After the battle in the underground chamber beneath Magix, the Winx were different. Stronger. Unified. But also being watched.
Faragonda's warning echoed in Bloom and Iris's minds:
"The Trix are hunting for more than magic—they're seeking the ancient source."
And where better to start than Cloud Tower, the heart of witchcraft and darkness?
A New Mission
Faragonda summoned the Winx to her study at sunrise. The windows glowed gold, but the room was thick with tension.
"The Trix took something," Faragonda said. "A fragment of the Codex of Elements—a magical relic tied to the Dragon Flame's origins. It was secured in an interdimensional vault beneath Cloud Tower. They bypassed every defense."
Tecna's eyes widened. "The Codex? That's forbidden knowledge! Its spells alter magic itself."
"They're not just interested in power anymore," Faragonda said gravely. "They're searching for something older. Deeper. Something that connects to your past, Bloom… and yours, Iris."
Bloom clenched her fists. "Then we're going to get it back."
Faragonda placed a hand on her shoulder. "Be careful. This mission is off the record. If caught, Cloud Tower will consider it an act of war."
Infiltrating Cloud Tower
Cloaked in a powerful stealth spell, the Winx soared toward Cloud Tower under a shroud of twilight. The school loomed in the distance like a gothic nightmare—its towers crooked like claws, its walls shifting as if alive.
The clouds churned purple above it.
"This place feels like a haunted soul," Musa muttered.
"No offense, but how do witches live here?" Flora asked, pressing close to the others.
Tecna's visor scanned the structure. "Access point located. There's a maintenance crevice behind the east wing."
They slipped inside like shadows, Bloom and Iris leading the way. Deep within the walls of Cloud Tower, the air felt thick—like inhaling smoke and regret. Every corner pulsed with dark enchantments, and shadows whispered curses in tongues no one spoke anymore.
The Vault of Shadows
Down winding stairs and through an enchanted stone door sealed by arcane symbols, they entered the Vault of Shadows—a long-forgotten archive sealed after the War of Realms.
Within, strange orbs hovered in the air, illuminating shelves full of crumbling scrolls and cursed relics. At its heart stood a floating crystal—the Codex fragment—glowing with pale blue fire, its core swirling with draconic sigils.
Iris inhaled sharply. "It's reacting to our flames."
"No," Bloom said, stepping closer. "It's resonating."
A sudden gust of wind slammed the vault doors shut.
From behind the crystal, three forms emerged.
"I was wondering when you'd show up," Icy hissed.
Darcy flicked her fingers, and the shadows writhed. "Curiosity killed the Winx."
Stormy grinned, lightning arcing across her palms. "Let's make this fast. I've got a universe to reshape."
Showdown: Magic Against Magic
The battle erupted in a blinding flash.
Darcy launched tendrils of illusion magic, wrapping around Tecna and pulling her into a false labyrinth. Tecna activated her interface gauntlet, sending pulses of code that mapped the illusion and shattered it like glass.
Flora drew from ancient seeds stored in her belt. She scattered them across the floor, where they burst into glowing vines infused with radiant energy. They climbed the walls and ensnared Darcy's shadow attacks, neutralizing her darkness.
Stormy raised her hands and summoned a twisting cyclone of electric blades. Musa screamed a musical incantation, her voice rippling like an audio wave, and countered the storm with a wall of harmonic resonance. Sparks flew as sonic energy clashed with lightning.
Icy, however, went straight for the twins.
Bloom met her head-on, fire blazing in her hands. "You're not getting the Codex."
"Oh, I already have what I need," Icy hissed. "I'm just here to end you."
They collided midair, red flame smashing against jagged ice. Bloom spun through the air, leaving a spiral of molten fire that melted Icy's frozen barrage. But Icy retaliated with a shard-storm spell, creating hundreds of frozen blades. Bloom ducked and countered with a flare burst.
Meanwhile, Iris moved with precision. Her sapphire flame burned cool, like blue fire over a calm ocean. She circled Icy from behind, her flames subtly dissolving the ice magic.
"You still don't understand what this flame is," Iris said, calm and collected. "It wasn't made for destruction."
She spread her arms and formed a twin ring of blue fire sigils. "It was made to protect the realms."
Together, Bloom and Iris lifted into the air.
"Twin Dragon Flame!"
Their flames surged forward, red and blue coiling around each other, forming a draconic serpent of living flame. It struck Icy like a tidal wave, crashing her into the vault wall. Her body sparked with residual energy as she crumpled to the floor.
Darcy screamed in fury and tried to escape through a shadow portal, but Tecna and Flora combined their powers to block her. Musa's sound blast stunned her long enough for vines to wrap around her limbs.
Stormy hurled a final lightning bolt—wild and furious—but Iris absorbed it with her flame, transforming the electric energy into a glowing sigil.
Then came a whisper.
The Codex responded.
It opened like a flower, revealing a map composed of magical ley lines, realms, and a single glowing mark:
Domino.
Bloom and Iris stared at it, breathless.
"I saw this," Bloom whispered. "In my dreams."
"I've drawn this exact image before," Iris murmured, tears glinting in her eyes.
The map shuddered, then collapsed into the Codex, which sealed itself with a flash of protective energy.
The Trix, weakened and screaming, found themselves bound by an unbreakable ring of magic, vines, and sound—Flora, Tecna, and Musa's combined restraint spell. Their attempts to teleport fizzled against the barrier, sparks of dark magic bouncing harmlessly off the enchanted bindings.
As Bloom and Iris approached, the Codex released a sudden flare of magical backlash, knocking everyone off balance with a pulse that echoed like a dragon's roar. In that moment of chaos, Darcy opened a micro-rift with the last of her power. The Trix escaped through it, battered and furious—but not defeated.
Return to Alfea
Back at Alfea, Faragonda held the Codex fragment with reverence.
"This is one of four," she said. "Each from a different elemental plane. Together, they reveal the full map—and the truth about the Dragon Flame's origin."
Bloom touched the Codex. "I saw a woman. A queen. She had wings of fire."
"I saw her too," Iris said. "And a palace of crystal snow. Our mother?"
Faragonda closed her eyes. "That is possible. The Codex doesn't just show paths. It shows memory."
Musa sat back, exhausted. "So what now? Hunt down more of these magical jigsaw pieces?"
"Yes," Faragonda said. "Before the Trix do. The fate of your past—and of all Realms—may depend on it."
Bloom and Iris exchanged a look.
They had power. They had purpose. But most of all, they had each other.
And the journey was far from over.