The Awakening
"Step into the circle"
A woman with stark features and gray streaked hair, her robes marking her as an air mage who had introduced herself as the Head mistress of the Academy of Magic, Matron Elise, said softly as she guided Alitalia Sabbath to the center of the massive magic circle.
"Stand still" she instructed " The circle will respond to any magical affinity you possess, it may feel strange, but it will not harm you" The woman had continued with a reassuring smile that did nothing to reassure Alitalia.
Alitalia searched the crowd until she found her mother's face among the front-row spectators.
Her mother, Lina sat rigid with tension, her complexion pale. Beside her, imperial guards stood at attention, making it clear that she was as much a prisoner as a guest.
"Begin," A deep voice commanded, Alitalia glanced at the owner of the voice, a man seated on a raised platform, the crown on his head set him apart, Emperor Valerian, and the reason all these was happening.
Five mages took their positions, their robes color-coded to their elements, at points around the circle, each raising their hands toward Alitalia.
The inlaid metals beneath her feet began to glow-copper for earth, silver for air, gold for fire, platinum for water, and a darker metal she didn't recognize for shadow. As they chanted in unison, the magic rose around her like a gentle breeze, then a stronger wind, probing and searching.
Alitalia closed her eyes, bracing herself for... something. But she felt nothing unusual, no stirring of power, no connection to the elements being called. After several minutes, the chanting faltered, and confused murmurs spread through the crowd.
"Nothing," one of the mages reported, his tone suggesting this outcome was unexpected despite Alitalia's insistence on her lack of magic.
The Emperor frowned. "Try again," he ordered. "All elements together."
The mages exchanged glances but obeyed, resuming their chanting with increased intensity. This time, the magical energy swirled visibly around Alitalia, lifting her hair and causing her white gown to flutter. Still, she felt nothing but the physical sensations of the wind, no awakening power, no elemental connection.
"Perhaps she truly is without magic," Matron Elise suggested, lowering her hands.
"Impossible," the Emperor declared firmly. "Not with that coloring." He stood from his throne. "There's one element we haven't properly tested."
A ripple of surprise moved through the assembly. The Emperor descended from his platform and approached the circle, removing an object from his robes, a small crystal that glowed with pure white light.
"This remnant contains the last essence of light magic preserved from the final Saintess," he announced confidently. "If there is even a spark of light affinity in this girl, this will reveal it."
Alitalia watched with growing apprehension as the Emperor placed the crystal in a previously empty holder at the edge of the circle, a holder inlaid with what appeared to be white gold. As it settled into place, the metal began to glow with increasing brightness.
"Now," the Emperor commanded gesturing to the waiting mages.
The five mages resumed their positions, but this time, when they began to chant, the Emperor joined them, his voice deeper and more powerful than the others. The magic that rose now felt different, sharper, more probing, almost invasive as it surrounded Alitalia.
Something stirred within her chest, a warmth she'd never felt before, spreading outward from her heart toward her limbs. Startled, she gasped and opened her eyes to find the white gold lines of the circle blazing beneath her feet, far brighter than the other elements had glowed.
"There," the Emperor said, satisfaction evident in his voice. "As I suspected."
The warmth intensified, becoming almost uncomfortable as it reached Alitalia's fingertips. Looking down, she was shocked to see her hands glowing with the same white light as the crystal.
The sensation was unlike anything she'd experienced, not painful but overwhelming, as if something long dormant was now straining to break free.
"Control it," the Emperor instructed. "Feel the light and bend it to your will."
"I can't!, I don't know how!" Alitalia cried, panic rising as the light grew brighter, extending beyond her hands to surround her in a luminous aura.
"Focus," Matron Elise called. "Visualize the light as an extension of yourself."
But the power was moving too quickly, responding to emotions Alitalia couldn't control, fear, confusion, anger at being thrust into this situation. The light pulsed in rhythm with her racing heart, expanding outward in waves that pushed against the boundaries of the circle.
In the front row, her mother had risen to her feet, her expression a mixture of terror and resignation. "Alitalia!" she called out. "Remember what I taught you about the needle and thread, control comes from steady hands!"
Seizing on her mother's familiar words, Alitalia tried to imagine the light as thread passing through her fingers, something she could guide rather than something that controlled her. Gradually, the wild pulsing steadied, though the light didn't diminish.
"Extraordinary," breathed Matron Elise.
"Indeed," the Emperor agreed, his eyes calculating as he watched Alitalia gain tenuous control. "The first light user in a century, hidden in plain sight."
Among the spectators, the reaction was mixed, awe, disbelief, excitement, and from some quarters, distinct unease. Alitalia noticed a masked Lord watching her with an intensity that made her shiver despite the warmth of her newly awakened magic…
As her panic subsided, Alitalia became aware of a strange sensation, as if the light flowing through her was searching for something, reaching out toward the shadowed edges of the hall.
Following this instinct, her gaze was drawn to a figure she hadn't noticed before, a young man standing half-concealed behind a pillar, his features dark, his curious amber gaze seeming to study her with intensity.
Their eyes met across the hall, and Alitalia felt her magic surge in response, the light briefly intensifying before she managed to rein it back.
The young man's expression shifted from studied indifference to surprise, then quickly to guarded calculation. Without breaking eye contact, he stepped slightly forward into the light, revealing aristocratic features set in a cold mask of control, but his eyes, that unnatural brightness, betrayed a flicker of something Alitalia couldn't name.
"The circle recognizes Alitalia Sabbath as a light user," Matron Elise announced formally, breaking the moment. "The testing is conclusive."
The Emperor's smile was triumphant as he turned to address the assembly. "Citizens of Arion," he proclaimed, "witness history! The prophecy speaks truth-the white-haired Saintess returns to us in our time of need!"
Cheers erupted from many in the crowd, though Alitalia noticed that not all joined in the celebration. Her mother remained standing, tears streaming silently down her face.
"Step forward, Alitalia Sabbath," the Emperor commanded.
On unsteady legs, Alitalia walked to the edge of the circle where Emperor Valerian waited. The light still encompassed her, though it had dimmed to a soft glow that clung to her skin like a second layer.
"Kneel," he instructed.
As she obeyed, the Emperor addressed the assembly again. "From this day forward, this child shall be known as Lady Alitalia, the Saintess of Light, ward of the Imperial Crown and hope of our realm!"
He placed his hands on her shoulders, and Alitalia felt a new magic, his magic, pressing against her own, as if testing its boundaries. "Rise, Saintess," he said, his voice low for her ears alone. "Your true life begins today."
As she stood, the crowd erupted in applause and cheers. The nobles who had whispered about her now bowed respectfully. Scholars were already scribbling notes, recording the historic event. And somewhere in the hall, a bell began to toll, a sound that hadn't been heard in Arion for generations.
"The Light Tower awakens," someone gasped.
Alitalia turned toward the sound and saw Matron Elise smiling at her with genuine warmth. "Welcome to your destiny, child," the older woman said. "You'll be coming to the Academy now."
Before Alitalia could respond, her mother pushed past the guards to reach her, embracing her tightly. "I'm so sorry," Lina whispered against her hair. "I tried to protect you from this."
Alitalia stood stock-still trying to wrap her head around what had just happened, she looked at her hands still trembling with a faint glow...
"I'm the fricking Saintess?!"