Silence in the Shadows

The air in the Seminal's grand entrance hall hummed with an ancient energy, a stark contrast to the modern black hat, dress, and sneakers Kiara wore. "Kiara! Are you ready yet?" Aron's voice, magically amplified, echoed down from his room. She smoothed her short dark hair, a rarity for a witch, and smiled. "Coming Aron!"
It took five minutes to descend from her top-floor room to the ground, where Aron waited, clad in jeans and his seminal jacket. Today was her Ceremony of Authentication, a day she'd anticipated with a mix of excitement and dread. They had been over the steps countless times: the blade, the stone, the familiar, and the blood of the first.
As they walked their private gravel road, the familiar figure of Col emerged from the Seminal's imposing oak doors. "Col!" Kiara bolted forward, embracing her childhood best friend. His playful grin, however, held a new depth. "Wow, you're actually pretty now!" he teased, a warmth spreading through her as they laughed. The path ahead, into the depths of the Seminal, promised not just a ceremony, but a reckoning.
