"Welcome back, girls. I see your mission was a success," smiled Faragonda as the Winx entered her office.
Bloom placed Arcadia's hologram on the desk.
"The fairies did a good job," confirmed Arcadia. "But now I want to discuss something else with you." She turned to the headmistress, "The Winx have expressed a desire to protect other universes from the death fairies as well."
"Is such an endeavor sensible? After all, we haven't even caught Dakeria," Aisha interjected.
"Indeed. If one death fairy manages to penetrate this dimension, hundreds can do so in the parallel universes. If we find out how they managed it, we can send them all back," said Arcadia.
"And what do you think the girls can do to get there?" asked Faragonda.
"Wait, does that mean no one has ever managed it before?" asked Stella, astonished.
"I assume visiting a parallel universe isn't as easy as visiting a shopping mall," Tecna remarked. Stella crossed her arms and glared at her, but Tecna didn't seem to mind and continued her theory undeterred: "It's certainly dangerous. If what I've read is correct, we might encounter versions of ourselves."
"Versions of ourselves?" repeated Musa, confused.
"Yes. It is said that every person exists multiple times. In a parallel universe, there's a high probability that we exist too. That is dangerous."
"What's so dangerous about that? Just imagine if all the Stellas were united! A dazzling army of breathtaking beauties!" Stella enthused.
"It's not that simple," said Flora. "A seed will eventually become a tree. But perhaps the environmental influences in the parallel universes are different. Maybe it grows in a rose garden, or perhaps in a dry steppe."
"I think what Flora means is that the other Stellas didn't grow up like you, and that could have shaped their character. We can't be sure they'll be on our side," Bloom explained calmly.
"You mean one of the Stellas might not have any sense of fashion?" Amber burst out.
Stella looked as if she might faint at the thought. The others giggled.
"That's quite possible," said Faragonda seriously. "However, there are no records of a fairy ever managing to penetrate a parallel universe."
"And there's a reason for that," said Arcadia. "But indeed, on every planet, there's a guardian who can show you the way."
"A guardian? And what do they guard?" asked Musa.
"And how do you know all this if there are no records?" Amber wondered.
Arcadia took a deep breath and explained: "I was the first fairy of this magical dimension. And it was through my appearance that it became possible for fairies to exist in this dimension."
"Does that mean... you come from one of those parallel universes?" Bloom wanted to know.
"Something like that. I come from one of the multiverses, entirely different worlds. That's why I exist only once. I was once a cleric who, after a catastrophe in my world, was torn through space and time. With the help of my goddess, Aletea, the goddess of life, I was able to slip through a hole in the dimension. The catastrophe in my homeland...the void... changed my body... deformed it... and made me the first fairy ever. My magic was unique. I arrived in this dimension... a flourishing dimension full of humans. And my mere presence in this universe was enough to allow other magical creatures to emerge. I taught them to use their magic solely for good. But not all followed my words. Thus, fairies and witches were born. But this world was unstable and broke into many different universes. An anomaly led to the creation of parallel universes, exact copies of this universe."
"Ugh... that's too much for me," said Stella, theatrically falling onto the red sofa in the corner.
"And I thought I had learned everything about the creation of the magical dimension," Aisha blurted out.
Arcadia smiled mildly but quickly became serious again.
"The death fairies were the only creatures that followed me from my homeland, summoned by the goddess of death. With every soul, they increase their power. I managed to push them back from this universe, at the cost of my health. My original body was destroyed, and the arcane form you see is only held together by the remnants of my magic. If I were to leave the golden kingdom my goddess created to save me, I would die," Arcadia paused. Then she continued more calmly: "I knew the death fairies would return. So I entrusted my closest friends with the last gifts of my goddess and sent them to different planets. They are to pass on the gifts to those they deem worthy."
"So... do these guardians possess the key to travel to other universes?" Aisha asked.
"Indeed. But you must find them and gain their trust. Each one of you."
"But... we'll be separated? Just now that we've come back together?" Flora asked shyly.
"Indeed. The guardians will only reveal themselves to a single fairy on their home planet," said Arcadia.
"Don't worry, Flora. I'll make sure we stay in contact," Tecna tried to cheer her up.
"But how are we supposed to find these guardians?" Bloom asked.
"They will reveal themselves to you when the time is right," said Arcadia. "I wish you good luck, Winx."
The hologram faded.
Silence fell.
Faragonda folded her hands behind her desk. She suddenly had a very bad feeling, "Girls, this is a great task..."
"We have no other choice. If we don't help the parallel universes, no one will," said Bloom shortly.
"Bloom is right. We have to do something," Aisha agreed.
"Besides, we won't be separated forever. We'll find these guardians and then meet up again. Here at Alfea," Musa said.
"We can do this! Absolutely-!"
BOOOM!
The wall at the far end of Faragonda's office shattered, and dust and debris buried the fairies beneath it.
Stormy hovered closer and laughed, "These new powers are amazing!"
"Look at that... we even got the beloved headmistress. Oops!" said Darcy.
"Forget her, sisters. Remember our goal: find Bloom," said Icy, scanning the area.
The Doomix, the new power they had received from Dakeria, was incredibly powerful. Compared to the blizzard now raging within her, her previous power was maybe a single snowflake. But that didn't matter.
Lady Dakeria hadn't said in what condition they should bring Bloom. As long as her soul was intact. But where was the little beast?
Faragonda squinted to see the Trix through the dust. Her legs were buried under the rubble, but her head was still clear. Clear enough to teleport the Winx to their home planets at the crucial moment.
Fighting against this power was hopeless.
She had sensed the calamity before she had even seen the witches.
Dark magic at its highest level.
The three ancients of the witches were nothing against this.
Now it was up to the Winx to protect the magical dimension...Once again.
"I can't locate her, Icy!" said Darcy.
Stormy began destroying more buildings, which Darcy didn't like at all.
"Hey, stop that!" she called, coughing.
"They're not here," said someone. The speaker was a pale man with blood-red eyes. A long scar ran over one of them. His shoulder-length dark blue hair was slightly disheveled. He fixed the Trix with a predatory gaze.
"Who are you?" Icy asked.
"No one of interest to you. You will take me to Dakeria," he said coldly.
Stormy laughed and Icy said, "Sorry sweetheart, but that's not going to happen. Now beat it."
The stranger didn't flinch.
As the Trix turned away, a swarm of razor-sharp daggers flew from the stranger's inner coat pockets. They stopped in the air just before they could slit their throats.
"I won't say it again. You will take me to Dakeria," he said.
"Fine!" Darcy called, visibly nervous.
Reluctantly, Icy opened the portal to Dakeria's fortress.
The daggers were still there.
"You are coming with," he commanded.
"What for?" Stormy snapped.
"Perhaps my little Val'kyre will be more cooperative if I kill her toys," he said, "Now move."
Reluctantly, the Trix, closely followed by the stranger, stepped through the portal, which closed behind them.
"Headmistress Faragonda!" Griselda's shrill voice echoed through the rubble. She was clearing the debris with the help of some fairies.
Faragonda was weak, and Griselda had to support her to help her stand.
She looked around. Alfea was nothing but a large, dusty pile of rubble and ice. Injured fairies were everywhere, and those who could still walk were helping their friends. Alfea, as it once stood, had been obliterated. Within minutes. What a destructive power...
"Alert the Magical Council. We must put the entire magical dimension on high alert," the headmistress coughed before finally losing consciousness.