The creature was familiar somehow as Bloom watched it with interest. Its eyes were a mixture of red and gold, the body infused in hues of red and black. As if it carried both darkness and light within its body.

"Do I know you?" she asked, happy that her inner voice was intact. The creature breathed and she could feel the warmth and softness of it. It was not going to hurt her.

She got closer, knowing there was something about it that she was misremembering. Something regarding the power Trix had taken. Or was that before? She couldn't search through her memories without a wave of pain hitting her.

But a specific one seemed to shine in her head brighter than others and Bloom felt herself getting drawn to it, to its familiarity. A voice started to echo within her. The words she so desperately needed once before that helped her see herself for who she was.

Daphne smiled inside the memory.

"The truth is no one in the whole universe could ever steal your past, your dreams, or your magic powers," her sister was saying, helping her remember the smiles of her friends, Sky's embraces, her parents' love. Bloom couldn't resist easing at it all.

It was exactly what she wanted and knew she could never have it again.

"The witches do not own them. They are yours to keep forever. Bloom, to recover your powers, look deep inside yourself."

She jerked back to the dragon in front of her, to the inside her soul. It had always been there and no one could take it away. She was its ruler and its Princess. The Guardian of the greatest force nature has ever seen. And no one else could own what was hers.

The manacles on her wrists began to heat up.

"Will you help me?" she asked the creature. It raised its head and stared her down. She wondered if it was regarding her wrecked shields, the frail frame of her body or the fragility of her existence altogether.

The Dragon blinked.

Bloom tried again: "You are a part of me," she whispered, somewhat shakily. "I need your help."

The creature rose to its full height and wrapped itself around Bloom's mind.

"Come in," Faragonda's voice said from inside the office and Stella pushed the doors open slightly. Their Headmistress was seated in her chair, eyes darting across scrolls on the desk. Stella was surprised she had found her in the office, nowadays Faragonda spent most of her days with Griffin in the infirmary.

"All of the witches we rescued have been successfully placed into the North wing of the school. But they wonder when Miss Griffin will be able to speak to them," she explained, watching Faragonda for any sort of reaction. There was little to nothing there.

"She's recovering as you all well know. When the healers deem her ready, she will gladly contact her students. In the meantime we will send Wizgiz or Avalon to provide them with everything necessary," she answered, barely looking at Stella.

The sun fairy nodded, ready to leave before Faragonda's voice stopped her: "Miss Stella."

"You were already in the room with Valtor when we arrived. Is there something we should know?"

Stella shook her head, having practised this situation a million and one times. "I just figured he would be keeping Miss Griffin with him, that is all."

Faragonda nodded, dismissing her and Stella let out a long breath.

She passed Layla on the hall and offered her a small smile. The two of them seemed to be slowly burying the hatchet. Even if Stella knew that it would all erupt if they were met with the same choices again. The other fairy returned the greeting and turned the next corner.

Stella was at a loss for what to do next, seeing as all of her plans failed miserably. She doubted she could follow Fragonda to wherever it was they kept Bloom, but all other choices seemed equally impossible. All she wanted to know was if her friend was okay. But the feeling within her gut told her that wasn't the case.

She went back into their suite, passing by Flora and Tecna who were whispering something between themselves. They didn't react when she entered, as if they didn't even see her. A drift has been created and Stella was afraid she was the only one on the opposite side. And she would do it all over again. Because Bloom was worth that.

Amore was resting on her nightstand when she closed the doors to her room. She leaned against the doorframe, letting her body slide to the floor. She drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin atop them. "No news?" the pixie asked, flying towards her. Stella's lack of response was answer enough.

She threw a soundproof spell on her room before speaking.

"I don't think Valtor knows where she is."

Amore only stared at her, very much against the idea of her bonded fairy being in any type of proximity to Valtor.

"I think he tried and couldn't locate her and it's driving him mad."

"Don't you think Bloom is better off not being close to him?" Amore asked, unable to think of a single person who would be glad to spend time with the dark wizard.

"I am not sure the Council has her best interest at heart either."

"I think she's in trouble," Stella continued, her voice slightly shaking.

"And Faragonda is behind all of it."

Valtor stood at the entrance to a dark cave, ready to tear through any minions that might creep out. He has had enough. Of the fairies, of Faragonda and of their ridiculous Council.

"You did not arrange a meeting with the Mistress," a girl said, sitting atop the entrance and eyeing Valtor suspiciously. "I am sure she will love to make an exception," he replied.

One by one, fairies circled him, all short and with goat hooves where legs would usually be. He wondered of what use these children were. They all pointed their magical spears in his direction, and even though he could have bested them with one move of his hand, he found their bravery somewhat endearing.

"Now, now, girls, let Lord Valtor be. He is our guest," a voice said from inside the cave and a second later a fairy emerged. Her large golden wings were the first thing anyone noticed when they saw her, but Valtor's attention was solely on her orange hair. So similar to Bloom's and yet worlds apart.

Sibylla crossed her arms and smirked at the wizard.

"I thought my eyes must be playing tricks on me," she said, offering a hand in a challenge. Valtor kissed the back of it in greeting, his eyes never breaking eye contact.

The Major Fairy of Justice was pleased.

"There are matters I need to discuss with you," he said as he straightened. She cocked her head at him playfully, waving a hand for him to follow her inside. Valtor walked in step with her, through the now-opened gates and all the way to the heart of the cave.

Upon entrance he could feel his magic subdued, neutralized by the ancient power placed on the cave. Sibylla walked past him to her throne and sat atop it, the mask of the Major Fairy now put in place.

"I believe you are following the recent events in Magix," he began and saw the second her eyes lit up. Most of the Major Fairies had no interest in that part of the dimension, but he had heard on multiple occasions that Sibylla got intrigued.

She gave him a single nod, listening. "The Princess of Domino has been taken-"

"And how does this concern me?"

"I would like to believe you know where they had taken her."

Sibylla laughed out loud, but the sound was cold, as if scratching against glass. "I do not meddle in the affairs of mortals," she stated and pinned him down with her gaze.

"You are the fairy of justice, Sibylla. Tell me where is justice in torturing an innocent?" The fairy visibly flinched.

"She is hardly an innocent," her tone turned sharp. He could tell the meeting was about to come to an end. "Universe requires balance for everything Valtor, even your little fairy."

Then she stood up and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. As light as the gesture was, he could still feel the pressure of it, set as a warning. He held her gaze.

"You are welcome to return for the things I have control over."

The way she said it, Valtor had a feeling she knew something that he hadn't. "And remember. You do not want me as your enemy, so I would consider your choices carefully."

As if she knew he wanted to burn down their cave the second his powers were free. But maybe it wasn't the wisest idea after all. He didn't have much contact with the Major Fairies, but still, something told him they shouldn't be underestimated.

So he bowed slightly upon exiting and returned to the silence of Cloud Tower. The chambers echoed as he walked, the remaining witches staying quiet in their rooms.

He had to find another way, another loophole.

And he had to do it soon.

Faragonda walked through the halls until she got to the infirmary. Among the many beds, only 3 were currently occupied. In one lay Griffin with her eyes closed.

The older fairy sat on the chair next to her, looking at her friend's pale expression. The healers did their best to patch her up, but by that point, she had lost a lot of blood so they feared letting her go too soon.

The witch's eyes blinked open and a small smile appeared on her face when she noticed Faragonda. It was so unusual to see her in anything other than her usual dresses. Now they put her in a plain dark robe.

"I won't wither away, you don't have to check up on me so often," she said slowly, her voice still rough.

"I know, but I have this need to do it. And I have some things that I have to say," Faragonda began and dropped her gaze to Griffin's hand.

She wished she was brave enough to take it.

"We lost so much time being rivals over these years. Even if we were friends, there was still a wedge between us. And no matter how many enemies our schools fought together, I could never forgive you fully," she talked, knowing that Griffin's eyes were trained on her every movement.

"But then-" Faragonda's words staggered and Griffin instantly reached out and grasped her wrist. "Then the news came of him taking Cloud Tower. And I thought it was all going to be over. I wasn't prepared for him to-" she motioned to the set of bandages over her torso. "I thought I was going to lose you."

She went quiet, thinking of what to say next.

"I am done feeling like that," she met Griffin's gaze. The witch's hand intertwined with her fingers: "I never wanted it to be like this. I would have done the same thing in your position," she replied.

Faragonda gave a weak smile and pulled her friend, her ally and so much more into an embrace for the first time in decades. "We have time, it will be alright," Griffin whispered into her hair and Fragonda felt herself nod.

Hours later she stood on the outskirts of Magix, deep within the woods. Her fingers traced the invisible symbol in the earth and watched it sink and reveal a hidden gate. Faragonda took the spiral stairs downwards and found herself in front of the set of guards.

"A regular visitation?" the man asked and the Headmistress of Alfea nodded. They cleared the area, letting her slip inside a dark hallway. Even from there, she could hear the distant screams. Her heart twisted bit by bit, knowing she was completely responsible for the situation.

The hallway soon opened up into a big chamber at whose very end rested a special dungeon for an extremely special fairy. Faragonda walked closer but stopped before Bloom could see her. She watched the interrogation from afar.

Her eyes took in the deep gashes on the girl's body, the lines of scars, the dried blood which covered nearly every inch of visible skin, as well as stuck her hair together. There were shapes that looked like stars on her ankles, knees and hands, drawn in blood. Her insides turned.

"You can always just tell me the truth and I will stop. We might even call a healer to mend you." One of the councilmen stood over her body which was curled on the ground. Bloom's eyes were closed, and she twitched every time he spoke. It seemed to be a battle of minds.

"That's enough Julius," she said from behind and the man turned to face her. "Faragonda, what a nice surprise. Came to enjoy the show?" he asked. Bloom's eyes fluttered open and she saw that they too were bloodshot. Hatred spread over her features and she quickly closed her eyes again.

"You will not get any answers from her like this," she said as she got closer. "Leave it to me for now." The man nodded before he exited, leaving the two fairies alone. Bloom still wasn't willing to look at her.

Faragonda crouched down, whispering a set of spells with an extended hand. She watched the blood clean itself as Bloom attempted to get away, but her body didn't let her move.

Faragonda summoned a plate of food and offered it to her former student. Bloom looked at it with disgust. "It's probably-" she muttered, struggling to speak. "-poisoned." She managed to finish the sentence, somehow dragging herself into a sitting position.

Faragonda noticed the hollowness of her usually pink cheeks, the red in her eyes, and the malnourished body shape. "They haven't been feeding you, have they?"

The fire fairy shook her head.

Faragonda urged the plate forward and Bloom reluctantly took a piece of bread to her lips. She smelled it first before biting down. Faragonda watched her eat all of it and just when she was about to spell something more, Bloom suddenly turned to her side and began to vomit it all.

"Your system is weak right now, you need to be eating more frequently. I will let them know," she talked, more to herself than to Bloom. The fairy was eyeing her, staying silent. "This is inhumane," she said into her beard and Bloom snickered at it.

"You did this," the redhead uttered.

"Why?" she tried again.

"I'm sorry Bloom," Faragonda replied, looking away. "But I had to do what is best to protect my school and my students."

Hurt flared in Bloom's eyes. "I was that once," she managed to say and Faragonda sighed.

She had spent hours feeling guilt over her choices, over all the secrets that she kept and the lies that she told. Somehow, to her, it was all worth it to protect Alfea and the safety of the Company of Light. So much so that Bloom became collateral damage.

So now as she stared at the girl, even if her heart hurt, she felt nothing but pity. "You stopped being that the day you aligned yourself to Valtor." The fire fairy's eyes darkened. She figured how much she must hate her. For her, Faragonda was the source of all the bad, even if her parents disappeared thanks to Valtor.

"I wouldn't have if you only cared enough to help me," Bloom spoke this time. Faragonda felt the fury even without the words being spoken. "I hate you," she said. Faragonda nodded slowly. She had made peace with that the second she decided to take Bloom into Alfea.

"It was your fault. All of it," Bloom continued, speaking coherently now. Faragonda stood up, looking down at the Princess. Bloom started to blink as if there was something stuck in her eyes. She noticed some of her wounds reopening, blood pouring out. Plenty of her injuries were still infected, and she wondered what the Council intended to do about it.

Bloom hissed from pain as she got herself to her feet, the entirety of her body shaking as if she had a fever. Faragonda merely watched her, letting her vent out all the feelings, she could at least do that for her.

"I just have one question," she said sharply, still looking unsteady on her feet, trying to hold Faragonda's stare. "All that you had done to me," Bloom said. "Do you regret it?" she finished, her blue eyes piercing through Faragonda. She wished she could feel sorry for the girl. But-

"I don't. I would have done it all again to get here," the Headmistress replied and watched rage fire up in Bloom's body. It was like fire consumed her from the inside. Faragonda didn't have time to react.

In a single blink Bloom's eyes turned golden, black colours painting over her usually blue transformation. Steaming flames erupted to life in her hands and the manacles holding her fell away.

Faragonda tried to shield herself, but in a swift move, Bloom broke the protections down. There was nothing humble or human in her gaze as she took one trembling step after another. Faragonda threw a spell at her, but it simply deflated before her skin.

Bloom backed her into a corner, summoning a circle of fire. "Bloom, think about what you are doing," the Headmistress tried to calm her, but it was far too late to attempt it. The fire fairy's eyes glistened with joy, her lips curving into a dark grin, so eerily similar to Valtor's.

"Oh, I am Headmistress. And it is your heart on a spike," Bloom answered, raising the smoke around them and forcing it into Faragonda's lungs. The older fairy began to choke, trying to cough it out. Bloom's hand became one with the flame as she drove it into the space of Faragonda's chest.

She watched first fear, then denial, and at the end, surrender play out in seconds in Faragonda's eyes. "Any last words?" she said with a wicked smirk. Faragonda held her gaze and whispered: "I'm ashamed of who you have become."

The doors at the end of the hallway burst open, but Bloom's attention didn't wither from her current mission. Bloom felt the euphoria of when her dragon consumed her and channelled that feeling now. She pulled Faragonda closer and said: "You should be proud." She laughed as she closed her fingers around the other fairy's heart and pulled it out without effort.

The body fell to her feet and the room went quiet around her.

Faragonda was dead.

The bitch was dead.

Councilmen who gathered around her stared blankly at the scene. At Bloom's hands now bathed in blood and at the corpse of one of Magix's most beloved professors.

"Monster," one of them said which only made the smirk on Bloom's face rise. One of them held a chain and swung it towards her, but it simply melted when it came close to her skin.

"I think it's time for a payback," she said and let her powers surge along her body. She summoned her dragon and aimed the magnificent beast at the group of men.

Each one of them fell, and their bodies melted through to the bone. Using the newfound energy of freedom, she pushed her body to move. She was still severely injured and wasn't sure just how long this power trip would be able to last. She knelt by one of the bodies, noticing some weapons that fire didn't damage. Three blades and a whip.

Perfect.

She went straight for the doors of the dungeon. More men kept coming but all it took was a click of her fingers and they fell one by one. But more of them emerged from the halls. She fought them all but noticed her magic wearing out, growing weaker with each shot. She would have to start using the stolen weapons. Her feet burned as she propelled them to run, to push through the swarms of guards and councilmen.

Bodies lay in her wake by the time she reached the doors. But she could hear more of them arriving, almost reaching her. She continued to run.

Bloom's entire body shivered from the top of her hair to the sole of her feet as she stumbled forward and into the woods. Far behind she could hear the yelling voices of the guards. She had some sense of where she was and it was enough to keep her on her feet. They were on her heels and soon they would be able to close up on her.

She wouldn't go back, not in any cage, not in any chains. She kept pressing herself further until the familiar site of the Roccaluce Lake came into view. But Daphne couldn't save her this time.

Please. Please.

She reached the inside of her broken mind, hoping that now when she could access her powers, the connection she had with Valtor would return. But Valtor's door stood closed, barely visible.

Bloom sent a frantic wave of her dragon flame into her hands as she banged on their surface.

Please.

Echos of loud voices were behind her. She felt something graze her abdomen as she ran and the spell sent her slipping forward, falling onto her side. She cursed as some type of chain closed around her ankle.

No, no, no.

This couldn't happen.

She was free, she did it, she saved herself.

Bloom tried to push the person back with a spell, but her magic was only strong enough to push the man slightly back. She staggered to her feet, pulling the chain with her, desperate to get away.

A shadow came over the area as she avoided new spells while trying not to trip on the uneven ground. She didn't know where she was going and panic gradually set in.

Suddenly lightning exploded and heavy rain poured from the sky. Bloom swore as she fought to run on the now slick moss. She dared to peek behind her. The men were still there, racing for her.

And then it all stopped.

A new lightning struck right where they stood and the entire field of them dropped. Bloom was shaking in fear, not wanting to die from something so insignificant as a storm now that she had gotten out. She heard steps in front of her and wondered if she could continue to run forever.

Where would she even go?

Was it her fate to be an experiment for the Council?

Where would they take her next?

But the silhouette was of a single person.

Maybe their leader?

From the opposite direction, new sounds of running came, more people going after her. But if that was them, who was ahead of her?

"There she is!" one of them shouted.

Bloom didn't wait to find out what they would do next, she broke into another run, adrenaline pumping her veins. The stranger's figure cleared.

A long coat.

Hair flying by the force of the wind.

Bloom shattered with a sob as she flung herself to him. His hand wrapped protectively around her as the other brought down blue flames upon the remaining council members.

She didn't pull away when he rested the other hand atop her head and pulled her to his chest.

"You called Princess?"

Bloom looked up into Valtor's grey, shadowed eyes and smiled because nothing else in the last year had felt more like home than this.

"I didn't know where else to go."