Chapter 3: Fires of Domino

"Are you certain?" Hagen asked, thoroughly surprised.

"Absolutely," Valtor responded.

The dandy mage had been sequestered in Red Fountain for over a week, working hard on untangling the code used by the Coven. And when he had cracked it, he hadn't wasted any time getting everybody from Hagen to Aisha called in.

"Hoggar," the smith echoed, still somewhat in a daze. "Those despicable witches set up a back door somewhere in Hoggar and we never even noticed? Let me see those coordinates."
Valtor handed the paper over.

"This... It's barely a day's journey from my hometown. I'd almost be able to see it on a sunny day, were it not for the mountains."
"Hey, isn't Hoggar one of the countries here on Magix?" Bloom asked.

"It is. Centred on the Hoggar mountains, so named for the explorer who found them," Hagen exposited. "Rich in minerals of all sorts and has become home for many smiths and artificers. I myself direct a school up there."
"But Hoggar is also known for its frequent rain and thunderstorms," Griffin added. "And the mountains are hard to navigate. It would be easy to hide a portal there, even if it's not been camouflaged. And I suspect it has."

"So that should, like, be where all those people from Domino were taken, right?" Stella asked.

"Indeed," Valtor confirmed.

"Then there's no way around it," Bloom said determinedly. "We have to go there as soon as possible and free them." She immediately turned towards Faragonda. "And I know it might be dangerous, but I have a responsibility for my people."
The headmistress, who had been about to say something, sighed and visibly deflated. "I know. I can't stop you." She shook her head. "Unfortunately, neither I nor Griffin can join you. We have already promised to aid in combing through the area for any signs of Mandragora or her monsters."
"She herself will most likely be in the Prison," Valtor noted.

"In that case, I shall join you," Hagen declared. "And let's bring some soldiers from Red Fountain too. That should be enough of an escort to keep us safe."
"Trust me. It's never that simple," Griffin commented. "As you should remember from back in the day."
"Eh, doesn't hurt to at least try to be prepared."

"Well, in that case we could always bring the boys," Musa added. "Especially now that Riven is back in action. We've become pretty good at cooperating after all the shit we've been through."
"Don't remind me," Emanuela sighed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go get some tea."

As she left, Valtor continued with: "One more thing. The gate is locked, magically so. And unlike the roc, the spells there probably haven't deteriorated."
"Yeah, on that note, couldn't you, like, have mentioned that darn bird?" Stella asked slightly annoyed.

"Ah, yes. My apologies, but I actually didn't know it would try to flee," the Dominian prince replied. "They must have ordered it to let me in, back in the day."

"Eh, whatever. It was fun," Techna said. "But if we can't do that thing we did yet again, then what do we do?"
Aisha rubbed her chin. "How about that pixie? Didn't she have the power to open locks or something like that?"
"Oh yeah, like, she used it back when we had to deal with Darkar," Stella suddenly said. "She might be able to unlock the gate."
"And if we bring her, the rest of the pixie gang are probably going to come along," Musa said, rolling her eyes. "I think we're bringing enough people on this mission."

"Well, with that settled, I'll wish you the best of luck," Valtor said. "In the meantime, I guess I'll just stay here. Hopefully, Red Fountain will be better capable of withstanding such an invasion on account of being a flying building."
"Yeah. Else you'll have to hope I can finish that giant newspaper you talked about," Techna said as the group began leaving.

"See you later," Bloom said and waved.

"See you around... Bloom," Valtor replied, before turning back to the table. He eyed the butterfly mask on the shelf. "Well, I've done what I can. Let's just hope they can figure out the rest." He stared at the mask, a frown slowly manifesting on his face. "And yet I must confess to you that... I'm worried. I think they should be able to handle Mandragora if she shows her face but... Something about this bugs me." He chuckled slightly. "Pun not intended. I don't know, I just wish I could do more." He leaned on the table with his elbows. "Or what do you think? Could I have done more?" He raised an eyebrow. "Should I have done more? My last attempt at helping resulted in three boys getting kidnapped by a flying building. And before that I managed to wreck the entire area with a quartet of natural disasters. Maybe it's just for the best if I sit this one out." The nagging feeling continued inside his head as he focused on the mask. "Or what? What would you do if you were in my shoes, Sister?"

"Ehm, who are you talking to?" a Red Fountain guard asked, as he looked inside the room.

"Either myself or my dead sister," the dandy magi responded. "Not entirely sure which, but it's helping me figure stuff out."
"Oh. Well, good for you, man."

...

It was hard to see the traces of the tragedy that had befallen Pixie Village over a year ago. The diminutive creatures had seemingly managed to easily pick up the pieces and move on. Bloom found it very admirable, which was also why she was so happy that Valtor's four disasters hadn't accidentally hit the semi-hidden village. And finding Glim and her friends had been rather easy, since the arrival of that many important guests caused more or less the entire town to show up to greet them.

"You girls seriously need some better hobbies," Amore admonished. "Otherwise, people might start getting ideas."
"Ideas?" Stella asked.

Amore spun around, suddenly clad in a gimp suit. "Oh yes, let's get ourselves into danger again. I so want another power crazed lunatic to spank me with a spell." She twirled around, now clad in her own dress again. "I mean, you've barely gotten done with Valtor."
"Please don't put such images in my head," Bloom said, her entire face scrunching up.

"Accusations of autassassinophilia aside, what exactly is the plan?" Tune inquired.

"Well, get Glim here to open the portal basically," Brandon replied. "Unless of course her power is limited to physical doors and not magical portals."
"Is not," the taciturn pixie grunted. "Can do."

"Okay. Can I presume that also means you will?"
Glim nodded.

"And of course, we're coming too," Piff added enthusiastically. "Oh, I need to make a heroic cheering song for this. Who are we up against?"
"A Coven lunatic who goes by Mandragora?" Sky said. He glanced at Riven. "Itchy?"
"It's this damn sting," the magenta-haired soldier responded annoyed, as he scratched the swollen bump on his neck. "Keeps bugging me. Doctor said I probably had an allergic reaction to it." He noticed his comrades' worried glances. "Don't worry, he said I was fine."

"What did you get bit by?" Tune inquired, as she flittered up and inspected the lump.

"Annoying thing is, I dunno. Something that could survive in Domino apparently," Riven replied. "Whatever it was, it had it out for me."

"That aside, it sounds like we've reached an accord," Hagen declared. "With the pixies joining us, we should have a final team."
"Yay. We're going to invade another evil domain," Piff expelled exuberantly.

"Yes, because that didn't almost go horribly wrong last time," Amore added dryly, wearing a t-shirt with a bullseye motif. "So where is this portal?"
"In an isolated mountain valley in Hoggar," the blacksmith replied. "You should probably bring some waterproof clothes."

...

"I'd like to see the sun again at some point," Stella grumbled as she stared out of the window of the Red Fountain owl. "Would be nice."
"What? You're not letting a little rain bother you are you?" Sky teased from his position behind the wheel.

"No, I don't let a little rain bother me," the blonde sharply responded. "But it's been pouring like a broken faucet for three straight hours."
"That's Hoggar for you," Hagen commented jovially. "Weather's like this two thirds of the year."
"Dearest Solaris, I'd go nuts before the month was over," Stella groaned. "So, what, you have sunshine the rest of the year then?"
"No. The last third of the year it's snowing."

The Solarian princess groaned and slumped into a chair.

"Shame they didn't choose a named valley for their portal," Riven remarked. "Otherwise, we might not have to float around and search every single frickin' nook and cranny."
"Well, unless Valtor completely flunked at geography, it should be around here. Somewhere," Brandon commented. "Besides, it makes sense they'd choose an isolated area like this."
"Indeed. The Coven were many things, but stupid wasn't one of them," Hagen murmured.

"Maybe not. But prone to hunting flies with mallets," the Solarian princess noted, as she checked her nails. "Seriously, that attack on Lightrock was so unnecessary."

"Well, from a strategic... Huh," Riven noted, as he narrowed his eyes while staring at his screen. "Hey, guys, I think we found something."

"Timmy, activate the scanner. Full power," Brandon ordered. "The portal might have a very weak signature when unopened."
A few minutes passed in tense silence as the machinery hummed.

"I think this is it," the magenta-haired warrior finally stated.

"Yeah. Signature is barely readable, but it is there," Timmy added.

"Excellent. Sky. Take us down," Brandon commanded.

"You know, seeing you dish out orders and such really adds to your charm," Stella noted with a flirtatious smile.

"Good thing for you that with these guys, there'll never be a shortage of opportunities for me to tell them what to do," the squire replied.

"Yeah, that's right. Swing the whip over us so your girlfriend can get off on it," Sky mumbled.

"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Riven emulated the sound of a whip crack.

...

The valley itself was a dark and dreary crack in the mountainside, with no real way into it. There was some vegetation, mostly shrubbery, moss, some hardy grass and a few patches of stubborn bushes. The rain continued to pelt the group from the sky, only kept at bay by a water repelling spell kept up by Aisha.

"Why are mountains always so cold," Stella complained, as she rubbed her bare arms. "I should have brought a jacket."

"Yeah. You should," Musa said unsympathetically. "But at least Aisha keeps you from being drenched."
"Hurrah for Aisha! Bestest of umbrellas!" Piff exclaimed with her usual enthusiasm.

The princess of Tides looked contemplative for a moment. "Well, a compliment is a compliment. Thank you, Piff."

"No problem."
The group continued their journey through the dark valley. At the end was a large, black circle of obsidian.

"Subtle," Bloom commented dryly. "I think that's the gate."
"Sensors agree. That is definitely an inactive gate," Timmy added, as he looked on the screen of a small handheld device.

"Alright then. Glim, your turn," Brandon said, as he turned to the redheaded pixie.

"'Kay," she replied and flittered over to a large boulder. She landed on it and closed her eyes in deep concentration. The others could feel the magic slowly building up. Tension seized the atmosphere, as they wondered if she would be capable of overcoming the Coven's spells.

The diminutive humanoid groaned as she strained, her magic surging against the protections that held the gate shut.

And then, finally, it gave in. A hole in the fabric of reality widened, showing the group the black wastes of the Obsidian Prison.

"Good job, Glim," Flora noted approvingly.

"Thanks," the strained pixie grunted. "Now get through. Hard to hold open."

"Alright, let's do this," Hagen said and took a step forward.

"Not so fast!" called a voice.

The group turned around to face their challenger. On top of a nearby piece of rock jutting out from the mountainside stood Mandragora. "You cretins have not been allowed to set foot in the sanctuary of the Coven. You are not worthy."
"It's your fucking Coven that's not worthy!" Techna yelled back. "Going around, deep freezing countries, attacking handicapped people with giant bugs! You're all out of your fucking minds, you know that right?!"

"Silence your tongue," Mandragora demanded. "For your transgressions, you shall feed my army."
The rock and earth around her cracked as dozens of large insects broke out of the ground. From up above, giant bugs began descending.

"Again with the giant creepy crawlies," Musa groaned. "Great."
"Keep formation," Brandon ordered. "Be careful or..."
The ground beneath the group cracked open, as several large centipede-like creatures burst out, swinging their snapping mandibles back and forth.

"Oh no. Oh no," Aisha gasped as she desperately jumped out of the way, breaking her spell. Instantly the group was soaked by the torrent.

More and more bugs poured out of the hole, cutting the Red Fountain soldiers and pixies off from the faeries.

One of Bloom's fireballs detonated the front half of a beetle, as her friends lay into the advancing hordes with their spells. Despite this, they were constantly pushed back until they were forced to step through the portal.

Mandragora, from her position atop of her rock, smirked as she saw the development and focused.

"Dammit, we can't get to them," Sky yelled, as besides him Hagen charged into the insects with an enchanted maul. "We have to break through. Glim, can you... RIVEN!"

The redheaded pixie looked up, just in time to see Riven's hand, as its backside smacked into her, launching her off the rock and straight into a bush. Instantly, the portal closed itself, cutting the two groups off from one another.

There was a moment were everyone stopped to stare at Riven. He turned around, his eyes glassy and his face neutral, as he raised his sabre.

"The bite," Timmy realised. "BRANDON! SHE'S CONTROLLING HIM!"
"I FIGURED AS MUCH!" the team captain yelled, as his friend and the remaining bugs began advancing again.

...

"What... What happened?" Stella asked confused, as she stared at the spot where the portal had been. "Did Riven...?"
"There's no way he did that without being forced in some way," Musa insisted resolutely. "No way would he join the Coven willingly."
"I agree with that assessment," Flora stated. "But be that as it may, the situation is still problematic. We have no way of going back to assist them."
"Maybe there's a way to reopen the portal from here," Bloom suggested. "You know, like an emergency exit."

"Sounds like an idea." The brunette turned around to scout the area. "Now then, let us try to..." She paused, her eyes widening. "Oh dears."
"Well... Fuck, that's just creepy," Techna quietly added.

In front of them was a large field of people, each individual a frozen statue. Some looked like they were in the middle of everyday life, while others looked like they had been in a decidedly more hectic situation.

"Endless Ocean," Aisha gasped, holding her hands over her mouth in shock. "Are... Are those...?"
"The people of Domino. Yeah. I think so," Bloom said, as she slowly crept closer. "Are they... Dead?"
"No. Looks more like stasis to me," Stella speculated. "Or what do you two think?" she asked, turning to Musa and Flora.

"I think you're right," Musa said. "Look, they even arranged for little paths in between them."
"No doubt so that they can admire their collection," Flora mumbled darkly.

"That dude looks like he got snatched up while he was in the shower," Techna added. "I feel like that should be really hilarious, but honestly, it's just all kinds of fucked up."
"Valtor's plan was always for them to be here for a couple of hours at most," Bloom noted, as the group began wandering through the fields. "Instead, they've been here for... Well, over a decade by now." She let her gaze wander. "Do you think there's any sort of system to this?"
"Not really. Closest thing to a system is those two up there having been placed in the middle," Stella noted. She squinted. "Wait. Is that...? Oh gosh." She suddenly stopped, causing the group to halt.

"What is it?" Aisha asked.
"Ehm... Well," the blonde struggled. "Oh Solaris, there really isn't any gentle way to put this." She took a deep breath. "Those two up there. That's the king and queen of Domino. That is your parents, Bloom."

The redhead turned around and stared at the couple. Slowly, she walked closer, as if she feared hurrying would ruin the moment.

One was a middle-aged man with brown hair, clad in armour and a red cape. In his hands he held a sword, which had a golden hilt with a draconic design.

The other was a woman. She wore light but protective clothes in pastel colours, her red hair set up so that it would be hard to grasp.

Both of them had signs of having gone through a significant struggle. Small wounds, bruises and splotches of dirt marred their uniforms. And their faces were frozen in an expression of rage. Somebody had earned the ire of these two.

"Oritel and Miriam Kadmos," Flora stated.

"Yeah. And that sword... It must be the one Hagen made," Bloom continued.

They all stood in silence for a moment.

"Well, we have to move on," Musa finally said. "Not much we can do for them right now."
"No. No you're right," the Dominian princess said, shaking her head. "The others are probably still in trouble."
"Then let us hurry," Musa grumbled. "If that bitch has hurt them, I'm gonna shove one of those bugs straight up her witch cauldron."
"I'd make a joke about how nasty that is. But truth is, I'd probably be giving you a hand," Techna commented, as the group moved on.

Soon after they came to a small vale between three obsidian hills, one of which was carved to resemble a face. It was the shape of an old woman, with a hooked nose, notable wrinkles and a masquerade mask obscuring her eyes.

"So, does anyone know who that is?" Bloom asked.

"The Old Crone. A sort of amalgamate symbol of all three Ancestral Witches," Aisha said. "The mask especially became synonymous with the Coven, much like the butterfly mask of the Roccalucian Order. One reason for the amalgamate symbol is because it was said that the Ancestral Witches were so old and bound to one another that they ceased having individual identities."

"Huh. Well remembered," Musa said approvingly, as they walked down into the vale.

"Many thAIIIGHH!" Aisha screamed, as she jumped back, almost knocking over Stella and Musa. A withered and mummified corpse lay in the shade, hidden from view until that moment.

"Wow. Wonder who this poor bastard was," Techna said sympathetically.

"Dunno. But he wasn't the only one," Musa said as she looked around. "There are dozens of corpses here."
"Goddess, everything around here is totally creepy," Stella said, her face growing a shade paler.

"I thought you were okay with mummies," Bloom noted.

"I'm okay with the respectfully interred and embalmed dead," the Solarian princess corrected. "But this. This is just horrible. How did they die?"
"They died because we drained them of their vital essence," a voice echoed. Three people stepped forth on the massive head-shaped hill. "So, little princess, you've finally found us."
"I guess you're speaking to me," Bloom noted. "Who are you?"
"Haven't you guessed?" asked the elven woman. "We are the Ancestral Witches, rulers of the Coven."

"Really? You don't look like them," Musa noted. "Sure you aren't just a trio of pretenders?"

One of the witches snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, an obsidian spike jutted out from the ground with fierce force and incredible speed.

Musa stood there for a second, her brain stunned by the sight of the dark volcanic glass that now went straight through her right arm. A few seconds later, the pain hit. Her knees shook as she grabbed the spike for support, choking back a hoarse scream of agony as tears began streaming from her eyes.

"Musa. Deep breaths. Deep breaths," Flora strictly advised, as she began lifting the musician's arm off the spike. "Focus on my voice, Musa. Deep breaths."
"Does that seem like the power of a pretender, girl?" one of the Ancestral Witches asked. "Or do you wish for another demonstration. We can surely do something much more impressive next time."

"YOU...!" Bloom began, already charging her flame, when Flora interrupted with a: "Bloom, no. Keep them talking while I get Musa patched up. We can ill afford to do battle when she is still stuck and if I rip her off too fast, I might just make the wound worse."
"I... Fucking... Doubt... That." the musician gurgled, as she still fought the urge to scream.

The redhead bit her tongue, as she forced herself to calm down. "What do you want?!" she yelled.

"Right now? You," said the teenage boy. "You are the key to our return."

"And what does that mean?"
"Unlike many realms, we never limited our study of magic," the human woman said. "We studied the forbidden sciences and magics of the soul and spirit. And we found that contrary to common wisdom, ghosts can in fact perpetuate their existence indefinitely."

"What... How?" Behind the redhead, Flora and Techna were intently doing what they could to staunch the flow of blood and close Musa's wound.
"By fusing with a living person," the teenage boy said. "And using their body to replace the magic that ghosts are composed off. But most bodies... Well, they cannot handle the strain. A ghost's body requires more magic than most normally take in. In the end, the constant influx and drain of magic... Well." He extended his arm towards a pile of withered corpses. "In the end, it ruins them. And so we need to find new hosts before we run out of magic. But you, Bloom..."
"You have the dragonflame within your body," continued the withered elf. "You're built to handle the large influx and outpouring of magic. Through you, we'd gain true eternal life."

"In theory, of course," the human woman admitted. "We intended to test and study you after Valtor brought you under our protection, to see if you'd truly be able to handle it. But now, even if you can't, the power that we could drain from you could keep us running for years."

"Well, if you think I'm going to let you..." Bloom started, but was cut off by the Ancestral Witches simultaneously informing her that: "Your cooperation was never a requirement, little princess."

Spikes, like the one that had hurt Musa, sprung from the ground and would have impaled all of the redhead's limbs if she had still been there. Fortunately for her, she wasn't, as Flora pulled her to safety at the last moment with a massive vine.

Seeing that the attack had failed to impale the princess, the teenage boy sneered and focused, conjuring a massive wave of flames.

Aisha concentrated her magic, pulling water from both the air and the bottles she had brought, forming a liquid wall that kept the fire at bay.

"I think it's time we make ourselves scarce," Techna suggested, pulling several grenades from her pockets. She hurled them to the ground where they exploded in a series of bright flashes and clouds of smoke.

The withered elf waved her hand and a powerful breeze removed the obstructing cloud, but by then the girls were gone.

The three possessed bodies exchanged glances, before spreading out and searching the area.

Nearby, the girls were hunkering down behind a couple of obsidian boulders.

"Alright. They're pretty dangerous," Stella noted. "Musa. How's your arm?"
"You mean besides the bleeding hole that feels like liquid agony?" Musa asked through clenched teeth. "Just fine. Thanks for asking."
"Well, ask a stupid question..." the blonde muttered, peering over the rock.

"What we need is a plan," Flora stated. "Just charging straight at all three of them will only put us at risk."
"So, what, we attack them individually?" Aisha inquired.

"If possible, yes. We must also keep in mind that they have certain weaknesses. For one thing, while they are very old and experienced, their very existence drains them of magic, even more so when they cast spells. No doubt they hoped to end the conflict with a decisive strike." Flora began pacing. "They might not be able to last long in a battle of attrition."
"Even more so if we can destroy their current bodies," Musa noted. "Then they will be forced to go back to being ghosts, which will make it impossible for them to replace spent energy."
"But... What about the people they are possessing?" Bloom asked.

"As brutal as this may sound, it is probably in everyone's best interest that we presume that they are damaged beyond salvation at this point," Flora said, though she did not sound happy about it. "Musa is right. Depriving them of a source of magic is the best we can do. Besides, the damage the bodies had already sustained lends credence to the fact that they are being burnt out. Death might be a kindness."

"But we don't actually know that," Techna noted sombrely. "I mean, I agree, it's our best shot, but man does that fucking suck."

"One of them is coming this way," Stella noted, as she peered over the edge again.

"They are probably in permanent contact with each other," Flora noted. "The moment one of them sees us, the others will be on us before long."

"So we'll have to be quick about it, eh? Then I have an idea," Musa said. "Bloom, get ready."
The withered elf walked across the obsidian flats, her dark eyes scanning the wasteland for any sign of the faeries. Suddenly, she heard something. A whispering. She focused on a nearby hill. It was definitely the sound of the faeries.

With a swift surge of magic, the witch destroyed the hill, burying everything behind it under jagged black boulders.

The Coven leader quickly realised, however, that the everything that had been buried consisted of equal amount of nothing and obsidian. A projection of sound.

Immediately, Bloom jumped out from the girls' actual hiding spot, channelling her flame into a massive ray of fire.

The Ancestral Witch had prepared for this and raised a powerful magical shield, blocking the assault.

What she had not prepared for was Stella jumping out from a second spot, her staff charged.

The witch tried to react to her attack, but even she could not match the speed of light. A searing lance of pure solar power pierced her side, incinerating her torso and causing her to crumple. Her focus on the shield faded and what was left of her was burnt to ash by Bloom's attack.

"Well... That was... Brutal," Aisha noted, as she poked out.

"Yeah... Brutal..." Stella said a bit exhausted. "Just don't..." Her request was interrupted by an obsidian pillar suddenly jutting out from the ground and pounding into her face. The blonde stumbled back, her head ringing and her eyebrow bleeding, as she felt a couple of her teeth loosen from her gums.

Bloom blinked and noticed the dark shape hovering where the elf had been, before a similar pillar sprung from the ground by her, smashing into her stomach and sending her flying a meter back, earning her numerous scrapes and tears as she rolled across the hard surface. She tried to get up, her stomach threatening to evacuate all of its content.

"Don't think I need to a body to destroy you," hissed the ancient shade, as it closed in on the other girls.

Aisha tried to hit the advancing spectre with a blast of water, but it passed through its incorporeal body. "Oh no," she muttered.

Then there was a bright flash as lightning suddenly struck right beside her, causing the obsidian glass to shatter and sent the princess of Tides flying through the air.

"Spirits!" Musa cursed and jumped to the fallen girl's aid, while Techna and Flora turned towards the source of the attack.

The two other ancestors had arrived.

...

With a mighty heave of his maul, Hagen crushed the head of the great beetle, killing the creature. His opponent dead, he allowed himself a moment to breathe and survey the situation. It was not going well for them. Many of the mutated bugs had fallen, but in the process they had all been injured and exhausted. Hagen himself was bleeding from a massive gash in his arm that went all the way to the bone, preventing him for using his maul efficiently.

The possessed Riven had engaged Sky in battle. The prince was at a great disadvantage, as he was desperately trying not to harm his friend, a courtesy the magenta-haired soldier was incapable of returning.

Mandragora herself had engaged Brandon. He might have stood a chance one on one, but with the witch constantly bringing in her minions to harry him on the sides, he was forced to fight defensively. It was a losing battle. A combination of fatigue and blood loss was robbing him of strength.

Timmy, much like Hagen, had been busy keeping the various insects at bay, blasting them with his rifle. However, one of the centipedes had managed to rip the rifle from his grasp. Now he was being forced into a corner, trying to keep the monsters at bay with his pistol.

The pixies had tried to help out in the start, but after Piff almost got herself impaled on the stinger of one of the wasp-like beasts, Brandon had ordered them to take the unconscious Glim and hide.

The artificer wished he could come to their aid. But the relentless insectile monsters had cut them off and surrounded them. Hagen knew they were losing. But even so, he lifted his weapon as more monsters closed in. He would not give the Coven the satisfaction of taking him without a fight. With a roar, he charged forward, swinging his massive hammer with his remaining good arm.

One, two, three, four. Every swing crushed another monster, even as his arm began to feel like liquid fire was rushing through his veins. It wasn't meant to be used with one hand, putting an immense strain on his limb. He swung again, crushing the hide of a spider-esque monster, and tried to lift it again to fend off one of the centipede monstrosities. However, his tired arm could no longer lift his weapon quickly and the monster used his moment of helplessness to surge forward. Its mandibles pierced the skin of his stomach and he was nailed to the ground, his skull crashing against the rocky surface. As he tried to remain conscious, he let his gaze wander again.

Timmy was trying to reload, but without backup, he was swarmed by a wave of insects.

Brandon's strength finally failed him and Mandragora knocked his sword away with a decisive swipe.

Sky's reluctance to use too much force caused him to hesitate. Riven had none, his blade slicing through the prince's arm, cutting off his hand. Another cut left a nasty gash through his side and Riven danced around him to deliver a final slash across his back. And then he kicked him to the ground.

Hagen breathed out and allowed the darkness to swallow him.

He was violently ejected from unconsciousness by a slap across the face.

"Wake up. You're not allowed to die yet," Mandragora sneered. "The Ancestral Witches have requested that I preserve you all in case their plan for Bloom fails."
"Huh... Wha?" Hagen drowsily asked and looked around. He was currently wrapped up by one of the centipede beasts. He forced himself to look to the side. The other boys, except Riven, were in a similar situation. He then slowly refocused his gaze on the zealous witch, glaring angrily at her.

"And now we wait," she said, as she turned her eyes to the portal. "Before long, my glorious mistresses will rob your precious princess of her body and with it start a new grand age of witchcraft."
"Dear Dragon. I just realised," Sky hoarsely commented. "You really do believe all the horseshit you're spewing." This comment earned him a vicious backhand from the Coven devotee.

Not far from this, Riven stood in the rain, gazing at the spectacle with empty eyes. Suddenly, a well-manicured hand wrapped around his mouth, as a finger was jabbed into the swollen insect bite. The magenta-haired soldier tried to struggle, but stopped as magic seeped into him, burning away the mind-controlling growth. His eyes cleared as he slowly regained control of himself.

Caramel hair came into view as Valtor leaned in over his shoulder. "Alright, listen," he whispered. "We're all in a bit of a pickle here, but I have an idea for how we can unpickle your friends."

Back down in the valley, Mandragora was still focused on the unopened portal, staring at it with rapturous glee. She heard footsteps and glanced out of the corner of her eye at Riven, who stared ahead with an empty gaze.

"You? Go back into your corner. I don't have..." Mandragora tried to order, but she was cut off by her own scream as the soldier suddenly lashed out with his sable, cutting a deep rift in her side. As she stumbled back, Valtor jumped out from behind a rock, still clad in his white Lightrock robes, and held up Glim in his hands. The pixie focused and blasted the insect army with a great flash of light, overloading their compound eyes.

As the stunned bugs tried to regain the composure, the other three pixies flew over the horde, dropping grenades gathered from the Red Fountain ship. They detonated amid the teeming mass, sending shrapnel in all directions. The four centipedes dropped their prisoners in the confusion and writhed around, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Woohoo! Point goes to the pixies!" Piff yelled excitedly.

Mandragora tried to regain control of her troops, but was prevented from doing so by a rather angry Riven hurling himself at her, attacking her with several fluid swings that constantly kept her dodging.

As this was going on, Valtor rushed over to the fallen Brandon and began closing his wound with his magic. While he was technically not allowed to do so, this was mostly enforced by dampening devices installed in Lightrock, so his departure from the place had allowed him to regain some of his magical energy. Nothing close to what he had with an active dragonflame, but enough to heal a couple of people.

"Ok, you're mostly fine. Go squish bugs while they're still confused," Valtor ordered, handing the squire his sword before rushing over to Sky.

Mandragora dodged out of Riven's assault by transforming into a swarm and flying to a nearby cliff. Her army was disintegrating. She had already lost many of her creatures wearing down the soldiers, but now this ambush there was actually a risk she might actually lose. She focused, magically contacting her mistresses, giving them a quick overview of the situation.

Their response was quick.

Mandragora nodded and re-transformed into a swarm, manifesting by the portal, which she opened with a mental command.

"SHE'S ESCAPING!" Timmy yelled.

"FINISH OFF THE BUGS FIRST!" Brandon ordered. "THEN PURSUE!"

The Coven devotee assumed her swarm form again and flew into the Obsidian Prison, even as the remaining bugs were slaughtered.

"So, weren't you supposed to be sequestered at Red Fountain?" Brandon asked of Valtor, as the group pursued Mandragora into the other world.

"Yes. But I decided my skills might come in handy," the dandy magi replied.

"How did you escape?"
"Turned the TV on to a game of Bombozzle Ball, waited for the squad to be engrossed, then escaped out the bathroom window. Then it was just a question of sneaking into the garage and borrow one of your ships."
"How did you borrow one of our ships?" Timmy asked. "You have to ask the control room before lift-off."
"Well, I just mimicked the voice of one of the pilots that had been ordered to guard me and said I was late for a meeting with some of my friends." The Dominian prince shrugged. "Technically true."

"Boy. Can't wait for Saladin to hear how you pulled that off," Riven commented. He looked around. "So, is it just me or are there a lot of people here?"
"Yes. The lost people of Domino," Hagen mentioned.

The echoing sound of an explosion reached them.

"Bad noise," Glim noted ominously.

"We need to hurry." Brandon stated. "Pixies, wait by the portal. Rest of your, follow me."
"Right. Hey, wait..." Valtor stopped, as he suddenly noticed his frozen parents. "You guys run ahead. I'll need a little extra if I'm to help without my flame."
"Huh? Ah, I see," Hagen commented. "It might not be necessary, but even so... Get it. We'll go ahead."
As the group ran off, the dandy magi walked over to the frozen royal couple. "I really screwed up, didn't I?" he commented, then eyed his father. "Runs in the family I suppose. Do you mind if I borrow this for a bit?" He grabbed his father's blade and began wrenching it free from his paralysed hand. "I'll take your silence as permission," the crown prince grunted, as he used his magic to force the king to let go.

...

Flora took a moment to appreciate how weird the world looked when it was upside down. Then her majestic flight through the air ended and she crashed to the ground, bouncing roughly a couple of times. She forced herself up, doing a quick mental check-list of her damages. It felt like at least three of her ribs had come loose, making them a severe danger to her internal organs. Her wrist and three fingers on her left arm were clearly broken. And while she couldn't feel anything definitive, being bounced around like that could have caused other internal damage, up to and including concussion and whiplash.

She pushed herself up from the ground. It wasn't anything she couldn't live with for a little while longer.

The situation had quickly devolved when all three of the Ancestral Witches had attacked. The one who had had her body destroyed fought just as viciously, much more willing to risk her ghostly existence than anticipated. The only thing really holding the three back was their unwillingness to fatally harm Bloom.

So far, the faeries had managed to keep the three at bay, but not truly counter their attacks or do any real damage. On the other hand, the constant barrage of attacks had left the them weakened and wounded, the latest being the powerful explosion that had sent Flora flying.

She gritted her teeth, adrenaline flooding her body as she tried to make sense of things.

Bloom and Aisha were currently split up from the others, harried by the spectral witch.

The two other Coven leaders had focused their attack on the rest of the faeries. One precision strike with an obsidian boulder had shattered Musa's leg and she was now unable to move on her own. This severely hampered Stella who assisted her with walking. Already the Solarian princess had received a number of ugly wounds, from acid burns on her shoulder to a vicious path of scorched skin on her leg. Now they were both pinned down by the teenage boy, who was currently directing waves of pure frost at them.

Flora and Techna had been ducking behind another obsidian rock, but the Ancestral possessing the human woman had quite literally blown their cover, which was what had sent the brunette flying. Now, she was scouting around, trying to find out what had happened to Techna. She immediately spotted the notable colour of her friend's hairdo against the bleak backdrop. The scarred girl was lying still among the rocks, hopefully just unconscious.

However, the Coven leader that had just attacked them had also seen her and was now advancing, small flecks of obsidian breaking off around her as she prepared to finish the magenta-haired girl off.

Flora scowled and set off into a sprint. Each step sent jolts of pain through her body and probably worsened her injuries by several magnitudes, but she was out of options. As the possessed woman prepared to fire her spell, Flora reached into her seed pouch and flung some of its content, which detonated into massive clouds of petals and pollen, temporarily obscuring everything. Then she picked another, larger seed, this one growing into a thorny vine in her hand, which fired several spikes through the sweet smelling cloud at where the Ancestor had last been.

A powerful shockwave of wind exploded from the depths of the cloud, flinging back thorns and pollen. Flora had to raise her hand and protect her eyes to prevent herself from being blinded by the sudden onslaught of pollen.

When it passed, the possessed woman had turned towards Flora and fired a series of obsidian flechettes at her. The Limphean noble leapt to the side, but couldn't completely dodge. Several of the projectiles lodged themselves in her and tore open her side. Several more went straight through her legs, slicing through tendons and muscle. Flora found that her legs suddenly became unable to support her and she crashed to the ground.

She bit her tongue as her body began reporting the damage and she stared angrily as the Ancestral Witch raised her hands to finish her opponent off.

There was a strange meaty pop and the Ancestor stumbled forward with a confused expression as something hit her back. Then her torso detonated violently.

Flora blinked in surprise.

Some distance away, Timmy loaded another explosive round into his rifle.

Over by Stella and Musa, the teenage boy advanced, a sadistic smirk on his face as he pelted them with spells. The two faeries tried to counter him by using general spells to raise shields and barriers, but a powerful flash of lightning broke through, hurling them to the ground.

"And so it ends," the Ancestor concluded, raising a hand. He suddenly registered movement to the side, turning in time to block Brandon and Riven's assault.

"YOU LAY ONE MORE FINGER ON HER AND I SWEAR TO THE DRAGON...!" Riven yelled as he continued his attack, only for him and the squire to be flung back with a shockwave.

"You'll what?" the possessed teen taunted them as he approached. "Bleed on me?"

From the cover nearby, the princess and musician took the moment to catch their breath.

"Stella, my arm's useless. Grab my flute," Musa ordered.

The blonde didn't waste any time arguing, immediately diving into the musician's backpack. The black-haired fairy winced as the strap tugged on her sore arm. Finally, Stella retrieved the bone flute and handed it over.

Riven grimaced as he tried to focus, his back sore from being propelled into the rocks. A shadow fell over him and he looked up to see the teenage boy magically holding a block of obsidian.

"I guess this is goodbye then," the teen mockingly said.

Suddenly, a loud, piercing tone could be heard. The boy's eyes widened as his eardrums ruptured and several of his bones cracked. He screamed as he tried to focus through the pain. The magenta-haired soldier leapt up and swung his blade, cutting through the possessed boy's arms.

With a sickening crunch, the obsidian rock fell down on top of him, crushing him to paste.

"And goodbye to you too," Riven mumbled sarcastically, before turning to the others. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Do we fucking look okay?" Musa asked, as Stella helped her closer.
"Well, you're alive. So that's something," Riven suggested.

"How uncharacteristically positive of you," Brandon commented.

In another part of the obsidian plains, Bloom and Aisha was being backed into a corner by the spectral Ancestor.

"Don't... Don't float any closer," Bloom tried to threaten.

"Or what? You'll burn me?" the spectre hissed, as she floated closer.

"Halt. Or we shall smite you!" someone triumphantly declared.

The ghost turned and stared at her challengers.

Sky, who no longer could use his shield due to a lack of hand, and Hagen stood in a dramatic pose on a nearby cliff, glowering at the shade.

The Ancestral Witch flew up into the air, as if to attack, before suddenly stopping. It tilted its shadowy head, as if straining to hear a distant sound, then flittered off.

"Wow. That actually worked," Sky said surprised. "I was just hoping we could distract it."

"Sky!" Bloom said relieved, as she and Aisha ran over to them. "I am soh my God! What happened to your arm?!"
"Oh. This?" Sky said, looking at where his limb had been an hour ago. "I lost it."

"You lost most of your arm?" the redhead repeated in disbelief.

"Well, technically Riven cut it off and I never bothered to look for it. But he was possessed at the time, so that's okay," Sky explained. "Well, not okay, but what I mean is that I don't blame him."

"Is he better now?" Aisha asked.

"Yeah. Turns out that Valtor fella decided to come lend us a hand," Hagen said. "Managed to free Riven from the mind control."
"Valtor's here?" the redhead asked in a mixture of eagerness and surprise. "Where?"
"Back there somewhere. He saw his parents and said he'd meet up with us later."

Suddenly a hoarse shriek rang out. Everyone turned to see Mandragora standing on a cliff with a look of near insane fury. "YOU... YOU...!" she began, as she beheld the carnage. "YOU DARE... YOU... ARGHHHH!" She raised her hands to the sky. "MISTRESSES! I FAILED YOU! I COULDN'T STOP THEM FROM INTERFERING! TAKE MY BODY! I LAY DOWN MY LIFE AND FREE WILL, SO THAT YOU MAY SUCCEED!"

"That woman sounds like a bad porno," Techna groaned, as Timmy and Flora helped her up.

From out of the broken bodies seeped the two other shades, as the third ghost joined them in circling around Mandragora. "Your sacrifice is accepted," they spoke as one, before diving into the devotee. She gasped in pain as the three souls fused into her, overriding her will and stilling her soul. The newly created horror looked up with eyes as black as oblivion. "Now then," it spoke in the voice of not only Mandragora, but all three of the Ancestral Witches. "We shall rend you all asunder." It lifted its hands and great balls of fire started raining from the sky. The people below quickly scattered as the projectiles hit, exploding with the force of ballistic missiles.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Bloom yelled to be heard over the explosions.

"I DON'T KNOW! BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THAT NOW THEY'RE IN ONE BODY, THEY CAN CONSTANTLY CAST FUSION SPELLS!" Aisha yelled back.

The Ancestral amalgamate switched from fire to flushing the area with ice. Musa, Riven and Brandon were only barely saved by Stella raising a shield of solar heat.

Then thousands of spikes shot out from the ground. Then hundreds of lightning strikes. Combined, the witches were releasing enough power to create a localized apocalypse.

A blast of raw energy almost incinerated Aisha and Hagen, only stopped by the latter having a magical shielding armlet that took the brunt of the force.

Bloom saw this and gritted her teeth. They were all too busy evading and just trying to stay alive to fight back. And even if they destroyed the possessed Mandragora, the ghosts would still fight on. Deprived of options, the Dominian princess took a desperate decision.

She charged.

Obsidian exploded, burned, melted, transformed and froze around her, as she charged up the black hill the fused Ancestors was standing on. "STOP HURTING MY FRIENDS!" she yelled, as she got close. "IT'S ME YOU WANT!"

The Ancestral amalgamate stopped its assault and turned. "Do you give yourself up then, little princess? To become our new host?" Already, Mandragora's body was withering under the strain, looking more and more corpse-like with each passing second.

"Yes," Bloom replied. "Just don't hurt them."
"How noble," they intoned and concentrated. A hand of obsidian shot up around Bloom and grabbed her, before pulling her closer. "Do not squirm," they cooed, as Mandragora's corpse reached out towards her. "It will be over in a second."

"Excuse me, can you hold this for a second?" Valtor asked, before jamming the enchanted blade into the amalgamate's back.

A terrifying scream exploded from Mandragora's mouth, as the three witches for the first time in over a decade experienced pain. The magical sword sliced through their ethereal form, burning it away with its touch.

Valtor used the distraction to turn the possessed body around, then kicked the hilt of the blade, not only driving it deeper in, but also sending them tumbling down the hillside with a series of sickening crunches, as Mandragora's body shattered upon the black rocks.

The obsidian hand fell apart and Bloom stepped over to the edge, the dragonflame already burning in her eyes. She looked down upon the broken creature below, which was desperately clawing at the sword, trying to dislodge it. Bloom focused, drawing upon all the lessons she had learnt from both Maia and painful experience.

And then she let loose.

An overwhelming beam of the purest flame washed down the hill and collided with the Coven horror. There was no final scream of pain or rage, just the rushing of flame as the body was annihilated, reduced to fine ash on the spot. When Bloom finally ceased firing, there was nothing but a molten pool of melted obsidian, in the middle of which glowed her father's sword. The Dominian princess' hands where red and raw, the fingertips burnt black, and parts of her hair and clothes had been burnt to ash by proximity. She felt weak and almost stumbled, but Valtor caught her with a: "Wow, there, Sister. I don't think you should celebrate with a swan dive into a pool of molten glass."

"Sounds sensible," she muttered, as everyone rushed up to them.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Techna yelled excitedly. "THEY DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE!"

"Well, once Valtor had jabbed them with the sword at least," Musa commented. "Wish we had thought of bringing it along."
"Speaking of bringing it along, can anyone fish it up from that pool?" Valtor asked. "I kinda burned up my reserves of energy fixing up the Red Fountain guys and I think it'll be hard to find again if it cools down, given that everything around here looks the same."
"I think I have an idea," Timmy muttered. "Aisha, I'll need your help."
"What do we, like, do now then?" Stella asked as the princess of Tides and the bespectacled sniper went off.

"Take a break," Valtor said. "Because once you're all ready, I'm going to need your help undoing the curse."

"In that case, I probably better go get the pixies in here," Brandon noted.

...

"And you are absolutely sure this will work?" Brandon asked for the hundredth time. "No incidents with people reappearing in the middle of a glacier or something like that, right?"

"I have made my calculations," Valtor replied. "All the people will, instead of being sent back to where they were taken from as was the original plan, be sent to the Pearl Fields, not far outside the capital. Combined with an instant improvement of the weather and Stella's cooperation, everyone should be safe and comfortable until reinforcements from Eraklyon can arrive."
"If Sky can get his father to stop yelling for five minutes," the squire noted.

"What's the matter?"
"Well, Sky said he was going to Red Fountain, not on a dangerous mission that would lead him into a confrontation with the Ancestral Witches." The brunette smirked. "The King threatened to basically ground him by not allowing his arm to be regrown for the next couple of months. Empty threats and Sky knows that, but still."

"Alright, so Father has everyone ready," Sky sighed as he walked over to them. "Soldiers and medics will be pouring in the moment the curse is lifted." He paused. "You two sure that your nobles will be okay with this? It is a rather large military group being sent in after all."
"Do I look like somebody who cares about their opinions right now?" Bloom asked, eyebrow raised.

"Quite frankly? No. Not at all." The blond shifted his attention to the Dominian prince. "And you?"

"I buried their property under a blanket of endless harsh winter. To say that I've long ceased caring for what they think would be an understatement," Valtor informed him. "That being said, I do realise that wasn't the nicest thing to do. Undoing the curse is but a small part of my attempts at making restitutions. On that note, can I have your attention for a moment, Hagen?"

"Yeah. What is it?" the artificer inquired.

"You're the only one here who's really interacted with my parents on a regular basis who isn't me," Valtor explained. "You'll have to serve as a, for a lack of better word, diplomatic envoy. Help them up to speed and such."
"Ai. I'll do it."
"Then we are ready." Valtor clapped his hands, getting people's attention. "Alright, everyone who wishes to donate some magic, form a circle around me. Everyone else can go sit among the other people. Will make it easier to pick you all up when we leave."

Most of the men went away, but Riven joined the circle of girls. He noticed a look of surprise on Musa's face, before informing her: "Look, I haven't got much, but a little extra can always help."

"Hey, I'm just glad you've decided to join some more group activities," she responded.

"Alright everyone, focus on me," Valtor started. "This is a complicated one, so try to empty your minds of all thoughts but our task. I'll direct it all, so focus on the way I shape the magic. If any of you feel anything going wrong, say so. Otherwise... Well, results could be less than survivable. But don't focus on that. Focus on undoing the curse."
"Like, I should probably have written a last will or something first," Stella muttered, as Valtor began mixing his magic with the surrounding magi.

Very quickly, the air became thick with energy, as the collective power of the magi began mixing. There was a thickness and heat to it that made it hard to breathe. Small electrical sparks went off in the air, as the energy flowed out, merging with the ancient bindings of the curse.

Some distance away, the others observed it.

"Can you feel that?" Timmy asked.

"Pretty sure if I tried, I could taste it," Brandon remarked. "That's some powerful magic we got there."

"Should I go cheer on them?" Piff asked.

"No. I don't think distractions are going to be beneficial right now," Tune stated.

Slowly, the decades old weave of the curse began unravelling. And then the spell went off in a bright flash. When the light faded, all living things had been removed from the Obsidian Prison.

Silence fell over the dead world.

And then the portal out shimmered into reality. A faint, almost imperceptible shade seeped through it, before it closed again.

...

The changes, while not instantaneous, were certainly quite noticeable. The heavy cover of clouds that had hung over the kingdom of Domino for years began dissipating, the first sign of the eternal winter being banished.

Next, on one of the great plains, there was a great burst of sunlight, melting and evaporating the thick layer of snow.

This was followed by a great white flash that filled the area, as suddenly thousands of people popped into existence. A sort of stunned silence fell over the plains. As far as many people had experienced, one second they were in the middle of their homes, the next they were suddenly outside, surrounded by strangers. This utter confusion brought about a sort of paralysation, as everyone looked to everyone else for answers. Slowly, some started to look around, trying to find friends and loved ones.

In the middle of it all, the enactors of the ritual allowed themselves a moment to collapse on the hard ground.

"Alright... I'll... I'll just be... Fainting over here for a little... Little bit," Techna gasped.

"My head's spinning," Aisha groaned.

"I can't feel my toes," Stella complained.

"That was... Was probably... The largest expenditure... Of magic... I have... Have ever... Participated... In," Flora stated, trying her best to control her breathing.

"Feels kinda... Familiar to me," Bloom mumbled. "At least I didn't set myself more on fire."
"Hey, are you all okay?" Hagen asked, as he, Brandon, Sky and Timmy approached them. "That was quite the trick."
"What's up, Riven? You look a bit winded," Sky noted.

The magenta-haired soldier strained to move his lips, producing at strange mumble-gumble sound.

"Well, you're as eloquent as usual, so I think you'll be fine," the prince noted jovially.

Bereft of energy, Riven could do nothing but glare at him.

"With that being said, could you go look for the royal couple?" Valtor asked, looking at Hagen. "The sooner we get all of these people organized, the sooner we can avoid a sudden panic. They're still in shock, after all."
"Will do. You all just stay put. You've done more than enough," the big man said, before walking off.

"Bloom... I'm not going to dictate anything, but I'd advise you wait a bit before introducing yourself to your parents," the dandy magi noted.

"Oh. Why?"

"Because they'll need time to adjust to the fact that they've missed out on circa fifteen years, which included your entire childhood, and the fact that..." Valtor sighed. "The fact that Daphne became a ghost who's now thoroughly dead."
"Oh. Yeah, that," Bloom said sadly, as she sat up. She paused. "Thanks for coming to help us, by the way. You didn't have to do that."
"Quite the contrary, Bloom, I did," Valtor stated, as he pulled Daphne's mask from inside his robes. "Not only because it was the right thing to do, but also... I guess I needed to prove to myself that I could still do the right thing." He scrutinized the mask. "What was it she said. That if I doubted myself I should just look at this mask, right? Well, that's what I did. After you left, I had this niggling feeling that I could actually have done more to help. But to be honest, I doubted I could. I've made so many bad decisions lately."
"What are you talking about? It took you over a decade to make your next big screw-up," Techna joked.

"Well, true. But I spent most of the interim time in a freezer, so that doesn't count." Valtor returned his gaze to the mask. "But yes, I think I needed this. Now... I think I'm ready... To truly say goodbye." He took a deep breath and held up the mask. A charge of magic went through his hands and the butterfly mask turned to dust, which was quickly carried off by the wind. "Goodbye, Daphne. Thanks for the help."

They all sat in silence for a while.

"Hey. I think those are the ships from Eraklyon," Musa noted and pointed towards the horizon.

"Excellent. Then I can duck and cover for a while before somebody figures out what I've been responsible for," Valtor noted.

...

The weeks following the undoing of the curse of Domino was a hectic mess for everybody involved to say the least. Not only did the almost complete restoration of Domino as a country shake up politics at every level of the multiverse, it also tremendously boosted the media attention for everybody involved.

Motions for assisting Domino in its rebuilding were soon brought up in all the known realms and many of said realms did indeed contribute everything from manpower to money in an effort to rebuild Domino. Temporary lodging for most of the citizens had to be provided, as the years of constant winter had severely damaged Dominian infrastructure.

One of the first buildings to be restored was the castle, as ensuring the full resurrection of the Dominian government was seen as paramount to the restoration of the realm as a country. And once the castle was inhabitable again, the royal couple decided to host a grand event to celebrate the restoration of their country, even if from their perspective it had never really gone away.

And of course, everyone involved had been invited. Even Valtor, who had been instrumental in creating the whole mess to begin with.

It was therefore with a mixture of concern and excitement that Bloom went to the party, accompanied by her friends and Faragonda. On one hand, she looked forward to actually meeting her parents. On the other, well, the breaking of the curse had pretty much changed everything.

"So how does it feel knowing that you won't have to rule the country for a couple more decades?" Musa asked, as they walked up the stairs to the front doors of the ballroom.

"It's actually quite the relief," Bloom commented. "Maybe now the nobles will get off my back about me getting married and such." She glanced at Faragonda, trying to judge the headmistress' expression. "They won't, huh?"
"Well, I cannot speak for everyone of course," the elder fairy began. "But some might still believe that it is for the best that the kingdom has as stable a line of succession as possible."
"I might soon just start following your example and drink tea by the gallons."

They opened the doors. The ballroom was large, filled with gentle soothing music and lit up by giant chandeliers.

Techna whistled. "Fancy place. Kinda slow music, but whatever."
"Are you still sure you're appropriately dressed?" Aisha questioned the scarred girl.

"What? All of these clothes are in excellent condition, thanks to Stella helping me buy some new threads," Techna insisted, correcting her sombrero.

"She basically went from store to store, buying one piece she really liked from each," the Solarian princess informed Musa, causing the musician to giggle.

"Well, no accounting for taste I suppose," Aisha sighed. "Let us find the boys. Nabu promised he'd be here."

"Sky said he'd show up too. But I guess I better say hi to my parents first," Bloom noted. "You girls go have fun. I'll start mingling later."

"Very well then. Do give our regards," Flora said, as the other girls wandered off into the partying crowd.

Bloom took a deep breath.

"Need a moment?" Faragonda asked.

"No. No it's okay. Let's get it over with."

The two of them crossed through the room to where the royal couple were currently greeting some nobles from another realm.

They were both now dressed in much more formal clothes. King Oritel was dressed in a crimson coat with white fur trimming and wearing a strange, oblong combination of helmet, crown and shoulder plates that made Bloom wonder if his neck got sore from it. Queen Miriam wore a very detailed and layered light-green dress with pink highlights, her red hair stylised in a complicated bulb that incorporated both her crown and a string of pearls.

Bloom immediately started hoping that princesses could choose their own dress and hairstyle.

"Oritel. Miriam," Faragonda addressed them after the dignitaries left. "Good to see you both again."
"Likewise, Emanuela. Though it hasn't been that long for us," Oritel responded. Both he and his wife noticed Bloom. "Oh. Hello."
"Ehm... Hi," the redhead princess tried.

Awkwardness settled over the group as parents and child stood there, trying to figure out what to say next.

"It was... Quite a shock when we found out what had happened," Miriam finally said. "We're of course very sad to have missed your childhood, but we hope to make up for the fact." She tilted her head slightly. "I presume that you'd like to keep your name?"
"If... If that's okay." The princess scratched her neck. "I've kinda gathered that I should probably also legally get Kadmos in there somewhere. But if I can keep Peterson too, that would be nice."
"I don't see why not," the queen said.

"Though it would have to become your middle-name of course," Oritel mumbled, as he began speculating. "Kadmos is your official family name after all. There have been cases were some members of the family were married off and took another last name, only to be called in to rule later due to various circumstances. I should probably study the precedents set by..." His mumbling became even more incomprehensible, as he was seemingly lost in thought.

Bloom couldn't help but notice Miriam slightly rolling her eyes. "Deary, we can go over the details another time," she informed him, shaking the king out of his thoughts. "For now, all that matters is that Bloom knows she can keep the names she has grown comfortable with."
"Oh? Oh, but of course." The king cleared his throat. "Anyway, ehm... It was nice to finally meet you, Bloom. We'll need to talk later of course. About living arrangements and such. Different things. But for now, enjoy the party. It's as much for you as for the kingdom. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go greet the representative from Oppositus." Then he sauntered off.

"Living arrangements?" Bloom asked.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about right now," Miriam informed her. "Emanuela has agreed to let you stay for the rest of the vacation. It's just for when you come back here, if nothing else then during the next summer."
"Oh. Right. I live in a castle now." The redhead princess scratched her neck again. "Still getting used to that."
"Indeed. We're all caught up in the great changes at the moment." The queen sighed. "For now, enjoy the party. I must go assist your father." Then she too walked off.

"I didn't realise you needed two people to greet newcomers," Bloom commented.

"It shows they both care," Faragonda said. "But I'd say you should follow their advice and mingle a bit. I see one guy in particular who'd like to talk."
"Huh? Who?" Bloom asked, turning around to see Sky make his way over to her. "Sky. Good to see you with a new arm."
"Yeah, well, Dad wasn't happy. But he had to admit I did good," Sky noted. "Anyway, I'm finally allowed to tell you what all the secrecy was about."
"Oh. Do tell," Bloom said.

"Royals of Eraklyon are crowned thrice," Sky informed her. "Once as a child, which is basically when the king and queen accepts you as one of their kids. Then the second crowning shortly after you become an adult, which means you can now be officially assigned posts in the kingdom. That's what I've just gone through."
"Oh. Why the secrecy?" Bloom asked.

"Security concerns. After the last official event ended with me being brainwashed by Valtor, he kinda wanted to err on the side of caution."
"Well, I suppose I can't fault him for that. Well, what about the third crowning?"
"Oh, that's when I actually become king of the country," Sky said. "Still a long time before that becomes a thing." He paused. "Well, hopefully. So, do you want to dance for a bit?"
"I'd love to," Bloom replied with a grin, her cheeks flushing a bit.

After a couple of rounds on the dance floor, Sky had to go to the bathroom and left Bloom by the snack table. She was in the middle of a drink when Valtor suddenly placed a gloved hand on her shoulder while saying hello, almost causing her to choke.

"Do you... Always sneak up on people?" she asked, as she cleaned herself with a napkin.

"I've been told I have a knack for that, yes," the dandy magi replied, once again dressed in his fabulous gear. "So, how did the reunion with your parents go?"
"It was awkward. Very awkward," Bloom sighed. "But I suppose that is to be expected. Have you greeted them yet?"
"Yeah. Oritel tried to glare a hole through me." The sorcerer smirked. "But it'll take more than that to knock me out."
"I predict family gatherings are also going to be very awkward," the redhead mumbled. "So, how are things going on Lightrock?"
"Well, I've finally be assigned a therapist. His name is Theodore Trent, so I decided to call him Mr. Triple T." Bloom almost choked on her drink for a second time, as Valtor mused: "He didn't find that nearly as funny as you, by the way. But I like him. He allowed me to wear my old style and come to this party. As long as I agreed to wear this magic suppressant collar of course." He pointed to the leather strap around his neck, to which was attached a green gem. "I suspect it was more to calm everyone else down."

"Well, you did curse this realm with eternal winter," Bloom noted.

"It was only supposed to last a day, tops," the Dominian prince insisted.

"Hey, Bloom. Hey, Valtor," Helia said as he walked up to them. "Have you seen Flora and Mirta? I heard they were both invited."

"They were. Flora came with me. Dunno when Mirta arrived, but they should both be here by now," the redhead replied.

"Great. I was hoping to catch up with them a bit. Last year was so busy. I barely had time to meet up with them," the artist noted. "I've tried to improve my poetry since then, though I'll probably save that for another day. Anyway, I better get going if I'm to talk with them tonight. Catch you later, Bloom." Then he eagerly hurried off.

"I think I remember him," Valtor said. "Wasn't he the charming lad I kidnapped?"

"You're way too casual about that," the redhead commented. Her face lit up in a smile, before she called: "Oh. Oh. Eugene. Over here."

"Bloom," the nerdy noble greeted her as he came over. "Boy, am I glad to see you. I got flocked by nobles questioning me on what our family's full restoration of land and title would mean for my sister."
"I don't see why that should be a problem. It's not like she's worse than most of the people here," Valtor cynically remarked. "She's just more honest about it."

"That's one way to look at it I suppose," Eugene remarked a bot uncomfortably. "So anyway. You were off on another dangerous mission to save the realms again. Heard you got to fight the Ancestral Witches. I've only ever done that as bonus bosses in some of my games."
"It was quite something. Jealous?" Bloom teased.

"Heh, no, not at all. I'll stick to simulations. Not nearly as dangerous. Oh, hi Sky. Good to see the arm's better."
"Thanks. And good to see you too," Sky greeted him. "So, can I steal Bloom away for another dance or would I be interrupting?"
"We'll we weren't talking about anything in particular, but..." Eugene slowly said.

"If you're worried the other nobles will descend upon you like the proverbial buzzards that they are the moment my sister leaves your vicinity, do not worry," Valtor said. "They don't want to get anywhere near me."

"Heh, thanks for that," the nerdy noble replied. "So, what are your hobbies?"
"Besides trying to take over the realm? Figure skating and gardening," Valtor remarked, as Sky and Bloom went out on the dance floor.

The dance and the party continued on long into the night.

And that is the end of our rewrite of the movie. Took way longer than it should have due to real life, but oh well, that's how it goes. Hope you have all enjoyed it.

Special thanks goes to Rhanar, Warlord1, Fluttersniper and Moka-girl for beta reading. See you all in season 4.