The melding process was a simple task, at least as far as explanations went. A Wizard or Witch that intended to meld their two wands together only had to do two things in the entirety of the process, the first was simple; envision.
A Wizard or Witch desiring to meld their wands together most definitely had a goal set in mind, the ideal nature and formation of their wand that best catered for their needs and attributes; which Crusch had no idea what they were at this point. One had to envision this goal in the simplest and most imaginable form possible, the best possible advice for this part of the process was to think of a wish that could be said in one short sentence, don't be frivolous, vague or grand for the wish had to be something that could easily be imagined. Failure to adhere to this processes need for simplicity and detail meant the wand could also break, this time due to a lack of any basic idea of how the wielder wished it to be.
The second part of this process was a strong desire, to meld two wands together, a tether had to be made. The wands wouldn't meld themselves, although compatibility was largely the deciding factor into the success or failure of this process, getting the two wands to start melding in the first place was the wielders own will. This will had to be strong, so strong in fact that there was no room for them but to meld; that was also where many failed.
The gazes Crusch acquired were both of ridicule, surprise and a little pity. She was currently outside of the castle, enjoying the fresh breeze of morning winter with her parents just a little ways ahead. For some reason they'd decided upon a short walk outside which Crusch couldn't understand the significance of, however, she'd already made it quite clear that she was going to attempt at melding her wands together.
They traversed through the ankle high snow, a crimson sunrise from the West having melted most of its contents from the night before. They were heading in direction of the woods, the tree's having long lost their leaves becoming naked, twisting and towering thorn like vines that pointed to the skies above. Throughout the journey Crusch made note of the forest's girth and emptiness, finding it quite exciting and a little surreal that all of it belonged to her family alone…at least on the surface of things. It was a quiet journey and for the most part, Crusch who was now closely following behind her mother had taken a few glances behind to find that they were a good ways away from home and her parents didn't seem like they were stopping anytime soon.
"Is there something—"
"Crusch…" Her father interrupted her to which she quickly went silent, noticing that they were walking more slower now.
"Is there…something bothering you?" Viktor asked, the question as sudden as the emotions in the atmosphere had fluctuated and changed, the air now filled with a tension she couldn't describe as they still traversed through the snow.
"Nothing of the sor—"
"Ludmilla…" it was her mother this time.
Crusch noted that the trees had become a little more dense and an elevation could be felt in the terrain, looking over her shoulders as they kept walking and it seemed as though they were walking along a cliff of sorts and as they carried on, small little beady spots of yellow light could be seen in the distance.
"There's an entire life ahead of you, think for yourself and not what might benefit you for other's sake" her father explained, his gaze not glancing back and instead still walking, "Becoming a Witch Ludmilla…although we pride ourselves as a magic family is still your choice whether to accept or deny"
"I've already decided that I want to accept it, Father—"
"We understand but we fear your judgment is clouded by a sense of duty" Yoraina interjected, "There's nothing for you to prove, no one would admonish you for not doing so"
"This is about my decision isn't it…"
Her parents kept silent, clearly answering her question as the three drew nearer to what was the edge of a cliff, humbly looking over a vast expansive city from below. It was beautiful, her mother sidled towards her and tightly took her into a one arm embrace, their gazes centered over the beauty of this city.
"We won't pretend like we aren't worried Ludmilla, providing the best for you is all that our lives will ever center around" her mother spoke, glancing towards at the mention of that last sentence, "What you will desire, how you choose to live your life is entirely up to you and that's a freedom everyone has..that they deserve"
She ruffled her hair.
"However, such things need a promise"
"A promise?" Crusch asked, her mother nodding.
"No matter what may happen, no matter who's words, no matter the environment that surrounds you" It was her father who spoke now, "Never make a choice against what you desire deeply in your heart"
"In short" Her mother placed a gentle hand to her chest, on top of where her heart was, "Promise us that every action you make from here on out is Ludmilla, what you truly desire"
Crusch stared as her parents smiled, for some odd reason she felt their images overlap with her own parents but the illusion was brief yet not brief enough that Crusch's gaze didn't become blurred in tears.
'Fuck..'
There were no words that could escape her lips, try as she did to hold them back, to suck it up because the real Crusch didn't care for all this stuff, the real Crusch had lived without such frivolous things, her parents although loving were fleeting, so she learnt not to mind, not to moan and weep. Yet this wasn't her own body, the reaction was involuntary and Crusch found herself sobbing as a sense of relief was slowly washing over her with a slight tinge of pain.
"I…I…" She could barely get the words past, it was infuriating and a little pathetic but she wasn't perturbed, "promi—"
She was suddenly ambushed by a hug, a tight one that had the unmistakable feeling of dampness to it as Crusch realized that her own mother was crying too while her father had a hand on her shoulder beside her but the glossiness in his gaze was telling of his own pain.
"We understand, We understand…"
That day, Crusch nor her parents left the cliff till the sun had set far enough that the horizons were once again painted a dazzling shade of crimson.
That day…perhaps something she'll never admit happened to her…and it was frightening to comprehend…