Argentrix woke up with bandages on her legs.

She was in a common room with other sick dragons. In the background you could hear animal cries.

She wanted to stand up but both of her hind legs were amputated up to her hips.

She screamed and saw her black, almost necrotic front legs.

The wings were badly damaged.

She heard in the corridor my voice talking to Hirrax.

Me: "She will never accept her condition."

It was a hospital room in the Black Cathedral complex.

Argentrix: "AAAAAAAAAAARGH my wings, my legs are amputated!!!!! Noooonn

Please don't do this

Another dragon was on the ground, without its limbs and its mouth was beginning to open like the big sand drakes, like a lamprey.

She cried, "Help, somebody come!"

I ran to Argentrix.

"Why did you mutilate me, you bastard!"

"I didn't do anything, you fainted and didn't wake up and your limbs began to blacken."

We tried everything, care, restoration, Tiamat tried it, same for Sinistrar.

What's happening to me?

"You turn into a sand drake like everyone here who has touched the sand mana cristal drug, the space drug."

"Will I, will I lose my mind?"

"Probably. Look at Tania.

A dragon almost completely transformed into a lamprey. Her head was the head of a sanddrake . Only its feathers were left

Argentrix: "Poor Tania..WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHH!!!!!"

I tried everything and she confided in me to convey her farewell message.

I accepted her as a concubine and I sympathized with her suffering. She really loved you, and so did I.

I cried over Argentrix. I put my black dragon paw on her front paw.

She didn't take her paw off.

Argentrix: "How is it possible that it was you? I felt you die between my paws."

Me: "It was horrible, an empty infinite plane and an infinite sky. I was angry that I had died unjustly and as I was DemonLord, I had to be judged, destroyed. But I fought and saw the horrible fate of Bhaal being eaten by mother, judge of the underworld. She recognized me as her child and gave me her cryogenically frozen body. The re-education was terrible, living with 5 heads is special".

Argentrix, but Hirrax merges with you?

Yes, but in order for it to work, we have to really love each other and have absolute trust in each other.

Argentrix: "Why did you get together with Hirrax?"

"Without her, I would have gone crazy and I would never have been able to pass the Demodragon tests."

Argentrix: "How much time do you think I have left?"

Me: "A few days, maybe a week..."

"What a waste..."

I'll let you rest... I'll come back to bring you some food...

With her front paw, she held me back.

"Ivan, I beg your pardon... You fought so hard that I can't believe it. Now that all is lost, I find you again to part forever."

She spat out black slime and began to vomit her guts.

"Oh, no, it's faster than I thought!"

Argentrix cried and cried and begged for forgiveness, begged,

"What have I done?"

Me: "You are a victim of war. War transforms solids into wrecks and traumatizes entire families."

Nobody blames you, you know? Even Fomalhaut still loves you and your whole family supports you.

I promise to look after you until the last moment.

She wanted to kiss me but she had spasms.

"Let's merge, at least you'll live with me. You can choose the face you want!"

She turned against me but the merger was not happening.

"Why not? Argentrix? Don't you love me anymore? I caressed her head."

She looked down.

"I don't know, I don't know, I'm sorry and yet I can't face you."

I squeezed her very hard and I whispered to her that I love her.

And she merged with me, relieved and she took a more natural, white head.

Argentrix: "I feel better, stronger."

I let her take control of my limbs...

"Do you think that's how we could save Tania?"

"It's too late for her, her mind has dissipated".

I smiled and Demodragon had prepared the scene well. None of what happened was real. It was all an enhanced illusion. Tania was well.

Then Demodragon appeared: So we meet again! You haven't finished your training and you, Argentrix, you have disappointed mother, but you can't imagine".

Argentrix: "I'm going to ask her forgiveness!"

Demodragon: "It doesn't work like that! We are demons and she is an arch-demon.

Dragons like you are a favorite food for us demons.

Argentrix: "Ivan? Ivan? help"

But I was no longer there.

She shook my head but there was no one there, so she went from head to head.

"Have mercy, Mr. Demodragon!"

she was answered with a blow to the head she was controlling and the pain was dazzling.

Demodragon: "Rule number one, a recruit from the infernal army does not know the word pity. It is an admission of weakness and the weak are killed!

"Where's Ivan?"

Demodragon :"you'll know in due time but he was never here, you're the one who's sick in the head.

And my role is to expel your bad habits, addictions and make you a soldier worthy of the infernal army."

"But... I don't want..."

Demodragon: "Who told you you had a choice? You're here to redeem yourself!"

Instantly, she found her grayish white body.

"But?? the sanddrakes????"

Demodragon, that was a warning! If you keep taking drugs, this is what will happen to you for real.

"And ivan? Was it you?"

Demodragon: "Who knows?

You're going to clean the shed at Helldrakes, be careful, they're not easy to clean.

And the dragon went to clean the premises.

The heat was infernal and the smell of kerosene, the drink of these steel monsters, took the nostrils.

Unaccustomed to serving, it was a disaster and Demodragon became enraged.

He hit Argentrix and laughed at being able to pass his sadism on to his ward's wife.

He thought of a way to break the character of the dragon and smiled.

"Do you know magic missile?"

"Not well," said Argentrix.

I'll teach you.

Then Demodragon fired a burst of shots at Argentrix, painfully scratching her scales;

"Wait, I didn't show you well and he doubled in intensity."

She ran around but the cave was closed and there was nowhere to escape to.

Soon she was a bloody, gasping mass.

"Pathetic!"

She screamed at her mom and dad and yelled "Help!"

"IVan!! Help!!!!"

But there was no ivan...

Demodragon crushed Argentrix's tail with his front paw.

She understood that she was going to spend some dirty hours with this teacher.

From my observatory, I was reassured to see her improve.