Welcome back everyone. I don't have a lot to say this week so we're just going to get right into the story.

Content warning: Secrets revealed, PTSD, masking, War, talk of protective imprisonment, trust issues, guilt, mentions of past death and more.

Chapter 25

Shadows of the Past

When King Edmund discovered his son was still alive and had grown into a man he felt elated. At long last there was a glimmer of hope for their clan and for their mission. He had assigned Hector to guard the Great Tree and as a loyal knight he fulfilled his duty until the Sundrop along with his son destroyed it. Adira and Quirin were tasked to leave the kingdom and to begin to raise the next generation of the brotherhood to take over when their time on this world had come to an end.

Adria's insistence on the legend of the Sundrop was always a point of contention as a result she had no heir to take her place. His last hopes lied with Quirin who's loyalty had never been in question before. He was hopeful when he received word that he was to be married and looked forward to starting a family. In just a few short years after that however all communication had stopped.

He feared his brother dead long before Hamuel delivered the message. His faithful bird however said that Quirin and his child were alive up until recently. It was a mystery why Quirin had cut off all communication with his entire clan but he figured he must have his reasons.

When he finally met Varian he was surprised to learn Quirin had told him nothing of his past or the Brotherhood at all. He didn't think the child was lying but something was clearly being hidden from him and he didn't like it.

When the splinter party came back from the library at the Agreste Manor they told them how the Knight of the Black Cat, Chat Noir, had somehow activated the decay incantation. When he learned that Varian didn't seem to be affected by the Moonstone's spell he became suspicious. Going against his own instincts he undid the seal on the unpowered Moonstone and got a reaction.

He didn't have to look far to find the source. Varian's pained grunt came from the other room and when the king entered his fears were confirmed. Varian possessed a piece of the Moonstone's power. Not the entire thing thank goodness but enough to potentially make him dangerous.

"So this is why Quirin tried to hide you from us." Varian stood in the empty room still clutching his head with an old piece of parchment by his feat. A look of fear crossed his features as the king came closer. Hector and Adira were right behind him and were looking at Quirin's son in shock.

All at once everything began to make sense. Their brother's lack of communication along with Varian's lack of any knowledge of his family were to keep the Brotherhood from finding out about Varian's connection to the Moonstone. Adira saw the note on the ground and she could easily guess what it said. Now she was seriously regretting not coming for him when she had the chance.

Edmund was still advancing and Varian had begun to back away. "You need to touch the stone Varian." The King insisted, still coming closer but Varian just shook his head.

"No, keep it away, it's hurting me." Edmund paused but his expression didn't change.

"You're connected with the Moonstone but your connection is unstable. You need to touch the stone to establish a connection." Again Varian shook his head.

"I don't want to be connected! I hate the rocks!" Adira looked sadly at the boy who's fate had just been altered without his consent.

"It's like when Rapunzel was being drawn to the rock by her dreams. They only stopped once she touched them and made a connection." Still angry from earlier he rounded on her.

"That's all you care about isn't it! Even if you were right about the Sundrop you still hurt your family and don't care what happens to them!" There may have been a bit of self realization in his words but for Adira they still hurt.

Knowing a cornered animal when he saw one Hector guided his king back as he put himself in front.

"She doesn't want to hurt you, Varian, none of us do." Varian was still backing away but Hector put his arms out to prevent the Brotherhood from advancing. "We've seen this before. Others, mostly thieves, who have tried to gain the Moonstone get a touch of power but have no way to control it." Varian shook his head violently.

"I didn't try to steal it, I swear! My Dad-"

"It must have happened when he tried to stop me from destroying the stone all those years ago." The king said, trying to reassure the boy none of them were accusing him of anything. "We both got caught in the blast but at the time none of us thought he was affected." Varian paused and held up the note.

"Adira said this was from my Dad, he said the same thing. That he passed a piece of the Moonstone's power to me." His glowing eyes darkened. "He also said never to tell you." Edmund wished this had never happened. This was all his fault, if he hadn't lost his mind and threatened the Moonstone, Quirin's son would have been spared this fate. But it was too late now.

"It's possible that had you never encountered the Moonstone you might have lived the rest of your life in peace. Unfortunately that's not the case." The king lamented. "Once it's been activated it will keep growing over time until you lose control or it destroys you or both."

The thought of death was scary but the thought of hurting someone else he cared about frightened him more. He looked again at the note written by his Dad when he was just days old. This wasn't what his Dad had wanted for him, it wasn't even something he wanted for himself. But now the decision was in his hands and if this helped him gain even a little control over his life then so be it.

He reached out and touched the stone.

By this time everyone else had gathered around watching as Varian struggled until he finally took hold of the stone. The other two Varians watched as their counterpart's eyes shot wide open and the glowing stripe in his hair lit up and spread to the rest of his head. His mouth and eyes shut tight as several black rocks shot up in a protective circle around him.

A few moments later the rocks receded and the glowing stopped. Varian collapsed to the floor and Chat Noir raced to help him up.

"Varian! Are you OK?" Varian was quiet for a moment as he raised a hand to his head. He blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the light.

"Well, the headache is finally gone," he said. half joking, half relieved. He turned back to the Brotherhood still a little apprehensive. "So what happens now?" He asked, still not totally sure what this meant. King Edmund stowed the now dormant Moonstone back into the sealed bag.

"This does change a few things," he explained. "Now I see why the Moonstone was acting up before its power suddenly disappeared. I suspect the Moonstone could always sense its missing piece, if you will, but when you disappeared from our world it panicked, not being able to locate him any more." Varian was dreading this question but he had to know.

"Is…is that why the rocks invaded Paris? Were they…looking for me?" Edmund looked away but gave a solemn nod. "Then…this really is my fault. I…I brought these things to Paris. Did…was I the reason they came to Corona?" he was on the verge of a panic attack when Ladybug stepped in.

"No, it was mine." Everyone turned to the spotted heroin. "I was the one who misused the power of the horse Kwami and brought him here." But then Rapunzel stepped up as well.

"But if I hadn't gone off and touched the rocks in the first place none of this would have happened." Eugene's first instinct was to insist it wasn't her fault but hesitated as his father stepped up.

"If I hadn't let my temper get the better of me then the Moonstone's power would not have split. I take responsibility." After everything they had learned on this journey one thing was clear to the former thief.

"This isn't just one person's fault. All of us played some part in getting here whether it was big or small. No one wanted this to happen but it did so let's shelve all of the blame and work to clean up this mess." Rapunzel smiled at her boyfriend and the King looked proud. Luka, who had been watching as everything unfolded, smiled. This was a start and at least no one was blaming Varian this time. He looked around and saw Cassandra still eyeing Varian. Well, almost.

"Does Varian have any control over the black rocks?" Asked Vari looking thoughtful. "Or does he need to fully join with the Moonstone to do so?" King Edmund closed his eyes and gave this some thought.

"While I don't like the idea of the Moonstone in anyone's hands I'm concerned that it was able to separate without anyone realizing it." Vari thought again.

"You think it cut off a piece of itself as an act of self preservation?" The idea made sense but that begged another question.

"The rocks still appeared in both your versions of Corona correct?" Edmund asked Vee and Vari who both nodded. "In that case I doubt they followed Varian directly to Old Corona." That was a minor relief to Varian but it still looked like they had followed him here to Paris.

"So what do I do now? Should I stay away from the stone altogether?" Adira who had been quiet since his outburst earlier stepped up.

"I think Varian should take possession of the Moonstone." Hector was the first to protest.

"You can't be serious. This is what our whole clan has been fighting to prevent since the opal fell from the sky!"

"If the power of the stone split once it may try again." Adira pointed out. "If Varian takes possession it will be united and he can potentially control its power."

"And what kind of life is that going to be for Varian? Many have come to claim the Moonstone's power; he won't be safe on his own. He'd have to be kept isolated in the Dark Kingdom for his own safety as well as the safety of those around him." He glanced at Rapunzel when he said this. He may not like the girl but he knew what happened to her as a child because of her power. It was a fate he wouldn't wish on anyone, especially his newly discovered nephew.

"If I did." Varian's soft voice crept up from behind Hector's shouting. "If I did, could I get rid of the rocks?" Hector snapped back rounding on Varian.

"No, it's too risky and even if it did work what then? You could never take a partner for fear of the power being passed on. We don't even know the long term effects of the Sundrop and Moonstone's power on a living person."

As he listened, Edmund's heart went out to his brother. He knew it was a harsh order when he was tasked with guarding the Great Tree. He himself lived in isolation for 25 years and he knew it had taken its toll on him. Even if Varian wasn't cursed with this power it was little wonder that Quirin would object to his son being brought up in this lifestyle even if that was the plan. He spared a glance at Vari, a child of Quirin who took the oath after all. He wondered what kind of future either of them had.

"Hold on!" exclaimed Ladybug who didn't like where this was heading. "Does Varian need to take the Moonstone at all? I thought we were going to try Vee's plan. It worked in his world." All eyes were on Vee as he looked uncharacteristically grim.

"In my world the Moonstone's power wasn't split. Is there a way to…I don't know, have Varian give his powers back to the stone?" The Brotherhood looked at each other intrigued by this idea.

"I…I don't know." Confessed the king. "We'd need to see how much control Varian has but ultimately we won't know until we get to the real Moonstone."

Encouraged by this second more favorable option Varian agreed to test out his powers and see just how much control he had. Vee and Vari were eager to help, unfortunately none of them knew that time was quickly running out.

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Gabriel surveyed the ruins of his once prized library. He found decay and ruined books everywhere but thankfully no bodies. He wasn't sure what his sons had come back here for but they were both long gone by now. His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang. Seeing who it was he answered even though he knew this was going to be a lecture.

"Gabriel? Gabriel, where are you!?" Nathalie asked frantically.

"I'm alright Nathalie. I had a lead on the boys but they've already gone." He could hear Nathalie coughing on the other end of the phone, her illness was getting worse.

"Stay there, I'll come get you and see if I can locate the boys from your last location." Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose, saddened that he was still causing misery to those around him.

"No need, I'm on my way back. You can take a rest, I'll continue to search for the boys." He didn't notice the tall looming figure slowly creeping up behind him.

"Really sir it's no trouble." Her cough at the end was less than convincing.

"Nathalie, I'm not sure what happened here but whatever it was was bad." he sighed realizing what he had to do. "I think…I think I'm going to have to ask Ladybug for help."

"But sir-" but he cut her off.

"I've thought about what you said and it's past time I put my priorities in order. Adrien, Varian and your well being are the most important things right now. So if contacting Ladybug and risking exposure is what I have to do to ensure they are safe then-" but he never got to finish that thought.

Something hit him from behind hard and fast, knocking out the former supervillain.

"Gabriel? Are you alr-" but someone stepped on the phone crushing it under their heels. The figure looked down at Gabriel's pron body and smiled in satisfaction.

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Luka had been quick to try and comfort Varian after basically having his whole world turned upside down again. While he wished he had the time to properly process this new revelation he was afraid he would simply break if he allowed himself to think too hard about it. Luka didn't push, which Varian was grateful for but promised to be there if he needed him. He really didn't deserve a friend as good as Luka.

The Brotherhood and Rapunzel gave him a crash course in Moon magic, most of which involved a lot of guesswork. After several hours Vee and Vari pretty much shooed everyone else out of the room seeing that Varian was starting to get overwhelmed and moved to a new location.

Varian was almost grateful there were so many abandoned buildings around the city. His crash course in Moon magic was a little bumpy. He was however regretting choosing an abandoned department store which was now lined with skewered mannequins.

Vee on the other hand thought it was great practice. Regardless Varian knew he had to gain at least a little bit of control. If he couldn't give his powers back to the stone then he would have to take it fully. It was the least favorable option but he'd do it if it meant getting rid of the rocks. He stuck out his tongue and aimed another rock at a broken register.

"Hey you finally got one!" cheered Vee but Varian frowned seeing the rock had hit an empty waste bin.

"Not what I was aiming for." He lowered his hand and the rock receded into the ground.

"At least you're able to make them recede." Vari said examining the hole the rock came out of. "Maybe it's psychological. You want the rocks to go away but you don't like the idea of being their master." Varian glanced back at the row of mannequins.

"That sounds about right." He tried aiming at something bigger. "But I'll have to get some kind of control if I want to get us into the museum and give the power back." He missed the desk he was aiming for just managing to scrape the surface. "If that's still possible." Vee frowned.

"Let's take a quick break." A part of Varian wanted to keep going but he was starting to get really tired.

"Alright but just for a bit." He sat down as the others offered him a snack. They ate in silence for a few moments but Vee had something on his mind.

"Hey Vari?" The red head turned to him. "I've been meaning to ask, why aren't you a raccoon holder like us? I see you with the peacock brooch but where are your goggles? Isn't Ruddiger with you?" Vari stopped eating and looked away.

"Ah, no he…I didn't have the goggles with me when I came to Paris." Varian was a little confused by this.

"Why not? They're a pretty valuable tool as well as a memento from our Mother." He didn't get the impression that part was any different between the three of them. Was it just an oversight?

"Ruddiger is still my buddy back home but the truth is…I…I don't practice alchemy anymore." The other two Varians looked at him in surprise.

"Why not?" Vee asked. "I mean I had to alter my field of science in the modern world but-"

"I JUST DON'T OK!" Vari threw his half eaten snack into the skewered waist bin and left the room.

"Damn." Vee said comprehension now spreading across his face. "Crap I messed up." Varian had a good idea why and decided to go after Vari.

"Hey Vari?" The red head didn't get far.

"Sorry," he said, stroking his ponytail. "It's just…my Dad I…" Varian put a hand on his shoulder.

"You're afraid of doing alchemy because you're afraid of hurting someone else." Varian sympathized. He had had similar thoughts when his Dad was first imprisoned in the amber but at the time Alchemy was all he had to work with.

"He told me to leave the rocks alone but I didn't listen. Alchemy was the future, the answer to everything." he wiped a stubborn tear from his eye. "The rocks may have killed him but my alchemy was what left him vulnerable. I just…I tried once or twice before we left on the road trip. But I couldn't stop my hands from shaking. In the end I left them behind as a symbol. I didn't want to be an alchemist any more." Varian gathered him into a hug. This had clearly been hanging over Vari for some time now.

"I'm sorry. " Varian offered what little condolence that he could.

"I'm sorry too." Vee said from the doorway. "I saw this was making you upset. I shouldn't have pushed." Vari shook his head.

"It's fine. Alchemy was a big part of all our lives and it hurt to let it go but for me, I had to if I wanted to move on. Only now I'm wondering if I did a disservice to Ruddiger. By not taking the goggles he might have missed his ride home. On the other hand the Supreme's power is spread pretty far so maybe it was a blessing in disguise." The others didn't know the answer but from their own experience Ruddiger valued his freedom even if that meant he was stuck as a common raccoon for a while.

Vari paused as if he had something on his mind but was afraid to ask. Still he knew if he didn't ask now he might never get the chance.

"Say Varian? I heard you had a visit from…from Dad. I know he wasn't your real Dad but I was just wondering…did it help or make the pain worse? Getting to see him one last time and say "goodbye" that it?" That was a heavy question but one Varian felt compelled to answer.

"Honestly a little of both. When I learned he wasn't my real Dad I thought someone had ripped my heart right out of my chest but…I'm glad I got that chance. I've been so driven to try and save him I was blind to so much around me and he…reminded me that he…wanted me to live." Vari nodded while Vee remained silent.

"Meeting Betterfly sounds similar to how you and Shadow Moth met. The two of us were grieving and it was…nice to have someone to share that with. It helped me move forward. I'm still…not there yet. I know it will take some time but even though I would have liked to have said goodbye to Dad maybe it was for the best I didn't. I'd just be going through the whole grieving process all over again." At the mention of Betterfly who could only be Gabriel Agreste, Varian remembered something Vari said earlier.

"You said you and the Adrien in your world weren't close. He wasn't grieving with you and his Dad?" Vari shook his head.

"We've both tried reaching out to him but he's got it in his head I'm making his Dad forget about his Mom which couldn't be further from the truth." Varian was a bit saddened by this. It took some time for him and Adrien to connect but his Adrien seemed to be processing his grief better than Vari's.

"I hope that changes for you. I've screwed up, like a lot lately, but I'd really hate to lose Adrien as a brother. It's one of the things keeping me focused on these new…moon rock power. I'm hoping we can just send these things back where they came from and maybe I can stay." Vee, who had been quiet for a while, smiled at him.

"I was happy I got to stay in New York. The life of a superhero is exciting but I have to say I'd miss my sisters even more. Sure they tease me and play pranks on me sometimes but we love each other and they're probably worried sick that I didn't come back from that simple mission." He started off excited but ended on a somber note. "I hope they aren't too worried." Varian and Vari both picked up on his sudden mood change.

"You OK Vee?" Varian asked.

"Huh, oh, yeah I'm fine. We have protocols in place in case someone gets lost in another dimension, it happens all the time."

"Really?" Vari asked. "All the time?"

"Maybe not everyday but enough to have a plan of action. I'm supposed to say as close to the place I ended up, so it will be easier when someone comes looking for me." He paused, his eyes getting dark again. "I just hope everyone's OK while I'm stuck here." Varian and Vari exchanged looks. Vee seemed to have it the best out of all of them but maybe his life wasn't all flashy costumes and exciting adventures.

"Care to talk about it?" Vari asked. "Everyone else is sharing." Vee looked like he was trying to force a smile but gave up halfway.

"When I vanished from Corona the first time, I came back to a civil war. A war that started because they thought I was dead." They both knew this part but it seems it had a bigger impact on Vee than he let on. "I know Rapunzel said it wasn't my fault. The King really was intending to capture and execute me for just…knowing too much. The truth was going to come out eventually. I just…happened to be the trigger." The other two remained quiet as Vee expanded on his tale.

"Guess wars and Varians just go together ha ha…" he tried to cover it up with a laugh but he could see the others weren't buying his act. "I left a peaceful country with a mysterious problem to destroyed towns and missing neighbors. It was especially hard seeing my home burnt to the ground and learning that the soldiers were using my goo ball and other inventions against my friends.

"I broke down when I heard Uncle Monty had been killed. Xaiver had been missing pretty early on but we had reason to believe he was alive. The new weapons the crown was using were his style after all." He went quiet for a moment. "They wouldn't give me the details but…he didn't make it either."

All three Varians had memories of the local candyman who loved to make everyone smile, especially children. Like the time when their mother had died and they had wandered away from their Dad. Uncle Monty gave them a lollipop to make them feel better.

They all had memories of Xavier as well. They learned blacksmithing from Xavier while half listening to all his stories and legends. Vee was now wishing he had paid more attention.

"I know I wasn't the reason it happened, things had been building for years, generations even." He leaned against the counter leaving his mask off for a few moments longer. "Maybe I wasn't the explosion but I was the match. After the war I…didn't really feel like I had a place there any more. Life had gone on and changed without me. I still didn't exactly feel safe either with Frederic's escape and since my Dad was OK I decided to move to New York where I had Ruddiger and my Miraculous. I wanted to move on with my life as well.

"I still worry though. People do get lost or captured on missions. I just worry that when I come back will everything be the same or…" he trailed off and took a deep breath. "I think Varian's had a long enough break. Let's try and get his powers somewhat manageable before Hector storms the Louvre."

Vee walked back into the room they were training in with Vari and Varian watching him go. The war hadn't happened in either of their worlds but there was a real possibility it still could. Vari hadn't seen much of the King's cruelty but he was hunted down by the guards. The King supposedly forgave him but the Queen had taken an interest in him. Perhaps he should do some subtle investigating when he gets back to his Corona, just to be safe.

For Varian he was almost certain a war was coming. His Rapunzel may have been a bit more passive than Vee's but she was still upset with her father. He wasn't sure how this was going to play out especially if they had to cut her hair to release the Sundrop from her body. That would leave her powerless to face Frederic. He shook his head as he went back to the room with Vee. One crisis at a time.

It took Varian another hour and countless tries before he was able to successfully hit something he was aiming at. Vee noted that his hair stripe glowed when he had more control.

"That's something that's been bugging me." Varian confessed, turning to the other two pointing at their hair. "You both have colored hair. Are you sure neither one of you has hidden moon powers as well?" Vee laughed while Vari turned away embarrassed.

"I've been coloring my own hair for years. When I officially moved to New York, I went all out and had some friends color it for me." Vee said, running a hand through his hair. They turned to Vari who still looked embarrassed for some reason. "How about you?"

"I was always teased about my red hair so one day I decided to try and dye it. Not just once mind you, I wanted to dye my follicles so that they would keep growing in black without any touch ups." His face became red as he touched the pink strand in his hair. "Thankfully I did a test first but as you can see I didn't come out the color I wanted and I was afraid to try again." he tossed his hair back and huffed as the other two tried hard to restrain themselves from laughing.

Suddenly Varian's hair started to glow. He grabbed his head and moments later the Earth shook. Several black rocks shot out of the ground aiming right at the other two Varians. Instinctually Varian halted the rock midway and forced them down. A moment later the shaking stopped and the sounds of sirens and screams could be heard in the background. Vari helped Varian up while Vee peeked his head outside to check on the damage.

"Varian what happened?" Vari asked as Varian's hair changed back to normal.

"I…I'm not sure. It was like something was pulling at me but from within. I…I could sense what the rocks wanted to do so I stopped them." Vari was worried.

"Why did the rocks want to attack Vee and me?" Varian shook his head.

"I don't know but something isn't right."

"Hey guys!" Vee shouted from the doorway. "You need to see this." The others made their way to the door and gasped at what they saw.

The rocks were on the move again sprouting up all over the city. Varian felt a pit of dread in his stomach at the sight. It was happening again. He balled his fist. He may have been helpless in the past but not this time. He wished he had more time to practice but it looked like time was up. They needed to get to the Museum and they needed to put a stop to these things once and for all.

He hoped he was ready for this.

To be continued…

While Ladybug and Chat Noir help to protect the citizens of Paris, the Brotherhood and Corona crew storm the museum. Will Varian be able to free himself from his fate or will he have to accept it to save the city he longs to call home?