"You can do better than that, Blade," Avalon blocked her kick with ease, his stance firm on the ground, unwavering. He didn't even move an inch. "You got to shift the weight properly. Going fast doesn't work if you lose all your strength," he analysed Blade's every move. He ducked away under an annoyed follow-up kick and gave her a palm fist into the stomach, and she crashed to the ground. She had been wide open.
"Ouch…." Blade puffed her golden dreadlock away that dangled in front of her blue eyes. Her skin tingled and pinched at the spot of impact. Luckily, her training gloves prohibited any scraping. "I thought a Professor should go easy on his students if they are feeling down."
"If said student would be cheered up by that, yes. You're not one of those though. If I go easy, I either end up with a black eye, or you get upset that I don't take you seriously," Avalon smirked. The breeze in his long dark hair was as soothing as always. He didn't have time to visit the White Jade Headquarters often. It was a miraculous sight even for him. Next to them, one of the bubbling streams from one of the waterfalls. He had chosen a small floating island often used for combat training. The lush pink flower trees covered nearly everything besides the one wide-open spot in the middle. The smell was sweet as honey and fruity, and the sun warmed the skin. Best of all, the soft earth feathered any fall.
"You don't take me seriously though…" Blade pulled herself up and dusted off her trousers. "If you'd go-oooooaahh," she only could watch as her legs flung up higher than her head and that damn grin on Professor Avalon's face as her back hit the ground once more, harder, and pressed the air out of her lungs.
Avalon crossed his arms. "Anything else I should change about my teaching method? Some more written homework? A sword through your stomach maybe? So you can truly feel physically as miserable as you feel mentally? We got enough healers nearby." Avalon was a bit sarcastic; he knew Blade all too well and only shook his head. That mind of hers sometimes had the worst ideas. Still, there was one important question left after such an over-the-top comment. "So, does this make you feel better?"
"No…" Blade groaned. That hurt—bad. 'Maybe I should have skipped Venom…' She squinted her eyes before, and with the next gust, she opened them again, staring at that endless blue above. "Since when do you take me literally, Professor?" She stemmed herself up and rubbed her back.
Avalon looked at her, a bit bemused. "Were you fighting in that bar again?" He saw that her aura showed exhaustion in her muscles.
"What?! No. Of course not!" Blade promptly fired back. Her voice perked weirdly in all her haste.
A long deadpan stare from her professor while he set his dress shirt in order. "You do remember that to fool aura reading, you got to at least try to hide your emotions behind another memory?" He had caught her red-handed.
"….." Blade let herself fall back on the ground. "Nothing happened there. Not one freak fan or anything. I promise. No Black Magic or remotely Shadion related. How did you even figure that out?" She clawed into the dirt; the sand crumpled within her palms. 'What the heck happened on the roof…?'
"Shot in the dark," Avalon casually answered with a shrug. He chuckled as he watched Blade's aghast expression. 'It's funny how much confidence she has in my abilities. That's not something I can read in her aura. If only she knew that Coda punished Memphis for bringing his Chaos Squad to the bar for training and those screwed up so badly. Funny how it comes in handy that he allowed Memphis to officially circumvent the bracelets but has to leave his phone ping on. I'd never propose that with any Fairy. I still don't understand how Coda can work like that. At least the boy is safe, reachable, and retrievable. Memphis always honours his deals. He should have considered turning his cell off before going to Blade's hotel and back. Lucky that my hunch panned out.' His eyes shortly wandered the scenery, but even this beauty didn't quite compare to the marvellous lengths this generation went to stay hidden while breaking rules to gain an edge or do the right thing. 'Winx were never so crafty in their young years. They just stormed the castle.'
"... Please, skip the snitching to Griselda part?" Blade angel-like requested hopefully with a wary smile. Her world already was complicated enough.
Avalon raised an eyebrow. "Blade... Not that I want to scare you. But. You're in the Joined Track now, so every teacher knows. It's not Griselda alone who decides punishment or is the sole executioner any longer. There are way worse options, now.- For any of you." A gentle warning.
"Ooooh... Crap," Blade slowly grasped the statement or possibilities it held for every and each one of her classmates. "Can... I choose someone?" She chuckled nervously, more a joke than anything else. 'If Faragonda punishes the Sorceresses or…Griffin the Fairies… wait… can the Orders too!?'
Avalon took a moment. What an interesting proposal. "Who would you request IF you had a choice?" He was curious.
Blade blinked, surprised. "... You can make that happen, Professor?" He showed no reaction then again also no denial either. "Hmmm..." She turned inwards. 'Definitely not him. Actually, anyone from Alfea is a stupid choice. They are already annoyed with me...Griffin...' A shiver went down her spine. '... Codatorta it'd be endless running. No, thank you! ...Saladin is too sly of a fox... So… who is left of the Order members...?'
Avalon hadn't expected her to go that deep into thought. Curiously, he waited and watched her aura flicker and change like northern lights.
'... So many I don't truly know... Gwaine is nice but an old buddy to Avalon. All of White Jade are... Hunters...hmm, Karim was truly a gentleman, however, his skill range I can't even fathom. Riven might be a smart choice, but he might choose something annoying cause he can't bother to pick something appropriate...Itzcali, no clue. Elves... Laciport. Just no. Hunter Division... I'll die... Hoggar seems easy, but it will be lots of boring labour. Shanna certainly is a dark horse... Nothing's simple with her...'
Avalon tilted his head. He already had snatched his jacket; it was around time for the others to join them. He got really interested in what Blade's little brain was brewing up there. He even stepped a bit closer; this was taking ages for her to decide. 'Too bad I can't read minds...'
'There's no good answer... Shit,' Blade grimaced at her realization. 'Okay, so logically... People will choose something they can easily do and oversee and what they usually give as punishment... A bit eased up probably cause we're 'kids'...hmmm.' Blade thought about it some more and didn't let herself be pushed to answer by Avalon's proximity. The one true goal of the class was to get payback on Fane. For that, they all needed more information about her, but she was weaker than Votzaak and Nerrocean; training from those two would be beneficial to beat Fane since they trained her. 'Those three surely would choose something battle-related. They are the efficient type and never waste time, but do they know restraint?' Nabu sadly didn't like her antics all too much. She took Avalon's hand to pull up without even noticing the approaching party, which had also enlarged. In the spur of the moment, Blade answered before she'd take too long, "Votzaak. I choose him." He trained Fane and he was the strongest, at least battle-wise, and she had at least the pity card with him.
"Choose me?" Votzaak asked inquisitively, his red pupils laced with an interesting shimmer for a second there.
Blade had a jump scare. Her head snapped around. 'Where did they all come from?' It had barely been like twenty minutes since Avalon had shown her around. The group was way larger!
"Unsanctioned fight bar trip," Avalon explained shortly. Further explanations would have to wait for later.
Iolas gave the biggest sigh, but it wasn't as big as Virion's and Pallagis's, "And your choice is Gremlin as punisher?" Iolas pinched his nose bridge, 'I don't even know what's more foolish…'
"Aaah, someone's salty that he isn't the favourite anymore...poor Goldylocks," Votzaak teased right back. He knew exactly what Iolas was thinking.
Itzcali yawned and ruffled through her mane. "If you two don't behave, I'll do it. We have better things to do now. You can squabble around later." A Predator's glare at them both and the two stopped. The mission always came first and this wasn't an easy one per se.
"A lady's words spin a web no man can escape," Parcival shook his head, amused. Votzaak didn't just listen to anyone. "Well, now that that's sorted out. I believe Gwaine and Cei have readied the test grounds. Shall we?" He looked to Blade. His white robes with golden corners waved in the breeze; he emanated such calm, a rock in the breaking waves, just like Avalon.
Pallagis firmly intervened, "If you feel ready, Blade. Take your time, we'll wait. This might get dicey and surely exhausting for your body." Palladium would have his head if this went south. And also there was the fact that Blade relied heavily on all of them in this, but she had to listen to herself to find a path, she would feel comfortable with.
Blade smiled at Pallagis. He was as kind as his twin, Professor Palladium, for sure. "It will be of no matter when we do it. Thank you for taking the time, all of you." She truly meant it, for some more than others of course. Nonetheless, it was reassuring to have so many skilled people there.
All of them moved to a whole different floating island. One of the bigger ones, yet they didn't stay in the gardens. No, they walked up to a stony cave that led downstairs into the heart of that isle. Damp, mossy walls, bored through by White Jade veins, luminescent stones lit up the stairs brightly. Their steps echoed from the stone. It felt a bit like catacombs or a prison. Yet there was also this calming presence of peace and beauty that was prominent no matter where one went in those sky islands.
Down below was an even bigger cistern. Not that Blade remembered the first one; this one was a bit like a swimming pool size-wise. Runes were all around, shimmering in magic.
Votzaak already flew to the other end of the cistern, away from the stairs.
Itzcali and Iolas stopped at the entrance behind Blade, who walked to the edge of the pool.
Avalon gave her a squeeze on the shoulder before he and Parcival manned the leftover corners of the cistern. Cei and Gwaine were already sitting at the ones at the far end where Votzaak made himself ready.
Virion and Pallagis stood right behind Blade, not leaving her side. "We got you," Virion reassured her once again and tightened his ponytail as he checked the cistern. Everything was prepared without even one mistake. 'Gotta love White Jade's perfectionism.'
"I'd say this is overkill... But... It doesn't feel like overkill..." Blade voiced, trying to relax. Seeing all this made clear how unsure everyone was and the lack of knowledge.
Avalon raised his voice as the rune circle lit up around him. "This is a cleansing pool. In particular, this is water filled with White Jade dust on top of the normal runes of the Order. Those will detect and absorb any Black Magic when we control the dust to do so. The water level is high enough so even if you collapse, you can't hurt yourself. Also, this water can be used to... visualize... your aura through the ripples of the cistern. Cei and Gwaine already got one reading when you were brought here by Ilrune. So, first, we'll compare the prior pattern to your current one and then we'll start the tests. Questions?" He paused and waited for Blade to mull all that information over.
Blade was a bit baffled by how thoroughly this was planned. This plan hadn't been put together on a whim; no, this was simply rescheduled to now. "Sounds... foolproof," Blade didn't know what to say. She understood the concept but had no grasp of what all that meant exactly.
Votzaak laughed with a mischievous undertone in his voice. "No, what makes this foolproof is our little guest." He snapped his fingers, and a small portal opened up. Discorda got hurled through like some undone pancake; she clashed with the ground all covered in black and purple slime.
"How dare you! Stupid Tower!" She hissed into the portal as it closed. "You got some nerve, KID." She shot Votzaak a feisty glare before she inspected the room and what the heck was going on.
"Athlin will have your head," Iolas didn't even know where to place this law-wise. Had Cloud Tower truly set up its own Guardian Pixi to help Blade?! 'Just what did you do?...' He watched Votzaak, who was more than pleased with himself. This needed some smoothing over, right now. "Apolo—"
"She had it coming," Blade butted in, her voice filled with contempt. "How graciously for one of you to join us—one way or another." Her gaze was cold as ice. Her fists formed. Oh, how much she wanted to punch them all. Sadly, she wouldn't even reach her with all these people around.
Discorda glared back at the girl. She felt her anger a mile away; however, her features softened. "It was promised. A Pixi does NOT break a pact made. Even if you don't see it yet, Blade, that degree is only meant to protect you. I do understand how that answer is still unsatisfactory, but it won't change any time soon." She rose into the air with her small purple wings.
"Soon?" Blade snorted. "More like never. You're no friend of mine, unlike Cloud Tower." Blade's dissatisfaction was palpable, and her triumphant grin as she rubbed it in that the Tower had betrayed her only underlined that.
A deep sigh from Discorda. She would only hit granite with that girl. Instead, she turned to Votzaak. "I won't help you figure this out. You seem well prepared anyway. Why did you drag me here, Leprechaun?" She demanded to know as she cleaned her robes from the Tower's slimy mud. 'Is he afraid to get this wrong?'
"I don't need your answers. I only find it fair for you to actually witness your holy Dark Fairy suffer in person because of your silence. You don't get to sit this out. None of it," Grandmaster Votzaak growled back. 'Plus, if you freak something is terribly wrong.' He hid his victorious smirk behind the grim glare of justice served. She wouldn't need to say anything; her body language would talk for itself. He knew plenty of Pixis from his Order, and one thing was always the same: they were bad at hiding initial reactions.
"... I don't want to see her suf—" Discorda, vexed by his words, tried to make clear, yet pained, she went silent when Blade's indifferent gaze hit her. That hurt the Guardian Pixi more than any hiss fit Votzaak threw in desperation to help the girl, who of course was overwhelmed by the fate she had brought on herself.
Blade simply moved on, unmoved by anything Discorda said. She didn't believe one word that came out of that snake's mouth. "So, I go into the water and we can get this started?" Blade was in no mood to hold any conversation with that bitch.
"…" Avalon looked worried at Blade. It was never a good sign when Fairies and Pixis were at odds. 'Blade… that's not the way…'
Gwaine saw Avalon's hesitation and took over for his old buddy, "Yes, the first step is for you to go into the water. The middle of the cistern would be perfect." Yet he, like Cei and Parcival, was a bit concerned. Her aura was such a mess now that the Pixi was present. Would they even get a clear reading?
Blade nodded, pretending like the Pixi was air, erasing her out of existence. Those Pixis were dead to her anyway. All that with such ease to such a level it scared Cei, who was always so collected. Blade's chest rose and fell slowly. The water was cool and gently glazed her skin. Deeper and deeper she walked into the cistern until she was hip-deep and stood in the middle.
Parcival looked at Avalon and noticed his aura flickering. In fact, everyone was concerned about the crumbling relationship between Blade and the Pixis, even Votzaak, yet his anger was greater. This wasn't something even he could fix with a small spell. But right now this wasn't the job, and Blade's display of skill to ignore her 'enemy' was actually to their advantage. He gave a nod to all, and White Jade focused on the ripples on the surface. It took barely a minute before everyone was done analyzing the changes.
Votzaak gave a nod to Blade, "We got you." He gave his reassuring grin and summoned forth a living pigeon in a crate.
But nothing happened besides that Blade's aura ripples in the cistern intensified with her anxiousness.
"Ha, ha," Blade relaxed. Of course, Votzaak would start with a fake, but no one was laughing, not even a chuckle. They looked focused. "Eh... why is that poor bird caged? Why are you so quiet...?"
"Hmm, interesting," Votzaak activated his magic and shot it through the dove. "This one was infected by Red Crystals till—now," he stopped infusing the startled bird and let it free. Like a dart, it dashed out of the cave into the tunnel.
"But didn't you say I landed in a dumpster of dead animals?" Blade was so confused, her fingertips dipping into the water, drawing some circles of her own.
Votzaak let the cage vanish. Discorda to the side showed nothing whatsoever. 'So truly a dud.' He turned his head back to Blade. "Yes. That's not a reason not to test this. Dead animals have nothing to do with free-roaming Black Magic either, and that's where we first encountered that reaction of yours," Votzaak explained leisurely. He would be the last person to actually rush her now.
Blade noted that the rest stayed silent and more focused on their parts in these tests. Blade nodded, "Makes sense. Well, since nothing happened..."
Votzaak ran his fingers down his wizard hat edges, his other hand high as he summoned one of those crystal balls with a pigeon cadaver inside.
In the blink of an eye, a shadow-ish cloud shot out and hit Blade right in the chest. Blade couldn't react to it at all at this proximity. Her magic depleted in an instant, her sight went black and there was static noise maybe a whisper but nothing clear before everything went dark.
Itzcali shot her hand out as Iolas dashed. The Wereaaradwolf caught Blade with her telekinesis, hovering her upper body above the waters, "So slow, Iolas..." She nagged and teased at the same time.
Iolas was nearly as fast as her. His arms already touched Blade as he held them out to take her in a carry. He ignored the comment. "So, dead birds..." he mumbled more to himself; that conclusion was obvious.
Parcival, Cei, Gwaine, and Avalon were highly focused on checking the after-ripples. This had gone down so fast...
"Bring her over, Iolas," Virion somewhat commanded as he took his green and gold cloak off.
Pallagis, in their Order robes, chuckled, "Maybe all of you should swap to something more comfortable. This will take a while. If she falls unconscious every time she's depleted of magic... we'll be here all day." His eyes wandered to Discorda, hoping this wasn't the case.
The dear Guardian Pixi, however, was in an intense staring contest with Votzaak. Still, she answered, "Who knows..." Yet didn't back down from Votzaak.
"Who knows? You." Votzaak dug deeper; he had heard her reaction. "And what were you snorting about? Is this funny to you?"
"No, you are." Discorda crossed her arms, her purple ghostly robes draping down from her small body. "Did you even bring enough of your feathered friends to figure this out?" She inquired a bit sassy and flew towards a wall perch, sitting down in style with an offended huff.
"Doesn't matter. I'll clue you to her if we don't figure this out today, and you'll be stuck with her till we do," the Grandmaster drew signs in the air rapidly, and a spell ring zoomed in around Discorda, who squeaked.
"How dare you!" She complained, her bat crown a bit crooked, "I'm not some criminal you can put a proximity spell on! I am—" Her wrist glimmered in the rune script. It was just the one ring. Yet if he truly were to cast the other half on Blade, they'd be bound until he would release them both from the 'friendship rings'.
"I don't care," Votzaak turned his back to her, ready to proceed with their tests. "So what's the verdict?"
Avalon sighed, casting a worried gaze at Blade, "We got to be a lot faster than this... Our timing was wrong."
Virion and Pallagis gave each other a glance before Virion raised his voice, "Simple depletion. Just like in the class tests, as if she used up all her magic for a spell. Nothing too bad, but if she goes straight to zero repeatedly, we risk her going Burnout or berserk. And the stress on the body, if prolonged... Not something we want to witness."
Parcival nodded, "Hm, right, war sickness… Let her regenerate normally. We'll keep the magic share option ready for when we have more progress. Right now we're dancing in the dark." Even he couldn't help but look at Discorda. He made no accusations. He understood the pact she had made with the old Council. Nonetheless, this didn't make it any easier for them. Parcival disconnected from the rune circle around him and massaged his neck. "Gwaine, get some food and drink. You all should follow Pallagis's advice and lose some armour. This might take all day."
"If we're lucky…" Itzcali rolled her eyes as she pushed off the wall to join Gwaine.
Blade stood ready yet again. What felt like countless times she had collapsed, only to wake up next to the cistern in Virion's and Pallagis's care. This was more than just annoying. Every time Votzaak summoned a dead pigeon, she was overrun by a damn shadow thingy in the blink of an eye. The only amusing part was Votzaak's constant bickering with Discorda, fishing for information.
Votzaak eyed Blade more critically by now. They had been at this for a while, and although it seemed simple, he was growing concerned. Virion, Pallagis, and Parcival all gave her a clean bill of health, but he wasn't sure how quickly her condition might deteriorate. However, Discorda made no fuss either. "Okay... get ready," his hand flared up.
'I can do this. Come on, Blade. This is my power. I control it, not it me,' Blade's eyes narrowed, and the ripples around her calmed. The water's surface was flat as a mirror. A deep breath as the crystal ball appeared in Votzaak's palm. She fixated on the shadow as it shot at her.
Time froze for Blade. There! Amidst the blackish cloud—fine wings and feathers, a head, beak, red glowing eyes. A screeching outcry from the bird right before the cloud hit her once again in the chest.
'I can't help you. Find the others,' a voice echoed in her mind.
"The bird..." Blade mumbled as her sight blurred. She already saw Iolas dash to her yet again.
Iolas caught her even without Itzcali's help by now. "Blade, stay awak—" Iolas clicked his tongue, a bit vexed. "And she's out again..." He had seen it. She had been awake longer this time and hadn't collapsed so quickly—differently.
"Ooh, some progress," Discorda couldn't help but comment after all this sitting around, which was even more boring for her than for those with an actual job.
"Progress, huh, good to know," Itzcali pinned the Pixi down with her eyes just as everyone else did. Votzaak's antics made more and more sense now and finally seemed to pay off. "Virion, get her back to her feet. NOW. I want to know what she meant by 'the bird.' We all know it's a bird."
Pallagis rolled his eyes as he and Virion took the girl off Iolas. "Fine, but we can't do this endlessly. There is a reason why we haven't so far." He placed his hand on her head and closed his eyes, "Virgo dividet."
It took barely a few seconds before Blade clawed into Virion's arm, who held her, as she woke. A bit disoriented at first before words bubbled from her like a waterfall. "You saw that, right? The shadow, it... it was the bird. You saw that, right?! And it talked again. You heard that!"
Blade was so happy that finally there was something to talk about and she wasn't just fainting to take a dive in the cistern.
Votzaak frowned and stared at the pigeon in his crystal ball, "Well, it's dead… it can't really talk to us… the body didn't move either… and no magic escaped my crystal ball."
"Professor, I'm not lying! It was the bird, and it said the same thing, 'it can't help me, and I'm to find the others.' " Blade took the comment the wrong way and protested vehemently. 'Why don't they believe me!?'
"Blade, calm down," Avalon deactivated the rune ring and stood up, "To us, it looked the same and we heard nothing, which means nothing in this case. The remnant obviously reacts differently to you than to us." He took her seriously, speaking not with haste or authority. He just wanted to help, and his way of speaking carried that intent. "Votzaak's spell, as stated, doesn't let magic escape. The Pixis already stated we don't have anything to stop remnants. The cloud in itself shouldn't exist, yet it clearly does. Its essence is what we need to figure out to help you. That's why we are all here, Blade." Gently, he laid his hand on her shoulder. "Give yourself a few minutes, and then we'll try with Shadion activated and a bit more magic. We kept you low so far, so the drop to zero isn't as high. Please, Blade, sit down for a moment. Maybe draw what you saw or close your eyes and take a nap. You need a break." Avalon eyed her from top to bottom. Sure, her body was still fine, and during the tests, her aura reflected her concentration. The fact remained that her outburst showed this was stressful, and her aura now was nothing but a mess. With the task on pause, it showed so clearly. 'She'll lose it eventually today…' They had already made breaks, and the intervals he thought to be necessary got smaller each time. He made a mental note to keep an eye out for that sign when she went 'Go fuck it all.' He knew all too well.
"I'm fine," Blade countered, "I can handle this," a bit pouty that he didn't think she could do this. 'I'm fine… I just want to get this over with.'
"No, you're not. You're eager. Half an hour won't make a difference now," Avalon gave his veto, and that was that.
"You can't—you said that the last three breaks!" Blade bit her lip. Her body tensed. She just had a breakthrough, and now she was to take a break!? "Stop pampering me like some ba—" A stinging pain on her forehead, the skin in a blushing red where her professor had flicked against her forehead.
Avalon raised an eyebrow. Her one-track mind and slow reaction spoke for itself. "Take a break now," he firmly ordered, leaving no room for discussion. Since the troubled Fairy was pouting, he turned to the Elves. "Gentlemen, please, take her for a walk outside. Blade will benefit from some fresh air," his unwavering eyes hit Virion and Pallagis, who agreed with that assessment wholeheartedly.
Once the cave was clear of the Fairy, the Wereaardwolf flung some phantom-shurikens into the air. Her cape cut into four ribbons like tentacles and playfully spiralled them through the air and around her hands. That always relaxed her, and it was much more enjoyable than standing still like a statue at the sidewalls. "Soooo," Itzcali looked around in the smaller circle of people, "We all agree she ain't crazy."
Votzaak shook his head with a smirk, "And they tell me I fool around…" The Apex always knew how to have some fun.
"You both do," Cei's blue eyes pinned them down, "Those remnants have no aura, no magic, and phase through anything but vaporize on contact with Blade. They drain her entire current magic pool. She hears voices and now she sees dead things in the shadows, which we don't."
"One hundred points for the Jade guy," Discorda snorted amused from above. 'They're like headless chickens…it's not that hard.'
"Want to add something, honoured Guardian Pixi?" Parcival caressed his three-day beard as his eyes wandered up to the very old Pixi.
Discorda growled, truly pissed, "Oooh, you don't get to honey trap me now, not after your pixinapping!"
Votzaak rolled his eyes as he dusted off his hat, "Sucks to be you. If even your precious Cloud Tower stabs you in the back, then it seems like you're doing something wrong." His voice was condescending; he enjoyed this way too much and had no intention of letting her go.
"Please, stop," Iolas was so annoyed by the Gremlin's behaviour. He breathed out; this was going nowhere, none of it, "A little jumpstart would be helpful though." He gazed into the Pixi's eyes.
"Blade already improved. I don't know what you want from me," Discorda mirrored Votzaak's tone. Her robes waved in the air as she hovered, "You have all the information you need."
Professor Avalon's dark brows furrowed, "We already got everything?"
Itzcal's ears perked, "Oooh? Interesting…" It wasn't much of a statement, but for a Head Hunter such a statement was invaluable. Her mind raced as the shurikens spiralled on her fingertips. "Fairy dust is magic, wings too… spells… auras are emitted from living beings… minimizing… transformation… connection to nature…"
Everyone looked at each other. The dear lady was naming all the Fairy abilities, categorizing them. It would make sense for it to be more of an innate ability like psy. Telekinesis, for example, didn't need magic but could be enhanced and prolonged by it.
"Give me a few minutes… no better… Grandmaster Votzaak, can you teleport us to Eraklyon?" Avalon's gears were working. There was one Fairy ability that was rare in certain forms, and there was one Fairy Queen he knew had the strongest version of it.
"Who do you take me for? Of course, I can," Votzaak growled back and already started the teleportation circle. "Where to?"
"Palace," Avalon smiled, sure of himself.
The world turned from a tiny cave to a ginormous garden. The air was filled with magic, bushes trimmed into figures and pathways, little fountains shooting water into the air, the falling drops glistening in the sun. It was unmistakable that a Fairy roamed these gardens, who was more powerful than any other. Such brightness in colour and life emanating from every leaf couldn't just be conjured. The Dragonflame touched life wherever it was, and Queen Bloom's presence in Eraklyon's palace turned it close to a second Domino.
Votzaak snorted as he saw the guards' pike tips above the hedges closing in on them. "Pathetic. If those were my people, I'd send them back to boot camp… their response time is shit."
"There are not many who can simply teleport into a palace, Grandmaster," Avalon noted on the side and already made himself presentable.
Votzaak disagreed heavily as he flicked his order robes and walked straight towards the approaching guards, "Exactly. That sloppiness always costs Kingdoms dearly when Black Mages like Valtor crash the party. I've repeated myself for a thousand years and still, I can teleport anywhere without even one solid countermeasure. Ridiculous stupidity!" His piercing eyes hit the guards who finally caught up to them waltzing through their gardens. "How nice of you to exist. Now fetch me…" He hissed but stopped and turned his head to Avalon.
"We humbly request an audience with Queen Bloom of Eraklyon," the Professor tried to smooth things over. The guards were visibly startled by the Grandmaster's presence and bad mood.
"What's going on?" A familiar female voice rang from further behind as the pebbles crunched beneath some fastened steps.
Votzaak used a small and gentle magic pressure wave to part the soldiers. "Queen Bloom, apologies for the intrusion." He instantly swapped to a certain degree of his Council behaviour. A picture-perfect bow as he took his hat off to show his respect before he put it back on.
"Grandmaster Votzaak? Professor?" Bloom blinked, utterly bewildered, "Did I miss an appointment? Something wrong? Which kingdoms are under threat—"
"Oh no, everything's fine with the Kingdoms, Queen Bloom," Avalon, a gentleman as ever, bowed as well. "The Grandmaster was so kind to teleport me here during the training break of your scholarship applicant, Blade Ashfallow."
"Young Blade? Don't tell me something horrible happened during training. I hope she is well," Bloom's vibrant red hair draped over her shoulders as she signed the guards to ease up and the two men to follow her for a walk through the garden.
"She's… energetic and eager as always," Votzaak answered after a second of thought.
Bloom chuckled slightly, "Oh, I know that kind of Fairy all too well." She and her girls had caused headaches for Alfea one after another back in the day as well. "So, how can I help Blade in her training? Does she want to battle me?" There was a certain underlying interest on her part to this question even if ever so subtly. Stella's 'fight' had made quite the talk between the Winx Club members after all. Stella was a powerhouse to lose simply by speed and a few interfering 'wicked Witches' was hilarious.
"Please, don't put a bug in her ear," Avalon laughed out loud. "I came here to ask you something on a technical level of one of your abilities. It's actually related to the incident in Red Fountain during the tests. I'm sure you picked up on some chatter." They turned left into a beautiful flower tunnel.
"Yes, of course. There were quite a lot of our young Specialists in training present and I did hear them talking about it in court. Mostly because of the Shadion reveal, I might add," Bloom noted, her voice a bit worried.
"Problems?" Votzaak's long ears twitched. He knew the Courts of any Kingdom and Eraklyon's definitely in-depth due to the suffered Black Magic attacks from Valtor or the Trix.
Bloom sighed, "Well… the reveal of a 'Dark Fairy,' one that isn't corrupted by the Phoenix, is… confusing for most. Some nobles tried to push Sky and me to drop the scholarship, thinking we didn't know about it. Since we did, most are still a bit salty that we didn't tell them first. Otherwise, some on the side of nurturing cooperation with the Kingdom's Sorceresses rejoiced, and the enemies of such plans are… devastated and are still trying to discredit the notion of such a Fairy form existing. It's change no one truly understands, a few want, and all need."
"Hmmm," Avalon nodded, "That is about what Faragonda expected. Songwind had similar talks but all of the Joined Track have much more credit with them. Blade's safe within the size of her class for now, and little to no school infights have broken out. We also had no complaints so far from parents due to the fact that at least two big Council-related Orders are part of her training. And that's what brought us here," the Professor smoothly guided the discussion to the actual reason for the visit.
"How can I help?" Bloom halted that determined flare in her bright blue eyes.
Votzaak looked intrigued at the genius, as some called him. "Yeah, that's what I'd like to know."
Avalon gazed at his old student. It was good to see Bloom like this. Ready to save the world and as kindhearted as always. "Do you remember what you talked to Faragonda and at some point to me during some teatime in the Headmistress's office about the time you visited Gardenia shortly after you gained your magic powers and you 'saw' your parents' true emotions?"
Votzaak frowned, "You saw true emotions?" He had not heard of that story and the statement in itself made not a lot of sense.
"Ah, yes, of course. Faragonda was baffled back then as well, Grandmaster. As you probably know even better than me, Fairies can sense emotions, some more than others, and the better you know someone…"
"…The more accurate and easier it is to sense the emotions. Just like the connection to nature and the land the Fairy stays in," Votzaak waved with his hand to get the discussion going.
Bloom smiled. She had expected that the Leprechaun knew this inside out. "Exactly. Yet, I, through the Dragonflame, can not only feel their emotions, I can also see the expressions these people would theoretically do if they weren't to hide them."
Avalon nodded, visibly content, "Yes, I remember as much. However, what does that look like? I believe you never told me or truly explained what you saw. I'm more interested in texture, shape, and form rather than the expression in itself."
Bloom stemmed her chin into her hand as she tried to find the right words, "Well…hm… if I didn't… it looks a bit like on Gardenia people depict ghosts in fairy tales. It was a smoky, wobbly mass with outlines mirroring the person to some degree. Nothing solid in any way. Just more like a hologram or projection. Yet it was much more lifelike. The feelings I get from those are intense—the true emotions in the true intensity. It's not something I use often. I truly think it is connected to how extreme the emotion is and how well you know the person."
"Smoky, eh?" Votzaak caught up quickly to the Professor's point, "By any chance have those… projections ever made a sound? Talked?"
"Talked? Hm… a bit, yes. Never something complicated. For example, there were two scumbags trying to buy out my mother's flower shop. Their projections were chuckling," Bloom recalled, but all of that had been so long ago. "I'm not really sure how to phrase this, Professor Avalon. What has all that to do with Blade?" Bloom looked at both of them still puzzled.
Votzaak explained, a bit annoyed. If she had read that report from the tests and not just listened to some chatter, they could have made this connection much faster. "Well, if all you sponsors would keep up with the reports I sent you, you'd know Blade was hit by a non-magical shadowy cloud. It happened again in the city, and she fell off a roof—"
"By the Great Dragon! Is she alright? Why didn't you start with that?!" Bloom scolded the two men harshly.
"She's fine, Bloom. I promise. As the report stated, today we just verified it. Those clouds appear when Blade encounters the corpses of victims of Black Magic. They deplete her of magic and sometimes she hears them say things like 'find the others' or 'I can't help you' nothing complicated. But those clouds can't be stopped by magic and have no magic," Avalon tried his best to keep this short. The break would be over soon.
"Hmm, initially I'd say it's impossible for it to be the same because she has no Dragonflame, not even Bloomix. The 'Remnants'... might be something similar though. I never experienced my ability with the dead. They have no emotions. Cause—"
"They are dead!" Avalon and Votzaak stared at each other like they had just hit the jackpot.
Bloom stared at them, so confused. "Yes?"
"What Blade sees is a remnant of the victim's emotion or... well..." Votzaak searched for the words.
"Wish," Bloom suggested, which earned her some weird glances. She looked at the two gentlemen a bit scoldingly. "Fairies help people. People search out Fairies for help. If I'd die by a Black Magic user, I'd wish for justice and that others wouldn't share my fate. Love is the strongest emotion." She was undeterred in her assessment even if she had less knowledge than either of them.
"So is hate... Two strong emotions that can channel powers. Both last thoughts of dying people," Votzaak slowly began to agree.
"A last wish, a call out to a Dark Fairy, especially resistant to Black Magic due to their willpower. A perfect ally to find peace within death. A guide to a better self. Just like the Light Magic Fairies, a beacon of hope," Avalon looked at Bloom proudly. "You have grown. Not just in power or height. You've become wise." He truly couldn't be happier for her.
"Wise? Tch. You can call her wise when the esteemed Dragonflame holder upgrades her security around here!" Votzaak teased and warned the Queen at the same time. "Maybe I should offer the crown jewel heist challenge to Eraklyon this year," a big, fat grin on his lips.
"Oh? Are you sure your people could even fight me off?" Bloom smirked back. She never backed down from any challenge. "We wouldn't want casualties on your side."
"The only 'casualties' would be Eraklyon's crown jewels," Votzaak was damn sure about himself and his Order. "You're out of shape, dear Queen. Constant training and combat sharpen the mind and powers. Riven and Nabu are way beyond most of the Winx Club if only combat-wise. Tactics win battles more often than raw power. Of course, raw power is not to be underestimated, especially the Dragonflame. Yet please, never forget for your sake and that of your Kingdom. If you can't use it or are too late, all the power of the universe can't save anyone. Not mine, not Faragonda's, or yours. That's the reason why Black Magic and scumbags are so devastating. That's how Domino fell; we were too busy putting out other fires."
"…" Bloom gave him a saddened long stare. Maybe he knew, or maybe he didn't. Stirred by this discussion, Bloom used her ability to see his true emotions. It was obvious Grandmaster Votzaak took every loss of life seriously even after all these centuries. He always came off as harsh, grumpy, and sarcastic to most in the Council. He never wasted time if it could be avoided and seemed distant. Tough love. However, right now Bloom could feel it. It wasn't just that or not even the intent. It was his wisdom and wish to protect all Kingdoms. That wish burned as strong as her Dragonflame. And Bloom, more than most, knew many, many planets and Crown houses couldn't protect themselves on their own. Her adventures had shown her that truth long ago. Nonetheless, becoming Queen was the eye-opener to the true extent of what this actually meant.