THE TRIX WEREN'T the kind to retreat so quickly, but after being defeated by a bunch of freshmen fairies behind the college of Alfea, they had no choice but to escape into the woods that separated their college from Alfea. It was here that they were hiding out until they could see clearly enough to make it back to Cloudtower, which was something they were looking forward to.

No one liked being stuck out in the vast woodlands in the dark.

Icy frowned as she leaned against one of the trees, arms crossed. Her sisters were standing around the small clearing, looking up at the sky as if that would make the sun rise faster.

"Both of you, knock it off!" The ice witch growled, lifting one hand to touch her forehead. The battle had tired them out, but she could feel her magic growing back to full power the longer they rested, and she knew they would be fully charged once the sun cleared the trees. "Your needless pacing is going to attract attention."

"What else are we supposed to do?" Stormy demanded. "Sitting around in the dark is doing us no good. Might as well show our displeasure about it."

Darcy shook her head toward the youngest witch, moving to stand beside Icy. "I don't know about you, but being eaten by a crocodile-bear is not something that I want to experience."

"Both of you, be quiet!" Icy suddenly hissed, her gaze snapping toward the edge of the clearing. She grabbed Stormy by the arm, beckoning to Darcy. The three backed up into the treeline, looking around as the unmistakable sound of footsteps echoed throughout the woods.

A figure emerged into the clearing, expression one of slight annoyance as it halted in the center. It looked around, eyes narrowed to slits before raising its hands.

"Ugh, a fairy?" Darcy rolled her eyes. "What's it doing so far into the woods? Don't they usually stay holed up in that pretty little school?"

"Usually they do," the witch of ice hissed quietly, staring at the figure. "But this one feels different somehow."

The figure's fingertips began to glow in the darkness, illuminating the face of a young woman with fiery locks of short hair. Those eyes were glowing like embers in the gloom, lit up by the light of its power. When it lifted its head up, it raised one of its hands higher. "Come to me."

As if summoned by the voice alone, the bushes rustled, and three large creatures with reddish-tinted coats emerged, creatures that Icy immediately recognized as deerbeetles.

"O-ho that one's in for it now." Stormy snorted. "Seriously, is stupidity a thing that naturally runs through the blood of fairies? Those things will kill her in a second."

"Might want to take that back, Stormy," Darcy shook her head, and the other turned around to see the fairy had approached the deerbeetles, and they had not moved to attack it. The woman smirked slightly, dipping its head just a little, and the creatures disappeared into the shadows, vanishing without a trace.

The woman winced slightly, putting a hand to its head and then letting the magic die from its fingertips.

"That was . . . really dark." Darcy commented. "I didn't think a fairy could harness such negative energy."

Icy narrowed her eyes. "They can't." Her gaze moved from the stranger to her sisters. "That kind of power can only come from someone whose magic stems from a negative energy source. Did you see the kind of control she had over those animals?"

"She seems to have some kind of ability over them. But, darker."

Stormy snorted. "Weaponizing a life force like the deerbeetles is nearly impossible. No fairy has that kind of magic. None of them are that advanced."

The white-haired witch tilted her head. "I don't think that's a fairy." She finally said, glancing toward Darcy. "Could you conjure up something living? Send it toward that girl. I want to try something."

The witch of darkness grinned. "How powerful do you want it?" Her hands began to glow.

"Powerful enough to seem real. I want her to use her full ability."

"Icy, what are you doing?" Stormy hissed, standing up and going over toward her older sister. "If that fairy is affiliated with Alfea, she could alert the whole school of our presence."

Icy cackled. "Don't worry. She won't have the chance. Do it now, Darcy!"

Closing her eyes, Darcy conjured up a sentient being from the depths of the shadows. It was a figure that appeared male, clad in dark armor with eyes the color of blood. Feathered wings extended from his back, rippling in the soft breeze.

"Impressive," Stormy raised an eyebrow, moving closer to the newcomer. "It looks so real."

"That's because he is." Darcy cackled. "I don't have the power to create a living organism completely without it being tied to my magical energy, so if I release him from my power, he will wither to dust. But for now, he is real and alive."

"Good." Icy purred. "Now, set it on that fairy. I want to see what she does when faced with an attack by something that isn't an animal."

Stormy turned a questioning expression onto the elder witch. "Why would you want to waste time on taking out a fairy who doesn't even know we're here?"

"Well, there's the fact that it's fun," the ice witch smirked slightly. "But I also have a theory. Something you said, Stormy, about weaponizing life force, what if that's exactly what she can do? Control creatures — not just animals, but also humanoid creatures like fairies and witches?"

Realization dawned in Stormy's aqua eyes, and a grin spread onto her lips. "Set it on the girl, Darcy!"

Darcy cackled and focused her power onto the new creation. "Attack that fairy. Bring her down. I command you."

The male turned around and walked from the shadows into view of the young figure, who stopped what it was doing and blinked in surprise at the strange man. "What the — "

It had no time to question who he was or what he was doing before he aimed a powerful attack and blasted it in the chest, nearly knocking it off its feet.

Icy lifted her head slightly, observing the figure as it shook its head and glared coldly at the attacker, before a spell of its own appeared in its hand. It fired straight at the man, aiming for his face, but was forced to duck when he simply mirrored the attack and fired it back at the fairy.

The Trix weren't amused at the stupid back-and-forth going one between the two. Icy took note of how the girl had yet to transform into her fairy form, electing to remain in casual clothing while it fought the winged attacker, spell after spell conjured up in its hands.

"Darcy," Icy turned toward her sister, surprising her. "Let's turn up the heat. Tell him to bring her down, tell him to make an aim to kill."

Stormy grinned. "Oh, we're taking out the pesky little insect? Finally!"

"No," the ice witch smirked. "I don't think it'll get that far."

The golden-haired witch looked uncertain. "Are you sure? He might actually be stronger than her."

"He's not." Icy stated firmly. "I can feel it."

Darcy pursed her lips, but turned back around and allowed for her eyes to flash purple. The man stiffened, taking the new order into account, and then lunged. He aimed a killing blow for the girl's head, and it dove to the side to avoid having its skull crushed by the attacker's fists. He aimed another, then a third, with the woman avoiding each one. Jerking movements of its head were the only reason it was still fully functioning, though Icy noted a glimmer of panic in those strangely reptilian eyes.

Her smirk only widened when the fourth attack knocked the girl off its feet, sending it sprawling on its back with a groan. The attacker stood over it, hand balled into a fist which held a glowing orange orb — one which the ice witch understood was the killing blow.

The figure widened its eyes when it realized what was happening, and it threw a hand forward with a single ringing command; "Stop!"

Its attacker froze, hand trembling as if it were struggling against some invisible force.

Icy cackled quietly.

The girl got up, brushing off its pants, and then looked at the attacker, sweat beading on its brow. The two of them silently fought for control of the life force of the male, but ultimately it was the girl who, through gritted teeth, hissed out, "Do not fight me. I am your master now."

Eventually, the paladin could no longer resist the influence of the girl and stepped back, lowering his hands and awaiting its command.

"Use that killing blow on yourself." The creature growled, eyes glowing slightly. "Put it to use."

The male lifted his hand to the side of his head, and the figure looked away as blood sprayed onto its skin when he used the blow against himself. Moments later, the dead paladin faded away to dust.

The figure who Icy determined was not a fairy ran a hand through its hair, and that was when the witch noticed strange textures on the skin of its arm, textures that almost resembled the scales of a dragon.

"So that's what you are . . . " The witch smirked slightly, earning looks of confusion from her sisters. However, Icy simply stood up and walked into the open, gaining the attention of the figure, who immediately went on edge.

"Who are you?" It demanded coldly, reptilian eyes seeming to glow with power. The scales on its arms were now fully visible, and the witch also noticed that other parts of the body appeared less human. Hidden in the folds of the cloak draped around its shoulders was a long, serpent-like tail, which curled back in a show of rage. The heat which flowed off it simply added to what Icy had just come to figure out.

"Call me Icy," the white-haired witch replied, almost lazily. "One of the Trix, if you will."

The creature lowered its head threateningly.

"You're an interesting little thing, aren't you?" Icy was only a few paces away, grinning in a cruel sense at the obviously-inhuman creature. "You're clearly aligned with the fairies — their stench is all over you — but your magic is dark enough that one might mistake you for a witch."

The creature lashed its tail, releasing a hiss of warning. "What's it to you?"

Icy ignored the interruption. "But these scales are a sign of something my ancestors hadn't seen in their own lives, which makes me believe that you are one-of-a-kind."

The other two witches emerged from the shadows, staring at the woman with clear interest.

"You're a Khisfirean — one of the dragonpeople."

Hissing through its teeth, the creature slitted its eyes. "And you're a bunch of witches with nothing better to do than torment someone who was just minding its own business."

"There is truth to that," Icy sighed dramatically. "But, fortunately for you, I have a proposal for you."

"I don't make deals with witches." The girl replied, venom in its words.

Darcy snickered from beside Icy, her golden eyes narrowing just slightly. "Oh, that's just rude. I feel attacked."

"You should. It was meant as an insult." The woman growled, and Icy felt the temperature of its body rise just slightly.

Stormy scoffed. "You really don't act like a fairy at all. Considering that stench, my guess is that you attend Alfea?"

"You would be correct on that." The figure replied, inclining its head slightly. "I'm known as Jaye, Khisfirean of Creatures."

Darcy wrinkled her nose. "Why'd you choose to go there when your magic is too dark?"

Jaye bared its teeth. "Because Cloudtower wouldn't accept me as a witch."

The dark witch exchanged a glance with Stormy. "Oh yeah, I forgot they put that rule in place."

"But you're way too powerful to be in a college for weak little fairies." Icy walked around Jaye, taking in its clothing, its serpent-like attributes, and its short stature. "A Khisfirean — something we haven't seen in our lifetime."

"A Khisfirean warrior." Jaye repeated. "The dragonpeople."

"Aren't they gone?" Stormy asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at the creature.

"They are now. I'm the only vessel with Khisfirean blood left in the entire Magic Dimension."

Icy inhaled sharply. "And the blood of such a creature mixed with the dark energy of a witch . . . "

"Has created me." Jaye spread its arms out wide.

"And you are very intriguing, indeed." Darcy commented, studying it as one would study a strange specimen in a science laboratory.

The redhead growled. "Don't look at me like that."

"Icy, it's literally a dragon." Stormy lifted a brow at her sister. "We can't let something like this just walk away."

Jaye crossed its arms. "Yes. Yes you can. I'm a living creature."

Icy seemed deep in thought in her place behind the woman, and after a moment, her eyes lit up. "Little fairy?"

"I'm not a fairy," the dragon growled, turning to face the ice witch. "What do you want?"

"How are you treated at Alfea?" Icy dropped the question with no emotion in her tone, watching Jaye for any sign of a weakness. "Do the other fairies know about . . . " she waved her hand to gesture to the girl, "this?"

"It's not something I can hide, exactly." Jaye replied grimly. "So yeah, they know, and they don't like it. Don't care much for their opinions on me, though."

The ice witch tilted her head. "You would have been welcome among our kind, you know. Maybe not Cloudtower itself, but my sisters and I see great potential in you."

The dragon creature curled its tail slightly around its leg, running its tongue along its sharp teeth. "Perhaps . . . " it murmured, "but I cannot change it now. I'm an Alfea student, as much as it pains me to admit."

"Then let me propose a solution," Icy walked around so that she stood in front of it, using her hand to brush the side of its face. "A power like yours is rare to come across. You aren't happy in Alfea, and Cloudtower won't take you because of something beyond your control."

"Yes?" The dragon tilted its humanoid head curiously, eyes bright and alert.

"So make the best of it," she clenched her fists. "My sisters and I have something to settle with a particular group of those pesky little fairies, and it would be nice to have a set of eyes on the inside."

That piqued the interest of Jaye, who raised an eyebrow. "You're proposing I spy on the fairies for you?"

Icy nodded. "Swear your allegiance to us, the most powerful witches of this generation, descendants of the ancestral witches who destroyed Domino in search of the Dragon Flame. Pledge your loyalty to us, and we will give you what those fairies never could — a true partnership. Perhaps, if you are truly exceptional, a friendship."

Jaye felt a smirk creep across its lips, tugging them away from the sharp dragon-like teeth lined up in its jaws. "Sounds promising. But I thought witches don't do friendship."

"We don't," Darcy clarified, stepping forward with a glimmer of malice in her golden eyes. "Witches have families: their covens. Icy is offering you a place in ours."

It looked around at the three of them, reptilian eyes searching them all for a sign that something was off. When it found nothing, it straightened up, smirking slightly. "And all you want for me is to play those pesky fairies?"

"The Winx." Icy clarified, satisfaction flashing through her gaze. "The freshman fairies who banded together."

"I know of them." Jaye replied.

"Get them to trust you, join their ranks." The witch grinned. "And everything you find out about them, relay back to us."

The creature paused for a moment, thinking over the plan before it bent over in a semi-formal bow to the three witches. "I am yours to command, Trix." It spoke with absolute certainty, and that was when Icy knew they had convinced the dragon to be one of them.

"Good." She cackled. "Now go, back to Alfea, and begin your mission."

Jaye nodded once, stepping back away from the witches, eyes smoldering with intensity, before the shadows swallowed it up, leaving the Trix standing alone in the dark clearing.