Fate The Winx Saga | Season 3 Episode 2 | A Bad Seed (1)

 

MIND

I opened my eyes and found myself in what seemed like a dream, but it was no dream; it was real. I looked up and all I could see were stars, while below me, the ground was filled by a thick blanket of fog, as if I were standing amidst the clouds. It was an odd sight, surrounded by a sky filled with enchantment. Suddenly, a bright light caught my eye, and as it faded, two doors appeared in front of me. Curiosity piqued, I moved closer to get a better look, but a voice stopped me.

"Welcome, Musa, to the Echo Caves," the voice echoed, majestic and beautiful.

"I am here to help you. I see you've had quite the journey, facing monsters like the Burned Ones and Scrappers."

"Who are you and how... how do you know that?" I asked, bewildered.

"I see all. Now, you must go through one of these doors, but choose wisely, for one door holds everything you've ever wanted, even a chance to be with your mother."

"What? I don't understand, how is that possible?" I hesitated but had to ask.

"Going through this door will take you to another dimension we call the Mirror World, where your mother is alive. However, it also means replacing your own existence there. The other door keeps you in this world, but you'll remain unsure of who you're meant to be," the voice explained.

"But I thought this whole journey was supposed to help me find myself," I said, feeling confused.

"Choose wisely," the voice emphasized, brushing aside my question. "Once you choose, you can never enter the other door again. And there's a catch."

"What's the catch?" I inquired.

Deep down, I longed to be with my mom and leave this dimension. Sadly, that was not going to happen, especially after what the voice revealed next. "There's something you must know, this dimension needs you, fear not, I will explain everything and then you can choose" it said. It went on to explain why my presence was crucial and what was about to unfold.

FIRE

My mom and I entered the tower, unsure of what to expect. But what we found inside was not what I had anticipated. It was empty, with only a huge rock placed in the centre.

"How do we get back from here?" I asked, feeling puzzled by the lack of any visible way out.

Despite the tower's size, there was nothing else inside. I had imagined there would be some magical object, like a glowing orb, which I believed to be a "power source" of this realm. Apparently, power sources are extremely powerful which I guess is clear from the name, so it can be used to travel through realms. But activating it needs magic as well.

Marion, my mom, explained, "This rock is the power source for this realm. It is connected to the Otherworld. From here, we can communicate with people from the Otherworld and even pass through to that realm. Passing through requires magic which I don't have, I had enough to go to your realm just for a short visit as a ghost from time to time, which is how I was able to watch over you."

"How does this work?" I inquired, trying to understand.

"You, Bloom, have a special power, the Dragon Flame. Even though magic is rare in your world, it used to be more prevalent. You are not limited to just one element or the five traditional elements. As magic evolved, its presence decreased," Marion clarified.

"Yeah, I remember. That's why you put me in stasis, so I could be in a world without ancient magic," I recalled.

Marion nodded, saying, "That's right. But the magic is still within you. You just need to access it. Focus on what you want, use the power from the power source in this tower, and we can be transported to the Otherworld without needing a portal."

"But... I don't know how to channel power from a power source," I admitted, feeling uncertain about my abilities.

"You'll have to figure it out yourself because you're the only one who can. Keep focusing on what you want, and you'll discover how to use the power," Marion encouraged me.

I tried to follow her advice and concentrated on my intentions. However, despite my efforts, nothing happened. My mom urged me not to give up and keep trying. Just as I was about to make another attempt, a voice interrupted us from outside.

"You can't hide from me! Come out, come out," a man's voice taunted. Marion's expression changed, indicating that he was an enemy. The voice came from outside the tower

"Who is that?" I asked, curious about the intruder.

Marion explained that the tower was also protected by her. It was secured by a barrier that prevented anyone from entering. However, this person outside couldn't come in so he started attacking us from outside. My mom told me to keep focusing and using all my energy, as only I could unlock our escape. But the voice outside distracted me.

Marion revealed that the man was named Ogron, one of the villains she hadn't yet defeated in this realm. There was a history between them. My mom decided to confront him outside, while I continued to concentrate on channeling my power.

As I tried my best, I couldn't seem to make any progress. Meanwhile, Ogron's presence kept diverting my attention.

Then, something unexpected happened. I heard my mom scream, and I couldn't ignore it. I rushed outside to help her, finding her locked in a fierce battle with Ogron. Seeing her in danger, I couldn't stand by and do nothing. I ran towards her, causing Ogron to be surprised by my sudden appearance.

"No way," Ogron exclaimed, taken aback to see me, Marion's daughter. "Well, well, well, look who we have here. I can't believe I get to take down two keepers of the flame today. Are you a keeper too?"

Anger and a hint of fear coursed through me, even though Ogron's powers were unlike anything I had seen before. He seemed to wield the power of ice. I activated my own powers, confirming that I was indeed a keeper of the Dragon Flame.

"Well, this is interesting. Let's see how strong you really are," Ogron sneered. He launched an icy spell towards me, but I managed to dodge it, causing the spell to hit the tower instead and freeze a part of it.

"Next time, you're the target," Ogron threatened.

His words fuelled my anger, and I retaliated with a blast of fire, similar to what I had used against the Burned Ones. But Ogron swiftly created an ice shield, blocking my attack. I hadn't known that was possible. He counterattacked, and his spell struck me, knocking me down. He then went back to my mom and was about to attack her.

Determined not to let him harm my mom any further, I summoned my strength. With a surge of power, my wings unfurled from my back. It took me a moment to enable them, but seeing my mom in danger provided the motivation I needed.

"Stay away from her," I warned him, my eyes filled with fiery determination and my hands radiating with flames.

Ogron launched another icy spell, but this time I managed to avoid it. It collided with a nearby structure, leaving a trail of ice behind.

His underestimation of my abilities infuriated me. I struck him with a powerful blow, causing him to collapse.

Turning my attention back to my injured mom, I hurriedly ushered her inside the tower. We needed to find a way out of this realm. Marion told me that the energy I had unleashed against Ogron is just what we required to enable the power source. I closed my eyes and focused once again. I used all my magic and felt as if I had done it, the power source was activated, now we can go through it. However, as I opened my eyes, I saw that Ogron had somehow entered the tower and was about to attack my mom. Reacting instinctively, I screamed, "Stay away from her!" and unleashed all my energy at him. But suddenly my own mother attacked me. I lost consciousness and fell to the ground and as I fell, I saw my mom and Ogron standing side by side, both looking at me and giving an evil smile.

SPECIALIST

As I wandered around Alfea, I still felt strange about what happened with Musa. I wondered what was bothering her so much. She seemed upset and unfocused today.

Since I couldn't help her as she wasn't at Alfea anymore, I decided to go to my usual hangout outside the school-a bar. To my surprise, I saw someone else there, a familiar face. I usually preferred being alone at this spot, my little escape from the outside world, but strangely, I felt happy to see a friend.

"Well, well, well, look who's here. What are you doing at the bar? I didn't think you were the bar type," I said, teasing Flora.

"People can surprise you," she replied, it was clear from her voice that she was already a lot drunk, and was holding a drink.

"I think you've had enough," I said, taking the drink from her hand.

"Oops, the fun police is here," she giggled, showing how drunk she was. I couldn't help but wonder why she was so intoxicated. Was it because of Bloom's situation? But Flora hadn't been close to Bloom for that long.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Wrong? Why do you think something's wrong? Actually, everything is right," she slurred, not making much sense. Typical drunk behaviour.

I stopped her from grabbing another drink. "Let's not drink anymore, okay?"

"What's your problem, Riven? It's not like I ever stop you from drinking. You drink all the time," she said in a drunken voice.

"What makes you say that?" I inquired.

"Well, I haven't seen you drunk or anything, but it's just your personality," she replied.

"It's just my personality, right," I said,

"Yes, oh don't be sad. Are you sad? You shouldn't be sad," Flora said.

"No, I'm not sad, and you shouldn't drink anymore," I said firmly.

"What are you going to do? Carry me to my room like you did with Musa?" she chuckled.

"Yup, that's right. I know about that. It was very sweet of you, you know," she said, appreciating my actions.

"By the way, do you know why Musa was upset today?" I asked, hoping she might have some insights.

"Oh yeah, today was the anniversary of her mother's death, and she wanted to be with her dad. It's quite sad," she explained.

"Oh," I agreed.

Flora seemed lost in her own thoughts, still talking in a drunken haze. Her expression turned to sadness. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"Nothing, nothing," she said, trying to brush it off. But I knew something was bothering her. I insisted on knowing, and she asked me to follow her.

We went to a secluded spot where no one could see us. I was confused about what she was going to do when she took off her jacket and unbuttoned her shirt slightly. There, on her shoulder, was a huge scar.

"Oh my god, what happened, Flora?" I exclaimed, worried.

Then she explained the whole story about the scrapers, which I already knew about, but I didn't realize it left such a painful scar on her. I asked if she had told anyone, but she said she hadn't and wanted to keep it that way. She was too drunk, and by tomorrow, she might even forget that she had told me. This must be why she came to the bar. I felt sorry for her.

"You need to tell someone," I insisted.

"No," she replied firmly.

"Plus, everyone is busy, and we have to focus on learning about the realm of darkness. Bloom could be in more danger and pain than I am, and she deserves to be rescued. Plus, there's no cure for this scar. Not many people know about scrapers, and when the other girls were searching in the library for information on the realm of darkness, I searched for anything about my scar but found nothing," Flora explained.

Then she nearly stumbled, and I caught her to prevent her from falling. She was too drunk to be left alone. "Why don't you come with me?" I suggested. She shouldn't go to her room in this state, so I helped her walk back to Alfea.

"I have to admit, when I first met you, I had no idea you were such a gentleman," she said in her tipsy state.

"Well, to be honest, neither did I," I replied with a smile. Then I accompanied her to Alfea, hoping that somehow, I could help her with her pain and struggles.

ERACKLYON

The door of the Wind Rider shop glowed, swinging open to reveal the outside. Stella, Sky, Terra, and Aisha emerged, as if they had just stepped out of the store. However, in reality, they had transported from the Warehouse near Alfea to the doorway of a shop in Eraklyon using Stella's ring.

"Why did you choose a Wind Rider store's door?" Aisha asked curiously.

"I did my research, and this doorway was the closest to the castle that my ring could access," Stella explained.

"Wait, there's no doorway in the castle like in Solaria?" Terra questioned.

"Of course not, and even if there was, I could never get access to it. This ring is a crown jewel of Solaria, designed specifically for me, granting access only to the Solarian castle," Stella clarified.

"It's fine, the castle isn't too far from here. Follow me," Sky assured them, leading the way as the others followed.

Aisha inquired about their plan, "So what's the plan exactly? I mean, we can't just go to the King and Queen and ask them about Isobel."

"Actually, that's exactly what we're going to do," Stella replied with determination.

Aisha and Terra exchanged puzzled glances. They waited for Stella to provide further explanation.

"They still consider Andreas a hero, you know? Sky knows them personally," Stella explained, but Sky interjected, saying, "That's why I'll ask them. Don't worry, they're not as stubborn as Queen Luna. No offense," he added, looking at Stella.

"None taken. Right now, I don't care about my mother. She's the reason behind all this, and for the first time, I don't care a bit about what she thinks," Stella said.

Arriving at the castle, Sky encountered an old friend, Prince Thoren. Thoren greeted Sky warmly, hugging him with familiarity. Sky felt relieved to see him, as it allowed them to enter the castle without any questioning.

"And if it isn't your lovely girlfriend," Thoren said, turning his attention to Stella.

Stella's expression made it clear that she and Sky were no longer together. "Wait, no way! You two broke up? I did not see that coming," Thoren remarked.

"Thoren, it's great to see you again, but I have to speak with the king. It's an emergency," Sky said.

"Nice to see you haven't changed," Thoren replied. "And who are these lovely girls?"

Stella introduced Aisha and Terra to Thoren.

Sky had always been the more reserved one, whereas Thoren was outgoing and carefree. Despite their differences, they remained friends, even though they were never best friends. As kids, Thoren never concerned himself with always doing the right thing, preferring to have fun while doing it. Nevertheless, he was a good friend to Sky, especially after Andreas disappeared.

He took Sky and the girls to the fighting arena located at the back of the castle. There, guards were being trained, engaging in intense battles to become stronger. The training was similar to how they trained Alfea students, but this was much more brutal.

About 30 feet above the arena, sitting on their thrones, were the King and Queen of Eraklyon. The king was deeply invested in his army, and Eraklyon was renowned for its fierce war culture. He made sure that Eraklyon maintained its reputation as a land of formidable warriors, which is why he always welcomed exceptional soldiers like Andreas and Sky with open arms.

After a rigorous bout between the guards, the King and Queen headed back to the main hall of the castle. It was then that Prince Thoren broke the news of Sky's return to them. The King was filled with joy at the sight of the son of one of Eraklyon's greatest warriors returning. Andreas was still held in high regard by the people, oblivious to the fact that he was a bad person. Nevertheless, the king cared little about his character; all he wanted were skilled warriors, regardless of their bedside manners. The King was actually close friends with Andreas. Sky and Andreas used to live at the castle for some time after the passing away of Sky's mother.

The King expressed his sorrow to Sky about the death of his father. Sky pretended to care, though the truth was that he wasn't as hurt by it as he would have been if Andreas hadn't been such a jerk. Regardless, Sky decided not to delve into the matter, opting to request a private conversation with the King. Recognizing the importance of the matter, the King agreed to speak with Sky privately.

Thoren guided the girls to a guest room and revealed that Sky used to live there when he was younger, before his father's disappearance. Terra and Aisha were impressed with the beauty of the castle, but Stella was more focused on finding information about Isobel. She was already a princess, so being inside a castle didn't impress her much. She preferred her life at Alfea with her friends, away from the loneliness of being in a castle with her questionable mother.

While Sky spoke with the king privately, the others waited.

The king appeared concerned when Sky brought up the topic of Isobel, and it was evident that something was amiss. He explained that he couldn't reveal anything, as Queen Luna had instructed him to keep it a secret.

"I can't tell you about that. I've been given clear instructions by Queen Luna to keep it hidden," the king admitted.

However, Sky had always been close with the royal family and had earned the trust of the King, so he decided to share some information after Sky kept on insisting. "Isobel isn't like the rest of us. She possesses a long-forgotten power, and we need to understand more about how that is possible, our world may be in danger, we must find what the weaknesses are of Winter Keepers like Isobel, so we have to perform a few tests on her which is why she is being sent to-" he divulged.

"Wait, so you're sending her to Lynphea?" Sky asked, already suspecting the answer.

"Yes", The King answered.

Back with the girls, Sky told them everything. Stella asked, "Why are they taking her to Lynphea?"

"Lynphea is famous for its experiments. If they want to learn more about Isobel's powers and their origin, Lynphea is the best place for them. They have numerous potions that can help with their investigations," Terra explained.

"But then, why not take her directly from Solaria to Lynphea? Why bring her here first?" Stella pondered.

"To try to extract her powers, spoiler alert, it didn't work," Thoren interjected, having overheard their conversation from outside the door.

"How?" Stella inquired.

"Using Scrapers, Queen Luna instructed my father to use the same spells as Sebastian and capture the scrapers for future use", Thoren said.

The girls were furious and shocked to learn about the scrappers being used on Isobel, or of the fact that Queen Luna ordered them to call upon the scrapers and keep them captive to be used in future. Stella felt that her mother couldn't get any worse, but apparently, there was no limit to her cruelty.

"Why are you telling us all this?" Aisha asked, curious about Thoren's motives.

"Because I am furious at them too. I can't believe they would do that to an innocent girl. I can't let them take her to Lynphea, The Queen is ruthless, she would even torture that poor girl to get what she wants, she must be stopped" Thoren admitted.

"Yea, well that's what we're here to do," Stella declared, determination in her voice.

Thoren nodded, impressed by Stella's resolve. "Look, I can't get involved too openly, but I can try to assist you from the sidelines".

Everyone looked at each other, wondering whether they should trust Thoren or not but he seemed like the only one who knew more of what was happening so they had no choice but to ask for his help.

FIRE

I slowly opened my eyes, only to find my mom standing there with Ogron, both staring at me intently. "What's happening?" I mumbled, attempting to sit up but feeling too weak. My energy had been drained, and something strange was occurring within me. My mom's face had transformed, appearing malevolent. "What have you done to me?" I asked, bewildered.

"What do you think, Marion? Should we reveal the truth?" Ogron inquired with a smirk.

"What is he talking about?" I questioned my mom.

"Oh, why not," she replied to Ogron and moved closer to me. I was too feeble to resist.

"You see, Bloom, when I told you about my past, I left out a major detail," my mom explained.

"And that detail is me", Ogron started explaining "You see when your mother was in the realm of darkness, I was sent here voluntarily by my friend, Valtor, it was to mark your mother with Valtor's mark, a mark that makes you his servant, we were suppose to go back to the Otherworld and rule it along side Valtor in the Frozen ages, until the King defeated him. And then we had no way out cause being possessed by Valtor's mark takes away all your good magic and fills it with darkness and this realm was specifically designed to trap the darkness, so there was no chance of us getting out of here on our own, that's why we needed you".

"Wait, I don't understand, how did you know I would come here", I said with my eyes almost closing, I was very week and barely understanding everything.

"Oh Bloom, you are so naïve, you don't know anything do you, you are just a little part of our game, a game that was started a thousand years ago, all you need to know is that you too are marked by Valtor's mark, it won't be long now before your magic becomes dark and you become his servant", Ogron said.

I was stunned. "Oh my god," I uttered in shock.

"I will never-never turn dark," I asserted.

"So- so everything that happened since I met you has been a lie? Everything you told me? you were just pretending to care for me?", I asked with a broken heart, forcing my tears to not leave the eyes.

"Don't worry dear, you may feel sad now but once this mark is activated you won't care at all", She said.

I tried to stay conscious but couldn't, my eyes closed and I fell on the floor.