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Unfamiliar Zero

Prologue
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Pink eyes stared at her reflection in the mirror as the morning light streamed in through the large paned window. Flowing curly pink hair stretched down to her waist thanks to years of her refusing to have it cut despite the suggestions to do so from her mother. At least her sisters had been supportive of her decision.

Her smooth pale skin appeared to glow in the early light, the thin but incredibly comfortable fabric of the white nightgown she was wearing barely covering her petite body.

She lightly brought a hand up to her unfortunately flat chest and couldn't help but frown. She was almost seventeen years old now and yet her body still resembled that of a child. It was unacceptable to her, but there was nothing she could do except hope that one day she would finally grow into the woman she wanted to become. That, and of course try hard not to be overcome with jealousy as her peers grew into their womanly bodies around her.

This was sadly not something magic could easily remedy. At least not that she was aware of. The very thought of magic soured her mood, deepening the frown that had already formed on her pale pink lips.

Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière was a proper lady of nobility in the Kingdom of Tristain, which of course meant she was able to wield magic. That was, after all, what separated the aristocracy from the peasantry. With magic, the nobles were able to make the impossible, possible. They were apparently blessed by the gods, gifted with the power to bend the elements and thus the world around them to their will.

However the gift of magical aptitude was most evidently not given equally amongst the chosen nobility.

As the third daughter of the well-known and respected noble family of Vallière, she was held to a higher standard than most other nobles, and that made her current situation all the more embarrassing. Everyone from the commoners to her family expected so much of her, and yet as a mage she was a complete and utter failure. She could not deny it, as much as she would like to, but neither could she give up her studies and walk away.

She was now in her second year at the prestigious Tristain Academy of Magic, and thus far she has been unable to cast a single successful spell. Not for a lack of trying. She worked as hard as she could, studying all the magic books she could her hands on, and yet the results simply didn't show. She knew all the theory and had none of the practical skill. No matter how simple the magic she tried to cast, the spell would somehow fail and result in an explosion of varying strength and intensity.

Even the Academy's Headmaster, Old Osmond, a powerful, wrinkled old mage often hunched over and complaining of back aches, was unable to help her find a solution to her problems with spellcasting.

Halfway through her first year, the headmaster had once invited her to his office for a demonstration so that he might observe and potentially find a solution.

"Well," the old man had said with a pained expression after she had blown up his office, forcing a smile on his wrinkled old face as he laughed nervously, "Look at it this way, young lady, at least this shows that you're able to tap into your mana and therefore use magic. That means if you work and study hard you should be able to figure this out and one day perform magic properly. And if all else fails, you might have a future in the military with your... er... talents."

Or lack thereof.

Louise couldn't help but feel broken. Cursed even. The terrible feelings and thoughts welling inside of her were made worse as she observed her classmates day-by-day over the past year performing magical feats that she yearned to be able to do as effortlessly as they made it appear.

Truthfully, there were many nights that first year that she cried herself to sleep and thought of leaving the Academy. Of packing her bags and heading home, defeated. But Old Osmond did bring up a valid point.

If she could manipulate her mana, she should be able to cast spells, which means there was definitely a chance that one day she would find out what was wrong with her spellcasting and finally become an actual mage. She was not about to give up hope just yet, not when there was a chance to show everyone who ever doubted her that they were wrong.

Eventually, it was only this burning desire to prove herself, to show the world that she was someone worthwhile, that she was not the failure they saw her as, that kept her going. Despite all the taunts, insults, and looks of pity and disapproval from everyone around her, teachers included, she continued to show up to her classes and study. She was going to become a full-fledged mage one day, even if it took her to her dying breath to accomplish.

"Okay, Louise," she said to herself as she lightly clapped her hands to her cheeks to wake herself up while she continued to stare at her doppelganger in the mirror, "This is the big day. This is the day you'll cast your first successful spell. You're going to summon the most amazing familiar ever seen and this will be the start of your journey as a proper mage. You've got this!"

With a determined look in her eye, she gave herself a confident nod and proceeded to slip out of her nightgown so that she could get dressed.

A few minutes, some clothes, makeup, and hair brushing later and she was once again studying herself in the full length mirror, making certain that she was looking good enough to go out.

Her long black cape, signifying that she was a second year student, was draped over her shoulders and fastened neatly in front of her chest, partially covering the white buttoned up shirt that she wore underneath it. Fastened around the collar of her shirt and displayed prominently just below her throat was a golden brooch with the symbol of the Academy engraved into it - a pentagram that symbolized the five corners of magic: earth, fire, air, water, and the void.

In her right hand she held her finely crafted wooden wand, made specifically for her from high quality holly. A gift from her family when she first enrolled at the Academy.

She adjusted the short black skirt around her petite waist and checked to make sure her long equally black socks that went up to her thighs were nice and even. Lastly, she inspected her black shoes for any marks or scuffs and, finding none, smiled in satisfaction.

She was ready.

A bell began to toll somewhere in the Academy, signaling the start of classes, and Louise quickly made her way down from the dormitories and out to one of the fields on the Academy grounds where her class was scheduled to begin that day. Nobody seemed to notice her late arrival as she placed herself at the edge of the gathered group of students, many of whom were excitedly speaking to one another about the familiars they were hoping to summon.

Louise kept quietly to herself.

"Attention! Attention, please!" cried the voice of one of their professors, Jean Colbert, blue eyes scanning the quickly hushed crowd of magic students. He pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and then gave them a wide smile.

Louise ignored the sudden gaze she could feel coming from somewhere off to her left, where she saw a blob of red in her peripheral vision. Her hand gripped her wand tighter.

"Students! Today you will be performing the sacred summoning ritual to call forth your familiars. These are creatures with whom you will be spending the rest of your lives with as nobles, and once completed you will unequivocally be true second year students. It is an exciting day, to be sure, and I hope you are all prepared for the next step in your magical journey."

A murmur of excitement swept through the class.

One of the boys, a curly-haired blonde named Guiche, who Louise found to be annoying and really full of himself, was particularly energetic today as he hovered around a pretty blonde girl he'd been wooing for the last few months named Montmorency. He seemed to be making some headway lately and Louise had to give him credit. The young boy was certainly tenacious when he wanted to be.

"Now then, who wants to start?" asked Professor Colbert, still beaming.

It was Guiche who stepped up first, promising to call forth a magnificent beast of a familiar, but only summoning an earth mole. As her other classmates stepped forward one-by-one to summon their familiars, Louise suddenly felt worried that she might fail in this task too. Her confidence from earlier had slowly eroded as she stood outside with her classmates.

None of her attempts at spellcasting had worked in the past, why would it suddenly work now? The summoning spell was not a simple one either, but it was one that every second year Academy student should be able to cast.

Could she really do it?

As if on cue, the red blob she had noticed in the periphery earlier suddenly appeared next to her, tall and almost menacing.

With wavy red hair, nicely tanned skin, and a curvaceous womanly body, Kirche von Zerbst was, to Louise, an annoyingly beautiful young noblewoman who just so happened to be Louise's hated rival.

The appearance of said rival made Louise stiffen involuntarily, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she continued to ignore the redhead's presence.

"Well, well. If it isn't Louise the Zero," Kirche said, gleefully emphasizing the hated nickname the pink-haired girl had earned from her fellow classmates. Louise was certain that it was Kirche who started calling her by that nickname, with the rest of her classmates picking up on it.

"Leave me alone."

"I'm very interested to see what kind of familiar you'll summon, my dear Louise," continued Kirche as if she hadn't heard her, "That is, if you can summon one at all." The redhead let out a loud and very fake laugh that grated on Louise's ears and caused some of her nearby classmates to look at them questioningly.

Louise's eyes narrowed even further, but she didn't rise to the bait and simply stayed silent, grinding her teeth.

Kirche eventually left to summon her own familiar, sending Louise a flying kiss as she went, and it was a wonder Louise's wand didn't snap in two from how tightly she was gripping it as she watched the redhead summon a fire salamander. An impressive feat, second only to the wind dragon that the quiet bookworm Tabitha had somehow managed to call forth.

Of course Kirche would summon a strong familiar, Louise thought bitterly.

"Now, is that everyone?" asked Professor Colbert, clapping his hands together and smiling while he surveyed the gathered students and familiars.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Kirche in mock dismay, "We forgot about my dear friend Louise, professor! She hasn't summoned her familiar yet."

Louise was openly glaring at the redhead at this point.

"Oh no indeed! Thank you for letting me know, Miss von Zerbst. Miss Vallière, my apologies, please come now and summon your familiar. Don't be shy!" Professor Colbert beckoned her to come forward, flashing her a genuine smile.

Kirche smirked from behind him, petting her salamander familiar who seemed to have a smug look of his own. The two appeared to have bonded very quickly.

Shaking a little, Louise stepped forward as everyone in the class, familiars included, seemed to quiet down and focus on her. Many of the looks from her classmates were ones of worry and concern, with just a tinge of curiosity. She could hear them whispering, saying things like she was probably going to fail again and cause another explosion. That she didn't belong.

Her lips pursed into a fine line as she got a hold of herself. She wouldn't allow it. Not this time. This time her spell was going to work, and they would see. They would see that she was capable, that she was not a failure. This was her time to finally shine.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and attempted to block out the negative whispers from her classmates as she focused her mind, feeling the mana pooling within her. Slowly raising her wand high above her head and pointing it towards the heavens, she confidently spoke the words of her summoning spell.

"My servant that exists somewhere in this universe!" she began.

There were more than a few gasps and murmurs from her classmates at her choice of words. She ignored them and concentrated on finishing her incantation.

"My divine, beautiful, and powerful familiar! I wish and ask from the bottom of my heart, answer my call!"

Twirling her wand around as she felt the mana flowing through her, she opened her eyes and quickly pointed her wand down towards the ground a few feet in front of her. A heartbeat later and the mana rushed forth and, for a split second, Louise began to celebrate because it felt like the spell worked.

BOOM!

The tip of her wand exploded with magical energy, engulfing the class in thick smoke as the shock wave knocked a few of them off their feet.

There were some groans of pain and plenty of coughing all around as the smoke hung in the air.

"Well, that was to be expected..."

"... no surprise there..."

"... failed again. Poor Louise."

"... that's Louise the Zero for you."

"... hey! Who's touching my butt!"

The harsh words came from every side. And even Professor Colbert said something under his breath about how he had hoped things would turn out differently for the pink-haired girl that day, his head hanging a little lower in sadness and disappointment that it did not.

A strong wind suddenly blew thanks to a spell cast by one of the students and the remaining smoke cleared quickly. Afterwards, it took everyone a few more seconds to realize that Louise was nowhere to be found.

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Louise groaned.

Things definitely didn't go according to plan. All her talk to Kirche and a few of her classmates the day before about summoning the greatest familiar in Academy history was nothing more than that. Simple talk.

Another failed attempt at spellcasting. Kirche was definitely not going to let this go for an awfully long time. The redhead was most likely going to flaunt her salamander familiar in front of Louise as much as she could get away with too.

Louise groaned again.

As she came to her senses, she noticed that she was lying on her back on the floor. And the floor was cold and hard, very much unlike the grassy field that she had been standing on only a moment before. Even the air was chilly, which was odd considering she was outside in the warm spring weather of Tristain right before her botched summoning ritual.

She shivered.

Louise opened her eyes and saw only darkness. Blinking for several seconds, she closed and rubbed her eyes and opened them again. Still nothing. She held up a hand in front of her face and couldn't even see it. Her eyes were most definitely open, but the darkness that obscured her vision was simply absolute.

The thought of going blind thanks to yet another failed spell made her panic. Surely one of the professors or the headmaster could fix this? Healing magic existed after all. They couldn't leave her like this. She couldn't even imagine what she would do if she were to go permanently blind. To think that she could get any lower as a failed mage made her feel awful and she tried not to dwell on that possibility any further.

Then she heard it. The sound of someone taking a sudden and deep breath, like they had only now come up from beneath the ocean after holding their breath for a while.

The sound caught her by surprise at first, and she thought that perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her, but then she heard whoever it was take another gasping breath. And another. The sound of it settled into a rhythm, becoming less and less a gasping for air and more of a steady breathing, until it was beyond a doubt that there was someone, or something, nearby. This was not a trick of the mind.

All of her worried thoughts of going blind were abruptly tossed aside. The fact that she couldn't see what it was troubled her immensely. Perhaps even worse was the fact that, if it was a person, they made no attempt to say anything to her, and all she could hear was the sound of their breathing. But if it wasn't a person...

The thought was starting to creep her out. And scare her.

Louise sat up slowly, eyes still straining in vain to see anything in the utter blackness that surrounded her. She really hoped that it was simply too dark wherever she was and that she hadn't actually lost her eyesight.

"H-Hello?" she dared to speak, her voice a small and shaky mess, like the rest of her. "Who's th-there?"

There was no reply from whoever or whatever was breathing nearby. Only the sound of her and their continued breathing filled the silence.

Images of various monsters popped into her head and she felt increasingly frightened by the second. Her mind raced, trying to think of a way out of this.

Magic. Magic would probably help. She needed her wand. It was in her hand when she performed the summoning ritual, which meant it had to be somewhere close by.

Reaching out around her with her hands, she felt around the floor for her wand. Sure enough, her fingers brushed against it and the sudden sensation made her jump and yelp before her mind processed what had happened and she realized that it was the wand she was looking for. Happy to at least have her wand with her, even if she couldn't cast a proper spell, Louise held it firmly against her chest as she thought of what to do next.

If only she could actually cast something useful like a flame spell to shed some light in this strange, dark place.

She decided it would probably be best to get on her feet, in case she needed to run. Not that she knew where to even run to since she couldn't see anything, but it was taking everything she had not to completely break down and freak out and the possibility of running away at least made her feel a little better. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she slowly and carefully got to her feet.

Her legs were stiff and uncooperative, but she managed to get on her feet and stay upright.

"H-Hello?" she ventured again, this time loud enough for her voice to apparently echo.

Almost immediately, the breathing momentarily turned into a low growl and then settled back into a rhythm again.

Louise took a step back, wand held at the ready out in front of her. She might not be able to cast any proper spells, but explosions would surely come in real handy if she were attacked by some strange beast or stranger.

She listened closely to the breathing, focusing on her sense of hearing. While the sound of the breathing was echoing all around her, she could now tell that it was definitely coming from somewhere in front of her. She wasn't sure if she really even wanted to know what was in this dark place with her.

The chances that this was some elaborate prank were pretty slim, but for once in her life Louise really hoped that she was being pranked. This was certainly an over-the-top practical joke that she imagined only Kirche might be able to pull off, or at least one that the redhead would likely want to be able to pull off if she could.

"Kirche!" she managed to yell, hopefully sounding more angry than scared, "Th-This isn't f-funny!"

Louise held her wand up to her chest as she reached her left arm behind her, feeling for any walls or pillars or anything that she might bump into as she took another small and tentative step away from the source of the breathing. Her wand remained out and ready to blast away anything that might come at her.

"Seriously! S-Stop this r-right now, Kirche! O-Or else!" she demanded, feeling a little more confident now that she was on the move and nothing bad was happening yet, however there was a sinking feeling in her gut that this was not one of Kirche's pranks.

The breathing changed again, hitching for a second.

"Who...?" said a deep voice out of the darkness, startling Louise and making her whole body tense up. The voice sounded like someone only half-awake.

She stopped moving. She wasn't sure what to say, and before she could even gather herself to even think of a response, the voice came again. Louder this time. And somewhat angry.

"WHO DARES?"

Louise stared fearfully into the darkness as two motes of red light flickered into existence far ahead, and as she looked closer she recognized that those two red lights were actually eyes. Glowing red eyes that were looking straight at her.

She screamed.

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Author's Note: Just a little idea I had that has been getting some of my creative writing juices flowing recently. No, this isn't a horror story, but there will be some dark elements to it. Hope you enjoy!