Chapter Text
You know, there are normal ways to celebrate your 21. birthday and there are weird ways to do it.
And then there is my way: I’m standing right now half-naked on a glade. In a forest. With 700 hooded people around me.
Seems like fun, or? Since it’s march it’s pretty cold to be honest. It doesn’t make it better that I’m just dressed in my boxer shorts.
And before you’re asking, no, I didn’t chose to do it that way.
It’s no weird fetish of mine, please believe me. But somehow I’m also a bit proud that I’m standing here.
It had been no easy way.
These hooded men and women are chanting an old verse in Dokari right now.
You don’t know what Dokari is and have never heard of it before? Shame on you.
It’s just the common language of mages since the beginning of time but you had to be ignorant, huh?
And please no discussion about mages right now. Just accept that there are mages, dark and light ones and that there are demons.
The members of my coven are intensifying their chants right now. In a few moments it will happen.
Boy, I’m a bit afraid of the pain.
Slowly, bit for bit they’re lifting their heads. Suddenly it’s completely silent.
Here it goes: the first member steps towards me and places his hand on my shoulder.
The first name engraves itself on my body. More precisely: on my right heel.
I’ll be honest with you: it hurts like hell. You could compare it to a branding iron that drills into your flesh.
Pleasant, eh?
And that was just the first one. Michael, that’s his name by the way, takes his hand off me and tries to give me an encouraging smile.
Yeah thanks, you’re not the one who has to suffer right now.
Right in this moment I’m feeling the second hand on my back.
Since I hadn’t calculated the sudden touch it happened that I shrugged a tiny, tiny bit. The second time I’m feeling the hot iron, now on my left heel.
Magic is so fun, it can let you suffer without any tools touching you.
Okay, I have to admit that I’m doing this right now voluntarily. Or more half voluntarily. It’s a bit complicated. Like everything in life.
And this will now continue for exact 735 times again. Yay.
Mages like it slow. Like they hate it if you urge them to decide or to do something fast. They want to do everything well considered and gracefully.
That is okay in normal life if you can calculate with this gradualness. But right now I’m damning them a bit for this slowness.
I just want to be over this. This pain over pain over pain over pain. My whole body seems to catch fire.
After 40 minutes finally the last one steps forward. Jeongin. He is my best friend. No, he is my brother.
We have the same surname after all.
He lays his hand on my forearm and I’m feeling the last name burning on my right wrist.
His dark eyes seem so big under the hood. In this moment I’m just proud of him, that he is an integral member. It had been a big junk of work.
Jeongin takes his place in the last row again. My standing abilities are clearly decreased right now through the ritual.
As my gaze wanders over my body I have to hold myself back. I can’t let the markings disappear now. Not yet.
As soon as Jeongin stands still Michael speaks up:
„As of now on the Noeve coven has a new mighty headmaster. Hwang Hyunjin mayest You guide us into a peaceful and illustrious future, like Your mother began to do. You’re now bond to everyone of us so You can determine every upcoming decision to the best possible. Long live Hwang Hyunjin!“
The formal words hovered above the glade till Michael begins to form the last sentence.
Because this bit is said of everyone. Yep, that means 737 people are shouting my name at the same time. It’s a weird feeling. Seriously.
As the echo becomes silent the end of the ritual begins. They’re bowing.
Every single member is bowing before me. So that I can end the whole thing. This is clearly weirder than the name shouting. Urgh.
„I, Hwang Hyunjin, pledge to remain peace with our environment and to determine every decision for the best outcome so the Noeve coven
will continue to grow and to be a home for every single member.
I, Hwang Hyunjin, pledge to be always accessible to every member and to live my life for the coven.
I accept the election as headmaster. May you all go in peace.“
That’s it. That was the moment I was prepared for all my life long. It’s finally done. And they’re finally not bowing anymore.
My voice was stable through the whole formality. I’m surprised of myself.
In movies they always show the big scenes, like this ritual or a dramatic love scene at the airport.
But they never show how it proceeds after this big moment. Because it’s clearly not the mighty picture anymore.
My coven, yes now it’s really MY coven, diffused itself. Many members came from far away and need to go back to their normal lives.
Or old friends found each other again and they began to build groups.
As for my part I decided to eventually dress myself again.
If a ordinary mortal would find me like this it would be… Weird. And he or she would call surely the police.
And I don’t want to go in jail on my 21. birthday. I have other plans.
Just my robe is here, the rest of my clothes are in the villa.
„Almighty headmaster, may You want company?“ Jeongin called. Not through speech of course but through Mounur.
Of course you don’t know what that is. To put it very simply: it’s telepathy.
But that is really the easiest way to describe it, because it’s so much more and way more complex than you think.
For starters: you can’t just call every mage because you want to. You need to know the people you wanna talk to.
Your dialogue partner can refuse anytime the conversation. The more you two know each other, the easier it is to get a link.
For example it happened to Jeongin and me multiple times now that we just thought of each other but the link was immediately there.
Like I said, we’re brothers. Maybe not from the same parents though that is a story for another time.
I'm like an exception for these rules now because I'm now permanently linked to all of my members. For life.
The ritual had burned me out. Completely. I just nodded. I knew Jeongin was somewhere where he observed me. He’s clearly concerned.
Promptly was the shorter one at my side.
„Do you want help?“ He sounded anxious in my head. As answer I shook my head. No, my whole coven is here right now. I can’t show myself that weak.
The robe was pulled over my head very fast. Warmth is something nice my kids. After hours of almost nakedness in the woods. In march. Why do I have to be born in march? Summer would have been great for this event.
And why did I have to be almost naked for all of this? Because rules. Old rules. And I need to obey them because… They’re old rules.
A small sigh escaped my body.
Doesn’t feel very different to be the leader of over 700 people than before.
I’m still starting college tomorrow.