With a groan Vuthe got up from the ground. It had been a long time since she had felt such a punch. While the other group may not have a good understanding of magic, they weren’t weaklings either. She had known that from the beginning, but this was a very good reminder.

If they would know how to properly reinforce their bodies with magic, or control her draconic powers they would be a force to be reckoned with, but as they were right now, she was stronger than all of them. Still, they weren’t fresh born dragons, and despite their cluelessness they had built quite strong bodies.

She did pity her other self. She played all high and mighty but to Vuthe her thoughts and emotions were clear as day. Since they had never learned how to control their aura, they didn’t know how to shield themselves from such attempts at reading them, and Vuthe was reasonably sure she would still be able to do so anyways thanks to the weird link binding them.

Her other self was not so different from herself. She had experienced something traumatic and tried to cope with it, but while Vuthe had her duties to protect her people and friends, this other her only had pure strength to rely on. She was used to getting her way, by violence if necessary.

In a way this other her was a lot more childish than herself, probably a product of circumstances. She couldn’t blame her, however. No, it would be wrong to blame her. She had been dealt the worst hand and tried to make the best of it.

Turning around she saw that Vixus had knocked her out, which might be for the better. She had her temper get the better of her earlier when she was shot at. For a moment she felt like she was back in the guild, all alone and with nobody to rely on, a reminder that even she hadn’t left the cage of past memories yet.

To ensure the rest of the other group didn‘t get any stupid ideas Vixus had the girl still tight in hands. It was a warning for them that if they do anything untoward, she would be the one to suffer. In a way she felt bad, since they abused exactly what kept her group together too.

Vuthe was self-aware enough to realise that she too still hadn’t worked through her own past. It was strangely reassuring to know that she and this other her were similar in that regard. Or maybe it was only because of the strange link she felt like this. It was an odd feeling, one that wasn’t quite describable.

„What the fuck did you do to her?!“, not-Calagrophy asked with panic and anger in her tone. Vuthe could see that the four of them were poised to strike, but held back, probably out of fear of Vixus. Or rather what Vixus would do to their leader.

She too had been surprised with how much efficiency her child had taken the situation under control. Never in her life would she have guessed that they were so strong. They usually kept away from fights and focused on information gathering. It did seem however they were stronger than they had let on. For the moment she decided to let the topic slide and get back to the situation at hand.

“Relax, she isn’t dead, only unconscious”, Vuthe said as she stepped closer. Then she looked at the one person who hadn’t said anything yet. The pale man had taken several steps back when the confrontation started and looked alarmed, although not frightened, which did surprise Vuthe a little.

„And who might you be?“, she asked in a polite tone. She had a guess but wanted confirmation. She just hoped they could get out of this without needing to kill anyone. She would hate to kill her other self, but she would do so to prevent more bloodshed.

„My name is Vladimir. I’m an Overseer in the Swiss Council. Truth be told I wasn’t sure what to expect out of a confrontation, but this most certainly wasn’t it“, he said with a wry smile. „I am glad though that I decided to have the meeting be held outside. I doubt our walls would have survived your speedy, uhm, travel through them.“

She chuckled dutifully, „Indeed. It has been some time since I hurt so bad from a punch. I do need to apologise to her later, however. I deserved this one“, she shrugged, then turned to the group who still had the weapons at the ready, unsure what to do. „As for you. If you drop your weapon and have a normal conversation with us nothing will happen to anyone. We came here because we wanted to figure out who tried to use my identity. We didn’t come here for a fight. You started it, but you should realise by now how outmatched you are.“

The man who looked like Castaphiel laughed loud, „Outmatched, by whom? You? You needed your friend there to deal with Scythe! And we are four while you are three.“

With a deep sigh Vuthe looked at Tizanta, speaking in Satien’s Elvish tongue, „Would you be so kind and put us in a protected area? It appears that we need to show them exactly who they are dealing with. That seems to be the only way to get it through their thick skulls. I am honest Tiz, I really pity them.“

Tizanta chuckled in response, also switching to the Satien Elvish tongue, „I mean it is interesting to watch and not surprising, really. Although, from what I can see this Katarina seemed not really in it. It’s mostly Blight and my other me.“ While she spoke she started weaving a big protection array around the plot of land the front garden was on.

The Dragon Queen really couldn’t refute that. Katarina and Michael seemed rather cautious but less aggressive. In a way it wasn’t too surprising, despite what they had gone through they were still deep down the same people. Although the attitude of Tizanta’s twin did surprise her a little. She hadn’t taken the charismatic Serpent to be so… reckless. She shook her head then turned back to the band of trouble makers.

„Okay, since you obviously won’t listen until I wipe the floor with you, I suppose I have to show you“, she said with a calm voice, this time in english again.

Vuthe hadn’t really let go of her control over aura for quite some time now, at least not fully. It was always best to keep her aura and magic bolted down. There was a reason why Satien had such a bad opinion on Shadow Dragons. Which was their utterly terrifying presence and purely evil nature. What was worse was that those Shadow Dragons that naturally existed there were only half-shadow mutants of ordinary dragons. Vuthe was a true blooded Shadow Dragon, a direct descendant of Ga’zeith de Thal, the True God of Shadows, and had perfected her use of her race given gifts.

With the protections in place Tizanta placed Vladimir, Archangel, and Scarlet next to her, leaving Vuthe alone with the other group. Vixus joined them, the unconscious Scythe still laying in the middle of this entire ordeal. With a flick of her tail Tizanta expanded the space inside the protective bubble to a few kilometers, and the distance between Vuthe and the Amnellium group to about a hundred meters.

Taking one deep breath Vuthe let go of all the constraints she usually put her aura under, letting loose both her aura and her magic in a giant explosion of shadows. To the people outside, shielded by Tizanta’s magic, it looked like the entire area inside the bubble suddenly turned pitch black. To the people inside… There was a reason she was called the Living Nightmare.

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Perspective: Silk

Silk really didn’t like how this whole thing had gone. She had been sure at the beginning that Scythe could beat the crap out of whoever it was that tried to pass as Rin Savart. However, the moment the girl stepped out of the car she knew something was wrong.

There was something about this unassuming little girl, who somehow managed to look even younger than Scythe, despite looking identical to her Boss. And while Silk didn’t really get what it was, she knew she was dangerous. What she didn’t expect however was the Shadow Figure that locked up both combatants after only a fraction of a second.

It seemed they were some kind of subordinate of the other girl, which was fair enough she supposed. They were a group of five and nowhere did it say the other group couldn’t bring anyone.

She did feel mild satisfaction when Scythe managed to deck the imposter, however that only lasted a fraction of a second before she had been knocked out as well. Worse still, the other girl calmly got up and mumbled something about being the one at fault.

At this point Silk realised that something seriously wasn’t right. Scythe hadn’t held back with that punch, she knew, and even she would be reeling from something like that for a few minutes. However, this girl, Vuthe as she was introduced, simply got up and walked back to them.

Silk already had a bad feeling, but those exploded into pure worry when she noticed the massive feeling of magic coming from her. Then everything was black. At first, she thought she had passed out, but she just couldn’t see. Not even her vision, which had been ridiculously good since she was turned into a dragon, could see a damn thing.

My name is Shade Dragon Vuthe de Thal, the Dragon Queen of Thelvadore. You were foolish enough to stand against me and mine, which is why I will show you what happens to those who oppose me.

A voice echoed through the eternal darkness. It was ancient and had a physical weight to it that pushed the four friends to the ground. A feeling of unavoidable, impending doom began to creep up Silk's spine, slowly, meticulously, creeping into every single muscle and bone of her body.

Suddenly there were two massive eyes in front of them. Silk knew those, those were the eyes of Scythe dragon form, however also different. While Scythe eyes had something dangerous and chaotic, these ones were deep, ancient, and cold. It was the look of a predator that had spied some prey, and in this moment, Silk was nothing more than that.

It would behove you to show respect to your elders, wyrmlings. You are but children throwing a tantrum compared to us. You lack experience, training, and discipline. But what you lack most… is strength. You are a disgrace to dragon kind.

The silhouette of Vuthe in her Hybrid form appeared before them, although without a physical form. The only thing visible on this black shadow in the eternal darkness was a crooked, manic grin. Then another one appeared. Then the next. Then the next.

All the while neither Silk nor her friends could utter a sound. Something was blocking their mouths, barely even letting them breathe. It felt like suffocating in sand.

Now then… Let me show you the power of an ancient one such as I. A true dragon, someone worthy of respect.

The weird shadows started multiplying faster and faster, and each was equipped with a different weapon. Suddenly the pressure skyrocketed, leaving the four laying on the floor, just before thousands of shadows started to jump at them with horrific, otherworldly screams.

Silk was stunned by what she felt in that pressure, the experiences that were branded onto Vuthe’s being. The evil nature she could feel was the same as Scythe’s, a primordial kind of feeling, but there was so much more. Domination, Indomitability, Protectiveness, and worst of all, something that she could only describe as god-like. It felt like Vuthe was perfectly justified in judging them, supported by reality itself in whatever decision she came to.

The four thrived in silent screams and agony, trying to tear the shadows off themselves, but for each shadow they dealt with three more took their place. The never-ending wave of blackness overwhelmed them like a tidal wave.

Do you see now the futility of your struggle? The sheer scale between us? Your disgraceful display in front of your elders? I hope you do, that in your final moments you might find solace in the thought that it will be over soon. Now. Perish.

Despite her best efforts, her entire being obeyed.

Silk felt her body slowly falling apart, limb for limb, bone for bone, muscle for muscle, cell for cell. Panic settled in, unable to stop herself from slowly turning into black dust which was absorbed by the shadows still flooding them. She no longer had sensation, no feeling of touch or taste, no smell or sight, even her hearing was gone. She was but a floating soul slowly going mad.

Thoughts of the utter difference of scale between them made her question if life was even worth it, when people like that existed what point was there in striving for the top? There was no way she could overcome that, even if she by whatever miracle got another chance.

Then suddenly all of it vanished and she once again lay on the ground, the darkness receding back into the form of Vuthe, standing over them with a calm expressionless face and dressed in the regal outfit she wore when she first got out of the car.

„Next time“, she said, her voice cool and level, „You should think twice about who you oppose.“

With that she turned around and walked away. Silk needed a moment to realise what just happened, her heart hammering in her chest as the panic that had gripped her slowly lessened, yet not entirely disappeared. Only when she truly realised the magnitude of the rift between them did she let out a breath, tears starting to run down her cheeks.

Their Squad was strong, yes, but whoever this Vuthe was, she was a monster. There was no way she could win against something like that in any lifetime. And they just pissed her off. Great.

Perspective: Scarlet

When Rin-, Vuthe, she corrected herself, had first told her about her time in the other world Scarlet had been shocked. She had expected to hear a lot, after being told that her sister apparently came back changed, but to hear the details? It was completely outside of what she would ever have thought.

Yet, despite the utterly outlandish claims her sister had made, she seemed very honest. However, a small part of her mind still doubted her claim to be a dragon, or the even more outlandish claim of her being worshipped as a goddess.

All that being said, even the smallest amount of doubt she still had left had been vanquished when Vuthe had begun talking, shortly after filling the strange magic bubble with pure darkness.

Scarlet herself was not a mage. While she had founded a Security Service with focus on the magical society, she herself had never had the talent to actually learn how to use magic. Despite that however she had learned to see the strength of people when it came to magic, a necessary skill in her line of work.

And those senses screamed at her that her sister was beyond any and all she had ever met before. The pure power radiating from this small, unassuming girl, combined with the ancient wisdom in her voice, was like a hammer hitting her straight in the stomach.

And to make matters worse, that was with the shielding of Vuthe’s friend and not being directly targeted. She didn’t want to be on the receiving end of her sister’s power without these things in place. Scarlet was sure that she would faint immediately, if she didn’t die from a heart attack.

This encounter had given her a new appreciation for what a dragon could achieve, and she dearly hoped that her sister, or any of her friends, didn’t decide that they had to overtake the world. Despite what she had told her sister in their first meeting, she would have to take action should that happen. Even if she was sure it would be futile.

However, there was a small mercy. She believed her sister that she didn’t want to start a new war or conquer the world. She just had to find a way for the world not to do something extremely stupid. Something she had been doing her entire life already. That was the one thing that made all the boring bureaucracy she had to slog through worth it. She was able to make a difference. And she had the influence and the resources to back it up.

Now she just hoped that she could continue doing so.