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

Shane knew his world was gone.
After one more night with his friend, a Child Care worker came and sent him to foster care.
That was the day he named himself “Shadow,” for he was now a shadow of his former self and would never be the same again.

In the Realm of Dreams, Shadow shook out of the trance he believed Damian put him in. He knew what the former-Merchant was doing, but he didn’t let it get to him.
“Come out of hiding, coward. I know you’re the one who brought me to Witches Grove.” Shadow called into the air, conjuring an energy ball in his hands and playing with it. “Be a good villain and tell me why you reminded me of that night.”
“It was to show you the truth, Shadow.” Damian indeed came out of hiding and revealed himself. He kept his distance, and Shane knew Damian still feared him. “It was your fault your parents died. You killed them.”
“That’s not true. They were killed in an accident. I saw the scene myself.” Shadow’s eyes turned dark, and he was getting angry.
Damian tried another tactic, since the first wasn’t working.
“They never wanted you; your mother was always trying to kill herself, and your father, well, his is another story.”
“Just what are you talking about, Damian?” Shadow growled. “You’d better explain yourself.”
Damian shrugged, indifferent. “If Nathan has not told you by now, why should I?”
“Because, if you don’t, you’ll be fried to a crisp before daylight.” Shadow growled.
Damian laughed. “Just like your dearest Aluna; always threatening to fry me with magic you think you have.”
“I have the Protector’s Magic, which equals the Ancient Mystic’s own.” Shadow supplied with a smile. “Either tell me or leave before I kill you with it.”
Damian growled, finally giving up. He knew nothing he did to Shadow would hurt him. He would bounce back, ever stronger.
“Fine, I will leave, but think on this.” Damian started. “Your father was not the man he led you to believe he was.”
With that final statement, Damian disappeared and left Shadow pondering what he was talking about. Something told him he was going to learn on his own soon.

IV

((Damian now goes to Derrick about Ariana’s Changing, especially now that she’s Lady Guardian; and how he feels about it. He’s conflicted between Ariana and Dracora. He gets angry at Damian for teasing him and finds his own Protectors’ Magic has grown. Damian leaves, scared but not discouraged, for he’s got other Crusaders to irritate.))

V

Damian went to find the Unicorn and his Bondmate Airmed. He found them, cornered by Fang and a few other Stalkers by the time he arrived. Damian smiled; it was going to be fun torturing them.
What he didn’t see was how the two were fighting their Turned kin. The Stalkers were surrounding them.
“Move!” Damian commanded. The Stalkers stopped to see who shouted, and moved out of his way.
He wasn’t happy when he saw the bloodstains and slash-marks from fingernails on those that surrounded the Unicorn and his mate. It was apparent not even Fang and his few followers could deal with them accordingly.
“Fang!” Damian growled.
“Aye, Master?”
He conjured a light-ball, a ball of intensely-white light that acted as sunlight to vampires and Stalkers alike. With a growl, he Destroyed Fang and his few followers.
The Unicorn and his mate weren’t to be thwarted so easily. Damian needed time to figure on how he was going to Destroy them as well, since they both carried the blood and magics of Ancient Mystics and Dweller-kin Sundancers. Apparently, the task wasn’t going to be easy; for it needed to be handled delicately, and by him alone.
“I will deal with the two of you later, you can count on it.” Damian replied to a shocked Unicorn before disappearing in a thick mist of black smoke.
Just as he left, Amethyst and her mate the Fire-Archer arrived. Unicorn told his twin what happened, leaving the four confused.
“Why did he give up so quickly?” Amethyst wondered, after telling the couple what happened to her.
They looked to Airmed, who just shrugged.

Meanwhile, Damian found his next victim, the newly-titled Lady Guardian.
“You might as well leave now, Damian, because I have no need for you at the moment, or anytime for that matter.”
“Big words for a little tyke.” Damian said sarcastically.
Lady Guardian had a glare of her own; one he’d not seen from her before. It reminded him of what Dominick had told him of her. She smelled and felt like a Dweller-kin, having their gifts of Stealth.
“Why won’t you leave us in peace?” Lady Guardian sighed, almost bored. “Don’t you have someone else to pester, or is it just an honor left for family?” Without waiting for an answer, she groaned. “If it is, you might as well forget it, because we don’t want that kind of honor.”
Damian shook his head. “How is it, Lady Guardian, that you have the stench of those damn Dwellers upon you?”
Lady Guardian studied him. “Use your ‘brilliant’ Dominionite Magic, cousin, and find out for yourself. Why waste my time and yours by asking silly questions you can easily get the answers to?”
“I would prefer to get it from you without torture.” Damian supplied. “There is something about you that puzzles me, telling me nothing I do will push you over the edge.”
Lady Guardian laughed. “It’s about time you figured that out! You’ve been battling the Crusaders and me for how long now?”
Damian shrugged. “I assure you, that does not matter. All that does is why I sense Dweller-kin blood within you.”
Lady Guardian smiled. “Blood that’s as nearly as old as time itself? Who do you know of that fits that description?”
After a moment of thought, Damian frowned. “Dracora.”
The Lady only nodded, keeping her smile. “Do you remember the Mortallan War, Damian?”
“I remember. Being untraceable with Empathy, Father thought you were dead.” Damian recalled, half-bored.
“I almost was.” Lady Guardian responded. “Let me tell you something; Dracora allowed me to be her advisor during delegations with the King, Yorn. She Fed from me.”
That statement gave Damian yet another idea. He kept his evil grin inside. “You were so young then, not even of age yet. Your mind and magic could not possibly handle the information. Certainly, she put you under a spell.”
Lady Guardian shrugged. “Thanks to Ramon Martiya and his kin-Clans, that spell has been lifted during the war.” She cracked her neck and gave him a red-eyed smile. “It would also seem I’m much more powerful and to be feared. What do you think, Damian?”
He only smiled. “Darkness is grand, is it not? Especially when it comes from within.”
“Oh, I’m not dark, cousin, not by far.” She told him simply. “Let’s just say, I’m better.” Satisfied with her words, she smirked and nodded. “Yeah, better.”
Damian only had to look into her eyes to sense what was there. “Aye, I would say you were better with Father lying within you. It should be interesting how it all turns out. I will be well entertained.”
With that comment, he left. Lady Guardian stood in her place, wondering what he was thinking this time. Not wanting to figure it out, she left as well.

Part Two:
Magic Gone Awry

Prologue:
Haunting Visions of the Past

Lady Guardian was drawn to a place near the borders of the Realm of Dreams and Dragon Nations. It wasn't far from the borderline the locals called the Firewall.
In her Dragonwolf form, she stood and stared at the FireWall. Immediately, a vision came to mind.

She was a child of fifteen, a new recruit for the System Agency and on a special case alone.
She found herself not on her own patrols of the Dream Realm, but that of a different, yet strangely familiar place. She found a marketplace to ask questions. That, too, seemed familiar to her, but she didn't think about that, either. All she thought about was going home to her partner and love, Derrick.
She stopped at a jeweler. "Where might I find the monarch of these lands?"
He bore his teeth at her; not in a greeting, but as a hunter who found his prey. That was her cue to exit, quickly. She gasped, for his eyes had been red and full of blood-lust. According to legend, she was in the presence of a vampire!
Not wanting to be bit or seen as a snack, she ran as fast as she could. She sensed a horde of vampires behind her, and quickened her pace. She tried more than once to lift off to the skies but she was Earthbound. This Realm was not like the Realm of Dreams. She couldn't fly here.
So she ran.
The vampires that followed were gaining on her trail, quickly. Before she knew it, they attacked. She started to gain the magic she needed to stop them but they all saw a brilliant, huge dragon in the sky. Black with silvery scales. She was in awe.
Before she knew it, she saw a brilliant white light and her world went dark.

With a shake of her head, the vision changed.

Later, once meeting the Countess of the Dragon Nations, Dracora, she was set to the task of being her advisor during delegations with the Mortallan King, Yorn.
Once waking from her quarters and finding bloodstains and pinpricks on her neck, she confronted the Countess.
"You Fed from me!" She demanded. The Countess merely blinked. "Without my consent or knowledge."
"I Fed, aye, I admit that." Dracora supplied without emotion. "I also replenished you."
"May I ask why?" She demanded, frustrated.
"I suffered from the Hunger." Dracora pointed out. "So I Fed, and I made certain you were replenished. You will see in time that what I did was a blessing, rather than a curse."
"Lord Guardian's not going to be happy about this, once he Senses what you've done." She told the Countess, folding her arms.
"I would think not." Dracora supplied, again without emotion. Young Guardian was beginning to hate when she did that. "I will tell him, though."
"When you feel like it, I take it?" She sneered.
Dracora merely smiled. "Do you not need to be returning? I am sure you are sorely missed."
Damn her for changing the subject! She thought to herself.
"Show me how to get back to the Realm of Dreams, as you promised." She demanded in her Young Guardian tone. "Delegations are over, the two of you made a pairing of it and my services as an advisor are no longer required."
Dracora grinned, nodding. She knew something. Why wasn't she telling?
Dracora assigned a Guard named Trenor to show the way to the Borderline of the Dragon Nations and Realm of Dreams.

What was the significance of those visions now? What stood out the most was the black dragon that saved her from the horde of vampires, and the morning Dracora bound them together through blood. Why were those visions coming to her mind now?
Lady Guardian, finished with