That was what she said when she attempted her Spring Familiar Summoning. Still, Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière did not expect the giant in front of her. After the dust that accompanied her explosive magical summoning, it slowly unveils this giant of a man that is currently looking at her with a slight frown on his face. Her heart almost jumped into her throat when she takes note of his horns and his elf-like ears with the strange green crystals that seems to be blinking frantically.

He raises one hand, causing her to shrivel back, and taps the one that blinks the most, "I'm fine. Relax and stop sending people looking for me. I'll get back once I settle this particular problem," The problem being her, Louise is sure as his eyes glares down on her when he said that. The blinking earrings stops blinking almost immediately but there is a glow to them that refused to leave. He wraps his massive arms over his chest and asks, "What do you want and why have you summoned me? Better yet, how did you summon me? I am pretty sure all methods of summoning have been hunted down and erased. So this begs the questions; why and how did you summon me?"

Louise blinks before straightening her back, lifting her chin and introduces herself, "I am Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière and I have summoned you to be my familiar!" She glances at her professor nervously before looking back at the giant, "And by the power gifted to me by our Founder, Brimir, I have summoned you!"

The giant blinks, "Brimir...? Who? He sounds somewhat familiar...I think I remember hearing him...what?" One of his earrings blinks rapidly, "I see...that upstart..."

Louise flushes red, "What do you mean upstart?! He is the Founder! How dare you blasphemes his name!"

The man scowls back at her, "Brat, I'm older than him. I can call an upstart as an upstart if I want to,"

Louise turns pale. Brimir was the Founder of Halkegenia and was around some time over 6,000 years ago. If this man is older, than...what exactly is he? She almost wither under the man's stare. There is a strange pressure in the air as he stands before her. Something that is undeniably powerful and majestic. Considering Louise's upbringing as a noble, she have been in the presences of royalties but none of them is as daunting as this man before her. Just what have she summoned?

Prof Colbert calls out, "Miss Vallière, please complete the ritual..." He trails off upon the man's glowing green eyes landing on him. He clears his throat, "S-sir...this is a sacred ritual of summoning and bonding with a familiar-,"

The man cut him off, "Do I look like an animal to you? Granted everyone is an animal of sort but do I look like the sort that can be tamed and domesticated?" He frowns at the silent group of students and familiars, "Magical bonding without explicit consent of the other party is just a fancy way of enslaving another being to their will. It is one thing to do it with an animal, magical or otherwise, and whole other ballpark to do it with someone capable of thoughts and possibly having a family, a career, and a life to return to," He turns to Colbert, "This is just a very magical way of kidnapping and enslaving someone. Forgive me if I do not condone to have my freedom and freewill taken over," He then adds, "Not to mention, being enslaved is something I do not enjoy and nor can I afford to consent myself to,"

Wait...that means he had been enslaved before?!

Louise never meant to hurt anyone. She only wants something like a dragon or a griffin, not a person! But...if she doesn't bond with a familiar, she will fail! But...if she force her bond on this giant, who apparently have a family to return to, then she will be a slaver! She's a noble, not a barbaric slaver! She bites down on her wobbling lips, using the pain to hold back her tears.

She is a failure of a noble...

"Kid..."

Louise try not to whimper miserably even as her small frame trembles from mortification...

"Oi, girlie..."

She is truly a Zero...

"Fuck this shit. What the hell. Oi! What's so important about this summoning thing anyway?"

Prof Colbert stammers, "W-well, the Spring Summoning Ritual is a sacred rite of passage for our magicians. By summoning a familiar, they solidify their placement in society of both magician and noble. As you can see, each familiar summoned aligns with the magician's element. As for Miss Vallière, well...your element is...well..."

The man hums as he stares a Louise before asking, "What elements are there?"

Prof Colbert clears his throat, "Well, the usual. Earth, water, wind, and fire. Of course, there is also the lost element; void-,"

He snaps his fingers, "Got it. This girl is a void element,"

Prof Colbert blinks while the once silent class starts murmuring in disbelief. One boy says, "How can that be? All Louise the Zero ever did is make things explode!"

The man nods, "Exactly! What do you think is the void?" He looks at the once again tense class, "Let me guess, any spells that are not void spells explode. The more power she put in the spell, the greater the explosion," He turns to Louise, "You! Girl!"

She jumps when he snaps his finger in front of her, "Y-yes?"

He asks, "Have you ever tried using any void spells?"

She frown, "W-why would I...? I-I mean...it is lost..."

The man purses his lips before stroking the air beside him with a finger, "You know. You are not actually summoning me. I remember the voice that echoes in my Keep and the report of random portals blinking in and out, so that means you are not really a threat,"

Louise's eyes widens as a fissure appears under the sharp tip of his finger, "T-threat? If I am a threat?"

He smiles, creating a portal with ease, "If you are a threat, I will have to erase you..."

She trembles under his cold gaze, almost peeing herself.

He then laughs, "But obviously you're not! You're just that upstarts successor! I already dealt with him when he refused to listen to my refusal of not obeying him. I mean, me? Being someone's servant? Do I not wear my crown when he managed to summon me?"

Louise blinks, looking at the top of the man's glowing white hair; crown?

He looks into the portal, "Hollow!"

A moment after his call, a tall...knight...in silvery grey mantle steps through. He towers over all, with bone white skin and snow white hair. He stares at the man, king(?), before kneeling. His armor is completely black and reflecting no light. The man chuckles, stroking one towering horn, "Hollow...I have got a job for you. You see this girl here?" A pair of solid black eyes turn to her, freezing Louise in place, "She needs a familiar. I managed to step in that puddle of a portal and now I'm here. Problem is, no one understand just how rare and powerful she is and I can see that it is taking a negative toll on her. So...since I need you to mingle with normal people more, and no your siblings do not fall under the normal category, I thought...how about I have you follow her around and act as her familiar?"

Louise's eyes widens as she gawks, "T-that is unnecessary! I-I can make do w-with-!"

The man waves his hand, stopping her rambling, and says, "These group of brats here a snot nosed idiots. And your educator here is also an idiot. I heard what they call you, my pointed ears are not decorations, you know? Zero? Because your spells all end in explosions? My dear girl, you summoned me, a being that should be beyond summoning, and even if you can't complete the bonding with me, you can still complete it with whomever walk through that portal because your magic is already seeking a familiar from a place that no element dare thrive. Any who came from where I am falls under the element of void. Also, if all elements fail you, that leaves only one element that no one know how to teach you. Which is where Hollow here comes into play!"

Louise looks at the scary tall knight with willowy build, "Hollow?"

The man nods, "Hollow. My son the Hollow Knight. Born of Void and Root. I won't go into detail how he came to be but he is a master of manipulating the void. You can learn much from him. Now, why don't you complete your ritual with him?"

Louise gulps, "B-but...won't that enslave him...sir?"

The man blinks before humming, "No. Because there is consent to enter into a contract between you and him. I cannot consent because there is much at stake riding on my shoulders. Restless is the ass that sit on the throne, as they would say,"

His crass words made Louise flinch but it also confirms her fear that she had kidnapped a King. Louise then stares at Hollow, who is still kneeling obediently, "But...he's a Prince?"

The man smiles, "Yes! Yes he is! I remember that the Pale Court used to call Hollow the Pale Prince when I was still reigning as the Pale King! But that is neither here nor there. You don't have to worry. Just think of this as me borrowing my son to you. Hollow is his name and he will listen to your wishes. Of course, if you demean him like an animal then you cannot blame him for cutting the hand that abuses him, yes?" He then pulls out a book, "Hmm...this summoning and contract is different from the one that Archer and Artoria were once tied to. But I think you should treat Hollow as you would Servants and I don't mean the staff that you see around cleaning up after your mess. Servant in this context are powerful spirits, the pinnacle of humanity if you will, and those who summoned them should be wary of disrespecting them. After all, the pinnacle of humanity are often times heroes and kings of old whose legends echoes millenniums into the future. Hmm...just imagine if you summoned Brimir to be your Servant. Something like that,"

Louise's face turns pale and she starts to doubt if she should accept Hollow as her...Servant. But the man, king, seems determined to have her accept him so Louise gulps and turns to Hollow. Brandishing her wand, she whispers the spell and bound Hollow to herself with an awkward kiss on his lips. It is her first kiss and she bestowed it on a Prince of an unknown King. Hollow blinks for a moment before looking at his hand. A rune had somehow carved itself on the back of his gauntlet, catching her professor's interest.

The man claps, "Alright, this is done! Hm...Hollow, can you speak to her?"

[Miss Louise? Can you hear me?]

Louise gasps, her eyes staring at Hollow's face. His lips doesn't move but she can hear him. She looks at the man who nods, "I thought so. The magic bond between you two is the only way for him to speak to you without harming your soul," He opens another portal, this one revealing a blond haired man who immediately takes in his appearance, "Anyway, Louise," She looks at him, "I trust that you will treat my son and his opinion with great respect. He might not be human but he have his own feelings and thoughts on matter,"

Prof Colbert stumbles forward, "Y-Your Majesty! May I know to whom we owe our apology to?"

The man blink, "You didn't even know that-? Never mind. It is obvious that I am not really the target. Just refer to me as King Phantom. I am not of this world and realm is larger than you think. That being said, just because I am returning to my realm doesn't mean you can abuse my son for not being human,"

Louise's curiosity raises it head, "Not...human? Then...what is he?"

King Phantom hums, "What is he...? Hm...I am not exactly a bug...Hallownest's citizen is weird and bug like but they are not bugs...otherwise I won't have been able to conceive with the Root...a Hornet isn't exactly a hornet...her mother is a spider after all and she was raised by bees..." He shrugs with a laugh, "You know what? Hollow is Hollow! Hollow Phantom! That's him!"

There are so many things that he mumbled that is just...confusing. Bugs? Bees? Hornets and spiders? What? Louise shakes her head and bows her head, "I am sorry for stealing you away, Your Majesty!"

King Phantom shrugs, "Meh. Not the weirdest thing to happen to my family. My children might drop by now and then to check on you two, so heads up on that," He looks at her, "With great power comes great problems. You will be having loads of headaches after this. From a fellow unwilling child of destiny to another; I wish you luck...lots of it," After that ominous words, he steps into the portal and it winks out of existence behind him, leaving a very much flabbergasted and confused crowd.

But at least Louise have her familiar! Yay?

~

Hollow is a troublemaker, Louise decided. Sure, he's a Prince and a noble and a Knight. But he goes around practicing his 'chivalry' without regarding her opinion at all. Worse of all, because station wise, he is higher in standing that her, Louise can't discipline him. Not that he did not have an opinion about her method of discipline. He calls them inhumane and cruel...and coming from a non-human, it speaks much about her society.

The first thing he did the day after he became her...Servant...he berated that fop Guiche for playing around, even going as far as challenging the fool to a duel for daring to shift blame to a nearby maid after cheating on the two ladies who he claimed to love. But the worse part was...since Hollow does not have a 'voice', she had to be the one to convey everything. He would even go as far as calling himself a 'familiar' to make it legal for Guiche to duel with him. Now, that maid is constantly fussing around him. The upside of this is that now Louise have something of a personal maid as Siesta will always jump for an opportunity to serve Hollow.

Honestly, Louise can't see his charm.

[My siblings and I are generally genderless. But I consider myself male to be closer to Father]

Louise sighs, once again reminded that he can hear her thoughts.

[I try not to listen too much. However, you do have a very noisy mind, little one]

Louise's brow twitch. She is aware that her body is very immature, especially for a girl her age. But he didn't have to remind her by calling her 'little one'!

[I do not understand your concern, Louise. What is this so called flaw in your appearance that you fret over so much? You appear to me as all the other humans are? The reason I call you 'little one' is because you are little]

Louise blushes bright red. Right. He's not human. She shoots back, [So does all the girls around you have similar figure as mine?]

Hollow tilts his head, [My younger sister Hornet do resemble your shape. However, all my other sisters, except for Hotaru who is young still, have much more lush shape to their form. And so does most of my brother's partners. Many of them have very curvy shape to their form. Still, I do not see cause for concern here. All you need to do to grow is to be less stiff]

Louise feels like exploding. So other than two girls in his life, both his sisters, every other girls around him have a body like Zerbst's?! She glares at her note, [Is that why you are always hanging around Siesta?]

That maid have a very dangerous body, much like Zerbst. He might not be a human boy, but he certainly have the instinct and taste of one!

Hollow stares at her before saying, [She is kind and helpful. I am not against her friendship. As much as you believe in the pride of nobles, I believe that one should be kind to that who serve them]

Louise huffs, [They'll just take advantage of you if you feed them only carrots!]

Hollow's 'voice' takes on a scolding tone, [Loyalty cannot be forced. If you want quality work from those beneath you, earn their trust. To earn their trust and their respect, you must first respect their work and their effort. That is what Father taught me. That is what Father practice. As it is, Tristain is like a boat built from rotting woods. Worse of all, no one seems to care to treat the rotting wood and only continue to abuse the ship to sail onward. It will not surprise me if this country fall within this or the next generation]

Louise scowls before pushing away, [I don't want to talk about this]

Hollow says nothing since. Louise know that he dislike her society but this is the world that she is born to. To have her way of life being questioned at every turn is suffocating. But even worse...

Even worse she can't actually argue with him and be proud in her own words...

So just what exactly is a noble?

~

As the golem lay defeated on the ground, Louise stares at Hollow.

When she had offered to buy him a blade, he showed her his Pure Nail and declined her offer but that changed when he found a peculiar talking sword called Derflinger in a rust bucket. Apparently his brother Archer is the family's smith and a collector of something called Noble Phantasms and turns out Derflinger falls under such a category. Louise have met Archer, a giant of a man with olive skin and white hair with eyes like steel, not grey or silver but steel, earlier that day on the long awaited Familiar Exhibition day. She found him scary but when Hollow handed Derflinger to Archer, the other man's strict look completely disappeared and in his place was a fool for weapons.

"Not at the level Excalibur but close enough!" Was the praise.

Hollow pointed out, [Nothing is at the level of Excalibur but the fact that you compared Derflinger to the Blade of Victory...that is high praise indeed. Will you present this to Artoria?]

Archer had blushed, "Think she will like it?"

That was also when Louise learned that not only was Derflinger something called a Noble Phantasm, but also that he can transfer his consciousness to a different blade. They tested this with the Pure Nail and now Hollow have a talking 'nail'. Honestly, it looks more like a lance than a sword or a 'nail'.

But Hollow certainly won her the exhibition when he sliced out those blades of light to the sky...which was later translated to a part of his martial art when battling the golem that was created by Fouquet the Crumbling Earth. His movement was unlike anything Louise have ever seen. Spears of pure light and explosions of...of void magic, took out the golem but lost them Fouquet.

She asks Hollow, "Will I...be able to do that, one day?"

Hollow looks at her, [Perhaps...I will have to make request to Father for a charm. Perhaps the Void Heart charm can start you on understanding the void]

Louise don't really get it but if she can do what he can...

~

It might take a while but Louise finally understand King Phantom and his ominous wish. A child of destiny. Just because she is a void magician, she is being pulled here and there under numerous scheming. First her fiance and now the church. Louise is tired.

She looks at Hollow, remembering his story about sacrifice and duty. She learned that the reason he's more 'free' to act on his own desire was because of this innate ability to negate control. Specifically, mind control. She remembered his fury when he discovered her being controlled by her then fiance to marry him. And though she is proud to serve her Princess and Queen, she is tired of being a weapon.

She asks, [Do you ever tire of your blade, Hollow?]

Hollow looks at her, [To serve is a choice. To serve forever is to love. I did not understand then, when I first served my King and Father, why I was willing to be imprisoned and used as a living seal of a Goddess gone mad. But I learned later, at the cost of my own sanity, that I had loved him as a son loved their father. That love is both a strength and a chink in my armor. Ironically, Father returned in another form and finished what he started, freeing me of my burden]

She loves Tristain. But if she continue to stay here...

~

Danny stares at the rosette before him, "I told you to take a break and have some adventure in another world, Hollow. So why is this girl here? I thought you will live with her until her life runs out before coming home?"

Louise sheepishly stands before the King Who Waits At the End of All, having followed Hollow home to avoid being used as a political weapon to threaten the rest of Halkegenia. How is she supposed to know that her familiar is something of an immortal being?!

Hollow pats her head, "My new sister,"