Darker Chronicles: Winx Club
Prologue: Secrets of the Past
Earth: December 7th, 1989; Gardenia California, USA.
A fog blew over the suburb of Gardenia, a suburb of the much larger city of Los Angeles, a figure moved in the local park along the winding sidewalks and in the shade of trees and hedge mazes that overlooked the park and kept out prying eyes, the figure was cloaked in dark red cloak, in his right hand a Golden staff, extravagant in design, with a spiral in which a red gem was housed it was topped by a golden head of dragon with gems in the eyes of the beast and above that a gem that protruded oddly from the top, it housed a concealed sword; along the sides a blade protruded in an odd angle, however with a click of a button midway along the staff could turn the staff into a glaive with lightning speed. The Staff was made of Relix and overlaid with gold, it allowed the focusing of the powerful magic wielded by its owner. In the left hand the owner held a device that resembled a flare at first glance however it was more than it seemed to be. The figure was and remained Erasiel Nathan Darkar, son of Lord Argulus Darkar and Lady Avarra "Brightstone" Darkar; a Phoenix of that most prestigious house the Herald of and Consort of Asha the Phoenix Queen, Phoenix of Balance.
Erasiel looked around studied the surroundings, the night was quiet, no dogs barked, no people were about at these late hours and in the distance no sounds apart from the passing of the occasional car passed were heard. "Perfect, no witnesses, secrecy is paramount to success, no sign of anybody or any threats, time to tell the others the coast is clear and we can hold our meeting" Erasiel said to himself, he then placed the device in his left hand in his pouch, one of many at his side, then pulled out a device, a Cellphone, a device that had yet to be developed on Earth but present and easily acquired in the Magic Dimension on any world there in, he then called a number. "The time has come to implement our plan, inform the others about this and send for them Nebula" Erasiel said.
After a few minutes several portals opened, out of each proceeded a people clad in the same cloak as Erasiel, save one a Fairy: Nebula who stood relaxed in her fairy form not worried about any witnesses, Nebula had shoulder-length deep blue hair, blue eyes and a fair skin tone. She wore a purple dress which becomes violet at the end of the right side. On her top left side, the is a part of short sleeved purple top seen. She had elbow warmers with transparent fabric on the top. She wore barefoot sandals in the Roman style and had large blue and lavender wings that pointed upwards. Her figure was slender with build that was both athletically trimmed and attractive, she cut a figure that was both beautiful and imposing at the same time, she had her arms folded. Erasiel walked up to Nebula hugged and kissed her, then proceeded to stand in front of the gathering of 12 figures, 14 counting him a Nebula.
At the center stood a woman, her eyes an icy blue, her black hair in the open, her face beautiful, she was pregnant, 7 months pregnant, and due for a child any day now due to the Phoenix father, she held four bundles in her arms pressed against her chest. In each bundle was a sleeping baby girl, none like the other, one with a snow blue hair, one with curly purple hair, one with deep brown hair which had a brown blonde streak in the bangs and one with obsidian black hair.
The Woman was Seranna Khalida Estrana Trix: Princess of Whisperia in exile, the true heir to the throne on which a Usurper her younger brother Darancar sat, the children were hers, those of herself and Acheron the Red; powerful Phoenix sorcerer who had desired only to use his daughters as weapons to rule the Magic Dimension, a plan which she had wanted no part in for her or her children which she wanted them to live in peace though to still become powerful Witches much like herself for she was a witch and remained one, however she was not strong enough to stop her brother Darancar who had killed their parents and usurped the throne and framed her for the murders, in fact her older siblings had been barred from inheriting the Imperial throne and becoming Emperor or Empress for one reason or another, her oldest brother had renounced his claim due to being content with ruling the small kingdom of Arrendale, her older sister had been barred due having illegitimate children with Erasiel Darkar; who himself was quite a womanizer and had many lovers, wives and concubines. This left her with the claim a claim which Darancar hadn't opposed until he found out she had married for love and not just that but to a turncoat from the side of Ancestresses, their son Acheron. It was a fools love, a love that had cost her dearly; her inheritance, her reputation, her fortune, and eventually ended in tragedy as she had been manipulated for Acheron's own selfish plans, he had claimed he had reformed but he was just as evil as the Ancestral Shades who when they still controlled the Three Seers who had inadvertently created them created him with a stolen Phoenix egg belonging to Belladone the oldest sister and stolen flames of Lord Darkar's shadow fire, cheating the natural laws and creating a Phoenix who was neither a Darkar nor a seer, they had created a monster in Phoenix form who was only out for himself though he masked with all the cunning of a Spider weaving her webs. All the relationship had left her with was a broken heart and four soon to be five daughters, all of which would be hunted by Darancar unless they were hidden, not in the same place and not with her alone, the matter of separation was what had brought them, herself, Erasiel, Nebula and the others together
"The time has come, everyone here knows what has happened and this must be done, the Company of Light has gathered here on the most obscure world in the universe to hide a secret, we all know that Darancar has pledged to support our alliance but all that would be lost if he knew that we had hid his sister away from him, thus we have come here for the final council on the matter" Erasiel stated.
The figures removed their hoods, some were men others woman, some were witches, some were fairies, others were wizards and warlocks. All were different but all were united in purpose, that purpose was victory: victory over the Ancestresses and victory over the Fanatical templars of Lighthaven; a war that had started with only two sides, now had three, The Company of Light composed of the loyalists from the Order of the Red Cloak and from those who opposed the fanatical purges of the Light Haveners and the evil of the Ancestresses: every race in the Magic Dimension was part of the group and many worlds, kingdoms, republics and empires were a part of this coalition. The Light Haveners were religious fanatics who believed in the faith of Elrath the Greater Phoenix of Light; the faith entailed that they were the only true faith, that all who disagreed were heretics and magic itself was evil both of which should be burned alive or tortured to death in the most barbaric fashion, they were numerous and controlled numerous worlds and had secret monasteries that only could be discovered by accident and the locations of which were known only to the those monasteries, the Light Haveners posed a threat to order and were a threat to any who wished to live in peace, only options given to foreigners was convert or die. Last came the forces of the Ancestresses forces of evil monsters and evil beings who desired to conquer the magical dimension and destroy all good and neutral beings within, leaving only a dark empire built with slaves of the conquered, the Ancestresses were the greatest threat and mightiest of the three powers however they were kept in check by Lighthaven and the Company of Light. The Ancestresses themselves were created when the Three Seers, three powerful Phoenix Witches separated their dark aspects from themselves in an attempt to keep their hearts pure and true towards the cause of Order: it had failed the Three Seers had died but being Phoenixes, they came back to life and the greatest threat to the Magic Dimension was born and they took name of the Ancestral Witches. The War of the Ancestresses or the War for Order as it was also called, had lasted 25,000 years with Ancestresses coming in in the middle of the conflict about 13,000 years prior and it showed no signs of stopping anytime soon, however hope was there and stood brightly, the Light Haveners tired of war and would soon seek peace against the Company of Light, also in the forges of Hagen Greatsmith in his forge a blade was being made to banish the Ancestral shades for good: a blade made for the King of Domino.
The entire group were some of the most powerful beings in the Magic Dimension let alone the Universe, each possessed the power to destroy legions of enemies, however they were also leaders some of the most influential leaders at that and all sat of the Wizard's Council, the name of which was a misnomer as Wizards weren't the only ones on the council: Phoenixes, Witches, Fairies, Sorcerers, Warlocks, Paladins, Necromancers and Specialists among others, also sat on that council. The mightiest of them all was Erasiel the Head of the Council who was followed in power behind by two other Phoenixes in attendance, his Cousin Avalon and Brood Mate Vanessa. Following them in terms of power were the Fairies Nebula the Greater fairy of War and Peace, as well justice and vengeance, and of Celestial might she was also Erasiel's betrothed and lover as well as Daphne the Princess of Domino, Nymph of Sirenix and also betrothed to Erasiel. Then there was Faragonda Essentar the Headmistress of the Alfea and one of Erasiel's wives, who was both a Fairy and a Witch and held access to power from both and spells from a variety of lores of Magic, her power was equal to that of her twin sister Griffin a powerful witch and Headmistress of Cloud Tower College for witches, her younger sisters Zarathusa and Eritrude were also in attendance and like Faragonda, Griffin and them were wives to Erasiel, in good standing and for millennia. They were accompanied by the wizards four of which were with them: Merlos Ambrosias the head of the Wizard Council's comity on war, Balthazar Gelt Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic in his home Empire on Malus also on the Council and the Alchemy teacher at Alfea College for Fairies, Saladin the headmaster of Red Fountain college for Specialists and Wizards, and lastly councilman Neruman a powerful wizard of the lore of shadows and a master Necromancer.
The Group had gathered around in a semi-circle each waiting for their chance to speak. "I have made my decision already, my daughters must be separated to keep them safe, however I don't want to separate my triplets Icy, Stormy and Darcy, they already have bounded with each other and separating them would put them more at risk" Seranna stated her position stated. A few members disagreed with this opinion, but more supported it, the three triplets were the oldest of her children being about 1 ½, while Trixie was only a few months old and had been born separate from her sisters.
"I agree with Seranna, the triplets are already too close with each other and more importantly they will be strongest together" Faragonda argued.
"It is an unnecessary risk" Merlo argued his long beard quivering for emphasize.
"It may be a risk however it is one I am willing to take, the power the three of them possess together would be beyond Darancar's if trained properly and it would take too long if they weren't together, also there is the matter of who would raise them, I have already decided that the three will be trained at Cloud Tower by Griffin, and I have decided she would be the best candidate to raise them" Erasiel stated overriding the objection of Merlo.
"Why train them as witches wouldn't they be more suited as fairies?" Saladin asked.
"Because of me, I won't throw aside millennia of House Trix tradition, also their magical abilities are far more suited to them being Witches, Whisperians have always been stronger as witches then as faeries "Seranna stated emphatically.
"Also, we have already agreed that they will be trained as witches Saladin; arguing otherwise about this is pointless" Neruman stated overriding Saladin's objections.
"Enough however of arguing details, Earth is the best place for Seranna to hide, already there is an old witch-home built by her parents 400 years prior for her to live in here in Gardenia, it has been centuries since witches have come from Earth, also magic has been weakened here since the vile hunters from the Wizards of the Black Circle began to hunt and imprison the Earth Faeries; all those who use magic here have gone into hiding, are unaware of their abilities, or have been sealed away by those vile wizards in summery it is the perfect place to hide and the last place Darancar would think to search" Erasiel explained, no one objected to what the Head of the Council, everyone stood emotionless, not betraying the their feelings or opinions on the plan, they had all agreed to it on the Wizard's Council, they all stood in silence for the next moment the only noises being the moans of a baby moving in sleep, one of Seranna's children, and the passing of another car.
"We are all in agreement then?" Balthazar Gelt asked his golden face mask betraying no emotion then everyone nodded, Seranna doing so reluctantly. Seranna then approached Griffin and handed three bundles.
"Make sure that they are raised properly, as close to Whisperia as you can, make sure they are trained at Cloud Tower as soon as they come of age, don't hold anything back" Seranna stated to Griffin with a stern expression, she then turned to Erasiel, handing him the last bundle. "Raise her properly have the Dark Elves teach her in magic and teach her much of it yourself, don't introduce her to her sisters until you feel she is ready, also when my triplets reach their senior year you teach them everything you can teach them even if it takes years, don't tell any of them about their past until they are old enough and strong enough to handle the truth, above all else keep them safe, as for me I will watch my burden and keep her safe and teach her what I can best that she stay safe from others" Seranna stated to Erasiel.
"Feel free to have Eldaria help you teach her she lives in Gardenia in a place out of sight of anyone looking for her, also keep the book secret and keep it safe" Erasiel responded. Seranna looked at the book on her side then reached into her bag and handed him another book, this one had runic markings and occult imagery on the cover in the Whisperian style and language it also bore the symbol of a five headed hydra breathing fire up into the sky, the royal insignia of House Trix; the ruling house of Whisperia, the house of Emperors and Empresses that had ruled since the monarchy ceased being elective 500,000 years prior.
"The Tome of Decay the pride of our house and the most powerful tome on Whisperia and one of the most powerful artifacts in the Magic Dimension; keep it secret, keep it safe, and keep it out of the hands of my brother, also keep my little Trixie safe from him as well" Seranna explained, Erasiel took the book holding Trixie tight to his chest she slept peacefully.
"By Asha and my incarnations, I will keep her safe and your other daughters as well" Erasiel responded, Seranna then approached him, pecked him on the cheek and kissed Trixie.
"Farewell Trixie, my little one hopefully we see each other again one day" Seranna stated and then went to Griffin and kissed each sleeping head. "Farewell Icy, Darcy, and Stormy, you will rise, one day we will see each other again and I will be glad to see how much you have grown; Icy one day you and all four of your sisters will take back your birthright and avenge your grandparents the Emperor and Empress of Whisperia, and little Icy one day you will be Empress" Seranna stated, monologuing to her sleeping daughters who dreamt pleasant dreams. "Griffin keep them safe, and raise them as close as you can to Whisperia, head to my sister's court in the Ice Kingdom of Avarda on the border, they will be safest there and still in Whisperian space, tell my sister only of their identities and she will keep them safe, hopefully the war will end soon and they can live in peace, I want you to act as their guardian though, I give you custody of my daughters and hope you will keep them safe, my friend and mentor, teach them as well as you taught me, see them rise to greatness, but above all else keep them safe" Seranna said to Griffin, then paused, her deep blue eyes looking into Griffin's green eyes until she saw the acceptance of her duty she then turned to Erasiel again and stated "You will teach them as soon as they come of age, also if you romance them do so at said age".
"As for me I will raise my new daughter in secret here on Earth, hopefully she will meet her sisters one day, and that she will become as mighty as them, here however is where I will stay I've given up my claim and passed it to my daughters, Whisperia will be theirs on day and I am content to live a simple life here on Earth as an ordinary human far with peace and free from the intrigues of Whisperia's courts and the threats of those who would destroy order and free people who live free from the tyranny of the Ancestresses and the terror of zealots of Lighthaven, I won't let any harm come to the people of Earth though and will protect them where I can, by the oaths I have taken as Princess of Whisperia on my 18th name day and the oath I made when I dawned my Red Cloak and joined that order, and above all else I will keep my daughter safe" Seranna stated, then left the group proceeding off into darkness
"We have no more to discuss, we must head to Domino to prepare for final push" Daphne stated, the figures then left, the park silent to what had transpired and the stars the only witnesses of the meeting and they would not be betraying what they now knew.
Domino, the Royal city of Sparx: December 19th, 1989.
The sky grew dark over the royal city of Sparx, the sounds of war echoed in the night, the city smoked beneath Domino's three moons: Coltaris, Endoria and Kerathi all of which shined with hope as they were unmarred by the battle that now raged all over the surface of the world they had been surprisingly spared by the attackers who were solely focused on Domino itself. The War of the Ancestresses had come to Domino, the Ancestresses came to Domino, the attack had been so sudden that Erasiel hadn't anticipated it, the city guard had fought heroically and the royal guard was doing all they, could, Erasiel then looked out from the balcony and saw the city guard make their last stand, civilians hiding in the royal palace and in bunkers beneath the city or lied dead in the streets or bound in shackles by the wicked Hasharri, evil men who fought for the Ancestress, the most unfortunate were being fed on by the Morden dark twisted creatures who the Ancestresses had made from proud orcs that they had captured, not that orcs didn't fight for both sides anyway. "You can't just stay there any longer we have to leave" Daphne shouted she was no longer clad in her night gown but had assumed her form as a nymph of Sirenix, wearing an orange mask, and her platinum blonde hair was pulled up, she wore a long, flowing dress that complemented her well-endowed figure, her shell-shaped wings were yellow with green borders. She was not in her Sirenix proper form but in a form that was quite powerful in its own rite.
"You're holding back" Erasiel stated running to Daphne's side as they left the room proceeding down the hallway from their room, the were to have been married on the marrow, but this attack had ruined their wedding plans.
"I don't intend to have to fight, we need to get the twins and get out of here now" Daphne stated.
"I for one agree" Nebula stated running up followed by Vanessa and Vanessa's faceless Lighthorn, they then took a right down one hallway and proceeded to a room in which two cribs held their respective infants, one a boy with brown hair and the other a girl with fiery orange hair, each took up their respective charges. "We have to split up, we can't have both eggs in the same basket, Vanessa you're with Daphne, Daphne carry Bloom, Erasiel you're with me we have Thoren" Nebula ordered, Nebula grabbed the boy out of his bed who was already awake and crying, Nebula soothed him while Daphne picked up Bloom who while also being awake was not at all crying in fact the experience delighted the bubbly infant and she was happy as a baby could be.
They then darted out of the nursery past another hall with two turns. "Here is where part ways for a time, Kerborg go with Daphne I will show up if you run into trouble" Erasiel stated and black bat like creature Kerborg in the form of a bat flew to the side of Daphne. "We all know the plan, if anything goes wrong head to Earth, if it goes right we will all reach Solaria safely" Erasiel stated, then both groups split up Erasiel and Nebula headed right and Daphne Vanessa and the Faceless headed left, the darted from hallway to hallway the sound of battle echoing throughout the palace the King and Queen of Domino were not on the planet as they had taken a trip to Solaria for strategy on the next offensive leaving Erasiel and Daphne in charge of Domino in their absence, how ironic that King Oritel and Queen Marion two of the most powerful warriors in the Magic Dimension and rulers of Domino were not there to defend their keep.
Erasiel wondered where was the warning from Eraklyion: the chief ally of Domino who watched the space for Hyperspace anomalies that warned them of oncoming fleets from enemies, or where were King Erendur's armies, no matter it couldn't be helped whatever his reasons for not showing up it could be explained later, every moment now was spent running as the dashed for the portal room to Solaria, here was where the trouble began Kerborg ran up to Erasiel. "My Lord Daphne sent me she and Vanessa are pinned down" the Faceless yelled urgently.
"Nebula to the portal I'll go help Daphne, no time for arguments" Erasiel ordered, Nebula glared then ran into the Solarian portal which crumbled behind as fragment from the roof crushed it behind her. Erasiel teleported to Daphne, finding her pinned down by a group of Morden with Crossbows, Erasiel sent a fireball in the direction of the fell creatures which screamed in agony at their last moments as they were incinerated by the scalding flames that left nothing but charred bones and melted armor in their wake, the foes were dead, however a dark presence of foreboding energy manifested, Daphne handed Bloom to Vanessa.
"Leave go to Earth, now, don't care where on Earth but go to it out of their reach!" Daphne yelled urgently, Vanessa and Lighthorn fled thru a portal Erasiel opened, it wasn't precise so it could take them anywhere on Earth but it had to do, not three seconds after they had darted thru the portal, three dark figures arrived, crones floating spectrally over the ground three of them: their hair a mess dark robes a mess over their figures which lacked legs but floated, they were not spirits but beings of raw power, wraiths, their faces were ugly to behold, pointed noses protruded from grey skin, masks covered their brows but showed their eyes, yellow and red with malice, the masks were in the style of Daphne's which was to say masquerade style, their hands; claws like those of a Gargoyle, they stood alone but resonated raw power, extreme power enough to rival Erasiel's own and surpassing Daphne's by leagues. They knew who they were: The Ancestral Witches, the Ancestresses, the three sisters of Darkness, the vile darkness that had once been in the hearts of the Three Seers who expelled them from their bodies; granted doing so had killed the Three Seers however being Phoenixes they came back.
The Ancestresses cackled "Going somewhere Darkar, you aren't leaving any time soon" Belladone the oldest of the Crones taunted, raising up darkened ice spikes in her hands ready to strike, each of the Ancestresses had the same name as the Seer they had come from in addition to their powers.
"I knew this was your handywork I just didn't think you had the guts to show up yourselves" Erasiel responded, his golden staff in hand and the other hand readying a spell. "You are too late, the King isn't here, and his children are out of your reach" Erasiel stated defiantly staring down the fowl crones, who began to laugh.
"Is that so well I see one of his children here his heir none the less" Tharma the youngest Crone responded staring at Daphne.
"I am not afraid of you" Daphne retorted her eyes showing killer intent to the shades.
"Then you will die, your power is useless here Nymph of Domino and of Sirenix" Lysliss the middle crone responded.
"I'll show you" Daphne retorted then sent a fireball towards the Ancestresses who effortless blocked it, she then sent out a cascade of fire attacks each leaving Ancestresses unscathed, she then tried to unleash her true Sirenix form however when she did, so she felt terrible agony her skin peeled away she screamed as loudly and painfully as she could, her flesh gone, her skin replaced and soon she was weakened a spirit, a wraith, trapped between life and death, and unable to resist.
"Behold the Curse of Sirenix any fairy who has Sirenix and uses its true power will become like Daphne, and any new fairies who seek the power will die painful deaths should the fail to achieve it before the new moon" the Ancestress proclaimed, Erasiel was unbowed, his face showing pure hatred, his eyes red without pupil or iris to be seen.
"Daphne! ARUGOWWWHGHHHHHHHH!" Erasiel roared, his form changed into his battle form, he charged at the Ancestresses and the battle began, the spells collided, Erasiel held no major combat spell back and hurled burning heads, purple suns of Xereus, chained balls of lightning, amber spears, blasts of energy, arcane unforging, barrages of scalding metal and flames, shards of molten metal, blades of magical energy, and other spells of varying types of magic at the Ancestresses who matched his spells with their own cataclysmic surges of ice, lightning, and darkness, the ground quaked, as proud tapestries were rent and statues broken as the fought from level to level of the palace. The fire of the battle was terrible and went on for months until the roof began to collapse and they moved on outside of the palace into the sky above the city, which Ice had begun to cover as the countryside was frozen, the legions of Ancestresses in withdrawal as they had won, Erasiel saw the sight of the ice devouring and covering the city and then kept up the fight however it didn't continue for much longer, he had grown tired and hadn't eaten or slept for months now the Ancestresses were not tiring as they could never tire, eventually he grew sloppy and made an error, an opening, one which the Ancestresses didn't hesitate to exploit, then there was a blast of combined energy as the Ancestresses roared in one voice "AZRAK ENGATHA ZORTALS MARZA" their convergence overpowered him sending him colliding into an ice spike. "Do you know the difference between and error and a mistake?" the question echoed in his mind, he had recently read Heir to the Empire and the question had come from Grand Admiral Thrawn. "The difference between an error and a mistake is anyone can make an error, but an error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to fix it" Erasiel answered to himself, blood seeping out of his chest onto the ground far below his proud wings marred by dark spells, his staff fell from his grip to the ice ground far below, the spike was atop a great glacier which now stood miles above the royal city of Sparx, Erasiel's eyes became white, he heard the cackling of the Ancestresses, he held up his hand, saw that it was already turning to ash. "Savor your victory foul crones you won't win the war, and you know I will return, this was only my eighth incarnation you will rot in the Obsidian Dimension for what you've done" Erasiel taunted to the laughter of the Ancestresses. "Asha, I return to you" Erasiel gasped, his body crumbling to ash, "I rise from the ashes, a Phoenix can never truly die, Asha uses all" he muttered, his last words, soon a cloud of ash poured down onto the ground far below and the Ancestresses continued to laugh manically in triumph.
"Domino be frozen in time frozen for all time, our will bound in this spell I will not be unbound" the Ancestresses chanted, they were right, however the spell could be broken like all their dark spells of binding if they were destroyed. Kerborg flew past the Ancestresses and picked up Erasiel's staff and glasses then flew into a portal.
"Awake Erasiel, awake my herald, my king, my love" Asha's voice soothed the air. Erasiel squinted alive again wearing no garb and having white hair and purely white eyes with no iris or pupil to be seen, he swore to himself he would avenge Domino, honor all the oath he had made so it was, so it would be.
