OSWC2022 Day 29 "Mystic"
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"Laurel! laurel look at your window!"
"What now?" laurel groaned, looking up from her new grimoire to turn and face the window her cousin Adwin was pointing at.
It took laurel a few seconds, but she eventually registered what was circling and floating around the closed bay window
tiny orbs of light danced around the edges of her window.
The faint yet sweet sound of bells jingling as they sought a way to enter the home.
The fae were here to deliver her magic, and laurel was completely unprepared for it.
"Oliver! kat! wake up! laurels magic is here!" Adwin squealed excitedly, standing up to gently shaking their brother and cousin awake
"what's here?" Oliver groaned, slowly sitting up in his bunk and putting on his glasses
"for real? Holy shit Really!? where are they?!" kat exclaimed, the teenager immediately flipping over in the loft bed to look at where her cousin Adwin was pointing
"right there! I told you it was going to happen tonight! " Adwin said, helping Oliver down from the bunk "you still think I'm wrong, olive?" Adwin teased, smiling as Oliver rolled his eyes
"whatever" he groaned, climbing down the latter, turning his attention away from his sister and over to his cousin laurel who remained glued in place in front of window.
her greenish brown eyes filled with wonder as she remained fixated on the lights floating outside the window
Oliver slowly approached his cousin. a soft smile on his face as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
the sudden contact snapping her out of her trance.
"Well?" he asked, gesturing to the lights "aren't you going to let them in? they came all this way for you"
laurel just slowly nodded.
she still was.... a little bit stunned
just like the mystic lights, The feelings of happiness, confusion. relief and excitement danced around in her head like fireflies.
happiness and excitement for the Fae to give her magic earlier than her grandma had anticipated.
The feelings of relief in knowing she wasn't going to be skipped over.
though it was practically impossible since every child in the family received some form of magic since her first ancestor, maya, saved the realm of the fae
then, there was the feelings confusion and self-doubt
because it was quite strange that the fae would give her magic at least a week before her 17th birthday, much less at their own home.
which led her to doubt herself about being prepared to take that kind of responsibility
so many doubts were running through her head
a tiny part of her didn't even want to believe that this could be happening to her right now or that she was nowhere near finished studying her grimoire to be ready for this level of responsibility
all of it. the concerns, the anxiety, the fear of the Uknown or what would lay ahead for her.
all of it was almost overwhelming enough for her to keep herself from reaching for the window lock to let them in and claim her birth right
and she would have
had it not been for her grandmother's speech repeating over and over in her head. her gentle yet commanding voice ringing in her ears.
"The unknown can be an intimidating and scary place, mdogo"
"it's like sailing on a tiny lifeboat in an ocean without a map. you don't know where it's going to lead you. you'll never know if the waters are going to be calm or if they're going to leave you shipwrecked. hell, there might not even be an island in sight."
"But that's the best part of it all"
"Despite the fear, there's something beautiful and mysterious about the uknown"
"It takes you to faraway places you would never get to see if you didn't take those first steps, you could make amazing friends who will lift you up, it gives you courage and the kiss of freedom"
"It can be scary, dangerous and you may not even get lucky when you make it to the first island, but you'll miss so much in life if you don't take those first steps and set sail.
"So don't be afraid, mdogo. take those first steps and live the life you want to live. chase your dreams and live life to the fullest"
...........
Those words.
the message behind them.
The ideas and goals laurel dreamed of reaching and the places she wanted to visit
these were the only things making her reach out.
to claim her birthright and see what the unknown had to offer.
even though she was still a bit scared, she chose to take that first leap and begin sailing into the unknown.
"Almost seventeen years of waiting" laurel breathed, her cousins and sister waiting with bated breath and excited eyes.
slowly, she twisted the metal latch up and off its hinge. pressing her hands against the cold glass of the window and giving it a gentle push.
"I think I'm ready now"
The moment the windows opened wide; the lights snaked their way into the teenager's room.
circling around laurel and her cousins, who had already received magic a year ago.
laurel could only watch with wonder and anticipation as the lights slowly surround her right hand.
settling on her hand. leaving a subtle warmth on her skin as they grew brighter and began to form specific shapes.
In a brief flash of light, the lights floated away from her hand
a marking was now etched into her smooth caramel skin, which immediately sent Oliver, kat, and Adwin rushing over to see what had been etched in.
It was a circle with three smaller symbols and runes within.
The rune for water, the rune for ice, and the rune for healing.
these runes are what her magic would revolve around for the rest of her natural life.
water, snow/ice and healing others.
which laurel was excited about being able to use
not only was the water rune one of the big three, but she was an avid swimmer and would take any opportunity she had to go for a swim in the ocean or the lake. so she was more than pleased with the fae's selection.
Once kat, Oliver and Adwin registered the runes, they immediately began congratulating their family member on receiving their powers.
"Sweet! you got one of the big 3 Laurel!" kat said, pointing to the water rune on her sister's hand "mom and dad are going to be so proud of you!"
"Yeah! congrats laurel!" Oliver said, patting his cousin on the back "that's a pretty nice powerset! can't wait to see you test it out Tomorow"
"Thanks guys" laurel laughed, confident and proud of herself for gaining the courage to just open the window.
even though it was such as simple task. it really did make laurel feel less afraid of what the future would offer her.
all of the self-doubt and fear of the unknown was far out her reach for now as she sat with her family celebrating her newfound magic.
her grandma was right.
even though the Uknown could be a scary and dangerous place, there was so many things waiting for her on the other side.
she really did just have to let go of her fear, set sail and enjoy the adventures that would lay ahead of her in the great unknown.
