Tarakmis had quietly followed Darkia and seen her transformation into a terrible dragon. More than a wyvern, more than a legendary dragon. Before her stood an archdragon.

It was at Darkia's back, making itself as small as a mouse.

The guards and staff were unresponsive and she must have been in some kind of magical bubble. A spell unknown to her, though well versed in the arcane of Gaia.

The pressure increased as the huge wyvern crashed into Darkia.

The only way out was to make herself as inconspicuous as possible and sit behind a table and pretend nothing had happened.

These monsters, as big as the palace, could wipe out everything in a minute and wipe out the largest human army.

But she thought... and listened.

Only sophisticated grunts came from the two creatures. Probably a language unique to their species, but perfect words came out with names that came up.

Arnold... Hans,

But who was this Hans? And Enka, the infernal hydra? The mother of all demons?

Then, all of a sudden, the Wyvern stepped aside to let Aurelia pass.

The goddess was surrounded by a brilliant aura that dazzled Darkia.

"INFERNAL CREATURE! HOW DARE YOU TREAD UPON THE SOIL OF GAIA?"

The aura increased in power but Darkia did not react, her nature of mixed nightmare darkness offered untold resistance to the primal light.

But Louis threw himself between them.

"Aurelia... she's my granny! Darkia is a sweet dragoness. I promise you she won't hurt you."

"But... she's the descendant of pure evil! .... I can feel her aura, her smell and her monstrosity... she is a living nightmare! She doesn't belong here!"

Louise: "Why? What has she done to you? "

Aurelia: "She's...she's an archdemon!!!! a Duke...no...an infernal duchess!!! She must return to her hell! She can't stay on this plane.!"

But against all surprise, Darkia transformed into Claudia and knelt before the goddess.

"Excuse me, Goddess of Light.... I... I should be your nemesis... But I have no desire to do harm..."

The goddess conjured up a throne and sat on it.

"Your name is Darkia from what Louise says."

The dragoness nodded. Although Darkia could tear Aurelia apart, she was playing the wisdom card.

"Even if my place was in hell. There is no more hell or place to go... except here. I beg you, Goddess of goodness and mercy... let us live in peace. You have no idea what we went through to simply survive or even to be able to reincarnate.."

The goddess looked up at the starry sky and part of it had gone black with absolute emptiness.

"You come from the Cursed Mountain but it comes from the void.."

Darkia began to cry...and Louise covered her with her wyvern wing, to reassure and protect her.

Darkia "The sky and the dreams stopped and everything went black when our sun went out. Just like that, all at once.

Then the hydra said, "It's time... we're leaving here and you're going to sleep for a long, long time.

We said our goodbyes, we all hugged each other, Humans, dwarves, Kobolds, elves, dragons and dinosaurs and Vespalians... then we got cold and we all went into our nests, mixed together because we were afraid and to give a chance in case something went wrong and we all fell asleep, with humans under our wings. They were our family, our friends, our lovers..our children too. Adopted or of our blood, we were all equal. Hans was our village leader but also those of the Devourer's tribe were with us. The Devourer submitted. Well, his son a devourer too, but we don't know what the three-headed devourer became... He would be the lover or companion of Enka, the Destroyer. They were going to confront the evil Gods they said...but we were left with no option but to obey.

Enka wasn't hurting us but disobeying was a very bad idea... We were afraid of his collection. It was our fate to end up on an ice shelf but we all prayed that she would unfreeze us. We were begging her and trying to get into her good graces so that we wouldn't end up on a pedestal for eternity with our names and deeds underneath..."

The goddess sighed and began to understand that the cursed mountain was actually just an ark that the demented hydra crashed to exterminate those on the ground, in order to make way...

The dragons and high humans were in fact only refugees from space. There were no conquests, no armies, no invaders.

Unfortunate and enslaved creatures who took refuge here.

But the Gods would have helped if the hydra had not come as a conqueror. And why didn't it deglamorize everyone?

Why was she spared...

Then she trembled before the power that emanated from Darkia alone.

She felt the divinity in Louise... and that of Darkia...

Enka had spared her because without gods, Gaia would crumble or fall into a lifeless rock...

It was only for that.

"MONSTER" she exclaimed.

The two dragons replied "sorry.."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"NO, it's not against you.... but I'm also the Goddess of Truth.. and I know if one is lying or not... Darkia, Louise, get up. You have nothing to fear and I know who you are behind your flesh.

Darkia, queen of nightmares and darkness... Louise, heir to the Ummite power and great Tyrannical Sage.

Louise:"????"

Aurelia smiled, "So you didn't know???" but you are Archdemons and demigods at the same time! In fact, for Gaia, you are Archdemons but you have a living heart. So for me, you are.... .demigods, sacred, divine Beasts.." You are under my protection but I must warn you, Darkia.

You are faithful to your "mother", mother in the sense of offspring but not heir to her malice. Well. I wouldn't say malice. but Enka.. is a flawed, deformed primary goddess. She should have been amputated like her kind in the multiverse as Tiamats but she managed to destroy and devour her kind who could have helped her. But now she has become the goddess of madness. She has many names and personalities.

Some would call her the Black Pharaoh, others the ancient god Nyarlartothep, and finally the hydra Enka the destroyer.

Don't be fooled. It is she who destroyed your universe, your plans and existence and if she "loves" you it is because you are her possession. You are pieces, parts of her collection. Frozen for eternity. And you may not even know if your existences have been just another of her lies. And this may be the first or only time you will see your true reality: pawns in the service of absolute evil.

Enka is only death and desolation, destruction..."

Darkia : "But she wanted to protect us from the Devourer..."

Aurelia : "Another of her lies. She created the Devourer so she could mate and experience the pleasures of the flesh. She lies to herself and this lie has finally become the only reality. You will have to live in fear of her, in flight from her, for if she does not destroy you, she will again make a vacuum around you, continuing her mad wanderings through the cosmos, looking for worlds to destroy and devour, and this, without end.

She is mad and she will break everything, chained in her own lies... and she has you!

By your loves, she will use all the levers necessary to make you obey. The ice... always the ice... She holds those you love hostage but worse, she is capable of abandoning you separated forever by going elsewhere with those you love with her."

Darkia began to cry like a little girl. She knew but she was lying to herself.

Darkia cried for her child with Hans.

Louise cried for her mother, her father and her family.

Aurelia thought. They really aren't the demons they are described as. They think of others and have empathy... Gold, territories and power, they don't care.

She touched Louise and gave her blessing and did the same with Darkia who was in pain but continued to cry.

She turned to the queen and played innocent.

"An interesting sight, isn't it?"

The queen threw herself at Aurelia's feet, begging her to spare her.

"Do you know what you have done?"

The queen looked at the rough cobblestones on the ground, afraid to anger the goddess.

"Your ambitions have awakened a God, the Goddess of Nightmares... If she haunts you, there is nothing I can do for you. It's up to you to face the consequences and make sure you remain good friends with Darkia... and Louise. What you have seen and heard is no business of mortal men and forget it! Not a word. And maybe your wish will come true, but maybe your destruction will too. Louis will certainly join the 'escapees' but be careful that your place is not taken by one of them now that you have triggered the prophecy... by waking Darkia..."

"I... I didn't do it on purpose..."

Aurelia: "But you're responsible... you've played with what's forbidden and you're already in over your head.."

"What should I do??? Almighty Goddess..."

"I am not the goddess of time.... And the one who is in charge of this now... is the horrible Enka..The Destroyer..."

The queen lowered her head and shed a tear..helplessly.

Aurelia: "We are only guides and the world is in your hands. We see to it that forces do not descend upon you, for you have no means of defense, but it is up to you to maneuver to keep control of your destiny. They are here now and you will have to deal with them.

Then the speech was interrupted by tocsins and bells that signalled a catastrophe or cataclysm.

The fires on the mountain tops on the horizon indicated an attack or a serious event that would bring the Elven and Human armed forces together in Gigantija.

Aurelia frowned and shouted, "OH NO!

She rushed out of the enclosure to avoid having her view obstructed by the ramparts.

In the sky, a huge shooting star could be seen and since it was night now, a geometric figure like the one on the cursed mountain could be made out. The structure was smaller but still gigantic and the air rubbing against the structure was bursting into flames.

Aurelia then looked at Darkia: "I am a goddess of light, not of night! You are darkness... help me if you have a heart!"

Darkia then took Aurelia by the hand and they teleported via the darkness straight INTO the flaming structure that fell from the sky..

The sight inside was terrifying.

Two huge 5-headed hydras stood and one of them was floundering. They were skinny and had only skin on their bones.

Behind them was something that looked like two boat hulls on top of each other but completely rusted and tattered and a strong aura of pure evil emanating from a huge black gem with red writing on it.

Everything in the aura was more or less intact, the rest was just patches, welds, rivets and even ropes to hold it all together.

Dragons were on the hull and they were crying, holding each other... with humans praying to non-existent gods. but some were praying to the two hydras.

The stronger one was holding the legs of the smaller one. "Courage, Poisse... hold on a little longer... we've managed to slow the ship down... we have to land now... Then she fixed her red head in the direction of Darkia and Aurelia.

They didn't know each other...

Tiamat (Obsidian): "Whoever you are... please!!!! We are going to fall! I have no strength left. Help us!!!"

Poisse: "Please. Black Dragon!!! please madam light!!!"

Aurelia: "What the hell is this!!!! you're going to kill people again??? is that it? A cataclysm is not enough????"

Tiamat: "We're chasing Enka.... on ... we're too weak... and we couldn't do anything for the gods who got slaughtered... We tried to pick up survivors but we were going too fast and the ship is dead and worn out. We're all going to die anyway, maybe the dragons will have a chance but not the humans... they'll burn up... and the structure will crash... I'm sorry... we were doomed from the start... Enka is a goddess... not me... I'm just a hydra... but I was human before...."

Aurelia: "There is a desert to the north...Can you avoid breaking the world if I help you?"

In a last ditch effort, Tiamat redirected the tip of the half-octahedron, the back in tatters and letting the stellar void and heat from the friction with the air penetrate the area that was becoming untenable.

Darkia then moved closer to what was left of the aegis and cast a shielding spell on the ruined structure.

"Get in there!!!"

Aurelia touched Tiamat's huge scales and she felt that this hydra was overflowing with goodness, even willing to sacrifice itself for others.

The thought of getting rid of them crossed her mind but her wisdom saw them as great potential allies... Enemies of Enka...

She then injected fresh mana into the hydra, which instantly regained its strength.

"Poisse... go take refuge with the others.... you have done a good job... it has been an honor to walk the path with you... watch over the others for me..and don't forget me..."

"No... Big sister.... MUM TIAMAT!!!"

But the hydra snapped her fingers and Poisse returned to her human form

"You have someone who loves you.... stay close to them and protect them!!!"

Aurelia savoured this display of sacrifice and suddenly, lastructure disappeared, Tiamat returned to her obsidian human form and, in the arms of the goddess, they were all teleported through the darkness, including the ship, by Darkia and they all found themselves unconscious, broken by fatigue and hunger, in a desert of dunes, the ship smoking, well, what was left of it.

The idol or black gem, on the other hand, shattered in the atmosphere and melted like a meteorite, taking with it its secrets and especially the evil it contained. No one will ever know what it was or what it was for.

Darkia was also unconscious, drained from the violent effort but helped by the goddess.

Obsidian was like a child, carried by the goddess. Aurelia stroked her black hair and her dragon horns.

"It's over... you won't have to suffer anymore... You will be with your beloved soon...little dragoness..She stopped for a moment.. oh.. Vincent! your name was Vincent.... Seeing her past again, she shed a tear over her martyrdom... "

She laid it on the sand next to Darkia who was sleeping soundly.