/Notes: Guess who is back for a new chapter?
Yup, it is me in the flesh. I received a very nice comment on this fanfic today, which made me want to get back into it again.
My life has been a roller coaster these last couple of weeks because of finals and stress so I couldn't focus on anything.
I hope you enjoy this new chapter and feel free to comment on it below./
"So what's our plan? Secret invasion, spying, brute force-" Stella stopped when she saw the looks on the faces of her friends. None seemed pleased and Flora's brows just rested in unease.
"What do you want us to do Stella? Break into the most warded place in all the realms? Become public enemies or something worse-" Layla tried to protest but Stella wasn't going to have any of it. They weren't in front of Faragonda anymore and it's been almost a month since Bloom was taken. She didn't plan to wait any longer. She was going to get her friend back, no matter what it took.
"What is with you? All of you? Bloom is our friend, we owe her this."
Musa stood up, her hands crossed, and walked over to them: "Stella, did you once stop to think maybe this is for the best- I mean we all loved Bloom, but after Diaspro, after Sky, I don't know if we can just forget it and move on."
Stella didn't miss her wording. Loved. Past tense.
"Yes, and besides, didn't we all go to Darkar's lair to do exactly what you are asking of us now, save Bloom? And here we are again, she is trapped and we have an evil wizard on our toes," Layla continued, placing a warm hand on Musa's shoulder. The music fairy squeezed it back.
"And here I thought your egos would have calmed down by now. Are you hearing yourselves? Didn't Bloom and I go to the Underground world to save your pixies?" Stella's words hurt her as she said them. She knew that saving the pixies was something she would do again if she needed to. But currently being moral wasn't a priority. She needed to get at least one of them to hear her side.
"Maybe Stella is right." Flora, who was toying with the bracelets on her wrists spoke up. "I mean, Bloom always fought for every single one of us. She defeated Icy and- and Darkar too-" her quiet voice trailed off and she still wasn't looking at any of them. Stella gave her a quick smile though.
"Did you miss the part where Faragonda told us she attacked the lab scientists? Sky was maybe an accident, but that wasn't."
"Well, maybe that was because they were inspecting and torturing her. Ever thought of that?" Stella bit right back at Layla, who was glaring at her, clearly furious.
"I am just saying, how can we blame the Trix or Darkar or any other villain for doing awful things, but then as soon as it's one of us, we don't hold her accountable?" the princess of Andros snapped.
Stella's jaw hung open. She was completely and utterly disgusted by what she just heard. "Did you seriously justcompare Bloom- to a person who made her a slave and tried to murder us multiple times?!" Stella let her voice out, not caring that she was now shouting. Even Flora shivered.
And for a second, the brown-haired fairy seemed like she regretted it. She stood, just blank for a bit before snapping back into her hard-as-a-rock mask. Tecna to her credit said nothing, just watched from her spot on the couch.
Stella breathed in, willing her voice to sound as calm as possible: "Fine. If all of you want to continue to suck up to Faragonda and the council, so be it. I will get her out myself." She walked to her bedroom door and then turned back slightly: "And Layla congrats. You wanted to be in our group right? Well, the four of you make a great one." With that, the sun fairy simply walked in and slammed the door shut.
Kiko was silently sleeping, curled into a ball at the left side of her bed. Fondly, she smiled at the bunny who seemed to show more concern for Bloom than any of the Winx. Stella sat next to him, grabbing her phone and texting Brandon. They haven't talked much since everything and it was beginning to worry her. Mostly because she knew he would agree with the girls. Sky was like a brother to him after all.
And that left her with- no one. No one else would be willing to make such a great risk. It was a mission for her and her alone.
So Stella began preparing.
It took close to an hour to find warm enough clothes and of course stuff like food and water for at least a week. She could feel her hands shaking as she started to put it all in a backpack. It would be foolish to say she wasn't scared because of course, she was, would be stupid not to be. Omega was a prison to tyrants and monsters. Even more reason why Bloom should have never been put there.
Stella closed the top shut and waited for the night to set in before executing her plan.
Bloom could swear that it felt like her Dragon fire. This unexplainable thing that was trying to keep her alive, even as the ice carved scars upon her skin.
But it couldn't be, because she was exhausted of any type of power, ever since they sedated her back in that laboratory. Whatever they put in that injection seemed to be keeping her powers from raging.
There was someone else with a similar power though, who could be helping her. But thinking that Valtor, of all people, would be trying to save her, was if not absurd then totally disgusting. The second option could only be Daphne. But she, no matter how much alive she seemed to Bloom, was dead. So she could only blame it on herself. On the tiny part of hope that continued to exist.
Bloom knew her friends after all. It would seem stupid for them to abandon her. And yet- yet she couldn't blame them if they did.
At this point, even if someone found her she was beyond repair.
Her mind was as broken as ever, one more reason why she wanted to simply stop. Stop everything around her, stop herself from existing. Death at least would take away all the pain, all the guilt she would forever be forced to feel.
She thought she was saving everyone, that by making that choice in the Shadow Hunt she would be helping. Funny how it turned out to be the opposite.
Stop fighting. Her body said.
Let go. Her head whispered.
You will finally be free. Her soul sang.
And just as Blooom was beginning to surrender to it, to all the voices of her being, that spark appeared within her once again. It flooded through her toes, legs, torso, head, heart. She could feel it tickling against her, not weak but just strong enough for her to notice.
Bloom no longer knew should she be thankful for the mysterious power or hate that it wouldn't just let her die. Even if she managed to free herself from the ice, what would she do? The entirety of Magix seemed to hate her. To them, she was just as bad as Valtor. But maybe there was some small planet, town, something where she could go into hiding.
But even then, she would be hunted by her actions, so she was left at a loss of what to feel. At some point, her brain had just gone feral. She didn't know what she was feeling anymore.
Except, one thing. If she ever did get out, she would make sure to finish what she started with Valtor at Alfea. If any emotion still existed within her it was hate. Hate for the person that took everything from her before she was old enough to defend it.
She was going to find Valtor even if she had to break the worlds apart. And then she was going to kill him.
Valtor burst the grand doors of the building open. He didn't bother learning its name or the name of the pitiful planet he landed on. As soon as people noticed the black clouds and recognized who was coming, the crowds evaporated.
In a matter of seconds, he was encircled by guards. "We know who you are, come with us and we won't be forced to take action!" the head of the soldiers said way too calmly. Valtor, despite the man's words, wondered did he really know who he was threatening.
With ease, Valtow just began walking straight for his target. As he did so, people began falling, one by one with a mere snap of his fingers. He looked down at a nearly 50-year-old one that had dropped at his boots. "Pathetic."
One hall to his left, he found the centre of the room. The power core of the planet. Blood spells. Valtor's smile spread as he rested his hands on the glowing red orb. He could feel the sensation of pure power flood through him. Every single bit of its magic spread into him and he enjoyed it.
More guards gathered around him again and now Valtor intended to try out what he acquired. He pointed to one of the men and the guy simply drained of all colour, dropping dead on the spot.
Gasps spread over the room. And one brave soul, a woman, stepped forward: "What did you do to him?" Valtor, surprised by someone's resistance, stepped toward her. Her eyes closed as he whispered into her ear: "I made his heart explode." And soon, all but the woman were beginning to share his fate.
Once she opened her eyes the room was filled with corpses. Valtor was leaning against a nearby pillar watching her reaction. "Fancy the view?" he asked with a smirk playing across his face.
"You're sick," she spat out.
"What's your name darling?" he asked, pushing off the pillar and coming back to stand in front of her.
"Skyla."
"Lovely. You will do."
"What-" but before she could object, Valtor rested his hand at her neck, his symbol carving itself in the woman's skin. And the next time Valtor looked at her, she was smiling at him.
"Nothing personal, but one can never have enough minions."
Before any new guards appeared Valtor was already back in his hideout. He wasn't surprised that the spells came easy to him, even though blood ones were the complicated kind. They will come in handy when handling the Winx fairies.
Just as he thought of the brats, he felt a small push, around his power. He reached in, and just as he thought, it was coming from Bloom. The fire fairy was quivering again. It was the fifth time that day. And she was in the ice for not more than a month.
She looked as good as dead to him, face about as white as the snow around her. Valtor gathered up a ball of energy and slowly sent it down the thread that connected them.
And before he leapt back to reality, he saw Bloom smile.