Outside the council hall, a pair of stairs led them up. The underground is vampire meeting hall in between dorms, the ground floor is the cafeteria with the information desk on the outside, the library above it and finally the room designated for witch gatherings. Witches were the largest population of the university. Their gathering was large. the entire floor was one open space with columns at regular intervals. Glass windows surrounded them from all sides, letting moonlight in. Large double doors on four sides finished the wall decorations immaculately. Seeting was arranged against the wall but very few people were sitting on it. Witches and warlocks all stood in small circles, holding hands, each whispering their own words, incantations and magic. It was a invigorating sight to see small floating blue light in a circle of witches and warlock, as soon as she entered the space.
Akiye, who had guided her yet again, led her towards the centre of the room where the high priestess towered above all. Reaching closer, Ash saw the small podium used to give her a boast but the priestess seem to be hovering even higher above it. Ash paused. Their last conversation was left at a dissatisfactory end. Ash would have guessed that the high priestess might not want to see her again, either for her pressing attitude or the driving urgency. It was a surprise, which Ash concealed with practised ease when the priestess' eyes turned to her and she lowered on the podium, smiling slightly.
"I am glad you accepted the offer to attend." the Priestess, stepped down from the small raised platform and said softly, "I might not have the means to aide you with what you want but I can help you figure out the extent of your blessing."
Surprise and curiosity came first, then came the questions and confusion.
Ash had specifically asked for moon blessings. That is what everyone on her island went after and that is what she intended to gain from enrolling for magic studies. Though she did not really need to enroll for magical studies, having already finished all all aspects of magical studies back at the island but there was an important aspect that she did not complete. At every full moon, the witches, the moon children and moon worshipers all took a blessing, and they did it at every full moon to accumulate their powers and abilities and receive a gift at graduation, a proper blessing, a substantial gift. It involved various focused aspects guided by the high priestess herself- incantations, rituals, magical circle, a seer's power and sometimes even a prophecy. Her brother had been given the gift of healing while she was given a prophecy. Instead of a blessing she recieved a darkness. The lights blew out, the day turned dark, the clouds surrounded the entire island, blocking out the moon and it started to rain. Even the prophetic light that emoted from a seer was drowsed in darkness and the seer wailed. Tears streamed down her eyes, as she scremeamed through a pain so deep and powerful that it froze the priestess in the middle of her incantation.
"My child. Why? Why?" those screams still echoed through her head like they had echoed through the walls of the temple.
"I am so sorry child. Sooo sorry that you will have to suffer. Such a tiring life. Why?"
Then someone had ran into the temple, "a storm is moving in," the only vampire on the island, "from two directions."
Her parents stood frozen. She was the first to react. "Mayra. Go with mother. Leonard, run and get all the residents out. Blare the sirens in both directions. Father..."
Her father turned around, "you stay. Finish the ceremony," and rushed out of there.
She stepped away from the dreary walls of the temple when the seer sighed. "Ah. I see. It is not all bad. It's destiny. A glory. An honor. A child blessed with responsibility of peace. I still am sorry my beloved queen that I cannot see brightness. Only darkness. Endless night, some sweet, some bloody but all night."
"Apologies if I came off as against your idea of the blessing." the priestess was still before her, looking down at her, as if watching her memories with her.
Ash bowed slightly, "apologies for my lack of courtesy. I, too, have been too focused on the blessing that I did not stop to think about other options."
"But you did. Just now." the priestess smiled knowingly. Ash smiled back, "seer blood?"
Priestess led her away from the middle of the room, towards one of the window with a row of light wooden chairs against the wall.
"You are smart. I do not have the ability to see the future like my mother but I do have a faint sense of people feelings and the general direction."
It was not general. The high priestess was finely tuned into other people's emotions and desires. Her desire and drive had been too strong in that office and the high priestess had reacted strongly to it. Now, as Ash felt curious and surprised, the priestess was reacting to it.
"That is a great blessing." Ash said. "Will you be preceding over the ceremony today?"
"Yes. Which brings us back to your blessing..." her knowing smile said she knew that Ash had tried unsuccessfully to divert their conversation away from her blessing. "When was the first time you heard that you have the night goddess' blessing?"
"A few days after my birth, my parents were told and I always heard it around me growing up. It was well known thing around the island." Ash skipped over the details. If the high priestess could feel her unease, she wouldn't push her for details.
"and what about..." the tall woman paused when Akiye found them again. "High priestess. It's time."
The high priestess, patted her hand, "we will talk more."
Ash stood up with the priestess. When the tall woman left, Ash found the small area around her crowded with people, a few small groups, that tried to eavesdrop their conversation. A warlock broke free from his friends, dressed in a coat and pants, half open shirt, lockets and chains flashing on every piece of skin, flashed her a smile. It was a smile she had seen in movies, crocked. Entirely uninterested, and unwilling to entertain people with unterior motives, she looked about for a path to move. Unknown to her, another man was already beside her.
"Want to escape? This way..." before Ash could see his face properly, the man turned around and walked diagonally, straight towards the high priestess. Ash hesitated a moment, avoiding everyone's eyes. Before the flirty warlock paused, she gave him a short curtesy and cut through the crowd herself.
That's when she heard it. The whispering chatter.
"What's so special about her?"
"...didn't realise one could consult for a private blessing."
"... how lucky to be born powerful."
"Poor Akiye, training for three years and all she gets to do is elbow greasing jobs."
People were talking behind the high priestess' back about Ash getting special treatment and private consulting. the curious thing was, how did they find out about the private meeting. It's been two days, not even entire two nights. The news that she had consulted the priestess for a private blessing had spread like wildfire among the witches. It cast a bad light on the high priestess and put her at the center of many a envy. Seeing them together must have fueled the flames too. Since she didn't tell anyone, it had to be one between high priestess and Akiye. Since all Akiye knew was that it was a private meeting, without any context, it must have been one of high priestess' confidantes.
Suddenly weary of the politics running in the vein of the university and its management, Ash chose not to stop by the high priestess's podium, behind her guide. Instead, she walked past him, straight to the other end of the room, right where she had come from.
There, close to the door, she found a seat, isolated and away.
Here, people were talking no different.
"I heard it too."
"I have a friend at the Covnent of Sacred Well. He failed his seer test. Do you think the high priestess will agree to look at him?"
"Does he have that kind of money?"
"They are the Sacred Well for a reason. If you failed you failed, no roundabouts for you. The covnent wouldn't accept a half of a priestess who graduated out of a mixed bred place like this."
Ash realized that the veins of aversion were spreading deeper and farther. Witches and seers, who were supposed to be the most friendly and unbiased after Selkies, were also seeing the affects of friction between the races.
The friends continued to chatter, "You say that now. Wait until the exams. They have those the toughest passing requirement here. Almost impossible to ace," while the high priestess's voice carried above all.
"Welcome to all new witches and warlocks and greetings to our returning ones. I am pleased to see you all and honored to lead the first blessing of the year. But first, let me introduce you to your head of the witches and warlock representative group, Akiye Void."
Silence fell over the crowd as another woman rose into the air, not by her own magic but the magic of the high priestess, standing, not tall, but as high as the priestess herself. Akiye was a short woman, so when her head came in line with the high priestess' Ash, from the other end of the room, could see more than half her body, clad in a loose purple, Witches Rock shirt with W written sideways to give an impression of a B.
Ash joined her hands together and clapped. Slowly and steadily the applause spread throughout the room. Akiye was waving and smiling at everyone, teeth on full display.
Once she was lowered and the applause had died, the high priestess continued, "now if you will form a circle around the room, old and new, we will start the ceremony."
Ash did not move. The entire room shuffled and soon after a large elongated circle was formed. She could see through to the other end of the room between people's joined hands. Around the room, a few other people chose to sit, rather than join the circle.
"The final years will come forward and join under the moonlight," as she spoke the small dome overhead opened its glass panes to let unfilltered moonlight into the room. The magical sight caused a ripple of chatter in the room, "and call your element in groups of 10. We will repeat the process of third years and second years. The first years will come forward one by one or two by two and stand under the moonlight."
As soon as the high priestess fell silent, the oldest witches and warlocks stepped forward the ease of someone who had done this countless times before. A warlock in the middle raised both hands, joined at the wrists and bloomed a flower while everyone surrounding him showered it with breeze, light, blooming colors, small rain and so on. It was a showcase. Some people cheered. As the first group stepped back, the next group of 10 people moved in a straight line, all with matching clothes, all woman. The formed a circle, harmonized to the moon and raised their hands, flowers and branches and leaves sprouting from their fingers, intertwining with the next person's earth magic. It formed a large crown of flowers that the circle threw in the air and it exploded into golden magical dust. The applause was far louder than it was before. Ash couldn't help join it. It was truly magical. Some of the dust landed on the back of her hand. She touched it curiously and felt the same thing as the time of the nixie made rain. A fine invisible layer over her skin that did not allow anything to penetrate.
"It should absorb into your skin," Akiye said, coming from the side. Ash dusted the thing off and smiled. "congratulations on the new role."
Her laugh line and smile curves became prominent as she stopped. "thank you. I didn't think I would get it. There are other witches and warlocks, vying for the title and much more popular than me."
"Popular and capable are two separate attributes," Ash said. It was the truth and she hoped it was slightly comforting, "you are very capable."
Akiye frowned a bit, it did not suit her. Made her look pitiful. "I want to ask her why she made that decision but I do not have the heart to. I do not know how you do it. Talk to her so calmly. In the presence of her power, I can barely hold still."
Ash felt for her. The power, the sheer aura a high priestess held pressed into the flow of magic within a room, which is why high priestesses rarely chose to leave enclosed spaces. However, Ash always had a certain resistance to such priestesses' and seers' affect on her.
"Do you want me to ask for you?"
"Would you?" Akiye asked, eyes wide. Ash smiled a little and started her slow walked around the room, to head back to the high priestess.
"The priestess sent me to you. She said she wanted you to join the first years in the moonlight." Akiye said, following her.
Ash tried to decline. "It may not be the best idea."
Akiye laughter softly, caught her hand and fell in step with her. There was barely any space for two people to walk but Akiye dodged and moved her shoulder here and there, and kept up, smiling brightly. "The high priestess said you'd say that."
"and?" Ash asked and Akiye' shoulders shook, a eyes alight with laughter, "she said you will have to find her for answers. She also told me that you'd make a great friend and I should know you are very curious person, though you might not show it as much."
Ash felt blood rush to her face. Long ago her mother had said, "princesses do not go around asking curious questions," and she had henceforth learned to stop asking questions. As she grew older, she had learned to satisfy her curiosity with observations and clever conversations.
Akiye shook her hand, slightly. "It will be our secret. You can ask me anything."
"I will if I cannot find answers myself first." Ash said, trying not to curl to hide her blush. thankfully, half of Akiye's attention was on the ceremony. As they walked silence, she noted that the magic within the circle of ten was more subtle. Each one held their own element and formed an isolated, storm, thundercloud, rain or even a patch of miniature forest. Their harmonization was gentle, as if portrayed the cycle of life and the importance of their own element in it.