15 days passed and the Village, with the strength and magic of the fairies and Vespalian fairies, returned to normal, the damaged areas were razed and everything that could be salvaged was recovered.

But this day was not like the others.

Everyone went to the temple to pray to Enka to thank her for saving their lives.

Sarah was in the forecourt and there was a platform. Next to her, I was standing with the help of a crutch.

Raven, Monty and Waspy were all dressed up for the occasion.

So Sarah spoke up.

"Dear friends, brothers and sisters, We are taking advantage of this beautiful but sunny winter day to remember all those who have passed away, loved or not but we have just opened a register. On Sunday, we will meet here to collect memories, names, adventures, portraits or drawings."

Then she pulled a veil and elven, kobold, dwarf and vespalian children carried a torch to a huge bronze bowl.

An eternal flame ignited, revealing the huge black stone and a laser engraver in front of it.

Immediately, elven, kobold and Vespalian names were engraved.

In place of the offering box, a notepad.

"But before you rush in here, I still need to clear up a few things.

The Village, our home, was first built as a human city. And I am the Chancellor, the legitimate representative of the humans, but... on reflection, I give up all my titles as well as the function... I just remain their spokesperson if need be."

Then she called me to her side

"I thank you Sarah. "Then I faced a whole people.

"I know that many hate me and that, often with reason...

I also acted with rage and fury...

Many have died because of me and I have begged, pleaded for justice... AND...The Destroyer...mother answered my call and your prayers. She protected us and gave us back our world... but she also took yours.

Wars are often born from a conflict of resources, of territories but all these words and justifications are useless and are from another time.

Some will say that I destroyed the new world to restore the old one, a bit like slaughtering birds to replace them with dinosaurs...

That sounds true. It may be. But who wouldn't do that when you attack your own children, your own family, even depriving them of an honorable death?

In a sense, you have been taken away and saved from a lying, jealous God who only serves his own interests.

Others will say that we have changed God, that we have exchanged the plague for cholera.

Perhaps those who say this are right. That all these beings died perhaps for nothing, for a raging dragon and a handful of shipwrecked humans against hundreds of thousands of lives.

You all have the right to hate me, to hate what we are and what we do...

We may have set in motion our own destruction.. and long term consequences." then I had to sit back down, caught up in emotion and collapsed in tears..

"Sorry.."

It was a shock for everyone...

Seeing that I was only a shadow of my former self, everyone asked questions...

"Where was the Hydra, the living God? Hans??"

Sarah spoke up for me.

"If you have all seen the state of the Repressor, I must admit that Professor Hans is not far from it. He has suffered terrible injuries here and in divine dimensions. But he is still our guide.

Before being a dragon a part of him remained human but Hans is really a whole dragon, but also a God. Even if he doesn't show it, his form is powerful but also terrifying.

Darkia, his wife, is also recovering for the moment from terrible burns but we are all happy that they are alive.

The meeting here, in his own words, is the living together!

By nature, the Vespalians reproduce the fastest, followed by the Kobolds, and finally the dwarves and humans.

So, the world here will one day be a hive, a swarm.

Without knowing it for some, you are already part of the Hive and as in any insectoid society, Waspy is the empress. And her close fairy princesses, will also become queens.

In order not to destroy our cultures and our world, queens will regularly swarm to form colonies in their turn. This is the natural order of things.

It goes without saying that we are not in a Salic society, but certain rules must be respected to live together.

In their genes, the Vespalians cannot and will not harm humans, dwarves and survivors on this planet."

Then I took Sarah's hand and rose from my chair.

Stepping forward carefully with a cane, I took over the microphone

"Thank you Sarah... but... once again, I have to do the dirty work.."

And with these words, everyone understood that behind me was Enka...and that I was only doing what she asked of me.

They applauded,

"Thank you, but I don't deserve these considerations, but again, ..." Then I almost flinched.

"I fought Tyrant..and..I was much stronger than him...for a moment.. " but then I turned to the humans. What was sad was the groups...the elves together, the kobolds together, the dwarves together and the Vespalians, isolated from the rest."

"Look at you... can't you see the seeds of war??"

The people turned and looked without understanding.

"Well... I see...

Do you know which weapon is the most devastating and kills more people than anything else?"

People turned and answered anything...

-Enka.

-Tyrant

-The cannon

-Magic.

"You are all right, but it's not that... The real reason is: IGNORANCE!

It's easy to kill an enemy. But if you know the soldier across the street... your neighbor, your brother or your spouse? That's different and killing each other becomes unthinkable...

No... the problem is that you don't know anything about your companion next to you or the Vespalians who are isolated...

Of all, it is the Vespalians who are the most robust and strongest... It is undeniable with their scythes, their size, their natural armor and their ability to magic...

It would be easy to have a hierarchy but that's not the world Enka wants for you. And deep down, neither is it.

From now on, there will be one law imposed on everyone: living together.

Each household will have to welcome a Vespalian child, the single ones will have to welcome a Vespalian as a family member. I do not impose to make couples again but their role is to protect you.

There is a terrible fauna, alligators worthy of the Cretaceous. Dinosaurs...sharp ones and a whole fauna made of claws and teeth.

Every being with a conscience is a treasure to be protected.

I want mixed families. I don't want to see any orphans and I want you to smile again.

You have time. Take it and get to know each other and accept your differences. The biggest and strongest..." And I stared at the Carnotaurus Kobolds. "The strong have no right to exercise dominance over the small. It is a crime. Their strength must be used to rebuild this world, and to defend the weaker ones and help them grow at their own pace."

Then everyone applauded.

Bello then took his seat and opened the doors of the temple, the meeting being held in the forecourt.

"Here are a handful of survivors of the horrors of the Ummites. They are mostly orphans and confused. Please welcome them as your brothers and sisters."

In the group, there was like a young white Yeti, 2 Arachne children whose bust was elf and the bottom, of a large spider. and all sorts of intelligent but bruised creatures.."

A fresh buffet was prepared for everyone and Sunday was celebrated as a day of feasting but also of feasting.

The groups were broken up and the whole day was taken up with interspecies encounters.

Then, in the park behind, the reconstructed garden, Arnold and Louise stood holding hands with Raven and Monty and escorted by Waspy, as a fairy.

They had been isolated from the motley crowd and they recognized me and ran in my direction. They were 7 years old... plus 3000...

"PAPAAAAA"

I dropped to my knees and my weakness was quickly forgotten...Then behind, Kate was holding herself as a human with 2 crutches and was quickly relieved to get down on her knees to hold our children.

Some humans attended the scene from afar but did not want to spoil with their presence this magic moment of reunion.

"MY CHILDREN... YOU ARE ALIVE ALIVE... and I wanted to roar but I abstained and they plunged their head against my chest and that of their mother...".

Then a ball arrived from where nobody knows and I started to run with them, the joy and the fatigue forgotten...

It made me feel good and Kate had two little Kobolds at her feet... they were just asking to play...

"Oh... mommy little dragons!!!"

Kitoune was delighted with the compliment and he looked at Kate who nodded and they ran after the ball and soon the lawn was becoming a soccer field.

Others arrived to complete the team.

"Hello Louise... I'm an elf... "

"Hi Arnold.. I'm a Vespalian!!!"

Arnold: "You betcha! You're tall!!!"

Zaphir: "Wait until I grow up! "

Children have an amazing ability to adapt and then when the game was over... no score keeping, just exhaustion, Kate called the kids over and I stood next to them...

There were big lizards at our feet and they were scared, hiding behind us. One was pink, one was red and one was white.

"I present to you, Vermillion, Vermithrax and Glacias. These are your brother and two sisters.."

Arnold and Louise were scared...the dragonets were too.

Then Vermillion, the pink, male dragon was the most scared... "MAMAN???? Who is that?"

Kate knelt down and beckoned Arnold to come.

Louise: "But they are dragons???!!! not lizards??? they talk too???"

Arnold was in my legs.

"DADDY. I'm scared!!! where are we.. I want to go home..."

I got down to his level too..

Arnold.. we are all together.. and that is all that matters! "

"But Dad... my friends? Aunt Louise? My cousins???"

Two little Kobolds, almost half Arnold's size came up to him.

"Arnold... come with me you're safe..." And he reached out his little four-fingered paw to my son and took him close to his mom."

The other Kobold and the rescued nanny aboard the Daimakan stayed behind to reassure the two dragonets...

"Godmother... I'm afraid..."

I sighed. then told Kate that she could stop suffering the martyrdom for her little ones.

I took Louise and Arnold in my arms and faced Kate.

"Your mom is very brave.... She is in a lot of pain but she loves you. But she really is your little brothers' mom.

But we are human!...

Kate approached as the Kobold godmother held the little ones...

She kissed the two humans..

"I have changed but .... I wanted you to see me as I was before... but... I don't have daddy's strength and it hurts a lot.."

Louise: "Hurts like what???"

KAte: "MMM like high heels 4 sizes too small that squeeze to blood.."

Arnold: "Ouch. But why does it hurt?? and from what?"

KAte stepped back and transformed into a beautiful white dragon.

Louise and Arnold burst into tears and cried in terror...

"DADDY! the evil dragon... he is going to eat us...!"

And they hid their heads in my kimono

Vermithrax, Vermillion and Glacias screamed "MAMAANNN" and snuggled up between his front paws, looking at the humans and from the shelter they stuck out their tongues! "It's MOMAN! Our very own MOMAN!!!"

"Yesiiinnnn the white dragon.. he ate mommy! he ate mommy! DAD!!! DADDY!!! do something... we need to get mommy back."

I was making a spectacle of myself without knowing it but it amused many people.

I too had to savor the family problems. It was endless.

Then we went to the buffet and a barbecue was set up with marshmallows and other goodies. The children went to play but there was a rivalry and mistrust between the dragonets and my two human children...

It was also up to them to recognize their differences but there was a rivalry.

I represented a raft of the old world, those of the humans and Kate the violence of the change and the incomprehension of having to share their mother. And the image of the white dragon that swallowed their mother in one go and took her voice...

Kate had received a shock and was not expecting it.

The kobolds, nice as anything, helped but children, at that age, are stubborn and do stupid things. Sometimes big stupid things.

In the old world, dragons were evil and devourers of princesses and only a good powerful knight could, and SHOULD, defeat them. It was an image they had to break.

At home, in a wing of the temple, there were all the comforts and a huge room for Kate and me and half spheres as a room for the children. Separated by curtains. So, in our dragon form, we could still tuck the little ones in and most importantly, they could be cared for by the dragon mom. We had all the comforts, sheets, leather cushions.

I stayed as a human and stabilized myself.