Fate The Winx Saga | Season 3 Episode 6 | Kingdom and a Child (5)

ALFEA

Every fairy, every specialist, every teacher—everyone's hearts were gripped with terror. The dark era was coming, and the storm clouds swirling above mirrored the turmoil within. The sense of unease in the air was palpable. It was the quiet before the storm, only now it wasn't so quiet anymore. Alfea was in full preparation mode.

Silva was distributing gear and headsets to the specialists, barking orders for them to hold their positions. Mind fairies were pooling their magic, concentrating all their power on forming a protective shield around Alfea. The air was tense with the weight of Queen Luna's death. Stella, still in shock, could hardly process the loss. The idea that her mother, Queen Luna, was truly gone seemed unreal, yet the pain in her heart was all too real.

The potion meant to save Marion had failed, and Terra, alongside her father, had thrown themselves back into their work with fierce determination. Terra was furious, guilt-ridden over why the potion hadn't worked. Even if it was too late, she was resolved to fix it. They might still need it if they even got a chance to fight. From all the legends they had heard about Valtor, he was one of the most powerful fairies to have ever existed—a blood witch who had survived centuries, amassing knowledge and power beyond comprehension. The odds of defeating him were slim, one in a million, and yet they all prepared for an already lost battle.

The headmaster was frantic, his eyes scanning the chaos for Bloom. "Bloom!" he called out, his voice echoing through the courtyard. Finally, he spotted her. She stood still, her face drained of emotion, terror etched in her wide eyes. Bloom was too shocked to respond, too overwhelmed to think.

"Bloom, you are our strongest weapon. I need to know that you're ready to fight!" The headmaster's voice was urgent, but Bloom's lips remained frozen, unable to form the words he wanted to hear.

"Bloom!" he shouted, his frustration mounting. But before he could say more, Sky rushed to her side, pulling the headmaster away.

"Hey, stop!" Sky commanded, shielding Bloom from the headmaster's intensity.

"Tell her to get her act together," the headmaster insisted, his desperation clear, but Sky wasn't having it. He looked back at Bloom, seeing the fear in her eyes, and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"She will," Sky said quietly, though his words were more of a promise to Bloom than a response to the headmaster. "She just needs a moment."

The storm was approaching, and everyone knew it. But for now, in this fragile moment of calm, Bloom tried to find the strength she needed, the strength that everyone was counting on. The world was on the brink of darkness, and all eyes were on Bloom, the last hope of the Otherworld.

Sky turned back to Bloom, his voice soft but urgent. "Bloom, hey, Bloom, I need you to listen to me. Are you okay?"

Bloom, her mind racing, suddenly focused on Sky as he touched her. "I know what he wants," she blurted out.

"What? Who wants what?" Sky asked, confusion crossing his face.

"Valtor... he wants me. He wants the Dragon Flame," Bloom replied, her voice steady despite the chaos around them.

"How do you know that?" Sky asked, trying to piece together her sudden clarity.

"Queen Luna found his weakness and used his own powers against him. The only way to cure him is with the opposite of his power—by Dragon Flame, he can save himself. We need to somehow buy more time so Valtor would die before he could find me, the cure," Bloom explained, the realization dawning on her.

"But if all he wants is the Dragon Flame, can't Marion help him with that?" Sky asked, trying to find a loophole in the dire situation.

"No, she's turned evil because of Valtor's mark. Her Dragon Flame isn't pure anymore; it's powerful, but it's dark. Dark Dragon Flame can never have the same effects. It won't work for him," Bloom explained.

"Then we need to get you to a safe place," Sky said, gripping Bloom's arm, ready to move her to safety. But before they could take another step, a loud noise echoed through the halls.

"What was that?" Bloom asked, her eyes wide as she rushed outside, Sky close behind.

The sight that greeted them was horrifying—the barrier surrounding Alfea was collapsing. Ice monsters were swarming outside, hammering away at the shield with relentless force.

"Bloom, they're coming! You need to get inside!" Sky urged, trying to pull her back, but it was too late.

The barrier shattered with a deafening crack, and chaos erupted.

"Ahh!" Musa's scream pierced the air as she clutched her head in agony. "They're too powerful... it hurts!" she cried out. The ice monsters' presence was overwhelming her mental powers, and the pain was unbearable.

In a matter of seconds, the monsters breached Alfea, their icy claws tearing through fairies and specialists with terrifying ease. Bloom stood frozen, watching in horror as her friends and allies fell.

Everything was spiralling out of control.

"Bloom, come inside!" Sky pleaded, his voice filled with desperation.

"No, I can't," Bloom replied, determination hardening her features. "I have to face him."

"Are you crazy? You have to hide! You can't let him get to you; he'll win!" Sky insisted, trying to pull her back.

"You don't know that. If I hide, he'll kill everyone at Alfea to get to me. He will get to me—he's too determined to die like this. I have to be the one to stop him. Please, don't stop me," she said, breaking free from Sky's grip as she moved toward the battle.

Valtor was at the gate of Alfea, his snow monsters already wreaking havoc inside. The barrier was shattered, and chaos had descended. It was do or die—a desperate fight for survival.

"Valtor, stop! I know what you want—the Dragon Flame. You're going to have to kill me first to get it," Bloom shouted, her voice cutting through the pandemonium.

Valtor turned, a sinister smile spreading across his face. "Well, well, well... I thought for sure you'd run away to hide. Guess you're smarter than I thought. You knew I'd find you wherever you went. Or maybe... you're dumber than I thought."

"Stop this attack! It's me you want!" she demanded, her voice resolute.

"Yes, but just killing you wouldn't be as fun, now would it? In fact, I think I'll let your mother handle that," Valtor said with a cruel smirk as he commanded Marion to strike.

Marion began to move toward Bloom, her eyes cold and unfeeling. But before she could get close, a blinding light illuminated the battlefield. Stella appeared, her invisibility spell lifting, revealing herself and the others—Aisha, Terra, and Flora—all standing ready.

They formed a circle around Marion, their powers combined in a synchronized attack to keep her occupied. Terra, having fixed the potion, was determined to save Marion and remove Valtor's mark from her.

"You're not alone, Bloom," Stella said, her voice firm as she readied her magic.

The battle was far from over, but now, with her friends by her side, Bloom felt a surge of hope. They still had a chance.

"Looks like I get the pleasure of killing you all by myself," Valtor sneered as he unleashed his powers, freezing the ground beneath them. In a flash, Bloom's beautiful wings unfurled, lifting her off the icy ground just in time.

"Nice little trick you've got there," he said, smirking as she attacked him with her powers, narrowly missing him.

"It's time for you to stop this, Valtor! After all, we both know Winter Snow can never defeat Dragon Flame, right?" Bloom taunted, her voice steady despite the chaos around them.

Valtor's expression darkened with rage. "You really shouldn't have said that, my dear daughter," he hissed as he launched an attack aimed directly at her wings. The icy blast hit its mark, freezing her wings instantly. Bloom gasped as she plummeted to the ground, her frozen wings shattering into a thousand pieces upon impact.

Terrified but determined, Bloom scrambled to her feet, backing away as Valtor advanced on her, a malevolent glint in his eyes. "You don't know who you're messing with, little girl," he snarled, sending another blast of power her way. Bloom barely had time to react, and the force of the attack sent her sprawling to the ground again.

"Look around you," Valtor said, gesturing to the chaos surrounding them. "This is my power, the power of a Winter Snow Keeper—not Dragon Flame." His voice echoed with triumph as his monstrous creations—birds, bats, animals, and other fearsome creatures—swarmed the battlefield. They were too powerful, their strength amplified by Valtor's magic and the Codex. Fairies and specialists were forced to retreat, unable to withstand the onslaught.

As Bloom struggled to rise, Valtor launched another attack, but this time, Sky intervened. With his sword, he managed to hold off the attack for a few precious seconds, preventing it from reaching Bloom. But the force was too much, and Sky was knocked down by the sheer power of the blast.

"Sky!" Bloom screamed, her heart lurching as she saw him fall.

Valtor's eyes narrowed as he used his magic to seize Bloom, lifting her into the air with a cruel smile. "Sorry, darling, no hard feelings. I've just waited too long to be out of that dimension and take my rightful place as the leader of the Otherworld. And I won't let any spell of Queen Luna stop me from achieving what I want. You are the key," he said, his voice filled with cold determination.

As Valtor prepared to take her Dragon Flame, Bloom felt the icy grip of his power tightening around her. This was it—the moment he would steal her powers and become the most powerful being in existence. The return of the Winter Era was upon them, and Bloom was the last hope to stop it.

This was the Second Dominion—a war separated by a thousand years but fought by the same people, for the same twisted reasons. The dysfunctional family of Bloom, Oritel, Marion, and Valtor, keepers of the Dragon Flame and Winter Snow, found themselves entangled in a battle that seemed destined to repeat itself.

"Finally, it's time," Valtor murmured, his voice laced with dark satisfaction as he prepared to take Bloom's powers—a move that would ultimately kill her.

"Stop!" Marion's voice rang out from behind him. She was back to normal. Terra's potion had worked! But Valtor barely glanced at her, his focus unwavering. One hand remained raised, his magic holding Bloom suspended in the air, teetering on the brink of death. He slammed his other hand into the ground, sending out a spell that froze everything in its path, including Marion's feet, trapping her where she stood.

"You don't have to do this, Valtor, please!" Marion pleaded, her voice trembling with desperation.

"Oh, but I think I do," Valtor replied, his tone icy and resolute as he continued his dark work.

"You'll have to kill her to get what you want," Marion shouted, struggling against the icy bonds that held her. "You'll have to kill your own daughter—do you understand that?"

"Whatever it takes to survive and prove to the world that I am the ruler," Valtor said coldly. His eyes were filled with a terrifying determination, willing to sacrifice anything and anyone for his cause.

Bloom's life hung by a thread, and Marion's desperate cries were drowned out by the weight of Valtor's ambition. In that moment, the battle wasn't just against a powerful foe—it was against a father who had lost all sense of humanity, consumed by a power that would stop at nothing to conquer the world.

"Don't you see what's happening, Valtor? This is our daughter, the girl we dreamed of, the one we wanted to raise together. I wanted to run away with you, more than anything. You were my epic love, my true love, but the kingdom needed me," Marion pleaded, her voice breaking with emotion.

"Your sob story isn't going to get you anywhere. I know exactly what I want, and that is to take the Dragon Flame from her," Valtor replied coldly, his resolve unshaken.

"You're letting them win. You're letting my parents win by doing this. You're proving them right. Please, I know the Valtor I love is still inside you. You meant the world to me, and I refuse to believe you're completely gone. I know how powerful you are, and I'm not talking about your Winter Snow powers—I'm talking about your ability to control yourself. Please, come back to me. Don't kill our daughter. Don't let my parents and the world turn you into this monster," Marion shouted, her voice filled with desperation.

Valtor's heart, frozen by Queen Luna's spell, was weakening rapidly. He needed the Dragon Flame immediately, but instead of taking it, he hesitated. He looked at Bloom for a moment, then his gaze shifted to Marion. Time seemed to stop.

In that instant, he wasn't the powerful, vengeful Valtor anymore. He was the teenage boy who had once proposed to Marion a thousand years ago. Marion saw it too—the Valtor she had loved, the one who had wanted to run away with her and live a simple life, raising a child together. For the first time in centuries, their eyes met with the love and longing they had once shared.

Then he looked at Bloom—truly looked at her for the first time. He realized she was his daughter, his creation, the child he had always wanted. A child he shared with Marion. In that frozen moment, he didn't want to kill her. He didn't know what to think. He just stood there, lost in a whirlwind of emotions he hadn't felt in centuries.

And then, Queen Luna's spell took hold. Valtor was too weak now. He collapsed to the ground, his powers drained. Bloom was released from his grip, and the snow monsters began to vanish, disappearing into thin air.

The battle seemed to pause, the air heavy with the weight of what had just happened. Valtor, the fearsome and unstoppable force, was now lying on the ground, vulnerable and defeated by the love he had tried so hard to forget.

Marion rushed to Valtor's side, her heart breaking as she saw him lying on the cold ground, his life slipping away but his eyes still open, holding onto the last remnants of his humanity.

"I—I love you, Marion," Valtor whispered, his voice faint and trembling, the words carrying the weight of centuries of pain and longing.

"I love you too," Marion replied, her voice choked with tears. She leaned down and kissed him, a tender, desperate kiss as if trying to hold onto him, to pull him back from the brink. But it was too late. Valtor's body went limp beneath her touch, and she knew he was gone.

The First Dominion, the war that had turned Valtor into a monster a thousand years ago, had finally ended. But in the end, the Second Dominion—the war that brought the world to the edge of destruction—had also brought him back to life, even if just for a fleeting moment. That brief return to his true self had been enough to save the world.

Marion collapsed over Valtor's now lifeless body, her tears flowing freely. She cried for all the time they never had, for the cruelty of a world that had torn them apart and twisted them into something they were never meant to be. She cried for the love that had been buried under a millennium of pain and betrayal, a love that had resurfaced for one final, precious moment.

That last look between Valtor and Marion, filled with pure love, had been enough to wash away the bitterness of a thousand years. It was a love that transcended the darkness that had consumed them both, a love that, in the end, was powerful enough to save them all.