Flora scrunched her nose up at the foul stench of hot coffee as she poured boiling water into the mug she was making for her friend.

"Drink this. It will help with the hangover." 

She pushed the mug into Stella's hands, who looked down questioningly at the suspicious, dark liquid with such an air of entitlement that Flora couldn't help but smirk at her. 

"You did this to yourself, Stel."

"Ugh. I'm never drinking again." She whined, reluctantly taking a sip, screwing up her face in anticipation. Hm, surprisingly not bad. And she took another shallow sip as if to properly convince herself.

"What even happened to you? We were just about to go look for you when Bloom found you out cold on the sofa."

A few blurry memories swam lazily around Stella's mind. 

The picnic with Brandon. The sunset. A sweet little blackbird. Swinging gaily round the lampposts. 

But not much else came to mind after that point. 

"I think I just got lost trying to get back." She shrugged, despite the nagging feeling that there was more to her story than just that.

"Jeez, Stel. It's a miracle you managed to find your way here at all." Flora shook her head disapprovingly, getting up and heading to the stack of dirty plates tossed carelessly into the sink. 

"I don't want you out late again. And definitely not when you've been drinking." She tutted to herself as she began frenziedly stacking the pile of plates into the dishwasher, mumbling to herself. 

"You could have gotten seriously hurt. What if you had tripped on your shoelaces? Huh? What then?"

"Um... okay mother." Stella scoffed, unable to hold back her laughter as her friend frantically scrubbed every molecule of food off the plates before loading them. 

Flora snapped bolt upright, one eyebrow lifted impossibly high.

"And watch your tone, young lady."

Stella fell silent, her mouth forming a straight line. 

The intensity of Flora's stare didn't diminish even slightly. Silent seconds passed between them, neither backing down. 

Slowly, Flora began to bite down on her lip to supress the smile forming there and seeing it finally cracked Stella's resolve. 

The breath she had been holding in shot out through her pursed lips as she peeled over, accidentally hitting her head on the counter. Flora snorted loudly at the sight, both hands flying to her mouth, her eyes going wide at the sound she'd just made. 

Stella looked up at her dumbfounded expression and blurted out a hysterical cackle, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she rubbed her head. Flora creased, her whole body suddenly shaking with silent laughter at their stupidity as she slid down to the floor.

"Are- are you okay?" Flora barely choked the words out between heaving breaths, tilting her head against the cupboard.

"It's not that funny!" Stella desperately tried to compose herself, drawing a line down in front of her face with her hand. 

She had almost returned her breathing to a normal rhythm when she accidentally looked up and saw Flora, her cheeks inflated with the breath she was holding in as she attempted to restrain another snort, and immediately broke down again.

Tensions had been so high recently; what with Stella's disappearance, Riven and Musa's fight, oh and yeah, the end of the world- it all came crashing down around them as they clutched their aching stomachs, descending into new fits of laughter each time they accidentally made eye contact with each other. 

"Yo can you guys chill I'm tryna sleep." Riven yawned. 

His duvet was wrapped so tightly around him, as he shuffled into the kitchen, that he just looked like an angry burrito. 

Seeing this didn't help the girls calm down in the slightest.

"Ugh, whatever. Gimme that." An arm emerged from somewhere and swiped the mug of coffee from the counter next to Stella. He leant back against it, slurping obnoxiously loudly.

"So was your little temper tantrum worth ruining my date last night?" Stella frowned, the light  mood shattered. "What even happened?"

Riven sighed, putting down the mug of coffee and tossing his duvet onto the sofa in the adjacent room. 

He wore blue, checked pyjamas and a baggy t-shirt that cleverly concealed his muscular frame. All in all, it made him look quite boyish. 

He strolled lazily over to the stool that Stella was perched on and bent over so that his gaze was level with hers. 

"Yes." He said dryly, flicking her forehead with his finger. "It was. Was your drunken disappearance worth ruining my temper tantrum?"

Stella raised an eyebrow disapprovingly.

"Oh yeah, sunshine, I was out half the night looking for you. Not that I wanted to, of course. But Brandon said I wouldn't live to see tomorrow if anything had happened to you because he wasn't there, so..."

"Well thank you for your sacrifice, Riven. If I could remember anything, I would tell you that I had a great time and it was absolutely worth ruining your temper tantrum." 

The two fell silent, their gazes locked intensely, neither one was going to be the first to back down. 

Flora's eyes flicked nervously between them as she observed from her seat on the floor, unsure how to ease the tension.

"Good morning!" Bloom called obliviously, rubbing her arm across Riven's back before sliding over to Stella, squeezing her tightly. 

Neither of them moved. 

"What did you do to your hair, Stel," she looked Stella's rugged appearance up and down, "brush it with an eggbeater?"

Stella finally turned away from Riven to look at her, her brows raised in disbelief.

"Seriously? You're still mad about me saying that?" She laughed incredulously and Bloom smirked, nodding. "It was years ago!"

They both dissolved into laughter at the memory of their years at Alfea before Stella remembered she was supposed to be angry with Riven, and turned back to face him.

"Uh... what's going on?" Bloom finally clocked something was up, moving away to get a good look at the situation.

"Staring contest?" A raspy voice suggested. 

Bloom turned to find Musa leaning against the doorframe, a cool yet quizzical expression on her face. 

At the sound of her voice, Riven spun round, his eyes widening. 

"Oof, shame," she began, making her way over to him, "you lost." 

Her eyes bore in to his as she stared up at him. Riven just stood there dumbfounded, unable to talk or move or look away. 

Musa sighed before continuing past him over to the fridge. "Breakfast anyone?"

The room might as well have been empty with the reply she received. "Okay... just for me then."

"Wait, I'll help." Flora hurriedly got up off the floor, eager to escape the tense atmosphere but suddenly she froze up, gasping aloud.

"Roxy!" Her hand shot to her forehead as she stumbled forward. 

Musa grabbed her arm, keeping her from falling, worry painted across her face.

"What's wrong?" Bloom asked hurriedly.

"I think she's in trouble." 

Flora winced as the point at the centre of her forehead pulsed with heat. "It's hot. It burns." 

She collapsed into Musa's arms as a scorching pain enveloped her, her jaw locked as she sucked in breaths through gritted teeth. 

Musa placed a hand gently on her head before looking up apprehensively at the others. 

"Her temperature's fine. I can't feel anything wrong."

"Roxy's in trouble. We have to go. Now!" Flora urged, pushing herself upright, though her face still bore a twisted, pained expression. 

Bloom's eyes darkened. If Roxy was really in trouble, it could only mean one thing. 

The wizards had found her.

~

The crisp morning air stung Flora's face as she soared above the city, scouring the streets for anything that could help them find Roxy. 

Though she was able to tolerate the burning pressure in her head, the feeling of unease in her stomach grew stronger and stronger. She gulped down the knot of anxiety held in her throat and pushed to fly even faster. 

Images of the wizards flashed through her mind. 

Their ruthless leader, whose icy stare was sharp enough to cut through a person. 

The quiet blond, his every move calculated and precise. 

The raucous shapeshifter, what he lacked in skill and battle IQ he made up for in raw power. 

And then there was... Anagan. 

She bit down on her lip in frustration as she remembered his sly remarks and cocky smirks. 

Then in the distance something out of place caught her eye. A dark plume of smoke billowed into the sky, swirling in the wind. She felt her heart skip a beat- please don't let Roxy be there.

As they got closer, she finally saw a small house, bright orange flames licking up the walls. 

The feeling grew stronger and she felt her stomach drop- please... please! 

They landed outside the front door and Flora blasted it open with a bolt of green magic. As she ran inside, smoke filled her lungs and stung her eyes, causing her to cover her mouth as she coughed dryly.

"Roxy!" Bloom's voice called out. 

The wooden ceiling beams creaked threateningly and the staircase crackled as it was devoured by flames, bits of charred banister falling to the ground.

Stella had just stepped over threshold when the door swung violently shut behind her. As it crashed into the frame, the ceiling plaster cracked and Stella gasped, ducking and shielding her head with her hands as the falling pieces scratched her arms. She felt every muscle in her body tense as an arrogant laugh rang around the scorched room.

"Careful princess," Duman's teasing voice followed, "wouldn't want to ruin your pretty outfit, now would we?" 

Stella's stomach twisted as she readied herself for the fight- only Brandon called her that. 

Suddenly she paused, her defensive stance relaxing slightly as she was overcome with a strong sense of deja vu. But an explanation didn't immediately come to mind so she shook off the feeling, and raised her arms, one hand open in front of her, another balled into a fist held just below her jaw.

"Stop playing games, Duman. Show yourself." She demanded. 

In response, the wizard appeared at the bottom of the crumbling stairs, his arms open and a sly look on his face. 

Stella glared up at him, her body itching to fling a spell at him- even if only to knock his ego down a few pegs. Her eyes flicked to Bloom briefly, waiting for her signal, but her attention was brought back to the staircase as two other wizards appeared next to him. 

Now only Ogron's whereabouts were still a mystery to them.

"Where's Roxy?" Bloom demanded, her voice barely louder than the roaring inferno encasing them. "You better not have hurt her!"

"Or what?" Gantlos called back gruffly, deliberately not making eye contact with Musa. 

Musa's guarded expression cracked somewhat, her eyelids drooping ever so slightly. 

Bloom clenched her fists, incensed by the nonchalance of the three men before her as Roxy's house burnt to ash around them. She gritted her teeth and screwed her eyes tightly shut, the heat pulsing around her body, the flames edging closer and closer, crackling on the wooden floorboards. 

Suddenly her eyes shot open, her arms splaying out to the sides as she drew in the fire around her. It circled her wildly causing Flora to step back from the sheer intensity of the heat, the flames flickering out threateningly. 

Bloom's eyes flickered dangerously with their reflection, her stare intense as she locked eyes with Duman. 

He lifted his brows as if daring her to attack. 

That was all the ammunition Bloom needed. 

She roared, sending the raging stream of fire straight at the wizards, fuelling it further with her dragon flame. Energy surged through her, so powerful that the whole house shook causing ash and plaster to crumble from the ceiling. 

As she stumbled back, Stella nearly missed the almost imperceptible widening of Duman's eyes as he came face to face with Bloom's power, but seeing his façade crack made her lips turn up into the faintest glimpse of a pride-filled smile.

The wizards evaporated into black dust, reappearing at different ends of the room just before the flames reached them. 

Anagan chuckled and shook his head mockingly.

"Too slow." He tutted, his arms folded smugly across his chest. 

His face fell slightly when Flora didn't even bother to look at him, far too occupied by her worry for Roxy's safety. 

There was something different about her this time, something less striking than before. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Split up and find Roxy!" Bloom commanded as she pushed off the floor into the air, flying up the now unobstructed staircase. 

The question hovered in the back of her mind: where was Ogron? 

No doubt finding him would mean finding Roxy- she only hoped it wouldn't be too late.

~

 A swift beam of light hurtled towards Duman, narrowly missing his head as he hastily ducked under it. 

As he turned around, he saw the blackened wall that it had hit, a trail of wispy smoke dispersing into the air, and gulped at the thought of what would've have happened if it hadn't missed. 

Looking back around, he squinted through the fiery haze, searching for the source of the attack. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, the scorching heat pressing closer, as his eyes glanced frantically from left to right. 

Where was she?

"Looking for me beast boy?" A teasing voice spoke from behind him. 

He spun round, black magic already accumulating in his palms as he lifted his hands to attack, a smile appearing on his face. But his expression was quickly replaced with a look of confusion. 

There was no one there. 

He relaxed his hands, the spell vanishing from his fingertips.

"What the-"

He was cut off by an arm wrapping itself around his neck, yanking him backwards as Stella leapt onto his back. Her leg crossed around his waist, binding him to her and she used her free hand to tighten the hold she had around his neck, locking her arm in place. 

Duman stumbled back, spluttering helplessly as he tried to regain the breath knocked out of him by the force of her attack.

Instinctively, he reached out, grabbing at the walls to stabilise himself, but sharply brought his hand back to him, his fingertips burnt from the heat they absorbed. 

He heard Stella chuckle in his ear, her golden hair tickling his face.

"Always seem to get burnt when you're around me, don't ya?" She whispered to him mockingly. 

Duman's stomach twisted at the sound of her voice so close to him, but noticing this, heat flushed over him; not from the fire but from anger at the effect she had on him, fuelling his hatred for the meddling fairy.

Much to Stella's surprise, he found the strength to reach behind him, grab her arms and, in one swift movement, lean forward, flinging her over his shoulders with such force that the plaster of the wall she crashed into crumbled behind her.

A stabbing pain pulsated down her spine as her chest contracted, hopelessly trying to inhale as she lay choking on the ground. Her hands scrambled around her frenziedly, as if trying to grab for something that wasn't there, and her eyes were wide in their sockets, her vision blurred by tears. 

The darkened silhouette of a man loomed into view above her.

"Really? Invisibility?" He reached down, yanking the weak fairy up by the fabric of her top and thrust her against the wall. 

Her head hung limply, her legs shaking slightly as she struggled to support her own weight. 

"Not very noble of you, princess." He snarled.

She coughed, wiping the blood off her lip with her forearm before looking up at him. 

"And what would you know about being noble?" She hissed, her eyes narrowing. 

Faragonda's words flashed through her mind: thousands killed. 

All because of their greed for power.

"I thought I was more than noble last night." His words snapped her out of her thoughts, his lips twisting into a sly smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She demanded perplexedly, racking her brain for any recollection of what he might be referring to. 

Duman raised an eyebrow, cautious to figure out what kind of game she was playing.

"Don't play with me, princess. The alley?" He watched for any change in her puzzled expression but, if anything, the way her brows knitted together made her look only more confused. "Surely, this position feels familiar?"

A line he usually would have said in a flirtatious manner with some sick grin on his face. 

However, this time all his voice conveyed was genuine curiosity.

"In your dreams, you creep." She spat at him, her arm reflexively swinging round at his jaw. 

Her fist made contact with flesh, but unfortunately not her desired target. Duman's fingers closed round her hand as he caught her punch and she cried out in pain as he twisted her wrist backwards, her body involuntarily following her arm. 

Seeing an opening, he abruptly pulled her arm around her back and rammed her face first into the wall, pressing into her to halt her squirming until she was completely immobilised.

"You don't remember last night, do you?" 

The realisation struck him, and his eyes widened. He felt her panting breath slow beneath him as she calmed down and he carefully let go of her arm, backing away from her.

Stella sucked in a long breath before turning around to face her enemy. Her mind was racing, trying to remember what had really happened last night. 

Had they met in the park? No, it was an alleyway apparently. 

But where? She had just walked home after packing away the picnic, right? 

Right?!

"I mean..." Duman scoffed, looking around at the burning building, which suddenly didn't matter to him as much as it did when he had started the fire, "I knew you were drunk but-"

"What happened?" She interrupted him impatiently.

"How do you think you got home last night, princess?"

"I walked." She said defiantly. 

That was the truth. She was sure of it. 

He was just psyching her out to give himself a tactical advantage. 

Stupid wizard playing dirty.

Duman smirked, before attacking the fairy with the full force of his magic. 

In some way, he was glad she didn't remember. His actions last night perplexed even him and brought up emotions that he had submerged long ago to the very bottom of his heart.

Yes, he could play this game of theirs: the hero and the villain. 

As long as their lines didn't cross like they did last night. 

Perhaps once upon a time, he would have let their paths intertwine out of pure, good innocence. 

But he needn't worry about that now... that had been destroyed a long time ago. 

~

Curled up in the corner of her room, frozen to the spot, Roxy watched helplessly as her home burned to ashes around her, along with all the memories she had there. 

But at that moment, she didn't even care. 

There was only one thing on her mind.

Artu. 

With the window right above her, escape was an option. She could flee. Save herself. And her whole body longed do to so. 

But still she couldn't move. Her conscience wouldn't let her. She was not going to leave. 

Not until she had gotten Artu. 

Under her bedroom door, she saw the flickering orange glow draw nearer. 

It was now or never. 

But fear paralysed her. Her throat grew tight. She couldn't cry for help. Even if she could, there was no one around to hear. Fires don't just happen like this. Those men... they had to be near.

Suddenly she heard a faint, distant barking over the crackling of wooden beams and the roar of flames devouring everything in their path. 

Artu! 

At that moment, her fear dissipated, her instincts taking over. 

She flung open her bedroom door, the metal handle burning her hand. She didn't even flinch.  

Immediately, a wall of heat enveloped her, thick grey smoked filled her lungs and clouded her vision, making her eyes sting. Her eyes scanned the hallway before a more prominent bark caught her attention. 

She squinted through the smoke to see her bloodhound trapped on the other side of a fallen ceiling beam that had caught ablaze. 

She ran over to him, shielding her face against the flames licking across the wooden barrier that separated them, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible as she whispered soothingly to him.

However, any hope of reaching him was extinguished when the rest of the beam caved in, crashing to the floor. 

It would have crushed her had someone not pulled her out of the way.

"Artu!" She called out desperately, reaching out as she was yanked backwards out of death's clutches. She spluttered as more hot smoke filled her lungs and tears formed in her eyes. 

"Roxy are you okay?" A worried voice said behind her, twisting her round by her shoulders to inspect her for injuries. 

Roxy blinked up at the redhead fairy, unable to answer. 

Her mind was blank. She was numb. She couldn't remember how to move. She couldn't remember how to speak. 

All she could think about was Artu- her best friend- enveloped by the ruthless flames that destroyed her home.

But suddenly that numbness was replaced with pain as she was flung across the hallway. 

She crashed forcefully into the wall, her body convulsing, as she screamed in agony and terror.

"Two birds with one stone. Not bad." Ogron mused as the remnants of black magic faded from his hands. 

He had hidden in the shadows, waiting for the time to strike and when Bloom's back was turned to him, he hit her with all he had. 

He was just fortunate enough that his prey was also in the right place at the right time.

Bloom lay unmoving on the floor, her limbs splayed out awkwardly, her hair covering her face. Her eyes fluttered as she tried to force them open, adrenaline numbing all the pain. 

She could barely see, barely hear. 

What was once a roaring fire now sounded no fiercer than the pitter patter of rain on a window. 

Somewhere around her, muffled footsteps drew nearer. 

Friend or foe? 

It didn't really matter, she couldn't move to defend herself.

A hand moved the hair from her eyes and Ogron's face smiled down at her. 

Bloom felt her body tense instinctively, her jaw clenching as he drew nearer. 

She longed to reach out, strike him, with her magic or her knuckles- it didn't matter. 

Fire flickered in her eyes, not a reflection of her surroundings, but of the fire within her. 

Her anger. No, her hatred.

"You should know, I'm not ashamed for playing dirty." He said coolly. 

Bloom snorted hot air out of her nose, like a bull preparing to charge. Except she couldn't charge. She couldn't even stand. And she loathed herself for it- for being this weak. 

This helpless.

"You're a monster." She choked out hoarsely. 

Her lungs burnt as she spoke, her eyes immediately watering in response. 

Ogron scoffed and sat down next to her, leaning against the charred railings, his arm resting on his knee. 

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" He grinned, cocking his head to the side. 

Bloom's breaths became laboured and heavy as she fought to control the rage boiling inside her.

"All those innocent fairies!" She spat at him, her eyes filled with anguish.

"Innocent?" Ogron laughed, raising his eyebrows in disbelief and shaking his head.

"Faragonda said-"

"You are so unbelievably naïve." He cut her off, his head in his palm as he rolled his eyes. 

Bloom fell silent, her body twitching as she tried to move, tried to fight.

"I've spent too long fighting fairies, Bloom." Ogron sighed as he stood up, brushing ashes off his forearms, "It's time to put an end to this." 

And all Bloom could do was lie there and watch as the hunter stalked towards his prey.

~

Musa stood completely still, assessing the situation as the fire circled her and her opponent. 

She wasn't sure how to play this. 

Were they friend or foe right now? 

Gantlos' eyes were fixed onto hers, his carefully crafted mask slipped into place. 

Her mind flicked to their rooftop encounter- he had seemed so... human back then. 

"The wizards are more powerful than you know." His words echoed through her head. 

Is this what he had meant? 

A sudden movement pulled her out of her thoughts as Gantlos fired out a wave which struck Musa in the ribs, flaring out into the surroundings. 

Foe. Definitely foe.

As she keeled over, clutching her side, she felt the very foundations of the house shake as his seismic wave rumbled through them.

"Son of a bitch." She muttered through gritted teeth, blinking back the tears in her eyes. 

Nothing had changed since the rooftop. 

They were enemies. Nothing more. 

It was so blindingly obvious! 

She was foolish to think they could have been anything else. 

The rooftop meant nothing. 

Moron. This is what you get for being so naïve. A painful awakening to reality. In your ribs.

She looked back up at him, strands of hair falling in front of her eyes. 

His face bore no mark of remorse or guilt. No notion of friendliness like it had last night. 

Idiot! 

Anger began to fester inside her- anger at him but more at herself. 

She flung a sound wave at him and he countered with ease. Her body lit up with electricity at the moment his spell hit hers, her eyes going wide with the exhilaration. 

Almost immediately the ringing sounded in her ears again. 

Shit. She couldn't lose control again. 

Couldn't risk hurting her friends. She thought of the injury to Bloom's head. Flora's leg too. 

No. She couldn't hurt them again.

Musa ducked and weaved between burning furniture and fallen ceiling beams, desperately trying to avoid using magic to defend against his unrelenting attacks. 

Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as she screwed up the courage to confront him.

"So that meant nothing then?! Last night?" She dove out from behind a sofa and stood up, calling out to him over the raging inferno. 

Gantlos faltered but his expression remained blank, his eyes cold. 

He didn't answer, instead shooting out another wave that Musa narrowly dodged by diving under it. She gritted her teeth as she pushed herself off the ground and faced the wizard again.

"You manipulative little shit!" She screamed at him, flinging two fast attacks at him in her rage which he countered effortlessly, igniting the spark inside her again. 

The ringing in her ears grew more prominent and she winced at the sharpness of the sound. 

"You saw I was alone and vulnerable and saw that as an opportunity to what? Gain information?! Well congratulations, Gantlos! I hope you learned what you wanted to know." Her voice cracked as she spoke but still he didn't respond.

"And to think," she continued, tears forming in her eyes, "I thought there was any possibility that you weren't as bad as the history books made you out to be!"

Gantlos lowered his gaze, unable to look her in the eyes. 

That was all the confirmation Musa needed.

"You are sick. You are sadistic. And you..." She panted, catching her breath as her voice became hoarse, "are evil." 

"Done your research, have you?" Gantlos finally looked up, tilting his hat up so Musa had a clear view of his face. 

He didn't look angry or hurt or even smug. He looked tired and empty, like he always had.

"A murderer. That's what you are." Musa accused through laboured breaths. 

The ringing pierced her thoughts, making it hard to concentrate on what she was saying. 

At her words, Gantlos suddenly lashed out, stamping his foot on the ground causing the whole house to shake. 

Musa looked around worriedly as threatening cracks spread through the walls and ceiling and had to jump out the way as the lampshade above her came crashing down, fracturing into a thousand tiny pieces. The flames danced closer, threatening to reach out and caress her wings. 

Seeing that she was distracted by her surroundings and growing weaker by the second under the wrath of the intense heat, Gantlos mustered the magic he needed to deliver the final blow.

Time seemed to move in slow motion. 

Musa watched helplessly as he sent an enormous wave of black magic hurtling towards her. 

She didn't have enough time to duck. 

Her only option was to summon her shield. Use her magic. 

Her magic that would send electricity streaking through her veins. Her magic that would turn the ring to a screech. Her magic that would cause her to lose control. To hurt her friends. 

No. 

She couldn't hurt them again. 

A small breath parted from her lips as she closed her eyes. 

And she welcomed the attack with open arms. 

~

"I was hoping you would show up, tree hugger." Anagan cornered the fairy as she searched for her poor friend, who was no doubt in Ogron's clutches by now. 

He smirked at her look of disdain as she stared him down, but noticed again how she looked different from the first time they met. 

Less striking somehow.

"If it isn't the dumbass." Flora played along, resting a hand on her hip and tilting her head.

"You really need to rethink that nickname." He said, tapping the side of his head with his index finger, "It makes me sound slow. And as you know," his figured blurred and he vanished from the spot, racing round the counter and planting himself right next to her within a split second, "I'm anything but."

Flora's hand shone green as she swung it round at his head. He managed to step back to avoid it but didn't anticipate the sudden eruption of vines out of the wall that latched round his arms, flinging him to the other side of the room. 

Flora smiled, her arms folding across her chest, as she watched him brush himself off and push against his jaw to crack his neck. 

"Strange. That line usually works." He joked before launching a spell at her. 

As they engaged in their deadly dance, trading hits, Anagan studied her face more closely. Yes, there was something off- he was certain of it. 

He wasn't left much time to think, however, as her attacks were as swift and precise as his. She didn't allow her guard to be let down, not even for a second.  

He finally landed a good hit, causing her to fall backwards into cabinet of ceramic plates which smashed upon impact. 

He allowed her time to recover instead of ending the fight with a quick follow up attack and used the time to get a better look at her. 

What was it? It was like there was something missing? 

Anxiety began to tug at the back of his mind. 

Was something wrong with her? Was she hurt? 

Flora raked her hand through her hair and looked back up at him, expecting to see his smug face smirking back at her. 

But instead all she saw in his eyes were concern. 

Neither of them moved for a moment. Both held their breaths in anticipation. 

Suddenly the house began to shake beneath their feet and plaster crumbled from the ceiling around them. 

"What the-" Anagan muttered to himself. Glassware and cutlery rattled loudly inside the cupboards and Flora clung on to the side of the counter so that she didn't fall. 

What the hell was that? It was like an earthquake! 

Smoke and dust poured in through the doorway and thin cracks painted spiderwebs on the walls.

She cautiously began to creep towards the door, her eyes glued to the ceiling as small chunks of it fell to the ground. 

Anagans' eyes, however, were still fixed on her... so he didn't notice when the ceiling above him gave way. 

"Watch out!" 

Her body collided with his, pushing him out of harm's way as the ceiling crashed to the ground causing a thick plume of dust to envelop them. 

Anagan froze beneath her, not daring to breath as his enemy lay pressed against his chest. She slowly lifted her head, brushed back the stray hairs fallen around her face and tilted her chin down to look at his amusingly bewildered expression. God how she loathed this idiot. 

But still, she could never just stand and watch as someone helplessly faced death- even if he was a mindless fairy killer. 

He would get was coming to him, no doubt- but there are better way to be killed than being crushed by a ceiling.

"Yikes, I guess you are slow." She teased, her voice barely above a whisper. "Someone's off today?" 

Anagan finally remembered how to breath and sighed, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Maybe I just wanted to know what it feels like with you on top of me?" He smirked as he watched her eyes widen in disgust. He could be so distasteful when he wanted to. 

Flora shoved down forcefully on his chest as she stood up and Anagan grunted, his sick smile quickly wiped off his face.

"Stay down and I won't kill you right this second." She threatened, her eyes cold. 

He slid his hands across the floorboards until they rested on either side of his head in mock surrender, the picture of innocence painted on his face. 

Rolling her eyes, Flora walked away from the cocky wizard through the haze of dust and smoke into the living room. 

Strange, there's no one here? 

She squinted around, searching for the source of the rumbling- the blond wizard perhaps? But he was nowhere to be seen. 

And then, out of the corner of her eye, Flora spotted a girl curled up at the base of the far wall, her arms outstretched in front of her, blood trickling down from her ears. 

Musa.

~

"I'm sorry, Artu." Roxy's broken voice sobbed as she lay motionless, metres from the burning beam behind which her dog whined for her. 

Her head spun, her muscles were sore, her bones ached. Pain shot down her shoulders and back, blood flowed from her nose. But no physical pain was worse than the paralyzing fear in her mind, the crush weight of disappointment, weakness, hopelessness. 

"You didn't deserve this."

I didn't deserve this. 

I'm scared. 

I want dad. 

Where is he? Will he save me? 

No. No one's coming to save me. 

It's too hot. 

Too hot.

Tears streamed down her face, cutting through the layer of dust and ash caked on. She tried to move, to press herself off the ground. To run, to fight- it didn't matter. 

But she was weak. Too weak. 

Too scared. 

Alone.

Wrong. 

A warm voice rang in her ears. Roxy gasped in a shaky breath as the echo faded. 

You are not alone, Roxy. And you are not weak. You're a fairy.

"I'm not a fairy!" Roxy cried aloud, her body trembling violently.

You don't have to be afraid of who you are, Roxy.

"Stop! STOP!" She yelled at the voice, clutching her head and yanking fistfuls of hair to make herself feel something- anything other than fear. "I don't care, just make it stop. Make it go away!"

What you have is a gift. You are the fairy of animals.

"No! No, I'm not! I'm nobody!" She screwed her eyes tightly shut.

You are special.

The voice insisted.

"I don't want to be!" She sobbed, banging her fist against the ground. Her mouth tasted metallic, her throat was dry and tears continued to fall from her eyes.

You are a fairy, Roxy. With the power to save your dog. Use it. Believe in yourself.

"I CAN'T!" She choked on her words. "Please! Please I beg! Make it all go away!"

Believe in yourself. 

The words rung in her ears. 

Believe in yourself. What does that even mean? 

Roxy let out a shaky breath, slowly opening her eyes. The fire flickered tauntingly in front of her, as if it enjoyed stripping her of every last shred of hope. Destroying her memories, her sanctuary. 

Her best friend... 

No. She wouldn't let it- wouldn't let them, those men, take away everything she loved. It was the last thing she wanted to accept, but it meant saving Artu and that was all that mattered.

"Okay." She began, breathing heavily, "Okay!" she called louder, "I am a fairy."

"Isn't that precious, sweetheart." A sneering voice said from behind her. 

Her blood ran cold. 

She was yanked upright by the collar of her shirt, brought face to face with the man that had haunted her nightmares the past few days. 

Her lower lip trembled as his icy eyes burned through hers. 

"It was about time you realised it, Roxy."

She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Gripped by terror once again, all she could do was blink, held by his piercing stare.

"Don't worry though, you won't be for long." He continued, his eyes appraising her. 

If he didn't have her by the collar of her shirt, she was certain she would have just plunged backwards into an endless abyss. Cold and dark. 

"I'm going to give you your old life back. Like none of this had ever happened. All you have to do, sweetheart, is step back into that little portal again with me and my brothers." 

He spoke down to her as if he was explaining basic addition to a toddler, a grin on his face. 

Her body shuddered involuntarily at the mention of the portal. 

The memories of that day bubbling to the surface, the feeling of being torn to shreds by a thousand tiny shards of glass. Her screams unable to be heard over its deafening screech as she hung there, completely powerless.

"LET HER GO!" A voice called behind them. 

Ogron didn't have time to turn around before he was blasted into the opposite wall, freeing Roxy from his grasp. 

Bloom stood shakily before her, her hands glowing a faded red. 

Except she looked different than before? 

Her clothes had changed, her hair too, but most prominent was the aura of sheer power that surrounded her. Roxy could feel it even through the heat of the flames. 

It was mighty.

~

"Musa! Musa wake up!" Flora pleaded, desperately shaking her friend's limp body. 

The house seemed to sway around her, creaking threateningly. 

"Oh shit, shit, shit." 

She pressed two fingers against Musa's neck and waited with baited breath. Her pulse was faint, but it was there and Flora breathed out a sigh of relief. 

Her relief was cut short however. The house's core structure had taken too much of a beating. 

Time was up. 

The whole ceiling cracked in two right above Flora, a sharp jolt running down the walls and through the floorboards. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she let instincts take over. 

Letting go of Musa she lifted both hands, thick shoots following them out of the ground. They wove around each other, reaching up to the ceiling before spreading out, covering the majority of its surface area as it jolted again, fulling giving way. Smaller chunks fell through the gaps around them but the main body of it remained in place.

Every second that ticked by felt like an eternity. 

Flora gritted her teeth straining under the weight as her constant stream of magic strengthened the vines. 

Another second gone and the fire drew closer.

Another second gone and Musa was still desperate for help. 

Another second and another and another. 

Flora felt beads of sweat trickle down her temple onto her cheek, the strength draining out of her faster than water down a plughole. 

To her left, a vine collapsed and a large chunk of plaster dislodged itself, plummeting to the ground. She scrunched her eyes shut, using her dying strength to summon a new vine, which caught the falling bit of plaster, wedging it back in place. 

Shit. She knew she couldn't keep this up forever. But she had to figure out how to get Musa out of here. Her legs began to feel like jelly beneath her as she fought to stay upright. 

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice call out.

"Flora?" Stella emerged through the smoke, looking a little dazed but otherwise unharmed.

"Stella! Grab Musa and get out of here now!" Flora called urgently, jerking her head towards the unconscious fairy at her feet. "I can't hold it much longer!" 

Stella flew over, kneeling by Musa's side before draping both arms over her shoulders and hoisting her onto her back. 

"Will you be okay?" She called back as she clambered carefully towards the exit.

"Yes just go!"

Anagan appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, scratching the back of his neck nonchalantly. 

He looked up at the network of vines woven to keep the whole house from caving in and then at the struggling fairy who was maintaining them. 

Her whole body trembled as the last of her strength seeped out of her. 

It was pitiful really. Being a hero. Saving others even if it means you're in trouble. Why bother?

"Hands full, tree hugger?" He called, hoping she would bite back. 

But his face fell when he realised she was even too weak to retaliate with a stupid comeback. 

The anxiety that he thought he'd banished to the depths of his mind resurfaced. Any second now she would falter. 

What if she can't escape in time?

As if he had just manifested it, her legs finally gave way, buckling beneath her. 

As she fell to her knees she lost her grip of her magic and, everything, it all came crashing down around her. 

Time slowed. 

Flora sunk into the floor. 

She was too tired to notice death hurtling towards her, too tired to care. 

At least she had saved everyone right? At least she was a hero. 

Any second now it would all be over. 

She'd played her part. 

She flinched as something touched her shoulder. 

Then everything went black.