I was heading into the living quarters when a flash of green light suddenly whizzed past my face, glanced off the door I held open, and created a small, burned hole in the wood. Then I turned my head to see a small, black-haired little boy with a guilty look on his young face, and his hands were held behind his back like he was trying to hide something from me.
“Blair.” Akira frowned as she ran over. “What have I told you about using your wand indoors?”
“I’m sorry,” Blair pouted. “I saw a fly, and I wanted to kill it.”
Akira crouched down to be at eye level with our son, and she held out her hand for his brand-new wand. That boy seemed to go through a new wand every week, and he’d only had the current one for a day. Blair reluctantly handed over his weapon, but the pout remained firmly on his sulking face.
“If you’re going to use your wand, you need to make sure you use it properly and actually hit the fly, and not your father,” Akira said as she pointed a finger at her son. “Any more of this, and you won’t have it back for an entire week. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes…” he mumbled.
“Good,” she replied. “Now, apologize to your father.”
“I’m sorry, Father,” Blair said as he looked up at me with his large, black eyes. “I didn’t mean to miss the fly, and I didn’t mean to almost hit you.”
I wanted to laugh because I’d seen much worse with the children, but Akira was doing her best to teach her son some manners, so I had to act like a leader, too.
“Thank you for apologizing,” I replied. “But until you learn to use your wand properly, then you can only train outside. There are plenty of animals out there to target.”
“Okay,” Blair muttered. “I won’t do it again.”
“Good,” Akira said as she stood up. “Run along now.”
Blair glanced at us one more time, and then he turned on his heels and ran away in the direction of his bedroom.
“Broomfucker, that boy really knows how to test me,” Akira laughed as she pocketed Blair’s wand. “I feel sorry for my parents if this is what they had to put up with.”
“He’s learning,” I said. “Remember what Faye’s daughter was like when she received her first wand?”
“Oh, fuck.” Akira’s eyes widened. “I forgot about that!”
“So, Blair isn’t that bad,” I laughed.
“Maybe not, but I should probably make sure he and Alice aren’t up to something,” Akira said with a scared look on her face.
Faye’s daughter, Alice, received a wand before Blair did. Mine and my coven’s children were exceedingly powerful, some more so than others, so Faye had decided to give Alice a wand for her first birthday. The little girl hadn’t been taught any spells, and she didn’t even know what a wand was, but the second Alice held the weapon in her hands, a small flame began to flicker at the end like a candle.
I clearly remembered the panic the women all fell into as Alice played with the flaming object, and Faye had to bribe our daughter with candy to get her to let go of the wand. But ever since that day, Alice has been addicted to her wand, and she couldn’t go to sleep without it lying next to her.
Fortunately, Akira had waited until Blair’s third birthday, but the young boy took after his mother, so no one was safe when he had that wand in his hands.
Alice and Blair were the oldest of my children at five years old, so the rest of my offspring looked up to them as role models, but I didn’t think a day went past without us putting out fires, repairing furniture, or saving familiars from being thrown around in the sky. Some of the children were sweet and innocent, but the same couldn’t be said about the others.
After the incident with Alice and Blair, the rest of my coven decided to wait a while before they gave their children a wand, but because they shared my blood, they didn’t need a physical object to cast a spell. I remember when Nyx’s son, Phoenix, didn’t want to eat his vegetables, so he literally turned his meal into a bowl of ice cream when Nyx wasn’t looking. Then there was the time Vesta’s son, Finn, turned her into a frog because he didn’t want to go to bed.
The days were eventful, and a constant challenge, but we knew what we were getting into.
The living quarters in the academy had also been changed around in order to fit everyone in here. Instead of having shared accommodations, each mother and child had their own room, but we still shared a common room. Scholomance had been increased in size over the years to fit everyone in here, but we had plenty of free land to work with.
Instead of it being one large building, the academy was now split up into various sections. There were two main buildings for lessons, a building for dining, and the rest were accommodations for everyone. New students arrived every year, and the majority of the original students had all had a baby, or were currently pregnant with their first child. Some of my coven even had two children.
My coven and the professors were the only non-students who lived here, but the original students lived close by, and the thousands of children they’d made for me either attended regular lessons, or they would start when they reached a certain age.
It was chaotic to begin with, but this was what I’d wanted all along, so we made it work. We also used Cordelia whenever possible, and the ghostly maid was often seen, or rather not seen, making beds and preparing bottles of milk.
“Good afternoon, my lord,” Morgana said as she entered the common room with her identical twin girls walking sweetly beside her.
“Good afternoon.” I smiled.
Morgana was the only witch to have twins, and I remembered the shock on her face when I told her the news via premonition, but she was the perfect mother to the girls, Nora and Violet. They’d each inherited her brown hair, my blue eyes, and our brains and talent. The twins had only just turned three years old, but they definitely didn’t act that age. Nora and Violet regularly attended classes, but Morgana also gave them lessons after class time, and they were some of the only children we trusted with a wand.
Then Morgana sat on the couch beside mine, and her twins chose to sit beside the fire with a new book in hand. They’d gone through nearly every book suitable for their age, so we had to summon up more materials for them to read.
“I was thinking about getting them both familiars,” Morgana said as she crossed one leg over the other. “Revna and I were discussing it, and we think now is a good time for them.”
“Sure,” I replied. “I think the twins are the perfect age and maturity, but Matilda might need to wait a few more years.”
Matilda was Revna’s daughter, and although she was only a year younger than the twins, she was pretty wild, just like her mother.
“Yes, Revna wasn’t going to get her one just yet,” Morgana said as she glanced down at the twins. “I think something small like a bird would be the perfect animal, but I suppose we’ll need to see what happens.”
“I agree.” I nodded. “You should look into it.”
“Thank you, my lord.” Morgana smiled. “By the way, have you heard from Winnie?”
“Yes, I have,” I said as I repositioned myself on the chair. “She’s still in the infirmary, but the nurse thinks she should be released this evening.”
“Oh, excellent!” Morgana grinned. “I cannot wait to meet the baby she made for you.”
“I’m sure she’ll come here first before she introduces her to the rest of the school,” I laughed.
Winnie had given birth to her first child, Daisy, yesterday, and everyone was so excited to meet the baby. It had been a year since the last coven child arrived, so it had been long awaited. Winnie discussed the idea of her having a child shortly after I’d defeated the Elder Lord six years ago, but the witch was so invested in her studies that she wanted to wait a few years before bearing me a child.
Now that Winnie was finished with school, she had the time to focus solely on her daughter, and she’d been counting down the days since she’d found out she was pregnant.
My women worked wonderfully together, and I often saw them helping each other out when it came to the children. Akira, Faye, Nyx, and Penelope had the hardest time with their lot, so the rest of the coven often lent a hand to give the women some time to relax or catch up on sleep.
Especially when it came to Vanessa’s daughter, Willow. The women often looked after her.
Vanessa recently took over as Headmistress, so there was a lot for her to learn, and while she was busy with her mother, the coven would look after Willow and Theodora’s daughter, Paige. The four-year-olds were a couple months apart from each other, and they could have easily been mistaken as twins. Both Willow and Paige had the same black hair that curled lightly at the ends and the brightest blue eyes I’d ever seen. Willow was slightly taller, but that was the only physical difference between them.
If the coven didn’t have the time to look after the children, then Lilith was always there to lend a hand. My mother was the most excited when a new baby arrived, and she was constantly seen with at least one or two grandchildren in her arms since there were so many.
At the last count, I was the father to over four thousand five hundred and forty children.
Morgana and I shared a brief conversation about the goings-on around the school, but she eventually announced it was time for Nora and Violet’s transportation lesson. Then the three of them headed toward their bedroom where the individual lessons took place.
I continued to lounge on the couch for a couple more minutes before I stood up, and then I headed toward the main building of the academy.
Although my days were busy, and there was always a devoted witch that needed my seed or an argument between realms that I needed to mediate, it was far more relaxing now than it had been before. I no longer had the threat of other realms breathing down my neck, and without the Elder Lord at large, I could lead these worlds the way I wanted to.
I’d taken a few trips into Hell since the war against the elder army, and things had been going well. Dolroth stuck to his promise and made the Elder Lord’s afterlife as difficult as possible. His soul had been transformed into a snake-like creature with three heads, and he was constantly taken into the torture rooms to receive various punishments.
I occasionally came across a few nonbelievers who started making waves, but a brief trip usually sorted them out, and I had more than enough followers to keep the message strong. We hadn’t experienced any more battles since the elders, but my army was constantly growing, so I was ready if a battle came my way.
I now spent my days meeting with other witches and warlocks from nearby realms, teaching a couple of the classes, and fucking my women whenever I wanted to. That was the main one. Not a single night went past without someone sharing my bed with me, and sometimes I would summon a woman in particular, or I’d take the entire line of witches who appeared at my door every night.
“Master,” Freyja said as I walked through the doors of the main building. “I was just about to come and find you.”
“And here I am.” I smirked. “How can I help?”
“I wanted to discuss that possible new class with you,” the witch said as she played with a strand of her blonde hair. “Astrid and I have been talking, and we think we’ve got it sorted.”
“Of course,” I replied. “Come on, we’ll discuss it in here.”
The two of us wandered into a spare classroom which was recently created to hold lessons, like the one Freyja had mentioned. She came up to me a week ago with the idea of adding an extra subject to the curriculum, and I was more than happy for the sisters to take the class.
The room we entered had been supplied with some desks, cupboards, and a chalkboard, but everything else was left bare until we decided what to do with it.
“So, what was your idea?” I asked as I took a seat at one of the tables.
“Astrid and I thought we could teach the students how to hunt,” Freyja replied. “We’ll take turns teaching them, so my lessons will be based around bow handling, and Astrid will focus on scat trails and how to track certain creatures. Revna also seems interested, but I don’t know if she’d like to take part just yet.”
I thought through Freyja’s idea before I gave her an answer. Vanessa and I agreed the students should have more varied lessons, and it would make the end of term exams more interesting, too.
“I like it,” I said a moment later. “Would you teach the students about the creatures as well?”
“We can if you’d like us to, my lord,” Freyja replied. “I think most students already have a good understanding of the animals we’d follow, but there are mythical creatures that some witches may not be as familiar with.”
“Which is why I think it’s important you teach them,” I said with a light nod of my head. “But I think it sounds excellent, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with it.”
A thoughtful expression crossed Freyja’s face, and she was silent for a second as she ran the thoughts through her mind.
“What if we teach all ages?” the blonde-haired woman asked. “We could teach the children about animals and mythical creatures, and then the older students could learn how to hunt and track?”
“I like that.” I smiled. “As long as you don’t feel like you’re putting too much pressure on yourselves.”
“I don’t think so.” Freyja shook her head. “With the two of us teaching, potentially three if Revna wants to join, then I don’t think it’ll be too much.”
Then Freyja and I discussed a few finer details that needed to be sorted. Including the items she required, possible times for each lesson, and the number of students in each class. I also asked if Freyja had given thought to homework, but she said she and Astrid would discuss that closer to the time.
The rest of the day was spent in my office sorting out paperwork I’d put to one side and replying to Quinn’s invitation. The Vipera Headmistress had asked to meet with me the following week. She wanted to show me the new daughter she had birthed for me, fuck me so she could become pregnant again, and then discuss the end of term exams for her preschool students. She wondered if they could use my property to hold one of the challenges, and I didn’t see why it would be an issue.
That evening, as the sun settled, I relaxed in an armchair beside the fire with a few of my coven and the familiars at my feet. As well as students, the number of familiars had also increased, and there was always a new animal seen roaming the halls.
The following morning, I wandered back into the main school building to check up on the class Professor Luna was teaching. The Scholomance professors were all the same, apart from Freyja and Astrid who decided to take a class, and Vanessa and I were thinking of hiring some new professors to join us, but nothing was set in stone just yet.
Luna was in the middle of giving a number of my children their Shadow Magic class when I walked in, and every head turned around to see me as I walked down the classroom. The children were a mix of three to five years old, and they were all a mix of species, too. I spotted a little girl with black wings, a boy with tiny, brown horns on his head, and another girl with scaled skin and a forked tongue. Due to their species, the children all grew at different speeds, so some appeared far more advanced than others, even though they were younger.
“Children, what do we say when the Dark One enters?” Luna asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Good morning, Dark Lord,” the children all replied in unison.
“Good morning,” I said and then turned to look at Luna. “How is the class going today?”
“It’s going well, master, thank you,” she replied as she reached down to lay her hand on her half-swollen belly. Luna was pregnant with our third child, and she was hoping this one would be a boy, since she had given me two girls so far. “We’re currently in the process of learning how to catch a shadow, and Ebony has done exceedingly well.”
I turned to gaze at Cleo’s daughter, Ebony, and I noticed the blush that coated her cheeks. I remembered what it was like to be the smartest one in class, and Ebony had to learn that children around her might snicker at her intelligence, but they would soon wish they were as smart as she was. Ebony was only three years old, so I was excited to see how far she’d go in the years to come.
Once I’d finished in Luna’s class, I went to see Evanora and Olivia briefly, and then I entered my office to see Lilith sitting in a grand armchair with a newborn baby in her arms. The baby had been swaddled in a white blanket, and the pitch-black hair told me it was Winnie’s daughter, Daisy.
“My lord,” Lilith said as she saw me enter.
My mother tried to stand, but she found it difficult with Daisy in her arms.
“Please, stay seated.” I smiled. “I didn’t think I’d find you in here?”
“Yes, well, these school halls can be awfully busy, and Daisy desperately needed to settle down,” Lilith said as she stroked the baby’s cheek with a finger. “They’re wonderful things.”
“They are,” I replied as I pulled out the seat behind my desk. “I often forget they’re all mine.”
“With the incredible number of children you have produced, and continue to make every year, your name will carry on forever,” my mother said.
“That’s the plan,” I snickered. “I’m no longer impregnating a new woman every twenty minutes, but eight or so a day will ensure that my seed spreads across the infinite realms of the universe until all magical beings are descended from me.”
“To think of how far you’ve come, Cole.” I heard the emotion in Lilith’s voice. “From the lost orphan on Earth who landed a place in Scholomance, and now you’re here, with all of this at your fingertips.”
“I know,” I laughed. “I can’t say I ever imagined having this life.”
“I don’t think anybody can.” Lilith smiled.
“But now everything’s sorted, the Elder Lord is long gone, and the only name the realms will speak is my own,” I said as I relaxed back against my seat. “Scholomance and my other witch schools continue to grow, and I see no reason as to why it won’t stay this way for the rest of our existences.”
“There are still plenty of realms who have yet to swear allegiance to you, my lord,” Lilith said with a glint in her eyes.
“I know.” I smirked. While no realm had outright challenged me since the Elder Lord had been defeated, there were still a vast number of realms along the fringes of the universe. I knew of their existences, but they hadn’t posed a problem yet, and I’d spent the last few years steadily growing my army.
But sooner rather than later, tens of thousands of my powerful children would be fully-grown, and given some of their bloodthirsty tendencies, I suspected they would quickly grow bored of the peace I’d established around Scholomance.
“Do you have a plan, master?” Lilith asked as she studied me.
“I always do,” I said with a grin. “It started with you taking my unholy seed and then birthing me, and it ends with all existence coming from my blood. I will be the ultimate ruler of the cosmos. I will bring peace through my seed and magic. I will be the beginning and the end. I will be the one true god in all of creation.”
I will be everything.
The End