Well, Darcy and Icy are back, although I don't think Darcy's in such good shape after getting thrown THROUGH a windshield. Imagine how Icy will feel about that...
Anyway this chapter will be another 2-in-1, so I want to thank HiroshiTheHawk and demonbutterfly44 for submitting their OCs, Lycus (HiroshiTheHawk) and Abygale (demonbutterfly44), both of whom will be introduced in this chapter. On with the story!
Gardenia (No POV)
The first person that saw Icy in the nosebleeds was Selina.
"Oh, no. Listen, what's your name?"
"Elizabeth." The girl next to her said.
"Elizabeth, my name's Selina. We need to move, now! There's a woman up there that's after you and I."
"Why would she be after us?"
"She's a witch, a powerful magical being. It's hard to explain, but I used to be one as well. Come on!" Selina said, but everyone except for the band, Icy, Elizabeth and herself instantly disappeared.
"What the...?" Jared and Elizabeth said at the same time. Icy leapt over the railing and landed gracefully about 5 feet in front of Elizabeth and Selina, without so much as a scratch on her.
"So, you're one of the famous Kirklands? I've heard that they're all fairy-mermaid hybrids. Well, you know the good thing about your mermaid side?"
"W-what?" Elizabeth said, afraid.
"Because of a mermaid's natural... Affinity towards water, they're much more susceptible to my spells. Wanna see?"
"N-no, thank you."
"I wasn't really giving you a choice. Ice Coffin!" Icy said. A blue beam of energy raced towards Elizabeth, but Selina tackled her to the ground and the energy beam instead hit the drum set being used by the band, instantly freezing it.
"OH, COME ON!" Jared said, annoyed.
"Get out of here!" Selina said, before clicking her fingers, causing the band to teleport out of the arena.
"You're done, Selina." Icy stated confidently.
"No. You're done! Dragon Fury!" Elizabeth declared. A large red and orange dragon emerged from her hands and hit Icy, sending her flying into a wall.
"The Dragon Flame... No! That's not possible! Bloom's still alive!"
"Elizabeth, wanna get outta here?" Selina asked.
"Yeah. I think I've had enough excitement for one day." With that, Selina opened a Portal leading to her house.
"After you." Selina said. Elizabeth stepped through the Portal, quickly followed by Selina.
Linphea
In a small village near the Royal Palace, a young Specialist by the name of Lycus was running into a nearby forest. He had onyx black hair that fell to his shoulders, with bangs that covered one of his vibrant blue eyes, namely his left eye. He was around 5 ft 9 with a lean build and a figure that, from a distance, would make him appear quite feminine. He stopped running and ducked behind a nearby tree, because he knew exactly what was about to happen. Apparently, so did the plants around him, as they immediately seemed to avoid him.
Then, it happened.
Lycus fell to his knees and began to cry out in pain, as his hair began to grow and cover his body. He could feel his bones breaking and re-shaping. When it was all over, a large wolf stood, on four legs, in Lycus' place. Knowing exactly where he could go, Lycus ran as fast as he could into the middle of the forest, where there was a small house. Inside it was a man wearing a black shirt and pants. He also wore a mask that hid his identity.
"I wonder who that could be." The man then walked over to the front door and opened it, allowing Lycus to walk through.
"Were you followed?"
Yes, but I managed to lose them. Lycus said, using the apparent telepathic connection he and the mystery man shared.
"Good. I have some friends on Earth who can keep you safe. Does the name 'Selina' mean anything to you?"
Wasn't she that Earth witch who tried to free Acheron?
"Yeah, that's her. She and her boyfriend are running a little operation in an Earth city called Gardenia. I've already spoken to them, and they'll let you join their little group on one condition. You help them work against my former... I guess you could call them allies."
Allies?
"Yeah. Did I ever tell you the story of the Wizards of the Black Circle?" The man said, pulling off his mask.
Selina's House, Gardenia
Selina and Elizabeth arrived back at the house, where Ben and a still-unconscious Coral were waiting.
"Wow, this is a big house!" Elizabeth said.
"It sure is. Hey, go and find a room you like and I'll teleport your stuff up there soon." Selina said, to which Elizabeth responded by running upstairs. Selina then walked over to Ben and sat down next to him.
"OK, be honest. What happened?"
"I hypnotised her. What do you think?" Ben said.
"Really?"
"It was either that or look like I was trying to kidnap her. Have you spoken to your friend?"
"Yeah. He's already got a werewolf there, recently changed too."
"Good. If we're gonna take down those idiots working with The Black Circle, we're gonna need every bit of help we can get."
"Couldn't agree more. Wanna try waking her up?"
"Yeah, but suppress her powers. I don't want her trying to splash me to death." Ben said, which earned a small chuckle from Selina, who then clicked her fingers.
"Done."
"Alright then. Coral? Coral, wake up." Ben said.
Coral's POV
I woke up with the mother of all headaches. I saw a girl with long, green hair, and from the looks of things, she was wearing the same outfit as that crazy vampire I just saw. Then, I look around, and who do I see? The very same guy. I quickly backed away from him.
"What the hell?! Where am I?!"
"Coral, listen to me. You're in Gardenia. I'm sorry you had to end up here this way." The girl said.
"W-who are you?" I said. I had never felt this scared of anything in my entire life.
"My name's Selina, and this is Ben. I believe you two have already met."
"We have."
"Look, Coral, I never meant to scare you back in Los Angeles, but this is about something way bigger than you or me. There are a group of people that are after you. Now, the world needs people like you, me and Selina. You can help save the world, but for now, the only way you can be safe is if you stay here with us." Ben said. Realising there was probably some truth to what he was saying, I sighed.
"OK. I'll stay here, but no more trying to hypnotise me. That means you, plus any other vampire that comes here."
"Deal. There are a lot of free bedrooms upstairs, so just pick one you like."
"Thank you." I said, before running upstairs. I saw a weird light coming from one of the rooms, so I looked inside and saw a girl with wings just like mine. She must not have heard me, though, because when she saw me, she looked a little shocked.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"Coral Del Mar Vasquez."
"I'm Elizabeth." She said.
"Nice to meet you, Elizabeth. Why are you here?"
"Oh, just the usual. A witch crashes a concert for your favourite band, then all of a sudden, you nearly burn her to a crisp with your powers." On hearing this, I smiled, realising I wasn't alone.
"Wanna share a room?"
"Sure. I'd like that." Elizabeth said.
Downstairs (No POV)
"Selina, more potential recruits have been found. Would you like to see their locations?" The computer in Selina's wall said.
"Yes. Scan for all fairies, witches and hybrids, plus extend the search to include possible Specialist recruits."
"Scanning..." The computer said. Selina then got herself a glass of water and sat down. Ben did the same a few seconds later.
"Any trouble in LA? I mean, apart from having to hypnotise her?" Selina asked.
"No. Well, she did transform into a fairy, but I managed to create an illusion to throw everyone off. How about you?"
"Oh, I just happened to land outside a concert venue, and guess who was playing?"
"I don't know, The Pretty Reckless?"
"No, you dummy! 30 Seconds to Mars!" Selina said, playfully hitting Ben in the arm.
"Ah. So, any trouble from our 'friends' while you were there?"
"Yeah, 2 of them. Icy and Darcy." At this, Ben's face changed into one of shock. He knew it was only a matter of time before his secret was revealed.
"What?! You didn't think to tell me earlier?"
"Well, no. I didn't really think you wanted to know."
"Argh, I knew Chimera and Diaspro were working with the Black Circle, but The Trix?! If those three weren't family, I'd drain them all!"
"What do you mean 'family'?"
"Oh, jeez. Didn't realise I'd said that out loud. Selina, there's something I haven't told anyone for a long time now. It's about The Trix. Icy and Stormy are my aunts."
"Wait. So that means that Darcy..."
"Is my mother. Selina, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."
"Ben, I'm your girlfriend! We can talk to each other about anything! Hell, we were together for five years before you knew I was a witch!"
"I know that, but there were some secrets even you didn't want to tell me before you found out about me being a vampire."
"Save it. You know what? If you can't trust me with your family, then we can't be together. Get your stuff and get out of here now!"
"What?"
"You heard me. We're through!" Ben was about to protest, but quickly realised that Selina was serious. He conjured a large sports bag full of his things and teleported out of the house.
Raleigh, North Carolina (Ben's POV)
I couldn't believe that Selina had thrown me out. Admittedly, I should have told her about Darcy being my mother the moment I'd met her, but Selina of all people should have understood how hard it was for me to tell anyone my secret, considering the things my mother and aunts have done over the years, and, although they've constantly said they had nothing to do with it, I can't help but feel they were involved in the deaths of the Winx that night.
However, despite all the hurt I had caused everyone around me, I knew there was still one place I could go to, no matter what happened. The only problem was the fact that I hadn't seen the person who lived there for almost 25 years, and the last time I did see her, my bloodlust got the better of me and I wound up changing her into a vampire. Hell, I didn't even know if she LIVED there anymore! There was only one way to find out, though. I sighed, walked up to the front door and knocked a few times.
Goddamnit, Susan, just open the door! I thought. Thankfully, a few seconds later, the door opened and I was greeted by a familiar face.
"Look, whoever you are, I've had a long day, and I really don't need..." When Susan looked up and saw my face, I'm pretty sure that, if she wasn't a vampire, she would have been blushing.
"Ben? Is that you?" She asked.
"Yeah. Mind if I come in?"
"Sure. Come on in. Go sit down and I'll get you a blood bag from our basement." She said, before running down to the basement. I walked into what I assumed was the living room, where I saw a middle-aged man reading a newspaper and a tall, skinny girl with lightly tanned skin, eyes that were dark green, which I recognised as Susan's old eye colour before I turned her, and shoulder-length wheat blonde hair that was in two pigtails tied with purple ribbons. She was wearing a pair of light blue denim Capris, a light grey cami underneath a crop top, a dark purple sleeved shirt. Her outfit was finished with a pair of black shoes. The man reading the paper noticed me, stood up and instantly pulled out a shotgun next to his chair. I knew that he believed in the supernatural, despite not knowing what Susan was, so I was glad to be wearing my sunglasses.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!" The man said, aiming the gun at me. The girl saw what was going on and screamed.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
"Stay out of this, Abygale!" The man said. I calmly walked over to him, grabbed the shotgun and, using my vampiric strength, bent the barrel of the gun around in a complete circle, sort of like in that Harry Potter movie.
"You REALLY don't want to do that, friend. Trust me, I can do a lot more than just shoot you." I said, before smiling and removing my sunglasses, revealing both my red eyes and my fangs.
"You're a vampire?" Abygale and her father said at the same time.
"Yes, I am. Look. I never meant to do... That to your gun. I'll pay for a new one. I'm Ben." I said, extending my hand to the man.
"Trevor, and this is my daughter, Abygale."
Abygale? She's Susan's daughter. I used to see her when she was a baby. Wait. Then, that means I just revealed myself to her dad and threatened him for no reason! Damn it, you IDIOT! I mentally chastised myself. Unfortunately for me, Abygale was more like her mother than I realised, as she heard my thoughts.
"Don't worry. It's alright. You know my mom?" Abygale said.
"Yeah. Before she and your dad got together, we were..." I was cut off by a huge explosion that sent Trevor head-first into a nearby wall with a sickening crack. I made out 6 shadowy figures in the dust. I knew who 3 of them were. Icy, Darcy and Stormy, also known as my crazy mother and even crazier aunts.
"Well, look what we have here! The Half-Breed Show!" One of the figures said. I reconpgnised everyone standing there as Anagan, Ogron and Gantlos, three of my old cell-mates when I was trapped in Cloud Tower.
"What the hell are you guys doing here?"
"Ogron, isn't that the guy who told us when the Earth Fairy popped up?" Anagan said.
"Yes, but what I'm wondering is why he's helping this fairy as opposed to us."
"Things change, Ogron, and so do people, even vampires. If only I'd figured out what you wanted from Roxy in the first place, I would never have told you about her." I said, about ready to tear all three of them limb from limb if they even touched a hair on Abygale's head.
"I didn't realise you were so sympathetic to fairies. It really makes me SICK!" Ogron said.
"Get out of here NOW or I will tear you all apart!" I said. Not wanting to cause more damage than I'd already caused, I kicked Ogron where it hurt - literally. The distraction gave me all the time I needed to prepare a Vortex, which is essentially a Portal that can suck things through it, like a black hole.
"Abygale, grab onto something, preferably bolted to the floor or the wall. Things are gonna get messy." Abygale nodded, and ran over to a nearby door. She opened it and grabbed onto it. After she did that, I opened the Vortex, which promptly sucked in Gantlos, Anagan and Ogron. I closed it before it could suck in Icy, Darcy or Stormy.
"Ben... Why did you do that?" Stormy said.
"I always look after family, Aunt Stormy. Why are you guys trying to hunt down all the Earth fairies and witches?"
"So we can go after that little pixie freak Bloom!" Icy said.
"Icy, no-one's seen Bloom in years. She's most likely dead." I explained. Not wanting to say anything else, Icy teleported herself, Darcy and Stormy out of the area, whereas I walked over to Abygale.
"Are you OK, Abygale?" I said. She simply nodded. Just then, Susan walked back up from the basement with a bag of blood for me.
"I know your favourite's O Negative. You're lucky, this is... the... last..." Susan dropped the blood bag and screamed upon seeing Trevor slumped in the corner by where his head hit the wall. I ran over to him, checking for a pulse, but after about a minute, Trevor gasped for air, having survived. Needless to say, I was shocked.
"Ow! Man, that hurt!" That's when I sensed some very powerful fairy magic surrounding him, and realised that Susan had likely put a protection spell on him when they met.
"What? What happened?" He said.
"Trevor, some guys broke in and caused an explosion. Your head hit the wall here and you broke your neck."
"So, I'm dead?"
"No. By some absolute miracle, you're alive, and you don't even have so much as a scratch on you!" I said. Both Trevor and Abygale looked at me, confused, until Susan cleared her throat.
Susan, you did the spell, didn't you? I sent telepathically. Susan silently nodded without anyone else noticing.
"Susan, baby, did you have something to do with this?" Trevor asked. Susan sighed.
"Yes, Trevor, I did. There's something I haven't told you. Myself and Abygale, well, we're not quite human. We're both fairy-vampire hybrids. The only reason you survived breaking your neck is because, the night we married, I placed a spell on you that essentially makes you immortal."
"So... All those times you only went outside after sunset, that was because you're a vampire?"
"Yes. I'm sorry for keeping it from you, but I thought you'd throw us out or turn us into the authorities if you knew."
"Susan, I'd never do that. I love you." Trevor said.
"I love you too!" Susan said, and the two embraced.
"You know, as touching as this is, we need to talk." I said.
"What about?" Abygale asked.
"Well, just in case those whackjobs that broke in try to do it again, we need to find somewhere I can train you."
"Look, I don't wanna leave my family."
"You won't have to. Your mother will be coming with us."
"Hold on, what? I can't leave here. This is where I've lived my entire life!" Susan said.
"Well, we don't even have to leave the city! As long as we find a place that's remote and out of the way of everyone else, it'll be fine!"
"OK, OK! You made your point! Trevor, are you OK with us doing this?"
"Of course I am, Susan. As long as you and Abygale are safe, I don't give a damn about me. Just promise me one thing. Look after yourselves."
"But Dad, what about you?" Abygale said.
"Abygale, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Besides, you know me. I can handle myself. I mean, I just survived getting my damn neck broken! If that's not tough, I don't know what is!" Trevor said, tears threatening to escape from his eyes.
"I know, Dad. I'll miss you." Abygale said, hugging her father, who immediately returned it.
"You ready to go?"
"Yeah. Abygale, we need to go." I said. With that, we left through the front door.
"So what now? We need a place to hide from those losers that almost killed us." Abygale said.
"First, we need a vehicle. Then, we need to find somewhere."
"Well, I don't know what, if anything, happened to it, but I heard there's an abandoned Cold War bunker near here, and it was pretty high-tech for its time. Rumour is they got a group of fairies to help with it. If we get someone that's good with technology, we could rebuild the place and make it as good as new." Susan suggested.
"Alright, then. We head for the bunker as soon as we can."
"Not while it's daylight, we can't."
"I got it." Abygale said, before creating a small ball of blue light in her hand and throwing it into the air.
"What was that?" I asked.
"Just a spell to keep us safe from the sun. Come on, let's find a car and get moving. If we fly, it'll only freak people out."
"Agreed. Luckily, I've got just the thing." I said, before conjuring a large black SUV with UV filter windows. The three of us got in the SUV, before I started the engine and drove off.
Well, that chapter, despite being the longest one for The Black Circle Returns, wasn't one of my best. I promise I'll try and make Chapter 4 better. Speaking of which, I'd like to thank Musa Tecna bestfriends forever for submitting her OC, Cathy, whose chapter is next.
I'm also going to say that, due to the overwhelming number of Fairy and Specialist OCs being submitted, from now on, I'll be looking for more Witch and Hybrid OCs. I must have about a dozen Fairy and Specialist ones already. :D
However, this doesn't mean I've completely stopped accepting Fairy and Specialist OCs.
Anyway, the next chapter will be up as soon as possible.