"We're losing this war!" Alena sat upon her throne while gazing down at her kneeling ally. With a heavy sigh, she turned to the glowing orb beside her as she was watching her dragon kin fall before the relentless tide of demons.
"What are your orders, Mi'lady?" The man kneeling before her, who was marked by the curling horns of his demonic heritage, waited for her next command.
She shut her eyes and leaned back as weariness settled into her bones and face. For years, they had fought for land, for vengeance, for a cause that now felt hollow.
"Must I take the field myself?" she murmured to herself. "Their queen is nowhere to be seen, yet we falter in this game. Every move they make is calculated, ruthless... At least I've managed to keep my dragons out of their grasp."
Her fingers tightened around the armrest. "But for how much longer?"
Haleon stepped forward as his boots clicked softly against the stone floor. In his outstretched palm lay a ruby, deep red as it was glowing with an eerie light.
Alena's brows lifted in surprise. "A Reincarnation Stone? Where did you get this?"
"This's not the key point right now. What matters is that you're trapped, and only bound to your beast soul's instincts. You think the only choices are fight or die." He shook his head, dismissing her question with a meaningful smirk. "Also you're stuck in your beast soul realm. Try to break through it."
Alena was sitting between duty and survival.
Even though Haleon was born of the demonic race, the very enemies they had fought for so long, but his loyalty to her had never wavered.
"It's survival, not just victory, which needs to be considered." She trusted him implicitly, yet the thought of retreat gnawed at her pride.
Would stepping back from the battlefield make her a coward? Or was their honor in sacrifice in holding the line long enough to give her people a chance to escape, to regroup, and to live another day?
The war had already cost them too much.
If she fought now, perhaps she could buy them precious time - time for her people to prepare for the worst, to find refuge, to endure whatever came next.
"This isn't retreat as it's a strategy for winning." His hand ruffled in her hair. Which is a rare gesture of comfort from someone who, by blood, should have been her enemy.
"We knew this war would turn against us. You leaving isn't cowardice, but it's preparation for your dragon race. Because you'll return stronger, and by then, your people will still be standing."
A deal. That explained his confidence. She didn't ask for details: not yet. But the way he said it, the unshakable certainty in his eyes, told her everything she needed to know. He had bargained, maneuvered, and done whatever was necessary to ensure their survival.
"Then I'll go."
Haleon smirked. "That's the spirit."
"You better protect my kin or else I'll drag you to hell myself!" Alena clicked her tongue before snatching the ruby from his hand. She didn't want to leave, but time was slipping through her fingers as she reached out through the mind-link binding to her dragon family. [Wait for me. Stay safe. And when I return… We'll fight and win.]
The ruby shone in her grasp as its glow intensified. She threw her arms around Haleon one last time, her voice softening. "I'll miss you, old man."
He chuckled. "You'll always be the greatest empress this world's ever seen."
"Tch. Don't go dying before I get back, Grandpa!" She shot back, then vanished in a swirl of crimson light. The moment she disappeared, Haleon's playful smirk faded. His expression darkened, shadows flickering across his face until a delicate hand rested on his shoulder.
"Well done, my little pawn." The voice slithered from the shadows as it was smooth, venomous, and unmistakable. The Demon Queen stood behind Haleon in amusement.
Haleon whirled around, his horns glinting in the dim light.
Alena materialized out of thin air, her arm locking around the Demon Queen's throat in a vice-like grip. Before either could react, she planted her boot square in Haleon's chest, sending him crashing to the floor. "Lol, You're such an idiot! Show yourself too soon, and this whole plan."
"A-Alena?!" the Demon Queen gasped, her composure cracking for the first time in centuries. "But you just-"
"Surprise, bitch!"
"Guess what? I was aware something like this was going to happen. Anyway, you're coming with me!" Alena's grin was feral as the Reincarnation Stone flared to life. "Let's enjoy the human world… together!"
Light erupted as it swallowed both of them.
Haleon scrambled to his feet while coughing blood, but it was too late.
Deep silence.
"That brat… I knew that she was cooking!"
.
.
.
The world came into focus slowly as Alena blinked and her vision cleared to reveal two faces hovering above her. Those two were wearing the kind of radiant smiles that made her… Flabbergasted.
'Where the hell am I?' She tried to sit up, but something felt wrong.
Her arms... they were so small. Impossibly small. She held them up in front of her face, staring at tiny fingers that couldn't possibly belong to her.
'.... Am I a child now?'
"Honey, why isn't she crying?" The woman's voice carried a note of worry as she glanced at the man beside her. She had kind eyes, the sort that crinkled at the corners from years of smiling, but now they were clouded with concern.
Alex picked her up gently. "I- I don't know! She's just looking at us."
Alena tried to speak but only made a small sound.
The woman leaned close. "Hello, sweetheart. Welcome to the world."
'This old man's grip is tight now!! Fuck!" Alena started crying, trying her best. 'Damn this! I'll kill that old man for sure!'
"She's as pretty as me! Hahahah!" Alex and Kacy smiled as Kacy hugged her and spun around the room. Alena thought they were idiots, but figured they were trying to stop her crying.
"Aww, honey, look how cute she is!" Kacy cooed.
Alena ignored her and opened her status bar.
[Primordial Cultivation System
Name - Alena Vaelira
Race - Dragon(Anicent Dragon Bloodline)
Realm - Body Tempering Realm(Stage 3)
Bloodline Purity - N/A
Qi Core - N/A
Affinity - Fire and Ice ]
"Hmm, not too shabby!" Alena grinned to herself, practically bouncing on her toes. "Three whole stages ahead just because of my bloodline? Talk about winning the genetic lottery!"
She couldn't help but giggle at her luck as her parents caught sight of her beaming smile and exchanged relieved looks.
"See? I told you she'd figure it out." Kacy told him.
"Afterall, It's our little genius, Alena!" Her dad added proudly, his chest puffing out a bit. Then…
KABOOM!
The ground shook, Windows rattled, and birds fled from nearby trees.
Alena's grin immediately twisted into something between a grimace and a nervous laugh.
"Uh oh... please tell me that wasn't what I think it was." She glanced around at the smoke rising in the distance, then back at her parents' suddenly pale faces.
'You know what? On second thought. Maybe being ahead three stages isn't such a blessing after all. Especially when it comes with... explosive side effects.'
Her dad facepalmed and yelled in the hallways. "Maria, what happened?!'
'I haven't done anything yet! That's... probably... someone else's problem, right?' Alena laughed nervously, already calculating her escape routes, but she could just rely on others.
'Hopefully, I'll still be alive after-'
"KILL THAT BLACK WITCH AND HER CHILD!"
Alena blinked. Then blinked again. '... Fuck!'