I was dozing in a corner of the maze, away from the screams.

I wanted to revolt and slaughter Demodragon. He knew I was in a rage against him. That's all he wanted, for me to kick his ass.

That must have been the arch-demon's diploma. Killing his mentor...

I was awakened from my torpor by a sword that pierced my stomach.

A sword held by a titan... or I was the one who shrank.

He turned the sword in my guts and I screamed in pain.

Another grabbed one of my heads and slit my throat.

I wanted to turn around and I blew in all directions, throwing poison and acid on me through one of my throat cut.

I was burning, melting and regenerating at the same time.

Then it was a shower of arrows.

And finally a runic net paralyzed me and I was knocked out by giant mallet blows.

I was 24 meters tall as before, but I was defeated.

I was tied up like a sausage and the Black Knights lined up, bent one knee and saluted Demodragon.

"You scum... you shame the image of the goddess. You've been subjugated, not slain by mere dragon slayers. These are my henchmen, dragon-fighting souls that I devoured.

Looking under their helmets, you could see skeleton heads.

I was waiting for the net to be removed to start training again, but I was done!"

Demodragon: "Free yourself or die!"

I wanted to cry and it made him feel terrible.

His thorny tail dropped all over my body.

Demodragon: "I let you insult me... disrespect me but you must know your place, the new...

Me:"?????"

Demodragon: "Don't you realize yet???"

"You're my brother whether you like it or not. Even if mother hates us and loves you... we don't care. Love doesn't exist for us... it's for the two of you...

But now that you're our brother, you're part of the legions of hell... Yes you're alive and that's why you're important alive and why you're being trained...

But obviously you haven't understood your place yet! Your flirtations to call me a teacher in order to soften me up are pathetic!

Demon or not, I don't want my student to disgrace me in front of my sixty million soldiers.

If mother is a goddess, I am still a god... You're just a big maggot in my eyes... If you want your freedom, then take it!"

I wanted to say mercy but I'm holding back. I felt that something inside me was changing for the worse. The bastard was changing me.

Then, calculatingly, he knew the time my mind was swallowing one shocking piece of information after another... and he spoke again.

"Do you know why I have eight eyes???? My soldiers and other dragons also fear me as the spider dragon."

Then I saw the monster merge his two heads into one snake with monstrous chelicerae coming out of his mouth.

Its tentacles hardened into spider legs.

It was thus a thousand times scarier.

I popped on myself and trembled. Terrified of fear.

"So, you stupid maggot, you dare to tell me how I should eat again?

Then you're the one who will take their place.

And he lifted me up and wrapped me in a web, only my red head sticking out.

I was panicking, I was screaming.

"I'LL DO ANYTHING YOU TELL ME!!!!!! ANYTHING!!!!! NOT THAT!!!!!! NOT THAT!!!!!!!!"

I screamed, I cried, I waddled...

it buuuurns!

NAnnnnnnnnnnnn

Please! Please! Please!

And he bit again and sucked my blood.

AAGGAAGAGGAGGGAGGGA

I was dishevelling, and I was trying to blow but my mouths were shut tightly by the steel wire.

"Help...

He released his mouth from my gaping wound... "MMMM the stomach or the liver or the pancreas??????????

Come on, a little piece of the liver!!!!"

"MAMAMAAAAAaaaaaaaaaANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!"

He was smiling.

"Aren't you going to call Higgins?????"

"MAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN"

"Oh, they know you're the... Do you think they'll come to your rescue?????"

A piece of my liver was ripped out!!!!!

"MAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (excruciating pain)"

Demodragon: "My venom has the particularity of preventing my victims from fainting... the pain is amplified and one does not die until I have eaten the last piece....

Of his cheliceries before, he pushed the flesh that was struggling between being torn off and regenerating a little more.

Demodragon: "Ahh, what a delight it is to feel the pieces growing in your mouth, regenerating, as the blood is sparkling, quivering."

I wanted to faint, but it was impossible...Pain and despair mixed."Sorrrrrrrryyyyyyyyy, Sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!! MOTHERrrrrrrrrr!" Mummyyy!

Demodragon: "Which one? "Then at his feet I saw my human family tied up with silk and it was no longer the underworld but all the walls were covered with spider webs. We were on a huge web and in the tunnel where the spiders were secretly devouring their prey...

"Your human mother??? I captured the plane and it's their souls that I'm going to eat.Hissa and her little one were tied up too, But I also saw friends, all my friends left in this world.

The spider had captured them and dragged them here.To add to my distress, one of the children was crushed by one of the legs.

"NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNN"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!Demodragon injected venom to increase the pain. I burned, I boiled. And I waited for a saving death that didn't happen, that probably never would.

Demodragon: "Now, who's going to help you? Argentrix? MI6? The CIA? Dragons.And he made a projection showing Sinistrar and the other dragons contorting at the sight of my message."

You just said you wanted to go home... watch them writhing in fear... The emperor, the dracosires... They all fear you. You want to call ZAAAAAAAAR????

Call him... Please call him...I was panting because of the pain. Then I recognized from the pile of corpses, the huge lion...

Demodragon: "His wisdom did not save him. He scattered from his mission for Tiamat, he took care of human interests. I did him justice."

I wanted to free myself, but I couldn't. The struggle was over. I had to weigh my last words.

Demo: "You think I'm going to cut you down? Who the hell do you think you are? You're nothing! You're less than the last of my legionnaires. A rag, a wimp, a putrid waste."

He spat in my eye, which melted with the fury of poison.I was desperate.I began to pray my Christian prayers to drive out this demon but my words exploded in my mouth like a divine rejection.

I was an abomination to Christians...I had broken the taboo of resurrection of the soul by reincarnating, I was tolerated as a dragon by my human soul, but here I had nothing human left...

My religion rejected me, I had let innocents die in the lair out of cowardice, fear and personal goals.

I asked God and the saints for forgiveness, but I was answered with a violent headache.

Demodragon: "So, angels, they're cute, huh????? Do you really think you're going to get to the kingdom of heaven???? by showing up like this???? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

Then the monster plunged his monstrous hooks into my belly again, whose flesh had just closed up.AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!MAMAANNNNN"

What moms? "Asked the monster who just chewed something different from me.

"OHHH, they were good..."

It was unbearable, hot, exhausting.I was trembling, my eyes staring at a random spot, praying for this execution to end as soon as possible.

GNARK!

And a piece of me disappeared again into the monster's mouth.It had devoured all my friends, and my family.

"Then I saw Argentrix, hanging like a human from the ceiling, tied by her feet with a steel tang. Two eggs were also tied up.

"So, Ivan???? How are you, Ivan? I've got a good appetite.... "

Then he gobbled up the two eggs..Argentrix was struggling and screaming in the canvas cocoon.

Then the monster pulled the dragon down to my head and ripped off a piece of the cocoon. And I saw my poor wife, her face deformed by terror and the loss of her children, our children.

When she saw me she uttered a cry of horror:

"Mooo monster!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

I was filled with despair."Moomyyy TIAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!! MAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Help!!! TIAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!One of my heads fell off, dissolved by the juice, followed by a hind leg. The unbearable pain... It was worse than for Jesus...Devoured alive.

Then, as if by magic, my breathing resumed its rhythm...

And my body was intact, the pain and the cobwebs gone.

I saw Mom's huge talons and I dragged myself towards Tiamat.

I hung my claw on hers to pull me towards her and began to lick her fingers.

With one of her paws, she lifted me up and licked my aching body...

Tiamat: "It's only a nightmare, my child..., look around you... It's over, they're gone."

I hugged her even more, terrified, I wanted to hide under her wing.

"Huuuug!!" I shouted and trembled.

I didn't care where I was, or who was there, or if anyone was watching me.

I wanted to be with Mommy... Mama Tiamat, my goddess, my saviour, the only one who ever reached out to save me...

I owed her everything, everything. I was sobbing under her wing.

She nursed me and I woke up by the water.

It had been the worst nightmare of my life but I saw a thread of spider silk floating in the air and I started moaning and begging mom to protect me...

I cried Tiamat like crazy.

Then, without a sound, Demodragon was behind me.

"So, how was your nap?"

I turned and ran away, breaking everything in my path. When I got to the lava lake, I threw myself in and climbed up, smoking all over the little island, weeping for the goddess.

Then, out of nowhere, Demodragon appeared on the headland and looked at me.

"So your nightmare? Did you like my spider shape?"

MAMAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAnnnnnnnnnnnnn!

Demodragon had a grin.

"That was your first lesson in astral attack.

If this had been a normal attack, the wounds you would have had in this dimension would be manifested here on your body when you woke up.

Ah, yes, you taste very good... Ivan. A little more terror and you'd be at least perfect in the terror and despair I revel in.

Me: "MMMM M M M M Monster!!!!!"

Demodragon "But I'm an archidemon.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Me:" And, and? Mom??was she real???"

Tiamat spoke in my head:" Yes my child. Forgive your big brother but he is a demon and love in all its forms is forbidden to him...we met in our dreams and this is the proof of our respective feelings. I heard you calling for help and came to appease your inner demons. "

Me: "SNiff, sorry for crying and being emotional and scared... sorry for saying sorry..."

Tiamat: "You are yourself and I love you as you are... You don't have to be ashamed of yourself... I know Demodragon is a brute but you're learning fast at least... He shows you your weaknesses and helps you make the right decisions. I know you hate him, but so do I...

After one caress, she returned to the magma,

"Mama... Mama, I cried!"

Demodragon: "At least you've made some progress. You make allegiance to Mother. She's also your goddess and worship her as a goddess.

You have seen how everyone has abandoned you and left you to die like when you were in the block of ice made by your friends the unicorns.

Who helped you, who gave you a second chance? Who ran to your rescue?

I bowed my head: "Tiamat...."

All my values and sense of justice were being challenged.

Everything was falling apart. Everything I believed in was lost.

"Why????"

And I turned around and saw behind me twelve infernal dragons, like Demodragon.

They knelt before me.

"We're your big brothers and we're your personal guard. Tiamat has assigned us to you personally. We are the dragons of the zodiac and we are each named after our own infernal star."

Demodragon: "Now that you know whose side you're on, you're in the 60th legion. This is your personal squad. You use it to work your way up the ranks. As far as the mission is concerned, these are your personal orders. Make sure you don't lose them and you build your own team. But never forget that we are demons and so are you, anyway, because you don't need to devour souls or other demons...

Now that you have tasted the pleasures of the astral, it's time you understood how it works. Our enemies possess these powers and also the psychic attacks of the intellect devourers, octopus-headed human monsters that devour the soul and the spirit.

I was too tired, but terror became my daily routine...

Demodragon "Still dreaming... Tired? Didn't sleep well? You got your hug... And you really think you're ready???"

I couldn't take the pressure and his monstrous aura. He read my mind like an open book...

Demodragon: "Of course I can read your mind, dumbass... You don't even try to hide them... So I take advantage. And you think you're ready???

Did you see Argentrix's reaction? It wasn't me, it was a copy of her reaction in a nightmare when she saw your appearance...

Do you really want her to react like that when she sees you?

Then your mission will be a failure like the rest.... You'll lose everything and be damned...doomed to wander like them in your hell, the hell you created through your weakness.

You master nothing... nothing nothing...

And you're far from changing!

For a dragon to metamorphose, to be able to transform into a human is not easy, but then for a hydra and your body, you'll have to have much more power and fortitude. You'll have to grow and mature, and that's far from being the case.

Your mom, Tiamat knows how to transform herself into a beautiful humanoid creature.

It's up to you to do the same, but you don't know anything!