Shadow Haunt
"How dare he!" Darkar bellows as tears a pillar right off and hurls it into a wall. After trying, and failing miserably, to connect with Kaneki's mind, it is apparent that his King put up some mental block disrupting their connection.
Darkar clutches his head as a terrible pain explodes in his head as memories long locked away began to resurface. "No! He's... awakening... No. Sleep Argulu sleep," Darkar's palms glow as he uses his magic to force the deep subconscious of the man he possessed back to slumber.
"Master..." a voice calls out tentatively as if expecting his Lord to strike him down.
"What happened?" Darkar demands in a deep rumbling tone which terrifies his slave.
"I have no idea, Master," the creature stammers.
"Then what use are you to me?" Darkar threatens.
The creature cowers away from the rage of his master as he tries to make an effort to appease him. "But I do believe I know how to counter it."
As if all his energy was zapped away in that instant, Darkar collapses onto his throne with his shoulders slumped. "Ever since his appearance, my control has been weakening. Keeping the King close may the only option to appease this human subconscious."
"Please leave it to me Master," the creature requests.
"I have very little tolerance for failure," Darkar warns before abruptly ending the transmission.
Kaneki's Bedroom - Morning - 24th September 2005
(Ring! Ring!)
Kaneki groans loudly as he randomly smacks his desk blindly searching for his alarm clock. Irked by his failure and the constant ringing reverberating of his walls, he finally lifts his head off the table, seizes his alarm clock, switches it off before chucking over his shoulder.
Kaneki yawns as he rubs the sleepiness from his eyes, his hand bumps into the notebook that was stuck onto his face. Vaguely wondering how his exercise book stayed glued to his cheek, he simply pulls it off and puts it back on the desk.
Finally getting up from his seat, Kaneki places both hands on his lower back and gradually adds pressure until he hears a satisfying crack. He spares a glance to the two miniature beds which held his pixies and notes that they're still in deep slumber. About 4 nights in and they've learnt to tune out the alarm, guess he doesn't need to get a new one.
Last night he recalls working on his story but his mind is hazy on what he started to write, he's pretty sure he finished a basic plan so Kaneki grasps his notebook and recites the first paragraph, "'Despite knowing my very existence is a sin, is it wrong to want to find a place to belong? We grew in the waters of the womb, warm blood runs through our veins and there is life within our breath... the same as you but we are judged by our differences. Our kind, even I simply want to live.' Wow, this sounds good already," Kaneki hums happily, impressed with what he came with as he plucks another fruit off the Rc Mediator plant and munches on it.
Wanting to stick to his natural schedule, Kaneki throws on his workout clothes then heads outside to start with his pre-training warmup that consists of running around the whole outer perimeter of the school 10 times before doing some crunches, push-ups, sit-ups and squats. 50 for each. He then hikes to the clearing so he could practice some of his martial arts. The few arts he knew were aikido, judo, jujutsu, karate and taido. Just to list a few.
While he hadn't forgotten to neglect training, he did forget to keep up his skills in martial arts which meant he wasn't as proficient as before. Kaneki did this for an hour without a break or any interruptions until he heard something right behind him.
(Snap!)
Instantaneously, Kaneki spun on the balls of his feet and lifted his right leg to swipe at the person behind him.
"Whoa!" The man crouches down as light speed to avoid the kick that ends up slicing a tree from its trunk. The figure, now known as Avalon, slowly stands up and stares at the fallen tree, sweat dripping down from his forehead.
"Professor Avalon?" Kaneki questions, passively before realising he nearly assaulted a teacher. Again. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone to be out here at this time," Kaneki apologises profoundly, his eyes practically bulging out its sockets.
"My fault for scaring you, my boy," Avalon reassures, wiping the sweat from his brow with his handkerchief.
Kaneki sighs as he resists the urge to facepalm when he realises something unusual. "How'd you find this place?" No one but he should know it exists especially Avalon since he just arrived a few days ago.
"I was experimenting with a spell that can identify any living organism with a certain radius. I was hoping to teach the students especially to limit the search to humans or animals," Avalon responds smoothly. "When I sensed an unknown figure lurking in the forest, I had to go investigate. Imagine my surprise finding you out here training."
"I see," Kaneki acknowledges the fact it did make sense but something just didn't sit right with him.
"So why are you training so early in the morning?" Avalon inquires as he reclines against the fallen tree.
Kaneki takes a large swig of water from his bottle as he slides down the base of the trunk to sit next to the professor as he clarifies his reasoning. "After our fight, I realised that next time I won't be so lucky. You were a teacher so you weren't trying to kill but the next time I may not survive if I don't take my training seriously."
"A very wise decision," Avalon acknowledges proud, "most of the students don't have your wisdom or common sense."
"Eh, they're girls. Their version of violence is to hate and sabotage each other in secret while pretending that they actually like each other," Kaneki retorts, "they wouldn't last a second in my city."
"Mostly because it is infested with ghouls, a tough creature to defeat," Avalon remarks, making Kaneki falter for a moment.
"So Faragonda told you," Kaneki comments dryly but knew deep down that Faragonda wouldn't have revealed such information without a good reason so he'll trust her.
"Yes, in fact, she requested if I could help in any way possible," Avalon informs.
"Sorry for the trouble."
"No trouble at all," Avalon interjects, immediately, "it must be difficult, you are all alone in a completely different world with little idea on how to return, but at least you have Faragonda and the rest of the staff helping."
"That's true," Kaneki acknowledges, if he had ended up in another world or in a different location then he would be without any allies or help which would make research harder.
"Ah, I just remembered," Avalon opens his white blazer and digs into an inner pocket to bring out a red tear-shape gem with a thin piece of thread wrapped around it. Avalon holds it up for Kaneki to see clearly.
The gem was a brilliant vermillion that gleamed so radiantly in the natural light, Kaneki was left mesmerised by its beauty, the deep wine was so calming, so hypnotising. All Kaneki could see, was it. He heard nothing. He felt nothing. The jewel was luring Kaneki into its centre.
"-neki? Kaneki?" Avalon called out, hesitantly, waving his hand in front of Kaneki's eyes which snap the teen from his stupor.
"Wha-?" Kaneki gradually came back to reality, he was in the forest with Professor Avalon, "I'm sorry Professor, but I didn't hear, what did you say?"
Avalon did not look offended in the slightest rather he gave Kaneki a charming grin as he repeats his last words, "I was wondering if you would accept my gift? It was forged on planet Fortuna and is said to be blessed with luck by the guardian spirits of unicorns."
Kaneki needed it.
But he knew he could not accept the gift so musters up all his will and he refuses it albeit reluctantly, "It's a beautiful gem, but I can't accept it. It wouldn't be a good idea."
Avalon recedes back as if he had been slapped. It was as if no one had ever said 'no' to him which leaves him astounded, but he regains composure. "If that's what you want then who am I to refuse?" Avalon shrugs as he tucks the pendant in his pocket. Kaneki eyes follow the gem and felt a shred of disappointment when it disappears from his sight.
"We should be getting back now," Avalon reminds as he gets to his feet, brushing the dirt off his jacket. "The ship to Red Fountain will be leaving after breakfast."
"That late already?" Kaneki takes note of the change of daylight. Wow, time really does pass quickly when you have fun even when not immersed in a book. "You can go an ahead, Professor. I'll catch up," Kaneki assures, still dubious of Avalon's intentions.
Understanding Kaneki's distrust of him, Avalon says bye and was about to leave when Kaneki stops him.
"Sorry, Professor but could you not tell anyone about this place?" Kaneki requests hesitantly. "If the other students see this place then..." Kaneki trails off, hoping that Avalon understood where he was coming from which he did.
"Of course, my dear boy," Avalon agrees wholeheartedly, much to Kaneki's relief, before taking his leave. It's about 20 minutes before Kaneki himself decides to hike back to Alfea.
He returns to his bedroom where Faith and Glim were faithfully waiting for him while messing with his lamp. Kaneki takes a quick shower then throws his Hetare bag over his shoulder before making his way to the cafeteria, picking up a simple cheese sandwich so he could eat outside.
"Hey, Kenny the ship is just there shouldn't we board?" Faith queries once he finishes munching on his part of the sandwich.
"Let me finish this," Kaneki requests holding up his sandwich.
Kaneki boards the ship which only had 7 other girls already in their seats. He decides to sit by the window and continue on his story. After 10 minutes, he looks up when he hears his name being called.
"Kaneki," Aisha waves as she strides towards him only to be knocked to the side by another girl.
"Oh, Kaneki!" Carina squeals leaping into the seat beside him much to his chagrin.
Kaneki chooses not to acknowledge her but helps Aisha while inquiring if she was okay.
"I'm fine," Aisha huffs as she throws a dirty look in Carina's direction. Carina, irked that Kaneki blows by her without any acknowledgement and instead directs his full attention to Aisha, crosses her arms across her chest while her friends console her.
"I can't wait until we reach Red Fountain," Bloom tells her friends.
"I wonder how the school looks like now," Musa wonders.
"I bet it's amazing," Flora inputs.
"We won't know till we get there," Stella giggles.
Red Fountain
"Wow, this place is amazing," Aisha marvels as she spirals around to see everything. The fairies and Professor Avalon were walking to the newly built academy.
"Professor Avalon, thank you for taking us all here," Bloom says.
"My pleasure, it's a chance for me to meet the teachers of Red Fountain," Avalon responds. "You go ahead, I'll wait here."
"You're not coming with us?" Bloom questions, disappointment obvious in her voice.
"I'm going to meet up with Professor Codatorta," Avalon informs then he waves them goodbye and searches for a certain teacher. They watched his retreating back until Tecna glances back and sees a group of witches heading their way.
"Is that who I think it is?" Aisha inquires, eyeing up the witches in suspicion. This grabs the attention of the other fairies who look to the witches in disdain, all except one.
"Lucy!" Mirta squeals in joy as she throws out her arms for a hug but Lucy just brushes past her as if she doesn't exist. Mirta, dejected, slowly lowers her arms back down.
"Think they'll cause trouble?" Musa questions, almost accusingly.
"It's okay, the Trix aren't with them anymore," Bloom reassures and the group walk through the gates.
No one noticed the three young women casually walking into the school then again they looked fairly normal except they weren't. The disguises worked to charm for the Trix.
"Sh*t, it's those meddling Winx dweebs," Stormy cusses when takes note of the Winx further ahead.
"As well as pretty boy," Icy sees him straggling along. "We should check in with Lord Darkar whether he still wants us to capture him."
"I still don't see why he's so special," Stormy huffs gnashing her teeth as the thought of her humiliating defeat at his hands.
"Are you sure it's a good idea sneaking in with these witches?" Darcy inquires in a hushed voice glancing around just to ensure their former schoolmates would not recognise them.
"If any of these girls recognise us then they'll be too scared to say anything," Icy assures cackling quietly.
"Yeah, we spent years bullying them," Stormy supports grinning as she relishes the memories of abuse.
"We have to get the Codex quickly," Darcy reminds.
"Then let's just grab it and go," Icy retorts. "First we have to find the piece being kept here."
The Trix continued with their search around the building.
The Winx decided to relax by sitting on the bench while waiting for the Specialists to arrive. Kaneki was about to separate from the girls and go on his own when the pixies stopped him.
"Where are you going?" Lockette inquires, holding a part of his black vest with her thumb and forefinger to prevent him from leaving.
"You can't leave now," Amore adds.
"It is quite impolite to leave without informing us," Tune chastised. The other pixies start begging him to stay so he relents and takes a seat beside Flora deciding to continue with his story. For the next 15 minutes, Chatta kept on blabbering about which boy Flora would find cute and how the pixie would help her.
"Hey everyone. Welcome to Red Fountain, you all look great," Sky compliments, bowing.
"You got that right. We outshine all the other girls at Alfea," Stella gloats, head held high.
"Stella! Prince Sky is being very polite here, the least you could do is return the compliment," Tune scolds.
"Sorry for the delay," Sky says, "I hope you weren't too bored."
"Of course not, I was too busy being admired," Stella giggles as another Specialist gives her a greeting as he goes past. Brandon grumbles, irritated at how his girlfriend is soaking up all the attention from other guys, Stella appeared oblivious to her jealous boyfriend as she brags about her exploits. "Hmm, 4 witches, 9 fairies and now 15 Specialists," Stella giggles as another Specialist flirts with her briefly.
"Well, I scored a total of 12 witches, 17 fairies and 3 Specialists for a total of 32, I win sunshine," Brandon counters, smugly as everyone snickers as Stella huffs and crosses her arms.
"Doesn't Kaneki usually hang out with you? Where is he?" Timmy inquires, looking around.
"Yeah, I was kinda hoping to challenge him in a fight," Brandon informs, he was impressed by the kick Kaneki threw at the doors during the pixie rescue. "It'd be great to have a challenge."
"What makes him so impressive?" Riven challenges with hostility.
"Come on Riven, he was a lot of help during the mission," Sky replies.
"Wasn't he sitting by you, Flora?" Bloom questions so everyone looks back to see Kaneki still sitting at the bench with his brows furrowed and his tongue peeking out the corner of his mouth as he furiously scrawls into his booklet.
"What are you working on so desperately? You were doing that when we first boarded the ship," Aisha mentions, wanting to know.
"A secret," Kaneki responds just as Faith was about to open his big mouth.
"Again with the secrets," Musa rolls her eyes.
"You said the same thing when we wondered what your power was," Tecna recalls.
"I like my privacy," Kaneki shrugs as he packs away his notebook before noticing the Specialists. "When did you guys arrive?"
"Not too long ago," Sky responds.
"Oh," Kaneki responds as he gets up before remembering the events from yesterday. "You guys got your shots? You never know what those beavers had."
Sky and Brandon paled at 'beavers', they were really hoping that no one would ever know they were at Alfea.
"What? Beavers?" Stella inquires, perplexed.
"It's nothing, babe," Brandon chuckles, nervously.
"Yeah, kinda an inside joke," Sky supports, weakly.
The rest look at them in suspicion before dropping it since it wasn't really important.
"So are we going to the arena behind the school for the parade?" Bloom inquires.
"Actually, the ceremony will take place inside," Sky informs.
"Inside," Stella huffs, "for once I'd like to spend a day inside with seeing a-"
"Whoa. Stella, you don't really think we'll have a party without a few surprises?" Brandon questions to make her happy. The group walk to the arena though Bloom cuts off to find Professor Avalon fueling the little green monster tucked in the back folds of Sky's mind. It wasn't long till they reached the arena where numerous Specialists were practising on their Wind Riders before the celebration starts.
"Well, here we are," Brandon announces with a wide sweep of his arms.
"Wow, the geometric structure of this place is amazing," Tecna marvels, instantly losing the attention of everyone else except Timmy with her nerd talk.
"Ooh, look over there," Aisha points to a young man sketching a duo of birds pecking at some breadcrumbs in front of him. He had long ebony hair in a loose ponytail and wore a light green poet's shirt with beige khakis.
"Who's that? He's cute," Stella admires the stranger while unconsciously primping herself.
"Nobody," Brandon huffs in envy but it didn't stay for long. He's not the type to keep a petty grudge after all.
"Actually that's Saladin's nephew," Timmy correct nudging his glasses up.
"So he must be a really talented Specialist," Flora guesses, trying not to appear too enthusiastic.
"Helia? No way. He's a real pacifist, doesn't even like to get his hands dirty," Brandon rolls his eyes before jerking a thumb in Helia's direction.
"Matter of fact, I heard he dropped out of Red Fountain," Timmy adds and as if overhearing everything, Helia glances up from his sketchpad to the group.
Brandon instantly decides to do damage control by introducing the Alfea students to him. "Hey, Helia, let me introduce you to the stars of Alfea. This is Stella, Tecna-" just before Brandon could introduce Flora, Stella rudely butts right in.
"Hi, I'm Stella. Are you an artist? Can you show me your sketches?" Stella bombards him with multiple questions but Helia doesn't mind and remains courteous.
"Pleased to meet you," Helia bows in response.
"Why do you draw on paper? Graphic palettes are so handy," Tecna informs, trying to be helpful with Digit backing her up with facts about the graphic palettes. Seeing Helia was distracted by Digit, Stella sees an opportunity to swipe Helia's sketchpad from his hands and examine his works.
"These are great," Stella compliments as she flips through the pages before handing it to Flora. "Would you draw a portrait of me?" Stella flutters her eyes to further convince him.
"Your lines are so full of life. One can really sense the energy and I really love how your brushstrokes match the fern leaf in the paper," Flora notes passing back the sketchpad as Helia is left impressed and dumbfounded at the same time.
"No one's ever noticed the fern leaf in the paper before," Helia mentions as he slowly falls in love with a sweet girl who clearly understands the beauty of art.
"And this is Flora," Brandon chuckles as he sees the love blossoming between them and it wasn't just him.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Chatta excitedly whispers to Amore before they use their hands to muffle their giggling.
With Bloom
"Professor Avalon went this way," Lockette informs as Bloom scamper up a set of crumbling stairs. She dashes past the disguised Trix and skids to a halt to ask for some help.
"We cannot be recognised no matter what," Icy reminds just as Bloom comes up from behind. Lucky for them that she didn't hear what Icy said thus is oblivious to their true identities.
"Um, sorry to bother you but by any chance did you see a tall handsome professor pass here lately?" Bloom inquires kindly. The Trix glance back before stiffening at the appearance of the last person they wanted to see.
"Uh, no, only short and ugly ones," Icy responds while mentally berating herself for that suspicious answer.
"Oh, okay," Bloom raises a brow but doesn't focus on it for long before thanking them and dashing back down the stairs.
"Is she onto us?" Stormy wonders in a low voice, peering back at her sisters.
"Let's lie low just in case," Icy suggests with caution.
Arena
After a fruitless search for Avalon, Bloom decides to give up and meet back with her friends. She rushes into the arena and spots her friends not too far away so she jogs over to them and sits beside Stella. Soon an announcement was made by Codatorta and Saladin.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen. Friends of Red Fountain, we have not gathered here today to lament the ruin of our illustrious school although the historic splendour of Red Fountain has been ruined, the skills and spirit of the Specialists have remained unshaken."
"The time has come to restore the prestige of Red Fountain by renewing the very foundations of our institution," Saladin lifts his staff which starts glowing and the whole building starts to tremble, sending everyone into a panic. "Please, everyone stay calm. Enjoy the ride."
A newly built Red Fountain levitates into the sky (1) before it starts to reassemble itself by removing the ceiling and more seats slide out to accommodate everyone.
"And now ladies and gentlemen, a parade for the new Red Fountain," Codatorta announces, his voice bellowing. A set of Specialists riding on dragons were flying about for the air show, entertaining the audience.
The Ground
On the ground, the Trix stare up at the floating arena. Soon after, their shadows converged into one being.
"What are you three standing around here for?" Darkar hisses in irritation at their negligence.
"Well, we haven't found the Codex yet, Master," Icy explains.
"Fly to the castle. Grackthroat will be there shortly to cause a distraction," Darkar instructs.
"Another shadow monster?" Icy inquires, smirking.
"Not just any shadow monster, my very own pet," Darkar cackles, evilly.
"Master, that guy you wanted alive before, the one with the white hair and could transform into a fairy, he's here," Darcy informs. "Should we try to capture him again?"
Darkar mulls this over before coming to a snap decision. "No. You three focus on the Codex, I'll deal with him."
"Yes, Lord Darkar," the trio bow their heads in respect before intending to do what they were ordered to do.
Red Fountain
After multiple fights, a small break was called so Bloom, Stella, Flora, Tecna were hanging in the garden with their pixies while Musa and Aisha went to grab some drinks, Kaneki had gone with them but Faith saw two girls strolling a few feet away eating chocolate covered waffles which made him drool a pool out his mouth as his eyes gleamed in our joy.
"Kenny! Kenny, food!" Faith started to tug at Kaneki's hair strands, begging for those delicious and scrumptious snacks.
"Alright, alright," Kaneki sighed as he held the back of Faith's hoodie with his thumb and forefinger to prevent the pixie from dashing away from him and getting lost in the crowd. Glim flew over to Kaneki and started to babble excitedly which Kaneki took as her wanting to join so he taps Aisha on the shoulder, "I'm taking Glim with me so you don't need to worry."
"That's fine, we'll see you guys later," Aisha responds so he, Faith and Glim head to find food.
"Ooh, ooh! I want that! No, I want the caramel apple! But the snow cones look so good!" Faith exclaims, looking left and right at all the food stalls before him.
"1 candy floss, please," Kaneki deadpans, fed up with Faith's indecisiveness though the pixie wasn't offended in the slightest.
"Yay!" Faith cheers with Glim joining in. The stall owner chuckled at their enthusiasm before handing Kaneki the cone, but before he could seize it, a young girl crashes into his shoulder so the candy floss falls to the ground much to the dismay of the two pixies.
"No," Faith moans, slumping down while Glim was on the verge of tears and that did not sit well with Kaneki.
"Hey," Kaneki vociferates to grab the attention of the girl who bumped into him alongside her friend. "It's common courtesy to apologise when you bump into someone."
The girl who bumped into him has glossy anthracite hair tied into a braid and her bangs were pulled back exposing her clear, pale skin. "Oh really?" The girl drawls, the thick twin fuzzy mats above her narrowed emerald green eyes were cinched into a frown as she pressed her lips into a thin line. She fully turned around lifting a hand that she places on her hip which moves her cloak thus exposing cobalt long sleeve t-shirt that reaches her midriff with matching cobalt trousers. Bandages were wrapped around her midriff and she had a brown leather belt.
With a gloved hand, she forcefully grabs his shirt and yanks him close until their faces were inches apart, "Then why don't you get down on your knees and apologise?" She bares her teeth threateningly like a wild animal and her eyes narrow into cat-like slits.
Kaneki hums as he mulls this over, nodding a couple of times and tapping his foot on the ground. He shows absolutely no fear of her threat and instead places his hand over hers even patting it. "How about no?" Kaneki suggests then grips her hand tightly making the girl wince at the force. She tries to jerk her hand away but found his strength immense. "Now why don't you be a good girl and stop picking fights, hmm?" Kaneki releases her hand deciding not to tease her any further or cause her any injury. She's clearly a trained warrior judging by her callouses on her torrid skin.
"Haley," her friend whimpers while tugging her friend's sleeve which Haley shrugs off. The demeanour of the other girl is the exact opposite of her friends as she is now left nibbling on her already painfully short nails. Her wide rust-red eyes continuously dart between her best friend and the stranger who her friend was picking a fight with. Her honey blonde tied into a single ponytail on the right side of her head with a thin cerulean bow, the wisps tickling the side of her neck. She switched from nipping on her nails to fiddling with the hem of her pale rose pink asymmetrical dress.
What was most eye-catching about her was the fact that she had a slightly larger body type than the other girls which Kaneki mentally thanks god for as he is left questioning why every girl he sees is practically a skeleton on the verge of breaking apart and could barely fit a pickle in their stomach.
"Haley, please. Technically, you did bump into him. Just swallow your pride and apologise."
"No way, Celia," Haley responds not glancing back at her jittery friend as she yanks her arm away from Celia's grasp. "Cocky bastards like him need to be knocked off their high horses."
'Cocky?' Kaneki raises a brow at her statement. He just wanted an apology since she did bump into him. Whatever, he didn't see the point in prolonging such a pointless argument. "Could I get another?" Kaneki flat out ignores Haley and instead focuses on the stall owner.
"Sure. Free of charge," the owner offers, refusing to look at Haley in case he incurs her wrath.
"Thanks," Kaneki gratefully accepts the new cone from the stall owner. He throws one last glance at Haley who was still glowering up at him before walking in the opposite direction, Faith and Glim following silently behind.
Kaneki pulled off small pieces of candy floss and passed them to Faith and Glim who happily scarfed it down.
"Are we meeting up with the others now?" Faith inquires with candy floss all around his mouth even Glim didn't eat as messily as he had and she's a baby.
"Wipe your face," Kaneki scolds gently before answering 'yes' to his question as they continued their stroll to meet up with the others but only found Tecna, Musa and Aisha. Tecna informed him that they had returned to the arena to watch the fights so they all went back together.
Darkar's Castle
A bat-like shadow creature flies into the room and hangs upside down from Darkar's outstretched arm. "Kerborg, I have a special task for you," Darkar throws his arm which sends Kerborg flying above 4 illuminating stones on the ground. Wisps of red, orange and black are emitted from the stones which infect Kerborg, slowly transforming him into a hulking monster large enough to reach the ceiling of the throne room. "Arise monster within. Grackthroat awaken."
Grackthroat now has a head reminiscent of a lion's mane except its dark mauve while his skin is a lighter shade than in his original form with huge hulking wings twice his body size. His hands are replaced with a mouth with razor sharp teeth and has an elongated tail with a snake head at the end.
Kerborg let's out a bellowing roar that quakes the very foundation of the castle before crashing through the wall to the outside and flying towards Red Fountain.
Darkar watches his pet fly to do its purpose with his magic orb before it switches to Kaneki who tearing pieces of candy floss and passing them to the pixies.
"This will be the perfect opportunity to analyse his strength and magical ability. You best impress me, my King."
Red Fountain
The audience cheered at the top of their lungs as Sky and Riven battled one another. The fight was magnificent as both competitors fought to the best of their ability, but in the end, Sky won by tripping Riven who was not impressed.
"Come on," Sky grins as he holds out his hand to help Riven up all in good faith.
"I don't need your help," Riven slaps Sky's hand away before abruptly standing up and staring straight into Sky's eyes, his whole posture indicating rage and intimidation. "Must be nice being a prince, you spend your whole life learning from the best," Riven accuses.
"I couldn't have beaten from you if I hadn't put in the work," Sky counters vehemently. Riven just growls before stomping away. The next fight was to be Brandon vs a Senior Specialist. However, instead of the senior, a mysterious cloaked figure walks onto the arena befuddling Brandon, Sky and the audience.
The figure tears off the cloak to reveal Haley, the girl Kaneki argued with earlier. The audience gasps in shock before they start to mutter to themselves, Haley pays them no attention and instead focuses on Brandon who looks exasperated.
"Oh jeez, Haley," Brandon moans, rubbing his head to ease a migraine coming on.
"Fight me," Haley demands, seizing her tonfas from their holders attached to the belt on her hip.
"This again? Get outta here, Normie!" The senior, who was Brandon is supposed to fight, hollers at the top of his lungs. Needless to say, Brandon didn't take kindly to the insult hurled at his childhood friend and tries to do damage control.
"What? A normie?" Someone mumbles.
"I recognise her!" Another hisses in excitement, "she's Saladin's niece!"
"The one without any powers?"
"Saladin, it appears she's at it again," Codatorta informs, watching how the spectators were slowly beginning to recognise Haley and boo at her. Not that he was surprised by the outcome, it is always inevitable for someone like her. "Should we intervene?"
Saladin appears not to hear as he is fully focused on Haley who is having slurs thrown her way. "Haley," Saladin mutters under his breath, his eyes full of sorrow for his niece.
Haley clenched the handles of her tonfas tight, her hands were trembling violently as she tried to hold herself back from attacking the smug prick or lashing out at the malicious crowd.
Kaneki's eyes narrow in fury as he surveys the audience that is jeering at the 'normie' girl. Their eyes expressed pure joy as they tried to break her, their screeching laughter echoing as they scorn her existence. Their faces began to morph into obscurity, all that was left were their inner monsters that were now exposed to awaken gaze.
"Poor her," Musa whispers.
"Why are they calling her that?!" Bloom was left aghast.
"Normie's are girls who do not have any magical ability when they should," Tecna informs, unsurprised at what was happening. "The term is fairly popular amongst nobility and rarely ever used by the common masses."
"It's absolutely humiliating to be labelled as a 'normie' amongst aristocrats. You lose a whole lot of respect from your peers and the constant mockery is too much for some," Stella informs. "It's better to be crippled physically instead of magically."
"It's not just enough to be rich, you need the power to back up your status," Aisha adds, remembering encountering the minority of aristocratic girls who were unfortunate to not display any magical abilities.
"Tecna, you said the term is rarely used with the common masses so what does that mean for, uh?" Bloom struggles with explaining.
"Middle and lower class girls? Nothing. It doesn't matter if plebians don't have any magical abilities, they don't usually need it in their line of work which mainly consists of builders, bakers, clerks, retailers and other jobs that don't require high-level magic. Truth be told, the higher class only need it to show off their status," Tecna informs. "However, it's still seen as shameful for a girl not to display any magical ability so they're usually shunned no matter what the social class. Luckily, there are laws to prevent such discrimination."
"That's still horrible."
"That's life. Sad but true," Aisha responds, despondent.
"It would have been for the best if she hadn't decided to fight in the arena," Stella hums. "But apparently Haley has something to prove."
"You know her Stella?" Musa questions curiously.
"No, but according to Brandon she's his and Sky's childhood friend,"
"She grew up with them?" Flora hums not expecting that neither was Bloom who tries to squash the jealous mound building in her gut. She shouldn't resent a girl she barely knows, while Sky may be her boyfriend, he's not her possession.
"Not only that but I'm pretty sure she was a nominee to be apart of Sky's Royal Court," Stella adds.
"Royal Court?" Bloom echoes.
"Yeah, most planets have them," Aisha speaks up glancing down at Piff who fell asleep on her lap. "They help rule the kingdom since its too difficult to have just one person in charge of every aspect of the law, aid etcetera."
"She most likely got knocked off the application chart," Tecna comments before bringing out her phone to research Eraklyon law on Normies. Everyone else focuses back on the arena.
"See? No one wants you here," the senior taunts, relishing the entire scene, "why don't you be a good little girl and wait to clean my spear after the fight? After all, that's all normies can actually to do."
"All I hear is you trying to weasel your way out of a fight," Haley counters, attempting to keep her cool, "if you're too scared to fight me then just say so. Stop blowing out hot air."
The senior's face flushed red in rage and clenched his jaw so hard, his teeth gnashed together.
"Ha! Who would be scared of you? I could take you on with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back," the senior spits out. "No one wants to fight against a stupid girl! In fact... which one of you brave men want to fight against this stupid normie?!" The last part was shouted out to the audience who went silent before losing control.
"Get outta here, Normie!" That one shout was enough to set off a chain reaction of verbal abuse. "You suck!"
"Oh, Haley," Celia mumbles, feeling bad for her best friend. She slides down in her seat so no one would realise she was also a non-magical being. Unlike Haley, she just wouldn't be able to handle the abuse thrown her way and would burst out into tears a minute in.
"See? No wants to fi-"
"I'll fight her," Kaneki exclaims, standing up on his seat with his arm raised high. The Winx gasped while the audience broke out in outrage.
"Kenny, what are you doing?" Faith questions.
"You can't fight her. She's a girl!" Stella exclaims, waving her about wildly.
Haley's eyes widen as she recognises Kaneki from earlier. Kaneki makes his way down to the arena, ignoring the stares and whispers being thrown his way. He moved past the senior who sputtered at the unexpectedness of the situation.
"W-What?! But-But... why would you fi-fight a normie?!" The senior yelled in outrage and bewilderment.
"You asked, I volunteered. What's wrong with that?" Kaneki inquires, raising a brow, "she wants a fight, I'll give her a fight. Now, get outta here."
"What's he doing?!" Brandon exclaims as if Kaneki is crazy.
"I don't know," Sky responds calmer, before turning to Helia who was watching with furrowed brows, he didn't look scared for Haley but there was some worry dancing in his eyes. "Aren't you going to stop him? Haley is your cousin," Sky points out.
Helia sighs before explaining, "If I do intervene, Haley will never forgive me. This will be an opportunity to understand the consequences of what she truly wants."
"Honestly, I didn't think I would see you again," Kaneki comments as he cracks his index finger, "but this is a good thing, you obviously need a refresher in manners."
"Pick your weapon," Haley demands, getting into an offensive position. She wince when he cracked his finger, something like that must have been painful but he just smiles at the pain.
"I fight with my hands and legs," Kaneki informs as he too gets into position. A whistle is blown and the two shoot into action.
Kaneki sprints forward at the speed of light which startles Haley who wasn't expecting such speed, she manages to block it out of instinct before countering with her tonfa to his face. Kaneki leaps back to dodge and Haley immediately goes after him, attempting to give him barely any time to formulate his next action but Kaneki is a ghoul, he knows how to fight. Kaneki grabs the ends of both tonfas, pulls them apart before kneeing her hard in the stomach.
"Agh!" Haley chokes and holds her stomach from the pain, but never does she fall to her knees. She looks Kaneki straight in the eye, determination gleaming in her gaze. Kaneki nods before dashing her way once he was close enough, Haley kicks the ground which sends dust and dirt flying, blinding Kaneki for a few seconds. This allowed Haley to uppercut him, the blow made Kaneki fall back but not only that.
Once the dust settled, the audience saw a black eyepatch in the centre of the two combatants. Kaneki was focusing on the ruined medical patch on the ground, his hand covering his left eye. He chuckled before pulling his hand down to reveal a closed eye, but underneath he could feel his kakugan raring to go.
"Oh no! Kenny's eyepatch!" Faith gasps.
"It looks fine," Stella comments, bored.
"But he's keeping it closed so there must be something wrong with it," Tecna corrects.
The two continue to fight for the next 15 minutes, both evenly matched though Kaneki had to hide his true strength due to his ghoul nature. Eventually, Kaneki defeated Haley by kicking her hard in the stomach so she couldn't stand.
"Winner!" Someone calls out and the audience breaks out in cheer.
"Woohoo!"
"That was awesome!"
"I knew you could do it, Kaneki!" Carina cheers as she and her friends run down to the end of the stand. She starts begging he come up while Jessica and Lola jeer and cuss out Haley. Kaneki watched them for a moment before walking to Haley who was still on her knees, she clenched the dirt as she laments on her lost.
"How could I lose? I've trained so hard," Haley grits out before hitting the ground in anger.
"Losing is normal," Haley looks up to see Kaneki bending down and offering his hand to her, "there's no use in beating yourself up over it, it's what you learn from the loss that defines you. So, are you going to take my hand?"
Haley still stares up at Kaneki before hesitantly lifting her hand and accepting his hand, Kaneki's grip tightened as he yanked her up to her feet. "You know, you're a great fighter," Kaneki compliments, trying to distract her from the hatred of others, "I just might ask for another spar next time."
'Great fighter? Another spar?' No one has ever said to Haley ever before. It was always, 'Don't be stupid, you can't learn to fight', 'Normies should get lost' and 'All you should learn is how to be a good wife'. The only ones who ever believed in her were her best friend, Celia, her Uncle Saladin and Helia.
Haley was about to answer when Kaneki adds, "It's a shame that you don't adhere to this code." He was referring to the words engraved on the fallen tonfa which he grabs off the ground. 'Heart of Gold, Mind of Steel, Will of Titanium. A warrior must defend the innocent while fighting for peace while never straying from the path of justice.'
A dark shadow overtakes the arena just as she was about to chew him out and a shadow creature lets out a bellowing roar as it remains stationary. Grackthroat breathes a huge fireball towards the arena, Kaneki tackles Haley out of the way.
The monster swung its tail at a wall which caused rubble to rain down on the audience who sprang to their feet and attempted to flee while screaming in fear and terror.
"Seriously?" Kaneki spits out once he gets up to his feet and sees the fleeing people, he grits his teeth as he tried to keep his cool but was failing miserably. "Most of you are fairies and witches! You can fight so why the hell are you guys running?!" Kaneki immediately transforms and flew into the air to deal with the monster.
Some of them halted in running, realising Kaneki was right. The fairies couldn't just rely on the Winx and the witches couldn't believe that they were just going to rely on fairies to save them. Both sides transformed and began to help in any way they can whether it was rescuing or evacuating the injured or defending against the creature.
"Magic Winx!" The Winx announced as they transform.
Haley was left frozen at the sight of the hulking beast but snapped out of it when she hears Celia cry for her, "Haley! Help!" Haley whips her head back to see Celia's legs trapped under some rubble her arm outstretched begging for Haley with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Celia!" Haley screeches as she dashes to help her precious best friend.
"Specialists, report to your teams, evacuate the area," Codatorta orders. The fairies and witches started blasting the monster with their powers but find that it was impervious to magic. Eventually, it was realised that the Trix were here so Codatorta and Saladin were informed, the latter ordered that Codatorta and the best guards protect the Codex.
The Winx decided to try another assault with Flora leading with a frontal attack. Unfortunately, before she could attack, the monster spits out a sticky substance that blinds her for a few seconds which leaves her open for an attack. Helia saves her at the last minute with his thread-like strings which successfully hold back the monster. When he realises Flora is fine, he releases the monster much to the shock of Bloom and Stella.
"Oh no! He set it free!" Bloom gasps.
"You're a genius, Helia," Stella scoffs with sarcasm dripping from her lips, "why not send a few more monsters while you're at it."
"Stella, for once in your life think!" Kaneki spat out. "How long do you think a human could actually hold back a monstrous beast the size of a castle?! It was a miracle he managed to hold it back at all!"
"Kaneki's right, those ropes might not have had the strength to hold the monster back any longer," Tecna supports much to Stella's ire. While the other Specialist students deal with the monster, the Winx, Kaneki and the Specialists try to come up with a new plan.
"Magic is useless against the monster and the pixies aren't much help either," Bloom tells them.
"So what's the plan?" Riven questions.
"We do what Helia did and use the ropes to rein in the monster," Sky informs them. "For that, we'll have to work together and target the exact same spot."
"Okay, you're in charge for now but just wait until I beat you," Riven challenges.
The girls took some steps back, praying a fight wouldn't break out but Sky's reply calmed them, "Very well, that's fair. Come on, let's go."
Crypt of Codes
"Shouldn't we send someone after the Trix?" Codatorta inquires as he, Saladin and the best guards of Red Fountain go downstairs to protect the Codex.
"No need to, they're after the Codex. They'll come to us," Saladin assures, never once realising that Icy was trailing silently right behind them.
"You're right, the kids will do fine against the monster," Codatorta says comforted. "After all, we taught them everything."
Outside
The Specialists all jumped onto their dragons and rode them into the sky to grab the monster's attention. While this happened Tecna used her techno-magic, with Digit assisting, to help position the other Specialists around the monster so they could use the ropes to tie it down.
Unfortunately, the monster's strength proved to be too much as the ropes begin to snap so Flora uses Arms of the Earth to summon vines to entrap the monster but those were slowly being torn apart by the monster, one arm was already free and began to slash those on the dragons.
"Oh no! It's breaking free!" Flora gasps, trying to summon more vines but the monster kept slicing them into ribbons.
"Hell's Embrace!" Kaneki casts and a sphere of dark energy appearing in his palm, he claps once and his hand separate the sphere divides into smaller ones on each finger which he throws to the ground. Chains sprout from the earth and wrap themselves around the beast.
"Tecna, we could really use a weakness!" Bloom urges desperately when Aisha tackles Flora out of the way when the beast tries to swipe at her with his free clawed hand.
"Got it! The weak spot is under its throat!" Tecna exclaims excitedly after finally finding a weakness.
"Great!" Brandon yelps as he narrowly misses being swiped at. "How'd we get to its throat when it is trying to swat us away?!"
"Like this!" Haley hollers as she flips onto the tied arm of the monster before sprinting up the arm, her upper body lowered as to keep balance. She narrowly missed the free arm that tried to claw her off before she reached the shoulder and flips high into the air, activating the blades on her tonfas and plunging them deep into the skull of the monster.
The monster shrieks in agony as it shakes it's head wildly, trying to throw Haley away who was clinging on for dear life.
"There's an opening!" Timmy alerts so the Specialists all dive towards the monster and strikes it's neck thus vanquishing it. The monster explodes into a messy lump of flesh swimming in a pool of blood.
Crypt of Codes
"No one can reach the hidden room without coming through here," Saladin announces.
"Alright guards, take up your positions," Codatorta commands and the guards get into position to properly protect the Codex against the Trix.
"Curses, there are too many of them," Icy hisses in frustration once she realises that there was no way she could take on all of them, she flees the other way.
Outside
"Haley!" Helia exclaims into horror when he sees her unconscious from plummeting to the ground, gradually gaining more speed. Kaneki shoots across and catches her midair before slowly floating down the ground, he kneeled as he gently shook her awake.
Haley's face scrunched up slightly before her eyes flutter open to see Kaneki peering down at her, worry swimming in his eye, the light from the sun illuminating his features. Haley could feel the heat radiating off her cheeks and hear the way her heart was thumping fast in her chest, any faster and it would jump out of her ribcage.
"Haley!" Helia yells as he rushes to the duo, he takes Haley out of Kaneki's arms and into his then examines her for any serious injuries. "Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"
"I'm fine, Helia," Haley assures patting his chest. Flora, not knowing Haley was Helia's cousin, crossed her arms over her chest and huffed looking the other way in jealousy.
"Come on, we need to check on the others," Sky informs beckoning them to follow which they do.
"Huh?" Kaneki gasps when something seizes his ankle, he looks back to see the monster arm, despite it not being attached to a body, somehow dragging him towards a black mass.
"Kaneki!" the others rush back and capture his wrists, arms and upper body and use all their strength to haul him out of the grasp but it was futile as the strength of the monster proves to be too much for them to all handle.
Kaneki attempts to kick off the hand but it wouldn't work. Soon both his legs were pulled into the black mass.
"It's no use," Timmy grunts.
"We're going to be pulled in!" Bloom exclaims.
"Molarre!" Avalon leaps into the fray yanking Kaneki forward the second he's free before casting another spell. "Suphera Capulan Strega Sepherom." A large, golden sphere appears his hands before encasing the arm and black mass which explodes a second later.
Those outside the sphere were protected. The barrier disappears and no one notices the small bat-like creature flying away, clearly happy with its action by the way it looks back.
"What was that?" Musa mutters.
"A kamikaze attack," Avalon snorts in disgust. "Having lost it thought it'd best to take out the closest person in the vicinity."
"That's nice and all but could you please release me, Professor?" Kaneki requests, his voice muffled as his face is buried in Avalon's chest. "Thank you."
"I apologise my dear boy."
"It's fine," Kaneki assures turning his head away to hide his flush cheeks. The faint sweet musk of pine mixed in with vanilla making the beautiful aroma of biblichor still tickles his nose. It reminds him greatly of a library.
"We must get to the gardens. Tents have been set up to help the injured," Avalon informs demanding that they follow him. No exceptions.
Everyone had to be examined even if you were completely fine that was a firm rule. Those with more grievous wounds had to be prioritised first so Kaneki, Haley, the Winx and Specialists were due last.
Kaneki sat by the fountain chewing out Faith and Glim who decided to take advantage of the chaos by raiding the abandoned stalls.
"How don't I adhere to the code?" Haley demands as she plops herself right beside Kaneki.
"Huh?" Kaneki raises a brow when Haley decides to sit by him out of nowhere. He looks around wondering if she's confused him with someone else.
"Stop looking around, jack*ss. I'm speaking to you," Haley scowls with her arms crossed over her chest. "The code. How don't I follow it?"
"Oh. You're too temperamental, picking fights over little things but looking back it's understandable,"
"I don't need your pity," Haley huffs. That's the last thing she wants.
"It's not pity," Kaneki corrects looking straight ahead. "More of empathy."
"Anyway, thanks for saving me, jerk face."
"You express gratitude by insulting the person you're thanking?" Kaneki questions her contradiction.
"Yes," Haley looks pretty proud of her response. The two is then left in awkward silence before Kaneki speaks up.
"I don't see your blonde friend," Kaneki mentions.
"Celia's leg is broken. She's being transferred to the hospital."
"Hey guys, what are you doing here all alone?" Stella giggles as if she stumbles upon a scandal. The Winx and Specialists trailing after her.
"Talking," Kaneki responds.
"What are you guys doing here?" Haley inquires looking suspiciously to the boys, her gaze turns into a glower when her sight lands on Sky.
"Haley, Uncle Saladin wants to see you," Helia mentions gesturing for her to come. Haley groans, knowing exactly why she was in trouble but gets up nonetheless.
"Alright," Haley heads towards her Uncle would be ensuring to shoulder check Sky who stumbles as he never expected that.
"Hey!" Bloom objects to the treatment of her boyfriend. Haley just smirks which Bloom sees.
Helia chose to stay behind.
"Kaneki right?" Helia wants to confirm. "I want to thank you. For giving Haley a chance, I mean. I know first hand how obnoxious she can be but she means well."
"Okay," Kaneki cups the back of his neck in embarrassment unsure how to react to the gratitude. Helia thanks him once more before leaving with the other Specialists who volunteered to help deal with the damage.
"Don't mind her, Kaneki," Aisha slides next to Kaneki's other side and leans closer to him. "As reward for helping to defeat the monster, Faragonda lifted our kitchen duty punishment."
"No more pruney hands," Stella purrs hugging her hands close to her heart whispering to them as if they were the most precious things in the world to her.
"I'm just happy that I don't have to hear her whine anymore," Tecna rolls her eyes. "Aisha took the punishment way better than you did."
"She also took the news about using no magic to cook or clean way better than you did," Stella retorts huffing.
"My reaction was completely logical. Why should we have cooked and cleaned by hand when it is far more streamlined and quicker to use magic?"
"I can't believe Faragonda put you two on kitchen duty expecting you to use only hard work," Musa giggles as she remembers Tecna's reaction and response to archaic things like when she put a bucket on her head and used a broom to dust a painting.
"I'm surprised that none of you burnt down the kitchen," Bloom adds before turning to Aisha. "Aren't you a princess, Aisha? How'd you know what to do?"
"I used to wake up early and the cooks would allow me to watch them make my breakfast," Aisha informs.
"You're a princess?" Kaneki wants to confirm.
Aisha nods.
"So am I," Stella pipes up.
"That explains a lot about Stella, but you don't seem like a typical princess, Aisha," Kaneki states factually.
"Believe you me that's not the first someone's said that to me," Aisha rolls her eyes.
"I don't mean it as anything bad," Kaneki assures. "You'd definitely make a better queen than Stella."
"I think I'd make a good queen," Stella huffs in outrage.
"Your subjects being in the latest fashion means nothing if they're lying dead on the ground," Kaneki counters coolly.
"Grr, hmph, just for that I'm not going to give you any of my beloved fashion tips so you can stay as Mr Gloomy Bastard," Stella scoffs turning away from him with her nose in the air. "And to think I was willing to supply you with my nail polish since you only wear black," Stella adds when she realises that Kaneki remained indifferent to her words.
"My nails are natural," Kaneki reveals after he examines them for a brief moment.
"That is physically impossible," Tecna denotes with a shake of her head.
"Prove it!" Stella yanks his shoe off for proof which unfortunately sends him falling into the water unintentionally dragging Aisha with him out of instinct.
"Stella, you could have just scraped his nail!" Musa points out.
"I hate you," Kaneki says after spitting out water.
"Ew!" Stella realises that she was touching Kaneki's foot and shoves it away again leading her to shove Kaneki back in the fountain who was distracted by wringing his soaked vest. He retaliates by dragging Stella in as well.
"My clothes... These cost a fortune!" Stella whines as her mascara smears.
"Stop shoving me in then," Kaneki retorts frustrated.
"You alright, Stella?" Bloom inquires as she uses her flame to dry Aisha.
"Yeah, no thanks to Kaneki," Stella states while wringing her outfit of the excess water.
"Me? I ain't taking the blame for the actions of an imbecilic, stereotypical bleach blonde princess!"
"What happened to your leg?" Flora gasps pointing to the injury barely peeking out of his trouser leg. These stops the argument and everyone pays attention to what Flora was referring to.
Kaneki rolls up the leg to reveal a monstrous bruise with teeth mark embedded in his skin which shows no sign of healing. "Where'd that come from?" Kaneki strokes the area before digging his finger into his flesh wondering if there was something inhibiting his regeneration.
"Don't do that!" Flora smacks his hand away to prevent further damage.
"I'll get Professor Avalon," Bloom splits off from the group.
Tecna kneels beside him and brings out her Omni-Detector, "Don't worry, the marks are purely physical, I can't find any negative activity so you're not poisoned. The marks should disappear naturally in a week or two."
But that still doesn't explain why his injuries shouldn't have healed, his regeneration is topnotch that even other ghouls were envious of his survival rate.
"I can't be hurt. These marks shouldn't exist," Kaneki mutters intending for no one but him to hear except Tecna was close enough which was unfortunate.
'What?' Tecna's eyes narrow in suspicion and frown. He can't be hurt? Those marks shouldn't exist?... Perhaps Musa is correct. The events around Kaneki are suspicious, they shouldn't just blindly trust Faragonda since even she can be wrong.
"Bloom has informed me that Kaneki is injured. Please let me see," Avalon requests before kneeling down and examining the wound.
"It's not that serious," Tecna informs before showing him the report on her Omni-Detector.
"I see. Why don't you girls head back to the ship? I'll bring Kaneki there later," Avalon orders so the girls leave trusting Kaneki to the professor. "This must be worrying for you," Avalon alludes referring to his regenerative abilities. "I heard ghouls have exceptional regeneration especially rinkaku users." Avalon carefully cradles Kaneki's ankle, his long fingers curling around it soft yet firm, before lifting it a few feet above the ground and places two fingers against the jaw marks which soon begin to glow gold.
Kaneki is left in awe when the wound closes up as if it never existed in the first place. He bends down to pick up his sneaker when Avalon beats him. "Let me," Avalon offers, already easing Kaneki's foot into the shoe. The action replicating a scene from Cinderella which kinda fits since Kaneki feels as if he were in a fairy tale at this very moment especially with the sun sinking fast thus plunging the empty garden in a soft orange glow and despite the shadow of night slinking in, Kaneki notes that Avalon is essentially gleaming in the dim light.
"Thank you," Kaneki responds, his heart flutters like the wings of a hummingbird. Feeling the heat radiating off his cheeks, Kaneki turns his head to the side so Avalon wouldn't notice cherry red cheeks which hopefully does not spread to the rest of his face and neck.
'Okay, as a pansexual, I can admit that Professor Avalon is undeniably handsome so much so that a simple smile would send both female and male happily to heaven but he's physically 10 to 15 years older than me so get over it, Ken!' While mentally berating himself over what he believes to be a childish crush, Kaneki is oblivious to the shadow looming over him.
Out of nowhere, Kaneki feels something slight deposited on his shoulders, he glances up to see Avalon had draped his own blazer over Kaneki. Upon noticing Kaneki's quizzical gander, Avalon elucidates his actions, "It wouldn't fare well if I let my student catch a cold," then points to his soaked shirt which is now sheer. Kaneki had removed his button-up black vest earlier when first shoved into the fountain and had forgotten all about it.
If Kaneki's face wasn't flushed before then it certainly is now, he pulls the ends together to hide his shame while secretly enjoying the warmth. "Tha-Thank you, Professor," Kaneki stammers focusing on his feet as if they were the most interesting thing going on in the world.
"We should head back to the ship now," Avalon reminds. "The girls are probably wondering where we are."
"Ah, wait, Professor Avalon," Kaneki grabs hold of Avalon's sleeve making the man pause in his step. Kaneki nibbles on his lower lip as he continuously shifts his weight between his feet while struggling what to say next, "I want to apologise for this morning, I didn't mean to come off as rude."
"I'm not offended," Avalon assures before perking up as if remembering something important. "Actually, I was hoping that you would still accept my gift. I still feel quite guilty for being so violent against you when all you wanted is to do is protect Bloom. Please, would you accept this pendant?" Kaneki barely heeds the seductive tone but it didn't matter as he could not find himself to refuse.
Avalon places it over Kaneki's head and the gem falls against his chest right above where his burn resides.
"Let's go back," Avalon wraps an arm around Kaneki's shoulder and leads him back to the ship. Once they were close enough, Kaneki saw that the Winx were hanging outside the ship as if waiting for him which they were. They all board the ship with Avalon taking a register just to ensure everyone was present before flying back to Alfea.
The Winx began to gossip and chat about what happened while questioning him, mainly Stella, about the severity of his injury, what he spoke about with Professor Avalon and why he had his blazer. Eventually, Kaneki had fallen asleep beside the window with Faith and Glim also sleeping in his lap. During all this excitement, no one noticed the dull glow from under Kaneki's shirt.
Shadow Haunt
"We're very sorry Master. We couldn't reach the Codex in time," Icy informs with remorse as she and her sisters kneel before Lord Darkar who is less than impressed with new of their failure.
"That's because you're a bunch of slow-witted fools," Darkar retorts without hesitation creating a small spark of rage with the trio. "We'll let them think they've won then they'll let down their guard. Now we know where they are keeping it and when they least expect it, we will launch an attack that they won't soon forget. The Codex will be mine," Darkar declares, his cackles echoing off the castle walls.
(1) I was watching this episode and I saw something very interesting. When the arena starts flying, pause it then look at the building upside down. Does it look like something familiar?