Tecna, Bloom, and Roxy hurriedly followed the small rodent down a series of twisting tunnels, the damp air growing cooler as they descended. The tunnel finally opened up into a long, spiraling stairway that seemed to lead into the heart of the temple.
"There!" Tecna pointed out, her voice urgent. The girls rushed down the stairs and skidded to a halt in front of a gated cell. The metal bars glinted ominously in the dim light, their surface shimmering with faintly glowing runes.
It appears to be enchanted," Tecna noted, examining the gate closely. "If I can read it —"
Her statement was interrupted by the smell of burning metal. Bloom, her expression resolute, realized that while she might not be able to break the enchantment, the seal was metal—and metal melts.
The light from Bloom's fire magic flooded the room, illuminating the darkened cell. The sudden blaze practically blinded the wizards inside. Duman winced, letting out a pained noise, while Gantlos, overwhelmed by the sunlight, writhed on the ground, his vampiric instincts flaring uncontrollably.
Ogron, struggling under the weight of heavy chains, spoke weakly, "You girls—"
Tecna interrupted him, her concentration intense. "I need silence. I can get you boys out of the chains if I can get a reading on the mana in the enchantment."
"Bloom," Roxy's voice trembled slightly. "This roach just told me something you may not like." She leaned in close, her tone low. "Someone's on their way down here—they've got Diana with them."
Bloom turned to Tecna urgently. "How long is this going to take?"
"Don't worry," Tecna said, her fingers dancing over the enchantment. "I've cracked it."
With the enchantment dissipated, Roxy sent one of her insects crawling into the chains on each wizard. When she reached Gantlos, Ogron spoke up.
"That…that would not be wise…" he said, his voice strained.
"What do you mean? He and Duman look awful—you two aren't exactly doing too hot either, but—"
"We're too weak to stop him. His vampire need to feed has completely taken over…"
"VAMPIRE!?" Bloom and Tecna exclaimed in unison.
"It's not something he's flaunting about…" Anagan added weakly.
A sudden thudding noise interrupted their conversation, making everyone tense up.
Thud.
Bloom and Tecna braced for a confrontation.
Thud.
Roxy positioned herself protectively in front of the wizards. The sound of something heavy being dragged filled the air, heightening their anxiety.
"Guys?" A familiar voice pierced the tension.
"Stella!" Bloom shouted, rushing forward. She froze in shock at the sight of her friend. Stella's mascara had run, her eyes were red from crying, and although her lunar Believix form was majestic, the beauty was marred by blood-soaked hands and torso.
"Oh my god…" Bloom gasped.
Stella took immediate notice of the wizards. They looked starved, dehydrated, and weak. She rushed over to them.
"Ogron… Are you guys—Duman—" Stella's voice faltered.
"I'm here…barely," Duman's voice was a dry whisper.
"Where's Gantlos?" Stella asked, scanning the room. Her gaze landed on Gantlos, still shackled. "Get him out."
"But Ogron said he needs to feed his vampire side…he might attack us," Roxy protested.
"I need you to trust me when I say he'll have plenty to eat…" Stella said, her voice resolute.
The girls exchanged confused glances.
"Trust her," Anagan said with conviction. "She's been his lifeline this whole time."
Stella motioned for the others to move aside. She retrieved something from just outside the door. With a click, the chains fell away, and Gantlos immediately tore off his muzzle. Almost instinctively, Stella threw something large into the cell.
"Is that—?" Anagan's eyes widened in horror.
"Oh, sweet merciful—" Ogron gagged slightly at the sight.
There was Stella, her chest heaving with rapid breaths as Gantlos ravenously fed from Diana's lifeless, bloodied body.
"Did you—" Bloom started, her voice filled with disbelief, but Stella cut her off, her eyes hollow and empty.
"I did what it took to survive."
The atmosphere was charged with tension as Stella slowly approached Roxy, who was visibly horrified. Stella gently covered Roxy's eyes with her hands, her own trembling with the weight of what she had done.
—————
As the group emerged from the temple, they found the rest of the Winx and specialists still engaged in a fierce battle with the warrior fairies. The tide had turned, and the fairies seemed visibly weakened.
"Oh, thank goodness—" Flora's voice was filled with concern as she looked over the group. The state of everyone was grim: Gantlos and Stella had vacant, haunted expressions and were covered in bloodstains.
"Don't ask—Winx! Partner up and zoomix the hell out of here!"Bloom shouted.
In an instant, the group vanished in a blur of magic.
Back in Gardenia, the jungle spell that Diana had cast was no more. The Winx were in their loft, trying to tend to the wounded wizards. The remaining specialists arrived, their expressions somber. They sensed the gravity of the situation and chose to remain silent.
Flora emerged from the kitchen with a tray of food, her expression a mix of relief and worry. Bloom worked diligently to heal the physical wounds, her hands glowing with magic.
"You boys need to eat slowly, or you'll just hurt yourself," Flora added in a motherly tone, setting the food down carefully.
The wizards, exhausted and disoriented, thanked the Winx for their kindness. Duman, however, winced in pain as another coughing fit caused blood to trickle from his mouth.
"Ogron…" Duman whispered weakly.
"It's alright, we're all here," Ogron's soft reassurance was a balm to Duman's suffering.
"His sickness seems magical; the physical ailments appear to be just side effects," Bloom explained solemnly, her gaze troubled. She could heal the physical wounds, but the deeper magical affliction was beyond her abilities.
"Let me," Nabu volunteered. "I know a thing or two about magical ailments. It may take some time, but I'm sure I can help him."
"Well, for right now, everything seems calm…" Sky said hesitantly.
"Yeah…until Morgana gets word of what happened in the temple," Anagan remarked, his voice heavy with concern.
"Do we…do we want to know?" Riven asked, his tone edged with apprehension.
"No," Stella replied flatly, her voice devoid of emotion.
"We need to regain our energy and then split into groups. The threat has been delayed, but not stopped," Tecna stated with a cool, pragmatic tone that helped ground the group.
Stella sat with the wizards as they ate, her presence a silent comfort. Brandon tried to approach her, but Bloom intervened.
"Not now…trust me. You can apologize to her later," Bloom advised him. Brandon, though saddened, nodded in understanding. He knew she had been through more than he could imagine.
Nabu then asked Duman to follow him to one of the rooms, with Stella and Gantlos joining them. A few hours later, they all emerged, and Duman's condition appeared to have improved significantly.
"I am telling you all—he should not use any magic for quite some time. Otherwise, his sickness will return much worse than before, and I don't know that I can help him if it does," Nabu cautioned. Despite the somber news, Anagan and Ogron were visibly relieved that Duman was on the mend.
The wizards and Stella were shown to two of the rooms to rest, while the others began strategizing. The battle might have been won, but the war was far from over.