Full Summary:
One last mission, and the Trix are free of their obligations. But freedom has a price. The brutal assassination of a young prince leaves the Winx off balance, but determined to catch the culprit. Two stories stories unfold. Worlds apart, yet inexplicably linked. Meanwhile, an underestimated threat lingers above them all, and the cost of doing what's right is raised higher and higher. In the end, who would be brave (or stupid) enough such odds? When both worlds turn against them, was there even a chance?
Disclaimer: Neither I nor my partner (who would like to be known as StrangeMindEnigma) owns Winx, but current plotlines, certain locations, etc. are our own. All reviews are both welcomed and appreciated. We never (and never will) claim to own Winx, so this disclaimer goes for all chapters.
Prologue
"So… will you pay?" The witches spoke as one. Their unified voices bounced off the cave walls, creating eerie echoes.
Selia froze. Am I really willing to give that much up to bring my enemies down? Unsure, Selia turned to her sister, Isilee, for guidance. They didn't know if she was actually the oldest, but she might as well have been. Isi always knew what to do.
Her face showed nothing as she approached the dark spirits. The three ghosts of once mighty beings crowded around her, but her brave sister didn't flinch. The one with a pale blue aura looming above like a devil, preparing to take her soul.
When Selia could see her again, her sister was kneeling on the cold, rocky floor with hands forming the sign of submission, as her dry lips parted so she could speak.
"I, Isilesciya, daughter of those unknown, pledge my blood, life, mind, and soul to the cause of destroying those who have hurt me and my two sisters, the only people I trust. I ask you, the Ancestral Witches, to remove all influences of kindness, sympathy, charity, contentment, remorse, and love upon me, for they will only weaken me. I give these things up in exchange for magical power, enough to accomplish our merged goal." Though her calm expression never once wavered, Selia had thought Isi must be dying inside. How can she mean that?
One of the Ancestral Witches shot a bolt of magic at the girl who'd spoken. She turned to watch Drina, her other sister, as she tried not to scream.
Isilee was changing on the outside; that much was clear to her astonished sisters. Her sandy blonde strands were growing longer and turning into a dazzling white, her bruised skin became paler and paler until it was only a few shades darker than her hair, her bloodstained lips faded to a light pink, and her warmeyes were shards of ice, piercing cold and cruel.
Neither Drina nor Selia could stop staring. Finally, the spirit responsible for their sister's transformation spoke. "You have become what you must, witchling. Now rise as Icy, for the power of ice rests at your fingertips." The ghost turned to the other two and added, "Don't worry, you'll both join your sister's ranks soon enough."
She gulped. That had to be the worst thing it could have said.
Selia wanted to run, but something told her she couldn't. The shadows swirled around them, trapping them where no light had ever lived.
It wasn't long until one of the others, this one with a purple aura, called Drina to them. She showed no hesitation as she scurried forward, face hidden. Drina fell to her knees and pledged the same thing Isi, or Icy, had. Drina's physical change was less dramatic, but she still looked fairly scary at the end of it. To top it off, the one that invited her forward renamed Drina Darcy, because her power was that of darkness.
Finally, it was Selia's turn. She inhaled, and then took shaky steps towards the center of the cave. The smallest of the sisters knelt and formed the sign with haste. The words seemed to catch in her throat, but after several minutes of silence, Selia managed to force it all out. She used the same words her sisters had, since she couldn't think of any way to rephrase the speech and sound like she meant it.
It all happened at once. Right when Selia stopped speaking, a powerful jet of bright red light came for her. Selia hadn't actually moved, but it felt like she was slammed into the cave wall. Great Dragon it hurt!
Though she didn't know what was going on with her looks, Selia felt a… change. Deep inside. It seemed like all the happiness she'd ever felt simply vaporized. Meanwhile, other emotions became stronger, more driving. Cold acceptance, numb sadness, and a smoldering desire for revenge consumed the young girl. To her, it felt as though nothing mattered more than meeting those impulses.
The raging pain subsided. Selia thought she was done. But no. Something was growing inside her. It started out small, but then it steadily grew larger. Filling outward, like a balloon with air.
Then the balloon popped. A million volts of unchanneled energy exploded inside her small body. Selia could feel it crackling and growling like thunder, whirling and spinning like a powerful wind. Then the energy raced up her spine and released a single word in that echoed in the recesses of her being: Magic.
Selia rushed to understand. Magic was inside her, sizzling and sparking all over the place. It was what she had paid for, begged for, and now, was responsible for.
The underdeveloped witch finally saw how hollow she was before. She knew she hadn't just been transformed; she'd been reborn. Selia would need to grow in power to do what everyone here wanted. All of them would.
She felt herself coming back to the real world, inside the unlit cave. Her sisters were watching intently from the sidelines and the witch in front of her still held its twisted hand outstretched. It spoke the ending phrase. "Our work is now complete. Rise as Stormy, for the bellowing storms are what gives you might."
Not trusting herself to speak, Stormy nodded and stood up. Her crackling power had faded to the back of her attention. As she walked toward her two sisters, it occurred to Stormy that she must look much like them. Such a thing pleased her. Her sisters had gone from being dull in appearance to so dangerously beautiful, no one could deny it. It was wickedly so, but still all the same.
The Ancestral Witches thought so too. "I suppose the looks come with it," one of them concluded.
"We looked something like that, not so long ago." Another joined in, reminding the sisters of how they came to be there. "Even as separate beings, we were far more impressive than our soft spawned rival." It sighed, reminiscing.
Right as the sisters linked arms to head back to camp, dawn began to creep into the dark sky. The ghosts bid them farewell, again speaking as one: "We shared blood and enemies from the day you were born. Now we share power and will. Someone needs to watch their back..."