Cold. That's all Gantlos could describe for a year. The cold landscape of Omega, the cold crystallized prison he and the other wizards were trapped in, the cold taste of defeat from those damn Earth Fairies, the cold sound of wind blowing in this frozen cavern. Omega wasn't a place for regular prisoners; only the most vile of evil is punished with eternal damnation. And yet…they were stuck there. Sure, attempted genocide of those fairies sounds evil, but they never succeeded. Gantlos accepted that fact, but he couldn't figure out why the Winx took them to Sybilla and preached violence not being the answer, and yet they imprisoned them in this icy hell. He didn't think much about it, it was too cold. He couldn't move, the only feeling was cold numbness.
Maybe this was his fault, he thought. Maybe if he stopped that wizard from Andros, the Abyss would have successfully destroyed the fairies. Maybe he could have challenged the fairies instead of running away. Maybe, just maybe, if he was stronger, strong enough to destroy their wings all by himself. How were they weakened again? The Circle. Maybe if he wasn't too late, Ogron wouldn't have gotten blasted on those tracks, and he could have destroyed the White Circle then and there.
His train of thought stops as he sees some foggy ghost approaching the wizards. If he wasn't frozen, his eyes would squint to get a clearer picture. It looked like a shadow. A cloak filled with darkness, the only light being the one in his eyes. He could hear him talk about something.
"Ah yes, the Wizards of the Black Circle. A cold defeat, and unfortunately only three of them remain. Seems you lack a vision, perfect for taking you under the wing of Neruman, yours truly. You do seem to be better for following my every order anyway."
Ooh, Ogron would hate that, Gantlos thought. All his life he has followed orders as far back as the days they obeyed Yllidith, and even a year ago he always felt like Ogron was the leader and he was the henchman. Now it's just the same routine. But something catches his eye, a blue and black spark flickered behind Neruman. After a few seconds, he noticed his coat catch a blue flame and panics, shaking his arm to flick off the ember. The spark seemed to be sentient, moving from the charred sleeve of his coat to the ice. How was the fire surviving in the Omega?
"What was that?!" Neruman snaps. "Show yourself!"
The blue spark morphed and grew into some kind of winged wispy ghost. Two glowing white eyes looked at Neruman's golden ones.
"Ugh, you pest!" Neruman hisses, "Do you know you're messing with the Lord of Shadows?! Well, let me show you then!"
Neruman extends his burnt sleeve out, sharp dark talons peaking out and conjuring up a swirl of black and blue magic. He summons a shadow creature, one long and slim, which zips at the phantom like an arrow and pieces it. Neruman thinks he has the win until the shadow catches fire itself. He tries to tug away but feels a sharp rip before falling back in pain.
"Ow! Wha…what is that thing?!"
"Perhaps not a thing…" the wispy ghost echoes, starting to transform into something more humanoid. Its wings become bigger and redder as the figure gains more colors than just blue. Gantlos wondered if he was hallucinating, but the screams of Neruman as his powers were drained from him to help this mysterious monster take shape sounded real…too real.
"NO- PLEASE- YOU CAN'T JUST TAKE MY SPOT! YOU CAAAAAAaaaant…"
And with Neruman's voice fading away, he vanished from this world forever.
Gantlos tried to make out what figure manifested from the flame. Some fuzzy colors making up his scales, horns and wings are a crimson red, while others like his hair and skin are pale and strawberry blonde. The monster looks over at the wizards' frozen, encased bodies, thinking for a moment. "Hmm… I was here once. And that's where I met them. Well, they'll do." He snaps his fingers and in an instant some magic swirls around all three of them. Their icy cage breaks and the wizards fall to the cold stone floor.
A rush of air makes its way through Gantlos' throat, and more shivers run down his spine. He was still numb but could feel himself shaking and panting. He blinks for the first time in ages and looks around, his vision still a blur. Ogron and Anagan were also struggling to stand up. He tries to reach a shaky hand out to them, but he hears footsteps. Gantlos' eyes flicker up to the winner of the short battle. He got a better look at him; he looked like a human, but his horns, wings, tail, claws, hooves and some patches of scales were that crimson color he saw. The figure kneels down and examines his shaky and twitchy body.
"Hello, dear.", he starts, "It seems you couldn't handle the cold of Omega as well." He extends his claws out, grabs him by the shoulders and sits him against the cold stone wall. He summons that blue spark Gantlos saw before this Neruman man was killed, Gantlos trying to back away from it. "Don't be scared," the demon reassures, "It'll just keep you warm for as long as you need it."
He runs his claws over his heart. Gantlos feels a burning sensation starting to thaw him. His shaking slows down, and the icy feeling is replaced with embers of a fireplace. He looks at his hand on his chest while breathing. Something was odd about him doing this after just killing someone, but it was soothing. Maybe he needs the wizards for something, that's why he spared them. After a few more seconds, Gantlos feels fine, as if he was back in Gardenia instead of the Omega.
"Are you feeling better, dear?", the demon asks, Gantlos slowly nodding,
"Who are you?" Gantlos asks.
"Valtor. The name rings a bell?" Valtor replies, tilting his head a bit.
"Hmm…not really…" Gantlos mumbles, feeling his jaw hurting from being frozen mid-scream.
"Well, looks like I'm getting better at first impressions then," Valtor chuckles.
Gantlos is still trying to process what's happening, looking Valtor up and down. Valtor also notices and shields himself with his wings. "Oops, I should get myself a more formal appearance, shouldn't I…" Valtor chuckles. He snaps his fingers and all of a sudden, he looks like a perfectly fine Victorian gentleman with long pretty hair and purple attire under a crimson coat. Valtor fidgets with his gloves before looking at the others, still frozen and wondering what in the hell was going on.
"Hmm, perhaps I should get to them now." Valtor states. He summons some more blue sparks, and Gantlos watches as he does the same thing and imbues them with a flame. He touches his own heart, wondering what will happen next.