The morning sun cast a golden glow over Tristain Academy, trickling through the trees and dappling the cobblestone paths. The usual hum of activity filled the air—students bustling about, chatting before their morning classes, and the occasional flutter of birds overhead—but one part of the academy grounds stood out.
Louise sat on a bench in the courtyard, her arms crossed tightly, glaring at the white-furred menace in front of her. Krypto, ever the cheerful dog, wagged his tail lazily and panted happily, his bright blue eyes gleaming with innocent enthusiasm.
Louise, however, was far from happy.
She had spent all night trying to process the fact that her familiar had physically obliterated a section of the academy wall. And now, as she sat in the very same courtyard where the disaster had occurred, her stomach twisted with secondhand embarrassment as she watched a group of academy staff members standing near the scene of the crime.
A massive, jagged hole yawned in the once-pristine stone wall, surrounded by rubble and dust. Professors, builders, and a few concerned nobles huddled together, gesturing animatedly as they debated the incident.
"This is impossible," one of them muttered, running a gloved hand along the fractured edges of the stone. "What could have done this? An explosion spell?"
"No scorch marks," another pointed out, crouching to inspect a pile of debris. "Whatever hit this wall wasn't magic. It was… something else."
"Perhaps some large creature?" an older professor suggested, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "A rampaging beast?"
Louise let out a strangled noise as she sank lower into her bench.
A rampaging beast. That was technically correct, wasn't it?
She turned back to Krypto, who was now scratching his ear with his hind leg, completely unconcerned with the chaos he had caused. Louise groaned, rubbing her temples.
"Okay," she muttered to herself, "let's just… go over this again."
She leaned forward, locking eyes with the dog. Krypto tilted his head, tail thumping against the stone path.
"You're a dog," Louise began. "A dog. That should mean you're just… normal. A regular animal. And yet—" she jabbed a finger in the direction of the ruined wall "—you did that."
Krypto wagged his tail, looking very pleased with himself.
"That should be impossible," Louise continued, eyes narrowing. "Dogs don't smash through stone walls like they're made of parchment! Even magical beasts don't do that!" She huffed, rubbing her chin in thought. "You don't have horns, so you're not some kind of bull-beast. You don't have claws big enough to tear through stone. And you don't look like a golem. So how?"
Krypto responded by happily rolling onto his back, exposing his fluffy belly.
Louise scowled. "This isn't funny! I need answers!"
She stood up abruptly and began pacing, muttering under her breath as she tried to puzzle out the mystery. She had summoned a dog. She was certain she hadn't botched the summoning incantation—at least, not in the way she usually did. But this thing wasn't just any dog. He was strong. Freakishly strong. Strong enough to turn stone walls into rubble like they were made of sand.
"Maybe it's some kind of latent magical effect?" Louise mumbled, glancing at Krypto again. "Maybe my magic accidentally gave him super strength? No, that's ridiculous. Summoning magic doesn't work like that."
Krypto rolled back onto his feet and shook himself off, his red cape fluttering slightly in the breeze.
Louise frowned, tapping her fingers against her arm. "Could you be an experiment? Some kind of magically enhanced creature? But then, why do you act like a completely normal dog? Normal dogs don't shatter walls, but normal dogs do chase sticks and try to lick my face like some overly affectionate commoner's pet." She shuddered at the memory of yesterday's fiasco.
Krypto barked once, sharp and cheerful.
Louise let out a long sigh, rubbing her temples. "Ugh. Thinking about this is giving me a headache."
She glanced back at the academy staff still clustered around the hole, their conversation growing more animated.
"This amount of damage isn't something we can ignore," one of the professors said gravely. "Whoever—or whatever—caused this needs to be identified immediately."
"I still think it was an accident," another said, frowning at the rubble. "Maybe a wild griffon crashed into it? Or a wayward spell during training?"
"We need to question the students," the older professor added. "Someone must have seen something."
Louise's stomach dropped.
"Nononono," she whispered, sinking even lower on the bench. "They cannot find out it was my dog. I will never live this down."
She could already imagine it. Louise the Zero had already been an insufferable nickname, but now? If word got out that her familiar had physically demolished a section of the academy—not through magic, but through sheer brute force—her humiliation would be complete.
Krypto the Wallbreaker. Louise the Demolisher. The Mistress of Mayhem and Mutt-based Catastrophes.
She groaned loudly, burying her face in her hands.
Krypto, sensing her distress, hopped up onto the bench beside her and plopped his head onto her lap.
Louise jolted, looking down at him in shock. "Wh—? Get off me, you brute!"
Krypto didn't move. His tail wagged slightly as he gave her a soft, expectant look, and his ears perked up just enough to make him seem ridiculously endearing.
Louise's eye twitched.
"…You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
Krypto's tail thumped against the bench, completely unbothered.
Louise groaned again, but this time, she didn't shove him away.
Instead, she slumped back against the bench, staring up at the sky. She had wanted a strong, loyal familiar to prove her worth. And now she had a dog—an absurdly, impossibly powerful dog who was so unshakably devoted that he'd break through walls just to return a stick.
"…This can't get any worse," she muttered to herself.
And then, as if fate itself had heard her words, she heard the voice of Professor Colbert from across the courtyard:
"All right, students! We'll be asking a few questions about the… incident yesterday. If anyone has any knowledge regarding the large hole in the courtyard wall, please step forward!"
Louise stiffened.
Krypto barked.
Louise shot up so fast she nearly knocked him off the bench. "We are leaving. Now."
Krypto happily leaped down, trotting after her as she hurriedly made her way toward the academy halls, avoiding the approaching professors like the plague.
She had a dog problem.
And nobody could ever find out.
Louise strode briskly down the hallway of the academy, her mind a chaotic storm of thoughts. The morning had already been exhausting, and it wasn't even midday yet. On one hand, she had managed to avoid the questioning about the incident with the wall, which was a relief. But on the other hand…
Her eyes flickered to her side, where a very content-looking Krypto padded along beside her, his tail swaying with each step.
She exhaled sharply through her nose. "Okay," she muttered under her breath. "You just… stay out of trouble while I'm in class. Got it?"
Krypto looked up at her with bright, innocent blue eyes and gave an excited bark.
Louise pursed her lips. That is not a reassuring response.
They soon arrived at the outdoor area where the students left their familiars during lessons. The academy courtyard was dotted with all manner of creatures, ranging from majestic and magical to, well… incredibly mundane. Tabitha's dragon sat curled up in the shade, lazily flicking its tail. Kirche's salamander stretched out on a sun-warmed rock, basking in the heat. Other familiars, from owls and ravens to foxes and hounds, lounged about, either resting or playfully interacting with one another.
Louise gave Krypto a skeptical look. "Alright," she said, pointing a firm finger at him. "Just… be normal. Do dog things. Play, nap, I don't care. Just do not break anything, smash anything, or draw attention to yourself. Understood?"
Krypto wagged his tail.
Louise sighed. "I'll take that as a yes."
With one last glance at her seemingly harmless familiar, she turned on her heel and marched toward the building, trying to shake the nagging feeling in her gut that she was making a mistake.
The class was well underway, and Louise had successfully avoided any unwanted attention.
For once, things were going smoothly.
Professor Colbert stood at the front of the classroom, lecturing about elemental spell applications, his voice calm yet engaging as he traced glowing diagrams in the air with his wand. Around her, students scribbled notes, some listening intently, others half-asleep. Louise tapped her quill absentmindedly against her parchment, half-focused on the lesson while basking in the relief that she had, at least for now, evaded catastrophe.
"Finally, a normal school day," she thought, allowing herself to relax.
Her eyes drifted lazily to the window beside her, drawn by movement outside. She blinked as she spotted Krypto among the other familiars, currently engaged in what appeared to be… playtime.
The giant white dog was romping around with a smaller, fox-like familiar, hopping around it in an excited circle. His red cape fluttered with each bounding movement, and his tail wagged like a flag in the wind. The fox gave a playful yip and pounced, to which Krypto responded by rolling onto his back and flailing his paws, tongue hanging out in pure joy.
Louise felt an involuntary smile tug at her lips.
Okay, she admitted to herself, that's actually kind of cute.
She tapped her quill idly against her notebook, watching Krypto for another moment before pulling her attention back to the lesson.
But just as she started writing again—
SCRATCH, SCRATCH, SCRATCH.
Louise flinched. Her eyes snapped back to the window.
Krypto was now sitting outside, pressed against the glass, staring directly at her with the most pitiful expression she had ever seen. His ears were drooped, his tail was tucked, and his big blue eyes radiated pure, desperate longing.
SCRATCH SCRATCH.
Followed by a soft, sad whimper.
Louise's eye twitched.
"Krypto," she whispered harshly under her breath, leaning toward the glass, "I told you to wait outside! I'll be with you after class!"
Krypto's ears perked slightly, but instead of leaving, he let out a long, dramatic whine and scratched at the window again.
Louise groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Why is this my life?"
She shook her head, forcibly turning back to her notes. If she just ignored him, maybe he'd get the idea and leave her alone.
For exactly three seconds, she managed to focus.
Then, something in her brain clicked.
A slow, creeping realization crawled up her spine, making her tense.
She was on the third floor of the academy.
Her blood turned cold.
She snapped her head back toward the window.
Krypto was still there.
Hovering.
His paws were resting lightly against the window frame, but there was no ledge, no foothold—nothing beneath him. He was just floating, his tail swishing slightly as if he were suspended in midair.
Louise's stomach dropped to her feet.
"…HhhhhHHHHEEEEEEHHH?!"
Her screech shattered the classroom silence.
The entire class turned to look at her.
Louise clamped a hand over her mouth, her entire body stiffening. Panic shot through her veins as she realized she had just made a scene.
Professor Colbert raised an eyebrow, and his lecture halted. "Miss Vallière? Is something the matter?"
Louise's mind raced at a hundred miles an hour. She couldn't say, "Oh no, it's just that my dog is literally floating outside the window." No, no, no, that would be insane. That would get her questioned. And questioning would lead to them looking outside, and if anyone saw—
Think! THINK!
She shot up from her seat, forcing an awkward, tight-lipped smile. "Ahaha! N-no! Not at all, Professor! I just… uh…" She glanced at her open notebook, grasping at anything, anything to save herself. "I-I just had a revelation about… um… elemental transmutation theory!"
Colbert gave her a skeptical look.
"Oh?" he said slowly, adjusting his glasses. "And what, exactly, was your revelation?"
Louise's brain went completely blank.
"Uh—uhhh—"
"Was it about wind spells, perhaps?" Colbert asked, his tone neutral but expectant.
"Yes!" Louise blurted out. "Wind! Air! Things floating in the air!"
A pause.
Colbert stared at her.
The class stared at her.
Louise internally screamed.
"I-I mean, how wind supports things," she stammered. "Yes! Like, uhm… how, uh… birds fly!"
Silence.
Then Colbert slowly nodded. "Ah. A rather basic revelation," he said, sounding somewhat disappointed. "But I suppose it's good to know you're paying attention."
Louise forced a stiff laugh. "Yes! I love, uh, paying attention!"
Colbert gave her one last searching look before turning back to the board. "Alright, then. Please keep your revelations to yourself until after class."
"Of course!" Louise nodded rapidly, then sank back into her seat, face burning with embarrassment.
She slowly turned back toward the window.
Krypto was still there, his head now tilted in confusion.
Louise glared at him, mouthing furiously:
GET. DOWN.
Krypto blinked, then finally—finally—drifted down out of sight.
Louise slumped over her desk, pressing her forehead against the wood.
This stupid dog is going to be the death of me.
The moment the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Louise bolted from her seat.
She didn't even wait for the professor's final words, grabbing her books and rushing out of the classroom before anyone could stop her. There was only one thing on her mind—her floating dog.
Krypto was waiting for her outside the building. He looked as cheerful as ever, his tail wagging happily as he spotted her approaching.
Louise, however, was not in a happy mood.
Grabbing Krypto by the collar, she marched him toward a secluded area near the academy gardens, far away from any eavesdroppers. She spun around to face him, hands on her hips, and glared daggers at him.
"What. Was. That?!" she hissed, voice low but furious.
Krypto's ears perked up, and his expression was a picture of innocence.
"You were floating outside the window, Krypto! Floating! Do you have any idea what would have happened if anyone else saw you?! I would be humiliated!" She threw her hands up. "More than usual, I mean!"
Krypto responded by sitting down, tilting his head in what could only be described as pure, oblivious confusion. His tail wagged a little.
Louise groaned. "You—! You can't just—!"
Before she could finish her sentence, Krypto let out a small, soft whimper and lowered his head. His big blue eyes shimmered with a heartbreakingly guilty look, and he nudged his nose against her hand.
Louise froze.
Oh no.
Krypto gave her another nudge, then tilted his head slightly, letting out a low, sad whine. His ears drooped, his tail slowed, and he looked up at her with the kind of expression that could melt the coldest of hearts.
Louise twitched.
"D-Don't—don't look at me like that! You deserve to be scolded!" she stammered, turning her face away. "You—you caused a scene! You—you embarrassed me!"
Krypto's tail gave a slow, hesitant wag.
Louise's resolve cracked.
She groaned, rubbing her temples before slumping against a nearby tree. "I hate my life," she muttered. "I can't even yell at a dog properly."
Krypto, taking that as permission, immediately perked up again, wagging his tail enthusiastically as he gave her hand another nudge.
Louise sighed. "Ugh. Whatever. It's lunchtime anyway." She gave him a half-hearted glare. "And you better behave while I eat, got it?"
Krypto barked once, looking very pleased with himself.
Louise had a bad feeling about this.
The dining hall was bustling with students, the scent of roasted meat, fresh bread, and various rich dishes filling the air. Louise sighed in relief as she settled down at her usual spot, placing a plate of food in front of her.
Krypto, sitting obediently next to her, wagged his tail as she set down a separate plate with some meat she had grabbed for him.
"There. Eat this," she said, rolling her eyes. "You're probably hungry after all that nonsense you pulled."
Krypto let out an excited bark before digging in, devouring his food at a speed that should've been physically impossible.
Louise took a single bite of her own meal before she noticed something.
A faint nudge against her leg.
She slowly looked down.
Krypto was staring at her plate.
Louise blinked. "No."
Krypto tilted his head.
Louise scowled. "You just ate. That was your food. This is mine."
Krypto let out a soft whine, his ears drooping as he scooted closer. He rested his chin on the edge of the table, staring at her food with tragic intensity.
Louise's eye twitched. "I said no."
Krypto wagged his tail.
"Don't you dare."
Krypto scooted closer.
Louise hunched protectively over her plate. "You don't even need this much food! You already have the strength of a monster. What do you need more for!?"
Krypto let out the most pathetic, needy whimper she had ever heard.
Louise gripped her fork tightly, resisting the urge to scream.
And then—
"Well, isn't this adorable?"
Louise stiffened. She knew that voice.
Kirche.
She turned to see the tall, smugly grinning redhead standing beside her, arms crossed in amusement.
"Looks like your 'amazing' familiar is nothing more than a beggar," Kirche teased, watching Krypto with an amused smirk.
Louise scowled. "Oh, shut up! He's just… being annoying!"
Kirche giggled, then suddenly plucked Louise's wand off the table.
"Hey! Give that back!" Louise snapped, reaching for it.
Kirche tossed it into the air, spinning it in her fingers. "Relax, it's just a little fun. You know…" She smirked. "Since you can't even control your dog, why don't we see how he does with fetch?"
Before Louise could even process what she meant—
Kirche flung the wand out the open dining hall doors.
Louise's soul left her body.
"YOU IDIOT!" she shrieked, leaping to her feet. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA—"
Before she could finish, Krypto dashed off after the wand, tail wagging excitedly.
Louise turned back to Kirche, fists clenched. "You absolute, braindead, incompetent—"
"Oh, calm down," Kirche said with a grin. "What's the worst that could happen? He runs, he fetches, he brings it back, end of story."
And then—
A loud, earth-shaking crash.
The entire dining hall fell silent.
Louise and Kirche whipped their heads toward the open doorway, their stomachs dropping.
Slowly, hesitantly, they rushed outside—along with the rest of the curious onlookers.
And there, in the courtyard, stood Krypto.
With an entire uprooted tree in his mouth.
The tree, roots and all, dangled limply from his jaws like a mere stick.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
Students and faculty froze in pure disbelief, staring at the massive crater left where the tree had once been.
Krypto happily trotted up to Louise, dropping both the tree and her wand at her feet. His tail wagged.
Louise's brain short-circuited.
She turned slowly to see everyone staring at the scene in absolute shock.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
Think, Louise. THINK!
And then, with the confidence of a liar backed into a corner, she threw her arms into the air.
"IT WAS THE WIND."
Silence.
Kirche slowly turned to Louise. Eyebrows raised sky-high.
"The… wind?" she echoed.
"Yes," Louise nodded rapidly, wiping sweat from her forehead. "A big gust! Just—whoosh! And it… um… yanked the tree out!"
More silence.
A noble cautiously stepped forward. "But how did it land perfectly in front of you?"
Louise felt a migraine forming. "Uh… It was a very precise gust?"
Kirche snorted.
Louise wanted to die on the spot.
Welp, Krypto is absolutely ruining Louise's life, and I am loving every second of it. 😂 She just wanted a powerful and loyal familiar, and now she's stuck trying to control the most overpowered dog in existence, who has no idea that he's causing absolute chaos. Poor Louise. She's fighting a losing battle, and I don't think she'll win anytime soon. 😆 Thanks for reading!