A.N.: Apologies for the delay, I've been having issues with my computer for the past couple months. My CPU burns out faster, and writing on Wattpad becomes more frustrating when things don't save or the site doesn't register when I type (I'm a fast typer). I don't know when I can get a replacement, especially since this is the same computer I use for school too.
It won't stop me from writing this, but even without the delays of school, I'm forced to be slower when putting out these chapters, which is annoying to me and a pain for you guys (I understand the need for the next chapter when it's just out of reach uuuuughggghhghgg).
Technical issues aside, I'm pleased to say that the story is coming nicely, and I now have a clear idea of how I want to link back up with the next episode of the OG plot (S1E6).
Bloom finally talks to Hagan, I hope that it is satisfying to read. Also, more of Bloom's secrets are being uncovered by various parties (O_O).
Plz enjoy.
X - normal text
X - text where Bloom is not present
'X' - thoughts
'#$X#$' - Parseltongue
Chapter : The Swordsmith Pt.3:
He stands on the stage. I stand at the top of the stairs.
I eye his blade with some worry. I've seen him in action with my father, and know that he's stronger and quicker than the average warrior.
"Hagan. Blacksmith, Master of the Shiny Steel, forger of the Sword of Light--King Oritel's sword, and member of the Company of Light." I list off his titles to him, as a formal greeting.
Well, this is rather awkward for a first meeting.
"Now I'm more comfortable in the shadows," he growls, his eyes shining in the dimly lit room. He brandishes his blade. "Take another step, and it will be your last."
I stiffen at the threat, but I am not intimidated. It will take more than an aged man waving a sword for me to be afraid.
"You've infiltrated my school and destroyed two dozen of my finest guards. But you won't find me so easy to defeat." he snarls threateningly.
Only two dozen? I swear there were more...closer to a hundred...meh. I was in the heat of the moment, the calling of battle.
"I am not here to fight." I step forward, ignoring the way he stiffens. "I come for answers. Historic type answers. About what happened fifteen years ago."
Hagan rears back, his face hardens into steel. "Turn back, now."
"No," I state with as much regalness as I can muster. I take another step forward, now at the edge of the stairs. "I've traveled too far, and lost too much to get to where I am."
"That's far enough," he commands.
"No." I snarl; doesn't he understand? Doesn't he recognize me? Doesn't he remember?
Remember, Bloom.
I allow my power to shine through my eyes. It is enough for him to pause, and then gasp as he recognizes orange glowing eyes--eyes that only manifest in one realm of Magi. "It's not far enough. I've come for answers, and I'm not leaving until I get them."
"Find your answers elsewhere. Begone." He says in an emotionless tone. The sudden, careless dismissal is like a dagger to my heart.
The sudden urge of relief, grief, and the need to cry made way for fury. I was faintly aware that my body was shaking with anger and I feel the indescribable urge to smash something.
"Where were you, HAGAN?" My flames are scorching inside me, and only grow hotter the more my anger grows.
"Where were you when the Princesses of Sparx PERISHED? Where were you when Domino FELL?" I hiss venomously through clenched teeth, struggling to rein in my power before I ignite something. "Have you FORGOTTEN your oath sworn duty as a GODFATHER to watch over and PROTECT the younger princess when Oritel and Marion could not?"
My voice trembles as I add, "When Daphne could not?"
His eyes grow wider with each emotionally- charged question that I ask. "Where were you?" I whisper, sounding a lot weaker than before. My eyes are wet with unshed tears, and my whole body trembles as I try to contain my grief and anger.
His knuckles are white as he tightly grips his sword. "How do you know of my status as Godfather to the second princess?" He demands angrily.
The Dragon Flame spreads out within me, searing my insides, burning just beneath my skin. My primal, bestial urges beg me to release my inner beast and punish him for his hurtful words and secretive nature.
'Not yet.'
I've had to endure enough of Faragonda's subtle lies. I cannot bear the truth to be withheld from me by my other godparent. He's the last link I have to find out what happened to my home unless I search for this nymph and demand answers.
"Who are you?" he demands, his sword raised threateningly.
I flip back my hood, allowing my robe to fall to my feet. Hagan's face flashes in surprise. He gasps as he stares at me with a haunted look. His sword falls to the ground with a clatter. "Marion--no. Not Marion. But...his eyes, Oritel's eyes...no. No. Impossible. You can't be her...she's dead."
"I am HER." I snarl, the bestial part of me yearning to wrap my claws around his throat and squeeze. I doubt that I fully look like my mother. "You know who I am, GODFATHER. You were supposed to protect ME. You abandoned me, abandoned my home. I've been searching for fifteen years for answers. My PATIENCE has grown thin. I want them NOW."
"No." He rose to his feet, his expression shifting from grief to anger to fury. "No, you cannot be her, though I admit that this is some of the best illusion work I've ever seen. You fooled me for a moment, I confess, but I will not be deterred. Whoever you are, know that I will find your master."
"What illusion?" I demand, my eyes twitching at the thought of being owned by another. I had had enough of a life of servitude. First to the Dursleys, then to Dumbledore. "I am who I say I am, and trust me, I will NEVER have a master."
He grasps the hilt of his sword. "You are not Bloom Fyre," he repeated to me, his tone indicating that he believed I was an idiot. "You are trying to trick me with a grown illusion of the fairy she could've become. It will not work, for I have seen her pile of ashes. She is dead and you will be too."
My wings flutter and I feel the Dragon Flame burning within me, begging to be let out. I do not have time to persuade Hagan otherwise, and I do not want to fight him.
The Dragon presses insistently under the skin of my breast, itching to reveal himself and prove Hagan wrong. I get a sense of reassurance from him, that he will do nothing more than 'humble' Hagan.
Before I could bring up my other fears, I felt the Dragon's urging and his reassurance. No one else will be able to know of his presence here.
'Fine'.
Reluctantly, just this once, for the first time since I entered the Magix Dimension, I allow it.
Joyful, enraged, and prideful, the Dragon Flame explodes out of my chest in a raging storm of fury and primal fire.
"Impossible." Hagan gasps, stumbling back as the Great Beast's shade grows to its full size, dominating the room.
My eyes are burning, still glowing orange as I stare at the fallen, paling man. "I AM Bloom Fyre. I AM the second princess of Sparx. Daughter of Oritel and Marion. And the younger sister of Daphne Fyre," I rage, and boy does it feel good to finally get this heavy weight off my chest, to proudly state who I truly am. "I AM the Keeper of the Dragon Flame. And. I. Want. ANSWERS, Godfather."
He pales even more with each sentence until he is a sallow, almost ashen-white. My wings fail me, and I fall to the ground, kneeling by his side.
"Please, Hagan." My voice trembles, and I shut my eyes to hold back the tears that threaten to spill. "You're my last hope to discover my family and Domino's fate."
He slowly takes my hand, and then I feel his powerful arms wrap around me. "Oh, Bloom, oh, Bloom." He's crying, and I am too, tears spilling down our faces as we embrace, joy, relief, and grief heavy in the air.
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Paternal Match.
And then below it:
Bloom Fyre === blood daughter --- blood mother & father === Marion & Oritel Fyre
And below that:
Fairy Mana Source === Dragon Flame
"The king and queen's daughter?" Ofelia gasped, a hand rising to her mouth in shock. "No wonder she recovers from her injuries so rapidly."
"Her energy source is the Fire of Life?" Griselda stammers. "B-B-But...for her to draw from that power...for that to happen...she must be..." Her eyes widen and she pales.
She's unable to hide her shock in the face of this fact. The most powerful source of positive energy and creation in the Magix Dimension is currently at their school, hiding inside a student. A student who has aggressive tendencies, and is extremely protective of those she's close with, but wary of others--distrusting.
It explains so much. It's why her aura is the size of a supernova, yet seems to change at the slightest chance of detection; it's a subconscious instinct to hide. The fairy's mind shields are an extension of that protection.
It's why she has a powerful regeneration factor. It's why she's the only fire fairy.
It's why she looks like a dead ringer for a younger Marion, bar the eyes, which are the same shape and color as Oritel's.
It's why Bloom is so studious, always in the library twice a week--she's inherited her mother's obsessive studying tendencies--becoming a prodigy just like her mother.
It's why she's so protective of her friends, had risked her own life to save theirs, even at the cost of her own health and well-being. It's a draconic instinct to protect those she views as her own, more powerful and primal than her own desires.
It's why she has a tiara when she transforms--it's because of her connection to the Great Dragon, and due to being a host for his power, she's essentially a being that's higher than royalty among fairies.
A godling among magical creatures.
"She...lives?" Faragonda breathed, very certain that shock lines would be branded into her face forever as this information is unveiled.
She...was...wrong.
Bloom was truly the lost princess...not His minion. Never had she felt such a sense of relief and fear at the same amount of time.
"It...would seem that your fears were...unfounded, headmistress." Griselda is reining in her own shock at the realization that Bloom is in fact the last survivor of Domino.
"Headmistress, we must inform her," Ofelia said urgently. "And put her under the secrecy program."
Faragonda shook her head, pushing the shock from her mind so she could think coherently. "There is no need. Ms. Peterson is safe where she is."
Both women frowned at her. "I must confess that I do not follow," Griselda said.
"Bloom neither knows the nature of her powers, nor her origins," Faragonda said tightly. "And I would like to keep it that way. Young ones rarely keep their secrets for long. Names and titles have power, and the power that she carries is still sought after. I do not wish to attract the attention of the forces who destroyed realms for it."
Both women briefly had identical looks of fear flash on their faces.
Ofelia looked like she disagreed, but her confidentiality oaths and the separate ones she'd taken when she joined the Company of Light prevented her from doing anything.
"I...do not believe that to be wise." Griselda challenged the headmistress's decision--a rarity. Both fairies looked at her in surprise. "Despite the antics of the Winx, Ms. Peterson has proven multiple times to be mature and somewhat of a prodigy. She has grasped concepts faster than others, and is my very best student."
Considering how much Griselda usually mentions her dislike of her students, this is very high praise indeed.
"If she is the Keeper, she will need to master her powers in preparation for the day that the 'Great Evil' returns," she said, making the women pale as she referenced the prophecy. "Keeping her in the dark will not help her in the long run."
"But we aren't equipped to teach her how to control that kind of power," Faragonda shook her head in protest. "Her people always taught each other."
"And she is the sole survivor." Murmured Ofelia in realization and pity. "There is no one to help her if she taps too deeply into her source of power and loses control of her magic. The destruction would be devastating."
Faragonda nodded, her expression severe. "As her Godmother--", earning her surprised looks from her deputy and nurse, "--I do not like keeping this from her, but I see little choice. We will guide her into her powers, and encourage and nurture her growth just as we would any other fairy. But we will hide this from her, at least until she has a more solid grasp on her powers. After Charmix, I think."
Griselda nodded, her expression strangely muted. Likely because of the very fact that Bloom would be unable to achieve her Enchantix, and waiting to tell her until then would be cruel and unjust, especially since this would be coming from a fairy. "Very well, headmistress. If that is all, I will resume my rounds before I turn in for the night."
Faragonda nodded, and the sharp fairy bid both goodnights before vanishing. The headmistress turned back, wondering how she could've been so wrong.
"Ofelia, scrub the test results, and get rid of Ms. Peterson's blood," she instructed as she took back the blood vials of the parents.
Ofelia nodded, then set to work, and Faragonda left to return to her office, very much disturbed, and yet, filled with relief and hope. It was time for her to reflect...and plan new lessons, based on what tonight had unveiled.
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The light from the Dragon Flame illuminates the room like a sun, and I can see him properly now.
He's older--which was expected when over a decade goes by--with a lot more facial lines, and wrinkles. The top of his head is bald, although the sides and back of his head still have hair. His beard is longer, with streaks of grey and white among the dark brown. Tears continue to fall from his brown eyes, his bushy dark eyebrows twitching. I cling to his torso, pressing my head against his gold mail and blue dragonhide tunic.
We finally separate, and I get a look at the rest of him. Golden crested shoulder pads, a blood-red cape, brown military pants, and a scabbard for his sword, which rests on the ground some feet from us.
"It is you." he breathes, his eyes drinking me in. "You're the spitting image of Marion."
I smile softly, a laugh on my lips, the words such a parallel to my past self. "I know." I breathe.
"It is really you. How?" he asks in awe, his hands still holding mine. "How do you remember?"
"I...don't fully know myself," I admitted, hesitant to share everything with him just yet. That would require a deeper explanation of all the magic that I know, and then I'd have to get into that...and well...
"I'd see bits and pieces of Domino and my family in my dreams." I shrugged, coming up with what I hoped was a plausible excuse. "Once I returned to the Magix Dimension I realized that they were more than childish fantasies and put two and two together. Some nights I see complete memories, other nights there are just fragments."
He sighs sadly as he looks at me, then at the Dragon Flame, which roars at him. He flinches a little, but I laugh softly as I feel the big fiery lump's emotions. "He's happy to see you."
Hagan chuckles weakly, but looks to have been filled with happiness and hope. "I'm glad to see him too."
I giggle and call the Flame back to me. He dives back into my breast, leaving me feeling drained again, but tingly.
"Perhaps we should take this to my office," he suggests, glancing around the room before looking at me up and down at my rather revealing fairy form (which does NOT leave a lot to the imagination, but still). A familiar protective look settled on his expression. Oh no, another father figure.
I allow my fairy form to vanish as I nod, more than eager to move. I haven't felt any eyes on me tonight, so hopefully I'm in the clear.
I extend my hand as I pick up the skirts of my dress, and Hagan takes it, kissing it as one does to a royal. "Shall we, Princess?" he asks me, and it feels so right.
He leads me through the castle. We're silent until we reach his office. Once inside, he presses something, and what looks like some unknown language of runes (I don't recognize them, but I do recognize their configurations) start to glow gold, before the whole office briefly shines.
"Now, we should be alone, and unable to be eavesdropped on." he sighs wearily as he sits in his chair. I take the guest seat and scooch in.
"Where have you been, Bloom?" he asks me. "I thought that you were dead, or worse."
"Daphne fled with me." I shook my head, the memory of my homeworld's fall coming to the forefront of my mind. "She attempted to find a safe place to portal me to, away from the witches and the Army of Decay. We also saw some weird zombies that she called 'Burned Ones'."
Hagan flinched, and I made a note to ask him about that later. "But then we heard the Ancestresses' evil laughter behind us." I'm trembling in my seat, I realize, tears threatening to fall again. "Daphne took advantage of my cries to trick them into going down a different passage. She hid in one of the rooms and opened a portal to Solaria. But the Ancestresses found us as she was putting me into the portal."
I shook my head, my grief and anger spiking as I replayed the memory. "I heard her scream like she was dying, and the portal started to feel unsafe. Then I was surrounded by fire--the Dragon Flame I think--which carried me to Earth."
Hagan's brows rose through my tale. His eyes widened when I mentioned Earth. "You were on Earth?"
I nodded. "As I later learned, a fairy survived the fall of the White Circlet Fairy Kingdom. She and her nonmagical husband adopted me as their own. A year later, they had a fairy daughter, and we were raised together for the last fifteen years."
Hagan processed the information. "But, how did you return to the Magix Dimension, if you were on Earth?"
"Believe it or not, my reintroduction started with the princess of Solaria, over three dozen Ghouls, and an Ogre," I said cheekily.
Hagan's befuddled, yet equally thunderous expression demanded an explanation.
I ended up telling him how I met Stella and some of our early adventures. I told him about meeting the Winx, and my first fight with the Trix. He grew worried when I named their powers, and I held out hope that maybe he'd listen to my proposal. I told him about meeting the Specialists, and Adrien properly at the dance. I told him how I unlocked my Winx, and some of my classes.
Once I started talking, I found that I could not stop. I told him everything (from this life), even while breaking down a few times. It was so hard, especially since I was alone in the Magix Dimension. No one recognized me (which was a relief, but also disheartening), and no one knew me. No one could help me.
I told him about the disaster that was the Black Mud Swamp. The events before, during, and after the Miss Magix beauty pageant. I (when he realized, he forced me to tell) even gave a list of some of my previous injuries.
When I was finished, feeling very drained from giving that 'debriefing', we both allowed decorum to slide, and slouched in our seats.
Hagan chuckled tiredly, sounding as emotionally and mentally spent as I felt. "Alfea. Huh, I shouldn't have given up hope."
I sighed. "I've been trying to find answers about what happened to my home. Please, tell me. What happened to my birth parents? To Daphne?"
He frowned, ignoring my questions. "Does Faragonda not know that you know?"
I shook my head. "She's been keeping secrets from me. She knows, or at least suspects who I am, but she hasn't said anything. I feel her eyes on me at mealtimes, and sometimes in class, I'll feel her mental probe. Until she opens up, I don't know if I can trust her."
"She keeps her cards close, a result of her training."
"Training?" I raised a brow.
"It's her story to tell. But, I can safely say that her worries are unfounded." He chuckled, a mix of fond and bitter. His eyes were glazed in the same way that I had seen other wizards and witches who were veterans of the magical world wars; lost in memories. "Fara's forgotten that the Dragon Flame is the most powerful piece of magic in the universe. It can be used to create anything you want, so long as you have the mental willpower and belief for it."
My eyes widened. "Wait, so you're saying that I--"
"Subconsciously used your power to create mind shields." he nodded with a curious smile. "And you've achieved your wings, you're learning magic at Alfea." He shook his head. "You've grown up into a beautiful young lady. I wish that I'd been there to see it."
I giggled, he sounded like James and Sirius at the same time. "Thank you, Godfather, but we're getting off-topic."
He sighed, his expression turning weary. "Bloom..."
"If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't have asked." I pressed, giving him my best puppy-dog eyes. "Even if my people are dead, and my home is gone, it should still be my knowledge to bear."
He sighed, looking hesitant, but starting to give in.
"Please," I begged, hating that I was essentially devolving to blackmail, but my desperation was at its zenith. "I want to trust you, Godfather. To reconnect. But I can't do that if you keep things from me."
"Bloom...what you ask of me..." he shook his head and laced his fingers together. His eyes met mine. "It will destroy you."
"I have to know," I whisper weakly, before putting as much steel into my voice as I can. "And I'm stronger than you think. Please."
He nods solemnly, shoulders sagging with an unseen weight. Then he's standing, and walking over to a shelf, from which he pulls a leather-bound book. "Do you know what the Company of Light stood for?"
"To battle the Ancestral Witches?" I asked as I cock my head, racking my brain for the memories.
"Close." he nods. "It was created to combat all darkness. Monsters that lurked in the shadows, enemies that sought to conquer all of the Magix Dimension. Many sought to claim the Dragon Flame, your birthright, in order to do that. The Fire of Life is seen as a beacon of hope, a pillar of light. But more importantly, it was one of the few sources of powerful pure magic."
I nodded, following along.
"Few saw the need for the existence of the Company of Light with the existence of the Dragon Flame. For years your parents attempted to recruit members, only managing to bring their closest allies into their ranks. Realms like Solaria and Eraklyon, of which the three realms had the greatest militaristic alliance to date."
"What changed?" I asked curiously. I also made a note to research inter-realm alliances further. The Domino-Solaria-Eraklyon alliance would be something I'd have to look into. If they were close allies, survivors of Domino may have fled to both realms.
"Dimension-wide terrorism." Anger laced his words. "Just four months before your birth, the vile Ancestresses began to attack realms left and right." He slammed his fist against his desk with a growl. He hated them as much as I did.
"It was their acts of destruction and terrorism that turned the whole dimension against the witches. Hundreds flocked to our banner, and hope and morale grew." He shook his head. "Egoistic, blinded fools we all were back then."
"Back when?" I frowned. "Before my birth?"
"All of it." He opened the book to a page that had a magically preserved photo. "This was taken on the day of the first official meeting, two days after your birth. We were four hundred-fold on that day, with hundreds more soon flocking to join us."
I stared hungrily at the image, finding my parents, and my sister immediately. "Daphne was enlisted?" I asked in surprise.
He chuckled again. "Aye. She threw one of the biggest arguments I've ever seen when Oritel told her that she was too young. She reasoned that if she was old enough to be your protector, she was old enough to fight the darkness."
I shook my head sadly. "Is it true that my birth is what caused the destruction of our realm?"
He paused, his expression flickering between surprise, guilt, and regret. He swallowed, before replying, choosing his words carefully, "It was a mixture of different things, Bloom. Your birth was not what set it off, but it may have escalated the Ancestress's timetable somewhat."
I tapped my fingers on the table as I nodded, ignoring the surge of guilt inside of me. "Please, continue, Godfather."
He explained to me many of their battles. Thousands of realms fell under attack. The witches had no pattern, and the realms they chose held little importance in the long run. Their attacks were chaotic, long, or short. Some battles lasted only a few hours while others lasted weeks.
"When the Ancestresses attacked Domino, we were caught off-guard," he admitted. "By the time we had organized ourselves into a decent resistance, it was far too late. Two-thirds of the Company of Light were off-world, safeguarding their own realms or protecting supply trains and caravans to the realms that had suffered attacks. I stood by your father's side when the 'Decay invaded the castle." he shook his head.
"By the time we encountered your sister and your entourage, most of Sparx had fallen, with survivors fleeing into the castle and the inner walls of defense. The Ancestresses arrived, and..." he looked at me. "Do you remember that whole exchange?"
My knuckles turned white, the edges of the metal armrests hissing slightly from my heated fists. I choked down my rage as I spoke, "I remember that traitorous scum Valtor gloating, and the freaks that were the Ancestral Witches with their habit of finishing each other's sentences."
His eyes widened.
I nodded, my eyes glowing orange as the memory replayed. "I remember everything, from the moment Daphne came into the room with our escort until we left on Father's orders as the guards, you, Father, Mother, and Faragonda engaged the witches, Valtor, and the 'Decay."
I shivered as Hagan's face darkened with anger. "The fighting was bloody and fierce. The guards did not survive the traitor and the witches' wrath."
"Did they defeat you?" I asked urgently, needing to fill in the blanks of that last disastrous day. "Because it felt like minutes had passed when they started to chase us."
"In a way." he sighed heavily. "The witches managed to corner us and then separated Faragonda from us. They damaged her wing, crippling her."
I paled, recalling what I learned about a fairy's biology from both my Mum and Griselda. "They didn't tear her wings, did they?"
"They nearly did." his expression right then could be described as murderous. "She never fully recovered from that."
"We survived that battle, though the casualties were high." He hesitated when he saw my expectant expression. "Your parents survived...but, Daphne..."
I felt my whole world crash around me, and it felt as though a thousand daggers had just slammed deep into my breast, tearing apart my heart. I shut my eyes, feeling tears start to spill. My fingernails dug into my palms hard enough to draw blood, but I welcomed the pain as it provided a distraction from the waves of grief.
The Dragon Flame in my breast roared, a mournful, angry sound. I wrapped my arms around myself, the flames inside me scorching and searing. My eyes burned orange, both with my power and my grief.
"She didn't make it," I said softly, surprised at how emotionless my tone was.
Hagan nodded sadly, watching my expression. "After that, your parents and I leaned on each other. We were each other's rocks. After you both were confirmed or presumed dead, the people of Sparx took to arms. The Company of Light had their hands' full training every citizen in military training. Eraklyon promised to send us soldiers, but we only ever received sergeants and drill instructors. Other kingdoms like Solaria and Andros spared what they could to aid us in our fight."
His expression became grave. "Regardless of the battle, or the reinforcements, we lost hundreds. The Army of Decay only grew stronger when a dark curse was placed on Domino, as did the Ancestresses. With the Dragon Flame off-world, Domino's people grew weaker."
I held up a hand. "Wait, why did they grow weaker? Was it because of the curse?"
Hagan shook his head, his expression thoughtful. "Not in the way you are thinking, though looking back, the negative energies probably had something to do with that as well."
He thinks carefully, before explaining, "Fairies, draw their power from their realms; are tied to their sources. Each realm has a source of energy that empowers those born there. Without that source, the beings of magic will grow weaker, until they eventually die. Witches draw their power from external sources, using outside sources of magic to fuel their own power, be it realms, creatures, or magical beings. Wizards and Sorcerors can and do draw from both methods."
"So...what does that have to do with the Dragon Flame?" I ask, puzzled.
"Everything," Hagan says patiently. "When the Great Dragon chose Domino as his final resting place, it was because that world had developed no source of power. The Dragon Flame IS the source of Domino's power, the source that everyone draws their magic from. It's your home realm's core, just like Solarian has their suns, and Andros has the Infinite Oceans."
"And like Earth has its molten center," I mutter in realization. "So...is each source of magic infinite?"
"Yes and no." Hagan laced his fingers together under his chin, elbows on his desk. "That source of power wanes and grows. It remains connected with its...heralds, for the lack of a better term. When magical beings of a certain realm die, their magic is returned to the core, reenergizing it."
"But the Dragon Flame is different," I said, frowning. "You said that it is external."
"Yes." he nods proudly. "The Dragon Flame transformed the planet, but because of its connection to the Fyre bloodline, your blood, it will manifest in various amounts. That is why there are Guardians of the Dragon Flame, and Keepers. Keepers are rare, for they receive the full power of the Dragon Flame. It would be like charging a device, only to remove the power source and the charger."
My eyes widened as I finally grasped what he was saying. I'm struggling not to have a panic attack, fanning my face as I grow cold with shock. "So, I essentially hold the entire bloody planet's power inside of me?"
How has my body not exploded yet? How the bloody fuck am I supposed to channel that kind of power and NOT disintegrate? Does that make me a god? A godling? What the fuck am I?
Ok. Ok. Calm down, Bloom. Stay calm stay calm...don't hyperventilate.
"Yes." He nodded, then noticed my tension and shaking hands. "It is not something to be feared, Bloom. Many see it as an honor."
"An honor?" I choked out, rocking back and forth in my seat, wishing that I could curl into a ball--sadly, this dress is restrictive, and gifted or not, Stella would throw a fit if she knew that I ruined a well-made dress--forcing back my hysterical laughter.
"People say that my aura looks like a bloody supernova when I have one-third of my power revealed. They'd collapse under the full weight of my power!" I shake my head. "I've lost so much time--time that I needed to train my magic. What magic I've already done is like a bloody drop of water in that Infinite Ocean!"
Hagan comes around and hugs me, and I lean into his embrace, seeking comfort. "I know that this adjustment will not be easy." He says quietly. His eyes flicker, and I can see his worry. "Maybe we should stop for now. You are stressed enough."
"No." I shot forward, then twisted in my seat to look at him. "I'm sorry, godfather, this was just a lot to take in. But I have to know everything I can. Please, continue where we left off."
I didn't hesitate to unleash my puppy eyes on him.
He sighed, but gave in, resuming his lecture. "If that energy source is removed, the people will be affected. They will grow weaker magically, sicker, and will die faster."
I gasp in shock. "Wait...then...if I'm off-world, then...then my people died? Because of me?"
My whole world comes crashing down around me yet again. Each of these truths is staggering and jaw-dropping, but I cannot stop. I
It is a horrid fate (and one of the reasons why Domino's fate is so 'hush-hush'. Nice to finally get some answers though).
I understood his analogies. But now, I wanted to know how the story ends. I had to. Had to know if my parents avenged my sister, their daughter. "Did my parents kill them?"
He shook his head. "The final battle saw us with five hundred strong, but we were outnumbered a thousand to one."
I mouthed the numbers in horror, unable to believe that this trio of dark ladies had created a force that large with just their own power. With the Dragon Flame? They could have millions, or even billions of soldiers! Imagine what Voldemort could've done...
I shuddered at the idea of Voldemort having millions of Death Eaters at his disposal.
He got up and began to pace, the topic riling us both up. "Instead of what we hoped to achieve: a miraculous victory; we paid the ultimate sacrifice in our defeat."
"What--happened?" I had to know now. His eyes were filled with pain as he relived that day, and his voice was hoarse as he spoke. "The witches planned a horrific final end for your people--as though what they had already taken from and done to Sparx and her people wasn't enough. They conjured up a dark vortex--a black hole, to swallow Domino whole."
He shook his head, and I gasped in fury as he spoke. "Your father and mother managed to create a new spell right there on the battlefield that would use his sword as the casting focus. They turned that dark power against the dastardly Ancestresses, who were pulled into the portal, but not before they managed one last devastating blow against us all."
My knuckles were white as I gripped the edges of my seat, my eyes locked on his tense form. "We were unable to do anything. It...was all so fast."
He shook his head and pinched the skin between his eyes. "They...grabbed your mother and father...pulling them into the void with them. There was nothing I could do. And then, they were gone, along with every member of Domino, leaving behind a husk of a planet, and the few members of the Company of Light who had chosen to remain by our side."
No.
No.
"No," I gasped, my heart shattering as the truth was unveiled. The tears I'd tried and failed to hold back now came full force, but I managed to restrain my noise. Silent waterfalls trailed down my cheeks.
His expression was grief-stricken and rage-filled, which turned to bitterness. "Not even the most powerful sword I forged made any difference." He shook his head.
"Nothing could've survived that dark magic. The witches...or your parents..." He trailed off, grief and guilt lines clear on his face. He blamed himself.
Tears fell from my eyes, and I didn't fight them. The truth was suffocating, it was painful, but I now knew. Unwanted ignorance had been traded for the unwanted, yet unaltered truth.
My family was dead. The witches were dead. My planet still existed, but my people were likely scattered, like the Transformers after the Great Exodus. Assuming that anyone survived, they likely found themselves drawn into the darkness--fire witches being an example.
"That wasn't the end of our troubles." he sighed as he sat down once again, though he looked just like me, angry, and needing to let off some steam. "A greater darkness emerged after the witches and Valtor wove that curse into Domino, making it barren, lifeless, covered in darkness, storms, and frost."
A greater evil, one that was more powerful than the Ancestral Witches?
And what was that about Domino's current state? Snow, lightning storms, dark clouds that covered the sky, and an endless night?
I gasped. That description fit the place where I've seen that nymph! "That sounds like the place I see in my dreams. A barren world, a sky covered in purple-black clouds, constant lightning storms, heavy blizzards, mass ruins, and snow hundreds of layers deep among ice spikes are large and wide as mountains."
Hagan paled. "That...is Domino." he stared at me. "You see Domino in your dreams?"
I waved him off. "Later, you were saying something about a greater darkness."
He shook his head. "No, you've heard enough for now."
I opened my mouth angrily, about to protest, when he pressed a single finger to my lips. "Later. I will tell you." He promised. "For now, it's late, and we need to get you back to Alfea."
I glanced at a clock behind my head and gasped in surprise. It was 4:42 in the morning?
Almost immediately, I started to yawn, the exhaustion that my power had held back was now settling in. The truth was like another weight that had settled around my breast like heavy armor.
I sagged in my seat as Hagan watched me sadly. "I'm sorry, Bloom."
"No." I shook my head, rising to my feet, stumbling a little as my legs quivered with exhaustion. My magical, physical, and mental fatigue was going to make me sluggish. I dug deep into my magical reserves and used them to rejuvenate my body, but I was staving off the inevitable. My body wasn't used to going without hours of sleep at night.
I was numbed to it all, running on the last vestiges of adrenaline. Once it wore off, I'd be a zombie.
I pulled him into a hug, decorum be damned. "No, it wasn't your fault. It...was mine."
"Oh, Bloom." Hagan shook his head sadly at me, realizing my thought process. My guilt complex. "Being born is not a crime."
"It is when your birth costs your entire realm." My heart beat faster as I buried my face into my godfather's side, and bitterly wept.
We stayed like that for a while longer, him holding me and rubbing soothing circles into my shoulders, murmuring sweet soothing nonsense while I cried, my tears dampening my dress and his tunic.
Then he was pulling me apart, and I was too exhausted in all manners to protest.
"Next time you return, you will tell me about your visions." He requests with a look that expects to be heard and obeyed.
"Only if you tell me about this 'greater darkness'," I reply.
His hold tightened on me but for a brief moment. "I don't like the idea of you carrying such knowledge, as you wouldn't be able to tell anyone else."
"The knowledge should be mine to bear, if they are my enemies, I would rather know and live in fear, than in ignorance and naivety, easily ensnared by their web of lies," I said, quoting Dumbledore a little.
I'm firm and unwilling on this subject. Hagan sees this and reluctantly drops it, though I could see that he still wanted to protest. Likely, he knows I wouldn't budge, seeing as I'm probably as stubborn as my birth family was. Likely more, with the Potter genes in my soul.
My eyes are swollen, red, and puffy from all the crying I've done tonight. The flames inside of me yearn to lash out, to destroy. I've already hurt myself by keeping my magic in. The trash basket is full of used tissues that I've conjured as we talked, raged, and cried.
"Come." Hagan led me back through the castle, but instead of taking me toward an exit, he led me down to a room filled with ancient-looking swords.
"The previous Masters of the Shiny Steel forged different kinds of swords for different wielders." He told me as he pulled a massive sword that had runes for a portal carved into its hilt. Now I know what it's for.
"While I made your father a sword of light, the brightest beacon, a rallying banner, my predecessor's predecessor, Alcheimor Vector, forged this. A weapon of inter-dimensional travel. A space sword."
I stared at its blue hilt and silvery-white blade in awe. "This can make a portal to anywhere?"
"So long as it can bypass the wards." Hagan nodded with a conspiring wink. "Don't tell anyone, but this can get into any of the schools."
My eyes widen as I imagine the possibilities. "Any of the schools?"
Hagan must've seen the Marauder's glint in my eye, for he said, "Don't be getting any ideas. You're a princess."
"A princess that has a dead realm, and corpses to rule over." I sharply counter, my tone laced with bitterness.
He sighs tiredly again, unwilling to get into an argument with me so soon. I'll likely have to contact him again in some way soon (probably another visit after I process...all of this) so he doesn't wake up and think that tonight's events were all a dream. "Bloom, we will figure this out. In any case, you need your sleep."
I cracked a small smile. "Sure. So, how does this work?"
Hagan grinned, looking like Sirius at that moment. The thought makes me pause, I haven't heard from my pseudo-uncle in a month. I should ask next time I call.
I shake my head to clear my thoughts, watching as the blade part of the sword begins to glow. Hagan moves it in a circle, his brow furrowed, his face set in concentration.
Slowly, just like with Doctor Strange's sling-ring portals, a portal opens while he spins his sword.
"Wow." I breathe. Hagan continues to spin. "Well? What are you waiting for? The portal won't stay open forever."
I pause, pressing my hands together as I craft a charm. A pendant with Domino's symbol: a wingless dragon in an 'S' shape. I duplicate it, then cast a series of charms that link the two.
I then rush over and tightly hug his other side (so as not to get whacked by the butt of the heavy sword). "Be safe, godfather."
"Be safe, young one." he smiles, then accepts the pendant I offer. "So you'll remember, even with old age."
He mock scowls at me, but it's light-hearted banter. "A princess should not indulge in such vulgarity."
"This princess was raised on a vulgar world," I smirk back, but inside I feel nothing but numbness. My emotional mask is on the verge of crumbling, as we lock eyes one last time. "Farewell, Godfather."
"Farewell. May the Dragon watch over you." Then, he's pushing me gently toward the portal. I stand, glancing back at my godfather, feeling utter joy (not just from myself, but also from the Dragon Flame) at having restored the connection to one of my father's kin. "Be safe, princess."
"I will," I promise, and then enter, finding the familiar, disorienting portal yoink me from behind my navel (like a portkey), and pull me through a stream of colors until I land back in Flora's and my room.
It hurts. It hurts so much. I shut my eyes tightly and fist my blankets, fighting back the urge to cry, to rage, to scream until my throat is raw.
Daphne is gone.
Marion and Oritel died--giving their lives to save the entire dimension.
I glance at her bed and see that she's fast asleep. Kiko is sleeping in his bed. Tetris is wiggling a little, likely disturbed by my sudden magical presence.
The clock reads 5:02 A.M.
Merlin, I am going to feel it tomorrow.
I reduce the output of my aura, then use the last of my magical strength to switch my clothes, keeping the pendant I made around my neck. I am tired, I am hot, and I am exhausted mentally, physically, and magically from tonight's endeavors.
I succeeded for once, and everything (mostly) went off as planned. I've reconnected with Hagan, and just have to get him on board with my next plan: creating weapons from the Dragon Flame.
But it doesn't feel like success. This feels like a burden--one that I wasn't ready for. Hagan was right.
My breath hitches and my eyes water, soft whimpers escaping my lips as I silently grieve.
I crawl into the bed and turn on my side. The second my head hit the pillow, darkness, and exhaustion take me under, and I eagerly welcome its soothing, bodiless embrace, seeking escape from the emotional trauma of learning that your loved ones are beyond your reach forever.
Again.
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Every single day, Tecna proceeds through her morning routine. She checks her background processes, confirms the status of her functionality, and then proceeds to awaken fully.
She heads immediately to the shower and ensures that it is seventy-five degrees. She takes precisely thirty seconds to rinse her body. She affords herself precisely two minutes and twenty seconds to soap and cleanse her body. She uses one last minute to finish washing.
Her clothes are picked out of habit, Zenithians rarely see the point of various clothing styles when what they have fits them just fine. She subscribes to this logic, as such, has dozens of the same articles of clothing in her drawers.
Once she's dressed, Tecna confirms the time she's used up so far before comparing it to her routine checklist. Once affirmed that she's following the life algorithm correctly, she proceeds to activate her computer and run through the usual startup files and systems.
However, today, an irregularity from a new program she installed has raised a red flag. Tecna checks on the program's status and function. She's surprised to note that the drone's first test yielded promising results.
She manually flies it back from Bloom & Flora's room, then plugs it into her computer to search its databanks for the newest file recording.
As she does this, she makes mental calculations for how much time she will have to divert from her standard routine.
Behind her, Musa starts to wake, yawning and removing her headphones, which play very low, soothing music. "Morning Tecna."
"Morning Musa," she replies, not moving from her screen. How odd.
She pulls open the recording and hits 'play', even as her stomach twists from the morality she's breaking.
"Bloom? Are you sneaking out?"
"Where are you off to? You are sneaking out, right?"
"Why?"
"I'm meeting with someone who's connected to the thing I know about my origins. Hopefully, I can get answers tonight, and find out who I am, and where I come from."
The recording continues, and Tecna watches as Flora lets Bloom go with an excuse that she herself wouldn't believe. Bloom has shown an attraction to males, yet seems hesitant to take the next step. Likely as a safety precaution considering how her last relationship ended.
Then Flora goes to sleep, and the room remains empty, until just around five in the morning. A weird vortex--she'll be analyzing the energy readings later--opens right above Bloom's bed, and she herself tumbles out of it in a fancy dress of Solarian make.
The first thing she instantly notes is the amount of pain and grief lining the girl's expression. There's joy and elation, but also sadness and anger in her posture and eyes.
The girl glances around, then swaps out her clothes--to Tecna's slight concern, Bloom looks like she's struggling to cast that much magic. It takes her four tries--before flopping onto the bed, silently crying herself to sleep, not even trying to crawl under the covers first.
She hits another button and a health scan of the LadyBugger reveals Bloom's physical and magical status. The edges of her aura are faint--a sign of too much magic expelled--and her body's muscles are filled with lactic acid.
Just what had she been doing while meeting with someone from her past that required that much physical and magical activity?
Musa returns from her shower, towel wrapped around her petite frame. Her eyes land on the recording and they widen. "You actually did it?"
Tecna removes her own headset. "Yes." she frowns, before pulling open the file she has on Bloom and entering the new information.
"And?" Musa asks, somewhat impatiently.
"Bloom snuck out last night, only informing Flora," Tecna replied. She hands the headset to Musa and rewinds the video. She hits play and takes note of Musa's surprised expression when Bloom promises to tell the Winx everything after she's sorted it through on her own.
Like Tecna, Musa was also surprised, but she noted that the redhead did not even attempt to give Flora a timeframe. The suspicious voice in the back of the technological fairy's head whispers that Bloom is buying herself more time.
Time for what though?
When the video ends, Musa removes the headset, her jaw snapping shut. She'd seen a private moment of grief, and it...shocked her. Bloom has been nothing but happy, neutral, grim, or eager to learn since she's known her. Witnessing her cry is...well, it's not something she ever expected to witness Bloom do, with or without her consent. "Well, that was...unexpected."
"Agreed," Tecna says, moving to analyze the data of the portal. "That vortex that brought Bloom back is not of a spell."
Musa's brows were raised. "Wait, what do you mean?"
"They were powered by a form of powerful magic, but it is too old to have a magical aura. And the magic of this portal does not match Bloom's magical signature." Tecna explained in the simplest way she could without delving into technobabble.
Musa glanced at the frozen image of a grief-stricken Bloom, clinging to her pillow like a lifeline. "Are we sure that she's ok?"
Tecna shrugged. "Judging by the exchange, and her emotional expressions, it is logical to conclude that she's in a state of mourning and distress. Likely the news she's discovered isn't good."
"When you go searching for answers, and come back grief-stricken, that's obviously bad," Musa murmured. "Maybe we should give her space."
Tecna nodded. "That would be the wisest course of action. Sleep-deprived people tend to be cranky and unsociable while being even more closed off. And that's not even accounting for what information she discovered to cause a state of grief. Grief and magic do not mix well."
"Someone should probably tell Stella that," Musa muttered as they exchanged a wary look. The blonde wasn't the most sensitive person in the world.
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Sure enough, an hour and a half later, the blonde was up and about. The Winx (bar Bloom, who was still softly snoring in bed) were all sitting in the common room. They were going to go to breakfast, only for Stella to note their missing member and kick up a fuss.
Stella huffed. "And just why is my bestie still sleeping after eight in the morning? It's Sunday! Sun. Day."
Flora looked uneasy with the insistent blonde's interrogation. Tecna and Musa gave her helpless shrugs. They knew what Bloom had been up to, but couldn't say how, not unless they wanted to hurt their friendships.
"I told you, she just wanted a lie-in..."
"A lie in my arse!" Stella declared. She paused, piercing Flora with her curious stare. "Was she up late? I bet she was studying again. Or writing stuff down in one of her notebooks! Or drawing. Or she snuck out--"
Flora's slight flinch was immediately noticed, and Stella pounced on her. "Aha! So she was sneaking out!" she said triumphantly. She paused, tilting her head to the side as she tried to think up a list of reasons why Bloom would've snuck out.
"She wasn't caught, was she?"
The question was met with blank stares from her friends, so Stella shrugged and moved on. "Why did she say she was sneaking out?"
"What makes you think she gave a reason?" Tecna asked with a frown, realizing that Stella was far more perceptive than she gave them credit for.
"It's Flora." Stella reminded. "She always needs a reason for why people do what they do." She returned to stare at Flora, who squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze. "So?"
"Uh...I don't know." Flora shook her head. "Bloom must've left after..."
She wilted like a flower in the hot sun under Stella's glare.
"Care to try again?" Stella said sharply. At that moment, her tone is filled with the authority and demand for the respect that only royals and the nobility carry--proving that despite her moments of immaturity, she still is a prestigious member of the elite, and shouldn't be underestimated.
Stella's tone turns softer, friendlier. "And for the record, Flora, stick to the truth. You suck at lying, no offense."
Flora's glare lessened a little. She turned away, remembering what Bloom had said.
'Once I get this all sorted out, I promise to tell you all and stop being an arse." Bloom said solemnly, the seriousness in her tone and the intent in her eye showing her meaning every word. "I just...need to figure this out on my own first.'
"No." She said.
Stella reared back, as if struck. "No?"
"No," Flora said firmly. "Bloom asked me not to tell. It's her story anyways."
Stella huffed and pouted. "I could just wake her up."
"Who knows what time she came back." Musa pointed out.
"True, tired people aren't very sociable." Tecna agreed.
"But, they're also more likely to let something slip." Stella sing-songed.
"No." Flora shook her head. "Let Bloom sleep, she's probably had a long night."
Stella's glare was positively mutinous. After a moment, her shoulders slumped. "Fine," she whined. Sulking, she walked back to her room and retrieved her purse.
"Since we're waiting on sleeping beauty--", Stella mock-scowled at Flora and Bloom's room, "--let's head down to eat. She'll join us when she's awake."
"That's the most rational thing you've said this month." Tecna teased, and Stella's cheeks flushed. "Oi!"
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I drifted in and out of dreams. Sometimes they were memories, other times they were illusions based on my deepest desires and fears.
Harry's memories collided with mine, and I found myself in a sort of memory dreamscape. Hundreds of voices from different moments of my life played around me. Memories hovered in a rectangle, in rings and ring around me. Various moments played out from both of my lives.
*memory flash*
"Sir--Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"
"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."
"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"
"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks." (--JKR)
*memory flash*
Embers rained down around us--remnants of the Dragon Flame's fiery trail. The fairy got to her feet, using her scepter as support. "Hey, thanks."
"Oh, no problem." I gasped out. I glanced up and squinted at the silhouette in the light, radiating such purity and beauty, dazzling brown eyes filled with concern.
*memory flash*
"Stella."
"Hm?" she turned to look up.
"What is your full title? I'm just curious." I waved a hand. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Stella gave me a mysterious smile. "Sure. I'm Stella Holly Soleil, Princess of the Solarian Dynasty, of planet Horus."
The ground was soft. Cushy. Silky.
*memory flash*
"He lies... He lies..."
"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"
The high voice spoke again."Let me speak to him... face-to-face..."
"Master, you are not strong enough!"
"I have strength enough... for this...."
Harry felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell'shead looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.
Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.
"Harry Potter..." it whispered.
Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move.
"See what I have become?" the face hissed. "Mere shadow and vapor...I have form only when I can share another's body...but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds...Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks...you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest...and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own...Now...why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?" (--JKR)
*vision flash*
I glanced up to see my magic core, and the Dragon Flame orbiting it lazily.
Was this in my mind? What was happening?
In my confusion, I stretched out upwards, only to hear the sound of a dragon's roar. I snap my head, looking in the direction where I keep the physical tethers to the dead bonds. All are out, cool, and dead, but one is glowing, growing brighter.
Then I hear a woman's voice--the nymph's voice, mixed with someone else's. It's been so long, but I'd recognize it anywhere. A face slowly begins to form in my mind, followed by arms and legs.
A torso, a glowing golden light shimmering about the transparent figure. It extends a hand towards me, reaching helplessly.
"Bloom..."
The voice grows louder and louder, echoing around in my head. Then, the world turns bright, and I wake up.
My eyes snap open, and gasping I clutch my chest, feeling the heat of my powers stoked within.
Sunlight is streaming in through the open windows. I squint at the bright light, shielding my face as I arise from slumber.
My joints pop and loosen as I move to sit in bed and stretch.
I yawn as I hop out of bed and resume my stretches. Crossing my arms and pulling, pulling my arm back over my head. I look at my appearance in the mirror, only to gape and flush red as I realize what exactly I'm wearing, and what it actually covers.
Still blushing a furious red, I use a switching spell to swap that outfit back into the deepest parts of my suitcase, while searching for a clean set of underwear and bra.
Once I secured my undergarments, I slipped into a fluffy pink skirt and a navy blue version of my blue & white striped top with pink hearts.
A glance at the clock read the time as 12:34 P.M.
I double-take, just to confirm that my eyes are watering.
Nope, it's really half past twelve in the afternoon. When the bloody hell did I get back? How long have I slept?
Pausing, I also ask myself what the bloody hell was that? Not a memory. Was that another vision?
My blood ran cold.
Had the nymph seen through my mental defenses? Was it a vision? A warning of things to come?
"Nice to see that you're awake." Flora emerged from behind a thicket of plants, a shy smile on her face. She also looks drained, as though she'd been in another argument. Oh boy.
"Hey." I'm quiet as I pull her into a hug, seeking comfort and intimacy right now. She smiles and hugs me back before we separate.
"So..." Flora trails off, unsure about what to ask. "How did it go?"
I face away to hide my tears of shame. Heat and water builds in my eyes, and I feel my lip tremble. "I--I found the person," To my surprise, Flora picks up on my tone and guides me to sit on my bed.
"Did something bad happen?" she asked me, noticing my reluctance to speak, as well as my sadness. "Did he do something to you?"
"What? No!" I shook my head, wondering how she could've come to THAT conclusion. "No, he didn't do anything to me."
Flora looked at me curiously. "What happened, exactly?"
I sighed, looking down at the ground, only for a fluffy blue and white bunny to hop into my vision. 'Hey, little guy'. Smiling softly, I scoop Kiko up and nuzzle his cheek.
I turned to Flora, ignoring how suffocating my guilt feels. It's getting harder to lie to them, it really is. I want to tell them too, I'm just...worried. Ok, that's another lie, I'm fucking terrified.
The longer I spend my time in this dimension, the more paranoid I become. I'm constantly on alert that someone has discovered my secrets, so much so that I've managed to cast a ward detection spell, which goes off when people say my name in the same sentence or two with Domino or the Dragon Flame.
That has gone off several times, and when I played back what the spell detected, both were in a private discussion between Faragonda and Griselda. So they both know who I am now. Bloody buggering fuck.
Speaking of spells, I've been doing some testing whenever I can sneak away from the girls. Experimenting with spells I used as Harry Potter yielded both positive and negative results.
The good news is, any spell that remotely used a bit of heat or fire was mine to command. Explosive, fire-based, and even some charm work.
I struggled with Transfiguration spells, and most of the darker curses were beyond my casting ability. Things like blood curses, Crucio (thank goodness), AK (it's a hate-fueled curse, which I apparently don't have enough of), and the
Strangely enough, pranking hexes, and several first and second-year charms came to me with ease after a few hours of practice.
Anything that had to deal with light or light-based elements came to me after several days' worth of practice. Scent masking spells as well. So now I have the Disillusion spell handy, a very useful tool. Sadly, it's not perfect--that's what invisibility cloaks were for--people can still see the blurry outlines if someone's in motion, but it works.
I have no shot at casting 'Aguamenti' or any other water spell, which makes sense, since fire and water are total elemental opposites.
There are a few spells that I haven't bothered to try and cast (what's the point of 'Lumos' when you can just create a ball of fire in hand?) and others that I couldn't cast at all.
Animation charms do work, which is a good thing to note. I can make a lot of fun stuff with animation charms, creating something from the surroundings.
If I'd been practicing this sooner, I could've created a golem to fight the troll behemoth.
The thought of the trolls sends a shiver through me, and Flora's curious, sincere, yet shy expression only makes me more guilty.
And yes, this internal rant is meant to distract me from the utter desolation of what I learned last night. Otherwise, I will break down, and never recover.
"I...found some answers," I say, struggling to keep the emotion from entering my voice, but failing. "But...they weren't the ones I wanted."
A tear falls before I can stop it. Flora's eyes widen, and she reaches the right conclusion. "Oh, Bloom, I'm so sorry."
I shut my eyes, ignoring the heated pool of wetness growing behind them. The softly building, burning pressure.
Flashes of my family appear in my head. 'I'm so sorry, I failed to save you. You died because of me.'
"It's--not--your fault." I choke out, rocking back and forth, my body trembling as I try to hold back the floodgates. 'Don't cry, Bloom, don't cry.'
Her arms wrap around me in a mothering way that I find myself leaning into. "Shh. Shh. It's okay."
"It's not." Despite my incredible willpower, the truth is more painful than any weapon, spell, or curse. "They--they're all dead. Daphne--my parents--all--dead..."
And then I'm openly crying, babbling nonsense, holding onto Flora for dear life. She rocks me gently, saying soothing words that do nothing to alleviate my tears, but only cry harder.
As a guy, I've repressed my emotions to the point where I feel nothing but anger. As a girl, every emotion feels more intense, likely because I haven't been suppressing them (Occlumency aside).
When I was sent to Earth, as I grew, I tried to emotionally distance myself. Once I developed my Occlumency barriers, I was able to suppress my emotions regarding the Fyres, and Domino.
When I returned to the Magix Dimension, the inner longing I felt for my parents to find me had only grown stronger. I held out hope that Daphne survived the witches, but deep down, the bitter soldier knew the truth.
Call me greedy--considering that I had a second chance to grow up with James and Lily and a new sister--but I didn't want a repeat of Harry's life for the start of mine. I stubbornly refused to believe that Oritel and Marion had met the same fate as the original James and Lily Potter.
It became my personal quest--my obsession, to find out what happened to my family. To my home. To my realm. And to prove my fears wrong--that they were alive, they were well, and were waiting eagerly for me to come home.
And I now knew. They...were all dead. Daphne died to save my life. My parent's lives were lost, sacrificed themselves to leave a better world behind. A world without the Ancestresses.
I didn't want to accept it...because that would mean that all I've done, all that I've prayed, dreamed, and plotted for had been for nothing. That I was doomed to lose my birth parents and family a second time.
I'm sobbing noisily now, my nose running as tears stain Flora's blouse.
Memories of my new family, my birth family flash before my eyes.
Oritel's strong, yet kind persona.
Marion's kind, yet obsessive tendencies.
Daphne's beauty, and her witty retorts.
Riding on dragons together.
Eating in the banquet hall.
My attempts to regain control of my motor functions while Marion and Daphne encourage me.
My sister transforming into her Enchantix form, letting me touch her wings (which I now know is a very intimate thing to do).
The fear on my parent's faces, the fear in my sister's voice when Domino was invaded.
The rage my mother acted upon when Valtor threatened me and my sister.
Daphne's dying scream as she saved me from the Ancestral Witches.
Hagan's rage-filled, and grief-stricken tone saddened and enraged me as he told me the fates of my family. My sister's body, found mutilated. My parents were grabbed and pulled into the black hole by the witches in a last final act of devastation.
I hear other footsteps, but I'm too lost in my grief and sorrow to care about my public display of emotion.
The bed creaks as more warm bodies join, the scents of my friend's perfumes filling my nostrils. I latch onto them and continue to cry, thankful that they don't ask questions. They hold me, support me, and cuddle with me.
I've never been more grateful for the Winx. They truly are my best friends. They give me space and help me through trying times. They put up with my emotional bullshit and my shitty lies. Despite my emergence as a fairy from a previously thought-dead realm (even if it's the wrong one), they have not begrudged me or judged me as other fairies have. They've accepted me for who I am...and without them...I wouldn't know what to do with myself.
Exhaustion takes its toll. My magic has not yet recuperated, and my body is still sore, and like my mind, exhausted.
My eyes roll into the back of my head, and I fall into slumber in my friend's collective embrace.
And for the first time, I do not feel shame in showing how I feel. I feel safe. I find myself...at home.
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"Bloom?" Stella looks at her friend in surprise when her breathing patterns change, and she suddenly feels a lot heavier.
"She's fallen back to sleep," Flora whispers.
The girls' eyes widen in realization, and they slowly disentangle. Flora remains sitting on Bloom's bed, gently moving her fingers through the whimpered soft breaths that the fire fairy takes and releases.
Kiko hops onto the bed, looking at Bloom with a strange look--dare the girls say, concern--before cuddling into the redhead's side.
Flora creates another carrot for the blue and white rabbit. The adorable bunny takes it and twitches his whiskers at her with a hand sign of gratitude.
Flora, Musa, and Stella giggle while Tecna smiles a little.
"Let's go outside," Flora whispers.
The other girls nod, and they retreat outwards while Kiko keeps an eye on Bloom. Once they're all back in the common room, the other three girls round on the only other person who was with Bloom during her breakdown.
"Flora, what happened?" Tecna asked--surprising the others with the amount of concern in her tone.
"She...found out that...whoever she was looking for...told her... that 'they're all dead'," Flora said slowly. Bloom had been crying hard, blubbering about a 'Daphne', and her parents, saying 'They're all dead'.
She guessed that this 'Daphne' was important to her, although she wondered why the redhead gave the name of the nymph. Probably just a coincidence.
All three girls gasped sharply, in shock.
"Poor Bloom." Musa glanced at the closed doors with sympathy and pity.
"Oh no." Stella looked like she wanted to march into Bloom and Flora's room and cuddle the redhead.
"That is the correct response." Tecna's expression is a mix of worried and grim. "Do you know exactly what she said, or was that a general statement?"
"In general," Flora replied. Thinking, she brushed her arms. "I think...I think that she found out the fate of her birth family."
Stella swore, casting a pitying look at the shut doors. "This is fucking bad."
"Not just bad." Tecna corrected nervously, looking in the same direction. "A grieving fairy is one of the most dangerous fairies. Emotions fuel magic. While positive emotions give us the ability to generate our magic, negative emotions weaken us. Negative emotions will either stop us from casting magic, or, in a forced scenario, they will cause our magic to become more primal, violet, and out of control. And with the news that Bloom just received..."
"She'd lose enough control over her powers in her grief and rage that she'd lash out," Stella whispered, her eyes wide in horror. "She could destroy us all."
Flashbacks of a white-eyed Ricki came back to her mind. She'd been so drunk on negative emotions that she'd lashed out with light.
Bloom was a fire fairy, and a powerful one to boot. If she lashed out...Stella shuddered to think of what would happen. The consequences would be disastrous.
Musa and Flora were confused, but as both girls explained, both of their minds filled with fear and terror.