Pursuing The Summit - Chapter 15 Shea

Thirty minutes had passed, since the three of them – Rachel, Shea and Carla – had arrived at the Imaru Shrine. Although a shrine in name, few had ever seen the actual shrine. Instead, a replica of it was in the temple where visitors could visit and pray at. Legends had it, writing a wish on paper and hanging it on the trees near the shrine could make them come true, but the number of wishes truly was astounding. There were more than twenty trees and each of them had more than a hundred slips of paper.

They sat near a tea shop within the shrine. The tea here was free and the atmosphere around was serene. The few people talked, were at the tea house, one of the few spots where people could whisper. Many, who were near the trees, were absorbed into prayer, from the young to the old, though few nobles visited. Those that did generally came to absolve themselves of a sin or contribute to shrine for their blessings.

“Big sister, what’s happening?” Carla asked, gripping Shea’s sleeve. “Aren’t we supposed to be at school today? Mother won’t like it if we miss some classes.”

Shea shook her head. “No worries. Mother called us here.” She patted Carla’s head. “We should pray that Nia will be alright, because we will be training in the shrine for three months.”

“Training? For what?” Carla asked.

“I don’t know. Rachel says mother will tell us when she meets us.” Shea said.

Rachel stood up. “I’ll order some cakes for us to eat while we wait. Any preferences?”

“A chocolate one for Carla and a vanilla one for me, please.” Shea said.

Three and a half hours later, Elaine arrived, walking as fast as she was allowed. Although Elaine tried to hide it, she looked worn out. Shea felt partly sad and sympathetic with her newfound awareness. She could understand things her mother tried to hide, which felt like she was prying into her secrets, but, on the other hand, she felt she could understand her mother even more now – how hard she worked, how much she cared for them and her warmth.

“Let’s go to the main shrine, quickly. It won’t do if we get surrounded by all the visitors.” Elaine said, as she picked up some of the empty plates.

“Mother, what are we doing here? Shouldn’t we be at school?” Carla asked, hugging her arm.

“Mother, I can take the plates. Carla has been worried sick about you.” Shea said, taking the plates from her mother. She placed them on the counter before she chased regrouped.

“I finally got permission from the high elf to enroll you two into the shrine early, so you both can take some extra classes then you can become full fledged shrine maidens.” Her mother said.

“Don’t we need to shadow them and learn from them properly?” Shea asked. “Isn’t that why I am only working part time?”

Her mother shook her head. “What you will be doing is something similar to a honorary apprenticeship, but rather than in all the responsibilities, you two have the honor of learning how to maintain the santucrary and heal people. You will learn all your other responsibilities in due time.”

“What about school mother?” Carla asked. “I’ll have to miss school, won’t I? Won’t that be bad?”

Her mother shook her head once more. “No, you won’t be missing school. You simply are taking different classes, with new classmates who like the same things as you. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Yep, yep.” Carla said, smiling. “More friends.”

“Rachel, would you look after Nia for now? I would hate for her to be all alone there, since Amelia and Louis seemed to have gone a club trip already.” Elaine said, looking at Rachel for the first time.

“As you wish,” Rachel said, bowing deeply.

The actual shrine cannot be reached from the temple. The actual entrance is on the other side of the district and the strictest arrays of Allyn County have all been congregated in the same spot, preventing any intruders from invading the holy land as well as ensuring the holy land worked properly. Although they would generally take a gondola to enter the shrine, her mother simply carried her within her arms while Carla hugged her head. She walked like a fairy across the walk, each step was gracefully yet quick. It felt just a few moments for them to travel halfway around the district and reach the temple.

Mist hide the true entrance of the temple and only a badge with the shrine priestess’ approval were allowed to reach the array. All others would be bewildered within, trapped until they accidentally leave its boundaries. They only spent a moment within, but Carla was already all smiles, her eyes and mouth wide to appreciate the new spectacles. Shea, on the other hand, had experienced this multiple times, so she remained calm, to show Carla just how a shrine maiden should act.

The shrine was emptier than usual. Where older shrine apprentices would be around sweeping and mopping the entrance, only a few older shrine apprentices were around, all of them using qi to create and manipulate water to wash the entrance.

“Mother, what happened to all the other shrine apprentices?” Shea asked.

“They have been relegated to different roles, to undergo training in a different aspect.” Her mother said. “There will be some younger shrine apprentices who will take over here.” She began running once she passed the get. Although the grace remained, she could no longer see the surroundings clearly as they moved.

They reached one of the smaller shrines within the area, one where the younger shrine apprentices learned. Eight other girls, none of them older than fifteen and some of them barely twelve, were all crowded around a young woman, Westia, Shea’s current teacher. Everyone of them all wore a sky blue dress that reached their knees, sky blue slippers and, if their hair was long enough, had their hairs tied either in a ponytail or twin tails with a sky blue ribbon.

“My apologies for my tardiness. Please look after Shea and Carla.” Elaine said, bowing. She left even before Westia could give a response.

“Welcome back, Shea.” Westia said, holding Shea’s hands. She turned over to Carla and grabbed a hand. “Is this your younger sister Carla? She sure is cute. I hope we can all get along.”

“Now, now, everyone. As all of you may have heard, this is an expedited shrine apprenticeship for healing. All of you have shown remarkable talents for healing. On the behalf of the temple, I will be your teacher, at least until you can pass the second star exam. Without further ado, group up. This groups will the same for the rest of the apprenticeship under me.” Westia said. “There are four groups, one in each corner. Starting from my right and ending on my left. The list is written on the board.” She clapped her hands. “Introduce yourselves, then we will reconvene in a few minutes.”

“We are in group one, Carla,” Shea said, tapping her shoulder then walking to the corner. A girl a little smaller than Carla was already standing there. “I am Shea, I just turned fourteen recently, while this is my sister Carla, who is twelve. What’s your name?”

“I am Eva, thirteen years old.” The girl said. She was almost a full head shorter than Carla. She frowned as she looked up at Shea. “Will you also make fun of my height, will you?”

Shea shook her head. “Of course not. We all grow at different speeds, what we look like and who we are now doesn’t always determine what we would be later.” Shea said. “Just look at Carla, a few years ago, she used to cuddle beside me when she slept, but she can sleep alone at home now. I myself was shorter than you a few years ago, but I grew taller. I believe you can too.”

Eva nodded. “Alright. I accept you as group leader.”

“Seconded.” Carla said, raising her hand.

Westia whistled. “Alright, everyone, gather around. Today we won’t be doing much. You will have to read the booklet on your bed for tomorrow and that’s it. Try to get your group members, for they will also be your roommates during your stay here. Good luck. We meet at dawn tomorrow.” Westia said. She bowed then she left.

The dorm rooms while a bit small for three people would comfortably fit two. Shea and Carla took the right side, since it had the bunk beds. A few things from home, of their choosing, were placed onto their beds. Books, mainly filled with information about healing by Louis, were piled on their beds.

Eva had a stuffed rabbit and a diary with a colorful cover. There was also a small booklet on her bed as well, which she began to read.

Besides their beds, they all their own dressers which had the same dresses, towels and underwear – all sky blue – according to their size. The rest was shared, from the coffee table with its cushions to the bench by their window. Outside their window, not more than a few dozen yards, was a small lake. There was an empty bookshelf, which Shea began to put all the books on her bed onto, save the booklet. Carla followed suit as well.

The booklet described how their days would be: classes would take a majority of their time, then they would have chores and a bit a free time after all of that. Their meals, at least, won’t be the same everyday, unlike their clothes. It also described the various rules and what facilities were open, such as the bath, as well as the pavillion, one of the most important places in the shrine, save for Imaru’s shrine: the Aqua Pavillion. This was the place each person got their resources to cultivate. They could also trade in points, which could be earned through exams, chores and other tasks, for cultivation resources and more specific guidance from a specialist.

The day ended peacefully, for after dinner, Eva wrote in her diary while Shea and Carla read the books delivered from home.