Posted December 26, 2021.
CHAPTER 14: THE TEST OF AIR
On the Matter of Srikalahasti Temple
The Srikalahasti Temple is dedicated to the wind god, Vayu. According to the ancient stories, Vayu meditated at the site for many years. His penance was noticed by Lord Shiva, who arrived to grant him the power of the wind. This temple is said to have power over the air itself.
– from the Book of Fay
Srikalahasti, India
"The Winx are getting stronger." Anagan paced around, looking more and more agitated. "Not only did they defeat us at Newgrange, with their new, more powerful weapons – it turns out that they also have the Black Circle. It is the only object which can match the White Circle. They will soon have more power than we do."
"We cannot let that happen," Ogron declared. "We must stop them."
Krithi listened to her masters in silence, feeling more and more scared. We cannot let the Winx defeat us. No matter what, they would have to stop the Winx, at all costs.
Though after the winter solstice, she had started to feel more and more hesitant. She frowned, remembering the Chinese-looking woman's plea to Roxy:
"Roxy, don't go with him!" she'd yelled. "He's not going to let you go after this!"
"What're you talking about?" Roxy snapped back. "He's going to make me normal again! Just like I always was!"
"And you really think he'll let ya go after this?" the woman retorted. "Do you think he'll let you live your quiet life in Gardenia? Of course not! He's just gonna throw you into stasis, along with the rest of the fay!"
But that's not true. Krithi forced the thought out of her mind. Ogron and his Wizards just want what's best for mankind.
Still, she couldn't deny that there was something… off with the Wizards. How they'd always been cruel, ever since she'd started working with them. She swallowed, remembering that day in June, the first day when her mother had taken her to see the Wizards of the White Circle…
It had been a warm summer day, exactly the opposite of this one. Krithi nervously followed her mother to an abandoned warehouse in Gardenia. Her mother had swallowed, turning to face Krithi.
"I want you to be brave," she said in Tamil, hers and Krithi's native language. "I know you can do this, Krithi. You are more resilient than most others your age. I have confidence you will succeed in aiding the Wizards."
Krithi nodded, though inside, she was scared. She had never met the Wizards before, nor was she particularly excited about her destiny. She must've had a look on her face, for just then, her mother sighed.
"I know you don't want to do this," she said, "but you must. As the daughter of Merlin, it is your duty to work with him and his followers. And that includes the Wizards of the White Circle. By helping them remove the fairies of their power, you are saving humanity from darkness."
"It isn't that I don't want to serve them, Amma," Krithi whispered. "It's just that they sound… intimidating." She swallowed. "And nerve-wracking."
"That is just tough rhetoric," her mother answered. "They have to appear strong so that they can intimidate their enemies."
Immediately, Krithi saw four men, all dressed in white tunics. The redhead stepped forward.
"My name is Ogron," he said, a light sneer in his voice. "You must be Mrs. Merlin." He extended his hand to Krithi's mother. "On behalf of my Wizards and I, welcome to our humble adobe." He smirked at Krithi's mother. "Your name, please?"
"Nandini Venkatesan." The woman shook his hand. "And this is my daughter, Krithi."
It took all of Krithi's willpower not to step back as Ogron stared at her. They all had identical smirks on their faces as they appraised her, viewing her like she was an item to be bought at a store. Finally, Ogron took her hand, shaking it.
"Pleased to meet you," he said in a too-oily voice. Krithi fought not to shudder as he clapped her on the back.
"You're going to help us find your father!" he boomed. "You're ready to begin that journey!"
"Well"… Krithi stuttered. The truth was, she had no idea who her father was, or why it was so important to find him. Ever since she'd been a little girl, it had always just been her mother and her. Growing up with a single mom in India had certainly not been easy, especially when the other children made fun of her for not having a father. Nonetheless, she had prevailed through that time, and so had her mother.
So why was finding her father suddenly so important now?
"Y-yes," she finally said to Ogron. The redhead Wizard smiled. Pulling a white bracelet off his wrist, he handed it to Krithi.
"This is the White Circle," he said. "Your power is contained within it."
"My p-power?" Krithi stammered. "What do you mean?"
"Everyone has powers," a blond-haired man in the back of the warehouse answered coolly. "From the most powerful fairy to the meanest human, everyone has some magic inside of them. Fairies pass down their powers genetically, meaning that they can access their powers naturally. They have powers over the elements and nature itself.
"Humans, on the other hand, have to work to find that power inside. Inside of every human is a source of lesser magic, which can be wielded properly if the user learns how to. My brethren and I spent several decades mastering the power of sorcery." His eyes gleamed. "And so, you shall learn as well."
Krithi stared at the White Circle. She could sense a powerful energy radiating within it, one unlike she'd ever felt before. She swallowed, lifting it in the air.
Immediately, her eyes glowed white. An aura shined around her, and she let out a gasp. The Wizards let out oohs and aahs. "You're definitely Merlin's daughter!" the pink-haired Wizard shouted.
"Nice going, kid," the brown-haired Wizard added. Ogron stepped forward.
"I think you'll make a fine addition to our group," he said. His voice lost its oiliness; it was now perfectly friendly. As if nothing had ever happened. He nodded to Krithi's mother, whose eyes were radiating joy. "We'll take her in now."
Krithi watched as her mother left, suddenly feeling despondent. For a second, she stood there, trying to figure out why. This is wrong, a voice in her head whispered. Something's not right here.
But she knew she couldn't let her emotions get in the way. After all, she was Merlin's daughter – it was her duty to follow in his footsteps. Swallowing, she handed the White Circle back to Ogron, ready to begin her training in this new life.
"Girl!"
Krithi jumped back to the present, staring back at Ogron. He was glaring at her, a look of unprecedented fury in his eyes.
"You," he snarled. "I still haven't forgotten how you tried to leave the Newgrange tomb."
Krithi swallowed. Instead of helping her masters fight Roxy and the Winx, she'd fled down the passage, mostly out of fear.
The rest of it had been out of confusion. She had seen the Wizards nearly kill Roxy, forcing their white magic onto her. She had never seen such violence in her life, such anger and hatred. But what was worse, they hadn't kept to their word. Ogron had promised Roxy that he'd simply take her powers away, and then let her go.
Were they going to simply take away her powers? Or had their intention been to kill Roxy? She swallowed, staring down.
Krithi jumped, staring up at Ogron. He glared at her, shaking his head in disgust.
"You are very fortunate you aren't dead right now," he said coldly. "You seem to have forgotten your role, child. Who is it who gave you a purpose in life?"
Krithi lowered her head meekly. Over the past year, she'd heard many stories about Merlin, the great Wizard of Light. Though she had never met him at all, she knew he was a very, very powerful wizard, and that it was her destiny to work with him.
Born a human, his role in life had been to defeat Morgana le Fay – the last High Queen of the Fay. He'd been the one to finally banish the fay to the realm of Paradise, where they remained in stasis. Unfortunately, his spell had backfired on him as well, and he'd been put in stasis as well, trapped in the walls of Paradise.
Now, all they had to do was find him. Unlock the gates of Paradise, and free him from his prison. He'll help us usurp the fay for good… She swallowed, gazing back at the Wizards, whose arms were crossed.
"Fortunately for you, we have a task in-mind," Duman said. "Have you heard of the four eyes of the White Circle?"
Krithi frowned. "No," she admitted. Ogron sighed, pulling out the White Circle.
"There are four oval-shapes on it," he said, pointing to the four. "Each eye fits right into an oval-shape – a jewel. There is the jewel of air, the jewel of fire, the jewel of water, and the jewel of earth. Once the White Circle is reunited with its eyes, we will be able to use it to forge a path to Paradise and free Merlin."
"Your job is to find the four eyes," Anagan said.
Krithi stared at him. "How do I do that?" she gasped.
"Fortunately for you, we already know the locations of them," Gantlos said, a slight sneer in his tone. "They are located under four ancient temples of India. Once you reach each temple, you can access the underground, by using the power of the White Circle."
"So the eyes are located there?" Krithi asked.
"That is correct," Duman answered. "And it will be your task to find them."
Krithi swallowed. She knew that the four elemental eyes were hidden in four different cities. How will I find them? The mission seemed impossible.
Then again, she knew this was a part of the four Wizards' punishment. She had to find them on her own. Swallowing, she nodded meekly to Ogron.
"Yes," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I'll find them."
"Good," Ogron said coolly. "Be on your way."
Krithi headed to the back of their hideout – an abandoned, underground cave – where her horse was waiting. The white horse looked up at her as she entered the makeshift stable.
"Hi," she crooned, patting his neck. The horse had been a gift from the four Wizards. He wasn't an ordinary horse, though. With a Kathiawari mother and a pegasus father, he had the ability to practically skate over the seas and glide across lands. At her command, he would unfurl his wings. She smiled, touching him lightly with the wrist that contained the White Circle.
She had named him Uchchaihshravas – or Chai, for short – after the great, seven-headed white horse of Hindu mythology who had risen out of the primordial ocean. Chai was very loving and friendly – she had never met a better-behaved horse than him.
She mounted the horse, steering him out of the cave and into the morning. It was sunrise, a golden light shining warmly over Srikalahasti. She gazed around it, taking it in with awe.
The city of Srikalahasti was a holy city of Hinduism. The dawn shined over the temples, marking them with color. She gazed ahead, coming to a stop.
The main temple had a white gopuram, or stepped roof, and stood tall against the city. Inside the compound stood several other shrines – a Devi shrine, for the Goddess, and for other gods. A white rock relief in the shape of an elephant denoted the power of Shiva.
She sighed, thinking back to the days when her life had been peaceful. She'd lived with her mother in Chennai, India, as a normal girl with a normal life. Everything had gone well, until, on her fifteenth birthday, Krithi's mother had revealed the true identity of her father: the Wizard of Light, Merlin. It had taken a while for Krithi to believe that fairies and Wizards actually existed – that was, until she'd met Ogron and his group of Wizards.
Shortly after her fifteenth birthday, they'd moved to Gardenia, Italy. The other Wizards – Ogron, Anagan, Gantlos, and Duman – had just escaped from Omega, and were temporarily stationed in Gardenia before planning on capturing Domino's princess. They had planned for months, only to realize that Princess Bloom was truly not of Earth – the White Circle had rejected her quickly enough.
Krithi had known better than to complain. After all, the Wizards were some of the most impressive people she'd ever been with, and she knew that she was doing great work to save humanity. And yet, she felt a slight twinge as she thought about Roxy, the girl who'd fought so valiantly against the Wizards.
There was something she just… admired about her. How the fairy stuck to her guns, and didn't let anything sway her. How she'd so bravely taken down Ogron and the others. Though Krithi would die rather than reveal it, part of her wished she had Roxy's assertiveness so she could stand up to the Wizards as well.
Stop it, she chided herself. Why was she thinking in this way about the enemy? Roxy was not on her side – she had to remember that. She swallowed, dismounting Chai and tying him to a nearby post.
Since she had the White Circle with her, she'd be able to enter the sites of the Tests. They would be located underneath each important landmark – underground chambers that served as elemental shrines. Heading into the temple, she stared at the columns around, the beautiful images of Vayu and Shiva.
Now she could feel the power underneath this temple. The White Circle would now teleport her to the underground chamber containing the jewel of air. She lifted the White Circle high up above her head, concentrating.
Immediately, she was transported to an underground city, one which was filled with lights. The city should've been a physical impossibility, but she knew that the city was well-preserved by magic – human magic. She stared forward at the abandoned city ahead. Towards the end of the cave, she could make out a door – one with a triangular rune on it. Walking up to it, she stared, taken aback.
The triangular rune had a slash across the middle. The symbol for air. She swallowed, pulling the door open as she headed for the Test of Air.
Riven sat in the grass, letting out a yawn. He shook his head, sadness overwhelming him as he gazed up at the building of Red Fountain.
He would have to be heading to his apartment soon. He sighed, staring up at the Specialist trainees who were dueling each other with swords, remembering the times when he'd been a trainee himself.
As much danger as there'd been, those were the good times. Back then, he hadn't felt the need to use drugs or alcohol in order to cope. Though he'd still had anger issues, as his therapist had liked to put it, he had grown when he and the other Specialists had been sent to the Resort Realm. There, he'd bonded with Musa, learning how to calm his temper.
And then his father had died. He'd been killed by the disease the Trix had spread through Magix, the disease Typhoon. Though he hadn't had a good relationship with his father, or either of his parents for that matter, it had filled him with incurable rage and grief. He'd stopped caring about everything, even to the point where he'd allowed himself to be captured by Valtor.
After Musa and the other Winx had saved him, nothing had been the same again. He had hidden his grief, not even telling the other Specialists about his family-situation. He'd moved back into his mother's place, but as she was a severe alcoholic herself, it hadn't been exactly the most healing environment. It was through her that he'd started coping with substances, first through alcohol, then with drugs he could find in the street.
He sighed, pulling out a puff of zuìjiû from his pocket. Lazily, he began to puff, watching as the smoke exited into the air. He leaned downwards, sending the smoke into the ground. Then he froze, staring upwards.
Two policemen were standing in front of him, their arms crossed. Riven scrambled to his feet, but he was already too late. One of the policemen drew a threatening spell; the other one grabbed his arm.
"Come with us," he said, placing steel shackles on Riven's wrists.
There was nothing but… wind. It whipped everywhere, the currents slamming everywhere. There were wisps of clouds above Krithi's head. She could make out a yellow gem atop the peak of a fake mountain, with clouds lazily floating by it. Below her, the entire ground was coated with spikes.
"Uhhhh"… Krithi stared down at the ground. She knew that, if she were to fall, it would lead to certain death.
She gazed across the hall. There were poles erected from the ground; clearly, she was supposed to grab onto them and use them to propel herself across.
I can do it. Determination shot through her as she grabbed onto the pole. Leaping off, she threw herself at the next one.
The air beat at her, sending him the other way. She only just managed to grab onto the pole; a second later and she would've fallen to her death. She heard the wind speaking to her.
"You've trapped the fairies," the voice told her. "The fairies are trapped in Paradise, and it's all your fault. You enabled Merlin and the Wizards to trap them inside!"
Krithi gritted her teeth. She tried to push herself towards the next pole, but the whispers continued to jeer.
Stop it! she wanted to say. The Wizards had been wronged by the fairies; they were right to trap the fairies. Uncertainty washed over her as she continued to the next pole.
"Can you feel the restlessness of the fay?" the voice continued. "How upset and fearful they are?"
Suddenly, a feeling of extreme restlessness came over her. She gasped in horror, the shakiness filling her entire body. The wind took advantage of her hesitation to whip at her.
She lost her balance. The wind shoved her off the pole, and she fell. Blindly grabbing onto it with her fingertips, she tried to climb up, but the wind held tight.
"You might as well fall to your death!" the voice laughed. "You and your forefathers have wronged so many people – now you will pay the price!"
It was that statement, the wind's insistence that she was responsible, that angered her. She threw herself at another pole, grasping onto it with her life. Determined, she advanced closer to the gem.
The crystal was just there. Krithi leapt off the last pole and onto the mountain. Grabbing the gemstone in her hands, she held it high above her. The lying thoughts immediately disappeared, and she stood, triumphant.
Without the yellow crystal in place, the wind was hurtling everywhere; the force of it nearly made Krithi fall over. The poles fell, and she stared down in horror. How am I going to get across?
A twister was beginning to form, right at the base of the mountain. She stared at it, transfixed and horrified. That thing is going to eat me up… She stared at it, terrified to move any farther.
I have to ride the twister, before it destroys me! Krithi closed her eyes. Clutching the crystal, she leapt into the hurling winds.
It was the worst sensation she had ever experienced. She could feel her clothes ripping off, flying into the air as she continued across the chasm. She nearly screamed in pain as the wind forced her on.
She felt herself fall onto a platform, of solid ground. Blindsided, she lay there, gasping and shaking.
"I got the crystal," she panted to herself, forcing herself to sit up. Her shirt was completely in tatters from the wind.
Krithi stared as the yellow crystal flew into the first spot of the White Circle. She smiled, happy that she had made it through this difficult mission. Suddenly, she frowned as she thought of what the wind had told her.
She could still feel the fairies' restlessness. After all, she would not be able to cope if she had been thrown in stasis for a thousand years. Guilt washed over her as she thought of what her father had done to those fairies, in order to trap them in for so long.
Stop it, she scolded herself. It didn't matter what she wanted – what was done would be done. She had to keep the world safe from the fairies – no matter what. She sighed, turning around and heading into the dark.
Riven sat in his cell, his eyes drooping as he stared at the ground. His entire body ached for zuìjiû as he leaned backwards. He looked up as a policeman walked up to his cell.
Unlike the angry policemen who'd caught him for drug possession, this man appeared kind. "Stand up, son," he said. In a daze, Riven followed him as he opened the forcefield, leading him to the interrogation chair.
"Now," he said, once they were both seated, "can you tell me what's been going on?"
Riven blinked. "You're just going to listen to me? Don't you need to, like, call in a judge or something?"
"Yes, you will meet with a judge," the policeman answered, "however, considering you are a non-violent offender and this is your first time with a drug-related offense, I am trying to be more lenient. Unless you'd rather be punished like a violent criminal, of course."
Riven shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me," he muttered. The policeman's eyes grew concerned.
"What's the matter, son?" he asked. "You sound very, very depressed. What is going on that is making you present in this way?"
And suddenly, Riven found himself telling the policeman everything. How his father had died, how he'd been possessed by Mandragora, and how Musa had dumped him in Pixie Village. The policeman's eyes grew sympathetic as he gazed at Riven.
"Listen," he said, "I know a place where you can get better. It is located right here in the city, You'll be in treatment for a while, I'm sure, but I know you can" –
"I'm not going to a mental hospital," Riven interrupted. "I'm not a nutcase. I can handle this on my own!"
The policeman frowned. "You are certainly not a nutcase," he agreed, "but you cannot handle this on your own. There is no shame in seeking out help when you need it, young man. In fact, it is in your best interest that you see it not as a place for nutcases, but as a healing center where you can learn from your trauma."
"And if I don't?" Riven challenged. The policeman shrugged.
"Then I'll write up an official arrest report," he answered. "You'll be in jail for quite some time, before your trial. At your trial, you'll be convicted of drug possession, which likely means up to six months in prison." He shook his head. "It's entirely your choice."
Riven lowered his head. Guess I don't really have a choice… He stared up at the policeman.
"Fine," he said. "I'll go to rehab."
The policeman smiled. "You're going to get better," he said kindly. "I'll escort you back to your cell." He led Riven to the cell.
Riven leaned against the cell wall, letting out a sigh. I'm going to rehab. He stared up at the ceiling, wondering what he was going to do.
Next chapter:
– The Winx go to Greece to find the first eye of the Black Circle.
– Musa and Roxy run into Greek police and get into trouble.
– Stella learns about the Greek myth of Pandora's Box.
