Chapter 20 Awakening
Awakening
Heaven
“Alright, step into the triangle.” I motion to Allie, who does what I say, her mouth pressed in a grim line. We’re both serious, both of us knowing what this means. Will she have powers? Is she witch enough to gain an identity and be accepted by our elders of the past?
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. This spell isn’t simple, and it’s one that only high-level witches are able to perform. I find my centre, the burning roots of life that burn within me, and my eyes snap open as I begin chanting the spell.
Glowing runes appear, swirling around Allie, getting faster and faster. I feel the pulsating of energy before her hair suddenly floats around her, and her eyes snap shut.
A moment where time appears to stand still.
A blinding light fills the room, making my eyes water, but I keep them open.
The symbols sink into Allie’s skin, and I feel the surge of aura reflect in her. It whips around me, and I sense her aura. Her magical aura.
She is a witch!
I knew it!
The whispering grows, the witches of our bloodline calling from beyond the veil.
Her power grows, continuing to whip around us, and I close my eyes, feeling the strain on my own power.
“Caladena,” a whispery voice calls, and I let out a breath I didn’t even realise I was holding.
I open my eyes as the symbols, the energy, and the light all fade away, leaving only the two of us here once more.
“Welcome to House di Bianco Galdur. Your witch name is Caladena, and your element is air,” I say, my voice sounding different.
Allie’s eyes open as she looks at me.
“Caladena…” she murmurs. “I can feel it – the magic. It’s nowhere near as strong as yours, but it’s there.”
I smile. “Yes, it’s definitely something. Paired with your lycan, you will now have your element alongside your lycan abilities, making you even stronger. Caladena… it sounds awesome.”
“Yeah…” she says quietly. She’s hiding it, but she’s shocked. Like our family, no one thought she was a witch, and she clearly didn’t either.
“I told you so,” I have to add with a flick of my hair.
She nods. “You did,” she admits before shaking her head. “Well, now I feel like I’m behind.”
“Don’t; my mother was eighteen when she began practising witchcraft, and now look at her.”
“That’s true. That spell was carried out flawlessly, by the way. Nice going.”
“Thanks.” I smile at her, feeling relieved that it worked well, and I’m proud of myself. I had studied it so thoroughly for quite a while.
“Aldona… Mordana… Caladena…” Allie murmurs. “So, our grimoire is for the three of us.”
I roll my eyes. “Did you really have any doubts about that? I already told you it was, and I’m always right,” I say playfully. She smiles slightly, and I walk over to her, placing my elbow on her shoulder. “Now, come on, let’s clean this up, and then we need to finalise our Halloween outfits.”
“I’m going as The Nun,” she says.
I pout. “Really? Not even a Gothic vampire? That would be sexy!”
“No. The aim is to look scary, not cater to the sexual fantasies of boys.”
I grimace. “Well, I still want to look good.”
“For Holden? Yucky.”
I smile. “You know you’re going to eat your words someday?”
“I highly doubt it,” she says, her face becoming serious. “The future is ever-shifting, right?”
I nod, my amusement fading. “It is… There are only certain things that are set in stone; hence, prophecies warn us of these options or what could happen.”
She sighs. “Well, then, let’s get our third witch back. What is her element?”
I begin collecting the crystals as Allie wipes the symbols off the floor, making sure not to touch the ground in the process.
“I’m not sure… When she was younger, we assumed aether, but… I feel it could be spirit, but both are rare elements, and with her chaos magic, I’m not sure…”
There are six elements: Water, Fire, Air, Earth, Spirit and Aether.
“Yeah, I remember when you guys were discussing that. There’s a possibility that her chaos magic mixes with spirit. Del’s witch side is fire, but her demon side is necromancy, isn’t it? Those are distinct. Maybe for Si, it’s kind of blended more so?”
I nod. “I do think so, but with the chaos in control. We never had the chance to explore it further.”
“Once she’s back, we will.”
I pause and look at her, nodding.
“Yeah, we will.” Just those words from Allie give me the boost of determination that the waiting for Hades has tested.
It’s the evening before Halloween. The Academy grounds are alight with warmth. Glittering, spooky-themed lights are strung across campus grounds, and the ambience could make one forget about the impending danger we are all facing.
But despite all the bustle in preparing for tomorrow, I am at my wits’ end. I have been patient! I have been so bloody patient that even the gods would have allowed me passage to heaven based on my patience alone!
I am so fed up with Theo’s backhanded responses. He knows more than he lets on. He has to! Dumbass.
There’s a football game going on right now, and I’m watching. Allie didn’t come as she wanted to spend some time working on some smaller elemental spells and control techniques. She’s been such a good student. I am proud of her.
It’s the first time since Si left that I’ve come to watch a game. Allie also has been avoiding it, but I need to talk to Theo. There’s no way he can run away once the match is over. Not when my eyes are fixed on him.
It’s a practice game between our own players, with the best players being split between both teams, pitting the Westwoods against one another.
Theo can’t run away from me today. That idiot. Gosh, he makes me curse so much.
The game continues and, as usual, I analyse their playing. It’s easier to figure out what their strengths are in other fields by watching the way they play. Some are smarter, some are faster, and some are simply brute force and talent.
Jayce is a quick thinker; he analyses everything and always aims to win.
Theo… well, that dunce brain plays like he’s taking a stroll through the woods. He’s Noctaris, who is a master in stealth, which he’s mastered extremely well, I’ll give him that. What with his runaway tactics; however, he’s smart, too.
He now glances in my direction, his eyes narrowing with displeasure that he doesn’t bother hiding. The ball shoots out in his direction, and he dives, catching it as he hits the ground and rolls over, sending the crowd into a wild frenzy.
I roll my eyes at the screaming girls. There’s something these twittering girls all like about the Westwoods. They are definitely the popular ones on campus, and there’s a type for everyone.
Jayce, broody and sexy. Carter, moody and gay; he has his own fan club.
Then Renji, he’s charming, sweet and playful.
Ares is a bad boy with an attitude that girls love.
And Theo, that asshole, is mischievous, and he’s bad news with his leather.
He has a mysterious allure behind the teasing, and everyone knows he loses his shit pretty often.
Who doesn’t like someone with a temper? Aside from me, that is.
I shake my head. None is my type. Holden is my type.
I search the team. He isn’t a main player, but he is on the team and did play today. I feel a little bad that I didn’t pay him much attention.
I shiver glancing up at the sky. It’s quite cold today, and by the looks of it, it’s going to rain soon… I hope the game is over before it does.
Twenty minutes later, the game is over, and Theo’s team lost. I laugh internally as I clap happily for Holden and his team. He catches my eye and grins just as the rain comes crashing down, soaking us all.
The crowd shrieks, but I ignore them, blowing Holden a kiss and mouthing ‘well done’ before my eyes flit back to the Westwood, who has removed his shirt, not caring at all about the rain.
“Oh my Goddess!” someone squeals behind me as a few of the other players remove their shirts. This is why the female population comes here, to see these boys shirtless.
At least Jayce doesn’t do that. A little respect, I guess. Although his division member, Allison, is here. Oh, I hate that girl.
Whistles and shrieks get louder, and I roll my eyes. Deciding it is time to get closer, I keep my eyes on the shirtless Westwood, who I spot glancing up at the stands and smirking slyly as he tries to slink away, not knowing I’m coming.
Oh, you asshole.
I keep an eye on the changing rooms that he’s disappeared into. Unfortunately for him, the other door is not going to open, so he’s going to have to come out this way.
The crowd has dispersed quickly today due to the rain. I skim across the players, catching sight of Holden. Although I spot him searching for me, he won’t find me. I’ve used a concealment spell to hide myself.
Sorry, Holden. I’ll make it up to you later.
Three minutes later, I spot Theo reappear, a deep frown on his face. He’s changed into a pair of black pants, boots and a shirt with a leather jacket on top. He heads in the opposite direction to where the rest went.
I follow him quietly, and after a while, I realise he’s leading me towards the outdoor pool. It’s used all year round; there’s a spell over it, and it stops it from getting dirt and debris into it. Pretty convenient, considering how bad the weather gets at this time of year.
I’ve used it for some of my training sessions, too, but due to it being enclosed by some trees, a lot of students end up using it as a place to break rules or hook up. So, I tend to avoid it.
He pauses when he enters the enclosed area and drops onto the bench, stretching out his long legs and resting one arm on the back of the bench. Taking out a cigarette, he puts it between his lips before reaching for a lighter, flicking it on to light it.
“You can come out, Freakalondie. I know you’re stalking me.”