---Entry 22/Trial 14/Back to School---

Dear Gretel,

Still feeling sore from the day I'd had, partly because of the last hurrah of decadent sex play from the night before, and the rigorous training regimen I'd been put on the moment I woke up surrounded by my slaves-turned-professors. Even my hands are aching a bit as I try to get all of this down in exacting detail, some of which I'm getting directly from the three causes of all the aches and sexy pains. Looking at the three faces looking back at me right now, I'm turned on, but too tired to do anything about it. That libido constantly reminding me of insatiability is now nagging at me as it feels the drought coming on, and nagging at why I can't and/or won't "pet" her to satisfaction like I used to.

I woke up feeling good to three hooded figures standing around Esther's bed, staring down at me with serious expressions. If I wasn't convinced I was awake, I would've sworn a nightmare crept up on me, featuring three wraiths who'd come to bring about the death of hedonistic fun; that's an actual nightmare of mine, and it began to come true as they started giving me orders, telling me to get up and be ready for the day. 

Still pretty sleepy, I let the audacity of my slaves giving me orders slide; I knew why they were adamant just like they knew why I was merciful. My body was effortlessly pulled up from beneath the covers and to a standing position next to the bed. The shock of the sensation made me stretch out my hands to stop them, only to realize how weak the magic from my fingertips was coming out. Like a clogged faucet, the stream of my power did nothing against Esther's single-handed pull, which graciously put me within arms reach of a modern witch's modest idea of a continental breakfast a few pieces of fruit, bread, and a glass of water. Hungry from the last night's activities, and noting that the trio had probably already been up enough to eat themselves, I gorged myself on the sustenance, not a complete pig about it, but certainly not graceful.

The smell of the last few grapes and a slice of orange set against the scent in the room, it took several minutes for me to realize what should've been a familiar odor I should've been aware of before.

"Inhibicus?" I questioned with my own stern expression, noting the stench of the power-sapping potion; it's the kind of potion that's rarely used outside of magical training, which confirmed exactly what I was in for. I also noted with curious eyes how my power waned, but theirs probably hadn't. Or scarier and more impressive still, theirs did wane, but they hold enough power that their weakest trumps mine.

"Insurance," Connie spoke, making my head turn to my silver-haired witch.

"Ensuring that I don't force you on your knees like last night?" 

"Not that we'd mind that," a sliver of a smile almost crept to the corners of her mouth, "but it's in your best interests to not be distracted with things you already know."

"It is in-fact in your best interest to see to watch you surpass that point, and grow,"  Esther said, making me feel like a prized pupil of hers.

"It's not that in your considerable skill we do not rely on trust," Esmeraude said behind me.

"It's just that we don't want your considerable skill to rely solely on lust," Connie said.

I'd realized too late the rhyming cadence been spoken, being triple-teamed by my coven underlings as the began floating above ground. The hedonist in me couldn't help but levy some magic at them to break up their rhythm, or try to. Extending my essence so weakly opened me up to how considerable their power was from every angle, as levitation turned circular.

"So to ensure that you do not remain in this simple station," Esther said, her voice blended off into the background and the eye of the storm I began to feel disorientated in.

"We must help you improve, and become one in arbitration," Esmeraude probably said, thought even the distinct voices started to blend within one another, truly making it a joint spell cast down on me.

As they became the winds of a tornado, I became the eye of the storm, trapped in the vortex

"We love Cherish, and obey, future equal to the present."

"So you must forgive as the path to improvements will not be pleasant."

I felt boxed in they moved to the center of the bedroom, with me unable to push away or break their concentration.

"What lies ahead, a dour, desolate future, requires prevention."

"The present Cherish requires our strict tutelage, or full attention."

Part of me was on the verge of vertigo, yet their words made my body want to stiffen to stand upright.

"We will teach you some of the perils to come, and as well some wonders."

"Altering even beliefs, like how a satisfied stomach becomes empty, and hungers."

Suddenly the meal I had, and all subsequent meals from the past few days vanished from my internal memory, and my stomach groaned loudly. Just in time to answer the call was a rich plate of food beyond the walls of the storm. I pushed against the invisible walls, pounded on them weakly, used all my might to satisfy the abrupt cravings, but it did no good. The food could've have easily have been a mirage as my lack of food, but the point was thoroughly-made, the storm staying silent long enough for the lesson to be learned before resuming.

"Understand that greater challenges than us await, in terms literally broadest."

"Their treatment will be opposite of care and concern, their methods never modest."

Phantoms from all angles, pulled by the winds, latched onto my clothing a second before all of it was ripped off of me. The exhibitionist was hidden as my pride vanished, actually covering my lewdest parts from the eyes of people who'd more than seen what I bear in my birthday suit. I gritted my teeth at knowing what I was actually covering was vulnerability they already easily glimpsed at.

"The last thing they will show is any semblance of mercy."

"They'll transform you into an animal for sport, with ancient spells of Circe."

I'd wished it was the vertigo or the weight of pushy phantoms that downed me, but it might has well been a hypnotic spell, shaping how my muscles wanted to bend until I was down on all fours on the blanket.

"And just when you think you can turn the tide with mental tricks..."

At some point on the ground, thoughts got muddled enough to give me the impression that the storm was slowing down, and Esmeraude was standing with her back turned to me, as if waiting for me to do something. Everything in my body told me it was a trick, but most of what was left me from all the indirect spells cast on me was desperation. I knew better than to do it, but it didn't stop me from rising on wobbly legs to reach my redhead and use a conventional surprise induction from behind. Inches from wrapping my arms around her to shock her into trance, arms grasped me from behind. 

"True power reveal the trap it laid, springing a spell to transfix..."

It was Esmeraude's voice from behind, but it was her appearance that turned to greet me. The illusion that the storm had stop lapsed, as two clones of the third of the cyclone storm poured Concilium into me from both ends. 

"Your weapons become theirs, as they'll use your strengths against you."

"Showing you how unwise it was to believe they never sensed you."

I grew wet involuntarily, hands shaking to stroke myself, feeling a phantom hand already between my legs setting a very frustrating pace I couldn't capitalize on, while other hands moved to restrain and fondle in ways I struggled against. The frustrating pleasure worked me up hard, taking precious concentration I needed to stop this. Weak pleas to stop were all was capable of, before my eyes rolled back into my head, and exhaustion gave way to gravity. 

I fell to the floor, or something harder than the bedroom floor I remember. Whatever it was, it was harder, cooler. As my senses cleared, I realized it was covered in snow that was up to my ankles. I shivered terribly as I was scantily clad, and transmuted (teleported) probably to a snow-covered mountain. Panic sent a chill colder than the weather down my spine as I realized I was harshly, seriously being tested by my own coven, so much so that they left me stranded somewhere with no food, light or energy; it was night wherever it was, and the snow was dim enough to tell me it was very in the middle of the night on the other end of the planet.

Acting as if my life literally depended on it, I gripped my own body hard, letting anger and a semblance of rage fuel warmth in my body as I attempted pyrokinesis. Extending my hands outwards to a spot in-front of me to burn a plot of unforgiving winter, I pushed my own essence with little in the tank. I screamed, I nearly punched myself to get something going, but nothing would allow me. I wondered for half a second if my witches had purposefully took my power away, purposefully leaving me here to die and never be heard of. Genius plot if so, and surprisingly gave me the emotional boost I needed. 

Reserve energy I didn't think I had deep inside got me levitating off the ground in a meditative state. I didn't know what technique I was even reaching for as I reached deep into myself, I just concentrated on the means more so than the direction. I felt something gather, a rush of unidentifiable will that launched outwards, literally pulling me towards something I hadn't commanded.

When I emerged from the meditative state, I opened my eyes to find myself having landed uncomfortably in the corner of Esther's bedroom, my trio strewn about the room, looking like they had fallen as well. The first face I saw amongst them was Esmeraude. I picked her up with my phantoms and set her against the wall, pure pissed anger all over my face. Like the meditative state, I didn't know what I was going to do to her in retaliation, but it was going to be something. 

She struggled to speak despite a hand keeping her mouth shut, and thankfully for her I bothered to look down at myself before I did anything - there was no moisture or dirt on my clothes, no sign of me having been elsewhere. The hunger and exhaustion plaguing prior was in my head and certainly not in my stomach. That's when it hit me, everything they used against me was illusionary-based Concilium; they probably kept me from using pyrokinesis so I wouldn't have burned the place down. 

I calmed myself as I took a deep breath and let the phantoms lapse so Esmeraude was back on her feet. It didn't stop me from pressing her back against the wall by the shoulder and giving her a kiss. My tongue brought hers to submission before I spoke again.

"Very clever, Mesmeraude," I teased her, realizing that the overall tiredness was still real; I didn't even feel up to manually hypnotizing her. My knees buckled as I stepped back, and my redhead ended up having to hold me up. Esther and Connie got up with ease, fortunately it looked like no one got hurt.

"It needed to be convincing," they informed me. "We can tell no one has made you work for these powers in a long time, if ever."

"There wasn't any need before," I admitted, feeling dejected because of the next fact I stated. "I'm guessing I was behind the curve enough to concretely fail today's aptitude test."

"It wasn't about failure," Connie told me, as they laid me on the bed. "It was about seeing where you are and what we have to work with. And even if you did fail by another witch's standards, they would have to admit like we do, that you show great promise."

"Not enough by my standards," I admitted.

"You always need to win," Esther noted. "And you've done that with primarily little more than mind games. We know you'll always prefer it that way, which will make you a great threat, but it won't be the only way you'll take victory."

"I guess," I sighed.

"Because we want it, it shall be so," Esmeraude consoled me, stroking my hair.

"And after being tested so thoroughly, seek the deep rest you know," all three spoke in unison, and so ended my first day back at witch school.