OUTCAST BY LOEY ANN

CHAPTER 2: The Invitation

When Astrid turned 12, her life took an unexpected turn. It all started with a knock on the old wooden door of her family's small cottage. The quiet afternoon was suddenly interrupted by this unexpected visitor. Astrid was startled from her daydreaming by the window and saw a mysterious figure wearing a midnight-blue robe standing on their doorstep. This sight sent a shiver down her spine. She began to wonder who this person would be, since her parents were not the kind to have visitors like that.

Markus opened the door, his brow furrowed in confusion, unsure of what to expect. Standing before him was a stranger dressed in a long robe, his face partially hidden beneath the hood. Without a word, the figure extended a hand, presenting a sealed parchment. The intricate seal caught Markus’s eye: an owl delicately perched on the curve of a crescent moon, its wings spread wide as if protecting something important. Markus glanced at Elara, who stood nearby with equal confusion, before accepting the parchment. He hesitated for a moment, then invited the mysterious visitor inside.

Inside their humble home, the air felt heavy with unspoken tension. Markus carefully broke the wax seal, his hands shaking slightly as he unfolded the parchment. The paper felt unusually thick, the kind one would expect to carry an important message. As he opened it, strange, ornate writing covered the page, shimmering faintly as if it had been written with something other than ordinary ink. The letters seemed to move under his gaze, alive with an energy he couldn’t quite understand. He read the words slowly, trying to make sense of them, while Elara stood close, her hands clasped together in nervous anticipation.

Astrid, who had been quietly watching from the corner of the room, couldn’t resist drawing closer. Her heart raced as she stepped forward, catching fragments of the words written on the parchment. Though she didn’t understand them fully, she felt their weight, their meaning tugging at something deep inside her. The message spoke of a future, one far removed from the small life they had known in the village. It hinted at a path that seemed both terrifying and exciting, something beyond the simple world they lived in.

As Markus read, the room grew still. Elara’s face reflected both fear and hope, while Astrid stood beside her, feeling the same strange pull toward the unknown. The stranger said nothing, simply standing by, waiting for them to absorb the significance of the message. What had started as an ordinary evening was now something entirely different, a moment that would change their lives forever.

For Astrid, the words on the parchment were more than just a message, they were a doorway, a glimpse into something she had always felt but never understood. There was a destiny waiting for her, one that stretched far beyond the village, far beyond the life she had always known. As her father’s hands trembled over the parchment, Astrid knew that nothing would ever be the same again.

“You have been chosen because you are special,” the letter proclaimed in an elegant script that seemed to dance across the page. “The Achaiviane Witches Academy awaits your presence to nurture your gifts and guide you on the path to greatness.”

Markus exchanged a stunned glance with Elara, who clasped her hands over her mouth in disbelief. “But how…” Markus began, his voice trailing off as he searched for words to articulate the astonishment gripping their small family.

Madame Lucinda, the figure dressed in a robe, presented herself as a liaison from the Witches Academy, a prestigious school concealed from the ordinary world, committed to fostering young witches possessing exceptional powers. She conveyed that the academy's leaders had acknowledged Astrid's distinct lineage and natural magical talent, recognizing in her the potential for a successful future despite the obstacles she had encountered.

Elara, tears of joy shimmering in her eyes, embraced Astrid tightly, whispering words of encouragement and pride. “Go, Astrid,” she urged, her voice trembling with emotion. “Find the place where you belong.”

The following morning, before the first rays of dawn had chased away the lingering shadows of night, a carriage drawn by midnight-black horses arrived at their doorstep. Its sleek, polished exterior gleamed in the pale moonlight, a stark contrast to the rustic charm of their village surroundings. Astrid stood on the threshold of her childhood home, her satchel packed with essentials for the journey ahead, feeling a mix of trepidation and burgeoning hope.

Markus clasped her shoulder with a firm yet gentle grip, his weathered face etched with paternal concern and pride. “Remember who you are, Astrid,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “And never forget that we love you.”

With a final embrace and lingering farewells exchanged between tearful goodbyes, Astrid stepped into the waiting carriage. The world outside her window transformed as the carriage lurched forward, leaving behind the familiar townscapes she had known all her life. Fields of golden wheat gave way to dense, ancient forests where shadows seemed to dance with secrets untold, each passing moment bringing her closer to the fabled Witches' Academy.

The journey was a surreal blur of changing landscapes and whispered rumors about the academy’s mysterious reputation. Madame Lucinda, seated across from Astrid in the carriage, spoke of the academy in hushed tones of its towering iron gates entwined with ivy and glowing runes that whispered of ancient magic, of its gothic spires that pierced the sky like the fingers of long-forgotten gods, and of the arcane knowledge that awaited within its shadowed halls.

As they neared the edge of the academy grounds, tangible energy seemed to fill the air, stirring a mix of nervousness and excitement within Astrid's chest. The gates stood in front, a formidable obstacle separating the familiar world she was accustomed to from the mysterious realm that pulled her into the unfamiliar.

With a deep breath and a heart filled with newfound determination, Astrid stepped through the gates of the Academy, her gaze sweeping over cobblestone paths and towering spires that seemed to stretch towards the heavens themselves. The other students, dressed in flowing robes of every shade imaginable, cast curious and wary glances in her direction. A silent acknowledgment of her arrival and the whispers that had preceded her.

Despite the academy’s promise of acceptance and belonging, Astrid felt the weight of their scrutiny like a tangible presence, a reminder of the challenges that lay ahead. Yet, as she crossed the threshold into this new chapter of her life, she carried with her the unwavering belief instilled by her parents that within her, despite the doubts and fears that lingered, burned the ember of potential waiting to be kindled.

Astrid’s journey had begun, her path unfolding before her like the pages of a story yet to be written, with each step bringing her closer to uncovering the truth of her origins and the destiny that awaited her amidst the shadows and secrets of this new Academy.