You sat in your chair shocked as your mother poured the Golden Guard tea, offering him mini cakes and cookies.
What is he doing here? Did he need something? Oh my gosh he's in my house! What do I do? Is something wrong?
Finally your moms left, but he insisted they stay, and so they sat down. It turned to silence.
"So what brings you here, Golden Guard?" You mother, Jana finally asked, breaking the silence.
Hunter smiled. "I'm here on the behalf of the emperor. He wanted me to ask you if it would be alright if Mx. Y/n could study in the Boiling Isles for a while until it's time for them to take the throne, or when the emperor thought they were trained enough. It would be a great opportunity to get stronger, and they would be able to learn leadership skills."
Wait what? You looked at him. I get to spend time with Hunter on the Boiling Isles and not have to deal with school?
"Oh my! Leadership skills? Training to become stronger? That's great, but..." Your mom, Isabella, hesitated.
"But?" Hunter asked politely.
"What about Y/n's schooling?"
Dang it.
He picked up a cookie sniffing it and taking a bite. "Oh, that can be covered too. You see, there's this really good school my...friend...goes to. Hexide is it's name," He said after a moment of chewing.
"And you could be a powerful witch, too, if you choose a coven track at that school." He said turning to you, not wanting to leave you out of the conversation. "It could help you out, when you train."
"Wait, how does that work?" You ask. "I only have my magic when I have this crystal." You held up a small green stone you keep in a pouch, incase you forget your staff. You accidentally chipped it a few years back and when you held the tiny crystal you also accidentally teleported into the kitchen.
You learned that you didn't need a staff, you just needed to keep the crystal on you.
He stared at it. "That's fascinating. Could you tell me how magic works here? Because on the titan, we have the nine covens since the titan provides the magic."
Isabella lit up. "Of course! So there are these three stones we call the Noel Stones..."
You zone out, you heard this a million times. You only tune in when you hear,
"That's amazing!"
You look at Hunter and said, "What about you? What are the nine covens?"
Hunter smiled at you and your heart flipped. "Oh, yeah! There are nine covens on the Boiling Isles, there's the Abomination Coven. Witches in the Abomination Coven can create, summon, and control abominations to do their bidding, and more powerful witches can even use abomination matter to create constructs, teleport, or even assume an abomination-based form..." He sounded like he memorized it.
"Then there's the Bard Coven. The Bard Coven focuses on manipulating the environment using musical instruments. Bards can use music to create a variety of effects such as inducing sleepiness and even take control of witches listening to their music," He explained.
"There's the Beast Keeping Coven where it focuses on the taming and control of the various beasts on the Boiling Isles. They can also command the various creatures on the isles to do their bidding, summon beasts, and even enhance their own abilities to the point where they rival a beast's."
You grinned. "That's so cool!"
He laughed. "Yes, it is. Now, the Construction Coven focuses on creating earth-based constructs and various construction projects on the isles. Construction Coven witches can create tools and pillars from earth and also use power glyphs to boost their strength and magic...my friend uses glyphes, only though,"
"Why?"
He hesitates. "Well, she's a human. She comes from the Human Realm, so she can't really do magic like us. But she uses glyphs in a fight."
"A human?!" Jana grinned. "Isabella, a HUMAN finally came back, do you hear this?"
"Yes, I do Jana. Please continue Golden Guard." Isabella said.
Hunter smiled in return. "The Healing Coven specializes in dealing with medicine and healthcare. Healers can treat a variety of injuries and ailments and appear to use healing glyphs to deal with long-term injuries. It's a really helpful coven, in my opinion."
He picked up a piece of cake. "The Illusion Coven specializes in deception and showmanship to trick the senses of other witches. Illusionists can create clones and alter their appearances, the Human's friend is an illusionist and a pretty powerful one too."
He licked the whipped cream off of the tip of the cake before continuing. "The Oracle Coven focuses on fortune-telling and various mind-based magics. Oracles can use their magic to tell the future, summon an entity from a crystal ball, and even use telepathic communication."
He turned to you. "I think that would be a good coven for you considering what your mom said about the Noel Stones."
You felt your face burn as you sip your tea. "Oh?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, the Plant Coven specializes in the various flora on the Boiling Isles. Plant Coven witches can command the flora around them as well manipulate vines and accelerate plant growth. The Humans other friend is a powerful witch in this one."
He frowned thinking.
"Hunter?" You tap his shoulder when he was quiet for a while. He looked up.
"Oh, sorry," Blushing, he continued. "And finally there's the Potions Coven. It focuses on brewing various potions. Potions Coven witches are able to brew a variety of potions with different effects, ranging from fog brews, explosive potions, and even elixirs that can keep curses at bay."
You smiled. "If I go to the Boiling Isles, I get to learn one of these covens at a new school, train, and learn leadership?"
He nodded. "Yeah,"
You looked at your moms. "Can I go to the Boiling Isles with Hunter?" You asked.
They exchange glances and said, "Well it could help you a lot."
Isabella nodded. "Education.."
"Leadership..."
"New magic." They say in unison.
"Sure, we don't see why not."
Then a thought came to mind. "Ossie..."
"What? Oh your friend? You can bring them if they have their parents permission." Hunter said.
You stood. "Then let's go ask!"
"Y/n-"
You grabbed his arm pulling him outside the house. You grabbed your staff. "Hold on tight, okay?" You said.
"Wait, what are you going to d-"
You brought your staff up and it glowed. Then you teleported to Ossie Greenman's house.
"Y/n?" Ossie said, their eyes widening. "What are you doing here? Our sleepover isn't until this weekend."
"Ossie, this is Hunter!" You show them the boy behind you, who was looking around. His eyes landed on Ossie.
"Hey." He said waving slightly.
Realization flashed in their eyes. "Oh!" They smirked. "The Golden Guard?"
You looked away, your face burning. "Uh, yeah," You look at Hunter. "You see, Hunter...invited me to study at the Boiling Isles!"
Ossie looked shocked, then sad. "Oh..."
"But!"
They raised their eyebrow. "But?"
"Hunter says I can bring you if your parents let you!" You grab their hands.
They had a sad look still.
Why?
You frown. "This is great news, Oss! We can-"
"Y/n...no it's not..." They said looking away.
You let their hands drop. "What? Of course it is, you can leave your parents!" You said trying to smile.
"Y/n, my parents will never let me go across the sea to an island they know nothing about," They said, narrowing their eyes at the ground. Their eyebrows were knitted together and they were frowning hard.
"B-But-"
"And, I have school! Spellacy, remember? I have honors, the counsel, I have a life at school there! Unlike you! I have things to do, I can't drop everything and go across the world for you!"
You reached for their hand. They jerk away. "N-No, I know that, Ossie, but they have great schools in the Boiling Isles! You can also learn a new magic! R...Right, Hunter?"
You looked back at him. He seemed shocked at what Ossie, your best friend (from your information), had said to you.
I have a life at school there! Unlike you! He thought that was cold, and uncalled for. Just say that you can't drop school. He, of all people, knew how important learning can be and what it does to your future. But Ossie could have said something less...cruel.
Hunter coughed. "Uh- Yeah. Hexide is-"
"I don't care about 'Hexide'!" Ossie snapped at Hunter and you felt angry. They didn't need to take their anger out on someone who did nothing to them. Ossie turned to you. "I'm not going across the world with you and your boyfriend, Y/n!"
Your cheeks felt flushed and you felt your anger growing. "That was out of order, Ossie!" You said lowly. "He isn't my boyfriend!"
"So? Go away, okay? Spellacy would be better if there weren't students like you! I wish I never met you!"
They turned and slammed their door shut.
You stood there, dumbstruck.
"ꪻꫝꪖꪻ ᭙ꪖᦓ ᥴꪮꪑρꪶꫀꪻꫀꪶꪗ ꪊꪀᥴꪖꪶꪶꫀᦔ ᠻꪮ᥅. ꪖ ᦓ꠸ꪑρꪶꫀ ꪀꪮ ᭙ꪮꪊꪶᦔ ꫝꪖꪜꫀ ᥇ꫀꫀꪀ ꪮᛕꪖꪗ."
They...wished they never met you? Your best friend of 10 years?
"ꪗ/ꪀ, ꪖ᥅ꫀ ꪗꪮꪊ ꪮᛕꪖꪗ?"
You turned in a trance. Why would they say that? You both were so close...Of course you weren't expecting them to drop school.
"ꪗ/ꪀ?"
But..you hoped they agreed because they didn't deserve how they were treated at home. You did something wrong. Again.
"Y/ɳ, αɾҽ ყσυ σƙαყ?"
You blinked and saw Hunter leaning in slightly touching your shoulder. Concern was written on his face. When had he gotten there?
"Y/n, are you okay?" He asked.
"Um. Yeah." You answer.
He didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Hey, when can I leave?" You asked looking at him.
He stood straighter. "Oh! Um. What about Ossie?"
You frowned. "You heard their answer."
"Right. Tonight if you want."
"So, this is your room?" He asked as you shut the door.
"Yeah." You said. "Sorry it's such a mess."
He laughed. "Oh, it's fine. My room back at the Boiling Isles is messy too,"
You sat on your bed. "Oh yeah?" He walked around your room picking up books and examining them.
"Yeah, I like to read, and I have to study an unknown cur-...some unknown magic. You know, to help the Emperor. He doesn't want me to, but I do it in secret."
You wondered what he was going to say. "Hey, you said there are nine Covens," You said. "What Coven are you part of?"
He smiled at you. "I'm part of the Emperor's Coven." He sounded proud, and you laughed a little.
"What's the Emperor's coven?"
He looked at some of your clothes. "The Emperor's Coven isn't really considered one of the 'main nine' Covens, but it's considered to be the most prestigious Coven in the Coven System and serves as 'enforcers of will'. Membership of the Emperor's Coven is made up of some of the most talented witches on the isles, and unlike other covens, those inducted into the Emperor's retain all their magic."
You lit up. "Really? You're part of it?" You asked amazed.
He saw the interest in your face and blushed. "O-Oh, yeah! I'm the Emperor's right hand man! His Golden Guard!"
You thought it was adorable how he took pride in it. "What did you mean 'those inducted into the Emperor's retain all their magic'. Do you not get to keep it when you choose one of the other Covens?" You asked.
He sat on your bed. "Well, when you choose a coven track, you study it for your time at Hexide. You can change it if you think a Coven isn't for you, but once you graduate and the Coven Track you decided to keep, that's the Coven you'll be apart of, and we seal away all other Coven magic." he explained. "But in the Emperor's Coven, you keep all nine."
"Ohhh." You look at him. "So I can only choose one?"
He hesitates. "Well, not anymore. You can choose multiple at a time and sometimes all of them at Hexide, but...the Emperor's Coven doesn't support it. When it's time to graduate, it's best if you don't stress on choosing out of nine tracks you took at Hexide.. It's easier. For us, and for the students."
"That makes sense." You said. "I should get packing. Want to help?" you asked getting up.
He got up with you. "Sure. What do I do?"
You pull out your school messenger bag. "This has unlimited space. Magicked by my mothers."
"Oh! That's so cool!"
You laughed. "Yeah! Anyway, can you put all my books in? I'll get my clothes."
While he does that, you go to your closet and grabbed your clothes, shirts, pants, and cloaks. You put them in the bag.
Soon all your packing is done. You put your messenger bag over your shoulder. "Join us for dinner, okay, Hunter?"
"Okay."
"I can't believe you're leaving!" Jana cried after you finished dinner. She hugged you. "Please be safe, oh, and make sure you send letters!"
She wrapped you in a tight hug. "I will, mom!" You said laughing. You had on a travel outfit.
Isabella knelt down. "Give it your all, Y/n." She said before hugging you tight. Jana joined you in tears.
It's quiet.
"We love you, Y/n. Please be safe."
