Raging hope


Griffin stepped out of the portal nodding to Ediltrude, Zarathustra and Organa, who had opened up the portals for her to snatch away her price. Slightly annoyed she slung Blade forward to the ground, Blade still felt sick from the spell Professor Palladium had hit her with and slumped to the ground. Griffin just notice their hitchhiker, "Tch…fairies and their stupid notion to always go together…great…. This is not a stupid bathroom break."

"We always could throw her out into the moat," Zarathustra grinned amusedly. As she crossed her arms. "Cloud Tower loves to play with foolish fairies." As always, she was wearing her long turtleneck sweater. Her short dark green-blueish hair cut was flinging around as she stepped forward to pull Nebula up by her pale pink vest.

Organa rumbled, "Is that wise?" She glanced at Griffin. "Half of Magix wants to see us dead. Mistreat her and that Faragonda will raise the shadowlands." Organa wasn't the strongest witch in the dark arts really. Yet her magic pool was great and she was excelling in dark magic convergence. Organa was a very old friend of Griffin's, who dropped by here and there when there was trouble brewing. She always had some juicy information, which made her at least tolerable to Ediltrude and Zarathustra. She was wearing a simple dark long dress and her white hair was around waist-long.

"Oh please, as if a Fairy would get near that thrown," Ediltrude dismissed the notion. Her black hair showing some grey was neatly yellowed back and she was wearing her red latex body suit as always. She chuckled, "Besides if we don't throw that one out, the tower will suck her dry. Fairies are too fragile for this environment, as always." She glanced at Blade who was still in her dark magic Fairy form. She wasn't sure what to make of it just like her sister Zarathustra.

Blade's eyes finally adjusted to the dim lid room. There were several bookcases to the sides and a desk Griffin was leaning against at the moment. Blade squinted her eyes as she saw Nebula hanging like a wet sack from that Sorceresses grip. She ground her teeth, "Let her go." She got back up on her wobbly feet. Her limp arm dangling to the side.

"Or what?" Griffin titled her head as she inspected that young Fairy. 'Stupidity, challenging us in that state,' She had clearly overused her dark magic shown by the dark veins creeping up her limp arm. Plus, the faint pulsating glow of light magic that was in her system from Palladium's cleansing spell, brought her dark magic flow out of balance. 'She can still stand? Must hurt, she would be better off dropping her form.' Obviously, Blade wasn't using the dark magic nowhere near correctly, which made it so much more intriguing to watch her, trying to keep the form up. "Like banging your head against a wall hoping it will break…" She mumbled to herself.

Zarathustra laughed at Blade's threat. It was meaningless to her, she barely could stand. But that Fairy form brimming with dark magic was interesting, to say the least. She grinned provokingly, "Yeah, please do show me, what happens if-"

Enraged Blade raised her hand as a light magic dart crystallised just to be swallowed by crackling dark magic. She could watch her pinkie turn white and creeping black veins appeared. Nonetheless, she shot it off at Zarathustra's hand, "I said let her go!" She stormed forward. 'I will not let her harm Nebula.' She was going for a jump kick.

"Stay!" Ediltrude shouted and with a hand movement, a hex circle appeared beneath Blade, holding her in place.

Memphis the other students and the three Professors were clearing out the forests, while he was explaining how they all knew about the dark magic Fairy form. There were lost urchins flying around everywhere. Once the wind had died down they weren't as organised as before and more or less just fled the premises. "Okay, okay, so what really happened is, they were in that cave with hundreds of Zombies under the sea and Blade got bit. When the next full moon was up, she transformed and Nebula first had to catch her and bring her back to her senses. Before they could go up top, where I found them."

"Really? That's the story you are sticking to? She isn't a werewolf...and even that works slightly different," Palladium raised an eyebrow. He was trying to stay calm but was so bothered by the fact that Griffin of all people had kidnapped their students.

"Also, if you get bit by a Zombie the black magic curse gets transferred to you," Avalon elaborated on the topic. "She would have become a zombie and I would have noticed that."

"Hundreds of zombies? What an overkill," Wizgiz laughed as he squashed an urchin hiding behind a tree with a golem fist, 'Hm, I liked the part about the underwater tunnels, though.'

Memphis noticed the slightly panicked faces of the younger students and the utter disbelieve that he was still trying to bullshit their teachers. Yet no one was keen on speaking up and Memphis would not break his promise to Blade or her Uncle to help that group of youngsters out. "Fine, you got me, what actually happened is…." Memphis sighed. 'I can do this all night, fellas.'

Blade noticed the hex runes on the ground, "Chhhh." Blade turned her head, to look at the older lady in red. 'Shit,' she truly was way outgunned.

Zarathustra had dropped Nebula to move her hand out of the way. "Ha," She chuckled amused. "Now is that way a Fairy should act?" She glanced at the dart stuck in the bookcase frame.

Organa was spectating the little squabble intensely, "It's not. Then again, fairies don't use dark magic. Where did you obtain this form, child?" She moved in closer, her black dress dragged across the floor.

"Tch." Blade spat back. She tried to keep an eye on every single one of them, but just Griffin was out of her sight behind her. Another pulse of light magic glowed up, she flinched from the stinging pain. She couldn't fuse the two magic types in her body. They were heavily disagreeing with each other. She was trapped, even worse unable to reach Nebula. "What is wrong with you!? We gave your students absolution and you repay us by attacking? Did you shoot us out of the sky?! You Sorceresses owe us! Pay up!" She growled at everyone in the room.

'Sorceresses? Ha, that foolish notion… She must have picked it up from Alyssa, that foolish girl,' Griffin stepped closer to inspect those wings of hers since she was not really forthcoming with information. Not that she wouldn't do the same in her place. "Shooting the last survivors out of the sky, who knows the location of our only hope, silly thing. Are you even listening to yourself?" She rolled her eyes. "And you are incorrect, Jewels, Queen of Desertia, gave absolution to exactly three students of Cloud Tower. While thousands of witches were accused. That is not helpful, that's stupidity. We need more than that. So, where is she?"

Blade was baffled, "She's dead. Haven't you heard?" Had they cut themselves off from the outside to such a degree. She felt that she was getting angry, those people were supposed to be smart and help their students. Yet they were sitting on their asses.

"Oh, I heard, I also heard you jumped through the Ocean gate in Desertia. Yet, you were gone eight weeks." Griffin walked slowly around Blade taking it all in. "And that is impossible… so, I'll ask again. Where is Jewels?" She stopped right in front of the young Fairy.

Blade's face darkened, "As I told Headmistress Faragonda, my Professors, interviewers, Shanna, the King and Queens of Storma, Streama and Songwind – She – IS – DEAD," She gulped as she tried her best to not tear up again. Her emotions were just so strong. She really didn't understand why.

"I don't believe you. There are six weeks unaccounted for. So, spit it out," Griffin pushed further, 'Don't play dumb with me, little girl.' She flared up some dark magic, "There are other ways to find out." And touched her shoulder infusing dark magic into her. It stung the young girl, who in return ground her teeth. But it also got rid of the cleansing magic. Not that she would notice since she was riled up. Cloud Tower was at least slightly playing with her mental state. It loved teasing fairies. She let go of Blade again.

The dark magic still flickered in front of Blade's face. It had such a familiar feeling to her, it wasn't quite the same as her dark magic, but so very close. "I don't care what you believe. She died in Desertia," Blade struggled to free herself, but she had no idea how to break that hex circle from the inside.

"Oh really?" Organa spoke up as she stepped towards Nebula.

"Leave her alone," Blade growled.

"See, the problem is, we can't let this one go," Organa spoke somewhat smooth and comforting not as aggressive as the other witches. "We need Jewels to restore balance to all of Magix. This attack has upset the balance. A balance and treaties which needed centuries to establish. Witches are mistreated throughout the kingdoms now more than ever. If this continues order will crumble like a house of cards and utter in the rise of black magic users everywhere. There is more at stake here than you think. You have to tell us," Organa kneeled down and carefully checked on Nebula, who was still out cold.

Blade watched Organa's every move as that woman inspected her friend, "If you hurt her…"

"Oh, please, you can't even free yourself. You toothless bitch," Ediltrude got impatient. "Let me just use…"

"No." Organa declined. "Bewitchment is out of the question, the Magic Council will have our heads, or do you want all of Alfea to storm the school, Griffin?" She paused, she knew her answer, "Don't you see what's at stake here, Blade? I know you got brains. Just tell us the truth. That's all we ask, it's for the best. Don't let the balance-"

"…crumble like a house of cards? Like Desertia's palace." Blade hissed that fake carrying act really pissed her off. "You are at fault as much as anyone else for this mess." She shouted angrily. 'Who do they think they are!? I need to free myself. I have to, I will not be stuck here, held back, interrogated,' She could hear a beat in her head resounding. 'What is…'

Griffin lost her temper herself and frustrated admonished her, "Oh, you little, how dare you? We did nothing-"

"Nothing indeed!" Blade bared her teeth anger boiling inside her. She couldn't quite understand where it all came from. It felt like she was in a session with Shanna, just instead of turning it down, it ramped up. Yet, right now she truly couldn't care less. So, often she had thought about what could have possibly prevented so much death on Desertia. And the answer she found had been so simple. If Jewels could have spoken out for the Sorceresses, for them to stay, none of it would have happened as it did. But with the Sorceresses' reputation, they had been forced to free Alyssa and Steela in secret all while sneaking around in her own palace. They had gambled everything that night and now these Sorceresses had the audacity to ask for more, 'Jewels gave everything she had. And they take it for granted. They don't want the truth, they want an easy quick fix,' Blade balled her hands, "From the beginning, you were the headmistress of this school the only official school for thousands of Sorceresses. You gained a voice with the magic council and you wasted it! You could have created balance and all you did was built a façade. If you didn't want a house of cards you should have built it on a foundation of trust and alliances together with Faragonda." She could hear a heartbeat drumming in her ears it was all around her. "Screw you, screw Faragonda! You two did nothing to improve shit for the next generations of Sorceresses. If you had Jewels would be still alive! Screw all of you!," Blade was so furious, anger burned inside her like an unstoppable force. 'I will not listen to this hypocrisy and endanger my friends! I just need to get out and grab Nebula. How do I get out?! I am so low on magic…urgh,' Her negative emotions were overwhelming her as she ground her teeth together so hard she got a headache from it. Her sight blackened vanishing from her grasp.

And suddenly she was floating in a black emptiness, it was a similar feeling to when she had grabbed the sword on Phere-Moan. Yet different, it was still an empty cold place but seemed much less threatening. She could feel a living presence all around. It was familiar, it had been in Griffin's office as well. "What? Is this - no," She turned around. She could hear a beat. It grew louder, and the air was vibrating. "A heartbeat?" She reached out, her other arm still limp.

Suddenly she could hear whispers of three women, maybe young adults when flickering shadows or rather blurry, colourless images appeared. The three shadows flew along the horizon. Blade was ready for anything. The shadows quickly rushed towards her.

"Donna, wait!" A chipperly voice called out.

As the three blurs passed her by Blade could make out some wings on their backs. "Fairies?" Blade watched as the images were blown away like dust. When there were fight noises, a battle. But it was undistinguishable what was going on. The next imagery that arose from the settling dust was another Fairy smashing into the ground. As two red glowing eyes in the sky appeared and a loud craw or hiss resounded. The air tremored so much it knocked Blade through the air herself. She looked at the Fairy on the ground.

"I, we, will not lose to you! Arrrgh," In anger that Fairy screamed out, her wings cracked and she got covered in a veil of the smoke of some sort. She stood up, staggering she walked towards the red eyes in the sky. With a war cry, she screamed at the sky and massive clouds rose from the ground all around, creating chains shooting at the red eyes in the sky. The scene dispersed into dust.

Blade squinted her eyes as she felt the heart beat louder and faster, her heart picking up the same pace. "Oooh, I get it…thanks," She grinned.

Organa and Griffin watched in horror as in the blink of an eye Blade's wings cracked, dispersed and the freed dark magic got absorbed into her body, "Blade, stop!" Organa shouted rather fearful and concerned. But before she could cast anything a dark magic wave pulsated from Blade cracking the hex circle.

"Shit," Zarathustra summoned a shield to cover her and Nebula.

Ediltrude couldn't believe it. 'That Fairy not only uses dark magic but also knows how to go berserk!?' Blade's eyes were lit up in green fire burning brightly.

Griffin immediately commanded the Tower to stop, 'What is going on?' She clearly had felt the tower communicate with Blade for a second there, before she had ordered it to stop. 'Why would it do that? It never does that with outsiders.' But there was no time now. That girl had just figured out how to go berserk on purpose and boost her dark magic by willingly sacrificing a part of her body, in this case, her wings. She had already bolstered her magic by giving up her arm or finger, which would be easy to fix with a healing spell later, but the magical power gained from that was nowhere near what Blade had gained this time around. 'Wings are always full of magic, what a drag. How can she be so reckless? She has no knowledge of dark magic or the consequences. How long did she have that form to even know that would work…did Cloud Tower, no way.'

"Dagger!" Blade used all of the dark magic that was left to create a weapon and jumped backwards to evade the next hex circle.

"Stay!" Ediltrued missed. "Oh, why you little glow-worm," Now she really was pissed off.

"Enough!" Griffin closed her hand, "In Carcere!" A black ball surrounded Blade and tightened around her.

Blade pressed against the shrinking walls, "Crap…" She tried to break through with her dagger.

Griffin stepped hastily forward, "Frange!" She aimed at the dagger and it shattered to pieces. "Now, think carefully, you, insolent child. Dark magic has its costs, too! You already sacrificed an arm and your wings. Sacrifice your heart next, you die. Anything less will get you nowhere against me, newbie. And even that would be a waste of time." She was fierce and her tone was ice cold, clearly, this was her last warning. "This isn't light magic where it simply diminishes your magic pool or you look like a nightstand. You are using your body to gain power. You die depending on what you give up," She stared at her ready for anything. She, through her link with the tower, forced it to completely back off and stop influencing Blade's emotions, since it had gone way too far. That girl wasn't thinking straight anymore.

Blade couldn't believe how quickly Headmistress Griffin had obliterated her efforts, without even breaking a sweat. She had felt so powerful or rather overconfident for no reason. She was outnumbered and outgunned she already knew that. Compared to them her little outburst was nothing, but a fart in the wind. Yet it had felt so powerful to her like she could have toppled Cloud Tower with her pure will. 'Why did I ….' She didn't understand anything anymore. She concentrated on her breathing to get a hold of herself.

"So, there they were. No water, no food for days. The two of them were desperate and tired. That strange portal dimension crackling behind them. And only one portal exit near them to try. Blade bravely jumped towards the portal. Yet, she forgot to say the magic words and face planted right against the portal's forcefield, which activated its safety program and overwrote her Winx with Gloomix. Nebula drew the magical elvish bow they had found prior. She drew back the string and shot. Shattering the shield, freeing Blade and before the portal dimension shattered they got through just in time." Memphis finished his grant tale.

Professor Wizgiz nodded, "If you add a time worm it would make for a great movie. But you are missing a love triangle. My Grandma loves those. I also would pay you to show me a bow that with one shot can break a forcefield. I give it a – B."

'If we use the tunnels connecting the schools we could sneak in get the out and be out under half an hour…' Palladium had not really listened at the first mention of a portal dimension. Those were all guarded and watched over after all. He already knew that none of his students was going to tell them the truth. "Plasma sphere!" He shot another urchin down. "Hey, stay alert!" He admonished the students. They were way too distracted with them around to squash the urchins.

"Wait, Gloomix? That's impossible it's a witch transformation granted by the dark Phoenix," Professor Avalon pulled out his Jian from another urchin and watched it shatter on the ground. He had a hard time reading the kids' auras, simply because Memphis was spouting so much nonsense that, they got flustered and giggly all the time, especially their Fairies.

"That's what's bothering you? Portals don't have an anti-virus shield. They're not in Zenith with techno-magic and even if they had it, it would not react to a Fairy. And even worse an Elf would never lose his bow," Professor Palladium shook his head.

Memphis wasn't quite sure how long he could draw this game out. Luckily, they had still some urchins to find. "Ahh, you're good at this…kay, I guess that's enough nonsense…so Blade got her Fairy form from…"

Organa shocked from the sudden berserk moment and cracking of wings, which left truly a bad aftertaste, shifted her attention slightly, "How is the other girl?" She asked staring at Blade, not letting her out of sight. "Did she got hit?"

"Fine," Zarathustra dropped her own shield and leaned Nebula against the bookshelf and stood up. "Foolish idiot. You nearly hit your own, oh, so precious friend."

Blade didn't know what to say, worried she gazed at Nebula. She bit her lip, 'How could I run so out of control?' She looked as puzzled as a puppy inside that ball of magic.

"Well, clearly she has no idea what she is doing. Giving oneself to negative emotions without control is as foolish as using black magic," Ediltrude rolled her eyes. That little Fairy had given her quite the jump scare for a moment. "Just put her in the dungeon, until she talks. She is in dire need of an attitude change." She crossed her arms.

Organa sighed, "She's not completely wrong, you know. Ah-ah," She warned Ediltrude who was about to disagree. "You know it."

"Tch."

Griffin breathed out. She gazed at the young girl, who was trying her hardest to calm down. 'That emotional outburst was Cloud Tower triggering her, enhancing her negative emotions. Without prior training, all fairies fall for that trap even the Winx way back then. It rarely reacts well to fairies, tucking on their nerves, chipping away on their friendships. But to that degree…no, it wasn't that… it wanted to connect, to help but why?' She cleared her throat again, "Now, that you can think without distortions… Blade, where is Jewels?"

Blade dead panned looked at her, "She's dead, I told you." Her unruly anger was gone for some reason. Now she was simply annoyed by the stupid looping question.

"Blade…" Organa sighed in disbelief. They really had to get past that stubborn mindset of hers. 'Why is she still sticking to that nonsense story.'

"Don't you Blade me… you don't know me," She growled. She felt rather dizzy all of the sudden and dropped her Fairy form, "I don't know how to say it any clearer. I can't bring back the dead! I'm sorry if that's not what you want to hear, but she's gone. She'll never come back!" Tears dripped down her face and she swiped them away. "Now, let us go. Before half of Magix is standing on your doorstep. That will help no one," Blade tried to reason with them.

"No." Griffin declined. "Not before we know the truth."

"What?! But-" Blade couldn't believe those witches.

"You are lying. I know a liar then I see one. I manage this witch school for decades. If you had gained that form on Desertia there would have been reports of it from other soldiers or even civilians. Even if it's true that Jewels died on Desertia. That still leaves six weeks and a Fairy form that shouldn't even exist." She wouldn't butch one bit. "So, you either tell us now or I will stick you both in the dungeon."

"Fine, dungeon it is," Blade answered sheepishly. Griffin glared back at her. It was frightening. The only reason Blade didn't give in was simply, because she knew she had the upper hand. "The professors saw you. They know we are here, well, with you at least. I got all the time in the world. So, if you don't want Headmistress Faragonda to wipe the floor with you. You will let us go right this instant."

Griffin rolled her eyes, 'I liked her better riled up and stupid, blabbering.' She really considered letting the Cloud Tower at her, again.

Organa chuckled, "Will she now? She can't do more than spit empty threats. She wouldn't dare attack without the consent of the Magic Council. She won't even lift a finger against this school, I bet. She's a coward sitting on her old ass all day doing nothing. You said it yourself."

"You never have seen her angry then. Her fighting skills are legendary," Blade crossed her arms. "After all she is a member of the Order of Light, who knows maybe they come knocking at your door." She was bluffing so much. Organa had made a valid point. Faragonda was a patient woman. Who knows how long the two of them would be stuck here and Faragonda certainly went by the rules.

"So, am I," Griffin smirked. "Well, since you are so keen to tour our school." She looked to Organa shortly and noticed that Nebula was waking up, "Dungeon it is. Enjoy your stay," She snapped with her fingers and beneath the two fairies a teethy abyss opened and they fell through and her orb disappeared around Blade.

"Wait! What?" Blade squeaked. 'She wouldn't?!' It was the grossest and yucky, slimy trip, like crawling through a sleeping back filled with pudding. The wall spat them out and the two of them smashed into the muddy ground.

Nebula coughed up some mud, "Eeeeww," she rubbed her forehead something slimy was sticking in her hair. To her relief, she noticed Blade and then she saw the massive bars. It was rather dark and cold down there. It also smelled worse than the stables in Red Fountain and they had Ogres. The place gave her the creeps. "What did I miss…where are we? Don't tell me we got captured by…eh…."

Blade sat there speechless wet like a dog covered in slime or spit or whatever that was, "She- no way. I thought Griffin would never…damn it!" She complained.

"Pretty isn't it," Zarathustra came stepping in from a wall. She was not one bit covered in slime. Her sister followed closely behind.

"Little warning, don't stick your fingers through the bars to the other cages if you would like to keep your arms. Well, arm in your case." Ediltrude laughed amused. They looked like someone threw a Persian cat into the shower.

"Why you?!" Nebula jumped to her feet ready to shoot a Plasma sphere. But not only didn't her burnout activate, but she also couldn't use her magic at all. "Oh, come on…cowards," She growled. "Wait arm?" She inspected Blade and indeed her arm was still covered in black veins. "Hey, you got to fix that! By the Great Dragon, Blade, are you alright?" She speed walked over to her.

"I guess, she has a point. What do you think, sister?" Ediltrude was heavenly amused about Blade's expression of utter confusion. "Didn't go as you thought now, did it?"

"Sure, after all, they are our esteemed guests," Ars Infusionis!" Her hand glowed up and a stream of dark magic enveloped Blade.

"If you hurt her, I'll…" Nebula panicked slightly at first. Just to see the dark veins vanish and Blade's skin colour turning back to normal.

"Or what? You can't do shit in here, have a nice life," the two sisters vanished through the wall again.

Nebula balled her fists, "What do the witc-Sorceresses of Cloud Tower want with us?"

"They want to know where Jewels is…" Blade answered her as she let herself fall backwards. "Stuck again…. great…."

Headmistress Griffin was walking up and down in her office. This had not gone as she had expected, "This is not good… She is hiding something, but I don't think she was lying about Jewels, Fara- I mean Organa…" She looked at her old friend still pondering herself. "What's wrong? You seem troubled."

"Dark magic fairies… All my scriptures, all I ever have been taught, have been teaching… all I ever have seen, Griffin… dark magic Fairies are evil, possessed at the beckoning of great threats to all of Magix. But she's, she's just Blade…stubborn to a fault and loyal to the point of insanity. There was not one ounce of black magic or evil intent within her. How is that possible?"

"Ha, Organa, not two decades ago we thought Domino would forever be a pile of ashes and now it's a flourishing kingdom. And you are worried about a new Fairy form? They are like sand on the beach if you ask me." She sat down at her table checking the two girls in the dungeon through her crystal ball. "You sure you want them to stay here? I do like punishments, but the tower isn't quite so Fairy friendly. You know that."

"Yes, I am sure. They got attacked on a trip to catch up with their friends. Alfea has so many visitors these days and the number will only grow with the next Council meeting at hand," Faragonda sat down on the edge of her friend's desk.

"You think someone will try again?" Griffin raised an eyebrow. "Well, I can't say for sure, that there is no risk at all. But I am as sure as one can be that there are only loyal witches here. Plus, my school can tell me if something's up since it's a living organism and all that," She always bragged a bit about that fact. "By the way, I never thought your students would stonewall us so much."

"Ha," Faragonda laughed, "You have met Blade in Songwind. Nebula is even worse once she makes up her mind."

"So, why not take one of the others… That blondie seemed more screamish just like her queen." Griffin suggested, "I can snatch her if you like."

"No, we don't know who knows what. They are tiptoeing around so much. They are protecting something very precious to them or someone…" Faragonda shook her head thinking.

"I'm pretty sure it's not Jewels. Did you see her face… maybe the other princesses?" Griffin suggested as she leaned backwards in her chair.

"I thought so in the start, too, but not a chance. Queen Swallow nearly blew off my school's rooftop when she saw Blade. She has petitioned the magic council again to throw her out of my school. If Queen Mizumi of Streama hadn't stopped the PSI attack with her own PSI powers, it would have gone really ugly. Remind me never to serve cake with forks again… All of the Royal families hadn't said much to anyone before that meeting not even to the Magic Council, but apparently, they had crests in use and they clearly showed them that the princesses were dead," Faragonda gazed devastated into the room. "So much death…" she mumbled.

Griffin didn't like to see her old friend so down, "Ah, no fair, and you said we would watch the next interesting period piece together. How rude, never do I get invited to the interesting stuff," She pretended to be pouting.

Faragonda stared at her for a moment at least a slight smile hushed over her lips, "Was more like one of the mud battles Codatrota always organises."

"Oh, it has been so long. I swear he will never grow up…" Griffin laughed out loud. "Still, but if it's not Jewels or the other princesses…what could they be protecting?"

Faragonda sighed and then gave her a look, "Griffin, spit it out. You have been stonewalling me for two months yourself now. Not that I don't enjoy our talks, but I didn't come here because we planned to kidnap my students. You wanted to show me something important." Faragonda wanted to swap the topic. "We really need to find those witches responsible, so everything can go back to normal."

"Yeah, about that, let me introduce you to one of my former students," She commanded the tower to open the door to the next room and out stepped a smaller older Lady. "You will find her version of the events in the Desertian palace very… enlightening."

Memphis for dramatic purpose rammed his dagger into a stone, "Nothing they did could kill the giant mummy. The two of them knew this would be their grave. There Blade saw the magic sword stuck in the stone. She darted towards it and pulled. Black flames engulfed her. She pulled harder and harder, would she be worthy? Would that ancient warrior grant her the power she needed to destroy the ilands protector? She felt a change as dark magic swallowed her light magic whole forever vanishing from her grasp." He pulled the dagger out again. "And with her newfound power she cut through the mummies strings and it toppled like a puppet to the ground."

"Wait is it a mummy or a puppet now?" Wizgiz got a bit confused.

Professor Avalon rubbed his forehead, "The sword in the stone was a legend from Gardenia. Also very similar to the founding story of one of their Paladin orders."

'We got to tell Faragonda straight away. What if Blade really goes insane insight that tower. If she loses her alignment…' Palladium couldn't be bothered with this nonsense. "Memphis, in fact, all of you, that's enough! This is nothing to joke around about." He couldn't believe how the other two were still going with this nonsense.

The old Lady waddled in she smiled at Griffin and Faragonda, "Former student, ha, don't make me laugh. I dropped out to take care of my grandchild," Rabia chuckled. "Not that I learned much, your lessons were always so boring, ha." She looked at Faragonda still in her Organa transformation. "Your dress…"

"Yes?" Faragonda asked reluctantly.

"It lacks colour, come by my shop, I give you something pretty. Oh, don't forget to bring some cash. Then again, you could just transform back to normal," Rabia laughed.

"Oh," Faragonda squinted her eyes, this was intriguing indeed, not even the professor sisters had seen through her disguise after all these years.

"Rabia only excelled in one thing, seeing through illusions and altering spells of all kinds. She's a nightmare to counter," Griffin folded her hands. "A truth seer in the literal sense, so to speak."

"Pah, bullshit. I am just not so gullible like you two," Rabia waddled to the table. "And those interviewers, the Magic Council sent, were utter crap, I tell ya. First of all, which investigator lets himself be mind controlled. And then tries a D-rated spell on a helpless granny, like me. What an insult. It stood right there on paper I was a student for two months at Cloud Tower. And he tries a D-rated spell. What a prick!" She puffed.

"Mind-controlled? Are you sure?" Faragonda was shocked to hear. "Wait, what did he try to do to you?"

"Alter my memories of course. Just like the other sad saps that talked to any of them. At least that's my guess," Rabia shook her head. "There were no witches in the palace. Well, besides in the prison of course. All that crap that happened that day was a Coup de 'tat. The ones using the black magic were all those royal asses in court. Not that I saw anyhting truly myself, I was more in the middle trying to stay alive. I mean my back is killing me more nowadays, no way, I go into the frontlines for free. I just kicked the youngster in the ass with some grant spouting. I'm really good at that too, you know," She paused shortly. "But until we reached the ocean gate there were two fronts one led by General Neferu and one by Lord Adom and Queen Jewels." She sounded sad as well, she really had liked Jewels.

"What?" Faragonda wasn't quite sure if she should believe this grant tale. All the reports of people coming out of the ocean gates had said the same thing. Then again most of the city guards were badly hurt as they reached the other side. The first reports were all from Neferus troops and the later testimonies had all told the same story. Not even the civilians hadn't stated anything different. Faragonda had persisted that Shanna would be the official first interviewer for Nebula and Blade and she had assured her that there was nothing more she could tell her. "If that is true… Shanna that sneaky old Elf… maybe they are not protecting someone else, but simply themselves…They don't know who may betray them next and today was to make sure they stay silent forever. Griffin if this is what happened, all those rumours, all that the Magic Council is discussing right now is for nothing. What are you waiting for!?" Faragonda was up at her feet now.

"Don't jump the gun on this. I already have witches on it. We're not letting those pricks get away. Oh no, we'll send a message they'll never forget. Mess with the witches and we burn you to the ground." She grinned satisfied, she had them all right where she wanted them.

"What have you been waiting for? You got the absolution for your three students. After two months you must have a proof for the rest. Are you crazy to wait so long? Think of all your students, the reputation of witches all across Magix," Faragonda couldn't believe this.

"Ha, Organa, you don't play your hand in a high-stakes game until the last card is on the table. I will not only crush those traitors in Desertia. They couldn't have done that alone. I will smoke those rats out of their holes, rip their tongues out and boil them in oil. No one messes with my school." Griffin could already taste her victory. She chuckled a bit insane but mostly satisfied. There was nothing juicer than to squeeze nobles like a ripe tomato and watch them drown in their own messes.

"Fine, the truth, then… Blade as she ran from the black magic jackals found a secret room inside the Desertian Palace. There was a black magic dragon flame inside, planted by the witches. Mesmerised she touched it, but it was too strong for her and took over. She nearly brought down the whole palace herself, before she got a grip again," he had spoken rather softly, respectful and quite serious.

Palladium sighed, "There are no pure Dargonflames around anymore unless you count Bloom the Guardian Fairy of the Dragonflame. All the sparks of the Dragonflame over time have all been used to craft magical items. You are lying again."

"Not to mention the fact that anyone of soldiers can feel a presence as strong as a Dragonflame, no matter if corrupted or not," Professor Avalon crossed his arms, these were all nothing more but silly Fairytales. 'Why are they so stuck on letting this charade go on.' No one had said anything besides Memphis they were scared shitless. 'Are they afraid of punishment?'

"Okay, sorry, I went too far. I just couldn't resist. I am really not used to people keep listening to me. Codatorta would have thrown me off the school fence by now," He chuckled slightly but the thought was quite frightening. 'Glad, he isn't here.'