Familiar Evil (ZnT/Resident Evil)
Chapter 1: Summoned to a New World
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Tristain Academy of Magic, Kingdom of Tristain
Professor Jean Colbert watched as yet another student of his performed their summoning spell. The excitement in the air was palpable as everyone waited their turn, some more patiently than others, while those who already summoned their familiars took this early opportunity to start bonding with them. Most of the familiars were simply animals. A few dogs or wolves, some had cats of various kinds and there were of course quite the colorful array of birds. There were also several frogs, toads, and a mole that were brought to their new masters. Others summoned far more exceptional creatures such as Kirche von Verbst who had managed to summon a salamander, which perfectly suited her fire magic affinity in Colbert's opinion. Another student had a managed to summon a bugbear, which was more of a floating eye than an actual bear but the young boy was affectionately hugging it regardless. At the moment, the most impressive familiar belonged to Miss Tabitha, who had managed to summon a dragon. Despite how impassive Tabitha usually was, he could tell that she was pleased deep down.
He had to admit, this day was always one he looked forward to every year. To the second-year students of the renowned Tristain Academy of Magic, the Familiar Spirit Summoning Exam was both the day when they would meet their lifelong partners as well as determine what their elemental affinity truly was. As part of the ritual, familiar spirits were brought forth from all over the world to serve as their guardians, companions, and more. The type of familiar summoned also served as definitive proof of the mage's affinity. Those who summoned a bird or other airborne creatures were wind mages. Denizens of the earth, such as moles, were summoned by earth mages. Fish, frogs, and other aquatic creatures were without fail summoned by water mages, while fiery creatures such as salamanders were summoned by fire mages. Some were always disappointed at what the spell brought them, as well as what the spell implied about their magic, but the spell itself was a sacred ritual coming from the Founder Brimir himself, so its result was absolute. Colbert was already eyeing a few that he would have to remind of this fact, but at the moment he allowed himself to smile as yet another spell was successfully completed.
"Well done, Malicorne. Now, please complete the ritual so that we may continue," Colbert said proudly as the portly boy held up a small grey owl on his arm.
"Do…do I have to…?" Malicorne asked, smiling awkwardly while keeping the owl away from his face as far as his arm could stretch.
"Yes, Malicorne," Colbert reminded, his voice stern yet gentle.
Malicorne de Grandple gulped loudly, then summoned up the courage to close his eyes and slowly move his face towards the owl. The boy was clearly terrified that the owl might attack him, but Colbert knew that wasn't going to happen. The familiar summoning spell always managed to bring the most suitable creature for the mage, both in terms of magical affinity as well as having the right temperament. It wouldn't do for a mage to summon a dragon, only for said dragon to immediately bite his or her face off as they came close to a kiss.
Finally, Malicorne was able to seal the ritual with a kiss to the top of the owl's head. For a brief moment, a small light shined out from the point of contact, and underneath the downy mass of feathers Colbert knew that a familiar rune had been magically engraved onto the owl's skin. As Malicorne pulled his head back, he let out a smile as the owl recovered from the slight pain the spell unfortunately inflicted upon it, then the creature hooted happily while flapping its wings.
"I think I shall call you…" Malicorne started, then stopped to hum and think of a name. He then nodded his head again, and declared, "Cubasil!"
Colbert smiled once again as Malicorne walked back to the large gathering of sophomores behind him. There were the standard congratulatory remarks from his close friends, while others such as Guiche de Gramont peppered their praise with more self-congratulatory remarks about how their familiar was clearly superior. It was something he had grown to expect, and so long as the self-imposed competition between students didn't grow out of hand, he saw no reason to put a stop to it.
He then looked around at the students and asked, "Is that everyone? Has everyone completed the test and summoned their familiar?"
At first, no one answered, and with a quick accepting nod he said, "Alright, then. Students, you are now—"
"Professor, wait," Kirche von Verbst called out, raising her hand. The Germanian girl had a knowing smile on her face, and with everyone's attention focused squarely on her, she stated, "I believe that there's still one more person who hasn't gone yet."
At first, Colbert was confused as to whom Kirche was referring to. Then he realized it as well as the rest of the students as they parted ways, allowing him to see a short, petite girl with long pink hair trying her best not to be seen. It had been succeeding thus far, but now that Kirche had brought attention to her, everyone's eyes were focused squarely on her. Instead of the excited expectation that the other students had towards each other, their gazes and expressions housed only nervousness or outright contempt towards the poor girl.
Colbert sighed, closed his eyes, and shook his head before asking, "Louise, have you taken your test yet?"
Louise looked at her professor, then she steeled herself and resolutely declared, "No, Professor. I have not."
"I see. Well then, please step forward and complete the spell."
Without breaking her stride, Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière stepped forward, walking past the students right to where she was supposed to complete the spell. At the same time, she was trying her best to ignore the scathing remarks the students were making behind her back, and Colbert couldn't help but frown as he overheard them.
"Isn't that the Zero?"
"She's going to fail, just like every other time."
"Why is she even here? She's not even a mage."
"I heard she's not even a noble, just a commoner adopted into the Vallière family."
"Whatever. At least we'll be done with her after this."
Louise couldn't help but flinch at the biting words, even as she knelt over the ground to draw the summoning circle. Before the mockery could continue any further, Colbert barked to the students, "That's enough! You will all be quiet as your classmate takes her test. Am I understood?"
The other students immediately clammed up, and although Professor Colbert couldn't see Louise's face, he knew she was grateful for the intervention. She continued to draw her circle, which Colbert couldn't help but notice was immaculate in design. That was always Louise's strong suit, a thought shared by all of her teachers and tutors. When it came to understanding magical theory, Louise was second only to Tabitha among her direct peers. But it was when she tried to put her vast knowledge into practical use that everything fell apart. For some as of yet unknown reason, every single spell Louise would cast had spectacularly failed. Without exception, each of her spells resulted only in an explosion, whether it be trying to create a simple spark of fire or even lift up a piece of paper with wind magic. It all ended the same. No one knew why, and not even the best tutors the Vallière family could afford could solve her predicament, which had been plaguing her since childhood.
Which brought her to him and the academy, now. Although Louise wasn't admitting it, she and everyone else knew that this was her last chance to prove that she was, truly, a mage. They had given her an entire year to turn things around, but she hadn't yet. If she couldn't complete the Familiar Sprit Summoning Exam, a spell that was supposed to work for every mage regardless of power or affinity, then she truly was hopeless. Colbert would no longer be able to protect her, and she would be expelled and sent back home where she would be married off to some nobleman to live a comfortable life. He couldn't imagine the immense pressure she must be feeling, but he forced himself to remain neutral. Despite his care for the girl and her plight, his duty as her professor came first. It would break his heart to do so, but if she failed the spell, he would do what he had to.
Finally, with the circle completed, Louise stood up and backed away, raising her wand and closing her eyes to begin the chant. At the same time, the other students took a few cautious steps back, not wanting to be caught in whatever explosion they were certain was coming their way. Colbert understood their concern but remained rooted to where he previously stood, wanting to provide at least some reassurance to his student.
"My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière," she began, pointing her wand towards the summoning circle she had expertly crafted. "Pentagon of the five elemental powers, heed my summoning...and bring forth...my familiar!"
No explosion came, and at first Colbert thought that perhaps she had finally succeeded where she had previously failed. But, to his dismay, nothing came. The circle was inert, unchanged, and when Louise opened her eyes to see what she had brought up, her face fell.
"Louise," Colbert gently said, prepared to do the one thing he didn't want to do, but before he could say anything, Louise scrunched up her face and started over once again.
"My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière," she declared, this time much more forcibly. "Pentagon of the five elemental powers, heed my summoning...and bring forth...my familiar!"
Once again, nothing happened, and Louise looked as though she was about to cry. With a sad frown on his face, Colbert stepped forward and gently placed his hand on her shoulder to say, "Louise, I'm sorry, but…"
"Professor, please. Just give me one more chance. I know I can do it, just…please," she begged, which surprised him. Ever since he had met the girl, she had never been one for begging. Her pride as the daughter of the Duchess Karin de la Vallière, the legendary Heavy Wind, was ever present, which only grew more pronounced as her failures mounted up higher and higher. He strongly suspected it was a defensive mechanism she had concocted over the years, and if she failed this spell, it would completely crumble, and take her along with it.
Colbert knew that he wasn't supposed to allow this, but once again his sympathy for the young girl forced his hand. He sighed and shook his head, then said, "Alright, you can have one more chance. But, if you fail, you won't get another."
"I understand, Professor. Thank you," Louise said, giving him a thankful nod as he returned to his previous spot. At the same time, the other students began murmuring among themselves, clearly not liking what they felt was a display of favoritism.
"She gets to go three times? That's absurd!"
"Why does Colbert tolerate her? If I was him, I would have jumped at the chance to finally get her out of here."
Before the murmuring could grow louder, Colbert loudly tapped his staff onto the ground. The students got the signal and silenced themselves once again, although he felt a few harsh glares sent to him and Louise. Colbert ignored them, instead focusing entirely on Louise as she attempted her third and final summoning. Only this time, instead of repeating the customary spell that everyone else used, Louise sighed deeply before beginning to chant something he didn't recognize.
"My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe," she boldly declared, hoisting her wand skyward as everyone else looked on in utter confusion. Like him, they had never heard this incantation before, and were left perplexed.
"My divine, beautiful, powerful familiar! I wish and assert from the bottom of my heart! Answer my guidance!"
Louise finished the spell by gently waving her wand in a circle, then pointed it straight in front of her. This time, after a second's pause, the air in front of her exploded. Colbert was knocked down, with the rest of the students similarly affected. The courtyard was filled with black smoke, and he could hear everyone groan and cough as he recovered and began funneling the smoke away.
"Gag-gah! Just as expected!" a student declared while coughing into his fist. Other students were similarly coughing and making crass remarks regarding her infamous reputation, but Colbert ignored all of that to instead focus on his apparently successful student. His heart felt elated at what he assumed to be her first true success, proof that she actually belonged here.
Then the smoke cleared some more, and Colbert felt his excitement turn to shock. Instead of seeing Louise standing over her summoned familiar, as he had expected and hoped, he saw only an empty courtyard. There was nothing there, only a small patch of disturbed grass where her magical explosion went off. His shock turned into horror, and he ran up to the spot while clutching his staff tightly.
"Miss Vallière? Where are you?" he called out, looking around to try and find her. It was at this moment that the rest of the student body began to notice her sudden disappearance, and their annoyed murmuring gave way to confused silence.
"Miss Vallière, this isn't funny! Come out right now!" he demanded, hoping that she had merely run off for some reason. No one answered, and his eyes narrowed to the size of pinpricks as an intense fear gripped his heart and refused to let go.
"What…what happened?" a student fearfully asked.
"Louise?" Colbert heard Kirche quietly ask, along with a few other students who began to realize the implication of what had just occured.
"Louise?! LOUISE?!" Colbert shouted one final time, but to his dismay, she did not answer. It was then that he realized that Louise was no longer there, and he sharply turned around to the rest of the students and yelled, "Return to your dorms immediately! Tabitha, alert Headmaster Osmund and the other teachers, then go straight to your dorm! None of you are to leave until I say so!"
"Yes, Professor," Tabitha quickly replied, then hopped on top of her dragon Sylphid to fly up to the center tower at the heart of the academy. The rest of the students began to quickly return to their dorms, fear and confusion gripping them just as it did to him. Kirche von Zerbst, to his surprise, was the last one to leave as she stared at the spot where they last saw Louise with a look of horror etched across her face.
"Miss Zerbst, return to your dorm now!" Colbert ordered, which snapped Kirche out of whatever trance she was in. With one final nod, she turned around and ran back to her dorm.
Colbert turned his attention back to the courtyard as Kirche ran off, and he began casting every single scrying spell he could think of to try and ascertain his wayward student's location. The only consolation he got was that there wasn't any blood on the ground, which he prayed to the Founder meant she was still alive.
But every spell came back empty, and to his dismay, it was as though Louise Vallière was never there at all.
August 17th, 1998 1:05 PM
Raccoon City, Arklay County, United States of America
Saito Hiraga hummed to himself as he walked along the bustling sidewalk, listening to the Backstreet Boys on his Walkman while he tucked away his laptop underneath his arm. It was a bulky, heavy contraption, and it had taken him an entire summer to save up enough money from chores and his part-time job to actually buy one, but it had been worth it. His own personal gateway to the wide, unknown world that was the internet. Plus, he could play Doom and Quake on it, which was always a good thing in his mind. Saito had even heard that there were websites out there now that he could use to meet people, which he felt would be nice.
If only he could get the stupid thing to work, though. A few days ago, the laptop had suddenly stopped working, and he had no idea why. After a few days of fruitlessly attempting to fix it on his own, he finally gave in and decided to go to a nearby computer repair shop, hoping they might be able to get it running again. Hopefully without deleting everything on the hard drive. That would certainly not be good news.
At least it was a wonderful day outside in Raccoon City. The summer air was nice and comfortably warm, cooled by a gentle breeze, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Everything was as it should be, which was a nice breath of fresh air after the recent strings of horrific murders that had been going on the past few weeks. Murders that involved people being eaten. They had the entire city on edge, and only recently had things finally begun to calm down and return to a sense of normalcy. At the same time, Saito couldn't help but feel a tingle in the back of his neck that life in Raccoon City was teetering on a knife's edge, and he hoped that was just his nerves getting to him.
Right now, all he was concerned about was getting his laptop repaired. School would be starting back up a week from now, and he would have to focus on preparing for his junior year. It was hard to imagine that pretty soon he might be leaving Raccoon City, his home for most of his life, in just a few years. For the seventeen-year-old Japanese-American boy, it was a nerve-racking thought. Especially since he still didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. It felt as though he was just going from moment to moment with no real plan. Hopefully something would come his way and he would find out what he was meant to do with his life, but until then he'd live as he always did.
'Or is that the problem?' Saito silently asked himself, but he shrugged the thought off. Nothing might have come to him so far, but he had all the time in the world to find his purpose. If he was lucky, it might even come to him and save him the trouble.
Suddenly and without warning, Saito heard a faint voice calling out to him. It was in a language he couldn't make out and sounded like it came from a girl. He took off his headphones and turned around to try and see who was calling out to him. To his confusion, he saw no one, just a bunch of strangers going about their day. Shrugging to himself and figuring he was just hearing things, he slipped back on his headphones and started walking once again, his finger prepared to restart the song he had missed the beginning of, only for the voice to reappear. This time it was much clearer and he could hear what was being said, if not actually understand it.
"My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière," the mysterious voice began, throwing Saito for a loop.
"What the hell? Who said that?" Saito asked, stopping in front of an alleyway and turning around to try and find the source of the voice. The voice continued, still unintelligible to him yet at the same time vaguely familiar, but once again he found that no one was talking to him. Scrunching up his face, Saito held up his Walkman and looked it over, wondering if perhaps someone had tampered with it as a prank.
Then the voice started up again, and with a yelp he dropped both the Walkman and the laptop onto the pavement, and he scrambled to pick them up while the voice continued.
"My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe," the feminine voice boldly declared, causing Saito to stand up and turn from side to side.
"Whoever's saying that needs to stop. You're freaking me out," he declared, but the voice ignored him and continued. A few people around him gave Saito odd looks, but otherwise went on with their day without a care for his plight.
"My divine, beautiful, powerful familiar! I wish and assert from the bottom of my heart! Answer my guidance!"
"What?" Saito asked aloud, then to his surprise he saw a faint green light emerge in front of him.
He fearfully stepped back as the light grew larger and larger, forming an oval-shaped tear in reality, the inside of which was a swirling green vortex. The more curious parts of his teenage mind wanted to more closely inspect it, but the rest was too frightened to even attempt that. So instead he remained rooted in place, and to his shock he found that others were walking right past the anomaly without giving it a second's glance. Almost as though they couldn't even see it.
"What is going on? What is this?" Saito asked himself in a low voice, feeling his curiosity grow stronger and stronger.
Then, as he gently raised his finger to poke it, the anomaly began to shift and shake. Holes and tears formed in the green oval, whatever forces keeping it up now tearing it apart. Saito then realized what was about to happen, and he could barely turn around and yell, "Oh shit!" before the oval collapsed onto itself and exploded. He was thrown into the air and landed several feet away, as were several other people who happened to be nearby. A few car alarms went off and a few windowpanes were shattered, and a thick black smoke covered the alleyway, obscuring his view.
"Gah-gah! Is everyone okay?" Saito called out as he coughed violently, trying to wave the smoke away from his face. He could hear others call out, trying their best to figure out what was going on. At the same time, he heard some police sirens in the distance, undoubtedly alerted to the sudden disturbance.
Saito checked himself first, and he sighed in relief that he wasn't seriously hurt. At most a few scratches along with what felt like a bruise on his side, but that was nothing a quick spray of Cinatiropa wouldn't fix. That first aid spray could work miracles. As the smoke cleared, he found that the others unfortunately caught in the blast were in the same boat, more dazed and confused than anything else. The nearby cars weren't so lucky, and the sidewalk was cracked and caved in from the explosion. He reckoned that at least a couple thousand dollars' worth of property damage had taken place. It was then that he remembered his electronic devices, and he scrambled to pick them up to check for damages. To his dismay, he found that the laptop's screen was now cracked, as was the Walkman's casing. He hoped that they'd still be able to work, and he sighed while hanging his head and resting on his knees.
"What the hell was that?" someone asked as others came in to get a closer look.
"Jesus Christ, my car!" another screeched as they checked their vehicle.
"Did a gas line break or something?" a man suggested, scratching his head at the perplexing situation.
Part of Saito wanted to agree him, but at the same time he thought back to the tear in reality that he saw. He felt that it and the explosion were related somehow, but he had no idea what it even was. For all he knew, he was simply hallucinating after breathing in some natural gas, but it felt so real. It certainly didn't seem like a hallucination, but at the same time it would explain why no one else saw it. Saito kept quiet, though, not wanting to make people think he was crazy or, God forbid, somehow responsible for this. At least no one was hurt.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted something laying on the ground inside the alleyway, just behind a corner out of sight. Getting up to his feet, Saito slowly began approaching the object, and to his surprise he found that it was actually a girl. A girl wearing what looked like a cross between a witches' outfit and a school uniform. Why she was wearing a Halloween costume in August was beyond him, but he was far more concerned with the fact that she was unconscious. He quickly put two and two together and realized that she must have been caught up in the surprise explosion as well, only she wasn't as lucky as everyone else.
"Someone call 9-1-1!" Saito shouted as he crouched over her, trying his best to check her for wounds.
He heard people gasp as they saw what he saw, then several of them run off to the nearest payphone or police officer. In an outstanding example of the bystander effect, none of them decided to actually run up to join him and offer aid, which irked the boy to no end. Still, Saito tried to remember how to check someone for a pulse, and after a moment he pressed two fingers against her neck. To his relief, he felt a gentle throb, telling him that she was still alive. Saito then began to check her for any obvious wounds, but luckily he couldn't find any. Unless they were under that cloak of hers, but there was no way he was going to check that.
Then, the girl's head began to move and she let out an uncomfortable groan. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up to find Saito staring at her.
"Hey, are you okay?" he gently asked. The girl looked at him silently for a moment, and Saito prepared to say something else before she screamed loudly and slapped him across the face.
"Ow!" Saito yelped, rubbing his hand against his face while backing up. At the same time, the pink-haired girl got up to her feet and began shouting in a language he did not understand.
"Who are you?! Where am I? Where is everyone?!" the girl demanded, her head shooting all over the place, her eyes wide and panicked. "Professor Colbert!?"
"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay. Just calm down," Saito insisted, raising his hands gently to try and calm the panicked girl. It was clear that she had absolutely no idea where she was, and to be honest Saito didn't even know where she came from. He could have sworn that there was no one else in the alleyway before the explosion, and he liked to think that he would have recognized a pretty girl wearing such a unique outfit walking next to him.
Then the girl focused her attention on him, and her eyes narrowed before she raised a wooden stick. She began to shout, "You, plebian! I demand to know where I am!"
"Huh?" Saito asked, not understanding her in the slightest.
"Grrgh," the girl growled. "I said, where am I?"
Saito stared at her blankly and scratched his head. The more she talked, the bigger the sense of familiarity grew. It was almost as though her voice matched what he had heard earlier, but that was impossible.
"Lady, I'm sorry but I can't understand you," Saito slowly said, trying to act out his words with his hands while hoping that she would at least understand those. The girl stared at them, then she groaned while pinching her nose.
"Ah, perfect. You can't understand me, can you?" she said, and Saito hoped that she understood what he was trying to convey.
At the same time, as he heard the police sirens get closer, he began to pick up hints as to what language she was speaking. It sounded remarkably like French, and the only reason why we knew that was because of his high-school Spanish class he had to take. Funny how he could speak three languages to varying degrees, but when he finally needed to speak something other than English with someone outside of his immediate family, he was completely unable to.
Then, the girl suddenly tilted her head, still keeping that stick pointed at him, and he could tell that the gears in her head were beginning to whirl. Like him, she was clearly trying to recognize what language he was speaking, then she slowly began to ask, "Can you…understand this?"
"Oh, you speak English? That's a relief," he replied, answering the girl's question. At the same time, she gave him an odd look, as though the word English was alien to her, but then she shook her head and thrust her wand back into Saito's face.
"Alright, plebian," she slowly said as though she hadn't spoken English in years.
"Plebian?'" Saito asked, feeling slightly insulted, but the girl ignored him.
"I do not know where I am or how I got here," she continued, growing more confident in her speech. "So you're going to answer my questions. Understand?"
"Okay…?" Saito replied, feeling confused. He then scratched his cheek and asked, "I don't quite understand what—"
The girl's face then scrunched up in anger, and before he knew it she swung her want to the side and aimed at a nearby trashcan. She spoke a word in what he assumed was French, then suddenly a small pop erupted onto the metal can, denting it slightly and creating a small puff of black smoke. The pop was drowned out by the background noise of the city, but Saito could hear it clear as day. He stared incredulously at the damaged receptacle, then slowly shifted his attention towards the stick she was wielding in her right hand. With her threat made apparent, she pointed the wand at Saito again, and this time he leaned back, now certain that whatever it was, it wasn't just a harmless piece of wood.
"Now, let's try this again," the girl harshly began, her eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
"Uh, my name?" Saito started, unsure of just what the hell was going on. Then the girl dangerously tilted her head towards him in clear anger, and he gulped loudly before answering her, "My name's Saito Hiraga!"
"Okay, Saito," the girl said, clearly unused to the pronunciation but continuing regardless. "Where am I?"
"You're, uh, in Raccoon City."
"What kingdom is that in?" she asked, and Saito raised his eyebrow.
"Kingdom?"
"What country?!" she harshly demanded, poking her stick into Saito's chest.
"Okay, seriously! I don't know what that thing is, but it's making me nervous!" Saito insisted. "I'm as confused about this as you are!"
The girl looked at Saito for a moment, then her eyes narrowed again and said, "I'll put my wand away when you answer my question, commoner. What country or kingdom are we in? I've never heard of this 'Raccoon City' before."
Saito felt more confused than ever when she called the stick a wand. Did she mean a magic wand? That was insane. Magic did not exist. But, at the same time, he couldn't help but somehow believe her. From the voice in his head that he was now utterly certain belonged to her, to the tear in reality that no one else saw, and finally the fact that she blew up a trash can by saying a word. A word that apparently caused a small explosion. It really seemed as though magic, literal magic, was at play, and right now a very angry and confused witch was pointing her wand at him.
Taking another gulp, Saito said, "Raccoon City is the county seat of Arklay County. The country we're in is the United States of America. We're not a kingdom, though. We're actually a republic. There, I answered your question. Can you put that…wand away now, please?"
The girl looked at him for a moment, clearly not recognizing a single word he said. She also gave him an odd look when he mentioned how the United States was a republic, as though the entire concept was either alien or abhorrent to her, but to his relief she sighed and lowered her wand. She then said, "I suppose that suffices."
"Thank you," Saito let out, sighing in relief and lowering his arms to his side. A heavy silence fell over them, and Saito then asked, "I, um, didn't catch your name. Miss…?"
The girl nodded, then straightened herself, and declared, "My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. I am the daughter of the Duke and Duchess Vallière of the holy kingdom of Tristain."
Saito stared at her for a moment, then replied, "Okay…Louise. Quick question. What is Tristain?"
"'What is Tristain?'" Louise repeated incredulously. "It's only one of the four Brimiric kingdoms! Descended from the Founder Brimir himself, and one of the great powers of Halkegenia!"
"I may not be the best history or geography student," Saito admitted, "but I've never heard of Tristain, Halkegenia, or this Brimir dude."
"WHAT?!" the girl screamed, her eyes going wide.
"Hold on, is this some kind of hardcore Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying?" Saito asked, which made the girl shoot her head back. She then snarled, clearly offended by the insinuation and her fists tightened to the point where her knuckles were turning white.
Her hand reached for her wand yet again, but Saito didn't back away this time. Instead, he narrowed his eyes in both confusion and suspicion. He had absolutely no idea what was going on with her, with part of him wanting to believe that she had simply gone crazy from the unknown gas that had to be leaking out somewhere. But, at the same time, he still somehow believed her, or at least believed she believed what she was saying. There was one thing he was certain of, however. This Louise chick was not from around here, and it was far beyond what a high school junior was capable of dealing with. Luckily for him and Louise, they heard footsteps walking down the alleyway, and they saw a police officer walk towards them.
"Hey, what's going on over here?" the officer asked, and Saito sighed in relief. At the same time, he read the nametag on the officer's chest and saw that it read 'M. Branagh."
"Ah, officer. Thank God, you would not believe what has been going on," Saito declared, and Louise perked up at the fact that this was a person of authority.
"You talking about the sudden explosion?" Officer Branagh asked, and when Saito nodded he nodded back. "Crazy stuff. Were either of you hurt?"
"Luckily, no," Saito replied, "despite the fact that it blew up in my face. Just a few cuts and bruises, nothing serious. I saw her laying on the ground, completely unconscious, further into the alleyway afterwards, though."
Officer Branagh adopted a much more serious demeanor and calmly stepped forward to Louise. He kneeled slightly and began to check her over for injuries, gently asking, "What's your name, miss?"
"Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière," Louise replied, trying to put on an air of authority. To her surprise, however, Officer Branagh merely chuckled.
"Well, that's a mouthful. Mind if I just call you Louise?" he asked. After a moment, Louise slowly nodded, and Officer Branagh nodded back before saying, "You can call me Marvin. Now then, I'm going to need you two to come with me."
"Why? Are we in trouble?" Saito asked, feeling nervous, but that was quickly dissipated when Marvin shook his head.
"Not at all. We're taking statements from everybody, but since you two were seemingly at the center of it, I'm going to ask you your questions after I take you two to the nearest hospital. Does that sound reasonable?"
Personally, Saito didn't feel all that hurt, but the last thing he needed was to assume he was fine, only to find out later that he wasn't when in fact his insides had turned into mush from whatever that explosion was. Louise looked like she in a similar thought process, and at the same time eager to get away from this confusing situation that both she and Saito found themselves in. So, the two teenagers nodded, and Marvin nodded back before calmly escorting them to his squad car. As they exited the alleyway, though, Saito couldn't help but notice Louise's shift in demeanor. She was looking up at the Raccoon City skyline, her eyes widening in surprised awe while her jaw slackened. Following her gaze, Saito saw that she was looking at a tall skyscraper just a few blocks away.
"What? Never seen a skyscraper before?" Saito asked, and Louise, still looking at the skyscraper, shook her head.
"Is it…is it made of glass?" she softly asked as though she was struggling to comprehend what she was seeing.
"Uh, no. That's just the windows. It's actually made of steel and concrete, I think," Saito explained, feeling his confusion increase. Officer Branagh remained silent, although Saito knew that he was listening in and taking mental notes.
Then, when a car sped by, Louise shot her attention towards it, jumping back slightly. Saito couldn't help but compare her reaction to that of a small child's the first time they saw a car, and when a firetruck rolled in with its flashing lights and blaring siren, she shifted her bewildered attention towards it. Her reaction was yet further proof to Saito that she was definitely not from around here, and his confusion grew.
Finally, Marvin Branagh was able to usher them to his squad car, which seemed to knock Louise out of her stupor. Without saying a word, she hopped into the back seat, with Saito climbing in after her. He immediately put on his seatbelt, but when he saw Louise awkwardly staring at hers, clearly not knowing what to do with it, Saito sighed and leaned over to help. She didn't say anything in response, only giving a gentle nod as thanks. Saito nodded back, then Marvin started his car's engine. Louise jumped at the sudden noise, and Saito couldn't help but chuckle. His amusement faltered, however, after a few minutes of driving, and he shifted into a groan.
"What's the matter?" Marvin asked as he continued to drive, looking at the boy from the corner of his eye through the rear view mirror.
"I just realized that my mom and dad are going to flip out when they find out about this," Saito groaned into his hands. Marvin couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle, and he continued to drive both teenagers to their destination.
At the same time, Saito couldn't help but notice that Louise's face paled at the mention of his parents, and his confusion partially gave way to concern.
August 17th, 11:00 PM
Raccoon City, Arklay County, United States of America
Louise could only stare out the window in silent horror. It was practically all she could do for the last few hours, especially since the hospital staff had finished their tests for the day. They were going to do more tomorrow, she knew, but right now that anticipation paled to the utter dread she was feeling at the moment.
For as she stared at the single pale moon that sat triumphant in the black sky, she was forced to face the reality that she was no longer in Tristain, Halkegenia, or even her own world. Louise tried to understand how this had happened, but the only explanation she could think of went back to her Familiar Spirit Summoning Exam. She had attempted to summon her familiar just like everyone else, to finally prove that she was actually a mage worthy of the Vallière name, but after yet another explosion, she found herself no longer in the academy's courtyard. Instead, she was laying on the cold, hard ground, with an unknown boy apparently named Saito standing over her.
In retrospect, she had probably overreacted when she had met and accosted Saito, if only a little. But since she was in a place completely unknown to her, she felt her hostility could be excused. Right now, she was simply trying to wrap her head around what had happened to her. At first couldn't understand any of the written words on the walls, the text so orderly and uniform that it threw her for a loop Only after a few hours of staring at them did she realize the text was Albionese, or 'English' as these people called it. The dialect was foreign to her, and she had to focus on what she was saying lest she accidentally say the wrong thing, but the revelation did grant her a starting point. After that it took some adjustment, but now she was able to read the words more clearly. Some she readily understood, such as 'hospital,' 'exit,' and 'laboratory.' But others, like 'computer' and 'electrical,' made no sense to her.
There was one thing perfectly clear to her, though. Louise knew that the explosion Saito was referring to came from her and her failed summoning spell, and when Officer Branagh had asked her about it, she had admitted as such. She had been fully intending to accept the consequences of her spell, especially since it actually caused property damage and minor injuries, but to her surprise Officer Branagh hadn't believed her. In fact, he outright declared that magic didn't exist and that she must have been confused. He wouldn't even let her do a demonstration before the doctors and nurses wheeled her away again. The doctors hadn't been able to find any medical records on her, and as such had to basically create them from scratch.
She had blood taken from her body through tiny needles, inked stamps of her fingers onto pieces of paper, had to look through a strange ocular device that apparently gauged her eyesight, and somehow got to see what her bones looked like. Seeing those images had been both mind-numbingly terrifying as well as utterly fascinating. There were other tests as well, and more were going to be completed the next day before she and Saito got released, but those were the ones that stood out. She wondered just what they would do to her next, and at the same time wondered why she kept seeing the image of a red and white umbrella everywhere.
Now, though, she could only stare out at the moon in solemn silence. More than ever before, Louise Vallière felt completely lost, and she had no idea what to do.
[~][~]
Hello, everyone. Welcome to my latest story, Familiar Evil. As you can see, it is once again another reverse summon from me, only this time Louise pulled herself into the horrifying world that is Resident Evil. Specifically, a month before the events of the Raccoon City Outbreak. As you can imagine, things are going to get very, very interesting. Outsiders this is not, as I fully intend for this story to echo the survival horror themes of the actual games, along with a touch of action.
I hope you guys enjoy this story and let me know what you think. Special thanks to my co-writers/editors, NaanContributor and Jesse K, for their help in bringing this to life.
Enjoy!