During the final hours before the collapse of Earth in World War III, several Nato nations had deployed a joint naval task force into the Atlantic as part of a multinational defensive strategy. The fleet represented a rare moment of unity between European and allied nations, assembled to protect key sea routes and respond quickly to escalating global conflict.
But before any major engagement could occur, the sky itself fractured.
A massive portal opened above the ocean, glowing with impossible light and violent energy. Satellite communications failed instantly, navigation systems malfunctioned, and the sea began to twist into spiraling waves.
The fleet attempted emergency maneuvering.
It was too late.
The portal swallowed the entire NATO strike group.
Moments later the ships reappeared beneath unfamiliar skies in a world no one had ever seen before.
The fleet that emerged from the portal was built from a combined military force contributed by several NATO nations.
At the center of the formation sailed one NATO aircraft carrier, serving as the command and air operations center for the expedition.
Escorting the carrier were five destroyers, advanced warships equipped with radar systems and anti-ship defenses designed to protect the fleet.
Below the ocean moved five submarines, stealth vessels tasked with underwater reconnaissance and strategic defense.
The carrier’s air wing consisted of fifty fighter aircraft, capable of air patrols, interception missions, and reconnaissance operations.
Within the cargo decks of the fleet were one hundred armored battle tanks, along with armored vehicles, supply trucks, and logistical support equipment.
In total the fleet carried 8,000 NATO personnel, including soldiers, sailors, pilots, engineers, and medical teams.
Although the fleet was originally built to fight modern wars, it now represented the only surviving force of its kind in this strange world.
Within the first day after their arrival, strange symptoms began spreading among some of the troops.
Several soldiers reported intense headaches and dizziness. Others experienced nausea that no medical treatment could explain.
A handful of personnel suddenly collapsed and began vomiting streams of shimmering rainbow-colored liquid, which dissolved into glowing particles before touching the ground.
Military doctors were baffled.
Then something even stranger happened.
A small number of soldiers discovered they could create sparks of light in their hands, generate small gusts of wind, or cause nearby metal objects to vibrate.
The fleet had entered a world saturated with magical energy, and some humans were reacting to it.
Medical teams labeled the phenomenon magic sickness, though scientists aboard the fleet began studying it as a potential biological adaptation to the new environment.
After several days of reconnaissance and navigation, the fleet detected land.
They had arrived near the coast of a massive island known as @Dragoon Island, one of the most powerful regions in the world.
Dragoon Island was home to the Pendragon Empire, a legendary civilization where dragon riders had ruled for centuries. The island was famous for its flying dragons and powerful dragonborn warriors.
However, the empire was no longer stable.
A brutal civil war had broken out between four great noble houses: Blackburn, Goldwym, Pyreloft, and Cinderwell, each fighting for control of the Dragon Throne.
The conflict had divided the island and weakened its once-dominant power.
Near the coastline where the NATO fleet had arrived lived a dangerous tribe known as the Leorodal Tribe.
This group was led by @Khaazirr the Great, a demon lord who ruled a brutal tribe of snow leopard beastfolk.
The tribe practiced a twisted version of the Furban faith, believing that carnivore beastfolk had the right to hunt and devour herbivore beastfolk as a sacred act of strength.
The Leorodal warriors hunted refugees fleeing the civil war and built villages of bone and blood in the frozen regions near the northern borders of Dragoon Island.
Their settlements were infamous for their horrifying practices and their hatred of outside civilizations.
As NATO reconnaissance aircraft began flying over the island, they observed an impossible sight.
Massive winged creatures—dragons—were flying across the skies.
Stone castles and medieval cities dotted the landscape.
Armies fought wars with swords, magic, and monstrous beasts.
The NATO leadership quickly understood the reality of their situation.
They had entered a world where modern technology and ancient magic existed side by side.
Secretary General Reinhardt ordered the fleet to establish a cautious offshore presence while gathering intelligence on the surrounding nations.
The arrival of the NATO fleet marked the third major appearance of modern military forces within this magical world.
Elsewhere another fleet had arrived near Oktoberland, while another had appeared near the @Fallen Lotus Lands.
Now NATO forces stood off the shores of @Dragoon Island, watching a civil war unfold in a land ruled by dragons.
None of the civilizations of this world yet understood what these steel ships and flying machines truly represented.
And the soldiers of NATO had never faced dragons, demon lords, or magical saints.
The meeting of these worlds had only just begun.