Deveralna, following Dramia and Drania, entered the tree room.

As it was her first time coming here, she rapidly scanned her surroundings, before looking at the massive tree breaking through the back wall.

"Welcome, Queen of the Lamia."

Before her eyes, the bark split in two, moving to the sides, revealing a beautiful green-haired woman from its core.

"Thank you."

As she looked at the Avatar, someone else caught her attention.

"Orion?!"

She exclaimed while backing off slightly.

"Hey. Don't mind me, I'm only here in case of emergency."

"..."

Orion waved at her gently, before placing his back against the wall next to Tiohr-nam, his arms crossed.

'Emergency he said... Well, I don't think it is wrong to think something will go wrong.'

Since she knew why she was asked to come, she proceeded to ignore Orion, and focused on the situation at hand.

"Miss Deveralna, I do not think going around the matter will do us any help, so I will be frank with you, as a symbol of my respect."

Dramia and Drania walked all the way across the room, and for the very first time, stood on both sides of Tiohr-nam, instead of sitting in their usual spot.

Between Queens, it was the way they chose to show their respect for her.

She gulped, staring straight into Tiohr-nam's emerald eyes.

"Velridar's soul has left our world a few days ago."

Deveralna clenched her fist after listening to her words. Her tail wiggled faintly, before her shoulders dropped.

'Feeling it and hearing about it are two entirely different feelings.'

Her throat dried instantly from the emotions she was feeling. Even if she wasn't familiar with her creator, she still saw his majestic and imposing body once.

"From the looks of it, you know why it happened."

"Yes. Before Orion brought me to this plane, I had a dream."

Recalling the dream, she continued.

"More than a dream, it was a conversation between me and Velridar, through our bond."

"At the end of it, I was shocked to learn that he wanted me to take the mantle of the Remnant of Strength. I also..."

Lifting her right hand in front of her, she opened it, and in the palm of her hand, a few arcs of lightning rhythmically traveled to the tips of her fingers, before she closed her hand.

"Obtained the ability to use magic from him. I became the first lamia to use magic."

Tiohr-nam closed her eyes, before letting out a long sigh.

"I will be honest with you, this is far too early for you to receive his sigil. You can barely control your current powers, and cannot understand what the title of Remnant represents."

This was by no means an insult toward her, and she knew it. Tiohr-nam was always thinking of the wellbeing of everyone around her.

"If not careful with it, your soul will be devoured by the tremendous amount of energy, and combust into nothingness. I am not trying to deter you, but think carefully."

"It was the previous holder of the sigil of Strength, Velridar's will, to bestow it to you. I have no reason to hinder that wish, as it is not my place to meddle in the matter."

The Avatar closed its eyes, and leaned back.

"Still, from the moment that thick-headed dragon passed away and returned the sigil to me, it became my responsibility to look over it at this time."

"You are the only one who can receive this power, as you already possess the title, so it is inevitable. Although, since you are a significant and precious part of Orion's life, I want you to really think about what you are about to undergo."

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She opened her eyes, revealing the Remnant of Life sigil, as a green aura covered her entire body.

"This is the sigil of Strength."

Tiohr-nam pressed her hands together. The moment she made them part away, the air became heavier.

A terrible pressure crashed on everyone's shoulders, as the sigil appeared in front of everyone. Removing the tampering of its strength, even she was feeling sicker by the second just holding it.

"Hnn..."

Deveralna struggled to keep her eyes opened. The sigil was too sickening to look at, inducing nausea each time she looked at it.

'Am I... to inherit that? Do I have the power to resist it?'

Hesitation filled her heart.

-

"Look, mama! I can use magic!"

"I can't believe you two. Orion came to take you away, and you woke up able to use magic after speaking to our creator in your dreams..."

"Don't look so tired, it's not the end of the world."

Deveralna suddenly remembered the last conversation she had with her mother, Palarvina.

"This is why you are too young to understand."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Exhausted, Palarvina cupped her face within her hands.

"Why do you want so much power? It is going to consume you."

"The reason lamia don't possess the ability to use magic like our dragons' siblings is obvious. If we had, we would've been subjugated a long time ago."

With a long sighed, she leaned on her chair and glared at her daughter.

"What are you going to do with the power to destroy the world?"

"Destroy the world? Why would I do that?"

"I am not joking, why do you think a being like Velridar hid all this time? His power was much too unfiltered to be used. Just remembering the amount of energy he released with a single blast makes me shudder in terror."

A moment of silence.

"You asked me what I would do with it."

Deveralna created a few arcs of lightning between her hands with a smile.

"I'll use it to destroy everything that hinders Orion's ambitions. I don't mean to use it in every situation. I am perfectly aware that I have my duty as Queen's of the Lamias to fulfill."

"And what kind of ruler uses her strength against her subjects? I still remember your teachings."

Palarvina simply looked at her daughter with a tired expression.

"But mama... Can't I use it to improve this continent? Velridar is too large to roam the continent, but what about me?"

"Can't I support Orion in creating a peaceful world for everyone? I have no need for destroying it, I just want to protect it."

-

She grabbed her chest and opened her eyes wide.

Her orange reptilian eyes stared at the sigil without looking away a single time.

'She's made up her mind.'

Though Orion with a smile. He seemed barely affected by the sigil's overwhelming aura.

"I see you have chosen your path."

Tiohr-nam closed her hands, absorbing the sigil back into her soul.

Drania and Dramia both breathed a sigh of relief after the pressure was released, and straightened without a word.

"I will keep my thoughts to myself then. Know that I have warned you. Whatever happens next is not part of my responsibilities."

"Orion..."

She glanced at Orion, noticing a faint nod from him.

"Fine."

Tiohr-nam began to exert an imposing pressure from her body.

"Queen Deveralna."

"Yes."

"Move forward."

With a nod, Deveralna slithered closer to the tree. When she believed it was the moment to stop, she did so.

"From this point onward, you will become the new Remnant of Strength."

"Good luck."

"Hang in there."

Dramia and Drania both bowed forward slightly while encouraging her. She smiled warmly at them, before her expression turned serious.

Four thin roots emerged from Tiohr-nam back. They moved stiffly toward Deveralna, until their tips touched her face.

Two on each sides of her jaw, and two on each side above her ears.

"Close your eyes. And remember, do not let it consume you."

With one last nod, she closed her eyes. A green energy traveled from Tiohr-nam to her roots, before a white aura overtook them, rapidly moving toward Deveralna.

"It has begun."

The aura began to very slowly cover her whole body. From her head, it traveled to her shoulders, her chest, her arms, and toward her waist. Then, it finished with her tail.

Deveralna, covered by a white aura, wasn't feeling particularly different.

Until her heart began to rapidly thump in her chest.

Tiohr-nam removed the roots around Deveralna when she felt the sigil had been successfully transferred, and gazed anxiously at the woman in front of her.

"..."

Orion frowned. He knew that something was going to happen, so he stayed on high alert. Before anything happened, his demon blood awakened, changing to his Abyssal Sovereign form.

Deveralna opened her eyes.

'The sigil has been perfectly transferred.'

Though Tiohr-nam, seeing the cross-shaped sigil, embedded in the irises of the lamia.

Her hair began to float in the air, as static electricity cracked all around her.

'It begins...'

In the blink of an eye, Orion leaped in front of Deveralna, picked her up, and left the room through a portal.

"..."

Tiohr-nam closed her eyes in fear.

...

Orion threw Deveralna on the sand.

"Aaa- Wait- I can't- Wait!"

Deveralna felt a sudden jolt of energy traveling in her core, that grew more powerful the more she struggled to keep it under control.

She began to writhe in agony on the ground as her energy overflowed.

A large shockwave exploded from her body, sending sand flying in every direction. Then another, and another.

With difficulty to breathe, she grabbed her chest, and looked at the clear blue sky above her.

That was the last thing she saw before bursting into white flames, induced by her lightning magic.

"Aaaaaah!"

Her body began to burn incessantly, threatening to snuffle the life she held so preciously until now.

Killing his heart, Orion looked at this scene with a blank expression.

"You were right, Dramia. Good luck indeed."

Lightning bolts began to travel out of her body, burning everything in a hundred-meter radius. The bright white flashes became brighter the more she struggled, reducing everything to ashes.

Only Orion remained unaffected, as he negated any attack thrown at him with dark matter tendrils.

Suddenly, Deveralna dropped lifelessly on the ground.

'I'm genuinely sorry about what's going to happen.'

He crouched in front of her, and grabbed her tail, while his body changed to his angel form.

Covered by a white aura, Orion healed himself from the striking lightning bolt while healing Deveralna's body.

Moments later, her screams echoed once again.

"I won't let you die. You have to control your power if you want to survive."

"I'm! Tryiiiiingh- A-Aaaaah!"

Engulfed into a sea of white flames and devoured by electricity from within, Deveralna's nightmare continued.