Elix Club. The Return of the Phoenix.

New beginnings

Every first is a daunting one. Alyanna still remembers the first time she saw her older sister become a catalyst for Darkar when she was only 7 years of age.

Now, her biggest feat of all was attending Alfea College. Alyanna looked out the window of her father's Owl ship. Clouds dashed past her, only separated by a thin pane of glass. The sky's pale blue reminded her of her mother's eyes.

Within a couple of seconds, the scenery before her shifted to that of a vast cosmos. The Owl had just exited Domino and was en route to Alfea. The princess jumped back at the pitch black darkness, only illuminated by the twinkle of stars and the light coming from inside the ship. Alyanna turned her chair away from the window. That was enough sight-seeing for now.

Her attention turned to her sister Blysa and her cousin Danae, happily chatting about their classes.

"No no, Blyss. You know we're going to make the most of our first year teaching and make our parents proud."

Blysa retorted, "Come on Danae nae, you can't tell me that you're going to be a role model for the whole year."

"Wanna bet?" Danae challenged.

Alyanna groaned and slumped in her chair. Why couldn't there be a single ride where her sister and cousin stay quiet for once?

"That's enough you two," Thoren called from the pilot's seat, "There aren't going to be any shenanigans from Domino's princesses at Alfea, are we clear?"

Now Danae groaned, "Dad, come on! We're princesses but we want to have fun too!"

"As long as fun doesn't get you in trouble, it's alright with me."

Blysa and Danae looked at each other with the slightest hint of mischief in their eyes. Alyanna knew they were already planning something as soon as they gave the other that look. She knew that look all too well. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that she'd been confined to the palace for years on end with her sister, but Alyanna had a feeling she hadn't escaped Blysa's antics yet.

Alyanna lost track of time after dozing off during the trip. Listening to Blysa bored her so, all she could do was sleep it off. She rarely dreamed of anything. Her dreams were so intangible that upon waking up, Alyanna would forget about them.

But this dream, it came out of the blue and was so vivid, it startled the young girl awake.

It started off in an all enveloping black. Alyanna waved her hands in front of her, yet could not see them. Then, her peripheral view became tainted with a sanguine tint of blood. She fell backwards onto her bottom, whipping her head back and forth.

"I can't see! I can't see! Help me!"

Alyanna screamed the words, echoing in the confines of her head.

Another voice called from all around her, "Blysa!"

No, this was her memory. Not a dream nor a nightmare, but more frightening than any nightmare Alyanna had.

The veil of darkness was lifted from Alyanna's eyes and she was suddenly cowering next to her mother. Alyanna looked at Bloom, whose eyes were transfixed on the sight in front of them. A dark shadow entered Blysa's body and her screams resonated throughout the area. Once Alyanna looked at her sister, the image burned into her memory.

"Mom! Help me! It hurts!"

Bloom left Alyanna alone where she stood and ran to her eldest daughter.

"Darkar," Bloom summoned wisps of fire in her clenched fists, "Let my daughter go!"

"Fools!"

An overwhelming force burst through the room, sending Alyanna's small figure flying into a wall. Alyanna felt herself slam onto hard brick, waves of pain rippling through her back. She was too stunned to cry, too scared to even breathe.

The phoenix outline hovered above Blysa's still body, flapping its mighty wings.

"Bloom, you let your guard down and gave me the perfect vessel to regain my power!"

The phoenix swooped down past Blysa and flew straight to Alyanna. It was mere inches away from her face until a jolt awoke Alyanna from her flashback.

Alyanna's eyes snapped open. The first thing she saw was her older sister gathering her bookbag with Danae. Her chest heaved, rising and falling from the vivid nightmare.

They were having a conversation about something Alyanna struggled to hear. It seemed as if she were in a haze of exhaustion that wouldn't clear.

No, it was just a dream, Aly.

Alyanna shook her head, causing colors to overwhelm her eyes. Splotches of dark blue and green obscured her vision, just as it did in her sleep.

"Ugh... my head..."

Blysa and Danae stopped talking and turned to Alyanna after hearing her mutters of discomfort.

"You alright Aly?" Danae asked first.

Alyanna nodded, "I'll be fine, it's just ship lag."

The girls didn't seem convinced, but shrugged it off anyways. The Owl came to a halt, hovering above the entrance of Alfea. Blysa walked over to the window and looked down below, seeing gentle streams of students usher in the gate. The Owl swayed down slowly, landing with a soft thump.

"This is your stop girls!" Thoren powered down the ship and got up to walk over to his daughter's side.

He beamed, "Danae, I'm certain that you'll do great on your first day."

"Heh," Danae chuckled awkwardly, "Thanks dad."

Blysa threw her bag over her shoulder, "I can't wait to see which teacher I'm getting! I hope I can be Faragonda's aid this year!"

In the corner, Alyanna quietly gathered her belongings and hugged her book bag close to her body. She knew that attending a new school would come with all sorts of trouble. Blysa was still unpredictable with Darkar influencing her through the Shadow Phoenix and being in public for the first time in years made Alyanna's stomach twist with anxiety. She had no socializing skills, nor any friends to turn to like her sister did.

Alyanna gulped and played with the strands of her hair. They'd be arriving at Alfea soon and she wasn't ready to step out into a new environment, not just yet.

The door whirred open, revealing Alfea's bustling schoolgrounds with new and returning fairies. Blysa and Danae gave each other playful glances before skipping out the ship, looking for their fellow teaching aids.

"Come on Alyanna, Sky's going to be mad if I don't get the ship back on time." Thoren told Alyanna.

She nodded sheepishly, "Okay Uncle Thoren..."

Slowly, Alyanna stood up. Her legs trembled in fear and goosebumps appeared up her arms. Alyanna's right foot stepped forward first then her left. Right. Left. Eventually, she managed to walk out of the Owl and saw the vast college ahead of her. Sweat ran down in beads off the sides of Alyanna's face. It was just too overwhelming for her. As she turned around to get back on the ship, she realized the door had closed and the engines were powering up.

Uncle, don't go! Alyanna wanted to yell. Her voice couldn't come out even when she opened her mouth.

Alyanna breathed in sharply, the atmosphere of the school seemed to swallow her whole. All around her were chattering voices and the sound of fairies fluttering their wings. She couldn't believe that Blysa and Danae had abandoned her at Alfea's gate to fend for herself. A slew of emotions brewed inside Alyanna. Fear and anxiety had seized her.

No, I can do this. I can do this! The quiet voice at the back of Alyanna's head encouraged her to push onwards. After all, she wanted to start her own legacy outside of Domino's palace and stand alone instead of living in Blysa's shadow.

Alyanna swallowed the lump in her throat, taking control of her legs and walked toward the entrance with all the confidence she could muster. Hands gripping her belongings and head held high, Alyanna began her next 3 years at Alfea with a single footstep.