Ancient Mystic's War of the Realms Saga, Lady Adellandra Dratianos [reading tree .TXT] 📗

I have told you once, I have told you one-thousand times.” Sabrina started, bored. “I need no permission from you to appear. I come and go as I please.”
Ariana frowned. “Why have you brought me here? I know it was you; I wouldn’t dare return here on my own.”
“I brought you here to show you something.” Sabrina smiled, fingering her necklace.
What is that thing? Ariana said in her mind, but she heard it repeated in the air around her.
“This, my dear Young Guardian, is a very special crystal.” Sabrina showed her.
“The same crystal in my sisters’ visions.” Ariana realized.
Sabrina clapped. “Bravo.”
Ariana glared at Sabrina now. “What have we done to you?”
“You Exiled me to the Unknown using the mighty Ancient Mystic Magic.” Sabrina stated.
“I can do it again.” Ariana grinned, folding her arms to show her point.
Ariana could feel the Dark Magic bubbling in her system. Evidently, so did Sabrina, who smiled.
“Not if the Dark Magic destroys it first.” Sabrina crooned, fingering her crystal again.
“Why have you brought me here, Sabrina?” Ariana repeated her question, getting angry. She wanted revenge and she wanted it bad. Just thinking about what Sabrina did to she and her friends made her want it enough to use the Dark Magic. With her old enemy around, it was harder to control the Dark Magic within.
Sabrina’s lips produced a satisfied smile. Just the reaction she’d expected.
“Tell me, Young Guardian.” Sabrina began. Ariana stared, scowling. “Do you wish revenge?”
“You know it.” Ariana said sarcastically.
Sabrina circled her, tracing a finger on Ariana’s shoulders.
“Can you not feel the Dark Magic bubbling in your soul?” Sabrina continued, whispering in her ear.
Ariana didn’t answer, making sure not to make eye-contact with the Maiden. She stared straight ahead as Sabrina continued her rebuttal. Sure enough, she could feel the Dark Magic just itching to come out. She didn’t want that. Suddenly, after years of being the brave leader, Ariana felt truly afraid.
“Is it not exhilarating?” Sabrina grinned. “That Dark Magic is the same you used to exile me, remember?”
“What of it?”
“What did you feel when you thought you had killed me?” Sabrina asked.
That night in the cemetery....Mark Grey dying there...her Oracle Children as Sabrina’s new Warrior pack. The awful memories ran through her mind, along with the moments Ariana used her Magic to exile her to the Unknown.
“I won against you, finally.” Ariana announced softly, finally meeting Sabrina’s eyes.
“Or so you thought.” Sabrina scoffed. “Did you not feel the surge of energy run through your very system?”
Ariana nodded. “Do you have a point?”
“Have you ever really learned the Dark Magic?” Sabrina whispered. “It is a very powerful force, you already know that.” Ariana stood and stared. “Ever tested its strange and new power?”
“It almost took the sanity of my friends and my own sister.” Ariana said softly. “It made us do things we didn’t want to.”
“Admit it, Young Guardian.” Sabrina crooned. “You are curious about the limits of your Dark Magic.” Ariana stared at her. “Why not embrace it, learning all you can? You may be surprised at how much more powerful you become, with practice.”
With that, Sabrina left, and Ariana looked around her.
The Abyss was quiet now, almost peaceful.
She found the doorway back to her private Dream Realm and jumped through, waking in her warm cozy bed next to her loving husband Derrick.

She wrapped her arm around his chest and squeezed, tears coming to her eyes. Sensing her pain, he woke with her.
“What’s up, Love? Another bad dream?” Her Imaginary Romeo, almost-perfect husband whispered in her ear.
She couldn’t tell him about Sabrina. Not yet. She didn’t want him worried, so she smiled, kissing his lips. “No, darling. Everything is perfect.”
She fingered his Protectors’ Pendant as he fell back to sleep. She closed her thoughts from him before thinking. Oh, my Love. If you only knew what was on my mind.
At that statement, she fell back to sleep next to him, ready to patrol the Dream Realm once again.
Duty called.

II

Across the street at the Morehouses was Ariana’s twin Luna, tossing in her nightmarish sleep.

“Luna...” She heard Sabrina’s voice whispering her name.
“Show yourself, coward!” Luna cried.
“You only have to use the Empathy to find me.” Sabrina’s voice echoed.
“I’ll never use it around you!” Luna protested. “Show yourself or leave me alone!”
Sabrina appeared in front of her, a snide smile upon her lips. “Why do you fear your Empathy, while Young Guardian uses it freely?”
“Because I am not my twin.”
“Aye, you are not, but who are you without her?”
“A powerful Ancient Mystic of the Dream Realm with enough Magic in my system to re-Exile you by myself.”
“Oh, but how is that possible without the Empathy?” Sabrina taunted, playing with the necklace.
“The Empathy had nothing to do with your Exiling, Sabrina.” Luna replied.
“Do you know exactly how Young Guardian Exiled me?”
“I was there. She used the Ancient Mystic Magic.”
Sabrina shook her head. “Nay, she used the Dark Magic, with the Empathy to boot. The feelings of hatred she had over the years finally overcame her and POW!, she found herself gaining enough power to defeat me once and for all. Is that not accurate?”
“That was between the two of you.”
“You have a lot to learn, Young Luna.” Sabrina grinned.
“I have earned full rank of Elder Ancient Mystic.” Luna said adamantly. “Now, leave or I’ll be forced to use what Advanced Magics I’ve learned.”
Sabrina just shook her head and laughed. She waved an arm in front of Luna’s face, making her close her eyes. Not daring to open them, Luna could feel herself flying through the air before landing against something hard.
Rubbing her head and finally opening her eyes, she found herself in a familiar place. She was in her parents’ old car. Looking to her hands, she found herself back in time, reliving a memory.
Which one?
She dared look out the window, seeing immediately which memory Sabrina whisked her to.
Oh no, not again. She thought, shaking her head. I’m five-years-old again. Why now? Why must I relive the pain of losing my twin sister? It was bad enough back then!
She felt someone touching her hand, making her look up. It was Ariana, and she was smiling.
What are you thinking about? Ariana asked telepathically.
Luna shook her head, not wanting to tell her. It was all too horrible. Here she was, a child of five, holding her twin’s hand tightly. Ariana didn’t know anything about a little thing the Ancient Mystics called Destiny. She never would, either, for the Forgetfulness Spell her mother will give her would erase all her memories of family, love, and happiness. Too bad the Spell would also take away any thoughts or memories of a certain twin sister named Aluna Star.
Just the thought of losing her sister again made her cry.
Sissy, why do you cry? Aren’t you happy anymore? Ariana’s little voice was inside her head once again.
Luna could only look at her twin and nod.
Aluna, It was her mother’s gentle voice this time. It’s for the sake of destiny. I thought you understood that.
Luna looked at her mother’s reflection in the rear-view mirror. There were worry lines on Susan Woods’ face. She nodded her response, turning back to her twin.
“I love you, Ariana Moon.” Luna whispered, hugging her twin tightly.
Confused, Ariana could only answer. “I love you, too, Luna Star.”
It was then the car pulled into the restaurant, and Luna was well aware of what would happen next. Within the hour, her sister would be given the Spell and taken to the Shore Point Orphanage to grow up without her.
Wanting to make the last hour together happy, Luna smiled at her sister. From that point on, she would close her Empathy, afraid of the memories that would resurface.
She closed her eyes, wishing herself back into the present.

Back in her own bed, she cried softly.
Shane stirred beside her, wrapping one of his arms around her. “Luna, what is it? Why are you crying?”
Luna turned to her loving husband, holding him close for comfort. His Protector’s Pendant was glowing a soft yellow, indicating her troubles were enough to wake him.
“Did you have a nightmare?” Shane whispered, kissing her tears away. “Tell me, sweets.”
She told him everything, including the scene in the Mirror just days before. “I’m truly scared.”
“Doesn’t that give you the incentive to trust your Empathy again?” He asked. “If only to learn her plan and defeat her?”
Luna shook her head. “I don’t want that ever to happen again, Shane. You know that.”
“Sweetheart, it’s not. I promise.” He kissed her to calm her fears. He pet her hair, which always soothed her. “She may have made you remember that, but you must remember this: I love you.”
“Even your love won’t stop Sabrina.” Luna said softly, snuggling close to him for comfort. “I’m afraid, Shane. Really, I am.”
His lips found hers in the dark, whispering against them. “There’s no need to be afraid, Aluna. Not while I’m alive, for I won’t let anyone or anything hurt you.”
To make her forget the haunting dream, he made love to her.

III

It was one o’clock in the morning by the time Annabelle Woods and her brother Kevin had told their friends to go home. They cleaned up the dining room, and Anna couldn’t keep her mind on her work. She sat on the couch, twirling a wand in the air with telekinesis.
Kevin stopped what he was doing to see what was up. “Anna.” He called her name. He sat next to her, whispering. “Hey, you, what’s up?”
Anna shook out of her daze with a sigh. She grasped the wand in her hand, running a finger over the stones encased in it. “I’m not so sure we should cast the spell, Kevin.”
Kevin looked at her strange. “Why not?”
“It doesn’t feel right. I mean, even my power is beginning to scare me.” Anna said.
“Which one?”
“Mostly clairvoyance.” Anna told him about the vision she’d had on her date with Jake Reading.
“You literally became Ariana?” Kevin whistled in awe. “Now that’s powerful Magic. Your clairvoyance has never been that strong. Why now?”
Anna shrugged. “Mary Ellen told me her own vision. This time, it had Sabrina in it.”
“Didn’t the Crusaders crush her some-odd years ago?” Kevin wondered. “How could she make Mary have a vision?”
“She’s got this crystal thing around her neck.” Anna began. “I don’t know where she got it from, but it’s extremely powerful, Dark Magic style.”
Kevin wrapped an arm around his sister, smiling. “All the more reason to cast a Protection Spell.”
“I still don’t know about it.” Anna stood. “What if my clairvoyance kicks in? What if I went into a trance I couldn’t get out of? There are a lot of issues out there, Kevin Woods, and frankly, I’m scared stiff.”
“Sit and calm yourself.” Kevin told her. “It won’t do you any good to be hyper about it.” She sat and rubbed her temples with her eyes closed.
He rubbed her back until she calmed down. He thought of something that happened when they were kids, and chuckled softly to himself.
Anna heard it. “What’s so funny?”
“Do you remember when we had to stay with Great-Aunt Dorianne some time ago?”
She smiled. “Great-Uncle Paul’s pocket-watch?”
“It was just the three of us: you, me, and Mary Ellen.” Kevin began. “Dorianne warned us not to use Magic at the house or she would punish us. Late one night, we snuck in her room and stood