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

Chapter 28: Only The End of A New Beginning

Everything had been so dark. So foreign, yet at the same time so familiar. Bloom turned around and scanned the dead place. There was complete silence, no sign of life—only a frozen land covered in black ice. The coldness pierced through her thick jacket, and she had to create the only living flame in sight. It danced in her palm as she walked over the frozen lake. Icicles jutted up like sharp knives, ready to strike at any moment.

Not long ago, she had fallen asleep in her comfortable bed at home in Gardenia—her safe place, with her loving parents. And now she was in this icicle land that could only remind her of one place.

Domino...

"Hello?!" Bloom called out, hoping for any answer, only to be met with silence. Had something happened to her world while she had been on Earth? But then the Winx would have contacted her, right? She looked down at the Winx watch on her wrist. The small inbox icon showed zero new messages and was completely empty.

The snow beneath her high heels squeaked softly on the thin layer of snow, as if the ground were fragile. Suddenly, a distant cracking sound reached her ears. Instinctively, Bloom quickened her pace as she walked across the lake. Bad memories from her adventure in Switzerland with Jim flashed in her mind—how the large lake they had walked on had shattered beneath them. The pounding of her heart echoed in her ears as her breathing grew heavier. The desolate place started to unsettle her, and she didn't like the feeling of being watched.

A distant, unfamiliar voice called out for her, and Bloom hastily turned around, only to be confronted by a shadowy creature looming behind her. She gasped in surprise as she felt its cold grip around her wrists. For a moment, their gazes locked, and Bloom could swear she saw a reflection of someone she hated being reminded of. The face of the shadow creature flickered between a wicked smile and the face of a green-haired girl that felt strangely familiar to her.

"You left me..." a whispering, demonic voice escaped from the shadow creature.

Bloom swallowed nervously, her voice trembling as she spoke, "W-who are you?"

"Once your friend, now your enemy..." the shadow creature answered.

Before Bloom could reply, she felt the heat of a dark purple flame aggressively crawling up her arms. A sinister power surged within her, as though something dark was trying to take over her heart once again. She tried to extinguish the fire, but it was useless. In a blinding flash of light, like the detonation of a nuclear bomb, her vision was consumed.

The next thing she knew, she was bolting upright in bed, panting heavily, her body trembling. Her wide eyes scanned the familiar surroundings, and she realized she was back in her room in Gardenia. Her fists clenched, gripping the edges of her blue blanket. Her mind raced, trying to process the strange dream she had just awoken from. She couldn't shake the memory of the Queen of Shadows, and the haunting words she'd spoken: "I can see the darkness inside you." What did that really mean?

Bloom tried to reassure herself. She was a good person—there was no way that darkness could still exist inside her, not after her friends had saved her from Lord Darkar's corruption. The Queen must have been trying to manipulate her, nothing more.

She changed into her casual clothes, still feeling a bit unsettled by the nightmare. As she made her way down the staircase, the comforting scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. Her eyes fell on her father, dressed in his gray firefighter uniform, casually reading the newspaper. A small smile tugged at her lips as she remembered how life used to be before she had discovered her true origins. It was so different from living in the palace on Domino.

"Good morning, Dad," Bloom greeted, her smile widening as Mike looked up from the paper, returning her warm expression.

"Good morning, my little girl," Mike said fondly.