AN: Please try to remember that this is my story and as such is completely fictional. I try to name no religion in my descriptions in the beginning, though many will draw their own conclusions. I'm an eclectic pagan who believes no one religion gets it all correct, or even near so. Hence why when many say, "Hate the sin, not the sinner," I return with, "Hate the religion, not the religious (unless your religion tells you to disrespect the lives of others simply for existing, then we have a problem)."
That being said, enjoy the second major leap in the story into Angela's origins as a Witch and see just how deeply ingrained some people's faith can go.
The Order of Lilitu came into being many millennia ago, long before man began to chart their way across the seas. Witches lived in abundance within the great wilds across the many continents, their lives dedicated to maintaining the Balance of magick and nature. These Witches were born with the innate ability to channel and manipulate the natural energies of the earth in the form of Magick. Our kind believed in the sanctity of nature and communed with the Great Gaia daily.
It was only when Man sought dominion over Magick did the humans find themselves at odds with Witches and the other supernatural species that resided in peace with the world.
You see, Man has always displayed a nearly limitless potential for greatness. So many magnificent feats were brought about simply by the imaginings of a few. Grand structures, vast cities, they even learned to move the earth by their muscles and tools alone. But they were greedy, impatient creatures and when they saw the decadence our kind lived with they decided to claim it for themselves.
When our people refused to serve the humans' interest, they declared war upon us. They began campaign after campaign, sending their warriors into our woods, burning all in their wake as they plundered our homes and razed our villages to the ground. Many Witches died, as our natures were not one of retribution but of kindness. Unfortunately just as many Witches were taken prisoner, and in our sorrow we mourned our losses as we retreated deeper into our holds. Fortunately, one Clan could not stomach the slaughter any longer and stood their grounds. They brought their magicks to bear and repelled the humans who quickly retreated to the safety of their cities to regroup.
And so they came with siege weapons, catapults filled with searing oils that overwhelmed the protection of our wards. Their crusades waged onward and our Defenders retreated deep underground in order to rally and plan their next move. But they found themselves uncertain, their magick waning with the destruction of their natural world they communed with.
As stated, these Witches of old drew their power from the world around them. Nature is the medium in which our power is propagated, and without a significant source of natural energy, our power weakens.
With no other choice, the Matriarch of the hidden Clan drew upon Forbidden Magicks, and in the darkness of their subterranean hideaway she scribed ancient summoning runes into the rock and chanted long-forgotten words. Her voice rose loud, and slowly, one by one, her sisters joined her, calling out to the one being that could help them.
Lilith, the Mother of Witches, was quick to answer their call. Once upon a time, our people revered and worshipped Lilith as our Mother, but over time we began to turn our focus towards the forces of nature that provided for us directly. It is told that the Great Mother had remained curious about her people she had seeded upon the Earth, though they had turned from her, and had kept her eyes ever to the horizon, awaiting the day they would return to her fold. And in her anger over the humans who sought to capture and subdue her earthly children, to turn the power of her will against its users...there were few words to truly describe her rage.
Alas, the Great Mother could not intervene directly. Her people had long since stopped their reverent worship of her, and so her power over our realm had begun to fade, she could not manifest directly. But, there was still hope, and she offered to the Clan a choice.
Continue as they are, limited to the power of the world around them, or embrace the Great Mother's gift, and her dark children. Lilith would unlock the latent magical cores of those in the Clan's line, allowing them access to the near-limitless depths of their magickal souls. Their power would hold against any who came against them, unrestrained by the natural world or its conditions.
But this would come at a price. The magickal energies within the souls of Witches, you see, were never meant to be tapped by the frail physical bodies they held. There's cores were simply meant to buffer the natural energies channeled by Witches. If left unchecked, the fires of the Great Mother's gift would rage and consume each and every one of them. Of course, there was a solution to this, one which would give the Great Mother renewed dominion over the world once again.
The Clan would be required to bond their lifeforces to the Great Mother's dark children in a Familiar Mate-Bond. Demons, the humans would come to call them, entities of great power and beauty, they would be born to the humans upon Lilith's breath. When asked why she chose the humans over Witches to incarnate her Children, she woefully informed the Clan that the Witches were far too intricate and delicate beings. The humans, while frail and weaker than most supernatural species, were a font of potential, malleable and easily changed to the Great Mother's benefit.
The Witches were tasked, not only with repelling and subduing the human invaders, but with finding Her Children hiding amongst those same humans. Each Witch who underwent this Awakening, in turn, found themselves being drawn to different humans throughout the campaign that followed. These demons, they quickly learned, expanded upon every facet of human nature, enhancing beauty and aggrandizing sensuality. Desires flared between the pairs and soon their souls began to form unbreakable bonds with one another, and in this process they would come to stabilize the chaotic energies Lilith had awakened in the Witches.
And thus The Order of Lilitu was born. The Witches of our Order learned to mate with their demon counterparts, despite physical gender, through knowledge passed down to them from their progenitor, Lilith. Every child born of those unions thereafter would grow in their magicks with the eventuality of unlocking their own cores upon their coming of age.
Unfortunately, these unions did not go unnoticed by the humans. They quickly came to realize that something was not as it should be with some of their human brethren. They began to ostracize and eventually terminate any deviations in their cultural norms, going so far as to indoctrinate their people against the Demons. Little did they know that they were demonizing their own human nature, regardless of the few actual Demons that did slither through their ranks.
In a roundabout way, their own in-fighting came to quell their campaigns against the Witches. Religion was born out of their fear, hate turning their weapons inward to attack any hint towards anything supernatural in origin. Many Demons died, and just as many Witches met their ends within the first year of their awakened lives. Without their mate, without the Familiar Bond to stabilize their magickal cores, the power of the Great Mother consumed them in fire and ash.
With numbers dwindling on both sides, the Witches retreated even deeper into their hearths, using their increased powers to hide themselves far more effectively, blinding the humans to their magicks while the humans turned a blind-eye to the world they once sought to subdue. Alas, this division between our two kinds caused our people to wither away slowly until there were but a few of us left.
In a last-ditch effort to save themselves and preserve their power, the Order beseeched the Great Mother one last time. They asked for a way to survive, to retrieve that which was being withheld from them: their mates. Lilith, knowing she could not continue to send her dark children to die at the hands of the humans, chose to bind the remaining Witches to a Contract.
The Witches would be allowed to summon the Great Mother once and only once in their lifetimes. Lilith would appear to them, and in her great wisdom, would send out one of her dark children to find a worthy candidate to become their vessel. The Witch then had a full moon cycle to find their mate before the Demon within the human would be recalled to ensure its safety.
Failure to find this mate would end in both the Witch's death, and that of the human host. And so new spells were created, illusions became common practice, and seduction became a weapon as the remaining Order witches sought the Great Mother each in time until, one after the other, they found their mate amongst the humans and once again retreated into the background.
The Contract of Lilith has thus been passed down from generation to generation. The Order of Lilitu retain their origins as Witches, but their cores become awakened the older and more experienced they become with magick. Once a certain proficiency is reached, the Contract must be initiated and the Trials completed before they fall victim to the plight of their ancestors.
You, young Neophyte, have Awakened to your core. You have proven yourself capable and sufficiently trained, and now you are called upon to complete the Contract, just as those before you have done.
The Great Mother awaits.
I closed the tome as I finished the introductory chapter, my head swimming with so much new knowledge. It was no wonder I felt almost infinite when casting magick. I could feel my core even now, brimming with untapped power as it sought an outlet even after using so much energy to unbind the final tome. But no matter how many spells I mastered or cast, my core never seemed to empty. I mean, I'd run myself ragged a few times learning the enhancement spells, but an hour's rest brought my energy right back to capacity.
But if this tome was telling the truth, then I was going to have to summon a demon before the power consumed me. Not just any demon either, but Lilith herself. I remembered my mother's bible studies well; the Mother of Demons was supposedly a ruthless and vile creature, vengeful and evil beyond measure. But the Great Mother described in the tome that rested on my lap was benevolent and loving of her people. I knew to trust the written words in front of me over the dogmatic view painted by religion, but more than anything I could feel that Lilith was to be trusted as our progenitor.
Thinking of my mother brought that now familiar anger to the surface. She would have had me cast aside all that I am, all that our ancestors had fought for, because of her own indoctrinated fear! Hell, without my grandmother's guidance from the grave, my core might still have awakened, leading me to an early grave! I couldn't help the slightly cruel grin that tilted my lips as I slowly looked around the cabin, knowing that my mother had failed miserably. She had thought to stamp out my magick, but I felt myself growing more powerful by the day and there was nothing she could do to stop me now.
My cellphone ringing from outside of my circle caught my attention. I had actually forgotten about my circle being there entirely the moment I'd unlocked the final tome. I didn't even feel a drain on my energy now, even after expending so much power to break the seal that held back the book's information.
I couldn't help but laugh as I stood up, waving a hand to dispel the circle before heading over and picking up the phone off the table. I sighed and rolled my eyes, pressing the Talk button. "Yes, mother?"
"Don't you dare take that tone with me, young lady," she began chiding immediately. "I've been trying to reach you for over an hour! Where in God's name are you?"
Biting back the urge to lash out at the woman, I forced a normal tone, "I went for a walk since all of my friends are at prom. I'll be home in a few." I disconnected the call before she could go on, putting the phone on silent. Oh she was going to be pissed, but after learning more about how deeply her betrayal went, I couldn't bring myself to care. I only had a few more months before I turned 18, then I would be free to leave these pathetic humans behind.
I made sure to clean up my circle and cleanse the ambient energy left behind from my magickal work. 'It is always important to cleanse your work area before and after all spellwork, lest your energy stagnate and disrupt future workings.' I honestly think I could recite my coursework books by heart at this point. It was quickly becoming apparent that Witches held a much higher capacity for retaining and applying knowledge than humans. Not only was I flying through my magickal studies, but I had already read the entirety of my school books over the last few weeks and could easily pass my finals for the year.
Grabbing my grandma's journal and The Order of Lilitu, I sat down in the comfy chair in front of the hearth. Just as I suspected, the journal had updated with more of my grandma's enlightening words.
My Darling Angel, I am so proud of you! I knew you would figure it out! The seal was placed on the final tome in order for you to break, and overcome it you have. It is the duty of every Witch to prove themselves as powerful as their predecessor, and you've done just that by breaking my enchantment. Through all of the adversities levied against you, having to learn the craft all on your own and to embrace your destiny without the aid of a mentor...you are every bit the Witch I knew you would be.
Now you may have questions about our family's history, and I regret that I cannot be there to answer them in person. Unfortunately, much of the knowledge of our Order is passed on orally rather than in written word. But the time for reminiscence has passed, and the time for action is nigh. Within the pages of the final tome you will find several advanced magicks that will prepare you for learning the advanced summoning arts needed for the Contract. Study them well, and as you delve deep into the recesses of its words, know that the world as you know it will never be the same again.
Prepare yourself well. Understand that even though Lilith is the Mother of our kind, she still has her own designs on the world you inhabit. The Contract now falls to you to fulfill, but mind your words when speaking with the Great Mother. Leave not a single word to chance, make sure you speak clearly and succinctly when you address her.
Go forth, my child, and know that I will be watching over you, always.
I wiped at the errant moisture welling in my eyes at my grandmother's loving words. 'Lani had done everything she could to prepare my way, from the books for study to the cabin itself, she'd paved the way for my future that my mother would have denied me. I vowed then and there that I was going to make her proud, no matter what.
"Where have you been?!" I hadn't gotten a foot in the house before my mom's irate voice started in. She looked impeccable with her demure grey dress, pearls and gold adorning her body as if to accentuate some sort of status. She was, after all, the Preacher's wife and she looked the part with her greying dark hair tied up into a sensible bun and plain outfit. The shine of her large silver cross hanging from her neck was almost like a taunt and I found myself holding back a sneer as I pushed past her.
"I told you," I murmured, "I was walking. Exercise is good for you every once in a while." It was a jab at the idle state my mother had fallen into in recent years. She hadn't put on weight or anything, but you could tell she didn't exercise like she should for her age. No, she kept her weight off through alternative means, which I'd learned of one day when she had me grab her wallet from her purse. Bottles and bottles of weight loss pills from at least two different doctors.
"You stop right there young lady!" she was practically shrieking, and I sighed heavily as I turned to face her with a raised brow. "Now, I don't know what has gotten into you lately, but this attitude is going to stop right here and now. I am your mother! Do I need to remind you what the Bible says?"
I scoffed, earning an affronted look from this sad excuse for a woman who passed as my mother. "I probably know that book better than you do, mother. 'May he who is without sin cast the first stone.' That sound familiar to you?"
The woman was almost purple in her impotent rage, but the last thing I expected was for her to attempt to slap me. I say attempt because it was quite easy to intercept the attack, catching her wrist firmly in one hand as I twisted it painfully, causing her to cry out. I felt a twinge of regret over causing my mother pain, but it was overshadowed by the feeling of power radiating through me. It was a heady sensation and I took a bit more pleasure in my actions than was probably healthy.
"You have a lot of things to answer for, mother, but don't think for a second I will ever let you lay a hand on me." I threw her hand away when she cried out again, a sneer of disgust twisting my lips.
She was seething, I could tell, but she had at least some restraint left in her since she didn't raise her hand to me again. "I don't know where this rebellious attitude is coming from, young lady, but I will not stand for it under my roof! We're signing you up for Bible camp this summer. You need to get right with God and away from the temptations those vile children have exposed you to."
I gritted my teeth as I took a threatening step towards her, my mother stumbling back as I met her fearful gaze with my own determined rage. "I don't think so, Diane." The use of her first name had her eyes widening, though they soon furrowed in anger. She wanted to take me away from my home, my cabin, my Bella, and I would not allow it. I let my energy rise to the surface, power crackling along my fingertips as I took another step closer to her, forcing her to retreat again. "You might have abandoned your destiny, cast away our heritage, but I have not." I lifted my hand between us and snapped my fingers, flames coming to life across my palm without even needing to say the invocation. "I am a Witch of the Order of Lilitu, and you are nothing to me."
I don't think I'd ever seen my mother's face so pale. For a moment, I feared for her heart as she began to stammer at my display of magick, wild eyes darting around the room as if she were desperate to escape. "No," she whispered, repeating the word several times as she began shaking her head. "No, it's not possible! 'Lani took that sin from me! You shouldn't be...it's EVIL! I will not have that unnatural abomination under my roof!" She brought a shaking hand up and pointed at the door before her quavering voice returned stronger. "I want you out of this house! I will not allow your evils to infect your brothers or this family!"
I took a deep breath, snuffing out the flames as my hand tightened into a fist. Was this it? My own mother was so deep in her faith, so set in her own denials, that she was willing to send her own child into the streets? Had my father brainwashed her so well that she could break the bonds of motherhood so easily?
It seems so. With my head held high, I approached the woman who backed into the cabinet behind her, her stuttering breath a staccato of fear. I saw the terrified look in her eyes and I felt nothing but disgust. She was just like the rest of humanity, so afraid of the dark they forget that it is there that light truly shines. So afraid of the unknown that she would banish her own flesh and blood because she presents in a way that conflicted with her beliefs.
When I was only a foot away I lifted my hand and reached out, ignoring the shorter woman's whimper as she cringed away. "You know, I wouldn't have blamed you for not wanting to embrace your own power." I grasped the cross from around her neck and snapped the delicate chain with a quick pull, holding it between us. "But you tried to take away my choices, rathering I die than let me embrace my destiny, and for that I will never forgive you." With a concentrated burst of energy, I flash melted the cross until it was nothing but a charred imprint on my palm that I let crumble to dust between us.
I turned and left her there without another word. I went quickly to my room and packed up my essentials; clothes, books, laptop, and my stash of savings I'd hidden under my mattress. I felt the urge to set everything else on fire, but that might get out of control and I didn't want to hurt my brothers. They, at least, were still innocent in all of this.
Upon returning to the kitchen a half an hour later, I found my father there trying to comfort my mother in his arms. He glanced up when I entered, his glare turning into a sneer of hate. "Your mother told me about your Devil worshipping. Get out of my house, you godless heathen!"
I couldn't help but laugh as I slung my bags over my shoulder. "Is that what she told you?" I gave a vicious smirk to the woman who was glancing at me from the safety of her husband's chest. "I suppose she would call it that. But hey, who am I to disagree with my 'loving' mother?" I moved casually passed the couple as I headed for the back door.
"Oh, and let's just air out all the sinful little laundry while we're at it..." I turned back as I held open the back door, grinning at the pathetic souls of my parents. "I'm a raging lesbian." I took a moment to enjoy the growing looks of disgust on their faces before I turned away and left without a backwards glance.
I made my way slowly to my cabin while I contemplated my next move.
I know I should be freaking out, I had just been sent out into the streets by my own parents, but I couldn't bring myself to worry about it. I still had my cabin, and if I ran out of my savings then I would try to find a job in the meantime. I have no doubt that my parents would try to keep my departure as quiet as possible, and I wasn't going to say anything in the meantime since there was no way I was going to be forced back to their home by some well-meaning Social Services worker.
I made it back to the cabin on autopilot, my thoughts going over the events of the night and I couldn't get their faces out of my mind at my parting words. They both looked so horrified, my mother almost as much as when she realized I was a practicing Witch. It was hilarious and as I threw myself onto the couch in the large living room, I felt laughter bubbling up in me. Before I knew it, I was laughing my ass off, cackling this freeing sound that just kept coming and coming until my sides were hurting.
I was free. Despite everything, I felt completely free. I could practice as I wished, learn as I wanted without having to worry about nosey parents or brothers. Part of me wished I was already finished with school, and for a brief moment I considered just seeing if I could take all my tests now and maybe graduate early. But alas, my thoughts turned once again to Bella and I knew I wouldn't miss out on my time spent with her, especially since she spent all of her after school hours with the Cullens.
And now I was back to square one of dealing with my unrelenting crush. Growling at my wayward thoughts, I snatched up my grandma's journal on instinct, feeling a pull to the pages that was stronger than ever before. And just as I thought, there were new pages revealed, though the tone of this section was much subdued.
I had hoped these words would never become necessary, that you would come into our family's inheritance naturally upon reaching your 18th birthday. I had held out such hope for your mother, and when that hope died, it passed on to you. You have exceeded all of my expectations and I am so proud of you. I am only sad to know my child, my own flesh and blood, would cast you out.
Worry not, my child. If you go to the front of the cabin by the door, there are several loose floorboards with all the standard protective wards. You will find all that you need to guarantee that your future may be claimed uninterrupted. Go now and retrieve the items, open them, and you will understand.
I paused in my reading before hesitantly doing as told. It took me a moment and a brief illumination spell to see the area she spoke of. There were a few floorboards that had small gaps that separated them from the rest of the house. I immediately felt the wards sealing them in place, but they were nothing too complex and I quickly disassembled them as I'd been learning to do in my books. It was a fascinating process that involved slowly moving the structure of the ward around like tumblers in a lock until they all fell into place one on top of the other.
I gestured and a gust of wind popped the boards up and out of the way. There were two wrapped packages and an envelope, which I removed. Once I was sure I had everything and there were no traces of illusions left that would hide anything else, I replaced the boards and reset the wards. Never know when I might need the hiding place again.
Returning to the journal, I set the packages to the side and opened the top envelope that was addressed to me. A pair of what looked to be social security cards and birth certificates fell into my hand. Kuina Amuara and Amanda Renalt. Okay, now I was confused. It wasn't until I looked at the details on the birth certificates that I realized they matched my birthday exactly. These were some kind of forged documents! Holy shit, grandma! What the hell were you involved in?!
I dropped the papers to the side and pulled the packages towards me. I carefully tore open the top package to reveal a small wooden box. I could sense the sealing magick on the box and quickly went about disabling it before opening the container. Inside was what appeared to be a small checkbook for one of the bigger banks in Seattle, as well as a small leather-bound book.
I flipped open the book first, and I quickly found that it was a ledger containing financial information about various investments and companies. Admittedly, I found it to be a bit of a jumbled mess but I got the gist of it. Apparently, my grandmother had been investing funds all over the world for decades, and I honestly didn't wanna know where she got these lump sums of money from. Ignorance is bliss.
The moment I opened the checkbook, I damn near choked on my next breath. It was in my real name and had been balanced with the top page showing the amount of money available for use from ten years prior. That's...a lot of zeroes...
Slamming the checkbook closed, I sat it to the side as well because I had no fucking clue what to even do with that kind of money. The next package was opened with much less restraint as I felt my sanity slowly cracking under the weight of everything. What awaited me in this package, however, would prove to be my undoing.
It was a case about the size of a laptop, only deeper in size. And it was filled with several stacks of hundred dollar bills. There had to be at least a hundred thousand dollars there! I don't know how long I sat there and stared at the stacks of cash, but eventually I turned my blank gaze to the journal and picked it up to continue reading.
Yes, my darling, as you no doubt have guessed, our family is quite well off, not that your mother would ever know of this. I always had a gift for reading the trends of human development, and I invested wisely during my life. My mother, as well as her mother, also passed on their fortunes to myself, which I have consolidated for your use. I have made several accounts available under the false names I have created for you as well.
These alternate identities are foolproof, so don't worry about someone seeing through them. I did not know when I would get these documents to you, but my instincts told me that I should prepare them as early as possible, so you would have been 7 at the time of their creation but they should still pan out fine.
As far as any government in the world is concerned, those two women exist and have a detailed backstory that you may read up on in this journal when you are ready. The primary savings account is in your name, though. You need only go to the bank and provide the checkbook and your ID and they will update the account and provide you with all you will need to access your money. You'll be asking for a man by the name of Arnold Weselton who will take care of everything involved in getting you legal IDs under the false names I've created for you. He is also responsible for handling your estate in the interim. I trust him with my life and I hope that in time he may earn your trust as well.
Again, I am sorry that your mother has cast you aside, but know that this cabin and the resources I now provide you are yours to do with as you wish. I only ask that you remain here until it is time to initiate the Contract of Lilith, then you may venture forth wherever you wish in this wide, wide world.
This will likely be my final entry for you, my darling Angel. I have done all that I can to ensure you have the means of attaining your destiny and becoming a full Witch of The Order of Lilitu. The day will soon be upon you that you must begin your final training. Review the rituals, study the materials I have provided you, and I know you will be successful.
Remember that I love you, Angela. You are the greatest gift that could ever have been given, and I want you to know I cherished every moment we had together. I couldn't be there for you like I wanted to, but hopefully my efforts herein have not been in vain. Stand strong, hold your head high, and may the world tremble beneath your power.
Yours always,
Grandma 'Lani