7 Throne preparations

The decision had been made. Cordelia called her students to the living room. She claimed she wanted to tell them something and that it was urgent. And that's why none of them dared to miss their little meeting.

"I'm so glad each and every single one of you is here today," Cordelia exclaimed, while looking at her students.

At first, her eyes landed on Zoe Benson. Zoe was a shy girl who discovered she is a witch when she accidentally killed her boyfriend Charlie by causing him to have a severe brain aneurysm and subsequently die when they made love for the first time. Zoe was then sent to Miss Robichaux's Academy by her mother, who knew of her family's genetic affliction and was afraid of her own daughter's powers. Then, accompanied by Madison Montgomery she went to a college party where she met and fell in love with Kyle Spencer, a university student — however Madison murdered him the very same night. Obsessed and depressed with Kyle's death Zoe one day brought about his eventual resurrection, something that actually happened later on. With Kyle's support, Zoe was becoming a more assertive witch and a strong contender for the next Supreme, growing from the nervous, innocent and frightened young witch into a woman willing to kill for her sister witches and the Coven. Cordelia had noticed that she also acted as a leader and that she had been an influence on the other students, encouraging them to act as a united team — even though she was frequently coming into conflict with Maddison. Unlike the other students of Cordelia's Academy, Zoe was also very proficient at casting spells. And that was something everybody saw when she demonstrated her power when she had to break a strong curse placed on the undead voodoo priestess Marie Laveau. She had also developed undefined intuitive abilities amongst several other powers. Cordelia was certainly excited and couldn't wait to see how far Zoe would perform on the test of the Seven Wonders.

Then, there was Madison Montgomery. Madison was a young Hollywood star who made $7 million a picture. She found out that she was a witch after using her unknown Telekinesis to murder her film director, that used to annoy and mistreat her. She had been in and out of rehab for many years and was the sole support of her parasitic family from a young age. One day, after being drugged and gang r*ped by the frat boys who filmed the event, Madison used her power to flip the frat boy bus in revenge, killing Kyle — Zoe's boyfriend. She then forged a bond with Zoe, who used her power to kill the surviving ring leader. The two then revive Kyle in an amateur way. Madison was always the one who craved popularity and fashion. Thus, she tried proving herself to be the next Supreme, especially in an incident in which she set the curtains on fire at the new neighbor's house, displaying a new power, and caused Fiona — who now was being "hospitalized" at Hogwarts — to kill Madison in the exact spot where Fiona killed Anna-Lee Leighton back in 1971, so that Fiona's chances to stay the Supreme stay more likely, regardless of her battle with cancer. She then communicated with the other girls and used a Ouija board hidden in the butler's room. Eventually, Madison was revived by a fellow witch named Misty, but since her resurrection she couldn't feel any pain or sensation due to the amount of time she was dead.

"We'll see if she is worthy enough to receive such an honorary title of being our Next Supreme," Cordelia thought and looked at her next student, Nan.

Nan was more of a spirit now, but she refused to let go of the Academy. She was once a young witch that was a student at the Academy and was sometimes underestimated and dismissed by her peers as she was perceived to be less socially sophisticated than they are — though in fact, she often picked up on things quicker than the other students, and people sometimes warmed to her more quickly than the others. She had the ability of clairvoyance. Nan was also a telepathic witch. She could read the minds of others and also see various details of their lives, and possessed precognitive and retrocognitive abilities. One day, though, because of a confrontation she made towards Fiona Goode and Marie Laveau for wanting to sacrifice a child, the latter drowned her in a bathtub and used her as an offering instead to Papa Legba, a spirit that "controlled Marie. And now that Nan was dead, she couldn't participate in the Seven Wonders test or anything like that. But since her spirit still felt like a member of the Academy, she still participated in things like meetings.

And lastly, there was Queenie. Queenie was a young inner-witch witch who grew up in the foster system in Detroit, where she worked at a fast food restaurant. She was a descendant of Tituba, the first witch accused of practicing witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. She was often described as a human voodoo doll thanks to her ability to transfer pain and injuries inflicted on herself onto anyone else. Queenie proved a special case as it was speculated that she had voodoo and Salem blood running through her, and she was as much a Salem witch as well as a voodoo priestess.

"The day we'll have to participate in the Seven Wonders test is approaching," Cordelia stated. "And I think we all know what that means." The young witches nodded. "But first let me tell you some things, which you might already know, but...it is vital that we go over them once more. As you already know, an average witch is born with a few natural gifts. But in each generation, there is one woman who embodies countless gifts. Some say all of them. She is the Supreme.

The Supreme Witch is a worldwide status recognized among the community of witches descended from the Salem Witch Trials. While most witches possess only a handful of inherent supernatural gifts, the Supreme is said to be the living embodiment of magic itself, identified via their mastery over 7 distinct magical abilities known as "The Seven Wonders": Telekinesis, Divination, Transmutation, Pyrokinesis, Concilium, Descensum, and Vitalum Vitalis.

In addition, the Supreme possesses an immunity to all pre-existing ailments and diseases, and their very presence causes the surrounding air to vibrate with "sheer power". Despite these talents, a Supreme rarely possesses the ability to perform specific feats of magic inherited by other witches via their own unique family bloodlines, or which these witches have managed to develop on their own, among these gifts such as The Sight, Clairvoyance, or Illusion Manipulation, to name a few." Cordelia paused ; she wanted to make it easier for her students to understand everything she was saying. So, she paused a bit before deciding to continue.

"Unfortunately, the Supremacy does not last solely with one witch, as with time the next generation's Supreme will be born and the former Supreme's powers will begin to pass on to their successor. As a result, while the new Supreme flowers, the life force of the former regnant gradually fades, their immune system facing a rapid decline in the form of multiple organ failures, disease, diabetes, and cancer until their inevitable death. Each Supreme roughly takes about 30 years to rise to their full potential before a new Supreme inevitably takes their place.

In order for the Salem coven to establish a witch who has inherited Supremacy, a witch chosen by the current Supreme must undergo the Test of the Seven Wonders — a set of tasks conducted by the Witches' Council which revolve around all seven of these aforementioned magical abilities. Whichever witch successfully exhibits them all can then lay claim to the title of Supreme, and only upon the death of their predecessor will they inherit the full extent of their magical powers. Despite this, the risk associated with undertaking the Test of the Seven Wonders can outright kill a witch if they do not possess the magic and mastery necessary to complete one of the Test's specific tasks.

An exception to all established consequences of Supremacy is Scáthach, a witch predating the Salem coven by several centuries, whose arrival in the New World during the late 1500s has followed with decades of inexplicable disappearances and violent human sacrifices in the name of "the Old Gods". These practices of dark and forbidding magic have granted Scáthach eternal life and unspeakable powers, at the cost of no longer appearing human.

The male equivalent of The Supreme is known as the Alpha Warlock, known more colloquially as The Alpha, though there has so far never been such a warlock and the prophecy concerning his eventual ascension is largely believed to be apocryphal. The warlocks at Hawthorne School for Exceptional Young Men believed Michael Langdon could be The Alpha." Cordelia paused again. Unsure of whether the girls in front of her had fully understood her, she decided to give them a chance to ask any questions and queries.

"Any questions?"

At first, none of her girls spoke. They were just looking at her. Some had a look of wonder imprinted on their faces and others just blinked with a blank style. Until the bravest of them took a step forward and — after hesitating for a moment — asked the burning question.

"And what is the role of a supreme witch?" Zoe wondered.

Cordelia raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled contentedly. She liked to be asked questions, especially when the topics she taught her students were as important as choosing the next supreme. After all, the more questions they asked, the more they would learn. As a result, they would perform better in the test, which was approaching menacingly.

"I'm glad you asked me that question. I'm sure the rest of you will have equally good questions. Therefore, if what I say does not cover you, do not be ashamed to ask me."

The young witches agreed with her silently. Nan smiled tenderly while Queenie answered slowly "Alright, Cordelia."

"Guided by ancient tradition, witches survive only if united under a strong, singular authority. Which means that the role of Supreme comes with the responsibility of protecting the Salem coven at all costs and acting as the leader of its new generation. As such, the mantle of Supremacy is not a task to be taken lightly, and there will always be a reminder of the certainty of death with the coming of a successor.

Supremes are able to act in the place of The Witches' Council and, in the event of a nonexistence council, are able to appoint new members. Supremes are also responsible for attending summit gatherings, signing petitions, and appointing a grand chancellor (second-in-command to the Supreme), something former Supreme Fiona Goode — my mother — failed to do during her rule. At least that's what my friend, Myrtle, said the other day.

As the Supreme reaches their final years, one of their most important tasks is to identify their successor — another task neglected by Fiona. After realizing one of the witches within the coven was most likely going to surpass her, my mother sought to find and kill them, in the hopes that she could reclaim her lost power and cure herself of her cancer. However, after the death of Fiona's presumed successor and no sole witch being able to prove themselves a true heir, multiple witches had to be tested in the Trial of the Seven Wonders, during which one witch died performing descensum. At least that's what my trusted sources told me.

In cases where a new Supreme must rise before the natural death of the incumbent, a ritual known as "The Sacred Taking" is employed — a stylized suicide of the Supreme blessed by the other members of the coven. It was developed when the ailing Prudence Mather, the Supreme of the 17th century, was not able to make the journey to relocate the coven from Massachusetts to New Orleans during the Salem Witch Trials; with her death, she allowed her potential successor to quickly ascend to Supremacy. Purportedly, the Sacred Taking has only been used three times in the Salem coven's history, and only under the most extreme of circumstances. My mom already did that, as far as we all know and remember.

And from whom my mother inherited her powers, you might wonder. Well, she inherited her powers earlier than most Supremes (having been around late teens to early twenties at the time) because she killed her generation's Supreme and self-ascended.

My mother almost died in my arms when she was becoming weaker and weaker every day because of this. Before we talk about anything else, I want to say that we shouldn't go against her nature. We should stop rushing. We should stop compete so badly with each other. We are not enemies, that's for sure. The only enemies we have are humans, especially those hunting us, and they will not stop until the Earth stops spinning."

After saying what she wanted to say, she turned her back on the girls and slowly began to walk away.

"Think about what I told you," she shouted. "We'll discuss the rest at lunch."