced between the three.
"Vergil. My twin brother? Did he not introduce himself to you when you first met?"
Saito shook his head as he took another glance across the three hunters.
"Seriously Verg. You of all people forgot to introduce yourself? I think our age is finally catching up with you," Dante said as he turned to the man in blue.
"And the pizzas are finally making their mark on you. Did you think I didn't notice your shirts are a size larger now?"
"Hey, it's the people who make the clothes that keep changing the tags!" Dante shot back. He then shook his head as he gestured to his twin.
"This," he said with a slight disdain, "is my twin brother."
"I am Vergil. I apologize for the late introductions, Saito-kun."
"Ah- it is very nice to meet you Vergil-san!" Saito said with a bow. His head then snapped back up to gaze at the man who threatened him earlier. Now that he had a good look, he could see the similarities between Vergil and Dante, but silently wondered how he did not notice before.
"And the youngest of us here is my nephew," Dante said as he gestured to his left.
"Yo. I'm Nero. Nice to meet ya."
"Nice to meet you too, Nero-san," Saito said with a bow. "Nephew… does that mean…"
"Yeah. Vergil's my dad," Nero answered.
"And as for this handsome devil here," Dante said, gesturing to himself, "You can call me Dante."
"Ah, nice to meet you Dante-san!" he said with a sitting bow.
"Now, I already know your name, kid, but for formality's sake why don't you introduce yourself as well."
"H-hai! I'm Hirage Saito! From Tokyo."
"City guy huh? Explains the blue and white tracksuit jacket and pants then," Dante remarked. "Where do ya live in Tokyo, kid?"
"I live near the Sumida River in Saitama Prefecture!" Saito exclaimed.
"That's central Tokyo. You're really ingrained in the city then," Nero added.
"Hai! My parents are from Tokyo as well. Only my grandparents lived outside of the city. But they moved in when they had my mom."
"So you live with your family then?" Vergil asked.
"Hai. Ah-! Oh no, they're probably going to be worried sick if I don't go back!" Saito said as he stood up from the bed.
"Don't worry about it kid, we'll get ya home, no sweat," Dante replied.
"And get ya a pair of shoes as well," Nero added, "Can't have ya heading back to Japan in just your white socks."
Saito looked down, completely forgetting about his lack of footwear.
"You can have the sneakers I was wearing. They're a size too small for me anyways," Dante added. "I got one more question for ya though."
"Ah, of course, ask away Dante-san!"
"You said it seemed like no one else noticed the portal was there?"
"Y-yes! Everyone seemed to just pass by it as if nothing was wrong. It seemed like only I could see it."
"Huh… well ain't that something…"
"It wasn't like that for us though, right? We all could see it, including Lady, V, and Trish," Nero asked his uncle.
"Yeah… and so could that chimera. This doesn't make much sense. And why did it close before the kid managed to enter…?"
At this Vergil perked up.
"Saito-kun, when did you say you saw the portal again?" Vergil asked.
"Eh? Ano… it was in the afternoon, around 4. Why?"
"Dante, we were in Italy when we saw ours, yes? What time was it when we entered the ship?"
"Uh… I think it was close to 9," Dante replied, "Wait…"
"You realized it too then. The time difference between Sicily and Tokyo is 7 hours. 9 A.M. in Italy is 4 P.M. in Japan. That means that the portal for Saito did not just close out of nowhere. It closed because we had entered ours before he did."
"T-that would mean that when someone attempts a summoning-" Nero began.
"Multiple portals appear. It explains why they say the creature is random. The spell searches for likely candidates for the mage, and forms a portal in front of them. Whoever enters first is the one that gets summoned," Vergil finished.
"T-that means that when I saw it a second time, there were more out there?" Saito asked.
Vergil nodded.
"Very likely. You just happened to walk faster than the others."
"So it could have been anybody else…" Saito said to himself.
"Wait, something's not right. When we saw ours, everyone around us could see it too, and hear Louise's voice. Saito said his only showed up to him," Nero asked the group.
"I believe Dante said it best. The spell searches for those that match the mage's element. Once that is done, it then looks for the best candidate to bring forth. That may explain why no one but Saito could see his, and we could all see ours."
"Then the whole time we thought that portal was for…" Nero began before glancing at Saito, "something else, it was really for us?"
Vergil nodded.
"That is the conclusion I arrived at. The entire time WE were the intended target," Vergil spoke, "And as for why the chimera could see and hear it too, perhaps it is because it is a magical creature as well, born from another mage," Vergil added in English.
"But why me? I'm nobody special," Saito spoke up.
"Could be that the spell looks for something that you can't see. Maybe it's the type of person you are. You could be the strongest man in the world and not get summoned if you're a complete jerk," Dante added.
"Eh? But I'm pretty average."
"Well the spell didn't seem to think so. But who knows what it was looking for when it picked us out. All we know is that it chose us out of a lot of different candidates, so there's gotta be something we all have in common."
"Agreed," said Vergil.
"Hah… this is all too much… I just want to go home… wait!" Saito said as he snapped his head up. "If I was summoned to be someone's familiar, doesn't that mean I'm bound to them now?"
The one fact seemed to have illuded the three others, who all widened their eyes in shock.
"Chip, the kid's right. If Louise completed the ritual then he's bound to her," Dante said.
Saito gulped.
"So I won't be able to go home?"
"I am afraid not," Vergil added.
"Ahhh… I see…" the young teen said with his head hung low.
"Sorry kid. But hey, at least you got your first kiss," Dante said in an attempt to cheer him up.
"Kiss?" the boy asked. "What kiss?"
"You mean Lousie didn't kiss you?" asked Nero.
"I never saw her! When I fell there was no one around!" Saito exclaimed.
"What? That's impossible," Nero replied.
"No," came Dante, "Not if you think about it in a certain way…"
"What way?" Saito asked.
Dante shook his head.
"Don't worry about it kid. Just know that she didn't complete the ritual, so you can go home."
"Ah… alright," Saito replied. However his curiosity over what the man in red was alluding to still lingered in his mind, one that the group did not fail to notice.
"I think we have all the answers to our questions now," Vergil quickly interjected, "The spell summoned us because Louise is void of magic, and as humans we too have no element. The spell searches for best suited candidates and draws them to enter its summoning portal, hence the randomness of what is summoned. Those that are not seen as best for the mage cannot see the portal or hear the incantation. Once someone enters one of the portals, the others close, and those that walked in first are brought to the mage to be bound to be their familiar."
"That about sums it up," Dante said, "Whew, that's a lotta info to take in. It's making my brain tired," the hunter then said as he stretched. "Let's sleep on it. Tomorrow we help Saito get back to Japan, sound good?"
"Agreed."
"Alright."
"Ah! Th-thank you!"
"Alright, then lights out!" the hunter in red said as he climbed into one of the empty beds.
"Night then," said Nero as he climbed within the sheets.
"Sleep well," came Vergil as he retook his seat at the window.
"Oyasumi," came the teen's night time wishes as he too curled up in bed.
A few moments passed as Vergil closed his eyes, Nero began to snore, and Dante tossed over with his head resting on an open palm.
Saito had one lingering question on his mind though.
"Ano… Dante-san. Are you awake?"
The man who usually wore red creaked open an eye and replied, "Yeah. What's up kid?"
"I just wanted to ask… if Louise summoned you three here as well… then how come you three aren't bound to her? Or are you?"
"Ah… good question kid, one that's a bit hard to answer. Just know that we're not contracted to be her familiar anymore than you are and leave it at that."
"Ah… alright."
"If ya don't have anything else you wanna ask, then I'll see ya in the morning."
"Hai. Oyasumi Dante-san."
Saito then turned himself over and closed his eyes, letting sleep slowly come to him.
-o0o-
Silently, the door closed behind them, as Nero, Dante, and Vergil left behind a sleeping Saito.
"So, what now?" Nero asked his father and uncle.
"Now… now we iron out the nitty gritty details," Dante replied.
"Let's begin with Louise then," said Nero, "is she okay?"
"For now," Dante replied, "I took her to her room. I don't think she'll try anything else tonight."
"Well that's good to hear," Nero said, crossing his arms and letting out a breath. "How'd you figure out it was her anyways? When you left you bolted away from the dorms."
"Remember when I said I was worried she would do something drastic? Well when Verg said someone was doing magic, I figured it might have been her," he replied, "keeping in mind all the humiliation and bullying she suffered, she might've had a thought to try her hand again at getting another familiar. So I ran for the entrance to the building. I figured if she brought Afrato here, or anyone else, Verg would have taken care of them. At the same time, she would have either hid, or get told off by Verg to head back inside. When I saw no one there, I checked around the summoning circle and saw footprints leading back inside."
"Makes sense. That's why you wanted me to patrol the halls. You didn't want anyone finding Louise."
Dante nodded.
"I don't want that kid to get into more trouble. You heard the instructor, no one gets a retry at summoning. That and the fact that she did it on her own, that would have landed her in some really hot water."
Nero and Vergil both nodded in agreement.
"So what ended up happening with the girl?" Vergil asked.
"I found her on the roof of the building, about to jump off," Dante replied.
"You what?!" Nero whisper-shouted.
"Yeah. Caught her just before she went out of my reach. I was lucky the kitchen doors were locked, otherwise she might've grabbed a knife instead and gone who knows where."
"How did you know she was on the roof?" Nero asked.
"That actually ties in to another thing I wanted to clarify: why Saito's contract wasn't complete."
"Go on," Vergil said.
"When Louise summoned us, she got put down a helluva lot more than she could handle. So when Saito said he saw no one when he was summoned, I had a feeling that she probably hid herself away when she saw him, thinking that her binding would fail again if she tried it again."
The other two hunters nodded, seeing the path of logic that Dante had tread upon.
"After that, I had a feeling she might try to end her life cuz she thought she couldn't summon a "proper" familiar. Not to mention the shame she'd receive tomorrow once they find Saito, so I checked the kitchen to see if she stole a knife. When I found that the doors were locked, I figured the next thing she might do would be to jump off the roof."
"Chip…" Nero said as he ran a hand through his head, his mind now seeing the path of decisions that the young girl made, "you're right, she really needs someone, Dante. She almost took things too far."
"Yeah…"
"I suppose then you want to keep her summoning a secret from the headmaster?" Vergil asked.
"Yup. Read me like a book brother."
"Do you have a plausible excuse at the ready then?" Vergil asked.
"Got one in the works. Hopefully he'll buy it."
Vergil nodded. "Then I'll leave the explanation to you then. Moving on. What Saito said about his portal appearing before him at the same time as ours did."
"Yeah… if that happened the first time when we went through it…"
"Then it probably happened again later, when he saw it again," Nero finished.
"Since the portal was visible to all of us last time, it stands to reason that the same is true this time of our companions," Vergil stated.
"Which means that V, Lady, or Trish probably had their own summoning gates, either together or separately."
"The chimera may have seen it too. I cannot completely discount the possibility that the chimera is a candidate, not with our current evidence," Vergil added.
"Either way, they wouldn't let that gate go without taking a closer look at it. V and Trish probably tried to keep it open using some of their demonic power. Either that or they used it to get a feel for where it leads," Nero continued.
Vergil nodded.
"One can safely assume they will make their way here eventually."
"Which makes stayin' here all the more reasonable," Dante added. "We can help Louise as well."
The other two nodded.
"What about Saito? He has to go home," Vergil asked.
"Yeah… I was hoping we could ask Osmond to use a spell to send him back. Either that or…" Dante trailed off, looking towards Vergil.
"…I suppose I could assist the child to return back to his family," Vergil replied.
Dante nodded.
"That settles that," he replied.
"Alright. So the game plan tomorrow is…" Nero began.
"We get Louise off the hook when we talk to Osmond, ask him for a way to get Saito back if possible, and help Louise get her life back together," Dante affirmed.
"I must state that the last point would be quite difficult considering the child has little magical potential," Vergil added.
"No one without some magical power can use a summoning spell, you know that as well as I do. And she redid the spell without her instructor present. She has skills, they just haven't shown themselves yet," Dante replied.
"True. Though again, our knowledge in magic is limited. We are not spell casters ourselves. What we know is in theory only, not practice," Vergil reiterated.
"It'll be enough to get her back on her feet. She'll be able to handle it from there."
"You sure Dante?" Nero asked.
"Positive. I know talent when I see it."
"One thing still boggles my mind," Vergil added. "You said the students' magic all correspond to four elements, yes? That is inaccurate to all the tombs I have read on the subject. While demons and spell-casters usually gravitate to a particular or favored element, there are far more than the four you listed."
"Yeah, I noticed that too. I'm chalking it up to the type of magic they're teaching here being different from the ones we've encountered."
"I see… a safe assumption, but…"
"'But'?" The younger hunter asked his twin.
"It is just a feeling, but I have a suspicion that things may be more complicated than they seem."
"Well let's hope it stays a feeling," Dante replied. "I think that covers everything then."
"Indeed," Vergil said in agreement. He then noticed sunlight begin to seep through the crack under the door. "In time for the morning sun to rise as well."
"Then let's get started," Dante said as began to leave, "I'll go wake up Pinky. Meet in Osmond's office with Saito."
"Very well."/"You got it." Vergil and Nero replied respectively.
-meanwhile, in a cafe in Sicily, Italy-
"That concludes today's forecast. Now onto the latest news, the gruesome death of several dockworkers and crew members discovered yesterday morning. The suspects are still at large for the deaths of over three dozen victims, with more still being identified. Eye witness reports three culprits who fled the scene. If you have any information regarding this crime, the police urge you to call them at…"
"Dam. They're really pinning this on us," Lady said in a hushed tone to her companions.
The trio of devil hunters sat around a small table, hats and glasses obscuring their faces.
"Afrato was quite resourceful, hopping back into his pocket dimension," V remarked as he took a sip of his tea.
"But that leaves us to take the blame," Trish said as she crossed one leg over the other.
"Unfortunately, yes," V said as he set his cup down.
"Moving on, what about the portal we saw last night?" Lady asked. "I know you two couldn't keep it open for some reason, but you at least managed to get something out of it, right?"
"We managed to leave a lingering trace, yes. It will take time for the demonic energies to trace the spell back to its origin, but from there we can plan our next course of action."
"We still have to deal with the chimera," Trish added. "It may have put its claws away for now, but we can't let it go free, especially not back to its creator."
"Yeah, but where do we start? Could be laying low anywhere right now. Or… it may have already gone back to its mistress," Lady added.
"I would like it if that didn't happen, but if it did, it would have Dante, Nero, and Vergil to deal with," Trish replied.
"Either way," V chimed in, "we have to wait."
The raven haired hunter then noticed a couple staring from the corner of his eyes. They whispered as they stole glances at the trio.
"Perhaps we best wait at another spot. We're starting to get some unwelcome attention," said the cane wielding hunter.
"Dam. I was just getting comfortable too," Lady remarked as she placed down a wad of bills.
A moment later they disappeared into the crowd.
-Tristain Academy dormitories-
Daylight gently tapped upon Louise's slumbering eyes, the soft rays stirring the small girl awake. Slowly they widened, revealing her misty pink eyes. She pushed herself upwards, and rubbed out her blurred vision, her mind slowly attempting to recall what had happened to her.
She peered down to see that she was dressed in her student uniform, a sight that gave her pause as she never went to bed in anything other than her nightgown. This oddity provoked a sense of familiarity within her.
'Had I had this same thought before?' she asked herself.
Slowly the pieces clicked together, and she remembered the failed binding ritual, and the latter illegal summoning of another commoner.
'That's right… I went up to the roof after that… but how did I…?'
Her mind then recalled the man in red, who pulled her back from the edge she so callously stepped over. Tears began to fall as she recalled the moments she spent sobbing.
'He must have brought me back afterwards…' she thought to herself as she clutched her sheets. 'Not that it means much now. The entire academy is most likely aware of what I did last night… that I failed, again…'
Louise grit her teeth and shut her eyes.
'Headmaster Osmond has probably written up my expulsion letter already… and my parents… and Henrietta… I let them all down…'
She sniffled as the pain in her chest grew larger.
'What was I thinking? Even if I did manage to summon a proper familiar, I would never be allowed to attend the academy after doing something so impulsive. Why… Why did I have to be born without any magic? Why couldn't I have even a tiny amount of arcane power, just enough to prove that I'm not a Zero… that I'm worth SOMETHING.'
Her dry sobs echoed throughout her room, as the last of her tears spilled onto her sheets.
A loud knocking on her door came not a moment too soon. It drew the small girl's attention away from her troubled thoughts, but only momentarily.
'It must be one of the professors… here to tell me that I am no longer welcome here.'
Another round of knocking came, this time a bit louder.
'I don't want to open the door… just leave me alone, please… I don't want to face THEM…'
The knocks came again, only louder now.
"LEAVE ME ALONE, I WISH NOT TO SEE ANYONE AT THE MOMENT!" she yelled.
Silence passed, and for a moment Louise thought the stranger at her door heeded her words.
"Well that's a strange way to say good morning. But I'm not from around these parts so maybe it's just me."
Louise's head snapped to attention when she heard the voice of the man behind the door. She quickly threw off the covers and headed to the entrance, pausing for a moment as her mind fearfully thought that perhaps one of the students or professors were merely luring her to open the door. She flung those thoughts out of her head and slowly creaked the wooden entrance open.
"Yo. Good morning. It is nice to see you awake," said the man who usually wore red.
She eyed him in his new clothing: a brown vest sat atop a tan shirt, faded but nearly enough for it to be transparent; mud brown slacks followed, with dark and light patches adorning the clothing, telling all the numerous repairs it had seen in its days; equally brown coloured laced leather boots finished the outfit, coated with a light layer of mud near the soles that missed some scrubbing. The entire outfit itself seemed a size too small for the hunter as it strained against his body.
"Yes… good morning to you as well…"
She then noticed the man held something in his right hand. A small tray, with a full glass of water sitting on it.
"I was thinking you might be thirsty," he said with a small grin, "so I went to the kitchen."
He was right. She had not noticed before but her throat was beyond parched from all the tears she shed. Her pink eyes stared into the clear beverage, and the white haired man lowered the tray to offer it to her. She gently grabbed the glass with both hands, and offered a nod of gratitude. Dante returned it with one of his own. Lifting the glass to her lips, Louise took large and thirsty chugs from the glass, not stopping until the entirety of its contents had been washed down. She let out a breath and the last drop of liquid disappeared from the glass.
"Feel better?" Dante asked
"Yes. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Do you mind if I come in?"
She shook her head, and stepped back to allow him entrance.
The hunter stepped into her dorm, noticing the collection of several towers of books and parchments. He closed the door behind him, allowing them a moment of privacy.
"So… I want to talk to you about your actions last night."
'Ah, so that was it,' the young mage thought to herself, 'they sent him to tell me instead of a member of the faculty.'
Louise clutched the sleeve of her shirt tightly as she prepared herself for what the man might say next.
"About your extra summoning, we found him wandering the school grounds, and we decided-"
"Stop. Do not continue…" Louise interjected, "I know what I have done cannot be forgiven by the school… but please… spare me the shame of hearing such words."
Dante stared with an open mouth. Silence lingered upon the room at Louise staunch declaration. A moment later, Dante would correct the misconception.
"Louise, you are not in trouble. My brother, nephew, and I found him first. The academy is unaware of what you have done."
Louise quickly snapped her attention to the old hunter, eyes wide with confusion.
"W-what do you mean?"
"We met him before he could meet anyone else. He is sleeping in our room now," he said, "so don't worry, your secret is safe with us."
"Are… are you telling me you plan to hide my crimes?"
Dante shrugged.
"It would seem, yes."
Louise widened her eyes. Here, a mere stranger she did not know, a man who has already saved her once, is now offering her another chance at salvation. She swallowed some saliva, a small glimmer of hope formed in her chest. Yet for some reason, it did not feel like a ray of light was forming.
'I… I can still be a mage… I… I can still attend Tristain… Henrietta and my parents, I… I can make them proud.'
Her mind slowly became more and more elated as she thought about it.
'Yeah… no one else has to know. Why should they? I only did what I had to do to prove myself, it's not my fault. This way… this way I can keep being a mage, I can show them, I can PROVE to them that I AM a true mage. I just have to… get rid of that commoner and…'
Her mind then stilled. That feeling in her chest grew more now, the elation she felt becoming stronger. Yet, it felt wrong for some reason. It felt as though she had crossed some line, and should she continue, she could no longer return to former self. Her mind then slowly got off its high and with three words, she gave the hunter her answer.
"No. I refuse."
Dante eyed the young girl with a quirked brow.
"You refuse?"
"While it… it may hurt to… while the shame may… while it may burn, I refuse to cheat myself like this," Louise replied. "While I thank you for attempting to help me… it is my own rashness and impulsivity that drive me to commit such an act. It is only fair that I seek retribution for my crimes."
Dante was stunned. He stared at the girl before him, hurt and weary, but resolute nonetheless.
"And I thank you for… for pulling me back. It may mean little coming from someone like me, but you have my sincere gratitude."
The mage looked upon the old hunter. Seeing his shocked face, she continued, "Yes… it's foolish isn't it? You're extending your hand of mercy and I refuse to take it. I know…" she said as her voice began to crack, "I know that someone in my position should not look upon a gift horse with disapproval, I know that! But a part of me just cannot accept this act of kindness. It feels wrong. Like I am cheating myself out of a victory. I… I wanted to prove them wrong on my own merits, and when I could not accomplish that, I began to pursue what I saw was the only way out. I thought that as long as I could prove that I had even a modicum of power that I am not weak. That I am not a Zero. And when I lost that… when that last spark burned out… I'm sorry… I am weak, and a failure. I see that now. But even so… I still wish to uphold the principles that any mage should adhere themselves to. Even if it means facing rejection and humility, at least I can say that I am still true to the principles of those that I aspire to be."
The older man said nothing. His mind took in every word that came from the small girl.
"Being a mage is not a right of mine, it is a privilege. I broke the rules and it is my responsibility to see that I receive due punishment."
The young girl then gave a small laugh.
"It is funny. I was so scared a moment ago, but now… now I feel confident. That even if I do get expelled I am not afraid. It's so strange. Everything feels much clearer now."
The man closed his mouth, letting a small smile creep upon his lips.
"Heh. You're full of surprises Pinky."
The girl gave a soft gaze to the old hunter, a small smile upon her lips as well.
"I guess that is true. I suppose even a Zero like me can surprise others once in a while."
Dante nodded.
"Last night," the hunter began, "when I pulled you back from the roof, I saw that you were being pushed down by the weight you carry. I thought it would take a long time before you were ready to carry it again, but it looks like you grew stronger right away. Heh… I guess I should not be surprised… I have already seen other people whose tears made them stronger."
Louise looked upon the older man with a puzzled look, but before she could ask what he meant, he continued.
"You know I had a half thinking idea to tell the headmaster, but this might just be for the better," he said with a grin.
Louise was slightly taken aback, but nodded when she realized what he meant.
"Indeed. I suppose we shan't delay then," the young girl stated.
"Lead the way, Pinky," Dante said as he grabbed the door.
-a rooftop in Sicily-
The metallic entry way clicked open, revealing behind it a raven haired hunter. He cautiously peered around, looking to see if anyone had disturbed the area before him. A huff from Trish cut his attention, and the blonde demoness shoved the metallic door open with reckless abandon, sauntering over to the reason why they were here. Lady followed suit as V let out a breath of surrender. V soon joined the two standing before two yellow and purple wisps. The small orbs danced in the air, leaving misty trails behind them as they floated to and fro before the group.
"You said it's ready?" Lady asked her companions.
"That it's finished. Whether the attempt was successful or not, we will soon find out," V replied.
The cane wielding hunter took a few steps forward, and extended a hand towards the twirling orbs. The misty whisps flew to the hunter's hand. They danced across his palm and fingers, creating an ethereal purple glow to form on his skin. The raven haired man closed his eyes, letting the light flow down his arm. He took in the knowledge that his and Trish's demonic energies were able to gather. Immediately his eyes snapped open.
"Oh dear."
-Tristain Academy, Headmaster's Office-
A soft knocking caught the attention of Osmond.
"You may enter," the old mage said.
The wooden door creaked open, and the last person he was waiting to meet, finally entered the room, along with an extra guest.
"Dante," he said with a nod, "and Miss Vallière."
"Good morning headmaster," the young girl said with a bow. Her eyes then flew to a few wrinkles on her uniform. The young girl quickly attempted to pat them out, her mind chiding herself for not changing out of the uniform after sleeping in them twice.
"Yo, morning," Dante replied with a two-fingered salute.
The man's greetings took the girl's mind off of her distressed outfit. She turned her attention to Osmond, before quickly being distracted by the other guests within the room. Louise spotted Vergil, Nero, and her new summon standing to her right, clustered together in the corner of the room. She took a moment to give them all a once over.
Saito currently wore a blue and white tracksuit, accompanied with dark blue pants, and light blue and white sneakers. White bandages covered his head and right hand. With exception to the medical dressing, all clothing the Japanese teen wore was unfamiliar to the pink haired mage.
Vergil was clad in a green and white shirt, with the sleeves folded around the wrists. He wore long tan pants that ended in deep brown boots with green fabric abruptly ended at the sleeves and halfway down his torso, as though someone had stitched the clothing back together after being torn. Upon closer look, she could spot sewing threads that proved her correct.
Nero kept his grey bomber jacket that Dante had fished out for him. His hands were stuffed into his jacket, which was partially zipped up. He let the top third of it undone, allowing her to see the black shirt he wore underneath. Matching black slacks disappeared into his leather boots, matching his father's with exception to its lighter shade.
Louise caught Saito's gaze, her pink eyes meeting his blue-grey ones for the first time. In her mind she admitted that for a commoner, he was quite good looking.
Both hunters shot Dante a curious glance upon spotting the young mage with him, but he smirked and signaled that it was all right.
"I have been expecting you," Osmond said, calling the girl's attention to the old mage.
She looked upon him, dressed in the same clothes he always wore, with Longuevuille at his side.
"Your brother and nephew had told me you wished to see me about our new friend, Saito, was it?" the old mage said as he took a moment to glance over at the foreigner, who nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah, that's right. We were hoping you could help him get back home," Dante replied.
"Mmm… that can be easily done. Though I must ask, how did he manage to appear so suddenly?" the bearded mage asked.
"Well about that," Dante began. He then nudged Louise slightly, causing Vergil and Nero to widen their eyes in surprise.
"It… it was I. I used the summoning circle the night prior. I am deeply sorry for the trouble I caused," the girl said with a bow.
Osmond widened his eyes, but closed them a moment later.
Vergil and Nero stared at her with wide eyes, before shooting their gaze over to Dante. The man merely gave a nod in return.
"Is this your plan?" Vergil whispered for both himself and Nero, "Because letting her take the blame seems quite contradictory."
"I'll fill you in later, but it looks like we might not be staying as long as I thought," Dante replied.
The man who usually wore blue gave a curious glance towards his brother, before returning his attention to the mages.
"I see… I suppose with all that has happened we had forgotten to erase the circle. So you attempted to summon another familiar with it then?" Osmond asked.
"That's correct," Louise replied.
"I see… Miss Vallière, you know there are consequences to your actions, yes?"
The petite girl nodded. "I am, and I am fully prepared to face them, headmaster."
"That is quite brave of you Miss Vallière. And quite mature."
The older man closed his eyes. He leaned forward, and placed his interlaced hands to his bearded mouth in contemplation.
"Very well, then. The first and foremost is your responsibility as a mage."
Osmond then glanced over at the hunters, more specifically, at Saito.
"Please remove your bandages, young man."
Saito tilted his head in confusion. In response, Vergil leaned over and translated for the young man. Saito quickly undid the handkerchief Vergil had given him, exposing his wide but small cut on his hand. He then went to unbind the cloth that Nero had provided for his head.
"I see," said the old mage as he stared at his skin, void of any markings. "So you are unbound then. Then your ritual, Miss Vallière, is incomplete."
The girl nodded.
"This is the first I am hearing of such a delay between summoning and binding a familiar, but one that must be performed nonetheless."
Osmond then turned his attention back to Saito and the hunters.
"As Saito is her summoned familiar, I am afraid I cannot assist you in sending him back home," he said to them. He then turned to the pink haired mage. "Miss Vallière, I insist you must finish your summoning ritual. As a mage, you have a responsibility to see this summoning through, illegal or otherwise."
The young girl nodded, and replied, "Yes, headmaster."
She turned to the Japanese teen, stepping towards him with adamant steps.
A hand reached out, stopping the young girl.
She turned to see Dante, arm outstretched, blocking her path.
She looked towards the old hunter with confusion, who returned her glance with a stern one of his own.
"Sorry. I do not mean to interrupt, but I do not think this is a good idea."
The old mage stared at the equally old hunter.
"Pardon? A mage compelling their ritual is one of the most sacred obligations they must perform."
"I understand. But it will cause her nothing, but trouble. I heard what the others say. She is being bullied, and very badly."
The old mage stared at Dante, his stern gaze unrelenting.
"Even so-"
"What do you think the other kids will talk about when they hear that Louise got to perform an extra summon?" Dante interjected, "What will they talk when they hear she did so unsupervised and against the school? And when they find out that the familiar is a normal person, what will they talk? They already made fun of us, Saito will be no different. All this will do is push them to insult her more."
The old mage listened with an apprehensive mind.
"Wh-what are you saying?" Louise spoke up, "This is my responsibility nonetheless, I am his mage and I must see this through."
"Even if it'll ruin your lives?"
"My school days are already filled with jeering and mockery, binding him to me will make no difference."
"And what about Saito? What about his school days? He is a normal person, no magical talents, or abilities. He is a teenager just like you. You might be used to it, but what about him? He is also a 'commoner'. That standing by itself seems to get extra insults among your classmates if our mockery was an example."
Louise grit her teeth.
"That… that is true," the girl replied.
Dante softened his gaze at her as he continued, "I am happy that you are so responsible and willing to face the harsh results. You seem to have grown a lot in a short time. However, this is a not normal case. Some things need to change because of the reasons."
"I agree," the headmaster spoke up. "I admit, Tristain has a problem among its student body that I wished were non-existent. While I am proud that my school has a much lower degree of discrimination, it is nonetheless present among them."
Osmond looked at the old hunter and Lousie.
"Doing so will also cast a black mark on your record, Miss Vallière, and I would hate to give others another reason to target you with their hate."
He then sat straight in his chair. "I agree with Ser Dante in this matter, and rescind my earlier decision to bind Saito to you."
"I… I understand," said the petite girl as she shuffled back.
Saito looked confused at the transaction, unable to understand what was going on. He looked towards Nero, who watched the scene expressionlessly.
Seeing the young Japanese teen turn to him, Nero immediately understood what he wanted to ask and shook his head, signaling that he did not know either.
Vergil then weighed in, translating what had transpired to both hunters, who widened their eyes in shock, but then relaxed at the resolution.
"I do believe we should perform another ritual for you at another time, Miss Vallière," Osmond continued, "as a mage without a familiar would attract as much jeering as a mage with a commoner as a familiar."
Louise nodded in gratitude.
"Thank you headmaster," the girl replied.
"Do not thank me yet, I must still reprimand you for your use of the summoning circle after curfew."
Louise stiffened at the reminder of her actions, but stood resolute to face it nonetheless.
"Hmm… I believe a week's worth of detention with Colbert should suffice."
"Eh?" the girl replied back in shock.
"I will let him decide the specifics of what you will be doing then. Now to the matter of sending our new guest back home" the old mage said as he turned to Saito. Vergil stepped forward to spark for the teen, and calculate the necessary funds to return home.
Meanwhile, the petite mage stood dazed, her mind confused as to what had transpired.
"Something on your mind?" Dante asked.
"I… I don't understand. After what I had done, I only received a week's detention, nothing more? Why?"
Dante smiled at the girl.
"It is because he wants to give you a second chance. While you made a mistake, he does not want your punishment to get in the way of you working hard to make up for it."
The girl stared at him wide eyed, then smiled. She placed a fisted hand to her chest and nodded.
"That is preposterous," said Vergil.
The line drew the attention of Dante and Louise, who looked at the swordsman's shocked expression as he spoke with Osmond.
"What do you mean you have never heard of Japan?"
-o0o-
"'Oh dear?' What do you mean 'Oh dear'?" Lady asked V as he retracted his arm, the wisps floating back to where into the air. Trish too, stood apprehensive to the side, waiting for his answer.
"It means… that we have made a grave miscalculation," V replied.
He turned his gaze at the heterochromatic hunter. Lady's red and yellow eyes glaring at his dark green ones.
-o0o-
Dante, Vergil, Saito, Louise, and Nero all gathered around the headmaster's desk as Vergil once more asked his question.
"I apologize, but the name eludes me. Is it a small country of sorts?" Osmond replied.
"It is," Vergil affirmed, "Yet small as it may be, it is still one of the most influential countries in the world. How are you not aware of it? It was a participant in one of your world wars," Vergil continued.
The old mage frowned.
"I have never heard of 'Japan' as a country in any of our great wars, much less a 'world war'. Are you certain you know what you are speaking of?"
"Of course I- wait…" the old hunter said as the gears in his mind began turning.
Dante, Nero, and Saito all looked at the experienced man with a face of worry. They all collectively swallowed as the old hunter moved closer to the headmaster. He then placed his hands on the table, letting a shadow fall over his head.
"This… may seem quite odd to ask, but… this land… what is the name of this land? Where are we right now?" Vergil asked.
Osmond blinked, as did Louise and Longuevuille. The old mage then obliged, and opened his mouth to speak.
-o0o-
"We assumed that the portal led to the mage that created the chimera, wherever they may be," V continued to explain.
Lady and Trish waited with baited breath for the black clothed hunter to finish, impatiently desiring him to not draw out the coming revelation.
"But," the raven haired man said, "we were wrong to assume that wherever they may be is here on this Earth."
-o0o-
The eyes of Dante and Vergil widened as they heard his words, shock appearing on their faces. They then asked if they could view a map, and Longueville quickly materialized one.
"In fact, where that portal leads is to a dimension far beyond our own."
-o0o-
Saito, Nero, Dante, and Vergil all peered at the old and musty parchment. Words they did not recognize were written upon it, but even more frightful was the fact that the land itself was completely foreign to them. Nero and Saito asked the twins what this meant. Vergil and Dante turned their heads to them and translated the old mage's words. The two younger foreigners too, then widened their eyes in horror.
-o0o-
"What… what do you mean by that?" Trish asked.
"I mean that their location is somewhere not even we can have access to. They are somewhere that not even a demon can cross. To be exact… they are in another world."
The old mage looked upon them with looks of sympathy.
"I will repeat myself," the old mage said to the world travelers. "This place… is called Tristain Academy of Magic, located within the nation of Tristain, upon the continent of Halkegenia."
"In other words…" Dante began.
"We are not on Earth…" Vergil continued.
"We're in 'nother world…" Nero followed.
"A completely different world altogether…" Saito finished. "And… we're all stuck here… aren't we?" Saito then looked at his world hopping comrades, hoping they would give him an answer different to what he was expecting. His hopes were crushed when they all gave a ghastly look in response.
"Well… this ain't the land of Oz, but I sure wish I had a pair of ruby slippers right now," said the hunter who usually wore red.
-End of Chapter 7-
AN: And this concludes the Introduction saga. I'll be taking a break after this to catch up on my school work, so no new chapters for a while. I also want to apologize if any of you received notifications of the mass updates of the chapters. I noticed FF Net removed my line breaks and some of my fonts so I went to correct them. With that, I hope you all enjoyed the latest 3 additions to my fanfic, and I look forward to seeing you all again at the next one. Until then, keep on having that Smokin' Sexy Style y'all! Signing off.