Albion was sitting in the library, reading through an old history book.
He turned another page.
The book contained stories from the earliest age of the Monster World.
Wars.
Ancient kings.
The first Elemental Monarchs.
The creation of the great kingdoms.
Albion continued reading until something caught his attention.
He stopped.
"The Ten Planets?"
Dharc, who was sitting nearby, looked over.
"What?"
Albion turned the book toward him.
Dharc read the passage.
"During the First Era, at the dawn of creation, there were nine planets in the heavens, with our world, Terra, making the tenth."
Albion frowned.
"Terra isn't normally called a planet in these stories."
Dharc shrugged.
"Old history books aren't exactly consistent."
He continued reading.
"It is said that each of the Ten Planets possessed an ancient entity. These beings watched over their respective worlds."
Albion's eyes widened slightly.
"Entities?"
Dharc nodded.
"Apparently."
He continued.
"Then, during the Dawn War, an entity from beyond the heavens descended upon Terra."
Albion leaned closer.
"That sounds important."
Dharc kept reading.
"The creature sought to destroy the world and consume its life force. The other planetary entities remained silent."
Albion frowned.
"Other planetary entities?"
"That's what it says."
Dharc turned the page.
"However, the entity of the tenth planet opposed it."
Albion looked interested.
"So one of them actually protected Terra?"
"Apparently."
Dharc kept reading.
"The battle between the two entities lasted for an age. Their conflict shook the heavens and nearly destroyed the world below."
Albion stared at the page.
"Nearly destroyed the world?"
Dharc nodded.
"According to the story."
He turned another page.
"And then..."
He stopped.
Albion looked at him.
"What?"
Dharc squinted at the faded writing.
"The tenth entity defeated the invader."
Albion smiled.
"So the good guy won."
Dharc shrugged.
"That's where the story ends."
Albion blinked.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
He closed the book.
"Ancient history is weird."
Albion looked back at the cover.
"The Ten Planets."
He thought for a moment.
"If these entities really existed, where are they now?"
Dharc shrugged.
"Dead?"
Albion shook his head.
"Maybe."
He looked toward the library window.
"Or sleeping."
Dharc looked at him.
"Why do I feel like you're going to investigate this?"
Albion smiled.
"Because you know me."
Dharc sighed.
"I was afraid you'd say that."
Albion picked up the book again.
He looked at the faded illustration beneath the text.
Ten symbols were drawn across the page.
The Sun.
Mercury.
Venus.
Terra.
Mars.
Jupiter.
Saturn.
Uranus.
Neptune.
And Pluto.
Albion stared at them.
Something about the symbols bothered him.
They looked less like astronomical symbols and more like seals.
Ancient seals.
'Why does this feel familiar?'
He touched the symbol representing Terra.
For a moment, the page glowed.
Albion immediately pulled his hand away.
Dharc jumped.
"Did you see that?"
Albion stared at the page.
"...Yes."
The glow disappeared.
Dharc slowly stood.
"Albion."
"Yeah?"
"I don't think that's just a story."
Albion looked down at the book again.
The ten symbols remained completely still.
But deep beneath the library...
Something ancient had just awakened.
And somewhere beyond the sky, one of the Ten Legendary Planets had noticed the presence of the Dragon Prince.
Meanwhile, far above the world...
Beyond the clouds.
Beyond the atmosphere.
Beyond the reach of even the strongest Dragons...
Space remained silent.
The stars glittered across the darkness.
The Earth sat quietly among them.
Surrounding it were the other celestial bodies of the solar system.
For thousands of years, they had remained silent.
Dormant.
Waiting.
Then...
One of the planets began to glow.
A faint light appeared across its surface.
Then another.
And another.
One after another, the planets began to respond.
The blue planet glowed first.
Then the red.
Then the giant planets.
The distant worlds.
Even the tiny, forgotten world at the edge of the system.
Nine lights.
Then the Sun itself began to burn brighter.
For a moment, the entire solar system seemed to illuminate.
Something was awakening.
Something ancient.
Something that had been waiting since the beginning.
Back on Earth...
Albion suddenly stopped reading.
He felt something.
A strange sensation passed through his body.
His Light Attribute reacted first.
Then Dark.
Then Water.
Albion placed a hand against his chest.
"...What was that?"
Dharc looked up from the book he was reading.
"What?"
Albion looked toward the window.
"I don't know."
He stared into the sky.
For some reason, he felt like something was watching him.
Not from the castle.
Not from the Monster World.
From somewhere much farther away.
Dharc followed his gaze.
"Did you sense something?"
Albion nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
He looked down at the history book again.
His eyes landed on the words.
The Ten Planets.
Albion frowned.
"...That's weird."
Dharc tilted his head.
"What is?"
Albion tapped the page.
"The book says the entities appeared during the dawn of creation."
"Yeah."
"And the tenth one stopped the others from destroying the world."
Dharc nodded.
"That's what the legend says."
Albion looked back toward the sky.
"...Then why do I suddenly feel like they're waking up?"
Dharc's expression changed.
Neither of them noticed the faint glow appearing on the page.
The illustration of the ten celestial bodies had begun shining.
For only a second.
Then it vanished.
Albion blinked.
"...Did you see that?"
Dharc stared at the page.
"No."
Albion slowly closed the book.
"Okay."
He stood up.
"I think I'm going to find Grandpa."
Dharc looked confused.
"Why?"
Albion looked toward the window one last time.
"Because if there's one person who might know what those things actually are..."
He paused.
"...it's the guy who's been alive for five thousand years."
Far above them...
The planets continued to glow.
And somewhere beyond the stars...
Something opened its eyes.
Meanwhile, in the Sky Striker Nation...
The enormous command center was filled with the quiet hum of machinery.
Rows of monitors displayed everything from military patrols to energy consumption across the nation.
Kagari was working at one of the central terminals when suddenly...
BZZZT!
The monitor flickered.
Kagari froze.
"...Huh?"
The screen went completely black.
She tapped the side of the monitor.
"Come on..."
The screen came back.
For about two seconds.
Then every monitor in the room flickered at once.
Kagari slowly stood up.
"That's odd."
Several Sky Striker personnel nearby noticed the disturbance.
One of them walked over.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. The system just stopped responding."
Another Sky Striker checked the terminal beside her.
"Mine too."
A third looked at the energy readings.
"Wait."
Everyone turned toward her.
"What?"
She pointed at the screen.
"Our power grid is fine."
Kagari frowned.
"Then why are the systems shutting down?"
The monitors suddenly came back online.
Everyone relaxed.
Then...
Every single screen displayed the same thing.
A star map.
Kagari stared.
"...That's not one of ours."
The map slowly zoomed outward.
The Sky Striker personnel exchanged confused looks.
One of them whispered.
"Is that... Terra?"
Kagari stepped closer.
"Yeah."
The display continued zooming out.
Earth became smaller.
Then the Moon.
Then the surrounding planets.
Kagari's eyes widened.
"Why is the system displaying the solar system?"
Nobody answered.
A strange energy reading appeared beside the planets.
UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED.
Then another message appeared.
CELESTIAL ACTIVITY: INCREASING.
Kagari stared at it.
"...Celestial activity?"
Suddenly, one of the planets on the screen began glowing.
Everyone went silent.
Then another.
And another.
Kagari's expression became serious.
"Run a scan."
"We already are."
"And?"
The Sky Striker technician swallowed.
"...The scans aren't detecting anything."
Kagari blinked.
"What?"
"The planets are emitting energy, but there's no physical source."
Kagari looked at the screen.
"That's impossible."
The monitor suddenly distorted.
For a brief moment, the image changed.
A gigantic silhouette appeared behind the planets.
Something enormous.
Something that shouldn't have been there.
Then the image vanished.
The room went completely silent.
Kagari stared at the screen.
"...Did everyone see that?"
Everyone nodded.
One Sky Striker slowly raised her weapon.
"What the hell was that?"
Kagari didn't answer.
She was staring at the glowing planets.
She remembered what Spright Blue had once told her about ancient legends.
Things that existed before modern civilization.
Things that even the Sky Striker archives couldn't completely explain.
Kagari clenched her fist.
"Get me every ancient astronomical record we have."
A technician looked at her.
"All of them?"
"All of them."
She looked back at the screen.
"And find out why the planets just woke up."
Meanwhile, in the Riseal Nation...
The city was unlike anywhere else in the Monster World.
Its architecture carried a distinctly Spanish feel, with colorful buildings, stone streets, balconies, and large plazas.
But mixed into all of it was machinery.
Gears turned inside buildings.
Pipes ran along the walls.
Clockwork mechanisms powered street lamps and lifts.
Machines moved through the streets alongside monsters.
The entire nation felt like someone had taken an old Spanish city and built an enormous mechanical engine underneath it.
Ryzeal walked through the city, looking over the latest machines being constructed.
He stopped.
Something had caught his attention.
Ryzeal slowly looked upward.
The sky looked normal.
At first.
Then he noticed it.
A faint light.
He narrowed his eyes.
"...What?"
The light wasn't coming from the Sun.
It was much farther away.
Ryzeal watched as another point of light appeared beside it.
Then another.
His expression slowly changed.
"That's not right."
Several Riseal monsters nearby noticed him staring upward.
One of them looked up.
"What are you looking at?"
Ryzeal didn't answer.
He simply pointed toward the sky.
The others followed his finger.
Silence.
One of them whispered.
"Are those stars?"
Ryzeal shook his head.
"No."
He knew what stars looked like.
These were different.
They were moving.
Not across the sky.
They were pulsing.
Like something was breathing.
The machinery throughout the city suddenly stopped.
Gears froze.
Clockwork mechanisms halted.
The entire city became strangely quiet.
Ryzeal looked around.
"...Why did everything stop?"
A nearby machine suddenly restarted.
Then another.
Then another.
But they weren't functioning normally.
Every machine began turning in the same rhythm.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Ryzeal looked back at the sky.
The faint lights had become brighter.
His instincts told him something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Then one of the oldest clock towers in the city began ringing.
DONG.
Everyone looked toward it.
DONG.
Ryzeal's eyes widened.
"That clock hasn't worked in centuries."
DONG.
The final bell echoed across the city.
Ryzeal stared at the sky.
"...Something is waking up."
Far above the Riseal Nation, another planet began to glow.
Meanwhile, in the Riseal Nation...
The cities of Riseal carried a strange beauty.
Gothic castles rose above the streets, their towers disappearing into the mist.
Tear-filled lakes surrounded parts of the kingdom, their dark waters reflecting the pale sky.
Old Shaddoll ruins stood between newer buildings, while cursed cities continued to grow around them.
Tearlaments walked through the streets alongside Shaddolls, Branded Fusion monsters, and a few Despia.
It was a strange mixture of races, but it was normal for Riseal.
Then Ryzeal walked through the city.
He stopped.
Something had caught his attention.
Ryzeal slowly looked upward.
The sky looked normal.
At first.
Then he noticed it.
A faint glow.
Far above the clouds.
His eyes narrowed.
"...What's that?"
A Tearlaments nearby looked up.
"What?"
Ryzeal pointed toward the sky.
"Look."
More people stopped what they were doing.
One by one, they looked upward.
The faint light became stronger.
Then another appeared.
And another.
The stars themselves seemed to be changing.
A Shaddoll whispered.
"Those aren't stars."
Ryzeal's expression became serious.
"No."
He stared at the glowing planets.
"Those are planets."
A Despia stepped closer.
"Why are they glowing?"
Nobody answered.
Then Ryzeal felt something.
A strange pressure passed through the entire city.
The Tearlaments felt it.
The Shaddolls felt it.
Even the Branded monsters felt it.
For one brief moment, every monster in Riseal felt like something enormous had looked down upon them.
Ryzeal clenched his fist.
"...Something is waking up."
The Tearlaments looked at each other nervously.
A Shaddoll slowly lowered its head.
"Ancient records..."
Ryzeal looked toward them.
"What about them?"
The Shaddoll spoke quietly.
"There are stories about celestial beings from before the nations existed."
Ryzeal looked back toward the sky.
"Celestial beings?"
The Shaddoll nodded.
"Old stories. Most scholars believe they're myths."
Ryzeal watched one of the planets glow brighter.
"...I'm starting to think the scholars were wrong."
Then the entire sky flashed.
For a fraction of a second, a gigantic silhouette appeared among the stars.
The people below froze.
Ryzeal stared upward.
"...What the hell are we looking at?"
The silhouette disappeared.
The sky returned to normal.
But everyone in Riseal knew something had changed.
The ancient age was beginning to stir again.
Meanwhile, in the Maliss Nation...
The Maliss Nation was unlike almost anywhere else in the world.
At first glance, it looked chaotic.
Massive machines powered parts of the cities, although many of them appeared to have been abandoned or discarded.
Steam pipes ran between buildings.
Metal towers rose above the streets.
The industrial areas had a strange Steampunk appearance, with gears, machinery, and enormous engines scattered throughout the nation.
And then there were the arenas.
Those were far more brutal.
Maliss, Dark World, Danger!, Fabled, and Burning Abyss monsters fought there for entertainment, glory, or simply because they enjoyed fighting.
But the deeper you went into the cities, the stranger the nation became.
The homes and villages had a distinctly Japanese influence.
Wooden houses stood beside metal machinery.
Traditional rooftops were connected to steam-powered generators.
Small villages had paper lanterns hanging from mechanical structures.
It was a strange mixture of ancient traditions and industrial madness.
Yet somehow...
It worked.
The people of Maliss had grown used to it.
Children played in the streets while machines rumbled overhead.
Merchants sold food beneath enormous pipes.
Monsters went about their daily lives as though living beside dangerous machinery was completely normal.
Far above one of the largest cities stood a massive castle.
Inside sat Grapha.
Several of his generals were gathered around him when suddenly...
Grapha stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
One of the generals noticed.
"My Lord?"
Grapha didn't answer immediately.
He slowly looked toward the enormous windows.
Something had changed.
The air itself felt different.
A strange magical presence had spread across the nation.
It wasn't Dark World magic.
It wasn't Maliss technology.
It wasn't the power of the Burning Abyss.
Grapha finally spoke.
"...Do you feel that?"
The generals looked at each other.
One of them closed his eyes and concentrated.
A moment later, his expression changed.
"Yes."
Another general looked toward the sky.
"What is it?"
Grapha stood from his throne.
"I don't know."
He walked toward the window.
Outside, the strange mixture of Japanese architecture, machinery, and steam continued as normal.
But above the city...
A faint light had appeared.
Grapha stared at it.
"This power..."
He could feel something ancient within it.
Something that didn't belong to the world below.
One of the generals stepped forward.
"Could it be an attack?"
Grapha shook his head.
"No."
He narrowed his eyes.
"It isn't hostile."
The glow in the sky became slightly brighter.
Grapha's expression hardened.
"But whatever it is..."
He looked toward the heavens.
"...it is powerful."
For the first time in a very long time, Grapha felt something he rarely experienced.
Uncertainty.
Then another pulse of energy spread across the sky.
Every monster in the Maliss Nation felt it.
The machines briefly stopped.
The arena fighters stopped fighting.
The streets became silent.
Grapha looked upward.
"...Something has awakened."
Meanwhile, in the Traptrix Nation...
Deep within a massive tropical forest, far from the major kingdoms, stood a nation that most outsiders never found twice.
The Forest of Thorns.
From the outside, it looked like an untouched jungle.
Massive trees stretched toward the heavens.
Vines covered ancient stone structures.
Bright flowers grew between enormous roots.
But beneath the beauty was something much more dangerous.
The forest was alive with traps.
Every path could lead somewhere different.
Every clearing could hide a pit.
Every beautiful flower could be poisonous.
And every monster that entered without permission had to wonder whether it would ever leave.
The Traptrix had made the forest their home.
They weren't alone.
Vernusylph monsters tended the plants and maintained the forest.
Aromages cultivated medicinal herbs and magical flowers.
Amazement monsters operated strange attractions deep within the jungle.
Insects and Fairies lived throughout the forest.
The nation had developed a culture that mixed the beauty of Brazil's tropical landscapes with the dangerous nature of the Traptrix.
At the heart of the forest stood the main settlement.
Wooden homes were built around enormous trees.
Colorful decorations hung between the branches.
Small markets sold fruit, flowers, herbs, and magical ingredients.
It almost looked peaceful.
Almost.
A traveler who didn't know better might think it was a wonderful place to visit.
Then they would notice the enormous Venus flytrap sitting beside the road.
And the warning sign.
DO NOT FEED THE PLANTS.
A small Traptrix girl walked past it.
"Again?"
Her friend shrugged.
"He deserved it."
Further inside the forest, several Traptrix gathered around a strange disturbance.
The insects had become restless.
The plants were moving despite there being no wind.
One of the Aromages looked toward the sky.
"Something is wrong."
A Traptrix crossed her arms.
"What's happening?"
The Aromage pointed upward.
"The forest feels it."
The Traptrix looked up.
At first, nothing seemed different.
Then she noticed the faint light.
"That's not the moon."
"No."
The plants around them suddenly began glowing.
The Vernusylph immediately became concerned.
"The roots are reacting."
Another Traptrix crouched and placed her hand against the ground.
She felt a pulse.
Once.
Twice.
Then a third time.
Her eyes widened.
"Something enormous just moved."
The others became silent.
One of the Traptrix looked toward the sky.
"Is it attacking us?"
The Aromage shook her head.
"No."
She looked at the glowing heavens.
"It's not coming from the forest."
The Traptrix narrowed her eyes.
"Then where?"
The Aromage pointed upward.
"The stars."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then one of the younger Traptrix smiled.
"So..."
She pulled out a small trap card.
"...do we trap it?"
Everyone stared at her.
The older Traptrix sighed.
"That's not how astronomy works."
"Oh."
She put the card away.
"...Worth asking."
Despite the joke, the adults remained tense.
Something ancient was waking.
And the Forest of Thorns had felt it.
---
Meanwhile, in the Fiendsmith Nation...
The landscape couldn't have been more different.
There were no peaceful forests.
No quiet villages.
No untouched wilderness.
The Fiendsmith Nation was built around an enormous volcanic region.
Black mountains surrounded massive industrial cities.
Lava flowed through channels beneath the streets.
Giant furnaces burned day and night.
The sound of hammers striking metal could be heard throughout the nation.
The architecture carried a strong Greek influence.
Massive stone pillars supported enormous factories.
Statues of ancient warriors stood beside mechanical construction platforms.
Temples had been converted into workshops.
Ancient Greek designs were combined with machinery, magic, and weapons technology.
The Fiendsmiths didn't see a contradiction.
To them, magic and technology were the same thing.
Both existed to create something stronger.
Fiend and Warrior monsters worked together throughout the cities.
Unchained monsters served as some of the nation's most dangerous fighters.
Fiendish Rhino Warriors guarded important facilities.
Labrynth monsters controlled several of the older fortresses.
Infernoble arms dealers sold weapons to anyone willing to pay.
The nation officially remained neutral.
Officially.
In reality, weapons from the Fiendsmith Nation could be found in almost every major conflict.
A massive workshop stood near the center of the capital.
Inside, a Fiendsmith worked on a gigantic weapon.
The metal glowed orange from the heat.
He struck it with his hammer.
CLANG!
Sparks flew.
Another Fiendsmith walked into the workshop.
"The western forge is finished."
"Good."
"The northern shipment has left."
"Excellent."
"And the weapons ordered by the neighboring kingdoms?"
The smith smiled.
"Already finished."
He turned toward a massive machine behind him.
It was unlike any normal weapon.
Its design was almost alive.
Cursed symbols covered its armor.
Magical energy pulsed through its mechanical core.
The second Fiendsmith stared at it.
"Is that ready?"
The first smith nodded.
"Almost."
He placed his hand against the machine.
"Magic is the future."
The machine suddenly activated.
Its eyes opened.
The entire workshop shook.
Then...
Every magical instrument in the building suddenly went haywire.
The flames changed color.
Runes flickered.
Machines stopped.
The Fiendsmiths looked around in confusion.
"What happened?"
One of the smiths checked the instruments.
"I'm detecting a massive magical disturbance."
"From where?"
The instrument pointed upward.
The smith looked toward the ceiling.
"...The sky."
They rushed outside.
Above the volcanic nation, faint lights had appeared.
The Fiendsmiths stared.
One of them slowly smiled.
"Interesting."
Another looked concerned.
"That's not natural."
The first smith continued staring at the heavens.
"No."
He looked toward the glowing planets.
"But if that power is real..."
His smile widened.
"...imagine what we could build with it."
Far above them, the ancient lights continued to awaken.
And across the world, three very different nations had now noticed.
The Legendary Planets were no longer just a story.
To be continue
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