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.

20. A Devastating Blow

Returning to Alfea after the spring break was like coming home to find everything just a little out of place, Bloom found. It was still the same castle, the same teachers, the same students, and yet something didn't feel… right. Despite the warming weather, it was like a gloom had settled, if not over the whole school, then at least over the girl's dorm room. The tension which had lingered for months now, once ignorable, seemed to sit heavy in the air between them with too many words left unsaid.

It did not help that the knowledge that Lord Darkar was only one piece away from completing the codex and gaining access to the Ultimate Power sat with each of them. It put them all on edge and although they rarely spoke of it, it was easy to tell that it was on their minds. They were short with one another, Bloom more than anyone else, and seemed to spend more time arguing than anything else. Their classwork was suffering and they were the only group in Palladium's class still struggling to get a working convergence.

And more and more Bloom was worried. The incident at Diaspro's party had rattled her, she'd never felt so out of control before, and it scared her to think about what might have happened if Diaspro hadn't been there. Her bad dreams where that dark figure stalked her had only increased, and she was still too scared to look in the mirror because of what she might see. And if she was being honest with herself, there had been a couple of times that she'd found herself in hallways and classrooms around the school with no memory of deciding to walk there. Avalon had assured her that the curse was gone and Bloom believed him, so she was starting to wonder if the events of the last eighteen months had driven her to straight insanity.

What was even more worrying was the strange compulsion she felt to find out where the pixie's village was and more than once she'd had to stop herself from asking Lockette to tell her.

It was almost a relief therefore, when Faragonda called them into her office to talk about what had been happening. They all knew things weren't right and were out of ideas on how to fix it.

They stood outside of Faragonda's office, not looking or talking to one another, until Stella finally ran out of patience.

"Are you going to knock or what?"

Bloom exhaled sharply and rapped on the door, before pushing it open when there was no answer.

"Miss Faragonda?"

Faragonda was turned away from them, gazing out the window over Herrolan Wood and Lake Roccaluce, and didn't seem to register their arrival at first. It was only as they cautiously walked further into the office that she stirred and turned towards them.

"Griselda said that you wanted to see us?"

Faragonda's eyes tracked over each of her students, but snagged on Bloom, tracing over her, assessing her, and Bloom felt a flicker of irritation flash through her. Everyone always seemed to be watching her lately, waiting for her to do something amazing or awful. She clenched her hand into a fist, nails cutting into her palm and distracting her from her anger.

"Girls, come in," Faragonda said finally, face breaking into a tired smile and gesturing them closer. "Yes, I wanted to see you and check in, see how everything has been going. I know it's been a tough time and I'm sure you're all quite worn out."

"We're okay," Flora said when none of the other girls responded. "It's been a long year," she added, with a weak smile.

Faragonda nodded sympathetically. "Losing Alfea's part of the codex has been difficult for all of us," she said carefully. "Especially when there is just one piece standing between Lord Darkar and accessing Realix."

"We know," Bloom muttered, staring at the floor. Faragonda paused and Musa nudged her friend, but Bloom didn't look up.

"Now is the time we must pull together," Faragonda continued purposefully. "We must be prepared for the worst to happen."

"I think we're ready," Flora said, and Stella immediately pounced on her nervous tone.

"'I think we're ready'," she mimicked in a high pitched voice. "Come on, Flora! With that kind of attitude we might as well just give up now!"

Flora winced and Musa rounded on Stella. "You're the one with the bad attitude!"

"Oh, what, like you're Little Miss Positivity?!"

"That's enough," Faragonda said firmly. "Professor Palladium has expressed some real concern about your ability to perfect your convergence in time for final exams, and based on this display, I would have to agree with him." She sighed and her face softened. "You're capable of such great things, individually but also as a group, that sometimes I think we all forget how young you still are."

"So, what do we do?" Tecna asked.

"It's not what you have to do, it's what I'm going to do. I'm sending you all on vacation."

There was a beat of silence. Whatever the girls had been expecting Faragonda to say, it hadn't been that.

"Vacation?" Layla repeated. "We only just got back from a break."

"A break you mostly spent apart from one another," Faragonda explained patiently. "And one that didn't allow for much recuperating for some of you." Her eyes drifted to Flora and Bloom, the latter still avoiding her eye. "You need to recharge, but even more so, you have to reconnect with one another.

"But Darkar could attack at any time?! And we wouldn't be here to help!" Tecna burst out.

"The last piece of the codex is at Pixie Village," Faragonda said, and Bloom stirred slightly. "The location of which is well hidden.

"Besides, this trip might even be a chance for some of you to earn your charmix," she added. "It is one of your goals for the year and I can't help but notice that none of you have achieved it so far. Earning your Charmix would take your magic to another level, one which would help if it does come down to a battle between yourselves and Darkar."

It was true that between Darkar stealing three pieces of the codex and whatever was happening with Bloom, earning the Charmix transformation had slipped the mind of most of the girls.

"So, where are you sending us?" Bloom asked.

"Requies, it is the ultimate vacation destination of the Magical Universe. It's a very small planet, the size of a very large resort really, which is basically all it is. The natural magic of the land promotes rest, recovery, and relaxation. Alfea has a close relationship with Requies as it's not unusual for us to send third year fairies for respite if they experience academic burn out. Your trip will include skiing, camping, and a wildlife experience."

Despite their reservations, Faragonda was painting the image of a luxurious vacation, made even more appealing when she added that they would be taking the school credit card to purchase anything they needed in the Requies retail sector.

"Shopping!" Stella sighed, immediately sold.

"Is that all you ever think about, Stella?" Layla grumbled.

"Sorry, if we're not all tomboys like you, Layla," she shot back.

Musa opened her mouth to get involved, but one look from Faragonda silenced them all.

"What about all the classes we'll be missing?" Flora asked after a beat of awkward silence.

"Your professors will help you catch up on your return. But I don't want you to worry about that now. I don't want you to worry about magic at all. In fact…" Faragonda hesitated, as if predicting what she was about to say would not go down well.

Bloom stared at her hard. "What?"

Faragonda met her gaze unflinchingly. "In fact, you won't have access to your magic at all."

"What?!" the girls exploded, bursting at once into chatter.

Faragonda held up her hands. "Requies has a magical suppression option for its guests and I thought a week with no magic might be beneficial. It is not like when your magic is cut off as punishment at Alfea," she continued when it looked like they were going to argue further. "The Requiestrians have a very gentle touch, you'll barely notice that you can't access it."

"I thought we were supposed to be working on our convergence and earning our Charmix?" Bloom demanded.

Her friends shifted uncomfortably at the intensity in her voice. None of them were particularly pleased by the prospect of a week with no magic, but Bloom seemed truly unsettled by the idea.

"Those things don't come from your magic, Bloom," Faragonda said gently. "You earn your Charmix by looking within with honest eyes, while true convergence is attained by understanding the fairy next to you as well as you know yourself, if not more so. You don't need your magic for this, in fact it might even be getting in your way."

Bloom didn't look comforted and opened her mouth to argue further when Flora touched her elbow gently. She yanked it away and folded her arms around herself, looking away from everyone.

Flora, trying not to look stung, said, "I'm sure Requies is perfectly safe, Miss Faragonda. But what if Darkar or the Trix follow us there. We wouldn't be able to defend ourselves and the Requiestrians would be put in danger."

Faragonda smiled patiently. "I would never send you somewhere defenceless, Flora." Her eyes lifted over their heads, gazing at the wall, as if she could see through the layers of wood and stone to the quad beyond. A twinkle lit up her eyes. "In fact, I think your security team has just arrived."

---

"I don't mean to pry, but is something bothering you, Professor Avalon?" Palladium glanced sidelong at his companion as the pair trekked through Herrolan Wood.

He'd had the trip into the woods to look for rare plants planned for sometime but had expected to be doing it solo, not knowing another professor at Alfea with the same interest. Professor Isokalis used them in her potions but didn't care much for venturing into the forest, preferring instead to send one of her assistants or students to find them for her instead.

But as Palladium had eaten his breakfast and prepared to set out that morning, he hadn't been able to help but notice Professor Avalon sitting lost in thought, food untouched in front of him. The newest professor to their ranks had not made much of an effort to integrate himself with his peers in the months that he'd been at Alfea, but it had occurred to Palladium in that moment that perhaps Avalon wasn't comfortable reaching out first.

Thinking at least that Avalon might need someone to talk to, Palladium had asked if he wanted to join him, and had been pleasantly surprised when after a moment's thought Avalon had accepted, offering him a lovely smile in thanks.

But if Avalon needed to talk, he wasn't being forthcoming about it, shouldering his pack and following Palladium into the forest in silence, having lapsed back into what seemed to be a very contemplative mood.

Now, at Palladium's words, Avalon blinked and glanced at him. "I apologise," he said, with another of those lovely smiles. "I must confess that my mind has been on other things this morning."

Palladium chuckled. "Yes, I- well, I noticed. Was it- did you want to talk about it?" he asked, tripping over his words.

Avalon's smile turned a bit bitter-sweet and his eyes traced over Palladium's face, as if trying to decide.

"I'm sure you've heard of Lucille's decision to send some of the second year fairies to Requies."

Palladium nodded. "Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla, yes. They're struggling quite a bit with their convergence in my class. It will be good for them to be able to reconnect with one another."

"Ah," Avalon said carefully, turning his attention to their surroundings. "So, you think it's a wise idea, then?"

"I do," Palladium said, before pausing. He didn't much like questioning his headmistress's decisions, but felt compelled to ask, "You don't?"

Avalon spread his hands in a genial gesture. "Bloom is taking my course and I admit that I find it vexing that her studies will be interrupted."

"I can understand that," Palladium said diplomatically. "As I understand it, it's quite an intensive course."

"There is also the safety concern," Avalon added quickly. "Of sending young fairies outside the confines of the school when such a large threat looms. Lucille is a brilliant fairy, and an even more brilliant educator, but I fear she has not thought through this decision."

Palladium wavered, caught uncomfortably between trying to build a rapport with Avalon and being loyal to his headmistress. There was also something a little off-putting about Avalon airing these concerns with him, rather than taking them to Faragonda personally, as any other member of the staff would. But, he reasoned to himself, Avalon did have a longer-standing relationship with Faragonda than anyone else.

"But," Avalon continued, tone lifting, smile returning. "Lucille is an excellent educator as I said, and the headmistress of Alfea for a reason, so we put faith in her decisions, yes?"

"Right," Palladium agreed, relieved that the conversation seemed to be coming to a close.

"Thank you for inviting me," Avalon added, gazing around at the forest. "I haven't been as social while at Alfea as I would have liked."

"I enjoy the company, usually these trips are a solo occasion. I can't seem to find anyone else who enjoys searching for rare plants as much as I do," Palladium joked.

"Surely, they would come for the joy of your company alone, Professor," Avalon said, and Palladium was struck by the sudden heat in his cheeks.

He coughed and looked away. "Yes, well- oh look, a red-gilded Venus Fly Orchid."

He hurried over for a closer look, Avalon following a little slower, and knelt gently by the rare flower.

"Very useful in snaring an opponent, right?" Avalon said, leaning down with a hand on Palladium's shoulder for a closer look.

"Yes!" Palladium said excitedly, carefully snipping one of the flowers. "If you crush up the petals and use it when drawing runes, the magic is very hard to break." He placed the flower bud carefully into one of a dozen specimen containers he'd brought and deposited in his pack. He was so distracted making sure the flower was perfectly preserved that he didn't notice as Avalon wandered away.

Palladium had mentioned being on the lookout for the norcithia plant, who's poisonous sap he thought could be distilled and added to a new sleeping drought he was developing. Avalon spotted one hidden in a clump of shrubs and approached it cautiously, knowing full well that the norcithia wasn't above using its sap to defend itself. He was just about to call out to Palladium to let him know about the plant when an idea occurred to him. Fighting off a smile, he moved even closer to the norcithia.

Not far away, Palladium was just finishing with his sample when he heard Avalon's cry of alarm. Stomach dropping, he abandoned his pack and took a step, magically transporting him from the spot in the direction the noise had come from. He stepped out of the flash of light and found Avalon lying practically at his feet.

"Avalon!" he cried, and dropped to his knees. "What happened?"

Avalon could only groan in response, hands clamped tightly over his face. But even through his fingers, Palladium could see red hives rising all over the paladin's face.

"The norcithia," he murmured in horror, casting a desperate look around.

He spotted it in moments, the innocuous plant retreating into the surrounding shrubbery. Avalon only would have had to step slightly too close and the aggressive plant would have attacked. Only a few seconds had passed but Avalon was already running out of time, Palladium knew, mind frantically going over everything he knew about the poison of the norcithia. The forest was quiet around them, and they were deep enough that it was unlikely that a student or teacher would stumble upon them by accident. He needed help, he needed to get Avalon to Ophelia in the infirmary, but most of all he needed a cure to the norcithia's poison, of which he only knew one.

Feeling like he was desperately running out of options, Palladium raised a hand and shot a flare of light into the air, hoping it would bring help.

---

A very familiar looking Red Fountain ship was waiting for the girls on the quad as Faragonda led them down from her office. The guys had already disembarked but rather than coming to greet them, they were standing in a straight line, chins lifted, feet spread apart, hands by their side, as Codatorta walked up and down in front of them, clearly telling them something important.

"This will be an official assignment for them," Faragonda told them all sternly, her words stopping Bloom and Stella from going to greet their boyfriends like they usually would. "Red Fountain prepares their students for a number of jobs, including joining the military or a royal guard. They need to know how to carry out an assignment while remaining professional at all times."

That sounded like a real bummer to Bloom and Stella but Tecna had other reasons to be less than thrilled about the arrangement.

"They're going to be with us for the whole trip?" she hissed to Flora, looking flustered. "How am I supposed to relax with him around all the time?"

Flora patted her hand sympathetically. "Have you spoken to him lately?"

Tecna shook her head, looking miserable. "Not since…" She glanced over at Bloom and shook her head. "I've been avoiding him."

"Tecna…" Flora said, but her friend just shook her head again.

It didn't look like Codatorta was easing up on the guys anytime soon, so Faragonda told them to head back to their dorm and get packed. They turned to head back inside, but just before they went Sky's eyes flicked over to Bloom, meeting hers for a moment. She grinned and a hint of a smile played around Sky's mouth for a heartbeat, before his gaze moved away and his expression went blank once more. Smiling to herself, Bloom followed her friends inside.

"I'm just worried we'll miss something important in class," Flora was fretting. She went to fiddle with her bracelet before remembering it had broken and she was yet to replace it. She sighed instead and rubbed the skin with her thumb.

Stella didn't seem nearly as worried as Flora, waving an unconcerned hand through the air as if to swat the problem away. "The teachers aren't going to let us miss anything really important. I'm more worried about this 'no socialising' rule."

Musa shook her head, pigtails bobbing. "It's always about you, isn't it, Stella?"

Before Stella could retaliate, Tecna snickered, the tension from earlier draining away now that she wasn't faced with Timmy. "Besides, it won't be that bad. So you can't call Brandon 'snookums' for a couple days."

"Okay, I don't call him-" Stella started, distracted from Musa's barb.

"Well, I think the whole thing is very unromantic," Amore broke in, harrumphing at the thought.

"Oh, I don't know," Tune said. "There's something to be said about a princess' guard having to hide his passionate feelings for her behind a thin veneer of professionalism."

Digit stared at her. "You've changed."

"Amore loaned me some romance novels," she said primly.

"It's an assignment for them," Digit argued. "We need to leave them alone to concentrate."

Stella looked torn between arguing with Tecna and Musa, or laughing at the pixie's antics.

"We can do whatever we want," she said, voice laden with dark anticipation. "Once we take off there'll be no one to see what they get up to."

"Those guys are way too honest," Layla said with a laugh. "They'll do the right thing."

Stella just smiled. "I bet they're socialising before the end of today."

Musa cackled, earlier disgruntlement forgotten, and slapped her hand against Stella's, shaking it up and down. "You're on, Princess."

---

Livvy was zooming over Lake Roccaluce when she saw Palladium's flare shoot into the sky. As a pixie of messengers, and her village's official emissary, she wasn't used to being confined to one spot for so long, and had resorted to exploring as much of the Alfea campus as possible each day to stave off restlessness.

Gasping at the sight of the flare, she shot off in the direction of it immediately, knowing it couldn't mean anything good. It felt good to have a purpose once again and Livvy flew faster than she had in a long time, finding Palladium and Avalon in a matter of minutes.

"Profs!" she gasped, gazing in dismay down at Avalon.

She'd heard whispers from the fairies that they didn't trust Avalon, but it was hard to see anyone in this way, flat on their back and groaning in pain.

Palladium glanced up as she zoomed closer. "Oh, thank the Dragon, Livvy! Professor Avalon's been hit by a poisonous flower, we need to get him help immediately."

"What do you need me to do?"

Palladium hesitated. As he'd monitored Avalon's condition and waited for help to come, he'd been going over and over the various antidotes he knew, and there was only one that worked on norcithia sap. The only problem was it was extremely rare and the only place he knew it to come from was the flos vitae. And those only grew in a very particular place.

"Livvy," Palladium said very seriously. "Professor Avalon is very sick and the only antidote I know of is in your village."

"But we're not supposed to go back to the village yet." Even as she said it, Livvy trembled at the idea of getting to go home.

"I know," Palladium said patiently. His mind was spinning, wondering if he had time to find Faragonda and get her permission, wondering if that would waste the last hours of Avalon's life, wondering if it would be better in this case to seek forgiveness rather than permission. "But this is a very grave situation."

Livvy looked down at Avalon who didn't seem to have heard a word of the conversation. His eyes had rolled back in his head and he was sweating as he shook lightly.

"I'll do it!" she cried, and almost zipped right away before Palladium called her back.

"You must be very careful," Palladium stressed to her, feeling sick. "Darkar has likely been waiting to pounce the moment any of you pixies leave Alfea. Stay alert and if you think you're being followed at any point…" Palladium trailed off and glanced down at Avalon, stomach rolling. "Then turn back. The final piece of the codex falling into Darkar's hands would be catastrophic."

"You got it, Prof!" she cried and saluted, almost flying off before he'd even finished speaking.

"Livvy!" he called after her, fighting hard not to let his exasperation show. "You don't know what the antidote is."

Livvy stopped abruptly in midair. "Oh. Right."

Palladium took a deep breath. "I need a petal from the flos vitae."

Livvy's mouth dropped open. The flos vitae, or Flower of Life, was the most important part of pixie culture, and the flower, that grew nowhere but a pixie village, was always the centre of their villages. They guarded it fiercely, and rarely let outsiders anywhere near it.

"The elders might not allow it," she warned him.

"I know. But we have to try. Now go. Quickly!"

Livvy nodded and in a flash of light her magical envelope appeared beside her. She hopped on and zoomed off, becoming little more than a tiny, blonde blur.

---

Darkar dragged a talon along the arm of his throne while he waited for Icy to arrive, adding to the litany of grooves he'd already dug into the stone. Finally the doors to the throne room creaked open and the witch stepped inside, looking up at him with guarded eyes.

Darkar tilted his head and eyed her. As consumed by his plan as he was, he had certainly noticed the three witches drawing further and further within themselves, keeping company only with each other and rarely seeking him out when they weren't summoned. He wasn't overly concerned by it, he had found his newest lackeys, he could find new ones if necessary, but still, it was something to keep an eye on. But for now he had bigger concerns.

"You called?" Icy asked coolly.

"One of the pixies has been lured away from Alfea. The little pest is on her way home now; it will be our only chance to locate their village. Get back to Magix and follow it."

Icy's eyes gleamed with interest, but her mouth tightened as she hesitated. "How did you manage that?"

Darkar flicked one of his talons idly, a lazy, warning gesture that told Icy to stop asking so many questions.

"Ah," she said softly. "Your other little pet." She bit down on the final syllable, baring her teeth at him slightly.

It hadn't taken a genius to work out that Darkar had to have more than just Icy and her coven-sisters working for him. He knew too much about what was happening at Alfea, too much fell his way without their prompting, Icy would be willing to bet he had someone on the inside somehow, and she was trying very hard not to show how angry she was about being kept in the dark.

Darkar leaned forward, those unholy eyes staring her down. "Get. To. Magix. Now."

Icy's face tightened as she nodded and backed away. "The final piece will be ours," she vowed, before stepping through the doors.

"The final piece of the codex," Darkar agreed softly, his voice carrying to her just before the doors clicked shut. She paused on the other side.

Such a strange distinction to make.

---

"This is so exciting!" Chatta squealed, zipping around the girl's heads while they watched the guys receive their final instructions from Codatorta.

Clearly, their head professor was taking this assignment very seriously and suddenly Stella's bet with Musa was not looking so easy for her.

"I've never been skiing before but I've always wanted to go! Have you guys ever been skiing?! Bloom, have you?!"

"I'm from California, Chatta," Bloom said flatly, before cracking a grin at the pixie's blank look in return.

"Ladies."

Codatorta's gruff voice cut through Chatta's excitement, and they turned around to find him gesturing for them to come closer.

"Your bodyguards are ready to depart when you are."

The guys didn't flinch, didn't blink, didn't even seem to be breathing as they stood at attention.

"This is weird," Bloom muttered.

"Cadets!" Codatorta barked and the guys leapt into action, walking with precise movements to relieve the girls of their bags and load them onto the ship. Bloom tried to catch Sky's eye as he took her bag but his shoulders were stiff and gaze distant. Brandon and Stella seemed to be having a full conversation with their eyes, and Riven looked about ready to break his neck avoiding looking at Musa.

"So weird," Musa muttered as they all glanced at one another. Then sharing a shrug and, waving goodbye to Faragonda and Codatorta, traipsed onto the ship after them.

On board, the silence quickly bordered on awkward as the guys found their seats at the controls and the girls hovered, unsure what to do with themselves with the guys being so distant. Musa stalked right over to Riven, who had seated himself in the pilot's chair and busied himself with a magazine, and edged her way in between him and the steering wheel.

"Isn't it professional to at least say hello to the person you're guarding?" she wanted to know.

Riven blinked up at her slowly. "Hey Musa… you're leaning against my controls."

Musa scowled and stomped away again.

Flora and a reluctant Tecna had wandered over to Timmy who was pouring over a screen full of the ship's diagnostics.

"Hey Timmy," Flora said warmly, while Tecna looked like she wished she could be anywhere else.

Timmy fiddled nervously with his glasses. "Sorry," he said shortly. "On duty."

Tecna scoffed and dragged Flora away.

Helia seemed to be the only one acting somewhat normal as he said, "Hello ladies. We can depart once you take your seats."

He ignored the dirty looks he was getting from the other guys and gestured for the girls to get comfortable. They took their seats, Stella glaring at the back of her boyfriend's head, who was resolutely avoiding her eye.

"If they're like this the entire time, this vacation is going to blow so hard," she grumbled, the other girls nodding in agreement.

Sky took the co-pilot's seat and Helia the navigator's, while Timmy finished running the diagnostics, and then, the ship lacking its usual fun chatter, they took off in the direction of Requies.

---

Palladium watched Livvy disappear deeper into the forest before turning back to Avalon's prone form. He was reluctant to move the paladin lest he make his condition worse but if Livvy was unable to convince the elders to give up a petal from the Flower of Life he would need Ophelia's help doing whatever they could to try and save his life.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, although he was unsure if Avalon could even hear him anymore. "This is likely to be unpleasant."

Gritting his teeth and ignoring Avalon's groans of protest, Palladium summoned his magic and used it to lift Avalon into the air and start to carry him in the direction of the castle. It was slow going and having already taken a risk in moving him at all, Palladium refused to go any faster lest it cause the poison to spread even more rapidly.

---

The flight into Requies was far from smooth, made worse by Stella's incessant chatter which was giving Bloom a painful headache.

"I can't believe I forgot my leave-in conditioner! This is what happens when I'm not given sufficient packing time."

Bloom rubbed at her forehead and fought down the urge to tell her to shut it. Musa looked like she was feeling a similar sentiment, Flora was craning her neck trying to get a first glimpse at their destination, Tecna was steadfastly avoiding looking at Timmy, and Layla was cradling a sleeping Piff.

As much as Stella was clearly dreading being away from the full extent of her wardrobe and fashion products, Bloom was kind of looking forward to having a reason to not look in the mirror for a couple of days.

"Cold air plus physical activity is a perfect recipe for frizz. I'll have to try a hair protection spell before we lose our-"

As if triggered by her words, the ship passed into Requies airspace and they felt the magical suppression settle on them. As Faragonda had assured them, it was far from painful or uncomfortable as their previous experiences had been, in fact they could almost ignore that they couldn't reach their powers.

Well, all of them except Stella who let out a piercing wail as the suppression set in and she lost her chance to protect her hair.

Riven winced and accidentally jerked the wheel at the sound and Bloom grunted as she was thrown against a control panel at the sudden move.

"Stella!" she snapped, kneading at her temples.

Stella shot her a look and opened her mouth to retaliate but Riven broke in before she could.

"Are we ready to land, Timmy?"

Timmy adjusted his glasses and scanned the radars in front of him. "We were but there seems to be some local flying fauna to contend with. You'll have to be careful."

Riven rolled his shoulders. "Won't be a problem. You ready, Ace?"

Sky cracked a smile. "Ready."

"You girls better stay buckled in," Brandon warned them. "This could be bumpier than usual."

But Flora was already undoing her seatbelt, rising up to kneel on her seat so she could see better. Curiosity getting the better of them, the rest of the girls followed, seatbelts unbuckled and discarded so they could get a better look at their vacation destination.

Requies was clearly the ultimate holiday destination for a reason. The tiny planet was idyllic, even from the skies and neatly arranged into different sections, with a quaint town in the centre. Among the different factions were snowy mountains and lush forests that opened out onto small, private beaches.

And just like Timmy had warned, the planet seemed to be crawling with a variety of exotic animals, including winged beasts that swarmed the skies. Gritting their teeth, Riven and Sky expertly dodged the flying creatures, until one flew too close and they were forced to tip the ship to avoid it.

Except, in doing so, they also tipped the girls right out of their seats and onto the floor. Bloom landed particularly hard, collecting her shoulder on the metal grated floor with a loud bang and a sharp cry.

Riven and Sky quickly put the ship down, and the guys all jumped from their seats to help the girls up.

"I guess this is why you told us to stay buckled in," Flora said with a rueful laugh as Brandon levered her and Stella to their feet.

Musa ignored Riven's proffered hand while Layla pushed herself to her feet, checking anxiously to make sure she hadn't accidentally squished Piff in the fall. Timmy had knelt down to make sure the rest of the pixies were okay, while Helia hauled Tecna to her feet.

"Those things need lessons on air traffic etiquette," Tune said, shaking her head and touching her curls to make sure they hadn't been flattened too badly.

Groaning, Bloom held her shoulder as Sky hurried to her side and slid to his knees.

"Hey, Bloom, you alright?"

"Fine," she grunted, as Sky slid his hands under her and lifted her to her feet. His movements were short and perfunctory and she tried not to feel the sting of rejection when he quickly retreated, and she stumbled from his grip, looking away and in doing so missed the way he scanned her with clear worry.

It was the assignment, she told herself. He's acting professional because of the assignment.

Or because he doesn't like us anymore, a deeper voice within her whispered.

"Bloom-"

We saw how worried he was about Diaspro.

"-you alright?"

We saw how much his parents didn't like us.

The pain in her head hit a crescendo, the chatter of the others drilling through her, Sky's concern, that voice-

We saw how much better off he'd be without us-

"Bloom-"

A hand reached out to touch her elbow, the pain went white-hot, and she wrenched away on instinct, rubbing her forehead.

"Just stop!"

She didn't know who she was talking to, herself, Sky, the others, that voice, but the words came bursting out, followed by an awkward silence as everyone turned to look at her. Forcing her hand away from her face, Bloom avoided all of their eyes, choosing instead to talk to the ground.

"Can we just get off this fucking ship?"

"Now, really-" Tune began in clear disapproval but Musa quickly hushed her.

Helia cleared his throat, breaking the tense silence. "A bit of fresh air after a long flight always makes me feel better. Shall we head outside and go check in?"

"Sounds like a great idea!" Flora chimed in, a bit too enthusiastically.

Bloom clenched her teeth but forced herself to smile, nod, and follow the others as they all trooped off the ship.

---

Livvy tried not to feel conflicted as she zipped through the trees and flew towards her village; she knew that the circumstances weren't good and were in fact very dangerous, but her heart was singing as the wind finally carried her home.

Despite what Palladium had said, she was much too excited to be paying attention to who might be following her and as a result was totally oblivious to Icy and the shadow monsters who were currently following her. The closer she got to her village, the more familiar the path started to become, and she could almost feel her fellow pixies beckoning her home.

---

"What do you think of this one? It's fake fur." Flora held up a ski jacket with a fake fur trim for her friends to appraise.

"And so cute," Stella agreed while Chatta nodded vehemently.

"If only it came in my size," the pixie sighed.

"Oh my Dragon," Stella exclaimed. "Bonded fairy and pixie matching outfits? What an adorable idea!"

Flora considered another jacket. "Of course the organic wool is biodegradable."

"Get them both, Flora," Stella said, waving her hand airily. "Alfea's paying, remember? And a girl needs options."

Riven sighed and leaned against a wall nearby, folding his arms across his chest. "If she gets both can we please get out of here?"

"I hear that," Layla grumbled, wandering over to the guys, who's patience was starting to wane.

They'd checked in a while ago with an overly chirpy fairy who had run them through their itinerary for their trip, which included spending the rest of their first day hitting the slopes. But of course that meant they first had to hit up the shops in town for winter gear.

"We are but their humble bodyguards, remember?" Helia said, nudging Riven good-naturedly. "We go where they tell us, when they tell us." He seemed to be enjoying this whole thing way too much, only serving to irritate Riven further.

Elsewhere in the store, Sky and Brandon were standing together, watching the girls carefully.

"This is going to be a long week," Brandon sighed, looking at Stella longingly. "But hey, at least you finally know what it feels like to be me."

He laughed, expecting his friend to join him, but Sky was preoccupied watching his own girlfriend. Bloom was trying on hats with Musa, making each other laugh with the increasingly ridiculous hats they were forcing each other to wear.

"Maybe this will be good for Bloom though," Brandon continued carefully. "She seemed a bit on edge before."

"She's never snapped at me like that," Sky admitted. He wasn't offended exactly, but more worried about what was going on to make her act so out of character.

"We'll figure it out, bro."

Oblivious to their attention, Bloom giggled at the red and purple striped beanie she'd forced Musa to try on, complete with pom pom and tassels. Her eyes slid over Musa's shoulder and she pressed her lips together to keep from smiling at whatever she beheld.

"Don't look now, but someone's coming to talk to you," she teased, before seizing Musa's shoulder when she immediately went to look.

"By the Dragon, ease up, B," Musa yelped at the tight grip.

Bloom grinned but released her. "I said not to look," she said.

Musa narrowed her eyes. "Who is it?"

"Who do you think?"

"Who, Riv- no, don't you dare," she hissed, when Bloom waved and wandered away to stand with Tecna.

Musa glanced in a nearby mirror and resisted the urge to yank the stupid beanie off as Riven strolled up next to her.

"Having fun?"

"Irrelevant," Riven said, neutrally, eyes flicking over Musa. "Just here to protect you, remember?"

Musa rolled her eyes. She couldn't help but find Riven frustrating. Just when she thought she was making headway with him, he would pull away or take a step back.

"Then maybe you should go do a perimeter check or something."

"Fine," he shot back, tone mocking. "Maybe I will." He went to walk away before pausing and reaching out to tug on one of the tassels. "Cute hat. You should get it."

Musa was glad that Riven walked away then because she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She finally pulled off the beanie and glanced down at it in her hands. Then, telling herself it was because she was going to buy it anyway, she joined her friends at the counter and added it to the pile of clothes they were buying.

"Are we finally getting out of here?" Layla asked hopefully, walking up to them. "We're going to run out of light if we waste any more time here."

"Yes, Layla, we're done," Stella sighed, looking like she could happily spend the rest of the day checking out the town's stores.

"Finally," Layla sighed, as the girls scooped up their purchases. They tried to hide it, but the guys were just as relieved as they walked out of the store and went to meet the hover-bus that would take them up into the mountains.

---

Livvy was deep in Herrolan wood as she finally approached her village. The spells protecting it were deceptively strong but gave way with a sigh as Livvy broached them, revealing the village between one blink of the eye and the next for everyone to see.

"Home!" she squealed and dived eagerly for it. "Hey!" she called as she settled amongst the little paths and houses that made up the village. "I'm back everybody!"

Little heads poked out from houses all over the village, faces splitting into grins at the sight of their fellow pixie returning home. They rushed to meet Livvy and fold her into a tight hug; from Darkar capturing them to them having to hide at Alfea, it had been hard not getting to see them and make sure they were alright.

"Livvy!" Glim cried, the two bulbs on her head lighting up a happy gold at the sight of her friend. "Thank the Dragon you're back, I missed you so much!"

"And you're just in time for afternoon tea," Camelia cried. "Are the others with you?" she asked hopefully, looking around.

"No, and I can't stay," Livvy said sadly. "Are the elders around? I need permission to pick a petal from the Flower of Life. Someone at Alfea's in trouble."

The pixies murmured in distress, both at the thought of someone being in danger, and at Livvy having to leave again so soon.

As if summoned by her presence, or maybe her voice, which was louder than the average pixie, the elders emerged from the town hall building, faces creased with concern as they beheld the sight of her.

"Livvy!" they cried, hurrying forward.

"Athena, Ninfea, Discorda! It's so good to see you!"

"Is everything alright, Livvy?" Athena seemed torn between happiness at seeing her back in the village and concern about what might have brought her home. "We hadn't yet received word that it was safe for you and the others to return."

"That's because it isn't. But I had to come!" she cried when their faces grew only graver. "I need to pick a petal from the Flower of Life. Someone at Alfea is in trouble!"

Ninfea shared a quick look with her fellow elders before gesturing hurriedly for Livvy to approach the Flower of Life. Located in the very centre of their village, it was their pride and joy, as well as their most sacred site. Aware of the eyes on her back, Livvy quickly mounted the stairs to the dais upon which it was planted, and stretched out a hand to pluck one of the smaller petals.

"Who's in trouble, Livvy?" Discorda asked, voice serious.

But before Livvy could answer, another voice spoke for her, icy in its familiarity, "You are."

Then ice enveloped them all.

---

Changed into their winter gear and laden down with skis and snowboards, the group stood at the base of the mountain and gazed up to where the snowy peak disappeared into the grey clouds. Snowflakes floated down around them and settled into their hair and onto their clothes, completing the picture.

"That's high," Flora said, trying to keep the tremble from her voice. She reached for her bracelet before remembering she didn't have it anymore.

"Really high," Lockette agreed with a terrified squeak, clearly not having the same reservations about keeping the fear from her voice. Bloom scooped her up and tucked the pixie into her jacket when she instantly snuggled into her jumper.

Helia, meanwhile, was reassuring Flora. "Don't worry, you can start on the beginner runs, they won't be as intense."

"And the view will be amazing," Brandon added.

"Okay, but how do we get up there?"

"Come on," Timmy said, leading them over to the cable car station.

"This system looks kind of old," Digit remarked as they waited for the next car to arrive. She flew off Tecna's shoulder and zoomed around the various cables and pulleys, inspecting them closely.

"Be careful," Tecna called out as Digit squeezed nimbly between two cables.

"I have some suggestions for how they could improve it."

"It looks fine to me," Riven said impatiently, gesturing for them all to get on as the car pulled up and its doors creaked open. "Now come on, we wasted the whole morning getting your outfits."

The girls rolled their eyes but complied.

"Tight fit," Layla commented as she stepped on board.

The inside was fairly bare bones, with just a few bench seats and some poles to hold onto. Stella immediately used the lack of space to lean into Brandon's side while he did his best to look dignified and like he wasn't fraternising. The interior was so small that Bloom also found herself pressed up against Sky's chest, who automatically went to put his arm around her before letting it drop back by his side. Bloom's head gave a throb and she sighed, doing her best to lean away despite the lack of space.

"They probably never have the chance to update," Stella commented, eyeing the line of people already forming for the next car. "Seems like they're pretty busy around here."

They all squeezed in, the doors creaked shut once more and they took off, sliding smoothly along the cable and up the mountain.

---

Icy's attack shot towards Livvy and the Flower of Life but the pixie was quick-thinking enough to dive out of the way and avoid being frozen. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for everyone. Livvy rolled along the ground and came to a stop face to face with the face of a fellow pixie expression frozen into one of fear.

"Liz!" she cried, before turning to glare at Icy. "Hey, you froze one of my best friends!"

"Too bad," Icy snarled, her mouth twisted into a terrible smile.

But they had even worse problems she realised, as she noticed the horrified expressions of the elders and the still standing pixies. She followed their gaze and saw that Icy hadn't just frozen pixies, her magical ice had completely surrounded the Flower of Life.

"No!" she cried, echoing the noises of dismay coming from her fellow pixies.

Icy ignored them. "I want your part of the codex, get it for me now!"

The elders shot into the air, their tiny forms trembling with rage.

"Begone!" Ninfea shouted, magic already swirling at her palms.

"Leave this place!" Athena agreed.

"You'll never get your hands on the codex!" Discorda finished.

"Is that so?" Icy drawled, before throwing a handful of ice shards at the elders.

They instantly scattered in opposite directions to avoid getting pierced by the razor sharp tips. Ninfea zoomed around Icy's legs and summoned a vine to trip her up, Athena snatched up a nearby stick, made quick work of sharpening the tip, and hurled it at Icy, while Discorda hit the witch with a blast of pure energy. Stumbling over Ninfea's vines, Icy ducked out of the way of the spear, but the hit from Discorda's magic sent her to her knees. The elders converged above her, and looked on the verge of finishing her off, when the shadow monsters emerged from the trees.

Athena gave a cry of alarm and dove through the air to protect the frozen pixies from becoming a snack for the monsters, Discorda used her own shadow magic to try and absorb the monsters, leaving Ninfea to bravely face Icy who surged back to her feet to tower over her. More thorny vines burst from the now icy ground, but the witch was ready for the attack now, and froze them solid with barely a wave of her hand. She flicked Ninfea out of the sky with yet another wave of her hand, and with Athena and Discorda distracted protecting the rest of the village from the shadow monsters, there was no one to stop her as she stalked towards the town hall. It was work of a moment to kneel down and shove her hand through the front door, uncaring of the mess she was making of the lovely little building. Perhaps the final piece of the codex knew that Icy was in possession of the other three, because it seemed to call to her and within seconds she had closed her hand around it.

She pulled it out, gazing down at the plain metal box with satisfaction. But what she wasn't expecting was for Livvy to come flying at her, moving with purpose to knock her hand and send the codex flying into the air. It was nearly as big as Livvy herself was, but the pixie caught it with two hands and zipped off with it.

"You pest!" Icy hissed, livid as she was forced to watch the codex flyaway.

She growled and blasted a handful of ice at Livvy's retreating back, but her frustration sent the attack wide and Livvy disappeared amongst the trees.

"Come on," Icy hissed to the shadow monsters who were still snapping at the pixies. "Leave them! We need to get that codex."

She launched into the air and, with the shadow monsters running at her heels, zoomed into the forest after Livvy.

"Should we follow and try to help?" Glim cried, gazing worriedly in the direction they'd gone.

The three elders, Ninfea, Discorda, and Athena exchanged glances before shaking their heads in unison.

"Hopefully, Livvy will take the codex back to Alfea, she'll be safe once she crosses the protective enchantments," Athena explained.

"And Livvy knows how to travel discreetly. If we follow we might just end up drawing attention to her," Ninfea followed up.

"And besides," Discorda finished, gazing mournfully at the wreckage of their village. "We have enough to do here."

The pixies still on their feet followed her gaze, looking sadly at their frozen friends, and worst of all, the ice encasing their beloved Flower of Life.

Deeper in the forest, Livvy was trying to do exactly what Ninfea had predicted, using her speed to try and lose Icy so she could sneak back to the protection of Alfea. The problem was Icy was much faster than she'd been hoping, and although she hadn't been able to catch Livvy yet, the pixie hadn't been able to lose her either. Icy kept shooting blast after blast of ice shards at Livvy's back, trying to slow her up, and it was taking all the pixie's skill in the air to avoid being impaled.

Drawing nearer to Alfea, and sensing she was running out of time, an idea occurred to Icy and moving fast she lifted her hand once more, this time opening a portal just ahead. Portal magic was not her strength, and she knew it wouldn't stay open long, but that was fine, she didn't need it to.

Livvy yelped as she saw the blue magic ripple through the air ahead, but she was flying too fast and too direct to do anything but barrel right through it and into nothingness. Icy, giving a cackle of delight, dived through the portal after her.

---

As nervous as some of them were about skiing, the entire group was relieved when they finally reached the top of the mountain and the doors to the car slid open, allowing them to spill out into the snow. Except maybe Timmy who immediately tripped and stumbled to his knees.

"I should have done more research on the flight over," he groaned as Brandon hauled him back up, and Sky gathered his skis, handing them back to him.

"You'll be alright," Brandon said, dusting some snow off his shoulder before giving it a hearty clap. He turned a charming smile to the girls. "Ladies, after you."

Of the girls, only Tecna really had any experience skiing, so while she took them through some of the basics, the guys spread out and watched on. As Tecna's lesson progressed it was clear Stella was completely lost, Flora was only doing marginally better, and Bloom and Musa were holding their own. Layla, meanwhile, had opted for a snowboard over skis, reasoning that it couldn't be much different from surfboarding. From the envious looks, Stella was shooting her, the blonde princess was clearly thinking she'd made the wrong choice.

"When exactly do we get to do some actual snowboarding?" Riven asked Sky as he sidled up beside him. Together they watched on as Flora and Stella clung to each other, giggling as they attempted to keep their skis underneath them.

"Let them get more comfortable first," Sky said reasonably.

"It'll be midnight before they're comfortable."

"We're supposed to be watching them."

Riven rolled his eyes. "They have Brandon, Helia, and Timmy…" Riven cocked his head, considering. "Well Timmy might not be that much help."

They both looked over in time to see Timmy's feet slipping out from beneath him once more.

"Be nice," Sky said even as he winced as Timmy landed flat on his back, looking winded.

The girls glanced over at the commotion, while Brandon and Helia quickly set Timmy back on his feet. Tecna's face was unreadable and she quickly moved on trying to instruct the girls.

"Come on, Ace," Riven said, nudging him in the ribs. "I know you're bored. Let's go."

Sky's expression didn't give anything away even as Riven kept nudging him cajolingly. Finally he cracked.

"We're uh, we're gonna go do a perimeter check," he called to the others, while Riven grinned victoriously.

"What perimeter?" Timmy asked, while Brandon rolled his eyes, but Sky and Riven were already gone.

"So rebellious, golden boy," Riven crowed as they boarded towards one of the runs down the mountain.

"Yeah, yeah, last one down pays for dinner tonight?"

"You're on!"

They both conveniently ignored that Alfea and Red Fountain were picking up all of their expenses while they were on Requies. Neither of them could resist a good challenge and within moments they were off.

Layla watched them go with narrowed eyes before considering her own snowboard. It would be her first time but she was sure she would pick it up as fast as she'd picked up surfboarding when she was a tot.

She shifted Piff, who was snoozing on her shoulder, and tucked her securely into her hood. "Come on, Piff," she murmured, more to herself for all the response her bonded pixie showed. "We'll show them."

She strapped herself in and shuffled over to the start of the run, taking a deep breath before she threw her weight forward and followed the guys down.

Distracted from the lesson, Stella watched her go, expression unreadable.

She wasn't the only one who wasn't paying attention however; Timmy might have been gazing at Tecna but it was clear from his expression that he wasn't hearing a word she said.

Helia glanced at him. "It must be hard," he said in an undertone. "Not being able to socialise with Tecna. I noticed you guys are close."

Timmy startled and his skis almost slipped out from underneath him once more. If it hadn't been for Brandon automatically seizing a hold of his shoulder, he likely would have ended up on his back in the snow once again.

Cheeks colouring a bright red, Timmy stuttered out, "Oh- uh, Tecna isn't- we're not- it's not like that."

Brandon wisely kept his gaze on his own girlfriend, while Helia nodded diplomatically. "I see."

He didn't push the issue and cast his eyes back over the girls, noticing Stella wasn't particularly paying attention and Flora still looked nervous, touching her wrist where her bracelet used to sit.

"Alright, we've got it," Stella suddenly said, and Helia snapped out of his thoughts.

Brandon breathed a sigh of relief at finally getting to take a trip down the mountain, Musa looked equally relieved, while Flora and Timmy looked equally unnerved by the prospect. Deaf to Tecna's protests that she still had more to show them, the group made their way to the start of the run.

"We'll figure it out," Stella said dismissively, bending down to make sure she was secure in her skis and thereby missing Tecna rolling her eyes at her.

"Whatever," she grumbled. "Don't cry to me when you wipe out."

"Yeah, yeah," Musa said, and then she was gone, skiing down the mountain with an exhilarated whoop.

Bloom grinned and grabbed Flora's hand hauling them both along while the others brought up the rear.

Further down the mountain, Sky and Riven were neck and neck as they hurtled down the mountain. Slyly glancing at Riven and seeing the focus expression on his face, Sky grinned and faked a look over his shoulder.

"Looks like the girls are on their way down!" he yelled to his friend. "I think that's Musa!"

Riven's head jerked up and he twisted around to see, but the sudden movement threw off his balance and his board went out from underneath him, leaving him on his butt in the snow.

"You dick!" Riven yelled after him, laughter betraying his amusement.

Sky chanced a look over his shoulder at him. "Oh," he said, pretending to sound contrite. "I guess it wasn't her."

Riven was shaking his head and laughing before he saw something that had escaped Sky's notice.

"Sky! Be careful!"

He pointed ahead and Sky faced forward just in time to yelp and veer so he didn't collide with the cluster of trees that had seemingly popped up out of nowhere. He managed to miss them and remain unscathed but the change in course killed any momentum he had and he slid to a slow stop.

He and Riven couldn't help but look at one another and laugh, although their mouths dropped open in surprise as another figure came zooming down the mountain and zipped right past them both.

"See ya, boys," Layla said with a smile, and within seconds she was out of sight as she raced to the bottom of the mountain.

Riven hauled himself back to his feet while Sky got himself back on course and smiling a little in bemusement they both boarded after her, guessing they would be sharing the bill for dinner that night.

"Took you guys long enough," Layla crowed when they finally reached her at the base of the mountain.

"I thought you'd never snowboarded before?" Riven asked suspiciously.

Layla laughed. "I haven't. But it turns out it's not that different to surfing."

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Riven along with the others, turned their attention back to the mountain to watch the others come down. Musa's technique was a little unorthodox but she was holding her own, while Bloom was practically holding Flora up as they came down together. Stella looked like she was concentrating hard, although they weren't sure that the fairy of the sun was particularly enjoying the experience. Helia's expression was serene as though he were merely taking a walk through the park, Brandon was grinning as he kept an eye on them all, and Tecna was holding Timmy's hand to keep him upright, both of them looking mighty awkward about it. As soon as they reached the bottom they quickly let go and refused to look at one another.

"How was that?" Sky asked, looking at those of the group who were skiing for the first time.

"Fine," Stella said, mind clearly elsewhere.

"Wicked," Musa said, cheeks pink with the thrill.

"Not bad, although I'm not sure I could carry Flora like that a second time," Bloom said, and Flora flushed.

"It's a work in progress," Timmy muttered.

"Care to go again?" Brandon asked and they all readily agreed, even Flora and Timmy, before hurrying back over to the cable car station.

---

Livvy's heart constricted in her chest as she soared out of the portal and found herself zooming through a dim passageway of the Under Realms. She'd been lucky not to have been among the group first captured by Lord Darkar but her friends had opened up enough about the experience for her to recognise where she was, and realise how much trouble she was in.

"I've got you now, you little pest," Icy taunted as she raced along after Livvy.

The pixie gave a squeak of fear and picked up the pace, before darting around a corner and hurtling along that passage.

"Not that way," Icy hissed and Livvy didn't know where she was going but if the witch wasn't happy about it that was enough for Livvy.

The passageway opened out abruptly into a massive cavern, lined with glowing crystals to light the city that was sprawled out before them. The sight was so surprising that Livvy almost slowed down before she remembered Icy right on her heels.

"Downland," she cried, recognising it from the stories she'd heard of the Under Realms.

"Yes, this is Downland, and you had both better start explaining what you're doing in my kingdom."

Up ahead, bedecked in red and gold, was a figure who could only be Queen Amentia, hand in hand with Sponsus, with a trio of guards spaced around her.

"Your Majesty!" Livvy squeaked, jerking in an attempt of a mid-air bow, before darting forward and around to hide behind her.

Icy landed a healthy distance away and settled her hands on her hips.

"Hand the pixie over and we'll be out of your hair," Icy gritted out, fighting hard to keep her tone pleasant.

"Please don't!" Livvy cried. "She's trying to steal something that isn't hers." She hefted the codex's silver container higher in her arms, sweating from having been carrying it for so long.

Amentia huffed and plucked it out of her grasp, considering it carefully before tucking it securely within the folds of her dress. Livvy didn't love the idea of relinquishing possession of the final piece of the codex but at least it didn't seem Amentia was in a hurry to hand it over.

"We don't abide thievery in Downland," Sponsus said pleasantly.

"We certainly don't," Amentia sniffed, and Icy finally lost her cool.

"Look, just hand it over and I won't have to hurt you."

Amentia's copper eyes flashed with indignation. "You? Hurt me?" She lifted her sceptre and slammed it against the stone, a trident-like head appearing, its points gleaming in the crystal's light. "Are you so sure about that?"

Icy bared her teeth, frost already forming at her fingertips. "You're on, princess." She vaulted into the air and flung a hand out towards Amentia's guards, freezing them solid in half a second.

"That's Queen to you," Amentia snarled in response. "And you want to do this one on one? That's fine by me. You have no idea what you're about to come up against."

"Neither do you!"

Amentia lunged forward, angling her sceptre towards Icy and almost catching her in the side. Icy was forced to fly higher, but the added height gave her better vision of Sponsus and Livvy who were standing back, out of the way. She formed an ice spear and hurled it at them, but wasn't accounting for Amentia's lightning fast reflexes. The Queen rolled across the floor and came up on one knee to deflect the ice spear with her sceptre, redirecting it so it shattered against the side of a nearby house instead.

"That's my husband," she roared, voice of pure fury, while Sponsus, looking unruffled, ushered Livvy backwards.

"Best to leave it to Amentia now."

Livvy peered up at him with worried eyes. "We can't lose the codex."

"Amentia will not let that happen," Sponsus said, his devotion to his wife unwavering.

As if sensing the beast she'd awoken, Icy started flinging wave after wave of ice shards at Amentia. But the queen was like a trog possessed and fought her way closer so she could get at Icy with the razor sharp tips of her sceptre.

"That codex belongs to me, I want it back!" Icy yelled, starting to lose her patience.

In a rare show of whatever power bubbled away beneath her skin, Amentia suddenly disappeared, only to reappear directly behind Icy, bringing her sceptre up against the witch's throat.

"Well, you're not getting it," Amentia hissed, unmoved as Icy choked for air.

She gasped and brought a hand up to try and force the sceptre away but Amentia held firm. What the queen didn't notice however was the frost seeping from Icy's hand and creeping over the sceptre. Then when it was cold enough she clenched her fist with a desperate yell and snapped the sceptre completely in half.

Amentia let out an anguished yell. "My mother gave me that for my fifth birthday!"

Still wielding the broken pieces of her sceptre Amentia leapt back into battle with Icy, the latter conjuring two spears of ice to assist her. Cold metal hit solid ice, neither refusing to yield to the other.

Livvy hovered anxiously in midair, wishing she'd never let Amentia take the codex, so she could have been getting away with it while Icy was distracted.

A thundering of feet approached as more guards arrived from the palace. Amentia smirked, "Time for you to get out of my kingdom."

"Is there a problem here?"

A new voice entered the fray and Icy twisted around to find that Darcy and Stormy had appeared behind her, falling into their usual positions flanking her. Icy hadn't been particularly worried but she had to admit it felt good to have her coven-sisters backing her up once again.

"More trespassers," Amentia said, sounding bored of the entire thing. "Soldiers, attack," she ordered with a lazy sweep of her broken sceptre.

The soldiers lumbered forward but Darcy waved a hand and darkness descended upon the entire city, the glow of the crystals not enough to cut through. Separately the witches were powerful, but now that they were together, Amentia and her guards were no match for them. Icy and Stormy combined their powers to create such a frigid blast of wind that the trogs were thrown to the ground. Darcy's eyes, capable of seeing through her own supernatural darkness, found Amentia in a moment and used the magic to yank the codex out of her pocket and summoned it to her hand.

Livvy's panicked voice rose up out of the darkness. "No! Stop!" But there was nothing she could do to stop them from taking the final piece of the codex and leaving.

Icy's cruel, wickedly delighted, voice was the last thing she heard. "Let's go, ladies."

Livvy knew they were gone when light returned to the cavern and the trogs started to push themselves to their feet.

"I can't believe they took it," Livvy cried, hands flying to her face. "I don't know how I'm going to explain this to everyone."

Amentia hardly seemed to care as she allowed Sponsus to rush over to her and help her to her feet.

"Get up!" she screamed at her downed guards, practically shaking with rage. She gestured to the others who were still stuck in blocks of ice. "Melt that ice and get to the palace immediately. No one makes a fool of me in my own kingdom and I will have my revenge!" And with that she stomped off with Sponsus at her heels, leaving Livvy with the hard task of going back to Alfea and explaining to Faragonda what had happened.

---

Completely oblivious to what was happening on the other side of the dimension, those on Requies were starting to really enjoy themselves as they skied and boarded down the mountain over and over again. The sun slowly crossed the sky and headed for the horizon, and to the backdrop of a most glorious sunset, they decided to go for one final run down the mountain before they headed into town for dinner.

"Shall we go up to Copper Peak?" Flora suggested daringly as they waited for a car at the station.

"That's the steepest slope on the mountain," Digit observed. "By my calculations you should have time to get all the way up and back down again before we lose the light."

Riven, who had been keen for a chance at the slope all day, jumped at the chance and punched it in as their destination before anyone could protest. They loaded onto the next car and they all piled on before it took off, taking them high into the sky.

"You seem more confident," Helia observed to Flora quietly on the trip up. "Suggesting Copper Peak."

Flora smiled at her boots, cheeks pink. "Well, I don't know about that. But I know some of you guys really wanted to try it and I didn't want to hold anyone back."

Helia's eyes traced over her face. "That's very kind of you, Flora."

Flora's cheeks only turned pinker in response.

On the other side of the car, Sky and Brandon were discussing dinner options.

"The woman at the ski shop recommended the Pine Villa. Apparently it's very romantic." He wriggled his eyebrows at Sky with a grin, but his friend only sighed.

"Maybe, that's not the best idea."

Brandon groaned. "These rules really blow."

He leaned against the wall of the car and cast his eyes over his friends, catching on Bloom who was standing by herself, rubbing her forehead. A prickle of worry tore at him.

"Might be worth bending the rules though," he heard himself saying, and Sky glanced over at him, before following his gaze to his girlfriend. Brandon hated the worried expression that immediately overtook his friend's face. "Help everyone unwind a bit."

"Yeah," Sky said quietly. "Maybe."

The cable car continued to ascend, moving past the other stations that they'd previously gotten off at. The sky got gloomier the higher up they went, the sunset losing some of its allure as the snow got thicker and the wind got stronger.

And speaking of the wind…

"Ooh, I'm starting to feel a bit queasy," Lockette said, clamping a hand over her mouth as the car rocked from side to side.

She came to rest on Bloom's shoulder but didn't get much sympathy from her bonded fairy who had her hand over her face, rubbing her temples against the oncoming headache.

"Don't worry, Lockette," Brandon said to the pixie. "I think we're almost there."

As if triggered by his words, the cable car ground to a sudden halt, and everyone, even Bloom, slowly looked around at one another, before it gave a violent shudder, nearly knocking them all off their feet.

"What the hell was that?" Stella screeched, clinging to one of the poles in the centre of the car.

"Well, that didn't feel good," Musa groaned, pushing herself away from the wall she'd been thrown against and rescuing Tune who had been squished in between.

"Any ideas?" Sky asked, looking at Tecna and Timmy.

"Hard to say," Tecna said, gazing upwards.

"Roof hatch," Timmy said, nudging her and pointing towards the ceiling. "Can you give me a hand, guys?"

Riven and Brandon clasped their hands together for Timmy to step into and lifted him up so he could open the ceiling hatch and pull himself up to see what was happening. He poked his head out, clenching his teeth at the bitter wind that nipped at his exposed skin, and squinted through the gloominess.

It didn't take long to find the issue; it wasn't just the cable cars that were old, as Digit had said earlier it was the whole system, and a section of the cable was fraying badly, preventing the car from rolling on. And not only that, but the weight of the car hanging in the one spot seemed to be making the cable fray even faster as Timmy watched another strand snap.

"Dragon help up," he muttered. "Alright, let me down."

The guys lowered him and he glanced around at the worried faces of his friends. He quickly explained the situation trying to ignore the groaning of the car as it swung in the wind.

"Now, I'm really not feeling well," Lockette wailed, and Bloom winced at the volume.

"Can't you guys transform?" Chatta screeched to the girls.

"We can't, our magic's suppressed, remember?" Stella yelled back.

"Everyone calm down! There has to be a way to figure this out."

The car jolted again and a yell went up around the car and Bloom clasped her hands over her ears, a pounding starting up behind her eyes.

Brandon was desperately trying to call anyone in the village but couldn't get reception on his phone, while Sky had found an emergency contact panel on the wall but whenever he pushed the speaker button it just admitted a squawk of feedback.

"Guys, do something!" Musa yelled, her face very pale. "Isn't this why you're here? To protect us?!"

Bloom pressed down harder on her ears desperately trying to drown out the noise. It helped somewhat but she swore she could hear a chuckle of laughter start up.

"Just hang on-"

"-figure something out-"

"When?"

"-gonna plummet to our deaths-"

The pain in Bloom's head hit a crescendo and the chuckling turn to shrieks of mirth.

"Just shut up!"

She didn't even realise she'd spoken aloud until the noise abruptly stopped. She opened her eyes, unsure when she'd closed them, and slowly drew her hands away from her ears. Everyone was staring at her waiting for her to say something. Waiting, she realised, for her to come up with a plan to save them.

Taking a deep breath, and trying to ignore the lingering pounding in her head, Bloom looked around, searching for a way out. Her mind jumped to the cable above, wondering if they could climb along it, but immediately cast the idea aside as too dangerous. The solution was not to go up, no, they needed to get down.

The cable followed the gradient of the mountain and as Bloom looked out the window, she could see the tops of trees just out of reach. That was the way to safety, they just needed a plan to get down there.

"Everyone take off your snow jackets and pants," she instructed, trying to sound sure of herself. To show how serious she was Bloom took hers off first, grateful that they'd all worn multiple layers, and trying not to shiver too obviously in the cold air.

Grumbling a little, the others followed suit, stripping out of their outermost layers and dumping them all in a pile in the middle of the car.

"What we're going to do is make a ladder out of our snow gear and skis, which we can use to climb down."

"It won't be long enough to get us all the way to the ground," Riven pointed out.

"As long as we can get to the treetops, we'll be fine," Bloom said confidently. "Timmy, Tecna, can you design something that will be strong enough to carry our weight?"

The pair exchanged quick glances before going back to avoiding one another. "I'm sure we can whip something up," Timmy mumbled, polishing his glasses frantically.

"Flora," Bloom said next. "You're a whiz with knots so maybe work with Timmy and Tec and you can lead on actually making it."

"Helia's pretty good at knots," Brandon added.

Bloom nodded. "Awesome. Sky, Brandon, Riven, Stella do what you can to help out."

"There's a basic survival kit here," Sky said. "Me and Riven can go through it to see if there's anything else we can use."

"Good idea."

"And what are you three going to be doing?" Stella asked, narrowed eyes on Bloom, Layla, and Musa.

Bloom grimly glanced up. "We're going to be keeping an eye on the cable, I don't want any surprises."

While the others got to work, Layla and Bloom put their hands together for Musa to step into and they lifted her up to look through the ceiling hatch.

"How's it looking up there?" Bloom called.

Musa grimaced when she saw the state of the cable. "You don't want to know," she called back, which didn't exactly instil Bloom with a lot of confidence.

Sweating under Musa's weight and the current circumstances, Bloom looked around at how the others were going, relieved at the progress already. Stella was helping Tecna and Timmy lay all the various pieces out according to the plan they'd come up with while Helia and Flora came along behind them and knotted them all together, assisted by Sky, Riven, and Brandon. They seemed to have found some rope from the survival kit and were using it to double secure all the knots. Bloom hadn't been underselling Flora's proficiency with knots and even from across the car she couldn't help but notice Helia's occasional appreciative looks.

"Uhhh, guys," Musa said, her voice floating down from above. "I don't think this is going to hold for much longer. Like ten minutes tops."

Grimacing, Bloom and Layla lowered her to the ground, and under other circumstances they might have laughed at Musa's nose which was very pink from the cold. But none of them felt like laughing.

"Guys…" Layla ventured.

"We heard, we heard," Riven said. "We're almost there."

"One last knot," Flora muttered under her breath, hands almost working at double speed. "And there!" She yanked the last knot tight and sat back on her heels.

Not wasting any seconds, Tecna and Timmy gathered up one end and set to securing it to a railing while Sky and Riven opened a window to lower the ladder down. All the while the car creaked and groaned as it rocked to and fro.

"Looks like it's just going to reach," Sky said in relief. He cast a quick critical eye over the group. "Right, I'll go down first to make sure it's safe, then Riven and Brandon will follow, then the girls, then Helia and Timmy will come last."

Brandon didn't look happy about getting out of the car before his girlfriend but he didn't argue that part, instead he said, "I know I have to get off before Stella, but there's no way I'm letting you go first."

Sky opened his mouth to protest but Brandon was already swinging a leg through the window and preparing to climb down.

"Woah, hold up, hold up," Stella cried, rushing over to the window. "Why do you three get to get off first, while we're stuck here like sitting ducks. And why does Brandon have to go first?"

Brandon touched Stella's face tenderly and kissed her. "I'll see you down there, Princess," he said with a wink. And then he was gone.

Stella spun on her heel to glare at Riven and Sky, but the latter barely noticed, leaning out the window to worriedly watch his friend's descent.

"We don't have time to argue about this," Riven said, speaking very fast and very seriously. "We've been drilled on how to safely evacuate an unstable area. Our mission objective is to keep you girls safe, that means at least one of us has to go first to test the ladder's safety; Brandon has his own objective to keep Sky safe and wouldn't let him go first and like I just said we do not have time to debate any further. Second objective is to decrease the weight in the car to buy more time to get everyone off safely. Brandon, Sky, and I are the heaviest, that's why we're going before you girls."

The rest of the guys nodded, while Sky straightened and glanced at Bloom.

"Brandon made it down alright," he said, and Stella let out a whimper of relief.

It was Sky's turn.

Bloom felt frozen solid, and not just because of how cold the air in the car had become with the window open. Her instincts screamed at her to go to Sky and stop him from going next, or at least kiss him one final time in case anything went wrong. But it was like she couldn't force her feet to move. She couldn't even make her lips move to tell him to be careful. She couldn't do anything but look at him.

He stared back into her eyes, expression unreadable, before he nodded and without another word to any of them, slipped out the window and descended into the darkness.

The rest of the group were quiet after that.

When it was Riven's turn he didn't say anything to anyone, didn't even look at them, not even Musa, as he left. Tecna went first for the girls and everyone pretended not to notice as Timmy hovered nervously by the window during her entire trip. Helia offered Flora a hand up as she clambered out the window when it came to her turn. Layla squared her shoulders when it was hers and just offered them a light-hearted wave as she went.

It wasn't an easy trip down, for the ladder swayed with both the wind and the rocking of the car, but over a year of classes with Lysippe had improved their reflexes and it was all going smoothly until it came to Musa's turn.

Snow had been falling the entire time and the ski rungs of the ladder were starting to get wet and slippery. She made it almost the entire way until she got to the final rung when her boot slipped and she lost her grip on the ladder. Luckily Riven was propped in a nearby tree bough and was able to grab her, hauling her into his chest and wrapping an arm securely around her.

"You okay?" he asked, both of their hearts racing. He reached up to adjust the ridiculous beanie she was still wearing which she'd almost lost in the fall.

Musa licked her lips, which were very dry all of a sudden, and Riven's eyes involuntarily dropped to follow the movement before flicking back to hers.

"I'm okay," she forced herself to say. "Thank you."

Riven swallowed roughly. "Don't mention it."

Stella went next, cursing her lack of powers the entire time, knowing she could have dried the ladder if only she'd had access to her magic. Still she made it down unscathed and the no socialising rule was completely thrown out the window when her feet finally touched down on the ground and Brandon could get his hands on her.

Sky watched, heart in his mouth as Bloom came last for the girls. He wouldn't expect anything else from his girlfriend but to make all her other friends go first, but still he'd selfishly wished she'd be first out. His eyes never left her the entire time, and as soon as she was in reach, he had her in his arms where he was safely secured in a tree.

"Are you alright?"

"You saw me two minutes ago," Bloom said, words curt. She pulled himself from his arms and climbed out of the tree, only breathing a sigh of relief when she finally touched down on the ground.

Sky and Riven both climbed out of their respective trees, and together they all looked up to watch as the last two of their group made it out of the car. Helia moved swiftly and smoothly, even with the wind picking up speed. Flora had a vice grip on her wrist the entire time and only let up when Helia leapt from the ladder and into the nearest tree. Then it was only Timmy left to come.

"He has to hurry," Tecna fretted, hands over her mouth, as they all watched him climb out the window. "It won't hold much longer."

Flora wrapped her arms around Tecna, but the girl's eyes never left Timmy. The guys all watched him closely as well, but they didn't seem to share the same worry as Tecna.

The reason why became immediately clear.

Timmy moved nimbly down the rungs of the ladder at easily double the pace of any of the others. His hands were quick and sure, and it was only a matter of seconds before he was at the base and stepping onto a tree bough.

Sky glanced at Tecna. "We left him for last for a reason, Tec."

Tecna pressed her lips together and nodded before turning away.

Once everyone was safely on the ground, the guys quickly ushered the girls away. And not a moment too soon for within seconds they heard the cable finally snapping and the crash of the car landing in the snow. The pixies, who had all come down with their bonded fairies, peeked out from their various hiding places and breathed little sighs of relief.

"Is everyone okay?" Sky asked when they found somewhere to shelter nearby.

"Thanks to Bloom we are," Amore said, nestled against Stella's chest for warmth.

"Yes!" Chatta agreed. "I'm going to write you a new cheer while we wait for someone to come get us!"

Bloom smiled wanly and leaned against a tree with her arms folded across her chest. "I'm just glad everyone got down safely," she said simply.

Sky tried to catch her eye but she was steadfastly staring out across the dark snow. He sighed but didn't push the issue and they all settled in to get comfortable while they waited for help to arrive.

---

"I'm so sorry, Headmistress," Palladium said for the umpteenth time and he and Faragonda anxiously watched Ophelia and Professor Isokalis trying to brew a cure for Avalon.

He'd had no choice but to explain the situation to Faragonda once he'd gotten Avalon back to school, including the decision to send Livvy to the village.

"I wish the decision had not been necessary," Faragonda said, her voice measured. "But I cannot fault you, Professor." She touched his shoulder gently. "It is hard to do nothing when someone we care about is in pain." Her attention turned back to the potion brewing. "Perhaps a pinch of scarlet safe and a drop of essence of focaccia root," she suggested, voice calm.

"Yes, good idea. Thank you, Headmistress."

Ophelia dashed over to the potion ingredients and quickly located them, bringing them over for Isokalis to add. The potions professor seemed to be in deep concentration, muttering to herself and seemingly oblivious to everyone else in the room, including the now completely unconscious Avalon.

"…very little research into the flos vitae… hard to simulate its healing properties… if we mix it with a generalised healing potion… maybe… maybe…"

Finally Isokalis deemed the potion to be ready and extracted a vial.

"I must warn you that there's every chance this won't work, Headmistress," she said, peering over her glasses at them all as they gathered around Avalon's bedside. "The flos vitae has healing powers that we still don't fully understand, it makes it very hard to replicate its results. And nothing has ever healed norcithia venom like tea from the flos vitae does."

"It's our only hope," Faragonda said gravely. "Livvy still isn't back and I'm afraid that cannot be good news; for Avalon or for us."

Palladium slipped an arm under Avalon's shoulders and propped him up so Ophelia could administer the cure, and then there was nothing to do but wait and hope it worked.

The door to the infirmary banged open suddenly, making them all jump and spin around. A panting Griselda stood there, and Faragonda was about to ask what had happened, when she spied Livvy hovering in the air beside her.

"Livvy?" she asked gently, but the pixies just burst into tears.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Headmistress!"

Palladium sunk into a chair, head in his hands, while Isokalis patted his shoulder.

"Oh, Livvy," Faragonda said over the pixie's loud wails. She glanced at Ophelia. "Perhaps a calming tea," she said quietly, and the healer nodded and hurried away.

"I did my best to stop her, but Icy got the last piece of the codex," Livvy managed to tell them, as Faragonda led her over to a bed to rest on. The pixie's tears only increased as she saw Avalon's prone form on the next bed. "She attacked the village, got the codex, and I wasn't even able to help Professor Avalon," she sobbed.

"There there, dear," Ophelia said gently, handing her a tiny cup of tea.

"Livvy, is the village alright?" Faragonda asked anxiously.

"Mostly, I think. Icy froze bits of it." So much had happened that Livvy was struggling to remember what state the village had been in when she'd made her desperate escape.

Faragonda half rose from the bed she was perched on to go check in when a sudden cough from Avalon's bed stole all their attention.

"Professor?" Ophelia asked, hurrying to his side and shaking his shoulder gently. "Professor, can you hear me?"

Avalon groaned and coughed again, before finally blinking his eyes open. "What happened?"

"It worked. It actually worked," Isokalis breathed, eyes wide, while Palladium finally looked up from his hands, a small glimmer of relief in his expression.

Ophelia set about checking over the professor to make sure he really was alright, while Faragonda let out a long breath and blinked up at the ceiling.

Not much had gone right that day. The final piece of the codex was in Darkar's hands which would surely bring all manner of pain and destruction to the dimension, and she had no idea what state the pixie's village was in and if they were all okay. But one life had been saved. And on the tough days, that's the part she had to cling to.

---

"You're shivering."

Bloom was but didn't much feel like admitting that to Sky, not when she didn't know whether she wanted to step into his arms or run from them.

The events of the past few hours flashed through her mind; how weird it had felt to not be able to be close to him, the cold way he'd helped her up on the ship, the way she'd just stood there when he'd been about to descend the rickety ladder from the cable car and really could have ended in disaster, the curt way she'd spoken to him afterwards. She didn't know what was wrong with her, why she was acting the way she was.

"Come on," he murmured to her gently, nudging her away from the tree she was leaning against so he could slip his arms around her and pull her into his chest.

"What happened to the no socialising rule?" Bloom asked, still putting up a protest as much as she wanted to lean into his embrace.

"Codatorta can fail me for all I care," Sky rumbled and Bloom finally leaned her head against his chest, sighing at the warmth of his body against hers. "Talk to me," he murmured into her hair, so quiet there was no chance the others would hear. "Tell me what's going through that head of yours."

"Nothing," Bloom lied, squeezing her eyes shut. "I'm fine. I think I just need this vacation more than I realised."

Sky might have pushed back on the clear lie more if it weren't for the light that suddenly flooded the area and the sudden voices calling out to them.

"Thank the Dragon you kids are okay!"

A team of Requiestrians had finally arrived after combing the mountain for them, fearing the worst once they'd realised the cable car had gone down.

"Come on," another said, hands alight with magic as she handed them warm jackets to put on. "We'll get you guys back to town where we can check you all out and get a warm dinner in you. How does that sound?"

A weak cheer went up amongst the group and Sky let Bloom go so she could put on a jacket. He sighed at the opportunity missed but couldn't help but be grateful at the thought of finally getting out of the snow.

---

Icy sauntered through the doors to the throne room of Shadowhaunt, Darcy and Stormy on either side of her and held up the silver box that contained the final piece of the codex.

"I've got a little present for you, Shadow Lord," she purred, grinning when Darkar actually got to his feet and descended the dais.

"You did it," he breathed, gazing down at the codex. "I finally have all four pieces of the codex once again."

"Yes," Icy said, her voice slightly frosty now. "We do. And we can finally enter Realix and take the Ultimate Power for ourselves."

Darkar let out a noise that was almost a chuckle. "Well, we almost can."

Icy's voice was colder than any ice she could have conjured. "Almost?"

Darkar walked back to his throne and placed the fourth container reverently with the other three, the completed codex that he refused to let out of his sight. "Did I forget to tell you about the one other thing we need before we enter Realix?"

"Are you fucking serious-?" Stormy began furiously, but Icy held up a hand to silence her, her own face icy with rage.

Voice carefully controlled, Darcy spoke, "By the Dragon, what else could we possibly need?"

"I assure you, you're going to love this surprise," Darkar told them, and his mouth twisted into a terrifying grin.

---

Hello friendsssss I liveeeee! Life has been slightly hectic since I last updated, hence it taking a little longer than I would have liked. Not to give you the long, boring story but basically, my company told me they were closing the store I manage in July, I wouldn't lose my job but I would have to pick where I was going next, I picked which was not an easy decision, they told me hmmm maybe we'll keep it open longer than we originally said (Aug), not great but new store said that would be fine, then they said hmmm actually maybe we'll keep it open until January actually, so I would miss out on the new position which actually suits me better than my current one. So I was like lmao you guys have fucked me over too many times, see ya, I'm out. So now I start at the new store September 10th and I am sooooo excited :D I'll be going back to being an assistant manager which honestly I'm fine with and I'm hoping it'll give me more brain power to write after work. Hoping lol. So anyway that's been my life more or less. As for this chapter, not much to say honestly. It's the start of the resort realm arc which I really love, there's a pretty glaring different tho where Bloom does not get her charmix in this chapter but never fear it'll come eventually. Dark Bloom is still causing trouble and so is Avalon. And there's a little trouble in paradise over at Shadowhaunt. And the final piece of the codex has been lost BUT Darkar is still searching for one final thing (I love how I'm acting all mysterious like we don't know what it is lmao). As always, let me know what you thought, what you're hoping to see, update me on your lives, I love hearing from you xx