10 The Seven Wonders

One of the Robichaux Academy maids laid the last plate of food on the table. The time was up, which meant that Cordelia's girls would have already thought about their questions - if they had any - but also what she had explained to them.

"What are you waiting for? Start eating!" encouraged her students. "In the meantime, you can also ask me what concerns you."

At first none of them spoke. The only thing that filled the huge dining room were the awkward sounds of cutlery hitting the plates.

Cordelia did not insist. Wait patiently to eat a few bites and slowly find the courage to say what was bothering them.

Queenie was the first to break the silence.

"About when will we be examined?"

"This is something that is already happening. I'm watching you - as others have been watching me - every day for a very long time. We are almost ready. I do not know exactly when we will be officially examined. It is a last minute decision. "

Queenie nodded and turned her gaze to her plate full of rice and vegetables.

"Can you tell us again about the test tests? I'm not sure I have all the information ..."

The woman in front of her smiled and within the next few minutes provided her with detailed information about everything she wanted to know.

"The Seven Wonders are a category of magical abilities which the Salem witches use to determine who will be the Supreme Witch, a title they use to refer to the most powerful witch among them who will lead their coven. Although witches will typically manifest one to three of the Seven Wonders throughout their lifetime (or more if they are particularly powerful), they will not qualify as the Supreme Witch unless they demonstrate that they possess all seven of the following abilities.

First of all, there's Telekinesis. Telekinesis is the ability to manipulate objects with the power of the mind, allowing witches to move or levitate people and objects without physically touching them. This seems to be the most common power, as it has been displayed by many witches, and can be used both offensively and defensively.

Then there's Concilium. Concilium is the ability of a witch to impose their own will onto another person or animal, allowing the aforementioned witch to control many parts of an intended victim's mind (such as their thoughts, actions and memories). This power can be resisted by humans with strong willpower, though doing so will cause these individuals to experience an increase in intracranial pressure, leading to permanent brain damage in these individuals if they do not give in to being controlled by a witch. As a result, if exercised properly, a witch with this power can bend the strongest of wills to her personal desires. It is more commonly known as Coercion or Mind Control.

Third comes Pyrokinesis. Pyrokinesis is the ability to create, control, and manipulate fire with the power of the mind.

Pyrokinesis is followed by Transmutation. Transmutation is the ability to move instantaneously from one location to another without physically occupying the space in-between, also known as Teleportation. Warlocks refer to this power as "Salire per spatium".

Vitalum Vitalis comes next. Vitalum Vitalis is the ability to tip the scale from one life force to another. Witches can transfer their own life force into people or animals that are sick, injured or on the verge of death, thereby restoring living things to perfect health and healing their injuries. Common side effects on witches with this power are fainting and dizziness, due to the strain a witch experiences from giving up part of their own soul to save someone or something else's. Contrarily, witches can also abuse this power by using it the opposite way, draining the life force of living things in order to temporarily reverse their own aging and become younger, though they will very quickly return to their true age.

Descensum on the other hand is the ability to descend into the netherworlds of the afterlife. Witches are able to project their souls directly into Hell, which takes the form of their worst fears. If a witch is stuck for a certain amount of time in Hell, their physical body will disintegrate into dust and their soul will be trapped there for all of eternity. To use this power, witches commonly chant an incantation.

And last but not least, there's Divination. Divination is the ability to obtain direct knowledge of an object, person, location, or physical event through means other than the user's physical senses. This power can be activated by just being around a person, focusing on specific tasks, or touching objects."

said Cordilia and looked at her schoolgirls one by one.

Without saying anything else, she put a bite of her food in her mouth and ate silently. The girls did the same.

Nobody was talking, something that gave Cordilia time to think. There were some things he did not dare to confess to them, at least not yet. For example, he was afraid to tell them about the case that the former supreme witch was finally alive. In their case, there were rumors that her mother may have been alive. One of the inhabitants of the academy confessed that on the night of Fiona's death, a large gentleman lurked among the trees and bushes that adorned the academy courtyard. The same gentleman had come in well and had taken Fiona away.

But her daughter did not believe them. She had also seen her mother's corpse in the room where she had been buried, plus she had attended her funeral the other day. Therefore, no matter what others said, Cordilia knew the truth. And since he knew her, there was no reason to tell the girls anything more and to worry them for no reason.

"From then on, we can say something about the previous superiors," Madison said suddenly. "I want to study their profiles and how I could be better than them. And from them here next to me, to tell the truth."

Cordilia raised her eyebrows sternly. "What did I tell you earlier? Do you remember? I am happy to tell you about the previous superiors, as long as you promise me that you will not speak reproachfully about the rest."

"Well, well. I promise. But tell me now, what was the first supreme?" Madison answered impatiently.

"Eat your food first and as soon as the dessert arrives we'll talk about it too. Okay?" he asked tenderly and the girls, without any objection, rushed to their food, obviously relaxed.

Lots of work had to be done, and it certainly had to be done carefully and in installments.