Time passed agonizingly slowly.
Bloom, Flora, Tecna, and Amber had been sitting in Faragonda's office for quite some time, but there was no sign of the headmistress.
The office was an impressive place, and Amber was here for the first time.
There was a crystal chandelier that filled the room with its warm light. Behind the golden desk was a tall window set into the wall, framed by thick red velvet curtains. There was a tall, golden chair with red velvet upholstery, where the headmistress usually sat. The walls were painted in a light olive green, and the wall to the right housed a huge golden bookshelf. On the opposite wall stood a small red sofa, where the Winx had taken their seats.
Amber glanced at them uneasily. She was curious and wanted to ask them a thousand questions—but maybe now wasn't the right time. She especially wanted to know if they had any idea about their new enemy... But a look at their worried faces told her it was better to wait quietly.
She had always imagined Alfea's most famous fairies as strong, powerful, and full of confidence... Perfect, as one might imagine powerful fairies to be. Seeing them so downcast made her realize that no one, not even the Winx, was always perfect. They were human and vulnerable. Just like everyone else.
Suddenly, the gilded double doors swung open, and Headmistress Faragonda entered."I apologize for keeping you waiting so long," she said, closing the door behind her.
She then moved behind her desk and closed the windows, as if to ensure they wouldn't be overheard. She turned to the Winx: "What I am about to share with you must remain strictly confidential. This applies to you too, Amber. I don't want anyone causing a panic. Understood?"
"Headmistress Faragonda, why would—?" Flora began, but Faragonda silenced her with a gesture.
The headmistress created a magical diorama on her desk. It showed women with black wings in black clothing.
"Who are they?" Amber asked.
"Servants of an ancient deity. They were banished from this world by Arcadia, the first fairy, at the dawn of time," Faragonda explained. "They saw themselves as dark clerics and used the powers granted by the goddess to collect souls."
"Souls?" Bloom repeated, astonished.
"Yes. We don't know why they did it, nor how they managed to return. Arcadia's magic is powerful. Powerful enough to confine the Water Stars. There must be a reason why the death fairies are disturbing the balance again."
"Wait... Did you just say... death fairies?"
Faragonda took a deep breath, as if to calm herself: "Yes. That's what they've always been called. But don't worry... Your friends are still alive. The man who attacked Dakeria probably saved their lives."
Silence.
"...Who was their goddess? I thought... well, that there were no gods. The Great Dragon created the universe, right?" Bloom asked.
"The Great Dragon is merely a product of the Goddess of Life. At least, that's what we believe. The Shadow Phoenix, on the other hand, was one of the creations of the Goddess of Death."
Faragonda let the magical diorama fade and straightened up.
"Does that mean... Musa, Layla, and Stella...?"
"I don't know, Flora. There are very few sources about the death fairies. And I think the most reliable one would be to ask Arcadia herself."
"But... does that mean there are others? And—?" Bloom began, but Faragonda gestured for her to stop: "I know this isn't much information. But I'm sure you'll learn more in the Golden Kingdom."
Bloom glanced at Amber, who nodded slightly.
"I've already spoken to Saladin, but due to the heightened alert, he won't be able to spare any of the specialists. However," Faragonda smiled, "I managed to get you a ship. Tecna, I think you can pilot it."
Tecna beamed, "I'll get it running."
"That's what I wanted to hear. Be careful, girls. And take good care of Amber," the headmistress said as she dismissed them.
As soon as they left the office, Bloom turned to Amber: "So? Did you find anything out?"
Amber was still trying to process what she had seen. "Headmistress Faragonda is worried... She doesn't want to alarm us further... But she thinks Dakeria... might not be a death fairy after all... That's all I could find out. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. You did well," Bloom said.
"Shall we leave immediately?" Flora asked hesitantly.
"Of course! Why should we waste any more time?" Bloom asked energetically.
Flora raised her hands placatingly: "Bloom, I want to help the others as much as you do. But we've been to the Golden Kingdom before. It's dangerous there."
"She's right. Do you remember the centaurs? And the monsters? And—," Tecna chimed in.
"I know. But we owe it to them," Bloom said, dejected.
"Hey, we'll manage," Flora tried to reassure her.
"Of course you'll manage! You're the Winx!" Amber blurted out. She immediately covered her mouth and turned red.
Bloom smiled at her: "That's right. Let's go save Stella, Layla, and Musa!"
As the Winx embarked on their journey to the Golden Kingdom, a single pale figure entered the Lightstone Monastery. Dakeria sensed all the souls hidden behind these walls... Souls of temple knights and paladins... and the lost souls of the imprisoned.
The Lightstone Monastery was a fortress, and between her and the prison wing were several hundred security spells. Child's play.
As she made her way inside, she reviewed her information. The three witches held here might make good champions for the Goddess of Death. Assuming they cooperated.
The wall before her finally opened, and Dakeria stepped through. On the other side, she looked around disdainfully.
She had landed in a kind of cheerful flower meadow. Butterflies in all colors fluttered about, and large flowers exuded their fragrance. The sun was shining, and a warm summer breeze caressed her face. Everything seemed peaceful. Serene.
This pretense disgusted her. She knew this was a special prison. The goal of the guards was to reform the inmates through positive examples. To her, however, it felt more like brainwashing.
She looked from the bright blue sky to the butterflies and fragrant flowers on the ground. A voice came from a loudspeaker: "Good morning! And now Brother Titirus with the weather report. - Thank you, Brother Kakuphonix. The next few days will be sunny and dry with a gentle breeze. - Thank you, Brother Titirus. And now back to our music program!" A series of soothing, cheerful tunes followed, and in the distance appeared the hologram of a handsome prince on his steed.
This sight seemed to trigger something in Dakeria, for she shot black flames at the projection.
"This is a new kind of torture, even for me..." Dakeria murmured, brushing an annoyed black strand of hair from her pale face.
She created a black flame in her hand, ready to smash the loudspeaker—"...On the other hand..." she closed her fist and extinguished the flame, "I've endured every torture so far..."
Her thoughts drifted... to her prison cell. The rusty chains digging into her flesh... The rats waiting for her death... Sometimes they were too impatient and bit into her tender skin... the loneliness driving her mad... cruel laughter in the distance...
A cool smile spread across her face.
She continued on. The souls of the three witches were not far away...
Meanwhile, the Winx had boarded the Red Fountain's dimensional ship. It was a sleek spaceship that always reminded Bloom a bit of a took the pilot's seat and instructed Flora to be her co-pilot. Amber sat in the back with Bloom.
She seemed distressed and nervous.
"What's wrong, Amber?" Bloom asked.
Amber flinched—apparently, she had been lost in thought—then said: "... Well... I... I don't know if it's a good idea for me to come along... I mean... I've repeated the level three times and haven't even earned my Charmix..."
Bloom remembered. The Charmix was the first transformation a fairy could achieve. It temporarily boosts a fairy's power and can only be earned by overcoming one's greatest weakness.
She placed a hand on Amber's shoulder: "It'll be fine. It wasn't easy for me back then either..."
"For you? You're one of the Winx! The great heroines of the magical dimension," Amber murmured, dejected.
"That's true. But until I met Stella, I didn't even know I was a fairy! On my first day at Alfea, Professor Wizgiz gave us a simple task, and I couldn't do it."
"The first task... Do you mean the hair dyeing with the magic mirror?" Amber asked, a hint of a smile spreading across her face, "My hair turned into spikes when I tried."
"Exactly that!" Bloom laughed, "At least something happened with you!"
"And did you have cooking lessons with Sfoglia?" Amber asked.
"If I remember correctly, Bloom was always the first to skip cooking lessons!" Tecna's voice came from the cockpit, and Bloom and Amber joined in the laughter.
Bloom understood Amber's insecurity. She knew the feeling and told her more about her school days. This seemed to calm the young fairy a bit and made the time fly by. Bloom was just telling Amber about her adventure in Wildland when the ship began to descend, and Tecna's voice announced the end of their Journey.