What Marise didn't know was that Alban, deep down, hated her appearance, not her soul. He loved her as a person but rejected her as a dragon.

After a brief, delicious, but tasteless meal for the brother and sister, Altus asked Marise what her intentions were?

To his delight: "I can't wait to get home...I have to train Alban as much as I can unless he wants to come with us."

Alban continued: "We may be in the destroyed world and 10,000 years may or may not separate us.

I am far from being an idiot, even if my sister has studied further, but our world here, "the destroyed world" is a new world, a copy of the original if I understand correctly, and if 10,000 years separate us, that is not the case with your world compared to ours. We are in another dimension, a parallel world. That's how worlds are born too.

I was born here, I've spent my whole life here and I don't see why we should leave.

Is there a threat?"

Marise, Altus and Isolde agreed with Alban's explanation.

"I also add, that the only threat... is you, the Zergalians and your mother Tiamat..."

Marise: "But Sire,... We saved you from the dragon lord and the orcs who were going to flood here..."

Altus: "The past threat, it is you who frighten us...

You come and go as you please, as if this were your home... You abuse our hospitality, sudden storms, accidents...

Even invisible, you are occupying troops. We haven't even signed an alliance and even the Baltics, our ally and friend, don't trample on our territory like you do.

We help you and tolerate you out of fear.

Then you force our hand!!!"

But Altus, not wanting to compromise his chief of guard stopped, seeing that Marise was crying.

Isolde wanted to comfort her but she held her hand, disgusted by the dragon...

Alban: "Come...let's go for a walk to take our minds off things"...

Alban then left with Marise, taking leave of the suserain. Marise cried all her tears...

After a few steps, he took pity on the dragon.

"Alban... I've done nothing wrong here..."

"They are afraid... I am terrified too."

She hugged Alban, but he touched her back a little without hugging her. He didn't like the dragoness anymore... it was too much, yet he didn't let it show.

He returned to the lake.

He said nothing and they were alone.

Then, as they walked... "Forgive me, Alban... I know it's not your fault or mine, but I can't help it... it's too hard. I need support, I need a friend I can count on...

Apart from Tania and a few other dragons who chased Tania, I have no one...

I want someone to support me, to make me feel protected, loved, someone like me......

She turned towards Alban, her eyes sparkling...

But Alban clenched his teeth, his anger too strong. It was too soon, too fast, too hard.

She closed her eyes, hoping he would kiss her, but he was looking at the lake and the horizon.

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When she opened her eyes again, his back was turned, and she breathed a groaning sigh, very faint, but showing that she was disappointed.

She thought that it was too early and that it was not the right time.

"Alban: Having a child is a blessing, but already out of wedlock, it's a blessing.

But to have a half-animal child...(he thought it was an abomination) and he stopped, seeing Marise shocked, hurt even more... These words were like daggers thrust into her heart, back and ears."

With a snap of her wings, she flew to the base and took refuge in a dark hole.

"Mother Tiamaat... Mommy.... Please take me home..."

Alban had found the stealth mode and tried to fly, helped by his artificial Hud which explained the maneuvers to him. In fact, he could very well do without the dragon and had just realized it now...

Shooting, shooting with virtual targets, meeting points, bombing and manual or automatic targeting, His Ai worked like a small octahedron and allowed him to crack codes, unlock machines without knowing anything about it.

A true flying terminator... that was what defined him the most, at least on the inside.

He entered the base without being spotted, helped by his hud.

And He surprised a gigantic Claw caressing Marise in the dark...

He ran away but Marise noticed him. He did not take precautions during his escape.

"Shit," she thought... "He saw us..."

But Tiamat consoled Marise... "Don't cry, my child...There are many dragons to discover here and even at home...". You forgot the infernal dragons too..."

But, mom, they are demons...

"And Hirrax? Isn't she nice to you?..."

But Marise, already having lost her humanity, didn't want to be a demon as well...

Tiamat: "Leave Alban for now... he is very angry. I feel his hatred for us. Be careful...It is dangerous... He needs time... His soul is wounded and torn... Don't try, ...not yet...

I feel as if his sister is condemned to death. He hates the baby in her belly. "

Marise:"!!!... is it that bad???"

Tiamat: "I'm afraid so..."

Alban had returned to the castle and was preparing his expedition with a few henchmen to go to the kingdom of Midas, and at the same time pay a greeting to their Baltic Ally.

The horsemen left immediately, light, He would himself carry the rations and tents under his belly at the anchorage points.

He would thus gain 1 day on horseback, faster, lighter...

It was not Tania he wanted to see but Montaron.

Altus prepared the documents for him, helped by Andromedus to have the safe-conducts kept in reserve for exceptional common missions.

He was also to visit the devastated Elf kingdom and offer their help in rebuilding.

Then Isolde made her appearance...

"Brother, I'm coming with you... I have to ask a lot of questions and "

Alban: "You're pregnant... be careful with travelling".

Isolde:" I have to face Tania...but I have to see the prophet before... Otherwise, it will end very badly..."

"Sister, whatever you decide, you can count on me... even if I have to do terrible things..."

She squeezed her brother's metal paw but, against all odds, it was warm, pleasant to the touch...

She listened to her heartbeat. ...it reassured her.

A saddle was placed on her brother's back but a trap door opened, with seat and controls...

A cockpit opened in the back of her neck. We couldn't see anything from outside but she could hide in it.

Isolde "Did you know?"

Alban: "No, it's strange to have a hole in the back of your neck. Hey, it tickles... don't touch anything, okay?"

Isolde then climbed up on his neck and went down into the cockpit to see what it was like. The cockpit was double, and a second person/pilot could sit in it.

That revolted Alban...

"Isolde: Never a word to anyone, okay? Only you will be able to get in, okay?". It's horrible. It's proof that I'm a flying cart...

She caressed her brother from the inside... No.. You are Alban.. and I'm proud of you... You're you.. Maybe the other dragons have a special pocket to hold their stuff too?? I'll ask quietly."

Then she went out discreetly and they went before leaving to see the pontiff, taking care not to be seen by Marise.

In the private office, the two men looked serious. Finally, the metal dragon and the pontiff, if we consider Alban still a man.

Alban motioned to the pontiff to be quiet... Marise knows how to hear...

He took a claw and scratched a slate: "Sire, my sister is expecting a child from Tania... She is in danger of being transformed...".

They have taken everything from me, my humanity, our lives, our future and now my sister... Marise may be nice but she is a dragon who will remain faithful to her clan. I saw the horrors they worship, these goblin armies...The demon lord was a joke..."

Altus: "My brave Alban... I am glad you have remained the same and remained true to your crown.

We can't do anything at the moment, the situation is explosive and we have to consider that we are busy.

"Armadillo, my master assassin is going to train you in the trade and you are acting in the shadows with him, but first, try to learn as much as you can about these dragons... Try to learn more about the hydra. Even if you hate them with all your being, don't forget that your home is here, in this kingdom, and we will always be your family no matter what you look like".

Alban would take these compliments.

"Also, Alban, what you do for us is also for your sister. But if you must take revenge, weigh your anger carefully and consider the long-term consequences."

Alban:"???? I don't understand, sire..."

If you kill one of the dragons...or several...and Isolde keeps his child, he will later ask why...Maybe he will be happy to be a dragon instead of a human. Don't forget that Tania and Marise are of the same religion as us, a little different, but the same. Even if they have blood of abomination in them...The ideal would be to have them in our boot, whether they leave or we take control of them by their children.

Alban: "But this is madness!"

Altus: "With hybrids, they will remain here under our protection against other kingdoms that will want to exterminate them... This will be their world, here and so they will be here to defend our cause.

We will thus regain the initiative and control of the troops.

Alban: "And the Hydra.????"

"You'll have to try to find their weak point... I didn't act because they may be potential allies, given the friendship with the Baltics."

"Sire, with all due respect, but they have hellish troops."

"Tiamat has more too...even more and that's why I need you to infiltrate. Armadillo is going to give you the strings of the trade for that.

Put your anger aside, and when the time comes, you will be able to act with our blessing...

But for now try to learn more from Marise..."