The Dark Witch's Insignia

Chapter 01

Fon Carlson walks the halls of Freya Academy, excited about the Great Search announcement. There is a smirk on her lips and her strides are steady towards the hall. She's currently a finishing apprentice at Freya Academy and she knows that she is lucky enough to be in the Academy during the Great Search that happens only once every quarter of a century.

The Great Search is a competition wherein excellent witches and wizards will be chosen to display their skill in magick and pursue the goal of becoming one of the Greats—her dream. She had always been an excellent apprentice, and she is aware that she has a huge chance of becoming the victor.

She enters the function hall and finds it packed with the familiar faces of apprentices and witches that came from another Academy to watch. As expected, the function hall is different than usual. There are more lanterns on the windowsill and there are even more chandeliers than she could even count. The curtains are replaced with those that she only sees on special occasions. Even the windows and the furniture smell of paint.

Fon searches for her friend amidst the myriad of apprentices who could not keep themselves still and jumped up and about the hall. Fon stands at five-two and with a small frame like hers, it's hard to see anything in front unless she makes her presence known.

Fon takes a deep breath, hoping that this would not create another punishment for her. She looks for Philomena, her guardian, and instructor at Freya, the only one who could pass any punishment on her. When she couldn't see her, Fon let out a trickling of her magick. She is confident that it would suffice to make a passage for her.

Within a minute, the apprentices turn and stare while creating a way for her. She curves her lips, planning to give a smile, but the apprentices turn their eyes away. Rissa always laughed at her whenever she tried the art of smiling at strangers. She always tells her that it was never a smile but a smirk, especially when her eyes turn into a slanted angle. It never failed to make Fon's face look like she was plotting something sinister.

"Fon!" Rissa waves as she squeezes her way into the path and stumbles at her feet. "Did you use your smile again? Look at the effect of it," she says, breathless with amazement.

Fon helps her friend up as she tried to brush the dirt from her clothes due to falling. "You klutz."

Rissa smiles at her and makes inaudible excuses. She even creates exaggerated action as her red, curly hair synchronized with each movement.

"Come," Rissa says as she pulls her into the front.

Today is a very important day for Fon. Mainly because the candidates for The Great Search of the East will be formally announced. It was such an extravagant event that even known wizards from the Witch Council are present as well as witches from different noble clans.

In front of them is a huge table occupied by notable witches and wizards that will preside over the Search. Philomena, the head professor of Freya Academy, is at the center looking distinguished in her formal dress.

At her right, seats Jayden, one of the Witch Council Assistant Leaders, the main person who is designated to make sure that the Search runs as orderly as possible.

At Philomena's farthest right, an unfamiliar old woman is seated, probably another assistant to Jayden. And at Philomena's left, a young woman with very strong Kleinfeld features sits with another Freya Academy professor named Alexander.

On both sides of the table, stands a line of Council members and professors from Freya as well as representative professors from other academies.

Philomena clears her throat. A gesture to tell the apprentices that she's about to speak. Philomena is the strongest witch Fon had ever met. Philomena invites humans with affinity to magick to study in her Academy, especially those who live in non-magical human settlements like Fon. They call those places devoid of magick simply as the Void and they call non-magical humans as Aberrants.