p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Opening my eyes to a new day that I was sure was going to be ruined an hour later felt amazing! I pushed the covers away and walked towards my bathroom to take a quick shower. The girls must still be sleeping, considering no sounds were coming from the common room, but I could smell Flora's herbal teas, meaning she woke up to prepare our provisions for the mission./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I didn't waste much time under the water, remembering what the specialists did the last time we joined a mission together. They barged into the common room, yelling until we packed, even though we still had an hour or so. This time, I wasn't going to give them the chance for such theatrics. I dried my wet hair with my hand as I approached the black tights and tank top lying on my couch. Biting my lip, I looked the clothes up and down before putting them on./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Never in my life had I felt so kitsch! As I looked at myself in the mirror, Flora barged into my room, trying to catch her breath before speaking. "What?" I asked, already walking towards her, concerned./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""We're going to ride on their windriders!" Flora managed to say between breaths./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What?!" I rushed to look outside my window and saw the specialists sitting on their windriders, waiting for us. Ah, damn them! "Each of us is going to ride with one of them." Flora's cheeks blushed as she said that. I rolled my eyes, approaching my wardrobe and putting on my shoes and vest before making my way towards the door. "Stella!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Turning around, I glanced at Flora, who was still blushing like crazy. "For the love of god, Flora, stop blushing and wake the girls. We can't be late, not even for a second. I don't want them to have the audacity to bully us over this."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Flora nodded but didn't let go of my hand. She pressed her hands on my back and pushed me back into my room, leaving me confused in front of the door. "Look at yourself in the mirror, and you can thank me later."/p
hr style="margin: 0.875em auto 1.2525em; border-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; width: 359.234px; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; font-size: 15.12px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As the girls walked towards the exit, they all held their breath in unison, though none of them was aware of the others doing the same. The specialists turned their gazes towards them as Faragonda smiled lovingly at the approaching group. "Just in time, girls. We figured the aircraft would be too big to hide, so you'll ride until you're out of Magix. Once you enter the caves of Darkar, another specialist will be waiting for you there with a Red Fountain aircraft."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella swallowed her words, not wanting to prolong the situation any further. Helia held a helmet for Flora, and the fairy of nature approached the specialist, trying to hide her flushed cheeks. Aisha rolled her eyes as she glanced at the windriders. "I can ride myself," she announced, glaring at Nabu, who rolled his eyes at her behavior./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You can't. Because these here are ours," Riven spoke slowly, as if explaining something complicated to an idiot. Aisha gritted her teeth and started walking towards the magenta-haired specialist. Riven smirked and opened his arms, mocking her as if she were coming to him for a hug. Musa stopped Aisha just in time before her hands started to warm up with Morfix. "Calm down, at least wait until we are out of sight."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Faragonda shook her head and cleared her throat. "I'm warning you all; this mission will only end perfectly if you stop attacking each other and focus on the enemies instead."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Tecna raised her head from her small computer and frowned, "They are our enemies too though." This caused the specialists to smirk in unison. Faragonda sighed sadly and turned to Tecna, wrapping an arm around her shoulder lovingly. "Tecna, not you too." Tecna blinked, not sure what she did to disappoint./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Okay! Everyone find your comrades and leave already. There are a lot of groups we need to send off today. Don't keep us busy any longer."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Flora and Tecna seemed to be the only ones who knew exactly where to go. Their helmets were already on, and their arms were wrapped around their comrades, waiting for the others to start. Stella looked around, despising all the specialists but knowing better than to choose Riven. Her eyes traveled between Sky and Nabu, who were definitely not looking at her but at something behind her. She turned to see where their gazes were locked and was not surprised to find Bloom and Aisha with their arms crossed. Sighing, she started to walk towards Nabu, the only person she hadn't fought with until this day./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Just then, someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards a windrider. Stella blinked in surprise. The touch was gentle, but the person who had taken hold of her was Brandon Ward, which left her almost speechless. He hated her the most, she thought, her eyes widening in shock at his gesture. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Why would he want me to ride with him?/span Actually, there was no offer; he simply grabbed another helmet, turned towards her, and put it on her without saying a word before hopping on the rider./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella stood there for a good ten seconds, looking around to see if anyone had noticed what happened. The girls were too occupied handling their own comrades. Not wanting to waste more time, Stella hopped on the rider, careful not to touch Brandon further. Once each girl was ready—mainly because Faragonda had decided for them—Codatorta spoke to each specialist about the transport details. The specialists nodded in unison and started the riders at the same time. The helmets turned towards Brandon, waiting for his signal to start./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon was the only one who started his rider and then stopped it. Stella frowned in confusion. Just when Codatorta was about to ask if something was wrong, Brandon opened the front of his helmet and gazed at Stella through his mirror. Stella ignored his eyes, turning her head to the other side. As Brandon gestured for the others to go on, Stella turned to Brandon irritated by his behavior. "You should be the one leading!" Annoyed by her act, he started the rider again and pressed the brakes too hard, causing Stella's body to crash into his back unexpectedly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You should be the one hugging," he shot back sternly, lowering the visor of his helmet and rising into the air to follow the others./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella stood pressed against Brandon's body, reluctantly wrapping her arms around him for balance. The zigzags he made were too wild, and she found it impossible to stay steady without holding on. As soon as she did, Brandon stopped the zigzags and sped up, leading the group. Stella sighed, noticing that her friends also had their arms wrapped around the specialists they were riding with. Maybe it was normal—no one wanted to fall, after all./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"It had only been an hour since the journey began, and they hadn't stopped. Despite her thirst, Stella refused to speak, not wanting to give Brandon the satisfaction of teasing her. She gritted her teeth and sighed inwardly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck the windrider carrying Bloom and Sky. The girls cried out in fear as the motorbike spun out of control and plummeted toward the ground. Sky grabbed Bloom, positioning himself to take the brunt of the impact. Stella, reacting instinctively, launched herself into the air from Brandon's windrider, transforming into her fairy form in midair. Her wings glowed brightly, captivating everyone who saw them./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella caught Sky and Bloom just before they hit the ground, allowing them to land softly. The damaged rider, now emitting smoke, hurtled toward them, but Aisha intervened, using her morphix to grab and throw it away. Sky, standing up and looking at his ruined rider, cursed at Aisha./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""She just saved your life, idiot!" Bloom snapped, her patience finally wearing thin. Even Bloom, who usually stayed calm, felt her irritation rise. Sky's ungratefulness was getting on her nerves./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What did you just say?!" Sky approached Bloom with fury in his eyes. Bloom instantly regretted her words. Before she could react, Sky grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, growling in her face. Stella, without hesitation, sent a beam of light that pushed Sky backward./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Everyone started slowing down, landing in the area, their eyes on the unfolding scene./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""If you lay your hands on her one more time, I swear to the stars..." Stella's voice was filled with anger, her presence commanding. Sky, angered by the Sun Fairy's challenge, drew his phantoblade and advanced towards her. But before he could get far, he stumbled backward as a strong hand gripped his shoulder./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon brought his face close to Sky's, speaking in a cold, calm voice, "If you don't sheath that sword right now, I'll make sure you wriggle in pain before you can guess where it's going." Sky felt a chill run down his spine. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"His best friend was defending a fairy?/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""She attacked me! She can't just swing her spoiled butt around whenever she wants!" Sky protested, his voice trembling with rage./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon grabbed Sky by the collar, pulling him close. "You deserved it. Now shut up and go check on your rider."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Sky, feeling betrayed and humiliated, looked around at the group. Seeing no support for his actions, he reluctantly sheathed his sword and walked towards the wrecked rider, his face red with anger and embarrassment./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella stood by Bloom, wrapping her arms around her in a comforting embrace, but her eyes remained fixed on Brandon. As he approached with visible anger, she felt her blood freeze and her own anger begin to rise./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You won't just fly off like that again!" Brandon's voice was sharp with frustration. "I won't get into trouble because of your heroics. There's a point where your spoiled behavior stops, and that behavior won't work where I am!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella silently faced the man, feeling her anger spreading like a virus. She slowly released Bloom and stood up to confront Brandon. Despite his angry words, she didn't lower her head or back down. "You may think you have the right to speak to me like this. But remember, I am one of the most powerful fairies in this universe! I can hold you accountable, I can deal with you on my own! You can't scare or threaten me!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon wasn't focused on Stella's harsh words. No matter what she said, her breath so close to his face was enough to distract him. Swallowing hard, he took a step back, while Stella took a step forward, her defiance unwavering. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Don't push me, princess/span, Brandon thought, clenching his fists./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Suddenly, three shrill laughs echoed around them. Brandon instinctively moved Stella behind him, but she grumbled, "I can take care of myself!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Trix appeared right in front of them, their usual ridiculous, boring, and annoying demeanor on full display. Stella sighed, unimpressed and waiting for this drama to end. "What are you even laughing at?" she inquired already bored./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The air was thick with tension as the Trix landed on the ground, their mocking expressions adding fuel to the already simmering conflict. Stella and Bloom were flanked by the other fairies, their expressions determined as they faced their old enemies. The Specialists spread out, forming a protective perimeter around the group./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Riven's sigh broke the silence. "Darcy," he muttered, his voice tinged with a mix of frustration and unresolved feelings. Darcy's icy glare was the only response he received, her disdain palpable. Icy's laugh echoed ominously. "Since when do you work with those disgusting fairies, gentlemen?" she taunted, her voice dripping with contempt. Aisha rolled her eyes, casting a glance at the Specialists. "It's not like we were thrilled about it," she retorted, her words laced with sarcasm./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The tension between the two groups was evident, and the Specialists didn't need to reply verbally. Their shared look with the fairies spoke volumes about their mutual disdain and the uneasy alliance forced upon them./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Sky's murmur cut through the charged atmosphere, his tone grudging. "If you had stopped causing trouble and making our superiors send us to clean up your messes, no one would be in this unnecessary situation, having a nervous breakdown."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stormy's giggle was a sharp contrast to the serious mood. "Poor you!" she mocked, her eyes gleaming with mischief. For some unknown reason, everyone seemed to harbor a ridiculous hatred towards the fairies. Luna had said it was because of the fairies' enchanting appearance. While the witches were extremely repulsive, the fairies' beauty and brilliance were almost mesmerizing. Stella knew that she was especially hated. She always thought it was because of her ring. Now she saw that the situation was entirely different, that these people harbored so much hatred simply because they were evil./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Her gaze unintentionally shifted to Brandon, and she couldn't quite figure out the look in his eyes, but it felt like a dagger to her heart. Stella knew deep down that she liked Brandon, even if she didn't want to admit it. But the young man had made it so difficult for her that over time, her attraction turned into a cold demeanor. Now, every time she saw Brandon, she didn't try to hide the pure hatred she felt, moving with the countless daggers stabbing into her heart./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon stepped towards Icy, the witch's eyebrows raising in curiosity. "Get out of the way and stop damaging our vehicles. If you must cause harm, do it when we're not involved." Stella swallowed hard, and as Brandon turned around and walked towards his rider, he cursed himself thoroughly for the first time. He didn't care about the girls, but he did care about Stella. Because he cared, he felt an indescribable hatred towards the young fairy./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As Stella's gaze met the three witches, Icy's hands began to fill with white ice crystals. Stella instantly formed a protective shield, gritting her teeth. Though her friends hid behind the shield, none of them showed any sign of fear besides Bloom. Brandon stood his ground, watching the scuffle the damn witches had started, his eyes fixed on Stella. His hand moved to his sword, hesitating for just a moment, and that moment was because Nabu lunged forward, using his staff to hurl the three witches away. Tecna rose into the air, sending a teleportation hologram towards the witches. A huge dark hole, crackling with electrical sparks, opened behind them and sucked them in immediately. Confident the witches wouldn't be able to attack back, Tecna closed the hole. As Stella lowered her shield and turned her head toward Nabu, Aisha sped past the wizard not wanting to thank him or even talk to him because he had helped./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"At that moment Stella made a move that hit Brandon like a punch to the gut; she smiled genuinely, and it was directed at Nabu. As the wizard approached with a similar smile, Brandon struggled to hide his frustration at not hearing a single thing from his spot./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Thank you," Stella murmured, looking into the young wizard's eyes. Nabu nodded, glancing at the quickly retreating Aisha. "That's what childhood friends are for," Nabu mumbled. Stella felt her cheeks redden. She had thought Nabu didn't remember her, but she was wrong./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon, feeling extremely uncomfortable with Stella's genuine smile, blushing cheeks, and tense fidgeting, suddenly couldn't control his voice. "Everyone to your places, no more delays," he shouted, and started walking towards his rider. Shortly after, Stella came over, took her helmet in hand, and put it on her head. She was no longer in her fairy form and was wearing the uniform assigned for the mission. Although all the girls were dressed the same, Brandon only saw Stella. Ignoring the gaze she felt on her, Stella jumped onto the rider, and Brandon didn't feel the need to remind her that he should have gotten on first. He hopped on his rider, put on his helmet, and set off at full speed for the damn mission./p
hr style="margin: 0.875em auto 1.2525em; border-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; width: 359.234px; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; font-size: 15.12px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Slowing down in front of the cages, the girls let out a deep breath of relief. Riding behind someone who despised them had been a nightmare. They hadn't stopped once since the attack, and the prolonged ride left their thighs sore. Each of them had to hold back a moan while dismounting the windrider. Bloom sat down on the floor, not caring what the others might say or if the specialists would mock her. Stella's eyes shifted to her redheaded friend, and with a sigh, she approached her, already empathizing with her pain./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You okay?" Stella asked as she, too, sat down, feeling a bit better with the cold ground soothing her sore thighs./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""The ride was a nightmare," murmured Musa behind them. Pressing her back against Stella's, both girls leaning on each other./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Ditto," mumbled Bloom, earning confused glances from the girls. She dismissed their glares, not finding the energy to explain what "ditto" meant./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Here, take this." The girls raised their heads in unison as Helia handed them a red pill. "It's an urgent healing drug that specialists take only if they're on a mission and have an injury that needs time to heal." Riven, hearing Helia explain their "little secret," snorted and murmured something under his breath./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Helia rolled his eyes, already tired of his friend's behavior towards the girls. "Take some, Riven. You're going to need it if you keep using that tongue with me."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The magenta-haired specialist snorted in response, his mind elsewhere since Darcy had shot him a death glare. As if that wasn't enough, he had to deal with a bunch of fairies to avoid getting expelled. Codatorta and Saladin had found this mission to be the only way to convince the specialists to work with the fairies. Although, Brandon had later volunteered for the mission himself without the pressure of teachers./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Stop telling them everything then," Riven muttered./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Helia dismissed Riven and turned his attention to the others. "Where's the aircraft?" he asked, looking around to see if the specialist bringing it was hiding nearby. Timmy raised his head and adjusted his glasses. "On his way. It might take a couple of minutes until he gets here. Should we eat something?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The girls pressed their palms on their stomachs as if Timmy's words were a signal. They hadn't had a chance to eat since the specialists had shown up too early, leaving them panicked to get ready in time. Stella stood up and began helping Flora distribute the food. While the specialists moved to their own corner, saying they had brought their own food, the girls looked at each other and settled in a different corner./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I can never understand why they are so filled with hatred towards us," Musa mumbled as she ate the sandwich Flora had prepared./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Tecna opened her mouth to remind her about table manners but decided against it and returned to her meal. They ate in silence for a while, no one making a sound. Stella's gaze shifted to the specialists, more specifically to him. From a distance, he didn't have a very hateable face, but once he looked at you and spoke, it came with so many barbs that it was hard not to hate him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He was frowning as he gave orders to the team with a clear and firm voice, explaining the paths they should follow. As everyone nodded, Stella frowned. Although she knew Brandon was very powerful and talented, she wondered if he was going to make all the decisions or if he was thinking of splitting up with the girls and sending them off alone./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"This must have fueled the young fairy's anger even more because she mumbled something and turned back to her meal. She hadn't noticed the girls looking at her in astonishment and barely managed to eat anything. Flora touched Stella's arm and looked at her compassionately. "Stella, there's almost nothing inside what you're holding. Please try to finish it." As Stella exaggeratedly chewed the bite in her mouth, she sighed and nodded. The thought of her eating disorder returning terrified her, and she looked at the sandwich in her hand, barely managing to swallow her bite. "I'm full." Aisha snatched the sandwich from Stella's hand and forcefully shoved it into the blonde's mouth. As Stella started coughing and glaring at her friend, Flora was already rubbing her back. "Do you want some water, sweetie?" Stella nodded while continuing to cough./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You shouldn't force her, Aisha! You'll kill the girl while trying to help." Aisha looked at Stella apologetically and moved closer to her. "I get very upset seeing you like this, so I react impulsively, Stell. I'm sorry."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As Flora handed Stella some water, she was already starting to feel better. She leaned back and closed her eyes to absorb the strength of the setting sun. "Can we stay until the sun sets?" she murmured, her voice fragile, but she knew she would recover soon. The girls nodded and murmured their approval, and there was silence for a while. The girls started getting up to tidy up and make the final preparations for the mission while Stella was still busy storing the sun's energy. Suddenly, the sun was replaced by a shadow, and Stella frowned as she slowly opened her eyes. The specialists' friend had finally arrived./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella brushed off her backside with her hand and stood up, already feeling exhausted. This mission had been given to her without any chance to rest. For some reason, Faragonda had insisted on her participation, even though she knew better than anyone how much Stella needed a break. Sighing, Stella walked towards the girls and noticed Brandon frowning at her as she glanced at the specialists. She muttered a curse under her breath, though it was a way to deceive herself. Brandon's gaze never made her uneasy; on the contrary, it warmed her inside. Anger, hatred, or whatever it was she couldn't name, it warmed her. This time, Stella didn't want to return his gaze. Instead, she lifted her head and fixed her eyes on the vehicle descending for landing./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As the door opened, a strikingly handsome specialist with a sword in hand grinned at the others. It wasn't a personal comment since none of the specialists were unattractive, but this guy was a notch above handsome./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As the young specialist turned his gaze to the girls, he inspected each one, his grin widening. However as his eyes landed on Stella, his smile faded, and he took a deep breath in. The specialist, swallowing as he eyed the young fairy, stepped forward, but his attention was diverted by Brandon's stern command:/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""If there's anything you can't carry, place it inside the aircraft. Riders should also be brought in. Once everything is set, we can proceed with the grouping."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Grouping/span? The girls looked at the specialists in surprise, while Brandon, without breaking his stance or glancing at the girls, advanced towards the specialist standing at the door. "Close your mouth; you're going to drool. You'll handle my windrider." The specialist jumped at the command from his superior and nodded, moving towards the rider, but Brandon grabbed his shoulder to stop him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Do you realize how important this mission is for you, Percy?" Percy nodded, swallowing with fear this time. "Then you must also understand that any romantic move towards these damn fairies will be the end of you?" Percy stared at Brandon for a moment, then lowered his head, casting one last glance at Stella. "I'm sorry, Commander," he mumbled, further irritating Brandon. Brandon tightened his grip on Percy and made him focus. "Next time, I won't just warn you."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Percy quickly nodded and barely managed to pull away from Brandon's grip. Brandon then turned his gaze to the fairy of the celestial bodies. Stella had already begun gathering her belongings and was walking towards Brandon to load them into the aircraft./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As she passed by him, careful not to look at him, Stella felt a slight shiver. She and Brandon hadn't worked together much, if at all. Brandon usually came at the end of missions to check on the Specialists and measure the success of the mission, which annoyed Stella to no end. Despite not being the one who completed the mission successfully, he still had the audacity to critique how it was done. Sighing, she moved towards the small room where the girls had piled their belongings. It was a small room with six beds mounted on the walls like bunks. Stella walked to the wardrobe next to the bed and slowly opened the doors, finding them empty. She reached out towards the pile of the girls' and her own belongings. The items floated into the wardrobe, each finding its own place, and she closed the doors with a satisfied smile. She turned to leave the room but collided with a hard body, nearly falling until strong, muscular arms caught her, pressing her against the same firm and muscular body. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Brandon/span./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella couldn't stop her eyes from widening, but she couldn't let the moment's magic take over either. She pushed Brandon and stepped back, but her back hit the wardrobe, showing she had nowhere to go. As Brandon approached the young fairy, he managed to suppress all his emotions and focus solely on his brain. "This mission needs to be completed flawlessly. I've said before that I never want to be on a mission with any fairy again; you constantly give me headaches." Stella could only stare at him blankly. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"What was this man talking about? They might have been forced, but fairies never deviated from their mission!/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""We are trained to save lives and deal with evil. Each of us holds the balance, keeping humanity and the universe upright. Aisha is the fairy of waves; without her, the massive body of water we know as the ocean would have dried up long ago. Flora maintains the balance of nature, ensuring that both animals and humans get sufficient and orderly nourishment. This goes on with Tecna, Musa, Bloom, and many other young fairies at Alfea. Our purpose is to protect; we are not after a show of strength like you!" She had spoken so much that the moisture from the water she had drunk earlier had already dissipated. Her mouth was parched, but she knew she wouldn't admit it to the brute standing before her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon took another step forward, and Stella noticed her chest heaving between her rapid breaths, but to calm down, this guy needed to leave! "And what about you? Should your silence about yourself suggest that even you don't expect much from yourself?" Stella wasn't aware of the bright and dazzling light emanating from her eyes, but Brandon considered himself lucky to witness it once more. In an instant, Stella pushed her hands against his chest and flung him towards the opposite wall. Brandon, reacting swiftly, pushed off the wall with his feet and landed gracefully on his knees, growling at the young fairy. Stella was already advancing towards him, her entire being, including her hair, glowing with a radiant light. Brandon sprang to his feet and, without reaching for his sword, grabbed Stella by the wrist as she attempted another blow, spinning her and pressing her back firmly against his chest./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Next time you think of attacking me, remember this, princess: You are a worthless little fairy girl. Bright wings and beautiful clothes are your masks. We know just how ugly your soul truly is. You can never hide that." Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes, not just light this time. "You don't know shit!" Grateful that her voice came out clearly, she struggled once more against the arms that restrained her, but it was futile. His grip was too strong, and his body's heat had thrown her off balance. Knowing he wouldn't see, Stella allowed her tears to fall. Resting her head on Brandon's shoulder and causing for his body to froze, she clenched her teeth as she spoke the words that halted the young Specialist, not realizing the immense impact they would have./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's impossible to be good in your eyes because the universe feeds on evil. You are evil; you are the most heartless warrior I've ever known. And your hatred doesn't matter to me at all. In fact, I like it. Do you know why?" Brandon noticed his hands turning white as he held Stella's wrists and slightly loosened his grip, worried about hurting her, all while trying to process the weight of her words. Stella, in her soft, bittersweet voice, concluded the conversation that left Brandon thoroughly unbalanced./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I like it because your filth can't reach us. Your hatred keeps you away from us, which works against us because if I were to be tainted, it would devastate me if a Specialist were the cause." With that, she used her powers to push Brandon away, commanding her legs not to tremble. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;""I will stand high," /spanshe muttered in her mind to herselfspan style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;". "I'd rather die than let a Specialist bring me down."/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"I didn't waste much time under the water, remembering what the specialists did the last time we joined a mission together. They barged into the common room, yelling until we packed, even though we still had an hour or so. This time, I wasn't going to give them the chance for such theatrics. I dried my wet hair with my hand as I approached the black tights and tank top lying on my couch. Biting my lip, I looked the clothes up and down before putting them on./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Never in my life had I felt so kitsch! As I looked at myself in the mirror, Flora barged into my room, trying to catch her breath before speaking. "What?" I asked, already walking towards her, concerned./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""We're going to ride on their windriders!" Flora managed to say between breaths./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What?!" I rushed to look outside my window and saw the specialists sitting on their windriders, waiting for us. Ah, damn them! "Each of us is going to ride with one of them." Flora's cheeks blushed as she said that. I rolled my eyes, approaching my wardrobe and putting on my shoes and vest before making my way towards the door. "Stella!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Turning around, I glanced at Flora, who was still blushing like crazy. "For the love of god, Flora, stop blushing and wake the girls. We can't be late, not even for a second. I don't want them to have the audacity to bully us over this."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Flora nodded but didn't let go of my hand. She pressed her hands on my back and pushed me back into my room, leaving me confused in front of the door. "Look at yourself in the mirror, and you can thank me later."/p
hr style="margin: 0.875em auto 1.2525em; border-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; width: 359.234px; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; font-size: 15.12px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As the girls walked towards the exit, they all held their breath in unison, though none of them was aware of the others doing the same. The specialists turned their gazes towards them as Faragonda smiled lovingly at the approaching group. "Just in time, girls. We figured the aircraft would be too big to hide, so you'll ride until you're out of Magix. Once you enter the caves of Darkar, another specialist will be waiting for you there with a Red Fountain aircraft."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella swallowed her words, not wanting to prolong the situation any further. Helia held a helmet for Flora, and the fairy of nature approached the specialist, trying to hide her flushed cheeks. Aisha rolled her eyes as she glanced at the windriders. "I can ride myself," she announced, glaring at Nabu, who rolled his eyes at her behavior./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You can't. Because these here are ours," Riven spoke slowly, as if explaining something complicated to an idiot. Aisha gritted her teeth and started walking towards the magenta-haired specialist. Riven smirked and opened his arms, mocking her as if she were coming to him for a hug. Musa stopped Aisha just in time before her hands started to warm up with Morfix. "Calm down, at least wait until we are out of sight."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Faragonda shook her head and cleared her throat. "I'm warning you all; this mission will only end perfectly if you stop attacking each other and focus on the enemies instead."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Tecna raised her head from her small computer and frowned, "They are our enemies too though." This caused the specialists to smirk in unison. Faragonda sighed sadly and turned to Tecna, wrapping an arm around her shoulder lovingly. "Tecna, not you too." Tecna blinked, not sure what she did to disappoint./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Okay! Everyone find your comrades and leave already. There are a lot of groups we need to send off today. Don't keep us busy any longer."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Flora and Tecna seemed to be the only ones who knew exactly where to go. Their helmets were already on, and their arms were wrapped around their comrades, waiting for the others to start. Stella looked around, despising all the specialists but knowing better than to choose Riven. Her eyes traveled between Sky and Nabu, who were definitely not looking at her but at something behind her. She turned to see where their gazes were locked and was not surprised to find Bloom and Aisha with their arms crossed. Sighing, she started to walk towards Nabu, the only person she hadn't fought with until this day./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Just then, someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards a windrider. Stella blinked in surprise. The touch was gentle, but the person who had taken hold of her was Brandon Ward, which left her almost speechless. He hated her the most, she thought, her eyes widening in shock at his gesture. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Why would he want me to ride with him?/span Actually, there was no offer; he simply grabbed another helmet, turned towards her, and put it on her without saying a word before hopping on the rider./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella stood there for a good ten seconds, looking around to see if anyone had noticed what happened. The girls were too occupied handling their own comrades. Not wanting to waste more time, Stella hopped on the rider, careful not to touch Brandon further. Once each girl was ready—mainly because Faragonda had decided for them—Codatorta spoke to each specialist about the transport details. The specialists nodded in unison and started the riders at the same time. The helmets turned towards Brandon, waiting for his signal to start./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon was the only one who started his rider and then stopped it. Stella frowned in confusion. Just when Codatorta was about to ask if something was wrong, Brandon opened the front of his helmet and gazed at Stella through his mirror. Stella ignored his eyes, turning her head to the other side. As Brandon gestured for the others to go on, Stella turned to Brandon irritated by his behavior. "You should be the one leading!" Annoyed by her act, he started the rider again and pressed the brakes too hard, causing Stella's body to crash into his back unexpectedly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You should be the one hugging," he shot back sternly, lowering the visor of his helmet and rising into the air to follow the others./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella stood pressed against Brandon's body, reluctantly wrapping her arms around him for balance. The zigzags he made were too wild, and she found it impossible to stay steady without holding on. As soon as she did, Brandon stopped the zigzags and sped up, leading the group. Stella sighed, noticing that her friends also had their arms wrapped around the specialists they were riding with. Maybe it was normal—no one wanted to fall, after all./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"It had only been an hour since the journey began, and they hadn't stopped. Despite her thirst, Stella refused to speak, not wanting to give Brandon the satisfaction of teasing her. She gritted her teeth and sighed inwardly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck the windrider carrying Bloom and Sky. The girls cried out in fear as the motorbike spun out of control and plummeted toward the ground. Sky grabbed Bloom, positioning himself to take the brunt of the impact. Stella, reacting instinctively, launched herself into the air from Brandon's windrider, transforming into her fairy form in midair. Her wings glowed brightly, captivating everyone who saw them./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella caught Sky and Bloom just before they hit the ground, allowing them to land softly. The damaged rider, now emitting smoke, hurtled toward them, but Aisha intervened, using her morphix to grab and throw it away. Sky, standing up and looking at his ruined rider, cursed at Aisha./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""She just saved your life, idiot!" Bloom snapped, her patience finally wearing thin. Even Bloom, who usually stayed calm, felt her irritation rise. Sky's ungratefulness was getting on her nerves./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What did you just say?!" Sky approached Bloom with fury in his eyes. Bloom instantly regretted her words. Before she could react, Sky grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, growling in her face. Stella, without hesitation, sent a beam of light that pushed Sky backward./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Everyone started slowing down, landing in the area, their eyes on the unfolding scene./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""If you lay your hands on her one more time, I swear to the stars..." Stella's voice was filled with anger, her presence commanding. Sky, angered by the Sun Fairy's challenge, drew his phantoblade and advanced towards her. But before he could get far, he stumbled backward as a strong hand gripped his shoulder./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon brought his face close to Sky's, speaking in a cold, calm voice, "If you don't sheath that sword right now, I'll make sure you wriggle in pain before you can guess where it's going." Sky felt a chill run down his spine. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"His best friend was defending a fairy?/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""She attacked me! She can't just swing her spoiled butt around whenever she wants!" Sky protested, his voice trembling with rage./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon grabbed Sky by the collar, pulling him close. "You deserved it. Now shut up and go check on your rider."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Sky, feeling betrayed and humiliated, looked around at the group. Seeing no support for his actions, he reluctantly sheathed his sword and walked towards the wrecked rider, his face red with anger and embarrassment./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella stood by Bloom, wrapping her arms around her in a comforting embrace, but her eyes remained fixed on Brandon. As he approached with visible anger, she felt her blood freeze and her own anger begin to rise./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You won't just fly off like that again!" Brandon's voice was sharp with frustration. "I won't get into trouble because of your heroics. There's a point where your spoiled behavior stops, and that behavior won't work where I am!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella silently faced the man, feeling her anger spreading like a virus. She slowly released Bloom and stood up to confront Brandon. Despite his angry words, she didn't lower her head or back down. "You may think you have the right to speak to me like this. But remember, I am one of the most powerful fairies in this universe! I can hold you accountable, I can deal with you on my own! You can't scare or threaten me!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon wasn't focused on Stella's harsh words. No matter what she said, her breath so close to his face was enough to distract him. Swallowing hard, he took a step back, while Stella took a step forward, her defiance unwavering. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Don't push me, princess/span, Brandon thought, clenching his fists./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Suddenly, three shrill laughs echoed around them. Brandon instinctively moved Stella behind him, but she grumbled, "I can take care of myself!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The Trix appeared right in front of them, their usual ridiculous, boring, and annoying demeanor on full display. Stella sighed, unimpressed and waiting for this drama to end. "What are you even laughing at?" she inquired already bored./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The air was thick with tension as the Trix landed on the ground, their mocking expressions adding fuel to the already simmering conflict. Stella and Bloom were flanked by the other fairies, their expressions determined as they faced their old enemies. The Specialists spread out, forming a protective perimeter around the group./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Riven's sigh broke the silence. "Darcy," he muttered, his voice tinged with a mix of frustration and unresolved feelings. Darcy's icy glare was the only response he received, her disdain palpable. Icy's laugh echoed ominously. "Since when do you work with those disgusting fairies, gentlemen?" she taunted, her voice dripping with contempt. Aisha rolled her eyes, casting a glance at the Specialists. "It's not like we were thrilled about it," she retorted, her words laced with sarcasm./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The tension between the two groups was evident, and the Specialists didn't need to reply verbally. Their shared look with the fairies spoke volumes about their mutual disdain and the uneasy alliance forced upon them./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Sky's murmur cut through the charged atmosphere, his tone grudging. "If you had stopped causing trouble and making our superiors send us to clean up your messes, no one would be in this unnecessary situation, having a nervous breakdown."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stormy's giggle was a sharp contrast to the serious mood. "Poor you!" she mocked, her eyes gleaming with mischief. For some unknown reason, everyone seemed to harbor a ridiculous hatred towards the fairies. Luna had said it was because of the fairies' enchanting appearance. While the witches were extremely repulsive, the fairies' beauty and brilliance were almost mesmerizing. Stella knew that she was especially hated. She always thought it was because of her ring. Now she saw that the situation was entirely different, that these people harbored so much hatred simply because they were evil./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Her gaze unintentionally shifted to Brandon, and she couldn't quite figure out the look in his eyes, but it felt like a dagger to her heart. Stella knew deep down that she liked Brandon, even if she didn't want to admit it. But the young man had made it so difficult for her that over time, her attraction turned into a cold demeanor. Now, every time she saw Brandon, she didn't try to hide the pure hatred she felt, moving with the countless daggers stabbing into her heart./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon stepped towards Icy, the witch's eyebrows raising in curiosity. "Get out of the way and stop damaging our vehicles. If you must cause harm, do it when we're not involved." Stella swallowed hard, and as Brandon turned around and walked towards his rider, he cursed himself thoroughly for the first time. He didn't care about the girls, but he did care about Stella. Because he cared, he felt an indescribable hatred towards the young fairy./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As Stella's gaze met the three witches, Icy's hands began to fill with white ice crystals. Stella instantly formed a protective shield, gritting her teeth. Though her friends hid behind the shield, none of them showed any sign of fear besides Bloom. Brandon stood his ground, watching the scuffle the damn witches had started, his eyes fixed on Stella. His hand moved to his sword, hesitating for just a moment, and that moment was because Nabu lunged forward, using his staff to hurl the three witches away. Tecna rose into the air, sending a teleportation hologram towards the witches. A huge dark hole, crackling with electrical sparks, opened behind them and sucked them in immediately. Confident the witches wouldn't be able to attack back, Tecna closed the hole. As Stella lowered her shield and turned her head toward Nabu, Aisha sped past the wizard not wanting to thank him or even talk to him because he had helped./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"At that moment Stella made a move that hit Brandon like a punch to the gut; she smiled genuinely, and it was directed at Nabu. As the wizard approached with a similar smile, Brandon struggled to hide his frustration at not hearing a single thing from his spot./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Thank you," Stella murmured, looking into the young wizard's eyes. Nabu nodded, glancing at the quickly retreating Aisha. "That's what childhood friends are for," Nabu mumbled. Stella felt her cheeks redden. She had thought Nabu didn't remember her, but she was wrong./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon, feeling extremely uncomfortable with Stella's genuine smile, blushing cheeks, and tense fidgeting, suddenly couldn't control his voice. "Everyone to your places, no more delays," he shouted, and started walking towards his rider. Shortly after, Stella came over, took her helmet in hand, and put it on her head. She was no longer in her fairy form and was wearing the uniform assigned for the mission. Although all the girls were dressed the same, Brandon only saw Stella. Ignoring the gaze she felt on her, Stella jumped onto the rider, and Brandon didn't feel the need to remind her that he should have gotten on first. He hopped on his rider, put on his helmet, and set off at full speed for the damn mission./p
hr style="margin: 0.875em auto 1.2525em; border-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; width: 359.234px; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; font-size: 15.12px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Slowing down in front of the cages, the girls let out a deep breath of relief. Riding behind someone who despised them had been a nightmare. They hadn't stopped once since the attack, and the prolonged ride left their thighs sore. Each of them had to hold back a moan while dismounting the windrider. Bloom sat down on the floor, not caring what the others might say or if the specialists would mock her. Stella's eyes shifted to her redheaded friend, and with a sigh, she approached her, already empathizing with her pain./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You okay?" Stella asked as she, too, sat down, feeling a bit better with the cold ground soothing her sore thighs./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""The ride was a nightmare," murmured Musa behind them. Pressing her back against Stella's, both girls leaning on each other./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Ditto," mumbled Bloom, earning confused glances from the girls. She dismissed their glares, not finding the energy to explain what "ditto" meant./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Here, take this." The girls raised their heads in unison as Helia handed them a red pill. "It's an urgent healing drug that specialists take only if they're on a mission and have an injury that needs time to heal." Riven, hearing Helia explain their "little secret," snorted and murmured something under his breath./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Helia rolled his eyes, already tired of his friend's behavior towards the girls. "Take some, Riven. You're going to need it if you keep using that tongue with me."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The magenta-haired specialist snorted in response, his mind elsewhere since Darcy had shot him a death glare. As if that wasn't enough, he had to deal with a bunch of fairies to avoid getting expelled. Codatorta and Saladin had found this mission to be the only way to convince the specialists to work with the fairies. Although, Brandon had later volunteered for the mission himself without the pressure of teachers./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Stop telling them everything then," Riven muttered./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Helia dismissed Riven and turned his attention to the others. "Where's the aircraft?" he asked, looking around to see if the specialist bringing it was hiding nearby. Timmy raised his head and adjusted his glasses. "On his way. It might take a couple of minutes until he gets here. Should we eat something?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The girls pressed their palms on their stomachs as if Timmy's words were a signal. They hadn't had a chance to eat since the specialists had shown up too early, leaving them panicked to get ready in time. Stella stood up and began helping Flora distribute the food. While the specialists moved to their own corner, saying they had brought their own food, the girls looked at each other and settled in a different corner./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I can never understand why they are so filled with hatred towards us," Musa mumbled as she ate the sandwich Flora had prepared./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Tecna opened her mouth to remind her about table manners but decided against it and returned to her meal. They ate in silence for a while, no one making a sound. Stella's gaze shifted to the specialists, more specifically to him. From a distance, he didn't have a very hateable face, but once he looked at you and spoke, it came with so many barbs that it was hard not to hate him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He was frowning as he gave orders to the team with a clear and firm voice, explaining the paths they should follow. As everyone nodded, Stella frowned. Although she knew Brandon was very powerful and talented, she wondered if he was going to make all the decisions or if he was thinking of splitting up with the girls and sending them off alone./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"This must have fueled the young fairy's anger even more because she mumbled something and turned back to her meal. She hadn't noticed the girls looking at her in astonishment and barely managed to eat anything. Flora touched Stella's arm and looked at her compassionately. "Stella, there's almost nothing inside what you're holding. Please try to finish it." As Stella exaggeratedly chewed the bite in her mouth, she sighed and nodded. The thought of her eating disorder returning terrified her, and she looked at the sandwich in her hand, barely managing to swallow her bite. "I'm full." Aisha snatched the sandwich from Stella's hand and forcefully shoved it into the blonde's mouth. As Stella started coughing and glaring at her friend, Flora was already rubbing her back. "Do you want some water, sweetie?" Stella nodded while continuing to cough./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You shouldn't force her, Aisha! You'll kill the girl while trying to help." Aisha looked at Stella apologetically and moved closer to her. "I get very upset seeing you like this, so I react impulsively, Stell. I'm sorry."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As Flora handed Stella some water, she was already starting to feel better. She leaned back and closed her eyes to absorb the strength of the setting sun. "Can we stay until the sun sets?" she murmured, her voice fragile, but she knew she would recover soon. The girls nodded and murmured their approval, and there was silence for a while. The girls started getting up to tidy up and make the final preparations for the mission while Stella was still busy storing the sun's energy. Suddenly, the sun was replaced by a shadow, and Stella frowned as she slowly opened her eyes. The specialists' friend had finally arrived./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella brushed off her backside with her hand and stood up, already feeling exhausted. This mission had been given to her without any chance to rest. For some reason, Faragonda had insisted on her participation, even though she knew better than anyone how much Stella needed a break. Sighing, Stella walked towards the girls and noticed Brandon frowning at her as she glanced at the specialists. She muttered a curse under her breath, though it was a way to deceive herself. Brandon's gaze never made her uneasy; on the contrary, it warmed her inside. Anger, hatred, or whatever it was she couldn't name, it warmed her. This time, Stella didn't want to return his gaze. Instead, she lifted her head and fixed her eyes on the vehicle descending for landing./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As the door opened, a strikingly handsome specialist with a sword in hand grinned at the others. It wasn't a personal comment since none of the specialists were unattractive, but this guy was a notch above handsome./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As the young specialist turned his gaze to the girls, he inspected each one, his grin widening. However as his eyes landed on Stella, his smile faded, and he took a deep breath in. The specialist, swallowing as he eyed the young fairy, stepped forward, but his attention was diverted by Brandon's stern command:/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""If there's anything you can't carry, place it inside the aircraft. Riders should also be brought in. Once everything is set, we can proceed with the grouping."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Grouping/span? The girls looked at the specialists in surprise, while Brandon, without breaking his stance or glancing at the girls, advanced towards the specialist standing at the door. "Close your mouth; you're going to drool. You'll handle my windrider." The specialist jumped at the command from his superior and nodded, moving towards the rider, but Brandon grabbed his shoulder to stop him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Do you realize how important this mission is for you, Percy?" Percy nodded, swallowing with fear this time. "Then you must also understand that any romantic move towards these damn fairies will be the end of you?" Percy stared at Brandon for a moment, then lowered his head, casting one last glance at Stella. "I'm sorry, Commander," he mumbled, further irritating Brandon. Brandon tightened his grip on Percy and made him focus. "Next time, I won't just warn you."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Percy quickly nodded and barely managed to pull away from Brandon's grip. Brandon then turned his gaze to the fairy of the celestial bodies. Stella had already begun gathering her belongings and was walking towards Brandon to load them into the aircraft./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"As she passed by him, careful not to look at him, Stella felt a slight shiver. She and Brandon hadn't worked together much, if at all. Brandon usually came at the end of missions to check on the Specialists and measure the success of the mission, which annoyed Stella to no end. Despite not being the one who completed the mission successfully, he still had the audacity to critique how it was done. Sighing, she moved towards the small room where the girls had piled their belongings. It was a small room with six beds mounted on the walls like bunks. Stella walked to the wardrobe next to the bed and slowly opened the doors, finding them empty. She reached out towards the pile of the girls' and her own belongings. The items floated into the wardrobe, each finding its own place, and she closed the doors with a satisfied smile. She turned to leave the room but collided with a hard body, nearly falling until strong, muscular arms caught her, pressing her against the same firm and muscular body. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Brandon/span./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stella couldn't stop her eyes from widening, but she couldn't let the moment's magic take over either. She pushed Brandon and stepped back, but her back hit the wardrobe, showing she had nowhere to go. As Brandon approached the young fairy, he managed to suppress all his emotions and focus solely on his brain. "This mission needs to be completed flawlessly. I've said before that I never want to be on a mission with any fairy again; you constantly give me headaches." Stella could only stare at him blankly. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"What was this man talking about? They might have been forced, but fairies never deviated from their mission!/span/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""We are trained to save lives and deal with evil. Each of us holds the balance, keeping humanity and the universe upright. Aisha is the fairy of waves; without her, the massive body of water we know as the ocean would have dried up long ago. Flora maintains the balance of nature, ensuring that both animals and humans get sufficient and orderly nourishment. This goes on with Tecna, Musa, Bloom, and many other young fairies at Alfea. Our purpose is to protect; we are not after a show of strength like you!" She had spoken so much that the moisture from the water she had drunk earlier had already dissipated. Her mouth was parched, but she knew she wouldn't admit it to the brute standing before her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Brandon took another step forward, and Stella noticed her chest heaving between her rapid breaths, but to calm down, this guy needed to leave! "And what about you? Should your silence about yourself suggest that even you don't expect much from yourself?" Stella wasn't aware of the bright and dazzling light emanating from her eyes, but Brandon considered himself lucky to witness it once more. In an instant, Stella pushed her hands against his chest and flung him towards the opposite wall. Brandon, reacting swiftly, pushed off the wall with his feet and landed gracefully on his knees, growling at the young fairy. Stella was already advancing towards him, her entire being, including her hair, glowing with a radiant light. Brandon sprang to his feet and, without reaching for his sword, grabbed Stella by the wrist as she attempted another blow, spinning her and pressing her back firmly against his chest./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Next time you think of attacking me, remember this, princess: You are a worthless little fairy girl. Bright wings and beautiful clothes are your masks. We know just how ugly your soul truly is. You can never hide that." Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes, not just light this time. "You don't know shit!" Grateful that her voice came out clearly, she struggled once more against the arms that restrained her, but it was futile. His grip was too strong, and his body's heat had thrown her off balance. Knowing he wouldn't see, Stella allowed her tears to fall. Resting her head on Brandon's shoulder and causing for his body to froze, she clenched her teeth as she spoke the words that halted the young Specialist, not realizing the immense impact they would have./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's impossible to be good in your eyes because the universe feeds on evil. You are evil; you are the most heartless warrior I've ever known. And your hatred doesn't matter to me at all. In fact, I like it. Do you know why?" Brandon noticed his hands turning white as he held Stella's wrists and slightly loosened his grip, worried about hurting her, all while trying to process the weight of her words. Stella, in her soft, bittersweet voice, concluded the conversation that left Brandon thoroughly unbalanced./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I like it because your filth can't reach us. Your hatred keeps you away from us, which works against us because if I were to be tainted, it would devastate me if a Specialist were the cause." With that, she used her powers to push Brandon away, commanding her legs not to tremble. span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;""I will stand high," /spanshe muttered in her mind to herselfspan style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: oblique; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;". "I'd rather die than let a Specialist bring me down."/span/p