Chapter Text
“Will you wake up already!” the loud voice in your ear had you practically jumping out of your skin, as you rolled out of bed and immediately assumed a defensive position placing yourself between the bed and the wall and blinking around blearily trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
“(Name) will you hurry up! We’re going to be late,” the familiar voice scolded and you relaxed from your defensive position and eased up, stretching languidly before turning to your room mate and one of your closest friends since you’d both started at this academy five years ago.
“What are you so worked up for Nami? You’ve never minded being late before?” you asked rubbing sleep from your eyes then performing a double take, “And what the hell are you so dressed up for?”
It was true she’d dressed nicely today. She was wearing a nice pair of dark wash jeans that sat low on her hips and a belly bearing tank that was different shades of blue, reminding you of ocean waves, with frilly white lace straps. Her long red hair was held back in a loose bun with one shorter stand left out to frame her face. She had golden hoops in her ears and was wearing a thick belt around her hips and had a navy blue choker band around her neck.
Your school was one that didn’t require a uniform, and so generally students wore whatever was most comfortable for them. It helped that this particular school was an all girls school, and thus most, including yourself and Nami normally ran around in ratty jeans, sweats, yoga pants, and t-shirts or tanks unless you felt like dressing up for whatever reason.
“Don’t tell me you forgot!” Nami demanded incredulously, “(Name!) Seriously today’s the day! The day we’re going over to join with the New World Conservatory! The boys school? Remember? We’re doing a permanent merger? We’ve only been talking about this for months! We even sent over most of our stuff last night!”
“Oh right that,” you replied absently. To be honest it had slipped your mind for a moment, though she was right it shouldn’t have. Ever since headmistress Tsuru had announced your school Paradise Prep would be merging with the all boys school New World Conservatory and becoming the Grand Line Academy, the entire school had been in an uproar.
Some like Caime and Hancock had been thrilled at the idea of getting to potentially spend more time with their love interests, while others like Perona and Cindry complained that boys were un-cute and cause all sorts of drama.
You didn’t really care one way or another, just hoping the transition would be smooth and you’d find some interesting sparring partners. You see neither your school nor theirs were for ordinary people. Everyone in the school had some sort of special ability, you called yourselves witches and the men warlocks, but it was a pretty broad term.
Sure everyone could do basics like, small jinxes, hexes, charms, protections and potions, but everyone also had something else, a talent unique to themselves. For instance, Nami was a weather witch, able to control the weather and conjure massive storms at will.
“(Name!) stop spacing out and get ready already! We have twenty minutes before we’re supposed to be down in the hall ready to go!” Nami shouted breaking you out of your thoughts and emphasizing her point with the smallest of shocks to your rear.
You jumped and glared at her for a moment before giving up and getting ready. Luckily all you really had to do was brush your teeth and hair, then put on the clothes you’d picked with the rest of the girls in your circle last night. They consisted of dark wash tight skinny jeans and black over the knee boots, with a form fitting black tank top, and several layer necklaces.
Finished you strapped your daggers into place at your wrists pulling on gold arm guards over them to hide them from view and hiding a few in your boots, placing the final one between your breasts. Turning to the door you prepared to leave only to be shoved into a chair by the exasperated Nami who was wielding her make-up case like a lethal weapon, a crazed glint in her eyes.
Knowing there was no point in fighting you let her do as she pleased. She added a deep red color to your lips and used eyeliner and mascara to try to draw attention to your exotically shaped eyes and vividly pink irises. She huffed in satisfaction apparently deeming you ready and put her kit back into her purse. Then proceeded to yank your unruly black curls into a high ponytail, and adding to small gem studded hair sticks which could double as senbon if need be.
You stuffed the last of your things in your backpack, and the two of you headed out down the hallway. On your way down to the ground floor you were joined by the rest of your group Vivi the blue haired empath, Nami’s sister Nojiko who had a gift with plants, Robin the calm, dark haired history enthusiast who could sprout extra limbs at will, Koala her hand to hand and hex specialist, Caimie the green haired mermaid, Alvida the slippery brunette, Kaya the blonde healer and Perona the pink haired ghost girl.
All of them were dressed to impress, knowing that the coming merger would bring them in direct contact with a lot of potentially powerful and dangerous people, the kind they’d like to make allies of. Thus dressing up, because a first impression was always important.
At the bottom of the stairs your group joined the queue of girls ages to eighteen to twenty-five who were waiting for the portals. Taking one last look around the hall you did your best to memorize its comforting and familiar architecture. You had a lot of memories of this place, both good and bad, but honestly mostly good. You’d miss it, but you understood the reason for the merger.
The population of Magicals was booming as of late, and the old schools, for both boys and girls, no longer had room, especially since they were boarding schools that only let out for summer. Thus it was decided the older set should move into a new coed campus that had been built especially for them.
It was probably a good move, though you’d miss some of the younger girls you’d mentored over the years, it would be fun to have more exposure to men outside of the summer time and the few male teachers you’d had.
Unfortunately you also knew that the number of warlocks to witches was greatly skewed in their favor. It made a lot of your fellow witches nervous about the merger, wondering how the men would react to your presence. You weren’t too worried, you had your friends and you’d protect them if needed and vice versa.
See the thing about witches was you tended to form covens. Covens were a special sort of group that were blood bonded together in such a way that it was nearly impossible to betray one another. It was a special kind of sisterhood that was completely and utterly permanent once entered into, which is why such decisions weren’t made lightly.
In fact witches weren’t allowed to form or join Covens until they were at least eighteen years old. This was to give the younger witches time to bond and get to know one another, and during the early years you were allowed to form less powerful temporary Covens to test what it would be like. This was to protect witches from being taken advantage of, and keep them from jumping into something they’d be stuck in for the rest of their lives.
To form a Coven you had to have at least three members, blood bonded together. Your group had actually started much larger than usual, with Nami, Nojiko, Robin, Kaya, and Koala all part of your original Coven with the others coming along later.
The blood bond was created by making a potion that was actually very simple, and adding each person’s blood to it. The potion was then used as ink to tattoo the symbol of your Coven somewhere on your body, the same place on every Witch in the Coven. The first Witch marked was generally considered the Coven leader and all the others generally deferred to and gravitated towards her.
You had gone with a traditional spot, the inside of the right wrist. The symbol you’d chosen was an intricate Celtic knot with open ends on both sides, so that when your right wrists were held together they formed a sort of unbroken circle. This made it easy to add members in as well.
This was done in the same way as the Coven was formed with a slightly different potion, though every Witch in the Coven had to provide blood for the potion otherwise the bond wouldn’t take. This was done to ensure that no Coven member was taken in without the approval and acceptance of the rest of the witches involved, which helped keep harmony in the group.
The only times a witch was allowed to leave a Coven were, if they married someone outside the warlocks or witches allied to their Coven, if it was proven they were being abused emotionally or physically, or if their Coven merged with another. There was one small exception to these three rules, but it involved betrayal and was so taboo no one spoke of it nowadays. Any witch who committed such an act was immediately hunted by every other witch in the world and killed because Covens were sacred.
This was because Coven members could draw power from one another in times of need, and could amplify power through one another as well. For example when you were able to tag team with Nami between the two of you, you had five times your normal power and so did she.
Thus it was in your best interests to form covens and the stronger the members the stronger the coven. However you were of the belief that one didn’t have to start out strong to become strong. You were in the words of a certain green spandex wearing anime character a big believer in “geniuses of hard work”, though you tried to be welcoming to everyone you saw potential in.
You believed that anyone could be strong if they just had the drive to do so, which made your coven very different from others in the school, mainly your rival Boa Hancock who believed those with lesser power and beauty were beneath her. The two of you respected each other; you just didn’t share beliefs, which was why you could stand to be allies even if you’d probably try to rip each other’s throats out if you were coven members.
It was your belief that it was the duty of all Coven members to be as strong as they were able, but also to contribute to the growth and success of their fellow Coven members. After all how could you safely share power if you couldn’t work together in the everyday? This belief is what had brought your Coven together, starting with Nami and flowing out from there.
You had a tendency to mother people and want to take them under wing and see them grow, which surprised most everyone. This was because in general witches and warlocks tended to have attitudes that matched their powers. Nami was a perfect example of this, her temper as volatile and unpredictable as the weather and outgoing and brash as a thunderstorm.
You on the other hand were very nurturing, though you could be aggressive when need be, you generally were very laidback despite having what most would term extremely volatile powers that were mostly offense based. A lot of the school thought you were a bit odd, but you shrugged off their concerns, not really caring for the opinions of anyone outside your Coven.
Your arrival at the front of the line to the portal forced you to focus back on the present, and you quickly stepped into the intricate design on the floor, checking to make sure all your Coven were present within the circle you bit down on your thumb to draw blood and allowed a small drop to fall, activating it and sending you off to your new home.
It took a moment for your stomach to settle from the abrupt travel, for some reason magical travel was always a bit nausea inducing. Then carefully ushered your Coven out of the circle of the portal so others could use it before glancing around.
The new school was a true work of modern magical miracles. It was set in its own pocket dimension, which was an area that was copied off of the Earth and moved to its own plane of existence. Using the combined power and ideas of the greatest magical minds of the age, they’d actually managed to copy over one hundred square miles of area from different parts of the Earth and piece it together to give all sorts of different climates.
All sorts of creatures and plants both magical and non had been imported into the dimension to supply the school with food, potions ingredients, and fighting opportunities. The only way into and out of the dimension were through portals that were located on one end of the dimension, while the school was located on the other end, to help deter any potential attacks.
The biome around the portal where you’d come in was fairly temperate, but you’d been told that each separate area that had been copied also had its own weather systems and patterns, which reflected the areas they’d been copied from. For example if a piece of the dimension had been created from the African Sahara, and it was dry season in the original version, it would also be dry season here.
It was truly fascinating to you, and you and your Coven had, had a serious discussion about maybe creating your own someday as a safe haven and home base for your Coven members, but that was a long way off from now. For now you just admired the scenery, though you could see Robin and Nami both taking mental notes about what they were seeing as you boarded the carriages drawn by Skeletal horses.
Luckily the carriage didn’t have a visible roof so you were able to watch the scenery easily. Around you, you could hear the other groups chatting both about the new school and about the Warlocks you’d be meeting soon.
Thanks to the luck of the draw the Warlocks had been allowed to move in first. They’d arrived yesterday and had, had the night and morning to settle in. In the carriage next to you, you could hear Boa complaining that they better not have taken the best rooms or she would be forced to make them move for her.
You rolled your eyes at her arrogance, though you knew they probably would move if Boa was the one to ask. She was an exceptionally strong enchantress, and could make weak willed men cater to her every whim with just a look. A lot of her Coven actually were more like followers for that very reason.
You weren’t too worried about having enough space. After all it had been decided ahead of time that Covens could share rooms, and between the ten of you, you had covered how to add and expand rooms in a home, which was essentially adding on much smaller versions of pocket dimensions.
You had taken the time to pick out and purchase all the furniture and appliances you’d need to furnish a decent sized apartment by pooling your funds. Nami had almost had a heart attack when she saw how much money you’d have to spend by the end of it, but you convinced her in the end that it was a worthwhile investment.
After all if you took good care of it, there was no reason not to take it with you when you finished school, and using it to furnish the Coven home. While she had been convinced, it still didn’t stop a tear from escaping now and then as she was forced to part with it, or her insistence on spending it very carefully.
That last part at least you hadn’t minded and had even agreed with. The group of you had, had a lot of fun working to find deals and furnishings that suited your tastes for both private bedrooms and shared spaces. You were actually hoping to get everyone their own bedroom, a luxury you hadn’t been allowed at Paradise Prep due to the lack of space.
You’d been forbidden from using expansion spells and enchantments there because there was only so much expanding a single building could take. Luckily you’d had the foresight to check with Headmistress Tsuru who’d easily agreed to allow the use of such things in the new school dorms.
Even if she hadn’t approved you probably still wouldn’t have worried or complained the way Boa was because the reason you were moving in the first place was lack of space, you would hope that the ones who’d been in charge of building this place had taken that into account when they built it.
You just listened to the chatter of your friends, as they speculated about what the Warlocks would be like, and how the new professors would be. After all in combining the Warlock’s upper tier students with the Witches upper tier students they’d also had to combine the upper tier’s professors, plus for the first time ever, some new professors had been brought in.
You’d heard rumors that certain Magic specialists were being brought it, and you were actually pretty excited to see if the rumors were true. If they were a certain Warlock whom you’d long admired would be one of your new professors.
Even as you listened you kept a close eye on your surroundings. You didn’t know the lay of the land here, like you did for your old school, and you didn’t want to get lost. Plus the professors and Headmistress Tsuru had warned you that because this school was only for upper tier Witches and Warlocks, some of the beasts and plants they’d brought in were extremely dangerous and aggressive. The kind they wouldn’t have risked anywhere near young ones just starting out.
You could definitely see movement in the trees at the edge of the road you were following, and once in a while you’d catch a glimpse of fur or scale, but nothing actually attacked. Likely because there were more than a hundred people in your group and you were moving pretty fast.
Still the thought that they might kept you on your guard, constantly scanning your surroundings. As such you were one of the first to spot your new school. A soft whistle of appreciation escaped your lips as you stared up at the monumental structure peaking through the trees, immediately capturing the attention of your Coven, who went quiet and turned to see what you were whistling at.
As you slowly moved around the bend and further into view you admired the structure. What you’d first thought was a single building was actually three, set into a C-shape with the biggest building, which you assumed was the actual school, at the center. The buildings were actually set into the beginnings of a mountain range, which had likely been created by first carving into the mountains that formed the valley and then building out for there.
Looking closer you could see terraces and openings carved into the rock face that separated the three buildings, leading you to believe they were actually connected, probably by indoor tunnels. Towers and spires sprouted from the rock face in several places that created good lookout posts, and would doubtless be used to study astrology and observe specialized night time rituals. In the highest tower at the very center above the school building there was an enormous golden bell, which would likely signal the beginning and end of classes.
Greenery spilled down the rock face between the buildings from the terraces, with ivy and other creeping vines decorating the surface. Fountains and small gardens, along with an enormous lawn sat in the open space between the buildings, along with the road, which formed a loop branching off in two directions at the beginning of the open space and meeting back up in front of the school building.
The buildings to the left and right of the center one, were longer and lower than it was, and based on what she’d heard of the building plans she would bet one was the dormitory building and the other the stables. Both were enormous and the one could easily house the group that had come from Paradise Prep several times over.
“Well they certainly pulled out all the stops,” Koala commented casually, the first to break the silence in their carriage as excited chatter started up in all the carriages as they began the final approach towards the buildings.
“I heard they spent over half a billion on this place,” Kaya told them wonderingly, as she took in the scenery.
“Six hundred twenty-seven million, nine hundred eighty-three thousand, four hundred, fifty-one dollars to be exact,” Nami informed them with a shudder at the idea of spending that much money, completely oblivious to the amused and slightly concerned stares she was getting from her fellow Coven members for actually knowing something like that.
“It’s really very pretty,” Caimie added cheerfully, “It looks like it will be nice at least.”
“It certainly is well fortified, hopefully it will be enough to keep us from being ambushed by the wild beasts we passed in the woods, though I didn’t actually see anything stopping them from entering the actual grounds though. Having a demon or a dragon rampage through while we’re sleeping and off guard wouldn’t be fun. We’d probably die,” Robin put in thoughtfully.
“Robin could you please not say such un-cute things!” Perona begged anxiously, glancing back at the forest they’d exited from and the mountains behind the school nervously.
“Don’t be such a wimp Perona,” Alvida grunted bracing her arm against the side of the carriage and leaning her cheek into her palm, “A dragon attack might be fun. It would certainly liven things up at any rate.”
“I’m not a wimp Alvida!” Perona protested immediately, puffing up indignantly, “It’s just that being set on fire by Demons is so not a cute look for me!”
“Come on guys,” Vivi cut in before Alvida could retort, “I’m sure we’re not going to be attacked at random on school grounds unless it’s part of a test, no doubt there are enchantments in place to keep things like Dragons and Demons out without specific permissions from the new Headmaster Sengoku.”
“And even if we are attacked, that’s why we studied those protective enchantments remember?” you added casually, “The ones we’re planning on adding to our new rooms today?”
The group nodded or murmured their agreement. You’d put a lot of thought into the enchantments for your rooms that would be powered by your Coven’s magic. Along with the standard ones to protect against things like fire, natural disasters, and pests, you’d also researched a few specifically because of the fact that you knew the dorms would be Co-ed.
Several were to protect any windows and doors against tampering, and others would keep out any intruders. You hoped this would help protect you against everything from those seeking to harm your group to stupid albeit harmless pranks that you knew were bound to happen in a Co-ed dorm.
“Well, looks like they’re rolling out the red carpet and sending out the welcoming committee,” Nojiko murmured pointing to the building to the left of the School building, the one you were now headed towards. Glancing at it you could see she was right. Several people looked to be making their way out of the building and forming a decent sized crowd.
“Guess this is where it starts then Ladies, here’s hoping for a good year,” you stuck your fist out, wrist up bearing the Coven tattoo you all had on your right wrists.
“To wealth in all forms,” Nami immediately piped in placing her closed fist against yours.
“To knowledge,” Robin added, her hand joining yours.
“To acceptance,” Koala put in seriously.
“To growth,” Nojiko responded.
“To health,” Kaya said firmly.
“To new friends,” Caimie cheered.
“To excitement,” Alvida prayed fervently.
“To peace,” Vivi countered amused.
“To cute boys!” Perona chirped happily pointedly ignoring the deadpan looks she got from the rest of the Coven.
“To the Coven,” you finished with a smile.
“To the Coven,” they echoed together.
The magic built between the ten of you echoing and reverberating down the Coven bond and sending your blood singing, as your wishes and the blessing hummed powerfully around your group before settling like a warm blanket around your shoulders. It was going to be a good year, you could feel it.