The sun bloomed over the Dragon Nation.
Birds flew across the morning sky while the windmills near the village slowly turned in the breeze.
Inside the royal castle, Albion was sleeping.
Or, more accurately, Albion was trying to sleep.
He opened his eyes.
He stared at the ceiling.
Then he realized something.
He couldn't move.
Albion slowly looked down.
Someone was hugging him.
He sighed.
'Okay.'
'Which one is this?'
He pulled the blanket down.
Chame was sleeping peacefully against his chest.
She wasn't the little 10-year-old DragonMaid he remembered anymore.
She was eighteen now, just like him.
Albion stared at her for a few seconds.
'Yep.'
'Chame.'
He looked toward the other side of the bed.
Empty.
'At least it's only one this time.'
Albion carefully moved his tail.
He wrapped it around Chame's tail.
Then he gave it a small tug.
Chame's eyes immediately opened.
"Ah!"
She shot upright.
"What?!"
Albion looked at her.
"Good morning."
Chame blinked.
She looked at Albion.
Then at her tail.
Then back at Albion.
"You pulled my tail!"
Albion shrugged.
"You were crushing me."
"I was comfortable!"
"You were using me as a pillow."
Chame crossed her arms.
"So?"
Albion stared at her.
"You're eighteen."
"And?"
"You're supposed to have learned personal space by now."
Chame smiled.
"Nope."
Albion sighed.
"Eight years."
Chame tilted her head.
"What about eight years?"
"I've spent eight years trying to teach you personal space."
"And you've failed."
She smiled proudly.
Albion shook his head.
"Apparently."
Chame looked at him for a moment.
Then her expression softened.
"You've really grown."
Albion raised an eyebrow.
"So have you."
Chame smiled.
"I know."
She looked him up and down.
"You don't look like the little Dragon Prince anymore."
Albion glanced at himself.
His body had changed considerably over the last eight years.
He was taller.
Stronger.
His hair had grown out slightly, and his features had become much sharper.
Even his magical presence had changed.
The little Dragon who once struggled to control his Light Breath was gone.
In his place stood an eighteen-year-old Dragon Prince.
Albion stretched.
"And you're not the little maid who used to chase me around the castle."
Chame smiled.
"I still chase you around the castle."
Albion paused.
"...That's true."
Chame suddenly looked toward the door.
"We should probably get dressed."
Albion nodded.
"Probably."
She got out of bed.
Albion followed.
As he walked toward the window, he looked outside.
The Dragon Nation looked peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Eight years had passed since the Legendary Planets had first appeared.
Eight years since the strange energy had been detected across the world.
Eight years since the Gods had predicted their awakening.
Albion placed a hand against the window.
'So...'
'It's been eight years.'
He looked toward the sky.
'Are they finally waking up?'
Far beyond the clouds, something answered.
A faint pulse of light.
Albion's eyes narrowed.
"...Interesting."
Chame looked back at him.
"What?"
Albion continued staring at the sky.
"Nothing."
He smiled.
"Just a feeling."
But deep down, Albion knew.
The peaceful years were over.
Albion decided to think about that later.
Right now, he had a more immediate problem.
He needed to get ready.
He got out of bed and headed toward the washroom. After eight years, his morning routine had become pretty normal. Even being a Dragon Prince did not exempt him from basic hygiene.
Once he was finished, Albion dried himself and looked at his reflection.
He had changed quite a bit over the last eight years.
He was no longer the small Dragon Prince who had needed everyone else to look after him. He was eighteen now, and his body had finally caught up with all the training he had done over the years.
He grabbed his clothes and began getting dressed.
His outfit was mostly dark, with blue and purple accents running through the coat. The long coat reached down past his legs, while several belts and straps held his equipment in place. His boots were designed for both normal movement and Dragon Steps, and his gloves made it easier to use his weapons and magic.
Albion adjusted his coat before looking at himself again.
'Not bad.'
He grabbed his weapons and checked that everything was where it needed to be.
Today was important.
Today was his first day at Dragoon Academy.
Apparently, despite being called an "Academy," it was basically the equivalent of a college or university.
Albion had only recently learned that this world did not really have a separate concept of higher education.
The idea was simple.
You went through basic education, then if you wanted more advanced training, you attended an academy.
Dragoon Academy was one of the places where young Dragons and other talented students could continue their education and specialize in things like combat, magic, history, politics, engineering and other fields.
Albion had already been trained by some of the best people in the Dragon Kingdom.
Sir Lyrios had trained him in swordsmanship.
Spellcode had trained him in magic.
His father had taught him about being a prince.
And his grandfather had spent thousands of years accumulating knowledge that Albion was still trying to understand.
So technically, Albion probably did not need an academy.
But that wasn't the point.
He wanted to see what other Dragons his age were capable of.
He wanted to learn.
And, perhaps most importantly, he wanted to experience something normal.
Well...
As normal as attending a school for Dragons could possibly be.
Albion picked up his bag.
"All right."
He took one last look around his room.
"First day."
He opened the door.
And immediately saw Chame standing outside.
She was already dressed for the day.
Albion stared at her.
Chame stared back.
Neither said anything for a few seconds.
Then Albion sighed.
"You were waiting here, weren't you?"
Chame smiled innocently.
"No."
"You absolutely were."
"I was merely passing by."
"You've been standing there long enough that your tail has stopped moving."
Chame looked down.
Her tail immediately flicked.
"...I was waiting."
Albion shook his head.
"Thought so."
Chame smiled.
"Come on, Your Highness. We're going to be late."
Albion blinked.
"Wait."
He looked toward the hallway.
Then back at Chame.
"Where is everyone else?"
Chame's smile widened.
"They're already waiting downstairs."
Albion froze.
"...You mean my entire family is awake?"
"Yes."
"And they're waiting for me?"
"Yes."
Albion slowly closed his eyes.
'Eight years have passed, and apparently nothing has changed.'
Albion continued walking through the castle, looking at the other Dragonmaids as they went.
Eight years had really changed everyone.
Tillroo, Laudry, Nasary, Parla and Housekee had all grown as well. The little Dragonmaids he remembered from childhood were now young adults.
Albion glanced at them.
'They really did grow up.'
He also had to acknowledge something else.
He technically had a harem now.
Apparently, that was not particularly unusual in Dragon culture.
Dragons placed a great deal of value on strength, bloodlines and powerful partners. Political marriages were common among the nobility, and powerful Dragons having multiple partners was not considered particularly strange.
Albion had learned that the hard way.
Because apparently, his harem wasn't limited to the Dragonmaids.
Versiculo, Hiita, Wynn, Eria and Aqua were also part of it.
'Still not sure when my life became this complicated.'
He decided not to think about it before breakfast.
He continued toward the dining hall.
He had just reached the entrance when he suddenly heard rapid footsteps.
"Albion!"
"Huh?"
He barely had time to turn around.
"ALBION!"
A small figure launched herself at him.
"Whoa!"
THUD!
Albion stumbled backward as a pair of small arms wrapped around his waist.
Two little wings flapped rapidly behind her.
He looked down.
A familiar young Dragon girl was hugging him as tightly as she could.
Albion blinked.
"...Furina?"
Furina looked up at him with the biggest smile imaginable.
"You're awake!"
Albion stared at her.
Then he smiled.
"Yeah."
He placed a hand on top of her head.
"You got bigger."
Furina puffed out her cheeks.
"I'm eight now!"
"That's what I meant."
Her wings flapped happily.
"I missed you!"
Albion laughed.
"I've been here the whole time."
"You were sleeping!"
"...Fair point."
Furina hugged him even tighter.
Albion looked down at her.
'Yep. She's still Furina.'
His carriage was supposed to arrive soon.
But apparently, getting to breakfast was going to take a little longer.
Once Albion got his sister settled down, he finally made his way to the dining hall.
Everyone was already there.
Wynn was sitting quietly while reading a book. Eria and Hiita were talking to each other, occasionally laughing about something. Dharc was speaking with Lyna, while Aussa and Vesiculo was already eating her breakfast.
Albion looked around the table for a moment before taking his seat.
He noticed two familiar faces were missing.
"Where are Scarlet and Asterion?"
Dharc stopped talking to Lyna and looked toward Albion.
"The Red-Eyes and Blue-Eyes Clans already sent them to the Academy."
Albion blinked.
"They did?"
Dharc nodded.
"They wanted them to arrive early and get settled before the other students."
Albion sighed.
"So they get to avoid the morning chaos."
Hiita looked over.
"You're just jealous."
"I am absolutely jealous."
Eria giggled.
"You'll see them soon anyway."
Albion picked up his breakfast.
"Yeah, I know."
He started eating.
Furina climbed onto the seat beside him, her little wings still twitching happily.
Albion glanced at her.
"And you're not coming with me."
Furina's smile disappeared.
"What?!"
Albion nearly choked on his food.
"I knew that was coming."
"I wanna go to the Academy too!"
"You're eight."
"So?"
"You're eight."
Furina crossed her arms.
"That's discrimination."
Dharc nearly spit out his drink.
Hiita started laughing.
Even Wynn lowered her book slightly, clearly amused.
Albion stared at Furina.
"Who taught you that word?"
Furina pointed at Vesiculo.
Everyone slowly turned toward her.
Vesiculo continued eating.
"I taught her nothing."
Albion narrowed his eyes.
"That's somehow worse."
Meanwhile, inside the royal chamber, King Albion sat at the head of the table as the representatives of the other nations appeared through their various magical communication devices.
The room was quiet.
King Albion looked around at the magical projections.
"Report."
Kagari appeared through the screen of her phone, her expression serious.
"The Sky Strikers took down another group claiming they could release the Legendary Planets."
King Albion frowned.
"Another group?"
"Yes. They had apparently found an ancient ritual and believed it could awaken them."
Kagari sighed.
"They were wrong."
Ryzeal's representative laughed.
"We've been doing this for eight years. At this point, I'm starting to think they'll never wake up."
King Albion looked at him.
"You shouldn't become complacent."
Ryzeal stopped laughing.
"Yeah. I know."
A magical circle appeared on the other side of the chamber.
Dark Magician stood within it, his staff resting against his shoulder.
"Yes, but I feel like we are only delaying the inevitable."
The room became quiet.
King Albion looked toward him.
"What makes you say that?"
Dark Magician's expression darkened.
"Because the groups attempting to awaken the Legendary Planets have become more organized."
Kagari nodded.
"That's true. Eight years ago, they were mostly small cults and treasure hunters."
She tapped her phone.
"Now they're finding ancient records, researching the planets and even developing their own methods of detecting their energy."
Ryzeal crossed his arms.
"So?"
Dark Magician looked toward him.
"So they're learning."
That made Ryzeal's expression become more serious.
Dark Magician continued.
"They may fail every time, but each failure teaches them something."
King Albion leaned back in his throne.
"How many attempts have there been?"
Kagari answered immediately.
"Too many to count."
Ryzeal chuckled.
"And we've stopped every single one."
King Albion shook his head.
"That isn't the same as winning."
Everyone became silent.
The Dragon King looked toward the magical projection of the blue sky outside the chamber.
"For eight years, the planets have remained silent."
He paused.
"But that does not mean they have stopped listening."
Dark Magician's eyes narrowed.
"That is exactly what worries me."
Kagari looked down at her phone.
"And if they really are waiting..."
Ryzeal finished the thought.
"...then what are they waiting for?"
Nobody answered.
For several seconds, the only sound inside the chamber was the faint hum of the magical communication devices.
Then King Albion spoke.
"We continue monitoring them."
His voice became firm.
"And if the Legendary Planets awaken..."
He looked around the chamber.
"We make sure this world is ready."
Back with Albion.
He finished his breakfast and headed out into the courtyard with the others.
His carriage was waiting outside the castle, but before Albion left, several familiar figures had gathered to see him off.
His masters and other People
The rulers of the six Elemental Kingdoms stood together in the courtyard.
Lord Avian, ruler of the Wind Kingdom.
Lord Triton, better known as Absolute Zero, ruler of the Water Kingdom.
Lady Burstinatrix, ruler of the Fire Kingdom.
Lord Gaia, ruler of the Earth Kingdom.
Lord Sunrise, ruler of the Light Kingdom.
And Lord Contrast Chaos, ruler of the Dark Kingdom.
Albion looked at the six rulers.
They all had actual names, of course.
Albion just had a much easier time remembering them by their titles and the names he knew from his previous life.
'Trying to remember six completely different names is hard enough. I'm sticking with the card names.'
The six Elemental Monarchs had played an important role in his upbringing.
They had each taught him something different about their respective elements, and Albion had spent years training under them.
Lord Avian had taught him about Air.
Triton had taught him Water.
Burstinatrix had taught him Fire.
Gaia had taught him Earth.
Sunrise had helped him understand Light.
And Contrast Chaos had taught him Dark.
Albion smiled.
"It feels weird saying goodbye like this."
Lord Avian chuckled.
"You are going to an academy, Albion. Not another world."
"Still."
Albion looked at each of them.
"I've spent most of my life training with you."
Lord Gaia crossed his arms.
"And now you will learn from others."
Lord Triton smiled.
"Though I expect you to visit the Water Kingdom sometime."
Albion nodded.
"I will."
Lady Burstinatrix stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Remember what I taught you."
Albion smiled.
"Control your power before your power controls you."
"Good."
Lord Sunrise nodded.
"And don't forget that Light isn't merely destruction."
"I know."
Lord Contrast Chaos smiled faintly.
"And remember that Dark is not inherently evil."
Albion gave him a look.
"I definitely know that one."
After all, Albion's own secondary attribute was Dark.
Lord Avian laughed.
"Then perhaps you're ready."
Albion glanced toward the carriage.
He took a breath.
His first day at Dragoon Academy was about to begin.
Eight years ago, he had been a ten-year-old Dragon Prince still figuring out what he wanted to become.
Now he was eighteen.
A trained swordsman.
A mage.
A Dragon Prince.
And soon, a student again.
Albion adjusted his coat.
"All right."
He turned toward the carriage.
"Let's see what this place has to offer."
To be continue
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