𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒚𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒎 | Riven

𝟏𝟑

═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ━═

The bright sunlight bathed the woods in an almost blinding glow, but it did nothing to chase away the dread that hung in the air. Fallin stood with the Specialists, the weight of Miss Dowling's goodbye still a heavy ache in her chest. Everything around her felt surreal—the warmth of the sun, the clear blue sky, the soft rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze—none of it matched the chaos that were now happening.

The woods was eerily silent, the only sounds the soft clicks of weapons being checked and the faint, hushed movements of the Specialists around her. Fallin swallowed hard, trying to focus on the task ahead, but her hands still trembled slightly, the reality of what they were about to face sinking in deeper with each breath.

In the distance, Alfea loomed, its familiar structure now a place of danger and fear. The Blood Witches had infiltrated their school, capturing every fairy within its walls and taking control of the Specialists inside, Only the group that was supposed to infiltrate the Blood Witches hideout yesterday, along with the members of the Winx Suite, remained free. 

But Flora and Musa had gone back earlier, and now only Musa had managed to stay hidden, thanks to Beatrix, who was also secretely working with Sebastian. Flora hadn't been so fortunate, and Fallin's heart twisted at the thought of her friend down in the basement, possibly already drained of her magic along with the others.

"The attack was over in 20 minutes," Bloom exclaimed, her voice tense as she and Fallin stood in front of a small group of Specialists, Silva beside them. The grimness of the situation was clear on everyone's faces. 

Fallin crossed her arms tightly, her eyes flicking from the Specialists' worried expressions to the dark silhouette of Alfea in the distance, now under enemy control. "I don't know how many Blood Witches," Bloom continued, "but enough to take over every Specialist there."

Fallin's heart sank as Silva's face tightened, his jaw clenched in frustration. He let out a heavy sigh. "They knew we were making a move on their hideout." Riven shook his head bitterly, his voice dripping with disdain. "And that we drank the last of the Blood Witch antidote. Fucker."

Fallin's chest tightened at the words, the weight of the situation settling heavier on her shoulders. She bit her lip, knowing exactly what this meant—without the captured mind fairies, and with no antidote left, the Specialists were utterly defenseless against the Blood Witches' influence. 

Dane, his face pale and strained, looked directly at her, his voice hesitant. "They took over every Specialist?" Fallin met his gaze, her expression somber as she nodded. "Mm-hmm. And fairies didn't have it much better." She tried to keep her voice steady, but the reality of what had happened twisted her gut. "Sebastian basically brought an army of scrapers to take them down.", she added.

Silva's face fell, turning to them "Are they all drained?" he asked, his voice low and concerned, not only for the fairies but also for Alfea.

Fallin swallowed hard, about to answer, but Bloom pulled out her phone and answered instead. "Not yet," she said quickly, and Fallin nodded in confirmation. They both leaned in closer as Bloom showed them a shaky video from Musa. The screen displayed fairies being brought into a dark, shadowed room beneath the school—one by one.

"They're being held under the school," Bloom explained"Taken to him one by one. Then brought back."

Silva, his brow furrowed in concentration, peered at the video. "That's Bavani," he said quietly, recognizing one of the fairies as the Captain General of Solaria's Forces.

"We're thinking that he can't handle a lot of magic at once," Bloom said, sounding almost hopeful. Silva nodded, his expression lifting slightly. "So, there's still time to save some of them. That's good. Good intel.", he praised.