The verdant fields of Nylm had provided Vera a secure home in the first years of her life. Surrounded by the colossal Lusenean Mountains on the west and the vast Erimean Desert on the east, it was a naturally isolated region. The land of Nylm was quite large; it was larger than some countries of the outside world. Though, the surrounding peoples often considered the realm of Nylm to be no more than a myth crafted by the merchant villages on the desert's border. The elves who inhabited Nylm quite enjoyed the resulting solitude.
This is not to say that Nylm never had the occasional wanderer. In fact, it is one such wanderer that got Vera into her current trouble. That is, the trouble which started her long journey. She wasn't a trouble-maker per se, she was simply curious. If nothing else, she was very curious of the world that lie beyond Nylm.
In her youth, she'd attempted several journeys to the outside world. At eighteen, hearing so much of how humans were considered "grown-up" at that age, she'd decided to venture east to Nuchala Village. She'd packed with her no food, no water, but no matter! The people of the village would have all that when she got there, and all she'd have to do is give them pieces of metal and shiny rocks. She packed her bag with the heads of her old farming tools in the night and set off, picking up every rock she considered shiny enough along the way. She hadn't even made it through Nylm before her thin frame passed out from exhaustion.
At twenty-one, another special age for humans, she thought she could make it to the town of Jorn just beyond the mountains. There, she heard, they train these hornless unicorns, or "horses" for riding. For hours she stalked the unicorns of Nylm atop her favorite climbing tree in the woods close to her house, waiting for just the right moment to pounce. When the opportunity arose, she dropped onto the back of one in the team as they drank peacefully from the pond. The serenity around the pond had been shattered as the great white unicorn reared and bucked before riding off with Vera clutching her mane. They barreled through the fields of Nylm catching the eye of every elf along the way. Vera was bucked off before too much damage was done, but many were starting to grow concerned with her.
At twenty-five, after her eleventh major attempt at leaving Nylm, she decided to enroll in one of the Academies, as was common for elves her age. The Academies, of which there were many in the land of Nylm, taught everything from the fundamentals of agriculture to the esoterica of arcana. While the elves of Nylm valued education highly, they were also a people of strict codes and traditions. It was never fear of punishment that kept the elves of Nylm from questioning their ways, but rather a deep respect for them.
Vera, after quite a bit of pressure from her friends and family, decided to enroll in the Academy of Traditions. It was there young elf-maidens were sent to learn the art of refinement, the ceremonies of their people, and the intricacies of the opposite sex. The intimacy shared between an elf-maiden and her mate was considered sacred and, although they matured at eighteen like humans, their traditions forbade them from any intercourse before the age of twenty-five. Even then, the customs surrounding the mating process were so numerous, and learning them all properly was so time consuming, that it was not uncommon for elf-maidens finally mate at the age of one-hundred.
* * * * *
Upon arriving at the Academy of Traditions, Vera was awe-struck at the shear size of the building. Having been raised in the rural areas of Nylm, she'd never seen a house with more than two stories, let alone something the size of a castle. Elvish castles of course, do not look as crude as the drab castles of humans. The elvish architects erect buildings that look natural. The walls were a luminous white with the towers of the buildings supported by large tree roots spiraling up the towers like vines to the top of the castle where the emerald tiles adorned its roofs and domes
She'd made the journey all alone, as none of her friends from home thought they were ready to know the details of "The Ritual" It was late afternoon when she had arrived, and the magical lamps were being lit as students were hurrying in to register. Soon, Vera had made it to the registration table. There she was met with another elf-maiden clad in amethyst robes and wearing a necklace with a small emerald pendant. Quill in hand, she started to ask Vera the usual questions.
Soon, Vera Moonwillow was an official Student of the Academy of Traditions for the next five years. She was given her own amethyst robe with a simple silk rope and sent to her quarters in the southeastern tower. There, she was met with three other elf-maidens in the same robes as her, though their looks varied enough to tell them apart.
Preparing to meditate for the night in her corner, was Delsa Nightflower. She had the long flowing black hair common to many elves of Nylm, but deep forest-green eyes that had become much less common. Her skin was pale, another common trait. She stood at five foot three inches tall, just an inch shorter than Vera, and always seemed to have a stoic expression on her face.
In the corner next to Delsa's was Nyana who shared Delsa's black hair, height, and pale complexion, but her eyes and mood were wildly different. She had light sky-blue eyes and couldn't seem to stop smiling at the sight of their new roommate.
Lastly, there was Aela Rubywater. She stood the tallest at five foot six inches, and constantly pouted her full lips. Her red hair flowed down her shoulders to her mid back, and swayed like a pendulum with every turn she made. Despite her demeanor, her soft gray eyes seemed to give away her naturally friendly nature.
There stood Vera, neck-length blonde hair and mint-green eyes slightly shy of the crowd before her. Despite the fact that she was taller than either Delsa or Nyana, she felt like the smallest girl in the group. Her petite frame was normal for an elf her age, but it made her feel like a child compared to Delsa and Nyana's more mature forms, not to mention Aela's fully developed figure that not even the loose academy robes could hide.
Nyana wasted no time in introducing herself, "Hi! Nice to meet you! I'm Nyana Nightflower." She sprang over to Vera, shaking her hand (and the rest of her body, incidentally) with unmatched optimism. "I'm sure we're going to be the best of friends. We'll be like sisters!" she gasped as if she'd remembered something very important, "That reminds me of my real sister! Say 'hi' Delsa!" Delsa had already begun meditating and didn't seem phased by the conversation happening around her. "Don't mind her," Aela said as she walked out of her corner to Vera and Nyana, "She just likes to get deep into her meditation. She still likes you. Probably."
Vera started to ease up a bit around the other girls. "Oh, that's good to know," she laughed nervously, "So, um, I take it you all have been here a while?" Vera asked. "Oh-ho yeah, pretty long." Nyana chuckled, "Well, if you think a year is long. At least, that's when Delsa and I got here. But, Aela's been here for forever!" Vera was interested to hear what 'forever' entailed if a year was a 'pretty long time' "I've been here for twenty-four years." said Aela. Vera couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Wait, so are you—" before she finished her question, Aela answered with a smirk, "That's right, I'm working on becoming a professor here."
Nyana couldn't contain her excitement any longer, "Isn't that cool Vera? It's really nice having her as a roommate too. She's taken all the classes we've taken 4 or 5 times so she can help us with everything!" So much was running through Vera's mind all at once, but she managed to piece together a question, "So...that means you've...y'know...done 'The Ritual' a lot?" Aela laughed, "Of course! Plenty of times, but you know I can't tell you much about it outside of class." Vera pulled back a bit, "I know, but...you can't even answer a few questions about what goes on during 'The Ritual'?"
"Look," said Aela, "You'll have all your questions answered tomorrow. The three of you are going to your first 'Ritual' tomorrow." Vera was confused, "Wait! So soon? And I thought you two had already been here a year?" Nyana chuckled nervously and Delsa remained unphased in meditation, "Well, yeah, we have but...when the time came...I kind of...chickened out." Aela snorted, "Kind of?" Nyana sighed, "Okay, I ran out of the room...but it's scary! It's just you and the professor and a...man in a room. Then they start to—" Nyana was interrupted by a loud cough from Aela, "Sorry, anyway it's not as bad as what Delsa did!"
For the first time of the night, Vera saw Delsa's face change. Her poise had broken, even if slightly. Only her eyebrows moved to form the scowl, but it was telling nonetheless. "Oh?" Vera said intrigued, "What did she—" and right on cue, Aela interrupted Vera, "That's enough Nyana! Have you forgotten the sanctity of the secrets of 'The Ritual' " Nyana quickly covered her mouth so as not to let anymore words spill out.
"Before we meditate for the night, I'll go ahead and put your mind at ease with what I can tell you. Yes, it is as fun as most people say. Yes, it is a lot of rules, but it's really not so bad once you get the hang of it. Yes, I'll be there watching you the whole time in case something goes wrong." Vera blushed at the last thing Aela said. "Don't be nervous," Aela reminded her, "We're only going through the first part of 'The Ritual' tomorrow. Besides, if you needed a few days to prepare, you should've registered a few days ago."
"I didn't think I'd have to walk this far!" Vera retorted, "I'm just glad I made it before registration closed." After she laid down her excuse, she asked, "S-so you're going to be there when I—" Aela once again interrupted her, "That's right, it's not something uncommon for professors-in-training. I've helped others through it, and I'll help you too. This is the last I want to hear about 'The Ritual' tonight, though. Understand?" Vera nodded.
