Chapter 13: Roxy Takes Action

Anagan was the first to react. In a speedy blur, he crossed the lot and smashed into Brandon shoulder first, knocking the thoroughly winded squire flat on his ass, before retreating again.

"Flora. Help me take care of Speedy," Techna called. "This time, he's gonna rumble with someone as fast as he is." She and the Limphean noble focused, as the world around them slowed down.

Suddenly, Anagan seemed to be running at normal speed. "Ah, you're learning," he noted. "Well, couldn't expect you to be easy to beat forever."
"Laugh it up. Because now, you gotta outrun this," the scarred girl declared as she drew her gun and fired. She, Anagan and Flora watched as the bullet slowly floated out of the barrel.

Anagan checked his watch, before lazily strolling out of the bullet's way.

"Techna, remember that it is only you who is moving fast. This is not transferred to your equipment," Flora mentioned, as she drew her machete.

"Always a catch," the magenta-haired girl sighed.

Outside in normal speed, Dumon in gorilla form hurled metal barrels at Sky and Riven. The sabre-wielding soldier ducked under one bouncing barrel before charging forward. The transformed Black Circle member grunted and swung a meaty fist at the approaching soldier. Riven rolled under the blow, slicing into the gorilla's leg as he passed, forcing his opponent to kneel. He jumped up behind Dumon, ready to strike again, when a furry elbow smacked into his chest, forcing him back. Sky took the opportunity to charge forward, raising his shield as the limb that had been backed into Riven shot forward with force. It bashed into the shield and forced the blond crown prince back. He could feel the bones in his arm rattle from the impact.

When he got ready to go on the offensive again, however, he noted that a rather large buffalo was suddenly storming towards him. "Oh no," he squeaked and raised his shield again.

Stella and Bloom approached Gantlos, charging their magic.

"Give it up," the Dominian princess threatened. "You cannot..."

She paused as Sky flew between them with a prolonged howl.

"Was that... Sky?" Stella asked, as she pointed after the passing prince.

Seizing the opportunity of their sudden distraction, Gantlos smashed his hands together. The two girls were flung back into a stack of crates, wood splintering from the impact.

The large man approached the two disoriented fairies, wanting to make sure they had been neutralized. He suddenly felt as slight movement in the air and spun around. A pigeon was approaching him. He paused for a second, before he noted the glimmer of determination and intelligence in its eyes. He smacked his hands together to blast it out of the air, but Nabu shapeshifted back into his human form, leaping over the Black Circle member in the process.

Gantlos tried to spin around to attack the dark-skinned magi, but Nabu was quicker, striking against the blond's side with his staff and unleashing an unpleasant amount of electricity. The Stetson-wearing man stumbled back with a gargling utterance as he went limp.

Musa carefully moved around one of the containers. In the confusion brought on by the battle starting, Ogron had slipped away. She doubted he intended to run for it. Odds were that he was merely trying to reposition himself to get closer to one of them. Seeing nothing, she took a deep breath and paused. She tapped her foot, allowing the echo to wash over her surroundings. It was hard to do while being bombarded with noise from the nearby battle, but she none the less managed to slowly form a mental map of the area.

And promptly realised Ogron was right behind her.

She drew one of her fans in a smooth motion, hoping to surprise him, but the redhead caught her arm in an iron-fisted grip. As he began draining her with one hand, he planted the other in her stomach knocking the air from her lungs.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Aisha yelled as she noticed what was going on, firing a massive lance of water.

Ogron threw the near unconscious musician away and blasted the water apart with a sonic wave.

Flora and Anagan became blurs, as the brunette went on the offensive with her blade. The middle-eastern man kept dodging and waving, yielding ground while waiting for an opening.

The Limphean noble knew that he was trying to conserve strength by waiting for her to tire out, while she in turn hoped to finish the battle quickly now that she had nullified one of his greatest advantages.

She suddenly made a lunge for him, causing him to jump back. He was about to take advantage of her overextension, when something solid collided with the back of his head, causing him to fall over.

"Why, oh why did I ever forget my own advice?" Techna asked rhetorically, twirling a length of pipe in her hand. "Sorry for the wait, Flowergirl. Had to get some new equipment."

"Brutal, but effective," Flora noted, as she dropped a couple of seeds on Anagan, which tied the disoriented Black Circle member up.

Bloom tried to focus, as she tried to push the crate she was buried under off her body.

"Here. Let me help," Timmy offered, as he and Brandon together helped push it off.

"You okay?" the squire asked, pulling her up.

"Yeah. I'll... I'll manage," she stated, her head ringing. "What about... About Sky. Is he okay?"
"Dumon managed to give him a whooping, but he'll manage," Brandon said.
"And the battle in general?"
"Back and forth. Nabu managed to temporarily knock Gantlos out, but the man has the constitution of a rock, so he's up and swinging again. Anagan seems to be down for now, but that'll only last as long as Flora's vines do. Musa has been almost completely drained by Ogron and Dumon is still wrecking the place." He sighed. "At this point, it could go either way."

Bloom paused. "Any suggestions?"
"To be frank, I don't like the odds. But I get the feeling the Circle don't intend to give up this time. I suggest we focus on getting Roxy out of here. She is our primary reason to be here," Brandon stated. "But then we'll probably need a distraction while I go and prep Roxy and Klaus for the teleportation."
"I think I can do that," the Dominian princess stated. "How's Stella?"
"Tots dizzy," the blonde remarked. "But up for more fun."
"Good. I think it's time for us to shine," Bloom remarked.

"I hear ya," the Solarian princess remarked with a smirk. She felt Bloom's magic reach out to her and reciprocated, mixing their essence together. They focused, before together firing the spell off.

Suddenly, night turned to day, as a great blazing orb manifested right over the lot, sending waves of heat and light across the area.

Ogron slinked into the shadow of a container. He paused briefly, before noting Gantlos had also chosen that particular shadow to take cover in.

"Desperation?" the Black Circle leader inquired.

"No. Prioritizing," the blond responded.

"I see. Then I do have a feeling what to expect." He felt the subtle wavering in the magic, before the miniature sun extinguished. As the two Black Circle members peaked out, they noted that their opponents had left.

"Hey, I think Anagan needs a hand," Dumon called, as he began untying his comrade. "And some sunblock."
"I think..." the speedster began, as he slowly got up. "That it is... A bit too late for sunblock." He gingerly touched his neck, then winced at the pain. He then touched the back of his head, feeling warm liquid. He checked his fingers and confirmed that he was bleeding.

"You okay?" Ogron asked.

"Yes. Just got whacked with an iron pipe," Anagan responded. "My own fault. I forgot to keep an eye on both girls." He looked around. "Now where the heck did they go?"

"A retreat. But unless they intend to go off world, there are only so many places they can go," Ogron said. "Though I do not doubt they know that. Most likely, their objective is to get Roxy away from us." He paused, deep in thought. "We must press our advantage," he stated. "This move will have weakened them. Their plans have moved forward and we can no longer afford to just sit around. All concerns for subtlety are hereby nullified. Do what you must to stop these malcontent fairies."

The three others nodded, before moving out into Gardenia.

...

Mike Peterson hurried out into the living room, as a rapid, insistent knocking filled the house. "Yes, yes, I'm coming." He opened the door and looked outside. "Oh, Sky. How are you doing?"
"Well, considering I was hit by a buffalo, I'd say I'm doing fine," the blond responded, his voice a bit squeaky. "Anyway, we're dumping Roxy and her father off here."

He moved to the side as said girl and her father were more or less showed in, followed by Helia and Mirta.

"They can explain. We gotta go," Brandon explained. "See ya." Then he, Sky, Riven and Timmy ran off again.

Mike blinked, before slowly closing the door. He turned to the others. "Okay, what just happened?"

"It's the Black Circle. We're more or less in open conflict now," Helia explained. "So we needed to dump Roxy here off in a safe place. And this was the best we could think off on a short notice."
"What's going on dear?" Vanessa called from the kitchen.

"Just a couple of our daughter's friends," Mike called back. "Also, what colour would you like the next living room?"
"I'm thinking maybe something blue."
"Sounds good."

"You're taking this pretty well," Klaus noted.

"As a firefighter, I have to keep my head cool," the blond noted with a hint of pride. "By the way, we haven't met before, have we?"
"No. The name's Klaus. I run the Frutti Music Bar down by the beach." He shrugged. "And I just found out my daughter is magical."
"Ah, well, it is always a challenging time for a father when his children develop their magic and start fighting evil across town," Mike solemnly noted.

Mirta scouted out the window, looking for telltale signs of Black Circle members. She noted that Roxy walked over beside her. "Hey. Uhm... How are you holding up?"
The Earth fairy sighed. "Not too good. In fact, I feel bad. All of this effort, all of this pain, just because of me." She paused. "Yet ironically, I'm probably the one who has suffered the least because of it."
"It's not your fault," Mirta insisted. "Don't even think like that for a second. It's... It's not healthy, okay."
"Probably not," Roxy mumbled, as she let her forehead gently bump against the window glass. "I just feel powerless. I should be out there doing something, instead of waiting for everyone else to decide things. I mean, this is about me." She turned away from the window. "But I don't know what I want from all of this. It's too much, too quickly. But if I don't do anything, if I don't take action, everything will be decided for me. That's not good either."
"Roxy, I know how you feel," Mirta said, placing a hand on the other girl's shoulder. "I came along because I was tired of feeling afraid. Tired of... Tired of sitting back hoping Flora and her friends would come back. Tired of not doing anything to help." She paused. "But we all have our limits. Wanting to change things is not the same as being able to."

"I suppose not." Roxy sighed. "But then what can I do? There has to be something." She shook her head. "I need some fresh air."
"Oh... Okay. I'll be here to talk if you need it," Mirta tried, as the Earth fairy walked out of the room. She waited a moment, then seemingly deflated a bit.

"Hey, they say they can probably arrange sleeping space for us down here," Helia said, as he walked over to her. He waited a moment, before asking: "Are you okay?"
"Roxy's hurting, I'm tired and there's no way to know what's going on with the others," Mirta explained. "So I'm just kinda... Burnt out."
"Well, that's fair enough I suppose. Ehm... So where did she go?"
"Outside to get some air."
Helia's eyes widened. "Alone?"
Mirta paused, before exclaiming: "Oh no."
Both of them bolted through the living room, through the kitchen, almost bowling Vanessa over in the process, and out into the garden.

Roxy was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh no," Mirta whimpered, as Helia frantically tried to get a hold of somebody over the phone.

...

Timmy carefully walked through a small copse of trees in Gardenia's park, eyes scouting the distance. The group had met up and had to come up with a plan. They could either all walk around in one group, and remain pretty obvious, or split up in smaller groups to increase both their chances of tracking down the Black Circle and remaining unnoticed. They had chosen to go with the latter option.

The sharpshooter peered out from behind a tree and observed the greens. Nothing so far. Still, he didn't expect to just stumble across the four having a picnic.

Suddenly, he felt a strange gush of wind right beside him and he whirled around to face whatever it was. Dead leaves danced in the wind, before slowly falling to the ground. Timmy held his breath as he scouted the copse, before slowly reaching for his earpiece.

That's when he realised it was gone.

"This is surprisingly modern," came a voice, causing Timmy to swirl around. Anagan stood by a tree and examined the little device. "I almost expected something with runes, made from raw iron by the good little dwarves."

Timmy blinked, before raising his rifle. The moment he aimed, Anagan was gone.

"So, what are we hunting today?" the Black Circle speedster asked, as he leaned in over Timmy's shoulder. "Is it rabbit or duck season?"

"Has anyone ever remarked that you are a very frustrating individual to deal with?" Timmy questioned.

"All the time."

The bespectacled soldier whirled around again. He wasn't sure what happened next, but given that he suddenly found himself on his back with several bruises forming on his face and chest, he figured that Anagan struck first.

"Do yourself a favour and stay there," Anagan remarked, as he examined the rifle. "I should probably hand this over to Gantlos. He could break it pretty easily. Oh well, gotta go." He certainly tried to move, but the result was him face planting at intense speed directly into the undergrowth, the rifle flying into a nearby tree. "Whuhuppen?" came his muffled inquiry.

"You appear to have assumed that we went out alone," Flora remarked, as she soundlessly stepped out of a bush. "That is quite the underestimation on your part."

"I see," Anagan replied, as he noted the roots that had entrapped his ankles. "Well then." With a sudden speedy move, he twirled around, snapping the tendrils. "I won't be making that mistake again." And then, he was off in a blur.

Flora focused for a moment, before she too accelerated after him.

Timmy quickly picked up his gun and examined it. "I'll need to realign the scope. But other than that..." He paused and took a look around, noting that he was completely alone. "Well, now what?"

Halfway across the park, people's summer picnics were suddenly disturbed by two blurs zooming by.

"So, you're keeping up?" Anagan noted, as he looked over his shoulder. "You run a lot? Cardio training? Something like that?"

"I do endeavour to keep myself fit, yes," Flora replied, before taking a swipe with her machete, which her opponent dodged.

"Well, that's good. Keeping yourself healthy is important." He pumped some more magic into his spell and suddenly burst to the side, trying to shoulder tackle Flora, who had to break away to avoid the manoeuvre.

"You are very casual for somebody who is probably about to suffer grievous injury," Flora noted. "You remind me a bit of Techna."

"I dunno," Techna remarked. "He's a bit too much on the normal side."

Anagan and Flora took a brief pause to glance at the scarred girl, who was running besides them.

She gave a happy little wave, before lashing out with a pipe against the dark-skinned magician.

"Speak of the Devil," he mumbled, before trying to smash Techna into a lamppost with his shoulder.

"What's he got to do with this?" the magenta-haired girl inquired, as she evaded the attack.

The three of them burst out of the park and down a street, weaving in-between very confused citizens.

"Well, this will cause a fuzz on the news," Techna remarked. "Hey, Speedy? What happened to being subtle?" She prepared to give whacking him with the pipe another try, but had to swerve around an old lady.

"It didn't work," Anagan remarked, as he weaved between a group of kids.

They suddenly had to stop attacking one another, as a rather large group of people came rushing by, trying to quickly get away from something.

That something was Riven being hurled through the air and going head first through the front window of a car.

"Had enough yet?" Gantlos asked, as he slowly stepped forward.

"No," Riven coughed, before spitting out a piece of tooth. He pushed himself out and unsteadily got up, holding his sabre. "I think I'm ready for round two."
Gantlos observed him. "You're none too bright, kid."
"That's what my friends tell me."

The Stetson-wearing man took a step forward, before pausing. He suddenly spun and smashed his hands together, creating a powerful shockwave that cancelled the one Musa had tried to unleash.

"Hmph, you're quick on your toes," she commented, before calling: "Hey, Riven. Mind sharing?"
"Eh, if I have to," the magenta-haired man commented with a shrug.

Not far from them, Stella was observing things with a puzzled look, before admitting: "Alright. I can't tell whether this is a dream come true or a nightmare."

Before her stood two Brandons, both of whom starred at each other with annoyance.
"Definitely not a dream, what with him being a fake," one commented.

"I know you are, but what am I?" came the other Brandon's retort.

"Oh, come on, I'd come up with something much smarter sounding than that. That's a reply Sky would come up with."
"Ugh, I know. I guess I've just been hanging out too much with him. You know, on account of being the real Brandon."

"Couldn't I just shoot both of you?" Stella asked.

"Please don't, I would rather like to keep my skin," one Brandon commented.

"Yeah. I doubt either of us have sunblock powerful enough to come out of that looking pretty," the other stated.

"Ugh, my head," the Solarian princess groaned. She heard running footsteps and looked to the side to see Timmy come running down the street, looking mildly exhausted. "Oh, hey there, Timmy. Weren't you with Flora?"
"Yeah, but she kinda dashed off when Anagan showed up and..." Timmy paused. "Why are there two Brandons?"
"Because Dumon is being a jerk."

"Yep, he's completely unreasonable," one Brandon agreed.

"It really is unfair," the other stated.

"Well, I suppose we could cross-examine them. You know, try to get them to answer things only Brandon would know," Timmy suggested.

At this, Stella's face lit up. "Timmy, how would you say I look today?"

"Ehm, good as usual," the bespectacled sniper stated. "Though I'll admit, you'd probably look better without that suit." Everyone paused. Timmy suddenly blushed heavily as he exclaimed: "Wow, wait, no, that sounded wrong. I, ehm, I just meant that..."

"It's okay. 'Least Techna thinks I look cool in this," Stella sighed. "Anyway, twelve."
"Twelve?" one Brandon asked.

"Hey, that's cheating," the other argued. "You can't fish for compliments and count them."

Stella smirked. "Gotcha." She suddenly unleashed a blinding flash against the first Brandon, causing him to stumble back with a yelp. The real Brandon took the opportunity to jump him, but the fake shape-shifted into a fly and buzzed off into the sky.

"Good idea," Timmy said impressed. "Never thought that silly little game of yours would come in handy."
"Honestly, neither did I," Stella commented. "Now, I wonder how the others are doing."

...

Sky often thought back to the initial instructions he had gotten when he first joined Red Fountain. How Cordatorta had shouted at them to fall in line and listen, because otherwise they'd get themselves and their comrades killed. "This is a military institution," he had said. "That means we're professional, realistic and grounded. Your job will be hard, dirty and more often than not involve hours standing at attention outside important looking buildings. It does not involve running around on the wing of an air plane clad in a smoking, a fine wine in one arm and a fine dame in the other. This is reality, not an action movie."

It seemed rather funny in hindsight, now that he found himself on top of a speeding train alongside three royals, Bloom, Nabu and Aisha, about to take on the leader of an ancient, almost cult-esque organization. That did sound like something from an action movie.

Fighting him here probably wasn't the safest option, but they had confronted the Black Circle leader on a bridge in town and followed him over the railing when he jumped. Now, the four stood in front of the redhead, as the train under them sped through the landscape. His black clothes billowed in the strong wind, as he observed the four with steely eyes.

"What's wrong?" Bloom called to be heard over the rushing air. "No more threats? No more deals to promise?"
"I have said my piece, Princess," At the moment Ogron sounded very much like he was using princess as a synonym for 'complete idiot'. He shifted his feet into combat stance.

Sky broke into a charge, running across the roof with sword and shield drawn. Ogron ducked under a swipe and retaliated with a swift punch, which the blond managed to sweep to the side with his shield. He made another slash, which Ogron just barely dodged, before the Black Circle leader launched a vicious kick. Sky tried to stop it with his shield, but this time, Ogron was prepared for that and struck the blocking object in the centre with as much force as his legs could muster. This was enough to cause Sky to lose his balance and stumble backwards.

Nabu used the opportunity to land behind Ogron in the form of a pigeon, before returning to human shape. He made a swipe for the back of Ogron's head, but the redhead spun and blocked the strike. He followed up by attempting to grab the dark-skinned magician, but Nabu quickly stepped back, not wanting to risk having any of his power stolen.

Ogron paused his advance, before suddenly turning while swinging his arm out, smacking the icicle Aisha had tried to sneak attack him with. The magic in it flowed into his skin and the frozen projectile melted, the water slithering along his arm as he used the stolen magic to liquefy and catch two follow-up projectiles. He continued using the momentum of his turn to swing back around again, smacking away a strike from Nabu's staff. He pushed back, forcing the bird mage away, before turning again to face Sky, who was taking the opportunity to rush him once more. The prince halted and held up his shield, but the Black Circle leader shaped the stolen water around his arm, form a massive ball of ice, before smashing the heavy object into the prince's raised shield.

The resulting blow obliterated Sky's balance and the blond was force to the side. His foot went over the edge and he fell with a loud yelp. The moment he realized that he was not going to be able to catch on to the train, he braced for impact and tried to roll with the force. He bounced along the grass and dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust. He coughed, vertigo seizing his brain, as he unsteadily tried to both assess the damage he'd taken and watch the train speed off.

Bloom looked back with worry at the rapidly disappearing prince, but felt relief when she saw him slowly get up. It didn't mean he was okay, but he was still alive. She turned towards Ogron, fury evident in her eye. She unleashed a powerful beam of fire, but the other redhead stopped it with a raised hand, easily absorbing it.

"You know what your problem is, Bloom?" he asked, as he dusted his hands off. "You never learn."

Nabu attacked again, this time with a series of strikes, which the Black Circle leader dodged or blocked.

Bloom cursed their situation. Sky had really been their best option against him. She and Aisha had little option besides their magic and even Nabu was severely outmatched in close combat, having to constantly stay at a distance so that Ogron couldn't absorb his magic. It made her feel powerless and incompetent. And that in turn made her even angrier.

As Nabu continued to fight the Black Circle leader, Aisha rushed closer, hoping to catch him by surprise. She jumped forward and unleashed what water she had managed to gather just as he seemed completely preoccupied with the bird mage. But Ogron spun and unleashed the powerful wave of flame he had stolen from Bloom, easily dispersing her attack and sending her flying through the air with a powerful explosion.

"AISHA!" Bloom and Nabu exclaimed, simultaneously, as the dark-skinned princess rapidly descended from her flight. At the last moment, she managed to gather a cushion of water around her, which exploded like a water balloon against the ground.

Nabu gritted his teeth as Ogron turned to face him again. Then, the Black Circle leader suddenly dropped flat on the roof. The bird mage had a feeling why and immediately dropped too, feeling a cold rush as the tunnel ceiling passed over him. The three could do nothing but keep themselves as flat as possible, hoping not to get snagged by a light or wire.

The moment they were out again, Nabu got up, but Ogron decided to attack before he himself had even gotten upright. The moment he had risen somewhat, he shot forward like a ram, smashing his head into Nabu's midsection and forcing the air from his lungs. The bird mage was thoroughly unbalanced and completely unprepared to defend himself from the following left hook. He tried to regain his balance, but another solid punch made him see stars. He almost fell as the train began breaking, but Ogron grabbed him by the neck and followed up by planting his knee deep in his stomach, even as he began to drain the magic out of him. The redhead paused his assault, before violently jabbing his elbow backwards, crashing it into Bloom's head. The Dominion princess stumbled back while clutching her eye, crying out in pain.

Seeing that the Black Circle leader's focus was now on Bloom, Nabu weakly tried to raise his staff to hit Ogron, but the man casually slung him to the side, causing the bird mage to dump to the platform pavement like a sack of potatoes. As he did, the white ring flew from his pocket and rolled across the platform, before coming to a stop. A shaky hand slowly lowered and grasped it, the protective magic having faded when Nabu was unable to keep the wards up.

Meanwhile, Ogron advanced on the Dominian princess.

Bloom looked up and charged him with a yell, fist pulled back. He easily grabbed her hand, before delivering a solid punch with the other. Bloom felt her jaw and teeth rattle as she lost her balance and tumbled to the side, before weightlessness suddenly engulfed her. That feeling was suddenly replaced with cold, hard pain and the redhead found herself sprawled on the pavement, pain quickly growing through her body.

Ogron jumped off the side of the train and wordlessly advanced upon her again.

"Damn... You," Bloom weakly said, as she got up, struggling to keep herself functioning. "Stay back." She unleashed a fireball, then another and then another.

Ogron casually swatted them away with his hands, absorbing the magic with a deadpan: "Does that ever work out for you?" He stepped forward and grabbed her wrist before she managed to get another one off. Then he grabbed her other arm when she attempted to punch him. "Your little insurrection ends now."

Bloom sank to her knees with a gasp as she felt Ogron suck the magic out of her. A deep discomfort blossomed in her body, as she felt her mystical essence being ripped apart. She desperately tried to rip herself loose, but Ogron's grip was like iron. If she didn't get away soon, he would rip the magic out of her permanently.

"Ogron... Stop," a shaky voice demanded.

The redhead paused his draining to look to the side. Bloom followed it.

Roxy stared at him, breathing heavily. "I... I don't want you to hurt her anymore."
Ogron sighed. "Look, Roxy, while your camaraderie with these people no doubt makes you feel obligated to protect them, I am sorry to say that they have given me little option but to disable them permanently."
Roxy took a deep breath and held her hand up. The white ring shone brightly from its position on her ring finger.

Ogron paused, then dropped Bloom, who fell over exhausted. Then he raised his hands in a disarmed gesture, before slowly saying: "Roxy. Take that thing off. You should know by now that the white ring isn't a toy."
Roxy paused, glancing at the ring.

"It is dangerous and the longer you wear it, the greater a risk you put us in," the Black Circle leader continued, as he slowly stepped forward. "I don't want to hurt you, Roxy. I've never wanted to hurt any of you. But I will if I have to. So please, take that thing off."

The Earth fairy considered his words. Then, a voice suddenly began in her mind. A gentle, caring voice. "Roxy, don't listen to him." The pink-haired girl paused. It was the voice from her dreams.

Ogron stopped, reading her expression. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Roxy, take that thing off, now."
"He is a dangerous and vile man, Roxy," the voice stated. "What happened before with the ring was an accident, but what the Black Circle does is abhorrent. You wield one of the greatest creations of the White Circle. He cannot harm you. His threats are hollow. They will only work if you let them."
Roxy looked up, her gaze steely. "No," she said. "I won't let you hurt them anymore. This ends now."
Ogron paused, closed his eyes and sighed. "Sorry," he softly said, before suddenly unleashing a blinding wave of flames.
Roxy gasped. It was like the sun itself had been fired at her.

"Don't let fear seize you," the voice from the ring spoke. "Use its power. Strike him down."

Feeling energy flow from it, Roxy raised her hand and let it loose. A green ray of force blasted into the fireball, holding it in place for but a moment before ripping it apart. It lanced through it, striking Ogron in the chest before he had a chance to see it. He was carried off his feet, flew halfway across the station and landed hard on his back. His vision was blurry as he tried to regain his breath. And then he heard the sound. He looked to the side, eyes widening. A train. Even had it not been an automated cargo transport train, there would have been no chance of it stopping in time.

Roxy gasped and tried to rush forward, but the force in the ring suddenly seized her, freezing rather than flowing. She couldn't move her legs.

"Don't" the ring stated. "Let his evil die with him once and for all."

The Earth fairy could only watch as the massive machine approached.

Ogron panickingly raised his hand, instinctually trying to ward off the oncoming danger.

Then, Gantlos landed in front of him.

With a roar, the Scandinavian man punched forward, gathering all his magic in his fist, smashing it into the oncoming vessel.

There was a deafening explosion of sound as his knuckles collided with the metal. A massive shockwave blasted in all directions. The pavement of the platform cracked and splintered. The windows and clock of the station building detonated in shard of glass. The metal of the train folded like a harmonica with a piercing whine.

And then it was over. The front of the train had been totally compressed, with Gantlos buried in it up till his elbow. He gasped, before falling to his knees.

"Gantlos. Are you okay?" Ogron worriedly asked, as he hurried up.

"I'm... Okay. Just need... A break," the man gasped.

"Boss, are you alright?" Dumon asked as he approached, accompanied by Anagan.
"We'll be fine," Ogron noted, as he inspected Gantlos. "But we need to get him out of here."

Roxy unsteadily got up, leaning against a lamppost. Her gaze met Ogron's. There was a mixture of anger and sadness in his eyes, moments before he and the three others disappeared.

"Roxy... You... Saved us," Bloom weakly said, as she got up. "Thank you."
The pink-haired girl stared at her ring. "I wouldn't be so sure," she mumbled. "Come on. Let us get away from here. That would definitely have gotten us noticed."

...

Faragonda sat in her office, enjoying a cup of hot tea as outside, cold winds raged and even colder rain pelted her window. She was going over her staff's reports on the last week, when she suddenly heard a peculiar knocking on her window. She swirled around in her chair and looked out through the glass, expecting a branch or something like that to be tapping.

Instead, she saw the drenched form of the blond pixie Livy desperately trying to get her attention.

"My goodness," Faragonda exclaimed and opened the window up. "Come in, little one. What are you doing out there in this dreadful weather?"
"De-delivering ma-mail," Livy stammered as she flew in, while the headmistress made sure to close the window again. The delivery pixie sat down by the side of her mug, enjoying the warmth radiating from it. "It-it's what I do. And I-I've got mail for you, Faragonda."

"Is it good news?" Emanuela asked, almost pleadingly.

Livy paused. "Well... It's news. And it's kinda way above my head. So maybe. I dunno."

The aged fairy sighed. "Well then. Let's see what we have here." She carefully opened the tiny letter and read its content. She paused, before quickly calling both Griffin and Saladin.

"Sooo... Was it good news?" Livy inquired.

"I don't think even I could tell you that." Faragonda bit her lip as she waited for the call to go through, before taking a calming sip of tea.

Finally, her colleagues picked up.

"Hello, Emanuela. Is the school on fire again?" Griffin asked in a bemused tone.

"That is not something to make light of," Saladin admonished her. He paused, before adding: "But seriously, is anything on fire?"

"Well, not Alfea, no. But Earth might soon be," Faragonda replied. "And I'm not sure whether it will be metaphorically or literally."

"What now?" the Cloud Tower headmistress asked, sounding worried.

"I got a letter from Pixie Village. Wouldn't surprise me if you'll both get one before long, but I'd rather talk with you both about it now. It's the tree of life. The readings it's getting from Earth are intensifying at an exponential rate. Still not much, but it's growing stronger by the day."

"A sign of the girls struggling with the Black Circle maybe," Saladin guessed.

"In a way, yes. If the readings are correct, and we have no reason to assume that is not the case, what their clashes down there are doing is stirring up the magic. It's been energized with use, which is sending ripples through it, making it come alive and surge with energy."
"Oh," Griffin said, sounding a bit shocked. "But if that happens... Why, that would mean..."
"That Earth could see a magical renaissance," Saladin interjected. "Stale magic means many magi with small sparks won't be able to do anything and even those with greater potential might never discover it. If the magical energy is vitalized in such a way, it would mean that more people would discover their powers. And they in turn will help energize it even more."
"And if it keeps going like that, Earth could return to a level of magic not seen since the White Circle was around," Griffin added. "Not to mention it will help the girls a lot when the ambient magic is closer to what they are used to here."
"But it also makes me worried," Faragonda stated. "According to their reports, magic as we know it doesn't exist on Earth. No one will see this coming."
"Hmm, true, this could be troublesome. We don't want to see the citizens of Earth be overwhelmed," Saladin said in a contemplative voice. "We should contact the other realms with this info. Perhaps this will be enough to persuade them that Earth needs our help, sooner rather than later."
"Ugh, Spirits know how long that will take," Griffin complained. "You know how that lot are. Even those who want to do things differently are kept on the straight and narrow with sheer peer pressure. Bunch of conformists, the lot of them."

"I'll make sure that you can wear your 'down with the system' t-shirt for the next meeting," Faragonda dryly commented. Then she sighed. "I just hope they are all doing okay. Erendor said everything seemed fine when he visited, but I wish they'd message me more often."
"You sound like every grandmother I've ever met," Griffin commented.

"And the two of you sound like an old married couple," Saladin sighed.

...

The group had gathered in the girls' apartment. The white ring lay on table, once again encapsulated in a protective ward. Klaus sat on the sofa besides his daughter, patting her calmingly on the shoulder.

Brandon, who was leaning against a nearby wall, took a deep breath and asked: "So, what exactly happened after you ran away from the others?"
"I... I tried to track you all down. Figured it wouldn't be hard." The Earth fairy shrugged, a sad smile on her face. "Just follow the panicked screaming of civilians and sounds of property damage, right?"

"That has unfortunately become our soundtrack 'round these parts," Techna, who was lying on the floor, noted.

"Anyway, so I managed to find my way to the train station. And that's when I saw Nabu, Bloom and Ogron fight on top of a train that had just arrived. And I was standing there as people fled the platform, trying to figure out how I could help."
"Speaking of that, how did you end up on the train?" Riven, who was sitting on a reversed chair, asked.

"By being impulsive," Bloom, who was using an ice bag to help her swollen eyelid, noted. "Again."
"Well, it could have gone worse," Sky, whose head was halfway wrapped in bandages, noted. "I mean, yeah, we got hurled off, but we could have gotten hurt a lot worse."

"Flora and Bloom had to expend what little remained on their magic fixing my fragmented ribs," Aisha noted. "I think if it had been worse, we would have had to go to the hospital."
"Right. So..." Roxy paused as she thought back. "So I see Nabu get dropped off and the ring rolls from his pocket and stops close to me."
"Not my finest moment, I'm sad to say," Nabu commented with exaggerated sadness in his voice. "Tragically, that coward of a bullying cad managed to outmatch me by playing dirty."

Stella raised an eyebrow. "How did he play dirty?"
"Why, by being better than me, your radiant highness."

"Of course," Stella commented with a smirk. "Thirteen."
"Hey, hey, I told you that one from Timmy didn't count," Brandon interjected.

The pink-haired fairy allowed herself to giggle at the antics, before continuing with: "So I see him getting ready to de-magic Bloom or whatever you call it. And I figure, last time, the voice in the ring just wanted the Black Circle gone. So, mostly out of desperation, I grab it and put it on." She paused, eyeing the ring again. "There was a different voice. The voice I have heard in my dreams. It told me to use the powers of the ring. But then..." She sighed shakily. "I did not mean to push Ogron out in front of that train. And when I tried to get to him, well, the power that I called upon from the ring froze me in place. Had Gantlos not been there, he would..." She paused.

Musa eyed the girl, before eyeing the ring. Then she said: "I don't think you should wear that thing anymore, Roxy."

"I thought you wouldn't have minded to see Draino go splat," Techna commented.

"Look, don't get me wrong, I probably wouldn't cry at his funeral," the black-haired fairy commented. "That being said, I'm not okay with that ring trying to make Roxy into a murderer."

"I agree. Any item so capable of hijacking people must be considered very dangerous," Flora noted. "That being said, it was a moment of desperation and you could not have foreseen the consequences. So no one here holds it against you."
"Look, this is all very..." Klaus paused, as if looking for words. "Revealing, I guess. It's been a long day. But I... Look, Roxy," he began, holding his daughter close. "I think, from what I've seen, that we should trust these girls. This Bleak Circle or whatever they are called, even if they think they have good intentions, I think they have proven by now that they are dangerous and are willing to do some shady things to accomplish their goals. I don't know if I'm comfortable with those guys just running around."
"Ah. You've heard about my opinions I take it," Roxy noted.

"Well, he was very curious," Helia noticed. "Can't blame him, this was all very new. And you've never been shy about the fact that you weren't sure you could trust us, so I figured it was okay to mention." He paused. "Ehm, if it was not, then I apologize."
"No, it's okay. It's just..." She sighed. "It's all so much to take in."
"Yeah, we should go home," Klaus added, as he helped her up. "I doubt they will be back soon after what happened today. Thank you, all of you, for saving my daughter today."
"Well, she did return the favour," Bloom noted with a smile. "See ya around."
"Yeah, bye," Roxy said, as she and her father walked out the front door.

"Great. Now we just need to wait for the city to stop freaking out," Riven noted, looking out the window. "There's been police and whatnot driving around all night."
"Can you blame them?" Timmy asked. "Nobody really knows what was going on, only that the so-called angels of Gardenia were fighting men in black. And we weren't subtle about it."
"We should probably keep a low profile for now," Brandon noted, as he walked over to the table, observing the ring. "And Nabu. I want that thing kept under lockdown until we can figure out what is up with this. Now there are two voices coming through and neither seems to be giving a damn about Roxy's opinions."

"Will do, cap'n," Nabu confirmed.