The next day, as the golden sun washed over the Dragoon Kingdom, Albion stood with his family and the royal guards in the grand courtyard. Everyone was lined in perfect order, formal, patient, and ready.
Everyone except Albion.
He shifted from foot to foot, his young mind buzzing. Why are we just standing here? Who are we waiting for, exactly?
Then came the answer.
A faint hum rose in the sky. At first it sounded like the buzz of an insect, but it grew louder and deeper until the very air seemed to vibrate. Albion looked up—then his jaw dropped.
A massive, futuristic ship shimmered into view as though it had peeled itself out of thin air. The sunlight gleamed off its sleek hull, and as it descended, it cast a wide shadow over the courtyard.
Albion's heart almost stopped.
"WAS THIS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A MEDIEVAL WORLD!?" he screamed in his mind.
His parents and the Dragoon Guard, however, stood utterly unfazed. They had clearly seen such marvels before. But Albion, fresh from another life, could barely keep his mouth from hanging open.
The ship's deck opened with a hiss. The first figure to step out was a woman clad in sleek armor, a sword at her side. Kagari. She moved with absolute discipline, bowing respectfully toward King Albion.
Behind her came a being Albion could hardly process at first glance—a figure of pure blue energy. His form crackled faintly, but his jacket and gloves gave him a strangely human presence. His glowing eyes scanned the Dragoon Guard with a soldier's precision.
[Insert image Spright Blue]
Spright Blue, Albion realized from memory, though seeing him in person was something else entirely.
After them descended several officials Albion did not recognize, likely members of the Sky Striker Council his father had mentioned. Important, stern-faced, the kind of people who carried politics in their very posture. Kagari and Blue flanked them like loyal guardians.
Albion tilted his head. Only two guards for such high-ranking dignitaries? Then he glanced back at the towering ship hovering silently above and felt the answer hit him. Right… when you've got that thing, you don't exactly need an army marching at your side.
But then, someone unexpected stepped down the ramp—and the courtyard collectively blinked.
A small girl.
Her hair, pure white and long, was tied with a black ribbon. Her wide blue eyes shimmered with curiosity as she clutched the edge of her dress. She couldn't have been older than Albion—six, maybe seven at most.
When her gaze met the vast courtyard filled with dragons, she squeaked and darted behind Kagari's leg, peeking out timidly.
Albion's eyes went wide. Wait… is that—Raye?
[Insert image of Sky Striker Raye]
Kagari exhaled slowly and addressed King Albion.
"I apologize, Dragon King. My little sister begged to come. She wanted to see for herself one of the… less technologically advanced nations."
King Albion raised an unimpressed brow.
"And you thought bringing a child to a diplomatic meeting was a wise idea?"
Before Kagari could respond, Spright Blue's voice pulsed through the air like steady thunder.
"She will have company."
His glowing eyes turned deliberately toward young Albion.
For a heartbeat, the air went icy.
Albion froze. He wasn't sure why, but something about that gaze pierced straight through him.
Then he noticed why the air had turned so frigid—his mother.
Focalor, Dragon Queen, was glaring at Spright Blue with the full weight of a mother dragon's fury, her aura practically daring him to even think of threatening her child.
Blue's body stiffened, and with the sharp instincts of a soldier, he quickly averted his gaze. The oppressive chill melted away as if nothing had happened.
Albion let out a shaky breath. Okay… note to self. Never make Mom mad. Ever.
Kagari, seeing this interaction, just spoke. "Don't mind my sister, Young Prince, she is very shy around new people."
Albion gave a small smile, trying to ease the tension. "I see… I didn't mean to scare her. I'll be more careful next time."
Raye peeked out slightly from behind Kagari's leg, her cheeks still red, but her eyes lingering curiously on Albion before darting away again.
The dignitaries ahead cleared their throats, breaking the moment, and the group resumed their walk towards the Royal Castle.
Kagari looked at her sister as she spoke, seeing the Dignitary move. "What's wrong, you're not this shy around new people unless". She then had a grin, and she spoke quietly to her sister as she had been. "My little sister has a crush on the Prince".
Raye, hearing that, shook her head left and right as she spoke. "N-no, i-its just that it's my first time seeing a Dragon in person".
Spright Blue just looked at her as he spoke. "Well, technically, this is the Human form; you haven't even seen their Hybrid form or True Dragon Forms yet".
Hearing the word True Dragon Form, Raye's face went pale, as she imagined a Giant Sky Dragon, Bigger than any of these battle ships, its breath burning down Sky Strikers' Worries like they were paper".
Kagari just glares at Blue. "Hey, no scaring my sister".
Blue srugghed as he spoke. "Hey, just having fun".
Albion, who had heard this because of his Dragon hearing, just spoke. "What did she imagine?".
King Albion sighed as he spoke. "Not good things that's for sure".
Albion tilted his head, blinking innocently at Raye. "What did you imagine?" he asked, his tone curious rather than accusing.
Raye fidgeted, clutching the hem of her dress. "N-nothing! Just… um… a big dragon…"
Kagari groaned, facepalming. "She's imagining you stomping on everything like some giant monster."
Albion's eyes widened, then he let out a little laugh. "I wouldn't do that! Why would I? That sounds… mean." He scratched his cheek awkwardly, glancing at Raye again. "I just… like flying, not destroying."
King Albion, who had overheard with his sharpened dragon hearing, gave a deep sigh. "Not good things, that's for sure…"
"Father!" Albion puffed his cheeks, looking embarrassed. "I'm not scary! I'm nice!"
Spright Blue smirked, raising his hands in mock defense. "Hey, hey, don't look at me. I didn't say anything this time."
Kagari crossed her arms and leaned toward her sister, whispering teasingly again. "See? He's trying to prove he's nice. Definitely a crush."
Raye's face went bright red as she stomped her foot lightly. "Sis!!"
Albion blinked between the two sisters, his tail in his true form twitching in curiosity. "…What's a crush?"
That single question made both Kagari and Raye freeze, eyes darting to him in panic.
King Albion chuckled deeply from his seat. "Oh, now this I want to hear explained…"
One of the dignitaries cleared her throat, as she spoke. "Anyway, with that done, let's return to our topic".
King Albion narrowed his eyes as he spoke. "If you're worried, we and the Traptrix will start a war with your nation, we will kindly inform you that my Nation is still recovering from the War of Crystal, and I had to stop a Civil War Recently".
The Dignitary looked at him as she spoke. "Oh, that's not our only reason"
Focalor looked at them as she narrowed her eyes. "Oh really, what else".
The dignitary's lips curled into a small, knowing smile. "War and recovery, yes… but our concern lies deeper. Your kingdom holds something more dangerous than armies or alliances."
The hall went silent. Even the whisper of silk garments shifting stilled.
King Albion's voice dropped, heavy as iron. "Choose your words carefully."
The dignitary leaned forward, her eyes glinting. "The crystal remnants. You may have stopped a civil war, but fragments of that power still linger within your borders. If they fall into the wrong hands—"
Albion cut her off, slamming his palm against the armrest of his throne. The echo rang like a hammer on steel. "Those fragments are under lock and seal. Guarded by blood and oath. Do not presume we are careless with such legacies."
Focalor crossed her arms, her aura bristling with restrained force. "So this meeting was never about alliances… You came to measure whether Albion could still hold his house together."
A faint murmur spread among the gathered dignitaries, some avoiding the king's piercing gaze, others watching with calculating interest.
Meanwhile, Albion looked at his father as he spoke in his head. "I need to know what the hell is the war of Crystal they keep talking about".
King Albion's eyes flickered to his son for the briefest moment, the mental link between them pulsing with a heavy silence. "You're too young to carry that burden, Albion. I will tell you… but not here, not now."
Albion clenched his fists under the table, forcing himself to stay quiet. The words only made him more curious, more restless. The mention of a "civil war" was already confusing enough, but this "War of Crystal" was like a shadow looming over everything—and his father's refusal to speak of it gnawed at him.
Focalor, however, didn't give the dignitary a chance to dodge. She leaned forward, her voice cutting like a blade. "Then say it plainly. What else drives your people to meddle here? Speak, before I assume the worst."
The dignitary smiled faintly, hands folded, as if this was the moment they had been waiting for all along. "It is simple. Your nations sit upon ground where the Crystal Veins once ran. To us, that is… unacceptable."
Albion sighed as he realised something. His dad just spoke in his head. His father just spoke in his mind. He screamed in the mental link. "Dad, since when can you read my mind?!!".
King Albion was hit by the mental feedback, as he didn't speak. "I can't, it's a small spell I cast once I saw you thinking, I was hoping you were ok?"
Albion just started to panic, he wondered if his dad could see everything and if they would be connected like this, or if he could not think about his past life at all, as he spoke.
"Can you just read other people's minds like this?".
King Albion spoke back. "No, you must have a connection with that person first, after that, you can cast the spell to go into their mind, it's also a rage spell, the two people who connect must be 20 feet close or else it won't work, plus it takes a lot of Mana to stay connected to someone find and we can only read the surface though".
Albion let out a sigh as he spoke. "Wait, aren't you wasting time by taking my mind to me?".
King Albion answers him. "No, do thoughts move at a higher speed, we have only wanted 2/3 of a second"
little explanation made Albion freeze. Two-thirds of a second…? He blinked, looking around the hall, where the laughter from Kagari's outburst was still echoing. To everyone else, it looked like nothing had happened—his father hadn't even moved. But to Albion, that brief exchange of thoughts had felt like a whole conversation.
Albion rubbed the bridge of his nose, muttering in his mind: This is insane… you mean to tell me I can basically hold an entire debate in my head while time barely moves outside? That's… actually kind of busted.
King Albion gave a faint chuckle in his mind. "Only if you learn to control it. If you let stray thoughts slip out, the other person will see them too. That's the danger of this spell."
Albion froze again, his pupils shrinking. WAIT—so if I accidentally think about—
"—Yes." His father cut him off calmly, voice echoing in his head like a calm thunder. "If you think about something you wish to keep hidden, I will hear it. Which is why discipline of the mind is essential. Your surface thoughts are like ripples in a pond. Learn to still the water."
Albion felt his throat dry up. Great… so if I accidentally think about my old world, or— He stopped himself before finishing the thought.
But his father's gaze sharpened. "I caught only the edge of that. A world? Hm."
Albion internally screamed. I'M SCREWED.
King Albion didn't press further, thankfully, but his silence only made Albion's paranoia worse.
Finally, King Albion's voice broke the tension. "Do not worry. I will not pry. Everyone has secrets—even my son. But… be careful. One day, those secrets may cost more than you think."
Albion let out a shaky breath, forcing himself to refocus on the conversation happening outside his mind.
Note to self: I need to learn mental discipline ASAP before I accidentally broadcast my entire past life to Dad.
To be continued
Hope people like this ch and give me power stones and enjoy