All morning the Auditorium has been alive with the sound of excited First Years from almost every race this wonderful planet held. Many of them here from the earliest hours to welcome their Familiars into existence, myself among them.
I glanced over to my right seeing the sleek mass of my white Raven Griffin Familiar; Kana.
I marveled at her thick white fur and even whiter feathers as it shimmered with silver hues when she or the light moved. She sat prim and proper, front paws crossed, tail flicking slowly before it moved to lay over my shoes. Then there was the Mask.
A Familiar was marked as such by their Masks, it was another tell that they weren’t exactly like their Original counterparts. Every Familiar had a different Mask, a unique characteristic from their Summoners.
Kana’s mask was a half face venetian-like, smooth and white with a slight golden sheen, it opened around her long elegant beak.
Like many brand new Familiar’s her mask lacked any designs minus the eye slots that looked like the Libra symbol. The brand my Clan carried.
Right now she was resting and she had earned that rest.
After we met I- and in doing so her- was dragged into a long Orientation like all the First Years and then an even longer meeting with my new Professors and the other staff that only I was present for this year. And Kana sat with me through the whole thing, patiently waiting and alert, not acting out like some newly Summoned Familiars tended to do.
And even now she wasn’t fully resting, her eyes simply closed.
I felt her calmness slip into my mind, it was warm and all encompassing. Oh what the heck. I earned just a quick doze. This was supposed to be the last of the Towers anyway and I had been up since early yesterday plus the long flight over here.
I’d simply doze with my eyes open and no one would be the wiser. I thought with an inward chuckle.
I stretched my arms out then above my head and got a hearty swat for it.
My gaze snapped over to my Uncle as I grabbed my now stinging head. “Ow! What was that for? I can’t even stretch?” I asked softly, aware that my voice could carry and didn’t want to interrupt the Name Calling.
Uncle Dan, was my guardian and teacher in life and was with me for the Opening day of the Academy. And sure I was beyond happy to have him here with me for this next step but the man needed to relax a little. We weren’t in Crimson Spring’s anymore, people wouldn’t instantly know who or what he was.
He was a gruff man, spewing lessons like a well loved dog-eared textbook any chance he got. He was short though still taller than me, he had his dirty blond hair cut short for the most part from his time policing back home minus the blonde hair that fell over the right side of his face hiding a rather gruesome scar.
Though if you asked him how he got it he’d boast while telling a different story every time. Though one thing was for sure. It was a gruesome looking thing. It wrapped around from the back coming forward over his nose to end just under his left eye and the corner of his mouth, making it appear as if he was always smirking.
I had been with him most of my life and I still didn’t know where he got it from.
He didn’t react to my glare or appear to have even moved to deliver the smack, his eyes focused on the stage where the last of the Northern Tower was being called, to begin their Vows and then their Summoning.
“Eyes focused, attention where it’s most needed, yet keep yourself aware of your nearby surroundings at all times. Keep your senses on the Magic in the air.” He then glanced at me with a tiny uptick of a hinted grin, his scar making his grin more pronounced, softening the sting of his words. “Stretch on your own time, nephew.”
“Mr. Mark wouldn’t have smacked me.” I pouted.
“Mark, wouldn’t have needed to, he’d have you sitting still and awake the whole Summoning with that mouth you seem to run off with, closed unless spoken to.”
I winced at the reminder of the accidental triggering of Mr. Mark’s Hunter gift and the resulting ‘time out’ I had been given. Sure it wasn’t long but it had gotten Amanda laughing at me for days afterwards, not to mention I couldn’t even tell Lumi or Ellie since they weren’t cleared of The Protected List. Huh it had been a while since I had time to talk to everyone... the next chance I got I would give them a call. See how everything was over there.
“Fine, fine.” I said as Kana and I returned our full attention to the dais in front of us.
Sitting in a semicircle around the stage of called students sat the teachers. Proud Witches, Wizards and Magic Users that watched the new students with amusement and intrigue, their black pointed witch-like hats and robes had bands of light blue- marking them as First Year teachers and staff. And this was only a small portion of the teachers of the Academy.
In front of them on the raised platform stood two Witches and the Head Crone.
They were Lady Theodora or as some called her; The White Rose. As no one other than The All Mother could out heal her magic which always left a white rose with her patients. She was the Maiden.
Then Professor Saniyah, ze was a soft spoken professor but when ze taught Magic Defense and Attack, it was a dance that left you speechless, breathless and in trembling awe. Ze was the Matron.
Then there was The Crone, the one right under The All Mother and All Father and the one the Academy and the Magic Community answered to if either of them weren’t present. Though she went by another name that the older students called her; The Puppet Master. As her magic circled around Necromancy and all its many forms. She was a strict old woman and used her status and knowledge to get the students to stay in line. It sounded scary but it was efficient.
The Crone lifted the scroll in her hands again and read out; “Nyx Manchineel.” Her voice rang through the room.
Uncle sat up straight, attention zeroing in on the girl that stood up to the call. “Here we go.” He said quietly.
And my own attention followed, not because of my teacher and his rare show of interest or because of how the Magical energy shifted around then vanished. It was because of the sheer amount of hate that filled the room following the name.
Though because I was now paying attention I noticed a spark of blue flare up among the crowd. Strange.
The whispering was everywhere I tuned in, every person had something to say but not all of it was nice.
“She’s the Cursed One.”
“The Cursed Witch.”
“You know she’s one of His descendants.”
“I heard she was blinded because of His sins. And now can’t see the world He almost destroyed.”
“Don’t you know everyone calls her The Demon Witch.”
Demon Witch? I thought. Reeling back from the thought.
Dæmon couldn’t practice the magic of Witches or Wizards. They were bound to their realm unless they were gathering souls or the sins of sinners. I had met a Dæmon once during my training to understand different types of magic but never a “Demon”- since they didn’t exist. Imps, ghouls, Nightmares, sure but not Demons.
And this girl didn’t seem like a Dæmon or any Demonic race or halfbreed for that matter.
Angry on her behalf, yet intrigued. I watched as she cleared the seats and was finally in clearish view from my seat.
She was short, wearing a typical black Witch hat with a wide droopy rim, dark colored jeans with the Academy’s robe hiding what shirt she was wearing. Though I noted her robes were oddly shorter than the normal Academy robes, her robe came to an end around mid calf instead of the ankles, though the light blue of the robes marked her as a First Year much like myself.
My gaze fell as something moved at her side. I blinked- squinted- then stared in shock. Was that… a Human dog?
What was something like that, doing attached to a Witch? Wouldn’t a Magical creature be better? Less standout? Less breakable?
Well it could be her Familiar?
It wasn’t unheard of for older families to already bond their heirs with a Familiar of their House or Coven, though that meant she would have two starting the year off as many Houses and Covens that bond their heirs were simply giving a Familiar while the child had yet to call their own.
The dog led her to the steps and did something strange. It stood on the steps half way up, tapped the girl’s hand and went up the steps one at a time for her to follow. What was going on here?
As the girl settled on the dais she attached the dog’s leash to her jeans, removed her hat and dropped into a bow right after The Crone had followed by the Matron and Maiden.
With her hat gone it revealed a ringlet mess of brown curls cut short to her head falling right at her ears.
But her bow was not just for pleasantries, it showed her standing and which Coven she belonged to and my breath caught when I realized which one that was.
The Coven of The All Mother!
That of course wasn’t the Covens true name with the Covens name having long since been lost if only remembered by The All Mother and All Father themselves.
And then suddenly her name made sense. She was the great great great something of the All Mother’s. A True Descendant.
“Nyx Manchineel,” The Maiden spoke, her voice magically amplified for all to hear. Yet I heard a soft undertone. “We recognize and accept you, into this Academy along with those that call it home.”
The girl’s head dipped lower. “As I recognize and accept you and this Academy and those that call it home.” She answered back in a soft spoken voice.
“Stand and join your group.” The Matron stated.
Moving easily she did as told, turning when the dog moved over to her dorm Towers group. But those students shuffled away from her as if she carried the plague. Yet she was unfazed as she faced those in the seats.
I leaned a tiny bit forward trying to put a face to a name but her hat rim hid it from view.
Another name was called sparking an almost missed reaction from Ms. Nyx. An Elf, with dyed cyan blue hair, pointed ears studded with silver small hoops shining against their dark plump skin, light blue robe billowing as they half skipped half walked on to the stage.
It was difficult to tell which gender they were presenting as their race was known to choose during their teenage years. If I got the chance I’d have to ask.
“Trixi Moonchild,” The Crone spoke. “We recognize and accept you, into this Academy along with those that call it home.”
Trixi’s head dipped, blue hair falling over their shoulder. “As I recognize and accept you and this Academy and those that call it home.” Trixi answered back, their voice loud and a little giggly.
“Stand and join your group.” The Matron stated.
This time Trixi did skip but unlike the other students they went straight to Nyx’s side, smiling face clear all the way from my seat in the near back. They spoke to each other with a familiarity that spoke of close kinship and honest trust, as Trixi held Nyx’s hand. Maybe they were together?
They wouldn’t be the only Soulmates present during this year’s students and staff.
I fought to keep an envious and wishful sigh down.
The Crone moved to stand in front of the group speaking loud enough for all to hear her.
“Students of the Northern Tower,” The Crone began. “today many of you turn seventeen within the next few minutes as many more do throughout the month, as tradition you will be Summoning your Familiars. This is a sacred ceremony to our culture and those that came before you. As many of you know, a Familiar is an extension of yourself and the embodiment of your magic and Soul.
“Your Familiar will take the form that best mirrors that. It may be the same as your family houses or it might not be. There is no wrong Familiar. And no there is no way to change what they look like unless your Familiar is capable of Transformation. Understand that they are real and living. They eat, they feel, they grow. Under no circumstances are you to abuse them or harm them. Any news of this will result in your immediate expulsion from the Academy forcing us to Act. You’ll be stripped of not only your magic but your Familiar.”
She stopped speaking glaring at those before her, letting her words sink all the way in. I shivered at the words’ heavy meaning.
That was one of the Laws The Unseen Council created because of The All Mother. It was one of the most painful procedures outside of one’s Soulmate Rejecting you or them dying. Which made sense since both your Soulmate and Familiar were of your soul, so to lose either was to lose yourself.
My hand ran through Kana’s fur along her neck, feeling her new love radiating through me at the contact. I couldn’t imagine harming her even as a joke. So I hoped the stupid person who tried would get what they deserved.
The Crone went on, turning to face the group. “If you understand then students of the Northern Tower, when you’re ready, begin Summoning.”
The Maiden, the Matron and the Crone stepped back.
The students all began to Summon their Familiars and what an array of creatures!
Foxes, Owls, Owlcats, Starbears, Frogs, Ravens, Newts, a single rarely seen Wyrm, a few elemental Orbs, Bats, Goldweave Spiders and the list went on.
Of those only one of the kids was upset but a sharp elbow from the student next to them shut them up before the teachers noticed and Acted. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had their newly Summoned Familiar ripped away on the first day.
Once more my gaze fell on Nyx who was just standing there, a hand on her dog’s head. Why wasn’t she starting? Did she only want the dog as her Familiar?
Next to her, Trixi had Summoned a Brownie with an excited wiggle, Trixi said a few words to their new Familiar and a Mask settled over the Brownie’s face. Then Trixi glanced at the rest of the Tower group, double checked something then touched Nyx.
Nyx nodded, stepped away from Trixi then raised her hands, an older way to Summon Familiars. It was out of practice when the Summoned Familiar hovered in front of the Summoner anyway. So it was strange to see her doing it.
Then everyone went silent as her magic took physical shape.
Uncle Dan whistled low under his breath, clearly impressed. “Damn.”
Unlike the other students who had just Summoned and used their magic and nothing had shown, dark swirls of Nyx’s magic formed around her, sparkling brightly like light on a lake’s still surface, like stars twinkling in a clear night sky. It was-
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