Night settled quietly over Alfea College for Fairies.
The academy gardens were calm, lit only by floating lanterns drifting slowly above the paths. Beyond the outer walls, the distant lights of Magix shimmered beneath the dark sky.
Most of the students had already gone back to their dormitories.
But one balcony overlooking the gardens was still occupied.
Sitting around a small stone table were the members of the Winx.
Bloom, Stella, Flora, Tecna, and Musa.
Across from them sat the quiet boy they had discovered in the forest days earlier.
The one who summoned swords from empty air.
The one who fought witches like it was something he had done a thousand times before.
For a while, no one spoke.
The wind moved softly through the trees below.
Eventually Stella leaned back in her chair.
"Okay, mystery boy."
Everyone looked at her.
She crossed her arms.
"We've fought monsters together, we helped patch you up twice, and you're living at our school."
She pointed at him.
"I think it's time we learn something about you."
He looked up slightly.
"…What do you want to know?"
"Everything," Stella said immediately.
Musa laughed.
"Maybe start smaller."
Bloom leaned forward slightly.
"Where did you come from?"
He looked toward the distant lights of Magix.
"…Another world."
Tecna's eyes lit up.
"Interdimensional transportation? Fascinating."
He didn't react to the excitement.
Instead he remained quiet.
Flora tilted her head.
"Were you alone there?"
For a moment he hesitated.
"…No."
"I was adopted by a mage."
That immediately caught their attention.
Stella raised an eyebrow.
"So your dad was a wizard?"
"…Something like that."
Bloom asked the next question carefully.
"What kind of magic did he study?"
For a moment he seemed to think about how to answer.
"…He created something."
"Cards."
Tecna leaned forward instantly.
"Cards?"
He nodded once.
"There were seven of them."
"They were meant to give people power."
The explanation was simple.
Too simple.
But none of the girls interrupted.
Flora asked softly,
"What kind of power?"
"…The ability to fight things stronger than humans."
He didn't elaborate further.
Bloom noticed that he was choosing his words carefully.
Like he was explaining only the parts that mattered.
Stella tapped the table.
"So let me guess."
"You used one of those cards."
He didn't answer directly.
But his silence was answer enough.
Bloom studied him.
"That's what changed your body."
His gaze lowered slightly.
"…Yes."
Flora's expression softened.
"How old were you when that happened?"
He answered immediately.
"…Ten."
The table went silent.
Stella blinked.
"Ten?!"
"But you said you're sixteen!"
"…That's what my body says."
The calm way he said it made the statement feel heavier.
Musa stared at him.
"So you just… woke up older?"
"…Not exactly."
Bloom could see the faint tension in his expression.
Like he didn't enjoy remembering it.
"Did it hurt?" she asked quietly.
"…I don't remember."
The answer sounded honest.
Which somehow made it worse.
Tecna tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"You said there were seven cards."
"Where are the others?"
His answer came quickly.
"…Taken."
Stella frowned.
"Taken by who?"
"…People who shouldn't have them."
Bloom noticed the subtle shift in his tone.
"You're trying to get them back."
He nodded once.
"I already retrieved one."
That caught their attention immediately.
"You did?" Musa asked.
"The Rider Class Card."
He didn't describe the battle that had won it.
But the quiet weight behind his words made it clear that it hadn't been easy.
Stella leaned forward again.
"So you're basically hunting these cards down?"
"…Yes."
Flora looked worried.
"That sounds dangerous."
"It is."
Bloom rested her arms on the table.
"And after that?"
"What happens when you find them all?"
For a moment he didn't answer.
Then he looked toward the distant horizon again.
"…I go home."
The words were simple.
But Bloom could hear the determination behind them.
Everything he had done.
Every fight.
Every risk.
All of it pointed toward that single goal.
Eventually Stella stood up and stretched.
"Well."
"That's the most you've talked since we met you."
Musa laughed.
"Progress."
One by one the girls began heading back toward the dormitory.
Soon the balcony grew quiet again.
Only two people remained.
Bloom and the boy sitting beside the railing.
The night air had grown cooler.
Bloom looked up at the stars.
"You know something?"
"What?"
"You still haven't told us your name."
He stayed silent.
Not out of refusal.
But because the answer wasn't simple.
The boy he used to be…
And the person he had become…
They didn't feel like the same person anymore.
Bloom noticed the hesitation and smiled gently.
"That's okay."
"You can tell us when you're ready."
For a while they stood there in silence.
The lanterns flickered softly around the academy grounds.
Far beyond the forests surrounding Magix…
Deep within ancient ruins hidden beneath the earth…
The labyrinth guarding the legendary sword continued to stir.
Durendal was waiting.
And soon…
Everyone searching for it would collide.