The Queen of Shadows - World of Winx rewrite S.1

Chapter 25: Where I Belong

The sunlight streamed through the small window, illuminating the scattered papers strewn across the floor. Bloom rested her chin in her hand, sighing heavily. It seemed as though her inspiration for drawing had abandoned her in that moment. Each time her pen touched the paper, the haunting scenes from the World of Dreams replayed in her mind. The weight of guilt still burdened her for losing control once again, especially since she had harmed Stella and the other girls more than during her previous 'Dark Bloom' episode. Gripping her pen tightly, she was reminded of how close she had come to causing irreparable harm to her best friend, Stella, before the pen snapped, leaving only a small dot on the paper.

With a resigned sigh, Bloom rose from her chair, crumpling the paper into a ball with a flick of her wrist. She attempted to toss it into the trash bin, narrowly missing by a centimeter. Muttering under her breath, she tried to use her magic to retrieve it from the floor, but nothing happened, frustrating her further.

"Stupid magic..." she muttered, walking over to retrieve the crumpled paper. Suddenly, a loud bang at her window made her jump in surprise, emitting a startled yelp. The paper burst into flames, filling the room with smoke.

Rushing to the window, Bloom noticed a small crack where something had struck it. Looking down, she saw a crowd of people gathered on the street, some snapping photos with large cameras while others scribbled in notebooks. Squinting, she made out the word "press" on one person's badge.

"Oh no... paparazzi," she groaned inwardly. Being recognized in Magix was one thing, but being followed by paparazzi on Earth was another level of intrusion. Just then, her father's voice called out from the kitchen, asking about the commotion.

"Um, sweetheart? Why are there so many journalists outside our front door?" he inquired.

"Uhh... sorry, dad. It must be because of my involvement in that program," Bloom replied, tapping her finger nervously on her desk. She needed to find a way to make them leave without inviting more unwanted attention. A light knock on her bedroom door interrupted her thoughts, and her father entered, wearing a concerned smile as he approached her, enveloping her in a bear hug.

"Oh... so my little daughter has become famous in Italy?" he chuckled. "But don't forget to share some of your income with your parents."

"Dad..." Bloom groaned, rolling her eyes.

Her father laughed, assuring her he was only joking, his usual repertoire of bad dad jokes.

"And you know I don't even like being in the spotlight," Bloom continued, pouting as she pulled away from the hug.

"And yet, you're always saving the universe," he teased, tousling her hair gently.

"Not like I have much of a choice," she sighed.

Mike's playful expression shifted to one of concern. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You know you're always welcome back here if you need a break. Don't push yourself too hard just because of your role as the fairy of the dragon flame."

Bloom smiled weakly, appreciating her father's words. She placed her hand on top of his, returning the squeeze. "Thank you."

"And another question, Bloom... why does it smell like smoke in here?"

Bloom cleared her throat, pointing awkwardly at her trash bin, where a black burn mark still lingered from the recent fire. Mike's eyes widened as he glanced between the burn mark and Bloom.

"Don't tell your mother..." he sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

"It's okay, dad. I can probably clean it up myself," Bloom assured him. He nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. Then, with one last proud look, he kissed her forehead and left the room.

Bloom sank back into her chair at her desk, exhaling deeply. The buzzing of her phone drew her attention, and she retrieved it from her pocket. Three unread messages from Brandon flashed on the screen. The urgency in his first message caught her eye: "EMERGENCY, I NEED HELP IMMEDIATELY."

She wasted no time in dialing Brandon's number, her heart racing as she wondered what crisis had unfolded in the universe this time. As she listened to the ringing tone, she couldn't help but exclaim when he finally answered, "Brandon, what's happening?!"

***

Tecna admired her new programmed game, taking in the view of flying among heart-shaped clouds. The landscape below her was meticulously textured, with no glitches in sight after three hundred test runs. It felt exhilarating to soar without wings and experience the resistance of the air from a different perspective. While flying, one's wings could sometimes catch a strong gust of wind, causing a loss of control, but now she could navigate flawlessly under any conditions.

Thanks to Naoki's programming skills and hacks, he had developed this game. She was grateful to still be in contact with him. It had taken some time to connect her advanced technological phone with Earth's outdated technology, but they had succeeded. She had also gifted him one of her first developed tablets, equipped with Magix's latest software and compatible parts.

Silke, on the other hand, did not maintain the same level of contact, as she preferred her analog watches. Tecna had offered her a modified Winx watch, which Silke had gratefully accepted. However, when Tecna had offered to assist Silke in transitioning from old analog watches to technological versions, she had been met with ridicule. Silke had dismissed technology as something suitable only for emotionless, style-lacking youngsters. Tecna had never felt so offended before.

"Had an outdated Earthling really just insulted watches from the Stone Age of Magix?" she mused to herself.

"Hey Tec," Timmy's voice interrupted her thoughts. "We seem to have some kind of virus attempting to infiltrate section 2.5.7, square three."

"Got it. Let's clean up the system and eliminate them," Tecna suggested.

"Um... this virus isn't a system bug. It's originating from outside. We'll have to deal with it manually within the program," Timmy explained.

Tecna turned her gaze towards the dark clouds looming in the sky, letting out a sigh as she pondered the origin of the virus. The system had been free of bugs until now. What had happened to the virus protector she had diligently worked on for hours yesterday? It couldn't have just vanished into thin air... or could it? Such a scenario would defy all logic.

"Okay, Timmy, show me the way to the section where the virus has taken root," Tecna instructed.

Timmy materialized in front of her within the program, sporting his new yellow suit adorned with small wings on the back. He consulted his digital map before taking flight towards the ominous black clouds in the sky, with Tecna closely trailing behind him.

Upon reaching the infected section, Tecna deployed her scanner to analyze the virus: its broken and failed codes within the system, its origins, and the software it had been created with. Meanwhile, Timmy worked to prevent the virus from spreading further into the program's healthy code. Tecna's screen loaded rapidly like fiber optics, but suddenly crashed, flashing red with a blinding light before displaying a blue symbol of an octopus. Tecna's eyes widened in recognition.

Her gears began to churn through all her brain cells in a panic. What had they missed from the World of Dreams? Had they inadvertently brought some of the Queen of Shadows' magic into the Magical Universe? But hadn't Bloom's dragon defeated the queen? The potential chaos and darkness that the queen's magic could unleash in the Magical Universe left Tecna unsettled. What if the queen still retained a fragment of the dragon flame?

"Uhhh, Timmy...?" Tecna began uncertainly.

"Yeah, Tec?" Timmy turned around, his expression filled with concern.

"We might have a problem..."

***

Bloom settled onto the bench in Gardenia's tranquil natural park, observing the food being served from Vincenzo's newest restaurant, which specialized in ecological dishes conceived by him and Maria. All the proceeds went to charity and efforts to preserve the Amazon rainforest. Bloom was impressed by the abundance of talented, compassionate individuals with innovative ideas they had discovered in the world.

Occasionally, she still exchanged texts with Alessia, sharing their artworks with each other. Now that she knew Brandon's "emergency message" wasn't actually a real emergency, she could relax. For a moment, she had panicked and imagined the worst possible scenario. Instead, it turned out he was simply unsure about which special ring to choose for Stella when he proposed to her in a few days. Bloom had chuckled at his overreaction, knowing that Stella would cherish any ring he selected.

Bloom had offered to help him, and they were scheduled to meet in an hour in Gardenia to discuss the important ring selection over coffee. She was more than happy to assist her friend with such a significant decision in their lives. Bloom was thrilled to see how happy Brandon and Stella were together and how well their relationship was going. There was no doubt in her mind that Stella was the most radiant person in the universe, and no one could ever dull her shine.

As Bloom filled in the final details with her pen, she felt the textures beneath the tip of the pen as it glided across the paper. She simultaneously savored the soothing sounds of people enjoying their meals at Vincenzo's restaurant. She tapped her finger rhythmically, syncing with a faint humming in the background that drew nearer with each passing second.

"Hi, Bloom," a familiar voice greeted her. Turning around, Bloom spotted Andy standing there with a bright smile.

"Oh, hi," Bloom returned the smile warmly. "You can join me if you'd like."

Andy appeared surprised and hesitant at first, but he eventually accepted her invitation. He watched shyly as Bloom resumed drawing her dragon. From the corner of her eye, she could sense his warm, friendly gaze fixed on her artwork, filled with admiration.

"Oh, a dragon? It looks cool," Andy remarked, breaking the silence.

"Thanks... his name is Buddy," Bloom replied, focusing on drawing the wings and adding texture to the orange scales on the dragon's body.

Andy chuckled, teasing, "Do you always name the creatures you're drawing?"

"Uh... yeah," Bloom muttered, feeling a sudden awkwardness settle between them. She bit her lip, momentarily forgetting that Andy wasn't aware of Buddy, the connection she shared with him, or his significance from their time at Pyros. Buddy had been a constant presence since her birth, growing stronger alongside her emotional strength.

"Oh... sorry, I didn't mean to sound insensitive," Andy awkwardly cleared his throat.

"No, no, it's okay," Bloom assured him, looking up to meet his gaze. Their eyes locked, and Bloom noticed a faint pink tint coloring Andy's cheeks. He quickly averted his gaze and began fidgeting with his hands nervously. Bloom wondered if he still harbored feelings for her, which, if true, was surprising given how much time had passed since they dated.

"Hmm... Selina would've done something similar," Andy murmured.

"Huh? What do you mean, similar?" Bloom asked, puzzled.

"Naming her drawings, like you do," Andy clarified. "I remember how the two of you used to draw together. Well, hers weren't as remarkable as yours; she was more into writing."

Bloom tapped her pen against the paper, trying to recall memories of this Selina. However, there seemed to be an invisible barrier blocking any recollection of a girl named Selina, causing a headache at the mere thought of her name. Andy had mentioned earlier in the year that she had green hair, and—

"Uh, Bloom?" Andy's voice broke through her thoughts.

A sharp pain shot through her head. Blinking rapidly, Bloom struggled to stay focused on her drawing as the headache intensified. The sensation of exhaustion radiated from her chest, and her inner flame seemed to scream in agony, as if being drained of an unknown power source. She attributed this to the recent stress in her life; lately, she had felt her inner flame weakening, leaving her feeling drained.

"Are you okay?" Andy asked gently, placing a comforting hand on Bloom's shoulder.

Bloom squeezed her eyes shut and took deep breaths as the pain persisted. She couldn't let Andy know about her fairy identity; it would only frighten and alarm him. Despite experiencing a strong sense of déjà vu, something told her it was best to keep her fairy secret from Andy.

"We can go to Frutti Music Bar and get you something refreshing to drink. My treat," Andy suggested, rising to his feet.

Bloom accepted his supportive hand and allowed him to lead her toward the bar, hoping the pain would subside soon.

***

They were both forcibly ejected from the program, causing Tecna to collide with Timmy as they landed on the ground. Her display continued to flash the octopus symbol in red, indicating a serious threat. She attempted to scan the area for any potential dangers and prepared herself for transformation.

However, Tecna couldn't help but be distracted by Timmy's calm demeanor. She shot him a questioning look as he opened his tablet and began programming something in one of his own software applications.

"Timmy, what are you doing?" Tecna inquired, but he remained focused on his task, ignoring her question.

"Timmy?" she repeated, her tone tinged with frustration.

He looked up, tilting his head slightly. "Yes?"

"What are you doing? We're dealing with a virus—possibly dark magic—that's infecting our system and the program I've spent countless hours programming," Tecna exclaimed, feeling a mix of irritation and panic. Her boyfriend's calmness seemed entirely illogical given the gravity of the situation, and she struggled to comprehend his behavior.

"Oh, about that... the octopus symbol is from a pirate sandbox game I downloaded a while ago for one of my recent projects," Timmy explained casually. "I'm sorry. It seems they must have gotten mixed up with your files and overwritten some of your code, since I was using the same software at the time."

Tecna fell back onto the ground, feeling a sense of emptiness wash over her at his words. Had this really just happened? All of her hard work had been overwritten by a pirate game, resulting in an unstoppable virus spreading throughout the system. All of her efforts had been in vain, and even the backup files for the program had been destroyed by the virus.

"Timmy... do you realize how long I've been working on that?" Tecna groaned in frustration.

"I know, but try to look on the bright side," Timmy suggested optimistically.

"Your response isn't exactly comforting given the situation, and I fail to see how there could possibly be a bright side to losing all of my progress..." Tecna retorted, her voice laced with exasperation.

"I wasn't finished. Anyway... we can work on these things tomorrow and try to clean up the system. But for now... we both need to get some rest," Timmy stated.

Tecna wanted to protest, but before she could, she felt her boyfriend's warm arms enveloping her. It was a comforting and loving gesture, something a computer could never provide. She accepted his kiss as they both settled down for bed, instantly feeling her overworked brain begin to cool down after a day filled with errors and unexpected challenges.

"You know I love you, Timmy," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"And I love you, my smart and loving Tecna," he replied softly, before they both succumbed to the embrace of sleep, their tired eyes closing.

***

A refreshing drink had helped Bloom relax, and removed the pain, as she sat at the bar beside Roxy, who was busy making more smoothies. Meanwhile, Andy had taken to the stage with his friends, preparing for a gig. During breaks, he would sneak glances at Bloom, who would smile back at him. He still had a knack for evoking emotions through his music and singing. Bloom couldn't help but think he would make a great duet partner for Musa. This sparked an idea in Bloom's mind to celebrate Aisha's birthday. Aisha had expressed a desire to celebrate somewhere other than Andros, to take a break from her role as Queen.

"Bloom..." Roxy's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Turning to Roxy, Bloom saw her fiddling with her hands, her gaze fixed on the countertop.

"What's it like living in the Magical Dimension?" Roxy asked. "I've been thinking about maybe moving there once I turn eighteen."

"Well, for starters, they have more advanced technology, and it's like living inside a science-fiction movie," Bloom began. "When I first arrived in the most prominent cities and the capital of the Magical Dimension, I expected to see dragons, wizards, and elves. But it turned out that sometimes fairy tales are a reality, but the actual Dimension isn't quite what we expect."