Smitten || Choi Beomgyu (HIATUS)

23

I woke up early in the morning because a little girl knocked on the door. I had to get off the couch to open the door. 

"Uh… Sister these are clean clothes, High Priestess asked me to deliver," 

I looked at the bag in her hand and then back at her face, her face was pale sweaty. Is she nervous? I thought about looking at her. I immediately smiled, "Thank you so much dear," 

A smile appeared on her face, "Uh… You're Welcome! She asked you to come down afterwards. She wants you to look around the coven before," 
"Oh, I see. You want to come inside, I'll quickly get done with morning routine," 
"It's oka-okay! I will stand outside and wait. I can't come inside your room," 
"Why would you stay outside? It's pretty cold. And, this is not my room anyways, so come in!" I made the way for her. 

Her cheeks flushed red, she walks inside the room. I quickly walked to the bathroom, took a quick bath, and got dressed. And, followed the girl downstairs. While walking through the corridors I saw many children, women and men performing rituals, collecting herbs or cleaning the place. The girl was introducing me to people, a warm feeling filled my chest when all of them looked at me. Their gazes were filled with warmth, I have only seen in my parents eyes. Weird? I thought. As soon as I turn around I saw someone collapsing right before me. 

I jerked back but immediately grabbed her arms, preventing her from falling. "Are you alright ma'am?" I asked. 

I could hear her ragged breathing, before she lifts her head. I saw the most magnificent pair of brown eyes, her rosy pale face shining brightly. 

"Priestess Jia! Why are you here right now?" Another young woman asks. She gets hold of Jia. She keeps gazing at me, a smile making way to her lips. 

"How can I not come? I- I heard a new witch came here," She cupped my cheeks. I could see other people looking uncomfortable but I could not understand it. 

"May Hekate remove all the obstacles from your path," She whispers her blessing as she caresses my cheeks. The gust of wind blew, causing her hair to fly out of her face. A gasp left my lips and I flinched to see half of her face disfigured and burnt. 

"H-how?" 

She looks down, covering her face with her hair once again, as she leans on another girl. Her body was extremely petite. I couldn't understand, she is such a beautiful woman. How did she get that scar on her face? There was complete silence in the room.

"I'm sorry you've to see something like this," She said, her voice shaking. 
"No! Please don't be sorry, I didn't mean to act that way-" I was panicking. I had no idea how to comfort her? I wanted to know how that happened? 

"I see, it's so lively here?" I heard Ari's  voice interrupting. I gazed at the door to see her leaning against the door frame. 

And, I followed her out. Everyone suddenly looked terrified of her but she greets them warmly and then grabs my hand. 

"Did you get the tour here? You must be hungry right? 
Lets go to the kitchen," She said, I looked at Priestess Jia and back at Ari and nodded, bowing slightly to everyone in the room. I followed Ari out of the room. 

"How did that happen to her?" I asked Ari, she looked down at the floor, a sigh escaping her lips. After taking her time she said, "Vampires and Werewolves, she was captured by them," 
"Why would they capture her? Like, I know about the enmity between witches and them but I don't get why they are enemies and how did all of that…?"

"Yeona, what did you first think of when you saw priestess Jia?"
"She is pretty. Why?"
"Exactly because of the mana our body stores, it's in pure and huge amounts. It enhances our beauty to great levels. Those perverts try to capture us for our beauty to satisfy their insatiable lust. Since we have already been oppressed by them for many years, it's easier for them to hurt us." 

I remembered something extremely awful I witnessed years ago, something similar happening to my sister. I couldn't do anything about it. 

"Then can't you do something about it?" 
"We try our best to protect our kind by bringing them into the coven but still there are many out there we don't know. In the last few centuries witches' bloodline is scattered all around the world." 
"Is there nothing we can do?"

"We can't but…" Her voice suddenly deepened, "...The Queen can," 

"Then why is she not doing anything," 
"She will, when she learns about herself," What do you mean learns about herself? I thought. 

When a big gust of wind fluttered my long black hair back. I saw a smile making its way to her lips. I turned around looking back at the huge statue, which I now noticed. My eyes traveled from the feet of the statue to her face. She had three faced women, she held a torch in her hand and snakes, real snakes enveloped around the statue. And, I was in awe when I saw such a beautiful statue. My jaws dropped to the floor. 

"She is hekate our goddess," I looked at Ari while she explained. 

"The Queen is young right now. She is not aware of herself and the power her body holds. She will do it, she will protect us and the world from those who want to harm…"

Ari's eyes were glinting majestic forest green, while she gazed at me. My heart was beating wildly for some reason. I recalled the dream where Soojin defined the destiny of the child in her belly. She was a priestess here just like Ari. She was strong. Are they talking about the same person? I feel like they are. Does Ari not know the child in Soojin's belly died because she killed herself. 

"Let's go!" She said and we arrived at the kitchen. I had all those million questions running wild in my head. I had no idea where I needed to stop. All of a sudden this thought came into my mind. 

"I want to learn magic," I said. Ari's face lit up when I said that. 
"That took a long time?" I raised my eyebrow sheepishly, while she stirred the coffee chanting spell before handing me the look inside the cup, an unwanted smell filling my lungs. 
"Ew what is this? It's not coffee?" 
"Yeah, drink that!" She eyed me sternly, I had no choice but to drink the bitter tasting drink. I gagged but under her scrutiny I still did it. 

"Morning!" I heard Narae's voice so I turned around and flashed a smile. She sits on the kitchen stool. Ari gave her the same tea I was given, Narae had a sheepish expression on her face. While, she pleads with Ari with her eyes. 

But Ari looked reluctant as she smiled brightly. It was scary. And so, Narae had no choice. Just like me and she drank it. 

Since it was Sunday, she began the day with teaching me theory on magick. I hate theory. 

In the evening, it was time to go home. 

"Yeona winter break are going to start soon," 
I raised my eyebrows, puzzled. "What about it?" 
"How about you invest your time completely during the breaks to learn magick?" 
"I can't, I'm- I'm going home. I have to go!" I firmly said, she sighs blinking her narrowed eyes. 
"Then, we'll just come to the island. Does that sound good?" 
"You can?"
"Of course!" Narae interrupts.
"Um… okay! I guess,"