Elias realized that feigning injuries or relying on pure chance was too slow and unreliable. The most effective way to secure the remaining eight fragments was to integrate himself permanently into Bloom's training sessions.
He chose The Training Partner Excuse (Option 1). It was the most strategic: it justified continuous, close physical contact, positioned him as an expert, and allowed him to monitor Bloom's powers.
Chapter 5: The Unstable Tutor
A Convenient Truth
The Trix's initial attack had shocked Alfea. Bloom was now the talk of the school, and Headmistress Faragonda immediately assigned the Winx Club a dedicated training schedule. This was exactly what Elias needed.
He approached Bloom during a break between classes, finding her practicing small fire bursts in the empty courtyard.
"That was close the other day," Elias said, leaning against a stone railing. "You manifested, but your power was all over the place."
Bloom nodded, looking stressed. "It's like I have this ocean of fire inside me, but I can only scoop out a tiny cupful. It just feels so unstable."
Elias stepped closer, adopting a serious, professional demeanor.
"That's where I come in," he said, tapping the spot on his arm where their skin had met. "That stabilizing flux I used? It's part of a forgotten Red Fountain technique, only taught to strategists who might coordinate with Dragon Flame wielders."
He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "My body, being non-magical, acts like a magnetic buffer. When your power surges out of control, a quick contact with me acts as a lightning rod. It grounds the unstable energy, protecting you from the backlash and teaching your core how to better manage the outflow."
He was telling a sophisticated lie built on a foundation of partial truth. Bloom had felt the energy transfer, and she was unstable.
"So you're saying… I need to touch you to learn control?" Bloom asked, a hopeful skepticism in her eyes.
"Not always, but during high-intensity training, yes," Elias confirmed, forcing a look of reluctant duty. "It's a risk for me, actually. That much raw energy could overload a normal non-magical person. But if it helps you control the Dragon Flame, it's worth it."
Bloom, desperate for a way to master her power, readily agreed.
[QUEST PROGRESS: EIGHT SYNCHRONIZATIONS PENDING. COVER STORY ESTABLISHED.]
The Siphoning Sessions
Elias began spending every available afternoon with Bloom, coaching her through the basics of focus and projection. Their sessions provided the perfect cover for the mandatory synchronization.
During these training sessions, as Bloom focused intensely on creating larger, stronger fireballs, her power would surge. Elias would quickly interject, guiding her hand or placing his palm gently on her back to "stabilize the flux."
[DRAGON FLAME SYNCHRONIZATION Lvl 1 ACTIVATED!]
[DRAINING 0.1%... FRAGMENT ACQUIRED! (TOTAL: 3)]
[DRAGON FLAME SYNCHRONIZATION Lvl 1 ACTIVATED!]
[DRAINING 0.1%... FRAGMENT ACQUIRED! (TOTAL: 4)]
The process was now routine. Each touch gave Elias a rush of energy, a dizzying sense of growing power, and crucially, another Dragon Flame Fragment. Bloom only ever felt a brief, cooling sensation before her energy felt more manageable. She simply saw Elias as a courageous, selfless tutor.
By the end of the fourth day, Elias had successfully acquired 8 Dragon Flame Fragments. He was running out of time, but he was also running out of excuses.
The Power Boost and the Trix Ambush
On the morning of the fifth day, Elias was alone in his room. He had enough fragments and SP to make a massive purchase.
[STATUS: ELIAS DE VALERIUS]
* Level: 3
* HP: 95/100
* MP: 190/190 (Max increased from synchronizations)
* Dragon Flame Fragments: 8/10
Elias had saved 550 SP from previous quest rewards. He had a choice: stockpile resources, or take the plunge.
He plunged.
He purchased the last two missing fragments from the [SYSTEM SHOP] using his stored SP (100 SP per fragment). It was an expensive shortcut, but it completed the core requirement.
[SP BALANCE: 350 SP]
[Dragon Flame Fragments: 10/10]
The System immediately registered the complete set. The violet warning light vanished, replaced by a searing, solid orange.
[SYSTEM EVOLUTION INITIATED: DRAGON-TOUCHED]
Description: The host body has successfully integrated a sustainable amount of Dragon Flame power, permanently resolving the corruption threat. The Host is no longer non-magical.
AWARDING: Permanent Transformation Skill!
Skill: [Metamorphosis: Dragon-Touched] (Passive)
* The Host's core has fused with the Dragon Flame fragments. Unlock the ability to use Dragon Fire without needing to siphon.
Stat Boost: +50 MP, +10 HP, +10 Stamina.
NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: [DRAGON AURA Lvl 1]
* Passively generates a faint, destabilizing heat around the user. Costs 5 MP/minute.
EVOLUTION COMPLETE. SYSTEM STABILIZED.
Elias gasped, stumbling backward. He felt a profound, searing heat flow through him, not painful, but overwhelming. When he looked at his hands, they didn't glow, but he could feel the power contained within. He was no longer a powerless extra. He was a low-level, self-made fire wizard.
Just as the transformation subsided, the emergency siren blared from his holographic screen, flashing red.
[EMERGENCY ALERT! PLOT EVENT INITIATED!]
The Trix, having regrouped, had launched a coordinated assault on Alfea's barrier in an attempt to capture Bloom.
Elias ran to the window. Outside, the familiar, dark clouds of Icy's magic were engulfing the northern barrier. He knew where this was going: a head-on clash with the full Winx Club and the three powerful witches.
He charged all his remaining MP. He had to prove his new power immediately.
The True Specialist
Elias arrived at the main courtyard just as the Trix blasted a hole through Alfea's outer defenses. Bloom and the Winx girls were already transformed and struggling against the coordinated attack.
Icy was focused on Bloom, preparing a massive shard of ice.
"Enough, girl! The Flame belongs to us!" Icy roared.
Elias saw his chance to make a statement—and to prove his worth beyond being a mere tutor.
He charged his newly-powered Dragon Fireball. This time, it wasn't a sputtering ember. It was a dense, fierce ball of brilliant orange-red flame, crackling with raw heat, and it only cost him 25 MP.
Elias stepped out from cover, aiming not at Icy, but at the ice shard she was forming.
"Dragon Fire!"
The blast was powerful, exploding against Icy's ice with a concussive force. The shard shattered into steam. Icy whirled around, her eyes wide with shock.
"What? That Specialist has fire magic? And that power... it feels familiar!"
Bloom looked back, seeing Elias surrounded by a faint, fiery aura—the newly-acquired Dragon Aura.
"Elias! You have magic!" Bloom cried, her voice ringing with astonishment and relief.
Elias grinned, feeling the intoxicating rush of true power. He drew on the Dragon Flame now rooted in his core.
"It's the stabilization, Bloom!" he shouted over the noise, maintaining his cover. "The flux worked! I absorbed some of your raw energy and now I can wield it! We're partners!"
He didn't wait for a reply, launching a second, stronger Fireball toward Darcy.
[BLOOM REP GAINED: +50 (TRUST INCREASED)]
The System had stabilized, and Elias was no longer a parasite, but a genuine, powerful player in the game. He was the Dragon-Touched Tutor, and he had just earned his place fighting alongside the Winx Club.
What should Elias purchase next with his remaining 350 SP and newfound power?
* [Dragon Fire Shield Lvl 2]: Upgrade his defense to withstand a proper Trix hit (Cost: 200 SP).
* [Magic Converter]: A high-tech specialist device that allows him to convert excess Dragon Flame MP into usable SP (Cost: 350 SP).
* [Flight]: Unlock the ability to fly without a vehicle, granting him greater mobility (Cost: 300 SP).