Chapter Text
Thou shalt not turneth thy neighb'r into a frog without good reasoneth.
Sunlight illuminated the ground of the forest in patches, reaching every single place not shaded by the towering elms and oak trees. Mushrooms, ferns, and wildflowers bloomed haphazardly around the path, unconcerned with any sort of pattern or organization. Underneath your feet, the soil was dark, rich, and so soft that had you not been walking on top of a cobblestone path, you would've sunk at least four inches into the ground. A stream in the distance filled the air with a gentle splashing sound, accompanied with the harmonious calling of various birds.
While the real estate agent was distracted with some legal paperwork, you took the opportunity to press your hand against the bark of a nearby black oak tree. Immediately, an almost electrifying current of magic swept into your palm and brought a discreet smile to your lips.
This was, without a doubt, an enchanted forest.
The raspy voice of the realtor shook you from your stupor. He flipped noisily through the giant packet in his hands, and nodded once. "Alright, so my previous clients have all really enjoyed the scenery and environment out here. As you can see, very peaceful and uh, nature-esque. You have all the outdoorsy stuff here, like some trees and some uh, some flowers right there."
You couldn't help but wince when he gestured to a patch of moss instead.
"And obviously, you've already seen the cabin so you know it's a very nice abode, yes, very nice. But I do have to warn you that the reason my other clients didn't purchase the house is because..." Here, he leaned in as if to whisper, but didn't lower his voice at all. "There are rumors that the neighbor is a...a witch."
Ah. You'd almost forgotten that your realtor had no idea of your own magical ancestry. After posing so long as a human, you were used to these types of reactions to magic now and you pretended to be just as horrified as the realtor was expecting. "Oh, how horrible!" you gasped. "A witch? You really can't go anywhere outside of Tellurium without encountering some kind of magic, can you? What a shame."
Tellurium, of course, was the human-dominated city situated next the capital, around a week's worth of traveling by horse from here. Humans and magical beings had long since ended their thousand year war after the Treaty of Magique, though whether or not they had truly made peace was questionable. Even after two centuries, humans and magical beings remained wary and mistrustful of each other and had resorted to de facto segregation to avoid conflict. You living in Tellurium, despite having magical blood, had certainly been an unusual situation.
"Yes," the realtor confirmed. "That's why I was hesitant to show you this place. Us humans really shouldn't be meddling with these weirder folk. So I've already compiled a list of other places that you might be—"
"No, I like this place," you said firmly, before he could continue. "It's time we stop allowing the presence of a magical being limit our own desires."
The realtor gaped at you disbelievingly. He regained himself after a moment and wiped the shock from his face, replacing it with a barely composed cough. "Right, yes, of course. That makes sense. You really are brave. I'll draw up the paperwork immediately. That's truly the spirit, Miss (Y/N). We shouldn't allow magic to dictate our lives. Absolutely correct. I'll have it all done before the end of the week."
"Good," you said, extending your hand out for him to shake. "I'll see on Saturday then. Have a nice day."
You retracted the excited zips of magic coursing through you before his hand made contact with yours. At long last, you would finally be able to use your magic undisturbed, away from both the suspicious gazes of the human community and the critical eyes of the magic one. Before you could help it, a bolt of giddy energy escaped from your finger and stung the realtor.
He pulled back immediately and yelped. "What was that?!"
"Sorry. Static electricity is always quite bothersome," you lied, trying to stop the smile that threatened the overtake your features.
Now that the last of your belongings had been tucked neatly into some cupboard or shelf, you stepped back and admired your handiwork. Moving hadn't been nearly the hassle that your friends had made it out to be. Since the forest was so secluded and far from major human populations, you'd merely enchanted your belongings to move into whatever designated spot you'd set up for them.
Granted, your spell-casting was rusty after going so long without magic and moving in practically sapped all the energy out of you. You collapsed onto the armchair next to the fireplace and sighed. This kind of limited magical stamina was precisely why you had decided to move into an enchanted forest. If you managed to establish a bond with this forest, your magical energy would increase tenfold.
Your small store of magic wasn't really your fault actually. In scientific terms, you were a dimidium magus—half magic and half human. While your father had been fully human, your mother hailed from a long line of witches (though there were rumors that your cousins had naiad blood). Although your mother's side of the family had remained skeptical of your capabilities as a halfer, they'd insisted on sending you to one of the most elite magic schools in the country, where you'd been allowed to cultivate your magic, or at least, whatever magic you had.
It was in your third to last year of schooling that a teacher had first proposed the idea of enchanted forest bonds to you. By creating that bond, witches were able to unlock the vats of magic energy coursing through the veins of the forest. In your case, you hoped that by doing so, you would at least reach the same level as your full-blooded peers.
Your eyes fell upon the heavy book resting on the coffee table, The Witching Hour: Spells for Every Occasion. Reaching forward, you nabbed it off the table and flipped it open to the only chapter that had been bookmarked.
CHAPTER XIV: SOURCES OF MAGIC
THE ENCHANTED FOREST - A witch can expand their magical energy and power by establishing a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with enchanted forests of almost any type. The witch must be extremely adept at complex spells and deemed a worthy wielder for the forest to accept the bond. Several conditions apply when attempting to create this bond:
- All magical inhabitants of the forest must consent to the bond.
- No more than one bond may be created with a forest at a time.
- Should the previous owner of the bond choose to relinquish it or die, the forest immediately becomes available for any other witches to attempt a bond.
- BEWARE! Corrupted witches or those are no longer worthy will poison the forest with dark magic for all eternity*.
*Exclusions apply.
You stared at the very first condition listed and frowned. If all magical inhabitants needed to give you permission to start creating a bond, then that meant your unknown neighbor needed to approve. When you'd first arrived at this place, you'd checked the magical registry and there'd been no pre-existing bond with this forest, so it seemed that whoever this witch was, they weren't concerned with making a bond here.
That meant that you only needed to ask for their consent and you could get to work. Slamming the book shut, you took in a deep breath and exhaled. You could do this! After 20 years of being a so-called "handicapped" halfer, you were finally about to unlock the same magic abilities your peers had been so smug about!
All you needed was a simple yes.
In your hands sat the key to your success. A freshly-baked apple pie, lightly dusted with cinnamon sugar. Who in their right mind would be unkind to somebody who baked them an apple pie? Walking behind you was your dog, a brown Dachshund named Panini. Together, you two were obviously the ideal neighbors. Would anybody be able to despise a friendly baker and their adorable dog? Of course not. You almost scoffed out loud at the thought of it.
It didn't take long to find your neighbor's cottage. You'd merely followed the path further down the forest hoping that it was in the right direction and you'd evidently been correct.
"Alright Panini," you said, mentally preparing yourself to do this. "All we gotta do is knock, introduce ourselves, and ask. We can do that!"
Panini barked, as if in agreement. You swallowed down your doubts before they could change your mind and knocked on the door politely.
From inside, you could hear some vague shuffling before the door swung open, nearly smacking you in the face as you leapt back. Once you regained your bearings, you looked up and made eye contact with someone alarmingly familiar.
The apple pie in your hands slipped out of your hands and splattered onto the ground. Your throat went dry as your brain found a name to put to the incredibly attractive, talented, and insanely irritating witch in front of you—the one fucking person who would reject a friendly neighbor and their adorable dog.
"...Oikawa Tooru?!"