Surrounded by darkness, Vallynor noticed that the darkness disappeared after a few seconds and an enormous hall opened up before him, reminiscent of the one in which he had just battled an old woman.

Before his eyes were hundreds of people, dragons, and dragon-like creatures, all bowing to him. Quickly surveying them all, he tried to understand where he was and how to get out of there. Then, a woman's hand caught his attention as she took some kind of sphere and threw it before all the dragons. This surprised Vallynor, and he wondered who could transform into a human. Seeing only a neat hand, he guessed that she must be a beauty.

When he looked at the girls who were bowing before her, he noticed that they were all beauties, but in the corner of the room, he saw a man who he initially mistook for a girl. The important thing was that he was dressed in dark green clothes and was glaring at everyone maliciously.

Dismissing all unnecessary thoughts, Vallynor quickly cast spells to escape from there because he knew that the longer he stayed, the more he risked being killed by enemies.

When he completed the spell and everything began to disappear, he heard a voice that said, "War is coming." "Prepare, or we'll all perish."

Waking up, he saw the dragon fighting and destroying the undead and the hands with tentacles. In all the time that he was lost in thought, the dragon had received many injuries, but she wasn't recovering as she did before.

"What's happening?" Vallynor thought, looking around. Suddenly, his gaze fell on the old woman, who was enveloped in a green aura that quickly transformed into wind. This showed that she had exhausted her energy reserves.

Vallynor realized that he would soon be able to restore his body. He tensed up, pulled out a pen, and began to draw on his hand. He quickly recited some words that sounded like a curse. The drawn symbols on his hands quickly formed lines that headed toward Vallynor's back. Different-sized symbols appeared on his back.

The old woman, gathering all the possible mana, felt the amount of mana she had collected decrease. There was almost nothing left. It seemed that there was no mana left in this hall. She felt that even her last reserves of mana had run out.

She looked at the culprit—more precisely, at Vallynor, who had become the center of a tornado and, like a vacuum cleaner, was gathering all the mana.

Anger seized her as if Vallynor had taken something that belonged to her. She ignored all the deaths and wounds she received. Reaching Vallynor, she attacked with her claws.

Vallynor felt the danger and quickly cast a spell, connecting it with the corpses—or rather, the remains of corpses. They flew like lightning towards Vallynor, merging and creating a crooked dome, which was attacked by the old woman.

Without waiting for the enemy to destroy the barrier, Vallynor attacked the old woman's soul again, tearing it apart and throwing the pieces into his own soul. It slowly began to recover.

The queen felt terrible pain from every wound. But the fierce, righteous anger in her eyes slowly turned into a poisonous gaze.

Vallynor was again shrouded in darkness and woke up somewhere in the dark. Slowly creeping, he saw small, dark green paws. What was it?

"When did the old woman have paws and such scales?" - Vallynor wanted to stay a little longer to watch but felt the barrier's energy quickly depleting. He decided to leave quickly. As he was leaving the memory, he heard a beautiful female voice say only one word: "brother."

"Brother?" Vallynor thought. "Did the memory's owner address someone else, or was there someone else there?"

Stretched hands from the ground grabbed Vallynor and dragged him to the ground. After that, he found himself in a different place. Moving away from the dragon, he saw something strange. The old woman stood and looked at him with a poisonous gaze. However, that look did not belong to the old woman or her insane form.

"Who are you?" Unable to resist, Vallynor asked, watching as the dragon did not hurry to attack but only looked at him.

The dragon silently looked at Vallynor, making him nervous and even praying for him to attack. The undead, which were ordered to attack the dragon, were annoying. But the dragon, tapping the floor twice, grew dark green branches filled with thorns out of the ground. These branches quickly surrounded him and caught all the annoying undead.

"How annoying they are," a hoarse male voice said from the dragon. After that, the dragon gathered air in its chest and released a cloud at Vallynor.

Seeing the dragon gather air, Vallynor immediately understood what it intended to do. So he quickly cast a spell, creating a dome of the dead, and continuously maintained it to prevent it from collapsing.

The drawn symbols and runes were shining on both of his hands and on his back, turning him into a living torch. Mana circled around and turned into a cyclone where Vallynor himself was, quickly entering him. This made his pale skin turn red, and then some parts turned blue. Even the drawn runes on his body shone with some dangerous red color.

Dragon-released dark green clouds quickly headed towards Vallynor. He was preparing himself to take the blow and was stunned when the mist passed through his barrier and, like the rest of the mana, began to enter him.

It took Vallynor several minutes to realize that these clouds were not a weapon but concentrated mana that was green due to poison. But he couldn't figure out what kind of poison it was.

"Stop, too much mana at once. No, no," said the hero, looking at his hands, on which the drawn symbols and runes were causing the skin to begin to peel off. The tattoo drawn by Baba Yaga was also slowly disappearing.

"Damn!" cursed the hero.

Mana slowly stopped gathering and entered Vallynor. thus filling his reserves of mana and necro-energy, which he could only get through trickery.

These drawn symbols and runes were a curse that Baba Yaga taught him when he lived with her. This curse helped Vallynor gather and attract mana to himself without any effort. However, such a miracle was accompanied by painful sensations from the mana filling you up, as if you were drinking an endless amount of water and then breaking apart like a ball.

Fortunately, more than half of the accumulated energy was immediately transferred by the book, so Vallynor was never fully filled with mana.

This tattoo was made by Baba Yaga to solve the eternal problem of meditation and allow one to feel and control mana.

But instead of meditation, it made the hero work on the farm.

Now this tattoo is overloaded with mana, attacked by poison, and quickly falling apart, taking away from the hero what he received as a gift from Baba Yaga.

"That's better!" said the hero when the drawn tattoo of runes and symbols fell apart and mana stopped gathering in one place. The undead also stopped being so active.

"I must thank you, human," said the dragon, looking cunningly at Vallynor, not showing any signs of the madness that had been there before, as if it were someone else in the old woman's body. This quickly reminded Vallynor of the recent events. Different thoughts and guesses began to arise in his mind.

"Why are you thanking me?" Looking at the dragon, he couldn't help but ask why he was being thanked.

"Why? Ha-ha-ha," the dragon began to laugh slowly. At first, the laughter seemed ordinary, but then it turned into maniacal laughter.

"For harming the soul of my mother." "Without you, I would have fought with my mother's madness for some time."

"Mother?"

"Yes, the Queen of the Eternal Forest, the mother of all dragons. Nata Extendere Vitam In Silvis Per Inane Nevispi. She is my mother. And now her body belongs to me."

"Nevispi? Why did you do this? It sounds like twisted incest," said Vallynor.

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Start Song: https://soundcloud.com/rok-nardin/rok-nardin-the-mad-queen

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"Too many questions," said the dragon. "I must thank you. I'll be kind and kill you quickly and eat your soul painlessly." Terrifying earthquakes enveloped the entire hall but disappeared as quickly as they appeared.

With one strike on the destroyed floor, vines and roots lunged at Vallynor, catching him. At first, he was stunned and didn't immediately understand what his enemy wanted to do. He tried to free himself somehow, but all his attempts were in vain. All wounds inflicted quickly healed, and all his actions were nullified.

The approaching dragon looked closely at his target, studying it and trying to understand what was so special about it. Perhaps it was because he was a stranger. No, if that were the case, his mother would be interested in who made a mistake in choosing. Maybe he was hiding something. After he fully digested his mother's soul, he would be able to see her memories without fear of losing himself.

As Vallynor tried to free himself, the dragon approached his head to within two meters and directed corpses and hands from the ground, as well as vines and roots, at him. But it was all in vain: his army lost the former part of the energy it received from its master.

Opening its huge mouth, the dragon was ready to completely devour its prey. Vallynor himself realized that he didn't have enough strength. It was true that he was not strong, but the others were weak, and all his enemies before this had fallen. But even if he decided to disappear today, he wouldn't give up.

Vallynor released all the accumulated energy from the Necronomicon, and hundreds of torn corpses were thrown throughout the hall.

"Omnia possunt cadere, vita non est aliquid, morsque via est principii. Nemo potest..." Vallynor began to read slowly, remembering spells or poems that appeared one after another.

Squeezing his hand, he felt something hard. Because of its shape, he immediately understood that it was a lamp. He looked at it and could see it emitting a strong blue light.

"Even if you protect this boy?" Vallynor exclaimed in surprise for a few seconds. The dragon quickly regained his composure and shouted, "Nata Extendere Vitam In Silvis Per Inane Mortuus!" "I have done my part. Now it is your duty to repay."

"With whom are you speaking?" Vallynor couldn't help but ask when he saw the enemy raise his head and scream.

"He fulfilled his part of the deal and now wants what was promised to him," a man he knew suddenly said from behind. With one stroke, what Vallynor held tightly was cut in two. "We must not let him succeed. I will fight for the forest and not let him approach you and the lamp. And you kill this snake that is ready to do anything for what she desires."

Seeing Experavite approaching them from behind in a ghostly form, Vallynor and the dragon stopped. When he came within one meter, he touched the lamp, and the next second, a strong wind filled the room, spreading throughout. It was followed by the cries of thousands of tortured souls screaming in pain. Experavite created a staff in his hand and struck the ground three times with it. After that, all the ghosts passed through the wall, and in the next moment, there were thundering, screaming, and earthquakes. Experavite headed toward one of the walls, but before passing through it, he heard a question.

"How can I kill the enemy?" Vallynor shouted after him before he disappeared.

"Ash," said Experavith, and he disappeared by crossing the wall, leaving Vallynor and the dragon alone again.

"He still hasn't given up; he's so loyal to his dead master instead of obeying his god. He's been bothering me. Soon he'll realize that all his actions were foolish. But first, I'll get rid of you, annoying fly," said the dragon, approaching Vallynor.

"You remind me a lot of dumb heroes who always somehow survive." "It's a shame you met me," he continued.

The form of the huge dragon quickly diminished, turning into a beautiful woman. She was completely naked and kicked her foot on the bare ground, after which, in the next second, a grapevine grew, which quickly enveloped her. The stem became a huge bow.

Strong earthquakes engulfed the hall, which led to the formation of cracks even on the walls and remaining pillars. Black roots protruded from these cracks, but neither the dragon nor Vallynor were bothered by them.

While the enemy turned into a beautiful girl, Vallynor watched what was happening. He took out the scythe and ash, given to him by the witch Yaga, which glowed weakly. Looking at it, he didn't know what to do.

***

"Sir, the boy is currently fighting the Queen of the Forest," the old monk said, bowing to the young lion.

"Very well, let's keep an eye on it... It's a pity we can't see; we can only feel the flow of mana and its changes," the young lion replied regretfully.

"Sorry," the monk apologized, bowing again.

"Don't apologize. Even the Queen of Nightmares, Lia, cannot understand what is happening there." The young lion turned his head and looked at the beautiful girl with an emotionless face and long purple hair.

Lia sat high in the sky, watching over the mountain where Vallynor was fighting. She bowed slightly and felt a strange force for the second time. It was almost familiar to her but disappeared quickly, like the first time. Lost in thought, Lia felt something else and turned to the source. There, she saw Alexander slowly approaching them in a cloak.

The young lion also turned his head and saw Alexander slowly approaching them. When he was almost at the camp, the young lion stood up and walked towards him.

"Father."

"Son. "Did you also come for guests from another world?"

"Yes, but not only me." He looked significantly at the Queen of Nightmares, then returned his gaze to his father. "How's my sister doing?"

"Not good. If she hadn't run away..." Alexander murmured regretfully, remembering those painful moments.

The monk and people of Molotov Lev were watching closely and waiting. They were waiting for any sign of an attack. Drops of sweat were dripping from the monk, but he tried to calm himself, remembering who his lord was and that he had a plan for emergencies.

"I'll take the boy whole and unharmed," Alexander said, breaking the silence.

"I have to disappoint you, but I also came for him," the father agreed.

"Then it's a battle," Alexander offered without hesitation, lowering his hand to his sword.

"A battle," the son agreed with his father, also lowering his hand to his weapon.

The knights and the monk quickly moved away from these two, realizing that it would not just be a battle but a duel.

"If you, Barbarians, want a battle, you will see it so that my eyes do not see. It's better from the forest itself, if you don't want to suffer from what is coming," Lia's enchanting voice unexpectedly sounded. It was very clear and understandable, as if she were only ten meters away from them, not dozens of kilometers.

Many would have been enchanted by her voice if they did not know who she was. So everyone, except for the two lions and the monk, began to tremble with fear.

"Respected Queen of Nightmares, we do not want to offend you, but you should not interfere in family matters," the young lion said, looking at Lia without a hint of fear.

Alexander himself felt a tremble, remembering the past. But the last words interested him, and he signaled to his son to be quiet and listen.

"Lia, what impending problems should we be wary of?"

A powerful earthquake made all the knights fall to the sand, while the monk and two lions, jumping, remained in the air as if time had stopped.

"From this," replied Lia, looking attentively at the forest, which seemed to have awakened.

Alexander, understanding immediately, quickly drew his swords and immediately attacked the sand from which a black root was just about to emerge.

"The forest came alive?" asked the young lion in surprise, seeing his father attack the moving root. Since the Queen of the Forest betrayed her forest, he thought the forest had died and would remain so forever. But today he was able to see parts of the forest moving. Looking around, he saw the trees moving. This scared him for a moment, but the warrior's heart quickly destroyed that feeling.

"No. It's better to say that it never died. Only one thing could make it move. Someone said the Queen's name," Alexander answered his question.

***

The bored Glazik watched as Vallynor disappeared into the forest and then reappeared with some prey in her jaws. For some time now, she has been waiting with Vallynor for her master, who was supposed to be having a conversation. But the fluctuations of mana, which quickly disappeared under the dome, showed that there was a battle going on.

During the several years he had spent with Baba Yaga, Vallynor had managed to learn dark magic, or more precisely, magic associated with shadows. He realized that his master was currently engaged in a battle, and he could do nothing but wait and hope that his master would be stronger and survive.

Feeling weak, Vallynor decided to continue training in order to be able to overcome such obstacles and help his master. With these thoughts in mind, he ran through the forest, hunting powerful enemies. In each battle, he used only magic and occasionally physical strength. And he never used his skills except for teleportation. The powers gifted to him from hell often made him think about using them in battle. Even his own instincts urged him to use his skills.

But he always restrained himself, remembering the lessons he learned from Baba Yaga, while his master trained on his own, making him ignorant. He remembered that magic may seem weak at first, but given time, it becomes very powerful. Skills are gifted from birth and race, strong from the very beginning, and can become even stronger if you evolve. But they are still weaker than magic itself, which is limited by time and training, while skills are limited by your race, blood purity, and so on.

Remembering all this, Vallynor knew that it was better to rely on magic than on skills. But what about the skills he possessed? They couldn't even help him get to his master, let alone assist in the battle.

Sometimes, when Annino walked in circles, he felt like he was being watched by some forces, but he didn't understand where they came from. Realizing that they had no malicious intent, he simply ignored them, considering them simple observers. Nevertheless, he was always ready for surprises.

While he was hunting, a strong feeling of danger enveloped him, and a strong earthquake began. Stopping, he quickly turned and ran back, leaving his prey. The animals that ran away from Annino suddenly stopped and turned in the direction he was heading.

Reaching the dome, Annino was able to see how Glazik was hovering high in the gray sky, looking in all directions. Annino couldn't understand what she was doing, but feeling something, he quickly turned around. What he saw alarmed him. And, looking at Glazik again, Annino realized that it was happening not only here but everywhere.

All the trees, as if waking up from a deep sleep, began to slowly move their branches and roots. They were completely alive and mixed with each other.

Deep in the forest, the cries of different animals destroyed the once quiet forest, which only became stronger with each passing minute.

Because the trees were not moving so fast, the animals living in the forest approached close enough to see them behind the trees and then even pounced on Annino and Glazik.

Glazik felt it was time to run away. She even thought about how and where she could escape. But when she saw Annino himself attacking the animals, throwing various spells in bunches, she decided that he was an idiot. And she herself was no better.

Glazik shot into the sky, after which the gray sky turned red. Drops of blood began to fall from these clouds. When they hit the animals, they stopped after a few seconds and fell to the ground.

Their empty eyes quickly melted away, leaving behind empty eye sockets full of blood. Only Anino seemed to feel anything, throwing his shadow spells from one enemy to another. It was very similar in principle to his skills.

As they fought, a strong tornado emerged from the dome, reaching up to the sky. The wind was so strong that it destroyed all the red clouds and stopped the rain.

Only two minutes passed before hundreds of ghosts emerged from the dome, attacking all the animals and Anino with Glazik.