Winx Club Rewrite 4: War of the Circles

by ArachCobra

With the Coven broken and Domino restored, it seems nothing in the worlds of magic can stop the fairies from enjoying their fourth school year in Alfea. But a slumbering threat from Earth is coming into play, as a mysterious magi upsets an ancient balance, forcing the girls to take action.

1. The Price of Fame

Winx Club Rewrite Season 4: War of the Circles

AN: Oh boy, here we go again. I know my co-author has really looked forward to this season, so I hope you all like it :)

Chapter 1: The Price of Fame

Her vacation had been meant to be refreshing. Recharge her batteries, get all the stress out of her system and make her able to get into a new school year with a fresh perspective.

But as Bloom sat in the bus that would take her to Alfea, she had to admit that she didn't feel completely energized. Between fighting the Coven, restoring her kingdom and all that, her vacation had involved a lot less relaxation than she had hoped.

Even worse, the media had finally figured out where she stayed during the summer. Fortunately, getting gravity juggled by an irate Faragonda had been enough to convince them not to bug her. Her friends had had similar incidents. It was mostly fine for Stella and Aisha, who knew how to handle these things, and Techna, who could easily vanish in the big city of Zenith.

But Musa's dad had apparently had to drag her away to prevent her from punching a way too inquisitive journalist and Flora had been pestered by a careless tabloid writer while leading an expedition. A move that almost got him killed. According to Mirta, Flora had spent twenty minutes after they came back yelling at the thoroughly ashamed writer.

Of course, it hadn't been all bad. Valtor was doing fine at Lightrock and she herself had received many heartfelt letters and messages from people who finally had been reunited with family members that had been trapped in the Obsidian Prison. The memory caused her to smile. She wouldn't trade that for anything, no matter how annoying the media got.

The previous day, Emanuela had offered to take her to Alfea herself, since she had some things to do before the school opened, but the redhead had decided to take the extra day off away from the facility.

Suddenly, the bus braked. "Sorry, you'll have to get off here," the driver said, turning to face the passengers. "There's some big crowd right outside the gates."
"Crowd?" one student asked, as they retrieved their luggage.

"Yes. Crowd."

Bloom took a deep breath as walked through the bus, praying to all the deities she knew that it wasn't what she feared. Then she took a step outside.

"THERE SHE IS!"
"WHAT DO YOU THINK DOMINO'S FUTURE POLICIES SHOULD BE!?"
"IS THAT YOUR NATURAL HAIR COLOUR?!"
"WILL YOUR EXPERIENCES ON EARTH AFFECT FUTURE DECISIONS!?"
"WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE RUMOURS THAT ERAKLYON IS GETTING UNDUE INFLUENCE OVER THE COURT THROUGH YOU!?"
"WHERE DID YOU BUY THOSE SHOES!?"

A swarm of journalists descended upon her, as Bloom made a mental note to write an official letter of complaint to all the deities she knew. "Sorry, I have to get to school now," she said, as she and the other students fought to get through.

"IS IT TRUE YOU HAVE TWO BOYFRIENDS NOW!?"

"No comment."
"ARE YOU IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH PRINCESS STELLA GUILDENSTERN!?"

"What? I..."
"ARE YOU PREGNANT!?"
"Huh? How...?"
"IS IT TRUE THAT SPAGHETTI WEAKENS YOUR DRAGONFLAME!?"
Suddenly the earth shifted. Large rocks pushed out of the ground, causing much of the paparazzi to fall over each other, as the gravel shifted and carried the students into the school. Right past a rather angry looking Griselda.

"I'VE TOLD YOU ALREADY!" she yelled at the fallen journalists. "STUDENTS ARE COMING TO SCHOOL! SO CEASE BLOCKING THE PATH!" Then with an audible harrumph, she caused the gates of the school to close with a loud clang. "My apologies," she said, turning to the students. "I would have had the path cleared, but some of these people have been trying to get in over the walls and I had to throw some of them out." She corrected her glasses. "Literally throw them out, to be clear."

"How long has this been going on?" Bloom asked nervously.

"Since yesterday. It's been intolerable. We've gotten to the point where both Palladium and DuFour have been yelling at people," Griselda informed the students grimly.

"Is-is that bad?" a new boy asked.

"Mega-bad," an older girl replied, as they started to fan out.

The Dominian princess sighed again and picked up her luggage and prepared to go into the main building. Then she saw something that she had been too preoccupied to notice until now. In the middle of the yard, right by the fountain, stood Stella, surrounded by students. The blonde looked like she was having the time of her life, as she wrote autographs, answered questions and made sure to swish her hair around so its golden locks caught the sunlight just right.

The redhead approached and was about to call out to her friend, when one of the students suddenly noticed her.

"Oh, gosh, you're Bloom right?"
"Hey, Bloom's here."
"Wow. Can I have an autograph, Bloom?"

The Dominian redhead suddenly found herself being swarmed by adoring students. "Ehm, sure. Let me get my pen." She fumbled with her bag and shakily began signing papers that was pushed into her face.

Suddenly, Stella was right beside her. "Hey, didn't you also ask for my autograph," she cheekily asked one boy. "Or is one girl not enough for you?"
The boy turned a deep shade of red, as Stella signed the paper he was holding. Quickly, she leaned over to Bloom and whispered: "Get to our rooms. I'll distract them."

The redhead took her advice and retreated the moment Stella had gained the spotlight again.

Some minutes later, she stumbled into the common room. She only realised it then, but she was already feeling thoroughly exhausted.

"Ah, I see the beasts left some of you for the rest of the school-year," Musa grumpily commented, as she peered over her newspaper.

"Yeah. Mostly thanks to Griselda and Stella." She wheeled her luggage over towards her room. "I don't think I would have gotten in here today without them."

"It is rather fortunate that Stella likes the spotlight so much," Flora, who was looking out the window, mentioned. "She got here early and worked hard to get all of us through our newly gained fans."

"These people are frickin' crazy, I tell ya," Techna, who was watching TV, commented. "It's funny. Now that I'm famous, every single political party back in Zenith wants my endorsement. Even the ones that have been spending the last eighteen years throwing me and Mom under a bus."
"People are mercurial like that," Aisha added. "They will forget you when your popularity fades again."
"Fades? Heh, only if we stop having crazy adventures," the scarred girl added.

"Would be nice," Stella said, as she walked in. "Now that the Coven has been beaten, I doubt anything..."
Musa loudly shushed her, informing her that:" Don't say it. We don't need to tempt fate."

The blonde rolled her eyes in response.

"Hey, Flowergirl. Any sign of a delivery van yet?" Techna asked.

"Not yet. All I see is Griselda standing guard with a huge stone monolith she has just pulled out of the ground."

"A delivery van? What are you waiting for?" Bloom asked.

Techna smirked, reminding Bloom of the Cheshire cat. "It's a supriiiiiiise."

"Which means we should probably go through our insurance policy and make sure everything is up to date," Musa commented.

"Also, like, no standing near any windows," Stella added.

"Come on, that only happened once," the magenta-haired girl retorted defensively.

"Not true. You used it against the fake Avalon too," Aisha pointed out.

"On purpose."
"And yet that doesn't make me feel any safer."

...

As per usual when the school year started, there had been a gathering of all the students. No new rules, no new staff. It would have been the same as every year, except Bloom had the uncomfortable feeling of being stared at by other students, occasionally hearing whispers. Most of it was nice things, but it didn't stop her from feeling like a zoo exhibit. It wasn't like she had never been in the limelight before. She had given some speeches, even to journalists and such. But now, the feeling of being on stage was near constant. A feeling that brought her no small measure of discomfort.

However, after the gathering, she was informed that all students on her year were to get a special message. This caused Stella to groan and complain about how she just had to fail the year with the extra-long gathering.

Faragonda showed up and escorted all the fourth-year students through the school, soon after ending up in a familiar hallway.

"This year, students, you will all be permitted access to the restricted library," Faragonda explained. "Up until now, you have not been allowed in here, as irresponsible use of the books could cause severe trouble. But we believe that you are adult enough now." Her face took on a much sterner look. "And remember, access to the restricted library is a privilege, not a right. If you give us reason to revoke said privilege, we will. And trust me when I say that that can make the school year quite hard for you." She cleared her throat. "The door is coated with a simple illusion spell. The picture on the wall will help you find the door, like so." The headmistress touched the wall and slid her hand around, trying to find the doorknob.

"Ey, Granny. While you're getting to know the wall a little better, I have a question," Techna began. "Why even keep the door invisible? Wouldn't it be easier to just have an automated door and hand out personal I.D. Cards?"
"It would," Faragonda replied, as she tried to find the knob. "However, as Alfea is considered a historic building I am to minimize alterations unless absolutely necessary." Finally, she found what she was searching for and opened the door. "There we go. Come in."

The students seeped into the restricted library. The great tower was still impressive looking, with its towering shelves and elaborate skylight letting the sun shine in.

"Ah, fourth year students," Concorda said, as she flittered down to the fairies. "Welcome to all of you. I am Concorda, caretaker of the restricted library and guardian pixie of Alfea. I'd ask you to take your time today to familiarize yourself with the layout, but I honestly expect this place to burn down again for the third time."
"Please don't joke about that," the pixie seahorse pleaded, as he flew by. "Ordering all these books is far from cheap and making sure everything is organized is a massive investment of time that could have been spent more productively."

"Well, you heard him. No setting fires in the library," Concorda joked. "Anyway, take your time to look around. If you have any questions, please, do come to me."
The fourth year students spread out and began wandering up and down the tower, searching through its collection.

"It's all so neat. Hard to see that this place has burned down twice," Bloom said, as she and Flora made their way up one of the ramps.

"Indeed. The staff is both competent and dedicated. Good qualities in any worker," Flora replied.

"Speaking of worker, I heard from Mirta that you got be bit upset about a journalist," Bloom teased.

The brunette blushed a bit, admitting: "I might have been a bit unprofessional with my chastisement, yes. But he endangered everyone's lives just to ask me about rumours that I have had my breast size altered." She huffed. "A ridiculous notion, but I suspect they just presume that as a woman, I must have some sort of issue with my body."

"Huh? That's just dumb," the redhead replied. "Why can't they at least ask about intelligent things?"
"Do they do that on Earth?"
"No. Apparently, the power of paparazzi is more universal than magic." Suddenly, Bloom stopped, eyeing a book. It was a simple red and purple cover, with a black circle emblazoned on the front. Underneath was the title 'Fall of the Earth Faeries'.

She took the book and looked and it, before sighing and putting it back. "I miss my parents." She paused. "I... I miss hanging out with my friends from Earth. They must think I've forgotten all about them. I've tried to stay in contact, but it's so hard. Their phones can't be called across dimensions and our internets have nothing to do with each other. All because some stupid people who think I should be locked up somewhere just because I can do magic."
Flora placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "It is okay. I am sure your friends would understand if they knew."
"I know." Bloom sighed. "I know. Come on, let's go. I'd prefer not to dwell on it."

...

"God, I really don't feel ready for tomorrow," the redhead groaned, as she allowed herself to sink into the common room sofa.

"Would probably have helped if we could have spent more of the vacation vacationing," Stella added.

"Maybe we should have sent the Coven a nicely worded letter and asked them to put off their evil plan until after school had started," Musa snarked. "Then we could have spread it out across the entire year rather than trying to get it all done during vacation."

"I am almost certain you cannot schedule things like that," Flora commented.

"Well, I've got something to brighten up your days," Techna added with a big smile, looking up from her phone. "Behold the power of technology." She pressed a button and a bright green light began shining from a small lamp.

Suddenly, a green and grainy version of Timmy, Brandon and Riven flickered into view on the floor.

"Is it working?" Timmy asked, his voice audible from the phone. "We can't really see you through it."
"It's working alright," Techna replied. "Visual quality needs work though."
"What... What is that?" Stella asked, eyes wide.

"Holographic projector. Me and Databoy made one for the phone," the scarred girl said. "It's still a prototype. For now, all three of them have to stand between a set of, well, full body scanners."
"And it's a rather tight fit," Riven groused. "I feel like I've been stuffed into a can or something."

"Yes. The design needs to be more modifiable, to allow more people in," Timmy agreed.

"Eh, I've been worse," Brandon said with a shrug.

"So, how's Red Fountain been for you guys so far?" Musa asked.

"Full of journalists," Brandon commented flatly.

"Yeah. Can't go outside for three seconds without being assaulted," the magenta-haired soldier added. "Cordatorta threatened to 'accidentally' let the dragons loose if they didn't stop pestering the people under his command."

"At least the gardens are part of Red Fountain's floating structure," Timmy noted. "So no chance of them pestering us there."
"Unfortunately, we are not so lucky. The staff has had to be extra vigilant to keep them all out," Flora mentioned.

"Hey, where's Sky by the way?" Bloom asked. "He hasn't called in a while."

"He's been busy," Brandon responded. "His father had given him some small official duties so that he can learn something about being a ruler during his summer break. It's been tough. But I made sure to make him record a message for you, just so we can avoid any unfortunate misunderstandings. Again, I mean."

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed a button.

"Hey, Bloom," came Sky's sleepy voice from the device. "Sorry. I should probably have contacted you earlier, but between my new duties and being swarmed by journalists, I've been busy. Saladin even allowed me to delay my arrival at Red Fountain for a couple of days just so I could get some much needed rest. I'm basically trashed and I've still got a few things to do, but I miss you and I look forward to being able to be with you again." There was a pause. "Good enough?"
"You're a real romantic, aren't you?" came Brandon's dry voice, before the message ended.

"So yeah, that was Sky," the squire said, as Bloom sat down while laughing. "He means well."
"Oh, think we'll have to cut the holo-call for now," Techna said. "Damn thing's nomming all the power."
"As predicted, power consumption is still inefficient. Oh well, it functions, so now we can focus on working out all the kinks. Talk with you later," Timmy said, as the holographic forms vanished.

"Well, for once you're trying to develop something safe in a way that is actually safe," Musa remarked. "Well done." She paused. "Techna, why are you smiling?"
"I'm just in a good mood."
"Oh no, you don't. That's not a happy smile. That's a 'Just you wait until you see what I've done' smile. What did you do?"
"It's a secret."
"Techna."
"Wow, look at the time. I have to go take care of a distraction."
"Come back here, Techna! I swear to the spirits, if you blow up the toilet again, I will do horrible things to you!"
"Wouldn't that just make the boys really jealous?"
"Shut up, Techna!"

"They are... Unique people," Aisha commented, as the musician chased after the laughing technician.

"Very true," Flora agreed sagely.

...

The door closed as the last student hurried into Avalon's class and found her seat.

"Excellent. Seems like everyone is here on time," the paladin noted, as he checked his watch. "Granted, only with four seconds left, but that is still nice to see. Welcome, everyone, to your fourth year. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but first, it's time for some exercise." He paused, allowing the students room to groan. "Were you expecting that just because you were fourth year students you would be exempt from that? A healthy body is important for a healthy mind. And a healthy mind is the only place where the seeds of knowledge can grow. However, we do have something new this year. Follow me."
"Maybe they've planned a new route," Musa suggested, as the students left their seats to follow the man in white.

"Or maybe we have to see how far we can get from the school before we get jumped by somebody with a camera," Bloom joked.

The throng of students walked outside and behind the school, only to stop and stare. A big obstacle course had been constructed, many of its component parts coloured in garishly bright shades of everything. It was clearly enchanted, as some parts were floating in the air in defiance of gravity and other parts seemed to be perpetually on fire. Underneath many of the taller challenges were what at first seemed like pools of water, but the reflective material was too still to be liquid.

"Thanks to all the assistance with rebuilding, Alfea ended up with an economic surplus. After talking with the mayor of Magicalis, we agreed that the best we could do with it would be to invest it in something new for the students," Avalon began explaining. "There's a couple of things I need to explain about this set-up before you get started though. First, note that the reflective pools will feel like solid ground if you just walk upon it, but instantly soften upon impact, to protect you all from accidental damage. While pain comes before gain, we see no point in sending you all to the nurse. That time would be better spent studying or exercising."

Bloom couldn't help but snicker. The fact that he said it without it being a joke only made it funnier somehow.

"The fires, of course, are..." the paladin continued, only to suddenly stop. His head tilted slightly, before he sighed and held up a hand.

There was a yelp from a nearby bush, as a freckled woman with orange hair and a camera was yanked out, now surrounded by a bubble.

"You do realise that just because the grounds are not surrounded by a wall, it doesn't mean you can just wade in here?" Avalon asked annoyed.

"Oh... Well, I... I just needed to ask Princess Bloom about some of her opinions," the nosy journalist tried.

Avalon just stared with a tired expression. Then he raised his hand and flicked the bubble with his finger, sending it flying away.

"WAIT, THE PUBLIC NEED TO KNOOOOWWW!" the journalist yelled as she was carried away.

"Where was I? Ah yes, the fire." The paladin gestured towards the course, clearly trying to forget about the experience. "They are illusionary and only meant to add some flair to some of the challenges. If it becomes too uncomfortable for you, they can be turned off with buttons installed right before the challenges in question. This whole course is designed to try to make exercise fun for you, as we do understand that walking the same routes through the wilderness over and over every year can become a boring routine. So now you have options." He paused, before sighing. "That being said, we recommend that you stick to this obstacle course until all of these journalists lose interest. While some of them are respectful, many are just looking for a quick scoop and something that will grab attention. It is best if we all try to avoid giving them attention. But in the end, it is your choice. Just know that..." He suddenly spun around, firing a beam of a light at a nearby tree.

With a shocked yell, a camera man fell blinded from his branch, only to land in a bubble.

"Excuse me a moment," Avalon sighed, marching over to the trapped photographer.

"Hey man, you can't do this. People have a right to gain insight into who our future rulers are," the man protested.

"Then send an official complaint after you've landed," Avalon replied, before sending the bubble off with the cursing man inside.

"Where do they land?" Aisha asked. "Right outside the school?"
"No, that would only encourage them to try to sneak in again," the paladin replied. "I've chosen a small lake as their drop off point. Shallow enough that they can walk to the coast if they can't swim, but I hope it gets the message across."

...

That night, Bloom went to bed thoroughly exhausted. The start of the school year usually got to her. But it was more than that. It was the constant attention. When it wasn't journalists, it was her classmates. She thought it had been bad when it had been discovered that she was the princess of Domino, but now tha she had managed to restore her kingdom, it was even worse. Her fame had slowly been building up, now reaching the point where she couldn't eat in the canteen without feeling her movements being scrutinized. Even Stella had begun to admit that maybe it was getting a tad bit silly. She checked Kiko's cage, said goodnight to her loyal companion and then collapsed on the bed, drained.

It didn't take long for her restless mind to conjure up bizarre dreams involving her being naked in class, Avalon having a camera for a head, journalists pouring out of the blackboard and a giant Griselda eating the wall while yelling random phone numbers.

She groaned as slowly, the nonsense faded as she woke up. She growled in annoyance and rolled to the side, sleepiness clinging to her mind like cobweb. She had no idea how long she had managed to sleep, but her body told her it hadn't been enough. Then she heard a quiet beep near her head. The redhead frowned. There shouldn't be any beeping, especially not now. Her eyes fell on a photo on her night stand, moonlight causing its glass surface to be highly reflective. Her heart started pumping rapidly.

In the reflection, she clearly saw another person in her room, leaning in over her.

She immediately turned around, her mind insisting that everything was okay and her eyes were just playing tricks on her due to tiredness and all the media chaos.

The amber eyes and mohawk of the stranger told her that this was indeed real. She heard a strange sound, only realising a few seconds later that her body had forgotten to consult her brain and just flipped the 'scream loudly' switch.

Immediately, the man dashed out of the room, as the princess leapt out of bed and gave chase. She didn't have the slightest clue who he was, but she had had enough of people treating like an exhibition.

She pursued the intruder into the common room, arriving just in time to see the doors to the hallway swing back and forth.

There was a crash as Musa and Techna burst forth from their rooms, the former only clad in her underwear.

"Who? What?" Musa asked.

"Stranger! Fleeing!" Bloom yelled, as she ran out the door, her two friends following. As they followed the man out into the moonlit corridor, they could see him dashing away. He was fast and Bloom cursed herself for not taking her running with Stella more seriously, as she tried to at least not fall any more behind the trespasser.

The intruder cast a glance over his shoulder, before speeding up. As he dashed down the hallway, the girls got a better look at him. His mohawk had the same colour as Techna's hair and he was wearing, of all things, a studded black shirt with fishnet for sleeves and black pants with cuff links and chains. An ebony ring stood out from his pale skin on his right hand.

"Why the Hell is there a punk rocker in my bedroom at night?" Bloom wondered aloud.

"Because you're getting popular, Firetop," Techna replied, as she overtook the princess. "Maybe he wants you to sign his abs."
"Preferably with a fireball," Musa grumbled.

Up ahead, Griselda suddenly turned around a corner, summoned by the racket. Her sharp eyes quickly analysed the situation and concluded that stopping the man with the mohawk was the most sensible option. She reached out with her hand and concentrated. Long limbs of stone shot from the walls, trying to grab the intruder.

He leapt forward to avoid having his ankles grabbed.

A set of paws hit the floor.

In an instant, the guy had shape-shifted into a black-furred wolf, which nimbly leapt through the grabby arms and used one to fuel a leap over the surprised deputy headmistress. The intruder then leapt over a nearby railing, trying to get quickly to the front door below. A shining bubble caught the wolf in mid-air.

"Got you now, you scoundrel!" Avalon yelled from his position down on the first floor.

The wolf's flesh flowed like water and the bubble burst as it failed to contain the black bear. Gravity took hold for about two seconds before the bear became a hawk, which soared upwards and crashed straight through the skylight.

"Slippery eel," Wizgiz, who had just shown up, commented. "I'll try to get him." The leprechaun became an eagle and followed the intruder out the broken window.

"Okay, what is going on?" Griselda asked, turning to the three barely dressed girls.

"Ehm, well, I woke up to this creepy guy standing over me," Bloom explained. "And then, well, he tried to run."
"For goodness sake," the deputy groaned, rubbing her forehead. "If this is another journalist, I swear... " She took a deep breath. "I'll go tell Faragonda. You girls get back to bed before you catch a cold."

When the three faeries got back, the lights were on and Stella, Aisha and Flora were all up.

"Like, what happened?" the Solarian blonde asked concerned. "We just heard a scream and then you gals were tots gone."
"Bloom got a night-time visitor," Musa said annoyed, as she sat down.

"Another journalist?" Flora inquired.

"If it was, then... That was one heck of a newshound," Techna replied. "Well, maybe more of a newswolf really."

"He was a shapeshifter on par with Wizgiz, flowing from one form to another," Bloom explained. "He managed to evade both Griselda and Avalon. I don't know many journalists who can pull something like that."
"You'd be tots surprised by the people the papers are willing to hire if it can, like, get them the big juicy news," Stella replied.

"I guess. Still..." The redhead stopped and sighed. "Whatever. We'll talk with Faragonda about it when the sun's back up."

...

"Come in, girls," Faragonda said, as the six fairies entered. "How are you?"
"Kinda tired," Bloom mumbled and yawned. "Could probably have done without the surprise wakeup."

"Did the staff manage to track the infiltrator?" Flora asked.

"No. He dove into the woods after leaving Alfea. Wizgiz tried to track him, but lost his trail after a couple of minutes." The headmistress paused. "Furthermore, there's no sign of forced entry anywhere. Had you not awoken, we might never have discovered he was here."
"But you do have security cameras, right?" Techna asked.

"Yes, but like any good magi infiltrator, he knew enough magic to fool them. Even the recordings of him after he left your common room were blurred," Faragonda explained. "Whoever it was, he was most definitely a professional. If he truly was just a journalist, then I suspect he had military training before his current career."

"Sure didn't look like a professional," Musa commented. "What with his fishnet, chains and freaking weirdly coloured hairdo." She paused, before turning her head to Techna. "No offence."
"None taken. It's meant to be weird."

"Yes. That is another reason I asked you all to come here after class," the Alfea headmistress continued. "Due to how fast everything went, Griselda did not manage to get a good look at the man, and Avalon and Wizgiz only managed to see him after he transformed. Is there anything else that stood out about him?"
"Other than what Musa said? No, I don't... Hmm." Bloom paused. "Actually, there's one thing. He was wearing a ring."
"Yeah. Midnight black. Actually looked pretty cool," Techna added.

"A black ring?" Faragonda echoed a bit worried. "Are you certain?"
"Oh? You don't think...?" Aisha asked. "That he's one of them?"
"I had not thought of that," Flora admitted. "But that is now a worrying possibility."
"Just, like, tell the rest of us when we're allowed to be in the conversation again," Stella commented.

"Apologies. Allow me to explain," Faragonda said. "Pure black rings are not exactly in fashion. In fact, they considered bad luck due to their connection to the Black Circle. It was one of their trademarks."

"Wait, you think the Black Circle sent somebody to infiltrate Alfea?" Bloom asked nervously.

"I'm not certain, but... Between the ring and the man's level of skill, I'd say it's a definite possibility." The headmistress sighed. "I will have to do some research, contact some people I know and so on. Don't worry about it for now. I'll have some extra security measures brought into play, just to be on the safe side. For now, just go on with your daily life."
"Here we go again," Musa darkly mumbled, as the six faeries left the office.

"Wanna take bets how long it will take before the restricted library gets burned down again?" Techna asked her.

...

Not far off the coast of Ireland lay a small island, known as Tir Na Nog. It couldn't be found on most maps, ships rarely, if ever, stumbled upon it and satellites from space were blind to it. That was because the island was one of the few truly magical places left on Earth, ancient enchantments and spells still keeping the island hidden from those who weren't welcome despite the general fall of magic on the planet.

On the island was a great structure, which once housed dozens of people. But now, most of the halls were empty and sealed off, home only to spiders and dust.

In the middle of this building was a tree. To most, it would look dead, except a few, sickly leaves here and there. Occasionally, veins of energy would pulsate underneath its bark. Arcane machinery and magitech was hooked up to it, constantly measuring and calculating the subtle readings of the tree's sporadic energy surges.

But something had recently changed about the tree. On one of its naked branches, a small flower was now budding, gently glowing with magical energy.

Ogren had been observing the bud for some time, thoughts and calculations churning away in his mind as different scenarios played out. His lips creased into a slight frown.

Footsteps echoed through the hall, and the redhead turned to face the newcomer.

The intruder on Alfea made his way towards him. "Yo," he greeted, raising a hand.

"Welcome back, Duman. Report."
The man named Duman saluted, before saying: "I got the reading from the Bloom girl. The signature doesn't mesh. If it had been her, we could definitely have called it. Her dragonflame makes it very... Obvious." He paused as he pulled a thoroughly folded newspaper from his pocket. "Furthermore, managed to check up on the news after getting out of the school. She's been a busy fairy all summer. There is no way those readings we got were from her."

"Yes. I know that now," Ogren stated, as he turned towards the tree. "More readings came in while you were away. I checked up with everyone else on the program in the area and everything checks out with them. They've kept their end of the deal." He paused. "It is clear to me now that we are most definitely talking about an unknown magi."
"Can't be a newborn. They're much more erratic with their magic," Duman commented. "So what are we thinking, boss? Somebody's been underground for all that time?"
"Unlikely. But possible." Ogren stroked his goatee in contemplation. "What we lack is concrete data. The readings we do have are indisputably clear. Somebody is consistently using magic in California, in or near Gardenia to be specific. The growing levels indicate that either they're only just learning or, if we go by the theory that this is somebody who has been hiding from us, relearning their magic."

"Still, gotta be somebody real potent. Otherwise, they wouldn't ping like that," the mohawked man added. "It doesn't add up, boss. I ain't got no clue who we could have missed, but a newborn wouldn't read like this."

"Then it is settled. We must personally go to Gardenia and investigate this irregularity," Ogren said decisively. "If we have an unsanctioned magi who has slipped through the net, or worse, an old acquaintance who has managed to remain hidden, we need to take direct action before things get out of hand."

"Should we bring in some of the others?"
"No. Not yet. We shall go see to the situation and call them in only if necessary. This might still be manageable if we act now." Ogren turned around and walked past his subordinate, who immediately followed him.