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Chapter - 15: Bloom
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"Are you sure you want to leave our base unguarded?" Icy asked me, her tone laced with doubt about my decision. "Wouldn't it be better to leave the Grimm here, just to make sure there are no surprises when we return?"
"Don't worry, I've already taken care of it," I replied, trying to reassure her. "While you were out hunting for me, I put some precautions in place. No one will come near this place for the time being; they'll be too busy thinking about other things."
"Does it have something to do with the siren statues that are missing?" Darcy asked, curiosity evident in her voice.
"More or less," I said, unable to suppress a smile from forming on my lips. "I'll explain everything later. For now, it's better that we go. I'm curious to see Magix with my own eyes and get a sense of what it's really like."
"But we're still wanted by the Templars, knights of the Fortress of Light," Stormy interjected, her tone laced with frustration. Her comment caused her sisters to frown, clearly recalling the situation all too well.
"I don't think that's a problem we can't solve, right, Darcy?" I asked my favorite dark witch.
"Of course, that's easy for me," Darcy declared with confidence. "I'll disguise us, and then we can go." In a flash, she cast her spell on herself and her sisters, preparing us for our mission.
Darcy's disguise consisted of a long-sleeved purple blazer with high shoulders that left her midriff exposed, paired with a matching purple miniskirt and gray-blue leather boots. She wore lavender silk fingerless gloves and carried a gray-blue clutch.
Her hair had been transformed from its usual brown with green highlights into an aqua green, styled into an elegant updo held by a large silver pin with a purple diamond. To complete the look, she wore glasses with golden lenses and a purple frame.
Stormy, on the other hand, opted for a white sailor uniform with black and green accents that left her midriff exposed. She paired it with light green ankle socks featuring a single black stripe and black shoes.
Her hair, usually dark purple and pale blue, had changed to a mix of orange and yellow, styled into two puffs resembling poodle ears, with a longer strand falling over the right side of her face.
Lastly, Icy wore a silver winter jacket with a dark blue hem that stopped just above her midriff, along with blue jeans lined with silver and gray high-top shoes. Her hair, typically blue-silver, was now a pale blonde, cascading down to the back of her knees with a few strands framing her face.
"We're ready," Darcy said, taking my arm to pull herself closer. "Now, we should cut your hair and find you some new, more stylish clothes."
"I don't think that's really necessary..." I replied, recalling the advantage I had gained from my role. "Besides, don't you think you'll need different names too? They might recognize you if we're not careful."
Darcy frowned for a moment before responding reluctantly, "You're right. I'll be Lysslis."
Icy and Stormy exchanged a glance, quickly understanding the need for the change. Stormy was the first to speak: "Tharma," she said after a brief moment, as if the name held some significance for her.
"Belladonna," Icy declared brusquely, concluding the discussion with a tone that left no room for further questions. I wisely decided not to probe further, knowing that I valued our long-standing collaboration and had no desire to jeopardize it with unnecessary curiosity.
I approached the interdimensional portal, feeling the energy radiating from it like a powerful and steady heartbeat. The pulsing force was almost hypnotic, making my mouth water just from the sight of it.
I stopped a step away, raising my hand slowly, the desire to absorb that power almost unbearable. I had been waiting for this moment for a long time, knowing that this power would surpass all my expectations and be more useful than I could have ever imagined.
"Perfect, now is the time," I murmured, my voice barely audible as my fingers brushed the portal's pulsating surface. The instant I touched it, an overwhelming wave of energy began to flow into me.
It was as if every particle of power from the portal was being absorbed into my body, a sensation that made me tremble with pleasure. The portal started to tremble under my touch, and its light gradually dimmed as the magical energy was drawn into me.
I could feel every drop of that force becoming mine. In just a few moments, what had once been the interdimensional portal was reduced to an empty frame, devoid of all energy and purpose.
With a satisfied smile, I snapped my fingers, and with a fluid gesture, I created a new portal, entirely formed from the magic I had just absorbed. The magical energy was now mine, controlled by my will.
The empty frame of the old portal disintegrated, crumbling into dust that was swept away by a light breeze. It was truly useful to be able to absorb magic, along with all its properties.
The Trix, who had watched everything in silence, followed closely behind me, their reassuring presence at my back. And with one last glance at my ice throne, I stepped forward into the new portal.
[Interlude]
[Pianeta Magix, Città Magix]
Bloom Pov
I watched, feeling a bit embarrassed, as Stella argued with the blue-haired girl over the pizza. I wouldn't have minded waiting for another one, but once Stella got going, there was no stopping the princess of Solaria.
The chaos only escalated when the girl, with a rather unpleasant attitude, stubbornly refused to give in. It was really starting to annoy me, but I did my best to stay calm.
"Let's try to get along," I interjected, stepping between Stella and the girls from Beta—wherever they were from. I smiled at the strangers, trying to defuse the situation in the best way I could think of.
But it wasn't a genuine smile; it was a forced grin, a fake smile, like all the ones I'd been wearing lately. Ever since the incident at Relix and since Darkar had controlled me as Dark Bloom, I had been dealing with issues that went far beyond nightmares.
It was like a constant feeling inside me, as if something was threatening to break free in a moment of weakness. A volcano of hatred and malice waiting to erupt on anyone nearby, growing stronger the angrier I got.
knew, deep in my mind, that it was logical for an event like that to have left scars on my psyche, but as the princess of Domino, I had no idea how to deal with it.
I had reached the point of not having said anything to either the Winx Club or Faragonda about my latest problem, as I didn't want them to worry about me and was convinced it would resolve itself with enough time.
I didn't even hear the girl insulting Flora; I was too busy trying not to lose control and reduce her to ashes like an enraged dragon, but it was much harder than one might think.
It was a lost battle.
My cyan eyes were fixed on the "enemy," trying to kill with just a glance. My breathing grew heavier, flames threatening to erupt from my hands as sparks flickered in my palms.
Red seeped into my vision as the beats became more intense and fierce. My efforts to stay calm were interrupted by the sound of the bell, signaling the arrival of other customers.
However, that wasn't what stopped me. Instead, it was an aura that was familiar yet unknown, in a way that seemed to draw me as if we were very similar in some sense.
Immediately, the red faded from my sight and my breathing returned to normal, as if everything that had been happening was just a bad dream, which honestly left me confused.
Blinking a couple of times, I saw a man in a tight shirt that clearly showcased his physique, which made me take a step back, breathing slightly heavily.
For some reason I couldn't explain, an image of Darkar overlapped with the man in front of me, and I resisted the strong urge to lunge at him in an attempt to draw his attention to me.
Dark green met cyan as my world came to a complete stop.
"Bloom? What's wrong?" Flora asked, concern evident in her voice. Always a kind soul.
Yet, despite everything, my eyes remained glued to the stranger's incredible green eyes. They were intense, almost hypnotic, and seemed to conceal a mysterious power that drew me in, leaving me powerless to resist.
Only after a moment did I absently notice the rest of his appearance: his long, tousled hair, a deep black that fell softly to his neck, contrasted with his pale skin.
But what truly captured my attention were the red horns protruding from his forehead. Those horns, curved and sharp, gave him an exotic air, as if he belonged to a world far away.
Noticing my distraction, the blue-haired girl and her two lackeys seized the opportunity to leave, no longer the center of attention, but at that moment, I couldn't bring myself to care about them.
The Winx all turned to me, staring silently. Their gazes shifted from the man and the three unfamiliar young women back to me, puzzled by my reaction.
"Magix to Bloom!" Musa said, waving her hand in front of my face to get my attention, then snapped her fingers, hoping to jolt me out of my trance.
But there was no reaction.
Only when the stranger began to approach did I manage to regain enough focus to concentrate on him.
"Do I know you?" he asked, while the feeling of familiarity inside me grew, but without my being able to understand what was really happening.
"I think I should know you?" I replied, in an uncertain tone, almost as if I were asking a question rather than providing an answer. I moved closer to him without realizing I was invading his personal space, driven by an uncontrollable curiosity.
Suddenly, the blonde girl behind him intervened, growling threateningly. "Back off, bitch!" she exclaimed, quickly moving to stand possessively next to him.
She used her body, especially her chest, to try to draw his attention, which irritated me incredibly, even though I didn't understand why I cared so much.
The platinum blonde girl glared at us as if she could kill us with her gaze, and she seemed oddly familiar, though I couldn't place her.
The girl with black hair, on the other hand, seemed to be plotting something dark against us; I could see the shadow of malice in her eyes.
Realizing how close I was to him, panic took over, and I jumped back as if I had been burned. "Sorry," I stammered, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment.
Instinct took over, and without introducing myself or my group, I turned and hurried out of the room, dragging Stella with me for safety.
The rest of the Winx followed closely behind, clearly puzzled by what had just happened, but at that moment, I couldn't think of anything. It was as if my brain had completely shut down, and the only thing guiding me was the embarrassment of fleeing from that strange situation.
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Marvel: I'm Spider-Man in this Damn Reincarnation: 3 advanced chapters
Osmosian Sorcerer?: 3 advanced chapters
Son of Li Qiye?: 3 advanced chapters
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Chapter - 9: A Web Yet To Be Spun - Chapter - 10: Baxter Building - Chapter - 11: Night Walk
Chapter - 16: Demon Sorcerers - Chapter - 17: Onmyoji - Chapter - 18: The Power of Bao
Chapter - 7: Hobby - Chapter - 8: New Hunt - Chapter - 9: Past unknown
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