Winx Club: Dark Magic (Season 4)

IV: The Fairy of the Eternal Dark

The Wizard with the too-colorful mohawk was inhumanly strong. Aiyana had taken part in enough Jiu Jitsu and self-defense courses in preparation for the academy that she knew what kind of strength she would be up against with someone this man's size. But he was not average, or above average, or exceptional; he was impossibly strong. Aiyana could do nothing to break his grip on her arm. It was like fighting a brick wall. 

He was forcing her to walk with him back to his three very unhappy companions. Aiyana looked to the darker skinned Wizard with his hair tied up into a braided ponytail and found he was not sweating, or panting, or even looking a little bit tired from chasing her. Aiyana, on the other hand, figured she must have looked like quite a mess, with her hair and clothes drenched in sweat and her lungs gasping for air. She had given it everything she had in that sprint, and maybe even set a new speed record for herself, but her pursuer looked relaxed as though he'd just returned from a long day at the spa rather than booking it at full speed after her for nearly ten minutes.

They finally reached the three Wizards, and Aiyana found an especially evil look in the redhead's eyes. While all four men were equally formidable and eerily intimidating in their own ways, it was the redhead -their leader, it seemed- that Aiyana got the worst feeling from. There was something exceedingly wicked about him. He opened his mouth to speak, and Aiyana felt her blood begin to boil.

"Well, thank you for that laughable show of optimism," he smirked. "I'll bet you thought yourself quick enough to escape, didn't you?" A dark laugh. "Foolish girl."

Aiyana nearly screamed as the power that had retreated since being attacked while she was trapped in the Wizards' vortex suddenly leapt back to life. It almost seemed to react to the presence of the Wizard's words, like it wanted to attack him for speaking. 

The three Wizards before her exchanged devious looks, like they were planning something awful between one another without uttering a word. 

"Now, then," the redhead went on, "let's finish what we started, shall we?"

Aiyana was too tired and weak to stop it. The power inside her -the power she always managed to smother and keep hidden beneath the surface- exploded. 

~<->~<->~<->~

She was swept up in the overwhelming magnitude and momentum of it all. The power within her consumed everything that she was, and she lost control over any aspect of herself. In that moment, Aiyana was but a pebble in the wake of the roaring tide, helpless to keep herself from being carried in and dragged back out. She was a vessel for the power, and it cared not for her disliking it. 

She lost sight of the Wizards, of the city, of life itself... she was thrown into a new world, one where there existed only feelings and power, and everything else was a myth. For a moment, she was lost; blind and wandering in a place she did not understand. But then she was reborn, and suddenly the darkness that clouded her vision became her source of light, and she was enveloped in it. And it felt wonderful. Suddenly, the power that controlled her was her own, and she was a burning wildfire of unstoppable strength and force. 

~<->~<->~<->~

Aiyana returned to the regular world and found herself freed from the Wizard's grasp. She hovered above the four magic men, but this time it was her own doing, and she was not at the mercy of some malicious vortex. 

The expressions on the Wizards' faces were those of disbelief and astonishment. 

"The fairy of the Eternal Dark," the redhead whispered in amazement. 

Aiyana nearly laughed aloud, glancing at her unnaturally pale hands. She was almost as white as the redheaded Wizard, and he looked so fair that he was almost transparent. Fairy of the Eternal Dark? Not quite.

The Wizard with the bright mohawk blinked a few times, as if he didn't quite believe what he was seeing. "But... how? I thought that power was long gone?"

"We were deceived," the one with the hat reasoned. 

"I guess it's just our lucky day," the dark-haired Wizard grinned. 

"Indeed," the leader nodded. "Gentlemen... attack."

With that, the battle began.