Chapter Text
In the middle of Alfea cemetery, which is plunged into a heavy darkness, the silhouette of a small animal seems to move in the cool wind. The cream-coloured angora cat is creeping through the grass on its favourite hunting ground, hoping to catch a mouse or a rat, despite the fact that he is properly fed and spoiled by its owners. This will be the treat of the day. Suddenly a suspicious and exciting activity between two graves, especially behind a tombstone, catches his attention. He approaches it. Bingo! The tip of its tail protrudes from the grave and wags like a twig. The tomcat pounces on the rodent, which manages to escape in extremis from the feline's claws. The latter doesn't admit defeat and sets off in pursuit in a frantic race. Too obsessed by the little creature, he doesn't notice the black-clad female figure standing statically in front of him, and collides violently with her legs. The auburn-haired girl remains motionless and merely smiles enigmatically at him.
"So, pussycat, is the hunt successful?" she asks in a laconic, slightly authoritative tone.
Still stunned by the shock, the feline lifts his head and stares at her with his glowing eyes, in fear, ears lowered. The girl leans towards him and seizes him brutally, fingernails firmly dug in the animal's flesh, who squeals in pain. After about ten seconds, the cat's plaintive meowing fades away, and the strange figure gently places him on the grass as if nothing happened. Now he knows where he has to go and what his mission is. It is impossible for him to fight against this overwhelming force that is driving him towards the school under the snickering of his interlocutor.
***
On this Saturday morning, while some students are taking advantage of the exceptionally mild weather at the end of October to stroll around the courtyard of the castle, in spite of the humid air that doesn't seem to put them off, the cat, whose presence no one has yet noticed, is sitting still on a low wall, haughty, as if waiting for something. Luke, passing by on his way back from his morning jog to meet Dane at the training grounds, finally notices the beige fur ball with the grey-brown tail. He approaches him, surprised to see this kind of animal on school grounds, which is far from usual. The cat with the well-proportioned and slightly tabby head and irises as azure as those of the queen continues to stare at him with his reddish pupils, impassive. What a weird feline! What can he be doing in a school, several kilometres from the nearest house? Intrigued, the young guy reaches out his hand to stroke his long silky hair. Affable, the animal lets him do it and starts to brush his face against his arm, purring with contentment.
"You seem very cuddly to me!" exclaims Dane's boyfriend, chuckling, satisfied that he let himself be stroked.
Suddenly, without warning, the cat snarls and gives him a big paw, all claws out, causing the Specialist to cry out in horror, watching him jump off the low wall and head for the castle entrance.
"You little...!" he roars, furious, glancing at his hand, which now bears three bloody gashes.
Gradually his vision becomes blurred, he feels weaker and weaker, as if he's going to die in the next few seconds. This is not normal, this cat is not normal. He is unaware that in turn his pupils are turning red, the colour of oxygen-poor blood. While he is losing all reason and all notion of humanity, Luke feels himself regaining strength, until he feels in top form, more alive than ever. With a determined step, he walks towards the training grounds to meet Dane. Now he knows what he has to do and nothing else matters except his sordid mission.
When Dane sees his boyfriend arrive two minutes later, he can't help but worry about him, because despite his boundless energy, Luke doesn't look his normal self.
"Is everything all right, honey?" he questions softly, taking him by the shoulders in anguish.
His boyfriend moves closer to him, gazing at him with his reddish eyes with a big smile on his face, before wrapping his arms around his waist, preventing him from taking a step backwards. For the first time in his life, Dane fears his loved one, he fears for his physical and moral integrity, because he feels at the mercy of the one who clearly has the upper hand.
The Specialist swallows with difficulty, trying to mask his state of panic.
"Be still, I'm fine, I've just seen a beautiful cat wandering around the yard, and he's got a temper, shall I say...moody," Luke answers in a tone that is both playful and reassuring.
Dane sighs, unconvinced, trying to find a plausible explanation to his partner's disconcerting attitude. The latter takes advantage of his confusion to place a stolen kiss on his lips, thus sealing his fate.
As Luke holds him in his arms to keep him from collapsing, Dane feels himself becoming someone else, becoming something else. Something with blood-red pupils.
***
Away from all the turmoil that is shaking the school, and from the growing number of victims, prostrate in the room where he bid farewell to Bloom some time ago, Sky remembers the past, still devastated by the knowledge that he will never see the woman he loves again. She's gone to join her mother in the Realm of Darkness for all eternity, because she had no other way to protect others from her destructive Dragon Flame.
"If only you were still here, if only I could see you, touch you, kiss you..." he thinks wistfully, a tear rolling down his cheek. "If only I had followed you, if only I had left with you..."
At that moment, when all hope seems vain, a powerful orange light appears before him, growing and warm, radiating the whole room, exactly like the portal leading to the Realm of Darkness.
"It is impossible...," the young Specialist murmurs as he approaches, dumbfounded.
Just as he is about to delve into a totally unknown world, a gorgeous girl with flaming hair comes out and returns from this timeless dimension: Bloom.
"Bloom?!" he cries, almost incredulous, before embracing her, upset. "You're back!"
"I'm coming back for you, I missed you so much," she admits in a whisper, snuggled up against his chest.
He tenderly caresses her red hair and brushes his lips across her forehead before kissing it, taking the time to enjoy the touch he was deprived of for so long.
"I've missed you too, living without you is torture, and I can't imagine it anymore," he replies before spotting the strange colour of her pupils. "Sweetheart, your eyes are red..."
She hastens to reassure him by smiling lovingly at him, happy to be able to take him with her.
"I know, it's normal, it's because I spent too much time there...but don't worry, now nothing can separate us."
She puts her hands behind the back of her lover's neck and stands on tiptoe to kiss him passionately.
"You and I, my love, will rule the Realm of Darkness, and soon an army will join us and we will be invincible," she says with conviction in a sweet voice, a fire dancing in her reddish eyes.
"But...," Sky protests, backing away in shock at her terrifying intentions.
Too late. When he realises that the fairy standing in front of him is no longer the same Bloom he fell madly in love with, he feels all his strength leave him, life banish him, and, with a deep groan, collapses into the girl's arms, unaware that his own pupils are turning the same shade of garnet. Satisfied with her effect on him, she reveals her teeth in a predatory smile.
When, a few seconds later, he is able to stand again, ready to rule the world beside her, she gently takes him by the hand and leads him towards the light portal.
"Let's go, let's not waste time," she urges him, tightening her grip on his hand.
And the cursed couple slowly disappears into the orange light, which gives way to the usual darkness of the room.
***
For their part, Saul, the other teachers and Ben, who has recently resumed his duties as a botany professor, alerted by several students of the strange behaviour of their fellow mates, are scrambling to bring to safety the people who have not yet been infected by this mysterious disease. The two friends quickly realise that they are overwhelmed by the situation, as some of their colleagues have already been affected by the contagion.
"Ben, we have to call Luna for help!" shouts Saul, hoping that his voice is not too much covered by the students' screams of fright. "If Farah were here, she would put things right, but we still don't have anyone to take over her duties!"
Sam and Terra's dad grumbles, powerless in the face of this hitherto unseen catastrophic situation. He doesn't want to call Luna, not now, he refuses to put her in danger. Since they've been together, he's always tried to protect her from evil and cruelty, and he's not about to go against his principles.
"No, there's no way she's going to risk her life!" he rebuffs him curtly, categorical. "I don't want to lose her, I can't lose her, do you understand? Not after what happened to Rose!"
Comprehensive, his friend places a brotherly hand on his shoulder with empathy. Saul knows that the botany teacher is holding back tears, he is aware of the pain he has endured, he himself has gone through the same ordeal since he lost Farah, and the wound is still open.
However, this is a case of force majeure, the situation is critical, and if no one manages to discipline the students, the whole school could be contaminated and fall into chaos.
"Of course, Ben, I know how much Luna means to you...but perhaps the lives of your children and the other students depend on her intervention. The paramedics refused to listen to us, thinking it was a hoax, and I know she'll believe you. And they will be forced to do her bidding."
Caught off guard and running out of arguments, Ben thinks, weighing up the pros and cons of this far-reaching decision. Desperate times call for desperate measures. After all, Luna seems to be their only hope of saving those who can still be saved, and his morals and sense of duty lead him to grab his phone and dial his partner's number, who picks up almost immediately.
"Hello, darling? Is everything all right?" she asks, concerned.
"No, we've got a big problem here, it's panic, there's a strange disease that's been spreading person-to-person since this morning, especially by kissing, and some of the students and my colleagues are already affected!" he explains, panting from too much stress. "Their pupils are blood-red and they have been chasing us for some reason. Saul, a few colleagues and I managed to get the majority of the students to safety in the main hall, but the others are in danger, and without your help, we'll all be infected, our children, me, everyone! I don't think we can hold out much longer, and as they are students, we can't fight them and put their lives in danger."
"All right, Ben, stay well hidden, protect yourselves, I'll send the army and I'll come right away."
The two lovers remain silent for a moment, in contrast to the urgency of the situation, and Luna finally adds with real anxiety in her voice:
"Take care of yourself, I want you to stay alive."
The earth fairy smiles sadly, moved by her words, hoping not to disappoint her, and especially not to send her to her death. He is so afraid of losing her, of having his heart broken again by the loss of his loved one, for whom he would sacrifice his own life.
"I promise, Lu...you too, be careful, I care for you...more than infinity."
He hangs up and turns to his friend to give him a knowing wink. They'll just have to stay barricaded and wait for reinforcements to arrive.