The days continued to pass at Alfea's school as Kairi learned to control the Phoenix powers of her Esper Form, though it was mostly learning and understanding magic classes that attempted to teach her different ways to awaken the Esper Form other than her rage.
One day, Kairi was eating lunch in the school hall while going over some of Lev's class notes, having some trouble understanding them. Eve, Rena, Nina, Priere, and Makoto were at another table keeping an eye on Kairi. All except Eve were still in their bathing suits, which caused fleeting angry glances at Makoto from the others. For her part, Edea was watching Airy who was at another table eating her lunch.
"Jeez, and here I thought Merlin and Master Aqua's classes were complicated," Kairi said as she felt her head hurt trying to understand the class notes.
"Are you alright?" asked a voice near her.
It was Bloom, who had approached her along with Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, Aisha, and Roxy, who sat at the table.
"A bit dizzy with so much information to process, but yes," said Kairi. "You're the group of fairies I've heard about here, the Winx, aren't you?"
"Yes, we are," Flora said.
"We thought that seeing how overwhelmed you are with the teacher's classes, maybe we could give you a hand with the notes," Tecna said.
"Oh, you have no idea how glad I am to hear that!" Kairi exclaimed, putting her hands on her head. "These notes are driving me crazy! And here I thought Merlin's theory classes were a pain in the ass..."
"Excuse me, but by Merlin, you mean the most powerful wizard who ever lived?" Aisha asked.
"Being that I'm from another world, I highly doubt we're talking about the same Merlin, which would be weird in itself," Kairi said, making them all laugh, herself included.
Airy watched Kairi and the Winx from her table, letting out a breath as she shook her head. At that moment, she saw how Edea was across the table from her.
"Airy," Edea said, sitting down across from the fairy. "We need to talk."
"What do we need to talk about?" Airy asked.
"You know. About what happened several days ago, with the Iracon," Edea said. "Ever since that day, I've been wondering about it in my head," Airy gave her a sidelong glance. "If my memory serves me correctly, you were the most loyal servant Uroboros had until he devoured you that day after you failed him. I would think that event must have left you with a grudge against him, but we were the reason for your failure, and yet that Iracon transformed into Uroboros."
Edea continued speaking. "Besides, there are several things that still seem a little weird to me. To begin with, if you were truly revived by the Fallen, or in other words, turned into a Fallen, they shouldn't have betrayed you in the Colosseum by leaving you at Ifrit's hands. And in Troy, you tried to gain control of the Fallen through that lab, even to the point of using Thanos and his goons to do it. And finally, the way you fell down when you absorbed the residual powers of the Tower of the Phoenix. It's clear that that, in some way, got you out of yourself." Then Edea looks at Airy's wings. "And then there are the markings on the wings, the infinity symbol. If I'm not mistaken the last number was a zero."
Airy looked at her wings, noting the symbol on them before turning her gaze to Edea.
"The question here is: are you the Airy I know or not?" Edea asked the fairy.
Airy sighed, turning away from her. "I don't want to talk about it, okay?"
"I want to forget about it too, but there are too many things here that don't make sense," Edea said, becoming more serious. "I want answers, and I want them now!"
Airy looked sideways at Edea for a moment before turning back to her. "Okay, but I doubt that's the answer you want to hear."
"Try and see."
Airy sighed after hearing her.
"Yes, I am Airy, but not the Airy you know, that's true. You could say I'm a copy of the Airy you knew," Airy replied.
"A copy? Like a clone?" Edea asked.
"Yes, a clone intended to increase the worlds connected to the Dark Aurora to be devoured by Uroboros when the real Airy finishes her task," Airy explained, crossing her arms at a perplexed Edea. "You may see me as a monster like her, but believe me when I tell you that what I've done has not been for fun. Seriously, I loved traveling with you, Agnes, and Tiz, adventures and all."
Airy lowered her gaze. "You don't know how much it hurt me to have to cover my tracks when I broke down the boundaries every time. After several thousand worlds, I finally had to harden my heart and close myself off from the world so I wouldn't end up unhinged. Everything stayed the same until I found out that Uroboros had died. All for nothing!" Airy exclaimed, pounding the table. "In the end, I could only run away to the Lanes Between."
"And that's when you crossed paths with the Fallen, wasn't it?" asked Edea.
"That's right. When they recruited me, I demanded that they present me as if I had been brought back to life as if I were the original Airy," Airy said. "And if you're wondering, it was just to figure out which way to go, now that I no longer had a purpose."
Airy continued. "But you know how it was from then on, all downhill. From failure to failure, until the day I found that tower, and then after absorbing the powers that still resided there, all those feelings I had to bury deep inside came rushing out. I couldn't have felt any worse at that moment," Airy shook her head. "Sometimes I think Kairi and her mother should have just left me at Death's mercy and finish this."
Edea folded her arms. "Look, I don't know her mother at all, but I know Kairi, and I know she wouldn't have left anyone to their fate, not even you, even if it's hard for me to accept it."
Airy gave a deep sigh. "The only person I've told about this is Professor Lev. And I admit he's been a great help in my 'transition', so to speak."
"Yeah, whatever you say," Edea said, turning around.
"And you know what's funniest?" Airy asked blankly. "The professor told me that, in order to solve my problems, I should travel with Kairi."
"What?!" Edea asked as she turned to look at Airy, with surprise on her face.
"Yes, that was the same reaction I had when Professor Lev told me that," Airy said. "Does he seriously think I'm going to be able to travel with you? Does he seriously believe you're going to forgive me for everything I've done so far? Sometimes I think he has too much imagination."
"Yeah, right," Edea said. "Even if I were to forgive you, I'm not the person you should be apologising to in the first place," She said seriously.
"Then... who should I apologise to?" Airy asked.
"What do you think? Agnes, of course!" Edea exclaimed. "Whether you're our Airy or not, Agnes considered you her friend, and when you betrayed us, she was devastated. She suffered the most from it all. You don't know how long it took her to get over it," Edea explained, pointing at Airy. "If there's anyone you should apologise to for everything, it's Agnes."
Airy fell silent after Edea's words, lowering her gaze. Rena could hear the conversation between the two thanks to her elven hearing, having conflicting feelings about the situation, though for her the situation isn't as personal as it is for Edea and Airy.
Kairi continued talking to the Winx until something crossed her mind.
"By the way, girls. I know it's been a few days but do you know what that huge creature that thing turned into when the professor stood in front of it?" Kairi asked.
"You mean that huge sea serpent?" Bloom asked.
"Yeah, you're right. I've never seen anything like that before," Stella said.
"I think I saw it in a book, but now I can't remember what animal it was," Roxy said.
"Leviathan," The girls turned, seeing Professor Lev approaching them. "That creature was called Leviathan."
"Leviathan?" Roxy asked. "Well, I'm not familiar with any animal like that."
"That's because it's not a common animal or anything like it. Mostly because it's an Eidolon," Lev replied.
"An Eidolon? Like Ifrit and Shiva?" Kairi asked.
"More like your father the Phoenix, Kairi," said Lev. "Leviathan is one of the three Supreme Eidolons, above all other existing Eidolons."
"The three? And who is the third?" asked Flora.
"The third is Leviathan's brother, the dragon king Bahamut, the most powerful of all," Lev replied.
"If so, why do you hate him so much?" Tecna asked.
"You mean it because of the Iracon, don't you?" asked Lev. "The truth is, it was a long time ago. I saw what his power did to a great coastal city. The damage it caused, the lives it took. I only wish that power would never be unleashed on anyone ever again," Then he began to turn away from them. "And I ask that we quit this discussion. It is not a subject for such young and impressionable minds."
Kairi and the Winx looked at each other, shrugging in confusion.
At that moment Lev found Headmistress Faragonda and the rest of the faculty, arguing amongst themselves.
"Is something wrong, Headmistress?" Lev asked.
"I think so, Professor Lev," Faragonda said. "We've recently lost contact with Cloud Tower, and I can't get through to Headmistress Griffin."
"Yes, it's very strange, actually," Lev said thoughtfully. "Do you think something might have happened?"
"I'm afraid so," Faragonda said. "The only reason there is no communication with Cloud Tower is that it may have been captured or worse."
"Come on, Headmistress Faragonda. Maybe one of their students has gone off on a spell and nullified all magical communication with the school. We're talking about witches, after all."
"I still think something is going on," Faragonda said.
"Headmistress Faragonda! Headmistress Faragonda!" Exclaimed a student running towards them, stopping to catch her breath.
"What's wrong?"
"I was in town looking for ingredients for class, and on my way back I saw something coming towards the school!" the school exclaimed. "And it's not just one thing, but hundreds of them, or even thousands!"
They all stared at each other, while all those who heard it all looked on in confusion.
"What's going on?" Flora asked.
"I don't know, but I have a really bad feeling," Bloom said, getting up to approach.
Kairi and the rest of the Winx and their companions got up to approach as well.
"Tell me, where did they come from?" Lev asked the student.
"If I'm not mistaken, from the other side of the lake!" Replied the student.
"From Cloud Tower?" Faragonda asked.
Lev then used his magic to form a sort of magic mirror in which an image could be seen.
"This is very bad," Lev said as he saw the image, just as Kairi approached, seeing what they were seeing.
Fallen. Hundreds and hundreds of Fallen, even thousands of them, advancing through the forest in the direction of Alfea, if the images being shown were true.
"This is going to be very bad," Kairi commented with concern.
The headmistress gathered the teachers in her office, and obviously, Kairi and her group were present as the Fallen approaching Alfea was their priority. As for Kairi's group, due to the situation, they all changed into their normal clothes. There was no point in going in bikinis if they were going into battle soon.
"This is not good," Edea said, watching a mirror that showed the Fallen approaching the school. "This is all giving me flashbacks to our last battle in Luxendarc."
"Yeah, and here I thought we wouldn't have any trouble here after what happened before," Rena said.
"But at least we have a plan, right?" Makoto asked.
"I just hope the barrier can withstand their onslaught," Said one of the teachers.
"It must. The barrier was designed to repel any evil being that tries to force its way in," Another of the teachers explained.
"Gentlemen," Faragonda said to get attention. "I have contacted Red Fountain, and they will send their students to support the defense of the school. They expect to be here before the Fallen reach the gates."
"Red Fountain?" Kairi asked.
"One of the schools in the magical dimension. That's where the specialists train, warriors skilled in both hand-to-hand combat, technology, and magic," Faragonda explained.
At that moment the door opened, letting Bloom in.
"What are you doing here, Bloom? I ordered the students to be in their rooms," Faragonda asked.
"It was I who summoned you, for you must also know what we are up against," Professor Lev said.
"Do you even know who is behind the attack?" one of the teachers asked.
"I can do better than that. Bloom?"
Bloom nodded and walked over to the magic mirror, and with a wave of his hand made the image advance several rows behind the Fallen, showing what looked like three huge pyramids being dragged by the Fallen, and on top of these were three thrones, with a girl sitting on each of them. Kairi raised an eyebrow as she recognised one of the girls, at the same time Bloom was surprised.
"The Trix!" Bloom exclaimed.
"Those are the Trix?" Priere asked.
"Looks like it," Rena replied.
"Okay, Icy I know but who are the other two?" Kairi asked.
"That's Darcy and Stormy, they always go with her," Lev replied.
"That means the witches have escaped from the Fortress of Light," Said one of the teachers.
"And not only that, but they are also at the forefront of this attack," Faragonda said.
They all stared for a moment at the image of the Trix in the magic mirror, until Kairi began walking toward the door.
"Where are you going, Kairi?" Faragonda asked.
"Now that we have a better idea of what's coming, we can better prepare for the attack," said Kairi. "Surely many of the fairies will know how these witches act, so we can prepare something for when they arrive."
"I'll go with you. I know them well, and I know I'll be able to get their attention so the others will have a chance," Bloom said, following Kairi along with the other girls out of the office.
At that moment Faragonda looked at Lev. "Professor, I know we've talked about it, but-"
"Headmistress, are you seriously going to suggest that I do THAT after our discussion? You know very well that I have no desire to do that, and you know very well why!"
"I know, professor, but sometimes we have to do things we don't like, for everyone's sake," Faragonda explained.
Lev sighed, putting a hand on his forehead. "If the situation is like this, I'll have no choice, I am?"
Meanwhile, Kairi and the others were gathering the schoolgirls, trying to form a strategy to contain the enemy for when it arrives, while Eve assigned the various locations where the fairies would have to position themselves for maximum performance in the coming battle. Even Airy herself had to help prepare the school's defenses.
In the observatory of one of the towers, Rena was watching the horizon, while Tecna used her technological magic to track the surroundings of the school in case anything was approaching. It was hard for Rena to admit that there was someone with as much control over technology as Eve, but she had other concerns on her mind.
Rena then spotted something in the woods. "I think I see them already."
"Really?" Tecna asked.
"Yeah, over there."
Rena pointed in one direction, and Tecna could see how the trees were shaking non-stop, a sign that something numerous was passing through them.
"From the distance they're at from here, and the speed at which they're moving..." Tecna began to say, starting to make calculations on her holographic display. "...It won't be long before they're here. Hours at most."
"Less time than we expected," Rena said, just as she noticed how a huge red ship flew over the school. "What now?"
"The Specialists! They've arrived on time!" Tecna exclaimed leaving the room followed by Rena after seeing her running.
As the huge airship was hovering over Alfea, several smaller ships came out of it, landing in the school's garden. Several students ran outside, relieved to know that they would have help for the battle.
Coincidentally Bloom, Stella, Musa, Flora, and Tecna approached one of the landing crafts, stepping out of it as the door opened, where five boys dressed in blue and white uniforms stepped out first. One was a light-skinned blond-haired young man with blue eyes, one was dark-skinned with dark brown hair and brown eyes, one was pink-skinned with a light tan with purplish-red hair and indigo eyes, one was light-skinned with long black hair and blue eyes, and one was short, light brown-orange hair with hazel eyes and a medium skin tone and red-rimmed glasses.
Bloom quickly hugged the blond boy, who hugged her back.
"I'm glad to see you, Sky," Bloom said with a smile.
"Well, we would have been here sooner if we had known what was going on a lot sooner," Replied the boy named Sky.
"Excuse me, I don't know if I should butt in, but who are you?" Kairi asked as she approached, catching the attention of the others.
"Oh, excuse me Kairi. Allow me to introduce you to the Specialists," Bloom said. "This is Sky, prince of Eraklyon,"
"I hope he's one of the good guys. I've had a hard time with an evil prince in the past," Kairi commented, remembering Prince John.
"Don't worry, you can trust me," Sky replied.
"And who are the others?" Kairi asked.
"Let me introduce you to the others," Sky said. "This is my squire Brandon, Helia, Riven, and Timmy," He introduced as they waved back. "You can trust them as much as the others for the battle."
"You can be sure that if those things get here they are in for a good surprise," Riven said proudly.
"I hope so, but I warn you, those things are unpredictable," said Kairi. "Believe me, I know them very well."
"Especially if the Trix are in charge," Stella said.
"The Trix?" Brandon asked. "This just keeps getting worse and worse."
"We'll talk later, guys. We need to get ready first, they won't be long in coming," Sky said.
"As you say, your highness," Riven commented.
Before long everyone was at different strategic points in the courtyard for the battle. Despite being prepared, there was a sense of dread in the air, as clearly none had faced the Fallen. Maybe other types of monsters, but not these.
"Quiet, quiet," Edea said to a group of fairies standing with her at their position.
At that moment they saw them coming. A vast tide of Fallen of various shapes began to advance through the forest, the front rank stopping within a metre of the school barrier, with the rest stopping behind it in a staggered fashion.
"I think this is a bit too much for us," Said Timmy in his position next to the other specialists.
"I don't know why, they're just a bunch of ugly monsters," Riven said.
"A bunch? Can't you see how many there are?" Sky asked.
"It's all about quantity, it's about quality. And we have quality to spare," Riven said with a smile.
"Skeletons, zombies, armors, ghosts, golems... even Hunters and Lickers!" Tecna exclaimed as she watched the Fallen arrive. "It's like they've brought all the creatures of the horror genre into one place!"
"That's what the Fallen are. The physical representation of fear. If you fear something, these creatures will become it. Even if their origin is fictional," Explained Eve who was standing next to him.
"They just need to bring a Xenomorph and a Predator and we'd have the party served," Tecna commented.
Eventually, everyone watched as three huge thrones moved forward pulled by the Fallen, with the Trix sitting on those thrones until they stopped.
"You know? This brings back some really good memories," Icy said.
"Yeah, but this time we'll have the last laugh," Darcy said.
Rena, who was in an elevated position, aimed her bow at Icy, firing an arrow of fire that turned into a phoenix of fire that headed toward her. But Icy noticed the projectile and used her ice magic to stop the shot just as it was about to hit them.
"That must be the elf she told us about," Stormy commented.
"Can someone amplify my voice?" Rena asked the fairies nearby, and one of them created a small orb of light in front of her. The elf took a breath and addressed the orb. "This is just a warning! The next shot won't miss!" exclaimed Rena, heard throughout the school, including outside the barrier.
"How funny. She thinks she'll be able to take us out with some magic arrows," Darcy said.
At that moment Bloom advanced towards the edge of the barrier, even though some had warned her not to.
"Icy!" Bloom called, causing the Trix to look at her. "I know why you're here! Don't think you'll have it so easy with me!"
At that moment the Trix started laughing loudly.
"That's very kind of you to think about us, Bloom. But we're not here for you this time," Trix said. "We've come for someone else."
"What?" Bloom asked in surprise.
"We know the Phoenix's daughter is here. Where is she?" asked Darcy.
Kairi frowned after hearing them. She already assumed this attack was only about her, despite the Trix, Bloom's enemies, using the Fallen for the attack.
"So what if she's here? You won't lay a hand on her," Bloom said. "Besides, your army can't cross the barrier, and you're not powerful enough to break it."
"Do you truly believe that?" Darcy asked. "Do you seriously think this is all we have?"
"As we speak, the other Fallen following us are surrounding the school," Stormy said. "And I highly doubt this barrier can withstand a full-scale attack from all sides."
Bloom glared angrily at the Trix, ready to do something against them, but Professor Lev put his hand on her shoulder.
"Leave this to me, go back with the rest," Said the professor to Bloom, and after some hesitation, Bloom obeyed and stepped back, at which point Lev turned his gaze to the Trix. "This doesn't have to end badly. If you withdraw the Fallen and surrender peacefully, nothing will happen to you. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise? Do you think a simple old man could take us? Don't make me laugh!" Icy exclaimed.
Lev was silent. "Otherwise, you will witness something beyond all logic about magic."
"Prove it, old man," Darcy provoked, waving his hand, which caused the Fallen to begin advancing toward the barrier.
Lev closed his eyes, raising his hand slightly. Immediately the Fallen stopped, turning in the direction of the forest. The Trix looked in that direction, shocked, for the nearby lake's water had turned into a large static wave. At that moment Lev drew his hand to himself, causing the wave to start moving forward, taking a large number of Fallen with it, but the wave stopped before it reached the Trix as he froze it with his magic.
"Wow, so you can control the water, mister. Too bad that's nothing against my ice," Icy said with a smirk.
"This is but a warning. What is to come will be so terrifying that even your magic will be no match for it. Will you surrender?" Lev warned them one last time.
"You can try!" Icy exclaimed.
Lev sighed and turned to Kairi, who stood behind him. "Watch. When you are not driven by anger, and you know the reason why to use your power properly, it will have no limit, it will allow you to do amazing things."
Kairi arched an eyebrow at his words as he turned forward.
"And to think I swore to myself not to do this... but it's hopeless," Lev said to himself.
Lev began to surround himself with water-like magic, just before vanishing in a flash.
"That's it?" Darcy asked, disappointed.
"What was that?" Kairi asked.
"I've seen something similar," Nina said from her position. "It's similar to what Kairi does... when she transforms..."
Without warning they heard a deafening roar that startled everyone, coming from beyond Alfea. Nina, Priere, and the students who had transformed into fairies, even Airy, soared above the school in the direction of where the roar came from.
"What do you see!" Edea asked, looking up.
Nina was shocked at what she was seeing. "You won't believe it, we've just discovered the relationship between Professor Lev and Leviathan!"
"What does one thing have to do with the other!" Riven asked, looking up.
"You don't understand! Lev IS Leviathan!" Priere exclaimed.
"WHAT?!" everyone in the school asked at the same time.
Beyond Alphea stood a gigantic sea serpent, the Supreme Eidolon Leviathan, floating in the air as if flying on water. With a single roar, it caused gigantic torrents of water to pour out of the ground and form around it.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Stormy exclaimed as she watched the giant sea serpent perform.
Both Kairi and the rest of the people ran to the edges of the barrier to see how the sea serpent was summoning that abysmal amount of water. Not only that, it was turning that water into a wave of gigantic proportions, bigger than any wave ever seen.
"That wave is approximately 500 meters!" Tecna exclaimed at the sight of the wave.
"Jeez. I hope this barrier can withstand that," Makoto commented.
"Here it comes!" Musa exclaimed.
Leviathan let out another roar, and the wave began to surge forward. It didn't take long before it began to carry any Fallen in its path forward until it reached the school, at which point everyone took cover from the impending impact. As the wave reached the barrier, the water began to move as if it was moving around the barrier without trying to enter, surprising everyone with the size of the gigantic wave passing over them, but as the wave passed them, it dragged away every Fallen in its path. Even the Trix were forced to use their power to try and stop the giant wave but to no avail.
When the wave left the place and everything calmed down, everyone saw that there was not a single Fallen left in the place, and the weirdest thing is that, despite being a gigantic and powerful wave, it did not cause any environmental damage to the place.
"The last time I complain about this man," Priere commented, looking around.
"I knew the professor was powerful but, as powerful as this?" Airy commented with a hand to his head.
Kairi looked around, surprised to see how powerful Professor Lev, or rather Leviathan, was. And if he was so powerful, was her father, the Phoenix, as powerful as he was? And she, would she become as powerful as her despite being a half-breed?
The huge sea serpent vanished, and Professor Lev reappeared in the school with a burst of water as he walked out of the barrier. Despite the tense situation, Kairi and Bloom, plus other fairies and specialists approached from behind to what looked like a huge orb of ice on the ground, which suddenly shattered revealing the Trix inside, who looked exhausted, surely after using all their magic to survive that wave.
"What the hell was that, there is no creature on Magix with that power!" Darcy exclaimed as she drew in an exhausted breath.
"I warned you," Lev said. Lev said. "I wanted to settle it peacefully, and in your arrogance, you almost lost your lives. What has to happen for you to surrender?"
"We will never surrender!" Icy exclaimed, soon turning her attention to Kairi. "So you're this Kairi, are you?" Kairi summoned her keyblade in self-defense. "We were told that if we failed this attack, to hand this over to you. So you can keep it," Icy said before throwing some sort of crystal on the ground.
Kairi was silent at the witch's gesture, but before anyone could do anything the Trix cast a blinding flash spell, taking the opportunity to flee.
"Cowards..." Bloom said when the flash ceased.
"Never confuse a retreat with cowardice. They don't always mean the same thing," Lev cautioned, being the one to pick up the crystal.
"What is it?" Kairi asked.
"I have an idea," Lev said.
Sometime later the faculty was back in Faragonda's office, but this time with Kairi's entire group, the Winx, and Sky's Specialists group. They were all looking at the crystal that the Trix had given them.
"Well, what do we do now?" asked Makoto.
"Why don't we smash it?" asked Riven.
"I touched it and it didn't do anything," Tecna commented.
"What if someone specific has to touch it?" Airy asked from the other side of the door.
"Airy, come in," Professor Lev ordered, ushering the fairy inside. "I know you're not interested in being in the same room, but you have to be,"
Kairi arched an eyebrow, as Edea recalled her earlier conversation with Airy.
"I think she's right," Stella said. "Maybe that crystal only activates if Kairi touches it."
"What if it's a trap from the Trix?" Rena asked.
"There's only one way to find out," Faragonda said, then turned her gaze to Kairi. "Don't worry, if anything happens we'll be here."
Kairi nodded and walked over to the crystal, touching it with her hand. It began to glow and instinctively the girl stepped back with the others. At that moment the crystal created a holographic image of Salome in the room.
"Salome!" Kairi exclaimed.
"Hello, Kairi. It seems you have received my crystal, and that the Trix have failed. I'll talk to them later," Salome said, looking around. "And it seems you're not alone. There are a lot of people here it seems," Then she saw Faragonda. "Well, Principal Faragonda. Long time no see."
"Same here, Salome," Faragonda said coldly.
"You two know each other?" Nina asked.
"Salome was a student at Cloud Tower many years ago. She was an exemplary pupil, but at the same time very troubled, drawn to dark the dark arts," Faragonda explained.
"No need to wonder how far she has come," Aisha commented.
"Yes, and I wish she had never returned," Said the headmistress.
"Funny, that's just what someone we know told me," Salome said, just as a Fallen pushed an elderly woman with purple hair and pale green skin.
"Headmistress Griffin!" Faragonda exclaimed, looking seriously at Salome. "Now I understand why contact with Cloud Tower was lost!"
"Yes, I've taken the entire school hostage, and will be my bastion while I'm here," Salome said. "But I'm willing to let the prisoners go on a few conditions. And needless to say which is one of them," Salome glared at Kairi.
"Don't do it! If she's the girl from the Gulgan's prophecy, nothing can happen to her! She's the only thing keeping the darkness from consuming everything!" Griffin exclaimed.
"Shut up!" exclaimed Salome, slapping Griffin and causing her to fall to the ground. That made those present even angrier at her.
"And if I'm one of the conditions, what's the other?" asked Kairi.
"Well, the Trix have spoken highly of the power of the fairy called Bloom. The Dragon Fire I think it was called," Salome replied. "So you know, Kairi and Bloom for the people of Cloud Tower. And come alone."
"No way! We're not doing an exchange!" Sky exclaimed, being restrained by Brandon and Riven.
"Those are my terms, handsome. Either you accept them, or you're never going to see the witches ever again," Salome warned.
Sky glared angrily at the holographic image. Everyone was silent until the last person to speak spoke... Airy.
"Agreed, but on one condition," Airy said. "The distance between Alphea and Cloud Tower is very long. At least two people will go with them at least to carry them, at the same time to make sure you keep your end of the bargain."
"Airy!" Edea exclaimed at what the fairy said.
"I didn't expect to see you around, fairy, but what you say makes sense," Salome said with a shrug. "Well then, all right. I'll let two more get close to the tower. But only two, is that clear?" At that moment the hologram disappeared.
Edea approached Airy seriously. "But what are you thinking?!"
"To give you a chance! We don't know what might be there, so I thought that four of us going there is better than just the two of us going!" Airy exclaimed.
"Four against who knows how many of those monsters there will be? What an idea!" Edea exclaimed angrily.
"At least I've given part of an idea! Now you have to think of something!" Airy exclaimed.
"That's enough, both of you!" Rena exclaimed.
"She's right," Faragonda said. "This is no time for us to fight each other. We should come up with a plan, now that Airy has given us a window of opportunity."
"Okay, but who will go with them?" Musa asked.
"It's clear. I and Brandon will take them," Sky said. "We'll take care of whatever it takes if we have to."
"OK, so what do we do, invent a spell that teleports us all there?" asked Edea.
"You could use your Gummi Ship's teleportation system to appear there," Airy proposed.
"Impossible," Eve said. "The teleport system only works at specific points, as it was designed not to be teleported in the middle of hostile areas, and there are two points to consider here. Cloud Tower is now a hostile zone, and we have no idea where we might show up. Also, I think it's dangerous in many ways to move a lot of people to the Gummi Ship."
Then Tecna started thinking. "What if we used some beacon that would indicate the location to make the jump, and instead of jumping in groups from point A to point B and then to point C, we scrambled the system to send a large number of people from point A to point C?"
"Yes, good thinking, and as we'll have a clear signal moving in Cloud Tower, where we can move everyone close to the signal as soon as it's time to act," Timmy said, glancing at Kairi and Bloom.
"That... could work," Eve said in amazement. "I'll need time to code a jump like that. Could you both help me?" Queen Nasod asked.
"My pleasure!" Tecna said as Timmy made an 'okay' gesture with his hand.
"Okay, we've got the plan, except for one small detail... How are we going to track them?" Musa asked.
"We'll be able to use the emergency trackers we have," Brandon said. "That way you'll have an idea of where we are at all times."
"Well, we'll just have to give the signal then," said Kairi. "But you'll all have to be ready by then. Who knows what we'll find there."
"Besides, you'll only have a few hours before we get to Cloud Tower, so hurry up," Sky said.
"Don't worry. If they know how to do anything, it's doing things on short notice," Airy commented, causing Edea to cross her arms, looking sideways at her.
A few hours later, Sky and Brandon were taking Bloom and Kairi respectively on red flying scooters through the middle of the forest en route to Cloud Tower. Kairi was looking around from time to time.
"You've noticed, haven't you?" Brandon asked. "They've been watching us for a while now."
"Yeah, apparently Salome wants to make sure we keep our end of the bargain," Sky said.
"Yeah, the number of eyes has increased considerably," Said Bloom. "I just hope the plan works."
"It will have to. Otherwise, we'll be alone in enemy territory," Sky said.
It didn't take long for Kairi to spot a huge purple fortress on a mountaintop on the horizon. This place must have been Cloud Tower, and seeing that it was surrounded by clouds, it was a fitting name.
After advancing several kilometers, they reached the base of the mountain where they found some stairs leading up the mountain.
"It looks like that witch undid the barrier around the school," Brandon commented.
"Do we have to go all the way up?" Kairi asked, looking at how high Cloud Tower was from where they were.
"I don't think we're going to do it alone," Sky said, pointing as several Armor Knights descended the stairs to meet them.
When they reached the bottom, the Fallen aimed their spears at the group, but Kairi and Bloom stepped in front.
"We have come as we agreed. Take us to your mistress," Bloom said seriously.
At that moment the Fallen looked at Sky and Brandon.
"We will go too, but only to make sure your mistress keeps her word," Sky said.
After looking at each other, the Fallen who were closest stepped aside to allow the group to stand in the center of the formation. And though they hesitated for a moment, the fours stood in the middle, beginning to climb the stairs to the school.
When they reached the school, the Armoured Knights formed up in front of the main gate, silently ordering them through. Upon entering they were met by a large number of Fallen who were watching them carefully from the walls as if they had been ordered to stay in place.
"This just gets creepier and creepier," Bloom commented.
The group advanced along the passage that the Fallen allowed them to advance until they reached what was the amphitheater. There they could see all the student witches and teachers in the seats, with what looked like magical handcuffs holding their wrists bound, with several Fallen by their side to keep an eye on them. And on the stage, they saw Headmistress Griffin kneeling, with the Trix on one side of her, and Salome in the center.
"Greetings, and welcome to Cloud Tower!" Salome exclaimed as the group advanced to a stop several meters away from them. "Though this is only for the daughter of the Phoenix in this case, as the other three of you have been here before as far I know."
"Stop playing games, Salome," Bloom said. "We're already here like you said."
"That's right, so you're already starting to hold up your end of the bargain," Kairi demanded.
"How cute. She thinks she can make demands on us," Darcy said.
"And you three stay out of it, you have no idea what you're getting yourselves into," Kairi said to the Trix, making them angry.
"Enough," Salome said, immediately calming the witches down. "You have certainly delivered, but clearly I can't hold up my end for now."
"Seriously?" Sky asked.
"Right, I will only let them go when the girl ceases to exist," said the dark witch pointing at Kairi. "In the meantime, my guests will remain where they are."
"I don't know why I imagine you are unwilling to hold up your end of the bargain," Bloom said, soon turning her gaze to the Trix. "And I'm surprised you girls are going along with all of this."
"They seem to be catching on to the deception, Salome," Stormy said.
"Well, you're right. Do you truly think we're going to let our old inmates escape? By having them trapped here we can use them as insurance so that all of Magix knows what can happen if we are disobeyed," Icy explained.
"No wonder the Iracon turned into her," Kairi said looking at Bloom.
"And to make sure they know we mean business, you guys will set an example," said Icy.
Bloom glared angrily at Icy, at which point Icy transformed into her fairy form, surprising Kairi for a moment, as in all this time she had never seen one turn into a fairy. But before she could do anything, the Fallen turned their weapons on her.
"Don't get too brave, little one, or are you planning to face us, surrounded by monsters right now?" Salome asked with a vile smile. "Have you thought about that or what?"
At that moment Brandon's bracelet began to make a faint beeping sound that only they heard.
"Actually, we thought we'd stop you any way we could," Kairi warned.
The Trix laughed at what Kairi said.
"Really? You and what army?" Salome asked.
"Well... this army," Bloom said smiling.
Brandon then brought the bracelet up to his face. "Now!"
Salome raised an eyebrow but was surprised to see that suddenly next to Kairi, Bloom, Sky, and Brandon a large number of people teleported in. The group being made up of Edea, Rena, Eve, Nina, Priere, Makoto, Stella, Musa, Flora, Tecna, Aisha, Roxy, Riven, Helia, Timmy, Faragonda, Lev, several of the teachers, and to Kairi's surprise, Airy.
"Is that all you could bring?" Kairi asked.
"Sorry, this is the maximum amount of people we could bring through the teleporter," Eve said. "And that's that we set it to full power."
Rena turned to the amphitheater seats pointing her bow. "Everyone, get down!"
Rena fired several mana arrows that flew toward several of the Fallen in the stands. Students and teachers alike ducked as best they could to avoid the arrows as they systematically hit the Fallen. Faragonda and Lev took the opportunity to use their magic to attack Salome, forcing her to protect herself from the attack with her magic.
"Don't just stand there, you fools! Attack!" Ordered the witch to the Fallen.
At her command, the Fallen began to descend from the bleachers against the group, indirectly allowing the imprisoned teachers and students to escape the room, and while Faragonda and Lev dealt with Salome, the rest of the newly arrived group focused on engaging the Fallen.
"This is a mockery! They have fooled us!" Icy exclaimed as she saw what was happening.
"Well in this case let's take action ourselves too," Stormy said.
Without warning a curtain of lightning surprised them, knocking them back.
"Not so fast, I won't let you do anything foolish," Said Nina flying towards them.
"What are you, some kind of black angel?" asked Darcy.
"I'd watch your words if I were you, witch," Nina warned, readying her magic in her hands as a magical aura surrounded her.
"You alone against the three of us? This should be fun," Icy said with a frown.
"We'll see about that," Nina said, the magical aura surrounding her taking on the form of a dragon as she summoned three fiery claws that flew in an arc against the Trix.
At the same time, Makoto and Priere were hitting left and right at any Fallen that came near them, while covering the fairies and the specialists who were also fighting the monsters. And both Rena and Eve were attacking from a distance against the Fallen that were attacking from afar like the Elemental Wraiths and Skeleton Archers. And all while Edea, using the craft of White Mage was supporting the group with healing and support magic to cover any flank where the fairies and specialists could be pushed from.
And all the while Kairi was supporting the rest of the group by hitting the Fallen with her Sword Key or using her magic for support, as Nina was currently holding back the Trix.
Airy, on the other hand, was keeping some distance in the battle, using powerful magics like Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga, and Dark against the Fallen, obviously avoiding targeting the Elemental Wraiths. Edea was surprised that the fairy simply fought in her current state instead of transforming into one of her monstrous forms, though surely because of the powers she had absorbed earlier and the classes with Lev, she didn't need to.
At the moment, Faragonda and Lev were restraining Salome with their magic as she tried to repel their attacks.
"I never thought the king of the Eidolons could hide in this world," Salome commented, hiding in a barrier to protect herself from both of their magic. "What's the matter, has the flooding of that city affected you so much that you've been trying to get away from any civilization?"
"Don't listen to her, Lev! She's just trying to get inside your head!" Faragonda exclaimed as she used her magic against the witch.
"I know, and honestly, I expected better tricks from a former Cloud Tower witch!" Lev said as he continued to attack the witch.
What Salome didn't know was that these attacks were meant to distract her away from Headmistress Griffin, and using a distraction from the witch, Lev used his magic to free Griffin from her magical chains. At this point, the witch stood up and began attacking Salome in support of Faragonda and Lev.
"You've taken your time!" Griffin exclaimed. "By the way, is this plan of yours?"
"No, it's just that we have a sharp pupil and a lady with the necessary resources," Lev said, referring to Tecna and Eve respectively.
"We will discuss this later, for now, we must deal with her," Faragonda said, the three of them now focusing their attention on Salome.
"Damn it!" cursed Salome, now forced to defend herself against three enemies. Glancing then at the Trix, she could see how they were being countered against all odds by Nina's magic. "This generation of witches is more useless than the last."
At that moment he noticed Airy, who was focused on casting her spells against the Fallen.
"Let's see what you make of this," Salome said, letting out a hiss.
Airy noticed the presence of something at that moment, and as she turned around she noticed that a huge Fallen had appeared near her. It looked like a Bone Tarantula, but the front area was the torso of a horned human skeleton with four arms, each with a bone sword (Bone Drider).
The fairy let out a scream at the sight of the creature, beginning to fly high in an attempt to get away from Salome's summoned Warlord, though it began to walk along the walls and start following her, shooting fireballs from its mouth at the fairy.
This commotion made the others aware of what was happening, a moment Salome took advantage of to get an escape route and open a Dark Portal.
"Farewell, you dunderheads!" Salome exclaimed before disappearing into the portal.
Faragonda, Lev, and Griffin seeing Salome fleeing, tried to help Airy, but the Fallen still in the room forced them to focus on them, plus more of them were coming through the amphitheater entrances.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but, we have to do something, or that thing is going to eat Airy!" Rena exclaimed, focused on shooting arrows at the Fallen in the room.
"Well, you tell me what we do! The only ones who can fly are busy right now!" Edea exclaimed, referring to Priere brutally beating up the Fallen and Nina taking on the Trix.
"I wouldn't mind going upstairs but I'm too busy with this stuff right now!" Bloom exclaimed throwing a fireball at a Nulla Wraith.
"Well, you tell me what to do! The only ones who can fly are busy now!" Edea exclaimed, referring to Priere brutally beating up the Fallen and Nina taking on the Trix.
"I wouldn't mind going upstairs but I'm too busy with this stuff right now!" Bloom exclaimed throwing a fireball at a Nulla Wraith.
Kairi turned her gaze upwards, watching as Airy tried to repel the Bony Drider that followed her walking on the roof, which covered itself in her magic with its blades at the same time spitting fireballs at Airy. Kairi thought about casting one of her spells against the Fallen Warlord, but from that distance, she could most likely see it coming and avoid it without a problem. As the only one who could do anything about it, since everyone else was busy, the only solution she had was to use her Esper Form, but at this point, she doubted if the Phoenix's powers would help. If she did it wrong, Airy could get hurt, even though she had been an enemy in the past.
Kairi then turned her gaze to Lev, who after destroying a Legionnaire returned her gaze. Meeting the girl's eyes, Lev pointed to his own chest, as if to tell her something.
At that moment Kairi remembered one of Lev's lessons.
"Currently you unleash your Esper power through the anger you felt in the Phoenix Tower. But from now on I want you to stop thinking about that moment. When you try to transform, I want you to think of those close to you. Focus on those whose feelings are deep, and have great meaning to you. As you do this, I want you to ask yourself: for whom should I use this power?"
After remembering those words, Kairi closed her eyes. For a moment Kairi again recalled the events of the Phoenix Tower and her dreams, but this time she tried to push those memories aside. Then she began to think of her companions, with whom she had traveled so far. She also started to think about the friends she made in Twilight Village, Master Aqua, and the others who have supported her.
Then Kairi began to see in her mind the day when she was with Sora in Destiny Islands before fighting Organisation XIII when they exchanged the papou fruit. She also remembered when Riku promised Kairi that he would return with Sora before he went on his quest. Focusing on those memories, Kairi smiled.
"Who should I use this power for?" she said to herself, as flames began to appear around her. "For them, I would do anything."
Then the flames covered Kairi completely, but these flames were not as fierce as before, they were more controlled, more stable. When these flames ceased, Kairi had transformed into her Esper Form with her adult body, but unlike before her wings were not wildfire, but a pair of elegant red wings. Even her face was more similar to Kairi's nature than when she transformed before.
Everyone took notice of what had happened. Even the Fallen had stopped for this, so both her companions and the others present could see Kairi's current state as she flew toward the ceiling, putting herself between Airy and the Bony Drider.
"Kairi... so beautiful..." Stella commented as she saw Kairi in her current Esper Form, nothing like when she saw her the first day.
"How mystic..." Priere commented.
"Yes. That's how you have to be, daughter of the Phoenix," Lev said looking at Kairi.
Airy was surprised to see Kairi in such a state. She even felt a pleasant sensation being close to her in the air. Even though she had acquired some of the power that Kairi possessed now, she knew that she could never reach her level. She even thought how foolish she was when she thought of that plan in that tower.
At that moment the Bone Drider attacked Kairi with one of his swords, but she blocked the attack with her Keyblade, pushing the Chieftain back. She then threw a Flare at the Fallen's feet on the ceiling, causing it to fall to the ground with the explosion, but he managed to roll over and land on his paws, screaming at them.
Airy was speechless watching what was happening until she saw Kairi turn her head toward her.
"Can I trust you with this?" Kairi asked Airy. The fairy was surprised, for that question didn't sound like a forced demand, but a request to an ally in battle.
The fairy thought for a moment until the fairy nodded her head. With that answer, they both descended to stand in front of the Bone Drider, preparing to face the Chieftain.
With the Fallen's roar, the other Fallen launched themselves at the others, resuming the battle, but Kairi and Airy were focused on the Bony Drider, who began to attack Kairi with his four blades, but Kairi simply dodged backward and blocked the blades with her sword spanner until without warning she launched a Flare at the Fallen, knocking him back with the blast.
Airy took advantage of this moment to start casting Firaga spells from behind, hitting the Bone Drider's body with the fireballs until the Chieftain recovered from the blast.
The Bone Drider began to launch fireballs at Kairi from its skull, but Kairi blocked them by summoning a barrier around her, giving Airy time to fly to the side to cast a Blizzaga on the Fallen.
Upon impact, the Bone Drider noticed the fairy and moved towards her to attack her with his blades, but Kairi got in the way and began to hold back the Fallen's attacks with her weapon, giving Airy room to retreat and use Thundaga on the Chieftain.
Kairi then used this opportunity to attack the Bone Drider directly and slash away at all four of his blades, leaving him virtually unarmed. Kairi then flew to Airy's side, looking into her eyes for a moment in silence. Airy stared at her for a few seconds without saying anything until she nodded and grabbed the keyblade Kairi was holding.
At that moment an aura of flame surrounded them both, as a huge ball of fire began to form at the tip of the weapon, while both turned their gaze towards the Fallen in seriousness. Then they swung the keyblade forward, launching a great ball of fire that in mid-flight transformed into a majestic four-winged firebird that headed straight for the Bone Drider, impacting it full on, and destroying it in an instant in a great explosion of fire.
When the maelstrom of fire disappeared, they both stared for a moment at where the Chieftain stood. Then Airy descended to the ground, kneeling and breathing heavily until Kairi landed beside her.
"Are you alright?" Kairi asked the fairy, holding out her hand to her.
Airy looked up and stared at the Phoenix Esper beside her in all her glory.
"That question should be asked of you," Airy replied, grabbing Kairi's hand to pull herself up.
"Kairi!" Rena exclaimed, approaching her.
Apparently, the battle was over while they were destroying the Warlord, so Kairi's companions as well as the fairies and specialists approached her. Except for Nina.
"Hey, where's Nina?" Edea asked, turning her gaze to where the winged woman stood.
"That's right, the Trix!" Bloom exclaimed, looking in that direction.
But they only saw how Nina was standing in front of the Trix who were lying on the ground unconscious, with marks of having taken a magical beating, never better said. Nina then turned around and approached the group.
Sky whistled at the sight. "She actually defeated the Trix all by herself?"
"With how hard we usually have to struggle when facing them," Musa commented.
"I just taught them a little humility about magic," Nina replied. Nina replied. "Though I doubt they'll learn their lesson."
"That's the problem with them," Stella said. "But one thing is clear. They're going to be a long time in the Fortress of Light for this."
"Yes, though they deserve more than that," Bloom said.
"Let them. It's best not to rage against the defeated," Rena said.
"Uh, one question, is this the true form of an Esper?" Makoto asked as she looked at Kairi's wings. "The only thing that changes is the wings."
"Yeah, I think that's the way it should be," Nina commented. Nina commented, "And let me tell you something from winged woman to winged woman. Those wings really suit you."
"Yeah, considering the child becomes an adult when she transforms," Airy said.h
"Hey, I'm not a child!" exclaimed Kairi.
"I'm with Kairi, but I have my doubts as to why her body matures when she transforms," Eve asked.
"Maybe her body hasn't matured enough to contain all that power?" asked Tecna.
"Hey, I'm here!" Kairi exclaimed angrily. "What's this about me not being mature? I'm more mature than you think!"
"Well, way to prove it!" Bloom exclaimed.
That made Kairi puff out her cheeks angrily, making everyone laugh at that moment.
"I gotta hand it to you, Lev, you've done a good job," Faragonda commented as she looked at the group.
"Thank you, but she owes all the credit to herself. I've just made sure she knows the right path," Lev replied.
"Truthfully, I never thought I'd say this, but thanks for the help," Griffin said to both of them. "By the way, how did that girl defeat the Trix all by herself?" He asked looking at Nina.
"I say nothing, but I seem to recall that the blood of Windia's royal family possesses traces of the Dragon Clan, which greatly enhances the magic of its bearer," Lev commented to the women in a low voice.
Faragonda and Griffin looked at each other for a moment.
"We'll keep that in mind," Faragonda said.
After handing the Trix over to the proper authorities, and after saying goodbye to everyone, the group was back on the Gummi Ship, with the entire group gathered in the cockpit of the ship. Kairi was in her normal form at the time, reporting everything to Master Yen Sid via a large monitor connected to Gummifono.
"Hmm, the situation seems to be getting more dangerous than we feared. The Fallen are becoming more active than ever now that it has been confirmed that you can use your Esper form," Yen Sid said on the other side of the monitor. "By the way, congratulations on being able to gain control of your powers, Kairi."
"Thank you, Master Yen Sid," Kairi said with a nod. "Though I was a bit surprised to learn that Professor Lev was Leviathan himself."
"Yes, it's something he doesn't usually talk about. But he evidently has his reasons for it," Yen Sid said.
"Not to interrupt, but have you figured out the current location of the worlds where the shards are?" Edea asked.
Yen Sid nodded his head. "Yes, I have been able to locate the worlds that were in those five locations. As we speak, Chip and Chop should be transferring the data to the ship."
At that moment Eve began to fiddle with the onboard computer for a moment.
"Yes, they've arrived. I'll get to overlaying the locations on the map," Eve said, transferring the data to a holographic map that appeared on the ship. "I have no knowledge of three of the locations, but I can recognise two of them."
"Yes," Kairi said as she looked at the map. "Actually, I'm surprised those fragments were hidden on those worlds."
"You must head to those worlds without delay," Yen Sid said. "If they discover that you are looking for the seal fragments, they will try to seize them."
"Then why don't we let them gather them and save ourselves the search?" Priere asked.
"Because if they get just one piece, you won't be able to access the main world of the Fallen," Yen Sid said.
"And if they get hold of all the pieces, they could break the seal anytime, most preferably after they get rid of Kairi and their master is not in danger from the prophecy," Eve said.
"The blind man's prophecy that says Kairi and the boss of the Fallen will fight in which she will finish him off?" Makoto asked.
"Supposedly, but yes," Rena said.
"Alright, we'll try to get them as soon as possible," Kairi said.
Yen Sid nodded, putting an end to the transmission.
"Well, where do we go first?" Makoto asked.
"First of all, we need to settle an issue first," Edea said, looking back.
They all turned in that direction seeing Airy who was standing against the wall crestfallen. Kairi and the others couldn't believe they accepted Professor Lev's proposal to allow the fairy to accompany them.
"I still have my reserves about this," Nina said.
"I mean, who says no to an Eidolon like Leviathan?" asked Makoto. "Least of all if he's been getting repetitive about it."
"I wouldn't mind dropping her off on some world at the drop of a hat," Priere said.
"Never mind that," Edea said. "Even if she has to come with us, I can't accept that decision on principle."
"Yeah, maybe you're right," Rena said.
"However, there is a way to change her mind," Edea said, looking at Airy.
A young woman with brown eyes and long brown hair down to just above her knees was asleep in her bed wearing only a white sleeping dress inside an opulent room. She was sleeping peacefully until a bluish glow lit up her face, causing her to wake up, seeing that the flash was coming from behind a window and going upwards.
"How?" the woman wondered as she saw the flash, getting up and putting on a simple pair of shoes and a white bathrobe.
The woman immediately walked out the door into a long hallway, startling a guard who saw her running past.
"Lady Oblige?" the guard asked in confusion.
The woman ran through the corridors, getting lost on a few occasions along the way reaching different rooms, but finally managed to reach the highest area of the temple where she resided, crossing the door. She stood looking outside, from where she could see the entire city she was in, as she looked around.
"Still getting lost as usual, aren't you, Agnes?" Said a female voice she recognised, causing her to turn in the direction of the voice.
Agnes Oblige was surprised to see the last person she expected to see. The fairy Airy, whom she once considered her friend until she revealed her true colors almost a year ago, was sitting atop one of the battlements of the building. What confused her most at the moment was that Airy was more human-sized like her own and that on her wings was the symbol for infinity instead of a zero, just as she remembered it.
"Airy?" Agnes asked. "How is that possible?"
"That doesn't matter, does it?" Airy said, not taking her eyes off the horizon.
Agnes stood in silence not knowing what to do. Airy was supposed to be her enemy, but at that moment she was certain the fairy didn't want to do anything to her. What's more, she believed that the fairy was not the same fairy she knew. Sighing she approached the battlement next to her and leaned against it.
"Why do I get the feeling you're not the Airy I know?" Agnes asked.
"Maybe because I'm not?" Airy asked. "Think about it, with all the work that had to be done to fulfill Ouroboros' plan, did you seriously think that one fairy could handle it all, despite doing it for millennia?"
Agnes stared at her for a moment in confusion.
"Well yes, you could say I'm a copy of the Airy you knew, in case she was stopped," The fairy replied. "You can imagine how much running around I had to do when Uroboros died."
"The truth is, I never imagined it. I always thought there was only one Airy," Agnes said.
"So you see," Airy shrugged.
"So... why are you here?" Agnes asked.
"Someone wanted us to talk," Airy said, lowering her head slightly.
Agnes was confused, but when she looked down, she understood what he meant as she saw Edea on the side of one of the buildings, watching them from the ground.
"I see..," Agnes commented as she saw Edea down there.
They both stood in silence as they gazed at the night skyline for a long while.
"I..." Airy started to say, having trouble continuing to speak. "I... I'm sorry," Airy said, causing Agnes to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "I'm so sorry for everything that happened. Believe me, if I could talk to every single Agnes I knew, I would apologize to them for everything that happened. Seriously, for a while, I liked you all. You, Edea, Tiz... If I could go back, I would... I would..," Tears began to fall from Airy's eyes, having trouble continuing to speak.
Anges stared at her for a moment, placing his hand on the crystal hanging around his neck. After a moment he sighed and walked over to Airy, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"I forgive you."
Airy looked at Agnes in surprise at her words.
"The Airy I know would find it hard to speak to you because of what happened. But I can feel what you say, you feel it in your heart, and for that, I can forgive you," Agnes said. "And if the others could hear you, surely they would too."
The fairy was silent with tears welling up in her eyes after hearing Agnes' words, and after sobbing for a moment she put her hand on the hand on her shoulder.
"Agnes... thank you," Airy said with barely enough strength to get any words out.
They both stared at each other, while Edea watched them from the ground. Edea smiled for a moment and walked away, leaving the two of them to speak on their own.