The crowd watched with betted breathe as Petra's form changed. Her eyes were a bright green and silted. Her fingernails formed claws; sharp and deathly. Two horns curled over her forehead. A tail waved in the air behind her. Its barb causing a few ladies to hold onto their lords. Great wings grew from her back. Dark red that reminded people of dried blood. Her canines were long and sharp as she smiled wickedly.

"I wonder if I can breathe fire in this form," she smirked.

The crowd looked towards their leader. J'son's eyes were wide and it looked like he had trouble breathing.

"You…You…" he muttered. "How can you even change? This is impossible."

"What's wrong, Emperor?" Petra purred. "Mad that I can do the impossible?"

"You have Terrain blood," he growled, his own form shifting.

His legs fused together and formed a long, scaly tail. A cobra like hood formed around his head. As he panted, a forked tongue could be seen, tasting the air.

"And proud of it," she said. "More proud of being a Terrain than a Spartoi."

J'son growled as his tail whipped behind him and the hood flared.

"Let's dance, slummy," Petra teased.

She jumped into the air, her wings beating the air and making her hover over the crowd.

Unaware by all, an old frail woman walked into the ballroom and looked up, smiling at the figure in the air.

"So it has begun," she muttered to herself.

Petra dove towards the Emperor and lashed her tail at him. The barb hit him in the face and made him fly into the wall. The crowd parted as he slid down the wall and Petra landed. Her wings curled along her back as her tail weaved in the air. She walked closer to the fallen man.

J'son felt her close in and reared his head back, spitting his venom. The ginger quickly covered her face and grimaced as the toxin hit her arms and burned. Before she could recover, he whipped his tail and made her fly and land on her back near the Guardians.

"Petra," Drax called out.

The muscular man started to walk towards her, only to feel a small hand against his chest. He looked towards the hand's owner and found the wise woman from the village.

"Elder?" he questioned.

"This is her fight," the woman said, firmly. "She must this battle alone."

"Like hell," Yondu said, pushing Gamora from him and limping towards the woman. "That asshole will kill her or worse."

The woman glared at the Ravager captain.

"She will win."

The elder turned back to the battle.

J'son has slithered his way towards Petra who was slowly getting to her feet. He whipped his tail at her as she dodged. She flew back into the air and sent a strong gust of wind towards the Emperor who slide back while courters, caught in the gust, fall.

"Don't you think we have had enough?" the Emperor said.

"Do you yield then?" Petra questioned, hovering in the air.

"No," he growled. "This is pointless. We know will happen."

"And what is that?"

"I'll win."

The room was silent.

"I'll win and you will breed more Sparatoi who will have the dragon form."

"And my friends?"

"I will kill them, of course."

Petra's lips curled back and showed her sharp canines.

"Have you forgotten what I told you so many years ago?" the elder said, stepping between the two.

The Emperor's face paled, seeing the woman and he backed away almost as if he was scared.

"A dragon, born to a line of snakes, will return and restore what once was lost," the woman said.

Her voice had darken and deepened. It haunted all who heard it.

Petra landed and asked, "Restore what?"

"The dragons to my line, of course," J'son said hurriedly.

The redhead could see and smell that he was afraid. She looked towards the older woman and saw that she had narrowed her eyes.

"Restore what?" Petra growled.

"That is for you to decide," the elder said. "Restore the dragons to the line of snakes OR"

The elder stopped and smirked, her eyes danced with mischief.

"Or what, elder?"

"Or you restore the throne to another line."

Emperor J'son roared and rushed at the woman. His fangs seemed like they dripped with venom. Petra stepped between then and used her tail to send him flying into a column. He fell unconscious and slumped over. The ginger turned to the elder who giggled.

"What is the other line? Will they actually be better than him?" she questioned. "Will they actually leave me and mine alone?"