Gwendolyn has Pearl sitting in front of the sacred tree. They don't know what they are supposed to be praying for exactly. Well, they actually do, but if they were to pray for the health and prosperity of the royal family it would have an effect on them. They just know that they will have to pray for something about health to get the reaction from the tree that Priestess Gwendolyn is looking for.
“Does it really have to be for them?” Pearl questions under their breath.
Do you want me to kill the prince yet? Suriel questions in their head. For some reason, he is the god that tends to talk to them the most. It is something that they really do not understand but they have come to accept that fact.
“No, not yet. Silver wants to be the one to do that.” They wouldn't be against him getting so sick that it makes him weak. Pearl thinks to themself.
Of course, I can do that instead. Suriel said with a certain lift to his voice sounding playful.
The inside of Pearl's head became void of every noise besides their own thoughts. They continue to sit under the tree of the gods and feel it might have been easier to say that they were chosen by Suriel instead of Nuriel. Especially seeing how he tends to hang around them all the time.
“Have you finished praying yet Mx. Frost?” Gwendolyn asks as she sits down next to them placing a planter box up front.
“Yes, I prayed for the prosperity of the kingdom.” They lie. They weren't able to pray with Suriel bothering them the whole time. He only recently left.
“Good!” She clapped her hands together and gave off a warm smile. “Now focus your positive energy and try and bring the seed that is berried in here to life.”
Making a seed sprout isn't something that would typically be easy to do. Please, Nuriel, give me the strength of life to help this plant grow. They point their wand at the plant and it briefly glows. Even though there was a white light that engulfed the box nothing about it seemed to change.
They put their wand down wondering if they did something wrong. They asked the Goddess of life for help first. Maybe it was because they didn't pray. Whatever the reason is they are sure that it is their fault for not being able to make it even turn into a sprout.
“Don't look so defeated. Bringing life into the world isn't something that is easy to do.” She pats their head and gets up. “Keep trying. I'm sure that you'll be able to do it. Make sure you go on break this time. Working straight through the day isn't healthy.”
After Gwendolyn leaves they just stare at the box that they were given. They wonder what kind of seed was planted in the nursery planter box. They know that the priestess told them not to be hard on themself but they didn't even have any kind of prayer before attempting this.
They get up and walk over to the tree and place their hand on it. “Malaiel, Goddess of origin, and mother to the gods. Please, give me the strength to help this plant grow. Please give me the strength to pass this trial set before me.”
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
The tree glows purple and after the light fades a few of the white leaves fall from it and down into Pearl's hands. It confused Pearl because they didn't think that the tree of origin ever expelled its leaves like this.
I have put some of our energy into these leaves. Fertilize the soil with these by crushing them in your hand above the box and the plant will grow with time. A goddess says in Pearl's head. They assume that it must be the Goddess of origin since they just prayed to her.
They just stare at the leaves in their hands that seem to glisten in the sun. Above the planter box, they squeeze the leaves and it automatically turns them into a fine powder of a multitude of colors. Letting go it all falls and absorbs into to soil and the pot glows a bright white then purple then back to white again.
Sitting back down Pearl just looks at the box wondering what the plant will turn into. They wonder why Malaiel blessed this plant instead of Nuriel, or if there was even a meaning to it. Do they keep trying to make it grow or has it already started and too much power will make it die?
“What are you doing here today Pearl?” Ruby asks as she wraps her arms around them. “Are you reenrolled back into the school?”
“No, Preistest Gwendolyn wants me to learn how to grow things and she says that praying under the sacred tree first helps with the process of learning how.”
“How far along in learning are you? Have you been able to make anything grow?”
They shake their head and look down at the box feeling defeated. “Shouldn't I be able to do it as someone who is blessed by the Goddess of Origin? Shouldn't I be able to as someone directly able to communicate with the Gods?” Placing the box down, they get up and look directly at Ruby as tears fill their eyes. “I am either a blessing or a curse depending on who you ask. If I can't even make a seed sprout how could I be a blessing?”
“You are not a curse, Pearl. I would know better than anyone else here that you are anything but one. You have so much potential to be more.” Ruby wraps her arms around them once again. They both just stay still as Pearl cries.
They don't feel like they deserve to have Ruby by their side comforting them right now. She has always been there for them and they feel like they are never there for the same. At the same time, they wonder if she knows what it is like to feel as if you are drowning in darkness as someone who was blessed by Amaliel. Whether She knows or not it is clear that she cares about them and Pearl can see that.
After Pearl calms down a little bit Ruby picks up the planter box that Pearl had placed down. She turns the box around as she looks for something that may or may not be there. “There seems to be a lot of holy power in this small box. Whatever you are growing looks like it will take multiple sessions. It might take a long time for it to fully grow.” She looks at Pearl and smiles brightly. “The fact that it hasn't bloomed yet has nothing to do with you not being able to do things. I am certain that this will become a beautiful plant that is going to become a blessing on this world.”
Ruby hands the box back to Pearl and they just stare at it. They don't really know what to say in response. If they were to say what was truly on their mind it would sound as if Pearl truly didn't believe their own sister's words. It isn't that they don't believe her but more of that they don't believe in themself? “Maybe, but where I've been advancing in what Silver has been teaching me, my training for Nuriel seems to not be going anywhere. I sometimes wonder if Nuriel actually blessed me. I know that this wand that I have says that all six of the gods chose me but I haven't been able to do anything with Nuriel's blessing.”
Ruby places her hands over theirs and gently squeezes them. “I know that you will be able to get it. I've heard that Nuriel's blessings are difficult to master. I got to go now but I hope that Amaliel will guide you through this struggle and time of darkness and bring you some light.” A slight glow comes from her hands as she tries to pass a prayer blessing onto Pearl.
“Thank you, Ruby.” Not really feeling much better they for a smile directed towards her. They know that she is trying her best to help. Not even high priests can always heal their sorrows. That is something that Pearl has just come to accept. The only cure for it seems to be a purification ritual. Even then, it doesn't always keep their mind healthy.