2353 Victors and Spoils (Part 1)

'Never again.'

'I beg you.'

Free at last'.'

A choir of voices prayed for the living to learn from the mistakes of the past as they faded away, free to move on.

"No, no, no!" Thrud yelled in despair as the destruction of the Golden Griffon was accompanied by the disappearance of the flow of world energy that empowered her and her army.

Without the resurrection chamber, she was no longer immortal and every fallen soldier would stay dead.

"Cry me a river, bitch!" Sylpha cut the Mad Queen's head off, her prowess now leagues above her enemy's.

"Please, let me at least check that my son is alright." The regenerative powers of the white core allowed Thrud to reattach her head to the neck and beg for the sake of Valeron the Second.

"You never cared for the children of others. This is for Phloria Ernas!" A blast of emerald energy destroyed the Arthan Set and most of the Mad Queen's body, killing her on the spot.

The Davross of her equipment, however, quickly reformed thanks to the self-repairing properties of the magical metal. Thrud, instead, remained dead.

"It's over. Surrender or die!" Sylpha's voice echoed throughout the battlefield putting an end to the War of the Griffons.

The Forgotten had died along with the Golden Griffon, leaving behind only the Awakened who had willingly joined Thrud.

They fell onto their knees and dropped their weapons, knowing that all was lost. Without the True Queen and her academy, defiance would only put Valeron the Second's life in danger.

"Seriously, what about the baby?" Sylpha asked Lith who shrugged in reply.

"We can ask Leegaain." He pointed at the group of Guardians who were still watching the events.

"Valeron the Second is safe." The Father of all Dragons said. "He is my grandchild and he isn't responsible for any of this. He's under my protection."

"But-"

"I allow that." Tyris said, cutting Sylpha short.

"Also, I'm going to take this as well." Leegaain picked up the Arthan set and had it float by his side. "This child is doomed to be haunted by the crimes of his ancestors. Valeron has already lost both of his parents and once he grows up, the entire Garlen will be his enemy.

"I won't allow him to lose the only thing he has left of his mother, no matter how bad she was."

"I agree." Tyris nodded again. "The Arthan set is a miracle of magic and it's neither good nor bad by itself. I hope that one day, Valeron the Second will prove to be worthy of the name he carries and find a way to redeem the mad blood that flows through his veins."

Lith and Sylpha didn't like the idea of losing such a prize one bit, especially Lith. The Arthan set consisted of tons of purified Davross that Salaark could recycle for him. Alas, arguing with the Guardians was a waste of time.

'Grandma is nodding as well. If I piss her off, I can kiss my Creation Magic lessons goodbye.' Lith thought.

"My Queen, there's more." General Vorgh said.

"Good or bad news?" Sylpha panted like a bellows despite the Mother Earth potion and the Royal Array still being active.

"That's for you to decide." His white beard was caked with blood and sweat, but his blue eyes had lost none of their vigor during the battle.

The Queen waved at Lith to follow her. Her intention was to share with him the glory of the victory since his allies had played a huge role in the battle yet had already left. The Master and his hybrids had Warped away in order to keep their identity a secret.

A short flight brought them to a group of Council elders surrounding the kneeling figure of a human-sized Seven Headed Dragon.

"This guy surrendered to us even before Thrud's death." Feela the Behemoth said. "The moment his unit scattered due to our Annihilation, he dropped his equipment and turned himself in.

"He even helped us a bit during the final phase of the battle."

"Explain yourself, creature." Sylpha took off her helm to look Ufyl in one pair of eyes.

"There's not much to explain. Phloria's death opened my eyes. I understood that despite all her superficial kindness, Thrud had experimented on us no differently than Xedros. She had us trapped in a nice lie, but a lie nonetheless." The Dragon replied.

"I kept fighting on her side solely because if I were to voice my doubts, she would have just enslaved me. As soon as I found a way out, I took it. I'd rather die a free Dragon by your hand than live forever like a mindless pawn at Thrud's service."

"A wise decision." Sylpha nodded. "Nonetheless, you aided and abetted Thrud-"

"I invoke the treaty between the Kingdom and the Council." Ufyl cut her short. "I was once a Hydra who abandoned his bloodline because they abandoned me first. I ask my kin for asylum and offer my services in exchange for sparing my life."

"That's not up to you to decide!" The Queen snarled. "You'll be trialed like everyone else. Saying 'I'm sorry' changes nothing. You have to answer for the people you killed and the property you destroyed."

"Yet it's up to us." Feela stood between Ufyl and Sylpha. "Elder Fyrwal Nyxdra. This is a controversy between the Kingdom and the Council and you are the best-suited person among us to determine its outcome.

"Elder Nyxdra belongs to the Hydra bloodline, the Awakened Council, and is also one of the four founding pillars of the Kingdom. Queen Sylpha, do you agree?"

"I do, Representative Feela." Sylpha swallowed her pride, knowing that she couldn't afford to make an enemy of both the Council and the founding pillars in such a delicate moment of the Kingdom.

  "Know that your service might last decades. Maybe centuries if not even until your death of old age. Do you still accept?" Fyrwal came down from the sky accompanied by Faluel and Tessa.

"I do." Ufyl nodded. "Today I was supposed to die. Every day will be a gift but one that I can easily refuse the moment I change my mind. Until that moment, I need time to think about what I've done and what I can do to make amends for it."

"Then I hereby accept his offer." The Elder Hydra nodded.

"Are you sure?" Sylpha frowned in annoyance. "A traitor is still a traitor and I think he's getting away too easily."

"There's nothing easy in Ufyl's life. He was abused and experimented upon by his Awakened master. Then manipulated by Thrud. His actions are inexcusable but understandable." Fyrwal replied.

"On top of that, by studying his condition, we might discover a way to further our own evolution. What Thrud achieved with Forbidden Magic means that there is a path still available to Hydras to become Dragons.

"Her Madness demanded a terrible price to take the easy way, but there must also be a hard way. The right way. Something that maybe only the most talented or lucky among Hydras can achieve, but it would still be better than nothing.

"Stand up, Ufyl the Hydra, and welcome back to the family."

Fyrwal helped him to get up and hugged him while turning her skin into scales.