The next morning, I stretched and licked Darkia affectionately as she continued to sleep..

"Thank you for allowing me a restful sleep.."

"MMmm .. You're welcome.."

I wanted to get up but her paw was resting on my long serpentine tail. "Hans... I know you'll find her... don't leave me!!!"

"I promise...!"

We concluded with a kiss with our tongues and Darkia gave me a smile... less aggressive... She certainly had to make an effort...

Waspy had slept at our feet, proof of her unfailing but impossible love. She played the role of "Mantis / fairy" domestic ...

But she had preceded us and was at the hive.

She had jumped out of her hunter and rushed to see Kate's condition.

She saw a dragoness behind bars, chains and she was groggy with venom..

"SHIT. Who did this to you...?" And waspy took off the irons...

"Please... Waspy... please.... don't eat me...I don't know...I don't know anymore...I'm scared...I don't know where to go..."

Waspy: "Listen, Kate... Hans is alive..and he is coming...I have every reason to hate you but as I see you...I wouldn't know...I wouldn't know anymore. You have to know that everyone here is mad at you for what you did but luckily you regret it and you got your head turned around...but you are a dragon...you are not human anymore...you have to accept yourself...It's a reality.

I'm in fairy so I don't scare you but my nature is Vespalian...we can't play at being what we're not or what we're not anymore.."

Kate: "You're going to sting me too?? lay a larva in my belly???"

Waspy let fall a tear.. then became red with rage..

"And you... what are you going to do to me? frost me? tear me? I thought I meant more than that to you... Tell me just once if I've ever been nice to you! Everything we've been through together... what do you do with it?"

Then I entered the room as Hans and opened the cage.

With a serious and impassive air I said: "Kate. You get out and you go home DIRECTLY. You will apologize to the dwarf king and I don't want any scenes. If you meet you know who, well, you'll understand. You'll do your best to be polite and it's "Your Majesty" If you call a dragon a monster again, you'll face the consequences.

You take the train to the end of the line. When I'm done here, you and I will have a talk.

My calm demeanor engendered fear and terror, even Waspy wanted to run away... my murderous aura was so overwhelming...

I have never seen a white ball run like that... It squeaked like a frightened little dog. It made me uncomfortable but also mad...

Then I followed Waspy who was proud to show me his army and the space cruiser.

We went down a platform and I was impressed by the combined work of Star, Waspy and the rebel fairies, dwarves and my beloved Kobolds.

I was so happy that I took Waspy like a little girl on my shoulders...

"I am proud of you... you have grown up and I will intercede with Enka to congratulate you... but I can already feel her satisfaction via the darkness. We will go together to visit her! Are you happy??"

Waspy was crazy with joy. Then we went to visit the humans "guests of force".

I entered with waspy still on my shoulders and I did not look threatening.

They were in the cafeteria with some Kobolds who wanted to play but were still suspicious.

They stood up immediately, and lowered their heads... not knowing where to look. like punished children...

Then I sat down and asked the little Kobold.. Can you bring us coffee and croissants?? I am very hungry...

But my human smile was punctuated by sharp teeth that appeared for a split second to remind them that they had a hydra sitting in front of them.

"So, Captain Bello... it's good to see you again after all this time..."

Monty and Raven were shaking with fear...

Then I turned my head towards them... "Why are you afraid?"

It was unbearable... then Bello threw himself on his knees in front of me and implored my feet...

"Captain Bello... please... we are civilized people.! pull yourself together!"

It was amazing what fear could do to even the bravest of men.

Bello "Who... who are you Lord Carnage?"

I slowly reached for my cup of coffee.

"You should have some... coffee... once so cheap and available is now a luxury. You shouldn't waste it..."

And they threw themselves on their cups and did as I did....

Then I slumped down on the back of the chair and put my hand in my beard, stroking it..

"I'm really proud of Waspy, the Kobolds and the dwarves... they worked hard. They are fighting for their world, and their freedom.. "

And you... what have you achieved in the last 9 months?

Bello: "We..we expanded the Village.. and.. we left the temple intact and we have a small town now.. "

"Waspy informed me that you discovered abrams tanks?"

"Yes, but the priority is food and the population which is 50 times bigger... so we postponed the tanks and we repaired tractors and agricultural equipment..."

Me:" So you made a lot of children... (I said this with a sarcastic look)"

Bello: "Don't get angry... but the elves were defeated and the refugees came by the thousands to beg us... and we welcomed the elves as you welcomed us..."

I made a sigh and put down my cup of coffee, crossed my arms, elbows on the table and looked Bello in the back of the eye....

"Tell me, Captain.... what should I think about this...?"

Then, from a pocket, I took out pictures of my state after the explosion, my burns, my broken rib cage and the skin grafts. All this in a robotic room in the medical wing of the Bucéphalus. In the background there was a huge bay window with a view of the stars, the earth as small as the moon.

In fact, I was holding out a pole... for them to grab... and that was the last time I was holding out my paw.

"As you can see from these pictures, I've had an enforced absence..of 7 months in a coma... And I would like to be able to take stock and clear the air.."

Bello: "Wait..what about Kate?.what happened to her?"

"I sent her home...but I'm waiting for your explanation to understand...yes...that's right...understand..."

Bello: "I, we acted under threat, fear.. and we didn't think about the consequences..."

I tapped the table with my fingers "WHO ...WE??? Don't make me believe that all the humans laughed and bet that the dragoness was so stupid that she blew up her dragon!!!! and don't tell me that she laid a mini atomic bomb after swallowing uranium...that won't make me laugh."

Monty wanted to speak. But Bello signaled him to be quiet.

"What do you mean, Monty ....?"

"I... Lord Carnage... or Professor Reinhardt...we too would like to understand why you eat people...It revolts us and we cannot accept all this cruelty. They lost the war and why you continue to exterminate them in this way???"

Raven: "Yes... we would like to know... we are afraid, we are also disgusted and we also made friends among the elves. We would like everything to be the same as before... but we are afraid... we are terrified and we are lost..."

I raised my head to look at the ceiling, and..instinctively to a dark corner..

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"Kids...you're scared...and that's a natural thing... But if you have any more questions...I'll be happy to answer.."

Bello: "And what is this army... against whom??? against us??? and this buried cruiser... how will you get it out?? and why?? The world is yours..."

"Dear Mr. Bello...I will answer your first question first... Who am I...

It's very simple... I am the son of Enka.. the destroyer and ... the supreme hydra... Emperor of the universe ... but also the absolute evil ... in the sense that the good and evil no longer have any meaning, because of his position....But ... in the story, it was found that the daughter of the executioner could be beautiful and kind.

I am me.. a dragon... The Hans Reinhardt... really died on his expedition when he found Shangrila... He died on my egg that had been sleeping for millions of years in Enka's sanctuary... when the first humans still worshipped her...

His soul merged with mine, damaged by time, and I inherited all his knowledge and personality. So I am also Hans but above all, the son of ENKA, the primordial goddess. She is called destroyer because she too must deal with the celestial Hydra, my father. And, to confess it to you.. I'm in no hurry to meet him..."

The humans now doubted..

"I will answer your second question... As I already explained to you...I am a dragon...not a human who turns into a dragon...but the other way around...

You are a prey for me... nothing more... but why I am going after the elves and not the humans???

Because Hans has 2 children frozen as trophies with your Ummite "friends", my children...a little boy and a little girl.... And Hans did everything he could to save them...he was not the monster that Kate decried...he brought the little ones to the Ummites because he knew he had no chance at that moment to save them...the regeneration capsule was only a prototype and they did not have the flesh of a dragon to survive. I took my dragon marrow and injected it into Kate to give her a chance of survival. NO human survived... except those in the arks... And I saved you..because I wanted to give my children a human life and not a slave life and I also did it for Kate...so she wouldn't go completely crazy. The transformation went well but her soul is deformed, stuck between two worlds...

In fact... I could have let you crash... it would have taken me a long time, but I would have come to the end of the elves..I have all the time in the world...

Then the reason... you know it with their magical reincarnation. They die and reappear... unless they are eaten... And their soul fragments are actually the remains of human souls that can't reincarnate..

I guess your doctors are breaking their heads with miscarriages and the near impossibility of having children... am I wrong???

On the other hand... I've long since grown tired of the taste of elves and cruelty makes no sense to me now but...I'm willing to make an effort. "

Bello:" Kate was mad with rage and ....ils took your children... They came with Yuri...he threatened us with his dominator and they seemed to control the Ummite commanders. They had sedated the drago kobolds and promised Kate they would return the little ones if she delivered an egg to you.

They put it in her head that it was your fault, that you were going to make monsters of them and that the Village was a human breeding farm so your children would have human steak..."

I put my hand over my face... So much stupidity...

"Should I consider you allies or enemies?"

Bello "Lord Hans... You are going to your doom... the Ummites... they have an armada..." then he bowed his head.. looking at the pictures... "We are sorry about the incident... we would like to remain your friends... but slaughtering innocent people... it is inhuman to us..."

Me: "And the Ummites... what do you think? Be frank.. and honest for once.."

Bello: "We are only 500... we are afraid... we were exterminated and... it's true..if you hadn't been there... we would all be dead.."

"Mr. Bello... I want an answer...! Are you with the Ummites or with us?

Bello looked at the children...then. "We are afraid...and we are all going to die...but we are afraid of you as Ummites..."

"Well...let me rephrase my question another way... Would you rather live with me??.or with Yuri and Tyrant??"

Bello said quietly... "With you...."

"Well..in that case...I'll pass...the sponge.... You go home. You will say absolutely nothing about what happened here, but first of all I have a few more things to show you and introduce you to...someone who is not entirely unknown to you, who is very dear to me and to whom I owe my life!"

Bello: "The operating room...is that the space behind or a screen?"

Bello: "It's the medical wing of the Bucéphalus... a star destroyer... it's 100 km long and even has a subway... I'll skip the details... a marvel of technology... Oh yes... it goes from one universe to another... like that... cool?"

Then, I took back my serious air...

"Concerning the elves, I want Mandragus in front of me... alone! It's up to him to beg Enka... and... I also advise you to do the same in the temple... Even if Enka is also the goddess of time... her patience has its limits.."

I stood up and said to Waspy "Very good coffee..."

Waspy: "It has roasted pollen with it! "

"MM so that's the secret...Come on...give us a tour.."

And we arrived in front of the DOOM... the star cruiser...

Waspy jumped for joy all around us.

"Is it ready, Waspy?"

And I held out my hand to him.

I also held out my hand to Raven, who hesitated and then gave it to me. Monty and Bello also gave their hand and the next thing I knew, everything was black and we were floating in the stellar void... a bubble surrounding us to protect us...

The ship was now in space. And I smiled... Mother was in front of us... but for humans, the two eyes were two moons...

"They are not moons but her eyes.

They paled and collapsed... ENKA was before them, all powerful.. And it was not an illusion this time... I knelt down and presented Waspy to Enka..

Waspy threw herself flat on her stomach at the bottom of the bubble. She was dying of fear. The aura of the destroyer was crushing everything, like gravity.

The humans did the same and no one dared to speak or move.

Then the sky shook and more eyes lit up revealing the astronomical dimensions of the goddess. She could almost swallow the whole earth like a python could swallow a chicken's egg. Such was the ratio of size and dimension.

With the tip of her claw/index finger, she placed the vessel with infinite care on the tip of her claw.

"Nice work Waspy... " Then she smiled at me... I was happy to have pleased the goddess.

Then Waspy scratched herself..and..scales grew all over her..transformed into an emerald dragoness. she looked at me..then hissed a huge thank you to the goddess who smiled at her...

"You are now one of my daughters. It is up to you to prove yourself worthy of the favor I am doing you and to earn my love. Continue to serve Hans as you always have..."

Thank you mother... Once again you have shown your greatness and generosity...

Enka "But don't forget ... I give ...but I also take back! "Then she stared at me...

"I'm not talking about you...I'm happy with your work...but it's far from over.."

I waved to mother and we met again in my base.

Waspy was going crazy with joy and was running after his tail like a young dog.

Then we arrived in a room where Darkia was enthroned in front of Kate, flattened like a submissive pogona.

"The humans were like zombies...and they saw Kate subdued before a monstrous dragon...a real living nightmare...

Bello Monty and Raven hid behind me as I grew to my dragon size.

Humans were nothing more than pets to me... talking marmosets or canaries? Well, a little more than insects. Humans, you get attached to them... sometimes.

"Let me introduce you to Queen Darkia... and I guess you may have met her once before.."

They were frozen... Their worst nightmare... alive and before their eyes...

"Once again... thank you for saving me. My love..."

The humans then understood that the Bucephalus... was Darkia's palace/vessel.

And Kate felt my word as a stinging whip.. I had said "My love to Darkia... not to her"

She cried harder.

"PARDOOONN HANS... I don't know what came over me..."

Me: "Darkia... you tormented her enough... she is broken since her transformation.... she is not herself anymore.."

Darkia : "You still love her? After all she did to you?"

Then I looked Kate in the eyes...

"She killed her husband...the one who loved and adored her..."

Kate: "HANS...Please."

"SHUT UP!! you're boring me with your pleas .... YOU ARE NOT A HUMAN ANYMORE BUT BONG BLOOD GET A GRIP!!! "

"HANS.. HIIIIIIIIIIIIII HIIIIIIIII" and she reared back as if I was going to hit her..slap her...maybe she was just waiting for that..."

"KATE!!! LISTEN TO ME... If I was the monster you portrayed...I would have skinned you alive and burped you into the lava... I KNOW EVERYTHING... And I know it's not your fault... I know your weaknesses. And I know you regret... but I want to hear it from you....

Are you sorry because I'm the last chance for the little ones? Or are you sincerely sorry for what you did? And don't lie... Darkia... whom you know well now can read your every thought..."

"HIIIIII HIIIIIII HIIIIIIIIII"

She was on her stomach with 2 paws on her head to protect her from an imaginary blow...

I turned my head.. "Darkia... that's enough... You're better than this. "

Darkia: "But I didn't do anything...I swear...she's been like this since I saw her..."

I turned my head "Darkia.. "

Darkia: "Yes...come on...a little bit when you were in a coma...I took your dead body in dracoliche to make her regret.."

I pursed my lips in disapproval...

"I think she's been punished enough... plus all her friends hate her now... and I feel sorry for her..."

"HANS... PARDON... PITY!!!"

This made me rage...

"KATE... YOU KNOW WHY I'M MAD AT YOU. ???? .... IT'S BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO PROTECT OUR LITTLE ONES! AND YOU GOT TAKEN IN BY A RUSSIAN MORON...THAT'S WHAT YOUR PHOBIAS HAVE GOTTEN US INTO! YOU'RE A DRAGONESS... YOU ARE STILL MY WIFE BUT NOW YOU WILL ONLY BE MY CONCUBINE... DARKIA HAS DROOLED A THOUSAND TIMES MORE THAN YOU AND SHE TOOK HER COURAGE TO GET OUT AND JUST LIVE!!!"

Kate: "Sniff.."

The humans threw themselves against Kate...

"We are with you... you are not alone and it is not your fault"

Me: "Yes it is!!! It's your fault... for lack of judgment and lack of courage. Instead of training, learning... no, you were playing with dwarves and you disappointed our Goddess. Your act hurt me more than my wounds..."

"Sorry Hans... please.."

"Are you autistic or what?? you can only say sorry? pity? "

"I want my little ones... Hans... I beg you... I'm going crazy without them...."

Then I threw a picture in Kate's face... "Your friends... Ummite that you beg.... is what they did with our children.. Trophies... thank goodness it's eternal ice and not the head nailed to a board on the wall.."

Kate was all tears...

"Now... you will listen to me... I forbid you from now on to go near the Village, the dwarf fortress and Waspy's hive... By the way, you have seen Waspy... she is honored by the goddess "Imaginary" and is a dragoness like you. But at least she recognizes the honor and joy of being part of this species...of which you are part and which you dishonor. Then, 2 Drago Kobolds will assist you and teach you the basics of hunting. No more food, no more drinks and no more comfortable life in a palace. For one year... I want to see you change...

I want to see the dragon in you. You'll have to hunt your steak and be deaf to the pleas of your prey.. It's hard but you won't be alone. Sarah, Monty, Raven and Bello will be able to check up on you but in the den you've made for yourself...

OUR children... this is my problem and unfortunately I thought I could count on you to help me but learn to live with yourself first.

I don't want your craziness to rub off on the little ones... they deserve a strong and proud mom and not a wreck. Hugs and happy moments are to be earned and should not become the norm over the rest. Am I clear enough????"

"Hans... don't you love me anymore?"

"If I didn't still love you... I would have banished you forever at best and you would end up in Darkia's stomach at worst... am I clear???"

"The Kobolds... will they bite me?"

"Yes... if they are not afraid of you... they will dare... And then what did you expect? Can you imagine for them?? we are gods... and they have dragon blood... weak and they feel it... they dream of regaining what they have lost and you... you mess up their idol... It's like hitting an idol in a stadium full of hooligans...If they come after you...you amaze me.."

"Hans..pard" she couldn't finish her sentence.. I was stuffed..

"STOP! Shut XP! ROAAARRR"

A white flash flew away, lost...

Darkia wanted to chase her but I took her paw and kissed her... and she let herself go...

Then Darkia turned back to the 3 humans...

"John..Monty.. Raven... shhh... otherwise.... I will show you around A'Arnatheh, well the forgotten castle.."

At these words, memories of their worst nightmare came back to their minds and they understood what the monster in front of them was... Hans was... less scary..well..a little less?"