The confrontation at Jorgan's house was suddenly interrupted by an intense flash of light that illuminated the entire village with an otherworldly glow. The brilliance was so overwhelming that everyone shielded their eyes, momentarily forgetting the tension of the previous moment.
[Alert: Unknown Energy Signature Detected]
Vale, the 9-star knight, immediately snapped into action. "Guards! With me!" he commanded, his years of training evident in his swift response to the unknown threat. The village head, not wanting to be left out of whatever was happening, hurried after them.
Jorgan followed at a distance, his enhanced senses picking up details others might miss. The light had come from the direction of the river, and as they approached, an impossible sight greeted them.
There, half-submerged in the river's waters, lay a wooden fishing vessel that sent a jolt of recognition through Jorgan's core. The boat's design was unmistakably modern – the kind he would have seen in his previous life's coastal towns. The fibreglass hull, the radar equipment, even the safety equipment strapped to the sides – all of it screamed of a world he had left behind.
The crew, five men in total, were dressed in clothing that struck Jorgan like a physical blow. They looked like they had stepped straight out of the 1990s, complete with analogue watches.
Vale's men waded into the water, pulling the disoriented crew members to shore. The strangers were speaking rapid English, their accents clear to Jorgan's ears:
"Bloody hell, where are we?"
"The storm... what happened to the storm?"
"Those clothes... what kind of costume party is this?"
Vale observed the strangers with military precision. "Speak! Who are you and how did you come here?" His words, in the local language, meant nothing to the confused sailors.
Jorgan watched silently as Vale ordered his men to bind the sailors' hands. The village head, attempting to appear useful, suggested, "We have secure storage rooms in the granary. They can be held there until Lord Kaidren decides their fate."
The sailors' protests grew more panicked as they were led away:
"We have rights! You can't do this!"
"Someone contact the Embassy!"
"This has to be some mistake!"
Jorgan felt the weight of his unique position. He alone in this entire village understood their words, knew their world.
As the prisoners were marched toward the village, Jorgan's mind raced with implications. First the awakening of his bloodline, then the confrontation with Vale, and now this – visitors from his original world. The coincidence seemed too great to be random.
Watching the sailors disappear into the village, Jorgan knew his path had just become even more complicated. He possessed knowledge that could help these men, but revealing it would raise dangerous questions about his own origins. Moreover, their presence suggested something larger at work – a weakening of the barriers between worlds that coincided with his bloodline awakening.
The confrontation about his parentage would have to wait. A new mystery had quite literally crashed into their world, and Jorgan suspected he was uniquely positioned to understand its true significance.
Vale asked Jorgan to come to the village head house to talk.
Then he sent a letter to Lord Kaidren, stating the events transpired. Until then, he would wait in the village.