Ancient Mystic's War of the Realms Saga by Lady Adellandra Dratianos (year 7 reading list .TXT) 📖

kissed Luna and stood. Derrick stood as well. "Be right back."
Luna nodded, looking to her lap. Once both Shane and Derrick had left, she asked. "How much did you tell him about the blood-Binding, Emerald?"
"Everything." Emerald supplied with a smile. "He is your Earthly Protector, so he deserved to know the truth."
"The most important part is that you're okay now." Kelly said, hugging her.
Luna hugged her back. "Yeah, I'm okay, for the most part."
"The true Healing will come in time, Grand Magus." Emerald supplied.
Luna nodded. "Thanks, Emerald."
The Jewel-Elder only smiled.
The guys came back with juice in one hand and plates with sandwiches in the other.
Shane pressed the glass of juice in Luna's hand. "Here, drink up."
She took it and drank eagerly. "How long have I been out?"
"This time, for two days." Shane said. "But I still can't fathom how you got from the bedside to here."
"She woke up and came with me, Uncle Shane." Kelly said. "To visit Momma."
Shane nodded, understanding. "Don't worry, the housework is just as you left it."
Luna gasped. "It better not be!"
"Relax, Sweets, everything is fine." Shane said. He looked at Ariana's sleeping form, with Derrick anxiously waiting for her to wake up. "Now to wake her and we'll see what the commotion was about."
Emerald smiled and told Luna. "That is my cue to leave. I am glad you are feeling okay, Blood-Sister. I will be back soon to look in on you."
"Oh, that won't be necessary, Emerald." Shane supplied with a smile. "I think I've got it covered."
Emerald laughed and misted before leaving.
As if that were her cue, Ariana finally gasped awake.
"Welcome home from oblivion." Derrick gave her a kiss and a smile.
Ariana smiled back, hugging him. With his help, she sat up and saw Kelly sitting there as well, hugging her.
"How do you feel?" Derrick asked.
"Different, though a weird and cool kind of different." Ariana told him. She looked to the four people surrounding her. "Someone want to tell me why?"
Shane shied away, Kelly looked to Derrick and Derrick himself was frowning at Luna.
Ariana folded her arms. "Something I should know, Aluna Star?"
"I tried to give something back to you, as a sign of appreciation and love but it didn't work right." Luna told her quickly, playing with the Dream Pentacle around her neck.
Ariana made a movement to strangle her but Derrick stopped her.
"Honey."
"Don't." Ariana scowled. She turned back to Luna. "Explain. Now."
Luna finally looked up at her twin, who didn't look happy. "Want the long or the short version?"
Ariana kept her scowl.
Luna took a deep breath and told her everything that happened to her. From the time Ariana was lost in what they now called Healing Oblivion until the moment she awoke. "There you have it." She ended. "We are now linked to every Ancient Mystic in the Realm, and to the Dream Realm's Sphere."
Ariana scowl stayed and she didn't speak.
"Come on, you two," Shadow said. "We'll figure everything out later."
"For now, we have to get this," Derrick held up the Sphere, "back to the Originators."
"On that, I agree." Shadow supplied. Kelly nodded as well. "It holds Ancient power that doesn't belong here. It could do a lot of damage and kill a lot of people. Do you really want that on your conscience?"
"No, but I was able to harness it!" Luna cried. "We can't take it back, yet. There's more I need to know about it!"
"Lu, no!" Derrick replied in his Protector's tone. "Not this time."
"Neither of us wants to see you, or anyone else, hurt or worse, killed." Ariana managed to whisper. She rubbed her throat. "It was separated into its singular pieces for that reason."
Luna sighed. "Fine. I'll return it."
"Not alone, you won't." Derrick said. "The three of us will go with you."
"Can I come, too, Derrick?" Kelly asked.
"No, you may not." Ariana answered for him. "You, my dear, are going back to bed. It's late and you need your rest."
"Especially after the workings you did." Shadow said.
After kissing and hugging everyone good night, Kelly left.

Epilogue:
Betwixt and Be Twins

Derrick and Shane still sat beside the twins, each wary and scared to move or say a word. The moment was tense and all could feel it.
The first to speak was the Young Guardian herself, and she wasn't happy. She folded her arms and cooled her temper with deep breaths and closed eyes.
"Leave us."
"Love," Derrick tried. When he saw her eyes were black, he let it go.
"I said, leave us." She repeated.
A new jolt of empathic energy carried itself down the Ancient Mystic Lines. Those around her were startled. Besides fighting and patrolling in the Realms, neither of them have seen her this angry before.
Derrick held his Pendant-Locket and sighed. "Come on, Shane. Let's leave the twins alone." He turned to his wife and kissed her. "Just remember, I love you."
"I love you, too." Her voice softened at the statement.
At that, the guys left, leaving Ariana frowning at her own twin.
Luna just stared, waiting for the shoe to drop.
"How dare you?" Ariana asked.
"What did I do?"
"You messed with certain powers you didn't know you could control."
"But I did control it!" Luna yelled back.
"By putting a spell on all Ancient Mystics?" Ariana exclaimed. "How is that controlling it?"
"I don't know. I guess it was part of the payback for all the sacrifices you've made over the years, as well as a thank you from me, for giving me a part of your Healing Magic."
Ariana was confused. "That makes no sense. Want to clarify?"
"It all began with a Watcher Dweller-kin named Julianna and her brother Firestorm." Luna began, reciting what she'd failed to before. "The way I see it, if there were any other Ancient Mystics out there we don't know about, lost and wanting to find their way home, they can use the link to find us."
Ariana sighed, thinking. "How did you know you could do that?"
Luna shrugged. "I didn't. The Sphere must have had something to do with it."
Ariana had the Sphere in her hands and looked at it. "I bet it did." She said sarcastically. "I also bet your special flair for advanced forms of magic had nothing to do with it, either?"
"So what if it did?" Luna asked. "The truth is, and even you have to admit it, it's for the benefit of the entire family. It'll save the Unmentionables some trouble of finding the rest of us."
Ariana was confused again. "Unmentionables?"
"You know, those thought lost to us, like Bella?"
"Ramon's Bondmate?"
"Ancient Mystic Bondmate." She said. "According to the lines of Dorianne, Bella, once named Annabelle Jacobs-Prichard here in the States, ran away from home. Until Ramon and the other Dweller-kin arrived, no one knew of her existence. She'd even cut the ties to her twin."
"Why would she do that?" Ariana asked, interested. "How could she do that? I mean, not even we were able to separate our twin-bonds, remember?"
Luna nodded, then shrugged. "Only she knows." She sighed, then made her way to her twin's side on the bed. "Are you finished being mad at me now?"
"I was never mad, Lu, only frustrated, not to mention worried." Ariana supplied, hugging her. "You could've killed us all if you weren't careful."
"Enough of the guilt trip, big sister." Luna eyed her. "I don't want to fight with you anymore. It's not worth losing my twin."
Ariana felt bad, so she hugged her again, whispering in her sister's ear. "You'll never lose me, little sister. I'm much too stubborn to let that happen." She pulled back. "Just be sure you know exactly what you're doing the next time you even think of performing any kind of Advanced Magic."
Luna smiled, knowing all was forgiven.
"Promise me, you'll pull no more stunts like that again?"
"I promise, Young Guardian." Luna remarked with a grin.
Ariana rolled her eyes. "Can it, Grand Magus." She joked back. "Come on, we've got lives to live and children to raise."
"Not to mention a Sphere to return to the Realm of Dreams." Luna interjected.
"Yeah, that, too." Ariana grinned. "Get out of here and have a good night's rest. We're all gonna need it."
With a final kiss and hug, the twins parted and Ariana lay back down to rest. She cupped the Sphere in her hands and watched it glow.
Sure, Lu knows how to use this thing, and claims she can harness its powers. Ariana thought to herself, fingering the separate jewels on it. I wonder if I can. After all, we are twins.
Don't even think about it, Ariana Moon. She heard a voice in her head. It sounded like Derrick's. She’d temporarily forgotten the special telepathy they had with each other.
She raised her head and saw him standing at the doorway.
"Children are still sleeping, Kelly’s in bed at last and Shane's taking Luna home." Derrick told her. "Now, it's our turn."
He took the Sphere from her hands and examined it. "You know, this thing has probably caused more ruckus over the past few hours than it has in the past decade."
Ariana giggled. "That's probably true."
Derrick wrapped his arm around her and kissed her again. "Let's get some rest, shall we?"
“I just spent the last few days in a Healing Coma.” Ariana said with a grin. "I'm not tired."
Derrick laughed, putting the Sphere on the Mirror nightstand. "Who said anything about sleep?"
He was glad to have her back and would show her many ways before they finally fell to sleep holding each other.

II

Balor headed from the Dragon Nations to the Dark Area as Cyrix took Young Guardian away. He knew he had to get retribution for the Destruction of his mentor Crucis.
He knew the enemy of his enemy would be his friend. He’d been there when the Ancient Mystic girl helped the Dweller kin-Clan leader Destroy the most powerful Stalker Balor had ever known. He watched as the girl and Ramon used their powers, leaving the remaining Stalkers to retreat to the Dragon Nations.
Balor was the only Stalker not discouraged by the sight. In fact, he was fuming. Balor was still fuming as he made his way to the Dark Castle in the Dark Area in search of Lord Byron, the enemy of his enemy that would become his friend.
Not a soul, dark or otherwise, saw him there, as he planned. He misted through the Dark Area’s many streets and cavernous alleys. Using his Stalker senses, he flew through the air; sniffing out the man the Ancient Mystics were calling the Nightmare King, Lord Bane.
He saw Bane’s figure and grinned to himself. As soon as he was a foot in front of the Dark Area’s Lord, he formed back into Stalker-kin form.
Lord Bane turned when he sensed someone behind him. “Who are you?"
Balor bowed. “I am Balor, protégé to the Stalker leader Crucis. I was wondering if you know where I might find the Ancient Mystic who destroyed him.”
Lord Bane growled, shaking his head. “Nay. I know nothing of the Ancient Mystics.” He looked at Balor with suspicion. "What would you want with them?"
"I only wish retribution." Balor seethed, eyes turning blood red and sharp fangs shooting through his gums. Lord Bane saw this and was frightened. Balor went on. "Orthos was destroyed by Young Guardian and Lord Guardian." He continued. "That same Young Guardian helped Ramon destroy Crucis. I found her, with a Dragon-kin named Cyrix, and was almost mauled to Destruction myself. She somehow has