AN: Told you guys this was coming quick! Here is the next chapter! Here we go! Usual disclaimers, blah blah blah!

{Wesker, Jill and Alana}

Twenty minutes earlier…

With the trio in the reliquary, Wesker, Jill and Alana would be reading some of the books that were sitting on the different shelves, scattered about the cavernous area. Some of them were more advanced spellbooks on different evocations, conjuration of the spirits and other subjects. Alana meanwhile had found an interesting read: spells while wielding a sword. Spellsword or Arcane Warrior, she believed it was called. And it did indeed keep her attention. She also found a book on psychic abilities, something right up her alley, considering what Umbrella did to her. She needed another thing to help her with her powers in case her Daddy was busy with his work. She had set it aside for now in favor of the spellblade book.

"What did you find?" Wesker asked as he came over and sat next to her.

"A book about spellblades. I think it means that one can wield magic, even when you are using a weapon like a sword. I also found a book on psychic powers and how I can modify them with different types of magic. Daddy, do you think you can teach me?" Alana replies as she shows the tomes to him.

"I suppose I could, when you're much older. However, given our situation, I do not think that now is the best time to talk about this, hmm?" He answered, tersely.

"I know. I mean when we get out of here, can you teach me?" Alana nodded as she marked the page and placed it into a bag she found since her other one was lost in the currents in the underground river.

"No. I already said you are too young. Ten is not the age to be slinging spells or stabbing swords. You couldn't even hold a shortsword, let alone swing one." He laughed off her request.

Alana pouted a bit but she let it go for now. Jill meanwhile had found some books on aquamancy. Ever since Wesker saved her life back in the lake in the summer and even before that, she always loved the water. She always felt drawn to it and felt so safe whenever she was near it. The sounds of waves always put her to sleep when her parents used to take her to the beach for their vacations.

Not to mention, she had a bit of an 'incident' involving water in her apartment, a few weeks previous. She had a fight with someone who took immense pleasure in harassing her. Somehow (to this day she still could not figure out how), she had almost drowned him and flooded the apartment building.

Understandably, he never went near her again. But after she had calmed down, she discovered that she somehow had magic. Wesker, once he was finished admonishing Jill for losing control, had called it The Spark; something of a magical force that existed inside people and gave them their powers. However, not everyone had this ability. Only gifted individuals, odds of around one in a thousand, possessed the Spark. Fewer still, were able to awaken it.

While Wesker and Jill went to investigate more of the books, something small and silvery came flying around the corner and made a beeline for Alana, who had looked up half a second before the silvery thing slammed into her chest, sending her crashing to the ground with her crying out.

"Alana!" Wesker and Jill were heard saying as they ran over to her, making sure she was not hurt.

But before they got close to her, a HUGE pulse of power erupted from the crumpled girl, forcing them backwards onto their backs, several feet away from her. Wesker was the first to regain his stance, but his eyes would go wide as Alana's now limp form was floating several feet above them like a rag doll, as something situated on her chest was now glowing brightly, and pulsing periodically. As he went to grab her, another pulse sent him flying and once more Jill grabbed him, stopping him from crashing back down.

"Wesker, you OK?!" Jill gasped before looking up to Alana, her arms had lifted from her sides and she appeared to be controlled by some unseen force of unknown origin. Whatever it was, it was manipulating her like a marionette. "What the hell..?! What's going on!?" Jill called out.

"Hell if I know!" Wesker yelled back. The sheer force of the pulses forced them back down onto their knees. Whatever had possessed Alana, if that was the right way to describe it, it was insanely powerful. Even Wesker's strong body, honed from years of training with his mother, was barely able to withstand the crushing pressure of being so close to Alana.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the pulsing stopped. Alana floated back down to the ground and landed softly on her feet. When her eyes opened, they were no longer emerald green, but a soul-piercing silver, with catlike slits for pupils. Wesker recognized them as draconic eyes. With a look of horror, he realized a dragon spirit had possessed her!

The girl looked at him and giggled softly. It sounded haunting. "Something the matter, Albert..? Am I different to you somehow? Perhaps you're merely seeing things, tired as you are from your restless nights and long treks across the land…" She giggled again. This was not the same Alana. When she spoke, it was with a powerful, mature voice that echoed experience. Just who was she?

"You're not Alana… who are you?" Jill finally asked her, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. Then her eyes wandered to the opening in her shirt and her eyes widened once more: literally embedded in her chest was a silver crystal and it was glowing dimly.

"Who am I? Only the most interesting woman in your life~" The voice replied tartly, raising her eyebrows at them. "I am… I was… the former Dragon Queen. My name is Reya, and I should be the ruler of all that you see. But that title, and my life, were stolen from me. I have returned to reclaim what is rightfully mine. This child… though she is young, headstrong and occasionally impetuous, she has power within her. Power that I once held. She and I… I believe we were meant to meet. This moment was written in the stars…"

Jill looked over to Wesker to see a look of recognition in his eyes. Something reminded him of his lessons with his mother, and he remembered reading the mythology of Reya, for he began to tremble with a degree of respect… and fear. What Jill didn't realize was the kind of power that Reya held; she was known as the Creator of Magic. Meaning all types of magic, began with HER.

"Wesker…?" Jill spoke softly, placing a hand on his shoulder, wondering what had him so spooked. Was this Queen REALLY so powerful, that it could make even the notoriously stoic Wesker shake? "What is it?"

"You have no idea who she is, do you? I envy that. It must be pure bliss to not understand the sheer, mortal danger we are in right now. This spirit inside Alana, with the snap of her fingers, could erase our very being from existence…" He said, his voice trembling.

Jill snapped her head back towards the spirit possessed Alana, who gave another mischievous smirk to her. There was no way…! Now she can see why Wesker was so scared of her. Even now, she could just feel the soft pulse of power coming from that crystal that now lay over the girl's heart, beating to her heart rhythm.

"It's true, I could do such a thing. Fortunately for you, I am in a forgiving mood. I do not intend to harm either of you. Despite once being a dragon, violence was never really a part of my nature. You are safe in my presence~" Reya would say with a nod before giving a small curtsy.

The two breathed heavy sighs of relief and relaxed, seeing that they were not going to be harmed in any way. So the two sat down on the ground while the possessed Alana sat on one of the ledges of a bookcase. "So Lady Reya, how long have you been down here?" Jill asked, now curious as to how such a powerful spirit became encased inside such a small piece of rock.

As Reya was about to answer, it was at that moment that Chris and Claire decided to make a very timely arrival into the large cavern, entering from the opposite direction. Chris spotted Alana first, and immediately his ex-military instincts told him something wasn't right. He stopped and held his arm in front of Claire, backing her up a bit.

"Captain? Jill? What's going on? Something doesn't feel right here… how did you get here? What… happened to her..?" He asked, gesturing at the possessed child, who now stood up to face them.

"I would first ask who you two are, before a madam of royalty dared to utter her name." She said curtly, the voice of which caught Chris completely off guard. That was NOT Alana speaking.

"What the fuck." Was the first thing he thought of, earning a somewhat amused smirk from Reya.

"What delightful manners. And always in the last place one looks. Charming," She mildly insulted, giggling to herself.

"Wesker, Jill, what's going on?! What happened to Alana?! Who is that speaking?!" Claire called down to the two of them. "Is that Reya?!"

"Oh? The boyish female knows of me? A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. And I see our two guests have yet to introduce themselves. Perhaps one might think of doing so, before addressing a stranger, no?" Reya stated insultingly.

"That's Chris and Claire Redfield. They're siblings. Their parents were Thomas and Katherine Redfield," Jill says, speaking calmly while Chris was helping his sister down along the rocky slope.

"Yes, I know who they are, pudgy one. I was waiting for them to be respectful enough to address me themselves. I see that even after many years of my hibernation, humanity still has much to learn… manners, to say the least." Reya again insulted.

Jill glared at her a bit for the insult, but upon seeing Chris come over, she jumped to her feet and ran over to her partner, hugging him gently. "Chris! Thank the goddesses you're okay," She says with relief in her voice.

"We're fine, aside from almost getting trapped in the vault, which we found by the way, and Claire getting her palm pierced. Aside from that, we're just peachy." He assured her, giving her a soft hug back.

"You look like a pair of fruits to me." Reya giggled again, actually dropping to the floor and rolling around laughing like a hyena.

"Hey!" came the indignant yells of the two, glaring at the laughing dragon queen.

After finally stopping her giggle fit and composing herself, Reya sat back down on the shelf. "You amuse me, humans. I must thank you for being such good sports. Few people are willing to take my insults lightly. Perhaps…" She paused and faked a gasp. "...I might even like you!" She giggled again and off she went into another fit of laughter.

Was THIS the loving, caring and wise Dragon Queen that was told in the stories? She was acting NOTHING like what was said to be. Then again, being asleep for a few thousand years and then being woken up by a human, yeah one would be this way as well, especially if you didn't know how long you were asleep for. Speaking of which, once Reya calmed down again, she had to wonder… how long HAD she been asleep for?

"I'm getting a distinct impression that Reya's mannerisms are being affected by Alana's childlike mind. It would explain the childish behavior from someone who was well known for her wisdom and seriousness." Wesker stated out of the blue, almost making Chris jump, as he'd completely forgotten his captain was even there.

"So… does that mean that it would take time for Reya and Alana to completely merge together since the two are so different from one another?" Claire asked.

"Most certainly. Alana is, after all, just a child. Her mind isn't developed enough to fully comprehend, let alone control, the vast power she now possesses. It may take many years for their personalities to fully merge. Until then, they will very likely remain two separate personalities sharing a single body." Wesker said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.

"You are quite astute, Albert. No less than I would expect from perhaps the greatest of Spencer's creations." Reya nodded approvingly.

"...are you saying I was manufactured?" Wesker looked at her, concern and intrigue in his eyes.

"...whoops…" Reya replied, mentally smacking herself. "I should not have said that…"

Now all eyes were on Wesker. Spencer's creation? What did she mean by that? Chris was the first to speak after a moment or two of tense silence.

"You… wanna explain something to us, Captain..?" He tentatively asked, almost afraid of the response he'd get. He knew all too well what Wesker's temper was like.

There was another tense moment of silence as Wesker's eyes closed. He was REALLY hoping he'd keep his double life a secret, until the right time came for him to explain it. But with Reya having opened her mouth and spilled his secret, there was no way he could lie his way out. Chris was someone who could smell bullshit from a mile away. He was a walking lie detector, someone to have at his side when interrogating criminals. Unfortunately, that was the LAST thing he needed right now.

"I… well you see… one thing I… I was going to… oh cock." He was in it now. Only way out was to tell the truth. But what if… he slightly twisted the truth and only told them so much..? It wasn't exactly lying. He sighed deeply.

"Better get comfortable on that rock… this is going to take some time to explain…"