Berk

Deep in her lair, Ursula lounged before her cauldron, its eerie glow flickering against the damp walls. Wisps of enchanted mist swirled above the bubbling potion, forming the image of a familiar red-haired mermaid gazing dreamily toward the surface.

A slow, knowing grin stretched across Ursula's face. "Oh no, no, no, no, no," she purred, feigning concern. "I can't stand it—it's too easy! The child is in love with a human. And not just any human—a prince!" She chuckled, her golden eyes gleaming. "An exiled prince, to be precise. Her dear daddy will love that."

She trailed her sharp nails along the rim of the cauldron, her gaze flickering toward the shadows of her domain. The remains of past victims—poor, unfortunate souls—wavered in the gloom, their hollow expressions frozen in eternal regret.

"King Triton's headstrong, lovesick little girl…" Ursula mused, tapping a finger against her lips. "She'd make such a charming addition to my little garden."

As the cauldron's glow pulsed, Ursula let out a deep, delighted laugh. "Oh, this was shaping up beautifully."

---

Lucian stirred awake, his senses slowly returning. A wooden ceiling loomed above him—unfamiliar, but sturdy. The faint scent of salt and smoke lingered in the air.

"Another unfamiliar ceiling," he muttered under his breath.

A dull ache throbbed in his temple as he sat up, rubbing his head. He let his memory piece itself together—the attack, the dragon's roar, the chaos on the ship—then, darkness.

His golden eyes sharpened as he took in the small, rustic room. A flicker of movement near the doorway snapped him into focus.

Instinct took over.

His gaze darted to a small knife resting on a table. In a swift motion, he grabbed it, pressing himself into the shadows.

The figure stepped closer.

Without hesitation, Lucian moved—quick. A well-aimed sweep sent the intruder stumbling forward, and before the boy could react, Lucian had him pinned.

"Who are you?" Lucian's voice was low, controlled.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The boy beneath him raised his hands in surrender, his voice tinged with nervous energy. "Is that how you greet the guy who saved you?"

Lucian's piercing gaze held steady as he sized up the boy. Lanky frame. Messy auburn hair. Freckled face. Dull green eyes filled with a mix of fear and… curiosity?

"My name's Hiccup," the boy continued, flashing an awkward grin. "Great name, I know. But hey, it could be worse."

A notification flickered before Lucian's eyes.

[Ding! You have met a special character: Hiccup.]

[You have obtained a Special Blind Box.]

[Do you want to open it?]

Lucian blinked. Hiccup…?

Recognition clicked into place. His mind whirred as he lowered the knife, settling onto the bed as he processed the information.

'So that's what the system meant by 'special characters'… It refers to animated characters from movies.'

Back in the palace, the memories he had inherited from his predecessor had provided him with knowledge about this world—his homeland, the Southern Isles, its proximity to Arendelle, and his younger brother, Hans. But now, seeing Hiccup in the flesh, everything became much clearer.

Lucian glanced back at Hiccup, who was rubbing his neck, still watching him warily.

"You're quite the aggressive one, aren't you?" Hiccup muttered, shifting onto a chair. "Alright, before I start asking questions, how about you go first?"

Lucian took a breath. "Where am I?"

Hiccup gestured vaguely. "Well, this is Berk. It's twelve days north of Hopeless, a few degrees south of Freezing to Death, and solidly on the Meridian of Misery." He grinned, pushing the door open. "Come on, let me show you outside."

Lucian followed, stepping into the crisp sea air.

The village sprawled before him—wooden longhouses lined the cliffs, sturdy and well-built. Stone paths wove between them, racks of fish drying in the breeze.

Hiccup spread his arms. "My village. In a word? Sturdy."

Lucian took it in, noting the balance of rustic charm and battle-worn resilience.

"It's been here for seven generations. But as you'll notice, every single building is new."

Lucian arched a brow.

"The only problem?"

A dragon swooped down, snatching a sheep from its pen.

"We have pests."

Lucian barely had time to react before another dragon zipped past, flames spewing over a rooftop.

"Most places have mice or mosquitoes," Hiccup sighed as a Viking dodged a dive-bombing dragon. "We have…"

A dragon burst through a nearby door, roaring. Hiccup yelped and slammed it shut.

"…dragons."

The village erupted into organized chaos—Vikings scrambled to fight, dragons wreaked havoc.

Hiccup turned to Lucian with a wry smile. "Most people would leave. Not us. We're Vikings. We have stubbornness issues."

Lucian watched the madness unfold, unimpressed.

"By the way, I never caught your name."

"Lucian."

"Cool name."

Before Lucian could respond, Hiccup grabbed his arm, dragging him through the fray. A teal-colored Gronckle blasted a hut, sending debris flying. Hiccup barely ducked in time, coughing out dust.

A Viking elder shouted, "What are you doing here, Hiccup?!"

Another Viking rushed past. "Get inside!"

A third one echoed in frustration, "What are you doing out?!"

Suddenly, a massive Viking grabbed Hiccup by the collar, hauling him out of danger.

"Hiccup?! What are you doing out—?! What are you doing out?! Get inside!" Stoick, the enormous chief of Berk, bellowed.

Hiccup gestured vaguely toward Lucian. "Uh, giving our guest a tour?"

Stoick's sharp gaze landed on Lucian. After a moment, he grunted. "Take shelter. After this, we talk."

A notification flickered before Lucian's eyes.

[Ding! You have met a special character: Stoick.]

[You have obtained a Rare Blind Box.]

Lucian ignored it for now.

Meanwhile, Stoick grabbed a wooden cart and hurled it at a dragon mid-flight. The sheer force knocked the creature from the air.

"What's the situation?" Stoick barked.

"Gronckles, Nadders, Zipplebacks. Oh, and Hoark saw a Monstrous Nightmare."

"Any Night Furies?" Stoick's voice was grave.

"None so far."

Burning embers landed on his shoulder. He brushed them off without a second thought. "Good."

Nearby, Vikings raised torches, the flames drawing dragons toward them.

Hiccup and Lucian seized the moment to slip into the blacksmith's shop.

Gobber, the burly blacksmith, turned as they entered. "Ah! Nice of you to join the party! Thought you'd been carried off!"

"What, who me? Nah, come on! I'm waaay too muscular for their taste. They wouldn't know what to do with all... this." Hiccup gestured dramatically to his scrawny frame.

Gobber snorted. "Well, they do need toothpicks." He eyed Lucian with a brief nod. "And you must be the lad we fished out of the sea."

Lucian inclined his head slightly in return.

A notification popped up.

[Ding! You have met a special character: Gobber.]

[You have obtained an Uncommon Blind Box.]

Lucian sighed. That system sure was persistent.

Hiccup leaned toward Lucian again and whispered, "The meathead with attitude and interchangeable hands? That's Gobber. I've been his apprentice ever since I was little. Well... littler."

Meanwhile, on the Watchtower…

Stoick stood at the highest vantage point, watching the battle unfold below.

"We move to the lower defenses. We'll counter-attack with the catapults," he ordered.

As if to challenge his command, a dragon swooped down and set another house ablaze.

Hiccup gestured toward the destruction. "See? Old village, lots and lots of new houses."

Leaning out the smithing window, Hiccup tried to get a better look at the fight, but Gobber yanked him back inside.

"Oh, come on. Let me out, please? I need to make my mark!" Hiccup pleaded.

"You've made plenty of marks. All in the wrong places!" Gobber shot back.

"Please, two minutes. I'll kill a dragon. My life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date."

"You can't lift a hammer, you can't swing an axe, you can't even throw one of these!" Gobber held up a bola. As if to prove a point, a Viking grabbed it from his hands and expertly used it to bring down a dragon.

"Okay, fine, but this will throw it for me," Hiccup said, patting a wooden contraption beside him.

The machine whirred and misfired, launching a bola straight into an unsuspecting Viking in the background.

"Arrrgh!" the Viking yelped.

Gobber shook his head. "See? Now this right here is what I'm talking about!"

"Mild calibration issue—" Hiccup started.

"Don't you—no—Hiccup! If you ever want to get out there to fight dragons, you need to stop all... this," Gobber said, gesturing at him.

"But you just pointed to all of me!"

"Yes! That's it! Stop being all of you!"

Hiccup groaned. "Ohhhh..."

"Ohhhh, yes," Gobber said, crossing his arms.

"You, sir, are playing a dangerous game. Keeping this much raw… Viking-ness… contained? THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES!"

"I'll take my chances. Sword. Sharpen. Now."

Hiccup sighed, reluctantly turning toward the forge. "One day, I'll get out there. Because killing a dragon is everything around here."

Lucian, meanwhile, watched the chaos outside as dragons wreaked havoc—Nadders attacked sheep, Gronckles stole racks of fish, and a Zippleback ignited a house, blowing it to rubble.

A catapult operator shouted, "They found the sheep!"

"Concentrate fire over the lower bank!" Stoick ordered.

"Oh that's the Monstrous Nightmare," Hiccup explain. "Only the best Vikings go after those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire."

As if to illustrate, a Monstrous Nightmare climbed up a catapult, engulfed in flames.

Hiccup watched the chaos while explaining to Lucian . "But the ultimate prize is the dragon no one has ever seen. We call it the—"

A high-pitched whistle echoed through the sky.

"NIGHT FURY! GET DOWN!" a Viking shouted.

From above, an explosion shattered a catapult.

Hiccup smirked. "This thing never steals food, never shows itself, and... never misses. No one has ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I'm going to be the first"

Gobber fastened his axe attachment with a practiced motion, his expression firm as he turned to Hiccup. "Man the fort, Hiccup. They need me out there!" He then glanced at Lucian, raising a brow. "What about you, lad? Feel like joining the fun?"

Lucian gave a casual shrug. "Maybe later."

Gobber nodded before turning toward the doorway. Just as he was about to leave, he hesitated, looking back at Hiccup with a pointed stare.

"Stay. Put. There." His voice left no room for argument. "You know what I mean."