In the prison of her dreams, all she felt was warmth, like a raging fire flowing through her veins. The blood in her body seems to grow vigorously, surging forward like a tornado and at the same time peacefully to each and every part of her system.
"Akuna... Akunaa... Akuna...a"
Soft whispers filled her mind, like the voice of a mother coaxing her child to sleep, it was warm and like a calm breeze the voice floated into her ears.
She turned reflexively insearch of the voice, that kept calling her name but all she could see was a vast darkness.
"Come to me, dear Akuna. Walk forward, child..."
The foreign voice once again sounded beside her ears, but this time she could discern it's position.
In this darkness, the only thing that guided her was this foreign voice. In front of her was a pretty long stairs, she Climbed and climbed with each looking unending. When it almost felt like eternity, the scene before her changed.
She was standing at the end of the stairs, before her, stood an enormous altar. Beside the altar, stood an enchanting woman. Adorned in a silky white robe with Golden imprints on it glittering like stars, her waist length silver hair fluttered in the air and they shone brightly under the candlelight.
Akuna took in this breathtaking sight. The mysterious woman look young, though her facial features were shrouded by a thin veil, she was extremely beautiful.
Seeing as she stopped walking, the woman thought she was scared and once again her soothing voice sounded just like before in her ears. "Don't be scared, keep walking. Come forward and place your right hand on the altar."
After the voice landed, Akuna was a bit hesitant to walk forward, and uncertainty as her legs seems to have a mind on it's own and kept walking towards the altar.
"Where am I? And who are you?" Her scared voice echoed in the vast area. She stood cautiously staring at the ethereal looking woman beside the altar.
"This place is called the sacred space of Witches. In the past millennium years, there has only been one and it's power rivals no other. It was mine, once and now it is yours." The mysterious woman explained and reached out to her with a smile. "So, let me formally introduce myself. I am Ariel, your teacher. I shall guide you to your path."
"Teacher? I don't even know you and did you say I'm in a sacred place of Witches!?"
An amused giggle escape the woman's lips. The woman floats in front of her and circles around her in pure amusement.
She restrained herself after a round, looking at Akuna with playful eyes. "You might have forgotten but I've been with you, since you clocked five years of age. Oh, my dear Akuna. You have just awakened your powers and It is my duty to guide you."
"What powers? What are you talking about?" Akuna questions sharply, as she stared confusingly at the Woman.
"You are a witch, darling."
The girl was left astonished by what the woman said. A witch? She could scoff at that. She didn't necessarily believe what this woman was saying, how can an Elder's daughter like her be a witch? She needed to wake up, this dream was far too absurd and scary.
Wait a minute, wasn't this the twist in leia's crazy tale. Leia who was interested in telling strange tales, Now she was even dreaming about it.
"Do you accept your powers, Akuna?"
Hearing her name, jolted her from her trance and she immediately said "yes."
Realising the question as it finally sank in, she said "No, no." Even though she thought it was just a dream,. She didn't want to accept or promise anything.
"That's too late, my darling." The woman chuckled. "I'm afraid, there is no turning back for you."
After the woman finished speaking, she felt her finger tips sting and blood came out. It was gushing so fast that she had gone pale, "what did you do to me?" Akuna screamed her voice frantic with panic. Her face scrunched up in pain and she felt dizzy.
"Rush, place your right hand on the Altar. The pain will go away."
Akuna rushed forward, placing her hand on the altar. The altar shone and immediately sucked in her blood. When she lifted her head, she noticed the drop of blood that floated in front of her.
Before she could fathom what was happening, the drop of blood pierced through the point between her eyebrows and disappeared soon after.
This was definitely not a dream. This was her last thought before the whole place was enveloped in a blinding light and everything turned dark except the lingering whispers of the mysterious woman by her ears. "Do not reveal what happened here to anyone, Akuna or you will invite trouble."
That was the last thing she heard before everything blacked out and she woke up in her room, drenched in sweat. Her wavy red hair was glittering like fireflies in the night sky.
Around her bed, stood some elders of the church who were busy chanting prayers.
There was clamoring in the small room that was made of concrete and designed with some elegant furnitures. In contrast to the person on the bed, who seems to have woken up from her slumber. Her earthy brown eyes squinted as they opened, adjusting to the light.
"Take her, she is cursed. She has become a witch!" One of the Elders spoke just as she her eyes opened.
Akuna sat up briefly in alarm, she took in the scene before her, to see her parents with some of the Elders in the church. 'What is happening?' was the only thing going through her mind right at the moment.
Two abled Young men walked forward and grabbed her, dragging her from the bed, despite her struggling.
"Mom! Dad!" Her plea fell on deaf ears as, no one came to her aid or explain what was happening at that point in time.
Her eyes shifted to her father's indifferent expression as he stood with his council members and then to her Mother, who was crying at the side. Everything turned blank as they knocked her out and took her away.
...
"That's our daughter! Are you going to let them just take her away?" Grace grabbed her husband's arm asked reproachfully for his lack of concern there of. "Don't you know the outcome? They will have our daughter, killed James! Please, save her, she is only but a child. Akuna is our only child!"
Grace wept as she hugged her husband, crying bitterly. Akuna was their only child, they could not lose her, just because of a suspicion. Even though, she has indeed become a witch, she was still their daughter they'd watched grow up.
"I'm afraid I can not do anything, not when the other Elders have seen her changes. You know what we think of Witches, we can not stand them. It is our duties to cleanse the world of them."
"Unfortunately, our daughter stands against what we stand for. She is a Witch!" James hand trembled and he seems to grow several years older, as he sat down. All this was difficult to bear, his then indifferent expression had longed crumbled as he brought both of his hands to his face.
"Let's have faith, the church will not harm our child. There must be a way to save her." James told his wife as he refused to lose his faith in the church and its duties.
In another place, in a hidden room. Several figures sat round a stone table with another figure on the head seat that looked more like a throne.
"It has been called to our attention, that an Elder's daughter has become a witch." The Elder on the left side of the round table reported.
"She is far stronger than any, I have seen. Even the holy water had no effect on her. She must confess and burnt in the stake to serve as a warning to the rest." One of the Elders that was present at the scene said, brushing his long beards.
One of the Elders that was very close to Akuna's Family and was the father of Akuna's friend, Leia. Spoke up, not agreeing with them.
"Elders, she is but a child, that we have all seen, growing up. Even if she is as claimed, we can still save her! She's James' daughter, I do not agree with you all having his daughter killed!"
"She can not be saved, the holy water doesn't work on her! We must kill her, this is our duty. Wether An Elder's daughter or not, she is a witch and it has been our duty to eradicate them from the face of earth!" The same Elder that suggested killing Akuna, once again said, drawing acceptance from the rest of the Elders as they all agreed with him.
Elder Steve, watched on in dismay as other Elders and even The one seated in authority, Elder Jacob agreed to burning the girl. He shook his head with a sigh, as he took Akuna as his daughter.
