THE CODEX OF BLOOD AND ASH— Chronicle of the Doom Disemion: Fall of the Earth’s Heart
The nightmare lingered like ash in Runo’s throat. Her chest heaved as she sat up on the edge of the cot, running a trembling hand through her disheveled hair and wiping a sheen of cold sweat from her forehead.
"Are you okay?" Will Vandom asked, her voice soft in the quiet room. She set down her glowing Heart of Kandrakar, its soft pink luminescence casting long shadows across the walls.
Bruno shook her head, staring down at her boots. "I dreamed... someone sent Bloom to the Shadow Haunt. Darkar was there. That wicked half-man, half-phoenix creature... he had her trapped. He cackled right in her face."
Her voice rasped as she mimicked the dark entity's cruel taunts from her dream: 'You will tell me the location of the pixie village! Very well, excellent... I can already feel the strength of your powers. Your magic is mine! I will go through you one by one until you tell me where your village is—that’s where you’ve hidden the Codex, isn't it?'
Runo clamped her eyes shut, a visible shudder running through her frame. "In the dream, I screamed at him. I told him, 'No! I said I'd never battle again, and you can't make me! Leave me alone!' I reached for my Bakugan, but my darkus sphere wouldn't open. I was completely helpless."
Will stepped closer, resting a reassuring hand on the young brawler's shoulder. "It was just a dream, Runo. Darkar is gone, and Bloom is safe with the Winx."
"Is she?" Bruno muttered, looking up at Will with haunted eyes. "Everything is bleeding together, Will. The realms are collapsing. I keep thinking about Prince Phobos's selection as Svall May... what if it wasn't for conquest? What if it was so he'd actually have the power to protect his sisters?"
Will frowned slightly, pondering the thought. "Protecting Queen Elyon and me? The Hearts of Meridian and Kandrakar holding hands with a tyrant... it sounds crazy, but in times like this, even monsters fight for their own."
Far beyond their sanctuary, past the shifting dimensional boundaries, lay an ancient metropolis—the largest city in Ashlina. Known across realms as the ultimate focal point of the Holy Land, its towering spires of white stone and gilded archways had stood untouched for ten thousand years.
Deep within the cobblestone alcoves of the city, four figures stood cloaked in darkness.
"This city is known as Julianess," Diaz whispered, his voice barely carrying over the distant chime of the cathedral bells. He turned his gaze toward his companions: Shadow Skill, Scarface, and Darkness.
Scarface shifted, the silver moonlight glinting off the brutal scar running down his jaw. "Why bring us to the focal point now, Diaz?"
Diaz’s expression remained dead serious, his eyes reflecting the eerie, calm sky above the ancient metropolis.
"Because the quiet won't last," Diaz replied low. "Rumors of the annihilation of the Holy Nation are already circulating. If Julianess falls, the boundary between Kandrakar, Meridian, and the outer realms shatters completely. Bruno's nightmare wasn't just a dream... it was a warning."
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