Volume Two: The Beckoning of Shadows

by gins-potter

The battle is over, they've won, and Bloom Peters knows she should feel on top of the world right now. But she just doesn't. Haunted by the memories of last year, Bloom returns to Alfea with a darkness growing within her that scares and taunts her. Part two of my Winx Club retelling for teenage audiences.

15. Storming In My Heart

Hello friends,

I know I usually save my author's note for the end but this one has to come first.

Members of the fandom much more eloquent and informed on the topic have written plenty of meta about why "Ho-Boe" and "Matlin" are truly terrible names for Musa's parents and as such I always knew I would be changing their names for this chapter.

I won't lie, I was very intimidated by the idea at first, and as a white woman, very scared to unintentionally cause offense or pick something ignorant. So I want to particularly thank Floralovebot on tumblr who provided a lot of advice and suggestions on the topic.

During my research, I learnt a lot about Chinese naming conventions (China and Chinese culture being the main inspiration for the Harmonic Nebula) and it's lead me to reflect on the name I'd previously picked for Musa's surname: Zhengsheng. While it is a Mandarin character for a musical instrument, I didn't pay as much heed to Chinese naming conventions as I could have, for which I apologise. So as I was already changing names in this chapter, going forward I've decided to change Musa's family name as well as her parent's names.

Musa's full name will now be Shao Musa (another convention I failed to recognise was the custom of the family name being said first). Shao comes from the "old hundred surnames" which is a list of surnames that the majority (I believe over 80%) of Han Chinese people use even today. It's a Chinese character that means "to welcome guests with music".

Matlin's name in my fic will be Yǎ-Qín (Yǎ meaning elegant and Qín meaning musical instrument) and Ho-Boe's name will be Léi (simple pronunciation is "thunder" but also can mean "a loud and thunderous sound").

The first half of this fic as well as Vol.1 will still contain references to their old names, but those will be corrected upon further edits.

I'll end of by saying, I hope I have chosen well, I put a lot of time into reading and gaining a better understanding of the Chinese languages, history, culture, and customs that I want to reflect in the Harmonic Nebula. As I said, I was intimidated by the idea of having to pick new names for Musa's parents and the idea that it could be harmful if I picked badly and I think that goes deeper than just this one instance. Going forward I'm hoping to be more explicit with my inspirations for each of the realms and planets, and want to draw specific pieces from the cultures that I connect with each location rather than having a wider and more homogenised culture for the entire Magical Dimension. I'm still a white woman and I always have more I can learn, and sometimes I may get it wrong, but I'm going to do my best to get it right as much of the time as possible.

Thank you and enjoy the chapter!

---

Despite never having had to share a room before coming to Alfea, Bloom had never struggled to get to sleep since moving into the dorm. In fact she'd always found something a little comforting about the sounds of Flora's peaceful breathing, in the knowledge that her best friends were right outside her door, in the quiet shuffles as everyone got settled in for the night. But in the last few months, and particularly after returning to school from the most recent break, something had changed and her usual peaceful, restful sleep had abandoned her. In it's place she found herself tossing and turning most nights, sleep plagued by horrible nightmares, if she managed to get to sleep at all.

One such night, just a couple days into the new term, Bloom found herself in such a predicament, lying in bed as she stared up at the dark ceiling, the sound of Flora's deep breathing far from it's usual calming effect. In fact, as Bloom laid there and listened to it, she was surprised to find a prickle of irritation flashed through her, a spiteful part of her angry that Flora was able to sleep while she struggled. She had managed to doze for a while earlier in the night but the sleep had been plagued by a disembodied giggling that had seemed so real that she'd awoken convinced that someone was in the room with her besides Flora, Kiko, and the pixies. But when she'd scrambled for the light, ignoring the snuffle of protest from Lockette as the pixie turned over in her bed, Bloom had found herself completely alone.

Still, she hadn't been able to shake off the disturbed feeling of being watched and found herself lying stiffly in bed as the minutes inched towards dawn. Every time her eyes started to drift shut, her mind conjured up that giggling voice again, and her body snapped to attention once more. She had hoped that going home and the break away from everything happening with Darkar and the Trix would be good for her, and in some ways it had; she'd certainly enjoyed getting to spend time with her family. But in other ways, it felt like there was almost a darkness creeping it's way towards her, a sense of dread that something bad was coming which she was powerless to stop.

Bloom was just resigning herself to a sleepless night and a hellish day in class tomorrow when she heard the soft snick of another door in the dorm opening and then clicking shut. Her head rolled to the side as though she might be able to see through the wall, wondering who else out of her friends might be having a sleepless night.

---

They might have been through the worst of winter with spring well on it's way, but as Musa snuck out of the dorm she found that the night still held a distinct chill. She shivered and shoved her hands in the pockets of her hoodie as she wandered along the hallway outside the dorm, no destination in mind as she walked. Sleep had evaded her that night as her mind ran over the concert she was performing in the coming weekend, turning over potential songs and compositions, trying to settle on the best one. Eventually, she hadn't been able to handle lying still for any longer and thought maybe a walk would help settle her mind and finally allow her to get some sleep.

A glint of white outside caught her attention as she passed a window and she slowed to a stop as she glanced through it. A light dusting of snow had fallen in the hours since the school had gone to bed, and the sight of it made Musa wrinkle her nose. It had already stopped falling, the clouds that had brought it nowhere to be seen, and the layer on the ground was thin, surely the last snowfall of the season. It would likely to melt in the morning sun before anyone would have a chance to go near it, but if it didn't… Musa shuddered at the thought of the wet, slush she'd have to trudge through if she ventured outside. She sighed, wondering if she should just go back to bed, when she caught sight of something else outside.

Squinting a little, Musa wasn't sure what or who she was looking at at first, half thinking it could be something she'd conjured up in her exhausted state, but as the figure flew closer Musa recognised just who it was.

"You have got to be kidding me," she hissed, setting off again. Heading now, not for the stairs that would take her down to the quad, but rather to the long, winding staircase that would take her up to Faylinn's classroom. Right where Stormy had been heading.

Scowling and mumbling curses under her breath, Musa shivered as she stomped up the stairs, grateful that Faylinn had left the classroom door unlocked. She didn't know how Stormy had gotten through the magical barrier that encased the school after curfew, but she had a pretty good idea why Stormy was there, and there was no way Musa was going to let her run around the school and wreak whatever destruction she was planning.

Sure enough, when Musa moved through Faylinn's dark classroom and made it out onto the balcony, she found Stormy kneeling in front of a small orb of light, chanting with her eyes closed and her palms outstretched. The language the witch spoke in was old and mostly unfamiliar to Musa so she could only pick up every other word, but she did recognise the word for codex, confirming her suspicions.

Unsuspecting as the witch was, Musa was almost tempted to hit Stormy with a sonic blast while the witch's back was turned, and certainly had Stella been there, her friend would have encouraged her to do so, but that felt a little like poor form to Musa so she sighed and barked out a, "Hey, witch!" to get her attention.

Stormy turned, already snarling with contempt and Musa grinned.

"It's two a.m., shouldn't you be hanging upside down in a cave somewhere?"

Stormy's snarl morphed into a saccharine sweet smile as she crooned, "Didn't you check the weather before you came outside, Musa? There's a big storm coming."

The moon and stars disappeared in an instant as dark clouds billowed into existence out of nowhere, covering the sky, and when Stormy threw her head back a perfectly timed lightning strike illuminated every feature of her exhilarated expression.

"We'll see about that," Musa growled and in her own flash of light had transformed into her fairy form, barely feeling the cold temperature with the magic now zinging through every nerve of her body. "Bring it, Stormy," she yelled over the howling wind and she flew into the air, wings fluttering furiously.

Stormy touched the bracelet encircling her right wrist, delighting in the power she could feel awakening in the ancient rubies. She'd heard her coven-sisters disdainfully refer to the pieces of jewelery as collars that leashed them to Darkar but Stormy couldn't bring herself to care, not when she wore it and felt like she could summon a twister big enough to wipe Alfea completely off the map. But to start, she was happy to let Musa taste the smallest part of it.

Quicker than the fairy could blink, Stormy lashed out with a bolt of lightning to blast Musa out of the sky and sending her crashing into the pink sandstone of Alfea's walls. She made sure to regulate the strength of the electrical strike, she wanted to make this battle with Musa last; it wouldn't do if she put her down too early and missed out on her fun.

With that in mind, she gave the fairy a minute to get her breath back and climb out of the divot her body had made in the stone. She thrusted her hands into the air, cackling with laughter as lightning rained down from the sky and collected in her palms. She could hear Musa groaning a little as she struggled back to her feet but was so distracted by the electric feeling of the power running through her that she didn't see the retaliatory attack coming until it was too late.

Musa slammed her hand against the ground, vibrations running through the stone until they reached Stormy. A high pitched tone tore through the air, so loud and so shrill that even Musa herself winced. She didn't let up however and the vibrations threw Stormy right off the balcony, where the witch managed to control her magic just enough to see her safely to the ground. Still the shrill tone pounded through her eardrums and she quickly sunk to her knees, clenching her teeth and clawing at her ears, trembling as she waited for it to stop.

Musa grinned victoriously and while Stormy was down for the count, flew out into the air above the quad, eyeing the sky where the witch's storm was still brewing. Before dropping out of Avalon's class she'd been researching different ways to use her magic and had come across a group of Harmonian magic users who could use their powers to control the weather. Musa just had to work out how they'd done it. Dragging in a deep breath and letting it out again slowly, centering herself the way she always did before a performance, Musa directed her hands towards the storm above her and let the sonic waves spill out from her.

Panting and still on the ground, Stormy struggled to rise on shaking arms but managed to laugh as she glared at Musa through the curls spilling across her face. "Are you actually trying to break up my storm?"

Musa ignored her, half distracted as she watched in awe as the clouds slowly, slowly started to dispel and the stars became visible once again. It was taking an extraordinary amount of magic, and Musa couldn't imagine actually being able to direct the storm into reforming elsewhere like she'd seen others able to do, but it was working. The storm was breaking up.

Stormy snarled, eyes darting between her rapidly disappearing storm and Musa hanging in mid air, attention focused upwards. "Stop," she shrieked, still trying to get to her feet. "Stop it!"

Soon all that was left of the storm were the thinnest wisps of cloud, the stars and moon lightening the dark sky once more and Musa fluttered back to the ground. "I think your little storm has just about blown over," she said calmly, a satisfied smirk working it's way onto her face.

"Why you little-" Stormy seethed, lightning starting to wreathe around her wrists. She might have lost the power of the storm but she still had her own considerable amount of magic along with the bracelet. Then, moving so quickly Musa barely had time to brace herself, Stormy summoned one of the strongest lightning bolts she'd ever held before and launched it and it's tens of thousands of volts of electricity at the fairy.

Pain quite unlike anything Musa had ever felt before lit up her entire body and she felt her breath choke in her throat as her entire body locked up. She shuddered, her face frozen in surprise as waves of pain radiated through her body. She wanted to scream the pain was so bad but she couldn't even make her voice work, she couldn't do anything but stand there as the sensation ripped through her and watch as Stormy's face lit up with vengeful glee.

Stormy was so delighted in getting to see the fairy in pain that she was completely oblivious to the wide front doors creaking open as a familiar red-headed fairy stepped out into the cold.

Musa felt her eyes widen, the most she could manage in the state she was in, as she saw her friend stop in surprise as she quickly took in what was happening. Almost at once fire appeared in Bloom's hands and when she stalked down the front steps and onto the frozen grass Musa could have sworn the snow melted in her wake as if her entire body was made of white hot flames. And her eyes, her eyes, they were lit with a light that was wholly unfamiliar to Musa as the other fairy brought her flaming hands up and hurled a barrage of fire at the witch.

Almost at once, Musa could tell there was something different about Bloom's attack. Where usually her friend would keep her fire carefully contained, toeing a line between attacking and actually mortally wounding her enemies, for once it seemed she'd stepped completely over the line. Unprepared for the attack as Stormy was, the flames impacted with the center of her back, sending the witch sprawling as her scream of both surprise and pain pierced the air. As Stormy was distracted and the pain receded, Musa launched into the air and saw the scorch marks and burns already forming on her back.

Gasping for breath, Stormy rolled over and stumbled back to her feet, baring her teeth at Bloom. Lightning arced across the quad leaving Bloom no time and no choice to do anything besides throwing herself to the side out of it's way and taking cover behind one of the pillars.

"Not so fast, Stormy," Musa yelled, hitting the witch with another vibration attack that made her hiss and shift focus back to Musa. She hurled lightning bolt after lightning bolt through the air but Musa fought through the still lingering pain and zigzagged to avoid them all, helped that Stormy's anger and own pain now was making her aim sloppy. Musa summoned one final piercing note attack that ended with a scream of frustration from Stormy as the entrance doors to the school banged open completely.

"What's going on down here?"

Unnoticed by either of them, the sounds of their battling had finally drawn the attention of the slumbering occupants of Alfea, and lights had clicked on all over the school.

Palladium's voice rang out across the quad, stopping both Musa and Stormy in their tracks, the final note of Musa's last attack holding for a moment before finally fading. Their teacher wasn't alone, accompanied by Lysippe, Faylinn, and a dozen senior students mostly in their pajamas; only Lysippe among them looked completely ready for a fight, apparently having found time to collect her spear. Musa twisted at the commotion, and that split second of distraction was enough for Stormy.

She shot a brief scowl at Musa, promised, "This isn't over," before she disappeared from the campus in a flash of scarlet light. Musa sighed at the spot she'd just stood but struggled not to feel victorious at having run the witch off.

Understanding the situation at once, Lysippe's face hardened and she barked at the students with her, "Spread out, make sure the witch is nowhere on campus!" The students wasted no time in complying, hurrying out with both Lysippe and Faylinn to make sure Stormy really was gone.

Bloom ducked out from behind the pillar and came hurrying towards her, expression one of anger. The fire at her hands had gone out and this time the snow around her definitely didn't melt, but still Musa thought she saw her friend's eyes lit up with that unfamiliar light.

"Are you okay?" Bloom demanded when she reached her.

Her friend's intensity shocked Musa, but she nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I mean, she got me good, that was quite the electric shock, but I'm okay."

"That fucking witch," Bloom seethed and again Musa blinked in surprise as her friend glared across the dark campus seeming to consider striding out to look for Stormy herself.

"Are you okay?" Musa asked her, trying to catch her eye.

Bloom blinked, not answering right away, and almost between blinks that light in her eyes went out, returning to their normal shade of blue. "Yeah, of course." She frowned at the question.

Musa chuckled a bit, "I think you're more upset about this than I am."

Some of the intensity drained from Bloom as she conceded a half-smile even as she continued to protest, "She shouldn't be able to get away with this."

"She won't," Musa assured her, slinging an arm around her friend's shoulders and directing them both towards the bright, warmth of the school. "But that's a problem for tomorrow. For now can we get out of this snow and go see if Stella managed to actually sleep through that whole thing?"

---

Bloom's behaviour was still on Musa's mind the next morning as she hurried through breakfast. She'd never seen her friend so angry over something the witches had done; even when she'd thought they'd taken her Dragon Fire she'd been more upset than angry thinking she'd lost the power that her family had died to protect. But not last night, no, last night had been pure anger. The memory of Bloom hitting Stormy square in the back while she hadn't been looking and the sight of the burns on the witch's back afterwards flashed in Musa's mind.

"How are you feeling this morning, B," she asked her friend quietly, hoping not to draw the attention of the rest of their friends. No such luck and they all looked over while Bloom glanced up from her own breakfast with a frown.

"Fine," she said guardedly, eye flicking over each of her friends, all hanging on her every word. "Why?"

Musa hesitated. They'd come back to the dorm the night before to find most of the others unsurprisingly awake - even though Stella really had slept through it all - and had filled them in. But Musa had held back on some of the details of the battle, namely Bloom's involvement, and Bloom hadn't offered it up either having been unusually quiet throughout the conversation.

"You know…" Musa started slowly, trying to buy time for the rest of their friends to pick up that she wanted them to find something else to distract themselves with. But they were oblivious and glanced between them both. "You seemed a bit upset last night," she finally said diplomatically.

Bloom's expression hardened. "I'm fine," she said again, only this time there was a harshness undercutting her words, warning Musa to back off, which she was all too happy to do.

Unfortunately, Flora didn't seem to hear the same warning bells in Bloom's voice and reached over to touch the red-heads hand. "I didn't know you were upset last night."

"I wasn't," Bloom snapped, face and voice suddenly heated as she snatched her hand away. "A witch was attacking my friend and I did what I had to do." She shoved her plate away and stood up. "But next time you can save yourself for all I care."

"Bloom-" Stella started to say but Bloom ignored her as she snatched up her bag.

"I have to get to class, I'll meet you guys later," she muttered to Layla and Musa before storming off.

The others watched her go in silence while Musa sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly. The entire thing had gone down in the exact opposite way she'd hoped it would, but sadly Bloom's reaction hadn't exactly surprised her. And when she looked at the faces of her friends, she could see they weren't surprised either.

They sat in silence for another moment as Bloom disappeared through the doors at the other end of the dining hall, before Stella finally broke the quiet.

"So, are we going to talk about what's been up with her lately?"

Stella's usually tanned face was pale and tired-looking with worry for their friend.

"She hasn't been right since coming back from Gardenia," Layla said, but Tecna shook her head.

"Longer than that. She's been off since…"

She trailed off but they were all thinking of the same day when they'd found Bloom in some kind of a trance in Avalon's office and they'd tried to expose him as the Angel of Doom. And failed spectacularly.

"You don't think he did something to her do you?" Flora asked anxiously, looking around at them all.

"Hard to know," Musa said, thinking it over. "They certainly spend enough time together. But we can't go around slinging accusations again either."

"No," Tecna agreed glumly. "After what happened last time, no one will believe us unless we have solid proof."

"And just where are we supposed to get that?" Stella snapped before grimacing. "Sorry, I just- I don't like this." Flora put her arm around Stella and hugged her close.

"We don't know that it was him, right? I mean, Bloom's been stressed about what she's going to do about Sparx, she's overworking herself with Avalon's class, maybe she's just tired and a bit short-tempered."

"Yeah, maybe," Musa sighed, but she didn't really believe it, and she could tell neither did the other girls, not even Flora herself. "We'd better get going," she said to Layla.

She and Layla had gotten permission to have the morning off from classes to rehearse for their part of the concert at Red Fountain the following night. Bloom was also part of their set but had refused to miss Avalon's class that morning and was planning to meet them later. Now, Musa wondered if she would show up at all.

They left the dining hall, waving goodbye to their friends, and headed up in relative silence to the auditorium Faragonda had given them permission to use.

Layla only broke it as they were climbing the winding staircase. "You're still thinking about Bloom." Musa hummed an affirmative but didn't offer any other response, so Layla continued, "Flora could be right, you know. Maybe she's just tired and a bit irritable." The argument was reasonable enough and yet…

"I thought you didn't like Avalon either?"

"I don't, and I don't trust him, but it's a big leap between being suspicious and thinking he's actually done something to Bloom."

Musa hummed again, thinking of that day they'd attacked him. They'd been so sure, had even thought they'd had evidence, and yet they'd been wrong.

"I know I wasn't here last year but from everything I've heard, it sounds like she went through a lot," Layla reminded her. "Going from thinking you're a regular Earthling to finding out you're a fairy is one thing, but then finding out you're the lost Princess of a destroyed planet on top of that?"

"You're right. I thought for a while she was okay, I know she was talking with a healer through the summer but maybe she needs more time."

Layla could see how the subject was weighing on Musa and knew they would just keep going round and round in circles if they kept discussing it. "Look, for now Bloom's okay, she's in class right now. We can figure out what's wrong with her with the other's later." She peeked at her friend as they reached the top of the staircase and entered the auditorium. "Are you excited about the concert?"

Musa sighed again but allowed Layla to change the subject because she was right; it would do her head in to keep debating this. "Excited and terrified," she admitted a tad gruffly.

Layla laughed. "Terrified? Why? It's going to be great."

"You're going to be great," Musa corrected her. "I'll be happy just to get through it."

"You love to sing though."

"Yeah, and once I get up there I'll be fine. It's just the lead up, I can't help but picture every thing that could go wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong," Layla said soothingly, going over to hook her phone up to the sound system. "Do you want me to go first?"

"Go for it."

She played the song for her first dance, an upbeat pop song with a crisp beat that allowed for really sharp, explosive movement. As the song started, Layla strutted forward, clicking along to the beat, then as the song picked up really showed Musa everything she had. It was quick, and it was fun, and Musa knew the audience was going to love watching her. When the song slowed for the bridge, Layla slowed down right along with it, her movements morphing into something more fluid and lyrical, showing her technique and control. Musa was surprised to see an almost ballet-like technique as Layla danced, unable to imagine her friend ever dancing ballet.

Musa whooped and cheered when the song ended and Layla struck her final pose. Looking pleased with herself Layla executed a little bow and came back over to her.

"So, how was it?"

"It was great! The audience is going to love you."

"Thanks." Layla flopped onto a seat beside Musa and fished a drink bottle out from her dance bag. "I've got a contemporary dance I think I'm going to do after your first song," she said before taking a big swig of water.

"Not ballet?" Musa asked carefully.

Layla wrinkled her nose. "How did you know? Please tell me I don't still dance like a ballerina."

Musa laughed. "I can just see it in your technique. I can't imagine you as a ballerina."

"I actually love ballet," Layla told her. "But it's all my parents would ever let me do, they hated hip hop, even contemporary was too alternate for them. So now I just do ballet to keep in shape, I would never perform it, too boring," she said with a grin, before it faded, replaced by a worried expression. "You don't think a contemporary solo would be too slow do you? I don't want the audience to fall asleep."

"Nah," Musa said, waving an unconcerned hand. "I think I might do a ballad for my solo anyway, so I'll put them in the right mood for your second routine."

"'You think'?" Layla demanded, sitting forward to look at her friend better. "Musa, you haven't picked your songs yet? The concert's tomorrow night."

"Well…" Musa hedged. "I know what song I'm doing with Bloom of course, but I'm having trouble picking my solo. I have some ideas though," she added defensively at the look Layla shot her. She pulled out a folder which was among her most prized possessions, for it contained the sheet music to every song her parents had ever written. "I want to sing something my Mā wrote, I just have to pick the perfect one."

Despite her worry at the approaching deadline, Layla smiled and leaned closer. "Show me which ones you're considering then."

---

Darkar lounged alone in the throne room of Shadowhaunt, idly tapping his claws against the metal box that held the first precious piece of codex as he listened to the report his most loyal subject was giving him. His subject kneeled at the base of the dais that held his throne, a magical, shimmering aura that allowed him to appear in Shadowhaunt even as he remained at his post.

"I assure you, everything is in motion, Master," his subject said, peering up at him from a face that wasn't his own. "The spell has been cast and I have already seen it starting to work. She could succumb and be ours completely in a matter of weeks."

"Weeks?"

His subject faltered. "Possibly months," he amended, cringing a little as Darkar slowly straightened. "It is hard to know. If she fights it, and fights it hard, it will take longer, but the darkness will always win in the end."

"I am sick of waiting." Darkar did not yell the words, but he didn't have to, the icy rage in his voice enough to make his subject flinch backwards, falling to the ground and cringing against the grimy stones.

"I know, My Lord," his subject gasped, scrambling back onto his knees and pressing his face to the ground in a groveling show of atonement. "I apologise, I underestimated how protected she would be. But soon, I promise you, you will have her soon."

Darkar raked his talons along the arm of his throne just to hear the screech of metal on metal, and grinned beneath his helmet. "Very well. You are lucky I still require three pieces of the codex. But once I have them…" He trailed off threateningly, and his subject gasped.

"As soon as you have them, you will have the girl, if not before, I swear to it, Master."

"Very well. Now get out of my sight."

"Thank you, My Lord." And the aura of his subject melted away, leaving him truly alone once more.

Darkar knew the witches were skulking around Shadowhaunt somewhere, probably sulking in their rooms, but he didn't call to them to him. The one with lightning in her veins was preparing to depart, he knew. She thought no one knew about her plan to mess with the fairies of Alfea, but there was little that happened in Shadowhaunt that Darkar didn't know about. He just wondered if it had something to do with the burns that covered her back. Despite her insolence, he'd already decided to let her go. Let her have her fun, he'd decided, then he would call all three of them back to him and he would finally get his hands on the remaining pieces of the codex.

---

The afternoon found the girls rehearsing yet again after classes let out for the day. The morning rehearsal had gone smoothly enough, with Bloom arriving after Avalon's class with her guitar in hand. She hadn't offered an apology for her outburst at breakfast but Musa and Layla were just happy to see her in a better mood than earlier. In the afternoon rehearsal they were joined by Stella who had insisted on picking each of their outfits for the performance and who claimed that she needed to hear the songs so she could pick the perfect clothes to match.

Musa, who had yet to settle on her other song but was considering a ballad her mother had written, was getting frustrated with the blonde's constant interruptions. "So, you think I should go with 'Wings' then?" she asked Layla and Bloom, ignoring Stella who was debating aloud to herself over whether it was warm enough for a skirt yet or not.

Bloom nodded in agreement, but Layla wrinkled her nose, her mind swimming with all the bits of songs she'd heard Musa sing across the day. "Which one was 'Wings' again?"

"This one," Musa said, and sang the opening few lines of the song.

'When I went to ride the wing,

It slipped away so fast.

Tumbled hard,

Went into a fall.'

'Now I need to know

why I've got wings at all.'

"Yeah, definitely that one," Layla said, remembering it now. "It has the awesome sax solo, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Thank the Dragon that's decided," Stella said with a theatrical eye roll. "Now, Musa, thoughts on wearing a dress?"

"I'm not wearing a dress, Stella, I'll freeze."

"I'm sure Riven would appreciate seeing you in a dress for once," Stella said, wiggling her eyebrows at Musa who scowled in response.

"Stella, can you please hand me the sax?" Musa bit out through gritted teeth. "I want to make sure I have the solo down perfect."

Stella groaned but swept one of her hands in a wide gesture, tossing the sax to Musa on the back of a warm breeze. Musa caught it, but only barely and Bloom and Layla exchanged uneasy looks as Musa's face went red.

"Stella!" she yelled, running a hand over the instrument to make sure it was undamaged. "You have to be more careful! This was my Bà's saxophone!"

A chuckle from the doorway of the auditorium interrupted the argument before it could escalate any further. "Aw, I don't care what happens to that old thing."

Musa spun around, her anger melting away as she beheld the sight of her father standing in the doorway with a smiling Faragonda at his side.

"Bà!" she cried. Despite his words, Musa was careful in setting the saxophone aside before hurrying over to throw her arms around him. "You didn't tell me you were coming to visit."

At the appearance of Musa's father, all tension between the girls vanished as they stood and came over to meet him.

"Bà, these are some of my friends, Bloom, Stella, and Layla," she said, pointing each of them out in turn. "Guys, this is my Bà, Shao Léi."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr Shao," Layla said, extending her hand for him to shake.

"Just Léi is fine, girls," he said with a friendly smile. Musa's father was a well presented man, dressed in a suit that pulled just so at his generous stomach. He was on the shorter side, making it clear who Musa got her lack of height from, and his greying hair was neatly combed. "I was in the realm on business and I thought I'd swing by," he explained to Musa. "I must admit I thought I'd find you in a library but then Headmistress Faragonda explained about the concert tomorrow night."

Léi's voice remained light enough as he spoke but Musa's friends couldn't help but notice the way their friend stiffened at the mention of the concert.

"Bà…" she began uncertainly, her voice quieter than her friends had ever heard it before.

"We're very proud to have a student of such considerable talent here at Alfea," Faragonda commented, beaming at Musa. "Musa must be one of the most gifted musicians we've ever had at Alfea."

"Thank you, Miss F." Musa bit her lip and glanced at her father. "Will you be able to come to the show tomorrow night, Bà?"

Léi's expression was pleasant, even if his voice was cold when he replied, "We'll see, Musa."

The girls shifted at the tension suddenly in the air, and even Faragonda's smile faded a bit as her eyes shifted between Musa and her father. "Perhaps we should leave Mr Shao and Musa alone for a while, girls. I'm sure they have a lot to catch up on."

"Yes, thank you, Headmistress," Léi said, not taking his eyes off his daughter, who looked on the verge of squirming under his intense gaze. "There are several things I'd like to discuss with my daughter."

Bloom, Layla, and Stella hardly wanted to leave Musa, not looking as miserable as she suddenly did but they had little choice as Faragonda gestured for them to follow her.

"We'll see you later, Musa," Stella said, and Bloom touched her shoulder briefly as they passed. Layla didn't say anything, but did offer her a commiserating smile, having been in Musa's shoes many, many times before with her own parents.

Léi maintained his smile until the sound of Faragonda and the girl's footsteps on the stairs disappeared, then it faded, replaced by a stern look that Musa had unfortunately become all too familiar with in the last few years.

"A concert, Musa? Do you really think that's the best use of your time?"

"It's just one concert," Musa protested quietly, her mouth dry. "I'm acing nearly all of my classes, what's the harm in singing in one concert?"

"I know you, Musa, I know it will never be just one concert. There will always be another concert you want to sing at, another song you want to write, and eventually an album."

"And what's wrong with that?" Musa cried, throwing her hands out in equal parts frustration and sadness. "If that's what I want to do with my life, why can't I? It's music, Bà, it's all I've ever cared about."

"And that is why you will never be a professional singer, Musa. I won't allow it. It's too dangerous."

"Dangerous-?" Musa tried to interrupt but her father barreled on.

"I can't believe you've been letting people believe that I still write songs? That I might perform again one day? Headmistress Faragonda asked me if I had a new album coming out, I didn't know what to say."

"And I don't know how to tell people that you've given it all up!" The words were right on the tip of her tongue, to tell him how sad it made her, how embarrassed she was to have to admit that her father had walked away from the most important thing in their lives, the most sacred thing in their culture. "You're such a hypocrite," Musa couldn't help but add, even as her heart ached. Her father's expression turned thunderous but Musa couldn't stop herself. "You say I'm not allowed to be a singer but you manage all those bands, you help them live their dreams but want to stop me from going after my own!"

"Mind your tongue, Musa," Léi growled. "I am still your father." Musa scoffed, and shook her head, pigtails swinging. "I do the work I do because it is all I know, the only way I can support you. If I had been younger when I'd wised up about music, then maybe I could be doing something else, but I can't. But do not think that I want to be working in music still. I sent you to Alfea so you could learn to apply your magic and knowledge, so that you won't end up like me. I did not send you here so you could waste your time with music."

"I can't stand hearing you talk about music like that. It was your life, it was Māma's life. But more than that she always taught me to believe in my dreams and fight for them. What would she say, hearing you talk like this?!"

At once, Musa knew she'd gone too far. Léi looked as though Musa had struck him, his face entirely pale as he stared at his daughter.

"Bà," she whispered.

"You do not bring up Māma," he said lowly. "Not like that."

Musa tried to scoff, surprised when it came out more of a sob. She hadn't even realised tears had started to stream down her cheeks as her heart broke more and more in half. "Right, I forgot, we're not even allowed to talk about her anymore. She never existed and music never existed."

Léi didn't even seem to be listening to what Musa was saying anymore as he shook his head in disgust. "You're behaving like a child, and if you insist on continuing to, I'll have no choice but to pull you out of Alfea."

Musa's heart cracked completely in two and the words in her throat dried up as she stared uncomprehendingly at her father. "What?" she croaked. "Where would I go to school?" All the schools in the Harmonic Nebula had a strong musical curriculum which her father surely wouldn't allow; where else could she even go?

"I'll hire a tutor and you'll stay with me where I can keep an eye on you."

On tour with her father where she would be agonisingly close to music but unable to touch it; it sounded like a nightmare.

"No, Bàba, you can't-"

"I can and I will if you perform in the concert tomorrow night. The choice is yours, Musa; perform and leave Alfea, or don't perform and don't leave. Now, this discussion is over."

Now the tears were coming thick and fast as Léi stormed away from her. "Bàba," she sobbed, almost unable to see with how hard she was crying. "You can't do this! Please, don't do this!"

But her father didn't respond, didn't even slow as he left the auditorium and slammed the door shut behind him. For a moment, Musa could do nothing but curl over herself as she wrapped her arms around her stomach and sobbed. He couldn't do this, she couldn't let him do this, she had to change his mind.

Blind from the tears, Musa stumbled across the auditorium, finding the door and yanking it open. She had to find him, she had to get him to change his mind. But as she stepped through the door she slammed into something warm and solid that grabbed her as she stumbled.

"I'm sorry," a voice gasped. "I didn't mean to hear- I was just coming to see how rehearsal was- I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Riven.

Musa could just make out his blurry form through her tears and her sobs started up anew as she fisted the front of his uniform.

"I'm sorry, Musa. I'm so sorry," he said, and he pulled her into his arms and just held her as she cried into his chest. She wasn't sure how long they stood like that, he didn't say much, didn't tell her it was all going to be okay, and she was glad that he didn't. It wasn't going to be okay.

Finally, when her sobs finally started to subside and she got her breath back, she managed to say, "I can't stay here."

She couldn't go back to the dorm and face her friends; Bloom, Stella, and Layla had known something was wrong and by now so would the others. She couldn't bear to tell them yet what her father had threatened. She couldn't do it.

"Okay," Riven said, slowly letting her go. Almost at once she missed the contact but he grabbed her hand and, without looking at her, started leading her down the stairs.

He took her right down to the ground level and out onto the quad where his leva bike was parked against the base of the tower. She didn't hesitate to climb onto the back of the bike as Riven grabbed the helmet off the handlebars. But he didn't put it on her right away. Instead he paused, looking into her face, making her squirm and glance away. So she didn't see it coming as he carefully brought his hand up and gently wiped away the tears from beneath her eyes. She didn't know what to say, and seemingly neither did he, because he said nothing as he fitted the helmet onto her head and climbed onto the leva bike in front of her. Then he drove them both to Red Fountain.

---

"Is this your special spot that you bring all the girls?" Musa asked sometime later, trying to lighten the mood a little as Riven led her across the Red Fountain campus. They'd both been quiet as they'd arrived at the school and parked Riven's leva bike in the hanger and she was starting to feel embarrassed by the state he'd found her in at Alfea.

Riven snorted as they wound through a dense clump of trees. "Oh yeah," he said in his usual sardonic way. "This is where I bring all the girls I have hanging off me all the time."

Musa was glad that Riven was facing away as they walked and therefore didn't see the smile that spread across her face at that.

"Or is this where you murder me?" Musa ventured instead.

Riven spun around so he was walking backwards as he navigated the trees. "Now you got me." He held her gaze and her stomach fluttered at the intensity, then he grinned, shark-like, and spun back around. Musa released a breath and shook her head, picking her way through the scrub after him.

She really wasn't sure what she'd been expecting. Despite her joking, it was hard to imagine where Riven might be taking her, and she certainly wasn't expecting the trees to abruptly end as they widened out into a small clearing at the very edge of the campus.

"Woah," she breathed, her eyes immediately going to the sharp drop.

There was no wall, no railing, just nothingness as the grass tumbled over the side, allowing anyone to sit there, if they dared. Nearby was the waterfall that formed part of the hydro-system that powered the campus, the streaming water providing a soothing ambient noise.

"Scared?" Riven asked as he strode fearlessly towards the edge and sprawled on the grass with his legs hanging over the side.

Musa scoffed, following him a little more cautiously. "Hardly." She settled beside him, eyeing the drop. "I'll remind you that I spend more time than you in the air."

"Uh huh."

"Plus I'm assuming there's some kind of magical barrier to stop you bonehead heroes plummeting to your death every other day."

Riven scowled at the insult but plucked an acorn from the ground nearby and launched it over the side. It fell less than a story before it hit an invisible barrier with a low-pitched thrum and was launched right back into Riven's hand.

"Told you," Musa said smugly.

Surprising her, Riven didn't snark back at her. Instead he just jutted his chin out to the horizon and said quietly, "Look."

Musa obeyed and turned her gaze forwards, immediately catching her breath at the view that spread out before them. Lake Roccaluce glistened like glass under the sun, Cloud Tower stood proud and tall under it's usual cloud cover, Alfea's pink sandstone walls gleamed, and in the distance rose the tall skyscrapers of Magix City. It was gorgeous.

"Wow," she breathed. "This is… wow."

Riven didn't respond, his gaze straight ahead as if he were also taking in the view. But then he said, voice serious, "If you want to talk about it- you don't have to- I didn't even mean to overhear really- but if you want to talk about it… I'm here," he finished lamely.

Despite herself, despite everything that had happened that day, Musa found herself smiling. It faded a little as she thought about her parents, about everything she and her father had said to one another, but for a few minutes he'd managed to make her feel better.

"Both my parents are from Xiao, you know," she began, thinking of her home planet, the center of the Harmonic Nebula. "That's where the royal family resides, my family," she added with a grimace. "And on Xiao they revere classical music above all other genres. My Mā started out as a classically trained singer, she was touring with an opera company when she was in her twenties."

Musa's eyes fluttered closed, recalling the few pictures that Musa had seen of her mother from those years; her black hair bound in intricate styles, costumes with long skirts and billowing sleeves, fabrics in the richest of colours. She had always seemed happy in those pictures, as Yǎ-Qín had always been happy on stage, but they had nothing on the jubilation that would come later.

"That's when my Bà first saw her. Their company came to perform at the palace before he had abdicated his crown. It was like love at first sight for my Bà, both for my Mā and for her voice and what her voice represented. He fell in love with her, of course, but my Bà always said the moment he saw her it opened something in his heart and that's where his song writing came from. And that's when he knew he could never rule, his true love would always be song writing."

Riven was a good listener, Musa realised with a jolt. He wasn't interjecting, or even nodding a lot, but she could feel his eyes on her and she could tell she had his full attention.

"My grandparents didn't disown him when he did abdicate, but it was a near thing. But he never had any doubts and he never regretted it. He followed my Mā's music for a while, watching her perform whenever he could, working on songs, and trying to get his own career to take off, but eventually he couldn't wait any longer, he had to meet her."

She'd heard this story countless times before as a child, having always requested the story whenever her parents were putting her to bed, and smiled at the memory. Her mother had always beamed as she'd recounted the way Léi had been waiting, nervous and bumbling, for her outside the concert hall after one of her performances.

"He'd been working on a pop song," Musa continued, allowing her voice to become a little scandalised. "Anyone else in her company would have turned their nose up at the thought, but not my Mā, when he mentioned it to her she suggested they get together the very next day so he could play it for her. The only thing was, Bà hadn't exactly finished it yet, so he stayed up all night working on it. Mā came by the next morning and instantly fell in love with the melody, and with Bà. She rejected her classical training, and he rejected his royalty, but the music they made… everyone loved the music they made together. And as they say the rest is history…"

Musa let her voice trail off, pretending for a moment like that really was the ending, like they'd lived the perfect storybook romance, happily ever after.

Riven's voice was gentle when he spoke. "What happened to her?"

"Oh, I came into the picture eventually," Musa said, and was horrified to hear the wobble in her voice. "And things were perfect. For a little while anyway." And it had been; even as young as she'd been she had snatches of memory from that time. The music her parents had been creating, being on tour with them, Yǎ-Qín carrying her right onto the stage in front of a cheering audience.

"Musa," Riven said softly and she sucked in a quick breath.

"During the last tour Mā knew something was wrong so she went to a healer and found out she was sick, really sick. She knew what Bà would say if he knew, he'd want to cancel the rest of the tour, let her rest and have as much time as possible with her. But Mā… she didn't want that, she wanted her last few months to be filled with the three great loves of her life, Bà, me, and music. So she didn't tell him. By the time he found out, it was too late, and she was almost gone. I don't- I don't think he ever really forgave her for keeping it from him and for not trying anything she could to stick around for as long as she could. But I get it, she wanted to go out still herself, on her terms, doing what she loved… I get it."

Musa sniffed, but managed to keep the tears burning behind her eyes at bay.

She cleared her throat. "Anyway, those last couple of weeks Bà managed to keep it together pretty well. He didn't want her to see how much he was hurting and he wanted to be there for me. But the morning after she was gone, he just lost it. It's the only time I've ever been scared of him," she admitted.

"How old were you?"

"Six."

"Shit, Musa."

"Yeah, well. He broke just about every instrument in the house, even my Mā's piano-" Musa broke off as a sob finally escaped and she closed her eyes as the tears finally spilled. "Fuck, she loved that piano. Not much survived that day, an old sax, my grandmother's violin, she would have killed my Bà if it had been destroyed. He burned all the song books and sheet music, snapped all our CD's and records, destroyed it all. An entire life of music, just gone. It took me years to find all the sheet music of their songs again, and some of the stuff they never released… it's just gone… lost."

They were quiet as Musa finished, then Riven said carefully. "It sounds like it was too painful for him to be around music. And based on how he was acting today, it still is."

"He says it's dangerous," Musa replied, unable to quite keep the disgust from her voice. "It's like he blames the music for Mā dying, but I just can't see it that way, she was always going to die, music was one of the only things to still bring her joy at the end."

"He's scared something similar is going to happen to you. His love and his fear is blinding him."

Musa finally looked at Riven. "I don't know what to do," she confessed, her voice almost a whisper. "He loves me so much, and I love him, but I just feel like this is going to tear us further and further apart. I don't know how to love him and music at the same time."

Riven moved closer to her, so close that their legs pressed together from knee to hip, and then moving cautiously, as if he wasn't sure the contact would be accepted, he slowly took her hand in his. "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow," he said honestly. "If you choose not to perform, everyone will understand and that music will always be in your heart regardless. And if you do choose to perform and you have to leave… then I'll- we'll all call you every day, you won't lose us, even if you aren't at Alfea anymore."

Musa sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. In some ways she almost wished he'd told her what he thought she should do, but most of her was glad he hadn't. Nor had he promised it would all be okay when they both knew it might not be. At the end of the day it was always going to be her decision and she had to make it. And whatever it was, it had to be the one that she could live with for the rest of her life.

Musa and Riven sat in silence after that. He didn't offer anymore advice, she didn't tell him what she'd decided to do, and neither of them thought about the fact that they were sitting there hand in hand. But Musa swore there was a moment where he turned his head and pressed a feather-light kiss to the top of her head.

---

Eventually, Musa knew she had to go back to Alfea and tell Bloom and Layla what she'd decided. Riven watched her stand without comment before wordlessly leading her back to the hanger so he could drive her back to Alfea. When they arrived she was half-surprised to find Bloom and Layla back in the auditorium with the rest of their friends, even the guys were there.

Musa hesitated in the doorway as all their gazes swung around to them but then she felt Riven's hand ghost across her back. Strangely emboldened by the touch, she sucked in a deep breath and went to tell them the decision she'd made.

"So, I can't do the show," she finished after giving them a rundown of nearly everything her father had said. "I wish I could but I can't risk leaving this place and losing all of you. I'm sorry," she said emphatically, looking at Bloom and Layla, who this would impact the most.

Bloom shook her head but stood from her seat so she could wrap her arms around Musa. "There's nothing to be sorry for," she said, her voice muffled by Musa's shoulder. "I'm sorry your dad is doing this."

"We'll rearrange the set to fill our time slot," Layla added. "Maybe I can do another dance," she added with a doubtful look at Bloom.

"I can at least do our song on my own," she said bravely, going back to sit with Sky, who immediately put his arm around her.

Musa knew it was probably the last thing Bloom wanted to say or do, she'd practically had to beg her friend to sing with her in the show in the first place and she appreciated that she was willing to step up on her own. Still, she couldn't help but worry that Bloom's voice wouldn't be strong enough to carry the song on her own, a fear she could see reflected on Bloom's own face.

"Well, no sense sitting around," Layla said, getting to her feet. "We should get back to rehearsing."

Bloom grimaced and Sky murmured something in her ear before she reluctantly got back up to join them.

The rehearsals after that went about as well as could be expected. They reblocked the timeslot, extending Layla's two dance portions so that they covered losing Musa's extra ballad, and ran through Bloom's song over and over until the red-head was as prepared as she could possibly be. But Musa knew her friend was still nervous at the idea of getting up there and performing alone. It was a nervousness that even Layla couldn't escape leading to a tension infecting her movements.

"Let's call it," Musa suggested, when on the last run through Layla completely forgot a portion of the routine and threw her hands up in frustration. They'd worked long into the night, the others having already drifted off; the guys eventually had had to get back to Red Fountain for curfew, and the other girls had returned to the dorm to work on homework. Musa couldn't help but bemoan the fact that they'd rather do schoolwork than watch their wreck of a performance.

And it was all her fault.

They returned to the dorm, shoulders slumped and despondent. Bloom wished them a toneless goodnight and went right to her room, eyes only for her bed. But as she crossed the room to get changed she swore something strange flashed in the mirror as she passed by. She stopped dead and, stomach sinking, retreated a few steps to get a better look.

But there was nothing there.

Nothing out of the ordinary at least. She stared at her own reflection, red hair, pale skin, freckles, and blue eyes. Plain, ordinary blue eyes.

"Are you alright, Bloom?" Flora asked, twisting around from where she'd been working at her desk.

"I'm fine, Flora," Bloom said blankly, her voice sounding as though it were coming from very far away. "Everything's fine." She turned away and continued to her bed, and was very careful not to look at the mirror again as she got changed, slipped into bed, and closed her eyes.

Musa, on the other side of the dorm, was also feeling unsettled as she climbed into bed. It took her a long time to get to sleep and Tecna had long drifted off before Musa finally felt herself start to follow her.

But it wasn't a peaceful sleep she entered, but rather a nightmare.

The stadium at Red Fountain might have been empty so far, but Musa couldn't deny that it was set up fit for a great show. The stage that had been constructed for the occasion was large and elaborate, fit with a lush red curtain for the backdrop. The lights were already on and flashing spotlights all over the empty seating.

The emcee was even set up, practicing for when the real show started. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, as though there really were people in the crowd. "Please put your hands together for our next performer… Musa!"

Musa felt a jolt at the sound of her name booming across the stadium. She wasn't supposed to go out there, right? She fidgeted backstage, wishing the emcee wasn't so committed to his rehearsal.

"Come on now," the emcee continued when there was nothing but silence. "I know you can do better than that! I need everyone to cheer nice and loud so Musa will come out!"

Still there was nothing but silence, and yet Musa felt her feet kick into gear, carrying her out from behind the side-stage curtains and onto the stage. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw that somehow the stadium had filled with an enormous crowd. An enormous silent crowd.

It seemed impossible, a crowd of that size being completely silent, but they didn't make a single noise as Musa reached the middle of the stage.

For a moment, Musa didn't know what to do as she stood there, staring out at the audience who were staring right back at her. The feeling was completely foreign for she had never felt uncomfortable or unsure on a stage before. But then the music started and she felt her discomfort vanish. It didn't matter if she was under-rehearsed, it didn't matter what her Bà thought, she was on stage, where she belonged, and that's all that mattered.

A mic stand had appeared before her and Musa walked up to it, the music singing in her veins. But as the intro of the song continued and Musa knew the first line was coming up, she realised with a horrible feeling that she couldn't remember it. She couldn't remember the first line, or the next one, or anything that came after it. The moment came and went and still she did not sing. Now her brain was scrambling for any song lyric that she could sing but it was like someone had come and scooped them all out of her head.

"I-" she tried, but it was no good. There was nothing she could sing and no explanation she could give. The music slowly died away and Musa couldn't make her feet move as much as she wished she could escape the stage and this mortifying moment.

Even worse, the audience was still deadly silent as they stared at her. No one applauded, no one heckled, there wasn't so much as a cough until-

There. The sound of a lone pair of hands clapping. Steady clapping applauding her embarrassment of a performance. Musa didn't know if she was supposed to feel grateful or angry as she scanned the audience for the person.

But no matter how much she looked she couldn't find the person. On and on the applause continued, never faltering, and with a strange churning in her stomach, Musa thought she had an idea who was clapping for her.

Dragging in a gasping breath of air, Musa tried to call out to them, but found she couldn't. Her voice had failed her completely-

Musa woke with a strangled cry of "No!" as she sat bolt right up, gasping and panting. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," she said over and over just to hear her own voice and make sure it really was working.

Sweating and still gasping for breath a little bit, Musa thudded back down on the pillows and tried to calm her racing heart. It had been her mother clapping, she'd been sure of it. She just didn't know what it meant.

What she did know was that she wasn't going back to sleep. So for the second time in as many nights, Musa slipped out of bed, shoved her feet into her slippers and pulled a jumper over her head. This time, however, she stopped by the bottom compartment of her bedside table. She kept it locked at all times, not that she thought the other girls would ever snoop - except Stella maybe - but because it contained some of her most prized possessions. The folder of her parents sheet music was right on top, but nestled in the back corner was a carefully carved rose. Musa scooped it up, holding it close, and on a whim grabbed the folder as well before going on her way.

Once again she headed up to Faylinn's classroom only tonight there was no Stormy to interrupt her as she found a spot on the ledge and looked out across Alfea's campus. The night was much milder compared to the one before and her breath didn't even cloud in front of her as she breathed in deeply, held it for a moment, before slowly letting it out again. Then once she was ready, she picked up the rose and pressed the small button at the top.

The rose split open and a holographic persona of Musa's mother walked out and smiled up at her.

As it always did at the sight of her mother, Musa's heart felt like it was tearing in two all over again. She so rarely looked at photos of her mother anymore and looking at the holograph now she couldn't help but think what a poor replacement for Yǎ-Qín it was. Oh, it looked like her, in fact the likeness was perfect, and yet it couldn't replicate the warmth of her mother's embrace, nor could it know exactly what to say the way her mother always did.

Still, Musa tried her best to pretend that it really was her mother that she was speaking to.

"Hey Māma," she said softly, smiling at the holograph. "I need to ask for your support on something. Bàba doesn't want me to be a singer, but I think he's scared that he's going to lose me like we lost you. And I hate that he's still hurting, and I don't want to hurt him anymore, but I'm scared that if I stop performing I'm going to lose a part of myself. Everything I am is music and I don't know who I would be without it. So, I'm going to do it, even if it means I have to leave Alfea and I just really need you to be with me. Please, be with me."

Musa finished speaking and the holograph continued to smile up at her. She sighed a little, but didn't feel as frustrated as she usually would. She felt comforted just getting it all out and tried to have hope that wherever her mother was now, she'd heard it.

Setting the rose aside, Musa picked up the folder and flipped through the sheets idly, trying to decide if she'd made the right song choice. Her thoughts drifted to the song at the very back of the folder and she hesitated for a moment before turning to the back and gazing down at the music sheet.

She knew from the date in the top corner that this song was one of the last, if not the very last, thing her mother ever worked on. And she knew her mother had written it for her father.

Her eyes traced over the music notes and the lyrics underneath, the lines about healing and going on, and wondered if her father had ever even seen it. She'd found it in the debris of their music studio after her father had destroyed it and had managed to sneak it out, unable to cope with the thought of losing anymore of her mother's legacy. Despite having had it for over a decade Musa had never allowed herself to sing the song.

Humming the tune under her breath, Musa thought she finally knew what song she was going to sing.

---

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Musa jumped a little as Riven soundlessly appeared by her side. There was no judgment in his voice, no indication that he thought she was doing the right or the wrong thing, only concern for her.

"I'm nervous how Bà is going to react, but I have to do this."

Riven nodded, before glancing away. "Good luck," he said, and Musa's eyebrows rose, unable to quite tell if he was saying it out of obligation or if it was genuine. Then he continued, stuttering a little, "I- me and the guys will standing right up front- I- I don't know if that helps at all or, or-"

Having never seen Riven stutter so much, Musa decided to take pity on him and said a quiet, "It helps."

Finally, Riven looked back at her, and in the darkness of where they were standing sidestage, his eyes looked darker than normal. With a jolt, Musa noticed they were standing much closer than she had realised. If she just shifted closer or if Riven leaned down they'd be touching. Part of her wished that he would and as if he could read her thoughts, Riven's eyes widened slightly as he edged towards her, his eyes darting to her lips before-

"Musa," Stella's voice suddenly hissed and Musa nearly jumped out of her skin. Riven blew out a breath and leaned back.

"I should get out there," Riven muttered, even as he stayed rooted to the spot.

"Yeah," Musa breathed.

"Yeah," Riven repeated, before nodding a couple times and wandering off.

"Musa," Stella called again, and Musa found she wasn't even angry at her friend for interrupting them. She was too busy puzzling over what had just happened, or almost happened. "I've got to freshen you up, you're almost on."

"Are we?" Musa said dazedly, as Stella rechecked her eyeliner and applied more powder to her face.

Stella shot her a confused frown. "Yeah, there's a dance group on after this band and then you're up."

"Correct," Codatorta rumbled as he walked past. He was the actual emcee of the show, not the disembodied voice from Musa's dream, and he'd somehow managed to fit his bulky muscles into a sharp midnight blue suit.

Musa sucked in a sharp breath. Layla was warming up nearby, ready to come on after the first song, while Bloom was retuning her guitar for the umpteenth time to stave off nerves. Musa rolled her neck a little and glanced at Stella who was peering at her makeup job closely.

"What if this is a mistake?" she whispered.

Stella's eyes widened a little at the question as her expression grew very serious. "Is it ever a mistake to go after your dreams?" she replied thoughtfully.

"Take it from me," Layla said suddenly, walking over to them. "There are always going to be times when your parents don't understand your choices. You just have to decide if you're willing to live your entire life to suit them or not."

Bloom set aside her guitar and came to join them. "Whatever happens," she said, putting first one arm around Musa, then the other around Stella. On their other side, Layla mimicked her. "We've got you."

"We've got you," Stella agreed, looking into her eyes.

"We've got you," Layla finished.

The dance group finished and Codatorta walked out on stage to introduce them.

"By the Dragon," Musa muttered under her breath, trying to control her hands that were suddenly shaking.

"It is my pleasure to introduce our next act, from Alfea College, the incredible musical talents of Shao Musa, Princess Bloom Peters, and Princess Layla Asherah."

Please, Mā, Musa thought desperately one last time as she and Bloom walked out on stage together. Please, be with me.

The crowd cheered for them and Musa saw Bloom's shoulders tense up at the sound, but it was like it flipped a switch for Musa. She smiled on instinct at their cheering, spreading her arms a little as if to soak up the energy, and found that her legs no longer felt like they were made of lead as she bounded out on stage.

"Hey everybody! We're so excited to be out here tonight and we're going to sing an original song that me and Bloom wrote together. We hope you love it."

Musa glanced over at Bloom and nodded. Her friend smiled tightly, and still looking a little nervous, started to strum. Musa rocked along with the melody as the drummer from the back-up band kicked in with the beat. Then she stepped up to the mic stand and started to sing:

'I know that I'm running out of time,

I want it all,

And I'm wishing they'd stop tryna turn me off,

I want it on,

And I'm walking on a wire, trying to go higher,

Feels like I'm surrounded by clowns and liars,

Even when I give it all away,

I want it all.'

The song picked up and the crowd started clapping along to the beat, pumping Musa up even further. She grinned and raised her hands above her head, clapping along with it.

'We came here to run it,

Run it, run it,

We came here to run it,

Run it, run it.'

There was a second between the pre-chorus before the beat dropped and inexplicably Musa looked down right in front of the stage and somehow found Riven amongst the chaos standing with the rest of their friends. He was smiling in a way she'd never seen before, and she felt her grin widen as their eyes met. Then the chorus kicked off and this time Bloom leaned into her microphone to sing along with Musa.

'Just like fire, burnin' up the way,

If I could light world up for just one day,

Watch this madness, colourful charade,

No one can be just like me any way,

Just like magic, I'll be flyin' free,

I'm 'a disappear when they come for me,

I kick that ceiling. What you gonna say?

No one can be just like me any way,

Just like fire!'

They moved into the second verse, Musa taking the reins once more. She looked over at Bloom and could tell the second her friend found Sky in the audience because the tension seemed to disappear from her body and she finally started to look like she was enjoying herself.

Being on stage in that moment was how Musa knew that she'd never be able to walk away from music, even if it hurt her father. The way she nodded her head and swung her hips as she sang, the connectedness she felt with every single member of the audience like she knew their hearts and they knew hers, how unbelievably alive she felt; how could she ever live her life without that?

They reached the chorus again and this time Musa couldn't contain herself and stay behind the stand. Instead she yanked the microphone free and bounced across the front of the stage, reaching as many people in the audience with her performance as she could. Behind her Bloom was grinning and getting into it more and more, rocking to the music as much as she could while still playing her guitar.

Another verse came and went and Musa knew, regrettably and too soon, that the song was coming to an end. Her amazing, perfect moment was almost over, but as sad as the thought made her, she didn't regret a moment. All it did was make her hungry for more.

But maybe it was impossible to have a perfect performance. Because as she and Bloom jumped into the chorus one final time she finally caught sight of her father in the crowd. She hadn't been sure if he would come or not, and had been too afraid to look for him before the concert started, but he was there. The only one not moving to the music and singing along, Léi's face was completely blank as he watched her. Musa's eyes met him and her footsteps faltered, some of the energy going out of her. She made it through the last few lines of the song, Bloom picking up more of the slack on the vocals, but Musa knew it was a disappointing end to what had otherwise been an amazing song.

"Thank you everybody," she called as the music faded away and she finally looked away from her father. "I'll be back soon for another song but first it is my great pleasure to welcome out Layla!"

The crowd cheered them off and Layla on, who came out full of energy and smiles.

"You guys were amazing," she said, slapping her palm against Musa's as they passed and then Bloom's.

Musa managed a smile at her in return and hurried off stage while Bloom gave the audience a quick wave and followed.

"That was amazing," Bloom gushed, throwing her arm around Musa's shoulders the second they were behind the curtain. "You were amazing. What's wrong?" she asked, seeing Musa's face.

"My Bà's here."

Bloom's face lost some of it's joy and she looked anxious as she asked, "Well, maybe that's good?"

"Yeah," Musa said numbly. "Maybe."

Bloom bit her lip but clearly didn't know what else to say as they both turned to watch Layla's routine. The Princess of Andros killed it, as they both knew she would. The poor rehearsal the night before hadn't fazed her as she transitioned between sharp and fluid movements seamlessly and had the crowd cheering her barely a minute into the dance.

Somehow as Layla came to the end of her performance, Musa found herself even more nervous than she was before. Maybe it was knowing for sure now her father was in the crowd, maybe it was the song she was going to sing, whatever it was, Musa knew that this was the moment.

All too quickly, Layla was done, executing a small bow and waving to the crowd as she jogged off.

"You're up, girl," she said breathlessly, clapping Musa on the shoulder.

"You can do this, Musa," Bloom added.

Musa nodded to them both mechanically and walked back out on stage. Once again the crowd's cheering automatically lifted her spirits but this time she couldn't help but remember her father was in the crowd, watching, hurting. She stepped up to the microphone but couldn't immediately find her words. The crowd's cheers faded away a little as they waited for her to start but still Musa couldn't force herself to speak.

Feeling a horrible sense of familiarity with the situation Musa's eyes sought out Riven in the crowd once again. He wasn't smiling now, he seemed to sense she was struggling, but he held her gaze regardless and maybe she was imagining it, Musa wasn't sure, but she could have sworn he was urging her on with his gaze, silently supporting her.

"This next song was written by my mother just before she died," she heard herself say without making the active choice to speak. She didn't dare look at her father, she just kept looking at Riven, who nodded at her. "Music was her whole life, my father's whole life, and my whole life before she died. And I think she knew how much we were going to struggle to have it in our lives after we lost her. So she wrote this song to remind us both that it's okay to keep loving music even when she's not here to love it with us. And that's the song I need to share with you tonight."

She indicated to the backup band to start and she'd just heard the pianist play the first note when there was a sudden cry from the audience.

"No!" she cried on instinct, recognising the sound of her father's voice. "Bàba?!"

Her eyes scanned the crowd once again as voices from the crowd rose up in confusion. She finally found him; he'd fallen to the ground and the reason why was immediately clear for Stormy was looming over him, the hands still lit up with one of her lightning attacks. As those nearest to them realised what was happening, fairies started transforming and heroes pulled their weapons but Stormy halted them all by producing a barrier of lightning around herself and Léi.

"I suggest you all keep back or the old man gets another electric shock," she barked, her voice ringing out across the stadium.

Léi grimaced in pain but remained on the ground before her, holding out a hand to indicate that no one else should move.

"I want Musa, and only Musa," Stormy added, aiming a terrible grin at the fairy on stage.

Stupid, Musa thought. She'd been so stupid to think she could battle Stormy like she had the other night and not expect retaliation.

"This is between you and me, Stormy," Musa yelled in return. "Not my Bà, so let him go and we'll finish this."

Out of the corner of her eye Musa could see Bloom and Layla edging out from backstage, ready to leap into the fight but she waved them off. When it came to a battle there was no one she'd rather by her side than her friends but she couldn't risk her father.

"Sure," Stormy said easily. "I'll let him go. As soon as you get down here and take his place. And be quick about it." Before Musa could react Stormy lashed out with another lightning strike causing Léi to yell out in pain.

With a flash of light that rivaled the stage beams, Musa transformed into her fairy form.

"Oh, we're not fighting, Musa," Stormy said, shaking her head like Musa was a confused student. "You're surrendering or you're saying goodbye to your father. Choose."

For the first time ever in her fairy form, Musa felt cold as she stood there, looking down at Stormy and her father. It wasn't in her to just give in, and she didn't know what would happen to her if she did, but on the other hand she knew she would never survive losing her father as well. She looked out across the audience, standing quiet and restless as they waited to see what happened. That connection she'd felt to them earlier had gone quiet.

The sudden urge for her mother, struck Musa in that moment. Her mother had always known what to do and if she didn't she'd had words of comfort to make her feel better anyway.

When in doubt, she could hear Yǎ-Qín say whenever Léi or Musa had a problem. Sing it out.

"We came here to run it," Musa half-sang under her breath, the microphone picking it up and projecting it across the stadium. "Run it. Run it."

Stormy snorted. "Is now really the time for a song, Musa?" she asked, her voice faux-sweet.

Musa ignored her, nodding her head a bit now to the imaginary beat in her head. "We came here to run it. Run it. Run it. We came here to run it."

Then a voice, rough like it hadn't been used for singing much before joined it. "Run it. Run it."

Musa didn't even need to look over to see who was singing with her.

"We came here to run it. Run it. Run it," they sang together. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Bloom pick up her guitar and step out on stage, strumming along.

"We came here to run it," she kept singing, and now more people were joining in. "Run it. Run it."

'Just like fire, burnin' up the way,

If I could light the world up for just one day,

Watch this madness, colourful charade,

No one can be just like me any way.'

"What are you doing," Stormy growled, as more than half the audience sang along, but still Musa ignored her. With every voice that joined in it felt like her magic was being amplified, thrumming and alive under her skin like she'd never felt before.

'Just like magic, I'll be flyin' free,

I'm 'a disappear when they come for me,

I kick that ceiling. What you gonna say?

No one can be just like me any way!'

"Enough!" Stormy screamed, and began to summon another lightning attack, but this time Musa was ready for her. Her sonic blast met Stormy's magic in midair, the lightning no match for the power Musa had drawn from all the singing voices, and it not only flung Stormy back through the air but right out of the stadium completely.

The crowd exploded into applause and cheering for Musa as she breathed a sigh of relief and transformed back into her regular form. All she wanted to do was get down into the crowd and make sure her father was okay but the band started playing her mother's song behind her. She was torn for a moment but then she saw Riven making his way through the crowd and helping his father back to his feet. Léi thanked him but turned his attention immediately to his daughter and Musa knew he was waiting for her to sing. So she did.

'That nebulous night sky burnin' in your eyes,

You look at me and, babe, I wanna catch on fire,

It's buried in my soul like Erkalyon gold,

You found the light in me that I couldn't find.'

Musa dragged in a deep breath, feeling tears threatening to spill as she sang her mother's final goodbye to herself and her father. She could imagine her mother writing these words, knowing how much they'd struggle without her, begging them not to lose their love for the music.

'So when I'm all choked up,

But I can't find the words,

Every time we say goodbye,

Baby, it hurts,

When the sun goes down,

And the band won't play,

Always remember us this way.'

Musa dared to look at her father, praying he was understanding what her mother had been trying to say and found tears streaming down his cheeks. He wasn't watching her perform anymore, but had raised his eyes heavenward as if he could see Yǎ-Qín among the stars.

'Lovers in the night,

Poets tryin' to write,

We don't know how to rhyme,

But, damn, we try,

But all I really know,

You're where I wanna go,

The part of me that's you will never die.'

Musa held back the tears that she knew were coming to sing the chorus one final time.

'So when I'm all choked up,

And I can't find the words,

Every time we say goodbye,

Baby, it hurts,

When the sun goes down,

And the band won't play,

Always remember us this way.'

Musa couldn't bear to watch her father as she finished the song and her eyes shifted to her friends instead. She could see that Bloom had snuck down into the crowd and was standing with Sky, her back to his front, his arms around her as they swayed. Stella and Brandon had their arms around one another, her face pressed into his neck, Timmy and Tecna looked like they were trying their best not to look at one another, and Musa couldn't help but smile when she saw Flora and Helia were dancing together.

The music faded out and Musa waved to the crowd who were cheering for her once again as she started to walk off. She found Riven standing in the crowd once more and held his gaze, hoping he knew it was really him she was talking to as she said, "Thank you, everyone."

---

"How's your dad?" Bloom asked Musa a couple days after the concert.

The guys had come to campus for the first truly warm afternoon of the new year, and they were all basking in the sun by the lake.

"He's good," Musa said honestly. "We had a big talk about… well everything really. All the stuff we should have talked about after Mā died, how much it hurt me that he cut music out of our lives, how much I need it, how much he's missed it, everything."

"Is he going to start making music again?" Tecna asked.

"Not yet," Musa said. "Maybe not ever." It hurt her to say those words, even more to know they might be true, but so much of Léi's love of music and song-writing had been wrapped up in Yǎ-Qín that Musa didn't know if he'd ever be able to separate them. "But he's started repairing Mā's piano. I didn't even know he'd kept it." She fished out her phone and brought up a photo her father had sent her of himself standing next to the partially repaired piano, showing it to the others.

"That's so good, Musa," Flora said.

"Who's taking the photo?" Layla asked, smiling at the sight of buttoned down Mr Shao in a rumpled t-shirt and dusty jeans, a look Musa hadn't seen him in in some time.

Musa smiled. "My cousin, Galatea. The only one of them worth bothering with, to be honest."

"That's really great to hear about your dad, he already looks a lot better," Stella said earnestly, gesturing to the photo.

"Yeah," Musa said, looking down at it and smiling. "Things won't be perfect for a while yet but maybe we can finally start to heal."

Eventually conversation turned to other things, like things they could do now that the weather was finally starting to warm up, and Musa waited for the attention to leave her before standing up and going to sit next to Riven. He didn't look at her but she knew he was listening.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "For everything you did that that night and the day before."

Riven didn't even glance at her and Musa tried not to let it sting. "I don't know what you're talking about," was his only response.

"Uh huh," she said. Despite his prickly countenance she took a chance and touched his hand briefly before getting up and walking away again.

---

Whew and another chapter is done!

Not that I didn't like the two chapters that came before but this is definitely the one I felt the best about while writing it; it just flowed in a way my writing hasn't for a while so I really hope everyone liked it and didn't mind the changes I made or the liberties I took.

On changing a specific part of Musa's battle with Stormy and specifically changing the way Musa was able to stop the storm; I've heard it referred to as a "rain dance" but also seen it suggested that that term and even the implication that that's what Musa is doing could be offensive. I didn't look into it more but just decided to change it a little bit. Did you know that there are theories that you can control the weather, and specifically storms, with sonic waves? I only researched it for like five seconds out of curiosity and took a lot of liberties probably but it was fun and inspired Musa's ability to stop Stormy's storm.

If you're curious about the music referenced in this chapter they're a mix of 4kids music and other songs. The songs I had in mind for Layla's two routines were Neon Lights by Demi Lovato and Skyfall by Adele. Musa sings part of a song from 4kids but then her two actual performances were Just Like Fire by P!nk with Bloom (for no reason besides I've always that song in my Winx Club playlist) and Always Remember Us This Way (with some changed lyrics) from A Start Is Born.

I will apologise to the Musa/Layla fans out there for lowkey stealing a moment for them and giving it to MuRi but this was a big episode/chapter for Musa and it felt a little weird that there wasn't more for MuRi. Also, the scene at the end of the day is about Musa and her family backstory and less about who's there to listen to her talk about it.

I decided to change Musa going to the Harmonic Nebula to visit her mother's grave just because it didn't really make sense in the timeline of the chapter and it also gave me a way to callback to Musa speaking to the holograph like she did in volume one. Besides the big draw of the original scene is how visually stunning it is which wouldn't have translated to the written word anyway imo.

Also it's probably pretty obvious but props to anyone who can spot the s3 reference I couldn't help throwing in there.

I think that's explanation for most of the changes I made? Oh I swapped Bloom in for Stella just because I'd already established that Bloom plays guitar and helps Musa out with her music occasionally so it just makes more sense. Anyway, Dark!Bloom is well on her way now and this chapter leads in nicely to the CT exchange arc so get excited for that next. (And no I haven't forgotten about the Eraklyon episode, that's just been reshuffled, it'll come eventually).

Edited to add: one thing I did forget to mention: the original version of this chapter had an alternate version of Musa's fight with Stormy where Bloom played a much bigger role. I was worried however that it would pull too much focus away from Musa and it felt off that Bloom would become the focus of the scene when this is a very Musa-centric episode so I ended up rewriting it. I did love the original version however so I kept it and am thinking about uploading it if anyone is interested in reading it? A big thanks to Drops-of-moonlight for reading both versions and providing some suggestions x

Thanks as always for reading, following, favouriting, and reviewing, each and every one is so so so special to me xx