The Witch of Life

The morning sun rose above the peaks of the White Spires, illuminating the great Eldwood Forest. Tucked into the forest, settled on the edge of Bluewater Lake, a small town was still waking up.

However, while most of the people living in the town were still tucked into their beds in order to avoid the frigid temperatures that came from living in the north, a young girl wrapped in an animal skin cloak could be seen in a clearing behind a small cottage.

A frosty mist rose from the girl's mouth as she took a deep breath to steady herself. In front of her, a dummy made of straw tied around a tree stump could be seen.

In the girl's hands was a long and narrow wooden practice sword.

Taking a deep breath, the girl closed her eyes, her breathing becoming shallow. Her chest could still be seen rising and falling from within the opening in her cloak, yet the white mist of her breath stopped appearing. It was as though she had cooled herself to the same temperature as her surroundings.

Then, opening her eyes, she flashed towards the practice dummy, running at a speed that seemed unnatural for her small figure.

"Crack!"

The dull sound of wood snapping could be heard, and in front of the girl, the wooden stump's top half fell into the snow with a puff.

"Haha, well done Selene! The benefits of your hard work are hard to deny."

Turning around, Selene saw a middle-aged man walking toward her through the snow.

"Thank you, Father. I'm sorry if I woke you, but I couldn't sleep this morning."

Selene seemed slightly embarrassed to be caught by her father while she was practicing swordplay. She looked towards the ground nervously as her father approached, holding the sword behind her back as if it would hide it from him. This was no exaggerated reaction, Selene's father, Edward, was the captain of the guards in Bluewater Town, and she had grown up under strict parenting from him.

"Hmm… Well, I did say you needed to rest more for today, but I can understand your excitement. I felt the same way on my Awakening Day, haha!"

Hearing her father's words, Selene's originally guilty demeanor vanished and she looked up at him with a smile on her face. Since her father was not angry at Selene for disobeying him, she was obviously relieved.

"The scouts from Midwinter Academy arrived last night, so the Awakening Ceremony should be set up later this morning. I will walk with you to the town plaza on my way to the guard post."

Edward walked Selene back to the cottage where he had prepared breakfast while she was practicing.

Upon seeing the wonderful feast of eggs and bacon, Selene couldn't help but become a little excited. Sitting down, she began to pile food onto her plate while Edward looked at her smilingly. Even for the Guard Captain of the town, such a feast was extravagant.

"Father, what happens during the ceremony?"

While Selene was eating, she asked her father about the ceremony.

"Hmm… Well, as you know, it is conducted in order to awaken a person's Arcane Spirit. They typically use a kind of medium in order to reveal and awaken the person's spirit."

Edward rubbed his chin, seemingly recalling the memories of his own awakening ceremony.

"What kind of medium? Like a crystal ball?"

"Most of the time it is a magical crystal, yes. Though I have heard stories about individuals who were powerful enough to awaken a person's arcane spirit on their own. There are even great geniuses who could awaken them naturally, and also possess multiple different spirits!"

As the captain of the guards, Edward had often spoken with the travelers who visited Bluewater Town, so he had heard some things about powerful and talented people who didn't need a magical crystal to awaken Arcane Spirits.

"Wow… I wonder how strong you need to be to awaken another person's Arcane Spirit!"\

Selene could picture the scene of a great and powerful warrior using his arcane spirit to strike down magical beasts and great terrors.

"Well, either way, those types of people aren't something you need to worry about. Just do your best and when your spirit awakens, you can join the guards in Aura training."

Seeing the fervent look in Selene's eyes, Edward tried to dispel some of his earlier words. He knew that people like that were considered incomparable geniuses and powerful figureheads, he didn't want his daughter to end up disappointed.

Once the two finished eating, Edward threw on his own fur cloak and the two walked from the small cottage. They lived on the edge of town, which was a few minutes walk from the central plaza where the Awakening Ceremony was being held.

"Good morning, Captain Edward!"

"Oh, Captain Edward? Haha, How are you this morning!"

"Ah, so it's little miss Selene! I suppose it must be time for her awakening. Good luck today, dear."

As they walked, many of the common folk who lived in the town were finally beginning to set up shop on the cold and lazy morning. Edward, being captain of the guards, was well respected and decently famous among the commoners in Bluewater Town.

On the way, many people would call out and greet them, showing the good image Edward had in the eyes of the town.

As they got closer to the center of town, more families could be seen leading their children to the plaza. Most of the children looked nervous, holding their parent's hands while they walked.

At the town's central plaza, a stage was set up with two old men in grey and white robes standing on it. The two men had their eyes closed and were seated in a meditative position. Once people arrived in front of the stage, it was as though there was an invisible force influencing them, as everyone stood silently, not making a sound.

Suddenly, one of the old men opened his eyes, looking over the crowd of children and parents.

"All people who have already undergone the awakening should leave now. As for those who will go through the ceremony today, please form a line, you will each come up one at a time to use the medium."

His cold voice washed over the crowd, and after a few moments, the parents still remaining in the crowd began to disperse, wishing their children luck.

"Selene, you will have to handle everything from here. I will wait to hear of your results at the guard post."

"I understand, father."

Selene nodded to her father's words.

After all of the parents had left, the old man returned to his meditative appearance, while the children formed a line in front of the stage.

Everyone was tense and excited. Who knows if they may be lucky and awaken a powerful Arcane Spirit? Even if it was just a so-so spirit, they would be able to become well-respected people in Bluewater Town when they became adults.

Finally, the other old man opened his eyes, and before all of the children, pulled a smooth crystal sphere out of his robes.

"It is time for the Awakening Ceremony to begin!"