The morning sun streamed through the high, arched windows of Tristain Academy of Magic, casting long beams of golden light onto the polished stone floors. Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière sat on the edge of her bed, clutching her wand tightly in both hands. She had been up for hours, her mind a whirlpool of anticipation, nerves, and the simmering frustration that seemed to define her days at the Academy.
Today was the day. Her day.
"This is it," Louise muttered, her voice barely audible over the chirping of birds outside. She glanced at the small, ornate mirror propped up on her desk. Her reflection stared back at her, looking almost as doubtful as she felt. Her honey-colored eyes traced the faint shadows under them, a testament to the restless nights she'd endured leading up to this moment.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in," she called, hurriedly straightening her posture.
The door creaked open, and Siesta, the cheerful maid who had become one of Louise's few allies, stepped inside, carrying a breakfast tray. The scent of fresh bread and steaming tea filled the room.
"Good morning, Miss Vallière! You're up early today," Siesta said with a warm smile, setting the tray down on the desk.
"Good morning, Siesta." Louise managed a faint smile before returning her gaze to the wand in her hands.
Siesta tilted her head, her dark eyes full of concern. "Nervous about the summoning ritual?"
Louise hesitated, then sighed. "Is it that obvious?"
"Not at all, Miss Vallière! But… you've been talking about this day for weeks now. It's only natural to feel a little pressure."
"A little?" Louise let out a humorless laugh. "This is my one chance to prove to everyone that I'm not a… a Zero."
Siesta's expression softened. "You'll do great. I'm sure of it."
Louise looked up at her with a mixture of gratitude and doubt. Siesta's unwavering optimism was comforting, but it did little to drown out the taunts and jeers she'd endured from her classmates.
Her thoughts drifted to Kirche. The insufferable, voluptuous redhead had been relentless in her mockery, always ready with a sly comment or exaggerated laugh whenever Louise's spells ended in disaster.
"Try not to blow yourself up this time, Louise," Kirche had said just yesterday, her voice dripping with sarcasm as the other students chuckled.
Louise tightened her grip on her wand. "I'll show her," she whispered under her breath, a spark of determination flaring in her chest.
Siesta leaned closer, her voice low. "Do you want me to bring anything else? A lucky charm, perhaps?"
"No," Louise said firmly, standing up. "I don't need luck. I have my magic. And today, everyone will see it."
The courtyard was alive with chatter and excitement. Students gathered in clusters, preparing for the ritual, their summoning circles glowing faintly in the afternoon sunlight. Louise stood at the crowd's edge, her wand clutched tightly in her hand. She ignored the whispers and pointed looks, focusing instead on the circle she had carefully drawn in the dirt.
"Miss Vallière!"
Professor Colbert's voice called out over the noise. The bespectacled professor approached, his kind eyes offering a measure of reassurance.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes, Professor," Louise said, standing as straight as she could manage.
Colbert nodded approvingly. "Remember, this ritual is about more than just proving yourself. It's about forming a connection with your familiar, a bond that will guide you both."
Louise swallowed hard and nodded. She stepped forward, the chatter of her peers fading into a dull hum as all eyes turned to her.
"Well, this should be good," Kirche muttered loudly enough for Louise to hear, drawing a ripple of laughter from the crowd.
Louise ignored her. She raised her wand, took a steadying breath, and focused on the circle before her.
"I call upon the sacred power of the universe," she began, her voice trembling but growing stronger with each word. "To bring forth my familiar, the one destined to stand by my side. Answer my call!"
The air grew heavy with energy, and the circle began to glow faintly. A soft wind stirred around her, rustling her hair and robes. The crowd leaned forward, and anticipation was palpable.
And then… nothing.
The light in the circle dimmed and disappeared. The wind died. The courtyard fell into stunned silence.
Louise stared at the circle, her heart sinking. She felt a strange, indescribable sensation—a faint, crawling unease that prickled at the back of her mind. It was as if something unseen lingered just beyond her perception, watching her, waiting. But there was nothing there.
Kirche's laughter shattered the silence. "Oh, Louise! You've outdone yourself this time. You didn't even manage an explosion! What did you summon? Air?"
The crowd erupted into laughter, and Louise's face burned with humiliation. She clenched her fists, her heart pounding with anger and shame.
"I… I don't understand," she murmured, her voice barely audible.
Unbeknownst to anyone, something had indeed answered her call.
Far beyond their understanding, a figure stirred in the shadowed recesses of a realm tethered to nightmares. Eyes flickered open, revealing a face marred by many scars, twisting into a cruel grin that echoed with malice.
"Well, now," it rasped, a gravelly voice reverberating in the darkness. "Where the hell am I?"
The entity stepped forward, boots scraping against an unseen surface. The world around it was strange and alien yet permeated with the unmistakable scent of fear. A palpable pull beckoned, the remnants of a summoning spell tethering it to an unseen presence.
"Someone's been meddling with powers they don't fully grasp," it mused, fingers flexing as glinting blades caught the faint light. "And lucky me, I'm along for the ride."
In the courtyard, Louise stood frozen, her thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and dread. She couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened beyond her comprehension.
But Kirche's mocking voice cut through her thoughts before she could dwell on it further.
"Better luck next time, Zero."
Louise's jaw tightened, her hands balling into fists. She had no words, no defense. The laughter of her peers rang in her ears, drowning out the faint, lingering unease that refused to leave her.
And somewhere, unseen by all but the darkness, the figure laughed, a sound that sent shivers through the air.
The rest of the day was humiliating for Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. The laughter from the courtyard followed her wherever she went, reverberating in her mind like an echo she couldn't escape. Every hallway she walked down, every class she attended, every corner she turned, she was met with whispers, sidelong glances, and thinly veiled sneers.
"Did you see her face?"
"I thought for sure there'd be an explosion this time."
"No, no—an explosion would've been something. She managed less than nothing!"
The words clung to her like a shroud, and no matter how hard she tried to keep her head held high, her steps felt heavier with every encounter. Louise's mind churned with questions. She had done everything right—or at least, she thought she had. The incantation, the focus, the circle—it had all been perfect.
Hadn't it?
She was ready for a reprieve when she arrived at her alchemy class. The heavy wooden benches were arranged in a semicircle around the professor's desk, with jars of strange ingredients lining the shelves behind it. Louise took her usual seat near the front, but a familiar, taunting voice broke the quiet as soon as she sat down.
"Well, if it isn't Zero."
Louise didn't need to look to know it was Kirche. The other girl sauntered into the room, her long red hair catching the sunlight from the high windows, and took her seat with an exaggerated flourish.
"Tell me, Louise," Kirche continued, her tone syrupy and condescending, "what's it like to be the first person in Academy history to summon nothing at all? Truly, you're a pioneer."
A ripple of laughter spread through the room.
Louise's cheeks burned, but she refused to turn around. "Shut up, Kirche," she said through gritted teeth.
"Aw, don't be like that." Kirche leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. "I'm genuinely curious. Do you think maybe you just didn't have a familiar to summon? I mean, that would make sense, wouldn't it?"
Louise's fingers clenched around the edge of her desk. "I said, shut up."
The laughter grew louder, and tears pricked at the corners of Louise's eyes. She blinked them away furiously, refusing to give Kirche the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
The rest of the class passed in a haze. The professor's droning voice faded into the background as Louise stared blankly at the notes before her. Her mind was elsewhere, replaying the ritual repeatedly, searching for something she might have missed.
And always, just beneath the surface of her thoughts, was that feeling.
It wasn't something she could explain. It was like an itch in the back of her mind, a whisper just out of earshot. It didn't make sense. Nothing had appeared in the summoning circle. Everyone had seen that. And yet…
"I summoned something," she muttered under her breath.
"What was that, Miss Vallière?"
The professor's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see the entire class staring at her.
"Nothing," she mumbled, her cheeks flushing.
"Ah, fitting," Kirche said, smirking.
The class erupted into laughter again, and Louise slumped lower in her seat.
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the Academy in a soft orange glow, Louise felt completely drained. She had spent the entire day under the weight of ridicule, and her attempts to block it out had only left her with a pounding headache.
The corridors were quiet now, and the other students had retreated to their dorms or the dining hall. Louise walked slowly, her footsteps echoing off the stone walls. Her wand hung limply at her side, her earlier determination all but gone.
A faint chill ran down her spine as she turned the corner leading to her dorm room. She stopped, glancing over her shoulder.
The hallway behind her was empty.
Louise shook her head and kept walking. She was just imagining things.
When she finally reached her room, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, shutting it firmly behind her. She leaned against the door momentarily, closed her eyes, and let out a long sigh.
The familiar comfort of her room greeted her: the neatly made bed, the small desk with its stack of books, the faint scent of lavender from the sachet hanging in the corner. But even here, the strange unease that had followed her all day lingered.
Louise set her wand on the desk and collapsed onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her classmates' laughter still echoed in her ears, but it was quieter now, fading into the background.
Her thoughts drifted back to the ritual. She had done everything right. She was sure of it. And yet…
That feeling.
It was like a shadow she couldn't see but knew was there. Something about the air in the courtyard during the ritual, the faint hum of magic, the way the light in the circle had flickered just before it faded—none of it had felt wrong.
It had felt… off.
She closed her eyes, her brow furrowing. "What are you?" she whispered, the words barely audible.
The room was silent.
But just as Louise drifted into an uneasy sleep, the faintest sensation crept over her—a prickling at the edge of her awareness, like someone standing just out of sight. Her eyes snapped open, but the room was empty, bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight streaming through the window.
Louise sat up, her heart pounding.
"I'm just tired," she said aloud, trying to convince herself.
But as she lay back down, pulling the blankets up to her chin, she couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't alone.
Louise wasn't sure when she fell asleep. The fatigue of the day had weighed on her like a lead blanket, dragging her into slumber before she even realized it. One moment, she was staring at the moonlit ceiling of her dormitory, and the next, she was standing in an unfamiliar, desolate place.
The air was heavy and oppressive. Shadows stretched unnaturally across the ground, twisting and writhing as though alive. A dense fog clung to her ankles, coiling around her feet like tendrils, trying to hold her in place. The sky above was sickly, swirling gray, and the horizon seemed to stretch infinitely in every direction, dotted with crumbling structures and jagged silhouettes.
"This… isn't real," Louise muttered to herself, clutching her arms tightly. Her voice sounded small and hollow in the vast emptiness. "It's just a dream."
Yet, it didn't feel like a dream. The cold air stung her skin, and every step she took sent a faint crunching sound through the eerie silence. The world around her was too vivid, too sharp.
"Hello?" she called out, her voice trembling despite her attempt to sound strong. "Is anyone there?"
No answer came, only the distant sound of something scraping against metal.
Her heart leaped into her throat, and she spun around, trying to locate the source of the sound. But the fog obscured everything beyond a few meters. She gripped her wand tightly, though she had no idea what spell she could even cast here—or if it would work at all.
Another sound reached her ears, this time closer. It was a slow, deliberate tapping, like someone dragging their fingers along a hard surface. Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Who's there?" Louise demanded, her voice cracking. "Show yourself!"
The tapping stopped.
The silence was suffocating for a moment, and Louise could hear the frantic pounding of her own heartbeat. Then, a low, gravelly chuckle echoed through the fog.
"Well, well…" The voice was rough, sinister, and laced with a mocking amusement. "Look who wandered into my little corner of the world."
Louise froze, her breath hitching. She couldn't see where the voice was coming from, but it felt as though it was coming from everywhere at once, surrounding her.
"Who are you?" she demanded, trying to sound braver than she felt.
The chuckle came again, closer this time. "You don't know? Funny… you're the one who called me."
"Called you?" Louise's grip on her wand tightened, her knuckles turning white. "I didn't call anyone!"
"Oh, but you did," the voice drawled. "Poor little thing. All that effort, all that desperation to prove yourself… and you pulled me out of my cozy little corner instead. Lucky you."
Louise's knees felt weak, but she forced herself to stand tall. "I don't know what you're talking about! I summoned nothing!"
The voice let out a rasping laugh that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. "Nothing? Is that what they told you?"
Suddenly, the fog around her began to shift, coalescing into shapes—tall, jagged forms that seemed to leer at her. They were buildings, she realized, twisted and decayed, their walls stained with something dark and unpleasant. The ground beneath her feet cracked, and she stumbled, barely catching herself.
"Where… where am I?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
"You're in my world now, sweetheart," the voice replied. "And here… well, let's just say I like to have a little fun."
The ground beneath her shifted again, and she stumbled forward, her wand slipping from her grasp. It clattered against the ground, the sound unnaturally loud in the silence.
The scraping noise returned, louder and more insistent, like metal claws raking across the steel. Louise turned toward the sound, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst from her chest.
Out of the fog, a figure began to emerge. It was tall and shadowy, its features obscured save for a pair of cold, glinting eyes that seemed to pierce through her. The silhouette had an unnatural presence, as though it didn't quite belong in this world—or any world.
Louise backed away, her breaths coming in shallow gasps. "Stay back!" she shouted, her voice cracking.
The figure paused, tilting its head in an almost playful way. "Or what?"
"I… I'll use magic!" she stammered, reaching for her wand, but it was too far away.
The figure let out a low chuckle, stepping closer. "Magic? Here? Oh, you're adorable."
With a sudden burst of speed, it was right in front of her. Louise let out a scream, stumbling backward and falling to the ground. The figure loomed over her, its presence suffocating.
"Look at you," it said, its voice dripping with mockery. "So full of fire, so eager to prove yourself. And yet… so very fragile."
Louise's hands scrambled for her wand, her fingers brushing against the cool wood. She grabbed it and pointed it at the figure, her voice shaking as she shouted the first spell that came to mind.
"Fireball!"
A spark shot from her wand, fizzling before it reached the figure. Then, it let out a raspy laugh, the sound echoing through the nightmarish landscape.
"Nice try," it said, leaning closer. "But in here, your rules don't apply."
Louise's heart sank, and for the first time, she felt truly powerless. The figure crouched in front of her, its cold, glinting eyes level with hers.
"Don't worry," it said softly, almost mockingly. "I'm not here to hurt you. Not yet, anyway."
Louise's breath hitched as the figure stood again, its form fading back into the fog. The scraping sound grew fainter, then disappeared entirely, leaving her alone once more.
The oppressive silence returned, and Louise sat frozen on the ground, clutching her wand tightly. Her mind raced, replaying the encounter over and over.
What was that thing? And what did it mean when it said she had called it?
She didn't have time to dwell on the questions. The ground beneath her began to crack and shift again, the twisted world around her collapsing in on itself. A scream escaped her lips as the darkness swallowed her whole.
Louise stirred, caught in the strange, hazy space between sleep and wakefulness. Her body felt heavy, her breaths shallow, as she struggled to shake off the remnants of the nightmare. The oppressive unease lingered, wrapping around her like a thick fog.
Her eyes fluttered open halfway, and the familiar moonlit walls of her dorm room came into view. Everything was still. Too still. The silence pressed against her ears, amplifying the sound of her own heartbeat.
Her mind raced, replaying the encounter in the dream. That voice, the glint of cold eyes in the fog… the way it had mocked her, as though it knew her better than she knew herself.
"What… who was that?" she murmured groggily, her voice trembling as fear tightened its grip on her chest.
Her gaze drifted across the room, and that's when she noticed it—the mirror on her desk. It reflected her tangled form on the bed, but something else was in the glass.
Someone else.
A tall, gaunt figure stood behind her, its burnt, scarred face twisted into a grotesque grin. A battered fedora rested atop its head, and its hand—covered in sharp, glinting blades—hung ominously at its side.
Louise froze, her breath catching in her throat. Her heart hammered wildly as her half-asleep mind tried to process what she was seeing.
Her lips parted, a shaky whisper escaping. "No… no, it's not real."
The figure in the mirror tilted its head as though amused by her terror. Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, it raised its clawed hand and pressed one of the blades against the glass. A screeching sound filled the room as it carved letters into the mirror's surface.
Louise's eyes widened as the word took shape:
FREDDY.
The name glistened as though written in fresh blood, dripping down the mirror in dark, viscous trails.
The figure grinned wider, its voice low and gravelly. "That's my name. Don't wear it out."
Louise let out a strangled gasp and squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head furiously. "It's not real. It's not real. It's not real!"
When she finally worked up the courage to look again, the mirror reflected nothing but her empty room. The word was gone, the surface pristine as though nothing had ever happened.
She stumbled out of bed, her knees weak as she approached the mirror cautiously, her wand clutched tightly in her trembling hand. Her reflection stared back at her, pale and wide-eyed, her chest rising and falling with rapid breaths.
Her fingers brushed the glass. It was cold, smooth, completely ordinary.
But deep in her gut, she knew it hadn't been her imagination.
"What… what have I done?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
The silence of the room offered no answer. But the unease in her chest told her she wasn't alone, not really. Whatever she had summoned during the ritual, whatever had answered her call—it was here. Watching. Waiting.
And it wasn't going anywhere.
And that's the end of this chapter! Honestly, I don't know why, but the idea of Louise summoning Freddy Krueger as her familiar just cracks me up. Like, here's this girl trying to prove herself to everyone, and instead of some majestic dragon or powerful spirit, she gets a dream-hopping horror icon. Classic Louise luck, right? 😂
I mean, can you imagine Freddy doing Louise's bidding? "Sure, kid, I'll terrorize your enemies… after I'm done carving up a few dreams." The chaos would be immaculate. Anyway, thanks for sticking around and reading my nonsense! More nightmare-fueled hilarity to come, so stay tuned. 👀