Winx: The reincarnation 2

Chapter thirty-nine

The tension in Alphea lingered long after Danielle's disappearance. The fairies sat in the headmistress's office, still struggling to process everything. Meanwhile, the professors had gone to assess the damage left by Danielle.

"She just... took off," Carissa said, shaking her head. "And we couldn't do anything to stop her."

"We wouldn't have stood a chance," Lithia muttered. "The professors couldn't even stop her."

Luna clenched her fists, frustration evident in her expression. "We should've done something more. We should've been able to stop her."

"There was nothing more we could've done," Artemisia said, though her voice lacked conviction. "She wasn't herself."

The Headmistress, who had been silently gazing out the window, finally turned to face them. "This was no ordinary possession."

Crystal sighed, rubbing her temples. "Then what do we do now?"

The Headmistress's expression hardened. "I don't have an answer yet, but we need to understand what caused this if we're to find a solution."

Just then, the door opened, and Zephyr stepped inside. He immediately noticed the fairies sitting restlessly.

"I'm here, Headmistress," he announced.

The Headmistress met his gaze with a firm expression. "Zephyr, you're already aware of the destruction Danielle caused this morning. Her friends believe it may be connected to whatever happened when you summoned her to your office yesterday." She folded her arms. "Would you care to explain?"

"I volunteered to help Danielle research her soul traveling and find ways to manage it better," Zephyr explained. "While searching in the library, I found a spell—one that could completely tether her soul to her body."

The Headmistress frowned. "In the library? As far as I know, there are no texts on soul magic in our collection."

"But I have the book," Zephyr insisted. He reached into his cross bag and pulled out a red book with gold bindings.

The Headmistress walked over, taking the book from him with a scrutinizing gaze. "You found this in the library?" She flipped through the pages, her expression growing more puzzled. "I've never seen anything like this before."

Without hesitation, she called for the Assistant Headmistress.

Moments later, the Assistant Headmistress entered the office, her sharp gaze shifting between Zephyr and the book in the Headmistress's hands. "You called for me?"

The Headmistress held up the mysterious tome. "Zephyr claims he found this in our library. It contains a spell related to soul magic—something we should not have among our collection"

The Assistant Headmistress's brows furrowed as she took the book and examined it. She flipped through the pages, her expression darkening. "This... doesn't belong here," she said gravely.

Zephyr hesitated before answering, "It was tucked away behind some old texts in the library. It looked new and I thought it might have been misplaced, so I checked it out."

"The library has never housed anything related to soul magic," the Assistant Headmistress said, her voice edged with suspicion. "Either someone deliberately placed it there, or it made its way into our collection through unknown means."

The Headmistress's expression darkened. "Summon the librarian immediately," she ordered.

A few minutes later, an elderly lady with silver-streaked hair and thin spectacles hurried into the office. She adjusted her glasses. "You wished to see me, Headmistress?"

The Headmistress held up the red book with its gold bindings. "This book was found in the one of the sections at the library. Have you ever seen it before?"

The librarian's eyes widened slightly as she took the book, carefully flipping through the pages. "No... I would have remembered something like this," she murmured. "This isn't part of our collection."

Zephyr's stomach twisted. "But I found it there," he insisted. "It was hidden among the older texts."

The librarian shook her head. "I oversee every text that enters and leaves the library. If this book appeared, it did so without my knowledge."

Luna, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke. "Could it be connected to the Shadow Phoenix? Maybe Danielle was affected the moment you used the spell on her."

The Headmistress exchanged a troubled glance with the Assistant Headmistress. "It's possible," she admitted. "If this spell disrupted Danielle's connection to her body, it might have made her more vulnerable to outside influences, in this case the Shadow Phoenix."

Zephyr's face paled. "But... that wasn't my intention. I just wanted to help her stabilize her soul, not—" He swallowed hard. "Make her lose control of her own body."

Crystal crossed her arms. "Intentions or not, this is your fault."

Zephyr flinched at Crystal's words, but he didn't argue. He knew she was right.

"We don't have time to assign blame," the Headmistress said firmly. "Our focus needs to be on finding Danielle and undoing whatever has happened to her."

"But how?" Lithia asked. "She's more powerful than ever, and the Shadow Phoenix has its claws in her now."

Zephyr straightened. "I'll help in any way I can."

The Headmistress nodded. "Good. In the meantime, we need to determine where Danielle has gone."