A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone, there will be a delay between this chapter and the next one because of studying commitments.

All errors are mine (sorry for another late night proofread)

Warning: This chapter contains violence, blood and adult themes suitable to the T rating.

Chapter 9

Opposite Sides of the Same War

Tendrils of hair floated to the bathroom tiles, each strand slicing itself away as Bloom worked her magic to significantly shorten Helia's hair. He didn't mind the final look; the length stayed in control in the front by the back was much shorter and allowed his neck to see the light of day. The two prepared the solution for Bloom's hair before getting his own blonde dye ready to go. Rubbing it into his scalp he felt his eyes begin to sting. "Why couldn't we have just used magic?"

"Because it would only be temporary," Bloom explained, "we need this to look as real as possible and I kind of like my new colour." She admired herself in the mirror, her black hair perfectly disguising her traits. Her hair had been cut much shorter than before and now sat comfortably at her shoulders.

"What do you think?" Helia asked, turning after doing a final rinse and Bloom laughed. "What?"

"You look like you should be in a boy band!"

"All I'm missing are the pierced ears," Helia joked, placing his hands on his hips and growing more accustomed to his new look. Although the scars were there to help mask his appearance he supposed they didn't intrude too much. The cheek bone one was hardly noticeable while the larger one angled down his forehead from his right temple. He could hardly recognise himself as the man who left home but if the only way to get home was to join the ancestral witches' forces in their invasion of Zenith than he had no other choice. He needed to get home, needed to tell the world about the witches secret – needed to reveal the truth.

The two got themselves dressed while Griselda busied herself with preparing their papers and accreditations. She had mentioned to Valtor that there were two promising recruits with extensive experience at handling both magical and physical weaponry, which was true, at least in Helia's case. After stamping the final paper she passed the two a pair of boxes, each containing different colour changing contact lenses. Helia moved the almost black contacts into his eyes with difficulty and instantly felt them begin to sting and burn. Bloom did the same with hers, changing her eyes from blue to green.

"I have your uniforms ready," Griselda explained, taking out two full uniforms that fit them. They were black from head to toe with silver capped boots that reached their knees and the symbol of the ancestral witches on the arms and across the shoulders. The two also came with helmets and visors which Helia thought would work perfectly to conceal their identities.

"Use tonight to rest, you've both had an eventful day. I suggest keeping the contact lenses in to help your eyes adjust so tomorrow they won't be red or irritated." The two nodded and, after a brief discussion on who would sleep on the bed and who would sleep on the floor, they fell into a deep slumber hoping that their plan would go accordingly.

Zippers were pulled, papers were filed, boots marched and the two were ready to go. They walked down the halls toward the airships bay where a fleet of ten were ready and waiting to invade. Soldiers pushed barrels and moved boxes of guns into position on the ships while others shouted orders about screening and navigation. While, standing in the middle of the chaos with a gun in one hand and his ancestral cape hanging around his shoulders was Valtor. He definitely looked like a commander or general who oozed confidence.

"Griselda, keeping yourself busy?" She nodded before passing him the two piles of papers. He inspected them and indicated for the two to remove their helmets. They did so quickly and remained firm, they looked straight ahead and never in his eye, just as Griselda had instructed.

"Names."

"James Marcus of Magix, sir!" Helia answered, keeping his head high and avoiding his gaze before Bloom took her turn.

"Clara Read of Magix, sir!"

"Griselda says you are both ready to fight at our side and that you are both excellent at both physical and magical related combat."

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Look me in the eye," he ordered and Helia lifted his gaze, he stared and didn't dare blink. Although every part of him wanted to take the damn gun he held in his hand, beat him about the head with it and then blow his brains out, he refused to let into the temptation. Valtor looked him up and down, touched his shoulders to check for his build and then inspected Bloom in the same regard for a slightly shorter period of time.

Once seemingly satisfied he stepped back and contemplated the decision again, slowly increasing Helia's heart rate to the point where he could hear the blood pounding in his ears. His future with Flora lay inside the hands of the man that ripped them apart, the man who killed him and wouldn't hesitate doing the same a second time should he learn the truth. It seemed ironic that his future rested on such a person's shoulders but he supposed the odds had never really been in his favour.

"Alright," he announced, "but before we disembark, I need you to resite the witches' oath."

"All those who rebel, all those who fight, all those who oppose, who don't know the right, must be destroyed in any way possible, may this oath be upheld." Griselda's lessons had come in handy and with a satisfied smirk he turned and removed two guns from a box behind him. The large, high powered automatic rifles were placed into their innocent hands. Helia's index finger brushed against the trigger and again turning and taking two more guns from a box behind him. He passed one to Helia who took it into his hands before he passed another to Bloom and showed them the way.

'Nearly there, Flora…I'm coming home.'

"Emergency broadcast from Zenith." A speaker announced through the corridors making Flora race into the main control room with Sky and Anagan. The three skidded to a hault before Barbatea's face appeared on-screen.

"What is it?" Sky asked.

"The witches are on their way here. Scouts identified ten ships by satellite, heavily enforced and each full of soldiers. I've sent for evacuation orders and asked people to hide themselves in our underground bunkers but if we are found then… then Zenith will too be taken and destroyed."

"What are we going to do?" Anagan asked and Sky bit his back teeth in concentration. He could see Flora's determination and remembered the argument they had well. Leaving the districts to fend for themselves wasn't working any longer. Sure they may lose soldiers and good men and women, but it had to be better than losing district after district. Leadership didn't mean telling others what to do but learning from mistakes and making the right calls. It meant that he needed to step up and take responsibility for his world, for the rebellion, for everything he had asked Flora to continue fighting for.

"Sit tight; we will be sending ten ships to you, two from districts one, eight, nine and thirteen, and each heavily armoured and staffed with dedicated personnel. I will also be sending Flora and Anagan in to fight by your side. It is time the rebellion worked together. I will also be sending three ships from district eleven who will be notified as a rescue and recovery destination for any wounded or innocents. If necessary we will evacuate all civilians to Rhythm."

Barbatea's face clearly showed relief and she nodded, water slowly filling her eyes. "Thank you."

"Tell everyone to stay strong…we can get through this, together."

Holding onto the bar above the door with one hand, Helia leant outside and looked to the civilians below, all scampering through the streets to get themselves away. He could hear their screams as the shadows passed overhead and they ran to escape. "Time to teach them all a lesson," spoke Valtor into his ear, a wireless commanding system linked through his helmet. "Pay close attention, Zenith, this is what happens to those foolish enough to rebel. Open fire!"

The guns ejected below and showered the streets with bullets. Women protected their children and pulled them away from the carnage though tripped and found themselves caught in the fire. A young girl looking innocently into the sky and straight into Helia's eyes was struck down when a bullet pierced her body and sent blood spraying through the air.

It was in that moment that Helia did the one thing he knew to be true. Hiding and hitch-hiking a trip back to the rebellion was over. Now was his time to act.

Taking the gun in his hands he stepped back into the ship and fired. The bullets pierced through their helmet visors and into their brains, killing them instantly. He turned to the pilot and fired another round into his head before pulling him to the ground and sitting at the controls.

"What are you going to do?" Bloom asked, sitting inside the co-pilot chair.

"Try and stop this thing," he answered. "You should get down to ground level, get the people away." Her green eyes met Helia's dark brown ones and she nodded before taking one of the ropes from the side of the ship and exiting to ground level. She let it go and watched from below as Helia turned the ship around and fired on another, making it explode in a giant ball of fire and smoke. Men jumped from its burning carcass in an attempt to escape the agony but found their bodies break on contact with the ground.

"Open fire! Destroy that ship!" Valtor commanded and three ships fired their rounds into the cockpit. Bending down and shielding his face from the glass as it broke, he lifted his head again and fired, feeling each pump of the high powered machine gun between his fingers. The witches had made him into a killer, they had forced him to do unspeakable deeds in the arena and now the entire magical dimension was his battlefield.

Another ship malfunctioned and fell from the sky as he heard civilians scream and cheer at the same time. He soared high into the sky and saw the sun before turning the ship around and blasting those who followed once more. Bullets pierced the cabin and he felt a sting against his right arm but fought past the pain to deal the punishment they all deserved.

Two ships swooped towards him, dumping their load into his metallic saviour which failed to hold under the pressure. Its circuits jammed, its controls sparked and before he knew it he was headed for a straight nose dive.

His body tensed for impact, his eyes closing to stop himself from seeing the carnage with his own eyes. But the impact didn't come. A series of green vines cradled the ships exterior from below and the largest smile that had ever graced his lips widened. Hurrying he moved himself from the seat and climbed down the vine before stepping away and watching another fleet of ships fly overhead, blasting the remaining witches ones into oblivion.

"Helia!" Bloom yelled, pulling him to the right as another ship tumbled through the city streets and fell in a crumpled mass of steel. "You okay?"

"There here, the rebellion is here."

Ships started to land while speaker systems announced their arrival and the immediate removal of anyone in the area. Bloom started to run into the street but he was frozen in place as hundreds of civilians started for the ships destined for district eleven. He looked down to his feet and there, lying on the ground, was the young girl that started his renewed fight for freedom. Unzipping his jacket, he removed his damaged helmet and covered her body in a show of respect. It was time for this carnage to stop…once and for all.

Bloom carefully made her way through the crowd; she took her helmet off and threw it to the ground before seeing Flora in the distance, helping others onto the ships for departure. "Flora!" she yelled excitedly before something hit her head and the world faded to darkness.

When Bloom's eyes opened, she was met with a cruel and unflinching light that nearly blinded her. She closed her eyelids again to stop the invasion before trying to move her hands. She found them bound behind her, keeping her firmly in place on the chair. Once her eyes fully adjusted she took a look at her surroundings and met her own reflection in a nearby mirror. She saw a large bruised and bloody bump on her forehead and instantly realised that had been the cause of her sudden blackout.

The door before her clicked itself open as a young man stepped inside. His bright blue eyes were oddly familiar and his blonde shoulder length hair moved fluidly as he walked. He stood in front of her with a clipboard in hand, prepared to begin questioning.

"Do you know where you are?" Her head shook. "You are in a rebellion holding facility; we identified you as one of the ancestral witches' soldiers and wanted to ask you a few questions."

"I don't know anything," Bloom answered honestly, "my name is Bloom, I'm from District Thirteen, my sister Daphne and I were working with Faragonda to prepare Flora and Helia for the district games."

He pondered the information before pausing and turning on his heel, exiting the room and asking Anagan to fetch Faragonda and Flora to prove whether the story was correct.

Flora's feet bounded down the hallway with her mentors closely behind. They entered the door and Flora instantly fell to her knees. She took Bloom's face between her hands before her arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders.

"It's her," Faragonda explained to Sky who released the restraints, allowing Bloom to return the warm hug to her friend.

"Bloom," Flora smiled, leaning back and looking her in the eyes. Her fingers stroked the young woman's hair and she moved a few lost strands from her injury. "What happened to you?"

"Daphne and I were separated…I haven't seen her since we were taken by the witches. I had…" she stopped, finding the entire revelation too much to explain in such a short amount of time when the real news that she had to tell Flora was far superior to any other news she had. "Flora. I don't know how to say this. I don't know how to tell you this…"

"Tell me what?" the nature fairy asked softly, making Bloom look to Faragonda who looked equally puzzled.

"It's Helia… he's alive."

A/N: Thanks for reading and please review :)