Aurora woke up suddenly, her heart racing and her body covered in sweat. She sat up in bed, feeling a sense of fear wash over her. She couldn't remember what had happened, but she knew that she had just had a nightmare.
She tried to calm herself down, taking deep breaths and trying to focus on something positive. But then, she remembered the dream. The dark forest, the full moon, and the screaming crow.
She shuddered, feeling the fear overcoming her. She didn't know what it all meant, but she knew that it was something bad.
As she tried to calm herself down, she heard a voice calling her name. It was a female voice, soft and gentle.
"Aurora," the voice said, her voice like a lullaby. "Come to me, Aurora."
Aurora felt a sense of fear wash over her, unsure of what was happening. She tried to get out of bed, but her legs wouldn't move.
And then, she saw her. A woman, standing at the foot of her bed. She was beautiful, with long blonde hair and piercing gray eyes. But there was something strange about her, something that made Aurora uneasy.
"Who are you?" Aurora said, her voice shaking.
The woman smiled, a small and tentative smile.
"You know who I am" she said, her voice soft. Aurora was in desbelief.
"What do you want?" Aurora said, her voice hesitant.
The woman reached out, touching Aurora's forehead with a gentle hand.
"I want to help you," she said. "To guide you on your journey. But first, you must face your fears."
Aurora felt a sense of confusion wash over her. She didn't know what the woman meant, or what she was supposed to do.
"What do you mean?" Aurora said, her voice shaking.
The woman smiled, one more time.
"You will know," she said. "When the time comes."
And with that, she disappeared, leaving Aurora alone in the darkness.
After the Annual Aelhollow Treasure Hunt, Aurora felt a newfound sense of purpose. She had broken the rules to participate, but she had also discovered a new level of determination within herself. As a result, Guide Luria recommended that she be transferred to a new class, Mindmajka, which focused on developing her newfound abilities.
On her first day, Aurora walked into the classroom, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. She didn't know what to expect, but she was eager to learn more about her abilities and how to use them. As she sat down, she noticed that the other students were also excited, chattering amongst themselves and sharing stories about their experiences with Mindmajka.
Professor Astrid walked into the room, her presence sweet but confident. Aurora thought it reminded her of Guide Luria. She greeted the class warmly, and then began her lesson.
Throughout the lesson, Aurora felt distracted and uneasy because of the nightmare she had experienced the night before. As the class ended, Professor Astrid approached her, noticing that something was wrong.
"Is everything okay, Aurora?" she said, her voice gentle.
Aurora looked up, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. She was grateful that someone had noticed her unease.
"I had a nightmare last night," she said, her voice hesitant. "It was really scary."
Professor Astrid nodded, looking sympathetic.
"Would you like to talk about it?" she said, her voice gentle.
Aurora hesitated for a moment, feeling unsure of what to do. But then, she felt a sense of trust building between her and the Professor.
"I dreamed that I was in a dark forest," she said, her voice quiet. "And there was a full moon in the sky. And then, I heard this screaming crow, and I felt really scared."
Professor Astrid listened attentively, her expression serious.
"That does sound scary," she said. "But dreams are often symbolic, and they can help us understand our fears better. Do you know what the crow symbolizes?"
Aurora shook her head, feeling confused.
"No," she said. "What does it mean?"
Professor Astrid smiled, looking thoughtful.
"Well, the crow is often associated with death and transformation," she said. "It can symbolize the end of one phase of life, and the beginning of a new one. Perhaps your dream is telling you that you're going through a transition, and that you need to be open to change."
Aurora listened attentively, feeling a sense of understanding building inside of her.
"That makes sense," she said, her voice quiet. "I have been feeling like something is changing in my life, but I don't know what it is."
Professor Astrid nodded, looking supportive.
"That's okay," she said. "Change can be scary, but it can also be exciting. It's up to us to decide how we want to approach it."
Aurora smiled, nodding.
Aurora then told Professor Astrid about the woman that appeared to her after the dream. Or what felt like reality. Astrid listened to her, and started to feel concerned. She knew who the woman was, and why she appeared to Aurora. She knew the truth, and it was time to let Aurora know about this. Astrid vowed to never tell the true story, and tells this to Aurora, but she also says that she deserves to know the truth about who she is.
"Aurora," Professor Astrid said, her voice serious. "There's something that I need to tell you. But it's not an easy thing to hear."
Aurora looked at her, feeling a sense of fear wash over her. She didn't know what to expect, but she was afraid of what Astrid was going to say.
"What is it?" she said, her voice shaking.
Professor Astrid took a deep breath, feeling a sense of sadness wash over her. She knew that this was going to be hard, but she also knew that it was necessary.
"Aurora," she said. "You're not who you think you are. You're not just a student at Aelhollow Academy. You're something more. Something...special."
Aurora looked at her, feeling a sense of confusion wash over her.
"What do you mean?" she said, her voice hesitant.
Professor Astrid took another deep breath, feeling a sense of fear wash over her. She didn't know how Aurora was going to react to this.
"Aurora," she said.
Astrid tells Aurora the story of when she was her age, studying at Aelhollow Academy. She had a best friend named Muna who was one of the most gifted conjurers that the Academy had ever seen. Muna was tall, fair-skinned, and had long blonde hair. But what made her truly special was her kind and gentle nature. She was as swift and gentle as a spring breeze, and everyone who knew her loved her.
One day, Muna convinced Astrid to join her on a night trip to Ayrede's Oracle, a temple located near the Academy that was known for its divination practices. Despite the temple being just an hour's walk away, the trip was still considered risky due to the dangers that lurked in the surrounding forest.
Muna had always felt that she was destined for greatness and believed that the Oracle would help her find her true path. So, she convinced Astrid to come along with her to seek guidance.
When they arrived at the Porta Gardgana's temple, they were greeted by a priest who welcomed them inside. They were led into the inner sanctum, where they were surrounded by the flickering light of candles and the heady scent of incense.
As they sat in front of the Oracle, Muna began to ask her questions. The Oracle, in turn, provided cryptic answers that left Muna feeling frustrated and confused. But suddenly, something changed. The Oracle began to speak in a clear and powerful voice, and Muna's eyes widened in awe.
"The child of the moon and the night shall come to us," the Oracle said. "She will be the one to bring balance to the world, to restore what has been lost."
Muna and Astrid were both stunned by the Oracle's words. They had no idea what they meant, but they knew that they were significant.
After that night, Muna became obsessed with the prophecy, convinced that it referred to her. She began to seek out more divination practices and devoted all of her time and energy to unlocking the mysteries of the prophecy.
But as time went on, Muna's behavior grew more erratic, and she began to distance herself from Astrid.
And one night, everything changed forever. When Astrid woke up, she realized with a start that Muna was not in her bed. She got up and looked out the window, and was shocked to see Muna walking towards the forest, dressed all in white. Astrid instinctively knew that something was not right, and without a second thought, she ran after her friend, her heart pounding in her chest.
As they ran towards Mater's cliff, Astrid could feel a sense of dread building up inside her. She knew that something terrible was about to happen, and she tried to run faster. When they finally reached the cliff, Astrid saw Muna standing at the edge, looking out towards the ocean. She knew then what was going to happen, and she tried to grab Muna before it was too late. But as she got closer, she could see Muna looking up towards the sky, a look of peace on her face. And then, without warning, Muna jumped off the cliff.
Astrid screamed out in despair, but when she looked down towards the bottom of the cliff, she saw only the still waters of Aelhaven's East Ocean. There was no sign of Muna's body. And then, to her shock, Astrid looked up and saw Muna floating in the air, all ethereal and glowing in white. She was embracing a man with dark hair and pale skin, who was clad in darker clothes. They gazed at each other with a familiarity that suggested they knew each other from another lifetime.
Astrid called out to Muna, hoping against hope that her friend would come back to her. But Muna only looked at her and waved goodbye, a sad smile on her face. That night, the moon shone brighter than ever, casting an ethereal light over everything. And that same night, a little baby girl was found on the Aelhollow's Academy East shores, right below the Mater's cliff, by the authorities of the Academy that Astrid called because of everything that had happened. The baby was wrapped in a white blanket, and she had the same dark hair and pale skin as the man Muna was embracing. It was as though Muna had left a part of herself behind for Astrid to take care of.
Aurora listened to Professor Astrid's story, feeling a sense of shock wash over her. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she didn't know how to react.
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