Chapter 958 The Elemental Ritual

• Lila’s POV
• Hazel grabbed the lighter and lit the purple candle. I was amazed by how large and vibrant the flame was. It glistened in the night air and the yellow orange of the flame brought out the purple of the wax and the gold of the hand-holder. “I will start with air,” she said, stepping in front of my mother. Hazel held the vibrant purple candle with one hand and the stone bowl with the other. My mother straightened her body and held the yellow candle firmly in her hands. Hazel at first, spoke the lines in a low whisper for her ears alone and then when Hazel nodded, my mother spoke the lines given to her. “Wise guardians of the earth. With the element air, I summon thee to bless and protect my home from darkness this night and bring forth your elemental powers and light.” Once those words were spoken, Hazel spoke next. “Using the element of spirit, I light your candle and ask for air to join our circle and grace us with your breeze,” Hazel said in a powerful tone. She lit the yellow candle, held by my mother, with the purple candle and a large flame sparked to life, making the yellow wax glow fiercely. My mother reached into the stone bowl and pulled out a red rose petal; the petal was glistening in moisture and when she brought it to the yellow candle flame, it instantly caught on fire, making me gasp audibly. “With this petal, I summon thee,” my mother said firmly as she tossed the petal into the fire. I stifled the urge to step back as the fire roared to life and grew larger and fiercer. It was glowing yellow just as a heavy breeze washed through us, giving me a chill as I struggled to stand in my place. Hazel then went to Enzo; he towered over her and gave her a kind smile, to which she returned. Without her prompt, he began to recite his lines. “Wise guardians of the earth. With the element fire, I summon thee to bless and protect my home from darkness this night and bring forth your elemental powers and light.” She then lit the red candle with her purple candle and repeated her lines. “Using the element of spirit, I light your candle and ask for fire to join our circle and grace us with your heat.” The flame of the red candle was large and powerful, like a roaring fire. Like my mother, Enzo grabbed a petal from the stone bowl and lit it on fire using his candle. “With this petal, I summon thee,” he said firmly, tossing the petal into the fire pit. The fire pit grew large and red with anger; I felt the sharp heat of the fire tickling my features and making it difficult to breathe. I almost forgot that we were standing outside on the cold autumn night with how hot it had gotten. Hazel made her way to Diana and stood in front of her oldest and best friend. They smiled at one another as Hazel nodded her approval for Diana to begin. Diana cleared her throat before speaking, making me share a look with Enzo, both of us grinning. “Wise guardians of the earth. With the element water, I summon thee to bless and protect my home from darkness this night and bring forth your elemental powers and light.” Hazel lit the blue candle with her purple candle, reciting her lines. “With the element of spirit, I light your candle and ask for water to join our circle and grace us with your moisture!” The blue candle was brought to life and the flame looked blue, which I found to be so amazing. Diana took a rose petal and lit it on fire using her candle. “With this petal, I summon thee,” she said, tossing the petal into the fire pit. The fire, once again, roared to life, and the flames, just like the candle, glowed blue. I soon felt the wetness of the water that was summoned, and I smelled the saltiness of the ocean. It soothed away the heat of the fire. I couldn’t help but smile at this element. Then, it was my turn. My heart was pounding with anticipation and nerves as Hazel stepped in front of me. She gave me a reassuring smile and whispered, “You got this.” She could sense my nervousness. I gave her a small smile in return and took a deep breath. I didn’t need her to tell me the lines; I remembered them. I spoke in a loud and firm voice, “Wise guardians of the earth. With the element fire, I summon thee to bless and protect my home from darkness this night and bring forth your elemental powers and light.” Hazel lit my green candle with the purple candle, and I watched in amazement as it came to life. The green wax sparkled with delight, and I felt an overwhelming sense of ease and comfort. “With the element of spirit, I light your candle and ask for the earth to join our circle and grace us with your essence and protection.” Automatically, I took a petal from the stone bowl and realized I was right about it being wet. It was covered in some kind of lavender lighter fluid. Using my candle, I lit the petal on fire. “With this petal, I summon thee,” I said firmly as I tossed the petal into the fire. Soon, I was surrounded by the glorious scent of freshly cut grass and I felt an overwhelming sense of protection and warmth. Hazel stepped back into the center of the circle and took a petal out of the bowl as she placed the bowl and her candle on the table near the fire pit. “With this petal, I summon the spirit of the guardian to the circle,” her voice boomed through the air as she lit the petal on fire and tossed it into the fire pit. I was expecting the fire to glow purple as it roared to life, but it didn’t. It bloomed all the colors of each element all at once, cascading us in a circle of light and warmth. The fire grew larger than it had before, and I took a deep breath as each element danced around us. We were each connected by a string of light, making the circle come to life. The light grew so bright I had to squint to see properly, but it was huge, and the fire only intensified. As it grew stronger, I had to look away and close my eyes, as did everyone else, including Hazel. When the heat of the fire died down and I felt the elements simmer around me, like they were wading in the air, I opened my eyes slightly. The light had calmed down enough for me to open them all the way. Hazel had already opened her eyes, as did my mother. Enzo opened his after mine and then his mother opened hers. Though the string of light still connected us, we were no longer blinded, but we were breathing heavily with pounding heartbeats. I stared at Hazel, trying to figure out what had happened and if the spell worked. But she wasn’t looking at any of us; her eyes were fixed on something else. She was staring up at the night sky with large eyes and her mouth hung open in shock. My mother was the first to follow her gaze and then her mouth dropped open as well. I soon followed both their gazes and saw exactly what they were looking at. There was a strange dark circle in the sky, darker than the typical night sky. Within that circle, was a small light; not like a sun, but a little dimmer and easier to look at. It was also completely white. I squinted to see what the ball of light was, but I soon realized it wasn’t a ball of light at all. It was just too far away for me to see it fully, but as it came toward us, I realized the light was taking the form of a woman. The light that surrounded this woman started to form and shape until I realized that it was her white and flowing hair that drifted through the wind and wrapped around her thin and perfectly shaped figure. She was a small woman with a short white dress and porcelain skin. Her beauty was indescribable, but she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Her skin was so fair that it glistened under the moonlight and then came to life with the fire that shined upon her. On her skin, I realized there were small orbs of light that seemed to be making some sort of giggling sound. It was like they were talking to her, but it also sounded like children giggling in her ear. She continued to near us until she reached the center of the circle; though she still hovered over us, it was clear that she was significantly smaller than the rest of us. Her size was child-like, however her features and her ocean blue eyes held some much wisdom. Though she looked ageless, it was clear she was wise beyond her years. The orbs of light that seemed attached to her, the ones that seemed to be giggling and whispering, descended from her and danced around her, still keeping their circular forms. We all stared at her with our mouths hanging open, clearly dumbfounded and unsure of what to say. I don’t think any of us were breathing while she stared around our small group. Then her eyes landed on Hazel. “Hello, my darling,” the woman began to say in a voice that seemed almost musical. “I am Aura… the Guardian of this Earth.”