I'm back baby. Time to give the black spirit and louise some love.

To the reviews.

Chronos 0305: Hello, The black spirit is quite an interesting being. More will be revealed throughout the story. As for playing BDO, It's quite fun.

Gold crown dragon: I hope I still do. I know it's been a while.

Guest: Here we go.

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"Yelling" / Important thing

"Black spirit talking"/ Flashback

"Thinking"

"Speaking"

Chapter 1: Insanity?

Tristain academy of magic

Hospital wing

Darkness was all that Louise saw for quite a while. She felt like she was swimming in an empty cavern deep below the earth. However, it wasn't water or any liquid that she floated in. This was floating in the air. Then the area she was in lit up by a strong gray light. She found herself floating in an empty void as far as the eye could see. She saw a small silver and black rectangle somewhat far ahead of her. She willed her body to move forward and she floated quickly towards the shape in front of her.

As she got closer, the shape revealed itself to be a long metal rectangle of a silvery black color slowly rotating around an inky black ball the size of a human head. It drew her in, as if magnetic. floating over to it, Louise observed it. Floating around and investigating it from all sides. The inky blackness showed nothing but a mirror on the outside. It was then that she saw her reflection. It was not that of the small girl that she had expected, but that of a woman, as if she had grown to thirty or so years old.

Her softer features had sharpened out and her once innocent looking eyes had changed into those of a hawk or a lion. Her face had a stressful look on it, as if it acclimated to hardships over the many years of life.

The one thing that irked her slightly was that she was naked, as if to say she could hide nothing from whatever this orb was, however, this was a dream, so she didn't really care too much. She then reached out and touched the orb, as her curiosity was reaching it's limits. As soon as she touched it, the world spun, causing her to shut her eyes and grit her teeth.

When she opened her eyes, she was on the top of a large stone wall overlooking a rocky cliff. However, before she could get a grip of her surroundings a noise broke her concentration.

Screee! Screee!

A loud bird call was heard directly above her. Looking up, she saw what could only be a monster. It was a desecration of humanity and nature. A foul monster that was a cross between a hideous woman and a bird from the chest down flapped towards her.

She tried reaching for her wand on instinct only to find nothing causing her to try to roll to the side as if by instinct. However, her clumsy body could not complete the task before the sharp talons tore through her. At least that's what she thought would happen.

However, the bird went right through her as if she were a ghost, not even noticing her in the slightest. As it landed, it called out a name.

"Caww, Jordine, I knew you would do this. Caww, Let us work to gather caww! We can take Calpheon together Caww"

Schlik

The wet sound of an incredibly sharp blade slicing through flesh and bone caused Louise to turn around towards the sound. When she did, she almost threw up. A large spray of blood coated the ground right up to her. If she was actually there, she would have been sprayed with hot blood.

That made her want to throw up, but she was incapable of it so instead she winced. Standing over the decapitated body was a thickly muscled blonde haired man wielding a well made long sword coated in blood in a set of steel plate armor from body to toe. His face wore a look of abject disgust.

"Disgusting harpy princess. Useless fools and pawns like you deserve not but death. As much as Calpheon needs death and destruction, I will not join with monsters. Heidel has no room for that. Speaking of monsters, I sense dark energy nearby" Then the man looked directly at Louise.

"I see I am not alone" He said as if disappointed in something before turning to his right and scoffing.

"You don't hide yourself and your spies very well mage"

Turning to where the man was looking, Louise saw a man in a black robe with silver trim that was shrouded in a black smoke like energy. It had a black mask with a monster's face made of silver trim. Next to him were also men in similar outfits each with less intricate masks.

"We're not hiding from you Jordine, We're making sure you don't get noticed with us. If we wanted to hide neither you or anyone in heidel could find us. That aside, do you have the stone?" came the low and rough voice from the man behind the mask.

Jordine scoffed and took a black stone the size of a hand out of a small satchel on his waist.

"Here it is. Did you really think I wouldn't have it?"

The man in the dark robes opened his right hand towards Jordine and the stone pulsed with a dark black energy and it flew into the man's hand.

"You have failed before Jordine, Don't forget that" were the last words of the robed man before he dissipated, leaving nothing behind but a small swirling orb of black energy.

Jordaine shook his head and scowled at the orb as if hating it, but he still walked up to it and put his hand out to it. The orb shook and seized before being absorbed into his hand.

"Curse you Shadow Knights"

Jordine spit on the ground where the mage was before turning towards Louise who was now a mix of frightened and confused and scowled. However, he didn't do anything other than walk down a nearby staircase leading down from the wall.

Then Louise woke up.

She was lying in a bed in the hospital wing of school. She felt exhausted, even though she had rested. Mana depletion was serious and could do irreversible damage if taken to the extreme. At the moment she was wearing her school outfit with a cold and wet towel folded over her forehead.

Taking the towel off and placing it on the small brown wood table next to her bed, she looked around. The room she was in was rather small. It had one window overlooking a small courtyard next to the academy wall that rose above her window.

The room itself was of hewn stone with a wooden plank floor that was varnished and had a few rugs in certain areas. There was a dresser and a small table on wheels that had a few books on it. One was lying open as if the person who was reading them had recently left. Next to that was a wooden chair with violet cloth cushions.

Just as she was reaching her conclusions, a knocking was heard at the closed door that led to the hallway.

"Who is it?" Louise asked whoever was on the other side.

"Mr. Colbert. I've been watching to make sure you're okay. Do you mind if I come in?"

"No, come in" Louise responded, thankful that it was the kind teacher and not a student that would bully her.

The door creaked open before a tall middle aged man in a blue many pocketed robe entered the room. The top of his head was balding and he had short hair on the sides, similar to how a monk would have his hair. He had small, half moon spectacles that covered his sharp blue eyes, howevver, his smile was warm and genuine.

"I'm glad to see you're awake and okay. Mana depletion gets rough. Though it seems you are well on your way to recovery. Tell me, what do you think of war, louise?"

Louise raised her right eyebrow in confusion.

"The threat of it Is necessary to keep peace as long as it can stay as a deterrent. Why do you ask?"

Colbert sighed with a bitter smile then decided to not beat around the bush.

" I'm glad your mental state has not changed, as much as I dislike war. Forgive my strange question, It's just that mana exhaustion does things to people and you seemed very distraught as you slept. The nurse that was watching you heard you saying a name over and over in your sleep while thrashing around and felt it necessary to call for my for my expedient arrival. If I recall, it was 'Jordine'. Who is he?"

Louise who was lying down, shot upright at the name. Even if only a dream, the heretical and disturbing dream felt so real. She would never forget the situation that played out in front of her.

"I had a nightmare. It was horrible. I was standing on a cliff side wall and a bird woman monster thing flew down at me. It's claws would have sliced me, but it flew through me as if i didn't exist, And it asked this man, Jordine if he wanted to team up to destroy 'Calpheon'. Whatever that is. Then he sliced it's head offf and it looked and felt so real.

Then he looked at me as if he could see me. I was scared. Before he did anything a mage showed up, and it looked like a demon from stories and took a black stone from him and disappeared. Then Jordine took a black energy from the air and looked at me. I was scared. It felt so real and I didn't have my wand".

Louise told Colbert what she could remember before saying.

"Something happened before but I can't remember what. I'm sorry".

Colbert sighed with relief.

"It was just a nightmare. Don't worry too much. Though this 'Calpheon' Is a name I feel I have heard somewhere vaguely before. I will look into it. For now just rest and recover. Are you hungry? I can send a meal to you if you want?" He said while trying to comfort the nervous Louise who was slightly trembling.

"Yes, please. I'm quite hungry" Came the reply of Louise who was getting over the dreadful memory.

"Alright. I'll send for some food" Colbert said before exiting the room.

Lying back down with her hand on her forehead that was quite sweaty from her nervous outbreak, Louise let out a long breath. She usually didn't let nightmares get to her so much, but something about that one didn't sit well with her at all.

"Hahahahahaha. You're quite upset little one. Take a rest" Came a distorted voice of what sounded like a very young child.

"Who's there?" Louise asked trying her best to be intimidating while reaching for her wand at her waist. Sadly it was not there.

"Hehehehehe. So violent. Is that how you greet your benevolent savior?" came the distorted and creepy voice.

"My savior? I don't believe that for a second. Show yourself then we can talk" Louise almost shouted at whatever was speaking.

"Very well little human" came the voice.

At the end of the bed floated a small ball of black smoky energy the size of a big book, similar to that from her dream, however, this had two red dots that occasionally blinked like eyes.

"Ahhhhh! Monster!" Louise screamed while trying to get up to run away, but found her body unresponsive.

"Louise, Louise. I'm not a monster. I'm a spirit, a ghost so to say and I mean you no harm. Forgive my restraints, I can't have you going around and yelling about me to everyone. That would be troublesome" it stayed silent for a while as Louise glared at it.

"Release me! Now!" Louise almost snarled as she glared at it. This spirit, dared to restrain her and almost mock her. The nerve it had.

"I'm going to need your word you wont run away. It would get troublesome if people thought my 'Master' was going insane hehehe" It said while it inflected master weirdly.

Louise struggled against her invisible restraints but still could not move anything other than her head.

"Fine! I'll hear you out. Not like it will change anything monster!" She growled before she regained use of her body.

"Very good. I'll be brief. You summoned me human. Of course your little binding magic was instantly negated, but you did succeed in pulling me here. Now for fun, I have bound myself to you, like I have many others in the past. You'll come to find this has many benefits. Some may be found in unsavory ways hehehe" As it laughed it flew across the room, leaving a trail of black energy that slowly dissolved.

"Who are you?" Louise asked still angry but now curious.

"Why your familiar of course. However, this will be a mutually beneficial relationship. I only need one thing. You. " the spirit said the last part like it was speaking to a child.

"What's the catch? Do I lose my soul? Do I get corrupted? Will my life be a living hell?" Louise asked. From what she read in the past, beings of spiritual or divine forms required payment of some sort.

"Hehehehehehehe. None of the sort. I don't need the soul of a weakling like you. I have many of those already. All i need is for you to get stronger. By doing so, I will also grow. No other payment will ever be necessary".

"Is that so? What of the people that see you? The church will surely send people to kill you and me if we were to join each other in our goals" Louise asked, still not liking the idea of being bound to this spirit. For all she knew, it had already taken her soul as payment and it was just playing with her head. She would be none the wiser.

"I can make myself invisible and inaudible to anyone I don't want seeing me. It's quite a handy ability. Just ask the black scale nagas hehehehe" It said before bursting into laughter while zipping about.

"And if I say no?" Louise asked, a feeling of dread creeping up on her.

"Nothing really changes. I'll still be bound to you, always in your shadow but we just won't talk much and you won't get stronger. Surely that is something you want badly, to be stronger?" it asked, pressing the right buttons of her mind.

Louise sighed defeated. She was pretty sure there was nothing she could do about her situation.

"F...fi...fine! I'll work with you. Just don't do anything to me" She spit out as if each word was painful to say.

"Hehehe They say humans always desire chaos because they have to be in it. They need it. YOU need it. Hehehehehe. I'll tell you more later. For now, Your friend is back" The spirit said before turning it's eyes towards the door.

"Don't worry, he can't see me" it said bemusedly.

Seconds later Mr. Colbert's voice came through.

"I have your food. Can you open up please? My hands are full"

"Coming" Louise said while shakily getting up from the bed, He body still recovering from whatever magic the spirit used on her.

Seconds later she opened the door and Colbert came in.

"It feels a little colder in here. That's odd" He said as he put down the food on the table in the middle of the room. The meal consisted of three chicken drumsticks, various vegetables, potatoes and bread. It also came with two glasses of milk.

"I figured you needed something strong to help you recover. This meal is full of nutrients to help your body recover it's energy. You know, I've heard that a good and hearty meal helps your magic grow. While it's not confirmed, it does help your body" He said to try to cheer her up.

"Thank you mister Colbert" Louise said in her best normal voice she could muster.

"You're welcome. I know you're still recovering from your mana exhaustion but I'm sure you'll be okay in no time" Colbert smiled as he looked at Louise.

"As of now, you won't be going to class for two days. Try to rest and keep your head up. I will take my leave now. Have a maid call for me if anything happens or you need something" he said before stepping to leave.

"Thank you mister Colbert" she said again, This time in utmost sincerity.

"No problem" He said as he left.

"He truly cares for you. That's touching. I wonder how long that will last?" The spirit said as if to remind Louise it was still there and to prove its claims about his invisibility.

"So as my first blessing to you, I will give you a choice. If you were to fight something, how would you do it? With your fists, a blade or magic?"

"Magic of course? Why was that even a question?" Louise said while giving the spirit a strange look.

"Hehehe, Very well. Why I asked doesn't matter. Clench your teeth and hold on to something. This will hurt. A lot" The spirit said before diving at her.

"Wait, what AAAAAHHHRGHHH" Louise let out a scream of pure agony, As if her entire body was being built and reformed, as if her entire self was being rewritten down to her very soul.

In between her screams she had bitten her lips so hard there were large gashes from her teeth, but such a thing was meaningless at the moment.

Maids rushed in to check on her immediately after hearing her screaming and saw her screaming and convulsing as if her entire body was being ripped to shreds. Immediately sending one to run for Colbert.

Minutes later, Colbert and the maid returned. Seeing Louise's state, he called one of the maids over.

"Get the headmaster immediately. Louise has gone into Mana shock. Her very life and soul is being consumed as a last ditch effort to keep her body alive. I didn't know she used that much mana up!" He said in frantic panic.

The maid stood there looking at him a scared look in her face.

"RUN YOU FOOL!" he screamed.

That broke her out of her trance and she ran to the headmaster's quarters as fast as she could.

"Stay with me Louise!" Colbert shouted as he grabbed one of her hands and used the other to push her down, making sure she didn't accidentally smash into something nearby.

"HELP ME HOLD HER DOWN" he screamed to the maids who hurriedly grabbed the still thrashing girl.

When she was sufficiently held down, Colbert put one hand on her chest, right above her frantically beating heart and one over her head, the main areas where magic could cause the most damage and used his magical energy to try to soothe them from their overload.

Eventually he managed to slow down the overload and Louise stopped flailing and screaming. Then Colbert used his very delicate wind magic to clear Louise's blood filled throat.

Coughing slightly, Louise sunk into a deep sleep, her mana slowly recovering to a normal rate.

Falling back to a sitting position on the ground next to the bed, Colbert let out a sigh of relief and motioned for the maids to let go of her.

"She'll be okay now. Thank you" He let out in labored breaths.

The maids bowed and hurriedly left the room, Leaving only a few water mages that healed her lips from the gashes.

The disaster was averted, however it was quite frightening. He hoped the headmaster could get a better read on the situation than him. For now he would stay with Louise, to make sure nothing horrible like this could happen again.

And cut. Thanks for reading.