PROLOGUE

The inner sanctum of Baltor's Dragon Fire wasn't what Bloom had anticipated at all. In her mind, she'd conjured up a hellish landscape, rife with the most unimaginable demons ready to prevent her from reaching the mastermind behind it all. Her heart clenched with fear, unsure if she could survive such a twisted Dante's Inferno. However, that wasn't the case.

Instead, when she opened her eyes, she was met with infinite darkness. An endless black void stretching for miles and miles was all she could see, however she herself was perfectly lit. Briefly, she wondered if she was back in the same realm as the Ancestresses when she had contacted them in the crypt in Cloud Tower. The low hum of Dragon Fire energy told her otherwise.

Her skin prickled against the unnaturally cool air, realizing her Enchantix had vanished. In its place was the sweater and skirt she'd been wearing earlier that day. She frowned upon noticing it. Part of her suggested that it had something to do with the environment, but she knew better. It had nothing to do with that

Baltor was nowhere in sight. Bloom could feel his Dragon Fire energy in the air, but there was no pinpointing its source. He seemed to be everywhere and nowhere all at once. She was kind of glad that he hadn't been waiting for her. It gave her at least a little more time while she tried to find him.

Walking forward, her footsteps quietly echoed through the nothingness. The sound startled her at first, noticing it was the only sound she'd heard since she arrived. But what grabbed her attention was the trace amount of smoke billowing out from under her feet with each step. The smoke was the only tangible thing she could see amidst the darkness, aside from her own body.

Bloom wondered what was happening outside with the others. Flora, Helia, Layla, and Nabu had only just arrived with the Specialists before Bloom sent her Dragon Flame into Baltor's inner sanctum to try and stop him from causing anymore damage. Was Baltor still capable of fighting while she was here? Or worse, had the demonic force controlling him now taken control of the inner sanctum as well?

That thought made her walk faster. It was clear that whatever had caused Baltor to change into his demonic state had also rendered him incapable of controlling his actions. If he was still fighting the others out in reality she didn't have much time to hunt him down.

"Looking for me?"

Pivoting to face the voice, she was immediately met by the sight of Baltor. The bloodshot red eyes and sinewy leather wings of the demon she had just witnessed back in reality was gone. Baltor's impossibly handsome looks had been returned to him, allowing her to once more see the man that had tormented her and her friends for the past several months.

"Is my human form that frightening?" he mocked. His ever-familiar smirk pulled at his lips, only teasing her further. "And to think," he continued. "I thought I was growing on you."

The fairy rolled her eyes. "Growing on my nerves would be more accurate."

Baltor chuckled, and Bloom couldn't help but notice how his eyes quickly shifted over her. "I suppose you've come to kill me?"

"That was the plan." she replied, hesitantly. "That was also the same plan I had when we fought under the lake bed."

"It doesn't seem to be very effective." he said, motioning towards himself. "If you do insist on seeing it through, however, I don't think you'll get very far without your Enchantix."

A bout of fear spiked in her chest, remembering her lack of wings. Taking a breath, she swallowed her fear, but still didn't transform. "That's because I'm not here to follow through with the plan." Bloom said, calmly.

Baltor's eyes glinted with curiosity, taken aback by her words. "Is that so? And, dare I ask, what inane plan you and your annoying little friends come up with instead?"

She laughed a bit under her breath. "Actually, my friends don't know I switched plans." She paused. "And I don't plan on them knowing.

"I'm here to strike a deal with you."

The smirk on his face widened, amused. "And what could you possibly have to offer me, princess?"

"It's not what it's who."

Her stomach twisted as the dark wizard's eyes darkened ferociously. She knew he'd be angry, but she was already at peace with her decision.

"I'm here so you can kill me."

Welcome to a new era.

I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for quite some time now and I thought I'd finally share it with you guys. It's a very dark story though, so you've been warned. In fact, it will get so dark that I'll eventually have to bump up the rating to M. I know I've said that before, but this time, it will actually happen.

I have a lot on my plate right now, so I don't know exactly when I'll be back to update this, but I'll try not to be gone for too long. As always, if you liked this, please leave a review!

~Bloom