Tristain Academy of Magic, 1330 hours

Louise Françoise Le Blanc de la Vallière shuddered as she pulled her thoughts together. It was the day of the Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual, which made her all the more nervous, as she was known for her failure to cast magic. This made her the target of insults from her peers, earning her the nickname "Louise the Zero," much to her anger. It didn't help that the rest of the class was looking on in anticipation, expecting yet another explosion from the young mage about to perform the summoning.

"Has everyone managed to summon their familiars?" their professor, Jean Colbert, asked.

"I think only the Zero has yet to summon a familiar," a tanned redhead, Kirche Augusta Frederike von Anhalt-Zerbst, stated, earning a laugh from the rest of the class.

"Assuming she can even summon one," a fat blonde, Malicorne de Grandple, chimed in.

"Silence!" Colbert barked. He turned to Louise. "Ms. Vallière, if you would please."

With a short nod, Louise stepped forward and began the ritual.

"My powerful servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe, my divine, beautiful, wise, powerful servant, heed my call. I wish from very the bottom of my heart that you heed my summon, please appear!"

An explosion was what came out of the spell, the largest one yet. A few students were thrown back from the shockwave the explosion caused, but aside from a few cuts and bruises, everyone was mostly fine.

Louise braced for the insults she knew that were coming, only to hear gasps of surprise.

A large, light brown carriage stood before them. It was unlike anything they had seen before. Colbert noted how its wheels were linked together by some sort of track. But what really unnerved everyone present was the large cannon sitting on top of it.

Seventeen more of the same carriages stood beside it, along with men in strange clothing with a brown and green pattern. They wore unusual helmets, have large packs on their backs, and wielded strange, musket-like weapons.

Almost immediately, chaos broke out among the men.

"Where the hell are we?!" one man yelled in perfect Albionian.

"This sure as hell ain't bloody Weeton Barracks anymore," another stated.

A din ensued among the gathered men and the strange carriages, mostly with questions as to where they were, how they could get back, what they should do, and anything else that the Tristanians were entirely unfamiliar with. Colbert and the students watched on with rising dread as the men got increasingly angry, stressed, and worried all at once.

This went on for a minute until one of the men pulled out something that resembled a pistol and fired three shots into the air, silencing the men and surprising the Tristanians, for they have never encountered a weapon that was capable of firing multiple shots in quick succession.

"Alright, shut up! Get your shit together, lads!" he hollered. He looked around before his eyes settled on Colbert. Before he could move towards the professor, though, one of the students spoke up.

"Would you look at that, the Zero has managed to summon not one, but hundreds of commoners!" Malicorne guffawed, eliciting a laugh from the rest of the students gathered in the courtyard. Louise, obviously displeased by this turn of events, was about to protest when a loud crack silenced the students.

Still holding the pistol, the man strode up to Colbert and swiftly grabbed him by his collar, spun him around, and locked one arm around his neck while holding the gun to his head with the other. Colbert struggled to break free, only for the grip around his neck to tighten.

"You have twenty seconds to answer me. Where are we, and why are we here?" he snarled.

"S-s-sir, I can explain everything, please just let me go!" Colbert gasped.

The students watched in horror as the man interrogated their professor. "I won't ask again. Where. The fuck. Are we?!" he growled.

Colbert knew that he had to act fast, so he gave the man what wanted. "Y-you're in the Tristain Academy of Magic in the k-k-k-kingdom o-of Tristain. You were s-summoned to be the familiar of one of m-m-my students in the Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual! P-please, I'm telling you the truth!"

The man digested this information for a few seconds before he shoved Colbert away from him and aimed his pistol at the professor. "The fuck is a familiar? Where the hell is Tristain? I want the truth now. Why did you bring me and my men here?"

"Sir, a familiar is a creature whose task is to serve its master until one them dies. I assure you that I'm telling you the truth," Colbert declared with conviction.

"The fuck is this, Harry Potter? We in Hogwarts or something?" one of the men piped up, causing some of the men to chuckle.

The man with the pistol glared behind him. "Can it, Brunswick," he snapped.

Turning back to Colbert, he holstered his pistol. "My men and I were in the middle of preparing for a deployment. Is there any possibility that you could send us back before our chain of command freaks out?" he queried.

Colbert blinked as realization hit him and the students. "You're soldiers? From which country do you hail from?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "Doesn't matter. Can you send us back?"

Colbert frowned for a moment before responding. "No, sir, I'm afraid I cannot. But I'll find a way," he said hastily, upon seeing the men reach for their muskets.

The man glared at him for a few moments before he spoke again. "Let me talk it out with my men."

As he went back to his men, Colbert and the students studied them. They were noticeably taller than the average Tristanian man. He was burning with curiosity, and everything about them fascinated him, from the way they dress, to the weapons they wield, to the steel carriages they brought with them, and where they originated from. He snapped out of his thoughts just in time to see the man walk back to him.

"They didn't like what I told them, but seeing that we have no choice but to stay here, we might as well get this over with. Maj. Julius Sickles, 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, British Army. We're currently attached to the King's Royal Hussars." He motioned to the carriages behind him before extending his hand, which Colbert shook.

"Jean Colbert, I'm a professor at this academy," he responded.

Julius took a step back. "So, who will we be working with?" he asked tersely.

Colbert motioned for Louise to step forward. "Sir Julius, this is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de la Vallière. She was the one who summoned you. Louise, if you could please complete the ritual."

Louise gave Julius a belligerent stare before she spoke.

"Kneel before me, commoner," she ordered.

"I have a name, kid," he retorted.

"I don't care, kneel!" the pink-haired mage repeated.

Muttering under his breath, Julius kneeled down on one knee as the mage strode closer to him.

"You should be honored that a noble is doing this for you," she said haughtily, causing the man before her to roll his eyes. "Pentagram of the five elemental powers, grant your blessings upon this creature and bind it as my familiar."

Before Julius could react, Louise kissed him on the lips. Almost immediately, he felt a burning sensation on his left forearm. He screamed in pain, and the last thing he registered before losing consciousness was his men rushing to his aid.