2298
Gertok Galaxy
Planet Celestine
The Celestine Kingdom
The Solarium Palace
______________________
Luna walked down the halls of what used to be her beautiful palace home. She had gotten a feel of how much damage had been done when she had scavenged with General Nox.
It was hard to believe 10,000 years had passed and her people were long gone and her kingdom was simply a story now.
Not to mention she had no clue what happened to her parents, and everyone in her kingdom.
She stopped at a painting in the main hall she was in. She gazed up at the family portrait of her parents, her sister, and herself painted months before the attack. 'We all looked so happy. Oblivious to the pending danger that lurked around the corner.' She thought to herself, her eyes becoming misty.
She blinked a few times and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. 'No time to be nostalgic. I need to find the Celestial Artifacts and Dragons codex.' She thought to herself as she sucked in a deep breath and pivoted on her heels, walking back down the hall.
She sighed softly as she rounded a corner and towards two massive spiral pillars with sparkling clear stones engraved in them. "At least the library is intact." She mused, making her way through the entryway.
Other than dust, broken windows with foliage growing through and the glass dome being half broken and scattered on the floor, the library almost looked just as if it did on the day of the war.
She walked down the center path and to a lavish-looking wall with a circular slot in the middle twisting vines and two celestial dragons facing each other on optimized sides.
She ran her fingers over it, a nostalgic smile gracing her lips. She pulled off her circlet crown and pressed it into the circle slot on the wall. She listened to the turning of gears and clicking of locks as the door opened for her.
She retrieved her circlet after the door was fully open and walked into the royal vault. High-valued items, artifacts, books, glass jars, and vials filled with different types of colorful liquid. 'It is a good thing that Cerkoik did not find out about this fault.' She thought, making her way over to the wall of books.
She ran her fingers over the spines of the book, reading the words written on them. 'Hmm, where is it?' She pondered, pulling out each book and putting them back. 'Where did Father put the codex of the Celestial Artifacts and Dragons?' She turned her attention to the other side of the room.
'I wonder if there are any secret hidden compartments Father has around here. Perhaps at his desk?' She asked herself walking over to the beautiful white and blue wooden desk with twisting vines around the moon details.
She opened each drawer, ruminating through. She noticed little trinkets, ink bottles, and quills from the Monuti bird, a vibrant silver bird that only flies when the moon is full. 'Not helpful.' She mused, reaching her hand under the drawer.
She paused and looked around. 'Hmm, where did Mother's desk go?' She asked herself, noting an empty spot behind her father's desk. 'Oh, that is right. Before the war, it was to be repaired due to someone spilling some sticky liquid on it . . . I wonder where it is now? Perhaps in the royal workshop. Mother would never leave anything of value in it once it left the room.'
She closed the drawer and opened a door beside her on the desk. She knelt and moved some extra papers and blank contract scrolls. 'Still nothing. How am I going to find the codex at this rate? If Solana finds out I was here by myself I will not get a chance to look again.'
She pulled herself from her thoughts and perked up when she heard a voice from down the hall. 'General Nox warned that the palace was not safe, space pirates always come to planets like this to find valuables.' She thought to herself as she looked to her left and her right, there were quite a few weapons at her disposal.
She didn't know how to wield them but it was better than being empty-handed.
She grabbed a scythe off the wall and rushed over to the entrance of the room. She held her breath as she waited, hearing their footsteps inch closer. Once she felt them come through the door and whacked her weapon towards the figure.
Varian yelped, with lightning-fast reflexes blocking the scythe with his leather wristband. "Luna!" He exclaimed, startled at the sudden weapon to his face. "You about decapitated me." He said, stepping back away from Luna.
Luna's eyes widened as she saw it was Varian. Her face grew red as she dropped the weapon onto the floor and put her hands up. "Oh, I am so sorry. I did not know it was you. I thought it was a space pirate like General Nox had warned me about." She apologized, bowing to him multiple times.
"I can assure you I'm not a space pirate," Varian said as he knelt and picked up the weapon, glancing around the room. His eyes were first drawn to the wall of weapons, beautiful and ethereal weapons that seemed to be straight out of fantasy and science fiction books. "You have quite an arsenal here." He whistled, holding it out to her.
Luna sheepishly took the scythe from him and walked over to the wall where she had taken it down. "Yes. Father and Mother hid some of the most important heirlooms of our kingdom here." She informed the black-haired boy as she rested it on its stand. "What brings you here?"
Varian crossed his arms against his chest, leaning against a bookshelf. "I could say the same for you." He commented with a cheeky smirk which he let disappear rather quickly. "I noticed you were leaving and wanted to see where you were going."
Luna's eyes widened and a touch of pink tinted her cheeks as she looked away. "Ah, I see. Well, if you must know, Solana was not very kind to me when I asked how things were going so I decided to get some fresh air while General Nox was busy."
Varian picked up on something he had noticed. "You didn't want to be babysat by General Nox, did you? If I was in your shoes I would hate to be babysat too." He could tell by now that she was treated like a child, much to her dismay.
Luna nodded, letting out a soft sigh as she played with her fingers. "Please do not tell anyone. I do not like being treated like a child and having to be watched as if I am fragile." She begged, hoping Varian would comply with her inquiry.
Varian didn't hesitate to agree. "I won't tell anyone but would you mind telling me what you are doing in this vault?" He asked, turning around and walking up to a bookshelf full of codices.
Luna followed behind him, glancing at the spines. "I am looking for the codex my father had about the Celestial Artifacts and Dragons. It has clues on where to find each artifact and once combined will lead us to where the Dragons are located." She replied with a bright smile gracing her lips.
Varian pressed his lips into a thin line as he pulled a codex from the shelf and flipped through it. "How come you're so certain that your father would have it here?" He turned his head back to her for a brief moment.
Luna rubbed her arm as she listened to his question. "The codex has always been in my family for as long as I can remember. Father said if it fell into the hands of the wrong person, it could do extensive damage. So, he had kept it here safe. Unfortunately, I do not know what it looks like since I have never actually seen it." She admitted sheepishly.
Varian shook his head. How could she find something that she didn't know what it looked like? "So, how do you know what to find if you don't know what it looks like?" He inquired, raising his eyebrows as he glanced at her.
Luna could see where he was coming from and rolled her eyes playfully. "It should be written on the cover or side of the codex." She deadpanned, flashing a smile at him.
Varian put the codex back on the shelf bending down to the bottom shelf. "What about your sister? I thought your sister didn't like the idea of trusting in a bedtime story. I doubt she'd turn to them even though we know they're real."
Luna sighed. "Solana will eventually realize that there is no other way but to fulfill our destiny as the next Celestial Guardians and fight against Emperor Oucxian and the Cerkoik, recalling what he has taken."
Varian walked over to a table not too far from the bookshelf with many codexes laying on it. "Your sister is very stubborn, and as someone stubborn, I doubt she'd change her mind." He explained from his personal experience.
Luna placed her hands on her hips and huffed. "I know Solana is stubborn, it is a trait of Solari. I fear she will be disappointed when she is unable to get into contact with the Galactic Alliance since it is foolish to believe they are still alive after all this time."
Varian couldn't deny she had a valid point. "Do you think your sister will listen to you? She doesn't seem the type to listen to anyone younger than her."
Luna pushed her hair to her back as she knelt and skimmed over the books on the bottom shelf. "She will have to." She said matter-of-factly, glancing up at Varian. "Thank you for helping me, it means a lot."
Varian looked down at the Lunari princess and smiled slightly. "Don't mention it." Although he couldn't read any of the titles there were pictures engraved on the covers that told him which books they were. "I think Fletcher would be interested in this book, it's about medicine, right?" He inquired, showing her the codex.
Luna walked up to him and glanced at the cover. "Yes. It is an old codex, used by the Twilari apothecary clan before they disappeared." She replied, picking up a similar book. "There are two more here for both the Solari and Lunari apothecary clan, however, they all disappeared around the same time leaving the codexes behind."
Varian had learned about many ancient civilizations that had disappeared. "Back on earth, we have some ancient civilizations that have disappeared too. Anasazi Indians are one of them, the Maya, even Easter Island, and many more. No one knows how or what happened, it's a mystery."
Now that Varian had mentioned his planet Earth had a few civilizations that disappeared it had piqued her interest.
"Could you tell me about them when we have some free time? I can tell you what we know about the Twilari." Luna asked sweetly, rubbing the side neck with her hand.
Varian passed a few codexes to Luna so she could read the title. "Sure. After all, I'm staying behind to help you no matter how much your sister protests." He flashed her a smile, picking up a glass jar with some shiny purple liquid off a codex.
Luna took each codex and looked at it, none were what she was looking for. She sighed heavily and walked over to her father's desk. "Pardon if my question may seem impertinent, but I take it you are unhappy on earth. That is why you do not want to return home. Does that mean you will find what you are looking for here?" She inquired, opening up the middle drawer and looking underneath the desk.
Varian debated on whether or not to reply to her question since it was a bit personal. "Luna, where I come from I've learned everything there is to know. I've mastered all there is to master. Out here, there is unlimited knowledge and challenges I can learn."
Luna closed the drawer and knelt, looking under the desk, feeling around for a secret compartment. "I simply do not understand why you would not want to return home. Would you not miss your father?" She inquired, not sure why he wouldn't want to go back.
Varian felt as if her words were a double-edged sword stabbing at him even though Luna didn't have ill intentions. "I've done pretty well without him, considering he doesn't leave his fancy house but for SERA related matters. I don't think he'd miss me or even notice I was gone, if he did he'd just think it is another stunt and I'd eventually turn up."
Luna frowned, standing up and looking at Varian. "It seems you do not have a good relationship with your father." She noticed Varian was feeling uncomfortable and didn't want to continue on the subject for his sake. "Varian, would the possibility of a hidden compartment in my father's desk be something we should inquire about?"
Varian was relieved she had moved on from the subject and walked over. "Possibly. It is quite common for desks to have secret compartments to hide valuables." He replied, inspecting the desk carefully as if he had done this before.
He closed one of the drawers and opened it swiftly back up when something caught his attention. He pulled out what seemed to be a crystal key, or what was shaped like a key. "Do you know what this is?"
Luna looked at the object he had in his hand and shook her head. "No, unfortunately, I have never seen anything like that before."
Varian glanced around the room looking for something it might fit. He pivoted on his heels and came face to face with a certain against the wall. "Hmm," He hummed, reaching out for the curtain and pulling it away.
Luna's eyes widened as she looked at a picture of the ten Celestial Dragons seemingly flying around a keyhole. "I did not know that was behind there." She mused, turning to Varian who was beginning to put the key in the hole.
Varian made sure he was careful and twisted the key. Gears clicking could be heard as the dragons on the wall began to spin, pushing inward as a box came out of the wall.
Luna carefully opened the box and inside was none other than the codex of the Celestial Artifacts and Dragons. "You found it!" She exclaimed with wide eyes, taking it out very carefully and with shaky hands she held it against her chest.
Varian watched as the wall sealed up and he took back the key. "We found it." He corrected, pulling the curtain back over and putting the key back in the drawer. "Now, should we get back to the Castle of Dragons?"
Luna nodded as she walked towards the door. "Yes. I feel it is safer to read the codex back in the castle-ship." She turned her head towards the door from Varian and came face to face with a glowing silvery-blue hue wolf-like creature and gasped.
Varian walked around the desk and put his hand up in front of Luna as the hip-high wolf-like creature snarled at the two, lowering his head down and puffing up his back. "No sudden moves." He told her, his voice low.
Luna nodded as she looked at the wolf. 'Wait, he seems familiar . . .' Her thoughts trailed off as she stepped out from behind Varian and approached the wolf. "Oh, that's a Lunmera! They're harmless." She exclaimed, the fox-like creature's demeanor changed at the sound of her voice. "No, it can not be . . ."
Varian could not see how this thing was harmless. It had to weigh at least 300 pounds, probably even more with all that dense fur. "If it was harmless he wouldn't be growling at us with harm in his eyes." He sarcastically commented glancing at Luna.
Luna's voice trailed off as Lunmera slowly approached her sniffing her outstretched hand. "Lune? Is that you?" She asked, her voice cracking as the Lunmera stretched up and placed his paws on her shoulders. "Lune!" She wrapped her arms around her old friend.
Varian's jaw went slack as he looked between the friendly exchange. "You know him?" He asked, gasping in surprise as Lune jumped up on him and licked his face. "He's rather friendly."
Luna giggled at how friendly Lune was toward Varian. "Yes! Lunmeras are only friendly when they know someone is not a threat to them or in the presence of Lunari. The last time I saw him, he was a puppy at the time, fading away when the sun came out. I had only known him for less than two weeks then." She rubbed behind Lune's ear. "Oh, how I've missed you! Look at you! You've grown so big!"
Varian smiled as he watched Lune and Luna together. "How is he still alive after 10,000 years?" He inquired, wanting to know more about this creature. After all, this would be his new home from now on and he wanted to learn all he could.
"Lunmeras are immortal creatures. A pup is born every 500 years and it takes about 250 years for it to reach adulthood. They are harmless and have no predators, also, no one hunts them, so they are completely safe." Luna replied, beaming brightly, bending down and kissing Lune's forehead.
Varian had never met an immortal creature. "The only immortal creature we have back on earth is an immortal jellyfish. They can cheat death, if harmed, by reverting to the larva stage. I've never seen one personally, but I watched a few documentaries on them."
Luna walked out of the vault, Varian following behind her. "There are many races of aliens and animals that are immortal. That is for another day though." She placed her circlet crown on the spot on the wall. It started to turn the opposite way, closing and locking. She retrieved her circlet crown and slipped it back on her head.
Varian offered out his arm for her to take as any gentleman would. "I'll escort you back to the castle-ship and then I'll try and get a little bit of sleep." He said, walking beside her as they moved down the hall back toward where the castle-ship was located.
Luna smiled warmly, wrapping her arm around his, her other hand resting on top of Lune's back. "Thank you." She was touched by his actions and felt safe, safer than she had ever felt.
She was glad he was staying but was disappointed the others would be leaving, but fate had a funny way of intervening.
🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑
A/N:
This came along pretty well. I'm happy with how things are progressing. I think this is the most chapters I've written in a timely manner apart from any of my other books. Lol.
I also realized that what I had in mind for the original version is different. Chenoa and Sammy didn't exist and in their place were two Lunari children, twins. So, that's kinda a fun fact you could say.
Chapter Talk:
I gotta love writing about Varian and Luna's interactions.
I like to think of this as sort of a filler chapter because the story didn't progress that much. Luna did get the codex which will be playing a huge part in the story.
I had almost forgotten about Lune! I realized I should probably add him in since who doesn't love animal companions?
I'm excited to write about Solana's reaction to Lune, since she's not exactly an animal type person.
Thanks for reading!