Blackwater Islands still clutching at moons and echoes and emptiness and shadow

Every fiber of her being surged with a sudden ache of anxiety as Kalika took her place among the circle and, with a final look back, lifted her head to the sky and began to speak. Please, she breathed to herself; to the Mothers; to whomever would guide her young pupil in the following moments. She felt the shift of the twin deities in her mind as they leaned, too, listening intently to the desires that came from deep within. The Matriarch focused on her own breathing—in and out, in and out. The presence of the Sea and the Moon was almost overwhelming, and she felt her own soul disconnect and stars erupt in her mind as the Goddesses poured themselves into her. 

Distantly Akantha was aware that Kalika decided to use her own prayer—she hadn't changed a word of it, and she felt something resembling pride at the fact. It did not take long for the Adept-hopeful to finish, but as soon as her voice faded in the air, it was replaced by sudden crash of a rogue wave against the shore. The Moon chuckled, the Sea smiled, and Akantha exhaled the breath she'd unwittingly held. Bring us to her, someone said. Akantha blinked away the spots of black threatening the edges of her vision and approached Kalika. then circled around her. Slowly, bid by the Sea and Moon, she reached over and pressed a kiss to the soft spot on her cheek—as a mother would her dearest daughter. 

The action was not lost on Akantha, but she was entirely in the throes now. The Mothers directed her to the water. The Matriarch stooped and wet her muzzle before returning to Kalika. She swiped the water across Kalika's forehead before drawing away, and smiling. She spoke then with the Voice, but only Akantha's familiar tones could be heard, "The Mothers have judged you and found you worthy," she said softly, "so it is with their Blessing that I bestow upon you the title of Adept. May the Moon guide you, and the Sea keep you."