Draconia Offline vol. 2

81.3. My Other Heritage - Part 3

The situation in the world is tense the whole day. Two more rifts appear, but, fortunately, no more wyverns come out and the monsters are defeated quickly by Draconian units. I order my research team back in Prague to make a chart of all the attacks we had so far and try to find a pattern if there is one.

To keep things as normal as possible, I decide to stick to my original itinerary and meet Sunako's parents in the late afternoon for a cup of tea. It's not like I can fight monsters hundreds of kilometres away anyway. I refuse to let the Watanabes sit on the ground in front of the throne and insist we have our snack in the garden gazebo.

"Your Majesty, the Watanabes are here," Gavreel introduces the owners of the estate, a nice couple in their forties.

"Hajimemashite, douzo yoroshiku onegishimasu," I say in formal Japanese. It's probably overkill for the Emperor to say something like that, but I want to be polite towards our benefactors.

The Watanabes bow to me in the Japanese way, not Celestial, which is understandable. Mrs Watanabe is wearing a traditional kimono and has her black hair tied into a perfect knot while Mr Watanabe chose a modern well-fitted suit and his hair is turning grey already. It seems that they got used to having Celestials in their mansion, but hosting the Celestials Emperor is a totally different matter. Their nervousness is reaching astronomical levels.

"Your house is lovely, Mr and Mrs Watanabe," I say in English. "Thank you for your hospitability."

"It's an honour to host you, Your Majesty," Mrs Watanabe says timidly while Sunako is grinning and playfully poking her anxious mother.

We're interrupted because the maids bring us afternoon tea and some snacks. I was looking forward to those. While I love everything sweet, there's something nostalgic about the specific taste of traditional Japanese candy. I bet my Mom was giving me these when I was a child.

I watch Erik as he takes a piece of mochi and is chewing it with an undecided expression whether he likes it or not. As for me, I love these rice cakes with pretty much any filling. Moreover, these are freshly made and not out of a box that was being stored somewhere for months. It's so yummy! I might actually gain some weight in Japan!

"Do you like them, Your Majesty?" Sunako asks with a wink. "My Mom and I made them for you."

"You did?" I'm surprised. "They are great!"

Gotrid also takes one and while he likes them much more than Erik, he puts the plate right in front of me with a clear instruction that I'm free to eat all of them. I won't say no to that, these marvels are wasted on my European and American husbands.

When we're past pleasantries, I ask the Watanabes about their family history. Mr Watanabe is enthusiastically retelling a shortened version of their family background that dates back to the establishment of the shogunate. Their ancestors had an important political function at that time and even though Mr Watanabe himself is just a middle-rank official working at the Ministry of Agriculture, the tradition lives on.

Sunako then tells me about her rare disease that made her almost completely bedridden and how her father got special permission for her to start using VR when she was just eight years old. VR gaming freed her from everyday pain and showed her the world.

"So you can imagine how happy my parents were when my condition started to get better," Sunako recalls. "They thought it was a miracle. When I started to sprout wings, they even thought I was an angel sent to them."

"We don't care that our baby girl is a different species," Mrs Watanabe says and her eyes get wet. "She can walk, she can run... she can fly!"

"I prefer flying," Sunako says. "I don't mean to boast, but nobody has ever beaten me in a flying competition."

"Challenge accepted," I laugh.

"That wouldn't be fair, love, nobody can match your divine speed," Gotrid nudges me, but we're all laughing at this point, even the nervous Watanabes.

We talk and talk until it's time for dinner. Because skipping to dine with my subjects wouldn't pass twice in a row, I'm forced to return to the throne room. But eating with my people isn't as bad if I don't have to be on a pedestal so I quite enjoy myself in the end. Tiredness comes too soon, though, we woke up extremely early today after all and were working nonstop.

"Sorry, but I don't think...," I yawn when we finally get to our suite, "that I can keep my eyes open for much longer."

"That's okay, love," Gotrid yawns ostentatiously after me. "I'm exhausted as well."

"Erik isn't," I envy.

"I don't need as much sleep as Celestials," Erik shrugs, grinning and feeling superior for a change.

We snuggle to each other and I fall asleep the moment I close my eyes because I feel safe in their loving presence.

*****

I'm standing on some sort of platform, wearing a simple three-layered white robe and my feet are bare. I expect the stone to be cold, but I don't feel anything. I look around and my surroundings look strangely familiar. It looks... like the world of Draconia! But how is that even possible? How did I end up here?

"So, we meet at last," a voice resonates in the space.

I turn around wildly and see my father standing just a few metres away from me. Only he doesn't look the same as at the conference. He has the same features, but he looks younger, taller and much stronger. I panic and my first reaction is to spread my wings and fly away.

"Oh no, you don't," he smirks and a strong gravitation pull throws me on the ground. "My world, my rules."

I gasp for breath out of pure reflex, but it's as if the air doesn't exist here. I have no idea what's going on, so I desperately try to push him away in my mind. He freezes for a moment but breaks through my attack easily and clicks his tongue in annoyance.

"Still so much to learn," he sighs. "And we're running out of time."

"W-what... where am I?" I don't understand and try to sit up. I couldn't have been kidnapped, could I? I just appeared here out of nowhere.

"Where do you think?" my father shrugs. "Does this feel real to you?"

"N-no?" I answer carefully. "I can't feel temperature or the air flowing."

"You're not dumb after all," he smirks, content, and towers above me. "Let's begin with the training, shall we?"

"W-what? Training? Now? But... aren't we...," I try to find the right words for my suspicion. "Aren't we inside of my dream? I'm sleeping, am I not?"

"Dreams are shared among our people and your mind is hopelessly unguarded," he clicks his tongue again, this time impatiently. "I mean to change that."

"B-but... who are you? I mean really? I have so many questions! What am I?!" I demand to know.

"You will have to earn those answers, my son," he leans down only to catch my chin and study my face. "You look so much like her."

"My mother...?" I tremble. His presence is like a void, threatening to suck me in.

"Now, get out of those shackles first and then we can talk," he says almost matter-of-factly.

I suddenly feel something metallic wrapping around my wings. I try to shake it off, but I can't spread my wings anymore. Any resistance is met only by tightening the grip. I cry in pain, turn my head and see chains trapping my wings. This place might not be real but the pain is. And I have no idea how to wake up.