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"Bethara..."The young sorceress's eyes fluttered open, her first thought being one of annoyance. She had a big exam tomorrow on teleportation, she had to be in the perfect state to be able to demonstrate her skills. As a star pupil at the prestigious Leodian School of Magic, who got in thanks to both her parents' pedigree and her magical aptitude at her age, she always strove to be the best student possible, which included going to sleep early tonight. Besides, tomorrow was her 18th birthday anyway, she would hopefully be able to celebrate after passing her exam with flying colors. Who could be bothering her at such a late hour then? If anything she thought it might have been coming from a vivid dream, the voice was so etheral and otherworldly......and then she saw her.Bathed in light that illuminated her room stood a figure she had only seen in drawings, in statues at temples. D'halumina, the Moon Goddess. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she was not seeing things, but no, that was her. Bethara had always felt she had a special connection to the moon, having been born on a night when the moon was full- in fact, her name, "beth ara," meant "daughter of light" in her native language of Sylosian. But nobody had ever told her or prepared her for such a moment when such a divine figure graced her presence. She was surrounded by a white glow, her hair as white as the moon itself, and her eyes were almost blinding, she had to look away."D'ha -D'halumina..." she said, slowly rising out of bed before falling to her knees in reverence. "Is it really you?""It is indeed, my child. Please rise, for now we shall be equals. The time has come for you to accept my divine gifts. I have been observing you for some time now. The way you always wish to use your powers for good, never taking your gifts for granted. I have spoken with Thila plenty, she has chosen a good soul."Thila was the Goddess of Magic, the one Bethara prayed to every day and thanked for bestowing her powers upon her. Technically it was through her bloodline, through her parents, both powerful sorcerers in their own right, but the fact that she was born to such a bloodline was a blessing in and of itself, and she had to acknowledge that."It is because I was born under a full moon, is it not?" She said, rising. "I have seen the Moon Priestesses, observed their powers, but I was not aware how they received your blessing.""They, like you, are good souls that I, along with the rest of the gods, deem worthy of being a divine conduit," the Goddess said. "They were all also born under a full moon, tasked with spreading the light that they already had inside them. You, my child, have plenty of light. Plenty of gooddess. There is darkness spreading across the world, and we need people like you to fight it. What say you?"Bethara paused. She often thought about what she would do with her magic and her powers once she graduated from this school. She always said she wished to be a healer, traveling across lands and continents, using her gifts to help those who could not help themselves. That is why she enrolled in plenty of herbology classes, to learn the magical healing properties of plants and the world around her. Some of her classmates scoffed at such an idea- why use powers for good when you could use them to be evil, to be selfish? It would be so easy to take advantage of poor, magic-less mortals! But Bethara held strong, and thinking of such interactions, she saw why the gods took notice. "I..." This was no small decision. But again, she thought about her purpose in life. What was her calling? She had a literal goddess here offering her a chance to be something greater than herself. A literal divine calling. How could she turn it down?"If you deem me worthy, then I cannot object to such an offer." She said, looking into her eyes for the first time. It seemed even D'halumina recognized such an occurrence, dimming her light slightly so she could look into her true eyes. They were warm and motherly, and she had a smile on her face. "My only request is that you let me finish my studies first, as I believe it would be best to have as much magical knowledge and proficiency as possible before beginning such a journey."The goddess nodded. "Very well, that sounds quite logical. But I know your studies will be more fruitful if I enhance your abilities now. Is that alright?"Bethara nodded, and thus D'halumina approached, and placed her hands atop her head, chanting in a language she did not recognize. She could feel the goddess's power flowing through her, filling her with her divine light, as if the moon itself was attaching itself to her.And then it was done."Welcome to the Coven of the Moon," D'halumina said with a smile. "I look forward to you joining us once your studies are complete. You are a special one, always remember. In fact, you should find you have new special abilities connected to tonight's full moon, and every full moon from now on. I know you wish to be a healer, and you will be able to use my light to heal. If you are ever in danger, you can use moonlight to act as an impenetrable shield. And as for your exam tomorrow? Do not worry, as whenever the moon is full, you will able to shift into the pure essence of moonlight and teleport wherever you wish. I know you will use these gifts wisely, my child."She of course had to try this for herself, and with a mere thought, she found herself cloaked in shimmering white armor from head to toe, which even as it looked heavy, felt light as a feather, and disappeared as fast as it reappeared. But she had to try this pure moon essence D'halumina spoke of. She closed her eyes and suddenly she felt herself change. The moonlight flowing through her took over, shifted her form from the physical, the flesh and blood, to one of pure light, pure energy. It felt incredible, unlike anything she had ever known before. She burst through an open window and soared through the sky like a shooting star. It was utterly exhilarating, and while she thought of going home to tell her parents, they were probably sleeping and she did not want to wake them. Perhaps at the next full moon, earlier in the night."Your blessings have changed me," she said once she returned. "And I will forever be in your debt.""No, my child, the only debt you have to pay is to society. Spread the light. Root out the darkness. My faith in you to do so is unwavering." And with a flash of moonlight of her own, she was gone. Bethara knew her life had just changed forever. She no longer had to question her purpose. She had one now, and she would take full advantage of it.
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