Emerald collapsed onto the stone floor, shivering violently. The Genesis fluid had almost completely doused her inner fire.

Cinder rushed forward with fresh towels, wrapping them around her friend.

"What... what the eff...?" The Rubicund Lindworm whispered, looking up at me. "You... you shouldn't have mana or s-super strength. How are you overpowering me?! W-what are you?"

"I'm... just a person," I replied evenly. "Like I made you admit. Now, are we done with the violence and insults? This is a sacred hall of incarnation, unless you forgot. If you want to challenge me to a duel to the death for insulting your dragon-honor, you can do so in History Club at a later date. Cinder or Vee will serve as my second."

Emerald tried to puff herself up, her ruby scales bristling despite being soaked and shivering. "Don't think this means a-anything, nullie," she snarled, though her voice cracked pathetically. "I'm still going to-"

I arched an eyebrow.

"Go ahead," I said.

"What?" She blinked.

"Do you know why I saved you from oblivion?" I asked her. "You exist as the antagonist. Your role is to antagonize me. Go ahead. Antagonize away."

Emerald tried to draw herself up. "You... you think you've won something here? You think dunking me in the Genesis Pool makes you tough?"

"No," I replied calmly. "I think it makes you wet and cold. And I think you're deflecting because you're terrified of appearing weak in front of Cinder, of losing your spot as number one dragon Queen. You saw something under there, didn't you. Do you remember me? Do you remember... Alexa?"

Emerald's gold-orange eyes widened, a flash of genuine fear crossing her face. She rapidly concealed it behind a hastily constructed frown.

"I didn't see shit," she muttered. "And I'm not scared of anything, especially not some weak little..."

I took a step toward the pool. Emerald flinched back.

"Right," I nodded. "Of course not. My mistake. Clearly you're a very brave and strong Lindworm... dunked repeatedly in magic juice by a 'weak little nullie.' Very intimidating."

"You... you..." Emerald sputtered. "This isn't over!"

"Obviously not," I shrugged. "I expect violence and grave treachery. Just remember this - every time you attack me or my friends... terrible, awful, no good things are going to happen to you. The more you try to stop me, the worse things are going to get for you."

"You can't threaten me!" Emerald snarled.

"It's not a threat," I said calmly. "It's a promise. A prophecy, if you will. You're going to keep being antagonistic because that's your role. And every time you do, you're going to fail spectacularly because that's also your role. You exist in a box that you've drawn up for yourself. You are incapable of stepping out of it. You're predictable and this makes you weak."

Emerald's scales bristled with fury at my words, but I could see the uncertainty in her eyes.

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"Had I let you vanish, had I let your bracelet remain behind the gate," I said. "You would be out of the equation of the future and... perhaps be seen as a martyr of sorts by some, since Omnids don't speak bad of their perma-dead kin. As you are now, you're perfect. Your own excessively villainous actions are going to push your entire crew into my waiting, pink hands."

"WHAT?" She sputtered. The dragon-girl glanced at Cinder, perhaps seeking support, but the Quetzalcoatl's wings remained neutral, shifting through thoughtful shades of blue and gray.

"Ci, you can't seriously be letting this nutjob nullie talk to me like this! I order you to-"

"Order me?" Cinder's wings flared with sudden anger, shifting to deep crimson. "You don't get to order me around anymore, Em. Your show was an absolute disaster. You ignored Io's warnings. You forced both of us to preform with your dragon-command-voice! You got yourself killed and two of your knights were grievously injured. Your fancy artifacts are gone. Your sword is gone. The troupe's over! Go home!!!"

"But..." Emerald's voice cracked. "The troupe... we can still..."

"No," Cinder's wings flared wider. "It's done, Em. You pushed too far, ignored too many warnings. I'm out."

"You can't just quit!" Emerald struggled to her feet. "We're a team! How are you gonna level up?!"

"Level up?" Cinder let out a bitter laugh. "Is that all you care about? Stats and power? Look what your obsession with 'leveling up' got us today! Vesp has a broken face, Solace is in critical care, and you literally effing melted! If Alex didn't ask that thing for your bracelet back we wouldn't even be talking now!"

"But..." Emerald growled. "We're the strongest..."

"We're not the strongest," Cinder sighed. "I met a god today. A real God. Not some bullshit LV-too-high-to-count humanoid on Arx that is powered by a bunch of tethered souls and citadel cities. And you know what? It didn't care about our levels or stats or fancy artifacts. We were nothing to it. Less than nothing! That thing fried all of the school's wards with a glance!"

The Rubicund Lindworm frowned.

"It made you trip on absolutely nothing! And you know what's worse? It was being nice about it! It was playing with us, Em! Like we were amusing little toys!"

Emerald's fists opened and closed.

"You want to be prey?" Emerald hissed at Cinder. "Fine! Be that way! Side with this... this nullie! See if I care! See where it gets you in a week or two!"

She stormed toward the stairwell, leaving wet, silver-tinted footprints on the stone floor. At the gate, she turned back one last time, her gold-orange eyes blazing.

"When you're done playing with your latest pet project, you know where to find me," she snarled. Then she disappeared up the stairwell, leaving only the lingering scent of crushed pride.

Cinder's wings drooped, shifting through melancholy blues and grays. She let out a long, shaky breath.

"You okay?" I asked, somewhat falling back on the supportive-friend NPC role.

"No," she sighed. "Nothing about this is okay. The troupe is finished. Em's 'prolly never going to forgive me for this. And you..." She turned to face me, her ocean-blue eyes filled with a mix of emotions I couldn't quite read. "What you did..."

I tilted my head at her.

"That was dangerously imbecilic and... brave. Em's going to make your life hell now."

"And fall right into my trap," I grinned.

"You don't know Em like I do," Cinder sighed. "She doesn't forget. Or forgive. Ever. And now you've humiliated her in front of me..."

Then her brain caught up to my words. "What trap?"

"The most dastardly kind of trap," I tapped the side of my head.

Cinder squinted at me.

"The more she antagonizes me, the more she'll push everyone away from her and towards me. Every time she acts out, every time she tries to hurt me or others, she'll dig her grave deeper. She's predictable, trapped in her 'I'm-a-bully' NPC pattern."

"I don't get you. You... you planned this? All of it?" She asked.

"Pff," I waved her off. "I didn't plan for an interdimensional tourist to melt your best friend. But once it happened... well, let's just say I know how to work with what I'm given."

"That's..." Cinder's feathers bristled slightly. "That's kind of concerning, Alex. You're kind of... scary."

"Says the girl with mind-control wings," I guffawed. "Your singing literally made me crawl onto the stage on my knees. My social rep will never recover!"

Cinder pursed her lips.

I offered her my hand. "Shall we head upstairs, my fair lady?"

The Quetzi-girl looked at my hand.

Finally, she took it with a weary sigh, claws wrapping around my fingers.