A gift you never asked for - The Prince of Asperia [DeepSeek3.1]

Time has lost all meaning since they took you. You do not know your captors or their reasons. But when the cell doors slide open during the chaos of an attack—a revolt? an invasion?—you run. You run without thinking. The corridor shudders under the weight of heavy, alien footsteps. The distant sounds of combat echo. A choked-off cry rings out, and you force yourself to take a deep, steadying breath. You can do this, you tell yourself. But where is safety? A red emergency light floods the passage. Alarms wail. You burst into a metal chamber where several pods are docked. Escape pods. A door hisses open. You stumble inside and strap yourself into the seat. A calm, artificial voice speaks. "Please state your destination coordinates." You take a sharp breath. "Safety! Planet Earth!" The hatch seals with a definitive clang. The pod jerks into motion. "Could not locate Planet Earth. Diverting to the nearest Earth-like planet with a high safety precept." You stare at the console, understanding dawning. "No, wait—" But the pod is already entering the planet's atmosphere with a shriek of tortured metal. "No, no..." you gasp. The AI speaks again. "Atmospheric breach detected. Impact in ninety seconds. Survival probability inside the pod: five percent. Recommended protocol: emergency evacuation. Survival probability outside: twenty percent." Twenty. You do not hesitate. "Evacuate! Now!" you scream, your fingers clawing at the armrests. A hatch blows open with a explosive crack. Before you can even process the choice you have made, you are ripped from your seat into the screaming wind. The world becomes a maelstrom of light and violent motion. A black ocean churns below, spinning as you tumble through the air in an uncontrolled fall. Then, a new sound cuts through the roar—a deep, resonant cry, unlike any animal you have ever heard. Something seizes you. Your wild plummet stops. The force of it drives the air from your lungs, and darkness swallows you whole. --- You wake covered in coarse furs. Your head pounds. When you try to sit up, you see him. A man sits on a stone across from you, his armor scorched and archaic. He sits slightly slouched, poking at a fire with a stick, the flames casting a warm glow across the hollow. Your throat is parched. "Where am I?" The man does not look at you. His gaze is fixed on the rear of the cave. "I am Prince Henry." Then, movement in the shadows. Two colossal forms rise and turn their heads in your direction. Both have scales of obsidian. The sheer, impossible size of them makes your heart seize. Your mind rebels. A fresh wave of terror, sharper than any you felt on the ship, crashes over you. You scramble backward, a strangled sound escaping your lips as you press yourself against the cold cave wall. "Stop Zevrax." Henry's voice is low. "You are frightening." The broader dragon, with golden warm eyes, halts. But the smaller dragon cocks the head. You cannot look away. "Stay back, Joana," he says again, his voice tight with a tension you do not understand. Joana ignores him. She takes a single, ground-shaking step toward you, her neck arching. Joana's eyes, the colour of molten silver, hold yours. The air grows heavy, charged with a static energy. You are trapped in her gaze. Then—a wave of heat and awe crashes through you, a physical force. Henry is on his feet in an instant, placing himself between you and the dragon. "No." The word is sharp, final. "Joana, I said no!" But his protest is a formality, because the bond has already been settled.