The Book of Fairies was packed in between Bloom's least favorite pair of blue jeans and a stack of the young adult werewolf books she read in her freshman year of high school. She pulled it out, dusted it off, and immediately panicked; it was huge. Many times during their last adventure, Tecna had offered magical assistance towards finding correct passages… after all, books were a relatively recent piece of technology. Now, the volume of a couple thousand thin, fragile pages, looked overwhelming.

Bloom didn't know a spell to make the book fall to the exact right page, so she resorted to lower level spell-less magic. Still, she uttered one word like an incantation all its own. "Ominix. Ominix."

As she flipped through page after page, barely even concentrating, at last the word in question caught her eye, as part of a true legend. Earth seemed to have a lot of those, she noticed. In most of the magic dimension, fiction and fact blended into a strange type of history that no one could claim was one hundred percent true or one hundred percent false, or even a majority either way. With Earth, the stories they told their fairy children were straight from history. Bloom, a sucker for fairy tales until the end, had asked resident historian Tora to tell her some.

That was the only reason she could recognize the names, places, events surrounding Ominix. She put the Book of Fairies away and pulled an old Earth history book to her desk in its stead.

She pressed the intercom button on her desk. "Tora, this is Bloom. Please report to my office at your earliest convenience. I have some questions about Agrippine Octavia."

The moment the name of Agrippine was spoken, Leilani's ears perked up. It was nine in the evening, and she was getting ready to get in bed and maybe do some fairy history reading of her own, but plans abruptly changed.

Alexa, already lying on the air mattress set up in Leilani's large dorm room, gave her friend a look. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back," Leilani non-answered.

Holding her nightgown up to avoid tripping over it, she raced down the stairs, trying to get to the first floor quickly. It was on her last flight of stairs that she ran into Tora. "Tora!" exclaimed the girl, her breathing heavy, "Can I come with you to meet Bloom? I want to know more about Agrippine and…"

"Leilani, at this point, you know almost as much about her as I do," the teacher responded, obviously amused.

"All the more reason I should come. I can help."

Tora thought for a moment, then nodded. "If Bloom is alright with it, so am I."

Bloom was alright with it. "You're the president of the student body. You deserve to know if something happens that can fix this war."

"You think it's that important?" Tora frowned. "What exactly do you want to know about Agrippine? There's no proof that she's still alive, much less that she would be able to or agree to help us."

"I'm aware. This is more about her achievements from before she was cast out of our species. Have you heard the term Ominix?"

Tora blinked. "As in the Ominix Experiment?"

Bloom nodded and pushed a large book forward. Leilani recognized it; the same book was in her dorm room. "You're familiar with it?"

"I am."

"Read this. Leilani deserves to know, and I'd like to hear this story again."

Tora cleared her throat and began.

In the early days of the Black Circle Genocide, when fairies were still numerous and still hopeful, there was a fairy known by the name of Ada. She was a fairy who had little interest in other fairies, being the last of the winged in her line. Her sister Marie, as well as her seventeen daughters, had all taken the path of the witch. As such, the Fairy Hunters showed them no mercy, for their magic was useless for the Black Circle's dark purpose. Soon, Ada alone survived, despite her family's impressive displays of magics.

Ada was shocked that her daughters were so easily defeated. Each had climbed the witch's path to strange and powerful heights. As we fairies can summon multiple magics for new situations, so can a witch, and these women had done so. Cursix, Cognix, Malevix, Villix. Finally, she who was considered the most powerful of Ada's daughters achieved Ominix.

The Wizards could not kill her with magic. They shot her with a human gun, and as she crumpled, Ada watched from the sky.

As soon as her grief subsided even slightly, Ada began to put her knowledge of magic to work. In those days, every magical person knew of the Law of Gifts, which meant that even a power you could never have used under normal circumstances may be used if it is freely presented to you by someone else who has gained it, though for each time it is gifted it becomes less powerful. A fairy, if presented with this most powerful of witch magics, could use Ominix. A fairy was valuable for the Wizards, and they would not kill her lightly. A fairy with Ominix might save them all.

Ada knew witches, nearly all of the few who survived. She persuaded them to give her this gift, and thus, Ada, fairy of Shadows, became the first Ominix fairy and the most powerful.

She began to share her gift, though not often, choosing only those that she trusted, one or two at a time. Each would inevitably die or disappear, remaining uncaptured, but still, the powers were passed on. Even if no one else believed in Ominix fairies, Ada did.

She likely was the only one. Ominix gifted more than magic, but also the spirit of witches… the independence, the aggression, the fierce loyalty even when it is unintelligent to be loyal. It made these fairies less docile to their rulers, less able to obey orders, and more likely to use dark magic. Though Ominix was never banned completely, to use it became to allude to rebellion, though these Ominix fairies still loved their Earth and their people and few would have dreamed of such an act.

The Ominix fairies that have been discovered are, in order, Ada, Elohia, Agrippine, Ophelia, Bianca, Blanca, Matilda, Vida, and…

"I, Historia, fairy of the histories and rememberances, the last of the fairies of Ominix," Tora finished, looking uncomfortably. "As well as the only survivor. I alone carry this power after the death of Ada and all remaining witches. Only through me does it exist."

"And she's gone now, isn't she?" Leilani asked. "So that power is gone?"

Tora looked to the floor. "No. No, it isn't. Before Historia died, she granted it to me. Me, and one other."

"Lysis!" Leilani blurted out. "You two both have it, don't you? You two were close, and both her students."

Tora nodded. Bloom, however, was the next to speak. "Why don't you two look any different than the other Warrior Fairies then? New powers come with new looks. I've seen enough of that to know it's the truth."

"We don't use it," Tora explained. "It's a witch power at its base. The more we use it, the less fairylike we become… we start to take on the qualities of witches. Historia granted it to us because she wanted to preserve it. At the time, we had no clue any witches existed in the universe still, and we knew they were gone off Earth. We believed we might have been the last ones to ever achieve it, and any historian can tell you that you try to save what remnants of ancient life you can. We were going to be living examples of what Ominix could do, but very rarely, and never for fighting."

Bloom thought. She had never heard of the exact Law of Gifts before, but the ancient Earth Fairies remembered magics long forgotten by modern Magix. Besides, she decided after a moment, she had seen it in action. The Trix had been given their powers of Gloomix and Disenchantix… they hadn't really earned them. Though they had been given different names, at the end of the day, they were just fairy transformations with a different title. Even more, as they used their repurposed powers, they changed, too. Now, they were more docile, more loving, getting attached easier. Icy, cold and unshakeable at the age of eighteen, had managed to be somewhat romantic and clingy by the time she was twenty-four.

Far from fairies, but also quite far from the witches they once were. It almost made Bloom cringe to think that the reverse could be done.

Bloom looked down at her desk and tented her fingers thoughtfully. "What would we do if Ominix was our best hope?"

Tora frowned. Her eyes were cast towards the floor still and her mouth turned downwards. "We hope that it isn't."

The next morning, all normal classes were cancelled, but Bloom, Tora, and Lysis still required all students and visitors to report to the auditorium bright and early.

Roxy, Morgana, and Nebula sat near the back, talking lowly about the Apprentices… though Morgana was more or less up to date, she hadn't heard much of it from Roxy herself. In front of them, families spread out in the large room. Doctor Silverman and Mitzi had finally arrived. The older sister seemed to be sulking while their mother talked to Macy. Across the room, Marea was speaking animatedly to her own mother, looking more enthusiastic than Roxy had ever seen her before. Close by, Signy, Devri, and Tora sat on the stage, their legs dangling off of it and far above the floor.

Bloom walked into the room, followed by her parents, and it grew quiet suddenly.

As Bloom climbed onto the stage, she smiled. Roxy saw a weariness to her, as if she had been up late. "Welcome, students and guests, to the first annual Royal Fairy Academy Day of the Rose Celebration!" Everyone cheered. "Since it is a Friday, and we're all still here at the school, I've decided we will still do some exercises today." A groan went up. "Hey, we're here to learn to defend ourselves, and it'd be no good to slack off. Don't worry, though. I'll try to make this fun."

"School? Fun?" Roxy muttered. Nebula snorted, and Morgana glared at them both.

"Most of you have more than one visitor," Bloom continued. "Today's activity… or should I say competition… will require each student to pick one, and only one, partner. The two of them will face many challenges together, both of a magical and nonmagical variety. To make things a little more fair, assistance on magical parts will be provided for those without powers. If each student will please pick a partner now and come to the front so we can record who is participating?

Roxy immediately hugged Morgana. "Sorry, Aunt Nebula. It wouldn't be fair to the others if the Fairy Queen competed."

"I was the Queen for longer than she was," Morgana pointed out.

"Operative word there being 'was,' Mom."

In the line in front of her, she saw interesting pairings. Some students had simply picked their mothers. Others had sisters. She even saw Light teaming up with Signy, and Saf with Devri.

When all teams had been registered, Bloom grinned. "The gauntlet starts on the second floor. The first team to get all the way through it wins. As for rules… you must follow the individual instructions on each stage. You may ask for help, and each team decides for themselves whether or not they wish to assist other groups. Partners must be within ten feet of each other at all times, and they must both be on the finish line in order to win. There are ten stages altogether. Are you ready? On your mark… get set… GO!"

When the teams burst from the stairwell into the second story hallway, they were shocked. "It's… it's…" stuttered Macy.

"A labyrinth," breathed Avi. "Or, well, almost."

The usually normal hallway now twisted and turned. Walls made of a glassy translucent crystal were all around, and through them the girls could see small rooms. The first room was right in front of them, large enough to hold everyone comfortably. Sofas, desks, and benches were inside, but the main focus was a long table at the back of the room, with folded pieces of paper sticking up off of it.

They all walked in and each student took the piece of paper with her name.

Saf looked to Devri, her partner. She and Light had decided it wouldn't be fair to have two students on one team, so Tora had been gracious enough to suggest that her twin sisters work with the two girls. "It's a riddle, I think," Saf said as she unfolded the paper and read it. "To turn this maze, you must use me to help sand create this maze. To feel the warmth of a victory, you must feel the warmth of me inside your heart. To set yourself free in the face of your enemies, you must set me free in the face of your enemies. To progress, place me in the first fork in the road."

Next to Devri, Signy and Light frowned. "That isn't what ours says," said Light. "To find the way inside or outside of this maze, use me. To feel the warmth of a victory… okay, that's the same, but then it says, to lose me is to fall to darkness, but to have me is only worth something if you use me."

The twins looked to each other, grinned, then looked to their respective partners. "Your powers!" they exclaimed in unison.

Light nodded, and the two teams ran off. Quite a few teams were still puzzling over their clues, but Light and Saf were not the first to be done with the first station.

Hopefully, though, they would be the first to get to the end.

Leilani and Alexa had what was either a handicap or a severe disadvantage.

"What are we looking for again?" Alexa groaned as she sat on the floor and dug through a bookbag full of magical objects.

Leilani looked to the clue they had been given. "Uhhh, something shaped like the letter 'x,' light as a summer's day, and soft as a silken feather were it not carved of stone."

"Yeah, any idea what it could be?"

"Not one."

Alexa frowned. "These are all magical items, right? Can't the correct one just float to the top?"

"That'd be too easy. Bloom wouldn't have done that. Why don't we take them out one by one and see if they meet the qualifications?" suggested Leilani.

"Nah, it'd be quicker if we just dumped them on the ground." Alexa stood and turned the backback upside down.

The items rushed out of the backpack, but before they hit the tile, they began to float, spinning in midair. "Nice!" Alexa exclaimed. "That's super cool. Okay, so now if all the ones shaped like an 'x' could come forward…"

Only one thing did… a beautiful butterfly carved out of amethyst. Leilani grabbed it and placed it into the slot where they were meant to put it. Next to it, an engraving flashed on the wall. To take the left path is to meet your doom, nonmagic user. Take the right path. Before their eyes, the wall became a door and opened before them, leading to a fork.

They were five steps in, heading to the right, when they were thrown backwards. Alexa cursed as Leilani blinked. "Do you think we picked the wrong item?" asked the visiting girl.

"It certainly seemed correct," Leilani said thoughtfully. "I don't think the door would have opened for us if it was wrong."

"Well, what do we do now?" asked Alexa.

"I think it's obvious. We head down the left path."

Alexa stared. "Did you not see the whole think about meeting our doom? Like, it may have just been me, but I felt that was very important."

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Someone will definitely help us out. I'm sure of it."

Avalon laughed when she and her mother got to the fifth station. It was a pit. Nothing else but a literal pit. Perhaps it was the easiest obstacle in the entire challenge, and though there was no door back to the previous challenge, Avi felt confident that none would be needed. "Okay, Mom, I've got this," she said with a wild grin. "Just let me get my wings on."

A flash of light later, she was transformed, her metal wings fluttering quickly. Her mother looked down nervously at the pit… it seemed bottomless.

"Ready?" asked Avi

"Um," said Dr. Masterson.

Avi tried to hoist her mother up. Even with the extra fairy magic, however, flying across a pit with her mother alone seemed impossible. "Perhaps we should wait for help," she said sheepishly.

As though on cue, two people fazed through the wall at that moment… Leilani and Alexa. Avi's face soured. "Oh. You can't help."

Alexa's eyes narrowed. "Wow, rude much?" she shot back. "Give us half a chance. We have magic items." Without paying much attention to her surroundings, she dumped the backpack's contents on the floor. Immediately, several pieces rolled across the floor and fell into the pit. "Oh. Oops."

Leilani facepalmed, then looked around the room. It was empty, apart from the pit. The big hole in the room was about eight feet long, and spanned the entire width of the area. Like Avi, she noted that there was no limit to the depth. "I'd bet that's a voidspace," she said wearily. "Where the professors got the magic to set it up, though, I have no clue. You have to be practically as powerful as a god to create one."

"What's a voidspace?" asked Avi dumbly.

"It's… it's like a pocket dimension of floating. If you slip into it, you end up falling with no stop whatsoever, but because everything is dark around you, it just feels like you're stuck floating there. Just you, and darkness, and, you know, air. Supposedly, it's pretty comfortable, but it gets irritating and can drive you crazy if you're in there for too long. It's hard to mount a rescue operation too, but my guess is that the professors are prepared for one just in case." Leilani waved her hands vaguely. "They're pretty good about that stuff. At least, I hope they are."

Dr. Masterson looked nervous.

Alexa, however, looked excited. "You mean all of our missing items are just floating there? Can you see into it? This is rad."

She leaned over the side and stared into the voidspace.

Then, she wobbled.

For a splitsecond, everyone was frozen.

Avi was the first to react, racing towards the other girl at top speed. Alexa slid a foot back, attempting to get her balance, and then leaned away from the pit. Avi abruptly found her aim messed up. Wings nearly screeched to a halt, but it was too late. She ran into Alexa head first.

Alexa cried out as she was pushed forward.

Then, into the voidspace she tumbled.

AN: Hi guys! It's been a while! How are you? Did you enjoy the chapter? Specifically, my question for you this time is who is your favorite of the villains and/or minor characters? We've not seen much of Nyklus yet, but the others have some distinct personalities. When I say minor, by the way, I mean the ones who only show up from time to time now... Katt, Amanda, Macy, Marea... you get the idea! Let's give them all some love, okay?

Thanks for reading!