9 Years Later - On the eve of her sixteenth year
“Come now, focus!” A greying woman ordered.
“I’m trying” The girl said through gritted teeth, her eyes shut tight as she willed every ounce of energy into a single point at the far end of her staff. The jewel dull and lifeless was meant to channel her energy, lighting up to shine a vibrant red once even a drop of mana touched it; but nothing…
“Averisa! How is it you still cannot perform the most basic of spells?”
“It’s not for lack of trying, mother!” Averisa hissed, throwing her staff off to the side!
“Besides it’s not like I want to be a Court Mage or someday take over as the Royal Mage! ‘mI going to be an adventurer whether you like it or not!”
“Even still, magic could be a great tool for you as an adventurer.”
“I know that! But I can’t do magic!” She threw her hands in the air, her temper getting the best of her.
“Ibon, tell her!” Averisa spun, glaring at her soon to be knight.
“He lifted his eyes from the book he had been reading the whole afternoon, with a smug grin plastered to his face.
“A mage without magic is useless to me!” He stated coyly, in return he took pleasure from her reddening face.
“Now, pick up your staff and try again!” Her mother’s demanding role kicked back in. Averisa walked over to where her staff laid in pool of muddy water. Her reflection casted in the dull gem at the tip of the staff…
“No.” She whispered to herself.
“I don’t need magic to become an adventurer…” She silently voiced.
“Averisa, I’m waiting!” Her mother’s voice warned.
“I said no!” Averisa flung herself to face her mother; her eyes flashed a look of determination.
“So you’re going to act like this again? You think you can beat me and win your freedom from the Dawn?” Her mother questioned.
“You forget, Mother, I’m not just a child of the Dawn. Father’s blood runs through me as well; the blood of the Moon’s Clan elders are my heritage as well, I do not answer just to the Dawn Witches!” Averisa walked over the weapon’s rack taking a bow and quiver full of arrows. Securing the quiver by her waist she took a short sword in as well.
“Whether I win today or not, I now declare myself the first Witch of Twilight; belonging neither to you nor to Father, I’m a free Mage, even if a worthless, talentless Mage. I’ll no longer be bound to either house! As such is the tradition of those coming of age! To be granted one wish! The day before their rite of passage. My wish to form a new cult!” She recited the oldest of traditions; few new of, but her mother being an Elder of the Dawn and the Royal Mage to kingdom of Hakyeom; she was well versed in may ancient traditions and laws from a tender age.
Ibon looked on stunned; he had never thought she would step out of her safety zone, her luxurious life, par of that of royalty… She bragged about it, but he had always known her to be a creature of comfort and routine… Why now? This… This was not what he saw in a vision he had of her as a child when they first met!
“You do understand to consequences of this wish you want granted, correct?” Her mother enquired, not bothered in the least bit by her daughter’s rare outburst or uncharacteristic declaration.
“Yes! I forfeit all rights to any and all possessions or privileges I hold as a Dawn’s Clanswoman, I must leave unable to take anything that isn’t on me, never to return, unless as Twilight Ambassador at a regional gathering or meeting or if summoned as a Twilight Clanswoman, but never will I be regarded as a Dawn’s woman again! Nor of the Moon...” Her eyes fixed on her sword as she spoke these words, she was giving up everything for her freedom, perhaps picking up the staff before challenging her mother could be a good plan, and she could sell it for a hefty price to earn herself some money.
She kicked her foot under the staff and up, grabbing it midair, securing it in its place at her back in a small leather sheath that was tied around her waist.
“Taking the very staff you deny? I assume to sell?” Her mother huffed.
“At least you have some brains! But know this, you will regret your choice soon enough!”
“I’ll never!” Averisa said behind clenched teeth as she raised her sword ready to fight.
Dashing for her mother, she was not prepared as her mother’s simply spoke one word. Without a tool to channel her, magnify or focus her energy, her mother released five relentless spiraling columns of wind, giving her very little room to come close to attack, and even rendering her arrows a useless means to attack.
She jumped back as she dodge a blazing ball of fire that her other casted and shot at her with a flick of her wrist. These kinds of spells… Not even the court Mages could cast even with the best wands and staffs…
Averisa bit down hard on her lip, drawing blood… She was ‘magicless’… But not completely useless as a Mage…
Wiping the blood from her lips she kept focus on her mother’s next spell she was just about ready to cast. Drawing a strange mark on the blade’s surface, Averisa eyed her mother who was looking to her with skepticism and… confusion? Does her mother really not know what she was about to do? A sly smile crept onto her lips.
“I call to you green nymph of the earth; bind my foes and seal them!” She whispered to the blade before driving it into the ground. The air became stale and icy, spite the whirling winds that now was alit with fire. Her mother seemed to notice and an eerily look of fear seeped into her bones…
“Averisa… What have done?” Her mother stepped back as she felt the earth’s trembling roar beneath her, disrupting her spell, the towering wind columns loosing strength and soon dissipated…
She watched as her mother formed a new spell, trapping the ground below her with impregnable glass and next a spell to summon a ring of flames… But it was too late! Green vines crawled over the glass from outside the glass’ boundaries, winding itself around her mother’s feet. The vines crept up and over her bounding tying her arms down, and before she could speak her spell the vines had wrapped around her mouth. Averisa watched as the vines tightened around her mother; her mother fighting against the strangling unknown magic… Mist formed around them, thick and suffocating.
“I might not be able to use magic, but my blood is magic itself!” She grinned
Her mother’s eyes widened with horror…
“Halt, green nymph of the earth. Release your prisoner, she concedes!” Averisa said placing her hand on the vines. A green light flickered out of the vines taking form of a strange ethereal creature.
“Averisa… Never use your blood!” Her mother warned.
“You’re just jealous about the power you will now never have!” Averisa snapped back.
“No… I’ll never wish for a curse as such for myself! Averisa… You’re life… Blood… As a mother I’m begging you to never use it again and as an Elder of the Dawn I’m warning you! Should you ever be discovered by either Dawn or Moon Clan’s-men you will be exercised and executed for your use of Demon-Magic!”
Averisa just rolled her eyes as she walked passed her mother, ignoring the words she had spoken.
“Demon-Magic doesn’t exist, Mother! Just as the flying beasts are parts in and of legends and myths! We all known Adventurers are just glorified hunters! But that’s what I’ll become! At least I attained glory by my own hands!”
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