Chapter 23: Purity in Bloom
Getting out of the Wildlands had been a bit of an ordeal for the three witches. First they had to run from what they thought was Red Fountain reinforcements, then run from the actual reinforcements. This involved many hours on a bewitched dragadon, until a close encounter with some sanctuary rangers had put a stop to that. This was followed by much hiking on foot until they could reach a pre-designated point outside the Wildlands where they could be picked up by Darkar.
Being transported by the Shadow Phoenix was always a weird experience as Darkar's magic temporarily transformed his passengers into energy. Existing as pure energy was very confusing and often resulted in one's memories getting jumbled together, creating a psychedelic haze of mixed images, the only good part being how mercifully brief it all was. Though no matter the transport time, it never felt like more than a minute at most, due to the state also obliterating all sense of time, so while uncomfortable, it was quick, efficient and hard to track, which was what allowed Darkar to both drop his favoured minions into the necessary area and also extract them.
So from the three witches' perspective, one moment they were on a hilltop watching the incoming Darkar, the next was a brief nightmare comparable to what one would get if taking acid during a fever dream, and finally they found themselves dumped back into the dark throne room of Shadowhaunt.
"So I take it from the lack of Bloom that the mission was a failure," Darkar stated as he marched to his throne.
"That would be correct," Darcy admitted as she dusted off her clothes. "We were close, but then they got what we thought was reinforcements".
"Thought?" Darkar questioned.
"Darcy called a retreat, but it turned out all that came crashing was one Red Fountain dweeb," Icy venomously elaborated. "So it was all for nothing".
"I admit I was mistaken, but if the situation had been reversed, that is, if we had stayed and they had actually gotten reinforcements, the situation would have been far worse," Darcy explained. "I believe I took the best course of action with the available information".
"Right, right," the Shadow Phoenix said mildly distracted as one of his minions brought him a report. "I would do the customary yelling at you and asking how you dare fail me, but I have far too much on my plate for that. You are permitted to yell at each other if you feel the need to be chastised".
"Yeah, I don't exactly feel a need for that. By the way, how are things going on the frontline?" Stormy asked.
"We are being pushed back, as expected. I haven't made an effort to reinforce our outer defences to the point of being able to resist such assaults," the dark lord explained. "Intentionally, of course. Our defences are concentrated here in Shadowhaunt. So even if the combined might of Red Fountain, Underland and what have you comes kicking, they will find it very difficult to reach my lair".
"There is... Another matter that I should bring up," Darcy began. "When we confronted them, I thought it best to give them a chance to surrender, but that did include revealing we were after Bloom. I am pretty sure that when the authorities hear of that, they will do the best they can to put as much distance between you and Bloom as possible. They will probably send her to another dimension".
"Yes, they will probably attempt to do that. Hmm, means I will have to accelerate some of my plans," Darkar muttered. "Do not worry, my incompetent minions. I was prepared for your eventual failure, because that is what minions occasionally do, especially when confronting the heroes. I have a trump card that will ensure that Bloom comes to us. I just need to wait for the right moment. Hmm, I will have to check my sources for when that moment will be".
"Then why send us in the first place?" Stormy asked.
"A good villain does not reveal his trumps until dramatically appropriate," Darkar stated as he got up from his throne. "And given how events are advancing, I'd say we are rapidly approaching the climax of this story. So now is the perfect time to pull out my trumps. You are dismissed".
As the three witches left the throne room, Stormy asked: "Remind me again why we are working for this lunatic".
"Don't underestimate him," Darcy warned her. "He is smarter than he appears".
Icy scoffed and asked: "Are we talking about the same guy who just talked about this war as if it was a bedtime story?"
"You are putting too much value in his appearance and manners," Darcy chided them. "Try translating what he's saying. He's basically saying that he has had a back-up plan in place in case we failed, but that it requires expending a hidden resource, something a smart person wouldn't do unless necessary. But that revealing a bit of his hand to the enemy isn't such a loss at this stage exactly because we are getting close to the decisive moments of this conflict. If you strip away all the obfuscating talk of narrative and drama, you'll find there's a sound strategy at work".
"But then why even bother?" Stormy asked. "Doesn't he trust us?"
"Would you?" the dirty-blond asked.
The wild-haired witch lifted a finger as she was about to defend herself, before sadly lowering it and admitting: "No, I wouldn't".
...
The Red Fountain owls descended into a forest glade and let the passengers out.
"Do you know the location of Pixie Village?" Flora asked Helia as both left the owl. "I have not been in the area before".
"Sure, I got the coordinates before I left Red Fountain," the artist replied. "Please, follow me everyone".
"Just what I needed. Some room to stretch my legs," Musa sighed happily, as she and the rest of the group followed.
"How bad is it?" Brandon asked as he moved up to walk besides Helia.
"Pixie Village itself was trashed and they lost about a dozen of their citizens, including several elders," Helia said. "As for the tree, I don't know. People were just being called in when I was sent to pick up Flora".
The group passed through the forest thicket and entered Pixie Village. Several of the houses had gotten emergency repairs and both people and pixies were busy fixing things.
"Hello, Flora. And hello to the rest of you," Tune said as she flew up to the group. "It is good to see you again, even if the circumstances are far from ideal".
"Hello, Tune," they group greeted the pixie.
"So you've returned to Pixie Village," Bloom stated.
"Yes. Me and the others thought it would be a good idea to help as much as we're able," Tune stated and looked over her shoulder. In the middle of the road, Piff was running around, singing construction oriented cheers at the top of her lungs while doing acrobatics. "Even if we all have our own ways to help," Tune noted.
"What about Amore, Glim and Livy?" Stella asked curiously.
"Glim has been doing various odd jobs around town and Amore spends most of her time acting as therapist. With Livy as a frequent client," Tune noted.
"She was that deeply affected?" Mirta asked. "Well, I guess it's not so strange. You pixies must be really attached to this place".
"You haven't heard?" Tune asked a bit surprised.
"No they haven't, and that's kinda my fault," Helia suddenly stated, before turning to the others. "Sorry, but with everything that happened, it kinda slipped my mind".
"Hey, it's okay man. It happens," Riven said with a shrug. "But now that you have been reminded, could you get us back in the loop?"
"Right, see, Livy is the one who lead Icy to Pixie Village," Helia explained. "Not intentionally, of course. But Livy did return here to acquire some medicine despite strict warnings. When Icy found the location, she attacked. Livy tried to get the Codex from her but was ultimately unsuccessful. She's... She's taking it very hard. Convinced that any day now we'll haul her off to punish her for her actions".
"Wow," Sky said slowly. "That's... Wow, that's rough. I can't even begin to imagine how she must be feeling right now".
"Something like how I felt after Darkar used me to get the Codex piece," Bloom suggested. "Though probably even worse".
"That is most unfortunate. But for now, we must attend the tree," Flora stated.
"Right this way," Tune said and carefully lead them through the village.
In the centre of Pixie Village stood the great mana tree known as the Tree of Life. It was tall and ancient, its leaves varying between grass green and blood red. Lines in the bark weakly pulsated with a multicoloured glow. Several magi were swarming around the tree, some touching it, others taking notes, some in deep discussion and others unpacking tools.
"Ah, you must be Flora," a middle-aged man with bushy eyebrows said as he saw the brunette being led up to them. "I am botanist Ben Segway, project coordinator".
"A pleasure to meet you," Flora replied with a polite bow of her head. "What can you tell me?"
"Well, I have only studied a mana tree once before, and only for short time mind you, so right now we are still in a research phase," Segway explained. "The pixies are very protective of these trees, so documentation has been limited. It is a very unique plant. Its ability to process magical energy is on par with, if not greater than that of your average magi. Very specialised internal parts and such. But this almost purely magical nature is part of the problem. The shock it received from having its guardian die has made it sick, but the problem is not purely physical. The tree's soul, if you will, is damaged. This is outside the scope of normal plant magic, so not only will we have to work around the clock, we will have to develop new methods for this case".
"Sounds like quite the task," Flora agreed. "Where do you wish my assistance?"
"Well, I hear your knack concerns plants in generals, so I want you to gather data on the tree and give it to the rest of us for processing," Segway continued as he led her off.
"So, like, you think they will fix it?" Stella asked.
"I'm sure Flora will do her best," Mirta said confidently.
"Undoubtedly. She's good at what she does," Helia agreed.
Brandon's pocket suddenly buzzed and he pulled his phone out. "Brandon Hauser here. Yes sir, we are on our way back to Red Fountain. Alright, that's understandable. We will stay put then, sir". He ended the call and turned to the others. "Alright, listen up. Cordatorta just called me and we've been given orders to help guard Pixie Village until the tree has been fixed. It powered the village's defences and it will be too exposed while the Tree of Life is being healed".
"Eh, I can think of worse jobs than babysitting a village," Riven noted as he sat down on a tree-stump. "Actually makes us seem kinda important".
"But you do know that most likely they chose us because, well, we were already here," Sky noted.
"Yeah, I know. Still though..." Riven replied.
"But what about the rest of us?" Bloom asked. "We still need to get back to Alfea ASAP".
"I can do a quick delivery," Timmy offered. "If it's okay with you, Brandon".
"Sure. Go ahead. I think we'll survive without you for an hour or two," Brandon agreed.
"Alright then, let's get back home," Techna said. "Do you want to go kiss your girlfriend goodbye before we jet, Pumpkin?"
Mirta looked at Flora, who was touching the tree with a look of deep concentration. "She looks busy. I'll just text her. She can look at it when she has the time".
...
Deep in the vaults of the hanging castle of Shadowhaunt lay the dungeons. Compared to the rest of the castle, the prison was badly maintained. It was rusty, leaky and falling apart, mostly because Darkar had little need of the place. Unless a prisoner had a specific purpose in the Shadow Phoenix' plans, they were usually hurled into the flesh vats to be remade into the forsaken. But occasionally, the cells had occupants. Aisha had been one before her breakout.
But there was also another.
A forsaken, one of the more humanoid types, plodded down the stairs into the dank and dismal dungeon, carrying a wooden tray of food that barely contained the nourishment necessary to keep somebody alive.
The forsaken continued down the hall, past empty cells and rusty prison bars, before coming to the cell were it would deliver the food and then stand guard.
But the cell was empty and in the far wall, the forsaken noticed a hole. It immediately dropped the food and unlocked the door, before running into the room, ready to pursue the prisoner.
But the prisoner hadn't left the cell.
As the forsaken crossed, the cell's famished occupant dropped down from the ceiling and landed heavily on the undead monstrosity. It tried to throw off the prisoner, but its attempts were halted by a heavy brick repeatedly crushing its skull against the floor.
Darkar's prisoner breathed heavily as silence fell over the cells. The hole in the wall had been a trick, a several months long project to create the illusion of an escape in order to lure the dimwitted guard in. One that had taken a lot of effort and planning, what with the prisoner only being able to dig out the heavy bricks whenever the guard left its post to bring food. It had been an arduous task, but the trap had been successful.
The prisoner hurried from the cell, stopping only to grab the food, before rushing up the stairs to find a possible exit, before Darkar or any of the other forsaken noticed the empty cell.
...
Faragonda sat in her office, going through a newly arrived stack of papers. It was a report summarizing the whereabouts of several of the school's students and staff over the last many months. Ever since the incident with the pixies, Faragonda had been convinced something was amiss. That Darkar's influence stretched farther than it should according to what she knew. But the report gave no enlightenment. If Darkar had truly infiltrated the school, and Faragonda felt there was enough evidence to support that theory, then the agent or agents had covered their tracks very well. Any hint of suspicious activity was easily explained away by coincidences or less than sinister motives. It was almost driving the ageing headmistress up the wall. Her inability to keep her students safe would have given her grey hair if she had any colour left to lose to begin with.
A knock on her door shook her out of her concerns and it was with a bit of relief she welcomed the interruption with a: "Come in".
Bloom opened the door. "Headmistress, I need to talk with you".
"I presumed as much when you entered," Faragonda said with the ghost of a smile on her face while gesturing to the chair on the other side of the desk. "I heard what happened on your vacation. I am truly sorry, Bloom. I had really hoped that this vacation would get you away from the developing situation with Darkar, rather than make you more vulnerable to it".
"I know. But it's worse than that," Bloom continued. "When Darcy was trying to convince us to surrender, she revealed that they were out there to get me. Apparently my dragonflame is part of Darkar's plan. I'm not sure how, but it is linked to them getting all parts of the Codex".
The headmistress sighed sadly, eyes closed as she took a deep breath. "I cannot apologise enough for all that you have been through, Bloom. Nobody should have to go through all that and you should have been kept safe".
"It's not your fault. I may still be somewhat new to the magic worlds, but I am still sure nobody could have seen all this coming" the redhead insisted. "But right now, we need to get me away. If Darkar needs me, the best thing I can do is get as far away from him as possible. Even if he sends the three witches after me, it will still help delay his plans".
"I can only agree," Faragonda said. "Unfortunately, I cannot send you off just right now. I'll advise that you stay in the school while I make some calls and try to figure out where we can realistically send you. I imagine that there are several royals and such who will be more than happy to take care of you for a couple of months while the situation with Darkar is resolved".
"That's a relief," Bloom sighed. "How is that going by the way?"
"Red Fountain has already joined up with the Underland forces and from what Saladin has told me, they are slowly pushing Darkar's forces back," Faragonda explained. "Both Dolona and Zenith have been convinced to dedicate military resources to the cause. The nations in other dimensions have been harder to convince, but sending large amounts of reinforcements across dimensions is an expensive affair, so it's only understandable that they will need more convincing of the threat Darkar poses. But according to Saladin's projections, even without off-world reinforcements, Darkar's forces will fall sooner or later. And if he needs your dragonflame, then the fact that he has the complete Codex is less of a threat than we initially feared".
"That's good to hear," the redhead said. "Hopefully, once Darkar and the witches have been dealt with, I can return to Alfea".
"It makes me happy to hear that you still trust us enough to return, even after all that has happened," Faragonda added.
...
The caverns echoed with the sounds of battle.
"PUSH FORWARD! REINFORCE THE LEFT FLANK!" Abrupto yelled as he commanded the troglodytes in his squad. They had spent the last couple of hours pushing back Shadowhaunt forces and had managed to force the enemy line back into a larger cavern. The new battlefield allowed both sides to bring more of their troops in at once.
A wall of orange troglodytes, armed with clubs, hammers and axes, formed an intimidating wall of meat, protecting the smaller blue and yellow troglodytes who brought support by way of spears and slings. A few had even received training in using more modern weaponry and were laying into the hordes of undead with a storm of bullets.
Yet the forsaken knew neither fear nor pain and continued to smash into the troglodytes like a wave of rotting flesh, ripping into them with teeth, claws and spikes.
"RIGHT FLANK BUCKLING!" Abrupto's second-in-command, his wife Onella, yelled. She was a muscular orange female, armed with a heavy two-handed club.
Abrupto shifted his attention to the developing situation. A couple of oranges had received notable wounds from the monsters they were fighting and were being pushed back. They would need to be replaced if they were to avoid having the line break and thus being pushed back into the tunnel. "I'LL HANDLE IT! BLUES! SUPPORT ME! YELLOWS! DIRECT REINFORCEMENTS TO THE RIGHT!" With those orders, he charged into the fray, filling the gap in the line left by the wounded. With a roar, he swung his massive club, its hard surface breaking through the horrors and shattering them across the cavern floor. Fresh orange troops stormed to his aid seconds later, and slowly they fought back the relentless tide of undead, stabilizing the line.
"ONELLA, TAKE MY POSITION!" Abrupto yelled as he noticed troglodyte reinforcements stream into the cavern. "I'LL DIRECT THE NEWCOMERS!"
"DONE!" his wife loudly replied as they switched position. She immediately got to work laying into their opponents with powerful swings of her club.
Abrupto hurried up to the newly arrived and asked: "Alright, how many are you and what can you do?"
"A team of five medics, plus five newly trained sharpshooters," the blue troglodyte who led the team reported.
"Alright, medics, we got plenty of wounded in the back, mostly orange. I want those that can be fixed here back in to assist the front as quickly as possible and the rest transported out of here," Abrupto barked. "Sharpshooters, find a high spot and shoot the horrors in the back row before they reach the front. That should help lessen the strength of their attacks. Are your orders understood?"
"Yes, sir," they replied and rushed off to do their duties.
Slowly, the tide of undead lessened from the opposing tunnel and the line marched forward, smashing the forsaken to pulp. Fifteen minutes later, the cavern had been taken by the troglodytes, orange warriors now forming a living blockade at the other tunnel, smashing what forsaken could make their way up to them in the tight passage.
"Alright, blues and yellows, spread out and look for hidden side paths and tunnels. We do not want to be ambushed," Abrupto barked. "Oranges, get ready to replace Lexicanus and Linialus at the tunnel if they get tired".
"Good battle," his wife commented.
"Yeah. And there's plenty more where that came from," Abrupto said as he studied a map of the tunnels. "We'll hold this cave until the entire front is ready to move on. Especially over here by the Dyvel Lake. If we advance before they have pushed the abominable ones back, we will have to fight all of them off on our own once we reach the crossroads here".
As he discussed strategy, a shadow kept an eye on them from a ledge.
The prisoner was tempted to make contact, but was unfamiliar with the troglodytes and felt that the current mission was too important to risk such an unknown as the disposition of the cave dwellers. Instead, the prisoner moved on, following the shadows of the cavern, before hurrying through the tunnel the troglodytes had come from. The escape so far had been filled with lurking and waiting, not the prisoner's favoured strategy but it was the most prudent at the moment. The flight from Darkar's castle had involved swimming through underground rivers, a difficult and dangerous task, but it had allowed the prisoner to pass the hordes of forsaken that gathered around Shadowhaunt. Afterwards, the prisoner had managed to sneak into the now Underland occupied cavern shortly before the battle had begun. It had been an impressive display and the prisoner regretted that the importance and uncertainty that surrounded the current objective prevented contact with the troglodytes. They had looked most capable and if friendly would have been quite the boon. Instead, the prisoner continued alone through the dark, following the twisting tunnels towards the surface.
...
Musa looked up from her homework as she noticed Techna entering the common room. The scarred girl looked deep in thought, one of her experimental miniature wingpacks tucked under her arm.
"What's up?" the musician asked.
"It's this frickin' thing," Techna sighed as she placed the tiny prototype on the table, before dumping into the sofa. "Every time I turn it on, it zips off and starts bothering Light Knight. Or smashes through one of the windows and then starts bothering Light Knight. I cannot for the life of me figure out why it's so enamoured with Light Knight".
"Because he looks good?" Musa joked.
"True, he is a hundred and ten kilograms of hunky paladin, but that should not affect the wingpack," Techna replied. "It doesn't have a 'find hot middle-aged dude' setting". She rubbed her chin for a moment before saying: "Although that would be an interesting future upgrade".
"Buggy programming then," Musa suggested.
"That was my idea too. Problem is that neither I nor Databoy can figure out what is wrong," the magenta-haired girl continued. "And trust me, we've trawled through line upon line of code multiple times. At first I kinda suspected that it was a result of the weather searching program being messed up by the energy creation program and thus somehow bugging out and concluding it should seek out paladins. But no, the programming doesn't cross like that at all. It's driving me nuts. And it's driving Light Knight nuts too".
"Why does it even have a find weather function?" Musa asked. "Wouldn't a potential flyer want to avoid bad weather?"
"The idea is that once I managed to actually get this thing off the ground, I will reprogram it to notify the flyer of nearby weather," Techna explained. "Would be useful both for those wanting to find the weather and those wanting to get away from it".
"Alright, I can see the point of that," Musa admitted. "But if all it does is seek out paladins to annoy, it will be pretty useless".
"Yeah, that's the problem," Techna sighed sadly. "I have considered scrapping the original programming and starting over, but even with Databoy assisting, that could take a while". She leaned back in the sofa with a slightly annoyed: "It just doesn't make sense".
"Here's what strikes me as odd," Musa brought up. "Your knack is technology, right? And artefacts work as your peripheral. So one would think that if anything was wrong, you'd notice immediately".
"True," Techna replied. "Point?"
"I'm no tech expert, but one thing I know from music is that even if all parts function correctly individually, they may not work as intended when put together," Musa explained. "Which is very important to keep in mind when composing for multiple instruments. My point is, as far as I know, you made its programming by, if you will, grafting the new function on top of the old. What if there isn't a mistake in the system? What if it works as it should? Not as intended, but as it is programmed?"
"You know what Cacophony, that is actually a very good point," Techna admitted. "It would be quite hard to flush out, and me and Databoy were only looking for glitches and bugs in the system. Yeah, I should probably give him another call and see if we can go over the data again. Maybe we can find out if there's some wonky results in the system. Thanks, I feel a lot better now".
"Any time," Musa replied with a gesture of her hand as Techna got up again, excitement plastered on her face. "It sounds like a good invention and I think everyone will be happy once it stops trying to hook up with Avalon".
...
Flora put the sandwich down and picked up her phone with a: "Flora Cato speaking".
"Hello, Flora. It's Faragonda," came the headmistress' voice. "You've been out there for three days now and I just wanted to hear how things are progressing".
"Slowly. But the tree is at the very least not getting worse," Flora reported. "In fact, we are pretty sure it is getting better. It has been quite the tricky task. The tree is a unique fusion of plant and pure magic. While I have worked with highly magical plants before, the mana tree is unlike any other. I think I have learned a lot from it".
"Good. The Tree of Life is vital for Pixie Village," Faragonda explained. "Have you found out what was wrong with it yet?"
"We have a theory that matches what evidence we could gather," the brunette explained. "The short version is that Nimfea and the Tree of Life were deeply linked, due to her being guardian pixie for at least two centuries. They were so closely linked that when she died, the tree thought it died too. That is oversimplifying the issue of course, but it should give you an idea of the problem. We have worked on keeping the tree going and giving it plenty of aid to, to put in bluntly, help it get over the death of Nimfea".
"Well, I for one am relieved to hear you're making progress," the ageing headmistress said. "Now, another thing. I know Mirta went off today to go see you. Has she arrived safely?"
"She has. She is hanging out with Helia while I work," Flora explained. "Helia himself has volunteered to work here to assist with the tree. Mostly, he runs around with supplies. Means the guys from Red Fountain can focus on guarding the perimeter and the team can focus on the plant. Anyway, I have to run, my break is almost over and I should finish up my food before going back to work".
"That's okay. Best of luck," Faragonda wished her, before cutting the call.
Flora quickly finished her sandwich and hurried back to the crowd working on the tree.
Meanwhile, Helia returned from a water run and dumped down on a log while wiping sweat off his face.
"You okay?" Mirta asked concerned as she sat down besides him.
"Yes, yes," he wheezed. "Just a little out of shape, that's all". He stretched his arms and said: "I think they're getting close to curing it".
"You do? That's amazing," the redhead said excitedly. "Why do you think so?"
"I overheard Segway talking about how they were going to infuse the tree with their magic to jump-start it," the artist replied. "If it works, the tree should be able to handle the rest on its own".
"That's great," Mirta said relieved. They sat in silence for a moment. "So, did you ever finish that poem?"
"Oh. That," Helia said with an embarrassed blush. "Yeah, I've been working on it.
"Can I see it?" the redhead asked.
"Sure. It's still a work in progress though," the wannabe poet said as he dug the poem out of his bag. "I think I kinda lost focus, so the theme is kinda all over the place".
"Well, you've got more than one line now," Mirta noticed as she scanned through the text. "And you're right, it's a bit messy, but still an improvement. But still, I'd say you've improved a lot. Although I probably wouldn't rhyme delicious with ravenous. Emphasis is on the wrong syllable".
"I will keep that in mind," Helia said as he took the poem back.
Back at the tree, Flora and the other plant-focused magi had gathered.
"Alright, here's the plan," Ben told them. "We will gather around the Tree of Life and attempt a fusion spell. Since this is a delicate operation, I want everyone to be certain of what it is that we are doing. We will collectively infuse the tree with our own magical energy. If you have any doubts about the hows and whys, I'd rather you ask now, because worst case scenario won't involve any second chances".
The assembled magi talked amongst themselves and a few clarifying questions were asked and answered.
"Alright, seems like everybody is ready," Segway said while rubbing his hands. "Everybody, gather round the mana tree". The magi slowly made their way to the great tree, each of them placing a hand on its trunk.
Around Pixie Village, the pixies and Red Fountain boys stopped, observing the attempt with held breaths.
"They're doing it," Mirta stated nervously.
"Don't worry. I'm certain they'll pull it off," Helia said with more certainty than he felt.
Back at the tree, Flora placed her palm on the bark and took a deep breath.
"You ready?" Ben, who stood beside her, asked.
"As much as I can be," Flora replied.
"ALRIGHT! ON THREE!" Ben yelled, getting the attention of the assembled magi. "ONE! TWO! THREE!"
As one, the magi concentrated, letting the magical energy flow into the tree. It mixed with the streams of magic that already flowed inside the plant, charging and energizing them. The lines on the tree began brightly glowing as the collective magical energy of thirty-two magi flowed into it.
For a moment, it was as if the world itself held its breath.
Then the light faded, not into the dim pulsing as before, but into a steady multi-coloured stream of light.
"Did... Did it work?" Helia asked as he stared at the tree.
Then, slowly, a flower began blooming on one of the tree's branches. It grew within seconds, before detonating in a shower of dust. A pixie fell from it, before he woke up and corrected his fall. "I do declare, that was quite the wake up," he drawled as he allowed himself to land, already fully clothed. "What a, I say, what a fine day it is today, Howdy everybody".
Everybody exploded in jubilation and the pixies rushed to greet the newborn member of their village.
"Wait, so the tree gives birth to pixies?" Sky stated surprised.
"Bit different from how we learned the whole birds and bees routine worked," Riven commented.
"YOU DID IT!" Mirta yelled happily as she ran up and embraced her girlfriend, before giving her a kiss. "That was amazing!"
"I appreciate the praise," Flora said happily with a slight blush. "But I cannot take all the credit. This was a team effort".
"Of course. You were all amazing," Mirta said to the rest of the magi.
"Much appreciated, young lady," Segway chuckled. "But I guess that means the project is over".
"It has been a pleasure," Flora said as she shook the older man's hand. "Do call me if you ever have any other issues and I will do my best to find time for it".
"I'll remember that. You're a good magi, Flora. I can already tell you have great potential," Segway replied. He turned to stare at the tree. "So magnificent to see it bloom... It's so... I don't know what word to use".
"May I suggest pure," Helia offered.
"Yes, that works perfectly. Pure," Ben replied. "Anyway, I'll hopefully see you around".
"I guess that means we're done here too," Brandon stated. "With the tree freshened up, it should be able to power the barrier again. Pixie Village will be safe once more".
"Excellent. Yo, Helia. Want a lift?" Sky asked.
"Sure. Just a moment," the artist replied, before turning to Flora and Mirta saying: "Well, it has been an absolute pleasure hanging out with the two of you. If you need my help again in the future, I will be more than happy to assist".
"Much appreciated. Your support in this effort was valuable," Flora praised him.
"And keep working on that poem. It'll be really great once you've worked out the kinks," Mirta encouraged him.
"Thanks. Anyway, see you around," Helia said as he ran off.
"Alright, let's go," Brandon ordered. "Timmy, could you drop off Flora and Mirta at Alfea?"
"Will do," the bespectacled warrior said, before leaving with the two fairies.
As they left, the celebrating mass of pixies faded behind the magical shield as the city once more fell under the protection of the Tree of Life.
...
"You wanted to see me, headmistress," Bloom stated as she entered the office.
"Yes, it's about what we've been talking about," Faragonda said.
Beside her stood Avalon, busily going through a bunch of paperwork. "We've been reviewing possibly locations to house you," the paladin reported. "While it is your choice, I and Faragonda agree that the royal family of Solaria would probably be your best bet. You're already good friends with Stella and they have a good security track record".
"Then I will take your advice on the matter," Bloom said relieved. "I'm just happy you found a place".
"I will still be sending you homework. We don't want you to fall too far behind the others," Faragonda said with a wry smile. "I'm not going to let anything, not even Darkar, get in the way of your education, young lady".
Bloom giggled, before saying: "Much appreciated".
"Then it is settled," the ageing headmistress stated.
"I'll make the call and finalize the paperwork," Avalon said as he marched towards the door. "Come, Bloom. We'll finish things up in my office".
...
"So your father has offered to let Bloom stay in your castle?" Musa said as she, Stella and Techna walked the green fields behind Alfea. "That's quite generous of him".
"He'll probably make it, like, sound like a PR move if asked," Stella said with a shrug. "He totally knows how to handle the press, which is also a tots good thing when it comes to Bloom".
"Yeah. Remember that one sleazy report on her way of dressing?" Musa asked with a slight cringe. "I think Bloom would have hunted the one responsible for that mess down if it hadn't been anonymous".
"Not nearly as sleazy as the one suggesting Firetop was going to hook up with Suntop here," Techna added with a grin. "You could practically see the saliva stains the horndog journalist had left on the article".
"Don't remind me," Stella sighed. "Honestly, like, according to the press nobody can be close to one another without wanting to get into each other's pants". She shook her head, before looking off in the distance. "Wait, who's that?"
A figure dressed in loose robes stumbled out of the woods. The cloth was barely holding together, and the bare skin beneath was bruised and scarred. The figure suddenly stumbled before falling to its knees.
"Dunno, but seems like somebody's been through the wringer," Techna commented as the three fairies hurried to the fallen figure. "Yo. You okay there?"
"I... I need...," the figure wheezed in a male voice as he struggled to get up. "To talk... With Faragonda..."
"Hey, easy there fella. We'll... We'll..." Musa stated in shock as she tried to help the man get up. As she looked at him, she recognised his face, though it was marred with malnourishment and wounds. "Pro-professor Avalon," the musician gasped in confusion.
"What happened?" Techna asked worried. "Did somebody jump you?"
"No... Darkar's prison has... Taken its toll..." Avalon wheezed as he forced himself up. "He's kept me underfed to keep me too weak to use my magic".
"Darkar's... Wait, what?" Stella asked. "Prison... When did that happen?"
"On my mission... A year ago," Avalon said. "Please, just... Get me to Faragonda".
"But you've been here all year," Techna blurted out.
"I've what?" Avalon asked with wide eyes. "Then it is worse than... I feared. Please, just contact Faragonda".
Minutes later as the three fairies hurried through the yard with the weakened paladin, Faragonda herself stormed out of the front doors with Griselda right behind her.
"So you just found him stumbling out of the woods?" Griselda asked as they met up.
"Yep. Looking like he tried to take on the world and lost," Techna remarked.
"You'll forgive me if I don't immediately accept your story, but your sudden appearance is very suspicious, especially considering everything that's been happening," Faragonda stated.
"I understand. Contact the order and ask about me," Avalon weakly replied.
The headmistress pulled out her phone and called. Seconds later, she said: "Headmistress Emanuela Faragonda of Alfea speaking. I'm calling you to inquire about Eirian Avalon". Her eyes widened as she with rising fear asked: "What do you mean he's been missing ever since he went to Underland? He's been teaching at my school for almost the entire year?"
"He's an impostor," the weakened Avalon insisted. "A fake with a duplicate body. Darkar granted him powers similar to mine and copied my memories. He would never have contacted my order. They have ways to identify you and he wouldn't have passed security. But since they were still searching for me and knew you were aware that I could be gone for a while, my order wouldn't have contacted you unless it was to confirm my recovery or death. And with the current war in the Underland, trying to find me has had an understandable low priority. I had hoped the fake would have made a mistake and revealed his allegiance, but..."
"I can't believe it," Faragonda said in shock.
"But it makes too much sense," Griselda insisted. "Palladium told me how Avalon got hurt on their trip. Why would an experienced veteran stick his face in an unknown flower? Not to mention that it was him that brought up the healing sap in front of Livy".
"Wasn't it also from his office that Bloom got that wrong spellbook?" Stella asked.
"And he has become strangely jovial and joking lately," Musa realised. "Completely unlike how Avalon usually behaves".
"Don't forget that it was after his therapy that Firetop went crazy," Techna suddenly said.
"On no. Bloom!" Faragonda suddenly exclaimed before turning and running into the school, the others pursuing her.
They charged down the hallways, following the headmistress who charged ahead and barged shoulder first into the door to Avalon's office, knocking it off its hinges.
"That is one way to knock, I suppose," the other Avalon quipped as the group barged in. He noted the weakened Avalon in the back and said: "Ah, you. I suppose it would have been too much to expect you to stay in your hole".
"You," Faragonda hissed with barely contained rage. "You're the one who told Darkar that Bloom was in the Wildlands. You poisoned the pixies and you informed Darkar of the upcoming tests".
"Guilty as charged," the false Avalon noted.
"You vile fiend," the real Avalon hissed, his blade manifesting in his hand. "You will pay for what you have done".
"Wait, where's Bloom?" Stella asked and looked around, before noticing the redhead staring out the window. "Bloom, get away from that madman!"
"But he's soooo funny," Bloom singsonged as she swayed around. An ecstatic grin spread on her face as she looked at her companions with far too wide eyes.
"Oh no," Techna groaned.
"What have you done to her?!" the real Avalon demanded.
"I have done her a favour. My spell has erased all doubts, sorrows and the like from her mind," the false Avalon proudly declared. "I have helped her overcome the weaknesses so inherent in the flesh. She's now happy. Eternally happy and eternally powerful as a result".
Musa shuddered. The worst part was how genuine the fake Avalon sounded, as if he truly believed trapping Bloom in a state of euphoria was doing her a favour.
With a scowl, the real Avalon suddenly charged forth, slashing his sword against his double. His doppelgänger parried with his own blade of light, a smug grin on his face. "You need to wake up," he admonished his counterpart. "I am better, nay, superior to you in every single conceivable way".
Faragonda stepped in to assist, a wave of her hand sending the fake teacher flying towards a wall. A protective bubble of light formed before impact, protecting the impostor from the collision. Faragonda tried to concentrate her magic to crush him against the wall, but had to evade as a ball of blue flames were hurled against her.
"Wanna party?! Let's party!" Bloom called with a maniacal grin, blue flames dancing across her arms.
She flung another flame, but it was blocked when Griselda caused a part of the wall to suddenly jut out.
The fake Avalon was no longer being pressed against the wall. He summoned his full armour and charged the group. The real Avalon got in his way and blocked with his shield, but was forced several steps back by the strength of his opponent.
"You will not take her," the real Avalon hissed as he struggled to hold his copy back.
"Take her? Avalon, haven't you realised it yet? She wants to come with me," Avalon stated as he pushed the original back. "My spell has made her see the truth. That we should assist Darkar and fulfil his plan. It is a great honour to serve his design".
Meanwhile, Faragonda and Griselda tried to combine their powers to trap Bloom. The redhead threw a barrage of blue flames and both Griselda and Musa had to dodge to avoid being burned, the fire engulfing the cabinet behind them upon impact.
The grinning Bloom was suddenly halted as Faragonda forced her to the floor, but the maniacal princess merely redirected a flame with her mind and the headmistress was forced to back off.
"Hey, Bloom! Smile!" Stella yelled and the redhead turned to see what the commotion was about. A bright flash exploded from the blonde princess and Bloom stumbled back as she was temporarily blinded. Griselda immediately took the opportunity and shaped the walls to grab Bloom.
"Oh, that won't do at all," Bloom happily insisted as the flames that surrounded her body intensified. "I have so many places to go today". The bricks began glowing and melting, harmlessly flowing down Bloom's body, as the windows around her began to crack and the floor beneath her feet began smoking.
"Do you see now? With my improvements, she is more powerful than she has ever been," the false Avalon proudly declared. "My favourite student has exceeded herself and become far greater than she was with your methods".
"I will not allow your degenerate madness to hurt her," the real Avalon stated, before engaging his double in close combat once more.
"At this rate, she's going to destroy the room," Techna gasped as the heat became worse.
"I will attempt to cure her. Griselda, try to keep her bound," Faragonda stated as she closed in.
Meanwhile, the Avalons continued their fight. "You're outmatched," the false taunted. "Give up and I won't have to rough you up even more".
"You may wear my face, but you know nothing of me," the real Avalon gasped. "I will not yield when doing so will harm the innocent".
"You're so obsessed with keeping Bloom as she was, with all the flaws that includes, that you cannot even see how much I've done for her," the false snarled. "My dear Bloom will join forces with Darkar and together they will change all the worlds. You cannot stand in the way of her destiny".
"I will not yield for your poisonous ideals. Not as long as I draw breath," the real Avalon replied, before charging his opponent.
The fake briefly met his blade with his own, before suddenly shifting to the side.
Weakened by months in the dungeon, the real Avalon lost his balance as the opposition of his opponent disappeared. He stumbled forward and his mind went blank as the false Avalon's shield crashed against the back of his head.
Meanwhile, Faragonda had gotten close to Bloom, even as the redhead's fiery aura caused her skin to blister and her clothes to smoke.
"Hiii, Faragonda. It's a nice day, isn't it?" Bloom sweetly asked.
"Hopefully, it will be," Faragonda wheezed as she concentrated her magic, placing her hand on Bloom's forehead despite the agony. "Please, come back to us Bloom".
Her magic seeped into the poisoned mind of Bloom and began its work. Faragonda could feel the foul spell buckling under her magic. For just a brief moment, the manic look on Bloom's face faded a bit.
"NO! YOU WILL NOT UNDO MY WORK!" the false Avalon yelled, suddenly infuriated. His body exploded into air and a powerful gust of wind hit Faragonda in the chest, ripping her away from Bloom and smashing her against a cabinet. The entire office suddenly became the scene of a localised storm as tables, books and furniture were hurled around. Techna and Griselda were knocked over by a flying desk and a shelf full of books buried Musa and Stella.
As suddenly as it had arrived, the wind faded and the false Avalon faded back into existence. "Told you I was better," he arrogantly stated. With a kind smile, he turned to Bloom, whose face had resumed the rigid expression of pure ecstasy. "I've made you pure, Bloom," the false paladin proudly stated. "Pure happiness, pure power and pure purpose. Shall we go see Darkar now?"
"I'd really like that," Bloom said giddily while jumping up and down.
With a happy smile, the fake paladin reformed into wind and carried the joyous Bloom out the window.
Silence fell across the office, the only noise the distant sound of running feet as people hurried to the scene.
Faragonda slowly forced herself up, the attack having broken a couple of her ribs. As she stared out the shattered window, tears began to fall from her eyes.