Chapter 14- Her Empty Dark Side
Baltor knew a lot of things about people. He knew how to read them, how to pinpoint their desires, how to manipulate them… he'd come across a wide assortment of people coming from both sides of the good and evil spectrum, all of which would sway at some point. One only had to appeal to their dark side, or force them to accept it when faced with moral dilemma. Nobody was exempt from their own darker humors…
Except for Bloom.
Or so he thought.
A manic whispering echoed through the cavern. Baltor glanced toward the dark corner Bloom was huddled in. She was muttering angrily to herself, something she'd been doing since she first summoned him from death's grasp. She spoke in a low growl, speaking a foreign language he wasn't all too familiar with. He finally identified it as Dacian, an extinct language known only to the Ancient Magic users. Then he understood exactly what was going on.
He'd heard of Dark Bloom, of course. The Trix had whined about being so close to some Ultimate Power. Annoyed by their relentless moaning, he looked up what it was they were going on about, then he understood. Darkar had gotten to Bloom. Darkar was able to create Bloom's dark side and turn her to it in order to use her for his own device. Brilliant plan, but like all situations involving the girl it backfired.
But now she was back. Dark Bloom was somehow strong enough to repress Bloom and take over. It hadn't been Bloom who attacked Alfea. Bloom didn't pull him from the reaper's clutches. The good princess didn't just attack the realm of her beloved fiancé.
It was all Dark Bloom.
"I need to kill them. They need to die." Dark Bloom finally spoke English. Baltor glanced at her. "She will suffer and end. Then I'll be strong enough…"
Baltor frowned. "So what's you're next move? You can't keep rushing in on these reckless excursions. You need to plan your next moves accordingly."
"This would be a whole lot easier if I had power!" Dark Bloom snapped at him. "But you've been useless!"
"You're the one who insists on toying with Bloom's friends…" Baltor said.
"My friends!" she screamed, her eyes wide. Baltor saw them flash, turning blue, then amber, then blue again. "They need to die! They betrayed me! They took what was rightfully mine! Sky…" she paused and Baltor could see her mind struggling, "…he deserved what happened."
"Huh…" Baltor eyed the deranged girl before him. She looked like Bloom, sounded like Bloom, but she lacked Bloom's presence. The person before him was most definitely Dark Bloom. "…you're right. They betrayed you." he said carefully. "They all deserve pain and suffering for choosing her over you. You deserve the power."
"Yes…" Dark Bloom muttered. "It's mine. I summoned it… I want it."
Baltor turned from her and stared hard at the cold dark walls of the cavern. He'd struggled to understand why it was he bothered to help the girl at all. Did feel indebted to her for bringing him back? Did he pity her? Perhaps he felt something for her?
Now he understood. He could use her. Her thirst for power and ability to repress his only opposition worked for him. He didn't know what mentality the girl was suffering from, but that factor was inconsequential. The way she was could work to his advantage. He could use her to raid realms, steal powerful magics, put fear into the general public…
But Dark Bloom in her addled state was most certainly correct about one thing. Before they went about taking over there was one small nuisance that had to be taken care of. And Baltor was sure they could do it so long as they played their cards right. Dark Bloom could be used to defeat the damned Company of Light once and for all.
"You can have it." Baltor said with a smile. "They're obviously hiding it from you. They need to be dealt with."
"Yes." Dark Bloom looked up at him, once-blue eyes now glowing an eerie orange. "They will be dealt with. I will get the power I deserve."
"You're going to have to deal with those who dare to deem themselves your superiors, however. Those who've used you and tried to suppress your powers." Baltor clasped his hands behind his back.
"Who?" Dark Bloom looked at him.
"The Company of Light."
"Not far enough…" Layla muttered. She stood with her arms crossed, overseeing the search of the remains of the Eraklyon palace. "Bloom is far from finished…"
"Dark Bloom." Nabu stated as he shoved a large piece of charred timber. "She said she'd kill all the people she loved…"
"Bloom plans to kill off her friends… well ain't that just peachy!" Layla growled.
"Dark Bloom was angrily ranting…" Nabu pointed out.
"Bloom has bigger plans than Eraklyon!" Layla countered, her voice rising. "What is it with you? Don't you see what she's done? Can't you understand that Bloom's finally given in to her thirst for power and wants the universe as her plaything? Why do you keep insisting it's Dark Bloom? What about her makes you think it isn't Bloom?" She turned from Nabu and kicked at a section of crumbling wall, scattering the pieces over the ruins. "I…I… look!" Layla threw her hands out, motioning at the ruins. "First Magix, then Eraklyon, then who knows! Isis, the Harmonic Nebula, Solaria, the Fifth Moon of Marigold…" Layla hugged herself. "…Tides."
Arms wrapped about her from behind and she felt lips brush against her cheek. "You're scared, but that's no reason to lose faith in one of your friends. This is Bloom we're talking about." Nabu turned Layla to face him. "Last Heir of Domino, Keeper of the Dragon's Flame, Savior of the Universe, Defeater of Death, all that jazz… Yeah she's capable of a lot. But everyone is so focused on her achievements and abilities that they all forget one piece of vital information about her."
"What are you talking about? I know Bloom…"
"She's human. She makes mistakes. She has troubles." Nabu looked from Layla and Layla followed his gaze to where the Specialists and the rest of the Winx were gathering to report. "Bloom might not be the antagonist here, Layla. What if Bloom's the victim?"
Layla looked up at Nabu. "The victim? Are you kidding me? The universe is the victim! We all saw her, we saw her eyes…"
"Her eyes." Nabu cut her off. "Yes, that's the whole basis of Bloom's conviction. Her eyes. But Layla? What did you see when you looked in Bloom's eyes? Before any of this?"
"Blue…" Layla frowned. "What was I supposed to see?"
"Really, Layla? I'm trying to make a meaningful point and all you give me is blue?" Nabu sighed. "Now I know it's hard, but try thinking a bit more abstract and a lot more metaphorical. I'm not color-blind, I know what Bloom's eye color is."
She thought harder back to a happier Bloom. "I guess I saw happiness, confidence, passion, love…"
"And what about this Bloom's eyes?" Nabu urged.
"They were blue!" Nabu gave her a look and Layla furrowed her brow as her mind raced. "Nothing… nothing." She looked up at Nabu. "Her eyes were empty! She didn't feel love or passion!"
"This girl is just a husk of Bloom." Nabu said softly. "It's not Bloom. This girl… she's desperate and empty all at once. She wants what Bloom has, but can't seem to get it."
"Dark Bloom." Layla said to herself. Footsteps approached them and the two turned to see Stella walking up to them. Her expression was grim as she hugged herself. "They found Erendor, and he's not good. Sky's distraught. The Queen is inconsolable. And the Council is having a field day with 'I told you so's. The entire magical universe is on high alert."
"So what have they decreed?" Nabu asked, Layla hearing the dread in his tone. "They're going to hunt her down and lock her away in Omega?"
"No…" Stella took a breath, her eyes shining. "They've ordered to have her hunted down and destroyed."
"No! We won't abide…" Layla clenched her fists.
Stella's eyes were overflowing by now and her voice shook as she finished. "We won't have to. They've summoned the Sicario."