Christian and Enry landed in the harsh desert town of Na'Mouta, a dry and almost lifeless place. Christian got hot immediately and pulled his hair back to keep it off his neck. Enry squinted, hissing in pain.
"I hate coming here, the light hurts my eyes!" He groaned, fishing out a pair of sun shades from his satchel. Christian hummed and looked at the paper Luna wrote giving them directions.
The two of them headed towards the prison building, and Enry showed his ID to the guards. They were let in, and they headed towards Aevaan's office per Luna's directions. Unfortunately, when they entered his office, he was not there.
Their next step was to follow Luna's directions to Aevaan's apartment. They ended up going into this elevator shaft that led down into the underground section of the city, which was much more alive than the surface section. And once Christian saw the people that lived there, what Luna said before they departed suddenly made complete sense.
Enry led the two of them to an apartment building near the center of the city and was allowed to enter because of his credentials. They found the apartment number and knocked on the door. No one came to answer the door, but loud music was playing inside. Enry knocked again— still no response. Christian was starting to get annoyed.
"We don't have time for this," He plucked a bobby pin out of Enry's hair, grabbed his knife from his pocket, and began to pick the lock. When he got it unlocked, he opened the door while knocking loudly on the doorframe. The man inside screamed, and this made Enry scream. "Cut it out, you two, we've got places to be!" He pointed at the man. "Are you Aevaan?"
"Y-yes, why?" He stammered.
"We need you on Lunestica, it's an emergency," Aevaan turned off his music and tied his hair back with a small red ribbon.
"What kind of emergency?" He inquired. "Who the hell even are you!?" The two stared each other down, Aevaan narrowing his blue eyes at Christian, then glancing for a second at Enry who smiled nervously. At first, he thought the man may have been a Carlite, what with his skin tone, and hair color; but something didn’t quite add up. Still, with the way the boy’s eyes flickered with urgency, he thought he’d hear him out.
“You don’t need to know who I am, Aevaan,” he spoke, “Me and Enry were just sent to come get you. You’re the only one who can help Luna–” Aevaan’s eyes widened.
“Luna?” he asked sharply, straightening his posture. “Lunabelle? As in, my mother? Preposterous. She’s long dead, along with my father,” Aveaan crossed his arms, “I don’t appreciate being lied to, boy,”
“He isn’t lying!” Enry chimed in, his voice quivering since he was talking back to royalty. “Marilynn sent us both to come get you because…well, because–” Christian huffed and looked back to Aevaan.
“Listen up, pretty boy! Your momma ‘reincarnated’ into my best friend, and Albrecht was this close,” he pinched his fingers together in front of his face, “to killing her! Now shut the fuck up and come with us before she dies…again!” Aevaan and Enry stared at Christian, whose freckled cheeks were flushed with frustration. Aveaan swallowed hard in his throat and straightened the cuffs of his sleeves.
"Alright, alright! You win! Let me pack my medicine bag and I'll be with you in a jiff!" Christian and Enry waited for Aevaan to pack a couple of things, then he walked up to them. "Okay, I'm ready. Shall we warp together, then?" The three linked arms and Enry warped them back to the bedroom. Everyone yelped.
"Well, you lot sure took your time!" Marilynn noted, annoyed. "What were you doing, Aevaan?"
"Never mind what I was doing, where’s my mother?" Marilynn stepped to the side to reveal Luna, whose condition has only worsened. Aevaan gasped. "Stars! What did that bastard do to her!?"
"Albrecht was experimenting on her," Enry said. "Seeing how much her body and aura could handle to confirm if she really is Lunabelle’s incarnate," Aevaan froze and stared at Luna.
"Gods..." he mumbled. "Good thing I brought only the best elixirs from my collection. I'll get started right away," As Aevaan started his work, Christian noticed that Alejandra was nowhere to be found. When he asked, he was told that he took a step outside in the courtyard to get some fresh air. Aevaan reached into his bag and brought out a vial as Christian walked over to the window to peer down where Alejandra was standing. Aevaan flicked it twice, and it let off a dim glow.
"What's in that?" Christian asked, looking back at him. Aevaan looked over and smiled Alejandra's crooked smile.
"It's just a series of herbs from different planets. The Kaltake'lari taught me basic medicine, and then I started studying it myself and found that this mixture can cure any energy depletion. That is what she has, along with some minor cuts and bruises and what looks to be some…” he squinted and checked her for bruising, “...internal bleeding, but that's nothing a healing spell and a little sleep can't help," He popped open the vial and went over to Luna. "Okay, miss. You're going to have to drink this, but I am warning you that it may taste bitter, so please don't spit it out," Luna nodded.
"Okay," She took the vial in her hands and quickly drank the medicine, immediately wincing. "Yuck!" She said, after swallowing it. "That was gross!"
"At least you're not like other mages I've treated this with. They all spit it out and I had to mix it in their food," He set the vial back in his bag. "Good. Now we wait a bit and see if you're feeling any better. Try to stand now," Aevaan held his slender hand out, and she took it, standing on her own for a moment before falling into his arms. Aevaan looked down at her, and she looked up at him, and a part of his gut twisted in on itself. He couldn’t believe how similar this woman looked to his mother; down to the way her lashes fluttered when she blinked. Though he loved his mother dearly, he just couldn’t help but feel…well, not really anything for this woman. She smiled faintly at him.
"I can… but I'm still really tired and I hurt," she said. She looked over at Christian. "Chris, can you go check on Alejandra? He’s been outside for quite some time, now. I’m…starting to get worried," Christian nodded and started to make his way toward the door. As he placed his hands on the knob, Aevaan’s eyes widened.
“Alejandra? M-my father? He’s alive, too?” he asked frantically. Christian looked back at him and Marilynn nodded.
“Yes, dear. He’s just outside in the courtyard–” Aevaan set Luna back on the bed and raced out of the room. He bounded down the staircase and winded through the halls until he reached the back doors, hoping that at least his father would look the same as he remembered. He burst through the doors, and ran outside, making Alejandra yelp and jerk his head around. When his eyes met Aevaan’s, Aveaan himself skidded to a halt and covered his mouth with his hands. The color drained from Alejandra’s face.
“F-father…” Aevaan’s voice quivered, and he lowered his hands back to his sides. Tears began to flow down his face. This wasn’t some reincarnate or clone of his father– it was his father. Down to the light freckles dotting his aquiline nose. Alejandra couldn’t believe his eyes, either. “Father!” Aevaan called out again, running across the courtyard to him. Alejandra grinned and opened his arms, and caught his son in a tight embrace. He spun him around once, Aevaan burying his face in the crook of his father’s neck. Aevaan sobbed, grabbing fistfuls of the back of Alejandra’s shirt.
Alejandra, meanwhile, had a surge of several emotions running through his head. So much so that his tears became lightly tinted with his magic. They parted from each other, and Alejandra wiped the tears from his son’s eyes.
“Have you met your mother yet?” Alejandra asked, trying not to choke on his sobs. Aevaan nodded, the smile on his face fading a little. Alejandra noticed this, and his faded too. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, father, really…it’s just, well…” he glanced up to the chamber window and saw Luna standing there watching them. He swallowed thickly and looked back at Alejandra. “She’s different…a Gaiatian…N-not that there’s anything wrong with Gaiatians! I just…” He sighed and looked down. Alejandra put his hand on his shoulder.
“I know, son. She may have a different body, and may be younger than both of us, but…well, she has her memories. She remembers you! She’s drawn pictures of you, and that’s how I found out you were still alive,” Aevaan looked back up at his father.
“I figured so, but still…” he sighed quietly and shook his head. “I’ll have to get used to it, is all. It’ll be hard, calling her ‘mother’,”
“I’m sure she won’t force you if you don’t want to,” Alejandra reassured him, “After all, she’s only 19 and still in school,” He looked up and saw her in the window. The two smiled when their eyes locked. “Speaking of your mother, we should go back inside. I’m sure she’s worried,” Aevaan nodded and followed his father inside.
When they entered the chamber, Alejandra immediately left Aevaan’s side to tend to Luna, who was pacing around to get her strength back. She had refused healing spells from everyone in the room who could do magic and insisted on Alejandra performing the spell, which he quickly did upon her request. After healing her, and kissing her, Alejandra turned to his son and smiled.
"Aevaan," he said, breath taken. “I'm very proud of you for not falling into Albrecht's rouse this whole time," He wiped a tear from his eye. “You didn't think I'd leave you all hanging, did you? I’ve come to save the world again," Alejandra did not waste any time hugging Aevaan tightly again.
"M-mother, too?" Aevaan said after their embrace, gesturing to Luna who began to walk around to regain her strength. "Is her purpose the same as yours?"
"Yes, my son, it is. As is your purpose as well. We were born warriors, guardians of the planets. And we must continue that legacy," Alejandra explained. Luna walked up to Alejandra and grabbed onto his arm for support. She looked up and blushed. "I've always wanted to tell you that, but it's a little late for that, huh?"
"Huh?" She questioned. "How am I a warrior? Lunabelle was a war hero. I'm a college student,"
"You've already embraced so much of that hidden power, Lunita," Alejandra said. "And once you rest up, I'd like to help you gain your powers back. Besides, I can already tell you'll be so much more powerful in this form," Luna nodded.
"Oh..." She stretched. "Anyways, I'm feeling a lot better now. Still exhausted, but at least I can stand." Aevaan nodded.
"Good. I told you that medicine would help you," He looked over at Marilynn. "Would you like me to stay here in the palace until the situation is under control?" Marilynn hummed.
"I dunno, Aevaan, it's not safe," she said, worried.
"Nowhere is safe now, your highness. Besides, Luna is still weak, and Father just got brought back to life. I've got all I need here, and I'll protect it no matter the danger," Aevaan set his bag back on the floor. "After all, it's my duty as the heir to the Lunestic throne to protect the empire from danger, just as Father said. And I'll tell you now that Albrecht has been the danger for half a millennium, starting with the death of my parents," Alejandra nodded.
"And even before that, too. It all started with Lunabelle's rebellion," Luna tilted her head.
"What did I have to do with it?" She asked. "I only know what I've dreamt about. Is there something else about Lunabelle that I don't know about?" Marilynn and Alejandra looked at each other, then back at Luna.
"I think we need to discuss this at supper tonight," Marilynn said, rubbing her back. "For now, you and Alejandra need to rest," She turned to the others. "Let's assess the situation, you lot. Follow me into my chamber," Aevaan, Enry, and Christian left the room. Christian paused and said goodbye to Luna before leaving and closing the door.
Alejandra walked over to Luna, who had sat back on the bed, and kissed the top of her head. She hugged him tightly around the waist, sighing.
"Thanks for getting me out of there," she said to him. He scooped her up and held her tight. "I thought I was gonna die," He sat on the bed and set her in his lap. He pressed his forehead against hers.
"Your pain is my pain... I knew you were in danger. I can't lose you again," He gave her a quick kiss. "I've got something to tell you,"
"What?" She asked. He smiled and kissed her again.
"I love you," The two kissed for a couple of minutes before they decided to lay down and rest together.
Alejandra may not have looked it, but he was just as exhausted as Luna. Since his body was brand new, he was not used to doing big spells like he did when he summoned the sword. He was glad he was laying down next to her, but he also hoped she would get better soon.
Luna eventually fell asleep, but Alejandra was restless. He got up out of the bed and went to go find the others. He found them in Marilynn's chamber, talking amongst each other about Luna. Alejandra knocked on the doorframe and smiled nervously.
"Alejandra, you're supposed to be resting," Marilynn said sternly. Alejandra held his hands up apologetically.
"I know, I know... I couldn't lie still. I'm restless; something's off," he told them, grabbing a seat and sitting down. Aevaan hummed.
"I've been feeling the same thing, now that you mention it," He noted. Marilynn sighed.
"I feel that way constantly, being in this place with Albrecht. It's nothing but evil," She added. "I don't know what to do... but now that you and Lunabelle are back, maybe you can help stop him," Alejandra shrugged.
"We're gonna need some help," He looked over at Christian. "Will you help us?" Christian sighed quietly.
"I kinda have to, I'm not leaving Luna behind. I care too much about her to just leave her here," he explained. "But I dunno how much help I'll be. I can't do magic, and Albrecht disposed of my pistol. The most I have is my knife and my steel-toed boots to kick someone's dick in,"
"Well, that's a great start," Aevaan said to him. "I'm sure we can get you equipped with the best weapons that suit you," Christian nodded. Alejandra leaned back in his chair.
"I would suggest teaching you magic, too. But you're a Gaiatian and I'm not sure that your body can handle it. Luna's already struggling," he said.
"Then how can she do it anyway?" Aevaan asked.
"She may be a Gaiatian, but she has the spirit of a mage. And a fine one at that," Alejandra explained.
"She was the most powerful mage before she was executed. And you, Al, were the most powerful warlock," Marilynn noted. "I'm sure that with enough training, she can reach the power she had all those years ago. We'd just have to alter her DNA a little after all this is over so she can continue using per powers without endangering herself," She looked at Christian. "What triggered her first magic spell?" Christian sighed.
"I got hurt at work," he explained, "and my boss called her because she was my emergency contact. She came as fast as she could, and she was able to tell what was wrong. Then, she looked like she was thinking hard, and she did this for a couple of minutes,"
"Then what?" Aevaan asked, intrigued. Christian shrugged.
"I'm not too sure... she just drew a weird symbol where I was injured, closed her eyes, and her arms started to glow this pinkish color. When she opened her eyes, they were shining the same color. When she was done, I guess she scared herself because she got on her bike and sped off," The others looked at Christian in thought.
"So, she just... did it?" Alejandra asked, Christian nodded. "She was telling me about it, too. She said she saw it in one of her dreams," Marilynn hummed.
"Her dreams?" She repeated. "What sort of dreams?"
"Dreams about the past," Luna's voice said in a tired slur. They looked back at the door, and Luna was standing there rubbing her eyes. "About Lunabelle and Alejandra and everything they did during the rebellion," She sat on the carpet next to Alejandra and leaned against his leg. "But that's really it. I don't remember anything from before they met each other. I don't even know anything about Lunabelle's childhood," She looked up at Alejandra and smiled. "But the dreams are where I learned my magic from. Whenever I would see Al or Lunabelle do some spells, I'd remember, and write them down when I wake up," She pulled a small notebook out of her jacket pocket and handed it to Marilynn to look at. "That's how I healed Chris's leg and back a few days ago, and how I made the wall to block Albrecht earlier," She looked back forward and closed her eyes.
"As I promised earlier, I will tell you everything you need to know at supper tonight," Marilynn said, handing her book back, then running her fingers through Luna's hair. She smiled. "You do look a lot like her... Just imagine if your hair was black and longer... I wouldn't be able to tell the difference,"
"I think Luna looks more beautiful in this form than she did before," Alejandra said quietly. "Pink cheeks instead of blue do make a difference,"
"Blue blood is cool though," Luna said. "Kind of looks like blue raspberry candy."
"What is... a blue raspberry?" Marilynn and Alejandra asked at the same time.
"Never mind..." Luna replied with a chuckle.
The five of them sat in silence until one of the guards came to inform Marilynn that supper was ready. So, she led the group to the dining hall, where they only took up one end of an enormous table. Luna and Christian did not recognize the food put in front of them, but they did not care because of how hungry they were. To their surprise, the food was better than anything they had ever eaten. Luna told the group that this meal could beat chicken noodle soup any day.
While Luna inhaled the meal, Marilynn thought of a way to tell her what she needed to tell her about Lunabelle's past. Before she could even think about a plan, Luna spoke up.
"Oh, yeah... what was that thing you were going to tell me, Marilynn?" she asked after swallowing a huge bite. Marilynn sighed and decided to tell her everything.
Marilynn told Luna everything about Lunabelle-- from birth to death. Lunabelle was Marilynn and Albrecht's only child because of birth complications resulting in having to remove Marilynn's uterus. This made Lunabelle the automatic heir to the throne, but before she could earn that title, she had to prove her wisdom and worth. That is when, after showing interest in politics, she was assigned to become her father's political and moral advisor-- the first female advisor since the third era.
When Marilynn's mother died from old age, Marilynn mourned for months, and nothing seemed to make her happy. So, Lunabelle suggested to her father that he take the sky islands as his domain because that was her mother's favorite planet besides her own. He agreed, invaded the area, and gained A'cielinsulariä as Lunestic territory. This pleased Marilynn for a short while, but then she fell into her depression again. This time, Lunabelle advised that Albrecht should try to comfort her physically-- take her out on a date, or perhaps even spend a fun night together. However, Albrecht decided to take more and more territories because he started to get power-hungry. No matter how much Lunabelle pleaded, Albrecht would not listen, thus starting a harsh dictatorship to rise across all Lunestic territories, and Albrecht locked Lunabelle in the palace with nowhere else to go.
Lunabelle met Alejandra while Albrecht let her sit in on a recruitment speech. She saw him in the front of the crowd in his dashing uniform. His hair back then was short and nicely kept, and a thick scar across his jaw was visible to everyone. She fell in love with his looks almost immediately but would soon fall for his personality later at the royal banquet.
Alejandra Ivan Y'Mauai was one of the finest warlocks in Albrecht's army, carrying a first division mark as well as the title 'General'. When she met him at the banquet, he bought her a drink and talked with her for hours, not knowing she was the princess. Finally, when Marilynn came to get her for her magic training, Alejandra was amazed and apologized. Marilynn suggested to Alejandra that he sit in and watch over her training since he and Lunabelle had the same color aura, and because Marilynn also trained Alejandra a few years before she started with Lunabelle.
Alejandra was amazed at Lunabelle's skill for her age but ended up helping her learn more spells and abilities. Since he was not drafted anymore, he spent most of his time in the palace helping Lunabelle train, much more so after Albrecht locked her up inside the palace. Alejandra and Lunabelle both were starting to see their emperor change into a megalomaniac and agreed that his dictatorship was not the Lunestic way. Lunabelle then decided that he could never change-- she disowned her father and revoked her title as the princess. Instead, she became a warrior alongside Alejandra, (with who she had fallen deeply in love), gathered an army of millions of people all from different planets and species, and fought against the Lunestic army.
Lunabelle and Alejandra decided to get married in case they were to get killed. Lunabelle's full name after the marriage was Lunabelle Elora Algard-Y'Mauai, and her name became well known across all the civilizations as one of the most powerful and influential women in the empire.
Sometime after their marriage, Lunabelle and Alejandra decided that they wanted a child so that way the royal bloodline could live on, and so there would be a new heir when Marilynn and Albrecht's time was over. Four months later, they gave birth to a son, who they named Aevaan Ambrose Y'Mauai, and four years after that Lunabelle's father executed her for what he considered to be war crimes.
When Luna heard all this information, she was speechless. She wondered why she never dreamt of any of those earlier things before, but now that she was thinking about it, the pieces were finally starting to fit together, and everything suddenly made a little more sense.
"So... I'm technically a princess?" She asked, breath taken. Marilynn nodded.
"Yes, dear. You can be the princess again—if you would like," Luna hummed and slumped down in her chair.
"I... I dunno," she said quietly. "It's a lot to handle... College is already a struggle,"
"Because you weren't made for that kind of life," Alejandra told her. "Everything about Lunestica is just second nature to you. This is your calling," Luna shook her head.
"No. Earth— er... Gaia, I mean... is my home. And I must protect it. At least, my little slice of it," she said emphatically.
"We can protect all of it," Christian added. "All of us can," The two smiled at each other.
"And you and I can lead the way," Alejandra said, holding her hand under the table. "Just like old times," Luna smiled wider.
"Yeah..." She said, "Just like old times,"
After supper, Luna and Alejandra went back to their room and talked about what she learned at the dinner table. She was finally starting to feel those past emotions somewhat like her own, so when Alejandra went to kiss her, she gave a heavy shudder. He chuckled.
"You did that the first time we kissed so long ago," he said, still chuckling to himself for a minute. "You were so happy and peaceful during that time. It seemed like time had slowed down,"
"It already has slowed down," Luna said to him. "I'm not sure where exactly my... attraction... towards you came from, but I know it has something to do with these old memories," He smiled lovingly at her.
"So why deny how you feel? I see that look in your eyes; you're unsure," He pressed his forehead against hers and she sighed quietly.
"It all happened so quick; you know. You've always loved me, and I just got to know you. Again, apparently," Alejandra hummed and pulled her into his lap. "But whatever this is... it feels so... so right," The two locked eyes and then shared a long and passionate kiss before she pulled back.
"What is it?" He asked, thinking he did something wrong. She shook her head.
"Nothing. I just need to take a shower. I feel gross," She stood and stretched, and he chuckled.
"That's understandable. Please be safe... and just a warning, Lunestic water is different from Gaiatian water,"
"How?" She asked, gathering a fresh set of clothes from her bag.
"It's purple,"
"Oh," She headed towards the bathroom. "Okay, I'll be out in a few minutes. Go ahead and sleep if you wanna. I think I'll head that way once I'm through," He nodded.
"Yes, princess," This made her blush heavily, and she made a quick getaway to the bathroom. Alejandra laughed so hard he snorted. This made Luna laugh from behind the closed bathroom door.
Alejandra went ahead and put his sweatpants back on, staying shirtless so he could sleep. He cuddled up under the covers and waited for Luna to finish showering. Before he fell asleep, he heard Luna singing in the shower. This made him fall asleep quicker, soothing him and making him feel warm. When he heard the water shut off while he was half asleep, he heard her sigh.
Luna looked in the mirror, her waves drenched and weighed down by the water. She rubbed her towel all over her hair until it was a big puffball, then she ran her fingers through it in an attempt to brush it at least a little. She looked over her shoulder through the door frame and saw Alejandra peeking at her through the blankets. She smiled.
"You must have been exhausted, Al," she said, hanging the towel up and walking towards him. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt she brought and some of Christian's bigger boxers for shorts. She rested her hand on his cheek and he smiled. "I'm tired too... but I'm scared to sleep,"
"Why is that?" He asked, grasping lightly onto her arm. She sighed, climbing into the bed with him.
"Because of my dreams and sleep paralysis. I don't want to be vulnerable in a place like this," He pulled the covers up and nuzzled her neck.
"If you do, I'll protect you," He whispered in her ear. "Always," She hummed and cuddled into his warmth.
"Thank you,"
"You're welcome,"
The two eventually fell asleep in each other's arms. Neither of them had a dream, and their slumber seemed to only last a minute or two before morning came. And when morning came, the two decided to just lie there until they were told otherwise. They were still exhausted and burnt out from the night before. All they wanted to do at that moment was simply exist next to one another peacefully and carefree.
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