Summoning Ceremony

"This way." Said Fiore, leading Wren and Vera down to her basement. At the bottom of the stone stairway, there was a good-sized room, dimly lit with a few candles. There was a large bookshelf in one corner and an intricate symbol on the floor in front of them, "Wait, let me change the sigil. Don't want you to summon a demon." She snapped her fingers and the symbol redrew itself into the same pattern that had been on the summon paper.

"So, how does this work?" Asked Wren curiously.

"It's pretty simple," piped Vera, "you just stand in the middle of the circle and say something. I told a joke, and Ms. Serious over here wrote a poem and recited it." She grinned at Fiore.

"Oh, be quiet. I just wanted to make sure I got a good one." Grumbled Fiore, slightly embarrassed.

"So, what should I do?"

"You have to figure it out by yourself." Said Fiore, pulling out the stone and paper, "If we tell you what to do, you might not get the right one for you."

"So poetic.��� Joked Vera, "She's right though, this is something you have to do on your own." Wren nodded nervously.

"So, I'm gonna explain the procedure to you." Said Fiore, "You've got to stand in the center of the circle"-she handed Wren the stone and paper before she walked over to the middle of the large sigil-"then, you hold the stone in your right hand and the paper in the left"-the paper and the symbol began to glow a faint gold-"then, you say whatever you're going to say. In advance, the paper's going to burn up, and the stone will change colors." Wren nodded again and began to speak.

"So, um, I just wanted to ask if I could, ya know, have a friend to hang out with sometimes." The glow brightened, and Fiore and Vera both looked at Wren encouragingly, "Maybe someone kinda like me would be nice, playful, loyal, I guess cute like Fiore always says." Wren heard Vera chuckle, "I know I may not remember much about myself now, but I'd really like someone to help me rediscover who I was. Um, I think that's all." Just as Fiore had said, the paper practically disappeared in a flash of light. The sigil glowed brighter than ever as Wren's vision blurred slightly. Her head filled with the whispers of many people and her world spun, before it suddenly went black.

"You say you want to remember, young traveler of worlds?" Boomed a loud voice from the abyss.

"Yes!" Wren yelled out desperately.

"Then remember, you shall!" Came the voice, louder. Wren's mind filled with flashes. She could only assume that they had been memories, each one filled with different places and people. She saw animals and plants, friends and family, until she saw one that stuck in her mind. A tall, brown haired girl looked at her gently, her bright green eyes filled with joy. Her lightly tanned skin shone against a dark green uniform, and Wren recalled her name.

"Florence." She said, testing it out, "That's Florence!" Her heart fluttered as more memories of Florence flowed in. She had been her friend, and they had spent most of their time together somewhere, but Wren couldn't remember where.

"Indeed," the voice almost seemed to smile, "to help you on your journey, I shall send Tela. She will guide you."

"Thank you!" Said Wren, sensing the presence fade before awakening to panic.