AN:

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Chapter 19: Covention Part 2

As Eda and the kids walked away, King and Shirou were about to follow when someone stopped them. They turned to see someone from the Oracle Coven.

"Weh?"

The hero blinked before giving a friendly wave. "Hello, there."

Instead of reciprocating the greeting, the witch started their coven pitch. "The tea leaves foretell that this will lead you to your destiny." She spun around a pen and handed one to each of them.

"Destiny?" King raised a skeptical brow, scoffing. "I'm not paying for-"

"It's freeeee... courtesy of the Oracel Coven. Tell your friends."

"Are you...bestowing gifts upon me? Yes!" He pumped a fist happily. "I accept your offering. The King of Demons is back!"

Before she could slink away, Shirou called for her attention. To be honest, he was curious about the methodology and accuracy of Oracles here. Eda couldn't go in-depth on the matter, and he only spoke with Luna for a few minutes. For there to be an entire coven dedicated to them, their results had to be substantial. "What can you tell me about the Oracle Coven? I have a younger friend who's still learning her aptitude for magic. She might be interested in learning more."

It was the girl's turn to blink. This was the first time her dark and mysterious act worked. "Oh, uh. Sorry. Well, compared to almost ninety-five percent of the covens here, the Oracle Coven is one of the nine main covens funded by the Emperor. Some people call us the Fortune Tellers Coven. Just don't say that in front of Head Witch Osran. She gets into a huge tirade when people try to reduce our coven to just that."

Shirou shrugged. "Can you blame them because of the name? Oracles are well known for providing wisdom or prophecies."

She raised her arm. "I know, right? I used to read many stories like that, but the Oracle Coven specializes in fortune-telling, communing with spirits, and using different kinds of mind magic."

The last one was new to Shirou. "From what I learned from a friend, oracles can use their magic to predict the future and scry locations, using their crystal balls as a focus of sorts."

The girl chuckled. "Really? Our crystal balls are way more than just that. I would have thought someone like you would know about the Island-wide Web?"

Shirou thought about his meeting with Willow. "I found out about scrolls not too long ago. I didn't think you guys had your version of the internet."

"Internet? I guess you could call it that, but they're literally lines of buried interconnected enchanted spider silk that enhance the connection of our crystal balls across the towns and the island."

"I take it back. The web is much more appropriate." The hero felt a paw on his leg. "Oh, sorry, King. I got a bit distracted."

"It's fine. Though, if you're gonna be busy, I'm gonna keep looking for free stuff."

"Are you going to be okay on your own, King?"

"Want to meet up anywhere later?"

Shirou thought about it for a moment. "How about we meet at the baker's coven in half an hour to try their free samples together."

"Deal!" With that, the little demon scampered into the crowd with glee.

"You sure that's a good idea?" asked the oracle witch.

The teen shrugged. "It's important to let kids learn things on their own at times. I can trust he'll be safe. Anyways, where were we?"

She brightened. "Check this out." After taking a breath, she posed and traced a purple circle with one hand. Dark purple fire appeared around her before making a construct shaped like a bird behind her."

"Woah, is that some sort of summon?"

"Nah. This is only something I conjured up. Higher-class oracles can do something way different. They summon a powerful apparition created by their own life energy that stands next to them."

Shirou crossed his arms in curiosity. "What are they called?"

Meanwhile

The other group passed by a doorway flanked by guards.

"That panel looks popular," commented Luz on how it looked, making Gus gasp in shock.

"It's the Emperor's Coven!" He turns to Willow. " You think they'll sign my forehead? "

"Only one way to find out!" They both ran forward, and Luz joined them but stopped seeing that her mentor wasn't coming. Neither Shirou nor King was around either.

"Aren't you coming?" Luz asked.

"No way! " Eda replied." Out of all the covens, there the worst. I'll wait out here. "

"I get it." Luz put up her hands, showing she understood. "Covens: bad. Individualism: good. But I'm still figuring this world out, so I'm going there to make up my mind, okay?" She headed in.

Eda's shoulders sagged. This whole teacher-student relationship was harder than she would have wanted. Then again, a small part of her wanted her teachers before to be more supportive of her ideas. "Alright, Alright. Wait up!" Eda shouted as she took off.

The group entered a large stadium with a chattering audience.

Many people were in the crowd, and Eda found the kids and sat with them. "All right, let's see this mess."

Behind a podium was the banner for the Emperor's Coven. The lights dimmed. Principal Bump rose from the floor with spirals of green magic, a spotlight illuminating him. People cheered, and he waved a finger, summoning a mic. "Hello, Bonesborough. Students always ask me, 'Principal Bump, what's the height of magical achievement'?"

"Is it this?" A student from the Construction track increased the size of his head significantly, crushing the student next to him.

Bump winced at this. "Wow. I failed you as a principal..." He grabbed the mic. "It's being selected to join the best of the best. And there are none better than the jewel of the coven system and the enforcers of his will, the Emperor's Coven!"

Three soldiers from earlier emerged, making the crowd give a round of applause, leaving Luz amazed by their entrance. She then waved to her friends, who pointed to the autograph Gus got on his forehead.

Bump continued speaking. " Feast your eyes on this elite force, each member hand-picked to help usher in a new age of controlled magic. "

Each coven guard traced a white spell circle above their head. One produced a jet of flame, another water, and the third was lightning. The three elements came together in a firework that turned to confetti, which Luz grabbed.

Eda leaned over to a random demon sitting next to her. "When does that elite force get here?" She slapped her knee and laughed at her own joke, but the demon was clearly uncomfortable and scooted away from the witch.

The three soldiers then began to cast different spells between their palms. " Members of the Emperor's Coven have access to all-yes, all forms of magic. Oooh. Aah. " The crowd repeated that last line. " But...Only the best can ascend these ranks. Some day that could be one of you! " He pointed to someone in the stands and that someone was none other than Amity, who squealed in delight.

Eda laughed at this statement while Luz wasn't expecting her to be there. "Hmm?"

The three guards grabbed their capes and disappeared in flashes of white light. "And now, I'm pleased to introduce the esteemed leader of this coven and this year's mystery guest. You know her. You love her! Lilith!"

The audience gasped while Eda immediately stopped laughing as she processed the name. "Huh?"

A bright flash of light near the ceiling turned into a blue raven sitting on a branch. It flew off the branch to the stage, landing to reveal Lilith. It disappeared with a screech as she lifted her arms and sent her mask flying. The audience applauded and cheered while Eda was looking at her speechless.

Luz notices. "You know her?" Luz nudged the woman.

"You...could say that."

The girl gasped sharply. "Mysterious past."

"Thank you, all." Lilith magically sent her cape and mask back into Principal Bump. "It wasn't easy for me to rise to the top. I also started from humble beginnings."

"Like me?" The big-headed boy's eyes got misty.

"Now I have the highest honor of enforcing the Emperor's will. So be more! The Emperor's Coven awaits you!" Lilith spun, creating the raven illusion again. It spread its wings before bursting into balls of light. Lilith posed with her arms out, smirking, while Eda glared at her.

Metalwork's Coven

Shirou stood at the portable forge on the south edge of the complex. His arms crossed over his chest as he watched a young witch named Razor work the bellows. The sound of the hammer striking the metal echoed through the room, and the heat was suffocating. Shirou had come to see the techniques of a more experienced smith, but he was currently away from the booth. Instead, one of his students had been selected to make sample blades for prospective recruits. While some were intrigued, one was a bit disappointed.

"Excuse me. I think you're missing something," Shirou commented as he approached Razor.

Razor looked up from his work, a look of surprise on his face. "What are you talking about? I've been forging swords for the past year. I know what I'm doing. "

"I understand," Shirou said, "But, I'm sure this is something you mentor has told you before. You might have forgotten in your haste to make a lot of them today."

Razor raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by Shirou's statement. "What do you mean?"

Shirou pointed to the blade that Razor was working on. "Your tempering is off. The steel is too brittle."

Razor frowned, examining the blade. "I followed the same process I always do. What's different?"

"It's the way you're holding the blade," Shirou said, gesturing to the way Razor gripped the hilt. "You're not letting the blade cool evenly. Because of that, you're creating weak spots."

The other young witches around them were surprised. Something as simple as the angle of holding the metal would change the durability.

Razor looked at Shirou skeptically. "And how do you know this?"

"I've been forging swords for years, too," Shirou said. "I've seen this mistake a hundred times. You should shift your grip about ten degrees counterclockwise."

Razor set the blade down and pulled Shirou away from the front and to the inside of their booth, a look of irritation on his face. "I don't see why it matters in the end. The swords I make are still sharp enough to cut through anything."

"That's not the point," answered the hero. "A sword is more than just something to cut with. It's a work of art, a symbol of power and story. You're not just creating a tool. You're creating art."

Razor huffed. "I don't need you to tell me how to do my job. My swords have never had any complaints."

"I don't doubt that," Shirou said, his voice calm and even. "Every sword has its use. However, my pride in my craft wants to help others improve. As a smith, if you cut corners, it will show in the quality of your work."

Razor shook his head. "Yeah, I guess." He sighed. "I'm doing my best, but I feel like I've hit a wall recently."

Shirou said firmly. "That's nothing to be ashamed about. We all have those points, but taking shortcuts isn't going to help anybody. If you want to be like your master, you need to put in the time and effort to do things right."

Razor looked down at his feet, clearly stung by Shirou's words. "I don't know if I have it in me. It's not easy to make a living as a wordsmith in an empire of witches, and I want to help my family bills to pay. I'm not that good at the main nine magics."

"I relate to that in some regard," Shirou said, his voice softening. "I'm sure you're family is proud of what you're trying to do, but don't you want to be proud of yourself as well? The satisfaction of knowing you've created something truly great is worth the effort."

Razor looked up at Shirou, his eyes searching for something. "Do you really think I have what it takes?"

Shirou smiled, placing a hand on Razor's shoulder. "I think you have the potential to be one of the best. But it's up to you to make it happen."

Razor nodded, a determined look on his face. "If that's the case, can I see you at work? Maybe that can give me some inspiration on my next project."

The images of a nameless longswords and knightly swords came to mind. Shirou smirked. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Allow me to show you the potential of our blood, sweat, and tears."

Razor could have sworn he felt the fires of a forge ignite from within the

Elsewhere

A meadow soothed under a bright yellow sun. A cool breeze swept through soft green grass, the sight stretching forever to the distant horizon. Beautiful blue and red flowers, purple and white, grew underfoot in this land of endless day. One could even find trees in the distance. Swords were everywhere, ranging in all types. Not only that, but there were spears, axes, and countless others.

In one direction was a Japanese-style mansion. At the front was a building with twelve swords, each embedded in an inscribed stone like a mausoleum. The sliding door to the mansion opened, and a brown-skinned man with white hair and golden eyes exited. He wore a white kimono and a black haori. The man looked to the sky and smirked, feeling the soft glow of heat from the monolithic gears in the distance. "You've got years before you get to my level, boyo." He chuckled. "But still, show me what you got."

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