I know I said that the first five (or six) chapters were the introduction to the story, but I feel like there's still a few more things I have to put on the table. But I also want to move forward with the plot. So, I'm doing both here. Enjoy.

Leave a review after reading, please. Feedback is always appreciated.

I'd like to thank the following users for reviewing the previous chapter: DragonEmperor999, TheGreatGodzilla, CarvieCamfia2, xez2003

Mal spent the night at Dragon Point. It has been a reoccurring theme in her life to always rely on special places for solace. It may be the opposite of therapeutic, but Mal has never been one to make herself feel better through conventional means. Dragon Point is one of the places where Mal feels like she can be one with the world without losing herself. Plus, this spot is called Dragon's Point for a reason. Mal is part-dragon. The name itself draws Mal in someway.

"Now, let's see what the big deal is about this place," she said.

By "this place," she doesn't meant Dragon Point. She meant the kingdom closest to Dragon Point. Auroria. Although, it's not called Auroria anymore, obviously. And it's not so much a kingdom now, much less a valley.

Mal Valley.

Yup, that's right. The Auroria of the new world has been named after the daughter of Maleficent. The place looked like a major catastrophic event took place and decimated a huge chunk of the kingdom until it looked like a valley. Mal did her research during her month-long self-imprisonment in her room. When the villains invaded Auroria, Maleficent turned into a dragon and laid waste to the entire area. Thousands of people, countless buildings, and the flora were all burned to the ground until Auroria was reduced to a valley. Maleficent named it after her daughter.

The valley started out as a place for adolescent villains to spend time at to get away from their parents. When Mal reached adolescence, she decided to run the place. While she still allowed freedom of action, she made a few changes to the valley. For one thing, she had her own personal night club that was built near the edge of a cliff. She called it "Inferno."

That's where she decided to go into right now.

Since it was morning, the place was empty, but she didn't really need the company right now. She just wanted to explore this new world and some alone time will help her adjust. She just wishes that Carlos could come with her. He's currently the one she trusts the most in this new world. But thanks to CJ and the Merry Men, now Carlos has to stay with the resistance and away from her.

The place seemed pretty neat. In a dark and bleak kingdom like (new world) Auradon, Inferno looked like paradise in comparison. It's like a neon lights club except that most everything is purple. Typical me, she thought. All kinds of drinks that can keep an entire pirate crew happy going all night can be found in the many shelves around the large party area. Mal stands behind the counter like a bartender and pours herself a glass of strawberry cider. It's been a long time since she had a sip of this stuff. After drinking every single drop in the glass, she sighs with satisfaction.

"I forgot how much I missed this stuff," said Mal.

Then Mal sensed something. Someone was inside the club with her. Pretending that she doesn't know, she closes the bottle and puts it back on the shelf. As she released the bottle, she quickly turns around and casts a spell. Telekinetically, she pulls out a certain someone from the shadows. This certain someone also happens to be a under a freeze spell, preventing him from moving a muscle or saying a word.

Jay.

"You gotta do a better job at sneaking up one me," said Mal.

Mal snaps her fingers and creates a little fire-themed firework show to scare everyone else inside out of hiding. Jumping down from the second level balcony are Freddie, Ginny, and Yzla. Coming out from behind tables are Claudine, Hadie, and Mad Maddy. All the members of Mal's gang, "The Dragons," are here.

"How do you do that?" asked Ginny. "You take the fun out of sneaking up on someone."

"That's my little secret," said Mal.

Mal finds it funny that she is the only magical being who has the ability to sense magic through pure instinct. Others need to cast a spell to sense magic within others. It's no wonder why Fairy God Mother never knew the truth about Eleanor.

"What do you guys want?" asked Mal.

"Your mother said you were missing, that you were kidnapped by the resistance. She ordered everyone in the kingdom to look for you," said Jay.

"And if we just sit on our butts, she'll, and I quote, cast a curse upon us that will haunt our nightmares for the rest of our lives. And no one wants to suffer her wrath," said Freddie.

"So, we thought we'd search for you here in your own valley," said Hadie. "This place is big, after all. Who knows? Maybe there's a place here the resistance can use as a secret hideout..."

"But there was none," said Mad Maddy.

"We spent the night here and we were just about to look somewhere else, but then you showed up," said Claudine.

"Captured by heroes, huh, Mal? Did your month-long isolation make you lose your touch?" Mad Maddy mocked playfully.

Mal responds to this insult by crushing the glass in her hands and then magically glues Maddy to the wall. Mal then started magically pushing Maddy into the wall like it was made of a combination of clay and quicksand, threatening to push her all the way in until she nothing but a piece of art. Mal can't deny that this felt good. It was Mad Maddy she was trying to hurt, after all. Maddy tried to break free, but then mentally slapped herself since she knows her magic can't rival Mal's.

"Okay, I give. I give," Maddy surrendered.

Mal smirks and then pulls Maddy out of the wall.

"Still think I've lost my touch?" Mal asked.

"Then how were you captured by the resistance?" asked Jay. "Did they ambush you in your sleep or something? 'Cause if I remember right, you can still sense people sneaking up on you even when you're asleep."

"My capture is anything but a sign of weakness. I have my reasons for allowing myself to be taken in," said Mal.

"Ooh, let me guess. You were trying to discover the location of their sanctuary?" Yzla guessed.

Mal's little shrug seemed like a confirmation of that guess.

"But if that's the case, then why haven't you told your mother yet?" asked Freddie. "This is big, Mal. We've been searching for the resistance for 16 years."

"And they will be taken care of," Mal said, resuming her little act. "But not yet."

"Oh, so this is another one of your little games, huh?" Maddy wondered.

"Hey, I'm all in for games, but this is war, Mal," Claudine said judgmentally. "Unless the last of resistance is wiped out, they continue to threaten our reign, not that they're much of a threat. But still, your love for playing twisted mind games with your allies and enemies will lead to anything but positive outcomes for us..."

"It is handled, Claudine," Mal insisted, her exasperation of Claudine's judgmental tendencies showing in her tone. "Trust me, it is better if the resistance remains untouched for now. Besides, now that they know that I know where they are, they'll be in a state of panic. They'll be either reinforcing their hideout, risking exposure, or move someplace else."

"I don't think 16 years of searching is gonna do them any favors in the hide-and-seek department," said Jay. "They might as well just serve themselves to you mom on a silver platter."

"And I'll be there to burn them alive until they're nothing but dust beneath my feet. I'll make sure to do it slowly so they can feel every second of their skin burning off their bones," Mal said darkly.

"Ooh, I think I got the chills," Jay said jokingly, although he truly did feel kinda terrified of the way Mal said those words but won't admit it.

"So, you want us to keep our traps shut?" asked Hadie.

"Or I'll weld them shut for you," Mal said threateningly, adding a burning fist to the message.

Hadie raises his hands and steps back a little, understanding the message very clearly.

"But enough about the resistance," said Mal. "I believe I owed you guys a party."

"Yeah, you missed out on our shindig at Eden last month," said Jay.

"Honestly, it was boring without you," said Freddie. "I mean, where's the fire? None of us could bring it."

"Well, in that case," said Mal.

Mal snaps her fingers and turns on the lights and music. Wicked music with evil tunes boomed through the club's speakers as Mal started pouring drinks for her "friends." Freddie and Yzla jump on tables and started rocking out while the rest did the same on the floor. Ginny ended up accidentally hitting Claudine, but the two just turned it into a dance fight with chair legs as swords. Jay decided to get wild and starting jumping from one table to another, doing some flips.

Mal sneaks in a spilled glass of cider on a table, causing Jay to slip on it and land on his back. He was okay, but everyone started laughing at him.

Mal downs her fifth glass of strawberry cider and starts lighting the place on fire as she danced. No one minded, just as long as she wasn't trying to burn them alive. They just used the drinks to extinguish the fire. Another strange thing about Mal is that she can determine which of her flames can be extinguished naturally and which ones are immune to liquid. In the end, Jay and Freddie showered Mal with strawberry cider. She punched them both in the shoulders for it, but in a friendly manner.

Just like with Uma, it was hard for Mal to pretend to be good friends with Mad Maddy, considering their relationship in the old world. Mad Maddy betrayed Mal and left her to die in a lake full of crocodiles, and Mad Maddy became the first life that Mal took with her own two hands. Let's just say when Maddy pulled her in for a friendly side hug, Mal was tempted to burn her with a single touch. Still, when Maddy poured Mal a drink, Mal had to accept it and raise a toast with her for the sake of keeping her secret.

"Hey, what's say we let my mother know I'm fine?" Mal said.

Mal takes out her phone as everyone gathers around her. She was gonna take a selfie with her entire gang.

"Say, long live evil," said Mal.

"Long Live Evil!"

Mal snaps the picture and then immediately posts it on the internet. That way, someone can inform Maleficent about this and get her to call off the kingdom-wide search. Mal doesn't know what the resistance will do given that she is aware of their location, but if the resistance attempts to leave their hiding spot for important reasons, she can't have patrols spotting them.

"Hey, Mal," Freddie called. She takes out her magical playing cards and says, "Remember this?"

Jay, Ginny, Claudine, Yzla, Mad Maddy, and Hadie throw bottles of root beer up in the air. Mal fires multiple fireballs at them at the same time Freddie threw her playing cards. The resulting explosion showered The Dragons with root beer, soaking their hair and clothes.

They just laughed and danced.

"The Queen of the VKs is back!" Jay cheered.

Everyone crowds Mal as they cheer for her. They feared her one month in isolation has softened her or something, but the way she threatened Maddy and how she livened up this party quickly shows that she's still the Mal they know and love and fear.

It just wasn't the real Mal, though. But Mal had no intention of letting them know that... not yet.

As went up the stairs and watched her fellow "Dragons" party, she smirked and thought about what she could do with them now that she's close to ready to play her new game.

"Oh, the games have now just begun," she said in a sinister way.

She wipes some root beer off her cheek and sucks it off her fingers, relishing in the taste of being in control. Her mother may control the lands, but Mal controls everyone.


Mal decided it's time to go home. She would rather scheme somewhere she can be alone, but she doesn't want her mother to be suspicious... as if being captured by the resistance ins't suspicious enough. But Mal is confident that she will be able to keep her mother unaware. One thing Mal was sure about is that her mother's view would change slightly because of this, as one would say it, unfortunate incident. One thing's for sure, the fear in the eyes of the goblins and knuckleheads were not because of Mal but because they were bracing themselves for another tantrum from Maleficent.

"If you're all so scared of my mom, why are you still here?" Mal wondered quietly.

Mal walks into the throne room where Maleficent sat on her throne. Her eyes were closed and she petted Diablo. Mal can tell that her mom's hand was shaking as she held her scepter, only because she was losing her temper.

"Hi, mom," Mal greeted her casually. "I'm back."

"And how was your trip?" Maleficent asked, trying to sound calm.

"Mom, I know that you sent Diablo to spy on me. That's how you found out about my capture," said Mal. "You really think you can keep an eye on me without my knowing?"

"Well, I tried," Maleficent said sarcastically.

"You're disappointed, aren't you?" Mal guessed.

Maleficent gets off her throne and approaches her daughter, saying, "Oh, I should be. I mean, I raised you to be the baddest, to strike fear into the hearts of any friend or foe. To hear you be kidnapped by those pathetic heroes, oh, I would have called you a disgrace of a daughter..."

"But?" Mal asked curiously.

"But then I thought, you're better than that," Maleficent continued. "And I know exactly what is going on here?"

"Really?" Mal asked, raising her eyebrow. "What do you think is going on here then?"

"You were trying to get inside of their heads and and their secret hearquarnerbs," said Maleficent.

"It's pronounced headquarters, mom," Mal corrected. "Seriously, stop trying to talk like a millennial. It's embarrassing."

"And considering you came back here all spick and span, I assume you took care of business," Maleficent assumed.

"The resistance still lives, mother," said Mal.

"What?!" Maleficent exclaimed.

"They locked me up and I just left while they slept. No traps. No curses. Nothing," said Mal.

"Bu-bu-bu... why?" Maleficent asked, baffled.

"You know me, mom. I don't do things without a little showmanship," said Mal. "The resistance will meet their end, but not yet."

"You had the opportunity to end it and you just... walked away?" Maleficent questioned angrily.

"You want to be disappointed in me, that's fine," Mal said apathetically. "But you're not getting anything out of me."

"You're protecting them?!" Maleficent accused.

"I'm not protecting anyone, except for maybe our legacy," said Mal. "The resistance thinks I'll reveal their location. What they do next, I'll just let it play out."

"You're toying with war, Mal," said Maleficent.

"It's not like the resistance can really do anything. They're outnumbered and in over their heads," said Mal.

"Okay, I suppose that's true," said Maleficent. "But we will never truly be victorious until there is no resistance out there defying us."

"If we're lucky, they'll walk up to our front door and beg for mercy," Mal joked.

"Don't you dare do this to me, young lady," Maleficent scolded. "5 years. 5 years of hard-fought war. That's how long it took for us to be where we are. Yet, those heroes still insist on fighting us. Maybe our victory is assured, but eliminating every last one of them is our top priority. You have the key to their doom, but you withhold it from your own mother."

"Well, consider it self-training for when I rule this land," said Mal. "The resistance is more than what they appear. Trust me. I have seen it. If I had just killed all of them last night, then it means nothing. The end of a revolution, is that what you're aiming for mom? I'm aiming for something bigger. I want to use the resistance's demise as an example for my rule. If you don't like it, then we can settle this right here, right now."

Maleficent slammed her scepter down hard, creating a loud sound that echoed across the room, startling Diablo in the process. Mal, however, didn't even blink.

Maleficent unleashes her evil stare to get her daughter to force her to give up the resistance's location. Mal uses the same evil stare to combat her mother's. It's been a long-running thing between them. When Mal is being rebellious, Maleficent would use the stare to get her to submit. In this new world, Mal has never won. Maleficent always won. But now...

Maleficent's facial expression changed due to how weaker and weaker she was feeling after every second. Mal smirks as she watches her mother bend down on her knees. As Maleficent continues to fight, she started seeing a strange picture in her mind.

She was a dragon engaging in an evil staring contest with Mal at Auradon Cathedral. Mal wins and Maleficent sees herself transforming into a lizard.

In the end, Maleficent gives in and collapses, overwhelmed by her own daughter's evil stare and the strange images she saw. This was a new feeling for this world's Maleficent.

"H... H... How?" Maleficent wondered. "Since when can you beat me at this game?"

"Since now, apparently," Mal answered ambiguously.

Mal departs from the room with a smug look on her face.

Maleficent gets up slowly and walks back to her throne to recover from the feeling of weakness that she suffered from the staring contest. What she just saw was odd, yet it felt real. But how can that be, she wondered. It can't be real. That moment never happened. And why was every Auradonian in the cathedral frozen? Why was her daughter standing against her?

Maleficent is beyond confused.

First, Carlos sees memories from the old world. Now, it's Maleficent. But let's not think too big about this. I didn't write this new world just to throw it away so quickly. I've been planning this for a long time and I want to make it worth writing/reading.

So, what do you think?