Argentrix and Tania were wedged in their seats with their belts fastened and the officers repeated the safety instructions. Paying full attention to the fact that there was no emergency exit in the inter-dimensional passageway.

If, ejected, apart from disintegration, fell to dust, a terrible mutating death awaited the unfortunate man on the outside of the hull.

The only survivors were recalled to the raptor state in various stages. Some free, but most in wilderness reserves, protected... Some with vague memories of their families. Family visits were always a heartbreaker.

Sirens sounded and a characteristic portal whistle was heard.

Once stabilized, on the monitor, everyone was afraid to enter the infernal tunnel.

It was much bigger, more stable and more powerful.

The Hood took off, propelled on rails, and its engines pushed like an airliner as it took off, and everyone found themselves in the portal to the other world, Ethernia.

Once gone, there was no turning back. We're going one way or the other. Besides, once there, you need a safe period to "depolarize from the other dimension", for reasons of security, mutation, and to be stable and tangible.

The pain and the headache were always there, but it was the soul that contorted itself in the body so as not to be torn out of it.

With the exploration ship gone, the doors of the portal closed to prevent being caught or an accident from happening.

And also to protect the personnel from time waves and arcs of pure artificial mana energy.

Argentrix wept at Tania, who was also worried. This trip was as crazy as it was insane... But without Georgie, Argentrix was all that mattered to her and the little one who had stayed on earth in military training.

Tania had formally forbidden him to accompany her because this time it would be demons they would be facing...but... stowaways, that also existed at that time....

General Neuville was at the Anchorage command center, near the gate and the ranch.

He was there as soon as he saw the satellite was back online.

Technicians were busy setting up giant screens and collecting data from the rocket train.

Technician 1: "Mr. Higgins, the train was reconfigured once again and deployed in an underground maze. Relay antennas have been added but magic crystals are used.

The interface is hybridized... finally the communication terminal."

Neuville: "Can you locate it?"

"Negative, sir... The EVA is corrupted and rejects administrator requests. We no longer have control over it. But user requests are allowed."

Neuville: "Scan the desert area, black cathedral and Sinistrar's palace."

Technician: "Request granted... Oh, you should see this!"

Neuville: "I can see on the big screen..."

Technician: "Excuse me, sir... Troops in yellow... It's unheard of... They outnumber us 20 times... We're going to be massacred..."

Neuville: "Deploy the external camera a little... I want to see the state of the satellite."

To their horror, the dish was replaced by a giant eye and the semi-organic mechanism. The satellite was demolished.

The eye was looking at the camera. It seemed to devour the technician's soul.

"Fold it back!"

Goldur came into the room and saw this horror. He dropped his briefcase...

He clutched his head. "She's here, I can feel it!"

Both commanders turned to the dragon in human form.

Higgins: "We're in control."

Goldur: "Destroy it... you don't know how dangerous it is. They will lure and manipulate you... It will be the end of us all!"

Neuville: "It's indestructible... Look, the Japanese just fired a missile to shoot it down and it's going through."

Moreover, when we try to locate it, it's all over the planet."

Goldur: "It's phase shifting... indestructible by physical means."

It requires weapons enchanted or blessed by a goddess or god of good alignment."

Neuville: "Why so much fear and extrapolation?"

Goldur: "The Gods have banished, or rather, she's taken refuge in hell in fairy tales, and any movement or reaction from her plane to ours causes a divine reaction.

The human gods, not the primordial gods all murdered, well, devoured, cannot interact with our plan in the name of free will.

But as soon as a demon acts or intervenes, they act via oracles, prophecies, heroes and go as far as deploying cherubs and sometimes angels in cases of large invasions.

It is difficult for the demons because of the mass of mana to be deployed and if not by the sacrifice of countless innocents, their souls are devoured without the possibility of reincarnation. This injustice being unbearable in the eyes of the gods and of all."

Higgins: "So what????"

Goldur: "A great war is being prepared... It has already begun... "

Technician: "I've got a visual from the train's cameras. This is terrible...!"

Higgins: "What is that monster... that horror!!!"

Technician: "It looks like a dragon... It connects some kind of interface to the terminal."

Goldur: "It's a keyboard for dragons...they build an interface to communicate. Oh, he's looking at us... He's a dragon from hell.

Technician: "I'm typing something."

Dragon: "Humans, I know you can see me... these are the orders... you can plug in the camera, I'll see if we can communicate."

Goldur: "Beware of demonic corruption... The terminal could turn into a mimic and devour the operator here..."

"Aries, my name is Aries."

"Major General Higgins... I receive you..."

Aries: "Good... I have nothing to say to you. But be very careful what you say. I myself am an Infernal Lord, Colonel Aries of the Infernal Army under the command of Her Goddess Tiamat, progenitor of the world and devourer of the Gods."

Higgins gave a military salute, with the American flag in the background.

Aries: "His Majesty and Master Ivan would like to speak to you, but he's in training at the moment."

The image trembled.

The dragon went away, having nothing to say to insects.

Goldur: "It could have been worse... But Ivan... why Ivan and why Tiamat?????

If Ivan is part of this army, I regret to say that the Ivan who claims to be our enemy. He has become a monster... a demon.

"BOOOOMMMM" made the speaker... The camera was still communicating.

Dragon voice: (Hirrax) "Demodragon, we're not afraid of you! Ivan and I love Mommy!

Ivan, between the two of us, we can beat him!"

Goldur turned to Neuville: "You have your answer... Ivan is an offspring of Tiamat... he's become an infernal dragon, a demon or even an arch-demon. He is lost... And there's no way Argentrix will come in contact with him. He will corrupt her and she will be damned, sealed for all eternity in hell...dead in death..."

Higgins was keeping his feet on the ground and Goldur was starting to piss him off. It was getting melodramatic.

An officer entered the room: "Commander! Tania, an agent from the ex-Mi6 was spotted boarding the Hood. She was accompanied by another soldier and after checking, it was a dragon. It's the dragon Argentrix."

Goldur shouted, "We must cancel the departure of the ship. Under no circumstances must she go!"

Then a telephone call: "Mr. Higgins, a lady named Aurona wishes to meet you."

Higgins: "Send her in!"

Moments later, Aurona entered the room and her father grabbed her in his arms...

"Darling, it's a tragedy... Argentrix has gone to Ethernia... aboard the Hood...

She's going into the lion's den...

Auronne: "I know..."

Goldur: "How? How do you know????"

Auronne: "My husband went with them, he followed them in secret to protect them..."

Goldur began to cry..., so did Aurona.

"My poor darling... What a tragedy...I hope Fomalhaut will be up to the task and bring them back here."

Auronne: "I hope... I'm scared, papa... papa..." She runs her head against his chest.

He took out a handkerchief and gave it to his grieving daughter.

The monitor screamed sound without an image, fixed on a cave wall but everything was shaking and lots of dust and stones were falling in the background. There must have been a fight.

Then we saw shadows with lots of heads biting two other heads and tentacles.

Hirrax: "Use your electric blast to pulverize its tentacles...

BANG, a leather-to-leather slam.

And they saw a huge red tail hitting an equally big shadow.

Neuville: "Can you turn the camera?"

Technician: "It's the best angle I've got."

Demodragon: "I think you're putting on a show... General Hirrax."

At these words, Aurona fell on her knees to the ground.

A name from another world fell to her.

She put her hand in front of her mouth: "Hirrax, my baby, my baby. Is she alive? No, she can't be.

"So, General Hirrax, you forgot the dice to cut the butter!"

Hirrax: "Ivan, use your primal icy fire against her primal demon fire. I blow fire on her icy breath... We can blow longer than he can, and he'll burn out... as long as he blows, he can't do anything else! Spit the poison gas on his canvases and attack his own shadow with the shadows.

The strategy paid off and Demodragon backed down.

The giant figure of Tiamat appeared on the screen spitting out his power.

A tornado of various fires of near-nuclear power melted and pulverized the rocks and threatened the cave with collapse.

Demodragon shrank and his mana was refocusing. But he watched the blades descend dangerously.

He shrank to a size small enough to fit through the large mesh. He was a few feet high and 25 meters long.

I could feel the wires starting to break and cut through the scales.

Hirrax: "We have enough mana! observe and learn!

I was Hirrax and Hirrax was me.

She told me to concentrate on my size from when I was a dragon, but no longer a wyvern, a four-legged dracony and a pair of wings. I had to accept my new head, finally my heads and visualize myself in a mini Tiamat.

And Demodragon started to grow, at last, it was me who was getting smaller.

Then suddenly, clacking like a guillotine, the mesh of the sharp net fell to the ground and disappeared like a nightmare."

"Clap, clap, clap," said Demodragon.

"I see you've made good progress, but now it must be you, Ivan, alone who can reduce you.

Hirrax, congratulations, you have earned the right to live and remain in the legion. But I've been keeping an eye on you... Any more gestures or words like that, or that sow doubt, mother or not, you'll end up in my stomach."

He clapped between his paws and the demon field disappeared, leaving the cave in its original state. The rocks having found their place and all traces of them gone too.

Demodragon: "You still have a lot to learn, but you're making progress."

We were a reasonable size, and I decided to shrink down enough to fit in the rocket train and we split up.

Hirrax did the same and we both made it.

Neuville: "It's a crazy story..."

Goldur: "He trains his protégés. They're extremely powerful."

Auronne was in shock. Ivan, Argentrix, Fomalhaut, The Infernal Army, far worse than the Army of Darkness... and now a name that reopens old wounds... Hirrax..."

Aurona began to sing an old lullaby, holding a pillow in her arms, like an egg being protected.

She moaned as she sang.

Hirrax came into the cockpit and followed me

"Finally, I'll be able to talk to my loved ones..."

The moment I put the speakerphone on... Hirrax froze.

A sad melody, a lullaby could be heard.

Hirrax: "Mom???? MOTHER????????? It's Mummy. I know her lullaby. It's Mummy. Quick, Ivan, connect us, quick, please!"

Aurona looked up and heard Hirrax's voice for the first time.

"MOTHER??? MOTHER, is that you???"

Goldur flinched. "Don't listen to him, he's a demon...he's using your memories...."

Auronne: "Are you Hirrax???? My lost child???? "

"Mama?? Mama???? Is that you? I've always tried to come here to find you... I don't even know what you look like..."

Auronne: "My little darling... sorry, sorry..... I've looked for you all over the world, I've explored all the worlds that were accessible to me...but I didn't think you were in hell...I'm sorry, I've been looking for you all my life.... Is your daddy still alive???"

The image passed and Auronne could see her missing daughter for the first time as an adult.

"How beautiful you are! You have my eyes but you have your daddy's features and colors."

Hirrax cried, and Goldur knew it.

"A weeping demon..."

Higgins: "Goldur, it's your little girl! You should rejoice..."

But Goldur was distraught, torn by old wounds. In the last war with the forces of hell, he had covered up for his daughter, in love with an enemy. The Amber Demon.

He had seduced his daughter and wanted to eliminate him, but war and the defeat of the infernal army had separated the couple. Auronne, locked up and hysterical (she wanted her egg above all...) for fear that her egg would be killed, had to be purified to recover her golden blood, stained by the blood of a demon, a beautiful infernal dragon...Ambrosius. It was a dark and taboo period and time eventually erased all traces of this adventure, but Auronne still had a pebble in her heart. She spent her rage and criticism on Fomalhaut, a gentle silver dragon. The poor guy took it but he sincerely loved Auronne and from their love, Argentrix was born.

Hirrax: "Mother, Ambrosius died in my arms, murdered for loving... for loving you..."

Aurona screamed, "AAAh Ambrosius... My little one, how I long to hold you between my paws."

Then, half transformed, Goldur looked the dragon in the eyes.

"Are you Hirrax? My missing little girl?"

He was happy and sad at the same time.

Hirrax saw a golden dragon, and his mother saw a golden dragon.

Goldur: "I know demons and all their tricks... so show me the color of your blood. "

Hirrax didn't understand, but she bit one of her fingers and a trickle of red blood with golden glitter could be seen on the screen.

Goldur and Aurona cried.

"It is you! Forgive me for doubting..." the two golden dragons cried.

Grandfather, grandmother and mother are waiting for you. Come and live here with us. Oh yes, you have a little sister... It's Argentrix"

Hirrax: "Argentrix, Ivan's wife??? my sister?????"

Hirrax cried with joy... all happy to have a little sister..."

Auronne: "Is Ivan alive?? Is that him? I beg you, don't lie... we cried so much over his death... Is he next to you? Can we talk to him? Why doesn't he show up?

Neuville and Higgins looked at each other and had the same look: "Would the dragons ... change sides? "

Mr. Higgins, where were you when Argentrix was in danger? Who was protecting my family while I was on the front line? I died like a dog, just surrounded by the dragons and my family that I cherished, even from beyond the grave.

Tenebrion was my soul mate and our death was our salvation because we were able to find our bodies from darkness. We came from the same egg. The IO egg. Tiamat, formerly known as IO, turned heaven, earth and hell to find us.

She was supposed to punish me like Bhaal, but she recognised my blood. Her blood that flowed through my veins... Seeing my distress, even the gods abandoned me. Only Mama knew what to do and she gave me a second chance. I owe her everything and everything. She saved my life and soul again and again. I'm in command now, but I have to reform this army.

The infernal army's mission is to save Mother from her hell... nothing else. We don't have to slaughter you unless you interfere with our plans. But I will offer you an alliance, at least for the 60th legion. "

Higgins: "That's all well and good, but the dragon congressman, the commander in chief of the us armies, where is he?"

I took a long break.

"Yeah... when you put it like that... It's better than an alliance... But don't get me wrong... I'm not in control here yet. I figured! Demodragon is the true leader of the armies... he's a bully and he will not hesitate to slaughter men, women and children... You're lemons to be squeezed to quench their thirst... I can offer an alliance: You help us get Tiamat out of her hole and we'll pulverize the Japs. But the gods will oppose it and reinforce the Japanese troops with knights, unicorns and all the fantastic people. And if I don't change things, we will lose, and it will be a massacre and a field of desolation."

Neuville: "What are you going to do then... what are your plans?"

Me. "Stall for time and practice to change my appearance and see Argentrix again. I want to see my children."

Hirrax: "And I want to hug my real mommy once in my life too!"

The gate closed and communication was cut off.