2 And so it begins

“My queen, the army of the united races approaches. They outnumber us ten to one. What is your wi-will, my lady?”

The humans were winning and the demons were dying.

The whole room- a magnificent room the size of a football field- was mostly empty. There were two people inside: on a second glance, they looked nothing like living breathing people. One was a demon bowing before the throne- horns sticking out from his head like a lamb, the other- a lady clad in darkness- the undead queen.

To ordinary eyes this room was empty- but to those who possessed the eyes of darkness, this room was crawling with souls of the dead and their burning desires.

The pungent odor of dead flesh and rotted remains drifted through the air. It was enough to make ordinary men crawl on their knees.

“I assume you’ve acquired the sacrifices?” The undead queen spoke in a soft but bewitchingly deep voice. Her voice was somewhere on the line between feminine and masculine, not quite crossing either line.

“One thousand virgin maidens my liege. All have been acquired.”

The undead queen didn’t have any visual appearance, as everything about her was covered in pure darkness but- her eyes- her eyes were pure red- the color of blood. And yet they were so beautiful. That was the reason why people referred to her, as queen, rather than king.

“Very well- I shall see to it myself. Meanwhile-” She got up, raised her hands upward toward the heavens. “Arise my children.”

In a split second, the ceiling disappeared. They were at the top floor of the demon castle. The sky turned blood red- the same sky which was so blue just a second before.

And from within that blood-red sky- descended dragons- dead dragons. They numbered in tens of thousands.

The demon started to chuckle- sweating slightly. ‘This might just work. We were right to revive this monster.’

“Destroy them,” The undead queen whispered faintly.

The dragons started moving slowly and in the direction of the approaching united army.

To the barren lands.

“My lady, this way.” The demon led the queen to the grounds in front of the palace, where one thousand virgin maidens were made to stay still. They were under a spell that rendered them speechless and emotionless.

There were humans, demons, demi-humans, orcs and even dragon born mixed in. They were nourishment for sinister beings that were about to descend into the world.

The queen smiled as she looked down upon the world from the sky.

Again she raised her hands. “Come- oh great serpents of old. Come- destroy my foes- for I have prepared a banquet to soothe thy tastes. COME!” Her voice echoed throughout the land, reaching the deepest depths of hell. “Seven Serpents OF PURGATORY!!!”

Almost all of her mana instantly drained and she crumbled to her knees, groaning ever so slightly.

Pant*

Something had gone horribly wrong. Even if she summoned one hundred of those things- she’d have only used half of her mana. And yet…

Sixty maidens immediately fell on the ground- bodies turning to mush. Each cluster of ten became one and formed long streamlined bodies- serpents. Six serpents. Different colored scales, spiked- deadly.

But the rest of the nine hundred and forty- they combined into one- but instead of turning into a streamlined body- they shrunk.

Every time they shrunk shockwaves spread across the world.

The very sound shook the world. Something far worse than serpents was just born.

And every living thing on the planet felt it: some subconsciously ignored the fact, while some cowered in uncertainty.

Something with fair skin, a humanoid form and something that looked almost like a girl. Or perhaps, she really was a girl.

Was born.

“Oh?” The undead queen grinned. “A human?” She flew down in quick succession. She was exhilarated. She was tired beyond compare but- she was exhilarated. “No… A half…”

After all, summoning a human from another world- summoning an otherworlder was a feat only a divine being could perform. So her being able to achieve so, meant- ‘I’m near.’

As the light, smoke and debris cleared. A girl emerged, a beautiful girl, completely naked and barely able to stand on her feet.

The queen quickly moved to her and grabbed her before the girl could fall on the ground. The queen had taken a human form- a form fit for a queen. “All will be alright my child.”

The girl passed out and the queen just grinned. ‘All will be alright.’

Only the demons closest to her could grasp just how terrifying that grin actually was.