Rebirth Of The Dragon Prince

Chapter 2 - Stranger Among Royals

Chapter 2

Adrian Wolfe’s breath fogged the mirror as he stared at the stranger reflected back at him.

It wasn’t denial anymore.

The sunken cheeks, the frail shoulders, the pale skin clinging too tightly to bone none of it belonged to the man who boarded a plane just hours ago. The mirror confirmed what his heart already feared: he was not Adrian Wolfe anymore.

He touched his cheek. The reflection did the same. He raised an eyebrow. The boy mirrored the motion with eerie precision. There was no escaping the truth.

He was trapped in someone else’s body.

From outside the room, he heard hurried footsteps and a girl’s voice laced with concern. “Father Thorian, please! He’s awake but something’s wrong! He doesn’t remember me!”

Adrian stepped back from the mirror, heart pounding. That girl again the one who called him kael.

A heavy voice answered her, dry and dismissive. “kael is hardly important, Princess Seraphina. He’s not a true royal. You’re wasting your worry.”

“But my mother asked me to look after him, the girl Seraphina insisted, her tone soft but firm. “She said he was under our care, and I intend to honor that.”

The door opened with a click, and they stepped in.

Seraphina looked just as radiant as she had earlier, but now there was a crease of worry between her brows. Her golden robe shimmered as she rushed to his side, her eyes scanning his face as if searching for pieces of someone she knew.

Adrian forced a weak smile. “Hey.”

Seraphina sighed with visible relief. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“Strange,” Adrian replied honestly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Like I’ve been asleep for a long time… or in the wrong body.”

At that, Father Thorian stepped forward. He was tall and gaunt, with silver hair swept neatly back, and he wore layered robes embroidered with symbols Adrian didn’t recognize. His eyes were sharp, judgmental, and utterly devoid of warmth.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” the priest muttered. He placed a cold hand on Adrian’s forehead, barely looking him in the eye. “Hm. Your fever’s gone. You should consider yourself lucky, boy.”

Adrian tensed. Boy? He’d never been spoken to like that before. But he held his tongue.

Seraphina hesitated, then turned to the priest. “He said something strange, Father… He didn’t know who I was.”

Father Thorian barely reacted. “Fever confusion. It happens. With someone as frail as him, I’m surprised he survived at all.”

Adrian clenched his fists under the quilt. There was something about the man’s tone so smug, so uncaring it made his skin crawl. But now wasn’t the time to argue.

“I… don’t remember anything,” Adrian said slowly, choosing his words carefully. “Not who I am. Not where I am. Nothing.”

Seraphina gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “You don’t even remember your name? Kael?”

Adrian shook his head. “I’m sorry. It’s all blank.”

Her eyes brimmed with tears. “But we… we grew up together. I mean, not exactly side by side, but we used to play in the gardens when we were little. You once braided my doll’s hair because I couldn’t do it. You always always looked out for me.”

Adrian swallowed hard. Her pain was real. Whoever kael l was, Seraphina had truly cared about him.

Father Thorian, however, rolled his eyes and turned to the door. “If the boy’s soul has been gone too long, this might be permanent. I’ll send some elixirs to help. But I have more pressing matters to attend to.”

Without waiting for a reply, he swept out of the room, his robes trailing behind him like a shadow.

Adrian watched him go, then looked back at Seraphina.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, her hands trembling in her lap. “You don’t even remember me at all?”

Adrian hesitated. Lying wasn’t easy but what choice did he have? If he told the truth, who would believe him?

“I don’t,” he said gently. “But… I’d like to.”

Adrian’s lips quivered. “Then I’ll help you remember. I promise.”

And in that moment, as he looked into her hopeful, tearful eyes, Adrian made a silent vow.

If I’m really stuck here if this is my new reality then I’ll survive. I’ll find out who kael was. And I’ll figure out why I ended up in his place.

Because somewhere between the crash and this castle, his fate had changed.

And now, he wasn’t just fighting to remember.

He was fighting to belong.

But just as Adrian leaned back, letting Seraphina’s words settle in his heart, a distant roar split the air low, guttural, and ancient.

The walls trembled.

He froze.

Something was coming. And it wasn’t friendly.