Dreamworks Rise of the Guardians x Winx Club Crossover

Chapter 22: The Tree of Life

"I can't believe that after every fight we've been through, I still have butterflies in my stomach!" Musa muttered.

"Maybe you're just hungry," suggested Stella.

"If you're the one bringing it up, then you're the one who's actually hungry," Alysha chimed in.

"It's normal to be worried and fearful about facing those Wizard Fairy Hunters again," Bloom said her voice reassuring. "But just because I'm scared of not being able to protect myself doesn't mean we should abandon our life goals. We need to trust in the benefit of the doubt for ourselves as much as we do for others."

"And courage requires overcoming our fears. We need to turn that into positive confidence," Flora agreed.

"You know what worries me? Natalie and Alysha have a point: Earth isn't exactly a small place, and this last fairy could be anywhere," Aisha responded thoughtfully.

"Tecna, do you have any fairy pocket-finding app or gadgetry?" Stella asked.

"That's not a thing, Stella," Electra stated. "And if it were, it'd be a bit intrusive."

"Are you looking at the library's restricted books, Tecna?" Alysha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"How do you have access to those on your handheld? It's impossible to copy magic text without a password spell," Flora admitted.

"I asked Faragonda for special permission after I discovered Ogron's camera before we left the boys. She said it's better for Natalie and me to analyze any strange data we find to avoid traps and tricks," Tecna explained. "Does this look familiar to you? I think it's something special, but I can't quite remember."

"That's the Tree of Life!" Natalie exclaimed. "Flora aced that test, along with Bloom, back in Wizgis's first class. It's a magical dictionary of all magical beings throughout the Magic Dimension and beyond."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Flora stated confidently. "We should visit the Tree of Life; maybe I can locate the fairy since it is a tree."

"And it will give us a chance to say hi to our friends, whom we won't be able to see for a long while," Bloom added.

"What now?" Stella questioned, still feeling lost and confused.

"Oh, come on, Stella! It's off to Gloomiwood!" Electra declared, encouraging her friend.

Meanwhile, Nabu watched the girls fly off. He caught sight of a strange book on the ground beneath the entrance to Alfea. It was the technical charm book that Gafara had randomly passed on to Faragonda after her alarming encounter in the library. Nabu opened it to find the language inside was not from the Magic Dimension; it was archaic, an old Gaelic—one of the Celtic languages. A page gaped at the center of the book where a crucial page had been torn out.

"Hey, what is that, Nabu?" Roger asked as he approached.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's Earth magic, Roger. I need to talk to Queen Marion; something strange is developing at Alfea Castle. I'll meet you there at the owl," Nabu called out.

Roger nodded, his curiosity piqued.

Just then, Roger's phone beeped with a call from his parents, who had an important message for Electra. They wanted him to tell her that her parents, aunt, and uncle were all okay.

"Don't worry, Mom and Dad, I'll tell her. That's a bit creepy, but it makes sense. Yeah, I know Aisha gives me a lot of updates in the tiny spare moments she has."

Meanwhile, Nabu took the hawk to Domino.

"I got your message, young man," Marion said as he arrived.

"Marion, do you recognize this language?" he asked, handing her the book. When she saw the passage, she dropped the entire book to the floor.

After a moment to compose herself, she picked it up, handing it to a servant with instructions. "Secure that in the secret library and do not disclose its exact position. Now, to answer your question, Nabu: that book was stolen from the Hogwarts Castle library when I was a Slytherin student in the Scottish Highlands. The school is invisible to those who do not possess magical abilities. The inhabitants call it the Wizarding World, a realm where they engage in magical training in secret, even though many families live in harmony with humans in the real world. Why this is done remains unclear to those born of that world.

"You may think the Wizarding World has no connection to fairies, but it does. There are mischievous Cornish Pixies, and then there are the Veela—a human line with fairy-like qualities. A girl of that bloodline can transform into a fairy form that has a combination of bird wings from a hawk and an osprey. It is an ancient lineage passed through generations. Hogwarts also holds significant meaning for my family, thanks to its dragon emblem on the façade. The school motto reads, 'Never tickle a sleeping dragon.'

"As for this book's connection to the school, it was once part of the restricted section in that castle's library. I can't explain how it was removed, but the pages feel cold and alive, as if they possess a mind of their own to deceive the most unsuspecting."

"Are the Ethereal Fairies real or not?" Nabu asked, curious.

"They are real, but they aren't the most cooperative or good at explaining things," Marion admitted. "Entities made from magic rather than reality often behave that way. Who tore out the page in the middle?"

"I suspect it was Faragonda," Nabu replied. "For some reason, I get the feeling she thinks the magic the Winx are about to gain won't be enough."

"Believix transformation! I should have known. Its time is needed yet again; even the Magic Dimension requires it, Nabu. I can feel it—the rise of the Dark Dragon," Marion murmured. "I must inform Sibyla, the Fairy of Justice, my sister, at once in her cave on Earth. Stay here, and do not come until I call."

"You are sisters?" Nabu gasped.

"Of course, but she doesn't like to discuss future paths in front of two people," Marion replied. "Now hush, and wait."