Magic originates from inspiration, and inspiration comes from the blessings of the divine.
Two laurel leaves to cleanse the eyes, a touch of golden honey to moisten the lips, and then immerse one's hands in a silver basin, where a shallow pool holds the essence of three days and nights of dew, shimmering with a layer of clear moonlight as one gently flicks and teases.
Finally, with these pure hands, seven tallow candles are lit, the confined space slowly filling with a warm fragrance, also illuminating a noble and luxurious statue of a goddess.
The cat's eye gemstones absorb the light of the worshippers' candles, and as Rosemary watches her own figure shattered into countless fragments, the goddess's piercing gaze seems to dissect her soul. The girl subconsciously presses her hand to her chest, where her heart is pounding, and her demeanor becomes even more humble and pious.
The goddess leans against a throne adorned with laurel trees, wearing a crown woven from silver threads and beads, with a base carved with a hundred birds and beasts of the forest to do her bidding.
The sacred soft light around the throne, the goddess's bright eyes, and her dignified appearance make her increasingly lifelike. The fragrant air makes one hold one's breath, fearing a single mistake would defile this brilliant moment.
The holy and flawless divine countenance also reflects the beautiful and devout face of the believer, but as the person holds their breath and concentrates, they speak and reveal their true nature:
"Goddess bless, the faithful girl is here, may the hatching go smoothly, and the cauldron open with good fortune..."
Snap!
A dark shadow flashes, and a tallow candle is consumed, startling the person who hasn't yet had time to check the situation, only to see the second, the third... It seems as if an invisible hand is extinguishing the light of the candles from far to near, and the darkness is gradually approaching.
Rosemary is so frightened at this moment that she can't care about anything, reciting whatever little vocabulary she has left in her mind, while searching for any good throwing weapons around her.
Just as she was about to grab the heavy "Book of Divine Praise" as if it were a treasure, ready to smash it, a pair of clear cat eyes blinked at her.
"... Miss Bobbi." Rosemary gritted her teeth.
The candles relit, revealing another figure leaning against the wall corner.
At this moment, the woman, not caring about her thick and beautiful golden hair falling to the ground, was bent over with laughter. Miss Bobbi, the big blue-eyed tabby cat, easily leaped and landed on the woman's shoulder. Even with a furry face, Rosemary could still see the disdain in her expression.
"I saw that you were too nervous, and I wanted to make you relax. What strange things were you muttering? Hahaha!"
Sometimes Rosemary really suspects that she is cursed.
Rosemary 's real name is not Rosemary . The woman named Amber bought her from an merchant ship; she was an abandoned infant in need of care. But even an abandoned infant was a commodity on the ship. Amber and the shrewd businessman haggled until the sky was dark and the earth was dark, and finally made a deal with two dozen Rosemary spices. The lazy woman who was too lazy to name her has been calling her Rosemary ever since.
Under Amber's half-playful and half-serious upbringing, Rosemary grew up safely. Her fragmented memories made her more mature than any girl of her age, and she began to grope in this strange world. Amber bought an infant not to be a servant, but also not to be treated as a foster daughter.
In fact, there are countless combinations like them in the village. Older women would go out and adopt some smart girls, usually like Rosemary , who are helpless orphans. Amber asked Rosemary to call herself a lady and taught the ignorant girl everything about this world.
Back to the present, Amber laughed enough and finally remembered her responsibility as a teacher. She lightly knocked on the fingerboard, and a slight fluctuation swept through the air, and the candles that were falling to the east and west stood up like obedient soldiers, lining up and returning to their positions beside the goddess.
Although Rosemary has seen it countless times since she was a child, she is still amazed. There is no cumbersome ceremony and prayer. Magic is as easy for ladies like Amber as breathing and drinking water. They can easily draw magic inspiration from the breeze, moonlight, and even a drop of morning dew.
Putting away her playful expression, Amber pulled up her skirt and moved lightly, as if she was not wearing a wrinkled nightgown, but a grand evening dress. The serious woman is a dignified and mature blonde beauty.
At this time, she put down her beloved cat, came to the statue of the goddess, and used a more exaggerated and humble attitude than Rosemary , muttering to the statue as if confessing her sins; just like everyone in this world, the gods are everything, the gods give power, but the existence of beings like Amber who use divine power so freely is not a serious nun or priest.
Amber's village has been isolated from the world for a long time, and they do not believe in the supreme and only true god of the mainland, but an ancient moon goddess.
For this, Amber always holds her head high and chest and calls herself a favored one of the gods, but Rosemary knows how outsiders call their group of female heretics - witches.
Rosemary , an orphan without support, can be said to be very lucky to be chosen by Amber. The blonde woman looks lazy and scattered, with a big fat cat in her arms, and a piecework nightgown that is always able to pull out some amazing little things from countless pockets. But in fact, Rosemary can be at ease in this strange world, she has to rely on her support.
Amber is the chief priestess of the Moon Goddess and the most powerful and domineering witch in this witches' village. In other words, she is the village tyrant.
Rosemary has a vague memory of her childhood, waiting for the owl's letter, so after realizing the difference here, the girl who has lived again has no discomfort at all, and she dives headfirst into this magical world.
However, she soon felt the deep malice of this strange world towards the traveler.
After making sure that it did not cause the goddess's displeasure, Amber slowly swayed over, and she took out a small bronze telescope with a long handle from some broken pocket; according to her, the lens is a kind of crystal condensed from the moonlight, which can enhance the witch's eyesight, see through all the interference of blessings and curses, and even the truth of things.
Amber grasped the long handle and scrutinized the potion at the bottom of the cauldron with the spyglass before lifting her head and teasing her apprentice:
"Alas, is it necessary to hold an opening ceremony? How lacking in confidence my apprentice is; it's merely the practice of a potion for hastening birth..."
Before Rosemary could stop her, she instinctively glanced out the window and, sure enough, caught a flicker of a cat's shadow, followed by a girl's shrill cry:
"Rosemary is practicing her potion again!!"
Immediately, a cacophony of pots and pans clattering outside ensued, accompanied by the hurried footsteps of a crowd, truly a call that was met with an immediate response.
Anber, who was always carefree and untroubled by worries, caught on and couldn't help but show a hint of apology on her face. Seeing her young apprentice's hands covering her face, she didn't need to imagine to know that at this moment, all the women in the village were probably rushing over with their soup bowls, coming in a fierce manner.
Rosemary 's dream of magic did indeed come true, but there was a slight deviation along the way.