Now come on, Carol, when have I ever been late?" I said into my phone, jogging toward my car… very aware I was, in fact, late again.
There was a pause on the other end. Then Carol's voice came through, dry as ever. "Do you really want me to answer that?"
"Okay, okay, fair," I admitted, unlocking the car. "But I always make it up to you."
"Oh, absolutely. You're amazing at washing dishes."
I smirked. "You know that's not what I meant."
"I know exactly what you meant," she shot back, amusement slipping through. "Now hurry up before I order dessert without you again."
"Wouldn't be the first time," I muttered.
Click.
She hung up.
I shook my head, smiling to myself as I picked up my pace, but before I could even reach the door, a green light snapped into existence around me.
A sphere. Solid. Glowing.
"What the—"
The world vanished.
"AAAAAAH!"
The bubble shot into the sky like a missile. Wind roared past me, pressure slammed against my body, it felt just like being back in the cockpit, pushing a jet past its limits, except this time I wasn't in control.
Not even close.
Then, just as suddenly, silence.
I hit the ground hard, boots digging into sand.
I blinked, disoriented, taking in my surroundings. Ocean. Shoreline. Empty horizon.
"Okay… not Coast City."
That's when I saw it.
A ship. Wrecked.
Not military. Not civilian. Nothing I'd ever flown or even seen in a hangar. The design was… wrong. Too smooth in some places, too jagged in others. Like it wasn't built with Earth physics in mind.
Didn't matter. A crash site means someone needs help. I ran.
By the time I reached the wreckage, the heat and smell of burning metal hit me first. Then I saw him.
An alien.
Pink skin. No hair. Strange markings across his face. A green uniform, similar in color to the light that brought me here, and blood… dark purple, pooling beneath him.
He was barely conscious.
"Hey, stay with me," I said, dropping to my knees and trying to pull him free.
The moment I moved him, he let out a strained grunt. More blood spilled.
"Easy, easy—"
"No…" he rasped.
I froze, lowering him back down carefully.
Wait.
"You… speak English?" I asked, caught completely off guard.
He shook his head weakly.
Then he raised his hand.
On his finger was a ring. Green. Glowing.
My eyes locked onto it.
"The ring…" he whispered.
As if responding to his voice, or maybe something else, the ring slid off his finger on its own.
It hovered in the air between us.
Then it moved.
Straight toward me.
I didn't think. Didn't hesitate.
I reached out.
The moment it slipped onto my finger, power exploded through my body.
Not heat. Not force.
Something else.
Something alive.
Energy surged through every nerve, every thought sharpened, every instinct screaming at once, and then, just as suddenly, everything aligned.
Clear. Focused. Certain.
Words filled my mind. Not spoken and not heard. Known.
"In brightest day, in blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!
When I came out of the trance, the first thing I noticed was my body; it felt… different.
I looked down and froze.
Gone were my clothes. In their place was a sleek green uniform, form-fitting, unfamiliar… and identical to the one the alien had been wearing.
"What…?"
"You are now a Green Lantern."
His voice was weaker this time, but still clear enough to cut through the ringing in my ears.
I turned back to him, kneeling at his side again.
"One of the protectors of the universe," he continued, each word slower than the last. "The Guardians… will send for you… Use the ring… wisely…"
His chest rose once.
Then stilled.
The glow around him faded, and just like that… he was gone.
I didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Just stared.
A minute ago, I was late for dinner.
Now I'm apparently some kind of… space cop?
I let out a slow breath, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah… okay. Sure. Why not?"
I glanced down at him again.
Whatever this was, whoever he was, he deserved better than being left here.
"I'll at least—"
The world erupted.
A deafening explosion tore through the crash site, light swallowing everything in an instant. Instinctively, I threw my arms up, but nothing hit me.
No heat. No force. No pain.
The light faded as quickly as it came.
And the ship?
Gone.
Not wrecked. Not scattered.
Gone.
Like it had never existed.
All that remained was a massive crater, carved deep into the sand.
I stood there at the center of it, untouched. Not even a scratch.
Slowly… I lowered my arms.
A faint green glow surrounded me, flickering like a shield before fading back into the ring.
It protected me.
I stared down at my hand, flexing my fingers as the ring pulsed softly, like it was alive.
"What the hell…" I muttered again, quieter this time.
This wasn't a dream.
This wasn't some experimental flight gone wrong.
This was real.
And somehow… this little ring just dropped me right into the middle of it.
a couple of days later
Siegfried POV
I made my way toward Goliath's nest, the familiar weight in my chest easing with every step. There was something about the beast, his presence, his quiet strength, that grounded me. Comforting, in a way I couldn't quite explain.
When I arrived, I noticed someone new.
A pale woman stood near Goliath, her silver hair catching the light, so similar to mine it was almost unsettling. She watched him with open awe, completely absorbed, as if the rest of the world had faded away.
One of the new summons, then.
I stepped closer, my boots soft against the ground. "He's amazing, isn't he?"
She startled, jumping slightly before spinning around. Her eyes widened the moment she saw me, surprise flashing across her face.
I raised a hand slightly. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you. But I understand… It's easy to get lost just watching him."
I moved to stand beside her, letting my gaze return to Goliath.
For a moment, she just stared at me. Then, hesitantly, "Y-are you a Targaryen?"
I blinked, turning to her with a faint frown. "I'm afraid I don't know what a Targaryen is. But I can assure you, I am not. My name is Siegfried… a former Heroic Spirit."
That only seemed to confuse her more.
She paused, collecting herself, then straightened slightly. "I am Daenerys Targaryen… the last of my house. Former Queen of the Seven Kingdoms."
A queen.
I let that settle, studying her for a brief moment before giving a small nod. "A queen, hm? It has been a long time since I stood in the presence of one."
My gaze drifted back to Goliath, the massive creature resting peacefully. "Ed's power truly is remarkable… bringing together beings from entirely different worlds, as if it were nothing."
It feels… nostalgic, speaking with a queen. It reminds me of another life.
She let out a quiet, humorless breath. "Yes… Ed," she said, her tone sharpening as Venom shifted slightly along her arm. "The so-called demigod… and Dragon King."
The way she said that title, Dragon King, wasn't respectful. It was resentment. Old wounds surfacing.
Her expression tightened, anger slipping through the cracks.
"Are you alright?" I asked, my voice steady but firm.
"No," she said bluntly.
There was no hesitation, no attempt to hide it anymore.
"My entire life, I fought for everything," she continued, her voice low but burning with emotion. "I was driven from my home, forced to survive in lands that were never mine. I was sold, used, broken… and still, I endured. I rose from nothing. I became a queen. A mother of dragons."
Her eyes shimmered, though the tears refused to fall.
"And just when I was about to claim the Iron Throne, my birthright, I was betrayed by the man I loved."
Silence hung heavy between us.
"And now," she went on, quieter but sharper, "I'm here. Reduced to serving again… to a boy who doesn't even look twenty."
"He's over a hundred years old," I said.
She blinked, the anger cracking into confusion. "What?"
"Ed," I clarified. "He spent nearly a century training in a place where time moves differently. It's called the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. To him, those years were real."
I glanced at her. "It's not a place I would recommend. Most minds wouldn't endure it."
She went still, processing that.
After a moment, she turned to me again, studying me more carefully now. "You seem like an honorable knight… noble, even. Tell me… do you not feel anger, serving him?"
"No," I answered immediately.
She looked at me with confusion.
"I wasn't always like this," I began quietly. "Before I was summoned here, I was a Heroic Spirit. And before that… I was just a man."
I let out a slow breath, eyes drifting for a moment as the memories surfaced.
"A hero in my own time. I fought for the people, slaying monsters, cutting down anything that threatened them. Again and again. I grew stronger with every battle… and the more I did, the more they relied on me."
My gaze lowered slightly.
"Until there was nothing left of me but what they needed."
I clenched my hand faintly.
"I gave up my own happiness without realizing it. I followed every order my king gave me, never questioning, never hesitating. I thought… if I fulfilled their desires, if I gave them everything, then in the end… I would find something for myself."
A quiet pause.
"I didn't."
My voice stayed steady, but the weight behind it didn't lessen.
"I was betrayed. It led to my death. And then… I was chosen by the Throne of Heroes. I didn't resist. I thought it meant someone still needed me."
I let out a faint, humorless breath.
"I fought in several Holy Grail Wars. But one… stayed with me."
I looked at her.
"There was a boy. He had suffered a fatal wound; he was dying. And without thinking… I tore out my own heart and gave it to him."
Her expression shifted to pure shock.
"That was how I died."
I held her gaze for a moment before looking away again.
"I expected to return to the Throne. To be summoned again… to be used again." A faint, almost bitter smile touched my lips. "That's how it always worked."
I shook my head.
"But this time… it was different."
My voice softened, just slightly.
"He didn't accept me as a servant. He called me a friend."
I paused, letting that sink in.
"For the first time in my life… I had a choice. To be a hero, or not."
My grip loosened, the tension fading.
"I chose to remain a hero. Not because I had to… but because I wanted to. Because I believe it's who I am."
I looked back at her, steady and certain.
"But this time, I'm not alone. I have comrades. Friends. People who stand beside me, not behind me."
A small, genuine smile formed.
"In this world… I've found something I never had before. Happiness. And I owe that to Ed."
The moment lingered before I straightened slightly.
"I don't know you well enough to understand everything you've been through," I continued, my tone firm but not unkind. "But I can give you one piece of advice."
She focused on me, listening.
"Let it go."
I didn't soften the words.
"The pain. The grief. The mistakes. Don't forget them, that would be foolish. But don't let them chain you either."
I stepped back, turning slightly.
"You've been given something most people never will… a second chance."
I glanced over my shoulder at her.
"Maybe you'll be a queen again. Or maybe you won't. But you have the freedom to choose something different now."
I began to walk away.
"And trust me…" I added, my voice carrying just enough, "There are plenty of people who would kill to stand where you are right now."