85 Chapter 84: Hail the Moon Goddess!

"Hail the Goddess!" Principal Mirembe's deep voice echoed through the room as the place once again fell into silence.

Elize was baffled at the demonstration. Did she somehow end up in a cult of some sort? She turned towards her friends whose eyes were fixed on the stage with serious expressions on their faces. Was she the only one who found it weird? Elize thought to herself, surprised.

"What now?" Agatha whispered, finally reacting to her stare.

"Why aren't you shocked?" Elize asked, looking at her friend suspiciously. 

"Shocked at what?" The witch asked, her eye brows raised.

"At whatever just happened!" Elize exclaimed loudly. "Is this some kind of cult or something?!"

A few heads snapped towards her from the seats in front. Their gazes were hostile, as if she had offended one of them. Elize gave them an awkward smile before quickly hiding behind her friend. She didn't want to take her chances at offending supernatural creatures- especially not when she was utterly powerless.

"I'm sorry. She's a bit weak in the mind." Agatha apologized to the people with an awkward smile. 

"She better watch her tongue or it's not going to be for her good." A boy with twinkling yellow eyes warned.

Elize peeked from behind her friend curiously. The boy turned to her and hissed in warning, a thin forked tongue, protruding from his mouth. His friends joined in, imitating the same actions. She jumped back, startled. What were they? Snakes?! She thought, her heart slamming against her chest in fear. 

"Sure sure. I'll keep a watch on her." Legolas interrupted, waving his hands at them dismissively.

With a humph, the group turned back towards the stage. The elf and the witch turned towards her, their disappointed gazes boring into her skin.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Agatha hissed stepping away from her.

Elize was baffled. Why were they all reacting like that? And on top of it, Agatha was taking their side as well?! The witch sighed, looking at her with a pleading expression on her face. 

"What? What did I do?" Elize defended herself.

"Just keep your mouth shut for the rest of the night will you?" Agatha pleaded.

"You're lucky that none of the staff heard you." Legolas interrupted, leaning in. "Blasphemy is a serious offense among the likes of us. The punishment would be harsh." He whispered.

Elize huffed, shaking her head. She couldn't believe it. She had officially landed herself in some sort of weird extremist cult. It seemed that she had some sort of weird luck in getting into such things lately. She was never a religious person, and she didn't want to start being one just because she was in the company of a bunch of crazy people which apparently included everyone she knew. 

"Hail the Goddess!"

"Hail the Goddess!"

The entire room shook in the vigor of the student's shouts. For some reason, Elize felt moved. If what they believed was true and their Goddess had made a sacrifice for them, then she was truly fit to be worshiped. 

"Our magic, our lives and our strength comes from her. So who do we bow to?!" 

"Hail Luna! Mother of the blessed!" The entire room echoed.

Elize was taken aback. Luna?! The Luna that she had met in her times of dire need?! The same Luna who's home in the spiritual realm that she had somehow barged into?! That Luna?! Her throat suddenly felt dry. So- so when Agatha had said that the coven which she belonged to were the Goddess's descendants and when Luna told her that she was the last of her descendants, it was all this big a deal?! So Luna is THE Moon Goddess- the mother of all the creatures of magic and is her remote ancestor?! Wait, sacrifice? Was the sacrifice the Moon Goddess then made the horrible fate of her descendants?! 

"The legacy of the Chosen One lives as she has chosen to bless us with her presence." Mirembe said, her eyes scanning the crowd. The silent hall filled with sounds of murmurs as students started to chat excitedly among each other. Elize's eyes widened. No way! This was the worst thing that could happen to her! She didn't want to be exposed in front of the whole academy. She didn't want anyone to stare at her like a piece of meat. She thought desperately, looking around her. The narrow passage way through the crowd and the open entrance of the amphitheater appealed to her more than staying another second in the room. She wanted to get out badly. As soon as she took a step towards the exit, a firm grip pulled her back. Elize looked back at her friend who was looking at her as if she was crazy.

"Let me go." Elize mouthed.

Agatha shook her head, refusing to loosen her grip on her arm.

"There will be strict punishment for anyone who troubles the holy one." Mirembe's voice suddenly boomed through the place, silencing the crowd. Agatha chuckled, seeing Elize's surprised face. The principal continued, "For her safety and for yours, her identity will not be revealed. Remember, anyone who disobeys will find themselves locked in the dungeons with the worst of the demons."

"Happy?" Agatha whispered into her ears.

"I'm scared of that woman." Elize replied, looking towards the stage.

Though she managed to keep her best poker face, she was jumping up and down with joy in her head. The principal seemed like a woman who rarely joked. Her warning must be quite real, seeing that the horrified expressions of the students. Maybe with enough support from the higher ups, she'd be able to survive here, Elize thought to herself as a slight grin appeared on her lips.

"And with that warning, let us commence today's orientation." Mirembe said, a ghost of a smile playing on her face.

As Elize watched on, the people in red capes on the stage stepped forward and with their hoods covering their heads. Soon, the students seated in the amphitheater followed. Elize did the same, so as not to stand out. 

"Raise your hands and take the pledge." One of the girls in red shouted.

Suddenly, hands raised in every inch of the room. Elize looked at Agatha warily. The witch nodded, reassuring her that it was okay. She half-heartedly raised her right hand following her friend.

"Secare!" Mirembe said, raising her hands high.

"Ouch!" Agatha exclaimed, lowering her arm. 

Elize gasped, surprised at seeing a deep cut on her friend's palm. Blood was slowly oozing out of the wound. She looked around to see similar reactions to the spell from all around. But the exclamations of pain was loudest from the section of students in black capes. She lowered her own palm and looked at it curiously. There was no wound on her. Her eyes grew wide with fear as she looked helplessly towards her friend. If this was something related to her identity, then she'd be exposed if someone saw her.

"Hide it you idiot!" Agatha hissed, leaning towards her.

Elize nodded, quickly hiding her palm inside the large hanging sleeves of her cape. 

"With the blood that flows free from your wound, you have now pledged your loyalty to the academy and to the Goddess." The girl in red shouted. "May the wound inflict torture on those who betray the cause of good and join the ranks of evil!"

"Hail the Goddess!"

"Hail the Goddess!"

The room once again echoed, Elize meekly following the crowd, her eyes scanning the crowd for anyone who had noticed the incident. As her gaze traveled towards the stage, her eyes suddenly locked with a pair of sparkly green ones. Lloyd's amused gaze penetrated through her walls of fear. He had a wide grin on his face as he mouthed, "What do I get in return?"