Higgins asked his men about the situation overseas. He was assisted by Sinistrar, who presided as a human in the White House, awaiting super-elections, the first planetary elections of the American super-state.

Mass movements of people were going to occur because social and economic inequalities were going to be erased once and for all!

Tribal, local and state laws were forbidden, as was politics.

The only politics was bread and care for all.

The rich and the poor were done away with. Mao had to laugh in his grave, Stalin had to laugh in his grave.

The dragons were uncompromising, and the most uncompromising suffered the spells of charm, friendship and appeasement.

The change would take generations, but in the end it would be for the better.

Many did not agree, but thinking back to the destruction, hunger, thirst and terrible war, the victims and mutilated who, without the care of the dragons, would be handicapped, it made them change their minds.

Informant: "Mr. Higgins, our informants report movements of the Japanese First Fleet. If this is true, I fear that our troops will be bombarded by long-range guns.

Consideration should be given to withdrawing eastward to our allies at Zantar and Argonia further north."

"Otherwise, no news of the monster?" Higgins asked, "Is there any news of the monster?

"No, nothing, just that villages have been attacked in the desert to the south, south of Sinistrar's palace.

Ah yes, Majestia organizes jousts and trials for their prophecies, to designate heroes against the forces of evil. They will be blessed by their gods Ishtar and Bahamut. Adventurers, magicians, clerics and soldiers will be selected to receive the blessings."

Higgins: "That's new? The Japanese are participating? "

"Yes, but anyone of any race can participate, even Americans, and will be granted diplomatic immunity."

Technician: "Oh, the satellite's still transmitting!"

A few hours before...

I stood at attention with my squad and our orders were assigned by Irrax.

"We have the shameful but necessary task of collecting our offerings from the temples and halls of darkness dedicated to our mother goddess. Here are your coordinates! Then when it was my turn to receive my mission order, she called me: "Ivan, you're coming with me, I have other ambitions for you... while you're alive..."

I followed her, more confident and less afraid. The time I spent here was less and less time with Demodragon.

We arrived at her office and she poured herself a drink. Some kind of tropical fruit juice...

"Relax... I'm not going to eat you..."

....

Okay, let's start with the serious stuff... I'll get right to the point.

I want to know everything, every detail..."

I told her a little about my life and then my crazy adventures with Argentrix, Hissa and the imprisoned princess ...

But I saw her eyes crying.

"What's wrong, General?"

She grabbed my leg, all tearful: "Take me up there... I'd like to see the sun again... I beg you..."

I lowered my head... "Yes, I'll do what I can for you, sir..."

I was in shock...Feelings? Too many feelings??? but I froze, I was too afraid of them. I was scared of her and Demodragon, too. But at least he was equal and constant to himself.

She picked herself up and straightened herself up, as if nothing had happened.

"You, at least you..." then she was silent, obviously disturbed that she had confided in him a little.

Then I asked questions:

"General, may I ask you some questions, if I may?"

With her face and her seriousness: "I'm listening, Ivan."

"General, I don't know how I ended up here. I was forced to be a demon lord, then an army was routed on my back and I had to straighten up, since I was the only one left as a deputy... then I lost my life unjustly by a youkai and mother Tiamat saved me when everyone fears her, and since then I've been beaten, beaten up and I find myself here without knowing why. "

"HAHAHAHAHA... welcome to the club... I too, your general, found myself here without understanding anything, but it was Mother Tiamat who saved me. It's true that we're not on the side of the good guys, but who's good? who's bad? In this legion, we're the wounded, the recovered, but, like in an orphanage, we're a family. "

I took my inspiration, so did she.

"Ivan, you know, mom's asleep and everyone else is, too, and I'm half asleep... and you woke her up by taking away her main obstacle. "You either succeeded or we've all failed for thousands of years. Don't worry, I'm still "new" here, the youngest general.

As you are alive, you know the world around you and we are counting on you to help us."

Me: "I have many debts to mother... but I understand the logic of restraint.

But the army alone cannot lift these curses. It must come from the heart, from his wounded, torn soul. By her actions she has rebuilt a part of herself that was taken from her;

It's up to us to guide her, not to do her job for her. We do not ask her to become nice, it is not that but she must recover her free will as she has just recovered her notion of good and evil. She is darkness and I have taken this burden on my body, although I don't feel it. Maybe not yet but I have a vague idea of what we can do for her."

Irrax: "But you have a squad and you'll have to lead this army. Do you have any idea why?"

"I don't."

"Suppose Tiamat is finally defeated by the gods or by your technology, that she sinks into the abyss. Who would succeed her?"

I felt dizzy.

"I am but a little dragon..."

She put her paw on mine...

"Help us, then... We must prove that we're worth more than this!!"

I couldn't understand her logic, but she seemed sincere.

"I'll do anything to help you, you motivated me, sir."

After a pause, I resumed

"To start with, we're going to renfo...

Then she cut me.

"I see you want to take on the japanese troops,the kan-daar,and magestia. But what does mommy have to do with your personal goals and why would you use the infernal army for anything other than protecting or helping mommy? You know very well what happened to Bhaal for personally using the army of darkness."

Is this to find your beautiful one? To save her??

"Yes, first of all"

Her face grew scowling and began to look like Demodragon...

Irrax: "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow you up! And besides I'm doing you a favour not to end up like Bhaal."

I was in a cold sweat. I lowered my head.

"Tiamat..."

Irrax, furax: "Tiamat???? EXPLAIN THYSELF!"

-"Her name is Argentrix"

"YES! I KNOW!"

"Argentrix Tiamat, his great-great-great-great-granddaughter..."

Irrax fell on her behind on the floor!

"His grandchildren??? they're alive??"

Me: "Yes, they're my family and we protect each other... There's Sinistrar, Tiamat's grandson, his son is missing but his great-grandson Goldur and his great-great-great-granddaughter Auronne and finally Argentrix, my wife..."

Irrax cried with happiness.

"I understand now. And what about you???? Who are you, then?

They called me Tenebrion..., at last we traded our souls to survive a fatal blow and I became him and he became me... We're basically twin brothers.

Irrax: "You are the lost child of Tiamat, of IO before the fall... You are the key to her salvation."

Then Irrax kneels down before me. "You are a God like mother!"

But I lifted her up.

"Irrax, I'm nothing. I know nothing and I have everything to learn."

Irrax said, "Of course we'll help you. And our legion is proud to have you.

Then we rolled out a map of the world and it was really, really out of date by millennia.

"Irrax, we're going to start at the beginning. We need allies first and your wars you lost them because you were alone and your allies betrayed you. Stop taking demons as allies, they ultimately want your defeat and reap the rewards given to them by the enemy gods for betraying you."

Irrax: "How do you know that?"

"I was educated at the military academy and I'm a major officer. I even commanded the most powerful army in the world, seconded by Uncle Sinistrar, Emperor of the Dragons..."

But first you have to advance 5,000 years technologically for you...

Well, we will train and modernize our legion."

Irrax had sparkling eyes

"Secure the US satellite. I've got the access codes and we're gonna lock it down for us, in case they want absolute control. We'll let them use it but not take control from us.

Then we'll need an astral fortress to protect it from enemy lasers and missiles.

Then we'll have to clone the antenna from the rocket train Demodragon confiscated from me...

Irrax: "Why????"

"I'd make the sound of the engine to play with and run it over the walls."

Tears of laughter came from General "Tchoouk tchouuk????? you did this to Demodragon????"

WAHHAHAHAHAHAAA! I can see why you pissed him off.... You demolished "his" image of Tiamat playing in front of him. That's the kind of useless thing you shouldn't do in front of him.

AHAHAHHHA.

I was smiling and I think I was going to make my first friend in this hellish mess. But maybe I was also going to find a great sister, a new family member that I could get along with.