Draconia Offline vol. 2

90.1. Finally Face to Face - Part 1

The Divementis spaceship is hovering above the mansion in absolute silence. Its silver colour and thin shape make it look really elegant, but the absence of any sound is eerie. I realise that I can't see any visible seams in the ship's construction, how the hell did they put something like that together? Just how advanced is the Divementis technology?

Still, its cloaking device isn't technological, I can guess that much—it's actually a mental shield of gigantic proportions. I suspect that not even my father is capable of sustaining something like that on his own which means that it's probably the work of several Divementis focusing in unison. They are trying to persuade onlookers in the vicinity that there's nothing to see here.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Liana flies to me in panic.

"The Divementis are here!" I say tensely, but I'm not sure how to make her see. I see it just fine because I managed to look through the trick, but my subjects are blind to it.

"The Divementis? Where? How?" Liana gets only more confused and she's not the only one. It's like a chain reaction and, in just a few seconds, the whole flock gets restless.

There's a cloaked Divementis spaceship hovering above the mansion, I switch to telepathy to address everybody at the same time without the need to shout. Stay where you are and I'll try...

I don't have a chance to finish that sentence, though. My father's mind pervades my consciousness and I can feel that he's simultaneously projecting his thoughts to everybody in the mansion and the flock.

I'm the Divementis Emperor Althorion Lorthane Serthorius Dralthor Morvandus, he starts strong but his tone is polite. Noble Celestials, I know that you're alarmed, but there's no need to panic. We come in peace, I simply wish to speak with my son face to face. We're currently hovering above your embassy in a cloaked ship and kindly ask you to deactivate the shield so that we can come down in a shuttle. I guarantee your safety, you have my word.

I notice several guards breaking the formation, totally freaked out. I'm not surprised, but I can't have them panicking so I gently touch their minds to calm them down and bring them back. It helps to a certain extent, but everyone is still scared shitless. I bite my lip, not knowing what to do because I'm scared myself.

I naively thought that my father would visit me again in my dreams and we would arrange some kind of real-world meeting on neutral ground. I had never expected he would dare to come to fetch me so aggressively.

Desperate, I send my mind to the Divementis ship, trying to penetrate their mental shield, but it's futile. The shield is too strong and I'm still too inexperienced when compared to the Divementis with possibly centuries of training. I can't even perceive whether their intentions are friendly or hostile, I get nothing.

"Love, what are we supposed to do?" Gotrid flies a circle around me to catch my attention because he knows that when I'm half-immersed in telepathy, I don't watch my surroundings that much.

Aefener, my father addresses only me now. I really didn't want to appear without prior notice and startle your people, but the Divementis Council decided that we can't put this off any longer. We're barely suppressing the rifts as it is and you being able to feel them before they break into this dimension is a game-changer.

You're suppressing the rifts?! I can't believe what I'm hearing. I've always suspected that it's them who causes them to appear in the first place.

What, did you seriously think it's us endangering humans? We're trying to stop the Enemy from invading the Earth, he answers, a bit offended by my indirect accusation. We're running out of fuel, though, our reactor is on the verge of collapse. Let's talk properly face to face. Please.