Hello everybody! This is X the Reaper, having found inspiration to write a new story! This story's been wandering around my mind for a long while, so I'm gonna give it a shot at bringing it life! (Damn, this is becoming a thing, isn't it?)

Now, I know I should be working on my Fate story and/or my Sayaka story, but this little idea predates even those two! I came up with it roughly around the same time I started writing Fate: OSG, during the flashback portions of the chapters. I was struck by how interesting a character Edgar Silverstein (aka: Oswald the Shadow Knight) was, and how much potential he had as a developing character rather than an already developed one. So, in honor of this, I decided to write a story taking the basic idea behind the flashbacks and turn it into a full-length story...but not in the Fate universe.

No, our favorite Knight of Shadows will be heading to different world of magic to hone his skills and potentially find a new reason to live. And because of my research into Puella Magi Madoka Magica, I stumbled upon another well-known Magical Girl anime that I felt the warrior would feel right at home in.

One with a certain girl with giant laser beams and befriends people in the most awesome way possible.

(Fun Fact: This was originally going to be a sorta-sequel to Fate: Stay Nightmare, but I decided to go with the direction I did here, so I suppose one could consider this an AU. And while knowledge of my Fate stories is not at all necessary to understand the events of this fic, I'd recommend them if only for a good read.)

Disclaimer: Odin Sphere and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha are property of Vanillaware and Altus, and Masaki Tsuzuki and Seven Arcs respectively.

I hope you guys enjoy!

Tell me, have you ever heard the tale of Erion?

Long ago, there was once a great land that surrounded a massive body of water. It was comprised of eight regions: Ragnanival, the northern icy region that was home to the Berserkers and Valkyries, ruled by Demon Lord Odin; the forests of Elrit to the northeast, which was unruled and belongs to the native wildlife; Titania to the south of that, the domain of humans and ruled by King Edmund; the Volkenon Lava Pits further south of that, home to the Vulcan race and ruled by the immortal Inferno King Onyx; the Ringford forest of Fairies to the west, ruled by Fairy Queen Elfaria; the ruins of the Kingdom of Valentine further west, the only inhabitants that now dwelled there being the Pooka living underground; Winterhorn Ridge even further west, which was the home of the remnants of the Dragon race; and finally the Netherworld Endelphia, land of the dead, to the northwest, ruled by Queen Odette.

In this world of ancient world, magic flowed freely, and all manner of exotic races traded, lived and fought one another. Greatest among their weapons were the Psyphers, arms forged from crystals created by the very essence of life itself. For control of the crystals, Ragnanival and Ringford fought many battles to gain control of the most abundant source, found in the ruins of Valentine, its creator.

But always over all hung a prophecy: The Erion Saga, the psalms that foretold the coming of Armageddon and the destruction of all the old world, with the faintest hope of the new being salvageable. They foretold of five great disasters that would doom Erion and their counters:

The Beast of Darkness, Darkova, born of the blood of Valentine and to be slain by the inhuman child of Titania.

The King of the Netherworld, King Gallon, the former King of Titania who wrote the psalms in the first place and to die by the hand of his own blood, blessed with shadow of the power of Queen Odette.

The Inferno King Onyx himself, who deemed himself invincible as his destroyer was to be the World Tree, which did not exist in any form.

The Crystallization Cauldron that produced the Psyphers, which could not be stopped by sword or spear, but only chained.

And lastly Leventhan, last and strongest of the Dragon race, who would meet his end by that of the mother of the new world.

At last, Armageddon happened and Erion perished. But five warriors, both aware and unaware of the others and wielding five of the most powerful Psyphers in existence, rose up and challenged their world's fate.

Gwendolyn, the second Valkyrie princess of Ragnanival.

Cornelius, the cursed crown prince of Titania.

Mercedes, the unprepared and inexperienced Fairy Queen of Ringford.

Velvet, the princess of the fallen kingdom of Valentine.

And lastly Oswald, the Shadow Knight of Ringford.

They fought the five disasters and won, and while one ultimately died to win their battles, they succeeded in restoring the world to life with the very Psypher blades that took so many.

...However, that was but one possibility. There are many other ways that story could and would end, most ending in far more destruction and terror, but there are some that brought an entirely new direction to things. Some that even ended sadly ultimately would prove to pave the way to a far more happier outcome, even for some not at all related to the original story.

Shall we see down one such path? One where one of the heroes that wasn't meant to die did so in battle, and would eventually lead to another finding a new destiny?

Then come. Let us look through the Kaleidoscope and see what could be, would be, should be and is different for one of those chosen heroes, and how it impacted those who never would have met otherwise...

Uminari City (0065, Mid-Childan Calendar)

How much difference do a few choices make in the long run?

What difference is there between sleeping in for one extra hour? Finishing a job early? Sparing the life of one more person on the battlefield? Buying that last cup of coffee? Writing a sequel to a controversial book? One more voice at a rally for equal rights?

In the end, those sort of questions can't be answered effectively, for to do so and know the answer would require having to relive the exact same circumstances that brought the choice about the first the exact same way in the exact same state of mind. The 'what-ifs' must become potential outcomes, the consequences of the actions made hazy once again.

Still, for a young silver-haired man in his early twenties or so, walking along the sidewalk path, such thoughts flittered through his head with lazy and semi-serious thought. Dressed in a pinstripe black suit with tie and red undershirt, he cut a surprisingly handsome figure as he strolled casually down the road, hands in his pocket as he whistled a tune to himself.

It was a bright and sunny day with birdsong and clear skies. Why on Earth such thoughts struck him as he continued in his little journey were known to none but himself, and in the end he dismissed them as quickly as they had come, finally having arrived at his destination.

Said destination? Uminari Elementary School.

And speak of the devil, he arrived at the entrance just in time for final bell of the day to ring.

He waited patiently as the tide of boys and girls passed about him like a wave, leaving him as a beacon in the sea of eager schoolchildren. Several gave him polite greetings which he returned with smiles and his own quiet ones, but he otherwise stood silently for his charges to appear.

'What's taking those three so long?' he thought idly to himself, glancing down at the watch on his wrist. 'They're usually out about now-'

"Hey, Oswald-san!"

'Well, never mind then.'

Turning his attention back outwards, he watched as three young girls, each about nine years old, walked out of the school towards him. One was a girl with green eyes and long yellow hair styled into twin pigtails, another with blue eyes and long purple hair, and the last also with blue, almost indigo eyes, but with orangish-brown hair tied into pigtails as well. All of their faces brightened when they caught sight of him, quickly rushing towards his location.

"Uncle Oswald!" the orange-haired one yelled when she got close enough, stopping just in front of him with a big smile on her face. "You're here already!"

He offered them his own small smile. "Hey there, Nanoha," he told her, then looked up at the blond and violenette. "Arisa, Suzuka."

"Hello, sir," Arisa Bannings greeted with a smile.

"Thank you for coming by," Suzuka Tsukimura added.

"No problems," he replied, then looked at Nanoha. "Your father noticed I wasn't doing anything this afternoon aside from sparring with your siblings, so he asked me to go and see you three to your cram school classes before then. Being a good friend, I couldn't just refuse."

"You always do what my father and mother asks you," Nanoha said still with her smile. "You'd probably jump in a volcano if they asked nicely enough."

He gave her a mock look of surprise. "What? And leave my favorite honorary niece all alone?" he asked before ruffling her hair. "Not a chance."

"U-Uncle, stop th-that!" she said with some annoyance, her hair frizzling everywhere at his touch. "We still have p-places to be!"

Her friends just chuckled at the sight.

"So Arisa," Oswald asked as the quartet walked down the usual brown path to the girl's cram school, the sunset bathing everything a beautiful gold. "What exactly do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Huh?" the blond asked in confusion, looking back at him.

"I mean, Nanoha told me that your class was supposed to write an essay about what you want to be when you grow up. What did you decide on?"

"Oh," Arisa realized, then shrugged. "Well, I'll probably go into the family business and succeed my parents as company manager."

"And I'm thinking about becoming an engineer," Suzuka added. "I like machines, so I think I could do pretty good in that sort of work."

"Hmm," Oswald mused. "Not bad at all. Having goals this young means you'll be even more ready for when opportunities come about."

"...Yeah," Nanoha muttered, her voice growing melancholy. "Must be nice to know what you already want to be..."

Arisa looked over at her friend. "Not this again!" she explosively sighed. "Nanoha, just because you don't know what you want to do yet doesn't mean it's the end of the world! You've still got plenty of time to find your calling."

Oswald looked at Suzuka. "Has she been like this all day?" he asked.

Suzuka sighed. "Since lunch, I'd say. This is the second time we've had this conversation."

'Darn, Nanoha's been more stressed out than I thought.' Looking over at his 'niece', he tried to pitch in his own two cents. "Hey, Arisa's right, Nanoha," he told her. "You've got lots of time. I mean, there's always the Midori-ya if all else fails, right?"

For some reason, Nanoha's mood seemed to sink a little more. "Yeah, but I don't want to burden my own parents like that," she replied. "Living with them even once I've reached my forties like a no-good layabout..."

Oswald sweatdropped. 'Damn, even after four years I'm still screwing up this badly at comforting?' he wondered to himself. "Uh, I meant-"

"What your uncle meant," Suzuka said, coming to his rescue, "is that you shouldn't be looking down on yourself like this. You have some of the best grades among us, especially in math, decent at sports, and you taught him all about how to properly use a phone and electronics. I'm sure there's something out there waiting just for you."

Nanoha's head rose slightly as some of her previous gloom left. "Thanks..." she said shyly.

Meanwhile, Arisa stopped near a branching off path, which cut through the park. "Hey, stop for a second," she suddenly said.

"Something wrong?" Oswald asked her. She pointed down the path.

"Let's go this way," she said. "It's a shortcut right through the middle of the city. We'll be there in no time!"

"Are you sure?" Suzuka asked, giving it a pensive glance.

"Yeah!" Arisa responded. "The path's a little rough, but we'll be fine."

"...Doesn't look too bad," Oswald admitted. "Besides, if anything happens I'm sure I can protect you all."

Nanoha laughed a little. "Being a 'hero' again, Uncle?" she asked him.

"I can certainly play the part," he replied, though the words struck a slight cord in him. 'Even if I couldn't do the same for her...'

So prepared, the four entered the wooded path. As Arisa said, it was a little rough but nothing major, and there was still more than enough sunlight to see things even so shadowed as they were. Even so, Oswald found himself about seven feet behind the group, his eyes scanning those recesses frequently, body ready at a moment's notice to act.

A part of him ridiculed himself for that. 'Nothing's going to happen,' he thought chiddingly. 'Nothing has happened for the past four years. Why should today be any different?'

Suddenly, he was aware of the fact one of the girls had started to lag behind.

Nanoha was now behind her friends but still just a little ways in front of himself, standing in the middle of the path with her head twisted towards some area away it, as if aware of something no one else was.

"Hey, did you hear that?" she suddenly asked, coming to a definite stop. Everyone else also stopped and looked at her.

"Huh?" Suzuka asked.

"Hear what?" Oswald added, turning his head in the same direction she had, only to jolt when he realized that Nanoha had suddenly bolted off the path. "Wait! Nanoha!"

Nanoha was fast for a girl her age, but Oswald had reflexes far faster than a normal grown man, and quickly recovered to cover the distance in a heartbeat, grabbing her wrist firmly but not harshly.

"Mind telling me where you were running off to?" he asked, sparing a glance backwards to see the other girls hurrying to catch up. While that usually wouldn't be a problem to cover the distance, they were both a little more mindful of their uniform's cleanliness than the brunette. It was a side of Alisa that Oswald was honestly surprised to know existed, but he supposed being a heiress to a successful company leaves some impression on you.

"I thought I heard someone calling for help," Nanoha answered without looking at him, scanning for any sign of the supposed 'help-wanted' victim. Suddenly, she pointed. "It came from over there!"

He looked for himself. All he saw was more foliage, and he could hear no call for help.

"You're sure?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes!" she replied. "We need to hurry!"

He could hear the iron determination in her voice that showed she had set her mind to something. It was something he never ceased to be amazed about in the little girl, whose gaze could force even a hardened fighter to back down. And yes, he spoke from experience.

"...Alright then," he relented. "I'll follow your judgement." Letting her go, he gestured for the other two, watching from a little ways off, to follow. They nodded slowly and started moving while he followed Nanoha, keeping an eye on her to make sure she didn't trip or fall on anything.

Surprisingly enough, the girl was able to move without any such difficulty, only in danger of stumbling once before recovering her balance. Finally, he noticed what appeared to be a clearing coming up.

"There?" he asked.

She just nodded, then redoubled her efforts. Before long they were both in the area, looking for anyone in distress. Good news and bad news: There was no sign of any such thing because there was no one in the glade aside from them.

"Umm, Nanoha?" he finally said. "There's no one here."

Nanoha looked around confused. "But I thought I-ah!" she yelped, catching his attention. Turning, he watched as she ran towards a part near the center of the clearing where there was mostly dirt, kneeling down. "Over here!"

Oswald followed and saw what she had seen. It was a yellow and furry animal of some sort, dirtied and looking like it had been attacked by something. Oswald couldn't find any sign of an injury despite some dried blood on its form, but it seemed to definitely be in pain if the way it was slowly panting and had its eyes shut meant anything.

"Nanoha, move back for a second." He told her. She did so, and he took off his jacket and knelt down next to the mammal, whose ears twitched slightly at the sound and looked up at him weakly before dropping back to the ground.

"I'm gonna wrap this around him," he told the waiting girl. "Make sure he doesn't bolt or anything."

She nodded and he quickly wrapped the black cloth around the mammal, taking care not to aggravate any injuries it might still have. Still, the mammal shifted slightly as the cloth came into contact, and Oswald thought he caught sight of something red-

"Mou. Nanoha, Oswald-san, could you two please slow down?"

The sound of the other girls approaching shook him from his thoughts, instead causing him to turn around to see them rushing to where he and Nanoha were.

"What's wrong?" Suzuka asked, noticing that he had taken his suit off. "Is someone-"

"Just some sort of little animal," he replied, holding it out for the girls to see. And all of them, Nanoha included as the immediate crisis had seemingly passed, started to coo over how cute it was.

"Ahh, it's hurt! We need to take it to a hospital!" Arisa cried out frantically once the cuteness overload managed to fizzle out of her brain sufficiently.

"Um, that's a ferret," Suzuka corrected. "I think you're referring to a veterinarian."

"I think there's a vet somewhere around here!" Nanoha supplied. "I think it's this way!"

"Lead on, Nanoha," Oswald said, shifting the bundle in his arms to a more comfortable position. "We're right behind you."

Quickly, the quartet made another detour from their original destination in favor of getting treatment for the random little critter they had found.

'Rescuing ferrets,' Oswald thought to himself wryly. 'Truly my life has changed quite a bit.'

"Again!"

The clash of wood rang out once more as Oswald slammed his suburitō against Kyoya Takamachi's, Nanoha's older brother, own. With a twist, he disengaged and swung for the teen's side, watching with satisfaction as he managed to block it.

"You're improving," Oswald noted with some pride, a small smile on his face. "It would appear my teachings are finally taking effect."

Kyoya panted slightly, sweat on his brow as a grin split his own face. "Four years of utter beatings tend to do that," he replied. "Not to mention using a sword completely different from what's expected."

Oswald didn't reply, suddenly pulling back and swinging for his opponent's head. Kyoya tried to block it, but realized too late it was but a feint; Oswald's true strike came as a jab to the ribs, followed by another side blow and ending with a rap on the knuckles, forcing Kyoya to let go of his weapon.

"Any real opponent won't be fighting by the book," Oswald chided as he leveled his blade to the teen's neck. "You must always be on guard for decep-"

Suddenly, Kyoya lunged forward, using the momentary surprise to force the sword out of the way and throw a punch straight at Oswald's face. It was stopped but an inch or so from it, Oswald's free hand like a vise around Kyoya's wrist.

Despite this, Kyoya just smiled as he panted. "Getting closer..."

Oswald gave it a glance, and offered a smirk of his own. "You're definitely getting better and better at thinking outside the box," he admitted. "I might have to move to a sword I actually know how to properly use before long." He let go. "I'd say that's enough for the day though."

Oswald was honestly still surprised he was helping Kyoya and his sister Miyuki with their kendo training. While he knew the essential basics of the art by studying it in books and watching others, he had never used it in practice himself, preferring his...own brand of swordsmanship. Still, after an incident when he casually mentioned he could use a sword adequately, the pair hadn't stop asking him to show them. Eventually, he gave in and now he found himself as a sort of 'training-bag' for their progress.

Of course, he was the sort of training bag that could hit back and leave them nursing bruises far more often and numerous than himself, but hey, 'no pain, no gain' as the saying goes. At least it kept him in shape, and they were definitely improving.

He sighed, scratching his head. Still, he just hadn't felt into this practice today. His mind had occasionally wandered elsewhere, specifically the ferret he and the girls had found earlier today.

When they had arrived at the clinic to get the little critter treatment, it had only moved when the vet had tried to touch some sort of gem around its neck, which only then did he realize must have been that red thing he saw earlier, and it had shrunk back defensively like it expected a fight. Then it scanned the occupants of the room like it was trying to see if they were threats, seemingly flinching when it saw him, before it had settled on Nanoha. Heck, it even gave her finger a little lick when she presented the digit towards it like a peace offering before going to sleep, body coiled around the gem.

'Wonder what's so special about that gem?' he wondered idly. 'In fact, I still want to know how Nanoha apparently heard it 'call' for help-'

"Something on your mind, Uncle?" Kyoya asked him curiously. "You see a little out of it."

He shook his head and looked back at the teen. "Nothing," he replied with a sigh, then gave him a slightly cross look. "And please don't call me 'Uncle'. It's weird when you hear someone only a few years younger than yourself saying that."

Kyoya let out a snort of amusement. "You let Nanoha say it."

"Nanoha's young enough that I don't feel too uncomfortable," Oswald replied. "That was just a nickname your dad saddled me with, nothing more."

Kyoya shrugged. "Whatever you say. Still doesn't change the fact you're part of our family."

Oswald resisted the urge to sigh. Not this again. "I'm not really part of this family, you know that. Even despite everything I owe you all, I never was and probably never will be a part of this."

Kyoya seemed a little down at his words, turning away with a sigh. "You're still going on about that?" he muttered underneath his breath, so softly Oswald barely caught his words. "You are family now in our eyes. We might as well call you something to show that."

Oswald had no answer to that, just watching as the teen walked out. He just kept staring even as the dojo door closed.

"...I know..." Oswald muttered to no one in particular. "But...why can't I still accept that fact for real though?"

He was still there when Nanoha found him after she got back from cram school, just staring off into space. Her previous good mood immediately evaporated at the sight of him, replaced with sadness at the empty look on his face.

"Uncle?" she asked quietly. "Are you alright?"

He turned his head to look at her. "Oh," he grunted. "Hello Nanoha. How was cram school?"

"It was okay," Nanoha replied, deciding not to mention how she had spent a good deal of time doodling. "Why are you here all by yourself?" she asked. "Weren't you practicing with nii-san?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah. He did pretty well today. Why?"

"Well..." Nanoha said slowly, "No one's seen you since...and it's almost time to eat supper."

Oswald blinked as if just realizing the time. "Wow, really?" he asked, checking his watch. "Darn, you're right. Thank you, Nanoha."

He started to walk towards her, but slowed when he realized she was still standing there looking at him. "Something else, Nanoha?"

"You haven't been alone like this for awhile, Uncle," she replied. "Did Kyoya say something by accident?"

Oswald hesitated. It was just for a second, but it told Nanoha all she needed to know. "No, of course not," he answered. "I just wanted a moment of peace."

"You're a bad liar, Uncle," she deadpanned at him. "He talked about us being family, didn't he?"

Oswald looked away. "Can we please talk about this later?" he asked her, trying to divert her attention away. "We shouldn't keep the others waiting-"

"Uncle, be honest," she replied, her usually kind voice filled with the steel of determination. "This is about that, isn't it?"

Oswald gave her a stare with his red eyes, which she answered with her own blue ones. Dragons would have relieved themselves from the intensity of the forces being unleashed between them, enough to pulverize the very wooden building they stood in.

However, it was the adult who gave in, sighing. He had never managed to win a match with her yet. "Yes," he told her.

Nanoha dropped her glare, instead giving him a confused look. "Why?"

"Because..." Here, he hesitated, then continued. "You know why. I don't want to-"

Nanoha just sighed, walking up to him and then suddenly hugging his waist, surprising and interrupting him. "No you won't," she replied. "You have Father, Mother, Miyuki, Kyoya and me. We'll always be there, just like I told you before. We're not going anywhere."

"Nanoha..."

"You're not alone, Uncle," she told him again. "You just need to let us in and tell us what's wrong."

Oswald stared down at her, then just sighed, feeling his spirits rise just a little bit. "You know, did I ever tell how weird it feels to know that your closest friend is a little girl who angsts about what she's gonna be when she grows up?"

"You're one of my closest ones too, remember?" she reminded him. "You've always listened when I needed you to, always there when everyone else has someone else to talk to..."

He found himself holding in a laugh. "Maybe you should try for being a therapist," he suggested. "You've certainly got the 'understanding people' part down."

Nanoha found herself smiling also, noticing the return of cheeriness to his voice. "Maybe..." Suddenly, she remembered something. "Oh! There's something I need to ask you!"

"Anything for my favorite 'niece'," he replied, the use of his nickname for her proof he was safely out of his moody mode. Nanoha pressed the matter.

"Do you remember the ferret we found this afternoon?"

Oswald tilted his head. "Yeah. What about it?"

She looked away embarrassed. "I was just thinking...no, it's stupid..."

"Hey hey hey," he said, stopping her. "C'mon, you can tell me. What about the ferret?"

She looked up at him, scratching the back of her head with her left hand. "Well...I was thinking-"

"-can I keep him?" she finished asking her father as the Takamachi family plus Oswald sat around the dinner table. "I'll be sure to keep him clean and everything!"

Oswald just watched with a slight smile as everyone else put out their opinions while old Shirō tried to make sense of learning about an entirely new animal he had never knew existed 'till today. He looked about the table as he dug into his meal of soup and meat, giving Kyoya a slight look of apology for his actions earlier. Thankfully, he noticed and gave him a smile that told him all was forgiven.

"I don't see a problem with it," Nanoha's mother Momoko said. "As long as you intend to look after it properly: Feed it, clean its cage, all of that."

Nanoha nodded. "Of course! Uncle Oswald even promised to help!"

Oswald nearly choked on his meat. "Wh-What?" he asked.

Shirō gave him a surprised look. "Well Oswald, didn't take you for the animal type. You up for that?"

"I..."

Oswald stopped and noticed Nanoha giving him the puppy-dog look. Damn his weak will, but he couldn't say no to it.

"I...suppose there's...nothing wrong with...trying."

Momoko smiled knowingly, having noticed Nanoha's blackmail trick. "Well, then it's settled!"

Nanoha smiled brightly in victory, while Oswald just shook his head.

The room that Oswald called his own was rather Spartan, all things considered. Aside from a bed, a shelf filled with various books on different subjects like history and science, a desk and chair, and finally a dresser for clothes, the room was bare of almost any decoration. On said bed, Oswald sat on his back, hands behind his head and dressed in a white T-shirt and dark sweat pants, staring up at the ceiling. His thoughts were currently on the events of today, but they kept coming back to a particular subject.

A small, furry subject.

Now, it should be noted that it wasn't the ferret itself that had his attention, but rather the strange circumstances surrounding it. Nanoha had claimed to hear it calling out for her when ferrets, last he checked, didn't talk, not to mention she had been the only one to hear it for some reason. It had also seemed slightly more intelligent than just a normal wild animal.

Then there was that red gem that was around its neck. The creature had seemed strangely protective of it, all things considered. Now that he thought back, there was something strange about that piece of jewelry as well...

'Stop it,' he thought to himself. 'Whatever that creature's story, it can wait until tomorrow.'

But like a siren's song, the red gem taunted him with its vague familiarity. He couldn't help but notice that it kind of reminded him of-

His eyes drifted over to his desk as the thought that crossed his mind, though he tried to push it aside. It was absurd, ludicrous even. Yet despite that he found himself opening the side of the furniture up, revealing a secret compartment. He pulled out the black box within, shut with both a combination-and-key lock. He quickly produced the former from around his neck and rolled the five numbers necessary. A click resounded as the lock disengaged, and Oswald opened the box.

A sword roughly the length of his leg greeted his gaze, yet of more curious make one would be hard-pressed to find. It was fashioned as a broadsword, its handle and pommel were of the darkest black metal, the grip a slightly lighter dark brown and the guard a rusty red. The lower half of the blade was of a blackish-grey, giving the impression of a plain, if rather grand blade.

But it was the upper half that drew the attention and destroyed any semblance of 'normal': It was a blood-red crystal like some big cousin of the ferret's own, fashioned into the shape of the blade, somehow giving off its own internal light like a heartbeat that light the room in a bloody glow, as if it was somehow alive. 'Magical' was perhaps one word that could describe this object.

However, Oswald regarded it like something to be feared or grimly respected rather than admired. He gave the red crystal a look that spoke not of wonder but of cold observation. Finally though, he shook his head.

'Stop this,' he thought to himself. 'There are no more Psypher crystals. Even if there were, none bear this one's taint. Coincidental semblance, nothing more.'

Thus assured, he prepared to put the dark reminder of his past away.

Suddenly, the crystal seemed to flare brighter, as if filled with some ancient power. Oswald, unprepared for this sudden change, hesitated for just a second.

'...elp...'

"What?"

'So...one...hel...me...'

The crystal seemed to pulse with each word as the voice, faint but definitely a boy's, seemed to echo within Oswald's skull. In all of his eventful life the white-haired man had never heard another's voice speak directly into his skull, and such was his utter bewilderment that he just stared dumbfounded at his blade.

'Hurry, someone come and help!'

That snapped Oswald out of his funk. Quickly standing up, he immediately gazed outside his window, trying to spot anyone in danger. There was no one, yet the voice persisted.

'Where-'

He was suddenly aware of the patter of feet outside his door before the sound of the house's front door being open and shut reached his ears. Quickly rushing to his door, he opened it and quietly moved through the building, glancing outside the front window. His eyes caught sight of yellow and orange before it rounded a bend at running speed.

"Nanoha?" he whispered, then shook his head, remembering earlier. Who was to say she hadn't somehow heard the same voice he had? Though the 'how' escaped him, he decided it didn't matter right now. He stopped only long enough to put on a pair of shoes as the voice continued to cry for help, rushing outside with strange blade still in hand.

He decided to keep pace with Nanoha, who seemed to know better than him where to go, moving as if guided by some sort of supernatural pointer. She seemed to be doing a good job too, if the way the voice seemed to get stronger every second was any indication.

Finally, she stopped in front of a building. Oswald took a moment to recognize it as the vet they had dropped the ferret off at, then shook his head. Figured the critter had something to do with this. He could almost feel energy and power he hadn't seen in ages surrounding the place.

"Nanoha!" he called out, making himself known as he rushed towards her. "What are you doing out here?"

She turned and stared bug-eyed at him, especially at the sword still in his hands. "U-Uncle?" she asked flabbergasted. "Wh-What are you doing here with that thi-"

Suddenly, she grimaced and grabbed her ears as if hearing something scream. Oswald quickly made it to her and grabbed her hands.

"Nanoha, what's wrong?"

As quickly as it had come though, Nanoha's head suddenly snapped up and towards the building, which seemed to shudder as if struck. Oswald didn't say a word, quickly forcing her behind him as he lifted his blade, ready for anything.

He wasn't quite expecting the wall to explode though.

Shrapnel flew everywhere as something smashed against the stone on the inside and blasted it away. Luckily, neither member of the pair was hurt, though Oswald did feel a few small pieces smack against him.

As the dust settled, both of them looked up and saw the thing that caused the explosion. As a matter of fact, they saw two things. One was the yellow ferret, rushing outside to get away from whatever had started this. Not surprising in any way, really.

What was surprising was the black ball of fur with a demonic face that flew out after it.

Oswald just stared, more utterly confused than scared. "...Is this for real?"

His question was directed towards the air more than anyone specific, but it did snap Nanoha out of her shock, realization and worry overtaking her as she grasped (well, tried to at least) what was happening.

"We have to help Ferret-san!" was the only thing she could effectively figure out to say. Faster than he could react, she had already rushed out from behind him and picked up the ferret. The monster didn't seem to like that, screeching in anger as it dove down for an attack.

Nanoha's eyes widened as the creature's jaws opened, and she looked away in fear, already anticipating the sound of teeth snapping at her.

And indeed, a sharp snapping sound did resound in the night, but it wasn't that of a monster's fangs. No, that sound was far louder and had been preceded by what distinctly sounded like something getting struck by something hard, like a baseball bat.

"Nanoha, are you alright?" her uncle's voice rang out, but there was something distinctly different about it, almost...colder.

She opened her eyes and stared. In front of her was her uncle with his back to her, strange sword in hand. In front of them a little ways off was a ruined tree, under which something dark struggled to get out from underneath.

For some reason, she couldn't help but think of those heroic knights of legend, protecting the innocent from harm against monsters.

"Nanoha, are you alright?" he asked again, still not looking at her. The cold tone was still there, but it took her a moment to realize it wasn't directed at her.

"Y-Yes," she muttered.

"...Good." He seemed to relax slightly, but the tone still didn't change. "I'm gonna take care of this thing. You stay there with the ferret."

He said it like he was just taking care of a particularly unpleasant chore, like trash duty. Nanoha just blinked and watched as he started to walk forward slowly, sword glowing in the dark as he made his way towards the buried monster.

"Unreal..."

Nanoha blinked. She hadn't said that. She quickly looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Um...down here."

She looked down and found herself staring into the green eyes of the ferret, who seemed to look a little sheepish.

"Hello," it said softly.

"...Eh?"

Oswald thought he heard Nanoha talking to someone behind him, but he didn't have time to look back before the monster managed to force itself out of the tree he had smashed it into. It seemed to take a moment to reorient itself, but the moment it saw him it roared and charged.

Oswald quickly raised his blade and met its charge, both struggling briefly. It was the creature that won though, forcing him back slightly thanks to its momentum and tried to bite him. A quick jab with his sword stopped it short though, and it didn't seem eager to meet him straight on.

Of course, Oswald had no such prerogative and charged forward, swinging his sword. His strikes were swift and brutal, and while the beast was surprisingly quick, it couldn't dodge all his attacks, and what attacks that did strike cut through its form like mist. A powerful overhead swing nearly bisected it, causing it to move back with a roar as it reformed.

'So, I can hurt it,' he thought grimly, glancing down at his sword. It was obvious this thing wasn't normal by any stretch of the word; he could sense the source of that power from earlier coming from within it, as chaotic and wild as the creature itself.

But his blade was no normal weapon either. He could almost imagine his blade, deprived of sustenance for years, lusting for the creature's energy. Regardless, it was heartening to see that he could hurt it.

And what you can hurt, you can kill.

The creature seemed to understand this, because it immediately jumped into the air and dove back down, intending to crush him with its mass and end it quickly. Oswald saw it coming and dove out of the way, watching the thing demolish the concrete upon landing. He turned to jab it, but it seemed to understand his intent, zipping straight back up the moment it failed.

Thus began a deadly game of cat and mouse, with the roles swapping constantly. Fall, dodge, jab, jump, repeat. Their dance continued for several more exchanges, neither succeeding, though Oswald started getting dangerously close to winning.

Finally, the blob stopped on the ground and shot horizontally at the swordsman, apparently deciding a game-changer was needed. Oswald rushed forward to meet its charge, evidently agreeing with his sword ready to jab its nonexistent heart.

'This is it!'

"Ahh!"

...Or rather, it would have been if it hadn't been for the massive blast of pink light that flared out to the side of them. The blob stopped moving in mid-air as if frozen, and Oswald's surprise completely forced him to abandon the attack to just stare. He could definitely feel power behind the light, completely different from the power coming from the monster as a lake is different from a mere puddle.

'No mistaking it,' he thought in awe. 'This is...magic?'

Within moments, the light faded. In its place stood Nanoha, now wearing a white and blue dress with a red bowtie and white ribbons in her hair, clutching a white and gold staff with a red crystal in the head. And she looked utterly confused by what had happened.

"Nanoha?" Oswald found himself asking.

The monster suddenly roared and charged the new threat. Oswald cursed and charged, sword out to try and intercept the beast, but he knew he was too far away. "Nanoha, run!"

A pink barrier of sorts suddenly flashed into existence in front of Nanoha, stopping the beast's charge. Nanoha once more appeared just as surprised as Oswald, but as the monster tried to smash through the shield, she instead thrusted her staff forward in a panic and watched as it rebounded off, crashing against the ground in a heap and exploding into several gooey pieces.

"What on Earth..." Oswald muttered, still watching in surprise. Nanoha Takamachi had just performed magic, something he had considered a dead art in this place. Yet not only was it magic, but extremely high-level and powerful magic if the way he could almost feel his skin tingle.

He shook his head. 'Fight monsters now, ask questions about magic and dresses later,' he reminded himself. He turned his attention towards the pieces, giving them a careful look and remembering the creature's apparent healing factor. Sure enough, the pieces were already coming back together.

"Guess I'll just have to finish this," he muttered, preparing to draw upon his sword's power.

"Yes, but we need to seal it, not kill it."

Oswald blinked. 'That voice sounds familiar...' He turned his head and saw the ferret from before, staring at him and missing its red gem from before. He quickly put two and two together. "So, you're the one behind this."

"His name is Yuuno," Nanoha said from the sidelines, shaking the staff in her hands. "And this is his staff!"

A talking animal with a magic staff might have been higher on his list of priorities earlier today, but with everything happening right now it didn't even faze him. "Well, I hope you have a plan for that," Oswald said calmly, watching as the monster starting mashing together. "Because my arsenal is geared to destroying the enemy, not catching it."

"Nanoha can do it," Yuuno replied just as calmly despite the situation. He had to give the ferret points for good nerves. "Just give me time to tell her how."

Oswald had already started to walk forward, sword at his side glowing with a deep red light. "No problem. Just hurry it up."

The monster finally finished reforming its body and looked towards him. As if remembering him it roared and jumped upwards, attempting once more to crush him. It came down almost twice as fast as any other try, but Oswald's trained instincts allowed him to dodge it. It quickly jumped back into the air, prepared to avoid the inevitable jab.

Unfortunately, it didn't count on Oswald actually jumping into the air after it. Swinging his sword up, the white-haired warrior flashed a dangerous smile as the blade flashed with power. "Phozon Burst!"

With that, a burst of crimson light blasted out of his sword, consuming the blob and making it explode once more. This time though, Oswald swore he caught a glimpse of something blue within it as flew apart. He quickly landed and watched as it started to come back together, but much more slowly this time.

He turned towards Nanoha and Yuuno, who were both staring at him with wide eyes and mouths agape. "Anytime now!"

Yuuno shook his head and turned towards Nanoha. "Quickly! Just point Raising Heart at what's left of it and say 'Jewel Seed Seal'. Raising Heart'll do the rest!"

Nanoha nodded and pointed her staff where the blob was congealing together. "Raising Heart Seal!"

With a pink flash, Oswald watched as the staff, Raising Heart, changed shape. Normally, the end part appeared as a large partial gold ring with two exhaust valves and a white fin-like piece protruding from it. Now, the part near said ring opened up, protruding three pink wing-like fins made out of pure energy before a some sort of magic circle appeared underneath her. Those fins then seemed to force all that was left of the blob together into a tightly bound ball before piercing it with a dozen same-colored beams.

'What power...' he thought to himself as he watched the events unfold, the creature fruitlessly struggling to break free as its form seemed to dissolve from within. 'What kind of magic is she using?'

The monster gave one last strangled growl before its body shattered completely, leaving only a single glowing, diamond-shaped blue object floating in the air. Oswald stared at it for a moment, realizing instinctively that this was the source of the magic power he had felt earlier.

'It's almost like a Phozon crystal,' he mused to himself, resisting the urge to walk over to it. He had no idea what would happen if he touched it, considering what it had just been a few seconds ago.

"That is a Jewel Seed," Yuuno supplied helpfully, turning towards Nanoha. "Just touch it with your staff and its over."

Nanoha nodded and walked forward. Following his instruction, she tapped the jewel with the staff end, and the duo watched as the red sphere seemed to absorb the gem into itself.

[Receipt number XXI] the staff intoned, signifying the success of the sealing. With that, the staff flashed pink once more and started to shrink, as did Nanoha's new dress. By the time it was over, Nanoha was back in her pajamas and only the red gem that had been around the ferret's neck remained in her hand.

Silence reigned for a few seconds, then Oswald turned his head towards the talking ferret. "Well, now that that annoyance is done with, mind telling me exactly what's going on?"

And that's it. I plan to have the story with chapters showing the main story, along with some flashback chapters thrown in to show exactly what happened to lead to beginning as you saw it. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

Review, fav and follow people! I'm gonna give this my all!