Awen | Priestess of Light

Chapter 2: Under the Blood moon

Anastasia and Awen blinked a sudden though came on them. It wasn't the answer, nor the question they were expecting considering it came from the likes of Cassey.

"Oh... Guess you're right."

"I am always right!" Cassey corrected Anastasia.

"Yeah, yeah... well who knows, you might also have plans to run away, tonight. We might just one step ahead from you. Yes?"

Cassey's stopped on her tracks, her eyes has a glint of fury at the smiling chestnut beauty.

"What makes you think, the next guardian of the shrine would want to run away in the first place dumb head?"

Anastasia shrugged a little. "Why Murielle would want to run away in the first place, Cassey?" Anastasia shot back, yet the obvious annoyances were flickering in Cassey's eyes by the mentioned of Murielle's name.

It wasn't a secret for two complicated friends that Cassey hated, anything pertaining to Murielle. It was like a two-faced coin every time they will use it against Cassey.

"She was referring to herself, you pea brain!" Countered by the priestess on Anastasia's side who voice out Cassey's thoughts but Anastasia titled her head instead.

"Don't make me laugh, Cassey as one of the grannies? All the grannies I knew were tall enough to see everything around. I never heard about a midget size before."

Silenced.

Until soft giggles broke the silence that lasted a second when Cassey's murderous eyes stopped them all.

"I think you've gone mad Anastasia by eating too much cookies." Awen interjected before Cassey had a chance to say something.

"You think so?"

"Come on? Are you even serious? she was a dwarf size not a midgit."

The priestess who has a baby face from the rest of the priestesses was the first to snicked an uncontrolled jolly laugh, and it was a domino until Cassey silenced them once again with a frustrated shout.

"Shut up! You think this is funny?"

Cassey approached Awen until they were eye to eye.

"I swear from this moment onwards, you beggars will regret you had set foot in this sacred ground. Once we're inside the shrine, better start your prayers to deities or perhaps call demons to save your head from me, because I won't easily be swayed even an inch until I see your disgusting face, rolling on this ground. Filthy orphans!"

It was a battle of sharped glares between the two beautiful ladies until Cassey pushed hard Anastasia who attempted to retort.

The chestnut beauty slightly stumbled on her feet that almost fall from the impact. Then the furious crimson-faced lady threw a warning look at Awen.

"Uhm... Cassey, that was too much for a priestess to cursed someone and mentioned scary things as well. You know we don't do that." Said by one of the priestesses who'd caught Anastasia.

"If you continue doing nonsense, certainly, you'll be next. I'm not saying this as a threat, but I know, all of you was fully aware of my family line in Roseriff. Once a member of Helleria declares something, come high or hell water. It will certainly happen."

"But Cassey, cursing another priestess, especially under the blood moon? Aren't you scared about stories that were circulating?" Another priestess interjected.

By the mentioned of the blood moon. All of them gazed up at the sky.

The blood moon was silently watching from above, like a ball of real blood. Beautiful indeed but creepier than the previous blood moon had occurred. And All of them had an unsettling feeling they can't understand under this phenomenon.

"Have you noticed it, the air... It turned colder after the moon becomes blood. Furthermore, it becomes too... too silent. I've always had trouble sleeping because of the loud crickets at this hour. But right now... I can't hear any." The priestess behind Awen confessed.

"True! I too had troubles sleeping at night because of crikets. But you know what's odder than that, I got these strange wierd feelings. It seems there were eyes from nearby that kept on... watching."

Anxiousness and distressed were evident in their eyes, especially their faces that was slowly turning into pale white. All of them were gathering close to one another while searching the environment they currently have until they heard Cassey's proud snigger.

"Nonsense. You should fear the living not the unseen. The dead wouldn't harm you unlike the living that could abandon anyone anytime, or worst end your life. You should fear people, wealth and power. You can be a demon if you have those things."

Words of Cassey's were like classical music for Awen, her daily mantra to conquer life, she can't help but admit. Cassey has a point. And tonight she had realized something. Same ideology where not formed in a place where you grew up with.

"The shrine---"

Cassey wasn't able to continue her speech when Anastasia suddenly fell on the ground. Stone still.

All of them were startled, especially the priestesses beside Anastasia, who fell sitting on the ground. Trembling.

"She was whispering something..." Announced by the lady beside Anastasia, who looks so terrified.

"Anastasia was speaking the long lost dialect, she keep repeating and repeating a phrase." The lady continued while slowly, she was moving away from Anastasia.

The tension that seemed to lessen after Cassey's speech quickly returned on the surface. And one by one they were starting to whimper every time Anastasia would jerk, unpredictably.

"And what is- that?"

Cassey's voice seemed to waver this time, a glint of fear was evident in her voice that Awen immediately noticed.

However, they all gasped when Anastasia suddenly sat up, wide-eye staring at them and shouted her own words.

"They are coming!"