Chapter 2 - Ceremony

While my parents were deciding on the pet to offer me after the ceremony, my two sisters came to them with an idea.

— "Dad, Mom, Mayna and I have been thinking about Amaria's pet, since tomorrow is her ceremony."

— "Perfect timing! We were just talking about that with your mother. So, what did you have in mind?"

— "We found a small feline at the auction, a cute little black cat. What do you think?"

— "Mmm, well, why not, at least we won't have to think about it anymore."

— "Amaria really likes felines, cats especially, so she'll be happy to get one."

— "Alright, let's do that. Mayna, Aleya, make sure to pick up the cat for tomorrow."

— "Sure, Dad. We'll take care of it."

Dad and Mom left, happy to have settled on Amaria's pet so quickly.

Mayna and Aleya, meanwhile, were satisfied their idea had been approved. In truth, they didn't care about Amaria's preferences at all, they didn't even know what kind of pet she'd actually like.

Their only goal was to embarrass her. They'd heard black cats were considered bad luck, which made it the perfect choice.

The day of the ceremony, someone knocked at my door. I opened it and found my two sisters standing there.

— "In two hours, you'll have your moment of glory, Amaria, but don't get too excited. Not having magic is a disgrace to this family. At least you'll have a pet, for the family's honor."

— "Thank you for the advice, sisters. I'll keep it in mind."

— "Well, well, see you at the ceremony. Try not to be too ridiculous."

I never understood why my sisters were so cruel to me. Was it really just because I didn't have magic?

Well, anyway, I didn't want to dwell on it and ruin my mood. Today was my ceremony, so it was going to be a good day. And I'd finally meet my new pet. Let's stay positive.

How should I get dressed? Mmm, I didn't have a lot of clothes for special occasions... Maybe the dress Grandma gave me for my last birthday. Alright, the simple purple dress with the gold trim on top, then.

Time passed, and soon it was time for the ceremony. I was incredibly nervous about standing in front of the whole village, even though it was hardly a secret that the youngest daughter of the DE LONGI family had no magic. 

Everyone already knew that. But I couldn't help feeling anxious. I've never liked being on stage, in front of everyone. I'm more the type to hang back in a corner and slip away the first chance I get.

During the ceremony, the village chief, Edmond, was in charge of presenting and leading the proceedings.

— "Hello, everyone, and thank you for coming. Today marks our forty-eighth ceremony for our newly-of-age villagers. When I call your name, please come to the center of the platform and follow my instructions."

The instructions were simple: standing in the middle of the platform, we had to say “Libertus Magic” and wait ten seconds. If none of the four circles lit up, it meant we had no affinity with magic at all.

— "The first person I'll call is Evan, please come to the center of the platform."

When Evan spoke the words, a red light turned on, corresponding to the Fire element.

Internally, I thought: if only I could have some affinity with magic, even the smallest trace, I could finally be useful to my parents, to somebody.

Without magic, I feel useless. I feel like nobody needs me. Like my sisters said, I shouldn't be ridiculous during the ceremony. I'd try to stay as quiet and discreet as possible.

I waited for my name to be called, and finally, when it was my turn, I stepped to the center of the platform and spoke the words. I waited ten seconds.

Suddenly, all four elements flickered at once, a faint pulse of light, gone in less than a second.

Chief Edmond explained that this could sometimes happen for two very different reasons: either the person had no magic at all, or the person carried an exceptionally rare kind. 

But in the rare-magic case, he said, the person should have shown some sign of it in childhood. That wasn't true for me, I'd never shown any sign of magic growing up.

So it was concluded that I didn't have magic.

Once the ceremony was done, I came home. My parents and my two sisters were already in the garden. My father approached me with a small cage and said:

— "Here, Amaria, your new pet. I hope you'll like it." 

— "Thank you, Dad."

I took the cage, and the little gathering in the garden broke up. Back in my room, I opened the cage and found a very small black cat inside very beautiful green eyes.

He came out slowly and looked around, unafraid despite his tiny size. He looked like a kitten, wandering the room, sniffing at everything.

I stayed static, almost certain, he will ignore me as well like my family.

After looking at everywhere in my room he finally settled into my lap. It was the first time I felt attention by someone.

I found him so cute that I started talking to him.

— "Hi there, cute little black cat. I'm happy to meet you, and I hope you'll be happy too."

— "I'm trying to think of a name for you. You're all black, fearless, and brave... Mmm, how about Smoky?"

The moment I said "Smoky," the cat meowed and jumped off my lap, as if he didn't like it.

So I tried another one. 

— "How about Yuuki?"

This time, he climbed right back into my lap, rubbed his head against me, and purred, as if he approved.

So I decided to call him Yuuki.

After everything that had happened, I was exhausted, and it was already late at night. I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes as sleep slowly crept in.

Yuuki stayed close to my head, I could feel his fur tickling my nose.

After I fell asleep, Yuuki placed a paw on my forehead, and a faint yellow light rose from my skin.

***