Hello, hello! I'm back with a new update!

Finishing this one didn't take quite as much time as the previous one. Thank God! I'm also much more satisfied with this one as the previous ones.

But I do need to warn all of you, lovely readers. I've got a new job, as a Covid-19 tester. And while I absolutely love it, it does mean I have a little less time on my hand to write, unfortunately. And in February I'm enrolling back into my study of Biomedical Science, so that will leave me with even less time. Do not worry: I have every intention to continue writing this amazing story - I still have so much ideas! - but the new chapters will likely take longer to be finished and then published. I have a few basic concepts on my harddrive just waiting to be finished and then published. There are about three of those and I hope to finish them soon. But the truly new ones - the ones I have an overal idea for but not yet a true layout - I will need to make from scratch and that will take longer.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand... The new chapter.

I'm excited to hear what you guys think of it. And I would love to hear theories. Let me know!

Usual disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club or the cover of this story.

Many thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and/or followed this story.

Arturia LeFay: Love your user name. I'm glad to read you enjoyed the chapter. I fear I had no idea who Gabriel Blessing was until you mentioned him. So no relation there. Though I'm honored to be compared to someone who writes stories you clearly adore.

MillieBelle: I'm glad to hear you have forgiven me. I hope you will enjoy this new chapter.

RoseHana: thank you for your kind words. I've had many readers telling me how much they enjoyed the last chapter. It doesn't change I still don't like it, but I'm happy to hear that you as readers at least enjoyed it.

I paced anxiously back and forth as we waited for Timmy to trace Tecna's call. None of the girls were answering their phones, which meant tracing Tecna's signal was the only thing we could do. That was proven to be more than a little difficult since my phone was ancient technology, causing Timmy to grumble and curse while trying to get their location and me to silently vow to get a new phone.

I couldn't keep still and just wait by his side like Flora was. Worry was burning me up, fear making me second-guess everything. If I only had urged Tecna more to tell me where she was, than we would have been on our way to them. If only Flora and I had joined them rather than taking it easy, than this probably wouldn't have happened. If only we hadn't lingered and talked to the guys and given them a call straight up. If, If, If… The word made me dizzy.

I stopped in my tracks, wrapping my arms around my own waist when the fear gripped tightly around my throat. I had no idea what was happening, who the girls were fighting or where, not even why. This hadn't happened in the cartoon, had it? I certainly didn't remember any of this, which meant I was going in blind. I hated it. If something happened to the girls…

A hand grasped my shoulder gently. "It will be alright, Bloom," whispered Brandon from beside me. "We will find them on time." I tightened my arms around my waist, biting down on my lip to keep it from quivering. "Hang in there. If anyone can find them, it is Timmy."

The differences between him and Valtor couldn't be more prominent as in that moment. Valtor would have scolded me for showing weakness, snapped I had to get a grip on myself, that I was being pathetic, that my worries and fears only got in between me and my goal.

Not Brandon. He was cuddling me, trying to reassure me with fake promises, being too optimistic. I wasn't sure what I wanted more: the harsh truth, or the soft lies. There was something to say for both.

"What if we won't?" I whispered, blinking at the tears. I shouldn't be comparing Brandon to Valtor. He was nothing more but a friend to me, though I was hesitant to call him that. Riven was a friend, someone I regularly called and had met up with before my house-arrest. Brandon was an acquittance at best. "What if we're too late?"

Brandon stepped in front of me, grasping my shoulders tightly and staring urgently down at me. "You can't think like that, Bloom. We will be on time."

I shook my head, not meeting his gaze. "You don't know that."

"We have to have faith," he urged me softly. "If we despair then…" He made a noise in the back of his throat. "Then what is the point of fighting at all?"

"Revenge." I closed my eyes, tilting my head away in the hope he wouldn't notice the fury that was burning just underneath my skin, the one my eyes would openly display. "If we are too late, then I'm going to rain fire down on those responsible. I will burn down Magix if that is what it takes to make those who hurt my friends pay."

I made a noise of shock when I was abruptly pulled into two strong arms. Brandon was hugging me to his chest and honestly, it was like I was hugging a statue. It was just wrong and- and… Well, just plain wrong.

There was no warmth seeping through my clothes, no answering flame, no smell of leather and that wonderful cologne, no goosebumps erupting on every inch of my skin, and no power gently caressing me. It wasn't like Brandon was as cold as ice. No, he was as warm as anyone, but he didn't radiate the heat I had grown used to. The one I apparently longed for, my personal heater. And he didn't smell bad either – like denim, fresh laundry and some sweetly smelling cologne that made me see dollar signs – but it wasn't that intoxicating smell that had surrounded me the last few days.

I suppressed the urge to push him away, to slap him. I wanted to. Hell, I wanted to break his nose and tell him to never touch me again. And he was barely even touching me. Unlike Valtor and Riven, he tried to hold me while keeping his distance at the same time, embracing me but keeping that length that society demanded and deemed proper. Not the two arrogant men I adored. They cared nothing about being proper and just claimed any space they wanted.

"We will find them, Bloom," he swore. My stomach turned and I swallowed against the bile at his soft words. "I promise."

I took a deep breath in, blinking at the tears, before pulling away. I didn't meet his gaze, keeping it locked on the ground. "Don't make promises you can't keep," I warned him, turning on my heel and striding towards the other guys and Flora.

Riven eyed me as I took a stand beside him, his eyes flickering over my shoulder towards where I had come from and his brows furrowing. "You good?" he whispered. I gave a curt nod. "Do I need to punch him?"

My lips twitched up for a moment. "Was it that obvious?" He draped an arm over my shoulders in answer and tugged me into his side. I swallowed against the sudden tightness in my throat and forced out in a clipped tone: "I will punch you if you give me the same speech about how we will find them on time."

"Hey, I pray we will but…" Riven grimaced. "With what you heard, I'm not too optimistic." His arm tightened around me. "But I really hope they will be alright when we find them."

I let out a shaky breath in relief. Finally, someone who understood. Riven's levelheadedness was partly why I got along with him so well. That and we had the same sense of humour.

"I found them!" Timmy jumped to his feet. "They are a few blocks from the square."

Sky was cheering, even Riven seemed happy. Not Flora. She rose to her feet, trembling and an odd shade of pale. "Bloom, they are near the alley…"

"The alley?" repeated Sky tensely, all happiness fading upon hearing the fear in Flora's voice. "What are you talking about?"

My stomach dropped but at the same time my fury rose. I knew exactly which alley she meant and it made my thirst for revenge only grow. "The Trix."

Flora nodded, grimacing. "It is too much of a coincidence."

"Let's go." Flora flinched and actually took a step back. I mentally kicked myself. Of course, she would have her reservations. Last time we had gone face to face with the Trix, she had nearly died. "If you don't…"

"I'm going," she interrupted, her tone firm. But then she faltered a little. "I just… I don't want to experience that again…"

"It won't come to that. Not if I have anything to say about it," I swore, balling my hands into fists. I could feel the flames starting to nip at my skin. "And this time I have my powers." I took a deep breath in, a harsh pull beneath my midriff warning me that my anger was catching someone else's attention. "We will rain fire down on those damned witches, get the girls out and disappear again before they have time to retaliate."

Flora nodded, grasping my hand and pinching it hard but determined. "Let's go get our friends."

I focussed on my flame and willed it to spread, smiling as I felt the fire rush up my fingers to my arms and my wings expand. I grinned and opened my eyes when the fire settled back down, finding Flora had transformed as well. "Let's," I drawled with a devious grin.

The guys ran ahead of us while we flew, Timmy leading since he had the coordinates and a map. We were almost at the square when Flora gasped, grabbing my arm and pointing. Just a few blocks ahead, thick storm clouds were hanging low and shooting lightning down to the ground below. And in those clouds, floated a figure.

"Keep going!" I shouted at the guys before Flora and I sped off. "We will see you there!"

The severity of the situation unfolded itself the moment we gained altitude. Stella, Musa and Tecna had apparently run into a group of witches, a group being led by the Trix if I had to make an estimated guess. Those witches were shooting spells at our three friends who were backed into a dead-end. While Musa was fighting off the ground attacks, Stella was holding up a shield and keeping them safe from the lightning from above. And Tecna… Poor, Tecna was sprawled out on the ground between them and unconscious.

I gritted my teeth when I heard Stella scream, a particular harsh bolt of lightning landing on her shield. They wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. "I will deal with the weather witch. You help the girls on the ground. Get them out if you see an opening." Flora gave a resolute nod and flew down while I called flames to my hands and rose to the sky.

As I came closer, I noticed similarities and differences between her and the witches I had met on my first day. She wore black mail and over it a lightning-coloured suit, with a cape and a belt with S clasps. Just like one of the witches had. But she was much more alive, with a head of unruly dark hair that stood into every direction and a tiny but curved body. The only odd thing were her eyes. They were as dark as her hair, but seemed to stare unseeingly into the air. She wasn't even gazing down to the ground. Another weird thing was how she randomly made little o-shapes with her mouth before closing it again.

I jumped into action when Stella let out another scream and her shield shattered. I channelled all my anger and then shot it out of my hands, straight towards the weather witch. All our target practice classes seemed to pay off: I hit bull's eye, smashing her out of the storm clouds and watching as she plummeted to the ground with no small amount of satisfaction.

I would have happily continued to watch without ever lifting a finger to help – Valtor would point out that it was extremely unfairylike and I would flip him off for it – but my fun was spoiled when out of nowhere another witch flew up in the air and caught her, using magic to slow her down and get her safely to the ground. Once she had landed, the second witch rushed forward and helped the weather witch on to her feet, glaring harshly into my direction.

I glared back, diving down and landing before my friends, my hands already erupting in new flames when I caught sight of the group of witches. I growled, baring my teeth at them. "Who the fuck do you think you are?!" I snapped. Behind me Musa called out my name in relief. "And better yet, what gives you the fucking right to attack a group you clearly outnumber?!"

"They were spying!" called out one of the witches, taking a brave step forward.

"Get over yourself," I snapped back, the flames licking higher up my arms when I saw Flora trying to bring Tecna back around. The witch gulped at the sight of my flames and quickly backed up. "It's a free world. They can go wherever they like and watch whoever they want."

"They tried to put a spell on Icy!" glared another, pointing at "Icy".

Icy was a tall beautiful woman who glowered haughtily when her name was spoken, like she was royalty. Her pale blonde hair was pulled up in a high tail and her pale blue eyes glinted cruelly as she observed me. It was that she wore the exact same outfit as the Icy I had met on my first day, or I never would have guessed they were one and the same.

Beside her appeared the witch who saved my victim. She was even more beautiful. Her radiant green eyes reminded me of a snake's – one who was ready to strike – which gave her a deadly type of beauty. She had long lush vanilla-blonde hair and a tan that matched Stella's. She was a lot taller than I was, but with similar curves, and radiating a confidence that was a little intimidating. Honestly, the only thing she and the vampire had in common was the black armour seemingly made out of pure darkness.

Finally my victim stepped forward, pressing a hand against her head and glowering furiously into my direction. Tiny bolts of lightning were jumping between her fingers, and she seemed rather murderous. Yet her eyes remained unfocussed, unseeing.

I shot Musa a glance, who was supporting Stella. "You tried to use magic on them?"

"The girl with the green eyes is Riven's ex." Musa glared into her direction. Darcy, good to know that for sure. "And Ms. Griffin was sitting close to them. I tried to use the revelation spell. But I think I mispronounced a word."

"A revelation spell?" I scoffed loudly, turning back to the witches. "That's what got you all so riled up? What made you use harmful magic on three freshmen who you outnumber three to one? How very brave of you."

Icy bared her teeth and pushed through the other witches until she, Darcy and Stormy were at the front. "No one tries to use magic on me and gets away with it."

"I will repeat myself for once: get over yourself." I balled my hands into fists. "What's a little revelation spell, huh? It does nothing, unless – of course – you're using some advanced magic to hide your true appearances." I arched an eyebrow at Icy. "Are you?"

Icy sneered. "I don't need to answer some pathetic fairy."

My eyes flashed angrily, fury burning through my veins. "I will show you pathetic."

Valtor had taught me how block my power aura, to only show it when I desired it. He had warned me that when I lifted the restrictions and let it flow out, it could be a little overwhelming for bystanders. I was hoping it would. Hell, I was counting on it.

"Girls, brace yourself," I urged before lowering the blockage. It was a weird feeling, almost as if I had forcefully held a balloon underwater and now released it. I grinned as the witches gasped and stumbled back, the eyes of the Trix widened. Darcy even turned an odd shade of white. "What did you say about pathetic?" I arched an eyebrow, grinning smugly. Oh, I absolutely adored their faces. If only Tecna was conscious. She always recorded everything she did while being transformed and I would love to have a screenshot of their faces. "Besides, if any of us here is pathetic it is you. What kind of a fucked-up name is Icy? Your parents must have really hated you."

"Bloom," hissed Flora behind me. Stella and Musa laughed. "Don't agitate them."

"Hey, they started it," I muttered back. "And honestly, it is a fair question."

Icy took a step forward, her own eyes flashing in fury. While mine tended to reflect the fire that was the source of my power, hers took on an icy shine. Almost as if her pupils were literally freezing over. "You think you're tough, little fairy?" she growled. "Because of some bigshot aura? You're nothing."

I snorted, cocking my hip in a silent dare. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't I already keep the three of you off by my lonesome self? Mind you, my powers were being blocked at that time. With that knowledge, do you really want to try this again?"

"You won't get away this time," snarled Icy, taking another step forward. The air was growing colder around us. "I will make sure of that."

I grinned victoriously. "So you admit to being the witches we encountered on our very first day. No wonder you reacted that badly to a simple revelation spell. It is the only thing hiding your true appearances, and the fact your love for dark magic has turned you into three ugly hags."

The Trix froze, the other witches gaping in shock at them. Musa laughed loudly. "Bloom, you utter genius! Who needs a revelation spell when you just get them to confess?!"

I smirked. "Checkmate, bitches."

I had barely uttered the words when I came to regret them. Stormy jumped forward, shouting: "Fulgur percutiens!" Out of her fingers lightning shot straight at me. I pushed my hands forward, not even needing the spell but instinctively creating a shield. I gritted my teeth as the lightning slammed into my shield, the fire blocking it but electricity still nipping painfully at my fingertips.

Behind me Stella and Musa jumped to their feet, balling their fists. "We take to the air," ordered Stella fiercely. "Flora, get Tecna out of here. We will cover you."

"Oh, I don't think so." We all gasped and turned around, finding Darcy had appeared directly behind us. She grinned maliciously and darkness shot literally out of her towards us. Stella blocked it with her staff, calling forth her own magic and shining like a real sun. The darkness parted around her like the Red Sea for Moses.

Musa and I nodded at one another and took flight, both throwing balls of magic towards Icy and Stormy. They jumped out of the way and also took flight. The remaining witches hesitated for a moment but then raced forward, their own hands lightning up with spells.

Before they could fire at us, Timmy ran into the alley with his gun drawn and started shooting, followed by the other specialists. They literally had the best timing ever. I focussed back on my own fight. It was Musa and I against Icy and Stormy, and they were pissed.

Simultaneously they attacked, a whirlwind of ice and lightning racing at us. Musa called forth a shield. The funny thing about Musa's shields was that they often resembled music bars or old cd's. This time it was as if a disco ball surrounded us, not just protecting us but hiding us from view as well.

I took a deep breath in, focussing on my core. My flame roared, urging me to unleash it. I shushed it. "We are trying to not draw too much attention to ourselves, remember?" Instead I whispered: "Vertio."

I was transported out of Musa's disco ball and reappeared behind Icy and Stormy, not hesitating and throwing two fire balls right into their backs. They were smashed into Musa's shield, who like the wonderful girl she was gave them a punch back by blasting loud music at them.

Icy was the first to recover and shot knife-sharp ice crystals at me, her eyes now so cold that I was shocked I hadn't frozen solid. If looks could kill…

I threw my arms in the air. "Flamma!" Her ice melted before it could hit me, the temperature around us rising due to my spell. I smirked smugly, tauntingly, while cocking my hip for a second time. "Is that the best you can do?"

With a scream she launched another attack, ice and snow shooting at me at an alarming speed. I folded my wings in and dropped out of the sky, easily dodging her attack and shooting another fire ball at her. I missed her just by inch, only scorching a part of her thigh.

This continued for a while, the two of us dodging each other's attacks and throwing them at an alarming rate at the other. Occasionally we were almost hit by side spells from Musa and Stormy, who were locked in a similar battle. But I was too occupied with Icy to see what was going on below.

Until someone screamed and an explosion followed.

I instantly whirled around. Flora was lying unconscious on top of a car, the roof heavily dented. Beside her another car was on fire, Darcy flying before it and cackling. Shadows surrounded the burning car, as if to trap something or someone in the flames.

I quickly did a headcount. The guys were busy themselves, keeping the other witches at bay while Timmy was kneeling down beside the still unconscious Tecna. And Musa was up in the air with me, fighting Stormy.

My heart leaped into my throat. "Where is Stella?" I knew the answer instantly, my eyes widening as I recalled the scream and explosion. "Oh no!" My hair stood up straight and purely on instinct I turned, an icicle flying straight past me. Icy was grinning evilly, already creating a new one in her hand.

I gritted my teeth, throwing a fire ball at her before turning to the car. "Parao!" The flames gave a harsh flicker and then stilled. With a yell I gestured towards Darcy and instantly the fire shot away from the car and towards her.

She screamed in horror. But the horror quickly turned to maniacal laughter when the fires froze before our eyes. I growled and turned back to Icy, who was smirking smugly. Two more icicles formed in her hands.

"Darcy!" she called menacingly. "Finish the fat one off!" My eyes widened, the air punched out of me, when Darcy turned her attention to the unconscious Flora with a smirk on her lips that truly terrified me. "Go ahead," sneered Icy. "Save her." Her eyes glittered evilly, the air growing colder around us. It was even starting to snow. She cackled in delight, in victory. "Or are you going to save yourself?"

She was ready to strike. If I even turned a little, I would have two icicles in my back. But if I attacked her, Darcy would kill Flora.

I balled my hands into fists, my entire body shaking as fury coursed through my vain and fell over my eyes like a thick mist. Hurting my friends was one thing, but hurting them and forcing me to choose between myself and them, to use them as a distraction…

"No one hurts my friends!"

I saw red. A deep bloodred.

I wanted Icy's blood to coat the streets.

I wanted her to scream and beg for mercy.

I wanted her dead.

My flame roared and this time I didn't silence it. No, this time I screamed, grasping it tightly and letting it explode. The Dragon ripped itself out of my body, tears jumping into my eyes at the pain. It truly was like being torn apart, or at least being cut up with the sharpest knife known in existence. But I refused to call the Dragon back, not until the girls were safe and the Trix were gone. Not until their blood had flown.

I let out a noise – it was more than a scream, even more than a battle cry – as the burning car, Flora's unconscious form and Tecna in Timmy's arms flashed before my eyes, the taunting smirk of Icy as she forced me to choose between their lives and my own. But the noise was loud and furious and powerful, even more when it mingled with the Dragon's own roar.

Waves of energy rippled out of me, like the tide returning to me and then dashing away with even more intensity. I had no idea how long I did that, how long I was suspended in the air and just unleased all that power and anger. But with every second ticking away, the lighter my head started to feel. I couldn't feel my fingers. Hell, I couldn't even feel my limbs. Some invisible force was keeping me in the air, because the heat of my transformation was gone. And I was cold. So very cold.

One final wave of fury and power ripped itself out of me, then I was empty. Utterly spent. Broken. I couldn't feel. I couldn't think. I could barely breathe. But the darkness was beckoning me to it and I gladly dived into its embrace.

The magic council "ruled" the Magic Dimension from out of its seat at the Temple of Magix, the one which depicted Daphne along with the eight other nymphs. It was also the headquarters of Magix' law enforcement, and where we were taken after the disaster with the witches. We had to give our statements, then wait until the headmasters and -mistresses of the schools arrived and give our statements again, and then wait some more until a verdict had been reached. Especially the latter took a lot of time, though the headmasters and -mistresses hadn't exactly been in a hurry to answer the council's call either.

Needless to say we were all dead on our feet after the morning we had, and sitting around doing nothing but waiting proved to be tiresome. So tiresome that Musa and Flora were resting their heads on my shoulders. Musa was fast asleep but I wasn't sure if Flora was napping as well. Her head wasn't nearly as heavy as Musa's.

Riven – who was sitting on Musa's other side – and I were discussing motorcycles and that yes, they were a lot like hoverbikes while Stella was painting my nails. She, Tecna and Timmy were sitting opposite of us, Timmy also fast asleep with his glasses threatening to fall off his nose while Tecna was listening in utter fascination to our conversation.

Musa stirred when Riven barked out a laugh of disbelief when I told him about the strict wardrobe rules that applied to riding a motorcycle, something which he found most amusing. "Ugh, what is the time?" she groaned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and slowly raising her head from my shoulder. I showed her the time on my watch, rolling my shoulder now that it was finally freed from the weight. She made a noise of disapproval. Her nap had caused two hours to disappear, but we were still sitting where we had been when she had fallen asleep. "They still haven't decided?"

"It is a serious matter." Tecna chewed her lip and stared at the hallway which led to the court. "We are accusing a group of fellow students of using dark magic and trying to kill us."

"I don't see what there is to decide," snorted Stella, who was polishing her nails after finishing with mine. I was now supporting a sparkling admiral blue colour. I liked it. While my nails were always polished, I was seriously considering wearing more bolt colours on them. Stella's nails were always perfect and she didn't wear anything but bolt colours, so why shouldn't I give it a try as well? "They confessed."

"It is still our word against theirs," pointed Tecna out. "And witches and fairies have never truly gotten along. They have to take that into account as well."

Stella scowled. "Are you saying that the council should dismiss our testimonies?"

Tecna chewed her lip absently. "No, but…"

"Face it, Stella," interrupted Riven. I smiled when I noticed his fingers slowly wrapping themselves around Musa's. He had hardly strayed from her side since the fight. "They are not going to take any action." Stella narrowed her eyes at him, but Riven wasn't easily intimidated. "It's the word of five freshmen fairies against Griffin's star pupils. And Icy, Darcy and Stormy aren't just going to confess the truth. They will play ignorant. They probably threatened the other witches present to make sure they keep their mouths shut. Griffin is therefore going to believe them, and the council can do shit about that."

"Way to be optimistic, Riven," grumbled Stella. "Why don't you go and kick some puppies while you're at it?"

Riven still wasn't faced. "Just because you don't like it, doesn't make it any less of the truth."

Stella just tilted her nose in the air, huffing dismissively. "Well, I don't think it's fair."

"Life is rarely fair." Valtor's words tumbled out of my mouth before I realised it. He had been oddly present ever since I had woken up, tugging at our connection ever more urgently. The noisy bastard was probably anxious to figure out what had riled me up this time. "We might not like it, but it doesn't change anything." My lips tugged up as I heard myself accuse him of being a bitter fortune cookie. Was that already half a year ago? It was remarkable how quickly time slipped away from me.

"Bloom, I know you're trying to help –" Stella glared at me. "– but this isn't helping." I just shrugged. I hadn't really said that to help, just to back Riven somewhat up. While I prayed he was wrong, something told me that that was exactly what was going to happen. "And that wasn't what I was talking about. I think it is entirely unfair that Sky and Brandon are allowed to be present while the council discusses the matter but we are not."

"Well, Sky is the future king of Eraklyon, currently the most powerful realm in the Magic Dimension," pointed Tecna out. "I think the council was too afraid of king Erendor's reaction if they refused his presence."

"And I'm the future queen of Solaria," scoffed Stella. "What is the difference?" She narrowed her eyes at me when I made to reply. "Don't even think about responding with another "life isn't fair", Bloom. I will turn your hair green for an entire month."

I rolled my eyes. "Stop being dramatic, Stella, and just be glad that someone on our side is there to defend our case."

"I'm still more curious about how you managed to defeat three senior witches all by yourself." Tecna leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "I mean, you're powerful but you shouldn't be that powerful. Not yet, at least."

"I wish I could explain it to you, Tec." I chewed my lip, holding a hand out in front of me and observing my nails. A deep purple colour would look good on them too, or a neon green… "The only thing I remember was this haze of fury settling over me when Icy made me chose between my own life and Flora's."

"I don't care what you did. I'm just glad you did it," breathed Flora from my other side, confirming my theory on her not being asleep. But she didn't raise her head, much to my shoulder's disappointment. "I don't want to think of what would have happened if you hadn't."

"But was it like what you did earlier this week?" wondered Tecna, typing an end away on her portable computer. She was probably documenting everything, to read it back and possibly write a paper on it at a later date. Leave it to Tecna to analyse everything. "What Faragonda only barely managed to contain?"

Riven's eyebrows shot up, peeking at me from over Musa's head. "You have done this before?"

I grimaced at the recalling. When I had dreamed about Darkar, I hadn't just unleased all that power in my head. I was still more than a little horrified. "I had a nightmare and reacted pretty badly to it."

"Understatement of the century," snorted Stella. "If we hadn't still been in Faragonda's office, she would have blown up the entire north wing and us with it." She dangled her nail polish in front of Musa. "You want?" Musa nodded and Stella scooted forward, petting her knee in silent instruction. "I'm almost sorry she didn't. That certainly would have postponed our midterms."

"And got her expelled," protested Tecna fiercely. "Faragonda wouldn't have allowed her to come back."

"Yeah, not to mention we would be dead," scoffed Musa, placing one hand – the one not holding Riven's – on Stella's knee. "Or are you forgetting that little detail?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Can we please talk about something other than me nearly killing you all in my sleep? I feel bad enough about that as it is."

"What did you dream about?" wondered Riven. "Must have been pretty scary if you unleashed all that power." My hair stood up straight, Darkar's laughter echoing in my ears, and I shuddered, my stomach turning unpleasantly. Instantly Valtor yanked on our connection again. Riven noticed my discomfort and waved his early question away. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

"I'm shocked you care," hummed Stella, her eyes flickering to the hand holding Musa's. "Don't tell me you're going soft."

Riven scoffed. "Thank you for reminding me why I don't like spending time with you, Stella."

"Oh, you're welcome." Stella smiled innocently. "I'm always happy to remind everyone you're not great company."

"Stella." I shook my head disapprovingly. "Knock it off. I get you don't like him, but that doesn't change that Musa and I do get along with him."

Stella narrowed her eyes, which Riven gladly mimicked. "He is rude."

"She is a bitch."

"Yes, he is," I rolled my eyes. "And yes, she can be. And I'm rude and crude and downright bitchy, but you two love me anyways. So suck it up."

Timmy chose that exact moment to abruptly wake up. "What… I… Who…"

"We're still waiting on the verdict, Timmy," Flora informed him softly. "You can go back to sleep."

He didn't. Instead he quickly caught his glasses as they slipped off his nose. "They are sure taking their time." He started cleaning them, as if the whole falling hadn't occurred, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "And Sky and Brandon haven't returned yet either?" We shook our heads. "I wonder what they are discussing…"

"Join the club." Stella grinned and showed him her nail polish, having finished doing Musa's in what had to be a new record. "What about you, Timmy? Want some?"

Timmy's cheeks flushed red and he stuttered out an answer that made no sense. Tecna scowled unpleasantly, instantly jumping to his defence. "Don't be mean, Stella."

"Hey, it was just an innocent question," giggled Stella. "There are plenty of guys who paint their nails. I don't judge."

Timmy cleared his throat and decided to ignore the question, grabbing his phone and reading his messages. Nothing out of the ordinary, and we all fell back into what we had been doing earlier, only for him to mutter out of nowhere: "Oh oh."

"I'm starting to hate that little expression," complained Stella, puffing a strand of hair out of her face. "Whenever someone utters it, we find ourselves in a whole load of trouble."

Timmy pushed his glasses further up his nose, before shooting a hesitant glance at Musa. "Did you notice Bloom's power taking on something of a shape?"

Musa frowned. "No… It was just a bright warm light. Why do you ask?"

Timmy showed us his phone, which was currently displaying the Magic Dimension's equivalent of BBC1. They were naturally covering what had happened in Magix and the eruption of magic from a few hours ago. But the headline said…

"Valtor escaped from prison?" I scrunched my nose. "Have I missed something while being unconscious?"

"Not if we all missed it," answered Riven with a deep frown, reading it over Musa's shoulder. "Why do they believe he has escaped?"

"Some eyewitnesses claim that Bloom's magic took on the shape of a dragon, the symbol of his power. And since it was so similar in strength, people are claiming that Valtor was responsible, which means he broke out of the Omega Dimension." He coughed. "They- they are speaking about dimension wide panic."

"But I didn't even destroy anything!" I protested. "Surely if I was Valtor, I would have levelled a few buildings? Killed a dozen people or so?"

"Don't read too much into it, Bloom," assured Riven me with a tight smile. "People are just paranoid, especially those in Magix. They've never quite gotten over their fear of him. Just saying his name is enough to send them into full panic mode."

"Don't joke about that, Riven." Timmy shot his teammate a nasty look. "You're from Koria. He didn't even come near that realm. Magix took the brunt of his attacks. You have no idea how terrifying it was when he unleashed his fury on the city. My parents still freeze up at the merest sound of thunder."

"Hey, I get that what he did was evil and terrifying, not to mention traumatic." Riven crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. "But come on, the guy was sent to the Omega Dimension. No one escapes from there. The chance he will randomly show back up in Magix is nihil. Everyone with some common sense will realise that. Yet every few years panic spreads when some nutjob decides it is funny to claim he is back. It is just not happening. Ever."

"Never say never, Riven," I warned him tensely. "And that type of talk is just asking for trouble."

Riven arched a sceptic eyebrow at me. "Don't tell me you actually believe there is a chance he will escape."

"I believe it unlikely, but I'm not writing it off completely," I argued back. "We are talking about the most powerful wizard in the Magic Dimension, after all. If anyone finds a way to escape the Omega Dimension, my money is on him." I leaned towards Timmy. "Please tell me my name isn't mentioned. If they discover I was the one who unleashed that power, I'm in for an actual witch hunt. Especially if they decide to link me to the big bad wolf."

Stella barked out a laugh. "You did NOT just nickname one of the scariest assholes in the Magic Dimension after a fairy-tale character." My lips just twitched up. Speaking about a déjà vu.

Timmy shook his head. "So far the officers have succeeded in keeping your name, face and involvement out of the media."

"Thank God." I leaned back against the wall. "If they hadn't, I would have to go into hiding, possibly change my name. Maybe even my appearance. Are nose jobs even a thing here, or can you just use magic to change your entire appearance?"

"Don't be dramatic, Bloom," snorted Stella, not answering my questions. "It never would have gotten to that. Faragonda wouldn't have let it."

"Are any of us mentioned?" wondered Musa, leaning also forward to glance at Timmy's phone. "Because if they are, any respectable journalist in the dimension will be waiting for us and harassing us for a story."

Timmy shook his head again. "Nope, nothing of the sorts. So far we're all in the clear."

We all let out a groan of relief. "Finally some good news."

Naturally people had come running to see what was happening after I had unleashed my fury on the Trix. The guys had jumped into action and held them off until law enforcement showed up and took it from them. And we had been whisked away, to the Temple of Magix, before I and Flora had even gotten around to consciousness. We had awoken there, with a healer hanging above us and claiming we had been incredibly lucky. We hadn't sustained any injuries that some rest and a good night's sleep couldn't heal. And then we had been brought before the magic council, who I had seen more of this last half year than I had seen of Mike and Vanessa. How messed up was that?

"I'm still amazed I didn't actually destroy anything." I rested my head against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. It had the weirdest colour. It wasn't grey or white or yellow, yet at the same time it was. I honestly had no name for the colour. "Glad, but amazed."

"Your fury must have been more centred and less intense." Tecna nodded quietly to herself as she gazed at her palm. "By my estimations, if you had unleashed the exact same power as earlier this week, not a single building in a two-mile radius would have remained standing." She grimaced. "And no one would have made it out alive."

I pinched my nose. "Do you think Faragonda will ground me again?" The girls shot me sympathetic looks and I grimaced. "Yeah, I feared as much. Why is it that basically every time I leave Alfea, I get myself into some kind of trouble?"

"I think we are more to blame for that than you," chuckled Musa, scratching the back of her neck somewhat awkwardly. "I'm shocked you haven't started to resent us for all of it. I mean, the first time you got hurt we decided to hunt that ogre and dragged you with us while you were against it. The second time the guys urged you to act as bait. And that is not me holding a grudge." She shot Riven and Timmy a tiny smile, who just shrugged. "And the third time we messed up a spell we tried to put on witches and we were forced to call you for help."

"And it is not every time you leave Alfea," shrugged Stella, observing her own nails with a frown. "Nothing happened when we all went to the opera. And when we visited Earth for the Rose holiday you got back unscathed as well." Her eyes twinkled. "And you didn't exactly return in a bad shape that one time you sneaked out without us."

"Nor did you when we went with you for those midnight spins," added Flora with a clear smile in her voice, still not raising her head from my shoulder. "But we can't exactly tell Ms. Faragonda that."

"Tell me what?"

Our heads snapped up, finding Faragonda making her way to us. Sky, Brandon and Saladin were in her shadow, their faces grim. Brandon's aura was even radiating anger while Sky's and Saladin's were more resigned.

My stomach dropped. The council had not decided in our favour.

Faragonda came to a stop in front of us, perching her hands on her hips and giving us a stern once-over. "What is it exactly you girls can't tell me?"

We exchanged a glance before sighing in defeat. "That back when I was still grounded, we used to sneak out during the night – just before curfew – and go for a midnight flight," I admitted. "Just to get rid of some tension."

"Hmm…" Faragonda pursed her lips. "I see…"

"The council isn't acting on our testimonies, are they?" I guessed gloomily.

Faragonda sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I'm afraid not, no."

"What?!" Stella and Musa both jumped to their feet in outrage. "How can they not?!"

"Because Griffin cornered the girls in question, and about sixteen other girls are willing to testify that they weren't anywhere near that alley." Stella and Musa started to protest, but Faragonda raised her hand. "Girls, settle down. I'm on your side, remember? I completely agree with you. But I'm afraid there is nothing we can do about it now."

"The council was truly split about the decision." Saladin leaned heavily on his staff, shaking his head disapprovingly. "But a slight majority eventually chose against taking action. They took in consideration that we are dealing with young women and promising students."

"Damn it all to hell." I clenched my hands into fists. "What will it take for them to take action?" I suppressed the urge to throw something against the wall. What was the point of a council if they never acted? "And why didn't they just ask them to come in? One simple cleansing or revelation spell would have instantly clarified the matter and no harm would be done. Hell, if that had proven we were wrong, I would gladly have apologized. But at least we would have had some answers."

"Griffin refused." Saladin grimaced as he spoke. "She claimed she would not allow such outstanding students to be called to the council and be interrogated like criminals while they had done nothing wrong. Unless, of course, there was some actual evidence linking them to the incidents in questions. Evidence not coming from eye witnesses."

"Nothing wrong?!" Stella beat me to exploding by a second. "They forced Bloom to choose between her own life and Flora's! They were willing to kill one of the two! BOTH!"

"Stella, please," begged Faragonda again. "We are on your side."

"But she isn't." Stella glared harshly at the other person approaching us. Griffin. The witch had her chin high in the air and refused to make eye-contact with us, or even glance our way. "I can't believe I ever thought she was part of the Company of Light. Clearly she was a supporter of the Ancestresses."

Saladin and Faragonda stiffened, before our headmistress grasped Stella's shoulder harshly. "Stella, that is enough." Stella just scoffed, glaring daggers at Griffin as she passed us.

I chewed my lip as I watched her do so. She too had gone rigid upon being confronted by Stella's snide comment, her aura turning a dark grey with specks of blue and yellow edges. Still, she didn't falter and kept going or even showed how upset she was over Stella's remark.

I understood Stella perfectly. I wanted to give Cloudtower's headmistress a good shake, yell at her, and scream that she was going to cost people their lives. Just because of her own pride. But yelling and screaming wouldn't get me anywhere. But maybe a warning would? I had to do something. I couldn't just sit back and watch her leave!

"Ms. Griffin." I stepped past my friends and made a move to follow after her, coming to an abrupt halt when she stopped dead in her tracks.

She didn't turn around, though. Just stood there like a statue. "I have nothing to say. As Cloudtower's headmistress it is my duty to look after my students."

"I understand." Griffin whirled around at me, her eyebrows disappearing underneath her headpiece. My lips quirked up at her astonishment. "You're just doing for them what Ms. Faragonda and master Saladin are doing for us." Her brows furrowed so close that I couldn't distinguish them from one another anymore. I balled my fists, taking another step towards her. I needed to get through to her. "But you also know evil." She stiffened at how I phrased the word. I bit back a smug grin. Gotcha. "And you cannot tell me that your star pupils do not remind you of them." I didn't even need to clarify who I was referring to. Her face paled at the mere mention and fear wrung itself through her aura. I took another step forward. I had her attention now, best to make most of it. "You know there is something not quite right with them, but you have decided to ignore that because they also have potential and ambition. They have all the makings of becoming great and powerful witches." I scoffed a little, my mouth twitching up just slightly. Griffin had always been fond of the Trix until they had shown their true malice. If I had to make an educated guess, the same thing that would draw the three to Valtor had drawn the headmistress to him as well. They were very similar in that aspect. "I'm guessing they remind you of you at that age." Her eyes hardened, but the blue in her aura was winning it from the grey. "Please be careful of them," I urged her, my tone serious and harsh. "Underestimating them…" I shook my head, biting hard down on my lip. "Underestimating them would be incredibly foolish."

Griffin narrowed her eyes at me and for a moment I was positive if she was going to respond, to bite my head off. Instead she just twisted back around and marched off.

I wasn't sure what reaction I had expected, but it wasn't this. I turned back to my friend, gritting my teeth. "How many more people need to get hurt before the Trix are finally stopped?" I wondered, the bitterness I had kept at bay slipping through. Fuck it, if the council had decided otherwise then I would be in the clear. If Griffin had just listened to Faragonda and Saladin and brought them in front of the council then all these worries would have gone away. What was the point of all of this – of us alerting our headmistress and the authorities of what we were dealing with – if no one did anything?! "What will it take to push the council over the edge? A full-blown war? Destruction all-over? A second Domino?"

"Careful, young lady." I narrowed my eyes at Saladin's sharp reprise, his face pulled away in both fury and agony. "You are speaking of matters you have no idea of."

My anger instantly flared, my flame roaring in outrage. Matters I had no idea of? How dare he! I had seen the destruction, both in my dreams and in reality. And I was the one responsible for healing it! If anyone had the right to speak about such things, it was me!

"Don't I?" I arched my eyebrow coldly at him, balling my hands and not containing my fury. "Just because I grew up on Earth, doesn't give you the right to call me clueless, master Saladin. I know a lot more than you think."

"Bloom." Faragonda's voice cut through the air like a knife. I turned my glare to her. "You're out of line, not to mention disrespectful. Not another word."

"I am out of line?!" I gritted my teeth, my temper flaring even more. "Because I'm voicing my opinion?! Unlike you I don't underestimate the threat the Trix pose! I can see where this is going! Hell, anyone can see where this is going! But your attitude to them, the council's attitude, will cost lives!"

"Enough!" Faragonda glared furiously at me. My nails dug into my palms when I balled my fingers into even tighter fists, glaring right back. "You are a first-year student, not to mention new to this world. Powerful or not, you have still too much to learn. Do NOT speak of matters you know nothing about."

"I would know a hell of a lot more about it if you allowed Ms. Barbatea to actually explain to me what happened nineteen years ago!" Faragonda stilled, which confirmed my earlier suspicion. It wasn't that Barbatea didn't want to tell me the dimension's recent history. She had orders from Faragonda to not tell me anything. "What is so bad about me learning about that?!" I demanded, half stomping my foot. "Surely the lessons most recently learned are the most important."

Faragonda straightened, locking her hands behind her back. "Bloom, this is not the time or the place."

"When is it ever?" I snarked back. Faragonda's eyes instantly narrowed. "We have this saying on Earth: ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power." I took a threatening step forward. "And you, Ms Faragonda, have stopped me from searching for answers ever since I started looking for them. Why?"

Faragonda's spine straightened even more. "I do not have to justify my actions to you."

"Oh, but you do. Your actions directly affect me." I bared my teeth at her. "You're not telling me something and it has something to do with the Great Dragon, the nymph Daphne who is depicted on this very temple –" I pointed towards the exit. "– and what happened nineteen years ago to this dimension and even more importantly, to Domino."

"Ms. Faragonda?" cut Brandon in, his voice sharp. "Is this true?"

Honestly, if he hadn't spoken, I would have forgotten we weren't alone. But not only did we have an audience, it had also grown. The other headmasters and -mistresses had joined, as well as some council members. They were watching our argument tensely, even a little confused.

Rather than answer him, Faragonda's eyes flickered towards Saladin and the two seemed to hold a silent conversation. A conversation that took too long.

"Ms. Antha." I turned to Beta's headmistress, whose eyebrow shot up as I addressed her. "I honestly don't give a fuck which side you were on, but just tell me this: were you present nineteen years ago when Domino was destroyed?"

"Bloom!" hissed Faragonda furiously. "Just what do you think…"

"I was," interrupted Ms. Antha, a gleam in her eyes and a wickedness to her smile. She was clearly enjoying causing a rift. "I left before the height of the battle, though."

"Was Ms. Faragonda there?" I continued.

Ms. Antha's lips curled into a wicked smirk. "She was. As were Saladin and Griffin."

I turned back to my headmistress; each word the other headmistress spoke only lurched my anger higher. "Then kindly explain to me where you were when Domino was destroyed." My flame roared even louder, stoking my fury even more and demanding justice. I wasn't yet sure for what exactly the Dragon desired revenge for, but I was determined to find out. How did one go about and piss off an ancient power? Faragonda must have fucked up pretty badly. "Why you are still alive, when the royal family and the entire population of the realm were whipped out?" I gestured towards the exit again. "Because if you are handling this situation as you did nineteen years ago, I would like to know. That way I can estimate whether alerting you every time something happens is really worth all the trouble, or I am better off doing taking care of things myself."

"Young lady." One of the council members cut in, huffing indignantly. "We have a council for a reason."

"Well, so far it has done a fucking splendid job of keeping all of us save," I drawled sarcastically, my nails digging even harsher into my palms. "Really, you should be sooo proud of yourselves."

"We understand you are upset about the council's decision to not take action…" started another council member. I believed Flora had told me she was from Linphea. The kindness and patience in her voice certainly backed that up.

My flame roared again and my nails tore right through my skin. I could even feel the blood dripping down my fists. This time the roar was noticeable, but whether they actually heard or noticed the pure fury radiating of me, I wasn't sure. Whatever it was, the step they all simultaneously took back… Even a blind man would have noticed.

"Mark my words," I warned, practically growling through clenched teeth and with my eyes burning. "This decision of yours will come at a terrible price. And when the blood starts to flow, it will be on your hands. Every death, every injury, every building destroyed… You will be responsible for." I turned back to Faragonda and Saladin, the Dragon growling furiously, edging me on. "Just as you bare the blame for Domino's fate." Faragonda opened her mouth and I heard her say my name and starting to scold me. I just exploded. "WHERE WERE YOU?!" The entire building shook. Faragonda's eyes widened, her mouth snapping close with a audible sound. "WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THEY NEEDED YOU THE MOST?! WHEN…" The words caught in my throat and I breathed in through clenched teeth, trying to get a grip on myself again, before I said too much.

There were so many things I wanted to say, wanted to ask. So many things I blamed them for. "Why didn't you listen to my sister? If you had, she wouldn't have been dead and my soul wouldn't have been stolen. Why weren't you there when the Ancestresses and Darkar destroyed my realm and killed my people? Why didn't you protect them, or at least evacuate them? You knew the attack was coming and you did nothing – NOTHING! – to spare them those horrors. Why weren't you fighting side by side with Oritel and Miriam when they disappeared? That could have made the difference!"

All those questions burned on my lips, but I couldn't speak them. So rather than continue to throw accusations their way and blame them for the mess I was now tasked with cleaning, I glared at them – at the council members and the headmasters and -mistresses – and hissed: "How can you live with yourselves, choosing bureaucracy and your own ambitions over keeping innocent people safe?"

And with that I twisted on my heel and marched off in fury, before all my questions started to spill from my lips, or my anger exploded for a second time that day. Did I leave a trail of fire in my wake? Yes. But I only learned of that later, from Stella who gushed over my dramatic exit and told me in great detail what reaction my words had caused.

When I descended down to Dream Domino, I found Valtor pacing between rows of fire. The sight halted me in my tracks. I had never seen him so riled up before. His face was twisted away, though I couldn't quite pinpoint the emotion behind it. Was it fury? Worry? Frustration? I honestly couldn't tell. His hands were clasped behind his back, his coat flying after him like a veil as he followed the little path he had made in the snow.

I chewed my lip, observing him for a while before hesitantly asking: "Are you alright?" He instantly froze, his eyes snapping at me. I gulped and unconsciously took a step back, blurting out on pure instinct: "Whatever it is, I didn't do it."

"No?" He arched a dark eyebrow at me, his lips quirking down. "Care to explain what this morning was then?"

I grimaced, my head slumping. "You felt that." I wasn't surprised. I would have been shocked if he hadn't felt my fury. That didn't change the fact that I felt like a woman being caught cheating: embarrassed and horrified.

"Fear." He took a step towards me. "Fury." Another step. "Agony." I swallowed when he reached me, towering high above me. "Satisfaction." He narrowed his eyes. "Oh, yes. I felt that."

"I met the Trix," I admitted, swallowing again. "It – uh – didn't end well."

"For them, I hope." Valtor's eyes narrowed even more. "Tell me they are lying dead in a ditch somewhere, Red."

"Uh…" I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck, taking a step back. "Not exactly…?"

"What does "not exactly" mean?" he all but growled, instantly closing the distance between us again. His fingers curled tightly around my arms and I gulped when he leaned towards me, his nose practically touching mine. "What the fuck happened?"

I opened my mouth to answer, closed it again when I couldn't decide where to begin. And why it was the first thing that popped up, I had no idea, but I just blurted out. "Well, you escaped from the Omega Dimension." I choked on my laughter at the face he pulled, like I landed a punch in his stomach. "Or at least, that is what everyone is freaking out about."

His lips twitched, his eyes flashing red for a moment. "Explain." My insides twisted, and not in a bad way. This should not be as arousing as it was. Not even close.

"Bloody hell! What is wrong with me?!"

With a deep sigh, I nodded in acceptance and started the story. Faragonda ungrounding me, the girls and I going to Magix, Tecna calling me for help, us battling the witches, my hand being forced by Icy, my fury and the unleashing of the Dragon. His face didn't change, not until I started to explain what had happened with the council, and Griffin's role in the whole "not taking action" thing.

"Griffin…" My brows furrowed at malice and hatred in his voice. He had not even sounded that murderous when he had mentioned Faragonda. "I should have known that that traitorous coward would have a role in this."

"I think I might have given her a little wake up call," I tried carefully. I did not like the homicidal look in his eyes. "Warned her that the Trix were very similar to the witches she had once served."

Valtor scoffed, his lips curling over his teeth in a snarl. "I seriously doubt it."

I chewed on my lip, watching him carefully. He was responding quite badly to hearing about Cloudtower's headmistress. "Were you two…" I cut myself off, gulping at the question I had already half asked. "Stupid, stupid, stupid…"

Valtor arched an unimpressed eyebrow. "Were we what?"

I coughed awkwardly, heat rushing to my cheeks. "Stella might have – ahem – mentioned some rumours…?" He shot me a deadpan look and I shuffled nervously. "That you two might have been – you know – involved?"

His lips quirked up in that taunting half smile of his. "Are you asking me whether Griffin was my lover, Red?" I shrugged, nervously pushing some snow around with my foot. "Why do you want to know?" He sounded entirely too happy, too smug. "Are you jealous?" I almost snorted, Griffin's face flashing before my eyes. There was nothing to be jealous of. "Ah…" Valtor chuckled lowly. "The years have not been kind to her. Rest assured, she didn't always look like that. Once upon a time she was quite beautiful."

I bit my lip to suppress my scowl. I was not jealous. I was not jealous. I was not… Oh, who was I kidding? Of course, I was jealous. "Daphne mentioned she had been feeding the Company of Light intel for quite a few years before Domino was destroyed."

"Indeed…" He drawled out the word, stroking his chin absently. "She was their spy…"

"Is that why you hate her so much?" I gulped when his eyes flickered back up at me. "Because you two were lovers and she betrayed you?"

"No." The word seemed somewhat final. I let out a deep sigh. I was not going to get more. But he surprised me – well, shocked me honestly – by continuing. "I hate her because I trusted her, even considered her a friend, and she ended up literally stabbing in the back."

My eyebrows shot up. "Huh?" I hadn't expected that. Not just him clarifying but Griffin stabbing Valtor literally in the back? I couldn't even picture it. How did one go about and stab the most powerful wizard in the dimension without him suspecting a thing? His diabolical mastermind put anyone's to shame, just as his tendency to be like fifty steps ahead of everyone else.

A cruel snarl crept onto his face. "While we were fighting the Company of Light – side by side – she decided it was the perfect moment to reveal her true allegiance. When I wasn't paying attention, too busy with fighting Saladin, Faragonda and their band of pathetic good doers and counting on her covering me, she hit me in the back with one of my own spells." I grimaced, even visibly flinched. Ouch, though that did not even begin to cover it. "It was only when I came to and found myself in Magix, in front of the council with her and the rest of the Company testifying against me that I discovered she had betrayed me, that she had sold me out."

"Wow…" I swallowed, trying to picture myself in a similar situation. Fighting the Trix, only for one of the girls to attack me from behind. "That…" I shook my head. "No wonder you hate her."

"You will never hear me proclaim that I'm a saint. I'm far from that. But I'm not a coward." Valtor's eyes flashed red again. "I fight my opponents face to face. If they prove to be resilient, I consider letting them live. If they are cowardly, they do not deserve such kindness. But I would never – NEVER – attack someone while their backs are turned to me. There is no honour in that. No pride or victory, just weakness. If she had helped the Company defeat me honourably, I would have respected her. Not this."

"So the Company of Light didn't manage to defeat you because they were stronger," I concluded, my voice small. "They took you off guard." He inclined his head and I chewed on my lip. "I can… I do understand why you hate them so much. Especially Griffin. If one of my friends pulled something like that…"

"They wouldn't." My jaw landed on the floor. "Say what now? Did I hear that right?" Valtor huffed. "Your friends might be childish, weak and extremely annoying, but unlike the hypocritical cowards they are honourable. They would not betray you like that, not even if you found yourselves on different sides."

"You think so?" I chewed my lip, staring absently up at the dark sky above us. "I hope you're right…" He tilted an eyebrow, silently urging me to explain. I sighed before clarifying: "According to Barbatea, if they knew what I really was – and I'm more than a little frustrated that I still don't know what that is – they would turn their backs on me. Grow to hate me."

"The librarian is a paranoid old hag." Valtor dismissed the notion with a wave of his hand. "She lives half in the past. If I were you, I would not accept her every word on the matter as truth. She has been wronged too much by both magical creatures and your creators to be objective."

My lips quirked up. "So she was wrong about you being evil?" I chuckled at the wicked smirk he shot me, his lips curling over his teeth in a blinding and somewhat devilish smile. "I thought as much."

"Why were you so furious at the end of the afternoon?" My smile instantly dropped at his sudden and unexpected change of subject, the fury and betrayal coursing through my veins once again, all those questions and accusations resurfacing. It was a good thing Faragonda had not been at the dining hall that evening or I would have blown my lid. Again. "Ah…" I glanced up. Valtor sounded entirely too smug. "The Dragon likes the Company of Light and the magic council as much as I do."

I frowned. "What? That… I… Huh?"

"You want to know where Faragonda and Saladin were when Domino was destroyed, hmm?" I nodded, possibly a little too eagerly. "Well, I can answer you that. The Company of Light was with me in Magix when the Ancestresses along with your birth parents disappeared, when Domino was destroyed. They had finally caught me and they were determined to see justice being served."

"What?!" The flames around us abruptly sprung to life as new anger surged through me. My flame roared again, howling in fury and demanding justice for the second time that day. "They abandoned my parents when they needed them the most just to make sure you were sentenced to the Omega Dimension?!"

"No." My anger faltered at his laid-back answer, the flames settling back down for a brief moment. Valtor was meanwhile smiling, but in that twisted and cruel way of his. "They were desperate to see me executed."

"Executed?" My brows nestled together. "But you weren't…"

"They were just about to deliver the sentence when news reached them of Domino's demise and that no one had made it out alive. No survivors meant no royal family." He shrugged carelessly. "Which meant no more Keepers of the Dragon." He arched a smug eyebrow at me. "And that made me the last, even if my own flame is – by their standards – corrupted."

"And that's why they spared you?" Valtor inclined his head. I slumped down on the ground, shaking my head in disbelief while crossing my legs. "That is so messed up."

"That is politics for you, my dear." Valtor shrugged off his coat and offered it to me. I accepted it with a warm smile despite not feeling cold yet.

"Doesn't make it any less messed up," I pointed out, watching as he took a seat opposite of me. My stomach gave an uncomfortable pull, the fury still burning in my veins. They had abandoned my realm, my people, to make sure one enemy was punished. That was… Honestly, it was pathetic. But it also made me wonder about another thing. A more worrying thing. "Does that mean that when I reveal who I am, they will execute you? Because they will have no more use of you?"

"Possibly…" I grimaced, suddenly feeling sick. I liked Faragonda, the Company of Light and the council less and less with each passing hour. "Though I doubt they would venture deep into the Omega Dimension to collect me and see it done. No, that would be too risky and just asking for trouble. Unless I escape and am captured once more, I think I will be safe from execution."

"That…" I let out a deep sigh, my stomach settling back down. I gently toyed with the bottom of his coat. "That's good…"

My breath hitched when two fingers wrapped themselves around my chin and lifted my head back up. His lips were half quirked up, his eyes sparkling. "Don't tell me you were worried about me, Little Red."

I gritted my teeth, on the brink of denying that as violently as I could, when something in his eyes gave me pause. Fondness…

I remembered Daphne's smile, her amusement. "You're very fond of him. I believe he is rather fond of you as well."

I wrapped my fingers around his, smiling as I pulled them away from my chin and held them securely in my own. "Two sides of the same coin," I whispered. "We look after one another, and anyone else can go fuck themselves."

His lips twitched, his jaws clenching, and my breath caught in my throat when his eyes flickered down to my lips for a moment. Part of me wanted to mimic the action, possibly lean in and kiss him. The sane part reminded me that that was not a wise decision.

"Uh…" I wetted my lips awkwardly. It did nothing to force his eyes away. "We do have a problem…" His gaze abruptly flickered back up and I swallowed, ignoring the twinge of regret. "Let me rephrase that, I have a problem."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"The Trix know." His face did not change. "I unleashed my full power on them," I explained urgently. "Witnesses even claimed it took the shape of a dragon, which is why they are freaking out and think it was your doing. Everyone knows you are the Keeper of the Dark Flame. If they hadn't put one and one together, they will have now. They know."

He straightened, a mask of indifference slamming down on his face, but his fingers did not slip out of mine. "You're not ready yet."

"I know…" I swallowed, trying to reign in my panic, my fear. "But what choice do I have? I'm out of time. I have to try."

Valtor's eyebrow twitched, his jaws tensing. "If you try to bind your flame to you before you are ready, there is a real possibility it will burn you up from the inside."

My lips quirked up, butterflies fluttering happily in my stomach. "Is that worry I detect, Wolf?" He just scoffed. I sighed, sucking my bottom lip into my mouth. "Look, I'm not saying I want to try right now," I continued after giving it a thought, running my fingers through my hair. "It's possible they will want to put me to the test, just to be sure. Like they did in the cartoon."

"Why would they?" Valtor arched a sceptic eyebrow at me. "You showed them your aura and then unleashed your full power on them. They will probably hear about the dragon shape as well. That is all the proof they need. They went after your friend's ring with a lot less supporting their theory." He shot me a pointed look. "Besides, you are backing them into a corner. You showed them your hand, Red, got them to confess without having solid evidence or reliable witnesses. Incredibly foolish, I will add."

I scowled. "I was just…"

"You weren't thinking," he interrupted sharply. "With your powers and knowledge, you can't just live in the moment and blurt things out. That is what will get you killed, or discovered. If you're planning to continue down this road and rule Domino, you will have to change your tactic."

I rolled my eyes dramatically. "Yes, dad."

"Oh?" I frowned at the devious sparkle in his eye, my eyes flickering for a moment at the lazy fingers drawing figures on my wrist. "I would never have guessed, Red." I wanted to ask him what he was talking about when he continued: "Daddy kink? Really?"

My cheeks flushed bright red, snatching my hand out of his grasp. "That… No! It… Absolutely not! That is disgusting!" The bastard had the nerve to laugh and I growled, crossing my arms. "Asshole."

He smirked innocently at me. "You've called me worse. Though "maggot" still remains my favourite by far. Really, you should try to give to come up with more original insults."

I narrowed my eyes. "Sometimes I really hate you…"

"Thank you. I try." I scoffed. Of course, he would take that as a compliment. "But back on the matter at hand…" I yelped indignantly when he pulled harshly on a lock of my hair. "You have much to learn, Red. What you did this morning was stupid to say in the least."

"And what you have preferred I had done?" I challenged back. "Let them hurt my friends?"

"You could have easily created a portal and gotten your useless friends out without ever engaging your Trix," he pointed out drily. "But you didn't. Worse, you let them get to you. First by getting angry at being called pathetic, then by getting cocky and revealing what you knew, and finally by showing them your biggest weakness: your loyalty to those girls. You might as well have delivered the Dragon on a silver platter. They now know exactly what to do to back you into a corner."

I scowled. "I don't think…"

"You were acting like a naïve little girl." He narrowed his eyes. "You're not a child anymore. You're a grown woman. Act like it."

I glared right back. "That's easy for you to say. You're a criminal mastermind. You always think at least ten steps ahead. I don't have that ability."

"No?" I shuddered when a certain sparkle appeared in his eyes, one that made me want to flush my thighs together. "That can easily be fixed." His next words along with the devilish grin set my entire body on fire. "You and I are going to play a little game, Red."

Alright, those theories I mentioned in the author note at the beginning...

It has something to do with Bloom's powers coming out stronger during the dream incident than during the Trix incident. But also theories on the Company of Light and what truly happened on Domino because let's face it: Valtor doesn't often lie, but it is only his side of the story. There's always more ;)