The prisoner of Shadowhaunt groaned and shifted, the chains that kept him bound to the wall of rock clanking as they were jostled against one another. He couldn't be sure exactly how long he had been locked up in the dungeons of Shadowhaunt; the Lord of this cursed place seemed to have forgotten about him, in fact all of its inhabitants seemed inclined to ignore him except for the food they periodically dumped in his damp cell. But it had to have been many months, he thought.
Something thundered overhead and dust rained down on the prisoner causing him to cough. Lord Darkar was either very excited or very furious about something he would guess, neither of which boded particularly well for himself or the rest of the Magical Dimension.
Whispers of Darkar's plans had filtered down through the keep to the prisoner's cell and he knew how close they were, how there was just one piece left to collect. And then the Ultimate Power would finally, finally, be in Darkar's hands, more than a millennium in the making.
The prisoner had been biding his time all these months, waiting and hoping someone would notice his absence and come release him, but they never had. And now, knowing how close Darkar was to fulfilling his wicked plans, the prisoner knew he could wait no longer.
He'd spent the long, dull days stewing over the only idea for escape that he had managed to come up with. The spell had occurred to him sometime ago, the only thing that would work on the magically reinforced chains keeping him tethered to the wall, but it would be dangerous. Extremely dangerous and there was every chance that it wouldn't even work.
He eyed the puddle of water that had pooled on the rocky ground from the leak in the ceiling. It stretched from the toe of his shoe, all the way under the bars of his cell and would work perfectly for the spell he had in mind.
"Well," he said, voice raspy from months of disuse. "No sense prolonging this any longer." He closed his eyes and summoned the very dregs of his power that remained from what this place had sapped from him. "Adaquare vado, et ab aqua revertar," he murmured, and his hands glowed a very dull gold.
But the light caught and held, and the prisoner held the spell in his mind as he started to feel its effects take a hold of his body. It was so subtle at first that he almost missed it, the tip of his boot submerging into the water, but then his toes started to follow suit, the skin, and the flesh, and the muscles and tendons, and bones melting into the same water that lay pooled on the ground.
The process happened slowly and then all at once until all of him was part of the water. And there was a moment, when he was one with the water, where he almost lost himself. He had known this was the danger of the spell, why he had held off for so long on using it, that he might go into the water and never come out.
But then his most basic instincts took over and he felt himself move through the water and emerge on the other side of the bars, his body reforming as it left the water. He remained on all fours, kneeling in the water, for some time after he fully reformed, his bones still feeling like liquid, his muscles trembling from the exertion.
He had to move, had to get out of there, even if all he wanted was to lie down right in that water and rest for a while. But that would suit Darkar and his terrible plans all too much so the prisoner found the strength to push himself to his feet and go on.
A hush had fallen over the village in the days since the witches' attack. They had melted the ice, rebuilt the destroyed buildings, and cleared away the debris, but one thing was on the mind of each of the pixie's who resided in the village.
"Is the Flower of Life going to be okay?" Glim fretted to Ninfea as they all clustered around the flower.
At her side her fellow elders sighed mournfully as they beheld their sacred's flower wilting petals and dying leaves.
"We just don't know, Glim," she said sadly.
Livvy, on Glim's other side, startled. "But if the Flower of Life doesn't survive, what will become of the village?"
The elders looked at one another before their gaze returned to flower. They had sent feelers out far and wide to find out the answer to that exact question, for they feared that it wouldn't be good, but they didn't want to tell the rest of the pixies anything until they were completely sure.
"We'll do everything in our power to save the village," Ninfea said simply.
"This is all my fault," Livvy wailed, running her hands through her blonde locks. "I lead Icy right to this place; she never would have gotten the last piece of the Codex if it weren't for me, and the Flower of Life wouldn't be sick right now."
"It was a hard decision," Discorda said gravely, patting her shoulder. "You did what you had to do."
"I'm sure it'll all be fixed in no time," Glim said and gave her a hug, the bulbs on her head glowing an optimistic gold colour.
"Thanks, Glim," Livvy sniffled into her shoulder.
A shadow suddenly fell over the village, bathing it and the surrounding trees in gloom that sent a ripple of unease through the gathered pixies, but when they glanced up they relaxed at seeing the Red Fountain ship that was hovering overhead. As it hung in the air it's hanger door opened and a smaller craft peeled out and came in for a landing nearby while the larger ship glided off in the direction of Alfea.
"Who is it?" Discorda asked.
"Looks like some of the Alfea and Red Fountain students," Athena answered, watching as the ramp lowered a group exited.
"Oh, I hope they're not upset with me," Livvy fretted as the group came closer and she recognised them as Layla, Flora, Sky, Brandon, and Helia.
But as they reached the village, it was clear they had much more on their minds than the missing piece of the codex. Their arms were full of sick pixies who were shivering and sneezing in equal measure.
At the head of the group, Layla nodded respectfully to each of the pixie elders. "Ninfea, Athena, Discorda."
"What happened?" Livvy asked as she, Glim, and the elders sprang into the air to get a better look at their sick friends. "Is it allergies? Or maybe-"
"It's some kind of flu," Digit said miserably, before sneezing so hard her head swam.
"We picked it up on Requies," Tune explained, wiping her runny nose with the back of her hand, a move that was most unlike herself.
"Did you hear about the codex?" Livvy asked.
"Yes, that's why the others have gone straight on to Alfea, they need to talk to Headmistress Faragonda. But these guys need some tea from the Flower of Life right away."
"I'm really sorry about the codex," Livvy said, sniffing again as tears lined her big eyes. "I was just trying to help!"
"We know," Flora said soothingly. "It's alright, we'll sort all that out later-"
"I don't mean to be rude," Amore broke in, voice weak. "But we really need some tea."
"My throat's sore," Chatta piped up, voice indeed sounding quite scratchy.
"I'm cold," Lockette said, trying to use Sky's cape as a blanket.
"I'm hot," Piff countered, fanning herself idly.
"And I have body aches," Tune said grumpily. "Some tea now. Please," she added after a beat as if belatedly remembering her manners.
The elders shared grave looks.
"What is it?" Layla asked.
But Flora had already spotted the problem, letting out a quiet, "Oh no," as she crept forward to get a better look. She shifted Chatta gently to one arm and knelt beside the withering flower, touching its brown and black spotted leaves with a gentle hand.
"Icy?" she asked, glancing back at the others.
"She froze half the village," Livvy confirmed, wringing her hands. "Including the Flower of Life."
"We melted the ice as quickly as we could," Ninfea said, flying down to settle next to Flora. "But it still looks quite sick and I'm not sure what can be done to fix it."
Chatta sniffed. "Flora," she croaked out. "If the Flower of Life doesn't get better, what will happen to us?"
Flora swallowed roughly. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the village on her, waiting for what she, the Linphean native and fairy of plants, would say. "We'll just have to make sure the Flower of Life gets better," she finally said, and even though she tried to sound confident, she had the unfortunate, sinking feeling that everyone could hear just how lost she really felt.
"I hope everything went okay at the village," Musa was saying to the others some time later as they crossed the quad. She glanced in the direction of the village. "They've been gone a long time."
Stella and Tecna murmured agreement, but Bloom was silent, gaze distant as if her thoughts were somewhere else.
"Guys!" a voice called and they all looked around at the front gate to find Layla hurrying through it.
Their hearts sank as they realised neither Flora nor the pixies were with her.
"Layla!" Musa called back as they all stopped, waiting for her to catch up. "What happened? Where are the others?"
Layla bit her lip. "It's more complicated than we thought, the Flower was weakened when Icy attacked the village. It will need to be healed before the pixies can be cured. Flora's working on it now. I left the guys with them, I think the pixies are glad to have them around, they're feeling a bit vulnerable after the attack." Her eyes slid briefly to Bloom then away again. "I just wanted to check on things here; did you talk to Faragonda?"
Like Layla, Musa glanced quickly at Bloom then her eyes shifted back. "Only briefly. We told her that… about what Riven and I overhead…"
Upon hearing the news that Darkar was after her in particular, Bloom had barely shown a reaction, let alone looked even remotely surprised by it.
"…anyway, she didn't say much. But she's called an assembly, we're actually on our way now, so maybe she just wanted to talk to the whole school at once."
"Then let's go."
The group climbed the tower stairs to the auditorium where much of the school was already gathered for the assembly. The auditorium was loud with chatter and there was an undercurrent of unease running through all the conversations, as if the students had an idea that something dangerous was once upon the precipice, even if they didn't know what exactly it was.
"Good afternoon, ladies," Faragonda began once the final students had taken their seats. "Thank you for allowing me to interrupt your free time by calling you all here. I'm sure many of you have heard the stories about The Dark Lord who rules the Shadowhaunt realm. And I'm sure you have heard the whispers throughout this year that he has been attempting to rise to power once more."
Confirming Faragonda's words, an outbreak of muttering swept around the room.
"I'm afraid I must announce that he has successfully regained the four pieces of the codex and that he is dangerously close to full power once more. I do not tell you this to scare you," she continued loudly as the noise in the room rose. "But to warn you and prepare you. The Guardian Network are aware of the situation and are assessing options for how to proceed.
"I know hearing this must be troubling after what happened last year, but I believe in your courage and your abilities, ladies, and I know we can, as a school, overcome this threat just as we did last year. This is what every day of your education and training is for.
"I do not believe that Lord Darkar, or any of his accomplices will return here now that they have the completed codex. Regardless, I encourage you all to be on the lookout for anything amiss. Also members of the staff will be available for extra training in the afternoons for those who wish to partake. You're more than welcome to stay for the first session."
Faragonda thanked them again and dismissed the assembly.
"Should we hang back for the extra training?" Tecna asked, watching the teachers clear room for the session. Some students were staying but the majority were streaming out of the auditorium and down the stairs, chattering to each other about what Faragonda had said.
"Might as well," Musa answered with a shrug. "Nothing else to do while we wait to hear about the pixies. I can't believe what Faragonda said about the Guardian Network, assessing their options, what a joke."
Bloom gave a harsh bark of laughter and the others jumped. "What options," she said snidely.
Layla was watching her friend carefully. "I guess they're like any big organisation," she started slowly, finally looking away. "Held up by red tape and procedure."
"It doesn't help that he's hiding away in his cave like an overgrown bat," Stella added, tossing her hair. "They probably won't do anything until he moves out into the open and starts causing real trouble."
Bloom scoffed and folded her arms over her chest.
Stella opened her mouth to say something but Wizgiz's voice interrupted them. "Can I get everyone staying for the training to transform into their fairy forms so we can begin," he called, clapping his hands.
The girls pushed themselves up and off the bleacher seating and made their way down to ground level where everyone else was gathering. In a series of flashes of light the students all transformed into their fairy forms, Layla, Musa, Tecna, and Stella sharing smug smiles as they called on their Charmix pendants as well.
Without the magical restrictions of Requies they could finally experience their full Charmix forms, and took a moment to admire the new features of each other's fairy form. Tecna discovered her Charmix form had added a pair of fingerless gloves which she tugged on and nodded approvingly. Similarly, Stella had acquired a set of wrist guards, which while made of a pretty sheer material also seemed to be quite durable. Musa touched a pair of gold headphones that had appeared on her head, while Layla's form had added a pale pink sash and gold choker, reminding them all of her royal status.
Lysippe wandered past, nodding in approval. "I see you girls did more than just lay around on the beach while you were gone, very good. Now, quit preening and pay attention." She nodded to the front where Wizgiz was waiting and the girls quickly turned around.
"What exercise are we doing first, Professor?" Tecna asked.
He smiled at her. "No exercise, Tecna, just do what you have to do to survive."
And with no more warning, the auditorium plunged into darkness.
Immediately, Stella's hand lit up with a ball of sunlight. "I've got this one, girls." But as her face pinched with concentration and the ball grew bigger, it struggled to really penetrate Wizgiz's inky darkness.
"I'll use a magical multiplier," Tecna said, and added her magic to Stella's.
"Let's see if some sonic waves can break up this magic a little bit," Musa grunted, and threw out a sonic attack all around them.
The combined forces of their magic was working, but slowly, and Bloom felt herself roll her eyes. "I'll show you how it's done," she said haughtily. She flung her arms out and heat exploded all around them, burning away the darkness in half a second
Unfortunately, it also burnt away part of the bleachers.
"Not bad," Wizgiz said, but he was wearing a frown that was unlike his usual jovial nature. He watched as Layla quickly put out the fires Bloom had inadvertently set, before shifting his gaze back to the redhead and trying for a smile. "Very strong, but perhaps a bit too strong." He winked at his student good-naturedly. "A little self control wouldn't go astray, Miss Peters."
Bloom rolled her eyes again.
Next Palladium stepped up and with a wave of his hand constructed a figure made of solid gold. It vaguely resembled an unnaturally tall specialist, especially when it drew a sword and charged at them.
This time Layla was first to jump into action, flinging a wave of water at it. Musa sent some vibrations through the wave to give it a bit more bite and it worked to sweep the figure off its feet. Stella blinded it with a burst of bright sunlight giving Tecna time to dart in and attach a computer chip she'd hastily built to paralyse the gold figure.
"Now, Bloom, finish it!" Musa yelled encouragingly.
Bloom held out a hand, conjuring a blisteringly hot fire ball, intending to heat the gold figure until it melted. But just as had happened last time, when Bloom let her magic fly, it all seemed to go awry. This time the attack bounced right off and hit a window, melting a hole through the glass.
Tecna's chip wore off and the golden figure sprang to its feet, swinging its sword madly, and a group of seniors had to step in to stop it.
"Nicely done, ladies," Palladium called to them when the figure was nothing more than a golden puddle. He turned to Bloom. "What happened? You almost had it."
Bloom shrugged moodily, wrapping her arms around herself. Something felt wrong and she found herself thinking about that moment in the valley, when the shadows had encircled her. Her mind strained, trying to understand that what felt just out of reach, but everything went hazy, and she came back to herself to hear someone calling her name.
"Bloom!"
She blinked, and looked around to find her friends watching her with concern.
Palladium's face was carefully blank. "I said, your convergence is better after your vacation but still not where it needs to be. Let's take a break and then you can try again."
Shadowhaunt's prisoner only got a couple of steps away from his cell before an idea occurred to him. It would sap much of what little strength he had left but it might buy him more time to get out of this place.
So conjuring the dregs of his magic, the prisoner aimed his palms at the limp chains hanging from the wall and concentrated on constructing an illusion. It was hardly his best effort, but when he was done, an imitation of himself now sat in the chains. Anyone looking close enough would notice the waver that passed through it every now and then, or would realise quickly that it was showing no sign of life, but hopefully a monster coming to dump food in his cell wouldn't be looking that closely.
Satisfied that that would have to do, the prisoner finally stepped away and hurried on his way, trying to ignore the trembling coming from many floors above.
"Where is she?!" Darkar's furious voice bellowed through the throne room and his companion, although not physically present in the room, still cringed backwards as if waiting for a blow. "You promised she would be here once I completed the codex! I have had the final piece for days and still she remains stubbornly out of reach."
His companion, on his knees before him, gasped out apologies. "I'm sorry, my Lord, I-"
"You have failed me!" His wrathful eyes shifted to the witches who were pressed against the far wall, trying to blend into the stone. "And you three failed me! You have all failed me!"
"She is ready, my Lord," his companion promised with another gasp. "It will only take the smallest provocation for her to succumb completely."
"Then. Do. It," Darkar hissed. "Bring her to me and let it be done."
His companion stammered out excuses. "There's too many people around her at the moment, my Lord, but as soon as she is alone-"
Darkar stood, magic swirling around him, and his companion scrambled back, not wanting to find out if it was possible for his Lord to harm him even when he wasn't physically in Shadowhaunt.
"Today. She will be in Shadowhaunt by the end of today."
Darkar didn't say what would happen if he failed to carry out the order, but he didn't need to. The threat of pain and punishment hung in the air regardless.
"As you will it, my Lord," his companion promised, and pressed his forehead to the ground at Darkar's feet.
"So, what have you got for us, Ms G," Stella said, jumping to her feet with a grin once their break was over.
Griselda was standing in the centre of the auditorium with her arms folded, observing the group of them. "What I've got for you is beast powder and I can assure you, you won't be smiling once you've experienced it, Miss Haleigha." Indeed, Stella's smile was already fading. "But since you seem so confident, yourself, Miss Cray, Miss Asherah, Miss Shao, and Miss Peters can go first."
Shooting Stella unimpressed looks, the girls slowly pushed themselves off the bleachers and came into the centre of the auditorium. Layla grimaced and edged towards the door.
"Actually, I was just about to head back to the pixie's village to see how everything is going."
"Traitor," Musa hissed, but Layla just smiled, tossed them an apologetic wave, and escaped down the stairs.
Griselda allowed her to leave without comment before instructing the remaining four girls to line up and prepare themselves. She prowled towards them and pulled an innocuous looking drawstring bag from her pocket, loosening its ties so she could reach inside.
"Beast powder measures your magical ability and creates a worthy opponent. You'll have to be at the top of your game if you hope to beat the monster it creates for you."
"That's hardly fair," Stella whined as Griselda drew out a handful of the powder and began to sprinkle it over them. "Bloom literally has the power of the dragon inside of her."
"Exactly," Griselda said, stepping back. "So this should be a piece of cake."
Bloom opened her mouth to snap at Stella, but was distracted as she caught sight of Avalon slipping into the auditorium and coming to sit on the lowest tier of the bleachers. His expression was thoughtful and he seemed immediately absorbed by Griselda's lesson.
"Here we go," Griselda said, drawing her attention back, and she turned around to find a monster materialising before them.
During Griselda's explanation of beast powder, Bloom had pictured something nearly as tall as the ceiling, with armoured skin, and fangs capable of devouring them whole. So she was a little surprised by the monster that appeared before them.
The monster was maybe only a little taller than Stella, had completely white, shiny skin, little green wings sprouting from its back, and a larger than average head. Perhaps the only scary thing about it were its sharp teeth, which it immediately bared at them. But even those had nothing on the fangs Bloom had been picturing.
"It doesn't exactly look like much," she drawled.
Griselda frowned at her. "Believe me, it's plenty tough, and you would do well not to underestimate it, Miss Peters."
Bloom narrowed her eyes in return, sensing the challenge in Griselda's words.
Griselda backed away. "You're on your own now, girls."
As if triggered by her words, the beast came suddenly alive, that white skin crackling with electricity as it stalked forward. It had unusual purple eyes that were alight with malice. The girls shifted but remained in place, waiting to see if it would attack first.
It didn't disappoint and within seconds had two handfuls of lightning at the ready. But this wasn't ordinary lightning, for fire also crackled along its spikes.
"Bring it on," Bloom breathed, body humming with anticipation.
The beast lashed out at random, one handful of burning lightning catching Musa by surprise, hitting her in the stomach and throwing her to the ground. She cried out in pain as she fell, pulling the attention of Stella and Tecna, but Bloom never faltered. She intercepted the second handful of magic with a fireball of her own and the two collided in midair counteracting one another and exploding with a loud noise.
The beast gave a growl of irritation and disappeared on the spot, reappearing behind the girls, and hitting Stella in the back with yet another burning lightning attack.
"You're going to have to do more than that," Griselda taunted from the sideline, and Bloom practically snarled in response. "It is not enough to be on the defensive, you need to get on the offensive."
Musa pushed herself back to her feet, a scary looking electrical burn stretching across her stomach, but she moved through the pain, gritting her teeth.
"How's this for offensive," she muttered, and threw out a powerful sonic attack.
The beast shuddered a little as the magical waves rushed over it, but seemed otherwise unaffected as it disappeared once more, reappearing in another part of the auditorium.
"We need to stop it moving around," Bloom ordered, her voice hard.
"On it," Tecna called, already constructing a digital cage out of bands of bright green magic. Within a second she had encased it but the beast seemed to regard the cage with curiosity rather than anger. It lifted two slim, white hands and touched the bars before wrenching them apart as if they were no more than two strands of thread.
"What the-?" Tecna gasped.
The beast leapt forward and Stella lashed out with a blinding sunlight attack, trying to at least slow its approach.
"Useless," Bloom hissed when the beast barely flinched and stalked forward to meet it. "I'll do it myself."
"We're supposed to be working together," Stella reminded her, voice reproachful.
"You guys would have to actually contribute something for us to work together," Bloom tossed over her shoulder carelessly.
Her hands exploded into fire, and within seconds the flames had grown, covering her arms and shoulders as well. The beast bared its teeth at her as if enjoying the threat, and the pair threw themselves at each other. Bloom clamped fiery hands down on the beast's arms, causing it to shriek in pain as it was held in place.
It shoved at Bloom with its palms, shocking her with some of that electrical magic, and surprising her into letting go. Bloom stumbled back and it scrambled away to regroup but the redhead wasn't going down that easily. She conjured a rope of flames and threw it after the beast, catching it around its middle and dragging it back towards her.
Without even realising it had happened, Bloom found that her flames had expanded to cover her entire body, so it was easy to wrap her arms around the beast and hold on as the flames consumed it. It let out one awful, drawn out scream at the heat, but Bloom's fire worked fast and within seconds it was reduced to a pile of ash.
For a long moment the auditorium was quiet, only the fading echo of the beast's dying scream cutting through the silence. Then Avalon began to clap.
"Well," he said. "Wasn't that something?"
Bloom grinned at him, and he smiled in return, nodding approvingly.
"Professor Griselda," he prompted, when she didn't speak, only stared at Bloom. "A beast created for all four of them and Miss Peters was able to defeat it on her own in the end. How extraordinary."
"Yes," Griselda said. "Quite extraordinary." But her voice was all wrong, tight, as if she were forcing the words out. "But perhaps they could have worked more as a team, as the beast was created for all of them."
Somewhere behind her, Bloom heard Stella huff, and Tecna muttered something under her breath but she ignored them. Instead she shrugged and flicked her nails, a demonstration of insolence that would usually earn her a detention on the spot from Griselda.
"It's not my fault I've grown stronger from completing Professor Avalon's course."
"Yes," Griselda gritted out. "Well, next time-"
Bloom felt a spark of irritation pass through her, skin heating up as if her flames were going to reappear any second. But suddenly Avalon was there, touching her shoulder with a cool hand and guiding her away.
"I think that's quite enough for this afternoon," he cut in smoothly.
Griselda looked furious but didn't challenge Avalon. Instead she just snapped at the other students assembled, "You heard Professor Avalon, session's over."
The students scrambled out of their seats and out of the auditorium, eager to escape her bad mood. Only Bloom's friends remained where they were, irritation diminishing as they watched her being led away by Avalon. Bloom glanced back only once to see Lysippe walk up to Musa.
"Come on," she heard her say gruffly. "I'll take you to the infirmary to get that burn looked at."
Then, Avalon's cool hand still on her shoulder, they stepped out of the auditorium and made their way down the stairs.
"We're getting a call from Faragonda," Discorda announced, bringing over a holophone.
Still kneeling beside the sick Flower of Life, Flora sighed unhappily. Not that she didn't want to speak to her headmistress, but it had been hours and she was no closer to healing the Flower.
"How are things at the village?" Faragonda said without any preamble once the call connected. Her tiny holograph paced anxiously across the base of the phone.
Ninfea glanced at Flora, then back at Faragonda. "Not well," she admitted. "The sick pixies are getting worse, I'm running out of ideas, and Flora's hesitant to do anything too drastic."
Faragonda stopped pacing and looked up at her student. "You should be able to take care of this easily, Flora. What's the matter?"
"What if I make it worse? Or what if I'm not strong enough? I haven't even gotten my Charmix yet." She glanced in the direction of the village infirmary where the sick pixies had been taken to rest. She'd visited them a short while ago and her mind flashed to the image of Chatta tossing and turning while she'd slept.
"You're from Linphea," Faragonda said firmly. "Not only should it be instinctive to you, but you've also aced every nature course you've taken while at Alfea."
"Maybe you can send Bloom over," Flora suggested hopefully. "She has healing powers."
Faragonda's expression was unreadable. "You don't need Bloom. You can do this, Flora. You need to do this."
Flora's remaining composure broke as she leaned closer to the holophone. "But if I make a mistake the Flower of Life could die!"
"I'm afraid that might happen either way," Faragonda said, and Flora winced. It was unlike Faragonda to be so tough on her students, but sometimes tough love was called for. "Now I want you to go ahead and save the Flower of Life." And then, without even saying goodbye, Faragonda hung up, ending the call.
Flora dragged in a shuddering breath. She could feel the eyes of everyone on her, waiting for what she would do. She could also feel the weight of the pixies' hopes and expectations resting on her shoulders; not only did the sick pixies need it to be restored to get better, but the entire village needed the Flower of Life to flourish so that their home could continue to prosper.
"I- I think I'll try… I- umm- I think I just need a minute," Flora gasped, stumbling to her feet and hurrying away, plunging into the forest in a random direction. The others called after her worriedly, Helia's voice rising above all the others, but Flora didn't answer it's call.
She hadn't realised she'd started crying but suddenly tears were streaming down her face, making it hard for her to see and even harder to navigate the trees. Luckily she'd left the village aways behind, so she tripped over to a sizable rock and sat down on it, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried in vain to stifle her sobs.
She sat like that for some minutes, crying and generally feeling sorry for herself, until finally her tears began to ease and her sobs turned to sniffles. She was just thinking that she should head back before the others started to worry when someone called her name.
"Flora."
She jumped and looked around, blushing furiously when she beheld Helia emerging from the trees. She hurriedly turned back around and wiped at her eyes, trying to erase the marks of what she'd been doing.
"Helia," she said, and winced at the croak in her voice. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I was just about to come back. I'll work something out and figure out a way to fix the Flower of Life."
But Helia didn't seem concerned about that as he picked his way closer and perched on the rock beside her. He didn't look at her but gazed out at the forest.
"I have something for you," he said, surprising her. And he pulled a small drawstring bag from his pocket and offered it to her.
She couldn't help but smile a bit as she took it, torn between embarrassment that he'd caught her crying and pleasure that he was giving her something. She undid the ties of the bag and pulled out a beautiful silver bangle. It was made of a flat band of shiny silver, inlaid with a chain of tiny flowers.
"Oh, Helia," she sighed, gazing at it. "It's lovely, thank you."
"Put it on," Helia prompted, and watched as she slipped it onto her left wrist.
"When did- how did- why…?" Flora stammered out, touching it reverently.
"My sister owns a jewellery shop," he told her. "She makes it all herself. And after you told me that your old bracelet had broken, I sketched something up, and sent it over to her. She just finished it."
"But why?" Flora asked again.
"Well, for one I thought it would make you smile, and I was right," he added with a grin that made Flora blush again. "But I had a thought; you told me about how fidgeting with your old one was how it broke, so I thought…" He trailed off, and instead leaned over to show her how the chain of flowers spun, smoothly rotating around the band of silver. "Hopefully, this one will last a bit longer."
Flora finally looked up at him. "Helia," she said softly. "This is incredibly thoughtful of you. I just wish…" It was her turn to trail off.
"You wish…," Helia prompted gently.
"I wish I felt like I deserved it," she admitted.
Helia's eyebrows scrunched together. "Why wouldn't you deserve it?"
A helpless chuckle escaped Flora. "Because I can't even heal a flower and I'm a fairy of plants."
"So, what's holding you back?"
"Nothing's holding me back except my own ability, I'm not as smart or as strong as the others. And one day they're going to realise that and leave me behind."
Helia opened his mouth, but now that Flora had started, had finally voiced the worry that had been hiding away in her heart for so long, she found she couldn't stop.
"And if I try to heal the Flower of Life and I fail, that day is going to be today. And I'm not ready for that."
She knew she wasn't as smart as Musa, who topped nearly all their classes, or Tecna who could build anything from nothing. And she didn't have the confidence of Stella, Layla, or even Bloom, who even though was still so new to the Magical Dimension, rarely seemed to doubt her own abilities.
But even as she measured herself against her friends and found herself wanting, her thoughts shifted to the sick pixies, of Chatta shivering in her arms and gazing up at her, waiting for her to fix the Flower of Life. Of the way the other pixies had watched her, waiting to see what she would do. The way everyone had turned, expecting her to be able to fix it.
Maybe they weren't looking to with expectations and pressure, but with belief and love, knowing that she could do it.
As if reading her thoughts, Helia said quietly. "I wish you could see yourself the way we all see you, Flora. We don't see you as lacking or falling behind, we're looking to you because we know you can do this. We're just waiting for you to have faith in yourself."
"I just need to have faith in myself," Flora murmured softly.
"The thing about faith," Helia said. "Is you won't know, not really, until you test it."
Flora sighed, gazing out over the forest. It was peaceful here, and she almost wanted to stay here with Helia at her side forever. But he was right, she would never know, not really, if she could measure up if she didn't try. It's what had been holding her back, the fear that she would fail, but this frozen indecision she'd found herself in had to be even worse.
So she pushed herself up and off the rock and held out a hand for Helia to take. Warmth coursed through her at the feeling of his hand in hers, and part of her wanted to stop and investigate what else the bracelet and him giving it to her might mean, but she set those feelings gently to the side. She had a Flower of Life to heal.
Quiet conversation had broken out all over the village in their absence, so it took a while for the pixies to notice as Flora and Helia arrived back hand in hand.
The sick pixies had awoken once more and were resting in the sun. Flora and Helia made a beeline for them, where Jolly seemed to be doing a tarot reading for Amore, who was lying, sneezing, in Brandon's arms. Layla had also arrived back and was cradling a dozing Piff.
"I'm sorry, Amore," Jolly was saying as they walked up, flipping over another card. "I just don't see love in your future."
"Jolly!" Layla exclaimed as Amore burst into noisy tears, made worse as she kept having to stop to sneeze.
"I don't think this is helping," Ninfea said wearily. "Flora!" she said in relief, spotting the pair. "Are you ready to try again?"
Flora dropped Helia's hand so she could touch her new bracelet, twisting the band of flowers anxiously. But she summoned up the courage to nod.
Ninfea flew into the air to lead her back over to the Flower of Life, but before she could follow, Helia caught her elbow gently.
"Remember," he said, so softly that only she could hear. "We all have faith in you, you just need to have that same faith."
She nodded and walked over to the Flower of Life, kneeling before it. She reached out and cupped her hands around its base. The pixies crowded around to watch and Flora felt a flicker of doubt.
We all have faith in you, you just need to have that same faith.
Flora breathed in and out deeply and closed her eyes.
I just need to have faith in myself.
The village and the pixies and Layla, and Sky and Brandon, and even Helia faded away. She concentrated just on herself and the Flower of Life. She could feel the sickness coursing through it, could finally identify the sick roots and cells that had been damaged by Icy's magic. It had been damaged in so many parts that it hadn't been able to absorb enough nutrients to sustain itself and the village.
She breathed in again deeply but this time when she breathed out, she felt her magic go with it, flowing out of her and into the Flower of Life. Her magic raced through the Flower of Life, healing its damaged roots and cells, and kneeling there, holding it, Flora could feel new life thrumming through it.
Her magic receded and the village was silent, the moment hanging in there, and yet Flora didn't open her eyes.
Believe in yourself.
And she opened her eyes just in time to see the Flower of Life breathe in deeply, leaves swaying in the breeze, and exhale, showering them all in a collection of golden sparkles.
A cheer went up around the village, pixies hugging and dancing around. The elders were applauding enthusiastically, as were Layla, Brandon, Sky, and Helia, the latter of whom was grinning broadly at her.
In all the jubilation Flora almost missed the warmth that swept through her, the Charmix pendant that appeared on a choker at her throat, its silver petals forming a flower with a pink gem in the centre. A gem that when she brushed her fingers over she felt the thrum of new life within.
Too busy celebrating, the only other person who seemed to notice she'd earned her Charmix was Helia who reached her in three broad steps.
"You're amazing," he breathed, as he reached down a hand to bring her to her feet.
The pixies rushed around their feet, carefully, reverently approaching the Flower of Life to pluck a petal so that they could start brewing the tea for the sick pixies.
Flora touched her pendant again just before it disappeared. "I couldn't have done this without you."
"Yes, you could have," Helia said earnestly. "It was your belief in yourself that healed the Flower of Life and earned you your Charmix."
"Still, thank you."
"Anytime, Flora."
Something in his voice made her blush, and she quickly said, "I should help with the tea," and hurried off.
She came to sit beside Layla just as Ninfea put the final touches on the tea, and they helped to pass out the tiny cups, propping the sick pixies up so they could drink. The pixies gulped down the hot liquid, sighing in satisfaction as it took immediate effect. Their fevers and chills eased, their sneezing ceased, and their aches disappeared completely, colour returning to each and every one of their little faces.
Digit did a quick scan of herself with her watch. "One hundred percent better," she declared happily.
"I feel so much better," Chatta said, springing into the air so she could hover in front of her bonded fairy. "And you did such a good job, Flora, I'm going to write you a new cheer! Maybe something like 'Go Flora, you always score-a, with your beautiful aura!'" She turned a somersault in the air and the others laughed.
"Keep working on it," Digit grumbled, but Flora just laughed.
"I love it."
There was still a little tea left so some of the other pixies came over for a little pick-me-up. On pixies who weren't sick the tea just acted as a burst of energy, brightening their glow, none more so than Glim, the two bulbs on her head glowing an almost blinding gold as she zoomed around.
Athena smiled at the guys. "Thank you for watching over us while the Flower of Life was healed. Without it at full strength, our defences were quite weak but we should be alright now. Would you like a cup of tea as a thank you?"
"That's very kind of you, but we're alright," Sky said politely.
"I'm a little scared of what that tea will do with us," Brandon joked, making the pixies laugh.
"Oh, look." Lockette's soft, awed voice broke through the laughter and they all followed her gaze to the Flower of Life, which seemed to be taking in a deep breath again. This time instead of showering them with sparkles, it exhaled and a pixie came sailing out, drifting down gently to land on the grass. She rubbed her eyes and looked around in confusion.
Another excited chatter went up around the village and a group of pixies rushed forward to welcome the new addition.
"The Flower of Life really must be feeling better!" Livvy exclaimed, zooming through the air in excitement.
"Riven will be so sad he missed it," Brandon joked and Sky shoved him playfully.
"We should get back to school," he said, thinking that Codatorta would be wanting an update on what was supposed to be an assignment. He glanced at Layla and Flora. "Did you girls want a lift back to Alfea?"
"Nah, we're good," Layla said. "We're going to stay here a little longer. But we'll walk you back to your ship."
She walked off with Sky and Brandon in the lead while Flora and Helia followed a few paces behind.
Maybe it was left over from the thrill of healing the Flower of Life, or she was feeling brave after earning her Charmix, but Flora found herself saying, "Helia, I was thinking, once all this works out, however it's going to work out..." He glanced sideways at her, and she didn't have to say but she knew they were both thinking about the codex and Darkar and the witches. "Well, we never did get to finish that hike we had planned."
"A… hike," Helia repeated slowly, his expression carefully pleasant, but she could see the disappointment underneath it. "Sure, Flora, that would be nice."
The Red Fountain ship appeared up ahead, Brandon, Sky, and Layla having almost reached it and Flora knew she was going to lose her chance if she didn't act now.
"I was thinking we could find somewhere nice for a picnic, make it a date."
True happiness overtook Helia's face as she said that and he found her hand, squeezing gently. "I'd love to, Flora." They both heard the sound of the ramp lowering, knew the others were probably looking back to see what was keeping them, but neither of them really cared, unable to look away from each other. "I'll see you soon then."
She squeezed his hand in return. "Soon," she promised.
Finally, reluctantly, they dropped each other's hands, so Helia could join the other guys on the ship. The other two were already disappearing up the ramp but Helia paused at its base, turning back to wave goodbye to her once more.
Flora couldn't wipe the smile off her face, not even as Layla fell back to stand with her.
"Please tell me what I think just happened, actually happened," she said, as they both waved the ship off, watching it fly off in the direction of Red Fountain.
"The 'date' word might have been used," Flora said, touching her warm cheeks.
"He asked you out?!"
"I asked him," Flora corrected proudly.
Layla laughed and threw an arm around Flora's shoulders, drawing her close. "Finally! I'm so happy for you guys!"
"Thanks," Flora said, but then a thought occurred to her and her happiness faded a little. "But what am I going to wear?"
Layla laughed again and started to steer her back towards the village. "That's more Stella's department than mine, but I'm sure we'll figure something out."
If the illusion spell Shadowhaunt's prisoner had woven to buy himself more time to escape had drained his magic down to its dregs, then the teleportation magic to transport him to Magix finally used up the very last of it. Exhaustion weighed on him as he landed in the forest bordering the Alfea campus and for a moment it was all he could do to cling to a tree and wait for his blurry vision to clear.
Chest heaving with exertion, the prisoner forced himself onwards, putting one foot in front of the other, as he aimed for the school and the voices of students on the quad that were filtering through the trees towards him.
"Are we going to talk about it?" he heard someone ask.
"About how I'm considering going brunette?"
The first voice scoffed. "You're not going to dye your hair, Stella."
"Musa was talking about Bloom," a third voice chimed in, sounding very serious.
The first speaker, Musa, sighed. "I thought she seemed a little better while we were on Requies."
"At first anyway," Stella agreed.
They were quiet for a moment, and the prisoner leaned against another tree, trying to get his breath back. His body was begging him to lie down, to rest a while, but he had to keep going a little further. He just had to find Faragonda and then he would be able to rest easy.
The voices started up again and the prisoner aimed for them, hoping they would be able to help him.
"Don't you think it's kind of odd she hasn't gotten her Charmix yet?" the third voice asked.
"Awww, come on Tecna, that's a little unfair, we all develop at different speeds."
"I guess. I just feel like she's holding something back."
The trees finally thinned and the prisoner stumbled out into the sunlight, cutting off whatever else the three students might have said.
Despite his determination to find Faragonda, the second the prisoner beheld the trio, he fell to the ground almost immediately. Hands touched his shoulders, gently turned him onto his side, and he heard a surprised gasp as they saw his face.
"Professor Avalon?" Musa gasped.
Avalon blinked, trying to disrupt the spots that were clouding his vision, but he thought he saw the one called Musa look to her friends.
"I thought he was with Bloom."
"What happened, Professor?" Stella asked.
"Where's Bloom?" Tecna asked harshly. "What did you do to her?"
Avalon dragged in a laboured breath, struggling to focus as their questions washed over him.
"Faragonda…" he managed to say. "I need to see Faragonda…"
The girls only seemed to be half-listening.
"Something's clearly wrong," Musa was saying in an undertone. "We should go get a healer."
"We should force him to tell us where Bloom is," Tecna argued.
Stella stood. "I'm going to go get Ofelia. You guys see if you can get anything else out of him." And not waiting around to be argued with, she hurried off in the direction of the school.
"…Faragonda…" Avalon tried again.
Musa glanced down at him before looking back to Tecna. "Should I go get Faragonda? He really seems insistent on seeing her."
Tecna didn't appear convinced but a sudden surge of strength allowed Avalon to seize a hold of Musa's wrist, giving her no choice but to pay attention to him.
"I need to see Headmistress Faragonda right now," he said, as forcefully as he could muster.
Musa looked at him for a long moment. "Alright, Prof," she said finally. "Let's get him up," she said to Tecna.
They positioned themselves on either side of Avalon and each took an arm, levering him to his feet. As they slowly helped him towards the school, it was all Avalon could do to keep his breathing in control and his body upright. But something was nagging at him.
"You recognised me," he said to Musa, who seemed more sympathetic than her friend. "But I'm sure I've never met you before."
Musa gave a chuckle of disbelief. "Never met me before? I know I dropped your course, Professor, but I was there for almost the whole semester."
Avalon's head swam as he tried to understand her words.
"I'm Musa," she continued slowly. "And this is Tecna."
"You- you took my course?" Avalon asked. "But I don't teach here."
They had made it to the steps leading up to the front doors, but slowed to a stop as Avalon's words washed over them.
Tecna's voice was a whisper, as she asked, "What?"
"I was supposed to teach here, but Lord Darkar captured me. I've been held prisoner in Shadowhaunt ever since."
Musa and Tecna met each other's eyes, identical looks of horror reflecting back at them.
"We need to get Faragonda right now," Musa said, trying to keep her voice from trembling. "And then we need to find Bloom."
Tecna was already pulling away. "Have you-"
"I've got him. Go!"
Tecna didn't need telling twice, and burst through the front doors, sprinting up the staircase to Faragonda's office. Musa sighed, and repositioned Avalon's arm so it was slung over her shoulder, leaning his weight on her.
"Come on, Prof, we'll work this out."
It was slow going, painfully slow, but Musa got him up the staircase in time for Tecna and Faragonda to come striding in the direction of her office. Her face was clouded with emotion and when she reached them she held up a hand with a flash of light, transporting all of them to her office as if she couldn't waste precious seconds walking back.
Avalon collapsed into a chair almost immediately, chest rising and falling from the exertion of the trip, while Faragonda took her place behind her desk, somehow managing to look imposing despite her short stature.
"Stella found Healer Ofelia," she said to Musa and Tecna. "They're on their way here now." Her attention shifted to Avalon, gaze wary. "Now, please, tell me who you are and why I should believe your story."
"Headmistress," Tecna said urgently. "Bloom could be with the imposter right-"
Faragonda held up a hand and she fell silent. "For all we know, this is an imposter. Now, tell me your story."
So Avalon did. Recounting how he had been preparing to begin his teaching role at Alfea when Darkar had orchestrated his abduction, keeping him locked up in Shadowhaunt while an imposter had taken his place. He told them of how he'd heard whispers of Darkar's plan and had bided his time until he knew he had no choice but to escape and find Faragonda.
Midway through his story, Ofelia and Stella arrived, the former immediately starting to tend to him.
"Well," Ofelia said, breaking the silence after Avalon had concluded his story. "His physical state certainly suggests he's been held somewhere." She looked to Faragonda. "I really should get him to the infirmary, Headmistress."
But Faragonda's expression was still wary. "You still have not told me anything that proves you're telling the truth."
Avalon leaned forward with obvious effort, his expression pleading. "We have known each other for a long time, Lucille," he said. "You reached out to me as a friend because you were concerned about a student of yours, Bloom Peters. You have always wanted me to teach a course here, but more than that you thought I could help her understand her genealogy and thus her powers better. You visited me during the summer, I made you tea, I had reservations about coming back to teaching given what happened on Koudeh, but you convinced me. Please, you know me, you know I am telling the truth."
Faragonda stared at him, her face quite expressionless, before she abruptly turned to Musa, Tecna, and Stella. "Where is Bloom?" she asked, and for the first time ever, her students heard fear in Faragonda's voice. "Girls, where is Bloom right now?"
Horror was churning through the trio as they remembered the last time they'd seen Bloom. In the end it was only Stella who had the strength to voice it.
"Last time we saw Bloom she was with Professor Avalon."
Bloom sat in Avalon's office, fuming about what had happened during the training session. Her body felt tight and uncomfortable but she put it down to her irritation.
"They want me to take your course and strengthen my powers, but then they complain when I do it," she whined.
She knew it probably wasn't the best idea to criticise Avalon's colleagues right in front of him, but to her surprise he nodded sympathetically.
"I know. It would probably surprise you how many people secretly fear great power. It's okay to be upset, Bloom, lean into it." He turned away and busied himself preparing them both a glass of water.
Despite her irritation, Avalon's words pulled Bloom up short. As fairies they did a lot of work acknowledging their negative emotions but understanding they weren't helpful in generating magical energy; it would never not feel strange to her when Avalon told her to lean into them. But she was struggling to put her thoughts into words, the tightness in her body increasing, and the discomfort localising in her head where a headache was forming.
Finally she made herself speak. "I still don't quite understand the logic of that, it goes against everything I've ever learnt about being a fairy."
Still turned away, Avalon said casually, "You know that paladins believe in balance, Bloom."
"Yeah, but sometimes it feels like you're more focused on my negative emotions than my positive ones."
The words landed awkwardly, and Avalon grew very still as silence fell between them.
Bloom forced out an awkward chuckle. "I mean, I'm sure you're not…" But she trailed off as Avalon slowly turned to face her, the expression on his face making it suddenly unrecognisable to her.
"You're smart, Bloom," he said softly, gazing off to the side as if he were almost lost in thought. "Very smart. But just not quite smart enough."
Bloom's stomach swooped and she suddenly wanted to escape this room, and the paladin within it. For the first time all year, she didn't feel safe in Avalon's presence. But it was like her body refused to cooperate. She screamed at it to get up and run but she remained seated in the chair, body so tight it was like she was locked in place.
Avalon finally met her eye and it was like he was looking at her and not at her at the same time. Her head throbbed.
"Don't be scared," he said, before tilting his head, considering his words. "Well, maybe you should. The change is almost complete."
Bloom's throat closed up and she wanted to scream. And she wanted to run. And she wanted to fight. And she wanted to demand to know what was happening to her. She wanted to do anything but sit there and do nothing, but her body refused to listen to her.
The tightness increased to the point of pain, and her head gave one final stab of agony, and she released a scream that was heard by no one except herself.
Her mouth chuckled in response.
No.
Without permission, her lips turned up in a smile.
No, no, no, no, no.
Avalon peered at her closely, and then seemingly found something in her face that had him nodding in satisfaction and leaning back against his desk.
What did you do?! What did you do to me?!
But no one answered Bloom's furious questions, and again moving without her permission, her body rose from its seat, moving across the room until she stood before a mirror on the wall.
And Bloom wanted to wail at what she saw there.
The yellow eyes that she'd come to expect in the mirror peered back at her, but her reflection no longer moved independently of her body. Now, it mimicked her movements obediently as her hand moved of its own accord to twine a lock of her hair around its finger.
What. Did. You. Do?
But deep down she knew the answer even before it was given to her. Her reflection no longer rebelled against her because the phantom, the phantom she had ignored, and feared, and put down to her own fears of insanity, anything but acknowledging that it might be real, was no longer trapped in the mirror.
"Oh," her mouth said, and she knew it was the phantom speaking. "Don't despair, little Bloom. This is going to be fun, I promise."
Bloom screamed and wailed and beat at whatever was holding her, the walls of her mind, longing to break free and take back control of herself.
"She's quite upset," the phantom crooned, pouting at herself in the mirror.
"That's understandable," Avalon said, except he sounded different. The phantom looked around and giggled at what she found.
For Avalon no longer stood there. The long dark hair was gone, along with the lean body and pretty face. Instead, the paladin who stood in his place was stockier, with shoulder length blonde hair and rougher features. But most distinctive about him were the red scars that were raked across his face.
"Finally decided to show your true face, have you?"
"I could say the same about you."
He was not Avalon and yet the way he spoke, Bloom knew this was who she had been spending so much time with this year. She roared soundlessly and the phantom giggled again.
The paladin's head snapped around, as if he were distracted by something happening outside of the office. New urgency entered him as he straightened and took a step towards Bloom and the phantom.
"We should go. They've finally worked out that I'm not Avalon, they're on their way."
"We?" the phantom repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Why should I go anywhere with you?"
"They're almost here," the paladin urged, his wings, so like Avalon's appearing on his back.
The phantom shrugged arrogantly. "I can fight my way out of here."
The paladin's face rippled with irritation, but he controlled himself enough to say. "Lord Darkar is eager to meet you, he has a proposition for you."
No! Bloom begged the phantom. Don't do it! Don't go with him!
But if the phantom could hear her, she ignored her, cocking her head, intrigued by the prospect.
The door to the office burst open and Bloom's heart leapt at the sight of Tecna, Musa, Stella, and Faragonda, even if they looked horrified by the scene they'd stumbled upon.
Help! She tried to scream, slamming her hands against the walls of her mind, trying once more to break free even if it was to just make her voice cooperate for a moment.
"Bloom!" Stella cried, looking at the phantom.
"What did you do to her?" Musa demanded furiously.
"You!" Tecna thundered, glaring at the paladin.
Only Faragonda was quick enough to start to summon her magic, but she wasn't quite fast enough to stop the phantom as she laughed once more and took the paladin's hand, the pair disappearing and taking Bloom with them.
"Man, this place is quiet," Layla said to Flora as the pair walked down the hall to their dorm room, the pixies flying alongside them.
They'd stayed at the village for a couple of hours after curing the pixies, giving them all a chance to catch up a bit after months apart, before finally coming home. They'd missed dinner so they'd headed straight to their dorm, but were surprised by how few people they saw on their way. Usually at this time of the evening the halls were packed with students moving from one dorm room to another, getting in some socialising before light's out.
Flora threw open the door to the dorm when she reached it. "We come bearing pixies," she announced happily to the room, still riding the high of healing the Flower of Life and earning her Charmix. But she stopped short at the sombre tone awaiting them.
Layla stepped in beside her, swiftly taking in the scene. Musa, Stella, and Tecna were sitting on the lounges in the common area, while Faragonda, Griselda, and what seemed like the entire Alfea staff crowded around them. Musa and Stella looked as though they'd been crying, while even Tecna looked a bit red around the eyes.
"What happened?" she asked.
But Lockette spoke before anyone could answer, her voice warbling with worry, "Where's Bloom?"
Musa sniffed and quickly brushed away fresh tears.
Faragonda gestured them closer, looking more serious than either of them had ever seen her. "Come in and sit down, girls. Something terrible has happened."
Oh, oh heyyyyy, guess who's updating again?!
Guys, idk which actually productive imposter has overtaken my body but I guess you're welcome? Lmao nah I feel like this chapter was actually kind of easy to write bc I cut out a bit of what I felt was unnecessary fluffing around. We all knew which scene we wanted to see (hint hint it was second last) so I figured let's get there sooner rather than later.
Honestly I probably also have just been using this fic as a distraction as I've had some sad news in my personal life the last few weeks. My beautiful little doggo passed unfortunately and I'm pretty shattered about it. But if there's an upside to it, I'm glad it's pushing me to write more.
Once again, absolutely gorgeous amazing fabulous art by Drops (and as always check him out on tumblr at Drops-of-moonlights), I love it so much and I hope you guys do as well. You can check that out on my tumblr.
Christmas in retail is a pain so I won't promise when the next chapter will be out but I would love at least one more before the end of the year so finger's crossed. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter, let me know what you thought, and check me out at gins-potter if you want to chat further :D