Chapter Six – Fire and Shadow

Flora could hardly keep up with Bloom, and she had a feeling the three other girls were having the same difficulty. But next to flying really fast, Bloom was also radiating a powerful orange light.

She was angry, and Flora knew it. The Trix had hurt Bloom a lot last year, and Bloom wasn't going to let them do it again this year. But somehow, even though she was also angry at the Trix, her thoughts weren't really with them right now.

Suddenly she realized that they had come across the Trix, and she focused. Together the five of them descended upon the Trix. Flora saw a trace of fear in the eyes of Darcy and Stormy, but it was soon replaced by the same evil and hatred that she saw in Icy's eyes.

Stormy summoned two tornadoes and sent them toward Stella and Techna, while Darcy telekinetically threw Musa backwards. Icy fired a concentrated orb of ice at Bloom, but the fairy melted it by throwing an orb of fire at it.

Suddenly a wall of fire separated Flora and her friends from the Trix. All the girls looked around, wondering what had caused it. Phoenix stepped onto the clearing the girls were standing on, his eyes emitting yellow light.

"These witches are here because I asked them to be, thus they are under my protection. They did not cast the spell on the dragons," he said ominously. "What? You're protecting the Trix?"

Phoenix looked at Stella, his expression saying it all. "If I have to go through you to get to the Trix, than I will," Bloom said. "Then bring it," Phoenix answered and he started emitting yellow light and levitated.

Bloom answered by starting to glow herself and throwing a ball of fire at the green-haired young man. Phoenix dodged the fireball and threw one of his own at the fairy, but she dodged his as well.

"How come you're so powerful?" Phoenix smiled, and the light he emitted grew more intense. "That's for me to know, and for you to find out. If you survive this," he said, and summoned a giant fireball.

He lifted it above his head, ready to throw it at Bloom, when suddenly Flora took a stand in front of Bloom. "Phoenix, stop!" The green-haired young man's expression became an angry one.

"Flora, get out of the way! You wouldn't survive the blast!" Flora gulped, but stood firm. "Then don't throw that fireball. Enough is enough, Phoenix!" The light around Phoenix became even more intense, and the fireball grew bigger.

"I will throw it, Flora, whether you're still in the way or not!" Flora had a strange feeling in her belly. "I don't think you will," she said, feeling quite secure that she was right.

"Why wouldn't I?" Flora had no idea. She had no control whatsoever of what she was saying. "Because you wouldn't have wasted your time trying to save me and my friends from the dragons if you wanted us dead anyway."

Suddenly the light coming from Phoenix disappeared and the fireball dissolved. The green-haired young man fell to the ground, and Flora flew towards him. "Are you alright?"

He looked at Flora, his eyes different from how they had been so far. "I think so," he whispered. Bloom, who had stopped glowing and had landed too, turned her attention back to the Trix.

"What are you up to, witches? Where's Mrs. Griffin?" Phoenix suddenly got up and looked at Icy. "It's him, isn't it? He's here," he said, and Icy nodded hesitantly. "He said that he couldn't do with just power, that he needed knowledge and skill as well," Darcy whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Phoenix turned to Bloom. "What we're talking about is a power so dark and so ancient the Dragon Flame pales in comparison. It is Evil incarnated, Bloom, and it's coming after us."

Before Bloom could say anything, Phoenix' eyes started glowing again. "But if he wants knowledge and skill, he won't be pleased with just Griffin. He'll go after Faragonda and Saladin as well."

Phoenix levitated, and Flora knew the young man was going to fly off to Alfea. "Take me with you," she said on an impulse, and he held her by the waist tightly before blasting off at a speed Flora never imagined herself flying.

Flora bit her nails as Phoenix played with the wires of the communication's device in Faragonda's office. The green-haired young man had flown through the entire building and had landed in front of the headmistress' office, after which he had used his telekinesis to open the doors.

Suddenly the communication's device bleeped and the last message played. Flora saw Mertha's message, and after that Griffin's urgent message was played. Flora looked at Phoenix. "This message came in on Saturday, around two o'clock in the morning," the green-haired young man said.

"Mertha told me they hadn't seen Griffin since she returned to Cloud Tower Friday night," Flora answered. "He has them," Phoenix said ominously. "That wasn't Griffin. He lured Saladin and Faragonda to Lake Roccalucci, and now he has them all."

"Who is he?" Phoenix said down in Faragonda's chair. "Chaos, Flora, he is Chaos. He is the very shadow that existed before the magic dimension was created. He was defeated and captured then, but he is back now and he seeks revenge."

Phoenix sighed. "He plans on ruling the magic dimension, making it a shadow realm where Evil reins. And when he's done playing, he'll destroy it and make things as they were before the Dragon came."

"He's going after Bloom, isn't he?" Phoenix nodded. "She wields the Dragon Flame," Phoenix said, and Flora understood what he meant. Chaos was coming after Bloom to take revenge on her.

"We have to help her!" Flora started walking towards the door, intent on warning Bloom and being there to fight right alongside the fairy when Chaos came, but Phoenix grabbed her by the arm.

"You can't help her, Flora! Chaos is more ancient and evil than you can imagine, and he wouldn't hesitate to kill you and your friends in an instant. And that's if you're lucky enough to have him kill you right away instead of toying with you! He isn't just powerful, Flora, he IS power!"

T.B.C.