Posted February 6, 2022.


CHAPTER 20: THE TEST OF WATER

On the Matter of the Gangotri Temple

The Gangotri Temple is a shrine dedicated to Ganga, the goddess of the Ganges River. It is the place where Ganga is believed to have landed when she first descended from heaven to create the river which is named for her. Many ancient heroes have come to this site to purify themselves in the waters and cleanse away all sins. It is believed to have power over the element of water itself.

– from the Book of Fay


Gangotri, India

Krithi hid in the abandoned warehouse, which was cool with the dampness of the air. She turned her head as she saw Gantlos speaking to the Wizards, his tone agitated.

"We need to figure out a way to defeat Roxy," he said. "Those pesky Winx keep getting in our way. We must defeat them and their little Pixies" –

"Pixies, did you say?" Ogron interrupted. A smile was on his face. "I think I know what to do."

What're you going to do? Krithi couldn't stop the fear from coming to her mind. Ogron smirked, his voice echoing.

"It's time we change who we target," he said. "If we attack the fairy herself, she doesn't seem to respond with anything but incredible power. But if we attack someone she's close to" –

"She'll fall apart." Duman finished the sentence for him, laughing.

At least he's not going to attack Roxy. Relief filled Krithi's heart, followed by shame. She let out a sigh.

She couldn't help but feel uneasy around the Wizards. Ever since they'd attacked the Winx in Iran, she was starting to have second thoughts about being near them. She'd never exactly loved spending time with them, but more and more, they were making her feel very uncomfortable. But she knew she had to stick with them, if Merlin was to give her a chance. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Come on, Chai," she said to her horse. Mounting him, she headed out, lost in her own thoughts.

She remembered growing up as a girl in Chennai, going to school in the neighborhood. How all the other children would laugh at her for her tattered clothes, for her lack of a father. She had been excluded from all social-gatherings. Because of her almost-black skin, people had viewed her as "dirty", shunning her and her mother for no fault of their own.

And then she'd relocated to Italy, being found by the Wizards. For the first time, Krithi had felt as if she belonged with someone, that she'd been given a purpose. Her training with the Wizards had made her into a stronger person, into who she was now. At the same time, she knew that the Wizards' motives and ideas were questionable. She had no idea whether she was to stick with them or not.

Stop thinking like that. Why was she thinking about deserting the Wizards, who had given her the only home she'd ever had? She must not be cruel. She swallowed, staring around at the scenery around her.

It was fairly warm. Though it was January, which was winter in the northern hemisphere, the weather here in India was quite pleasant. She climbed off Chai, gazing at the temple ahead of her.

The temple was white with several domes on its roof, very different from the south Indian gopurams she'd come across so far. It was located at the foothills of a mountain, very close to the Ganges River. She knelt at the river, holding the Circle to her chest.

Immediately, she felt herself being transported down the river. She soon reached an underground city, which was damp and wet, much like the water. A brown door stood ahead of her, with a triangle etched in the center.

Time to go. It was now time for the Test of Water. Taking in a deep breath, she pushed the door open wide.


Two weeks had passed since Riven was in treatment. In that time, he'd suffered through detox and was now in the rehab unit. He was now playing checkers again with Callum, who'd moved down to the rehab unit with him.

The other man and he had become firm friends. It had been Callum who'd shown him around the unit, who'd helped him connect with other people. He was grateful for his friend, for the energy and kindness he gave him.

And now he was chatting with Callum. The two of them were laughing, high-fiving each other and trading jokes. Riven drank a cup of decaf coffee, enjoying his time with his friend –

"Riven?"

Riven whirled around. A woman in a white lab coat walked up to him, motioning for him to follow. She drew to a halt, motioning for him to sit down in the chair.

One thing that Riven had quickly learned was that there was no privacy. Everyone knew everyone's diagnosis, medication, and doctors. At first, it had bothered Riven, but now he knew that he had the support of the community behind him. She sat down in the other chair, gazing at him seriously.

The woman was none other than his doctor, Dr. Bindu Mehta. She had a stern expression on her face, her arms crossed.

"You haven't fully told me everything that's been going on," she said. "I know that you are hiding something, Riven. In addition, I can't help you if you don't take medication."

Riven sighed. He'd been carefully broaching the subject of his father and Musa, for the past two weeks. Instead, the doctor had put him on prescription potions that he'd refused to take. The doctor let out a sigh.

"What do you think triggered this episode?" she asked. "Why did you turn to drugs and alcohol to cope? Why did you" –

"You want to know the real reason?" Riven suddenly snarled, taking her by surprise. "I did it because I felt like a failure! After our mission to Obsidian, I felt like I'd failed everyone and everything. I almost killed my girlfriend! And now she won't even speak to me!"

Suddenly, he began to sob. Dr. Bindu gazed at him sympathetically, nodding her head. "I'm sorry," she finally said. Riven snorted.

"What do you know?" he asked. "You've never been on UR missions before. You've never had to go through difficult adventures like I have! Stop pretending you care!"

"I do care," Bindu answered calmly. "Don't worry, Riven. We will get you through this."

Sure I will, Riven thought savagely. He buried his face in his hands, nothing but sadness filling his heart.


A reflecting pool glimmered in the room. Which made sense, considering that it was the Test of Water. Krithi looked down and saw that it was shining at her, its blue depths glinting magnificently. At the end of the chamber was a blue crystal.

Looks like I have to go swimming for this to work. She put her bag down before diving into the water. The shock of the cold, hypothermia-inducing water nearly made her pass out. She gasped for a breath of air, shaking uncontrollably as she swam forward.

I… c-c-can't, she thought, gasping. So… so cold…

"You deserve it," a voice cackled in her air. "You angered the fay by locking them up! Now feel their sadness. Feel their pain at being separated from one another, from all the loss they've faced!"

Krithi could feel it. The acute pain filled her with distress, making her sob aloud. Tears poured down her cheeks.

They're gone, the voice whispered to him. It's your fault. You allowed the deaths of so many fairies, and you trapped all of them! Look at the pain you've put them through!

Krithi felt her very emotions disappearing, snaking through her like the water. It was worse than the previous tests put together; even with the wind blowing at her and fireballs nearly scorching her, she'd been able to keep control of herself. But this place… it was like her entire being was dissolving, turning into liquid like the water below.

My fault, she thought, closing her eyes. My fault. Her head disappeared underwater.

She couldn't swim. Something had caught hold of her, something binding. The water was consuming her, not just with its coldness, but its lack of air. She couldn't breathe any longer.

It took her a second to realize that the lies were suffocating her. With her depressed thoughts of grief, she was losing herself. Losing her touch and her brain – her heart was taking over.

It's not my fault, she realized. I'm not to blame for what the Wizards did. She gritted her teeth. Right or wrong, we'll figure it out later. For now, I have to get the crystal!

She swam towards the gem, fighting against the icy cold. Shaking her head, she reached forward and grabbed the blue crystal.

And then the room erupted into storm.

The water was swirling around, shaking her. What had once been a calm, stagnant lake was now a volatile, spitting whirlpool. She held it to her chest, kicking furiously.

Taking the biggest breath she could muster, she swam underwater, forcing herself into the pool as she fought against the undercurrents, stopping them from pulling her astray. I have only one place to go, and that's back there… She kicked hard and continued to swim.

She reached stone. Coming up to the surface, she gasped as she took in the air, breathing heavily. She gazed to the crystal, which had settled in the White Circle. The Circle gleamed blue once, then went back to its white color. She frowned, thinking of her father.

The thoughts she'd dealt with before were now coming back; she had absolutely no idea what to do. She frowned, staring forward.

One more test to go…


"Hey, are you okay?"

Riven looked up as Callum walked to him, looking sympathetic. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"Terrible." Riven felt tears come to his eyes, angry with himself. He wished he hadn't created such a scene like that. Callum patted him in the shoulder.

"Look, man, it's okay," he said. "We all have those episodes. We get it." He sighed. "If you want to cry, that's okay."

"Thanks," Riven muttered, slightly comforted. He gazed at the window, nothing but sadness in his heart.


Next chapter:

The Winx go to Mexico.

They come across some trapped animals.

Flora meets an alux.