Beyond the Gates
Professor Palladium had always prided himself on being observant. As a teacher of magic theory and convergence spells, it was his job to study not just his students’ abilities but also the subtleties of their emotional states. After all, magic was as much about the heart as it was about the mind.
But the Winx girls? They were a conundrum he couldn’t quite solve.
He sat at his desk in the Alfea staff lounge, a cup of tea untouched in his hands, staring down at the notes he’d scribbled after their last class. His pen hovered over the page as he read their names, his brow furrowed.
Bloom. Stella. Flora. Musa. Tecna. Aisha.
It was as if the universe had handed him a puzzle with missing pieces.
When they arrived, he’d immediately noticed their bond — an energy that pulsed between them, almost tangible. In class, they moved like parts of a single entity, their magic weaving together seamlessly one moment and clashing violently the next. It was chaos, but it was also. . .something else. Something deeper.
He flipped back a page, reviewing the incident from convergence class:
“Spell destabilized. Magical output too high. Emotional bleed-through evident. Possible telepathic link?”
Palladium leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. “They’re too advanced,” he muttered to himself.
The door opened, and Professor Griselda stepped in, her expression as stern as ever. She gave him a curt nod before sitting across from him, folding her hands on the table.
“You’re thinking about them too, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Is it that obvious?” Palladium replied with a weak smile.
Griselda huffed. “It’s hard not to notice. They’re disruptive, unpredictable, and. . .” She hesitated, her tone softening slightly. “There’s something wrong with them, Palladium. Something deeply wrong.”
Palladium nodded. “I’ve seen it too. Their magic is. . .” He searched for the right word. “Unstable. It’s like they’re overflowing with power, but their bodies and minds aren’t equipped to handle it.”
“And the way they cling to each other,” Griselda added, frowning. “Have you noticed? They’re always touching, always together, as if they can’t bear to be apart for even a moment.”
“I’ve noticed,” Palladium said. “I think their bond is more than just emotional. It’s magical. It’s like they’re connected on a level I’ve never seen before.”
Griselda sighed, leaning back in her chair. “And yet they’re barely trying to hide it. The other students are noticing too. The whispers are getting louder.”
“That’s what worries me,” Palladium admitted. “I don’t think they’re doing it on purpose. Whatever’s happening to them, it’s beyond their control.”
Griselda’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Do you think they’re dangerous?”
Palladium hesitated. He wanted to say no, but the truth was more complicated. “Not intentionally. But if they can’t stabilize their magic, someone’s going to get hurt. Maybe even themselves.”
There was a long silence, both professors lost in thought. Finally, Griselda spoke.
“We need to talk to Faragonda. If they stay here like this, it’s only a matter of time before something goes terribly wrong.”
Palladium nodded, but his mind was already racing ahead. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the Winx weren’t just students struggling to adjust. They were something. . .more.
Something dangerous.
That night, Stella lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. She could feel the others through the bond — Bloom’s simmering frustration, Musa’s restless energy, Flora’s quiet sadness. It was like a storm brewing just beneath her skin, and she couldn’t escape it.
This isn’t working.
The thought came unbidden, but it settled into her chest like a stone.
Across the room, Bloom stirred. “You’re thinking too loud,” she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.
“Sorry,” Stella muttered.
Bloom rolled onto her side, propping herself up on one elbow. “What’s wrong?”
Stella hesitated. “I just. . .I don’t think we’re supposed to be here.”
“You’re not wrong,” Musa muttered from her bed. “This place isn’t built for us. Not anymore.”
Flora sat up, her soft green eyes filled with worry. “But where else would we go? This is supposed to be our fresh start.”
“It’s not a fresh start if we’re dragging everything from the war with us,” Tecna said, her voice calm but firm. “We’re out of sync. Our magic, our emotions — it’s too much for this place.”
“And the stares aren’t helping,” Aisha added bitterly.
The room fell into silence, the weight of their situation pressing down on them.
“So what do we do?” Musa asked. “Just pack up and leave? Go where?”
Stella closed her eyes, her mind racing. “Maybe we don’t need to go anywhere,” she said slowly.
The others looked at her, confused.
“What if we just. . .stop trying to fit in here? Stop pretending to be who we were before?” Stella continued. “We use the time we’ve been given to figure this out. Our bond, our magic — everything. We stop caring what anyone else thinks and just focus on us.”
The bond buzzed with tentative agreement, though doubt lingered at the edges.
“And if the professors don’t like it?” Bloom asked.
Stella smirked. “Let them try to stop us.”
Headmistress Faragonda sat in her office, staring at the stack of reports on her desk. Griselda and Palladium had already voiced their concerns about the Winx, but Faragonda didn’t need their words to see the truth.
The girls were slipping.
She’d seen glimpses of their potential — the strength of their magic, the depth of their bond — but it was clear that something was holding them back. Or worse, tearing them apart.
Faragonda sighed, rubbing her temples. She knew she should intervene, but a part of her hesitated. There was something different about these girls, something she couldn’t quite place.
It wasn’t just their power. It was their pain.
They carried it with them like a second skin, woven into every spell they cast, every word they spoke. And it scared her.
Because pain like that didn’t just disappear.
It destroyed.