That night, Luna could not fall asleep because she had been asleep all day. She lay in silence, staring at her bedroom ceiling, thinking to herself, wondering if she would have any more dreams of Lunestica if she did fall asleep. Another thing she thought about was what she saw and heard in the house across the street. Those voices and that figure in the attic did not make sense to her one bit--the figure more than anything.
She thought back to it; the golden morning sunlight filtering through the sparkling pink figure of what looked to be a tall man. The way he looked at her with his faint green gaze still gave her shivers.
"Are you still awake?" She heard a voice say. She shot up, and locked eyes with the pink spirit who had followed her around the entire day. She wanted to scream, but he covered her mouth quickly with his warm, transparent hand. "Hush now!" he hissed. "I have no intent to harm you, I am only curious." Luna gulped.
"C-curious?" She stammered. "Curious about what?"
"Absolutely everything about you," he said whimsically. "How can a Gaiatian like you support enough energy for an advanced and ancient spell?" Before she could answer, he floated onto her bed and sat in front of her. She whipped her head to see his magnificent and glistening pink figure, wisps of pink and gold floating around him as he grew increasingly attracted to her. She blushed a little but gained her composure quickly.
"I... saw it in a dream I had last week," she said sheepishly. "Where-where Alejandra was healing one of the rebel soldiers from a gunshot wound--"
"So, you do know about us!" He cried, crawling closer to her. She scrambled back, pushing her sheets off her legs. "Even better! Let me tell you my theory then, after what I have witnessed so far," Luna opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by him again. "You have had a dream about her, no? I assume several, perhaps?" She nodded quickly and nervously, somehow knowing exactly who he was referring to. "And you look so much like her, an absolute angel. I'd like to believe you're even more stunning than she was back then..."
"Just what are you implying, then?" She asked defensively, while also feeling a little flattered.
"Don't you see, Luna? You are her!" Luna scoffed.
"I most certainly am not," She retorted, covering her legs back up with her bedding. "I'm just a crazy psychology student with sleep paralysis,"
"Who performed an Afrödic healing spell from five hundred years ago!" he argued.
"You have the wrong chick," Luna was adamant that she was, indeed, not as special as he was making her seem. After all, she did not even know who this spirit was, or if he was even real. He could have just been a figment of her imagination.
"Luna, please... just give me a chance. Let me prove it to you," he pleaded. She raised an eyebrow at him. "At least let me show you what I look like behind this... shroud," Luna sighed.
"Fine," she said quietly. "But what exactly are you going to--?" He floated up to her and kissed her soul. She was startled at first but felt relaxed and almost hypnotized. He held her by the hand and lifted her spirit high, leaving her physical body to fall on its back on the bed.
Luna was still stunned, and her heart pounded. Now that her soul was outside her body, she could see colors and smell scents she did not even know existed. She looked over at him, and she realized that she was staring into the brilliant green eyes of Alejandra Y'Mauai himself, the magical man from her dreams.
"Are you real?" She asked softly, still taken aback. He smiled.
"As real as you want me to be," He replied, twitching his lips into a crooked smile. "Sorry about the kiss... couldn't help myself," She blushed.
"There were other ways to do what you did?" She hissed; her face flushed a brilliant crimson out of embarrassment.
"Of course, I just chose the quickest one for you," He held her hand. "I pretty much startled you out of your body. It was quite impressive, really," Her blush grew, and he laughed. "Come now! Let's go on an adventure," He helped her phase through the ceiling, and they soared through the sky.
If Luna knew anything about Alejandra, especially after her dreams, it was that he was a charmer and an even bigger flirt. With his flowing blonde waves and his ghostly green eyes that were always narrowed, his entire existence seemed like a dream to her. He looked at her in a way that no one else had before, and it made her feel like she was going to burst.
After a few minutes of silence, he spoke.
"So, tell me a bit about yourself, Luna," He inquired. "You resemble my true love in so many ways, but you've got to have your own personality about you." Luna blushed heavily and looked away.
"Oh... well... like I said earlier, I'm a psychology student, a college freshman. I plan to be a therapist or a psychiatrist," He hummed.
"Why is that?" He asked. She shrugged.
"I dunno," She replied. "The mind is so complex. I feel like there's a lot of stuff we're capable of doing and knowing that we just haven't been able to harness and master,"
"Like magic and psychic powers?"
"Something like that, yeah," she said with a sigh. "Lemme ask you something. Why, of all people, did you pick me to stalk?" This made him laugh, and he held her hand again to stop them from moving. He pulled her close to him so she would not fall, and locked eyes with her.
"Because I know there's so much more about you than meets the eye, and I want to discover every bit of it," he said softly to her. "That's why I pulled your true form out of your body... because that will probably be the only way I can be myself for you," Luna nodded. "I want you to trust me, Luna, and I want you to feel loved and protected by me,"
"Just like Lunabelle felt?"
"No, just like you felt a long time ago," Luna looked away, but he cupped her chin with his hand and turned her head back his way. "I can't help but get the feeling you really are her,"
"Then how come I don't feel like I'm any different?" Luna asked.
"Because, my dear, your mind, and soul are disconnected. The magic you performed was just one small step in getting your true self out into the light again. And I want to help," As he spoke, her head and eyes felt heavy. Sudden exhaustion swept over her, and she staggered into Alejandra's arms. "Are you alright?" He asked. She nodded.
"Y-yeah... I'm just sleepy all of a sudden," Alejandra grew pale.
"Of course, your body was not meant for this. What was I thinking? " He carried her. "Let's get you home,"
She was disappointed by this, but she nodded anyway. When they got back to her room, Alejandra set her down in front of her body and sighed sadly.
"I already miss you, and I haven't even put you back in your body yet," he confessed. Luna smiled faintly.
"Maybe we can do this again tomorrow." She spoke. His eyes lit up.
"Y-you'd really want to?" He asked. She nodded.
"Sure, if my body will let me," she said to him. "I bet the dreams are over anyway. I can't just sleep anymore. You know this," The two chuckled, and Alejandra took her by the hand and kissed it.
"It was a pleasure to finally spend some time with you," Luna blushed and nodded. Alejandra bent down and almost kissed her, helping her back into her body. She tried to kiss him instead but was put back right before she was able to make the move.
She lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about what had just happened.
She already missed him.
In the morning, she woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the sun filtering through her window blinds. She sat up, feeling light-headed at first, but she eventually made her way into the kitchen, where Christian was already up and dressed while nibbling on a pop tart. He looked up and saw her standing in the doorway, her hair ruffled and messy, and her t-shirt sliding off of her shoulder. She looked exhausted, almost sickly.
"Are you okay?" He asked her. She shrugged.
"I feel like I'm gonna puke," She grumbled, shuffling over to the table, and sitting down. She rested her chin on her arms and sighed heavily as he looked down at her.
"Did you have another dream?" He sat next to her and petted her hair a little to comfort her. She shrugged.
"I... I guess," she said quietly. "I saw Alejandra. He took me out of my body," Christian blinked several times, then sighed quietly.
"Okay, Luna," He stood and continued to eat his breakfast. Luna looked up at him with glassy eyes.
"You don't believe me," She spoke. "Figures," She put her head back down and took some deep breaths to calm her body down. Meanwhile, Christian grabbed his keys and put on his shoes, then walked over to Luna to gently pet her head hoping it would comfort her.
"I'm going to the store. Do you need anything?" She looked up at him and smiled faintly.
"Soup,"
"Soup? What kind of soup?"
"Just soup," He gave a breathy chuckle and nodded.
"Yes ma'am," he said to her. He petted her head one last time before heading out and closing the door.
Luna continued to sit at the table, staring in front of her. The silence in the house was deafening, like a faint roar in her ears. She could hear her own heartbeat, and she could hear her blood flowing through her ears. She felt as if she had been run over by a car; her back hurt so badly.
"Luna," She heard Alejandra call. She looked up and saw his shimmering figure in the sunlight. She groaned. "Are you okay?"
"I feel like shit," She grumbled. "My senses are heightened, but my back also hurts like hell," He floated over to her and lifted her chin so they could look each other in the eye. She was surprised that he could even touch her physically.
Alejandra stared into her eyes and studied them carefully. That bluish abyss stunned him for a moment, and it made him sadly smile when he came to. Luna raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong?" She asked. He shook his head.
"Nothing, your eyes are just so beautiful," She blushed and broke eye contact.
"Th-thanks, I guess," She slowly stood up and trudged over to a cabinet, where she grabbed a bottle of Tylenol and popped a few pills. Alejandra peered at her curiously.
"What is that?" He asked her. She looked over at him.
“Pain meds. My fucking head is killing me…” she grumbled, putting the bottle back in the cabinet. Alejandra raised an eyebrow.
“Pain medication? I could have done a healing spell on you, you know,” Luna hummed.
"You can do magic as a ghost?" He shrugged.
"I haven't tried it since I took this form, but I guess we're about to find out," He floated up to her and his wisps of magic rubbing against her skin made her shiver. "Are you ready, Luna?" She nodded.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she said quietly. He nodded and used his fingertip to draw the same symbol quickly but softly on her chest as she had the day before, then he pressed it into her skin. The energy felt warm inside Luna, and it made her instantly calm. She felt like she was protected. She looked up at Alejandra, whose handsome face was visible within the pink and gold wisps of magic; he was smiling both faintly and lovingly at her. Her pain was gone and was replaced with warmth and comfort. She smiled crookedly at the thought of it. The two of them chuckled.
"I wish I were still alive, you know," Alejandra remarked, getting closer to her.
"Why?" She asked. He sighed quietly.
"I think I'm starting to--" He was cut off by Christian coming back into the house with a small bag of groceries. The first thing he noticed was Luna standing in the sunlight, her pale cheeks rosy, and her hair ruffled more than when he left. Instead of her usual glassy stare, her big blue eyes sparkled and shone brighter than the light she was in. She looked rejuvenated compared to before he left, and while it made him a little suspicious, he was glad she was feeling better.
"I got your soup, Lunabelle," He called her by her full first name as he pulled a can out of the bag. "I just got chicken noodles. That's usually your go-to sick soup." She blushed and shuffled over to get it from him.
"You haven't called me by my real name in a while," she said shyly.
"I'm sorry, I know you don't usually--" she shushed him.
"It's fine. Thanks for the soup," she said. She smiled, then went over to the kitchen to warm up her soup. Christian was in awe and did not do a decent job of hiding it at all.
Alejandra, while amazed as well, peered into the eyes of Christian, who was still standing and frozen. And one thing stood out more than anything else, and that was one single thought--
'God help any man that loves you, Luna. It's easier to fall for you than to breathe,'
Alejandra smiled at this and went back to the real world where Christian was in the kitchen with Luna. He put up groceries while she heated her soup. She offered him some, but he declined and said he wasn't hungry.
"I'll save you some anyway because you always end up wanting some," she said with a chuckle and sat down at the table. Christian put up the last of the groceries and went back into his room in the back.
Luna, meanwhile, looked up at Alejandra and smiled.
"Thank you for healing me, Al," she said quietly to him. "I feel funny. But in a good way," Alejandra smiled nervously.
"When you do magic, you put a little bit of yourself and your feelings into that magic, too," He explained, floating to the other side of her. "You'll figure out one day what I mean," She nodded even though she was still confused. "I'll teach you," Luna got up to check on her soup. Since it was warm enough, she turned off the heat, scooped some into a bowl, and left the rest in the pot for Christian to eat.
"If you were able to eat, I would give you some, too," she said to Alejandra. "Chicken noodles are yummy," She started to eat her soup, and her eyes lit up. Alejandra chuckled.
"What will you do after this?" He asked her. She shrugged.
"I dunno, probably draw. Maybe I'll go to the library and hang out with my friend Kylie. Today's her day off, but she stays there regardless because she loves to read," She looked up at him with a thoughtful expression. "Just like Aevaan," she murmured. Alejandra's eyes widened.
"Aevaan? My son lived?"
"Oh... I thought you knew--"
"If I knew, I wouldn't be here on Gaia! Please, tell me more!" Luna finished off her soup and put her bowl in the dishwasher. She motioned for him to follow.
The two of them sat on Luna's bed while she got out her tablet. She scrolled through her drawings and scribblings until she got to Aevaan's folder. She opened that folder and showed Alejandra the first portrait that she ever drew of him. Alejandra covered his mouth with his hand and moved closer to see better. He could not believe his eyes.
"He's wearing royal garments," He said, breath taken. Luna nodded.
"After you and Lunabelle were arrested and executed, Oron snuck him into his labs and called Marilynn down to see him. She was still upset at the loss of you two, but when she saw Aevaan, she knew there was hope for the Lunestic race after all," She explained. "As much as Albrecht hated the idea, he had no choice. He needed an heir, so Marilynn adopted Aevaan as her own and raised him to be a fine prince. He's still alive right now,"
"My son is alive?!" He exclaimed. "Where?" Luna chuckled and flipped through some more drawings for him to see. Alejandra just could not believe it.
"I'll tell you where," she said, taking the tablet back and turning off the screen. "Albrecht didn't even want to look at him, because he had your and Lunabelle's same moral and political values. For the past twenty years, he has been exiled in the Lunestic province on D'Chaalö, where he oversees the prison,"
"So, he has the injection?" Luna nodded at him. He sighed and looked out the window. "I remember the last time I saw him. He was just a boy then. When his mother and I got arrested, he looked so afraid. Yet, I knew he understood because we told him it would happen eventually. We just didn't think it would be so soon. "
There was a moment of silence before Luna spoke.
"I'm sorry this all happened to you. If I were able to help, I would," He looked over at her.
"You can," he said.
"How?"
"Take me by the hand and lead me to him. I want to see him in person," Luna nodded.
"Alright. You'll have to help me out of my body again," Alejandra nodded and held her hand.
"Close your eyes and clear your mind," She nodded and did so. The action was easy for her to do. "Awesome. Now open those beautiful eyes again." She did and felt a tug between her spirit and body. She has now pressed up against Alejandra as a spirit herself. "You've done it. Now, come. Let's go to D'Chaalö," She nodded and held his hand tighter; his slender fingers were wrapping around hers almost perfectly.
The two of them floated out of the house and shot through the sky. Luna took hold of Alejandra tightly, afraid of how fast they were going or what they would encounter. The force of it almost peeled her right off his back, yet she kept her strength and held on as tight as she could. Eventually, they slowed down and came to a stop.
"Luna, open your eyes now," he told her. She slowly opened her eyes and found that they were surrounded by space dust. It clouded up on all sides of them. She was amazed by all the beautiful shades of orange, red, and pink. "We are in the Trinity System. This is where D'Chaalö and her sister planet reside," Alejandra explained. Luna hummed.
"What's the other planet called? I never dreamed of it," She asked. Alejandra sighed quietly.
"We do not speak her name because it is bad luck, but since you do not know, I'll tell you," He led her out of the clouds and into the vastness of space. He pointed to a white ball in the distance. "Her name is Bekaav. The planet of eternal winter. It has a blizzard that never ends," Luna's eyes widened.
"Why is it bad luck?" She asked him. He shushed her.
“Legend states there is an evil spirit with an aura dark as Limbo who lives there," He shuddered, swallowed hard in his throat, and started leading her to D'Chaalö, a vast planet that was a bright shade of pale yellow. There was an ocean and a small forest on the other side of the planet, but the place they were going to was in the middle of the desert.
Once the two landed on solid ground, Alejandra turned to Luna.
"Hey, Luna. I don't know where this place is. They must have taken the territory after I died," Luna nodded.
"I'm familiar with this area. Follow me, I'll show you where the city is," She took hold of his hand and floated up so they could fly across the desert. When they finally got there, the only things Alejandra could see were a few small buildings and the prison.
"Where's the city?" Alejandra asked.
"The city is underground. The Kaltake'lari don't like how dry it is up here," She responded. Before he could get a chance to ask more, she tugged on his arm. "Come on, we're almost there!" He nodded and followed her up to the top floor of the prison. She led him to a window that was decorated with a crimson curtain.
"Is this the way into his office?" He asked. She nodded, and they phased through the wall. Alejandra froze when he saw a young man sitting at a desk writing in Afrödic scribes in a journal while licking his fingertips to flip through the pages of another book. His hair was dark, and curly and sat right on his shoulders. His nails on both ring fingers were painted a brilliant violet color, probably indicating his aura color. His jacket was off, so the two of them could see his shoulders and arms from the tank top he was wearing. Alejandra and Luna glanced at each other, and Alejandra looked surprised. In fact, he was speechless.
What looked to be some type of communication device on his desk started ringing. Aevaan picked it up and looked at who was calling. He groaned, cleared his throat, and answered the call with a frustrated expression on his face.
"I thought you wanted nothing to do with me, old man," He hissed in between his teeth. Luna swallowed thickly.
"That's probably Albrecht on the phone with him now, by the sound of it." She noted. "But why?"
"You're doing what?" Aevaan said with a chuckle. "No. No, I won't help you doom another planet into oblivion. You've ruined enough peoples' lives with your selfishness," Alejandra slipped his hand from Luna's and floated over to the front of the room as Aevaan slumped back in his chair. "We've talked about this before. I don't care if you don't have magical powers. I don't care if you need another warlock. I still have some say over what goes on around here, and I say your ideas are preposterous. I am not using my abilities to aid in ideals that neither I nor my parents believed in. That is final!" He hung up the phone and slammed it on his desk. His bright blue eyes flickered with rage, but he remained physically calm as he continued with what he was doing beforehand, this time pinching the bridge of his nose briefly with frustration.
"He has your temper," Luna said to Alejandra as she went over to him. He nodded.
"Y-yes," He stammered. "Abilities? He said he has abilities. What are they? Do you know?" Luna shrugged.
"I... know a few," she said thoughtfully. "He has a knack for emotional manipulation magic and elemental magic, but he's also a medium and a--"
"Wait, did you say medium?" Alejandra cut her off. She nodded. "Luna, a medium can hear and see spirits. He probably knows we're here right now!"
"He's able to control that ability. He only uses it when he needs to, like when he's not working. It's so he doesn't get distracted," Luna explained. Alejandra hummed.
"Okay, continue with that list,"
"Well, that's all I have seen, really. I do know he is skilled at telepathy," Alejandra smiled.
"We always knew he would be great one day. I just never got to see him do anything outside of an elemental spell," Luna rested her hand on his shoulder.
"Well, maybe one day you can,"
The two watched as Aevaan closed his books and stood. He stretched and sighed as he put his coat on.
"Stupid thing," He grumbled. "It's blistering hot in this place, and they expect me to wear this piece of shit," He pulled his hair out from under the coat and stuffed his books into a satchel. He threw the bag over his shoulder and walked right through the two spirits on his way out the door.
"Let's follow him!" Alejandra cried, following the prince. Luna nodded and followed suit.
The two followed Aevaan out of the building and into a small hut that looked like a house. Aevaan knocked before entering, and he started speaking to an old reptilian man in the reptilian language, which consisted of clicks, purrs, and coos. Afterward, he opened another door, which led to an old elevator. He stepped inside and went down. Aevaan felt the presence of Luna and Alejandra following him into the elevator while it was still going down, without seeing them yet. He did not say anything, but Alejandra knew what he was thinking.
When they stepped off the elevator, Luna and Alejandra were amazed at the bustling city ahead. He smiled crookedly.
"Ah, here it is," He said. "What's this city called?" Luna glanced over at a sign that had both Lunestic scribes and reptilian glyphs on it. She could read both fluently.
"This sign says this city is called Na'Mouta," Luna told him.
Alejandra nodded.
"Of course! Na'Mouta is one of the oldest cities in the universe. Shame on me for not recognizing it sooner, I've been here many times when I was still alive,"
They followed Aevaan to an apartment building, and he climbed three flights of stairs to get into his home. When Luna and Alejandra attempted to enter, they were blocked by some sort of magic forcefield. Luna sighed.
"Well, Al, this is as far as we can go. It's strange that he has this magic around his house," Luna turned to Alejandra, who shook his head.
"If only I were still alive," he said, slightly crestfallen.
On their way back to Gaia, Luna was thinking about the phone call Aevaan had with Albrecht. She knew that he was planning to take over a planet soon. But which one? She tried to think back to her dreams and put the pieces together. Something seemed off, and she did not know why.
When they arrived back in Luna's bedroom, she was hesitant about going back into her body. Alejandra noticed this and asked what was wrong.
"I just want to know what planet Albrecht wants to take over," She spoke. "I feel like I already know something, but I just can't fit all the pieces together," Alejandra hummed and held Luna's hand to comfort her.
"I am sure it will all work out in time. Besides, I'm sure there is nothing the two of us can do to stop it," he said. She raised an eyebrow.
"Why is that?" She asked sharply.
"Because I am dead, and you're stuck here on Gaia," Luna shook her head.
"You mean Earth," She corrected.
"Everyone else calls it Gaia," He spoke. She sighed and headed over to her body, which was sprawled out under the bedding. She figured Christian had tucked her in earlier in the day. "Anything else before you head back to the real world?" He asked her sadly. She looked back over at him and smiled.
"I dunno... I just want to tell you that, well, I had a good time with you," Alejandra blushed lightly and smiled.
"I had a good time with you, too," He rested his hand on her cheek. "Lunita." She grinned.
"Just like in my dreams," She whispered whimsically.
"Better than your dreams," He kissed her forehead and then her cheek. He was about to kiss her lips before she beat him to it. The two kissed for a few seconds before Luna pulled away, leaving Alejandra awestruck. "Wow..." he mumbled with a crooked smile. Luna grinned.
"I'll see you later, Al," she told him. "Thanks," He nodded, still trying to hold back from kissing her more.
"You're welcome. Please sleep well," She nodded and phased back into her body
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