Volkor had recovered the artifact's twin stone with the help of the time masters.

The mission had been perilous and all the resources of the empire had been used. The empire had collapsed but little by little, the artifact was getting closer to the Ummite homeworld, Proxima Centauri. Although it was the closest star, the distances were frightening and on the spot it was possible to reach a whole network of planets and systems conquered by the Ummites. The earth was of no interest and all travel and teleportation was dangerous because of the meteorite clouds, the Oort cloud and the first visits were from the time of the dinosaurs....

The dew was coming back and the magic started to be reborn but no more God. However, the idol resonated and a mechanical voice was heard in the old palace of Tyran, where Volkor had settled.

He could not replace a God, but to sit as Emperor... He needed something more to establish his authority. The masters of the time were only a collection of nobles and houses with territories and local forces. They no longer had any power and magic was a shadow of its former self, even with the help of artifact 2. But the empire had stabilized and Volkor had all the power to rebuild everything.

Idol: "Tyrannian wave detection... coordinates indicate last fleet position: Earth"

Volkor knelt before the idol and asked, "What happened to Tyran? Why don't we have a signal? Does this have anything to do with the collapse of the empire?"

The idol turned red and the skeletal eye sockets began to emit small red flames.

"We sense the Banished, absolute evil and consuming darkness. Tyrant is no more but Tyrant is still here! His powers have manifested themselves again and even more powerful!

The Sword of Splitting has reappeared.

The artifact failed and was reset, the runes disintegrated. A great cataclysm took place.

The idol sometimes woke up but was also silent for decades. And it always spoke in riddles and it was the role of the diviners and masters of time to interpret this form of oracle.

Volkor stood up and snapped his cloak and put his helmet back on.

"We finish the StarDestroyer!"

His subordinates still on their knees: "But, Sire Volkor... Our resources! This is insane!"

Volkor: "I don't care what it costs. Once I have the Dream, our reality will be all the better!"

Meanwhile,

At the Dwarf academy, the teachers came and went, but they couldn't understand why and how Glacias, Vermillion and Vermithrax were able to answer all the tests and interviews correctly every time...

The dragonets, sitting in the stone amphitheater, were obviously bored with the class and were now practicing telepathic communication.

Professor Belfius threw a piece of chalk at the dragonet's head, "Aren't you interested in my class?"

He began a theorem on unseen material... They were supposed to learn how to count and write correctly.

"GLACIAS! Please-solve this formula since you certainly had time to debate the solution with your classmates!"

The teacher had full authority over his students and even Hans had no say in the academy...not even the king! It was also to protect the students and forge a future for them.

Humans, Vespalians, Elves and Fairies... dragons... there was no distinction.

The dwarven science teacher was surprised by the attitude of the dragoness who didn't even look at him and laughed as she communicated through clacking and draconic signs mixed with telepathy. Let's just say they were laughing in draconic and human and talking nonsense together. Arnold and Louis were in on it too.

The chalk rose up by telekinesis and Glaçias copied the correct answer without even turning around.

The professor adjusted his glasses and sent the dragons back to their place.

"They're cheating! They're definitely 12 years ahead of us..." he thought.

Vermillion: "I'm going to talk to Dad about it...! It's ours and it's our playground!

Vermithrax: "Mom will never agree!"

Arnold: "We'll show them our nice report card and our points! After all, we're learning great stuff with the ship.

Louise: "Yes... we also have the right to have fun and we are the ones who fix it!

Glacias: "Yes, we learned by ourselves how to use the 3D printer and I managed to put all the maintenance plans of the ship in the 3D database. "

Vermilion: "Yes, this is our LEGO!!! at least here, the pieces are big enough for me to take.!"

Arnold: "Tomorrow...it's Weekend and 2 weeks off!"

Darkia was with me and Kate in the living room. We were getting ready to watch an old movie saved by the humans in the shuttle, and as with every weekend, I loved having an aperitif and getting comfortable. But first, inspection.

Everyone showed up with their class journals. Everywhere good points except in education...

"Vermilion should take astronomy. I'm sure he's already established a base on the moon.."

"Glacias spends more time freezing everything around her than paying attention to class. A future snow queen??"

"Arnold would fit right in at drama class, assuming shaggy postures, thinking he's a Tyrant. A true son of a hero! The ultimate, playing dead in gym class."

Tears of laughter escaped, but I had to keep a cool head.

I didn't have enough words to say that these were our children and they belonged to us.

The dragonets were growing fast and rapidly gaining inches every month. I felt like they were swelling like tires!

I closed the newspaper.

"Congratulations on being top of the class! But that doesn't mean you don't have to make an effort. Wouldn't you like me to become your teacher in class? "

"Dad! Please, not shame!"

"You are in the moonlight. What are you so worried about? Is it the raptors? Hunting? A difficult prey?"

The five of them got down on their knees.

Arnold spoke up.

"DAD! You know, we looked at the law... If a wreck is found and repaired, we have the right to take possession of it."

"What did you find this time?"

"We found a corvette and we're fixing it! "

Glacias: "Yes, I analyzed the plans! My friends from the Vespalien shipyard explained everything to me! And I know how to make the engines work again!"

Vermillion: "Yes, the atomic batteries are in good condition and we managed to restart the repair drones."

Vermithrax: "We found a lot of drones in the ruins of the downed ships! I managed to connect them to the computer network!"

Arnold: "We have access to the astronomical map.."

I wasn't listening anymore... I was no longer looking at little children, but at geniuses in need of fun... They had progressed so much but I didn't understand. I was afraid that we would steal their childhood...

"GO DAD! Give it to us!!!"

I wanted to say yes to make them happy and they were in the right. But how did they do it. I could hear some of the arguments, as if they were my own thoughts.

If I told them no, they would be bitter.

But I was afraid of an accident, an explosion, or a weapon and worse. But maybe it was already too late.

Enka was nowhere to be found. Yet I could feel her as if she were at my back.

"I want an engineer with you at all times and protections... Imagine if the engines blew up or if the ammunition didn't detonate! You are my treasures and my reason to live. I don't dare to imagine a single moment without you... I have waited so long for us to be together."

Daddy! (Vermillion), you know... we love you all 5... and you too mommy Darkia and mommy, we don't want to leave you but just have fun... We would like to see England, Stonehenge, the Chinese Wall and all the other wonders and we would like to take our raptor friends with us to hunt!

"But you're crazy! They'll freak out and tear you to pieces!"

Arnold: "They get in the truck! And they obey! And we hunt great!

I put my paw in front of my mouth. Kate didn't understand...

"Honey, are they crazy?"

Then it clicked!

I spoke in German and they understood...

Then I spoke in Chinese and it was the same but in Russian I had a harder time... and it was the confirmation...

Being the first dragon on earth I had recreated a kind of data bank, a library with my knowledge and a form of collective unconscious.

My children were drawing on my thousand-year-old knowledge. A form of natural internet for dragons... And then Louise and Arnold who were not dragons but had my blood could access it!

It was fascinating but also frightening. We were no longer dragons, but we had awakened the divinity in our bloodline.

Dragons would rule the world, but it could backfire! A rift would be created between the earth's species sooner rather than later.

"DADDY?"

"Yes, Louise... yes... I was thinking of the Vespalians..."

Indeed, they had a kind of telepathic network but of dominance between the queen who gave her orders and the structures of the Vespalian society. They were free but had affinities and a direct order took priority over everything else.

Looking at the 300 humans and the thousands of surviving dwarves, elves and fairies... my fears were fading but one calculation kept coming back to me, like an obsession:

Genetic fatigue... At this rate, only the half-humans would survive, the species diluting with the dwarves, elves and fairies... humans with praying mantis arms or with wings and fangs coming out of their mouths... The image didn't fit. I had to do something.

I kept cursing Yuri and Mondeville for their stupidity and the other 200 humans who perished with it.

The kids were gone and Kate was crying at me.

"Hey, they're growing up! And I made a discovery!"

Darkia was worried and Kate looked at me with question mark eyes.

"My darlings, our children are "half" gods and they have access to my knowledge via a sort of spiritual library we unintentionally created. It is a consequence of my blood and Enka's blood flowing through their veins. They are strong, stronger than I was when I was just a dragon."

Darkia: "They are possessed by Tyrant then!!!"

"No, not at all.. they are themselves but also primo progenitors They are humanity 2.0 dragons, humans and gods at the same time. Our descendants will be very strong and the universe will be their home, their playground!"

Kate: "There will be many of them and I would love to see what that will be like... but we will have died of old age.."

I started laughing... "Kate!!! we don't get old anymore!!! you will see them!!!"

Darkia:" When it's my turn to ascend, I'm going to have to hibernate and it may be centuries!"

"I've been thinking about it and Enka has been very helpful in accepting and dealing with the time issues."

Kate stood up, hopeful.

"Temporal ice.., we put the world to sleep and do a big hibernation and we all get together!"

Kate was already looking forward to it..

But Darkia didn't agree...

Darkia : "Let's admit it...but the dream world continues. We'll be conscious and trapped in the dream world... and if there's a tragedy, we won't wake up... and we'll be hurt or worse."

Me: "That's true...I have to think about that...but the hibernating humans survived!!! so it's not as bad as I had thought: The Ummite Empire...if they came back...or another...

It's true that Waspy could develop the horde and ruin the empire to make it a Vespalian empire...

Then I thought of Tiamat... She might know what to do... She has managed empires for eons and she should know...